Delsa Oneshots

by hiccups-are-better

This is a series of Delsa (Danny Phantom x Young!Elsa) oneshots. I do take requests, suggestions, and constructive criticism if you have any. If not, just enjoy! Cover Art by iesnoth.

41. Atlantis

Hey guys! Didn't expect to hear from me again? And so soon? What's going on? Well, I kept SPARTAN-626 waiting for so long for their request that I decided to surprise them with another one of their ideas. I hope you like the way it turned out! Enjoy!

"…in a single day and night of misfortune, the island of Atlantis disappeared into the depths of the sea."

Plato 360 B.C.

Washington D.C. 1914

"Good afternoon gentlemen," a young woman said as she stood in front of the room at a podium and a chalkboard, "First of all, I would like to thank the board for taking the time to here my proposal," she smiled as she straightened her skirts, "Now, we've all heard of the legend of Atlantis. A continent somewhere in the mid atlantic that was home to an advanced civilization, possessing technology far beyond our own that, according to our friend Plato, was suddenly struck by some cataclysmic event that sank it beneath the sea."

The blonde then pulled up a few slide cards to show, "Now, some of you may ask why Atlantis? It's just a myth isn't it? Pure fantasy. Well, that is where you'd be wrong. Ten thousand years, before the Egyptians built the pyramids, Atlantis had electricity, advanced medicine, even the power of flight. Impossible you say?" she shook her head, "Well, no, not for them. Numerous cultures all over the globe agree that Atlantis possessed a power source of some kind, more powerful than steam, than coal, more powerful than our modern industrial inventions."

She looked back out into the room, "Gentleman, I propose we find Atlantis, find that power source and bring it back to the surface," she pulled out another slide with a book page on it, "Now this is a page from an illuminated text that describes a book called the Shepherd's Journal, said to have been a firsthand account of Atlantis and its exact whereabouts.

The young woman moved to the chalkboard where some ancient Norse was written along with a translation that read "Coast of Ireland."

"Now, based on a century old translation of an old Norse text, historians believe the journal resides in Ireland," she bent down to point at the writing on an old Viking shield, "But after comparing the text to the runes on this Viking shield, I found that one of the letters had been mistranslated. So," she reached up and erased the "r" on the board, "By changing this letter and inserting the correct one, we find that the Shepherd's Journal, the key to finding Atlantis resides, not in Ireland, but in Iceland," she took a piece of chalk and wrote a "c" in place of the "r."

"Pause for effect," she smiled for a moment before turning to her audience, "Gentlemen, I'll take your questions now."

Suddenly a phone began to ring from behind the chalkboard. "Um," the young woman looked back out at the crowd, "Would you gentlemen excuse me for a moment?" She turned to the chalkboard and tried to find a way around it. Seeing no other option, she jumped onto it and let it swing back and land on a table so he was now lying horizontally on the chalkboard.

She picked up the telephone and held the cone to her ear while speaking into the phone, "Cartography and linguistics, Elsa Arendal speaking." Her proud look faded as the person on phone spoke to her, "Yes, just a moment."

She set the phone down and jumped off the board. She reached up and turned on the light to reveal a boiler room with scrolls, ancient talismans and other things like that. She walked over to the boiler, turned a few knobs, hit it with wrench before returning to the phone.

"How's that? Is that better?" she asked, "Mhm, you're welcome."

She got off the chalkboard and turned back to her "audience" with a bright smile, "Now, as you can see by this ma-" she stopped when she saw that the chalk had come off of the board and onto her skirt. She moved so she was standing at the board so the map was complete, "This, um, map that I've drawn, I've plotted the route to take myself and a crew to the southern coast of Iceland to retrieve the journal."

The clock on the wall then chimed four. Elsa smiled and brushed herself off. "Showtime," she grabbed her scrolls and books, "Well, this is it. I'm finally getting out of the dungeon." She paused when her eye caught something on a table.

It was her older sister's safari hat. She smiled to herself when she looked at the picture of her and her sister when they were younger. "Wish me luck Anna," she said before her mail tube rattled and spit out a message. Elsa reached over to pick up the tube and pull out a piece of paper. "Dear Ms. Arendal," she read aloud, "This is to inform you that your meeting today has been moved up from 4:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. What?"

