by Kristen Day
“So where exactly are you taking me?” I asked him; making certain to show him how unimpressed I was.
“I thought we’d start off with a romantic lunch, then a guitar serenade, followed by some heavy petting and kissing under the stars.” He grinned at me. I couldn’t decide which bothered me more - that he got under my skin, or that he knew he got under my skin.
“I couldn’t think of a worse plan.” I frowned at him, but felt my face flush.
“Is that why you’re blushing?” He chuckled and my fists balled up in anger. I was just about to hit him or crawl under the seat when I felt our momentum slope upwards, slow, and then stop completely.
“Let the heavy petting commence,” he announced in a low voice as I stood and looked at him with annoyance. I pushed him lightly away from me and stepped out of the car, but I couldn’t ignore the feel of his chest muscles under my hand. I felt him on my heels as the doors closed, and jumped with surprise when the vessel shot back down into the water-filled canal and disappeared.
I stopped in my tracks and my mouth dropped at the bustling metropolis I’d just stepped into. Cobblestone streets lined with buildings made of stone sent me back to Charleston, South Carolina where my mother worked as a psychiatrist. Shops and restaurants were overflowing with Atlanteans dressed in white milling about, shopping, eating, or greeting family and friends. With no cars, buses, or motorcycles, the sounds of this city were pure, calm and friendly, and I was instantly taken aback by the beauty of it all. I was expecting thatched huts and dirt roads, so this surpassed all of my expectations.
“We need to get going,” Sebastian instructed and began walking down the street. I followed along clumsily while I tried to take it all in. Families, couples, kids, older people and animals freely roamed the streets; all in harmony with one another. There were no horns honking or people yelling. Just the soft murmur of people talking and having a good time with each other.
We made several more turns onto intersecting cobblestone roads filled with quaint shops and markets. As we rounded another corner, the ground sloped downward and something in the distance caught my attention. Slightly elevated and surrounded by water was an imposing, towering castle. Made purely of gold. I almost tripped, but Sebastian caught my arm just in time. No matter what I did, I couldn’t take my eyes off the castle in the distance. It was straight out of a fairytale, and I half expected fairies and fire breathing dragons to be flying around its perimeter.
“That castle is gold,” I choked out brilliantly.
“And gaudy.” He scrunched his nose in distaste. “The inside is much more elegant and much less…showy.”
“It’s a castle for God’s sake!” I continued gawking. “It’s allowed to be as gaudy and showy as it wants.”
“This way,” he directed me with two hands on my shoulders, since I was no longer watching where I was going.
“So you’ve been inside? Does anyone live there?” I questioned him as we rounded another corner and I lost sight of it.
“Atlas’s wife,” Sebastian answered proudly. “She has singlehandedly populated half the island’s descendants.” I looked at him weird. That sounded exhausting. “Indirectly for the most part, of course. She begat him, who begat her, who begat him, and so on and so forth.”
“How old is she?”
“As old as the island itself,” he retorted offhandedly, and then glanced up at one building in particular. “Here we are!” I read the sign hanging in the window that said: ‘Metalliká Loutrá’.
“A mineral spa,” I responded flatly. Amphitrite had been serious when she said I’d be going to the spa. “I don’t need a massage, Sebastian.”
“You’re in for a surprise then.” He grinned as he opened the door for me.
“You do have manners.” I smiled up at him slyly.
“I have my moments.”
“May I help you?” a petit woman asked in Greek from behind a desk.
“Olivia Campbell is here,” Sebastian informed her. For some reason I didn’t like the fact that he knew my last name. She stood with a polite smile and motioned for me to follow her.
“See you in four hours!” Sebastian waved and walked out the door without a backwards glance before I could argue. Four hours? What were they going to do to me for four hours? Unfortunately the more relevant question would have been what were they not going to do to me for four hours. Apparently the first hour long massage was to simply get me relaxed enough to be able to lie still for another entire hour while they poked and prodded every part of my body. Between the facial scrub, belly wrap, reflexology, skin abrasion therapy, and tiny voodoo-esque needles to stimulate my muscles, I couldn’t believe I was only halfway done.
The next room of torture involved hot stones, a sauna, something gooey on my eyelids, and a foot massage. If I had to be honest, I’d have to admit I was actually beginning to enjoy the pampering as my body began reveling in the attention. Unfortunately things were about to get very weird, very fast.
The fact that I had been stripped completely naked never entered my mind as they led me to the second floor of the building and helped me down into a circular pool that looked like a Jacuzzi tub. The main difference being it wasn’t filled with water, it was filled with mud. I eased myself into the warm, thick mud. It folded around my body immediately, leaving me powerless to resist its soothing pressure. I leaned my head back on the edge of the tub as the rest of my body became completely submerged. My mind turned to mush and I was at the mercy of those heaven-sent massage therapists. They turned and walked out of the room, flipping off the lights as they left. Darkness enveloped me and all my senses suddenly came alive as I went on high alert. Nothing happened for several minutes, but then I noticed the mud growing slightly warmer around me.
