Caution - This fictionalized history contains adult themes and strong emotional content.
In the constant struggle between Titans, Gods, and Mankind, The fate of Amazon warriors would prove one of the longest running battles.
The Amazons were the fiercest and most feared warriors of the ancient world. They prayed to Gaia, the Titan Earth Goddess, from whom they felt their strength came. Their reputation irritated the Greek gods and goddesses,
Before the Amazons, women were considered to be useful as only sex toys and baby factories, but the Amazons proved themselves equals to even the fiercest of male warriors. The gods felt that the Amazons very existence upset the balance of the world. In the gods opinions, the Amazons were removing the uniqueness that women possessed by making themselves more “manly.” The Goddesses felt the Amazons endangered their role of influencing from behind the scenes, so they did not oppose the gods plans to end the race.
Hippolyte, the queen of the Amazons was a fierce and undefeatable warrior. Rumors said she was actually the child of Aries, the Greek God of War. Other rumors said she possessed a magical talisman from the goddesses that made her stronger and faster than anyone else.
Some stories had the talisman as the wide metal belt she wore, or a magickal sword, or possibly even the jeweled metal bracelets she was never without.. Either way, Hippolyte was the most feared human on the planet. More feared than some of the gods.
Fearing an overthrow of mankind, and a loss of control of the mortal world, Zeus assigned Aries the task of figuring out a way to put an end to the Amazons. Aries, who was the master of war tactics, knew that Hippolyta would never be defeated by any man or woman, whether they be mortal or god. She could only be defeated in one way. She could only be defeated by herself. Aries made a plan to do just that.
Aries employed Heracles to assault the Amazons. Heracles, knowing only that they were enemies of the Gods, attacked the Amazon tribe, beating many of the warriors, killing several, and destroying most of Amazonia, their stronghold.
Hippolyte, enraged and empowered by Gaia, fought Heracles for hours. The Amazon lands lay in ruins from the savagery pf their combat., and all the Amazon warriors and citizens lay injured from the battle, but Hippolyte was victorious.
She imprisoned Heracles for months, and oversaw his punishment. He was charged with personally rebuilding Amazonia. Healers healed the battered Amazons and the nation rebuilt itself with the help of the powerful slave. Unfortunately, the long exposure of Heracles and Hippolyte led to attraction, and finally passion. On the very night Hippolyte and Heracles first made love, Aries struck with the second part of his plan.
As the lovers lay asleep in the queen’s bed, Aries appeared, he magically whisked Heracles away, and left a bloody body that looked similar enough to make anyone believe it was Heracles. The queen woke to the sounds of battle, and the sight of Aries standing over her lover’s brutally murdered body.
Hippolyte, racked with sorrow and fueled by hate fought Aries. She fought him while the rest of the island was overrun by hundreds of thousands of warriors. There were well over 100 warriors for every Amazon. Still they fought on, but the outcome was never in doubt.
Those who survived were to be taken as slaves to the other side of the world, where the world was different, and the gods’ rule was absolute. There the Amazons could be dealt with and civilized man would never know their fate..
Hippolyte fought on. For days she and Aries fought and fought. They decimated the land that had only recently been rebuilt by Heracles and the Amazons. eventually, Hippolyte’s rage waned, and her sorrow began to take over. Finally, she just stopped. Hippolyte fell on the ground, her heart broken and defeated by the thought of her lover slain in her bed mere hours after they joined.
Aries picked up the defeated woman and took her to his stronghold on the other side of the world. He fed her wine and poppy and kept telling her stories of Heracles and reminding her of his death..
The next months were torturous for the Amazons. Aries and his hordes used them mercilessly. Aries told Hippolyte that Heracles had done his job, he had seduced her, and would have returned to his wife, had Aries not killed him. The pain of betrayal and the sight of what her failure was doing to the Amazon sisters broke Hippolyte’s spirit. She became nothing more than a slave.
Then Hippolyte discovered the legacy of her night with Heracles. She was pregnant with Heracles child. Aries realized it soon after. He laughed and said he would have a new way to control Zeus. in her seventh month, with 3 men holding each of her arms and legs, Aries and cut the unborn child from Hippolyte’s body, leaving her to bleed to death on the ground outside of the stronghold.
Hippolyte did not die. Her rage at the final atrocity broke through her drug enhanced depression and broken heart. She used her own blood to slicken her hands and slip the chains that still bound her. She stole through the night, slitting throats of the unsuspecting hoard and releasing many of the Amazons, one by one.
By the time she got to the stronghold which held Aries, her army was 50 strong. The Amazons attacked the stronghold and managed to get through the 500 soldier defense line. Hippolyte knelt on the holy ground and asked Gaia to give her strength. but the blood of her open womb was revulsion to a Titan of motherhood. The ground rose around Hippolyte, encasing her in a cocoon of Earth. Seconds later, hot lava spewed forth from the ground and flowed into the Earthen cocoon.
