Warriors of Poseidon 03 - Atlantis Unleashed

Justice with a mixture of gladness and wary reserve.
    She knew Justice, knew him more than she‟d even known anyone, in spite of the short time since they‟d actually met. She‟d lived with his presence for years, and she‟d seen the horror of his life and his terrible loneliness through her visions. It wouldn‟t harm anything to let him believe she was completely on his side, no matter what. That she wasn‟t afraid of him.
    She wasn‟t entirely sure that it wasn‟t the truth, anyway. If they could use the Star of Artemis . . .
    “That‟s it. We need to use the Star,” she burst out. “It can help him. I saw it in my vision.”
    Conlan and Ven exchanged glances, and she caught the skepticism.
    “You don‟t believe me.”
    Conlan shook his head. “It‟s not as simple as that. Although there are legends that the Star of Artemis can heal a mind broken by the stress of battle or through some injury or illness, none of us know whether the legends are true. The Star was one of the seven gems scattered to the far reaches of the earth before the Cataclysm. Only two have been returned to us and those only quite recently.”
    “We have no idea where it is,” Ven added. “And although we have a fair idea that you‟re right about the Star, some of the rest of what you‟re telling us is impossible. Nereus could not have had a wife.”
    “I know, I know. Priesthood, celibacy, whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Times change.
    You admit you don‟t know where the Star is. Isn‟t it possible that Poseidon‟s priests used to be able to get married, and you just don‟t know about it? Liam told me that Nereus lived eight thousand years ago. It‟s not exactly like you have eight-thousand-year-old wedding photos lying around, do you?”
    Justice finally relaxed his hold on her, and she gently pulled away from him and began to pace up and down the room, thinking out loud. “Anyway, it‟s not just the Star of Artemis.
    You need to have every one of those gems in order for Atlantis to rise. That is, if you want Atlantis to rise. By the way, what ocean are we underneath? How far down are we? Why haven‟t submarines picked you up with their technology? Or naval aircraft, or even satellite imaging?”
    She looked to Justice, but his gaze had turned inward and his fists were clenched at his side, as though he were fighting another internal battle. She only hoped he‟d continue to win, because she didn‟t want to know what would happen if the Nereid took control. Especially since Justice wore his sword sheathed on his back, the hilt rising behind his shoulder. The Nereid let loose with a sword.
    That would be bad.
    As though he heard her thoughts, Justice smiled at her briefly, reassurance in his eyes. He was trying to let her know that he was winning the battle, so she flashed him a brilliant smile of support and belief in return.
    It wasn‟t all that hard to smile at him, crappy circumstances or not. He was so beautiful it actually hurt to look at him, even in his simple white shirt and dark pants. He looked like he belonged in princely robes or carved in marble and up on a pedestal. She allowed herself to spend a moment simply savoring the sight of him.
    His hair was braided back again and, for a moment, she let herself imagine the tactile pleasure of slowly unbraiding it. Feeling the blue waves slip like silk through her fingers and fall like a curtain over her body.
    Heat washed through her and she abruptly turned to examine one of the walls so that none of them saw her telltale blush. A couple of deep breaths later, she put her game face back on and still wanted those answers. “Well?”
    Conlan took a seat at the table and poured himself a cup of coffee. She noticed he had a large, sturdy mug, not one of the delicate china cups. So maybe that had been the guest china she‟d been served from.
    Or maybe her brain was trying to distract her with trivia to take her mind off the fact that she was arguing with Atlantean royalty underneath the ocean somewhere.
    Way to go, Keely.
    “Those are questions and answers for another time,” Conlan said quietly, but with a hint of steel in his voice. Definitely giving off a “don‟t push your luck” vibe. “We haven‟t survived for millennia by disclosing our secrets so easily, even to such a brilliant scientist as yourself.”
    “Charming, while giving me nothing. You guys are good,” she said, putting a healthy dose of admiration in her voice. No