To hear Steve talk about Germany wanting to dominate the world, how America was nobly stepping in to save humanity, how selfless he was — fighting for the liberation of all mankind — the Amazons, led by their queen, merely listened politely. No one took it seriously.
Thea, however, was speechless.
This was said under the Lasso of Truth.
Meaning that—in Steve's heart—he genuinely believed Germany was evil, America was righteous, and he himself was a self-sacrificing hero of justice.
His noble, burning patriotism actually made Thea break into a cold sweat. Compared to him, her own "love for the homeland" wasn't even the size of a sesame seed…
This kid really is young.
No different from that other Steve in the neighboring Marvel universe — star-spangled patriot, full of naïve idealism, yet to smell the rot of politics.
"The war has raged for four years. Twenty-seven nations involved. Twenty-five million dead… countless innocent elders, women, and children slaughtered! The weapons they're using now are more devastating than ever. I have to go back. I have to save my people!"
By the end, Steve was sobbing uncontrollably.
Everyone except Thea — who knew the actual history — was visibly moved.
"Mother! This has to be Ares' doing!" Diana immediately arrived at a… rather unique conclusion, shaped entirely by her worldview.
Thea almost wanted to cry out on Ares' behalf.
Seriously?
Human greed caused this — what did the God of War have to do with it? How was it fair to dump the blame on him every time? Every good thing was credited to humanity's wise leaders, but anything evil?
Yep. Must be Ares.
Originally, Ares' domain was simply "war." But after centuries of blame-shifting, humans had gift-wrapped him extra titles: conquest, bloodlust, destruction… They dragged him from neutral to full-blown evil alignment without him lifting a finger.
Hippolyta looked stunned by Diana's declaration, then remembered all the horror stories she had personally preached to her daughter. She opened her mouth… and had nothing to say.
Diana paid no mind to the others' strange expressions. Passionate, she launched into her theory — from ancient myths to current world events — and concluded firmly, "No one but Ares has the power to cause this much suffering."
Seeing no one respond, she turned desperately to Thea.
"Artemis, you think so too, don't you?"
It took Thea two seconds to realize Diana was talking to her. What could she say?
Ares wasn't innocent — he was meddling in the war — so she nodded vigorously.
"You're absolutely right. Ares must die!"
Antiope, who in the original timeline would've been dead by now, spoke softly, "Your Majesty, defeating Ares is the duty of the Amazons."
Thea chimed in as well. "Your Majesty, I can sense Ares' divine essence lingering in the world. This is our mission."
She couldn't sense a damn thing — but the queen definitely could. How else did Hippolyta arrive at the beach so quickly after Steve crashed? They weren't camped anywhere near that battlefield. She had to have some kind of divine detection tool.
With both Thea and Antiope backing her, Diana's confidence surged. Bright-eyed, she stared at her mother.
Hippolyta's face remained cold. She said nothing and left the chamber.
...
Everyone filed out. Diana trudged behind, visibly crestfallen.
Thea scanned the room.
Huh?
Steve was still tied up.
She quickly removed the lasso and handed it to Diana. A tool with this much karmic weight? No way was she pocketing it in front of everyone.
"Niobe, take him to wash up."
Thea handed the now-recovered Steve to the towering Amazon warrior. Surely even a desperate man wouldn't dare make a move on someone built like a grizzly bear.
"Thea, what should I do?" Diana asked, anxious.
Heh. The girl was clearly rattled — at least she wasn't reciting that long divine title anymore. Thea could only encourage her.
"Stay true to your heart, Diana. No matter what, I'll stand with you."
With Thea's reassurance, Diana's fear of the outer world evaporated. Determination returned to her brows. She told Thea to wait for her, then hurried off alone.
Going to fetch that ridiculous Godslayer Sword, huh…?
Thea sighed internally. Diana's luck was absurd. Faulty sword or not, she was about to get decked out in divine gear and steamroll her way through everything.
Not long after Thea returned home, Niobe brought back a freshly cleaned — well, mostly cleaned — Steve Trevor.
"Mr. Trevor, do you actually have a plan to stop the war?"
Thea noticed Steve eyeing the bread she'd roasted and, worried he'd starve before becoming director of the future spy agency, quickly tossed him a piece. After he swallowed it in two bites and drank some water, she asked her question.
"Huh? Your American English is really good… you're amazing with languages… Uh, yes. I plan to return to London first — London, the capital of Britain — report to my superiors, and then I can put all my effort into helping you find that—what was the name—Ares! Yes, that one!"
Steve had originally wanted to flirt a bit — her beauty was impossible to ignore — but when Thea's divine gaze pinned him in place, he dropped the idea immediately and explained his plan honestly.
What a load of garbage.
This guy was clearly planning to use Diana as his personal, unpaid bodyguard. If Ares didn't deliberately reveal himself later, poor Diana wouldn't find him even if she searched for a century.
This divine battle wasn't about strategy or planning. It was a competition of who was more clueless.
An innocent do-gooder versus a self-destructive war god — two half-siblings competing to see who could be a bigger idiot.
But Thea needed to gather energy to go home, so she would pinch her nose and go along with this so-called "epic adventure."
"Niobe, Diana and I are going on this destined journey. Our relationship started rocky, but we're friends now. Will you stay, or come with us?"
"Um…"
Niobe hesitated. She wasn't Diana — she didn't yearn for the outside world. Living and dying on the island was her destiny.
"I understand. Thank you for taking care of me all this time. I release you. I'll speak to the queen and have your status restored among the Amazons."