Atlantis
Planet: Earth
Meanwhile, Amanda and Katherine appeared at the top of the arc where the great library was. For the moment, the room was empty of other people.
To Katherine’s surprise, Amanda had insisted on wearing silk black pants and a silk pink shirt that went down to her hips. The outfit showed off her best features, though Katherine thought it was inappropriate for the mission they were on. They were there to save the Olympians and Augurs from possible extinction, not to impress other people.
Katherine’s cotton dark blue pants and modest forest green shirt were far more practical, which only emphasized how different the two sisters were. With a sigh, Katherine walked around the room, examining the many books lining the shelves. Her black boots echoed eerily on the floor. Something about this place gave her the creeps, and she couldn’t figure out why.
“Wow! This place is gorgeous!” Amanda gushed as she waved Katherine to the large window. “Look at all the colors. There’s no place as lovely as this on Raz.”
“We’re here to find the location of the replacement Olympians, not sightsee,” Katherine reminded her.
“The replacements have to be somewhere in this building if my magic brought me here.” Katherine was ready to leave the room to search for the replacements when Amanda called out, “Wait! Come here.”
Katherine frowned when she realized Amanda was still staring out the window. “We can check out the city after we finish the mission.”
“Give me some credit. I’m not as stupid as you seem to think I am.”
“Sorry.” She walked over to Amanda. “What is it?”
“We’re not alone.”
Katherine followed Amanda’s gaze. Her eyes widened in surprise. “Didn’t the Augurs tell you this city had been deserted for a long time?”
“Apparently, it’s not anymore.”
They watched as men and women in military uniforms walked through the city.
“I think they’re scouting out the place,” Amanda said. “I don’t recognize the equipment they’re using. Look, that man is talking into something.”
“Did the Augurs tell you they might be here?”
“No.” She sighed. “All they said was that I was going to meet an Infer and that he would help me find the replacements.”
“What is an Infer?”
“They were pretty vague in the description. They just said it was a man who wears all white. They said he is expecting me.”
“And I need to be here because…?”
“They didn’t say.”
Katherine groaned and rolled her eyes. This better not be a waste of her time. She glanced out the window again. “I don’t see anyone wearing all white. Do you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“He must be somewhere in this building. I guess we should search for him.”
They left the room and walked down the empty hallway.
When they passed by a set of stairs that went up, Katherine stopped her. “Do you think he’s waiting up there for you?”
“Maybe. Let’s check it out.”
They climbed the steps, Katherine’s boots tapping along the way. Maybe she should have worn the same shoes Amanda did. At least hers were quiet. As they neared the top, she heard two people talking in the room at the very top. They peered over the remaining steps and saw two men in blue uniforms.
“I don’t care what any other country thinks,” one of them said. “Atlantis belongs to the United States. We arrived here first.”
“Yeah, but I think the other nations will want a piece of this incredible technology,” the older man said. “It could mean war.”
“So what? We’re the strongest nation in the world. Our military power is too great for anyone else. The technology in this place is amazing, and we’ve just scratched the surface. This will strengthen us for sure.”
“China’s on the way. They are growing in numbers and military might. And don’t forget Russia. The last thing we need is a bomb to be thrown on us.”
“Which is why it’s crucial we claim this city first. We don’t have any weapons that can compare to the things I’ve seen here. This place even comes with a protective shield so invaders can’t harm it.”
“I don’t know. I have a bad feeling about all of this.”
“Well, it’s not up to us to make the final call. Our job is to follow orders.”
Katherine motioned for Amanda to go back down the stairs. As soon as they were out of the two men’s hearing range, Katherine whispered, “The United States is where Mom lived before she went to Raz.”
“I know. We’ve heard all about her past.”
“I guess what we do now is go down the steps and keep on searching for the Infer.”
“Do you think it’s safe to let the other people know we’re here?”
As if to answer her question, a man in a similar blue uniform saw them as he left one of the rooms along the hallway. “Hey, how did you get here?” he demanded.
