*My daughter. All I wanted to do was to
protect you.* Hecuba looked around at her surroundings as they
finally entered the village. Mothers were walking hand-in-hand with
their young daughters. Young warrior women were honing their skills
in practice areas. Women farmers were tilling the ground while
women blacksmiths were forging metal into different instruments.
The images were far cries from the stories that she grew up hearing
and believing. Amazons were suppose to be man-haters, predatory in
nature, the most violent of warriors lusting for battle and blood.
But the women that she saw did not live up to the stories.

As she continued walking, Hecuba noticed some
of the women staring at her. Others began to whisper. Hecuba hung
her head low as she continued on following the guards. She did not
notice that a lone figure was watching her and was coming
closer.

"Hecuba."

The middle-aged woman looked up at the mention
of her name and found herself staring at a pair of intense brown
eyes. "Sophia."

The two stared at each other for a few moments
in complete silence. Finally, the young ex-guardian spoke.
"Why are you here?"

"To see my daughters. I need to explain
to them…" A pale white globe of light

appeared behind Sophia. The moon goddess
stood, her verdant eyes flashing with anger. "You are not
welcomed here Hecuba."

"Gabrielle and Lila are my daughters
Artemis. You can't stop me from seeing them."

"You want to bet?" The goddess eyed
the bow in her hand and looked back at Hecuba. Hecuba gasped at
Artemis' implied threat. "My chosen one and her sister are
safe here. Besides this is where they belong, here in Amazonia.
Here with the Amazons."

"I'm not here to take them away
Artemis. Don't try to take them away from me."

Sophia watched as the two eyed each other,
acting as if no one else was around.

Artemis finally noticed that an audience was
gathering so she grabbed Hecuba by the arm and led her away from
the crowd. Everyone stood their ground and watched the
proceedings.

Sophia never saw Artemis so intense before.
Everything was vehement– from her green irises to the way she was
moving her hands as she spoke. And even though the blond goddess
was a few inches shorter than Hecuba, she was right up in the
middle-aged woman's face. A ring of familiarity sounded in
Sophia's mind, but she couldn't place it; not until she
felt a small hand grab her shoulder.