Hearken (Daughters of the Sea Series) Read online

  I soundlessly traversed the rest of the giant dune, but froze mid-stride when the vibrations of footsteps pounded into the soles of my feet. A figure raced down the beach to my left holding yet another trident in his hand. With great concentration, he raised it above his head and threw it as hard as he could. Resembling a javelin, it cut through the air with deadly precision towards another target several feet beyond the first. As he stopped to watch the silver trident slowly descend, he rested his hands on his legs and I noticed sweat rolling down his face from the exertion. The three ornate prongs of the silver trident pierced the piece of driftwood perfectly in the middle of the target, and a slow smile crept across his face. As he ran a sweaty hand through his short blonde hair, I realized who I was watching: Liam - Willow’s boyfriend and one of Finn’s best friends. His towering frame was a dead giveaway to his heritage. As the future leader of the Tritons, he was one of the largest; reaching a height of at least seven feet tall. Somehow his height didn’t slow down his agility and balance when it came to fighting or sports. Or throwing a trident, apparently.

  “Hell yeah, Liam!” Two guys I didn’t recognize jogged toward the bulls-eye and clapped him on the back. They were both tall with broad shoulders, and also fit the classical stereotype of Tritons.

  “I knew it! Dude, you’re a natural!” one of them shouted. “The Myriads ain’t gonna know what hit ‘em!”

  Liam produced a pen and paper from his back pocket to record his triumph. It was obvious he was taking this very seriously. The knowledge that they were completely unaware of my presence, coupled with my inability to figure out how I got there, brought on the realization that this was a vision. Most importantly, it was a vision that hadn’t erupted into violence or a hurricane or someone lying unconscious. That was indeed an improvement from my past visions.

  For the next couple of minutes I looked on with amusement as he repeated those same steps over and over, each time throwing the trident at other targets. As he struck the bull’s-eye of a target with his eyes closed, I stifled a giggle as he celebrated with a fist pump and did some kind of dance in a circle. And I thought I’d seen it all.

  As another trident soared through the air I thought I heard a girl scream, but when I turned my head to find her, everything faded to black.

  “You cannot be serious,” an annoyed voice spewed. “What could she possibly be laughing about?”

  “You tell me!” a deeper voice chuckled. “Since you think you’re the expert on all things ‘Stasia’.”

  “Who’s the expert on all things ‘me’?” I muttered groggily. The fact that I was back in the present suddenly dawned on me.

  “I told you it would work,” Olivia spit back at him. Finn simply glared back at her incredulously.

  “She was having a vision,” he corrected her listlessly. “Not a fainting spell. This isn’t Gone with the Wind, Scarlett.”

  “Oh my God.” I scrunched my nose as a pungent smell invaded my senses. “What smells like road kill?” Olivia immediately began to cork an old apothecary bottle full of what looked like seeds. I brushed several rogue seeds from my shirt and did my best to sit up. The room spun precariously on its axis, but thankfully balanced out once I stopped moving. Throwing up on the couch was not an option.

  “Fennel seeds,” Finn snickered. “Olivia’s bright idea-”

  “-that worked,” she finished for him defiantly, and took a sip of coffee with renewed smugness. “She’s awake isn’t she?”

  “She would have woken up on her own, genius.” Finn’s blue eyes clouded and he shot her a look of disdain before taking my hand. “We’re going to need to buy you a helmet if you keep having visions standing up.”

  “The first Goddess to need a helmet is not what I want my legacy to be.” I giggled at the absurd thought of wearing a helmet with my traditional white dress and blue swath.

  “Ya’ll need to get going,” Olivia urged with a tap of her fingers on the table. “You’re gonna be late!”

  “For what?” I glanced between her and Finn curiously.

  “A meeting with Amphitrite,” Olivia answered offhandedly, and began flipping through a People magazine. “She called your phone when you were passed out. Oh, and Phoebe texted you. She wants to borrow your blue gingham dress this weekend.”

  “You want to steal my identity while you’re at it?” I cut my eyes at her.