By the expression on his face, Katherine could tell he wasn’t happy to see them.
“We could ask you the same thing,” Amanda responded, her hands on her hips.
Katherine quickly took out the Book of Spells from her pocket, which enlarged in her hands, and flipped through it. The last thing she needed was her sister acting brave when it was bound to make things worse.
“Who are you?” the man insisted, not deterred by Amanda’s words.
“I am the Queen of Raz. I have every right to be here.” She scanned him up and down with a critical eye. “What about you? Who are you?”
“A member of the United States Air Force, and I don’t tolerate a bunch of lies, even if they do come from a beautiful woman.”
“Oh, you really think I’m beautiful?” She grinned at his compliment.
His expression immediately turned soft. “I do have eyes,” he joked.
She giggled. “You’re good looking as well.”
“Have you seen a man called an Infer? He’s supposed to be wearing all white,” Katherine interjected.
“No. The only people authorized to be here are military personnel.”
Katherine sighed. She was afraid of that.
“Look, I don’t want to harm you two,” he said. “It’s just not safe for you to be here. The best thing you can do is get out of this city as soon as you can. I’m assuming you have a safe way to get out of here since you got here without anyone noticing you.”
“Yes, we can easily disappear,” Amanda said. “But we have some important business to do before we can. Do you know where the replacement Olympians are located?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Is that a code? Are you spies?”
Noting the change in his demeanor, Katherine decided it was time to use the spell she found in her book. After she used it, he froze, unable to say anything or move.
“Good.” Katherine turned to Amanda. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
“Why? We have nothing to hide,” Amanda argued, ready to unfreeze him.
Katherine grabbed her hand and led her to the stairs that would take them down to the entrance. “It’s not safe. He thinks we’re the enemy. These military people aren’t our friends. We need to find the Infer. He’ll know what to do.”
Amanda seemed ready to protest but nodded.
Katherine was glad that, for once, Amanda was taking her seriously. They raced down the stairs as fast as they could.
“Did you freeze him permanently?” Amanda asked.
“No. He’ll be unfrozen in a few minutes. I just needed to buy us some time.”
“Stop! Who’s up there?” another military officer called up at them.
Katherine groaned when she realized several military officials were looking up at them from the bottom of the long stairs.
“We need to get out of here,” Amanda whispered.
“Freeze, or we’ll shoot,” a woman in a military uniform yelled at them, producing her gun.
Amanda grabbed Katherine’s shoulder, and the next thing Katherine knew, they were outside of the building. Katherine gasped when she realized there were more military personnel surrounding them.
Before anyone noticed them, a pair of hands grabbed the two women and pulled them into a secluded alley. Katherine was ready to scream when she noticed the two men weren’t wearing uniforms. In fact, one was wearing all white.
“Are you the Infer I’m supposed to meet here?” Amanda whispered.
Katherine marveled that her sister could remain so calm under pressure. Perhaps that was why she was picked to be the queen.
“Yes,” the man in white replied. “You’re Queen Amanda. I recognize you from your image in the mirror.”
“It’s not safe to be out here,” the dark-haired man said.
“He’s right. I know a safe place where we can go,” the man in white, who her parents had referred to as Pallid, replied.
They started following Pallid when someone behind them yelled and started shooting at them. They ran around several buildings before it became apparent the military officials weren’t going to lose them.
“Amanda, can’t you do something?” Katherine finally asked. What good was being the Queen of Raz if she didn’t use her ability to help them?
“Right,” Amanda cheered, as if suddenly remembering her powers as queen. “Quickly, grab hands.”
The men obeyed, not taking time to question the oddity of her statement. Katherine caught sight of all the guns aimed at them and closed her eyes. If she was going to get shot, she didn’t want to see it.
Amanda said, “Take us to safety.”
At once, it grew silent.
Relieved, Katherine opened her eyes. But they weren’t alone. They were surrounded by even more people. The only difference was these weren’t the ones who’d just been chasing them. These people, in fact, looked nothing like the ones they’d been running from. These people were very beautiful and pristinely dressed.
