Thermodon's Amazoness

Ninth Story of History of the Twelve, previous Story The Mares of Thrace

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Thoth was still pondering how he'd get Hippolyta to talk if she's even the least bit the famed 'Man Hater' that she's rumored to be.

"How am I supposed to get the story of The Queen of the Amazons if what Bull told me is true?" Thoth sighed, agitated at the stubborness he knew he was about to deal with.

"What kind of rumors are being spread about me now?" Hippolyta demanded. "It's already bad enough that he lasted longer in the fight than I did and that I've been arrested and caged like an animal. The only thing that even eases the ire I feel right now is that I was defeated by a woman."

"He was just telling me how much you despise men." Thoth replied. Hippolyta smirked.

"And he's right. Men are the root of all evils." Hippolyta replied. "Men are the ones who start wars are care about nothing other than violence and killing."

"So what makes what you were planning on doing as part of The Dodekathlon any different?" Thoth asked. Hippolyta glared at him for a few moments then sighed.

"Nothing..." she replied. "But you were here for a different reason, weren't you?"

"Yes," Thoth said. "I'm here gathering the stories of The Dodekathlon. Learning why they became members of one of the most dangerous dark guilds to ever set foot in Earth Land."

"I see." Hippolyta said. "And now you've come to me, for my story."

Thoth nodded and Hippolyta sighed again.

"I hate that it's a man who's come to ask for this information, but I suppose that's the best I'll get." she muttered. "I guess first you want to hear about where I grew up?"

"That'd be a good place to start." Thoth replied.

"I was born in a place called Thermodon, in Desierto." Hippolyta said.

"Desierto? Isn't that where Hind is from too?" Thoth asked.

"Yes, but we're from opposite sides of the country." Hippolyta replied. "I had heard bits and pieces of the rumors of Keryneia's Uncatchable Theif. I was part of the harem of the Sultan of Desierto."

'People still have harems?' Thoth thought. 'I could've sworn that practice had died out.'

"That's where I learned how dispicable men truly are and that women should be the ones rightfully incharge." Hippolyta continued. "I escaped from the palace and began gathering women from around Desierto, Bellum and Sin, women even came from other countries when word began to spread about the dream I had. Before I knew it, I had a standing army of ten thousand strong."

"Ten thousand woman gathered just to help you overthrown the Desierto royal rule?" Thoth asked, shocked that so many women had been convinced to join what would clearly only end badly.

"Yes, and the day before we were to set out to attack the palace, Cerberus came across our camp." Hippolyta replied. "None of the others were with him at the time, the women standing guard only saw a lone man and they attacked. Cerberus slaughtered them easily. An alarm went out and the entire camp swarmed to kill this man. I could only watch as a single man killed all ten thousand of my followers as easily as one would pick flowers."

"You must have been truly enraged." Thoth said.

"I was, and I went to avenge them and Cerberus easily disarmed me in every one of my Requips." she sighed. "Then he offered to let me join him in The Dodekathlon. He even offered to let me be Second-in-Command. I thought about it, deciding to bide my time and kill him when I could. So I joined him and worked towards the goal he had set."

"And your plan for revenge?" Thoth asked.

"Eventually the need for revenge disappeared." Hippolyta replied. "At some point I found that I wanted to continue following Cerberus and to protect him."

Thoth was more than a little shocked to hear than a woman who hated men above all else, had actually fallen for the man who killed her ten thousand followers single handedly.

"Now, go away and ask Geryon your questions." Hippolyta said, dragging Thoth out of his thoughts.

"Geryon's dead." he replied. Hippolyta just smirked.

"So The Giant went and got himself killed." Thoth nodded, confirming Hippolyta's statement. "Who else died?"

"Lion, Boar, Augeas, Diomedes, Geryon...and...Cerberus." Thoth replied. Hippolyta didn't seem shocked or surprised until Thoth said Cerberus' name.

"H-how? Who?" Hippolyta demanded.

"He died after the activation of The Omega Device. He died fighting the Fire Phoenix Slayer." Thoth replied.

"There's no way that boy killed Cerberus!" Hippolyta yelled. "There's no way Cerberus didn't kill that boy!"

"Cerberus did kill him." Thoth said.

"Then how did that boy kill Cerberus?" Hippolyta demanded.

"Phoenix Force," Thoth replied as he began limping away. "It revived him and he went berserk. In the end Cerberus' body couldn't cope with the damage and The Vicious Dog of Disaster was finally defeated and died."

"So some people's lives do come with reset buttons..." Hippolyta muttered as Thoth went to go and speak with Hesperides.

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Continued in The Two-Headed Giant of Erytheia