Jonny Quest stood at the alter in Althea's temple. Behind him was Queen Hippolyte, ruler of Paradise Island, home of the Amazons. Behind them were rows and rows of Amazons. In the forefront on the Amazons were Princess Diana --Wonder Woman-- and the rest of the Quest Team --Dr. Benton Quest, Jonny's father; Hadji, Jonny's adopted brother; Race Bannon, the Quest's friend and bodyguard; Jessie, Race's daughter; and Bandit, Jonny's bulldog.
On the other side of the alter was Menalippe, the Amazon Oracle. She stood facing the giant statue of the goddess of wisdom, praying to Athena.
On this day, Jonny was to receive the powers of the Amazons --the same powers and weapons that Diana has-- to use in the outer world. Along with the powers, Jonny would recieve a costume. Right now, hew was dressed in his Themysciran clothes: A short, Greek-style tunic, a pair of pants --both white-- a gold and jeweled circlet around his head, Amazon wrist bands and tall, Greek sandals.
Suddenly, the stone statue softened. Slowly, the stone became flesh. Before the astounded audience, the statue of Athena came to life!
"I have heard your prayers, my daughter," Athena announced. "The Midwives of Olympus and I have agreed to grant the same powers imbued within Princess Diana of the Amazons to Jonny Quest."
Inclining her head to look at Jonny, Athena spoke to him.
"Step forward, young prince!" Athena commanded. Jonny did so, stepping around the alter. He looked up into the eyes of the Greek goddess of wisdom. Menalippe stepped back and allowed Queen Hippolyte to take her place behind Jonny. As his new mother, the queen had to guide him through the ceremony.
"From Demeter, the goddess of Agriculture, the spirit of the ever-renewing power and strength of the earth; from Aphrodite, the goddess of Love and Beauty, a handsome form and loving compassion; from Artemis, the goddess of the Hunt, a keen eye and empathy with animals; from Hermes, Messinger of the gods, swiftness as great as his own and the power of flight; from Hestia, goddess of Home and Hearth, brotherhood with the Fires of Truth, so that people will trust and speak truthfully to you; and from myself, the gift of wisdom."
"I also give you these," she added, "so that you may travel between Paradise Island and Man's World." A pair of winged sandals appeared on the alter.
Beside Athena, another beautiful woman appeared. She wore a gold crown and pure, white robes.
"Hera, the Queen of the gods!" Menalippe gasped in awe and reverence. She and the assembled Amazons fell to their knees, with the Quest Team only a heartbeat behind them.
"Jonny Quest, Prince of Themyscira, born of Patriach's World, I give thee greetings," Hera said.
"Hi," Jonny replied, not know what to say. (For what does one say to a goddess?)
"Hephaestus, god of the Forge, sends you these: A pair of Silver Bracelets of Victory, forged from from the remaining pieces of the Aegis Sheild, and the Lasso of Truth, forged from what remains of the Girdle of Gaea. They are from the same sources as Diana's Bracelets and Lasso. Use them well and honor Olympus with your battle against evil."
"I will," Jonny promiced. "Thank you." He stared, awed, as Hera faded away, returning to Mount Olympus.
"You have much to learn, Jonny Quest," Athena continued. "You must stay on Paradise Island to learn the use of these powers and gifts. Heed well your Amazon teachers; the experience of three thousand years awaits you, its new pupil. Learn all they can teach you. The world needs another hero. For the glory of Gaea!" With these words, Athena once again became the marble statue of her temple.
"I promice, Athena," Jonny replied. he did not know if she could hear him, be he believed she did.
With great care and ceremony, Menalippe removed Jonny's iron Amazon wrist bands, and replaced them with the Silver Bracelets of Victory. Then, she picked up the winged sandals and the Lasso of Truth, and put them in Jonny's hands.
With the lasso in his right hand, and the sandals in his left, Jonny crossed his wrists, the tops of the bracelets just touching, and held high above his head: The Amazon Salute!
[Glory to Gaea!] he shouted in Themysciran.
