by Anna LaVerne
“Yes, now let’s put this scarf on, okay?”
I nod in response. Once it is on, I look into the mirror. The scarf covers my face and my necklace. My blonde eyebrows are perfectly arched over my blue eyes. The red is a great contrast to my porcelain skin.
“Okay, I guess I am ready.” Taking a deep breath, I open the door and step into the majestic hallway that is glowing with the same irredescents as deep sea creatures. I wonder, briefly, if anything can be so beautiful as Atlantis.
10
Ari escorts me into the dining hall, and I am blown away by the sheer magnificence of it. The ceiling is the same glass as seen in my room, and the hall is lined with white lights. The floor is bioluminescent and shining a bright pink in the corners of the room where the lighting is dimmer.
Each table has golden table-top globe lights, setting the atmosphere for a relaxed and cozy dinner. The room as a whole, is dim with details of the bioluminescence around the edges. It is truly unique.
Ari leads me along the side of the tables up to the main tables placed upon a platform higher than the rest. It makes the statement of, ‘We are better than you’. My eyes glance through the seats for Aden and Morgan as we walk by. When I spot them, they are already staring at me. I don’t understand how they know it is me, but it is obvious they do.
We continue up the stairs and onto the platform. I am seated at the same table with Poseidon. He is in the center position with Amphitrite on his right. Next to Amphitrite, is a woman who looks like a more sensual version of Amphitrite, beautiful lush blonde hair, big perfect green jeweled eyes that seem so familiar. I am seated across from her.
Next to me, on my left, is Poseidon and Amphitrite’s son, Triton–messenger ‘King’ of the sea. He sends me a curt smile and a simple nod to acknowledge my station. He is tall, blond, and has stubble on his cheeks. He is nearly the size of Poseidon in build, and if I were to guess, he most likely stands seven feet tall.
Amphitrite and the woman across from me take off their scarves. We are too far away from the others for them to make out our faces. We are the furthest back on the platform, and our table is facing perpendicular to the rest of the room making only our profiles visible to any onlookers with good enough eyes.
I copy their action and look up from my plate to see the blonde woman staring back at me with admiration. My eyebrows furrow together as I try to figure out who she looks like. Before I am able to discern who she is, she holds a finger to her lips and mouths, Shh.
My jaw hangs slack for a brief moment when I understand who she is. Aphrodite, my mother. She appears to be the same woman in face and body. The only major difference is her hair color. I now see the resemblance between her, Amphitrite, and myself. I turn my focus to training my face to be blank and emotionless. The first round of food is served and is a delicacy of fish eggs. Not wanting to be rude, I force myself to eat half of my small plate, when in reality, what I really need is more blood.
Thankfully, following the fish eggs, a pitcher of blood is brought to me and a few others who are sitting at the same table–signifying them as family and the purest of the pure, Daughters of Poseidon. Although, I now know that they are also daughters of Amphitrite. It saddens me it is not as acknowledged. Is being a god somehow more valuable than being an ancient sea goddess?
I go through three glasses of blood before my mother signals me to slow down. It is hard to stop when there is a monster in me craving more. I have very little control over it right now. I drop my blank facade long enough to send her a frown, praying that although she spent a lifetime lying to me, it was for a good cause, and she will be able to help and advise me now that she is here.
Dinner continues in silence. I try to take brief looks out into the sea of potentials, but we are too far away get a glance at my two men I have become attached to. After the dessert is removed from in front of us, Poseidon and Amphitrite stand. The entire room follows suit one table at a time. My table follows him out of the room, through a back entrance, and into a large private study area.
Amphitrite excuses everyone except for Triton, Aphrodite, and myself. Poseidon stands opposing us, arms crossed in front of his chest. His beard is groomed to perfection, and his coral crown glints in the lights above him. He is every bit the god I have heard tales of.
“Aphrodite, you have some explaining to do.” His deep voice is strong and commanding.
