Chapter 21
Kara sat primly in her seat, engulfed in her green graduation gown, the gold honors stole and cords hanging heavily around her neck. She was now twenty-one years old, twenty-two in a month, and graduating from National City University with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting and Graphic Design, and BA in marketing with a minor in journalism. She knew that would be a surprise for her mother when she read the program with all of the graduates names and their degrees. Kara had never told her that she was interested in journalism, it had only been a passing interest when she took the first class but she was quickly fascinated by the topic.
It had been a little over a year since her nasty break up with Laurel and while a lot had changed in the year, much had stayed the same. Kara turned her head slightly and glanced through the sea of people and spotted Sara and Megan seated somewhere behind her. It took Kara a few weeks to finally tell Sara what happened between her and her sister, but when she finally did, the shorter blonde was furious. Laurel had left town two weeks after their breakup, quitting her job and moving back to Star City; it was probably the only thing to save her from Sara and Cat’s wrath. Kara felt a little cheated that the brunette had basically run away; their breakup was messy and jagged, and while she was glad she knew about the cheating, she still felt like there were things unresolved between them, things left unsaid. Megan comforted her after she told the both of them while Sara raged around the room, yelling about how her sister hasn’t changed at all, and slipping into different languages as she swore. Kara was glad that her friends were there for her when she needed them.
Her attention shifted back to the front but her hearing stretched out until she could identify Lena’s heartbeat in the auditorium somewhere behind her. Her brunette best friend graduated from MIT a year ago at the top of her class, but the majority of her attention was taken up by Lex’s trial. She started her masters of business at Harvard last fall and Lex was convicted and sentenced to serve over 100 consecutive life sentences. Lena’s attention shifted away from her messed up family to her family’s company, maintaining her grades at Harvard while retaining control of the company. Since she was managing a business, she was put through an accelerated program and would most likely finish sometime this fall. Lena hasn’t told Kara everything that she’s planning for the future of LuthorCorp, but she knows that it’ll be drastic.
She recognized Kate’s heartbeat near Lena’s but realized they must not have been sitting together because they weren’t directly together, neither were Cat and Carter’s heartbeats. Kate was still dating Detective Maggie Sawyer, finally telling her who she was when she proposed to her as Batwoman. From the way Kate told the story, Maggie swooned into her arms, but Maggie rejected that visual, saying she hit the redhead, said yes, kissed her, then hit her again. Both of them offered to go teach Laurel a lesson on how to treat women, but like when Cat offered to ruin the woman, Kara declined. She loved Laurel still and wanted her to succeed in life, despite how they ended.
Kara’s attention snapped back to the ceremony when the academic dean of NCU announced that it was time for the presenting of the diplomas. After that, everything became a blur and before Kara knew it, she was tossing her graduation cap in the air in celebration with everyone else, her diploma holder clutched tightly in her hand. The real diploma would be mailed to her mother’s address in a few weeks, where the woman would no doubt place it in a tasteful frame on the wall of her study.
Before she could move very far from where she was standing, Kara felt strong arms encircle her neck and Kate’s voice in her ear. “Good job little sis,” Kate murmured, placing a soft kiss on Kara’s head. “Come on, I’m sure Cat ordered a mountain of food that is waiting back for us at her place for the party.”
The blonde nodded, remembering that she heard her mother and Carter’s heartbeats leave soon after she walked across the stage. “We have to get Sara and Megan,” she said, glancing around for her friends. “Megan doesn’t really have any family outside of us, so she’s going to celebrate graduation with us before heading back to Gotham.”
“Right, Miss Martian, is she going to go back to helping the Teen Titans?” Kate asked, remembering hearing about the female Martian from Bruce.
“She’s implied she’s done with the hero business,” Kara replied, “She wants to actually start creating a life for herself, be who she wants to be rather than what people expect her to be.”
The redhead smiled, “Sounds like a kindred spirit then, but what about Sara, doesn’t she have a family?”
Kara shrugged, “She still isn’t talking to them, especially after everything that went down with Laurel. She told me she’s going to meet back up with some friends, so she’s leaving National City, but definitely not moving back to Star City at the moment.”