  “That seems like a lot of effort.” She shrugged and then grinned mischievously without looking up. “I’ll just swipe your credit cards the next time you’re passed out.”

  “Grand larceny,” Amphitrite’s smooth voice quipped from the doorway. “That’s a good quality to have in a friend.”

  ______

  After another cup of coffee for Olivia and a quick shower for me, Finn and I sat down to speak with Amphitrite in private. On the short walk to her first floor study, my anxiety level had heightened to unrecognizable levels. I had no idea why she wanted to speak to both Finn and I. I hadn’t made any final decisions on the Council selections, and I had a bad feeling she wanted to know where I stood. That still didn’t explain the need for Finn to be present, but I wasn’t one to argue. With him next to me I felt more assured somehow.

  Upon entering her study I hadn’t known what to expect, but what I found behind that ornate mahogany door absolutely took my breath away. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves towered two stories above us, filled to the brim with antique manuscripts and modern hardbacks alike. A tightly coiled spiral staircase made of wrought iron was poised in one corner; inviting us to browse the second floor’s equally exquisite collection of shelves.

  “You’re drooling,” Finn whispered. He lightly lifted my chin and closed my gaping mouth. The rich smell of paper and ink that filled every crevice of the room was lessened only slightly by the remnants of a fire settling in the bottom of a stone fireplace. Amphitrite settled into one of the plush leather armchairs and motioned to a matching love seat sitting opposite of her.

  “Are these all your books?” I gawked.

  “Only a portion,” she replied breezily, as if we weren’t sitting amidst the most impressive collection of books I’d ever seen. “These are just the books I’ve collected over the last century. The rest I keep at my house on the Fortunate Isle.”

  “Of course.” I attempted to make my tone light in an effort not to give away how truly absurd our conversation really sounded. I supposed when you’d been alive since the dawn of time, it wasn’t difficult to accrue a collection of books to rival the Library of Congress. I must not have fooled anyone though, because Finn elbowed me in the ribs and snickered. I elbowed him back and sat up straighter.

  “I know you must be curious as to why I’ve asked to speak with you today,” she initiated with a twinkle in her crystal blue eyes. “I have news from Cyprus.”

  My stomach dropped to the floor and my thoughts immediately turned to my estranged grandmother, Selene, although I had a feeling that any news regarding Selene wouldn’t be discussed during a light conversation amongst Amphitrite’s personal library. I forced myself to take a deep breath. I had to get myself together! I’d tried everything I could to move on with my life as if Selene hadn’t simply vanished without a word that fateful night on the beach. And then there was the small matter of her wanting to rip me limb from limb. That didn’t do much for my ability to get a good night’s sleep, either.

  “It appears that we will resume a very important celebration amongst our kind that was traditionally held every ten years. The last one was cancelled due to your mother’s untimely passing, but now that another ten years have passed, arrangements have been made for reinstatement.” Finn visibly perked up at her words, but I was still fumbling in the dark.

  “What kind of celebration?” I prompted. Amphitrite’s eyes cut over to Finn momentarily.

  “The Atlantean Games,” she proclaimed with dignity.

  “Yes!” Finn jumped up from the loveseat and to my surprise, actually gave Amphitrite a fist bump. Not a hug,
a hand shake, or even a kiss on the cheek. No, he chose to give the Queen of the Nerieds a fist bump. The smile tugging at the corners of her mouth made me wonder if she hadn’t jumped up and down with excitement when she’d first heard the news, as well. I watched in confusion as Finn began to pace with excitement and ramble. “We’ll have to decide who’s gonna compete at what. And then training and conditioning must start immediately! Selections will be very soon…”

  I met the delighted gaze of Amphitrite with what I could only guess was a deer-in-headlights look. Thankfully she continued to explain while Finn rambled on to no one in particular.

  “The Atlantean Games date back before 300 B.C. when all the sea Gods and Goddesses came together to raise the great island of Atlantis from the sea. It was an unprecedented event with-”

  “I’m sorry,” I interrupted in disbelief. “I think I’m hearing things. Did you just say…Atlantis?”

