Hey all! Wow, another update already? I am on a roll. Guess I am just inspired this week. Might as well write while the inspiration is still there, am I right?

Forewarning, the next chapter will likely be the last. I know...I know. This story has run for nearly a year, which is incredible, and I am so grateful for all the support. I mean, we passed 100 reviews! That's amazing!

Since we passed 100 reviews, we will definitely have an epilogue for the story! Thanks for all the support thus far!

Enjoy ~

Try not to cry.

Previously on 'Prince of Atlantis'

Several moments passed in silence, before Jack gritted his teeth, and rose to his feet. With a sudden burst of adrenalin, the prince snarled, and launched himself at Pitch. He was mere feet from the stoic man, before another shot rang out, this time driving deep into Jack's left shoulder, just above the collarbone. The shot sent the prince to his knees once more, and Hiccup cried out again, struggling with all his might against his captors. As the prince clutched his arm, Pitch knelt down in front of him, smirking when he saw the amount of blood. He cupped Jack's chin with his free hand, his amber eyes boring into the prince's own dazed, blue eyes.

"Now." Pitch smiled darkly. "We have to pay your father...a visit."

Chapter 14- In the Eyes of Our King

As the crew marched towards the palace, the citizens of Atlantis watched on in horror, backing away when they saw their prince in one of the soldier's arms, bleeding, and unconscious. Seeing the state of the Atlantean prince, made all the people fear for their lives. As the crew continued to march, silence followed them, only for the few gasps of terror, and the cries of children. Looking around, flanked on both sides by burly soldiers, Hiccup felt his heart break. He had led the crew here. To Atlantis, a city full of innocent people. He had brought a group of mercenaries to an already dying city. Which had resulted in a near fatal casualty. Swallowing, Hiccup looked back at Jack, who lay limply in the arms of the soldier who carried him, unconscious. Whilst Hiccup had been permitted to bandage the wounds, blood spots still showed through the material...and the prince was going to bleed out before Hiccup could save him. The brunette wiped the tears away from his eyes, avoiding the looks from the crew.

Rapunzel...

Tooth...

Even Sandy...

They had all come with one single desire. The desire of fortune. They were here simply for the financial gain, and knowing that he had trusted these people made Hiccup sick to his stomach. Looking up, Hiccup saw that they were near the top of the steps...getting closer to Jack's father.

And...seeing the sinister smile on Pitch's face...

Made Hiccup doubt...

That the king was going to live.

As Bunnymund knelt down, carefully placing explosives against the throne room door, he turned to look at Hiccup, who merely glared, fury burning in his eyes like the demolitions expert had never seen before. Looking away in shame, Bunny stood up, and told the crew to step back. As the man pushed a lever, a loud explosion caused the doors to collapse. The noise made Jack stir, and the prince looked around blearily, before locking eyes with Hiccup, smiled ashamedly at the prince. Pitch led the crew through the doors, and stood on southern end of the throne room. Five guards immediately ran forward, to meet the crew in combat. Smirking, Pitch pulled Jack from the soldier's arm, causing the prince to cry out. As he pushed Jack onto his knees, Hiccup fought to get over to the prince, but was stopped by Gothel, who held a gun to his forehead. Pitch held Jack up by his hair, a gun also pressed to the Atlantean Prince's head, which burned with fever.

Seeing his son, in such a state, the king rose to his feet, clutching his staff. The elderly man called out to his soldiers, voice marked with a harsh tone. The warriors hesitated for a moment, before tossing their weapons into the water, and backing away. Smirking, Pitch continued to drag Jack forward by his hair, the prince cursing loudly, and fighting back, his movements weak and sluggish. Hiccup glared at Gothel, as she held a gun to his head, and prevented him from advancing.

Coming to a stop a few feet away from the king, Pitch tossed Jack to the side, the harsh contact with the ground causing the white haired prince to cry out in pain, and curl in on himself, struggling to look at his father, as blood began to leak from the bandages.

"Be calm, my son." the King spoke in Atlantean, a warm smile crossing his aging face. "It will all..be ok."

After a moment, Pitch held up the torn journal page, and sneered at the king.

"You know why I'm here...your...majesty." Pitch clutched his gun in his other hand, amber eyes staring hauntingly at the king, who stood his ground.

"You seek the crystal." the King spoke calmly, glaring up at Pitch.

"Smart man." Pitch rolled his eyes.

"You will destroy yourselves." the King declared. "The power of the crystal is...too great...to control."

"Maybe I'm not being clear enough." Pitch gritted his teeth.

With no hesitation, Pitch cocked his gun, and fired, shooting the king in the stomach. Jack screamed, and struggled over to his father, who lay gasping on the floor, bubbles of blood forming at the corners of his mouth. The prince stroked his father's forehead tenderly, eyes beginning to pool with tears. Jack, eyes full of hatred, glared up at Pitch, who now held a gun to his head, while the rest of the crew looked on in horror. Rapunzel was beginning to cry, her gun discarded on the floor, whilst the others stood, frozen in shock. Even Gothel had paled slightly.

Hiccup...