Kate scowled at Laurel’s name and growled, “If I ever get my hands on that bitch…”
“Come on big sis,” Kara said, knowing that calling her big sis always reduced the woman to a pile of mush, “Let’s go find my friends and get back to the penthouse before Mom sends her choppers looking for us.”
“Since she wants to keep you a secret so you have your privacy, I doubt she would sent the choppers after us.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean she won’t give them a scope that notorious business woman and party girl Kate Kane is in town and she wants them to catch you doing something ridiculous.”
Kate balked and blinked for a minute before groaning, “Good point. Let’s go, oh and I have something to talk about with you and your mom later after the party.”
“Wha-”
“Later, later, after the party. Fun first, then serious talk.”
Kara stared at the woman suspiciously before going in search of her friends. Once she found Sara and Megan, they headed over to the Grant’s penthouse, Kate driving Kara while the other two drove separately. The party was already in full swing when they reached the penthouse, and the small grouping of people inside pulled the newcomers in, congratulating the graduates with drinks and loaded plates of food. Kara found her best friend halfway through her second bottle of beer, well on her way to being tipsy, and pulled the brunette into a tight hug. Sara and Megan left a few hours later with promises to text Kara every few days to let her know how they were doing; other party guests left, and Kara tucked Lena into bed while she went in search of her mother and Kate. She had caught sight of them talking during the party but knew better than to eavesdrop on their conversation.
When Kara found them in Cat’s study, she was taken aback by the expression on her mother’s face, a mixture of worry and excitement. “What’s going on?”
Cat glanced over at Kate for a moment before looking back at her daughter. “Kate told me that she’s arranged an internship for you for this summer with Prince Industries.”
“Prince Industries,” Kara repeated then her eyes widened, “Wait, Prince Industries? As in Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman, one of the coolest superheroes ever, that Prince Industries?”
“Yes, that Prince Industries, though truthfully the internship is a cover, Diana is meeting us in Gotham in a few days and she’s taking you to Themyscira for the summer to train with the Amazons, if you want that is.”
“Yes!” Kara squealed, grabbing Kate into a tight hug. “Oh I’ll have to get the time off from work, I wonder if they’ll let me have the time?”
“You could always quit,” the redhead suggested.
Kara shrugged a little at that, her mind already whirling around what Themyscira would be like, what the Amazons would be like, what Wonder Woman was like. It soon set in though that she would be on an unplotted island without any contact with the outside world for months. She had been away from her family and friends before, but never out of contact from them, especially for such a long period. “Mom?”
“Do you want to do this Kara?” Cat asked, green eyes boring into blue. The younger blonde hesitated for a moment before nodding and Cat nodded as well. “Alright, then I won’t stop you from going, I’ll gladly support you as always. However,” she turned a look on Kate and waved a menacing finger at her, “I want to speak to Ms. Prince before she goes galavanting off to a secret island with my daughter.”
“For an interview?” Kate started hesitantly.
“No, I want to make it very clear to her that if my daughter is harmed, if one hair is out of place, I will make her life hell, immortal Amazonian or not,” the woman growled, her eyes narrowed. She stood up from her seat and left the younger women in her office, stunned by her declaration.
Kara looked over at Kate hesitantly, “You don’t think that she could actually…”
“Never underestimate Cat Grant,” Kate stated solemnly, “Just an overall bad idea.”
“Your mother, Cat Grant, she is a frightening one,” Diana said to Kara as she and the blonde walked away from the redhead and the older blonde. The Amazonian could still feel the eyes of the media mogul burning into her back; it was only her honor and integrity as an Amazon that kept her from turning around to meet the challenging gaze. She knew what it meant that the woman had entrusted her with one of her children, adopted or not. Children were precious treasures and Diana could understand Cat Grant’s threats, what they really meant.
“Sorry,” Kara apologized sheepishly, “She can be a bit much at times.”
“Don’t apologize, she is just looking out for you,” Diana correct, setting a hand on the blonde’s shoulder. “And she wants me to know just what it means that she is entrusting you to me, entrusting me to take care of one of her children. She loves you very much even though she did not give birth to you herself.”
“Yeah,” the blonde glanced back at her mother, a small smile crossing her face. “She’s the best.”