  Chapter 3

  “Just when I thought I’d heard it all,” I clamored in disbelief. “So you’re telling me that all the research, all the stories, all the legends are actually true?”

  “The existence of Atlantis is indeed true,” she clarified. “However, the scientific research has a great deal of holes in it. The most important being the fact that Atlantis is perfectly pristine and very much above the Mediterranean Sea.”

  “The Mediterranean…that is so… I just can’t… I mean…” I stuttered at the same time I was attempting to organize my thoughts without success.

  “It has a shroud over it,” Amphitrite explained with a youthful smile. I’d had a little bit of experience with shrouds that could hide entire islands before. The Fortunate Isle was shrouded from even descendants’ eyes. Only those ‘deemed worthy’ were given the ability to see it; leaving those of us who could actually see it looking slightly unhinged.

  “It’s the Fort Knox of all shrouds, though,” Finn insisted. “The Atlanteans don’t allow anyone to see it. Even us. ”

  “Why are they so anti-social?” I scoffed. Finn snickered next to me.

  “Paradise can only remain paradise if it is left untouched by the heavy hand of curiosity, greed, and the need for power,“ Amphitrite attested ominously. “This is the lesson Atlas and his people were forced to learn in the worst way.”

  “Atlas is the God always portrayed in statues as holding up a massive globe, right?” I’d seen many pictures of a struggling Atlas, forever cursed to hold up the Earth.

  “Yes, but the globe doesn’t represent Earth - it represents a celestial body. He has always fought to protect the Earth from celestial objects in the heavens like meteors, moons out of their orbits, comets, etc.,” she continued. “But as far as Atlantis, the name itself means ‘the Isle of Atlas’. It was bestowed upon him and became one of his most prized lands.”

  I leaned forward on the leather loveseat as Amphitrite tried to paint a picture of what it must have been like centuries ago at the height of Atlantis’s prosperity.

  “Atlas entrusted Atlantis to his five sons, who ruled over the island as well as their descendants. The mountainous exterior of the island did much to protect the cities within, and they remained unspoiled for many centuries. Atlas also built a castle in the middle of the island for his wife, surrounded by concentric rings of water and lush land.”

  “Built with gold,” Finn inserted proudly.

  “As well as rubies, crystal, and obsidian.” Amphitrite smiled at him before continuing. “Being the descendants of Atlas proved helpful in establishing canals, land bridges and magnificent gardens. They have an intense connection to the Earth, and some impressive abilities to boot. The sea provided water and food, allowing the island to thrive.”

  “Wow,” I marveled. I felt like a small child listening to the Cinderella or Snow White fairy tale for the first time. Who was I kidding? I’d felt this way just last year as my own unbelievable destiny was revealed to me. I couldn’t help but wonder what other legends held an ounce of truth, and I had the sudden urge to re-read all the childhood stories I’d cast aside as make-believe. Amphitrite’s bright smile suddenly turned dark.

  “Unfortunately, a human explorer happened upon the island and everything changed. In an act that would seal the fate of the island, the sons opened up their world to the humans…unknowingly inviting in the poisonous evils spawning from wealth, power, and material goods. Treason, crime and war soon spoiled the great island of Atlantis as Atlas’s sons warred with the people of the Mediterranean, who dedicated their lives to acquiring Atlantis for themselves. After a century of warring, the earth beneath the island became unhinged and weak. A massive volcanic eruption, followed by a large tsunami, sank the magnificent island and most of its people into the sea.

  “So that really did happen?” I gasped.

  “Three of Atlas’s sons were lost; leaving Atlas drowning in despair. Many of the descendants and his remaining sons were able to cling to boats and migrate to other islands nearby. However, the island itself had become a pile of rocks on the sea floor. In an unprecedented act, the Gods and Goddesses of the sea, including myself and your mother, all gathered at Atlas’s side and prepared to do the impossible.