“Seriously, Aphrodite, how many children do you need?” Triton questions. His smile betrays the amusement he is experiencing. This is a game to him.
“Meri is my last. I had to keep her hidden. I know Ares assumed she would be in Atlantis, but in case anyone interacted with him, they would need to be honest and not know anything. That man is a walking lie detector,” Aphrodite replies casually.
“You’d better tell us why right now, or you will face the same banishment Ares did,” Amphitrite orders.
“Ares had a vision shortly after I concieved. He said he saw our child leading great battles, and they were a warrior like none he seen before, but I also had a vision. I saw that our child would be more sea than land. So, I told him he could not have her to raise as his prodigy, that she is not meant for the land. An argument followed, and I returned to Atlantis through the Olympus Gate, before you closed it.” Her eyes narrow at Poseidon. “So, I birthed Meri in silence on the seventh isle and raised her there. It was obvious from a young age that Ares was right. Meri is a remarkable talent. When the call came out for a new Key to Atlantis I knew her time had come. I understood her purpose. It is not only to protect the sea and to fight battles to keep her safe and clean, it is also to protect Atlantis,” Aphrodite finishes her story, staring directly at me.
It takes every ounce of my strength to not look away from her and continue to meet her gaze. I then look to each of them, staring at me like they expect me to say something.
“I don’t know what you expect from me, I only found out today that my mother is Aphrodite and my father is Ares. At first, I felt denial, and then I realized how much sense it makes that Ares is my father. Am I meant to be the Key? I guess we will know in a few days in the Ring.” Hopefully, that will placate them.
“She is still young for a goddess, we shouldn’t throw her into the Ring yet,” Amphitrite argues. “Her blood lust might win out. She has an extreme thirst.”
“You know as well as I that she needs a man, too,” Poseidon points out.
“Men, she will need more than one. She isn’t your everyday pure, she is a goddess,” Aphrodite points out.
“I don’t like to think I need anyone,” I put in my two cents.
“I like you, niece. You may just be my new favorite. Can’t wait to see you destroy your competition.” Pure joy is reflecting in Triton’s eyes. He lives for the drama.
“Why would I have to destroy them?” I ask.
“It is fight to the death; you won’t die unless they decapitate you. Therefore, you will be the next Key,” Poseidon explains all too calmly.
My stomach plummets to the floor, I have never killed anyone before. I may have trained to kill, but going through with the act is not something I’ve had a chance to do. Here I am talking casually with the gods of the sea about how I will have to kill the other potentials to become the Key to Atlantis.
“Is there a way to not battle? Can it be gifted as a birthright?”
“No, darling. The Key must be proven through blood. It is part of the magic that holds Atlantis together and keeps us hidden,” Aphrodite explains gently. Her soothing voice reminds me that she isn’t just a goddess, she is my mother.
I breathe in the stale air of the study and peer up at the giants around me. They are ancients, and I am just a babe in comparison. They all seem to genuinely care, but I can’t shake the nagging feeling of untrust. Only my mother has reason to keep me safe.
“It is time to head to the social,” Amphitrite observes.
Everyone agrees. I feel eyes on me, causing me to look over my shoulder. I see
Triton standing there with a smirk on his face. When he notices me looking at him, he raises his glass to me and nods his head.
I can’t focus on what he is up to. I have too much on my plate right now. I pin my scarf back in place and follow the others into the ballroom where all of the potentials and pures have gathered.
The floor is white marble, and the columns are the same bioluminescence seen in the dining hall. The ceiling is a solid dome painted with pictures of all the major gods and goddesses within their pantheon. It is all a stark reminder of how I am not prepared for this kind of life. I am in over my head, and they are expecting me to fight to the death to become the Key.
“Hey,” a deep sultry voice says over my shoulder. I twirl around with the expected grace of a woman cut from the same cloth as Ares. A smile spreads across my face the moment I notice it is Aden.