Diana smiled slightly before gesturing upwards, “How good are your flying skills?”
Kara smirked and hovered slightly off the ground, rising above the Amazonian’s head. “Fair enough,” the blonde answered, “Though I don’t get enough experience flying. It’s hard not attract attention when you’re flying around.”
The Amazon tugged the blonde back down and Kara set gently on the ground next to the woman. Diana pulled out a hooded cloak like the one she was garbed in but it was black rather than the deep crimson red edged with gold. “This will protect you as we fly,” she said, handing the cloak over. “When you become a warrior, you’ll earn one with color as every Amazon does, until then, this will work for you.”
Taking the fabric out of the older woman’s hands, Kara ran her fingers across the threads, her enhanced senses registering that it was incredibly soft but filled with strength, almost as if it was woven in the very fabric. She flipped the cloak around her shoulders and pulled the hood on over her head. Diana nodded in approval before pushing off the ground with Kara quick behind her, the darkness of night in Gotham disguising their departure from any curious gazes.
“Where is Themyscira?” Kara asked as they flew, the wind whipping around them threatening to steal her words.
“It changes locations,” Diana answered, “But right now it is in what is known as the Bermuda Triangle.”
“Are you really going to teach me how to be an Amazon warrior?”
“Do you want to be a warrior,” the older woman countered, “Do you want to be a hero like your cousin?”
Kara stopped for a moment, staring out into the waters around them. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly, “I like helping people, I report crimes when I hear them to the police so that they can take care of them, but I wish… I wish I could do more sometimes, but I’m afraid.”
“Afraid of what?” Diana asked, floating next to the blonde.
“Afraid of not being enough,” Kara shrugged, “Afraid of putting the people I love in danger, afraid of hurting them, letting them down. It’s silly really…”
Diana shook her head, “It’s not silly, they’re your feelings, and whatever you’re feeling is real, because you’re feeling it. Don’t let anyone tell you what you’re feeling is wrong, or inferior just because others would call you silly or strange for feeling such things.”
“My mom tells me the same things,” Kara murmured before straightening her spine and looking over at the Amazon. “So to answer your question, no I don’t know if I want to be a warrior or superhero, I just want to be able to control the powers I’ve been given, to experience everything that I can.”
“You are wise for your years.”
Kara snorted, “You met my mother, it would’ve been difficult to not soak in her words of wisdom over the years.”
“My mother is the same way, always offering words of wisdom, even if I don’t ask for them or want them, that is the way mothers are,” Diana said. “Are you ready to continue?” Kara nodded and the two continued their flight to Themyscira, the miles eating away as they broke the sound barrier. A couple of hours later, Kara could make out a series of islands rising out of the middle of the ocean, and followed Diana down to the ground. It was dark when they landed, still night time and though Kara’s eyesight was better than a human’s at night, she was still unable to take in the details around her. She was able to tell due to the torches placed around that the architecture around her was in the ancient Greco tradition.
“You will be placed in the room near mine,” Diana said, leading the blonde through the halls of the palace. “You are my guest and your mother and sister charged me with your care, and my honor as an Amazonian warrior demands that I personally oversee your care and protection while with us.”
“You do know that I am virtually indestructible right?” Kara asked, “I know you want to abide by my mother’s wishes, but you don’t have to go out of your way.”
“Relax Kara, nobody stays in the rooms near mine, they prefer to give me a wide berth. It gets a little lonely at times, it’ll be nice to have someone else around.”
“You don’t have a lot of friends here?”
Diana smiled wryly as she pushed aside a curtain and beckoned the younger girl inside the room. “Most of my Amazonian sisters resent me in some way for various reasons, jealousy is a big problem, especially since I was chosen as ambassador for the Amazons. When I was younger, they would make snide comments about my origin, being crafted out of clay by my mother and blessed by the goddesses. They don’t do that much anymore, but forgetting the words is proving to be difficult.” The Amazon shook her head and focused back on the topic at hand, “But never mind that, this is your room while you are staying with us. Breakfast is at sunrise, I will be back then and introduce you to my mother and some of the other Amazons.”
