Guardian of Atlantis (The Children of Atlantis) (25 page)

“Billy!” He called out.

Raven gave him a startled look. “We’re supposed to be trying not to alert Morrison or her goons.”

“All the noise he’s ma
king, they would know we’re fre
e. Besides they’re not here. I don’t smell any of them.” Ethan sounded very sure of himself.

“Ethan. Raven. We can’t get out.” Billy came from the kitchen.

“What do you mean?” asked Raven.

“We can open the doors, but there’s some sort of invis
ible barrier keeping us in. Chris
and Jared even tried the windows.
Same thing.”
Billy looked at Ethan.

Ethan turned to Raven. “And you got in?” It sounded more like he was accusing her of lying or something.

“I had no problem getting in.
Just walked right in the back door.
You know, outside one
minute.
Inside the next.”
She looked from Ethan to Billy but all they did was look at her. “I’ll show you.” She shoved her way around Ethan and went to the living room. Raven saw the others already gathered there, but she ignored them and made a bee line for the open door.

The early morning sun danced brightly across the front lawn, making it glisten in the areas it landed. Raven blinked. It wasn’t raining. The dark clouds were still there, but clear blue gleamed through huge gaps.

“You can’t get out,” said Pauline.

Raven glanc
ed over her shoulders at the girl
. She looked back at the open door way. “This is ridiculous,” she mumbled. But just to be cautious, she put a hand up in front of her just in the off chance there really was an invisible wall blocking the way out. She walked to the door.

Her hand touched something solid and really, really cold.

Raven frowned.

She moved her hand in a wide circular motion. There was definitely something there and though it was icy cold, it felt off, but Raven wasn’t exactly sure how.

“I don’t know—” Raven started talking as she turned around, but then just stopped. Her eyes narrowed.

“I just love what you did with the kitchen. Whatever was your inspiration for it?” Agent Morrison lea
ned against the door frame separating
the living room from the hallway.

Ethan and the other Hellhounds immediately moved between Raven and Morrison.

“Oh, that’s so cute! They want to protect you. But what’s going to protect them from me?” she taunted.

Raven took a deep breath. “Leave them alone. It’s me you want.”

“Raven, you can’t do it,” Ethan hissed.

Looking at the teens surrounding her, Raven suddenly knew what she had to do. She pushed between Sheena and Pauline so that she stood between Agent Morrison and the Hellhounds. “It’s just me you want. You don’t want them. Let them go.”

Agent Morrison smiled. “My little trap did catch more than I need. I’ll make a deal with you. Give me the necklace and I’ll let them go.”

“Rav
en, you can’t do i
t,” said Ethan. “She’s not making a deal with you.”

Raven ignored Ethan. “Let them go first. Once they’re out of the h
ouse, then I’ll give you
what you want, just
exactly
like I give my teachers
at school
.
Promise.
Cross my heart and all that.” She smiled.

Agent Morrison tapped a finger on her blood red lips. “I can always deal with them later. You have a deal.” She waved her hands. “Make this quick. I won’t leave the barrier down very long.”

Raven felt an icy cold tingle in the air.

“Raven.
NO!” yelled Ethan.

Raven turned around to face him. “I have to do this. It’s the only way. Forgive me.” She put her hands up with her palms facing Ethan and made a hard pushing motion. All the Hellhounds suddenly flew out the door and halfway across the yard. They landed in a pile.

Raven turned around to face Morrison.

“Now, I think you need to give me something.” Morrison held out her hand.

Raven smiled. “I said I’d give you exactly what I give my teachers. You obviously don’t know me very well, do you?”

Morrison frowned. “Give me the necklace.”

“No.” Raven shook her head.

“We had a deal!” screamed Morrison.

“And I’m giving you exactly what I give my teachers—an attitude and not much else.”

“You lied to me!” screamed Morrison. She shook and shimmered, and for a minute Raven thought she saw a creature with the head of a lion, and a goat attached to its shoulders and a snake for a tail winding around its legs. “You will give me what I want.
NOW!”
Morrison’s face turned bright red. Her hands curled into fists.

“Excuse me! I don’t have to do anything I don’t want to. Besides, I gave you exactly what I said I would.” Raven picked up a vase off a corner table and hurled it at the woman. She didn’t wait to find out if it hit its target. Raven ran through a side door and down past the study.

“Come back here!”

Raven ran through another door way and back into the hallway.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Morrison stepped in front of Raven forcing her to skid to a stop. “You can’t get out of the house,” she gloated. She took slow stalking steps toward Raven.

“Who said I was trying to get out?”  She took a step backwards for each one Morrison took toward her. Raven erupted in a fit of giggles. “What’s this?
Some sort of fancy dance move?”

Morrison ripped the dark sunglasses off her face.

Raven sucked in a deep breath. Her eyes widened. Her heart skipped a beat.

