Chapter 14

Goku's eyes snapped open as he quickly absorbed his surroundings; he was sitting upright against a wall with his wrists chained to a clamp on the damp concrete floor. The room was mostly dark, illuminated only by long doorway with metal bars instead of an actual door; the sound of sparking metal filled his ears but, he couldn't tell where it was coming from. He turned his head slightly and saw a woman sitting on a stone bench in the corner, sharpening a long broad sword with a rectangular stone. Her long auburn hair stretched past over her shoulder and down by her waist, pinned up in a ponytail. She didn't spare him even a glance but, he could still see her facial features from the gleaming reflection of the day-light coming from her sword, she was clearly not happy to be where she was.

"I'm guessing you're an Amazon?"

She stopped sharpening her blade for a moment but, didn't answer, eventually continuing.

"Do you have a name?" Goku asked as he pulled slightly on his chains.

"If you are not silent, I will cut your throat to unsure that you are," she said simply pointing her blade at him before resting it on her leg and sharpening it once more.

"Jeez," Goku muttered as he looked away and out towards what he could see of the island through the bars, "Wow, the forest looks amazing, do you think there are awesome creatures out there?"

The Amazonian looked up and raised a brow, "You seek a creature? Why, so you can hunt it to extinction?"

Goku looked up in thought, "The only animals I've ever hunted were fish and boar, I also ate a demon once but, he didn't taste very good," Goku tapped his shackles against the ground lightly trying to pass the time.

"Head my warning and keep silent," The Amazon looked back to her blade when Goku spoke up once again.

"It's sharp enough," he mentioned as he stared at the weapon in her hand.

"Excuse me?"

Goku gulped and pointed at her blade, "You could probably cut through tempered steel with that, you don't really need to sharpen it anymore," he chuckled casually and lowered his hand.

The Amazon examined her blade and sighed, he was right; she had been lost in thought and wasn't aware that the blade was as sharp as it would get, "Of course you would know of weapons; man has used them for intimidation and slaughter for generations."

Goku raised a brow and smiled, "I honestly don't think I've ever used a sword before; the only weapon I ever used was my Power Pole but, I think I left it with Roshi if I remember correctly."

The Amazon grunted, "Power Pole?" she sounded the words out as if they were unfamiliar.

"Yea, it's a magic bo-staff that can extend infinitely; it was pretty cool when I was a kid," Goku laughed casually as the Amazon placed her sword in its sheath and leaned it against the wall next to her.

"You laugh only because you know not the reason Zeus has called for you," The Amazon stood and walked towards the barred doorway, leaning against the wall in front of Goku.

"Me? That Apollo guy said he was calling for Diana," The Amazon raised a brow as she looked at him.

"You met Apollo?" She asked with a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Yea, I was fighting him too but that other magic lady took Diana hostage and forced me to back down," Goku looked down at his hands wishing he could've continued their fight, in all honesty, Goku could've ended his match with Apollo as an Super Saiyan 2 if he gave it his all but, he decided to push himself further to test his opponents limits.

"You must be strong to fight a God," She attempted to continue but, Goku cut her off with a cocky smirk.

"I am a God."

She was taken a back for a moment but, wasn't able to respond due to the barred door unlocking and sliding open where two more Amazon's entered with armor, shields and blades at the ready.

"The Queen wishes to speak with you," the first one stated as she turned to the red-head, "Unlock his shackles."

"Nah, I got it," Goku muttered before effortlessly tugging on his chains and shattering them as he stepped towards them, "Should I just follow you then?"

They looked at him with strange glares but, waved him to follow without hesitation, and he complied. As they walked out of the cell, he noticed the clear skies with its bright blue color and majestic birds that flew overhead; the grass was a lush green and the trees were producing an exuberant amount of fresh oxygen. Goku took a deep breath in as he walked, taking in the fresh air as best he could as it reminded him of his home in the mountains. Birds chirped loudly as they flew around the Amazonian escort only to land gracefully on Goku's shoulder; the Saiyan smiled and caressed the bird with his finger causing it to chirp happily. The Amazons took note of this as the red-head behind him also noticed, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

They approached a coliseum of sort with large stone memorials to the Gods surrounding it, as they walked in the bird took off, flying towards the ceiling which was arguably hundreds of feet up.

"Wow, and I thought Beerus and Champa's arena was impressive," Goku scratched his head and smiled nervously.

"Silence, outsider!" One of the Amazons shouted as they moved towards the center of the arena.

Goku looked around intently noticing large stadium like bleachers made of stone, easily capable of holding hundreds if not thousands of people, but it was all empty. From the entrance facing him walked a tall, gorgeous brunette in a long white gown with a golden hair piece keeping it tied up in a bun. Her golden necklace, bracelets, and earring gleamed in the day-light that shun in from the ceiling-less stadium; she approached Goku as her guards followed a few feet behind her, "You are Son Goku?"

"In the flesh," he said with a smile as the Queen gave him an exasperated look.