“Meri, right?” he asks, eyeing my response.
I gently punch him in the arm of his black suit. The event is a mix of human and Atlantis styles. Aden has wormed his way into my heart in just one day.
“I didn’t realize I would see you again so soon,” I reply.
“We forgot about the social,” he admits.
“I didn’t even know about it.” If only he could see past my scarf, he would know that I am smiling ear to ear. “Where is Morgan?”
“He is here. Laki and Breck have him cornered in a discussion about strategy. We were told this afternoon that we need to join into groups of four to five. That we will battle in teams,” Aden explains.
“How are the gatekeepers chosen?”
“The last group standing at the end of the two days of battles,” Aden replies like it should have been obvious.
I speak in a hushed tone, “Are Laki and Breck your best options?”
“Yes, they are a team as Morgan and I are. They work good together, and we are familiar with them,” Aden replies.
“Okay, then I will train the four of you. Meet me at the kitchen door in the morning. I have a place to train. Bring your swords or weapons of choice. I need to rejoin the others. Everyone has already taken notice of me.”
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“I have to be. I am in the middle of a storm of gods and have no choice in the matter,” I reply dryly as I look upon my mother talking to a group of men on the far side of the room. Without looking back, I weave my way across the room to join her. She is the only other person I know.
When I near, I overhear her laughing and flirting with the three men. So, I walk past and lean against the wall to observe her and the rest of the room.
I have not been told how many of the eight potentials passed the blood test. So, I take this time to look about the room for them. I spot the girl who spoke to me right after my first shift and manage to spot three others. I think it is safe to say at least five of us made it to the final round.
I watch Jewel closely as she laughs and flirts with several of the gatekeeper potentials. The last thing I want to do is kill her. I like her, she was kind to me, and she is beautiful.
“She will be tougher to kill then you think.” I startle, having not noticed Triton approach me.
“I don’t want to kill her, or any of them.”
“Too bad. You won’t have a choice. It just takes one good blow to your neck for your head to fall from your shoulders. They will enter the Ring with one goal, to be the Key to Atlantis,” he replies with an ominous tone.
“Why are you so interested?” I ask.
“I am King of the oceans, I have watched the damage Ares has done. He sows discord among the humans and encourages chaos. The water is getting polluted, and the whales are being slaughtered in higher numbers than ever before. At every turn, there are researchers diving into the seas looking for Atlantis. Everyday is a constant battle from a different front.”
I peer up at my large uncle. Sadness drips from his every pore, and I believe him.
“I had no idea,” I exclaim, shaking my head.
“No, only the gatekeepers understand what we are up against. People born in Atlantis are sheltered and don’t have a clue. Who knows what will happen when you are shown to Ares as the new Key? You are a warrior from your very core, like him. I fear the damage done may be too great.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?” Alarm bells go off. I don’t know Triton, but there is no reason I can see for him to be open with me.
“Because if anyone can turn the tides, it will be you. One last bit of advice before I leave,” he pauses. “Take blood before you go into the Ring . You need to watch your blood lust.”
“But I don’t know where to get blood that isn’t given to me,” I argue.
“Men, Meri. You get blood from men,” Triton pushes off the wall and walks away without so much as a goodbye.
I notice then that my mother is also gone. There is no reason for me to linger any longer. Leaving my secure spot along the walk, I wind my way through the crowd and out a main door. I have a general idea of how to get back to my room and know eventually, I will find it.
11
I follow one of the larger halls towards the direction of my room. The hall is dim and silent. It is so quiet, I can hear myself breathe. There is something erie, feeling alone in large palace thousands of feet beneath the sea.
The hall makes a few turns, and I am certain I’m heading in the right direction. My fingers are tracing along the luminescent wall when I hear something behind me. It was just a small sound, but all of the alarm bells in my body go off. I press my back against the wall, waiting for someone to come around the corner.
