Caterpillar

Through the Gates of Tartarus

The Amazon society did not consist of warriors only. Not all Amazons liked violence and not all of them could fight. A good number of them were farmers, livestock caretakers, some were teachers, others were attendants at the royal palace and so on. For a community to function in peace for over 3000 years, completely isolated from the outside world, it had to be self-sustaining.

"My Queen, Princess Diana and the guests have settled in their rooms. One warrior has been assigned to guard each of their rooms, as a precautionary measure," one of Hippolyta's closest attendants said.

"It is not necessary, Phoebe." Hippolyta said. "Diana is my daughter. As for the man she brought with her, I have tested him with the Lasso of Truth. He bears no ill intent towards us."

The woman in question, Phoebe, was very surprised to hear that. During the 'interrogation', the only people present in the throne room had been the Queen, the Princess, Naruto, Kyuubi, and Artemis who got knocked out cold before the questioning actually started. That said, the rest of the Amazons did not know what had transpired there. In a way, the embarrassing moment happened "in the family" and would remain "in the family" so to speak. No outsiders were aware of it.

"What about Artemis? Is she alright?" Hippolyta asked.

"She suffered a minor concussion. Nothing serious. A bit of rest is all she needs for a full recovery." Phoebe said. Hesitatingly, she asked: "What happened to her? Did that man-?"

"It is a private matter, not something to gossip about." Hippolyta said and Phoebe obediently lowered her head. "Yes, my Queen."

"As absurd as it may sound, the man that came with Diana is a good person."

Seeing the sceptical look on her attendant's face, Hippolyta continued:

"Most men are indeed selfish, violent, cruel, and wicked. That is the truth. However, there are no absolutes in this world. Not all men are evil; though few in number, there are exceptions too. Just like how not all Amazons are good people. Women are capable of terrible things too, are they not? Otherwise, we wouldn't need to have a prison, would we?"

Not only that the Amazons' society was self-sustaining, but it also had everything that a properly working community should have. There were a school and a college for education, a coliseum and a racing field for entertainment purposes, a very impressive library for cultural purposes, two temples dedicated to the two most important patron goddesses of the Amazons, training grounds and barracks, a hospital, the Queen's palace, a research centre dedicated to studying magic and technology, a craftsman centre for economic purposes, and even spots for relaxing such as a swimming pool, a park, and a hot spring. Naturally, there was a prison on Themyscira too. With thousands of women living on the same island, it was natural for some conflicts to arise between some of them once in a while. If someone was too much of a troublemaker, they would be sent to the prison on Reform Island, one of the several smaller islands around Themyscira. Though the Amazons' land was called Paradise Island, it was not just one island, it was an archipelago.

"This man is one of those few exceptions. He truly cares about my daughter and he is willing to even follow her through the gates of Tartarus. He is ready to trade his life to protect her. I could not hope for a better companion for her. Ask yourself, if one of your Amazon sisters was to be sent by the gods to Tartarus, would you follow her?"

The attendant looked like she had a lot on her mind after hearing what her queen said.

"You can retire for the night, Phoebe."

"Yes. Good night, my Queen." Phoebe said. She brought a hand to her chest and bowed before leaving.

Phoebe's body was on auto-pilot as she headed towards the servants' quarter. Like every other Amazon on the Island, her instructors had taught her and warned her repeatedly about the wickedness of men and the evils in the Man's World. There were no illiterate people on Themyscira. All Amazons studied in the school on the island various courses such as literature, warfare, grammar, maths, music and arts etc. Among the classes taught in school, there was also one called "Man's World" which was, simply put, just biased propaganda against men and the society outside of their island. But the Queen's words earlier clashed against the things that she had been taught to believe from the beginning.