by Jaymin Eve
Connor nodded. “Yeah, you have the power of a god. We all do, but yours are particularly strong for some reason.” He shrugged. “Genetics are weird.”
There were so many questions I needed answered still. They smashed around my head with force, but before I could voice them, a staggering truth hit me.
“Asher,” I breathed, the tears I was immediately shedding stolen by the water.
Connor nodded. “Yeah, that’s why I wasn’t too sad before. Asher can’t be dead. His mortal body was destroyed, yes, but that was just so his stronger, more powerful version could emerge.”
Hope flickered inside of me, and I tried desperately to smother that ember, put it out before it took root and got too big. But nothing I did made it go away.
“If Asher didn’t die, then where is he? Why didn’t he come straight back and tell me he wasn’t fucking dead?”
I might have been screaming at this point, and crying, and swimming back and forth like a lunatic trying to pace under water.
“We’re not dead,” Connor reminded me. “Did Asher disappear in a burst of light?”
He did. He fucking did. Just like we had…
I nodded, and Connor shot me his smug grin.
Could Asher be alive? Was it truly possible?
24
“We should try and get back to them,” Connor said, interrupting my breakdown. Because as much as I was hoping and praying and begging for Asher to still be alive, it didn’t answer where he’d been all this time. Was he lost in the endless ocean like we might be? Or … was my hope in vain?
I jerked when Connor took my hand, glaring at him. “Listen up, you don’t get to touch me,” I said without inflection. “Not now. Not ever. I don’t give a flying fuck in the ocean if we’re related or not.”
Connor did his infamous shrug again and then started to swim. I followed, because he was heading straight up and I wanted to know if we could see anything above the surface too.
“Why did our parents kill our mortal bodies?” I asked, no longer trailing him but right at his side. I was definitely faster in the water, and that made me somewhat happy.
“They needed the energy to keep the land rising. Asher’s energy started it, and ours finished.”
“You’re guessing,” I said drily, because he couldn’t know for sure. He couldn’t know any of this for sure. All we did know was that we’d died and woken up here in the middle of the ocean.
“It’s not the middle of the ocean,” Connor said, and I realized I’d said it out loud. “We’re still in the original location of the main island of Atlantis. Our bodies will return to their place of birth when we ‘die.’” He made finger quotes to emphasize his belief that we couldn’t really die. “It’s where we’re the strongest and can regenerate.”
I snorted but didn’t say anything more, because the shadow above had finally made itself known. We hadn’t actually been as deep as I’d thought; nope, the darkness was from the giant floating island blocking the sunlight.
“It’s like an iceberg,” I said softly.
“Yep,” Connor confirmed. “Apparently this land is anchored by magic and is as stable as any large island would be, but technically it is floating.”
Well, who the fuck would have thought it?
Because of the sheer size of the land mass, the water didn’t really get lighter as we rose, and eventually we had to swim to one side to get to the surface. “There is no way they can hide this from humans. What if they’re going scuba diving or something?”
Connor laughed. “They will never even make it to this part of the ocean. The magic is designed to confuse and redirect, and therefore no one gets a taste of magic they can’t handle.”
From what I could see, this land was miles long, like hundreds of miles. It was lucky that we appeared to be close to one end. Impatience got me, and I grabbed for that energy again and burst into a super speed swim, my body tense as the water finally started to lighten. We were almost at the end. Connor tried to keep up with me, but I was just way too fast, and therefore I was the first to basically shoot out of the water and get a view of … Atlantis.
Or more like a view of blinding sunlight while my eyes adjusted and I landed back in the water. Then, from where I was at the edge of the floating island, all I could see was a set of massive gates. They were not the same as the ones that my “mother” killed me in front of, but it was a similar look. The main difference was the size—these were a touch smaller and were completely bronze, with shimmering gold Atlantean symbols etched into the front.
Connor popped his head up beside me. “There are four sets of gates that lead into the city, which is surrounded by an impenetrable gate. Magically reinforced, the invisible barrier extends high into the sky.”
We both stared. “It almost sounds like a prison,” I finally said with a sigh, resigning myself to talking to him because there was no one else and because he had information I wanted. “Are the barriers to keep the Atlanteans in? Or to keep other people out?”
“No idea,” he said, voice filled with awe. “I’d say to protect their people. Atlanteans were fiercely protective of their own. We’re one of them now...”
“What if they’re all dead?” I asked, before wincing at how blunt that sounded. How uncaring. I’d lost my ability to be tactful in the last week. Something to work on … another time.
Connor wore a look of determination, his eyes darker than ever. “Nope. They’re not. If we were in a stasis, then so were they. Otherwise our mortal bodies would have died a long time ago. We got freed from the stasis, you and me and Ash. The others … they’re still under the spell.”
Uh-huh. Sure. So most of Atlantis was in stasis, outside of those few who escaped originally and had children. Like the rest of the Atlantean-five’s ancestors.
My head hurt.
