The moment the three of them came ashore, Thea could feel the malice of 1918 society pressing down on her —
Discrimination.
Discrimination against women.
Discrimination against anyone who didn't look or dress like the locals.
Nothing went smoothly from the moment they entered the port. Customs officers looking for bribes, local thugs trying to force "deals," and a few suspiciously nimble kids running past them again and again — clearly trying to pickpocket them.
But the kids eventually gave up. After circling the trio several times, they discovered something shocking:
These three looked polished and elegant…
but didn't have a single coin on them.
Reality hit hard.
They were completely broke.
Diana understood the concept of money in theory, but putting that theory into practice took time.
Steve had escaped in a rush and brought nothing with him. Greece might have been on the Allied side, but he was a spy — he couldn't just walk up to pro-American locals for cash. That would send him straight to a military tribunal.
As for Thea…
Her wallet was still on the Wave Rider.
Not that she could use it — this was 1918.
The paper, printing, watermarks — all entirely different from future currency.
As night fell, Thea slipped around a corner, created a clone, and sent it after the thugs who had tried to extort them earlier. After a short and educational lesson delivered via fists and boots, the clone returned with three crumpled bills.
What the—? That's it?
Thea tested their purchasing power.
Two bills marked "100" could only buy a jar of honey and a small bag of nuts from a street stall.
No wonder this country would be flat broke a century later.
Expensive goods, worthless money, a populace that barely worked — the economy was doomed.
"What's wrong?" Diana reached toward the food stall, but Thea grabbed her hand.
"We have no money. You can't take something that isn't yours."
Diana froze, then nodded. For someone born to be a hero, this was fundamental. She would never bully ordinary people.
"Then what do we do?"
Thea didn't have a good answer.
Robbing one or two people was fine — but too many would draw attention. And these people were too poor anyway; the effort wasn't worth the gain.
"Actually… we could try a tavern. There's usually gambling going on."
Back among humans, Steve had regained some confidence now that the two "witches" no longer terrified him. For the first time, he offered a useful suggestion.
Thea's eyes lit up instantly.
A great idea.
She clapped Steve's shoulder. "Good thinking."
But if they were going to gamble, they wouldn't waste time in some small tavern fleecing the poor.
If they were doing this, they were hitting a casino.
After all — Thea had X-ray vision.
She stopped a burly passerby and, before he could get angry, tossed a suggestion spell his way. The man instantly went docile, spilling every detail about several local casinos.
"You're using magic again…" Diana sighed. But considering their situation, she didn't argue.
"Magic…"
The word echoed in Steve's head.
It explained so much — yet raised even more questions. Not that he dared ask. His social rank among these two was near zero.
...
"Just twenty thousand? And they're already panicking? These people are useless."
Thea's grand plan to get rich had crashed right at the first stop.
Her X-ray vision worked flawlessly, but the casino owner didn't. After she won a mere twenty thousand, the man burst into tears, rambling about hardship and bankruptcy.
Soft-hearted Diana dragged Thea out before she could ruin the place further.
But twenty thousand was nowhere near enough. They headed to a more respectable casino.
Thea decided she'd been too cautious earlier — this was a tiny seaside town, hardly a den of master magicians or hidden gods. Even if trouble came, she and Diana could fight or flee easily.
They picked blackjack to maximize her vision advantage.
Three rounds later, chips piled up in front of Thea like a miniature fortress.
"One last round, then we leave. Hey— Diana?"
Thea had just "guessed" another perfect hand and turned to speak — only to see Diana frozen stiff, eyes glassy, staring straight ahead.
Something was wrong.
Thea immediately scanned the room.
Everyone — dealers, gamblers, waiters — was frozen mid-motion.
A gray film covered the world.
Time itself had stopped.
And the Eye of Horus—
Gone.
When she tried to activate it, nothing responded. It was as if it had never existed.
"Hey, little girl. Stop looking around."
A crisp voice sounded behind her.
"Who?!"
Thea's heart lurched. The enemy was that close?
She pushed off the floor, leaping back to gain distance —
But no attack followed.
Only then did she finally see the speaker.
A woman in a shimmering emerald court gown sat barely two seats away.
In this washed-out, gray world, she should have stood out like a gemstone —
and yet Thea hadn't noticed her at all.
Had she been sitting there the entire time?
How had Thea missed her?
Friend or foe, one thing was certain:
Her power was immense.
Thea tried to summon her divine bow, but the connection felt distant — as if the weapon were calling back from another world.
"You're looking for me, aren't you? Though you might not realize it yet."
The woman smiled.
"That friend of yours is a Greek demigod. It took some effort to circumvent her senses, so I'll be brief."
"I am Nimue Inwudu, youngest sister of the Lady of the Lake of the Blessed Isle. Now, little girl—
why are you looking for me?"
Comprehension struck Thea like lightning.
She was looking for her —
or rather, the future her.
Nimue's real name was rarely known, but her titles echoed through history.
She had once journeyed east at Kublai Khan's invitation, her prophecy unparalleled, earning the name Madam Xanadu.
Some said she'd even had a brief affair with Merlin.
A living legend stood before her —
not a max-level being like Zeus, but still more than capable of crushing Thea without effort.
"Madam Xanadu!"
Thea lowered her head immediately in genuine respect.
Her reverence for Hippolyta came from status—
but her respect for this woman came from raw, undeniable power.
And seeing Diana frozen in place only reinforced that fact.