by Anna LaVerne
I roll over his back in one motion, putting myself between him and Aphrodite. His eyes going in that direction is the first sign he found one of my many weaknesses. In battle, I am as unpredictable and stone cold calculated as he is, but in life, I am passionate and love deeply. As soon as I block her, he turns his attention to my men, who are not even half of our god height. Even working as a team, they stand little chance.
I take a knife from my waist and throw it, an unexpected move, as it slices off the top of his ear, drawing the first blood. The scent of god blood fills my nostrils, causing them to flare and making my body change. My claws form, and scales spread down my lower abdomen onto my legs. My arms grow razor-sharp fins, and my eyes zero in on Ares, looking for the kill.
My change forces him to keep every ounce of his attention on me. He doesn’t give me time to evaluate his response as he attacks swiftly. I twist to maneuver away from him, allowing my fin to run across his back, slicing through his leather vest drawing another stream of blood. I hiss and attack. In that moment, he is stung by surprise. He recovers quickly and manages to match me strike for strike.
“STOP!” a powerful voice bellows, and lightening stretches across the sky of Atlantis. Ares turns his attention, and instead of bowing to the voice demanding us to stop, the animalistic side of me takes over. My fingernail pierces the side of his neck, and my body does a cartwheel in the air. It takes less than a second for my single nail to drag across his throat, inducing a free flow of blood from his neck. I then look up and see Zeus staring down at me. I am killing his son, but his son is not dead yet.
In my half-form I jerk Ares’s head back by his hair and look up at the sky god, “I’m sorry, but it has to be done. He broke the laws of nature and his position.”
The emotions that flashes across Zeus’s face is something I will never forget. At first, I see anger, and then I see hurt, followed by understanding, and then acceptance. When Zeus nods his head, I pull a sword free and decapitate the god of war. I resist the animal urge in me to taste his blood. Instead, I lay his body out, placing his head on his chest in respect.
I fall to my knees, being hit with a storm of remorse and begin to sing. The song that comes forth paints a picture like the magic of Morgan. The sky of Atlantis turns pitch black. With each note I hit, a new star appears in the sky, until they come together forming the image of the god Ares. A stoic image of who he was and could have always been, if a seed of darkness had not taken root.
My song continues, causing the star Ares to burst into a shower of sparks, landing upon his body and lighting it with an unnatural fire. I continue to sing as we watch him burn in silence, respecting the god that once was. The fire quickly turns his form into glowing embers that burst one by one, until the only sign left of the former god is his form burned into the ground next to his sword.
When my song finally ends, the sun has risen on the landside. The blackness from Atlantis dissipates. I look to the sky of Atlantis to see thousands of sharks swimming above, they heard my call. I pick up Ares’s sword, carrying it to Zeus, where I drop to my knees and hand him the sword. He could kill me if he wants, and in that moment, I would be okay with it. Without Ares, the damage on the ocean, the world, and its people can begin to heal.
Instead, Zeus takes the sword and disappears with a flash of lightning. I turn my attention back to Poseidon and Amphitrite. I approach on my knees as a sign that I no longer want to fight. Amphitrite holds her head high with pride. A scarf covering half of her face matches her straw-blonde hair. The tingles of change rush through me as my body returns to its normal form. Amphitrite and Poseidon do the same.
“Your request will be granted. Bring the current gatekeepers to the Ring. It is time to battle. The last four alive will win the right to exist by your side, Meri, goddess of the sea, of sharks, of war, love, and finally Key of Atlantis and protector of the oceans.”
A smile spreads across my face, and happiness swells within. I earned my place in my home, and now my men have a chance to earn theirs.
35
I have not been allowed to join with my men. The seats around the Ring are full of spectators. My mother has been clothed in a white gown with a scarf over her face. A seat has been moved for me to sit on the same level as Amphitrite, Aphrodite, and Poseidon. I am not accepted as an arch goddess of the Sea.
The arrival of Poseidon’s gatekeepers entices a cheer to erupt from the crowd. I just saved Atlantis, but the people have continued to follow custom and pick Poseidon’s side. I want to go to my men and give each one words of encouragement, but they have to do this on their own.
The men they are facing appear equally capable. They are strong and lean. Fighting to the death is added motivation to win. No one wants to die. Twelve years ago, I tried to sidestep this portion of the process. Looking back, I realize it was for selfish reasons. I was scared I would lose one of the four I had come to care about. Now I must face my fears or else watch them age and die, while I keep on living.
Giant pillars are brought into the Ring like when I battled to be Key. Eight total are placed into a large circle. Each man takes a pillar. Poseidon stands and bellows, “Let the battle begin!”
There are no rules and no referee. It is visceral life or death. Poseidon’s four jump from their pillars and rally together in a group before my men. That means Morgan, Aden, Breck, and Laki are going to have to be the aggressors. One by one, my men step from their pillar with a nonchalant air about them, like predators stalking their prey. Confidence rises in me with the thought; my men are the lions, whilst Poseidon’s are the wildebeests. They’ve got this.
Breck has a long spear as one of his weapons. In a swift move, he places the point of his spear into the dirt and spins his body spraying two of the four opponents in a shower of dust. Laki takes advantage of the action, and in one solid movement, his sword reaches through the cloud of dust slicing the throat of one man. Now Poseidon only has three.
Losing one of their own spurs the other three into action. The Ring becomes a full-on battle that my men have the upper hand in, but Poseidon’s men work well as a team and are matching their blows while watching their weak sides. I am impressed by their resilience.