Hippolyte's flesh burned and changed. The Earth took from her the violated womb, and replaced it with a heart of soil that pumped lava through her body. The blood of the Earth healed the rest of her body. She grew taller and stronger but could never bear young. She was no longer the strong demigoddess leader of the Amazons, she was now Hippolyte, goddess leader of the Amazons a woman changed by the power of Mother Earth.
Aries knew she was changed. He had known his daughter would not allow herself to lose permanently, so he had kept a secret watch on her. He knew she was headed towards him, and knew that this time he had no chance of her defeating herself. She had finally won against her only true opponent, and was now the most dangerous warrior alive.. Such had been her power before he interfered in her life. Now with the new strength of the Titan Gaia on her side, she would be truly undefeatable. Aries ordered his men to kill all the Amazons, and while they kept the female warriors distracted, he fled back to the world of man, leaving the Amazons and his hoard trapped on the other side of the world.
Hippolyta and the others killed the entire defense line of 500 soldiers. Only 12 Amazons from 50 who went into battle survived, They freed the rest of their sisters and together, The Amazon Sisterhood hunted down all of Aries’ horde. Although outnumbered over 100 to 1, the Amazons killed all of the horde. They took over the strange land upon which Aries had made his stronghold and leveled the stronghold. Nothing that was from Aries survived their fierce anger.
After the hoard was defeated, the Amazons only their weapons, the rags on their backs, and the meager food stores left by Aries for the hoard, Hippolyta called all the Amazons together. She had them all stand in a circle around her. There were less than 600 Amazons left, and many of them were pregnant with children of the hoard’s rapes.
Hippolyte spoke of what had happened, because she knew many had no idea. All they had known was one day they awoke to invaders attacking them. She spoke of her guilt in letting Aries kill Heracles in her own bed. She told them of her unborn child and what Gaia had done for her. Finally, she dropped to her knees and ordered each Amazon to use their blade and stab her. To give her back some of the pain that she had caused them.
As Hippolyta knelt silently, the Amazons all stared at her. For long moment no one spoke. Finally one said aloud. “My queen has ordered me to stab her. She did not say where or how deep.” She knelt at Hippolyte’s side and used her blade to make a tiny prick on Hippolyte's finger. she pricked her own and held them together. “You are my queen, My Blood. You are not at fault here. You are a victim as we all are. We are sisters. We are Amazons.” She hugged Hippolyte, stood back up and stepped away. A second woman repeated the same ritual, and a third, and a fourth. Through the next 12 hours, all the Amazons joined with Queen Hippolyta.When the last Amazon stepped back from the bloody Hippolytr, six beams of light from the sky surrounded the young Queen.
Hippolyte and the Amazons all drew their swords as giant females images appeared in the lights. Images of the Titan Gaia; two of her daughters, the Titans Tethys and Themis; the Primordial beings Ananke and Nyx: and the Goddess Styx, stood around her, within the circle of Amazons. “You have done well,” Themis, the Titan of Order, said to the group. “You have bonded in love, and you will share your queen’s gift.” The small cuts on each Amazon glowed. “The power of Gaia is within you all. You are stronger and faster than you were. You have an inner strength from your experiences that many never even see.
"You are the Amazons, the defenders of The Sisterhood,” Ananke, Primordial Spirit of Destiny said, “But the world is not ready for you. The world is not ready for women who are equal to men. Until they are...”
“The gods’ jealousy and pride have made you targets.” Tethys, the Titan of the Seas said. “It is for that reason we need to hide you . To give you a place where you can help others like yourselves without the gods knowing”
As she spoke, the sky darkened and the seashore crashed with huge waves rising well above them, yet never coming inland.
“You will have a place Hidden from the gods. “ Nyx, the primordial essence of Night said, her voice light a whisper, but as clear as the crickets chirp. “ The last race the gods jealousy destroyed were the Atlanteans.” she said, . “We will make that undersea world habitable.” “You will have privacy to heal and learn, and freedom to come and go anytime you wish.” Tethys added. “But be warned; If the gods realize where you are, they will try to destroy you.”
“When the world is ready for equality of women, the land will rise above the waves and become visible to mankind again. Until then you will be hidden below the sea in your new home.” Ananke turned towards Gaia.
“But you can not live on a barren rock beneath the sea.” Gaia said. She closed her eyes and the sky darkened again, this time the waters calmed. “I have created a crystalline barrier around your hidden land. The rocks will use the movement of the water around it to create heat. They will bend the light from above so the sun may shine upon the ground even below leagues of water. You will feel the warmth of the sun as if you were above the water. And finally, the crystals will hide your world from those who would see it.. “From the ashes of the past we give you possibilities for the future.”
“Life without toil is no life,” Nyx said. “You will have wild animals and dangers as would any new wilderness. You must tame it. You must earn your right to live in the new lands. You will hunt and live just as you did in the man’s world, only there you will not have to deal with man.”
Themis stepped forward and looked at the crowd. “You are strong women. You are pure, “ She smiled as all the pregnant women glowed with her power. “Your children, your daughters are all healthy. They will be yours. Pure Amazons. No trace of Aries or his men will be within them. Love them for who they are, not where they come from. Please remember, in the times that come, You were not abused by all men, only by those under Aries rule. There is good in mankind, and there are good men and good women in the world. Judge each person as you find them.”
