Hey It's been some time but I'm back. I'm trying to update more regularly. No promises however.
Disclaimer: I still don't own the characters. That's something that isn't going to change anytime soon.
Chapter 3: Atlantis
The sun had steadily risen over the time of their journey over the sparkling water. By now it was so high in the sky that it wouldn't be much longer until it started its descent again.
Seto had ridden on horseback before but that couldn't be compared to riding on Mizu. The hippocamp had been slowly trotting the whole time and didn't seem the least bit exhausted, considering that it had been hours.
The way he, for the lack of a better word, 'walked' was entrancing. He didn't just per se 'walk' over the waves, with each step his hooves sunk into the water up to his ankle. However the second his hooves touched it, it seemed to wind up around his legs, when he lifted them again the liquid sloshed back into the ocean.
There was another thing that was keeping Seto's gaze captured. It was Joey, where his body was covered by the ocean it almost looked like it dissolved into the liquid. However that applied only for the edges of it, the rest remained solid.
The nymph had mostly been talking to the hippocamp. At least that was what the brunet assumed.
The silence, that lasted while they traveled the vast space of water, was broken by Joey's laughing. Seto swept his gaze from the horizon to the blond, only raising an eyebrow as reaction.
As he stopped laughing he turned his head around to look in the humans face a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. Noticing the unspoken question in Seto's eyes he decided it would be best to answer it without further ado.
"Mizu asked how it comes that a human and a nymph are traveling together. So I told him a little about myself and the few things I knew about ya. When I came to the riddle part he told me one that's popular among hippocamps. It's really difficult so I kinda wondered if ya could solve it."
Never one to not accept a challenge Seto nodded. "I'm listening."
Giving a smile the blond began.
"Thirty-two white horses on a red hill
First they grind,
Then they stomp,
And then again they stand still."
Mizu gave neigh that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Seto had to admit that it really was a difficult riddle but nothing he couldn't solve.
The horses obviously weren't real ones but what were they? Grind, stomp, standing still… Was the key to the riddle the red hill? What did it mean? Red and white. Wait! The number, it was the key. Thirty-two white somethings on a red thing. On… on… In! He got it!
"The solution is teeth." Joey almost looked disappointed that Seto was able to solve it. And that he hadn't needed nearly half the time he had spent pondering over the riddle before he had come up with the right solution.
Even Mizu's snickering, that had gone on over the entire time the brunet had thought about the right solution, came to an abrupt halt.
"I suppose I was right then." Seto had a smug smile adorning his lips. As far as anyone could see, Joey's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Yeah ya hit bulls eye on the first try."
The brunet was just about to ask how long it had taken the blond to figure out the right answer, when Mizu suddenly snapped his head upwards. His gaze as well as Joey's followed the motion and what they saw had Seto clenching his jaw so he didn't drop it and Joey smiling in glee.
Though blurred, the shape of a giant city was clear visible against the light blue color of the sky. "We're almost there." The blond exclaimed with joy. He was right it couldn't be more than half an hour until they would reach those enormous gates that were the only visible entrance to the city.
Though nobody mentioned it, Seto was pretty sure it had to be Atlantis. There weren't that many cities that resided in the middle of an ocean.
With the sight of their destination right in front of them their pace picked up a little. That was when Seto remembered something he had heard from sailors before. "Joey, I don't want to worry you but isn't it the case that humans are not allowed in Atlantis."
The blond only blinked up at him. He didn't seem like he had thought of that before, or was concerned about it in the least. "Ah, I'm pretty sure the guards won't notice that yer a human."
Seto couldn't believe it. Did the nymph really think that the guards of Atlantis were incompetent fools?
Joey, who had noticed the unbelieving look on the brunets face tried to assure him. "Yeah, it's not like they're runnin' scans or anythin'. They'll only take a look at ya and that's it. Ya are handsome enough to pass as a nymph or nix or somethin'."
Seto wanted to protest but his attempt was shot down by the nymphs continued rambling. "And if they ask why ya are ridin' on a hippocamp, we're just gonna say that yer a naiad and that the salt water's not good for ya."
They were nearing the grand gates. Seto was now able to spot the guards and even from the still rather large distance he could tell that they didn't look like humans. They were some kind of cross between human and fish. He really wasn't sure what kind of fish. To complete the look of intelligent fish they were wearing armor. And same as with Mizu's it looked quite fancy.