Morrison blinked. The eyelid
s
slid sideways instead of up and down. Slanted black irises filled the center of each eye.

“If I were you, I’d find the plastic surgeon
who
did that to you and get your money back because he really messed up your eyes.” She whirled around and ran back to the living room.

Morrison roared.

Raven ran to the open door, but she flew backwards as soon as she hit the opening. She leaped up and ran back to the door. With her hands on the invisible barrier, she pushed and shoved but it wouldn’t give.

“Raven!”
Ethan threw his body at the barrier, but bounced off it like a rubber ball. He looked at the Raven through the clear barrier. Snarling, he jumped up and ran at the door, claws fully extended.

“
That’s so cute! He thinks he can save you.
He’s only going to hurt himself you know.”

Raven whirled around to face Morrison.

“No one can enter or leave unless I let them. And you’re going nowhere until I have the key codes to Atlantis in my hands.” Morrison turned her head slowly side to side, her body twisting to flow with the movement. “That’s a good girl,” she cooed. The predator stalked Raven with an
ease that only came from practice, lots of practice.

“
Nooo
!” screamed Raven. She shoved her way pass Morrison and ran out of the living room and to the kitchen. Fear boiled its acidic way through Raven’s brain eradicating every thought until only the drive to get a weapon remained.

Raven slipped on the food remains scattered everywhere and fell hard on her hands and knees. Broken glass bit through her blue jeans and into her knees. It tore jagged wounds into her hands. Raven scrambled back to her feet and ran to the counter at the far end of the kitchen and yanked open one of the drawers, sending the contents flying across the floor. The drawer pulled its way out of her hands, clattering as it bounced on the floor and came to a stop just a few inches from her.

“What a lovely idea
. I like your way of thinking,” said Morrison.

Raven reached down and grabbed the first knife she could wrap her fingers arou
nd. She pivoted to face the woman
.

“And what are you going to do with that itty bitty knife? You really need something more like this,” sneered Morrison. In a blink she scooped up an extremely large butcher knife. “I don’t think you’re go
ing to do too much harm with i
t.” She laughed.

Raven glanced at the knife she held up in front of her and groaned.  Morrison was right about one thing. The paring knife was too small to do much damage, especially against the butcher knife.

“There’s more than one way to get what I want,” declared Morrison.

Raven looked up but saw nothing but a black blur.

Something hard pi
nched her chest.

She heard Morrison’s laughter.

Raven looked down
.

Her eyes widened. She couldn’t breathe.

“I told you there’s more than one way for me to get what I want,” purred Morrison. “The mighty Guardian of Atlantis. I think not.” She jerked the but
cher knife
out of Raven’s heart.

Raven watched
her sweater
turn red. She felt the blood pour out of the wound with every quivering beat of her heart. She covered the wound with her hands, but it didn’t do anything to stop the steady flow of blood. Raven slid to the floor. Her bloody hands fell away from the wound.

“So much for the great Guardian of Atlantis.”
  Morrison kneeled down beside Raven. “Give me the necklace.”

“I don’t want to die,” The words were so weak, Raven wasn’t sure if she had said them out loud or not.

“Oh, but you are, dying that is.
Now the necklace.”
Morrison sounded almost pleasant.

“I—I—” Raven felt her heart skip several beats and then it quivered one last time.

Raven’s world went black.

“Humans are so pathetically weak.” Morrison reached over and took the necklace from around Raven’s neck. “At last, I have it. I’m one more step closer to becoming Queen of the
world.” Morrison laughed and twirled around the room. “The Guardian’s dead. Atlantis is
mine.” She sang over and over.

17

I’ve always wished I had a brother or a sister. You
know,
someone to play with, share the chores, and stuff like that. It was probably because of the television shows that had families with siblings that I wanted one.

It sucks being an only child. If something happens, you get the blame immediately. And there’s no one to help you with stuff.

I realize there’s a down side to having siblings. 
The fighting over attention and stuff.
The rivalry and jealous that often exists between siblings. But still, it would have been nice to have a brother or a sister to talk to. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so lonely over the years.

             
---Raven Weir’s journal

Poseidon lurked in the corner barely hidden behind the kitchen door, watching Morrison dance and sing around the kitchen. He looked at Raven’s bloody body. His eyes narrowed. The muscles in his jaw twitched. He slowly unclenched one of his fists and a huge silver trident appeared in his hand. With his other hand he shoved the door away from him.

BANG!

Morrison screamed and whirled around to face the door. “No, it can’t be.” Her eyes widened and they broadcasted the fear a hunted animal has when it faces the hunter. Morrison swallowed and pulled herself up to her full height. “And what
do you want
?” She held her chin up as she raised an eyebrow.

“What are you doing
?” Poseidon’s voice was low and loaded with a cold fury. He took a step toward Morrison.