She paused and looked up at the clock to see that it was five after four. Another message came soon after. She opened it and hurriedly read it, "Dear Ms. Arendal, due to your absence, the board has voted to reject your proposal. Have a nice weekend. Mr. Harcourt's office?"

She crumpled up the paper and threw it away before grabbing her coat. "Oh no," she growled as she marched up the stairs, "Not on my watch."

Elsa frantically searched for the board and turned down the hall where she was supposed to have her meeting. "Mr. Harcourt!" she called when he spotted the short round man. When the board leader turned to run, Elsa was quick to follow him out of the building and to a car.

"Sir, just listen to me," she scrambled to say, "I have evidence and-"

"This museum funds scientific expeditions based on facts, not legends and folklore," Mr. Harcourt interrupted grumpily, "Besides we need you here. What with winter coming, that boiler's going to need a lot of attention."

Elsa raised a brow, "Boiler?" She was pulled out of her thoughts when the car began to drive away. Now she was angry. She has spent years studying science and linguistics. Surely some common respect was due to her. And she would be a month's salary that if she were a man, they would at least listen to her proposal. "Fine then," she called after the car, "I'll quit!"

The car lurched to a stop before reversing and stopping next to the young woman. "I mean it, sir," Elsa's eyes narrowed, "If you neglect to acknowledge my evidence-"

"You'll what? Flush your career down the toilet just like your crazy sister?" Mr. Harcourt sighed, "You're a bright girl, Elsa. You have a lot of potential. Don't throw it away chasing fairytales."

Elsa shook her head, "But all I need is the chance. I can prove Atlantis exists."

"You want to go on an expedition?" the older man tossed a nickel to Elsa, "Here, take a trolley to the Potomac and jump in. Maybe the cold water will clear your head!" With that, the car drove off and down the street.

Elsa huffed in defeat as she turned to go home. When she reached her small apartment, it was dark and raining outside. "Sven," she called, "I'm home." She let out a defeated sigh as she shut the door behind her, "Good day at work, Elsa. You've managed to screw up yet again." But she straightened up when he saw a figure by the window.

"Elsa Iduna Arendal?" a voice asked.

She narrowed her eyes, "Who… Who are you? How did you get in here?"

"I came down the chimney," a male figure sat down on a chair and took his coat off, quirking his brow, "My name is Hans Westerguard. I'm acting on behalf of my employer who has a most intriguing proposition for you. Are you interested?"

Elsa shook her head, still caught on the fact that a stranger had easily broken into her apartment, "Your employer? Who is your employer?"

It was that question that got her dragged into a car and driven out of the city to a large mansion with the name Fendarson printed on the front gate. Once he led her inside, she gawked at the size and luxury of the large house. "Step lively, Mr. Fendarson doesn't like to be kept waiting," Hans said as he led her into an elevator.

He began to straighten Elsa's clothes as the elevator moved. "You will address him as Mr. Fendarson or Sir," he told her, "You will stand unless asked to be seated. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Are we clear?"

Her only answer was a wide eyed look as the elevator came to a stop. "And relax," he purred, closing the elevator doors as Elsa stepped into the room, "He doesn't bite. Often."

Elsa moved into the large room, looking at the walls of books and artifacts that littered the place. But her eyes stopped when she spotted a painting that hung over a lit fireplace. "Anna?" she asked aloud.

"Finest explorer I've ever met," a thick wise voice spoke to her. A tall burly man stepped out from the shadows with a book in his hands. He snapped it shut and held out his hand, "Leonidas Fendarson, but you can call me Frostbite, pleasure to meet you Elsa."

The young woman took it, "You too. Did you really know my sister?"

Frostbite nodded, "Oh yeah. Anna Arendal. We met in the mountains of Norway. Been friends ever since. I got dragged into some of her foolish expeditions. The girl was mad but she spoke of you often."

"Funny, she never mentioned you," Elsa raised a brow, "Sir, should I be wondering why I'm here?"

Frostbite shrugged before nodding towards the center of the room, "Look on that table."

Elsa made her way over as the older man went back to browsing the shelves. She picked up a package that sat on an end table near a sofa. "It's from my sister," she said aloud, reading the writing on the package.

"She brought that package to me years ago. Said if anything were to happen to her, I should give it to you when you were ready," Frostbite answered from the other side of the room.