The entire time, Styx stood watching silently. The other Deities left, but Styx remained. The anger on her face was obvious. After a moment, Queen Hippolyta knelt at Styx’s feet,. The other Amazons slowly got to their knees as well.
“You were the best of us.” Styx hissed in anger and frustration at Hippolyte. “For you to fall from the machinations of Aries says dark things of women’s future.” She stared down at Hippolyta. “You allowed that savage in your bed and welcomed him into your body. You became pregnant with the child of that horrid creature, and then failed to protect your own child.”
She bent down and lifted Hippolyte by her neck and dangled the Queen in front of her. “How could you?”
Hippolyta’s tears fell, her soul still scarred from the loss of her child. She said nothing to defend herself. Styx simply let her go, and she fell from the height the giant had held her into a heap at Styx’s feet.
“The rest of you,” Styx Hissed, “You forgive her for getting you raped, made captive and helpless! How could you! Did you learn nothing?”
Bright lights flashed on each woman’s belly as blood red symbols appeared. “You must never forget that you were victims,” She said. “Forgiveness is not an option. Atrocities can not be forgiven. You were raped and used and many of your sisters murdered. None must forget that; ever. As long as you have any vulnerability to influence by others, you and your progeny will wear these magickal symbols. Nothing can destroy them or remove them.” The symbols burned into The Amazon's flesh like a brand.
“After you give birth to your current children, you will nevermore bear young within you. No seed will fertilize your womb. You will feel only pain, never any pleasure from mating, but you will still have your body’s yearnings, even though you will never fulfill them.”
A bow with a razor sharp arrow appeared in Styx’’s hands. She aimed the bow at Hippolyte and fired. Some instinct in the queen made her move and block the arrow with her arm, but even though the tip hit her flesh, the arrow bounced off. The magickal sharp arrow fired by a goddess at point blank range had bounced off her skin, leaving the queen unharmed and making all the Amazons gasp in astonishment.
Styx’s voice rang out, “Yes, you are nearly immortal. My second gift to you. You might live forever, trapped in a body that can not love.” she glared at the women around her.
“Never forgive or forget. Always remember and use the past weaknesses as future strengths.” she raised her arms to the sky. The movement opened her robes enough to see that Styx, herself, had a mark similar to the Amazon symbols on her belly.
“The mark will be your symbol from now on. Make it a symbol of strength, not weakness.” She closed her eyes, and the symbol on her belly glowed, making all the Amazons’ glow as well. In 3 months The Women Spirits will be back to bring you to your new home. You are Amazons. never be weak again” with those final words, she vanished as well.
The 12 women who were the survivors of the assault on the stronghold moved beside Hippolyte. “We are here for you my queen,” one said. Hippolyte turned to the crowd and asked “After all that has happened, you still want me as your queen?”
One of the pregnant women stepped forward. “My queen, you have lost much, but you are still the woman who has lived and died for us. You are still the strongest of us, and you still see more around you than any of us.” the others murmured in agreement.
“Very well then.” Hippolyte said. Her eyes lost the tears and the sorrow left her face as she worked to become the queen these women would need to survive. There would be time for grief later. For now, she had to serve her people as only a queen could.
“Our first priority is to prepare food shelter and medical care for ourselves. She turned to the 12 beside her. “Magdelen, see to raising shelters. take 60 others with you. We need some shelter before nightfall. From the looks of the sky, we have about 3 hours.”
“Althea, set up a healing area. Take 20 helpers. Everyone must be looked over, just in case.
“Zebina, start a hunt for food take 40 others with you. Each must bring back enough food for at least 10.”
“Georgia, take 40 with you and harvest some fruit and vegetables to go with the meat Zebina brings back. Prepare fires for cooking and places for cleaning the food.”
“The rest of you, after you have been checked by Althea, come find me, we need to gather everything here and see what we have to work with. We will only be here for 3 months, but we will need protection from the animals and the elements, so three months may be a long time.”
A week later, as the amazons toiled in their temporary home, a group of hidden people with odd skin and unique clothing came out from hiding. The Amazons had unwittingly freed the strange land from Aries horde. The local people were thankful. They tried to communicate with the Amazons, but it was hard to when the very foundations of their languages were so different.
The Amazons healed and worked with the local tribe. The tribe taught them to find food in the dense foliage of the tropical rain forest, and along the great river. In turn, the Amazons taught them to fight. The locals began to learn the ways of the Amazons. Their women embraced the teachings of Amazon warrior combat. The Icamiaba tribe and the Amazons worked together for months as the new Amazon home was being created. Finally, three months later it was time..
FOR THE REST OF THE HISTORY OF THE AMAZONS, LOOK FOR CATSEYE COMICS SECRET ORIGINS VOLUME 1 FOR SALE ON THE INTERNET AND AT LOCAL STORES.