“Me?” she smiled sweetly. “I’m here claiming my rightful place.” She batted her eyelashes at him.

“Your rightful place?
And just what would that be?” The corner of his lip curled up, and the words came out sounding more like a snarl.

Morrison threw her shoulders back, lifted her chin a little higher, and put a seductive smile on her face.
“As your queen, of course.”

“And how can you be queen when Hera’s already the queen?”

“The imposters will be dethroned of course.” She slinked over to Poseidon. “
And I will need a king
.”

Poseidon scowled at Morrison. “And how do you plan to dethrone the imposters?” he finally asked.

The woman laughed and slinked away from Poseidon. She glanced at Raven’s body. A dark grimace appeared on her face, but when she turned back to Poseidon it was gone. The grimace replaced with a pouty smile.
“With this.”
She held up the necklace she had taken from Raven and with slow, almost ceremonious movements, put it around her own neck. She caressed the
pendant,
then
kissed it before letting i
t drop to her chest. The silver pendant
stood out against her black suit.

“And the
trinket is important how?” asked Poseidon.

“This is how I’m going to get rid of Hera and Zeus.”

“A mere bauble won’t help you,” sneered Poseidon. “Zeus will eat you alive.”

“But it’s not a mere bauble,” mocked Morrison. “It contains the key
codes to Atlantis. And with the
power, I’ll rule the world!”

“And her?”

“
A
nuisance I removed, permanently.” Morrison snorted. “The so-called Guardian, but she won’t be guarding Atlantis or anything else for that matter. She’s Hades’ problem now.”

Poseidon’s blue eyes turned black with rage. “I’ll take the necklace.” His voice rippled through the room bringing with it the cold depths of the ocean.

Morrison shivered. Her stare traveled to the trident he carried then back to his face. “I’m not giving this to you or anyone else. It’s mine.” Her nostrils flared slightly as she threw her shoulders back defiantly.

Poseidon shifted the trident until it pointed at the woman.
“NOW!
You must obey me.” His voice vibrated with power and with something else.

Morrison blinked. She took off the necklace and started to hand it over then stopped. She looked at Poseidon. “No.” Her body shimmered between the human form and a monster with the heads of a lion and a goat. Hisses of a viper filled the air.

Poseidon’s eyes narrowed. “Mine!” The necklace flew out of the Morrison monster’s hand and into Poseidon’s.  “Chimera, you should know better than to mess with me or what’s mine.” A blue light erupted from the tips of the trident, striking Chimera in the center of her chest.

She screamed.

A huge flash of blue light filled the room. Slowly it vanished, taking Chimera with it.

Poseidon returned his trident to its resting spot. His fingers curled around the pendant as his hand dropped to his side. He stepped over to Raven’s body. “I am truly sorry this happened to you. Even if you are the one who would have fulfilled the prophecy, I wished no harm to you. I only wanted to be your father.”

He knelt
down beside Raven, his eyes glistening. He touched her cheek with the back of his hand.

“How touching, dear brother.”

Poseidon slowly stood up, his back stiff and straight. He turned around to face Zeus. “You’re not here to grieve with me. What do you want?”

“You?
Grieve for anything or anyone besides yourself? Don’t make me laugh.” Zeus stepped over to Raven’s body and touched her foot with his.

“Don’t touch her,” snarled Poseidon.

“Still protective of her aren’t you, even if it’s just an empty shell. And what will that monster, Medusa, say to yo
u about this?” Zeus laughed. “O
h, she’s going to blame you. Too bad I won’t be there to see it.  Maybe you’ll finally realize what a monster she is and do something
about her.”

“And when I tell her how you sent your own daughter, Meritus, and others to kill Raven, how do you think she’s going to react?”

Zeus shrugged his shoulders. “Not my concern.”

Poseidon tightened his grip on the trident. His fingers turned red then white. “And when she learns you tried to kill Raven yourself, I won’t be able to stop her.”

“She didn’t even raise the brat.
Why should she care what happened to her?”
Zeus stepped away from the body.
“Really, brother.
You need to rid yourself of that monster. You’re obsession is making you weak and pathetic.
There’s
plenty of beautiful women ready to fall at your feet and worship you like the god you are.”

“I don’t need women to worship me. All I need is Medusa, and my daughter.” Poseidon’s eyes swirled with shades of blue and green.

“I guess you could put her on display,” Zeus ran his hand down his goatee. “But then, the best thing for everyone involved is to just dispose of the trash and be done with it. You’ll soon forget about this whole incident.” He raised his hand.

Poseidon’s eyes went black. “Don’t you dare!” he warned his brother through clenched teeth.

“This obsession is ludicrous. It ends now.” Zeus moved to wave his hand over Raven’s body.

Poseidon stopped Zeus’
s
hand with his trident. “It’s my obsession to deal with. I’ve never interfered with yours. Do not interfere with mine.”