[Glory to Gaea!] the assembled Amazons answered him.
"Glory to Gaea!" the Quest Team was caught up in the excitement of the moment. It is not everyday a male joins the ranks of the Amazons!
Jonny, Diana, Queen Hippolyte, and the Amazons stood on the beach of Paradise Island. They were saying good-bye to the rest of the Quest Team, who had to return to "Man's World". As he promised, Jonny was staying behind to learn about his new powers.
"Don't worry, guys. I'll be back as soon as Mother says my lessons are over," he assured them.
"I know, Jonny. But we will still miss you," replied Hadji. Even though --as Jonny's adoptive brother-- Hadji was also a prince of Paradise Island, he did not receive Amazon powers because he had powers of his own, through his studies of Yoga. What he did receive --earlier-- was a big boost in these powers, so that Hadji now has several of the legendary yogin powers. These he would develop back at the Quest Compound in Maine.
"Just keep in touch as only you can," Jonny smiled. Jonny meant that Hadji should use the astral plane to communicate through Jonny's dreams. Hadji smiled at Jonny.
"You know we'll be there for you, son," said Dr. Quest, hugging Jonny to him.
Bandit whined as he looked up at Jonny. The little dog did not want to go home yet. He wanted to stay with his young master.
Jonny picked up Bandit, hugging him close. The blond boy looked to his mother.
"May Bandit stay with me?" he asked, hoping there would not be a problem in allowing the dog to stay.
"Of course he can," the queen smiled. She knew that Jonny would miss his family and friends, so letting Bandit stay might ease the pain a little. She reached over and scratched the dog behind his ears.
"Good-bye, Kiddo," Race smiled, shaking Jonny's hand. "See ya soon."
Jessie threw her arms around Jonny's neck and kissed him. Then they hugged each other for a long time, not caring who was watching.
When the parted, Jessie had tears in her eyes, even though she was smiling.
"Come back to me...us...soon, Jonny," she sniffed. She boarded the Questor with the others.
"I will," he promised. He went to stand with Queen Hippolyte. "Good-bye, everyone!" he called. "I'll be back before you know it! You'll see!" Jonny waved as the Questor left the shore of Paradise Island. Sadly, they returned his wave. It was not until the boat sailed over the horizon, that Jonny lowered his hand.
"Come, Jonny. We must return to the palace," the queen said, putting her arm around his shoulder. Taking one more quick glance at the sea behind him, Jonny walked with her to his new home.
Once in the queen's chambers, she smiled kindly at Jonny.
"We are alone, Jonny. Let the tears that I know are there come. Release your grief. You will feel better afterwards."
Jonny hesitated a moment more, then allowed the tears to well up in his eyes and spill over down his face. For long moments, there was no sound in the room but Jonny's sobs, muffled by the folds of his mother's royal robes. She stroked his hair, soothing the pain in his heart.
After awhile, Jonny's sobs quieted and the tears stopped falling. Soon, he raised his head to look into the queen's eyes. He sniffed and smiled, rubbing his eyes to wipe the last of his tears away.
"Feel better now, my sweet son?" she asked, rubbing his face.
"Yes," he nodded, smiling. He did feel better. He knew he would be with his family sometime soon. Jonny and the queen walked to his own bed chambers.
"You go get cleaned up for dinner, Jonny. Tomorrow, you will begin your training." Queen Hippolyte kissed his cheek, then left him in his rooms.
Jonny's bed chambers consisted of the actual bedroom, a bathroom, a work and study room, and an audience chamber (or, as he liked to call it, his "living room").
Jonny especially loved his bathroom. His "bathtub" was a large, marble pool, about the size of gymnasiim swimming pool --a small one. His shower was a small, indoor waterfall, complete with tropical flowers growing all around it. His soap was from a natural source: A soap plant. There were thousands of them, growing around the pool.