  “Together we were able to raise the island from the ocean floor and restore it to its former glory. A shroud was placed around the island to protect it, and Atlas’s remaining sons and descendants returned to their homeland. “

  “So Atlas’s descendants still live on the island, cut off from the rest of the world?” I questioned.

  “Yes, and that’s how they prefer it. As I said, their ancestry affords them a special relationship with the Earth and its lush plant life, helping them surpass humans in many technological advances; becoming a people ahead of their time. Water, wind and solar power were present on Atlantis centuries earlier than anywhere else on Earth.”

  “Unless you believe in the legend of the crystal,” Finn interjected nonchalantly, but the eagerness in his eyes was unmistakable.

  “Don’t go filling her mind with nonsense,” Amphitrite diverted quickly. A highly ironic request, I might have added, considering the current conversation.

  “It would explain how they found solar power before the rest of the world,” he surmised and leaned forward in suspense. “Many of the dead brought stories to the Underworld; not of wars and humans, but of a very powerful, enchanted crystal. It had been given to them by Atlas and not only harbored the light of the sun, but could charge it - increasing its energy three fold.”

  “That’s incredible!” I gawked.

  “But the sons of Atlas became greedy, misusing the crystal and overpowering it. Unfortunately, it began charging the already unstable earth supporting the island. It’s said that the crystal exploded and that’s what caused the volcanic eruption and tsunamis; sinking the island into the sea.”

  “It is merely legend,” Amphitrite mused. “Stirrings brought to the Underworld through the voices of the dead. Nothing more.”

  “Did they find any evidence of the crystal when the island was raised from the sea?” I inquired.

  “Nothing was found that would suggest the existence of such a crystal,” Amphitrite countered. “But that didn’t stop the legend from spreading.” She raised a judgmental eyebrow at Finn.

  “Have you been back since then?” I pressed. She paused, as if sorting through a mountain of memories. “On many occasions, but mainly during the Games.” Her face lit up and I waited for her to continue. “They were established by Atlas in celebration of the fateful acts of the sea deities. Every ten years we are invited back to the island for the Atlantean Games. It is a chance for our descendants to appreciate a place of unique beauty and enchantment, as well as to establish fellowship with the inhabitants of Atlantis.”

  “And show them what real strength is,” Finn bragged with a puff of his chest and a competitive smirk.

  “Is it like the Olympics?” I asked. I thought it was a perfectly good question, but apparently I was mistaken because Finn snorted derisively b
eside me.

  “Atlas isn’t an Olympiad; he’s a Titan and God of astronomy. Throughout history, the Olympiads and Titans have waged war with each other on many occasions.”

  “Not to mention the Olympics were created by the humans,” Finn clarified. “The Atlantean games take it to an entirely different level of competition. Even the Gods and Goddesses compete.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me and a bubble of anxiety began to grow in my stomach. I was afraid to ask what that would mean for me. Unfortunately, Amphitrite decided to tell me anyway.

  “After the descendants compete over a five day period, the Gods, Goddesses, and other leaders,” she eyed Finn and stood slowly, “compete with each other the last two days of the Games. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve prepared some cucumber water for us. I’ll be right back.” She walked gracefully out of the room and my eyes slid to Finn reluctantly.

  “And exactly what kinds of games do they compete in?” I was silently praying for Yahtzee, Candyland, or Hungry Hungry Hippos. I pictured a big sign with the words ‘SEA GODDESS FAIL’ draped around my neck in bright neon.

  “Oh, you know, the usual.” Finn leaned forward and began ticking off games on his fingers. “Lion taming, riding whale sharks, sushi eating contests.”

  “Make it a doughnut eating contest and I’ve got it in the bag,” I laughed.

  “Unless I’m in the competition. I always win.” Finn imperiously looked down his nose at me. “Always.”

  I had a feeling his claim wasn’t too far off, and a spark of excitement shot through me when I thought about competing against him. As long as it didn’t involve axes, I thought I might actually be able to beat him.