“You took us into the past,” Pallid spoke up.
“This is what Atlantis was like before it sank into the ocean?” the other man asked.
Pallid nodded. “Isn’t it splendid? Everything is just as I remember it.”
“I don’t think we’re properly dressed,” Amanda said. “We should do what we can to fit in.” She used her magic to change their clothes.
Katherine glanced at her dark green dress with gold sandals, impressed that Amanda thought enough of her to put her in something attractive. Amanda smoothed her light pink dress and sighed in satisfaction. Pallid remained in his clothes, but Jake now wore a dark blue suit with dark blue sandals.
“Okay. So now we fit in,” Jake said. “What do we do now? Shouldn’t we go back to the future so we can save Earth?”
Pallid gazed silently at the people laughing and talking around him. “I had wished for this for many centuries, and I’m finally back. It’s amazing.”
“Send us back,” Katherine told Amanda.
Amanda shook her head. “It’s not safe to go back yet. I requested to be taken to a safe place. And right now, this is it.”
“Are we stuck here forever?” Jake asked, not looking pleased with the idea.
“No. Just until it’s safe for us to go back. At that time, the magic I used will transport us back to the correct time.”
Katherine took a deep breath, understanding that Amanda’s plan was a good one after all. “We probably won’t be here for long.”
“In the meantime, we should enjoy ourselves,” Pallid said, smiling widely. “This is a once in the lifetime opportunity you don’t want to miss.”
Not sure if she would agree, Katherine joined the others as they followed him into the busy city.
***
Present Day
Ivory Palace
Planet: Olympia
Zeus looked at Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Hades, and Poseidon.
“Have you talked to an Augur?” Hades asked, his dark mood even worse after hearing the news. “They were made to protect us.”
“Hera and I did talk to Gaius, their current leader,” Zeus said. “They said our replacements are forming as we speak. It will take roughly seventy-two hours for them to be complete.”
“Three days?” Demeter shivered despite the warm breeze floating into the spacious ivory living room.
“That doesn’t give us much time to act,” Hades sourly noted.
“We need Ares to help us design a plan of attack,” Hera said. “We need to reach those replacements before they wake up.”
“But how can we get into their protective environments without the password?” Demeter wondered, now openly shaking with fear.
“We need to find the Infer,” Zeus replied. “There is one Infer still alive. He must have found another Stone of Immortality and kept it.”
“That’s good news,” Poseidon said. “Thankfully, ours wasn’t the only one hidden in the Underworld.”
“I don’t recall a male Infer ever coming to my domain,” Hades grumbled. “They would have had no need to live down there.”
“He must have been in search of something,” Hera replied. “Whatever the reason, he found the stone but apparently never stopped by to see you.”
“I didn’t even know he was near my domain. In hindsight, it’s a good thing he was or else there would be no hope for us now.”
“Unfortunately, we never told the Infers about our backup plan in case we didn’t make it out of Atlantis alive.” Zeus sighed. “He may have the memory of the password, but he doesn’t know what it’s for. That’s why we need to go there and talk to him in case Queen Amanda doesn’t find him in time. The Augurs said several nations on Earth are interested in ruling Atlantis. There is bound to be a war.”
“They would never survive against our replacements,” Hades said. “They have no idea what they’re up against.”
“It’s worse than that,” Hera added. “This will end up with everyone blowing each other up. That’s essentially what happened on Atlantis the first time, except the rest of the world wasn’t involved so the rest of the nations survived. The people on Earth have become too connected.”
“The best answer is to destroy Atlantis once and for all,” Zeus decided. “The people on Earth can’t handle the technology there any more than we could.”
They glanced at each other and slowly nodded in agreement. They would notify the Augurs of their decision.
“In the meantime, we will need Ares’ expertise in battle plans and Athena’s wisdom in not going overboard with them. We can’t afford to mess this up,” Zeus concluded.
Since the others agreed, Zeus went to get Ares and Athena.