Warriors of Poseidon 03 - Atlantis Unleashed

jungle
    Justice opened his eyes when the sensation of falling through a vortex faded. Bright sunlight shone down in patches through a thick cover of trees. The verdant jungle surrounded them, lush with thickly crowding plant life.
    For a few seconds, utter silence surrounded them, but then the native wildlife evidently decided he and Keely were no threat, despite their unusual arrival. Several species of birds trilled, sang, and scolded them for the disruption, and he heard at least one family group of monkeys chattering excitedly nearby.
    Keely still clung to him, her eyes tightly closed, and he had no desire to move away from her.
    He slowly stroked her back from nape to waist, and the feel of her lithe body trembling against his was enough to harden his cock to the point of pain.
    He had to have her. Soon. Desperate need shook through him, and he pulled her to him more tightly. He had never needed anything more than he needed the feel of her naked body underneath him, welcoming him as he plunged into her.
    But he couldn‟t take the chance. His hold on the Nereid was growing ever more precarious, and the Nereid‟s desires were darker. Rougher. Not anything he would ever do to Keely. His Keely.
    She opened her eyes and looked up at him, and the awareness in her eyes nearly broke him in two. She knew he wanted her, in the way a woman always knows. One word from her, and he would be lost.
    So he must prevent her from saying that one word.
    “We‟re here,” he said harshly, releasing her and stepping back. “Wherever here is.”
    She blinked up at him, and a flash of hurt crossed her features. But her words were strictly professional. “You were aiming for northeast Guatemala, and from the heat and the looks of this jungle, I think we made it.”
    They scanned their surroundings but saw nothing in view that would indicate any ruins or dig site. The fierce heat beat at them like a physical force; breathing was like drawing air through a wet blanket.
    “Well,” Keely said, shrugging, “it was probably too much to ask that you‟d somehow transport us directly to the mural. You‟re just learning how to do this, after all. Think of the pancakes. At least you brought us to the jungle instead of bringing the jungle to us.”
    She smiled at him, and the force of it punched into his chest. He tensed, waiting for the Nereid to react, but the other half of his soul was either exhausted or in hiding and was blessedly silent for a change.
    “Can you feel it? You said the Star of Artemis was of Nereid origin. Is there some way you can do some Atlantean or Nereid magic and scan the area? I know I‟m probably reaching, but I have no idea exactly what you can do. If there‟s some way we can orient ourselves toward San Bartolo and get an idea of how far away it is, that would be a good thing. Especially since we have no food or water. It‟s somewhere between the high nineties and maybe a hundred and five degrees, I‟d guess, and we‟ll get dehydrated fast.”
    Justice nodded and tried to send his senses out into the jungle to detect the Star of Artemis.
    But it didn‟t work. Every bit of power he possessed, both Atlantean and Nereid, had been drained over the past few days.
    Calling on every ounce of stubbornness he had, he pushed harder. Forced his mind to wring reserves of power he‟d never used before and channel it to his purposes. He felt something in his brain twist and buckle, and a thundering headache caught his skull in a vise grip. But underneath the pain a tiny pulse of awareness flickered. Somehow, he knew what it was.
    “I found it,” he told Keely. “I found the Star, and I know where we have to go. It‟s going to be quite a walk, but we can probably make it in a day or so, unless my reserves of energy come back sooner and I can use the matter transference technique again.”
    Keely stared at him steadily, as though taking his measure. Whatever she saw evidently reassured her, because she nodded decisively. “I‟ve walked through jungles before, but never without drinking water. We‟ll have to take it slow and easy until you get your strength back and can at least bring us some water bottles and something to eat.”
    “I should be able to do something about the water soon,” he said confidently, in spite of the fact he had no idea how soon his powers would replenish—if ever. Keely didn‟t need to know how unsure he was of the Nereid magics. She had enough courage for any warrior, but there