Warriors of Poseidon 03 - Atlantis Unleashed

Eleni, and the icy cold of the ocean depths suddenly seared through her skin and bones.
    Eleni gasped and huddled closer to Keely, burying her face in Keely‟s shirt.
    Justice‟s sword, lying nearby, lit up. The sigils on the blade glowed with a silvery fire so bright that they all had to shield their eyes. After long moments, the glare that filtered through Keely‟s eyelids faded and she dared to sneak a narrow-eyed glance.
    The light was gone. Alejandro still stood frozen, unmoving, but the light was gone.
    “I like it not that I nearly died, and my woman is already looking at another man,” Justice said, amusement in his husky tone.
    She whipped her head around, almost afraid to look. What she saw made her cry out in wonder. Justice sat up, whole and uninjured. Even the blood that had coated him was gone.
    “You . . . you . . . you—” she stuttered, then threw herself into his arms.
    “That‟s more like it,” he said, then caught her lips in a soul-melting kiss. It was a kiss infused with heat and wonder and awe, and it lasted a very long time.
    “SO,” the voice like thunder said, startling them out of their embrace. “YOU HAVE
    CHOSEN WELL IN YOUR WOMAN, BUT TELL HER TO KEEP HER HANDS OFF MY
    TRIDENT. SOME SECRETS ARE TOO VIOLENT FOR AN OBJECT READER TO
    EVER KNOW AND SURVIVE.”
    Justice stood up, pulling Keely to her feet beside him, and he lifted Eleni into his arms.
    “What was it?” he asked Alejandro, who was not Alejandro. “Was it a test? After these hundreds of years of loyal service, you test me now and put my woman and these innocents in such great danger?”
    “IT WAS NOT I WHO PUT THEM IN SUCH DANGER, BUT IT WAS FOR YOU TO
    PROTECT THEM. POSEIDON‟S FURY IS MINE TO GIVE AND MINE TO RECLAIM, AND EVERY FIVE CENTURIES I DECIDE WHO SHALL HOLD IT AND PASS IT
    DOWN.”
    The sea god‟s voice was haughty beyond arrogance, commanding beyond dispute. Keely supposed that, being a sea god, it came with the territory.
    “Thank you,” she said, not knowing if it was allowed for her to talk to Poseidon, but needing to say it. “Thank you for his life.”
    “YOU GAVE HIM HIS LIFE, DR. KEELY McDERMOTT OF THE LAND OF OHIO. I SIMPLY HEALED A FEW WOUNDS.”
    Poseidon held up Alejandro‟s arms and glanced down at his body. “THIS ONE IS STRONG.
    I WOULD NOT HAVE MINDED HAVING ONE SUCH AS HE IN MY WARRIORS,” he said, and it was so odd to hear and see it that Keely almost laughed, but figured that might be some kind of blasphemy.
    “ENOUGH. I MUST GO NOW,” Poseidon decreed. “BUT FIRST, ONE FINAL THING.”
    He reached out with one of Alejandro‟s hands and touched Eleni‟s face. “YOU WILL
    GROW UP TO BE VERY WISE, YOUNGLING, AND A COUNSELOR TO KINGS.
    MIND THAT YOU REMEMBER THAT.”
    She laughed and clapped. “Can I come play with the dolphins with you, Señor Sea God?”
    Poseidon‟s laughter rang in the air. “MOST DEFINITELY, YOUNGLING. MOST
    DEFINITELY.”
    Alejandro stumbled, then looked around wildly, raising his shotgun. “What? What happened?
    Where is he?”
    Justice tightened his arm around Keely. “Now we get some rest, and then we get to work.”
    “Work?” She had no idea what he was talking about.
    “The Star, Keely. We must find the Star of Artemis and take it back to Atlantis.”
    “The Star,” she repeated. “You know, I‟d almost forgotten about it.”
    Deep voices sounded from inside the temple, and they all reacted instantly, going for weapons. When Ven, Conlan, and Alaric appeared at the entrance, they were greeted by several shotguns and a sword pointed directly at them.
    Keely smiled a little, remembering another surprise entrance. Turnabout was only fair play.
    “We thought we‟d lend a hand,” Ven said cheerfully. “But it looks like you‟ve got things well under control.”
    Alejandro, shotgun pointed at Conlan‟s head, glanced at Justice. “Do you know these men, or shall I propose another barter ?”
    Justice laughed. “No, my friend. These men are . . . my family.”
    Alaric gave them that narrow-eyed stare. “Much more has happened here than is apparent at this time, I think.”
    Conlan inclined his head. “I think you‟re right. Does anybody want to tell us what in the hells has been going on here?”
    Justice and Keely started laughing like loons, and the three Atlanteans looked at them as though they were crazy.
    “I‟ll tell you the story of San Bartolo and the league of extraordinarily vicious vampires,”
    Justice told his