Warriors of Poseidon 03 - Atlantis Unleashed

the Star of Artemis is here but it‟s guarded by a nest of vampires.”
    “We will cross over right now to assist you,” the first guard said. He took a determined step forward and the portal‟s magic shot something that looked and sounded like a high-wattage electric jolt at him, smashing him back and onto the ground.
    “No, it looks like you won‟t,” Justice replied, oddly unsurprised. “For whatever reason, the portal wants me to do this on my own, which makes me think Poseidon has set me some particularly vicious test.”
    “But—”
    “Tell Conlan and Ven . . .” Justice had to force out the words. “Tell them that I love them.
    Tell them that I‟m proud to be their brother and that I‟m sorry. That‟s all.”
    “Lord Justice!”
    But Justice simply shook his head and walked away, not even watching to see if the portal closed behind him. While he talked to the Atlanteans, it had fallen full dusk. Eleni was waiting. If she even still lived.
    If she did not, he would set the earth itself on fire with the power of his fury.
    The Nereid spoke in his mind, in the resigned tone of one who has accepted his fate. So now we die, but at least we die gloriously. It has been an honor being part of you, Justice of Atlantis.
    “It has been an honor being part of you, Justice of the Nereids,” Justice said, realizing as he spoke the words that he truly meant them.
    For our final grand gesture, I propose that we truly merge into one being, more powerful together than either of us could ever be apart, the Nereid said, a dark glee in his tone.
    “If you‟re going to go, go big,” Justice said, laughing. “Let‟s do it.”
    As one, both sides of his being—both halves of his soul—crashed open the doors and shields and walls they‟d built up between them over the long years of his existence. Power, finally unfettered, raced through his body and energized him with the towering force of a typhoon.
    Laughter burst out of him at the sheer joy of so much power sweeping through his body—waves and waves of pure, silvery power. Suddenly, he knew what he might be able to do.
    There was a chance. A tiny one, but still a chance that he was going to live through this.
    Just one final thing. Bending down, he found a smooth stone on the ground, far from the riverbank where it had been polished by the water. Opening up his heart and his soul, he focused all of his emotion to absolute truth and poured it into the stone. I love you, Keely, and will love you until all of the oceans vanish from the desolate plains of the earth. Know now and always that you are my heart, my soul, and my life.
    He clenched the stone so tightly in his fist that it hurt and then slowly opened his fingers. If his plan failed, it would be enough.
    It would have to be enough.

Chapter 40
    Justice was still laughing with the joy and force of the power crashing through his body when he reached the front of the temple. The two vampires who stood at the entrance sneered at him.
    “Laugh now, mortal, for our leader will kill you slowly.”
    “Nice. Original with just that hint of melodrama,” he said, thinking of Ven‟s usual responses to situations like this. “Now give me the girl.”
    “Move back and kneel to your better, fool,” the uglier of the two vampires said. “He comes now.”
    “I kneel to none but Poseidon,” Justice said calmly, drawing his sword. Poseidon‟s Fury gleamed like polished silver under the twilight moon. “Bring me the girl now or the two of you shall die cursing your names.”
    They looked uncertainly at each other, clearly hearing the promise in his voice. But then the sound of many voices came from the entrance, and a swarm of vamps came out of the temple.
    He‟d been way, way off in his estimation. There were nearly one hundred of them, give or take a dozen.
    He was a dead Atlantean walking.
    But by all the gods, he could bluff.
    “Bring me the girl now,” he repeated, this time talking to the peacock of a man in the pseudo-ancient Mayan getup. Maybe he thought it made him look more important. Kingly, even.
    Justice didn‟t give a damn what he looked like. He just wanted Eleni.
    “Bring me the girl, or I will cause the biggest shock wave you have ever seen to explode every single one of you into an oozing pile of slime.”
    The peacock bared his fangs. “I am Gultep‟can, and you are a petitioner at the feet of my greatness.”
    Justice shrugged. “Not much for feet, greatness or otherwise. I only