Atlantis Uprising_A Reverse Harem Adventure

by N. R. Larry

  Before she could answer, Jett shot out of the hole in the floor with a trunk in his arms. He landed without making a sound and grinned. “Treasures from home!” He swung his soaked curls over his shoulder, and then reached back into the doorway and pulled three more trunks up into the room. I recognized the last one immediately. It was the largest, and most elaborate. Made of peridotite, it was a deep, white color and was engraved with various magical symbols for protection.

  “It’s safe for now. The king is on the move,” Violetta said as Jett sat the trunk at my feet. “Lately, he’s been keeping a close watch on everyone in the kingdom. It’s been hard for me to move around. So, I had to take this opportunity to bring your things, and news, of course.”

  “Well, you are a welcome sight,” I said with a smile.

  “As are you, my priestess.” She stepped around the trunk and took my hands in her own. “The king has many things in play. You have to stop him.”

  “What has he been up to?” Lowe asked from where he stood on my left.

  “He’s traveling to the other kingdoms, namely Oceanus and Atil, seeking alliances.”

  I squeezed her hand and dropped it. “Well, that’s not good.”

  Her expression wrinkled, as if whatever she was about to say made sitting in her own skin uncomfortable. “That’s not all, priestess.”

  I lifted an eyebrow and waited for her to go on.

  “The king has operatives, calls them The Vodo. And their one function is to kill surface dwellers, to create more of those things you fought last time I came to see you.”

  Lowe glanced at the floor and slid his bare feet through the water, a tight expression on his face. “The Kappa.”

  Violetta nodded. “Once created, they will answer only to him. He doesn’t want any resistance from the humans. He wants war. He wants—”

  “He wants to invade,” I finished.

  Conway shook his head. “A bit of overkill. If Atlantis wants to raise up and rule both the surface and the seas, I don’t see what mankind can do about it. Why go through all this trouble? Why not kill them directly?”

  Violetta frowned at him. “I wouldn’t underestimate them,” she said in a low voice. “They can be cunning, and brutal.”

  “Do you think you can find out who his operatives are?” I asked her.

  She turned to me. Fear flashed in her eyes. “I’ll have to lay low for a while, priestess. I’m already under suspicion, and when the king and his men get back home and find these items missing? Well, he’s going to be looking for answers.” Gesturing toward my trunk, she said, “Please, my priestess, go ahead.”

  Jett rubbed his hands and inched closer, his eyes flashing like a merman before the annual ball. I grinned, bent over, and waved my hand over the chest. There was a loud snap, and then the lid flew open. Sunlight from the picture windows glinted off a bit of gold. I reached in and pulled out my crown. Holding it in my hands made my heart thud.

  “I had to return it to you,” Violetta said as I placed the thin, golden crown on my head. “Along with your armor, and a few weapons that will make you more effective on the surface. Compliments of HOH Labs.” She started to reach into my chest, looked at me with wide eyes, and froze.

  I had to smile at the level of respect she had for me. Waving her on, I said, “Please, go ahead.”

  With a huge smile, she reached into my trunk and began pulling out various objects of clothing in the traditional gold and green of our kingdom. “These,” she began, pulling out a long, golden rod and two matching, green wrist bands. “I think you’ll find are very… um, cool?”

  I stepped forward, and then hesitated, looking instead to Lowe.

  He grinned. “Still suspicious of science, Zarya?” I sniffed as he addressed Violetta. “Who are your men inside the lab?”

  “Stein, and that guy with one eye…”

  “Warner.” Lowe nodded. HOH Labs, the science lab of merit to everything under water, was his domain. It was where I snatched him up from, and where, I suspected, a lot his heart still lay. “Good men. I never made a move without them.”

  I reached for the golden rod. Electricity bit into my skin and I winced.

  “Fling it,” Violetta told me, flicking her wrist out.

  I nodded and mimicked her motion. The rod elongated, and three jagged prongs shot out of the top. It was a trident: standard issue among Atlanteans, although mine had a little more kick.