“Guess there is only one way to find out,” I said, hauling myself up on the sand that led to the gates. There was about half a mile between the edge of the island and the gates; the sand felt warm and real as it squished beneath my feet. I’d lost my shoes somewhere, but at least I was still in my normal clothes. The ones I’d started this day in and then died in.
Probably going to burn them later.
Connor reached my side in an instant, and I only felt sixty-percent like punching him, so we were making some real progress in our relationship.
“This is so cool,” he whispered.
I felt the same sense of reverence that was filling the air around us. It was quiet, with just the faint swish of water in the background. I could sense no sign of life, although there was definitely power in this island, the energy vibrating silently.
When we reached the gates, we both stopped and stared. “Can you read this?” I murmured.
Connor nodded. “Rough translation … The wanderer will no longer be lost in Atlantis. Heed this. All who enter are bound by the seven laws of conduct. Break these laws and suffer the consequences.”
I side-eyed him. “That’s what it says? Written in ancient Atlantean?”
“Pretty much,” he said with a shrug.
I turned back to the gate and reached out to press my hand against the glittery symbols. “What are the seven laws of conduct?” I asked just as my index finger traced the first mark.
Before Connor could answer, the gates made a loud click and swung open. They had moved silently, not at all like they had been rusting under water for the past ten thousand years. In fact, I couldn’t see a freaking sign that Atlantis had aged or been damaged by all its time beneath the sea.
If anything, it looked perfect, brand-new, not a fucking scuff on the wall.
I had the insane urge to take out a Sharpie and scrawl my name across the gate, just to see if it would stick there. Something told me it wouldn’t.
“Should we go in?” Connor said, sounding unsure for the first time. He was always so confident of the path he was supposed to take. Secure in his one goal to bring about the return of Atlantis. I wondered what
it would be like to have such a strong, singular goal, and then finally have it come to fruition.
“Is it everything you dreamed of?” I asked as we shuffled closer to the door.
He paused. “Is what?”
“Your dreams finally coming true?”
If I thought the sun was bright, it was nothing compared to the smile on Connor’s face in that moment. It was blinding. “Best feeling I’ve ever had.”
I examined his face; for once it was open and relaxed and happy. He looked his age—young and carefree. I wondered if I would feel the same way if Asher turned out to be alive. Because right now, that was my sole dream.
Where is he, then?
“He might be unable to find you,” Connor said, and I jerked my head toward him. We were still just on the edge of the gate, not quite willing to step through yet.
“What are you talking about?” I hadn’t even mentioned Asher.
Connor chuckled sadly. “You get this look on your face when you think about him. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen pain so visible … and that’s how I know Ash is on your mind. I promise he’s alive, and I promise that if he was able to come to you, he would have. I’ve known him a long time, and what he feels for you is beyond even a true mate bond. It’s beyond any bond I’ve ever known. Asher would never deliberately hurt you.”
Clearing my throat, I shook my head. “Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
I couldn’t think about it any longer; the pain was absolutely breath-stealing in its intensity. Thankfully, I had a pretty large distraction right in front of me.
Atlantis. The fable. The myth.
All I had to do was take the first step through those slightly-open gates. I thought for sure Connor would have been pushing and shoving me to go through first, but he wore his nerves across his pinched face, hands that were opening and closing subconsciously into fists, and rapid breathing. He was scared.
Just to prove I wasn’t, I stepped forward and pushed the gates all the way open. From where we were, the huge statues were visible far in the distance, at the opposite end.
With one tentative step forward, I found myself inside the gates. Inside Atlantis.
Holy shit.
My power buzzed inside me, swirling and jumping about the way a happy puppy would when its owner was finally home to greet it. Home. The word raced through my mind and settled into my blood.
I was home.
25
Right in front of me was a huge fountain. It was the same shade of gold as the writing on the bronze doors, and it reminded me of something. Slowly I lifted my shirt. This was the first time I’d been able to look at the crown on my skin since Asher died, and I really should have been shocked at the pure gold on my mark, but I wasn’t.
My death had released the mortal shell, and I was now wearing my forever skin—disgusting but true. The gold, it had to be the color of the Atlantean gods. I still didn’t fully understand why I’d been more “god” than Asher, but apparently that was that old “magic and DNA worked in mysterious ways” thing that Connor was talking about.
Focusing on the statue again, I examined the multiple figures carved across it. Figures that were dancing, and it was clear that water should be shooting up between them and through their open arms. Only it was still and dry. Not a speck of water visible in the pristine design.
The carved figures were all paired up as they danced, the women in what would be flowing dresses of gold, and the men wore suits, but they all had bare feet that tangled in the very space water should have flowed. It would have been spectacular with the shooting streams going through it.
But just like everything else that I’d seen connected to Atlantis, it was silent … empty. Dead.
Connor and I didn’t talk as we moved slowly—it felt a little like we were walking in quicksand. Each step was harder and harder to take.
“Do you have any Atlantean marks?” I asked Connor, the gold still on my mind.
“Yes. Asher gave me one before our friendship blew up.”
I turned to see him lifting his shirt to reveal a very gold shimmery symbol across his chest. “Has it changed color?”