Closing my eyes, I open my ears. My senses pick up the soft sound as each of their steps vibrates through the floor and the wall. As they close in on the corner, I pick up the sound of their breathing. They are trying to sneak up on me. When one peeks his head around the corner to check if they are still on my trail, I reach out and grab him by his hair, throwing him to the ground.
The other three men advance on me as the first regains his composure. I back up several steps and pull my dagger free from its thigh strap. One pulls a sword from behind his back, and the others are each brandishing knives. I have no doubt that these men are potential gatekeepers.
“Why me?” I ask, prolonging the fight a few seconds longer to size each man up.
“You’re the only pure in the running. We have to get you out of the way, so our choice has a fighting chance.”
I roll my eyes at the leader’s words and then take a fighting stance, letting them know I won’t go down easy, or at all.
The largest of the men attacks first by throwing one of his knives. Everything moves in slow motion as I tilt my shoulder back just in time for the knife to miss its mark.
“You will have to do better than that,” I goad him.
The one with the sword comes in swinging, and I dodge all of his attempts with ease. I drop down, swinging my leg across the floor, knocking his legs out from under him, and causing him to hit the ground hard. I take a few steps backwards again, giving them a chance stand.
“You don’t want to do this, I promise you. Please don’t make me defend myself,” I plead with them.
“We have no choice, if we want to be chosen,” the leader replies as they all advance on me at the same time.
Taking a deep breath, I choose to attack at the same moment. My body moves with a natural grace, dodging every attack. I lean backwards, catching myself on the floor as a sword attempts to take off my head. Using my arm strength, I push off of the floor and do a backwards flip to regain my spot.
My dress was ripped open at some point, and all four men are still standing. When they attack again, I am done playing games. The first one that came at me ends up on the ground with his throat slit. Blood pools at my feet, and my nostrils pick up the smell of metallic sweetness.
Suddenly, everything around me slows, and the world enters into a fog. The other three men haven’t relented, and I am fighting on pure muscle memory. There is a mom
ent of sharp pain as my fangs burst through my gums, and razor-sharp fins appear on my arms. My fingernails elongate and sharpen, but my legs stay intact. I am fighting half shifted.
When the leader comes too close, I grab him with my increased strength and bite into his neck sucking out the fresh blood. I lose all sense. While feeding, I look up at the other two men who are left standing in horror. When they turn to flee, I drop my victim to the floor and give chase.
I slam the first of the men against the wall and slice his throat with one curved nail. Blood rushes over my hand, and I lick it before giving chase to the final survivor. My legs are stronger than ever before, and he stands no chance. When I catch up to him, I grab a hold of his head, pulling him back into me. My claws dig into the flesh of his face, and with one disgusting twist, I hear the crunch of his spine as I seperate his head from his body.
Falling to the ground, I lick the blood from my hands and my arms, savoring every drop I have upon myself. My eyes wander to my exposed breasts and abdomen, and I see the green, blue, purple, and pink of my scales. Scales I have only seen once before. The effect brings me to my senses, and I take in the destruction around me. Blood is sprayed all along the hall, and the severed head is sitting next to me.
Realization of what I have done hits me with the force of a hurricane. In one moment, I am devouring the blood of my victims, and in the next, I am wailing the haunting sound of a siren in distress. Not caring who finds me, I release all the emotions at once. There is no need to take a breath as the wail is my inner voice reaching out. I am a monster, and there is nothing that will ever change that now.
Moments pass as my wail continues to echo down the barren halls. Finally, someone approaches, but I have no awareness to recognize who it is. I also have no fight to protect myself. If there is a time to kill me, now would be it. I am lifted from the floor and carried away, but I have no clue who is doing the carrying.
I am tossed into the air and come crashing down into deep cool water. My body is rinsed of the blood that had begun to dry upon me. When the full shift takes place, I am cleansed. Instead of coming to the surface to see where I am and who brought me to this place, I sit at the bottom, running my fingers through the sand beneath me.