"My daughter speaks highly of you, yet, I cannot see a reason why?"

Goku smiled, "You mean you're Diana's mother? It's nice to finally meet you, Diana talks a lot about you," he extended a hand with intention of greeting her casually causing guards to raise their spears in his direction, pointing them towards him closely but, he didn't even notice.

The Queen didn't shake his hand but, she looked on in disgust instead, waving a hand as the guards lowered their weapons, "Please inform Diana that Zeus will be passing judgement on both of them, in mere moments." She turned around and walked towards the exit as her guards ran to retrieve the Princess.

"So, I just wait here or…?"

The red-headed Amazon sighed, "Apparently Zeus calls for both of you," She narrowed her eyes and grunted, "Be silent and be patient."

Goku gulped nervously and waited for several long minutes until he heard footsteps from the exit; Diana immediately sighed with relief when she laid eyes on Goku, smiling warmly at him in an apologetic way as the guards pushed her along.

The Queen stepped out in front of them and announced her presence, "Zeus, God of Thunder and Father of Olympians, we have answered your request. Hear my call!"

Goku raised a brow as a massive bolt of blue lightening came down and struck the arena before them, when the electricity faded a man stood in the smoldering ashes, clad in golden armor with a long golden spear in his hand dug firmly into the ground. His hair was grey as if age had deterred him but, as Goku looked into the surging electricity flowing in his eyes, he knew there was more to him than just age.

Zeus sighed and approached Diana, "You leave the island with my blessing and you return with a curse to your own people's beliefs? Pitiful," he spat as Diana looked down for a moment in silence, "Have you nothing to say?"

"He is not like your son."

Zeus' face contorted to one of fury, "When I ask you to speak you will do so respectfully! Is that clear?"

"Apologies," The Queen stepped in, "She is young and foolish, she knows not what she speaks," stepping in between Zeus and her daughter, it seemed to deter the God for a moment.

Zeus stepped over to Goku who was casually observing the situation, "And you, the man who dare to court marriage with an Amazonian?"

Diana blushed profusely with a palm to her forehead as Goku immediately chuckled and backed away a step or two, "Woah, hehe I never said anything about marrying her!"

Zeus stroked his long beard for a moment, "And so your intentions with her are plutonic then?"

Goku sighed in exasperation, "Well, I wouldn't say plutonic either, dude."

The Queen, The Amazons, Diana and even the birds gawked at what he had just said, referring to a God as 'dude' was highly disrespectful in their culture.

"What?"

Zeus narrowed his eyes, huffing to contain his anger, "If you wish to ever even make eye contact with Princess Diana again, you will duel with a warrior of my own choosing, at high noon in this arena, if you win, you will leave with my blessings but, if you lose… I will send you to Tartarus and feed you to the Hell hounds with my brother," The God turned his back to Goku who gained a serious expression.

He approached the spot where he had arrived as a thunderbolt flew in from the sky and struck him, whisking him away at the speed of light. The Amazons grabbed Goku by his shoulders as the Queen approached him, "Escort him to his cell, we will retrieve you at noon for the battle."

Goku gasped suddenly, "Wait! I can't have something to eat first? Apollo smacked me through a window before I could eat!"

The Queen scoffed and turned around only to find Diana standing with determined expression that could only remind her of her, "His powers are codependent on his appetite, on an empty stomach he will be no match for Zeus' warrior," She sighed and put her hands down by her side, "Please, mother."

Goku watched with saddened eyes, "Diana, you don't have to-"

The Queen interrupted, "Prepare a meal for him, only the essential proteins."

The two amazon guards nodded and walked away as the Queen turned to the red-headed Amazon, "Escort the prisoner back to his cell."

"Yes, my Queen," She walked past Diana and pushed Goku by his shoulder towards the exit as a small tear slipped down her cheek as she turned away, there was simply no way Goku could win, these were Gods.

…

The Amazon pushed him through the path they had taken to get there, he smiled and huffed for a moment, "You never told me your name, ya know."

She sighed and rolled her eyes for a moment, "It's Artemis," she pushed Goku along a little quicker.

"So, are you friends with Diana?" He asked nonchalantly as the Amazonian looked around.

"We are all sisters here, spite our personal feelings each of us would die for one another," She smiled slightly, "But, we've been rivals for all our lives."

"Oh, I know how that feels," Goku grinned in understanding.

"How so?"

"My best friend was my rival too," He turned to her and began walking beside her instead of in front, causing her to put her hand down from pushing him, she was going to tell him to keep in front but, decided it didn't matter at this point.

"I see," she pulled the keys from her belt and unlocked the cell, opening it for him, "I will tell you when the food arrives." She locked the door once again and slid down the wall in wait.

Goku sat on the exact opposite side of the wall where she sat, "Ya know, you didn't tell me why all Amazon's hate men."

"That's because its none of your business," She chided with attitude.