“Thanks Diana, I’m really excited to be here,” Kara said, smiling at the older woman. “And I hope that we get to know each other better while I’m here.”
The older woman nodded and left Kara to her room. The blonde glanced around the room, finding smooth, silk sheets on the bed and airy curtains hanging in front of the room and the doors. She found a closet full of ancient Greek style clothing, togas and lightweight dresses. Kara’s nose scrunched up a bit at the clothing but knew that if she wanted to stay in Themyscira and learn from the Amazons that she would have to blend in, embrace their culture. She did it when she first came to Earth, she can do it again.
“So there is another Kryptonian,” Queen Hippolyta mused as she stared at the young blonde with interest. “I was informed there was only one left in the form of Superman. And you’re related to him?”
“Yes Ma’am, Queen, Kal-El, Superman is my younger cousin,” Kara spoke formally and precisely to the blonde queen. She watched her mother for years as she met with celebrities, politicians, dignitaries, she always said to use a particular tone when dealing with someone you respect, something that will help you earn respect in return.
“Younger cousin?” Hippolyta questioned, her brow raised. “Surely you can’t be older than him, you barely look like you’ve had, what 21 summers?”
“Technically I’m 22,” Kara replied, “But I fled Krypton when I was 13 but got trapped in the Phantom Zone. Time doesn’t really pass there, so my body functions stopped, but my brain kept working. The learning module in my pod taught me a lot about Earth during that time, including many of the languages spoken now or in the past. When I finally landed, I was the same age as I was on Krypton, but 24 years had passed, and my cousin had just come out as Superman.”
“So you are technically his elder,” the queen mused.
“And heir to the house of El, but he likes to forget that,” Kara said, rolling her eyes. “We don’t have the best of relationships.”
Hippolyta smiled, “It is good to find others that think that man a fool, especially one of his own kin, but I imagine that is to be expected. You were not raised by him is that correct?”
“That is correct, I was adopted by a woman named Cat Grant; she found me when I first landed and fought for my choice when my cousin was going to drop me off with another family.”
“Hmm, this Cat Grant person sounds like a formidable woman,” Hippolyta murmured, turning to her daughter, “And you said that she tasked you with Kara’s well-being while she was with us?”
“Yes mother,” Diana replied, eating her plate of fruit for breakfast.
“She seems to be a formidable person, I would like to meet her at some point.”
Kara choked a little on the grapes she was eating, coughing to dislodge the fruit. “Um, I think she would like that,” she said, gulping down some of her water, “I don’t think it would be a good idea for her to come to Themyscira though.”
“Why ever not?” The queen asked.
“Um…”
“While this has been a lovely meeting mother,” Diana interrupted, “I did promise both Cat and Kate that I would help train Kara in our ways in hopes to teach her to control her powers better.”
“Didn’t the woman bat teach her anything when she was staying with her?” Hippolyta asked and it clued Kara in as to how much and how little they were informed about her life.
Diana nodded her head, “Just as much as a human could teach her, martial arts and meditation, and how to control her powers in everyday life.”
“Oh, we can do better than that,” Hippolyta tutted before turning back to the blonde girl, “Take heart Kara, we will teach you the superior ways of the Amazons, despite you not being an Amazon yourself. As you are both a refugee on our planet and a visitor on Paradise Island, our honor demands it.”
“Um, thank you your majesty,” Kara murmured, standing quickly to follow Diana out of the room. “That was slightly nerve wracking.”
“She took it easy on you now, but she’ll probably beat the stuffing out of you later during training,” Diana mused.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, she asked if I was charged with your care while you were here,” the brunette stated, “For an Amazon, that means that I cannot put you through your trials at the end of training, so my mother will most likely do it. Her honor would demand that she test you herself as one of our fiercest warriors. If she chooses not to, it might be Faruka or Persephone, I would normally say Phillipus, but she’s retired from fighting for the most part.”
Kara’s mind whirled with this new information as she matched Diana stride for stride as the older woman showed her around the island. She had shown up in Kara’s room earlier that morning just as dawn was creeping up over the horizon, bearing a different set of clothing than what was in the closet, a lightweight shirt and skirt complete with gladiator style sandals.