Morgan is the next man to get a solid blow in. He disarms one of the men and beheads him the next second, without any hesitation. At that point, the remaining two men fall apart. Breck makes the next kill, and Aden moves in on the final guy.
Aden’s long sword enters the man’s stomach from the side as he tries to maneuver around the final blow. He doesn’t fall immediately, but Aden turns to me, not realizing. The next moment passes by in slow motion.
The injured man raises his arm, pushing his knife deep into Aden’s back, piercing his heart. I scream and lunge from my seat. I can hear nothing but the sound of Aden’s heart slowing. The beats struggle to stay together in a steady rhythm. By the time I reach his side, the thumping has slowed to a near stop. He is dying. His eyes are glazed over, staring at me as his life begins to fade.
I cut open my wrist, placing it over his mouth, begging him to drink, but he doesn’t. He is already too weak. Morgan kneels next to him, turning Aden on his side and pulls the knife from his back. Then Morgan begins to sing. I will never recall the words he sang, but the song urges Aden’s heart to keep thumping, while I allow my blood to flow freely into his mouth. When I see Aden gulp, and a portion of my life source disappears down his throat, I know he will live.
Morgan sings until the blood from Aden’s back stops flowing, and the steady thump of his heart begins again. I give all the blood I can, as my wrist has begun to heal. Aden lays upon the dirt, peacefully sleeping while his body works out what it must do.
I turn to find the man who stabbed Aden beheaded, although I haven’t a clue by who. Poseidon's voice echoes throughout the Ring, “Atlantis has new gatekeepers!”
Cheers answer his call, and I stand, absorbing it all in a stone-cold silence. It is over. Relief should be pouring through me
, but instead, I don’t even feel content. There is still a lot of work to be done.
The women, dressed in white with their heads covered, exit the temple and walk down the steps to the Ring. Once there, they bow to me and gesture for my men to bring forth Aden. We follow the wordless priestesses into the temple and down within the blood caves.
The memory of the last time I was in this place comes flooding back, but instead of pure darkness, the way is now well-lit by torches lined along the walls. Finally, we come to a large open cavern with a single blood pool in the middle. I help strip Aden of his clothing, while the rest of my men handle their own.
One by one, they enter the pool. After their shift into their mer form, Morgan and Breck pull Aden in to join them. His sleeping body shifts on its own accelerating Aden’s healing. He opens his eyes. Although weakened and not swimming on his own, he is awake and alive. Tears of happiness fall from my eyes.
“Did I die?” he asks.
“Yes, very briefly before I brought you back.” My face betrays every ounce of emotion shooting through me.
Aden hisses, drawing my attention to his face. Blood drips from the side of his mouth, and he wipes it away with the back of his hand. When realization hits him, Aden looks at me with horror etched across his face. He moves his hand to reveal two small fangs.
My world spins. What have I done to him? He isn’t a pure, but even if he was, only females have the need or taste for blood. The only answer is that I gave him a part of myself, making him like me. “I’m sorry,” I apologize.
Aden shakes his head and says, “Don’t be. I’m just glad to be alive.”
A priestess steps forward and motions for the men to exit the pool. Morgan and Breck have not undergone the same level of change as Aden. Laki, however, looks to Aden and me then points a finger, showing me his pearly white fangs. A smile stretches across his face. The change suites him well.
Voiceless, we follow the priestess from the temple back out onto the main stage, where a pedestal sits with a large marble bowl perched on top. My men are still covered in blood from the pool.
One priestess grabs my hand running her claw across the center and drips my blood into the bowl. A priestess grabs the hand of each of my men doing the same. The bowl fills to the brim, even though there is no way that we gave so much.
A chalice is dipped and filled with the mixture then handed to Aden first. He doesn’t hesitate drinking every drop, savoring the metallic blend as I would have. Morgan is apprehensive when the chalice is refilled and handed to him. He closes his eyes and exhales the air from his lungs just before downing it all in two large fluid gulps as one would do when trying to take shots of liquor.
Laki smiles at me before taking his turn. His eyes reflect the hunger within. He tips his chalice back, draining it all in one smooth impressive gulp. When Laki’s eyes find mine again, he appears sated and full. Breck follows and repeats how Morgan handled getting it all down.
Finally, the chalice is given to me. I bring it to my lips, enjoying the smell and savoring the taste. When it is done, I can sense the connection between me and my men. Something about the short ritual has bound us together, and, through me, they are now equally bound to Atlantis. Something the other gatekeepers would have never been able to achieve without this ritual.
Crowds cheer, and announcements are made. My men and I walk through it in a daze. We leave the Ring and are taken to our new home. Not the palace, or the barracks, but the small castle that has belonged to every Key in the history of Atlantis. We are dropped off at the door with the few belongings we brought with us. Upon entering, I sigh the first true sigh of relief. We have found our home
Author’s Note
Thank you for taking the time to read Blood for Atlantis. I did intend for this book to be a stand alone novel, however you may see the occasional short-story or spin off pop up from it. I fell in love with Meri and her harem of sexy mermen.
Please take time to follow me on social media. You can find me on Facebook under AnnaLaverneAuthor or https://www.facebook.com/AnnaLaVerneAuthor/
Instagram - @Anna_Laverne_Writes
Twitter- @AnnaLaVerne1
Books by Anna LaVerne
Dawn of Fire- Mystic Harem Trilogy
Fate & Fire- Mystic Harem Trilogy
Elmora
