5th March 2013
08:20 GMT +3
"Dorian!"
The female harpy-. I should have asked her-
"H-hello Maia."
-what her name was. She flap-hops over to hug him, nose wrinkling only briefly at the smell.
"If you like, I can fix your feathers.
"
He makes eye contact with me over his sister's shoulders. "Yes. Please."
Okay, scan his sister so that I know what feathers look like when they're in good condition, then remove whatever dust, skin cells, sweat and other detritus has accumulated on his body, remembering that feathers need oil. Okay, that-.
Maia pulls away slightly as the orange wave finishes its work, sniffing curiously. Dorian frowns and sniffs his right wing. They make eye contact, and Maia laughs.
"It's better!"
Dorian ruffles his feathers and then steps past her. "I will-. Please tell our parents that I am leaving the island for a while."
"But-."
"I will be coming back once my head is clear. But I.. need to leave for now."
She nods.
"Don't worry, he's in good hands.
" I turn to Dorian as I rise into the air.
"Shall we?
"
He flaps his wings, rapidly gaining height as he rises off the cliff.
"Where are you going?"
"The Themysciran embassy in New York is still there, and the staff both speak Ancient Greek and know how to introduce people from the Greek mythos to modernity. But first we're going to spend a few hours doing a search of the area. The Greek government is concerned that without Themyscira around some other peoples might start getting rowdy.
"
"You should check on the sirens. I do not know if they are actually doing anything, but they had very bad habits in the past."
I nod. Despite some depictions showing them mermaids -and the
notably weird one in Ducktails where they're giant angler fish lures, the sirens are actually demi-god harpies. A bit larger, a bit stronger, much longer lived and possessing a knack for manipulating the air to create entrancing sound. Diana wasn't entirely sure if the hypnotic element was inherently magical or if the hypnosis was just the result of exposing the human brain to that noise. Ancient Greeks didn't really distinguish between magic and feats of extreme skill.
I wonder what they'd think of Werner Vertigo's device? Wouldn't hurt to show them a copy.
"Are they still living on the same island?
" Maia nods.
"Then that's our first stop. Thank you.
"
I transition upwards, pulling level with Dorian.
"You sister wants us to look in on the sirens. Are you alright with doing that, or would you rather wait while I handle it?
"
"I will come. They are less likely to be violent if I am with you."
"Rightoh. You may experience a moment of disorientation as we appear near their island.
"
He nods, continuing to flap. I attach a filament and-.
And we're there. What was once a series of small rocks sticking out of the ocean but is now a siren-made island of wood taken from wrecked ships. The sea is fairly shallow, strong currents easily able to smash a ship into the barely-submerged rocks.
Huh. So maybe the harpies could have built that jetty. It wouldn't have been
easy, but the main issue would be getting the metal ore to make the saws-.
They're mind control specialists. They could just have gotten the surviving crew to build things before they ate them.
Not a lot of metal. Their action in grabbing a British ship during World War Two was what led to their first confrontation with Diana, and after that… No fibreglass either, so I suppose that they're behaving themselves. Scans show
nothing, because they've had plenty of time to ward this place.
"Hello!
"
"
WHAT?!"
That.. was interesting. The air around me trembled, but there wasn't any entrancing property. And the air between me and the island didn't vibrate, so she wasn't just shouting.
"I said, 'hello'!
"
The door of a structure that looks like a cabin that was ripped wholesale from the deck of a eighteenth century warship opens, and a somewhat dishevelled siren stalks out.
Though when I say dishevelled… That's a t-shirt. A printed t-shirt, long enough to serve as a nightie. Harpies don't bother with clothing. Their island is too small for raising wool animals or planting cotton, and their feathers cover… Well, the essentials.
"And I said '
what'?" She rubs her eyes with her wings. "I'm still on American time. What do you want?"
"To.. check that you were in good physical and psychological health.
"
She blinks up at me. "Yeah?"
"And your sisters?
"
"Probably? They're all-. Wait." She appears to become more alert. "Do you think we all live here?"
"I hadn't researched the topic in detail, I just… assumed so.
"
"We don't-. Get down here." Dorian flies down at once, and I follow a moment later. Is that… Mascara? And lipstick? "We don't live here. After our fight with Diana, it didn't take us long to realise that the world had gotten a
lot more interesting. So we talked about it, and then we went on a journey."
"Just… Wandering around, seeing the sights?
"
"We paid our way by singing.
Not hypnotic singing, just the regular kind. And it was a lot better than living on a pile of rotting wood."
"So… Why are you here?
"
Her talons clench, gouging a furrow in the wood.
"That Anti-Life stuff-. They tried to make us
sing it.
It-." She ruffles her feathers. "I wanted to sleep somewhere familiar." She looks around. "But it turns out a mouldy pile of wood is a mouldy pile of wood. Next time I'm going to the Hilton."
"And please understand that I'm only asking this at the request of the Greek government-.
"
"We're not entrancing anyone-. Not ships, anyway. Not to wreck them. Once the music industry starts up again, we'll be back to work. But if you're looking for someone who isn't doing so great, I saw some statues of people on the mainland
that-" She points. "-way."
"Greece does have a lot of stat-.
"
"As in
petrified people. I think one of the gorgons is on the run again."
I nod.
"Thank you for that information. Is there anything you need?
"
"How fast are the banks going to be working again?"
"We're not prioritising it, so maybe a few months if you're talking about anything beyond local banking? Though if you and your sisters are interested in a commission, I could probably sort something out.
"
"I'll talk to them about it. You're with the Justice League, right?" I nod. "And who's the mute?"
"I'm Dorian."
"And why is the mute?"
"He got hit hard by the Anti-Life, and wants to see society outside of the islands.
"
"I can do that. My sisters and I can teach you modern human languages, show you around. How about it?"
Dorian looks at me for confirmation, and I just shrug. His choice. They've probably got cultural knowledge and time that I don't, but if he's reluctant then I'll do it.
He thinks for a moment, then nods. "Thank you."