  Lowe laughed and clapped. “They’ve been playing with weapon design.”

  I ran my fingers up and down the sturdy metal and tried not to frown. “While I appreciate this very much, Violetta.” I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t see how these weapons will serve us, here.”

  A smile stretched wider across her face and she snatched the trident out of my hand and handed it to Jett. His brown eyes widened as he glanced at me, and then at Violetta. I shook my head and he tucked the trident behind his back and lowered his head, most likely to hide his laughter. Before I could say anything, Violetta pulled one of the wrist bands out of my grip, and then slipped it over my fingers. It was a perfect fit. Before I could say anything, a burst of energy shot through me.

  I widened my eyes and gasped, clutching at my chest. Violetta’s eyes grew into round, eager pools as she inched even closer to me than she already was. “That’s what I wanted to tell you,” she said in a low voice. “You feel it, don’t you?”

  I nodded as Lowe asked, “Feel what?”

  The feeling surged through me again and I reached out and took Violetta’s arm. My eyes burned with it—the magic flowing through me as sure as if I was still at home, sitting on my throne. “What is this?” I asked in a breathless voice.

  “The new technology that Stein just finished perfecting.” She sounded like someone possessed. I could almost feel the excitement leaping out of her and brushing against my skin. “He had a breakthrough. Water from Atlantis constantly flows through these weapons through a process he calls symbiotic diffusion—”

  Lowe made a strange noise. When I glanced up, he was pushing his glasses onto his nose and staring at Violetta in disbelief. “He mastered it?” His mouth screwed up and he marched toward me, eyeing the bands like he usually eyed me when I was naked. “A constant source of energy? Totally defined on the host?” He laughed and stomped his foot. “It creates the environment of the ocean! Salt water content, various essential minerals, even water pressure.”

  Violetta nodded. “Make a fist.”

  I lifted an eyebrow and she nodded again, this time in encouragement. With a shrug, I held out my arm and clamped my hand into a fist.

  The feeling hit me like an electric shock. I froze. My breath caught in my chest like something afraid to move into and out of my body. Pin-sized bolts of magic attached to my scalp. My hair whipped out around me like a flag and sang to the air around me. The bands lit up, turquoise and lightning blue. Two orbs of clear water materialized above my palms. Slowly, the orbs began to swirl and change shape, until they were identical, jagged-edged swords—fluid like the ocean, yet somehow solid.

  I gripped them in my hands.

  “Holy shit,” Jett muttered.

  “I feel like I’m at home.” I shook with the power coursing through me. “How is this possible?”

  “Stein told me the weapons are constructs, created by your inner strengths,” Violetta said, breathless. “Essentially providing everything you need to have all the powers you would have in Atlantis, only here, on the surface.”

  “And theoretically, anywhere else,” Lowe added, clearly in awe.

  My legs felt like they might give out, so I clenched every muscle in my body, and tried to get used to feeling this way again. I had been divorced from the full range of my powers for so long that it felt like I had been thrown into a giant, underwater volcano.

  “And, because you can’t walk around with weapons all the time, the clothing I brought you is equipped with the same adapters.” She reached out, removed my crown, and replaced it wit
h a sleek, green headband. The fabric eased into place and I let out a gasp, and then dropped to my knees.

  “My priestess?” Violetta asked, only it sounded like she was speaking to me through a raging storm. The dizzy feeling doubled, and my vision exploded with colors.

  Parts of me went rigid. Sensations flooded me, and not merely my own, but sensations from everyone in the room. Jett’s heart pounded in my skull like something left in the hands of rabid drummer. Violetta was jumpy, and all of them were frozen in a temporary awe. I gritted my teeth and forced my hand out. My flesh had burst with color. The orange undertones in my skin were glowing with magic. I hugged myself so that it wouldn’t burst out and destroy the house.