Elsa turned back to package and ripped away the brown wrapping. Her eyes widened when she saw a brown and silver book with a gold symbol in the center. "I-It can't be," she said in awe, "It's the shepherd's journal," she turned to the man who was now uncorking a bottle of wine and pouring himself a glass, "Frostbite this is the key to finding the lost continent of Atlantis."

"Atlantis?" Frostbite laughed before taking a drink, "I wasn't born yesterday, little missy."

She shook her head and opened the book, "No, look at this. Coordinates, clues, it's all right here."

Frostbite strolled by and glanced over Elsa's shoulder, "Looks like gibberish to me."

"That's because it's been written in a dialect that no longer exists," Elsa explained.

"So, it's useless."

The younger woman shook her head, "No, just difficult. I've spent my whole life studying dead languages. It's not gibberish to me."

Frostbite shrugged, "It's probably a fake."

The book in Elsa's hands snapped shut before she turned to look at Frostbite, "Sir, my sister would've known if this was a fake. I would know if this was a fake. I will stake everything I own, everything I believe in that this is the genuine shepherd's journal."

The older man shrugged and made his way to a long table that sat by the giant aquarium, "Alright. So, what do you want to do with it?"

Elsa followed him over and thought for a moment, "Well, I'll get funding. Maybe the museum-"

"They'll never believe you," Frostbite shrugged.

Elsa's eyes narrowed, "Then I'll make them believe ,e. They'll have to listen to me."

"Like they did today?" the millionaire asked with a raised brow.

"Alright then forget the museum, who needs them," Elsa huffed, her voice getting louder, "I'll find Atlantis on my own. I'll take a rowboat if I have to!"

A grin stretched across Frostbite's face, "Congratulations Elsa. That is exactly what I wanted to hear from you. But forget the row boat, we'll travel in style," he reached over and pushed a button. Suddenly, the table opened up and a scale model of submarines and trucks and other thinks that any explorer could wish for. "It's all been arranged," Frostbite said as Elsa gawked at the model.

"Why?" she breathed, still looking at the different vehicles.

Frostbite stood, "For years, your sister would not shut up about that book. I didn't buy it for a minute. So finally, I made a bet. I said if she ever found the old journal, not only would I finance an expedition, but I'll kiss her full on the mouth. It was to my embarrassment when she found that darn thing," he stopped and held up a picture of Anna turning away from Frostbite with a disgusted look on her face and Frostbite doing the same.

He set the picture down and strolled over to the fireplace, "Now I know your sister is gone, Elsa, but Leonidas Fendarson is a man who keeps his word," he turned to the painting of the two that sat above the mantle, "You hear that Anna? I'm going to the afterlife with a clear conscience!"

Elsa watched as Frostbite's laughter faded and his shoulders sagged as he sighed, "Your sister was a great woman, you probably don't even realize how great. Those buffoons at the museum dragged her down and made a laughing stock of her. She died a broken explorer. If I could bring back just one shred of proof, that would be enough for me." Frostbite took a deep breath before turning back to Elsa, "What are we standing around for? We've got work to do."

"But Frostbite," Elsa said as the older man made his was back to the table with the scale model, "In order to do what you're proposing, you're going to need a crew. You'll need engineers and geologists-"

"Taken care off," he pulled out a folder full of crew members, "Got 'em all, best of the best. Olaf Hagen, geology and exploration. Kristoff Bjorgman, demolitions. Busted him out of a Turkish prison. Sam Manson. She knows more about engines than you and I will ever know. It's the same crew that brought the journal back."

The young woman looked down at all the people's resumes, "Where was it?"

"Iceland," Frostbite said, placing a picture of the crew and Anna Arendal down on the table.

Elsa's smile grew, "I knew it."

"All we need now is an expert in gibberish," Frostbite turned to Elsa, "So what'll it be? You can build on the foundation your sister left you or you can go back to your boiler room."

Elsa sank back into a chair. "This is for real," she muttered to herself.

Frostbite nodded, "Now you're catching on."

She shook her head, "Alright, okay. I-I'll have to quit my job."

"Done. You resigned this afternoon."

She raised a brow, "I did?"

"Yep. Don't like to leave loose ends."

"My apartment. I'll have to give notice."

"Taken care of."

"My clothes?"

"Packed."

"My books."

"In storage."

"My dog?" A husky dog trotted up to her with a happy bark. Elsa stared up at the man in amazement, "My gosh."