A low hum filled the room and small bright dots appeared on the ceiling. They reminded me of tiny stars far off in another galaxy, and I found myself connecting them in my mind’s eye to create shapes and words. Suddenly a light in the bottom of the small pool became lit and the mud around me appeared to glow in response. I watched as small sparks shot across the mud like horizontal tiny lightning strikes. They were mesmerizing, and for some reason they didn’t worry me whatsoever. I didn’t even think to question why my own electrical current was slowly increasing within. I felt a familiar frenzy behind my eyes and my entire body became a highway of electricity; the voltage sending my muscles into tiny spasms and lighting up the mud around me even more. The frenzy behind my eyes boiled over and I squeezed them shut.
Usually my body only reacted that way when I was angry or needed to defend myself or Stasia. I re-opened my eyes and decided to focus on the faux stars on the ceiling. Without warning, the entire room lit up. Electricity began shooting out of my body and connecting with the walls and ceiling. It looked like I was in the middle of a huge static electricity ball. Mom had bought me one for my twelfth birthday, and I’d played with it for all of one week before getting bored and discarding it.
As I watched, my heart began to pound with adrenaline and the electric strikes followed suit. They grew stronger, brighter, and more numerous, and I worried suddenly if I was in danger of burning down the entire spa. I had a feeling the Atlanteans would not appreciate me burning down half their city. I concentrated on calming my heartbeat and steadying my breathing.
Finally the electrical sparks diminished until there was only one electrical strike extending from my chest to the ceiling. I focused all of my energy on it and tried to drag it to the left. Surprisingly, it did exactly what I wanted it to do. I moved it back to the right and then drew a circle on the ceiling with it. Feeling especially confident, I split it down the middle to create two separate strikes, and then twisted them around each other. They began to spit sparks before joining as one again.
I experimented with my electrical essence for a while longer before the lights came back on and I was taken to another room to shower off. After my hair and makeup were perfected, I was taken to yet another room
where I was given a manicure and pedicure. Both of which involved bright neon orange polish. My protests at the hideous color fell on deaf ears, however, so I resigned to taking it off when I got back to the tree house.
After putting my freshly washed white skirt and blouse back on, I lounged on the couch in the front office until I heard footsteps and felt a tap on the shoulder.
“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” he whispered in my ear. “Your Prince Charming has arrived.”
I slowly opened my eyes and then narrowed them at him as he sat down beside me. “Excellent. Why don’t you go escort him inside.”
“I have a better idea.” He leaned towards me with suspense. “You are going to take me out to dinner.”
“No I’m not,” I argued, but he’d already taken my hand and was wrenching me off the couch.
“A face this handsome should be on display for the whole world to appreciate,” he continued, and grinned back at me. “It would be selfish to keep me all to yourself.”
Chapter 28
Finn
“You’re making a mistake,” she hissed at me. Her cool essence flared and settled around her in waves of unadulterated dignity.
“I don’t make mistakes,” I stated calmly and tightened the binds around her wrists. My essence showed up as a dark gray fog of light encircling the hands that were secured behind her back. “Now lead us to the crystal, Luna.”
“I am not Luna!” she claimed again with menace. Her pale hair washed over her innocent-looking face and she glared at me with cold, violet eyes full of undeniable power. I channeled more energy into the binds to make sure she wasn’t going anywhere.
“You have violet eyes and the gift of Revelation.” I eyed her warily. “Both telling signs of Selene’s long lost sister.”
Before binding her, she’d used Revelation to glimpse who I was; her slight form gaining weight and height as I suddenly became aware that I was looking at an older version of myself with fighting gloves around my hands and sweat dripping down my face. A double axe was gripped tightly in my right arm, and my skull and crossbones trace shimmered with power. The gift of Revelation was not something I’d ever encountered, and Luna was the only Goddess who was known to possess it. It made her a sort of mirror; reflecting the true being in front of her to herself, as well as to the one in question.
“Long lost or banished?” she spit at me with narrowed eyes. “I believe your history books need to be rewritten.”
“Interesting how you claim to have no knowledge of Luna’s whereabouts, but still insist you’re not her.” Liam stepped closer to her with indignation swimming in his eyes.
“I’m not obligated to answer your questions or lead you to the crystal.” She lifted her chin in defiance. “I would rather suffer a hundred deaths than divulge its resting place.”
“We can arrange that-” Ricker began, but I silenced him with my hand.
“I believe I have someone who may be able to change your mind,” I remarked matter-of-factly. “So you’ll be coming with us regardless.”
“No!” she screamed as Ian and Ricker fought to hold onto her arms. “You are compromising its protection!”
“You should have thought about that before you compromised our security measures and stole the Key to Tribeca and the Book of Souls!” I spit at her.
“Careless fools!” she mumbled, and bit her lip so hard it began to bleed. Ricker promptly threw her to the ground so hard I could almost hear her skull crack. She went unconscious and I immediately backed Ricker up against the nearest wall. I tightened my hand around his neck and secured his head against the white stone, so that he had no choice but to look at me.
“Killing her is not an option,” I told him in a low, menacing voice. “It will be pretty difficult to get information from her if she’s trapped in the Underworld. From now on you’ll only restrain her – we don’t harm defenseless women.”
“She called us fools,” he choked out in defense of his rash actions.
