Joined (The Secret World Of Atlantis 4)

Chapter 3 - The Threat Of All Threats

The moment Elena offers the scroll to me, I stand up, glancing between her and my cousins. “Thank you. All of you. I am immensely grateful for your assistance. I hope we’re right about this,” I say, earning myself some confused glances.

“Not a problem, but might I ask where you’re going with that?” Demitri wants to know, glancing at Eros as he begins to stand up as well.

“To my father,” I explain shortly, visibly calming them down.

“Well, that is actually a very good idea,” Elena remarks, a small smile appearing on her face. It’s like she’s feeling a bit safer because the King will know about the upcoming threat too. I smile back.

“I know. It’s the only way we’ll be prepared,” I respond, waving at them shortly. “We’ll see you guys at lunch,” I then add, leaving only as they all greet us in return.

As Eros and I are leaving the library, I can’t help but feel a little nervous. What if father won’t believe me? I haven’t told him about that first prophecy after all. What if he laughs into my face the moment, I mention it? I breathe out in frustration, making Eros take my hand.

You are worrying way too much. Again. You know your father would never laugh at something so grave. He takes you seriously. If he didn’t, then he wouldn’t order the Guardians to capture Zara either, he tries to calm me down. But the mention of that traitor makes goosebumps stand up at the back of my neck.

We haven’t talked about her since the night she was captured. She spent the first one in the dungeons of the Palace, but early the next morning she was taken to the Courthouse’s prison. Some of Dairelis’s Guardians have been ordered to guard her cell night and day to ensure she doesn’t escape. I truly hope her trial will take place soon. I haven’t been able to sleep properly ever since she was captured.

I truly hope you’re right, I respond to Eros, my stomach feeling like it’s tied into a giant clump of knots. He pulls me closer to his side, letting go of my hand to throw his arm around my shoulders. It’s incredibly comforting to be so close to him, I’ve been feeling cold since I mentioned Teivel in the library. I hate the effect he has on me. How am I going to fight him if I can’t even stand thinking of his name without shivering?

He’s tortured you, Arya. It’s only natural to feel that way, Eros assures me, but I’m not that convinced. I notice he avoids using the word he truly meant, in order not to throw me off guard. But he doesn’t need to babysit me like that.

You might as well say it. I’m afraid. I’m not scared of admitting that, you know, I retort, letting out a shaky breath. He pulls me even closer to his side, rubbing my forearm as if trying to warm me up a bit.

I don’t want you to be afraid. We will prepare ourselves for the fight against him. And I will do anything to have you stand in front of him proudly when the time comes. Even if I would rather not have you deal with him at all. I desperately want you to be somewhere safe, even if I know you are never going to agree to that, he says in response.

I look up at him with a determined gaze, trying to keep my fear in check. That you’re right about. I won’t have everyone else risking their lives for our Kingdom, while I sit inside the Palace, waiting to either live or die, I declare, the voice inside my head sounding determined, despite being scared like I’ve just been to Tartarus and back.

Eros watches me with a mixture of pride and despair on his face, before pressing a soft kiss on the top of my head. That’s exactly why I love you so much … Even if I would rather take you to the end of the world, if it meant you would be safe, he remarks. But he knows I won’t change my mind, no matter how badly he wishes it.

In that moment, we reach the hallway that leads to my father’s office. And the knots inside me suddenly tighten themselves. I truly hope father is inside, and that he has some spare time to listen to me.

As I raise my hand, I can notice it trembling slightly, before I clench it into a fist and knock onto the wood. I wait patiently, my other arm now looped through Eros’s. Not even a moment later, a well-armed Guardians opens the door for us, bowing slightly as he steps aside to let us in.

Father is just writing something feverishly, his hand moving across the papyrus in a quick motion. He looks up, smiling at sight of us. “Hello, children. What can I help you with?” he asks, as he turns his gaze back down, continuing to scribe whatever he’s been writing before we’ve interrupted him.

“Er …” I begin, then clear my throat nervously. I get even more anxious as father continues moving his hand across the scroll, not raising his gaze from it.