  Glancing up, I homed in on Lowe. He stared at me in almost the same way he looked at me the very first time he saw me. It was sweet, but it also made him useless. Something like a growl crawled out of my throat and my head rocked back on a wave of magic. Their voices buzzed around me, low and urgent, but I couldn’t make out anything they were saying. Forcing my head back upright took great effort, almost like swimming against the current. Sweat dripped down the sides of my face as I locked gazes with Lowe again.

  He still had that dazed, stupid look on his face, but his jaw was clenched, like he was working against it. Slowly, he lowered himself until he was kneeling in front of me. “Zarya,” he muttered, leaning in closer to me. Something flashed across his face—a mixture of pain and pleasure. He took in a deep breath and held it, before clamping his hand down over my wrist.

  Energy bolted the two of us together. Time seemed to slow around us. Lowe moved in slow motion. His mouth opened to tell me something, but all I could make out was the low hum of magic in my ears. That hum became a roar as the room began to flicker in and out of focus. Several pairs of hands bared down on me. My magic spilled into them. Then, as suddenly as it came on, the hum stopped.

  Silence filled my skull, and it was the kind of silence that allowed dread to wrap itself deep inside your skin. I blinked, trying to focus on the magic and pull it back. The room stuttered until I finally flashed on still waters. Something shot through the seas, leaving a trail of bubbles in its wake before a head broke the surface. Red eyes stared out at the shore, and a dark figure began to rise with the water.

  The woman was me.

  I drove the heel of my trident into the rocks at my feet. Another figure rose out of the deep, his long, cornflower hair fanning out behind him.

  The king.

  There was a pressure on my hand. “Zarya!” Lowe hissed.

  With a gasp, I uncurled my hand and the magic clinging to my skin eased. The room flickered back into focus, and time moved at its regular pace. Gulping, I jerked my hand away from Lowe. “Well,” I said in a hoarse voice as I glanced around at everyone. “That was… Incredible.” I stood and removed the wrist bands. “It felt almost like the first time I used magic.” I lifted an eyebrow in Violetta’s direction.

  She nodded. “Yes.” She took the bands from me and carefully placed them in the trunk. “Stein warned that they might take some getting used to. That’s because the longer you remain on the surface, the more like the humans you will become. These pieces will keep you connected to home.” She straightened and nodded at the headband still in place on my head. “He recommends wearing that all the time.”

  “Why did you decide to tell him you were in contact with us?” Lowe asked, asking the question of Violetta, but aiming his gaze at me.

  There was something in his eyes. A question. He must have seen the same vision I saw. But, there was no way that it could be correct.

  Violetta shuffled on her feet. “I needed allies.”

  Something burned at the edge of my tongue. I wanted to scold her, but how could I expect her to do what she was doing alone. “I understand,” I finally managed.

  “I realize the danger. But, Stein can be trusted. He’s very discreet. And he’s managed to keep this tech out of the king’s hands so far.” She sucked in a breath. “That gives us a temporary advantage.”

  I nodded. “You make an excellent point.”

  “Stein believes you all need to get the surface people to trust you. To love you. That way, when the king comes, they will follow you without hesitation.”

  I started to shake my head. “But, the Kappa…”

  “The Kappa can only guarantee him a certain number of followers,” Lowe said, with that questioning look still in his eyes. “The people of the surface are more resilient than you’d think. There is a reason that, after all this time, Atlantis has never moved against them.”

  I nodded and focused all my attention on Violetta. “Still, I want you to remain cautious.”

  She nodded.

  “How would our time best be spent during this period?” I asked, adjusting the headband on my head. The smell, feel, and touch of home was back with me, and the longer I wore it, the more like myself I felt.

  “You should be doing three things,” she told me in an urgent voice. “Convincing the people of Oceanus and Atil to side with you, rather than the king, hunting the Kappa, and the most important, making the surface people love you.” She sighed. “And there’s one more thing you should be aware of.”

  I lifted an eyebrow.

  “Stein suspects that the king has someone on the surface. Someone that wants the same thing he wants.”

  Jett snorted. “Why would the humans want Atlantis to rise?”

  He took the question right off my lips.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. But Stein believes there have been humans in the labs of Atlantis, and that the king is working on altering them…”

  “Like the Kappa?” Conway asked.

