Strawberry finished bathing, dried herself and put on a white dress.
All this while, a satisfied smile hung on Byron’s face as he closely watched her do all that.
To him, just watching her was better than any TV show he had ever spent his ti on. She was entertaining enough.
Now that everything was in order, it was her turn to watch him as he bathed.
They were all enjoying this mont. In fact, Strawberry wished it never ended. She wished she could be with Byron all alone for a few more hours without anyone interrupting.
Luckily for her, with how things were unfolding in the Central Castle, it seed like she and Byron were going to be uninterrupted for a really long ti.
"Where’s he?" asked Queen Otrera.
"Who?" retorted Queen Hippolyta.
Mother and daughter, both queens, now about to fight over so dude who happened to transmigrate into their cursed realm.
Queen Otrera stepped toward her daughter, a sly smile plastered across her beautiful face. "Oh my dear! Are you really going to pretend like you don’t know who I an? Who else could I possibly refer to as him if not Byron?"
Hippolyta seed taken aback by the ntion of Byron. How did her mother find out?
It also seed like she found out yesterday.
How?
It took almost an entire day of riding to reach Themiscyra from her mother’s city.
With this, Hippolyta concluded that her mother had left her city yesterday afternoon and rode all night and all day.
Considering that Hippolyta had brought Byron from New Themiscyra yesterday afternoon, it ant that her mother knew this information around the sa ti.
How? She wondered.
Despite these questions swirling into Hippolyta’s mind, it didn’t show on her face.
She couldn’t give her mother the pleasure of that knowledge because if she showed that she was surprised, then she would have indirectly admitted that she knew where Byron was.
That’s why she smiled back, mimicking her mother’s attitude as she regained her composure.
"O dear mom," she said, "it seems like you are well inford. I wonder, did your informants fail to tell you where the person you are looking for is? Surely, you can see that there’s no such a person here. I’m just praying to our Goddess Calliope as usual."
The Mother let out a chuckle. "What a lovely thing to hear you mimic . If the situation didn’t involve your cruelty towards your sister, I would have been proud of how smooth your counter remarks are.
"However, let’s be honest. For how long will you tornt your sister? I get that you are heartbroken, but don’t you think you’ve done enough already?"
Hippolyta raised her eyebrows. "O, Goddess! What are you talking about?"
"A raven alived yesterday carrying a ssage that you’ve attacked Penth and forcefully took sothing that belonged to her."
An Oh expression appeared on Hippolyta’s face. Now she knew how her mother found out about Byron.
"So, you now exchange ravens with my sister?"
"That’s not what matters. All I want is you to..."
"No! It matters. You’re my mom. You’ve never talked to all these years. Now you co here, in my kingdom, bragging to how close you’re with my sister. How you exchange love letters every now and then."
You could hear genuine sadness and anger in her voice. Her mother had given her a silent treatnt for so many years, claiming she was being neutral. Now sothing happened to Penthesilea and all of a sudden she was there, obviously picking a side.
What kind of neutrality is that?
"Hippolyta, don’t try to change the subject," said Queen Otrera, also pissed.
She was asking her questions, and instead of answering, she was trying to get angry at her?
What kind of daughter does that to her mother?
"I asked you why you are being cruel to your sister," continued Queen Otrera. "Answer that first, then ask whatever you want. Or get angry however much you want."
"Oh! If that’s how you want to do it, then fine!" Hippolyta said with a scoff.
"No. I didn’t attack Penth. I just gave her a visit. And no. I didn’t take anything that belongs to her."
This ti it was Queen Otrera who scoffed. "Oh dear! So, your sister was lying when she said that a creature of yours snatched Byron away like an eagle does to a chick?"
Before Hippolyta could say anything, another voice spoke from beside her.
"I’m not anyone’s creature," said Keza, stepping forward.
Queen Otrera burst out laughing. "See? Your creature is angry because I’m telling the truth."
"I said I’m not anyone’s creature!" repeated Keza.
Hippolyta gave her a bombastic side eye. There weren’t any words accompanying it, but if there were, they would be sothing like, ’Why did you do that? You just exposed our secret.’
Keza ignored her and said, "Yes! I brought Byron here. So what?"
To Keza, she didn’t see a reason in refusing Byron’s existence. It was sothing you could never hide. So, why quarrel over that?
It was better to admit the truth and maybe quarrel about it. Plus, Byron was a grown up. He could speak for himself.
He was the one to determine who he belonged to.
Queen Otrera’s face concocted with rage. "So what? Is that how you talk to your elders? I’m your grandmother!"
If Byron was there, he would have laughed his ass off.
True, Otrera was so old. Her face didn’t look like it though.
In fact, she looked like she was in her late twenties or lower. Byron would have understood the fact that she was divine, a daughter of a god and a nymph, but that didn’t an he wouldn’t laugh at her shouting that she was soone’s grandmother.
If anything, Keza, with her properties and all, looked a bit older compared to Otrera.
But then again, physical appearance isn’t what determines such things, especially in a mythical world.
You can’t look at a loli and say it’s a child when it’s actually a great old lady.
That wasn’t the only reason Byron would laugh though. Just seeing Queen Otrera alone would prove him wrong and he would burst into laughter because of that.
You see, he always imagined she looked like her daughters. Dark hair, golden eyes and all.
In reality, she had blue jewels for eyes and a milky cascade on her head for hair.
She had acquired these features from her mother, nymph Harmonia, whereas her daughter had acquired theirs from their father, Ares, the God of war.
So, now, Keza took a few more steps to stare into those blue jewels to say, "What’s wrong with talking to an elder like that, especially when it’s the elder who was rude to you first? I’m not anyone’s creature."
"Let’s forget that," said Queen Otrera dismissively. "Just take to Byron and prepare a place for and my girls to spend the night. Penth told to take him off your hands as soon as I reach here unless..."
"Unless what?" Hippolyta interrupted.
She couldn’t comprehend the level of arrogance in her mother’s voice and her ridiculous demands.
’Take him off her hands as soon as possible?’ she thought. ’What does she take for?’
"Unless you want war," finished Queen Otrera.
Both Hippolyta and Keza burst out laughing.
"War? With Penth? Is she delusional or sothing?"
"She is not delusional. I’m actually on her side."
"You’re on her side? I thought you’re neutral."
"Not anymore! You can’t go around taking things which belong to other people and expect them to just sit."
"Haha! So, you plan to join forces with your daughter to attack your other daughter?"
"I don’t need to join forces with her to do that. Half my army is enough to give you a few logs on your bum and remind you who’s in charge."
The old lady wasn’t lying. When left Themiscyra to create her City, other old ladies followed her.
Well, not old as in old. Like her, they also looked young. Old as in age.
Always, those ladies had fought so many battles compared to the young Amazons who went with Penthesilea or remained with Hippolyta.
These old ladies were seasoned warriors. In a fight, they could smoke Hippolyta and her girls in a few hours.
Why fight and die though?
Hippolyta was sure her mother wouldn’t do that.
However, even just suggesting it was reason enough for her to get angry.
She could have just said that she didn’t plan to keep Byron in her city. She could have said that he was actually set to return to Penthesilea tomorrow morning.
However, she was so angry with the fact that her mother was even trying to threaten her. That she had chosen a side.
Chose to fight alongside Penthesilea without even asking to hear Hippolyta’s side first.
That’s why she did sothing you could call so stupid.
She looked into those blue jewels of her mother and said, "Go on and kill us then. Or get the fuck out of my city!"
anwhile, Byron was still having fun with Strawberry.
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