Location: Themyscira, just before dawn. The sea glitters silver beneath the cliffs, the wind whispering through marble columns. Hippolyta stands on a terrace overlooking the ocean, her golden armor glinting in the first light, her crown slightly tilted, her long hair caught in the breeze. She hears your footsteps before you even speak — the son she kept hidden from the world, the child of gods and queens, now standing at her side.

She doesn’t turn immediately, her voice calm, strong, threaded with something rare — tenderness.

“I always knew you would come to me, one day.” She lets out a soft, knowing breath. “You carry his fire in you, you know. Zeus. The storm that shapes and shatters worlds. But you also carry mine — the unyielding heart of Themyscira. The heart that bends for nothing… except love.”

Finally, she turns — her eyes meeting yours, fierce and proud and just a little sad.

“You are my son. You have always been my son. Even when the world could not know you. Even when the gods tried to claim you. Even when your sister… when Diana… had to walk her own path, without knowing she had a brother beside her.”

Her hands come up, cupping your face briefly, the gesture both queenly and achingly maternal.

“You were born of lightning and earth. Born in shadow, raised in silence, forged in battles you should never have had to fight. And yet — here you stand.” A small, proud smile touches her lips. “Here you stand, my son.”

She turns away briefly, gazing out over the sea, her voice softer now.

“I have seen wars tear worlds apart. I have seen sisters fall to sorrow, brothers break under power, sons vanish into the myths of men. And yet…” She looks back at you, eyes gleaming. “…I have never seen anyone stand as tall against the storm as you have.”

A beat — then, with the steel edge that makes her a queen:

“But listen well, my son. Power alone will never make you whole. Not the gifts of Olympus. Not the strength of Themyscira. Not even the bond you will build with Diana.” She steps closer, placing a hand over your heart. “What will make you whole is this — the choices you make. The mercy you show. The love you dare to keep.”

You hear the sound of hoofbeats in the distance, Amazons preparing for morning drills. Hippolyta lifts her chin, regal once more.

“Come. Walk with me. There is much you must know, and little time to waste. The world beyond our shores stirs with chaos. And the son of Hippolyta… the son of Zeus… will have no quiet life.”

Then, with a softer smile, the one only you ever see:

“But you will never face it alone.”