Chapter 34

Artemis had been on duty at Isaac's bedside for the second day.

When Isaac did not show up for training, the red-haired Amazon was very annoyed. She waited for him for over an hour, but he still did not come. She decided to visit Donna's library. Knowing his love and thirst for knowledge, she thought that he could have dropped in late yesterday at her place and sat there until morning and it is quite possible to fall asleep. But he was not there.

Then she decided to visit his room and finally understand why he could not be found anywhere. After all, this is the only place where he can still be.

And she found him.

The bed was a little damp with sweat. His sleeping face was as pale as marble, and his lips were blue. Hair clumped together from sweat. He was shivering.

Of course, she checked his pulse almost immediately. He was quickened. What happened to him, she did not know. He did not fall under the rain. He was not there yesterday. Only a strong wind.

Have a cold? Unlikely. Although she was not a doctor and could not know for sure. So she called in a doctor, an old friend of hers whom she had known when she Hippolyta and most of the guards of the Amazon queen Themyscira were still mortal.

But the medicine shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't make a diagnosis. Only one thing is fever. And what caused it was not clear.

Soon after such news, Diana, Donna and even Hippolyta herself came to her. News of the only sick man on the island.

After slightly encouraging Artemis, Donna and Diana were sent away "on business" by the queen.

Sitting down next to her old friend, Hippolyta visibly relaxed.

- This was unexpected.

- I also did not expect that he would catch a fever so easily and in such hothouse conditions.

- I'm not talking about him. I'm about you. - Hippolyta said with a slight smile on her face.

- About me?

- Yes. You've become ... softer. After the death of your husband, you did not go to bed with any of the men. Didn't even try to get close. Hercules, who killed him, was for you a symbol of cruelty. The symbol of the entire masculine gender. You hated them.

- Not all. But many. - Artemis responded dryly, and again turned her gaze to Isaac. "Isaac really reminds me of him.

"To be honest, I don't remember your husband's face at all. But they were similar in character. Your Aristophenes also strove for more peaceful affairs than others. For this he paid. Hercules killed him. And you, from suffering over your husband, lost your first child, which you carried in the womb. And after that, something happened that even the gods did not expect. You rewrote history ...

- Enough of Hippolytus! Artemis grimaced. "I don't want to remember that.

- Not! You have to remember why you became like this. You became Artemis the Destroyer just after those losses. When we met, I thought you were that legendary death. I did not see your eyes, instead of them there was pain, death and suffering that you gave to your victims. And it was you who killed Hercules, not me. Although this feat is attributed to me. But we both know that you are the true strongest Amazon of antiquity!

- I've already changed.

- Yes. It was a long journey - the formation of New Artemis. At first I thought that your new role as a mentor for young Amazons changed you. I even thought that your relationship with Diana is much closer than just a mentor-student relationship, influenced and influenced you and your outlook on life *. But this is not the case. You just within yourself long ago set the goal of dying in battle. Is that why you didn't fight in the Arena with your full strength?

- Yes!

- And those words said by Isaac impressed you so much that you began to shine like a morning star? - Ippolita smiled, hugging her friend by the shoulders.

- Go to Hades!

- I'm afraid Zeus will not approve of this. - the Queen of the Amazons burst out laughing.

- By the way about Zeus! When are you going to tell Diana about everything?

- Then when she confesses her feelings to her lover.

- B-lover? - Artemis was surprised. - Who is he? When?

- Ha ha ha! You surprise me a lot Artemis. Have you noticed two whole rivals under your nose?

- Which two rivals? What is it? What are you talking about? The redhead lamented to her.

- Diana and Donna are also not indifferent to him. But if for Donna this is due to her isolation and detachment from the world, then in Diana he stuck in her heart, although she still does not understand this. But you surprised me much more. Ha ha ha. Are you going to make him your match?

- Wh-what? He has…

- Catherine Smith. I know I was at the oracle. She told me a lot about him. This time Hippolyta's voice was serious. "He has another woman, a dryad. And he loves them equally. He did not lie to us about the fidelity of his love. He's just like all men ... a weakling on the front. So a rather curious case turned out - a male, but a faithful male.

Artemis froze with an unreadable face. And it was hard to guess - was she so frozen from the news that a friend dumped on her, or from the phrase - "faithful dog"?

- Besides that, there was something more significant. As for his fate.

- What exactly?

- The point is that nothing. NOTHING!

"Are you saying that she is hidden from the eyes of the Oracle?"

- Yes. The Oracle has one suggestion that she once heard from Athena personally. A person whose future is hidden from your powers has a special power. Which, will allow him to choose his own path.

- Does that mean he's special?

- Yes. And even though he is special. But he is a man, and they are weak creatures by nature, although they convince the whole world of their strength, intelligence and so on. They are sometimes so defenseless. Like it is now, Isaac.

At that moment, Isaac began to speak, or rather rave:

"Catherine… Artemis… Diana… Batman… Joker… Darkseid…

- What are these names? Artemis asked.

- I do not know. Perhaps he is already on the mend. His pain and dark fears that are hidden deep in his soul come out. I think I should leave now. And you will be there and support him. He needs you.

After these words, she left her friend, who was already holding tightly the hand of someone who was not indifferent to her.

She was next to him giving him water to drink, wiping him with water. She gave me medications and was just there.

So it took two days before he came out of unconsciousness.