Grinning, Jonny undressed and dived into the water. He could not afford the luxury of a bath --he was expected at dinner that night-- so Jonny stood under the waterfall "shower", washing himself with the soap plant. The water felt refreshing. He suspected that he would be taking a lot of showers and baths in the upcoming --days? Weeks?
Hmmm...I wonder how long this training is going to take. If it takes a long time, maybe Mother will let me visit the Quest Team. It's a little awkward, thinking of Queen Hippolyte as my mother. But I'll get used to it. Although, when school-time comes around, I wonder how Dad is going to explain my absence? I can just see him now, Jonny thought with a laugh.
"'I'm sorry, Mam'am, but Jonny can't come to school for a while. You see, he has just been adopted by the Queen of the Amazons and has been given powers like Wonder Woman's. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, says Jonny has to stay on Paradise Island to learn how to use his powers so that he can be a superhero!'"
"I wish I could see that!" Jonny laughed. By now, he was out of the shower and standing in the sun to dry off. No towels --gotta talk to Aella about that. He stretched, enjoying the warm sunlight. He was glad that he was standing up, though. If he was lying down, he would have fallen asleep!
When he got back to his bedroom, he found that his clothes had been washed for him. Or maybe the Amazons has made him extra clothes. The clothes on his bed was like his regular Themysciran outfit, but these were trimmed in gold. He quickly dressed.
He was just putting his circlet on his head, when there was knock on his door.
"Yes? Come in." He looked toward the door.
The gold-trimmed wooded door openned, and Aella stepped inside.
"The Queen requests that Prince Jonathan join her for dinner."
"Aella, why not just say, 'It's dinnertime.'? It would be easier --and quicker," Jonny smiled.
"True. But it is not proper royal grammar. You are the prince of Themyscira. I must address you as such."
"Yes, but you are also one of my Amazon sisters, aren't you?"
"Yes..." Aella began.
"So why should a sister have to be formal with her brother? At least be informal when it's just the two of us."
"Alright," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "It is dinnertime, Jonny. Your mother asks that you join her for dinner. Happy now?"
"Sure. But next time, just say, 'It's dinnertime.' I'll get the message," he grinned and headed out the door.
Aella just stood inside the door, her hands on her hips. Bandit walked up to her, then sat up on his hind legs, like he was begging for something. Aella looked down at him.
"It's dinnertime, Bandit," she said, exasperated. Living with the new prince was going to be one surprise after another!
At dinner, Jonny put the question of the length of training to his mother.
"How long?" she replied. "I do not know. A long time; several months, at least."
"Will I be able to visit Dad and the others?" Jonny looked hopefully at her, needing to know the answer, but dreading it as well.
"Of course, dear. We will schedule a visit soon. But for now, you must concentrate on your studies."
"Alright, Mother. How will the routine for my studies go?
"As it stands, after breakfast, you will study under Menalippe and Mymosyne. They will teach you more about Amazon history, customs, and other things. This will go until noon. After the midday meal, Philippus will teach you the use of your powers and weapons. This will take up to three hours. The rest of the day is your free time until dinner."
"Tomorrow, however, you are to spend the day with Diana. Only she can teach you to fly, and she must return to 'Man's World' soon. After she leaves, your schedule will start as I have stated. Any questions?"
"No, Mother." Then Jonny thought of something. "Well, one: May I just call you, 'Mom'? It's the short form of 'mother'."
"Alright, but only when it is just the two of us. But you are a prince and short forms are not..."
" '...proper royal grammar.' Yes, I've heard that already. Okay. Short forms for informal situations; proper royal grammar for formal situations. I got it. Good night...Mom." Jonny got up, went to her, and kissed her cheek.
"Good night, my prince," she smiled, kissed him back and patted his arm. she watched as he left the room.
Back in his bedroom, Jonny got a scroll from his shelf and climbed into bed to read it by candlelight. It was the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. Later, when the wind had blown out his candle ("Is that a hint, Boreas?"), Jonny fell asleep. When he dreamed, he dreamed of flying.
He awoke the next morning to sunlight streaming through the window. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, then stretched.
