Columbus joined Dion and his crew at the front of the city.
“Are we ready?” he asked.
“Wee problem,” Fanucio said. He was holding the bronze disk in his hand. “The first time we used this, we had a ship.”
Columbus grinned. “Leave that to me.”
Vespucci stared over the water, still bewildered by how he’d gotten into this predicament. After Columbus’s second departure, Vespucci had begun whispering in Pinzon’s ear, telling him his position would improve greatly if they left the troubled mariner behind. After all, Pinzon had a pocket full of gems, which to his mind was far superior than having to deal with a meddlesome prisoner like Columbus for the next four weeks. Unfortunately, Captain Pinzon had taken his opinion to heart, tossing him in a dinghy with two weeks’ provisions before setting course for home.
In the oppressive heat, Vespucci was certain he was going to die. Then bubbles started roiling up around him. All at once, a massive tentacle broke the surface, in its grip a ship with a large mast and a full set of sails. The Athenian vessel from the Temple of Poseidon! Somehow, Columbus had retrieved it.
Once atop the waters, the leviathan released the ship, and Columbus yelled over the side, “Again, sorry about the eye!”
As Columbus’s crew cheered and hugged, Vespucci waved both his arms.
“Columbus,” he shouted. “Over here!”
Vespucci rowed like mad. As he approached the boat, he saw the Atlantean giant had joined Columbus’s crew.
“Vespucci,” Columbus said. “Where’s Pinzon and the Pinta?”
“Headed back to Spain. I decided to remain behind to ensure your safe return.”
Columbus smirked. “How chivalrous of you.”
“Should I assume that you saved Atlantis?”
“Indeed.”
“I even got me golden foot!” Fanucio shouted, plopping the glowing prosthetic atop the gunwale. With a laugh, he pulled his leg back and the foot flew off and plunged into the sea.
“No!” the first mate shouted.
“Well?” Vespucci asked. “What are you waiting for? Help me aboard. That ship and my word should be enough to return you to the good graces of Spain.”
“Afraid we’re not going back to Spain just yet. You see, the princess gave me a map. Apparently, some leagues due west is a whole new continent, yet unnamed. You know what? I’m going to name it after you.”
“Truly? Why, I-I’m flattered—”
“Of course, continents are like women, full of beauty, deep, and undiscovered. So, I think I’ll go with the feminine version. America.”
“You, cur! You—”
Columbus gave the orders to set sail.
Vespucci panicked. “You can’t leave me out here! I’ll die!”
“A league or two for an explorer like you shouldn’t be too much ground to cover. As long as you mind the head wind.”
As the ship started to pull away, Vespucci shook his fist.
“You’ll pay for this, Columbus. I swear on my life, you’ll pay!”
They were shortly underway when Columbus found his first mate hobbling around on a new wooden peg leg. This one had seven toes.
“Don’t look so glum, my friend. We’ll have you walking in style again, but next time it’ll be more than a golden foot. It’ll be two golden boots.”
“Pah. We don’t even know if this new world exists. And if it does, what’s to say there’s gold there?”
Columbus unfolded the map, revealing the vague shape of two continents, the lower of which showed a Mesoamerican pyramid colored in gold and the words, El Dorado scrawled beneath.
“Call it instinct,” Columbus said with a wink. He turned to Nyx behind the wheel.
“Ready, Nyx?”
“Aye, Dad,” she replied.
Columbus huffed. “On the ship or when anyone else is around, it’s Captain. Unless we’re in the presence of royalty. Then, it’s Christopher Columbus, Hero of the Ages. It’s my new catchphrase.”
“That’s not a catchphrase, it’s a title. And a laughable one at that.”
“Hero of the Ages is laughable?”
“It is for you. Everyone knows I’m the real hero.”
“Just because you slammed the trident into that rock doesn’t mean you’re the hero. I rallied the sirens.”
“And I rallied the eldocks.”
“But I recovered the keys!”
“With the help of the Anak-Ta Eleece.”
Fanucio laughed. “She’s got you there, Cap’n.”
“Don’t you have work to do?”
As the argument resumed, Dion shook his head, wondering what he’d gotten himself into. Still, it was beautiful up here. The wind in his hair, the water spraying his face. Yes, he could get used to this.
He really could.
Dear Reader
Although Christopher Columbus is a historical figure, I took a lot of liberties in developing his character as well as the world around him. Errors, inaccuracies, infeasibilities, and the occasional whoopsadaisy were done in service of keeping the story moving and entertaining. I hope you understand.
Despite this—and some excellent editorial help—grammatical and typographical errors always slip through the cracks. If you notice one (or more), please let me know, and I’ll thank you in future updates of the book.
If you’re new to my work, I invite you to check out my first trilogy, the New Chronicles of Robinson Crusoe, available at Amazon in Kindle and paperback.
Also, please consider signing up for my spam-free “Newsletter”— an email alert you will only receive when I have something new in the works. Your email and personal info will remain completely confidential.
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Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I’d like to thank the readers that waited patiently for this, my fourth novel. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. With the New Chronicles of Robinson Crusoe, I rarely had the opportunity to to inject humor onto the page, something that’s a big part of my life in the real world. I hope the snarky japes and sardonic puns kept most of you smiling.
This time around I relied far more heavily on my beta readers. Phil McGregor, Matt Erwin, Diane Epstein, Jason Templeton, Erik Palma, Fred Shahadi, and Ric Morelli, your advice was invaluable. I’d also like to thank Stacey Broadbent, Petrina Jenkins, Linda Robinson, Matthew FitzSimmons, Stephen Mack Jones, John L. Monk, Sloane Howell, Celia Aaron, Nannette Halliwell, Colt Crawford, Lynn Jorgenson, Vic Bonds, Jai Khanna, Charlie Vignola, and Malk Williams for their continued support.
Lastly, thanks to my family and friends for always keeping my honest and pushing me to be my best. Despite what the experts say, there are still undiscovered places in the world where magic flourishes. It’s inside of us. And you keep mine burning brighter and brighter.
Christopher Columbus and the Lost City of Atlantis Page 36