Mythos

by Heather McLaren

  The Mer Chronicles

  Book One

  Mythos

  By Heather McLaren

  Twilight Times Books

  Kingsport Tennessee

  Mythos

  This is a work of fiction. All concepts, characters and events portrayed in this book are used fictitiously and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2013 Heather McLaren

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, without the permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

  Twilight Times Books

  P O Box 3340

  Kingsport TN 37664

  http://twilighttimesbooks.com/

  First Edition, October 2013

  Cover art © 2013 Renu Sharma

  Published in the United States of America.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Epilogue

  About the author

  Acknowledgments

  Mom, thank you for your support. You believed in me from the start, even when I had doubts, and I will always be grateful for that. I know I’m a woman now, but it means so much that you can still see that little girl who danced on your feet. The endless phone calls we shared and good advice you gave me is something I will hold onto for the rest of my life.

  I want to thank my husband, David, for being such a great companion and father to our children. It’s once in a lifetime someone meets their soul mate, and I feel lucky to have had that privilege. I’m glad you let me use your name and appearance to mold one of the most important characters in this book. David Cooley is sexy and kind because of you.

  Oceans of thanks to my eldest child, Charlie Jane, for letting me use the computer when she would have rather been chatting with her friends. I promise to get a laptop as soon as I can. Your inner beauty shines through, enhancing your outer beauty that much more. Your love and support has been immeasurable. No matter where life takes us, you will always be in my heart. I love you honey!

  Dakota, you came into my life six years ago and expanded my family for the better. I see you as my daughter and am a better person for it. You’re a beautiful girl with a wonderful heart. I love you!

  Bryce, you’re not only my son. You’re one of my best friends. I feel I can tell you anything and you won’t judge me. I feel so lucky to have you in my corner, rooting for me and believing in these characters. You’re a loving son, and I know you’ll grow into a great man. I love you buddy!

  Kimber Lily, mommy loves you so much. The day you were born, I was more scared than I had ever been. When the doctors told me you wouldn’t make it through the night it felt like someone had stabbed me in the chest. But you’re still proving them wrong. We made that eleven year milestone, baby! I have to say you were my inspiration to create Cindel, a hero in her own right. Because of your bravery and fight, she was able to shine. My love for you will never die!

  I want to say thank you to my father for becoming a part of my life when I needed you most. I know it wasn’t your fault we were separated all those years, and I love you more than you’ll ever know.

  Roberta Phipps, I want to thank you for giving me good advice at a time I felt lost with my work. God bless you.

  I want to thank Jan Kafka for her wonderful editing. She’s a jewel and has also become a good friend over the last year. I owe much of my success with publishing Mythos to you.

  A ton of thanks to my publisher, Lida Quillen, for taking a chance on a no-name author. Because of you, my dream to become a published author has come true.

  A shout out to Aubre, Josh and Caleb Alexander.

  For David

  Prologue

  THE YEAR WAS 8,000 B.C.–THE AGE our beautiful islands flourished above the sea. It was a time when we walked upon two legs, as men do today. Our lives were full and we knew no need. Arts and music came of our leisure. Our brilliant engineers had inventions that surpassed those of today. But we still loved to hunt and fish, as all people have done since the most ancient of days. How could we have known fate would throw us so far off course that future generations would consider our existence to be a mere legend?

  * * *

  The sun hid behind rapidly approaching clouds, enveloping Earth in darkness. Lightning streaked and thunder rolled, cracking across the sky with a mighty roar. The seas began to swell. All over the world, people ran for their lives.

  It was hell on Earth, and one looked on with a heavy heart. The Spirit gazed down on his children as they tried to flee the giant walls of water.

  In the Atlantic Ocean, the Romean islands succumbed to his wrath. Cronin sank first, followed by Pavire and Znai. Pandora and Atlantis perished hours later. The Earth opened up and swallowed them completely, leaving very little evidence they were ever there; only a scattering of demolished sandstone and marble littered the sea floor. The ocean followed, forming vast whirlpools.

  The only people to survive the sinking were those lucky enough to ride the waves to safety. Treading water miles from his sunken home, an Atlantean fought to stay alive–one of thousands of humans to live through the disaster. Lisim struggled against the dominating sea, but was powerless against it. He flailed around on the surface a few more seconds before giving up and sinking beneath the waves. Before he could get his bearings, a beast launched out of the depths and snatched him up. During their violent struggle, the creature tore Lisim’s arm from his body. The ravaged appendage drifted to the sea floor in a cloud of sand. Over time, the submerged beach swallowed his quartz-encrusted ring. It would be many centuries before it resurfaced.

  Chapter 1

  Spring Break

  Present day

  DAVID CLOSED HIS EYES AND BREATHED in the fresh scent of the salty sea air as the speedboat bounced across the surface of the Atlantic. The wind whipped around him, and the water sprayed the seats every time they hit a bigger wave. He and his friends had left Miami two hours earlier and were approaching Bimini–one of the many islands of the Bahamas.