Just say it. He will listen, if you say anything more than what you just did, Eros encourages me. Well, easier said than done. What am I even supposed to say? Oh, father, I’ve been approached by the Gods with a prophecy, that speaks of an impending doom! You might want to say that in a different way, my bonded suggests, making me grind my teeth together in panic. Like I don’t know that.

“Okay, father, could you please look at me? I’ll never get it out otherwise,” I plead silently. But he stops what he’s doing immediately, slowly lifting his gaze towards me. He puts the feather down, leaning back in his seat.

“I’m listening,” he declares, openly gesturing for me to speak up. I breathe out in relief, now that I know that he has his full attention on me. I could never repeat that twice, if it turned out he didn’t hear it properly the first time.

“Thank you,” I mutter under my breath, before striding to the desk, unrolling the scroll I’ve been clutching in my hand. It’s a little wrinkled, but he can still clearly make out all the written words. “While I was on Earth, I’ve had a dream … Well, not exactly a dream. The Gods summoned my soul to Olympus and spoke to me … They gave me this prophecy and told me that it’s very important. I didn’t think of it much at the time, because I’ve had other worries, but as soon as Eros and I came back to Atlantis, I couldn’t ignore it any longer, because one part of it already came true,” I begin. I already take a deep breath to continue explaining, when father lifts his hand, his expression shocked.

“Your bond disappearing,” he guesses immediately, his eyes averted into the scroll. He then lifts his gaze to see both of us nodding.

“So … You believe me?” I ask, my eyes wide with surprise. Eros seems just as fazed as I am, I can feel it through the bond. Father offers me a sad smile, that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Your mother has encountered quite a few of those in her life, too. And it seems like the tradition is continuing with you,” he explains. I find myself at loss for words. “She’s had a few encounters with the Gods as well,” he then continues, making me feel like my eyes are going to bulge out any minute.

“You never told me that,” I retort, completely stunned by that revelation. Father shrugs, glancing at the scroll again, before turning his gaze back to me.

“We didn’t have much chance to talk, did we?” he responds, the sadness reflecting deep inside his gaze. I put a determined look on my face.

“We didn’t. But we can still turn that around,” I say, making his eyes glisten a bit more happily. “So, you’re saying that you fully believe anything I will say now?” I ask, biting my lip nervously.

His face darkens suddenly, shaking his head. The knots inside my stomach seem like they’re going to burst, until father finally opens his mouth, saying: “You don’t need to tell me anything. I’ve already read one of the possible solutions. And if what it says is true, it’s a good thing I’ve demanded for Zara to be heavily guarded.”

I breathe out in relief, but at the same time anxiety starts squeezing my chest together. “Father … If you’re familiar with prophecies, then you must know, that you can never prevent them from happening,” I speak up, my hands trembling slightly. His gaze is serious, as he stares at me for a long moment, before nodding.

Zara is the snake in the third verse. At least that’s what we’ve come up with after changing the explanations. We’ve never changed that part, because with Flora apologizing, and Zara betraying the whole Kingdom, there truly was no other snake. At least not one that we knew of. But we don’t know what dark she might be avoiding. I have a feeling it might be death, but we won’t know for sure, until her trial. That said …

“When is she being sentenced?” I ask father next, a troubled expression appearing on his face.

“You know there’s going to be a trail first … But it’s coming up in two days. I couldn’t get a quicker date, because the Court is quite busy with other crimes in these times,” he answers, and I nod.

“Good. If it’s possible, send even more Guardians to the prison. She needs to be watched at all times. Even if she has those magic blocking handcuffs on. You can never be too careful with her,” I suggest, making father nod solemnly, then waving one of the Guardians closer to us.

I share a worried glance with Eros. I thought I am going to be scared if father won’t believe my words, but now it turned out exactly the opposite. The way he’s taking this so seriously, has me on the edge of screaming and running somewhere far away, where no Teivel or Zara will ever find me again. I let out a soft sigh. And to think I once saw myself as a normal teenage girl.