“But someone has
to
. You obviously can’t help yourself.”

“Brother, I will kill you.” Poseidon pointed the tips of the trident at his brother.

Zeus glared at his brother, at the trident pointed at him. “Useless. Just like Hades.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “Fine, you wa
nt to deal with the trash,
by all means, go ahead. I won’
t stop you. But I will take the
pendant she was wearing.” He shoved the trident out of his face.

“No.”

Zeus regarded Poseidon carefully. “Give it to me. It’s of no use to you.”

Poseidon sneered. “Why would you be interested in a mere trinket worn by my daughter?” He waited for Zeus to answer.
“Just as I thought.”
He turned his back on Zeus and stooped to pick up Raven’s body.

“Give me the necklace.”

Poseidon stood up. “Why?” He turned around. “So you can reopen Atlantis?”

“It’s not any of you
r
concerns. Give me the necklace.”

“Oh, it concerns me. You’re crazed power trip will not only get you killed, but it will bring all of us down with you.”

Zeus smiled. “You want the power for yourself.” His face blackened.

BOOM!

The clap of thunder shook the house. Rain flooded down onto the house, pounding it mercilessly.

“You want the power for yourself. You want to destroy me, to take my place,” accused Zeus.

“Oh, I want the power, but I
want it to cure Medusa. So
we can have the life we were meant to have.”

Cold laughter erupted from Zeus. “So she can run away with another human male?”

Poseidon roared. He swung the trident at Zeus’s head.

Zeus blocked the blow with his forearm. He sent his fist into Poseidon’s face.

The impact threw Poseidon back against the far wall. Poseidon leveled the trident at Zeus and sent a blast of blue light at him.

Zeus threw up his hands as a shield but the blast sent him flying across the room. “You will pay for that, dear brother.” Zeus flicked his hand at Poseidon, sending him flying through the kitchen and into the hallway, taking ou
t what was left of the wall Raven had gone
through days earlier. Zeus didn’t wait for Poseidon to recover. He stomped after him, only pau
sing to pick up the trident
Poseidon dropped.

Poseidon groaned. He rolled over to his stomach and crawled to his feet. He looked around for his trident.

“Looking for this?”

Poseidon turned.  “Give it to me.” He demanded when he saw his brother with the trident.

“I’ll give it back to you, after you give me the necklace.”

“You want it. Come and get it.”

“I hoped you would say that.” Zeus threw the trident like a spear.

Poseidon ducked. The trident sailed over his head and embedded itself in the wall.

Zeus threw a lightning bolt. It hit Poseidon dead center in his chest, sending him crashing through the wall and out the front door. The Hellhounds he landed in the middle of immediately scattered, taking cover wherever they could.

“What’s he doing here?” Billy asked Ethan from their hiding place behind Ethan’s jeep.

“I don’t know, but it can’t be good,” replied Ethan. “But maybe this is our chance to get in there and get Raven.”

Zeus stepped onto the front porch.

“Or maybe not,” said Billy. “Look!”

“Yeah, I think we’ve got bigger problems.” Ethan pulled Billy down out of the line of sight.

Zeus casually walked down the steps. “Give up, brother. You can’t beat me.”

Poseidon staggered to his feet. A little blood dripped from his mouth. He wiped it off with one hand. 
“Never.”
He tightened his hold on the necklace.

“Fighting me doesn’t suit you.”

“I’m not giving you the key codes to Atlantis. So do your best,” snarled Poseidon. He pulled
himself to his full height and raised his chin defiantly.

Ethan peeked around the rear of the jeep. He saw the chain of Raven’s necklace dangling from Poseidon’s hand. “No,” he whispered. His lips trembled. “No!” He struck the jeep with his fist.

“Hey, man! What are you doing? You need to chill or something.” Billy grabbed Ethan’s arm before he could hit the jeep again.

Ethan looked at Billy and the fight went out of him. He sagged to the ground. “Poseidon’s got Raven’s necklace.”

Billy paled. “
That can’t be. That would mean—”
He couldn’t say the words.

“It means, she’s dead.
We failed. I failed her. I failed my mate.”

“The necklace brother, I don’t want to kill you.” Zeus stopped about ten feet from Poseidon. “Together we can rule the world.”

“Yes, we can rule the world,” mocked Poseidon. “Just like last time. You divided the world up so fairly between the three of us. How are you going to divide it this time?”

“I didn’t have to give you anything. Be thankful for what you got. Be thankful I didn’t kill you when I killed Cronos.”

“He was our father,” said Poseidon.

“He was weak and weakness can’t be allowed to rule.” A lightning bolt formed in Zeus’
s
hand. “You are just as weak and pathetic as he was.
Mooning over a female who wants nothing to do with you.”

“At least Medusa lets me near her, unlike your wife, Hera. She can’t stand the sight of you can she?”