Connor blinked down at it. “Uh, yeah. Shit, it has. It was kinda bronze before, but—”
“Is gold a god color?” I interrupted.
He nodded. “Yeah, actually it is. Their blood is not like ours.” His face lit up because he was excited to see a physical change. Meanwhile, I was freaking out.
We’d reached the fountain now, barely. “I don’t think we’re supposed to be in here,” I said. “It’s almost like a force is trying to stop us going any further.”
Connor nodded. “Yes.” He gritted his teeth. “Like walking through a wall of energy. It’s so strong.”
I tried to take another step, but I couldn’t push any further. Just as I decided to back away, a band wrapped around my waist and I was jerked up into the air. It was the same movement as when I was dragged into the ocean by the dickhead gods, and sure enough, when I stopped zooming into the sky, I found myself face-to-face with Lotus.
“Why hello there, daughter. You look much more like a being I would claim now.”
I opened my mouth to insult her but paused as what she said registered. Is it more than the tattoo? Do I actually look different?
From what I could see, my hair was still purple and my body looked the same. Maybe my skin was slightly more golden, but that could be the sun I’d gotten today. I also might be a little more toned, but I hadn’t really been eating much since Asher...
Were there any other changes?
Lotus cleared her throat, a decided look of annoyance on her stunning face as she brought my attention back to her.
“What do you want?” I snapped at her, and it was nice to see she looked even more affronted. “Wasn’t killing me enough for your day? How about you fuck off and take a break from being a megalomaniac psychopath for a few hours.”
She blinked and then blinked some more. “You’re not afraid of me,” she finally said, head tilted as her eyebrows drew up tight across her face. “I don’t … understand.”
A snort laugh escaped. “You’ve already killed me. What more can you do?”
I probably shouldn’t have challenged her like that.
Lotus shook her head. “I didn’t kill you. I freed you of your mortal shell. A shell that was weak and useless and couldn’t even contain the energy inside of you. I did you a favor.”
Whatever laughter I had died off. “Please don’t do me any more ‘favors’ in the future.”
I looked down again, wondering how we were just floating up here. I could see the city of Atlantis, but it was so far below that nothing was particularly clear. “How high can you fly us?” I was curious. More curious than I should be about this shit, but … seriously, it wasn’t every day one was just floating among the clouds.
“I can go indefinitely,” she said simply. “We do not require oxygen. I could go to the end of this universe and into the next. I have crossed many universes in my long life.”
“How old are you?”
She smiled. It was smug. “I am eternal. I was there at the beginning and I will be there at the end.”
Okay, then. I guess her smugness made sense.
I tried to move my limbs, but everything except my head was locked down. I waited for the panic to hit me, only it never came. There was not an ounce of freaking out happening, and that in itself almost caused me to lose it.
I have changed.
I was different now, and it had happened long before she destroyed my “shell,” as she so eloquently put it.
“Where’s Connor?” I asked.
She smiled brightly. “Ah, my son. The only one I was able to influence from his stasis in Atlantis. He has been very useful to me. He’s currently with your father.”
“Draconis?”
A single nod. “Yes. Draconis is yours and Connor’s father. We should have had a third child as well, but things did not exact
ly go to plan. Three children to bring about a new era of supernaturals in the world. Only … she got in the way.”
“Who is she?” I asked.
Lotus snarled, and it transformed her face completely. She still looked beautiful, but there was an insane tinge to it now. Inhuman. Which made sense considering what she was.
“Don’t you worry about her. She’s kept us locked down for too long, and now … now she is going to pay. Fate cannot be circumvented, it can only be delayed.”
Nothing she said was making sense to me, but I had a sudden thought.
“Asher … is she his mother?”
Lotus snarled again, and she was about to answer, but before she could, a burst of energy slammed into both of us, sending us tumbling across the sky. As I was one of those lowly beings who didn’t know how to fly myself, the moment her hold on me was lost, I tumbled down into a freefall.
Panic gripped me hard, and I wondered if I was going to be testing out my new demigod status sooner than expected. Would I go splat on Atlantis? And if I did, would that kill me?
I never got to find out. Lotus caught me with her power, hauling me back up to her side. “Stay with me, daughter. Your energy fuels my own.”
I was starting to wonder if that’s the real reason she had me. My shell helped them bring Atlantis to rise—only an idiot wouldn’t recognize that it had shot up when Connor and I “died,” and now she was saying my power fueled hers. I was nothing more than a battery charger for her to use.
We zoomed forward, and I saw exactly who had hit us with power before.
A woman.
Goddess, probably, since she was floating as well. She was almost pure gold, from her skin down to the brief mesh that covered her body. Golden hair flowed out around her, long enough to touch her feet, wavy and without a single frizz.
She looked weird and creepy, and somehow incredibly striking at the same time. Like a living statue, she was perfection, but the sense I got from her was nothing short of scary. She scared me and made Lotus look like a five-year-old child playing god.
“I warned you, Lotus,” she said softly, her words tumbling across the sky like a rage of thunder. “You cannot bring about this change. I will not allow it.”