The brunette glanced over her shoulder as she continued her steady trek through the forest. Her parents and siblings were just out of sight behind her, though their loud chatter carried forward to her easily. Peyton King returned her attention to the rocky path before her and increased her pace; it was almost sunset, and she knew they'd want to turn around soon to avoid hiking back to the car in the dark. But the smell and sound of the ocean were so strong she almost felt as though she was swimming in it, and she couldn't bear leaving without getting a glimpse.
Within minutes the trees began thinning and finally Peyton emerged from the tree line to find herself at the edge of a short cliff, the ocean sprawling before her as it glittering with the reflection of the setting sun. She allowed herself a deep, satisfied breath as she perched herself on the cliff's brink, legs dangling, to wait for the others to catch up. The gentle crashing of the waves close below soothed her and Peyton wanted nothing more than to let the sea lull her to sleep. A sharp crack, followed by several more, jolted her from the fog of contentment as the earth shifted around her.
'Earthquake,' was her only thought before the cliffside beneath her gave out and she was plunging down into the water below. Her skin stung as she made impact, knocking the breath out of her so that she floated stunned for a moment before gathering her wits and surfacing. A quick scan of the cliff before her appeared to reveal smooth rock with little opportunity to climb, though the final fading rays of sun provided so little light that she couldn't be certain. 'What have I gotten myself into?' Peyton cursed her bad luck before calling to her family. But as she again scanned the dim cliffside she found the current had already pulled her several hundred feet from where she fell in. It would be impossible for her parents to find her in the darkness, even with the light of the rising moon. She knew her best bet would be to find a place to wait for the Coast Guard, as they would inevitably be called to find her and even she couldn't swim forever.
A shimmering light caught her eye and she swam closer to find a hole in the cliff submerged about two yards underwater. The light seemed to be coming from inside the hole itself, and as she swam even closer to see it better Peyton realized with horror that it was beginning to suck her towards it. She had only enough time to hold her breath before she was pulled under and in. The light grew brighter as she was pulled further in, and she quickly discovered that what she'd taken at first to be a small cave was instead a long, narrow passageway. Her lungs were burning by the time the walls around her widened and the current suddenly disappeared, allowing her to surface coughing. Fresh air filled her lungs and Peyton peered around to find herself in a large cavern of natural rock with a circular hole in the ceiling. This proved to be the source of the light that had piqued her curiosity, as the hole let in the light of the full moon, which the clouds shifted to reveal directly overhead.
The water around her began to bubble as the moonlight hit it, glowing water droplets rising in the air around her as the skin above her heart was filled with searing pain. Naturally, she screamed and swam over to the rocky ledge that ringed the pool of water, pulling herself up and onto the sandy floor just as the water returned to normal and the moon lost its alignment with the circular opening. Peyton scrambled back until she rested against the rock wall of the cavern, maintaining a watchful glare at the now-placid pool. She waited until her breathing had sufficiently steadied to chance a peek under her shirt at her stinging chest. Much of the skin there was raised, red, and aggravated, surrounding a metallic gold design consisting of an elaborate trident and shell set inside of three rings, a sparkling gem embedded into her skin in the center. Peyton cautiously traced it with her finger before her attention was ripped away to be redirected at the disturbed surface of the moon pool.
Upon the surfacing of the creature's head, Peyton promptly fainted.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this! It was inspired by TempDuLoupe's incredible fic, Creating Atlantis. I highly recommend it :)
Much love, Miss Luxe