Warriors of Poseidon 03 - Atlantis Unleashed

did she? Her own mind was becoming as divided as his was.
    A knock on the door saved her from any further internal examination, and she opened it to find a silver-haired woman wearing a simple belted cotton dress and comfortable shoes. She had one hand on a wheeled cart. A housekeeper, perhaps.
    “I‟ve fresh clothes and a tray of coffee and juice for you, my lady,” the woman said, smiling.
    “That‟s wonderful. Thank you so much. And it‟s Keely, please. Just Keely.”
    Keely held the door open, trying not to bliss out at the lovely aromas, as the woman rolled the silver cart into the room. There was definitely some delicious coffee in Atlantis, so one worry at least was resolved.
    “I‟m sure you‟d like to freshen up, Keely,” the housekeeper said, warmth in her voice and smile. “I‟ll return in half an hour to escort you to the princes.” She pointed to an inset panel on the wall, and the second button on it. “Just push this if you need anything further before then.”
    With more smiles and nods, the housekeeper left the room, closing the door behind her.
    Keely spent several minutes enjoying a couple of cups of coffee with plenty of sugar and cream swirled into the rich depths while she stared out the window, taking in all of the wonders of the view. Again and again, her gaze was drawn to the dome that covered the entire city. It was awe-inspiring. Whether magic or technology had fashioned it, it was simply amazing. The force of pressure of the water that must bear down on it, day after day . . .
    Well. There were certain things a girl didn‟t need to freak out about before she had a shower.
    Sometime later, showered, caffeinated, and feeling almost human again, she checked out the clothes. Remarkably, they were all her size or close to it. She chose a simple green shirt and tan pair of pants and pulled her own boots back on over a clean pair of socks, putting aside all the lovely dresses and skirts and other frilly clothes the housekeeper had brought. It made her feel more in control to dress in something akin to her standard work uniform. She‟d learned early on that nobody took seriously a scientist who wore lace or frills.
    Of course her gloves were safely in place. Even touching something as neutral as the walls in a place this ancient would likely send her into a trance.
    The housekeeper returned, as promised, and led her through corridors whose walls were covered with the most glorious tapestries she‟d ever seen. She‟d love the opportunity to spend hours, or even days, studying them.
    Later, perhaps. If they‟d let her.
    When they arrived at a door guarded by two somber-faced warriors, the housekeeper knocked and then ushered her into the same room she and Justice had wound up in the night before.
    Conlan and Ven were already there.
    “Please be welcome. I trust your rest was undisturbed?” Conlan said, bowing slightly.
    “Honestly, a train could have roared through the room and I probably wouldn‟t have noticed,”
    she admitted, grinning. “I was pretty tired. I‟d had a little excitement, you know.”
    Ven grinned back at her. “Way to bounce back, Doc. You‟re my kind of scientist, I can tell.”
    He gestured to the laden side table. “Please help yourself to breakfast. We‟ve already eaten.”
    “Riley sends her regrets, but she is having a difficult time with the pregnancy, and Erin is with her, as well,” Conlan said.
    “I‟m sorry to hear that,” Keely said. “Riley is your wife?”
    “She will soon be my lady wife and queen, yes. Evidently we are having a priest or an Elvis,”
    he said dryly, but the warmth in his voice and the heat in his eyes told her that Riley was very loved, indeed.
    A tiny twinge of regret pinged deep inside Keely‟s chest. No man had ever looked that way when he‟d talked about her.
    She shook it off. She wasn‟t usually so sentimental. Must be something about being in Cinderella‟s castle that made her think about Prince Charming.
    Or Prince Tall, Blue-Haired, and Deadly.
    While she ate, they pored over maps on the long table, speaking quietly and casting the occasional glance at her. Keely dove into the food like the starving woman she was. When the roar in her stomach faded down to a warm rumble of contentment, she took another sip of coffee and then carefully placed her fragile, almost translucent china cup on the table, resisting the urge to turn it over and examine it like one of her ancient artifacts.
    Anyway, artifact