  David ruffled his short, dark hair and sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. The tropical air was cooler than he had expected, but the sun’s rays felt warm on his skin. He rubbed his chin, feeling the coarse stubble of his goatee beneath his fingers, and turned to the blond boy sitting next to him.

  “Hey, Ryan,” he called over the roar of the engine.

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you want to hit the beach after we get settled into our condo? Maybe there’s a volleyball game going on somewhere.”

  “Maybe,” Ryan warned him, “but when it comes to scouting for beach bunnies, you can never start too soon.”

  Like hunting deer.

  The thought made David chuckle.

  “What are you talking about?” Bryce shouted from the front seat. His black spiked hair remained motionless in the breeze. His tanned arms bulged from beneath his white T-shirt, and his red shorts stood out against the boat’s white leather interior.

  “We’re just making plans,” Ryan said. David could see the wheels in his head turning, and they wore bikinis and carried tropical drinks. “No parents, no hassles.”

  David rolled his eyes. Ryan had no
right to complain. “Where are your parents now?” he asked. Ryan’s parents were never home. They were always on the go, either vacationing in Europe or lounging on the beaches of Mexico.

  “I think they’re in Cancun. It’s hard to keep up with their busy schedules.”

  That’s what I thought.

  Something in the water beyond the boat caught David’s attention. From where he sat he couldn’t make out features but it was large. In the blink of an eye, it was gone. A couple of minutes later it returned, and it wasn’t alone. Now there were two, closer and easier to see. The strange forms floated for a few seconds, watching the boat, and were gone again. As crazy as it sounded, David could have sworn they were human-like.

  Without warning, the mystery creatures were back, fighting something David couldn’t see. Something hidden beneath the surface of the water.

  Ryan saw it, too. “Look at that!” he yelled, making David jump. “What is that?” Without taking his eyes off the violent struggle, he screamed at Bryce, “Stop the boat!”

  Bryce didn’t hear him; he kept going as the creatures vanished into the depths. There was a last flash. It looked like a dolphin’s tail–but longer than any dolphin David had ever seen with bright yellow scales.

  When the surface grew quiet, Ryan asked again, “What was that?” He squinted, trying to get a better look. “Did you see that? Bryce, turn off the engine.”

  “What? Why?” Bryce called back from the driver’s seat. “What’s going on?”

  “Just turn it off!”

  When the engine died, the boys scanned the surface of the water.

  “It was over there.” David pointed to where he and Ryan had seen the mysterious beings. “I don’t know what we just saw, but I can tell you it had to be some kind of new species. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “Man, I can’t believe I didn’t get that on video.” Ryan yanked a cell phone out from under the seat and brought up the camera in case the creatures returned.

  “Be careful with that,” Bryce warned him, “unless you want to go for a swim to get it back. They were probably just dolphins.”

  David gave him a funny look. “Dolphins with arms? Come on, man.”

  “Arms?” Bryce asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re talking like a sailor who’s been out at sea too long.”

  “Ryan saw them, too,” David said, ignoring his friend’s comment. “What did they look like to you?”

  Ryan threw him under the bus. “Hey, I never saw arms,” he said.

  Thanks for nothing.

  The water was still. Whatever was hiding in the depths was long gone.

  Ten minutes passed before anyone spoke. David was the first. “Well, whatever they were,” he sighed, still sure it wasn’t all an illusion, “they’re gone now. I say we get to shore. I’m not sure if we have to go to the office to check into our villa, and I don’t want to find out the hard way that we had to be there by five.”

  “What time is it?” Ryan asked, looking up at the sky.

  David answered him without taking his eyes off the water. “Ten till five.”

  “We can always come back later,” Bryce suggested.

  “Well, as soon as we–”

  Something bumped the boat from underneath, stopping David mid-sentence. The boys froze, too shocked to move. No one spoke.

  Whatever lurked under the boat rammed them again. It knocked a blue cooler over and rattled the fishing rods under the back seats. The duffel bags on the deck jostled every time the boat rocked.

  “What the hell is that?” David’s voice was shaking.

  “Get this thing going!” Ryan screamed. “Start the engine. Hurry up, man.” And when Bryce didn’t move, “Go, go, go!”

  David grasped the railing to steady himself. “Bryce, let’s go!” he shouted.

  Bryce flew into action when they got rammed again. The boat started up and he opened the throttle, but they took off too fast, and the boys almost flipped end over end. The cell phone fell to the floor with a loud clank while David and Ryan grabbed the seats in front of them to keep from falling overboard. Bryce got control, and they raced toward the island.

  “Is it following us?” Bryce asked a couple of minutes later. His voice trembled with anticipation.

  David hoped his prediction was right. “No, it looks like we lost it.”

  “That was crazy.” Ryan cried. “Can you believe that just happened?” He threw his hands in the air. “That was awesome!”