Diana pushed off the ground and motioned for Kara to follow after her as she gave her a tour of the island. The blonde was amazed as she flew over the island, noting mountains, waterfalls, field, lakes, streams interspersed with ancient Greek architecture. Kara noted the other women on the island glancing up at them as they flew, pausing momentarily in their activities, everything from recreational activities like tennis and horseback riding, or warrior training with swords or bows. She wondered momentarily if these were also considered recreational for Amazons, or if what she considered recreational was also thought to be warrior training. “This place is massive,” Kara breathed, landing next to Diana in a small, out of the way training field. It was overgrown with scraggly weeds and grass, scratching at their ankles as they stood on the field.
“Surely you’ve been to larger islands,” Diana teased, setting her hands on her hips.
“Yes, but this is a hidden island,” Kara emphasized, “I mean, no one can get here unless they’re invited, so it’s an impressive size for a secret island.”
The older woman nodded her in agreement before turning to face the blonde. “So, Kara, I know that Kate has probably taught you how to fight intelligently, constantly being aware of your surroundings. With your enhanced senses, this proves both easy and difficult because, as I’m sure you’re aware, you can hear threats as they’re coming, but it is difficult to pick out those sounds from all of the sounds that you can hear.” Kara nodded; sometimes it was just easier to block everything out and then filter things down than to filter everything. “I will help you focus these senses with your powers, to hone and improve on what Kate has already taught you.”
She walked over to a nearby storage area and pulled out a short sword and a bow. “Once you learn control with your strength, and how to fight while flying, then you will begin training with these weapons. It is unlikely that you will ever use them in battle, but it is good to be prepared.”
“The military guild on Krypton would train with swords on occasion,” Kara murmured, taking the weapon from Diana’s hand. “I used to watch my aunt train with hers. It was like a dance, so beautiful, so graceful. I wondered if I would ever be able to move like that; there was a brief moment where I thought about joining the military guild, if only so I would be able to move like that, be like her, but in the end…” Her voice trailed off and she shook herself out of the memories, “Anyway, I guess I’m going to get to learn now aren’t I?” She handed the sword back to the older woman and Diana set them down on the weapon racks.
Diana studied the younger woman for a moment, taking in the sullen expression on her face, the lost and faraway look in her eyes. “Did you want to be a warrior on your home planet?” Diana asked. She wanted to know more about this girl, this woman who appeared to carry the weight of a world on her shoulders with infinite sadness in her eyes. The blonde was truly the last of her people, her only family, her only blood was more human than Kryptonian, as alien to her as she was to the rest of the world.
Kara shook her head, “I was going into the Arts guild, I wanted to be an artist. I got an art degree from National City University, so I’m already fulfilling what I wanted to do with my life.”
“Then why did you want to receive this training, why do you want to be a hero?”
“Originally it was to learn to control my powers, to learn to live with them, but I could hear people suffering, I could see destruction and pain and I wanted to do something, to help them. I have these powers, these abilities, and I want to help people, I want to help my new world however I can. If all I end up doing is continuing to report crime and make the world beautiful with art, then that is what I do. If I do chose to be a hero, then I want to be the best hero I can be, to help more people.”
“Another wise answer,” the brunette murmured, “Which is why I will help you. I’ve known people who try to be heroes out of vengeance or a need to prove themselves. Neither of those are good enough reasons, anything short of wanting to protect people, wanting to help people, the world, it’s no reason to be a hero.”
Kara nodded, “So where do we start?”
“Brute force.” Diana grabbed Kara by her shirt and pulled her into the air. “This is something that Kate wouldn’t be able to teach you, brute force, fighting while flying.” The older woman grabbed her arm and tossed her in the opposite direction. Kara flew through the air, plummeting towards the ground, impacting with a loud crack. “You have to learn to think on your feet while in the air,” Diana said, landing near the crater. “Now get up and really fight me.”
The blonde propped herself up on her elbows and gave the superhero a withering look. “So you want me to hit you?” Kara questioned, pushing herself off the ground.
“No Kara,” Diana chuckled, “I want you to try to hit me.” With those words, the Amazon took off into the sky again with the Kryptonian in pursuit.