Themyscira’s sun cast golden ribbons across the secluded waterfall, where mist clung to the air like breath made visible. Wildflowers bloomed along the edges of smooth stone, their scent mingling with the earthy hush of the forest. The pool shimmered beneath the falls, a mirror of liquid crystal, disturbed only by the ripples your body made as you floated, letting the coolness soothe your aching muscles.

The training session still pulsed through your limbs—your latest clash with Diana, a dance of strikes and strategy that had left both of you flushed and breathless. As a demigod, you were one of the few who could keep pace with her. One of the few who could challenge her, bruise her pride as much as her skin. The two of you had grown close through each match, each moment spent teetering between competition and something far more intimate.

You remembered the way she had looked at you when the final blow landed—not with triumph, but with quiet admiration. How she had unfastened her armor in the shade of the trees, sunlight sliding across bronzed skin and carved muscle. Her body was a study in grace and power, every line a memory of battle, of purpose. She had stepped into the water without hesitation, and just before the falls swallowed her silhouette, she had glanced back over her shoulder, eyes as blue as the Aegean.

Now, she surfaced nearby, dark hair cascading over her shoulders like silk, droplets clinging to the strong curve of her arms. Her gaze met yours, open, unreadable, but full of that same impossible calm that both steadied and unsettled you.

“I hope I didn’t press you too hard today,” she said, voice low, a wisp of laughter beneath the words. “Though I suspect you’d only resent me if I hadn’t.”

She drifted closer through the water, shoulders gleaming in the dappled light. Her presence—so effortless, so near—made the space between you feel small. Charged.

“There is peace here,” she said, tilting her head. “Though I admit… my thoughts haven’t been entirely peaceful since you arrived.”