  “While I don’t share your enthusiasm,” Bryce said, “I have to admit it’s a day I’ll never forget.”

  David laughed. “You looked like you were going to crap all over yourself.”

  Bryce gave him the evil eye. “Ha, ha, very funny.”

  The friends rode in silence for the rest of the trip. No matter how brave they tried to act, fear hung in the air until the marina drifted into view.

  The beaches glittered like powdered diamonds, and the deep blue hue of the sea around them transformed to a beautiful turquoise color. The two-story condominiums hugged the shore, welcoming them. Bryce guided them through the narrow entrance, passing numerous boats leaving the marina. Walls of stone greeted them on either side, and signs warned against hunting sharks. The floating docks overflowed with vessels of all sizes–yachts, sailboats and speedboats. Tourists crowded the piers, lounged around the pool and swarmed the tiki bar.

  Welcome to paradise.

  * * *

  David dumped his things on the king-size bed and walked over to the sliding glass door. He gazed out at the ocean. Beyond the green grass and hedges lining the backyards, the white sand absorbed the sun’s rays like a crystallized sponge. Palm trees, scattered around the waterfront, blew in the slight breeze traveling toward them from across the Atlantic.

  He stepped out onto the patio. The refreshing scent of the sea lingered all around him. He loved that smell. It reminded him of the first time he saw the ocean.

  A few minutes later, he heard Ryan’s complaint. “This is a girl’s room. Are you serious?”

  David smiled, ducked back inside, and shut the sliding door. On his way back upstairs, he ran into Bryce.

  “I can’t believe we got lucky enough to have most of the building to ourselves,” Bryce said. “I guess we don’t have to worry about neighbor’s calling the cops on us in the middle of the night.”

  “No kidding.”

  “Hey, we’re going to Mackey’s Bar,” Bryce added. “Are you coming?”

  “Hell yeah,” David declared. “Let’s see what kind of trouble we can find.”

  Ryan pushed past them in a huff.

  “He’s sulking,” Bryce stated, stifling a laugh.

  David followed Bryce to the kitchen hot on Ryan’s heels.

  “It’s a girl’s room. It’s a girl’s room,” Bryce mocked, raising his voice a few octaves.

  “Shut up,” Ryan complained. “You got the room you wanted, and I don’t sound like that.”

  On his way out the door, David mumbled under his breath, “Big baby.”

  * * *

  The boys arrived at the oceanside tavern as twilight settled in around them. When they approached the building, the sign hanging next to the door leaped out at them: NO UNDERAGE DRINKING!

  After flashing the bouncer his ID, David followed Bryce and Ryan into the bar. The first thing David noticed was the floor, or the lack thereof. Soft white sand took the place of wood or linoleum. The building was crowded and noisy, well over capacity. Reggae music filled the air, and tourists and locals had taken it upon themselves to turn several areas of the bar into their own personal dance floor. It looked as though this behavior was a normal, everyday occurrence. The bartenders didn’t seem to mind, and some of them even joined in on the fun.

  It wasn’t long before David lost his friends in the crowd. Walking around, he noted the big screen TVs scattered throughout the room. All of them were stuck on the same station–BSNSports. A giant marlin, hanging on a far wall, stared dow
n from its roost. Its bulging eyes looked cartoon-like and creepy.

  David ordered a soda and wandered around, catching up with friends from school. So far he didn’t see Bethany. He had to admit he was relieved. Considering their nasty break up, she was the last person he wanted to see.

  “I found us a seat,” Bryce said, walking up behind him. He was holding a drink in each hand. Well, more like juggling them.

  “Cool, where’s Ryan?”

  Bryce pointed to the back of the large room. “Follow the perfume.”

  They pushed their way through the mob toward the only section of the bar with elbowroom. David looked over to see Ryan sitting at a private table with a couple of girls. The young red-head loved the attention Ryan was giving her. The brunette, on the other hand, ignored and forgotten, slipped into the masses to get away from the awkward situation. Ryan never seemed to notice her absence.

  When Bryce and David made their way through the crowd, Ryan introduced his new squeeze. “You have to meet Abby,” he said. “Isn’t she beautiful? I think I’m in love.”

  Yeah, and I’m Santa Claus.

  Abby turned red and gave him a playful shove. Too bad Ryan was full of crap. He was no more in love than David was. The only one Ryan loved was Ryan.

  For the next twenty minutes, David did his best to ignore stories of Ryan the Incredible. It was amazing how easy it was for his friend to pump himself up.

  Someone flew from out of the crowd and punched Ryan in the face, knocking him out of his chair. His soda flew from his hand and he almost took Abby down with him.

  Bryce and David jumped to their feet, ready to fight, and Abby squealed in surprise.

  “What’s your problem?” Ryan shouted, getting up off the sand. He wiped his bloody mouth on his shoulder and stared at his attacker.