"Looks like Apollo's up," Jonny commented. He dived into the pool --he had slept nude-- and took his morning shower.
After dressing, he went to the dining hall for breakfast. Queen Hippolyte and Diana was already there.
"Late for breakfast, I see," the queen smiled. Jonny blushed with embarressment.
"I stayed up late, reading," he replied.
"Don't eat too much for breakfast, Brother," Diana smiled at him. "You have flying lessons this morning."
"I'll just eat an apple, then." Jonny took a big, red apple from a crystal bowl and bit into it.
"How long will it take you to teach him how to fly, Diana?"
"That depends on how apt a pupil he is. Maybe a couple of days."
"I've logged a lot of flight time with Race," Jonny put in.
"Better make that a couple of weeks!" Diana replied, teasing him.
"Hey!" Jonny protested. Then he realized that Diana was only joking. She knew Race was one of the best pilots America had.
"Do not worry, Jonny. Two or three days is all you will need to learn to fly. Race has taught you the fundamentals; now, you need to learn to fly without a plane," Diana smiled.
"We'd better start now, if we're ever going to have these flying lessons," Jonny said, finishing the apple. He started out, then turned around.
"Did you forget something, Jonny?" Diana smiled.
"Where are we going to have my flying lessons?" he asked sheepishly.
"We will need the space at the Coliseum. I will meet you there."
"Right. Later, Mom." Jonny kissed Queen Hippolyte and ran off toward the Coliseum.
"The first male Amazon," the queen said, watching him go.
"Be thankful that he is a teen-aged male, Mother," Diana smiled. She got up and left the building.
Once outside, Diana rose gracefully into the sky. As swift as an eagle, the princess flwe to the Coliseum.
Diana landed lightly on the grass near the game field. She looked around for Jonny, but did not see him.
I hope he did not get --what was the word Etta once used? Sidetracked? Yes, that was the word --sidetracked. I hope Jonny did not get sidetracked, she thought.
A moment later, Jonny jogged into the Coliseum.
"Did you get sidetracked by something, Little Brother?" she asked, her arms crossed and her smile impatient. She liked using new words.
"Sorry, Diana," Jonny blushed. He hoped she was not angry. What a first impression to make on the first day of his flying lessons! I just hope I'm on time for the other lessons! Jonny thought.
"Shall we begin." Diana gestured toward the game field.
"Okay," Jonny replied. He was eager to get this part done. Once he knew how to fly, getting to places on Paradise Island on time would be a lot easier!
By lunch time, Jonny was sore from crashing into things. His Amazon duds --as he liked to call his Themysciran clothes-- was torn and dirty from crashes into trees and bushes. Jonny had to stop by Healing Island to let Epione tend to his many scratches and cuts.
"You'll do better tomorrow, Jonny," Diana assured him.
"I hope so, Diana!"
"Do you think you can fly to the palace? I'll be beside you all the way."
"Okay. Let's go." Together, the prince and princess of Paradise Island flew home.
Waiting for them was their mother. She stood beside a column, her purple robes billowing in the afternoon breeze.
When she saw Jonny, all dirty and scratched, she knew how his first flying lesson must have gone.
"Jonny! Are you all right?" she exclaimed.
"I'm okay, Mom. I...uh...crashed a few times."
"More than 'a few times', I would say!" She looked him over. Satisfied that his injuries were minor, she said, "Go get cleaned up for lunch. I will discuss your first lesson with Diana."
"Yes, Mother." Jonny head for his room.
"How was his first flying lesson."
"As he said, he crashed a few times. But near the end of his lesson, he crashed less often. He will still need a couple more days, but I think he will eventually learn to fly with ease."
"I hope so," Queen Hippolyte said.
Fifteen minutes later, Jonny --clean and in new clothes-- returned for lunch.
"How are you feeling, Jonny?" the queen asked.
"Better," he answered, a little embarrassed by his first flying lesson.
"Do not feel so bad, Little Brother," Diana smiled. "I did not learn to fly on the first day, either."
