Myrina was an Amazon warrior who stood at the peak of battle power. Queen Hippolyta had granted her the right to journey to the world of man and slay Arachsh, the spider with a human face. But the monster proved to be trickier than expected and had bitten Myrina on the shoulder, poisoning her. With the last of her strength, she had dragged the monster to the river.

Although Myrina had hoped to survive the ordeal and return to Amazon Island victorious, with her name etched in legend, she knew the life of a warrior was fickle and that death could come in any battle.

She had died in battle and was okay with that. Her only hope was that she had taken Arachsh with her to the underworld. This was where she and her warrior sisters could feast on the monster's soul while telling stories of the grandeur of battle.

However, deep down, Myrina knew the monster was still alive. Despite stabbing it with her spear and tumbling over the hill into the river below, she felt discomfort in her stomach. Her warrior instincts told her the monster was still alive.

This was unacceptable!

If the monster was alive after killing her and continued to slaughter innocent people, it would forever blemish Myrina's honor. If she died like this, she would be remembered as another dead warrior who failed!

She woke up gasping for air, sweating profusely under the moonlight. Her mouth felt dry. Looking around, she saw that she was alone in a small hut that seemed ready to collapse.

Myrina's shoulder, midsection, arm, and thighs were covered in clean white cloths. Whoever saved her had also treated her wounds. Had she washed back onto Amazon Island? No, that was unlikely, as she had only traveled to the world of man to slay the monster and had not stopped at any villages or settlements along the way.

As she tried to stand up, pain shot through her body. "Damn," she muttered through clenched teeth. Her injuries had not fully healed, and now that she had tried to move, her body reminded her of its state, and pain crawled through her veins.

Myrina was an Amazon warrior and wouldn't give up easily. Despite her weakened state, she forced her body to move and stood up from the bed. But her legs buckled under her, and she fell to her knees, hitting her head on one of the bed's legs.

"Fuck!" she cursed.

As an Amazon, Myrina felt ashamed of her weakness. She balanced herself using her arms and stood up, but her body shook with pain like she had never felt before. It was like molten lava was traveling through her veins. For the first time in over a decade, Myrina felt like crying, but she held it in. An Amazon warrior never cried, and she didn't want to be the first to do so at her age.

Myrina heard a trotting sound, and a small goat came in. The small animal looked at her and, without hesitation, headbutted her leg. Myrina fell to her knee, and pain ruptured through her body.

"Ugghh!" she moaned in pain and fell to the ground, clutching her sides. The little goat seemed unsatisfied and kicked and headbutted her.

Myrina felt lower than ever before. To be beaten by a baby goat was shameful! She wanted to cry.

"Hic… how shameful." Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Her shame overwhelmed her pain, and she mustered her strength and grabbed the small critter by its throat. The goat struggled, defiantly kicking at her arms, and aimed for her bandages, which hurt the most.

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Myrina was angry enough to want to snap the goat's neck, but her rage didn't overwhelm her rationality. She remembered that the house owner had likely saved her, and killing their pet wasn't the right way to repay them. Shaking the goat caused it to fall unconscious as its brain rocked inside its skull. She forced herself to stand up again and put the unconscious goat on the bed.

As Myrina walked to the other room, she saw a door that led outside. It was fortified with many wooden planks, but it didn't seem built to keep people inside. She didn't worry about it too much. But then her eyes caught something she had never seen before.

A short-haired human, more than a head smaller than her, lay in front of a barely-lit flame. He had short dark hair and callused hands, not like a warrior but more resembling a farmer.

This was a man. The closest she had come to seeing a man before this was the statue of Lord Ares on the island. She looked in the only other room and saw two people sleeping, another man and a pregnant woman. But her gaze returned to the young man, and anxiety welled up within her.

All Amazon warriors who ventured into the outside world were warned about the dangers of men. They were told how charming and deceptive men could be, with the ability to hypnotize women with their magic powers, leaving them as soulless husks under their control. Myrina couldn't help but wonder if the men would try to enslave her too.

She knew she had to be careful as her teachers had told her that even kissing a man could make her pregnant.

Her heart pounded against her chest, and she realized she was in the worst possible situation. She had no spear, shield, or armor to protect herself. Had the men defiled her while she was sleeping? Men were her enemies, and she didn't know how to defend herself in her current state.

Myrina approached the pregnant woman and gently shook her awake, trying not to disturb her partner. "Lady, you must help me get out of here before the men wake up," she whispered urgently.

The woman rubbed her groggy eyes and turned to her husband. "Dear, the injured woman is awake."

Myrina grabbed the woman's hand, desperate to escape. "Please don't call the men on me. As a fellow woman, you must know how dangerous men can be, even if you're not a warrior."

The pregnant woman sympathized with Myrina's plight and nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I understand your fear. You must have suffered a lot."

Myrina noticed that the woman looked like she was about to cry, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. "I need my armor, shield, and spear back. Then I can help you escape too."

The pregnant woman tilted her head in confusion. "You had no shield or spear when you washed up on the river shores. Your armor is under your bed. But escape from what?"

She quickly covered her mouth, realizing her mistake. This woman could already be hypnotized!

Myrina's voice rose in panic. "Escape from the men! Please, we have to leave now!"

The pregnant woman sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Let's talk about the situation first. You seem on edge. So, we'll start with introductions. My name is Katia, and I am the mother of the boy whose bed you slept in. He had to sleep in the living room."

She didn't seem happy when she said the latter part. As if it was a personal insult that a man had suffered. No, it seemed even more personal.

They talked for hours, almost until the sun rose, and she even made them some hot water mized in with herbs.

Myrina understood that Katia was the young man's mother, and the man was her husband.

Myrina nodded along just to be polite, but she didn't understand why a woman would willingly surrender to a man. After a while, she couldn't help but ask that question, and the answer confused Myrina. She had grown up learning that all men were evil, and she would rather trust her teachers than another woman who a man had ensnared.

"Can I get a drink too?" Suddenly, a voice came from the door. It was the woman's son. If Myrina's memory served her right, the young boy's name was Idas.

Myrina was sitting down but tried to get up in case of a fight. However, the young man approached and pushed her shoulder, forcing her to sit.

"Hey, hey, don't waste the life I saved. Do you know what kind of troublesome reputation I got because of you?" The young man groaned.

Myrina felt a chill travel down her spine, realizing too late that she had been cornered by a man!