Goku huffed and pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees at the same time, suddenly his stomach unleashed a loud growl that echoed across the cells walls.

"When did they say that meal was coming?"

Artemis sighed in exasperation as the guards with the meal approached from the side.

…

After Goku had munched down three bowls of rice and several spare rips, he patted his stomach in satisfaction, "Not the feast I'm used to but, it'll do."

Artemis smiled, "You eat like a monster but you seem as gentle as an insect."

Goku chuckled, "You aren't the first to point out that comparison," He laughed a little and turned to a more serious note.

She did the same as she felt the tension in the room skyrocket, "What kind of man are you, Son Goku?" She asked the question on every Amazon's mind at the moment as the two sat in silence.

"Back in my world, the entire planet was mostly like this island, vibrant forests and rivers, mountains and valleys, beasts and creatures, a truly beautiful world," Goku looked down at the ground for a moment as he reminisced, "I fought demons, aliens, androids, magicians and even Gods and part of the reason was because I love to fight, another part was because I wanted to raise my limits but, the main reason I fought for all those decades in my world…"

Artemis listened intently, feeling every emotion he felt all at once, "Was because every time someone threatened my world in one way or another, the wild life, the forests, the animals, the trees, they would all flash in my head like a reminder for what I was fighting for," The Saiyan smiled brightly, "And the biggest reason, was because I knew my son lived on Earth and what kind of father would I be if I let my son's home be destroyed or threatened?"

Artemis raised a brow, "You have a son?" a bit of confusion in her voice at first, "Did something happen between you and your wife?"

Goku sighed loudly, "I was given an extended life-span, but my wife was not," he held a tear back quickly and looked towards the ground in grieving, "And so I spent about 40 years watching her age and slowly whither away before my eyes until, one day, she didn't wake up."

Artemis let a tear slip down her own cheek as she rubbed it away quickly, "I… I had no idea."

"I was a machine after that, closed off for so long from the outside world, meditating, training, until one day I found my entire world was… familiar," Goku sighed once more, "And so I left for about a century until I came here and met Diana and the Justice League."

There was a long drawn out silence until Artemis finally gave up, "One day, the son of Zeus, named Hercules, arrived at our shores with his men and a proposition for an alliance," Artemis tucked her knees into her chest and narrowed her eyes at the ground, "How could the Queen refuse? And so we feasted and celebrated for days until we all blacked out unexpectedly; turns out the men drugged the food at some point with a pheromone potion that only affected woman."

Goku looked to the side, listening more intently to her story now, "When we came to, we were chained up and gagged, each man took turns using and abusing us in ways you couldn't possibly fathom but, the Queen belonged to Hercules that night and the torture that she endured changed her as a person, she was never the same."

Goku closed his eyes and furrowed his brow after hearing her words, "That's awful," he mumbled, unsure of what else to say.

"You asked why all Amazon's are distrustful of men, well that is why," she took in a breath and exhaled loudly, having gotten the story off her chest, she felt lightened to talk about the events after such a long time.

Goku frowned as he looked towards the ground, "I'm not as good of a person as I say I am," He started causing Artemis to raise a brow in confusion, "Or at least I wasn't always. One day, on my Earth, an alien fell from the heavens and killed most of my friends while I was away in training; I fought him and managed to defeat him after a long battle but, I refused to kill him just because he was the only one as strong as me at the time and I knew if I was going to get stronger, he was the key."

Artemis sighed, "You granted mercy even after he killed your friends; that already makes you a stronger man than most."

"It would have, if that same man didn't travel to another world and kill thousands of innocents just a few weeks later," Goku flicked a rock to the other side of the room and narrowed his eyes, "If I had killed him when we fought, those lives wouldn't have been lost. It was my weakness that day that killed those people, not him."

Artemis bit her lip for a moment; this man was nothing like what she was taught to think. He was kind and companionate; he carries a heavy heart and doesn't let victory get to his head. He's calm and collected and most of all loyal to a women he's willing to duel a God for, clearly nothing like Hercules or his men. She felt sorry for the man after hearing his story but, she just stayed silent, unsure of what to say.

Goku smiled brightly to himself, "I fought that man almost a hundred and twenty years ago and he's still my best friend and rival to this day. I'd like to think of him as a life partner I mean we're so competitive one simply can't leave the other out of sight for too long, less they get left behind."

Artemis giggled uncontrollably, "You tell strange stories and I'm not sure I believe them all but, if that's true than I'm glad you've created a bond as strong as yours," She stood up and dusted herself off, walking towards the door and looking in, "I'm going to my house to sleep, you'll be fine here till morning, won't you?"

"I lived in the mountains for half my life, I'll be just fine," He crossed his legs and placed his hands behind his head, relaxing into his corner.

She smiled once more, walking towards the grassy hills below; her thoughts were scattered, how can a man be this appealing? Strong and kind, calm and collected, smart and funny, like a whole petri dish of the finest qualities a person could have. 'Diana is a lucky woman.'