“I don’t care if she calls you every curse word under the sun!” I felt my face darken. “Do not harm her unless directed to do so.”
I let him go abruptly and marched back to the group. Ian gently folded her in his arms and resigned to carrying her now-dead weight through the maze of caverns. Liam’s demeanor was rigid and he kept his eyes on her limp body. I would have to talk to him later to find out how he was doing. It wasn’t like him to be this reserved. Ricker commenced to pouting and refused to look me in the eye, but I felt no remorse. I couldn’t allow him to act that way without provocation. It wasn’t how the Sons handled themselves.
A sound in the distance brought me out of my thoughts and I met the startled eyes of Sean. He nodded carefully as if to confirm he had heard it as well. The group followed behind soundlessly as I led them deeper into the belly of the endless caverns.
Once we’d traversed almost every tunnel and cave within the caverns, I began to grow wary of the fading light filtering through the few holes in the ceiling. Once it became dark it would be almost impossible to find our way out. I was about to turn around when a felt an odd, cool wind blow across my face. After following it for several more yards, I stood in front of a small opening in the side of an unassuming sloped wall.
The cool energy flowing through the delicate breeze was reminiscent of Luna’s cool essence. Or whoever she was. I glanced back at her still form and surveyed the opening with protective eyes.
“I’m going to go check this out,” I announced to them. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
I dropped to my knees and crawled through the narrow opening. It dropped slightly downward and I continued to follow along with nothing to guide me but my hands. A faint light could be seen up ahead, but that was all the light I was provided. As I got closer, the light grew brighter and I quickly spilled into a circular room that was maybe twenty yards across and immeasurably high. The only hint of a ceiling I could make out was a dark circle far above, with a tiny hole in the center; a single strip of fading sunlight shining through. The ray of sunlight fell perfectly onto the center of the floor I was standing on, but as I walked further towards the middle, I realized something was wrong.
The air pressure in the room was immense. It was as if something was pressing against my body from all sides, fighting to make my body implode. It made it difficult to breathe, and even more difficult to think straight. The little breath I was able to obtain was suddenly pushed out when I noticed extremely small pieces of something shiny floating all around me. They moved in unison, circling the lone point of light on the floor from the hole above. There were at least of a hundred of them. One in particular looked curiously similar to the crystal sliver given to me by Mom. I reached out to halt the movement of one and see if I could pick it out of the air, but as my skin touched it I realized it was as hot as the sun and cold as ice – all at the same time. I pulled my hand back and stared at the spectacle before me in awe. I forced myself to take deep measured breaths so I wouldn’t pass out from a lack of oxygen.
Could the crystal actually be a thousand tiny crystals – all working as one? That couldn’t be right! It was as if the original had either exploded or had been-
“It’s been stolen,” a voice said behind me; making me spin around in preparation of having to defend myself. The voice belonged to none other than Liam.
“Seriously, dude?” I tried to calm my urge to hit him. “I told ya’ll to stay out there.”
“I’m not one of your Sons, Finn,” Liam snapped at me. “I answer to no one.”
Since he had a very valid point, I decided not to argue. Instead I considered what he’d just said.
“Do you think that’s what happened?” I asked him.
“I do,” he agreed, and stepped closer to the wall of circling crystal pieces. “I’ve done some homework on this crystal, and apparently it’s said to be about the size of a football. Even with the pieces of crystal still here, they wouldn’t amount to that size. I think these little fragme
nts are the result of someone having taken the actual crystal.”
“Could be,” I surmised. “Maybe they fell off in the process of someone handling it or dislodging it.”
“It’s definitely gone,” he mused and turned back to the opening.
“Liam,” I called to him. He turned expectantly. I contemplated him for a second before speaking. The circles had darkened beneath his eyes, and the disconnect I sensed within him was worrisome. I knew my friend needed time, but I couldn’t help but think something else was going on in that brain of his. “You know you can talk to me, right? I worry about you.”
“Save us both the trouble,” he droned, as all emotion drained from his face. “And don’t.” With that, he turned and disappeared inside the tunnel. I followed him with a heavy heart.
Upon returning to the tree house several hours later, we were able to escort our new captive inside under the veil of night. A bright moon shone down on the waters of the lake, but everything was completely still in the houses surrounding it. I reached out to Stasia mentally to feel what she was feeling. All I registered was calm, and I hoped that meant she was sleeping soundly under the care of Amphitrite.
I intended to check on her after I figured out what to do with Luna. I was beginning to crave her tender touch and the light that shone in her eyes when she looked at me. I wanted to see her smile and listen to her voice as she talked me down from the pillow of anger and fatigue I was currently sitting on. But I also knew she was hurting. I knew the immense pressure she was under, but that only meant she needed me - almost as much as I needed her.
The shrill voice coming from the living room notified me that our guest had finally awakened to find herself still under our command. I walked into the house and shut the door behind me before nodding appreciatively to Ricker and Ian, who had forced her into the arm chair. I extended her binds to encompass her entire body as well as the chair, so that she couldn’t wiggle out at any point.
“We think the crystal has been stolen,” I informed her as I sat down on the couch. “Any idea who might have done that?”