He felt helpless...and ashamed, as he felt true terror upon looking at Pitch, and remained frozen in his spot.

"You have until... the count of 10." Pitch knelt down, gun aimed between Jack's eyes, his own amber eyes staring down at the dying king. "And you are going to tell me...where the crystal is..." he took a breath. "10...9...8."

Hiccup finally found his courage, and stood up straight.

"Pitch...don't..." Hiccup pleaded.

"Well, old king cole here...won't tell us where the chamber is." Pitch glared at the brunette.

"I...I can try and figure out where it is." Hiccup swallowed, pulling out the journal. "Please, just...spare him."

After a moment of tense silence, Pitch sighed, before standing up. He looked down, as the king weakened, blood pooling beneath him.

"Very well." Pitch spoke grudginly. He motioned for Hiccup to step forward.

Forcing himself to remain strong, Hiccup walked along, tentatively walking on the stepping stones, which led to the throne. He took the missing page from Pitch, and began reading, concentrating fiercely, stiffening each time he heard Jack try and reassure his father that he was going to be all right.

"Well?" Pitch asked irritably.

"All it says is...the heart of atlantis...lies in the eyes of our king." Hiccup locked eyes with Pitch.

"In the eyes of our king?" Pitch sounded confused.

"That's...that's all it says." Hiccup stuttered.

Marching forward, Pitch snatched the journal from Hiccup, looking at the carefully inked drawings. Cluelessly flipping through the book, Pitch finally focused on the cover. Frowning, he stared at the symbol, before looking over at the dying king. His eyes flickered to the stepping stones, and his eyes widened when he saw the stepping stones were arranged to make the same symbol as the one on the front cover of the Shepherd's Journal.

"This is it." Pitch tossed the journal to Hiccup. "We're in!"

The commander jumped into the pool, and waded over to the centre of the symbol, in the crook of the spiral. Immediately, the ground began to rumble, and Pitch began to sink.

"Bring the prince, Gothel." Pitch called.

Gothel ran over to Jack, and hauled him away from his dying father. Hiccup was forced to follow, the sounds of Jack crying for his father, like a young child, were absolutely heartbreaking, and soon the brunette had begun to cry.

The last thing Hiccup saw before they sunk into the cavern...

Was Tooth...

Frantically running over to the king...

And begging him to stay awake.

The platform that the four were standing on slowly descended, to reveal a huge cavern, with glittering stalactites hanging precariously from the ceiling. Below them, was a large pool of water, the bottom of which could not be seen. The whole cavern felt somewhat tense, and an eerie atmosphere hung over it. None could figure out why, until the platform touched the ground...and they looked up...only to see the Heart of Atlantis...hovering hundreds of feet above their heads. Gasping, Hiccup stepped forward. The crystal was huge, and shone a bright, iridescent blue, with white flame like sparks swirling round it. The crystal was surrounded by stone carvings, almost like faces, which circled the crystal slowly, as if they were watching over it.

Seeing the face carvings, Jack's eyes widened. He dropped to his knees, and bowed his head. Immediately, he began muttering the ancient prayers, out of respect for the kings of the past, whose souls resided in the carvings guarding the crystal.

The prince's actions were somewhat baffling to Pitch, but Hiccup somewhat understood. Awkwardly, Hiccup walked over, and helped Jack up, the prince seeming not to feel pain, in the prescence of the Heart of Atlantis. The brunette gave Jack an encouraging smile, glancing at Gothel and Pitch, who stood, a few feet apart, at the edge of the water. The two mercenaries stared up at the crystal, grinning. Pitch looked down for a moment, and, to see if it would illicit a reaction from the crystal, kicked a loose stone into the water.

Immediately, a large, sinister moan echoed in the cavern, as the crystal's colour deepened, from the bright blue, to a dark, menacing shade of red. The grooves in the carvings of the kings glowed also, and their eyes emmitted beams, spotlights of red, which scoured the cavern in search of the intruders.

Cursing, Hiccup made sure Jack could stand, before making his way over to Pitch...

Unaware that Jack...

Had already been ensnared by the crystal.

Jack looked up, as one of the spotlights fell on him. With the light bearing down on him, he saw his pendant began to float in front of him, the smaller crystal suspended in mid-air. The prince found himself smiling, as the lights returned to their peaceful, shimmering blue. And, as they did so, Jack felt a shiver run up his spine, causing him to stare, once more, at the crystal. Staring intently, Jack heard whispers...of a voice so familiar to him...yet so foreign. It took a moment, but Jack finally recognized the soft, welcoming voice.

"Mother..." Jack breathed in disbelief.

Hiccup gritted his teeth, as he tapped Pitch on the shoulder. The commander turned around to face him. Gothel also looked over. She looked up at the crystal, before returning her gaze to her commander.

"Let's get this over with." Gothel spoke up. "I don't like this place."

"Alright Haddock...what's next?" Pitch enquired.

"Well...there's a crystal hovering 150 feet above our heads, over a bottomless pit of water. I...I don't know what we do next. All the journal says is that the crystal is their...their deity. It's their life force."