The brunet started to tense up when they crossed the gates but true to Joey's word they only gave a bored looking glance and then continued to stare at the ocean.
Finally relaxing Seto took in the sight before him fully. The gates they just crossed, along with the attached wall only made up the outer ring. Between the first houses and the wall was water. He assumed that it continued around the whole city. Beside the gates had been platforms where the guards had stood on.
Ripping his eyes from the sight before him he turned to look what Joey's reaction was. The blond had the same big eyes that even Mizu sported. They were fixed to the white buildings on the side of what seemed to be the main road of the city. It let straight through it. On the end of it was a building that strongly resembled a palace that a human king would build, even though Seto had never seen one of such big size on his journey before.
But even more intriguing were the people that wandered the streets. A lot of them looked at least to some aspects like the guards at the gates but there were human looking creatures too, most likely nymphs of all kinds. There were even some with a fin instead of legs.
Joey ripped himself from all the, mostly aquatic, magical creatures. He hadn't seen so much different ones in one place before.
He focused on where he swam just in time, if he had taken one minute longer he would have crashed on the steps that rose out of the water. He lifted himself on the first step and turned around only to see that Mizu had seen the stairs as well and was carefully climbing them.
After they came to a halt at the top of the stairs Seto dismounted the hippocamp. Turning around towards the nymph he asked. "So, where to next?"
Thinking for the first time about the question what they were supposed to do the blonde had to admit that he wasn't too sure about the answer. "Uhm… I guess she told me once were she lived so…"
Becoming annoyed because Joey didn't seem to know what they should do, Seto frowned. "You're telling me you never were here before and that you don't have the slightest clue where she lives?"
"It couldn't be that hard. I'm goin' to find it even if I haven't been here before." With that Joey began walking off in some, not only for the brunet but for himself as well, random direction.
xOx
They were lost. It had been clear an hour ago that the nymph lost his way and only kept walking to save his pride. It had been enough so Seto snapped. "Just admit that you're lost!"
"I'm not. I know exactly where I'm goin'." Even though Joey knew that his companion was right, he wasn't going to admit that.
"Oh, really. Then how comes that this is not the second but already the fifth time we walked by that fountain." The fountain in question was a beautifully crafted one that showed a man holding a trident riding a carriage that was being pulled by several hippocamps. Seto was pretty sure that it was supposed to be Poseidon.
Both the brunet and the nymph had stopped walking by now. "Well maybe there're just a lot of fountains that look like this one." Seto really shouldn't complain at least Joey was doing something to improve the current situation.
"Yes, of course that must be the case. They purposefully broke of the left leg on the foremost hippocamp on every fountain we have come across so far!"
"Maybe they did. You've never been here before how would ya know they didn't!" The blond had had enough of Seto's arrogant way of talking. He certainly wasn't going to back down.
"Neither have you!"
Mizu, who until now only had been standing on the sideline watching silently as Seto and Joey held their little dispute, decided that it was time for him to break these two, in his eyes idiots, apart. However before Mizu was able to intervene someone else did.
"Joey! What in Poseidon's name are you doing here?" Startled by the sudden interruption of their dispute both males turned towards the female voice, in front of them stood a blond woman.
Her hair reached down to the middle of her back and was slightly curled. Instead of hands and feet she had claws and expanding from her arms were feathery wings.
"Mai!" Joey obviously recognized the other blond. Seto assumed that she must be the acquaintance that was the reason for their presence in Atlantis.
The nymph ran up to the harpy and gave her a hug, which she returned. "Now tell me what you want here in Atlantis Joey."
Releasing the other blond from his bear hug Joey spoke up. "We were lookin' for ya."
Seto and Mizu who by now had moved closer to the blonds were able to see Mai's raised eyebrow. "We?"
However before the nymph could answer here she cut him off. "I have the feeling that this is going to be a long story, so how we continue this somewhere that isn't in the middle of the street."
All three travel companions gave a nod.
"Good. Now follow me. Introductions can wait until we're at my place. It isn't too far away."
"Ha! So I wasn't walkin' in the wrong direction after all." Joey cried triumphantly.
"Maybe not, but you were walking in circles nonetheless." Seto had a smug smile on his face and with this he began walking after Mai.
Following the harpy as well Joey mumbled. "He always has to have the last word, hasn't he."
Mizu gave an amused snort and started trotting after them as well.
I hope you had fun reading. I tried my best with the bickering of Seto and Joey, if it isn't any good some advice on how to make it better is appreciated.
Until the next time.