  “We don’t think so.” Her bottom lip quivered. “The Kappa will only be useful in war.” She glanced at me, and then looked down. “Assuming a war comes. But once it is won…” She made a face. “Assuming the king would win…”

  “Skip the politeness, Violetta,” I hissed. “Like you said when you got here, we don’t have much time.”

  She nodded. “The Kappa will simply be discarded once the war is won. If the king figures out how to alter humans…”

  I shivered. “That certainly would be a concern.”

  Another silence fell over the room. Finally, Violetta kneeled before me. I nodded down at her, and she backed up, toward the portal. “I will return as soon as I can.”

  I studied her hard in that moment, planting her every feature into my memory, in case I didn’t see her again. With a smile, I nodded. “Be careful.”

  “Of course.”

  “Take no unnecessary risks,” I added.

  She opened the portal and the smell of home almost overwhelmed me. Conway, Jett, and Lowe gasped, and I could almost feel them itching for the water. “Remember, my queen.” She smiled and pounded a fist against her chest. “Make them love you.” With that, she dove into the water, and the portal door slammed closed behind her.

  After several beats of silence, Jett stomped his foot. “I say we gear up, go to Atil, confront the king, and end this nonsense before it starts.”

  Lowe snorted and muttered something under his breath.

  Before they could start arguing, I raised my hands. “We take Violetta’s advice.” Lowering my arms, I added, “I’ve always trusted her. We need a way to make ourselves available to the people.”

  “I’ll come up with something,” Lowe said. “What about Sophie?”

  I glanced at the ceiling and sighed. “Ah, poor Sophie.” Reaching up, I adjusted my headband a final time. “You let me take care of her.”

  9

  Marlowe

  Jett slid his arm inside one of the cuffs from his trunk. There was a low rumble. Briefly, a spark of blue-green energy wrapped around him, and then, his dark eyes lit up. “Ha!” he said, raising his arm to examine it. “Badass.”

  I sat at the counter and opened my laptop. The big guy had his toys, and I had mine. Jett snorted, but I didn’t look up. I had known him long
enough to know what he was thinking and what he was going to say. He had been saying the same shit to me everyday since we trained together as boys at Atlantis Academy.

  “My friend, you always have your nose in that laptop.” I almost said the words with him. Back home, the word laptop would be replaced with book, but the sentiment was the same. “We have the power of home back! Let’s see what we can get into today.”

  Without looking up, I smirked. “You heard what Zarya said. We are here fighting a war, not vacationing with the aliens.”

  He plopped down across from and pounded his fist into the smooth, marble surface. There was a low creak, and then the marble split open. I snatched my computer up before half the counter crashed to the floor, kicking up debris, while the other half leaned to the side, clearly wanting to join its other half. With a sigh, I stared over at Jett. His hands were raised in the air, a bewildered expression on his face.

  “I barely touched it,” he said.

  I clicked my tongue, leaned over, and tapped the cuff he was wearing. “You said we have the power of home back, brother. We’re going to have to adjust—treat all this shit like eggs. Or we’ll tear the house apart.”

  His dark gaze swept across the kitchen and that stupid, shifter grin lit up his face. Then, he laughed and banged his cuffs into each other. A high-pitched sound rang from the metal and he laughed. As usual, his laughter rolled out of him, and unable to help myself, I grinned. His laughter had always been contagious.

  “Oh, come on, Marlowe.” He stood. “We have to go find some trouble.”

  “There aren’t any sharks on land for you to wrestle.”

  “Ah, but there are bears!” he said, pointing a finger to the ceiling.

  “Not on the island.”

  He frowned, and I snorted out laughter. “Listen, you let me work, and later on I’ll give you a good wrestling match.”

  He waved me off. “I need a challenge.”

  In spirit of the land, I raised a middle finger in his direction. With a wink, he sauntered away and plopped down on the couch. Waving his hand in the air, he called, “Fine, do your thing, but later, I need adventure.”