"How do we move it?" Pitch gritted his teeth.

"I don't know how to move it!" Hiccup spat back. "I don't even know what's...what's holding it up there..."

Hiccup's voice trailed off, as Jack began walking towards them, eyes fixated on the crystal, glazed over, and completely blank. The prince's pendant hovered in front of him, as the blue spotlight remained fixed on the prince. Oblivious to the three near him, Jack continued walking forwards, towards the edge of the water.

Heart skipping a beat, Hiccup went to step forward, until Pitch stopped him. The brunette glared up at the vicious commander.

"Hold your horses...loverboy." Pitch sneered.

As Jack paused at the water's edge, surrounded by the light of the crystal, Pitch turned to Hiccup, who seemed equally mystified at what was occurring.

"Talk to me, Haddock." Pitch glared. "What's happening?"

"I don't know." Hiccup admitted, looking back down at the book. "Look...it only says that the crystal is..alive somehow. I don't know...it's their deity...it's their life force!"

"Speak english." Pitch sighed irritably.

"They're a part of the crystal...it's a part of them...I don't know!" Hiccup shouted. "I am doing the best I can here!"

"Do better." Pitch clicked his gun.

Seeming to sense the commotion behind him, Jack turned, his eyes and expression as if he were in a trance. In a monotone voice, seemingly mixed with other, unknown voices, he spoke to Hiccup, ancient Atlantean words floating into the air.

"All will be well...Hiccup...be not afraid."

"What did he say?" Pitch asked.

"I...I don't know." Hiccup lied, looking down. "I didn't catch it."

Jack slowly turned around, until he was looking up at the crystal once more. As he stared, he stepped forward with one foot...over the water.

As he stepped down, Hiccup reached for him...

Only to look on in shock...

As the Prince began to walk across the water, walking on it as easily as solid ground, his delicate footsteps creating small ripples in the water. The shimmering water seemed to guide Jack forward, keeping him from sinking into the depths below.

As Jack drew closer to the crystal, it's beams seemed to be increasing in intensity, soon growing so bright they were hard to look at, dangerous, yet hauntingly beautiful.

Hiccup, Pitch, and Gothel, looked on in stunned silence.

After moments of silence, Jack came to stand under the crystal, directly beneath it as it slowly turned in its cycle. The flickering light of the crystal dappled shadows onto Jack's tanned skin, as if caressing him, reassuring the prince that it meant no harm. Sensing the presence of royal blood, the crystal began to turn faster, the beams drawing closer to Jack.

The spotlights drew together, growing closer...until...they converged into one, a blast of light shining out, so bright and pure.

The singular beam now centered on Jack. Raw power emanated from the crystal, as if drawing on the prince's energy.

The blue light brightened, before it pulsed, causing the beam to expand in a sphere of glowing light. Jack's eyes closed as he gasped, the power filling his veins, and finally overwhelming his consciousness.

An invisible current of air began to swirl in the cavern, causing the carvings to move outwards, slowly moving away from the crystal.

With no words to say, Hiccup watched in nervous anticipation.

As the final carving moved away...

The crystal...glowed brighter.

In a mixture of wonder and horror, Hiccup watched as Jack's feet left the water, his body slowly turning, silk robes flowing in the air, as he rose upwards, towards the crystal, as the sphere of energy beckoned him.

Finally...Jack reached the height of the crystal...

And was absorbed into it.

Hiccup didn't even have time to register his shock, before the carvings began to cycle around the crystal once more, this time growing ever faster, until they and the crystal were but a blur above the water. The many shades of blue, and white, purifying light, converged together as the crystal remained a blur, diminishing in size as the carvings continued their circling mantra, almost hypnotizing in their frantic movements.

For a time, it seemed as if the carvings would not stop...

Until...

Moments later...

They finally began to slow, the carvings edging away from the ball of light, that hovered where the crystal once shone. Brightening, the light gradually began to clear...revealing...Jack.

Even from a distance, Hiccup knew something was wrong. Jack seemed to have merged from his crystal- his body shining as if it were made of the substance, energy glowing, and sparking within him, in a hypnotizing array of colours, physical sparks like lightning bolts springing into existence around him.

Once the sparks...had gotten under control...

Jack slowly descended to the water's surface once more.

As his feet delicately touched the water's surface, the glow of the crystal began to surround him, in a protective bubble, keeping him safe as the carvings, all light gone, began to fall towards the pool of glistening water.

The noise of the carvings crashing into the water was deafening, and the shocks of the collision even startled those on the surface.

Yet...Jack remained silent, and calm...

As the prince reached the edge of the water, Pitch reached out, in wonder, to touch the prince's crystallized body...only to be stopped by Hiccup.

"Don't..." Hiccup warned.

"Don't...what, Haddock?" Pitch threatened.

Hiccup swallowed, as he looked at Jack, who stood still, eyes blank, and without emotion. It was, as Hiccup realised that Jack...had become the crystal...that the brunette simultaneously knew...that Jack...was no longer with them.

Shaking, Hiccup found the courage to speak again.

"Don't...touch him..."