"Indeed. You would be surprised how often she crashed!" Hippolyte laughed.
"You did?" Jonny asked Diana in surprise.
"More often than you did, Jonny," she smiled, kissing his cheek.
"Do not worry, my son. You will learn soon enough." Queen Hippolyte escorted both her children to the dining hall, where Aella and the others had set out their lunch.
Just as Diana predicted, Jonny's flying improved steadily over the course of the next two days. Soon, he was able to continue his flying practice without Diana.
Now, Jonny's regular routine started. The history lessons with Menalippe and Mymosyne were at the library. He met Philippus at the Coliseum for lessons with his other powers. He even studied the art of healing from Epione.
Every few days, Jonny would have the entire day to himself. On those days, he would practice using his powers, especially flying.
At night, he practiced what little he knew of yogin, trying to contact Hadji in a dream state. But Jonny was not as good as Hadji was, and often, it was Hadji that ended up contacting Jonny.
Hello, Jonny, Hadji greeted Jonny one evening.
Hi, Hadj, Jonny answered. How is everyone?
We are fine, Jonny. But we miss you and Bandit. When will you be coming home?
Mother says I'll still be in training for a good long while, yet. But she says I can come home for a visit, soon. Diana is going to escort me the first time, then I'll come on future visits by myself.
When? Hadji asked anxiously.
Diana will be back tomorrow. We'll start for the USA the next morning. I should be there by that afternoon. I'll need to see how long the trip takes to be sure.
I must go now, Jonny. I can not hold this position for very long. But I will tell everyone that you are coming home.
Thanks, Hadj. Give everyone my love and tell them I hope to see them soon.
I will. Good night, Jonny.
Good night, Hadji. Hadji's dream image faded from Jonny's mind. The rest of Jonny's slumber was dreamless.
The next afternoon, Diana arrived on Paradise Island. Jonny was in his bed chambers, packing for his visit home, when she found him.
"Hi, Diana!" he greeted her, moving from his bed were he had the clothes he was going to wear the next day laid out. He hugged his sister when he reached her.
"Ready to go home tomorrow?" she asked as she stepped away from him.
"Of course!" he grinned. He moved his clothes --a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers-- over to a Greek couch. Jonny was excited about returning to the Quest Compound in Maine and seeing his family again.
"You had better get a good night's sleep then, Brother. You'll need all your energy to fly across the Storm!"
The next day, Diana, Jonny, Queen Hippolyte, and the Amazons were gathered at the beach where Diana and Jonny would start their journey to America.
"One week, Jonny," the queen reminded him. "You must return to your studies as soon as possible."
"Yes, Mother," he replied, kissing her cheek. Turning to Diana, he said, "Let's go, Diana!" Holding Bandit tightly in his arms, he lifted off into the sky.
Diana smiled, kissed her mother on the cheek, and followed her impatient adoptive sibling into the sky.
Back in Maine, Dr. Quest, Race, Hadji, and Jessie were excitedly waiting for Diana and Jonny's arrival, wondering for how long his stay was going to be.
"I see them!" Jessie, who was looking up, cried happily. She pointed upward as two figures dropped out of the sky. In moments, Diana and Jonny landed in the Compound's backyard.
The Quest Team welcomed their returning member with hugs and "Welcome home"s. When everyone had calmed down, Jessie asked the question they all dreaded to hear, but needed to know the answer to.
"How long can you stay?"
"A week. Then I must return to continue my training."
"Well," said Race, "if we only have a week, then we'd better not waste any of it. I hope you're hungry, Jonny, because I just made a batch of my famous Navy Chili to celebrate your first visit back." The ex-S.E.A.L. clapped his arm around Jonny's shoulder and led everyone into the house, Diana included.
"I hope that includes a big pitcher of ice water, because if it's you're chili, we'll need it!" Jonny pulled away from Race before the Navy man could react. Race only chuckled as the boy bounded into his room.
"Good to have you back, Jonny Quest!" Jessie giggled as she watched the scene between Jonny and her father.