Frostbite stood, "There's a saying that I like very much, 'Our lives are remembered by the gifts we leave our children.' This journal is Anna's gift to you, Elsa. Atlantis is waiting," he picked up the journal and offered it to her, "What do you say?"

Elsa smiled and stood, taking the book, "I won't let you down Frostbite."

---

"Attention, all hands to the launch bay. Final loading in progress."

Elsa stepped off the loading platform and stared slack jawed at the giant submarine in front of her as a voice spoke on the loudspeaker. As she walked forward, someone bumped into her.

"Hey little lady," Elsa turned to see a big burly burly blonde, "If you're looking for the pony rides, they're back there."

Elsa raised a brow but shook it off, bending over to pick up something that had fallen out of the man's cart. "Hey, you dropped your… " she trailed off as she looked at the red stick in her hands, "dynamite?" The man turned and took it from her. "What else do you have in there?" Elsa asked, eyeing the cart.

The man shrugged, "Oh um, gunpowder, nitroglycerin, notepads, fuses, wicks, glue, and paper clips, big ones. You know, office supplies."

Elsa shook her head as the man before she heard her name called. She turned to find Frostbite waving her over. "Where have you been?" the millionaire asked before turning to the man that stood next to him, "I want you to meet Commander Vlad Masters. He led the Iceland team that brought the journal back."

The man smiled and offered a hand, "Elsa Arendal. Pleasure to meet Anna's sister," as they shook hands, he nodded to the book in Elsa's hands, "I see you've got that journal. Nice pictures but I prefer a good Western myself," he winked at Elsa jokingly.

Frostbite elbowed Elsa and gestured to everything going on around them, "Pretty impressed, huh?"

"When you settle a bet, you settle a bet," Elsa laughed.

"Your sister always believed you can't put a price on the pursuit of knowledge," Frostbite nodded.

Elsa shook her head in disbelief, "Believe me, this'll be small change compared to what we'll learn on this trip."

"Yes, this'll be enriching for all of us," Vlad nodded.

The voice came over the PA, saything that the launch would begin in fifteen minutes. "Frostbite," Vlad nodded in goodbye as he turned to board the submarine.

"Goodbye Mr. Fendarson," Elsa smiled before laying a hand on his shoulder, "And thank you for this."

Frostbite nodded, "Make us proud, my dear."

The young woman nodded back before following Vlad into the submarine. Shouts were heard from within the sub as engineers and pilots prepared to dive. The sub itself lurched a bit as it was launched but smoothly cut through the water as it dove deeper and deeper into the ocean.

But of course, Elsa was focused on the trouble in her room. Olaf the geologist, had put "precious" dirt from all over the world in her bed. Then the other neighbor showed up. His name was Tucker Foley and he was a physician. With his help, they fended off Olaf with soap.

After that, Elsa had to go and brief the team. She met Sam Manson, the head engineer, and Kristoff Bjorgman, the guy she had bumped into earlier. Things were going relatively smooth before… well… everything went to hell.

A giant robotic lobster-like creature had emerged from a graveyard of old sunken ships. On top of that, it began to attack the ship and did so successfully.

Men were lost, the sub was abandoned and now they all stood solemnly at the opening of an underwater tunnel that will lead them to Atlantis, honoring those that had fallen.

Vlad sighed as Tucker set a lit candle in a bowl in the underwater cavern they'd found themselves trapped in and pushed it onto the water. "Seven hours ago we started this expedition with two hundred of the finest men and women I've ever known," he shook his head, "We're all that's left. I won't sugarcoat it, we have a crisis on our hands. But we've been up this creek before and we've always come through, paddle or no paddle. I see no reason to change that policy now. From here on in, everyone pulls double. Everyone works," he paused and turned to Elsa, "Looks like all our chances for survival rest with you Ms. Arendal. You and that little book."

"We're all gonna die," Valerie deadpanned.

Orders were being shouted and people were being assigned vehicles left and right. "Ms. Arendal," Vlad called and gestured for Elsa to come over to him, "You're riding with Sam. I don't want to see your head come out of that book, understood?"

Elsa nodded, "Yes sir."

As thus, their journey began. The trucks fell in line and traveled along the stone roads. Hours turned into days as their adventure took them through carved statues and past old ruins. As thrilling as it was, Elsa felt left out. It was her first time on an expedition and she felt like there was a tightly knit circle between the workers and she was the only one not included. So instead of acknowledging them, she focused on getting them to Atlantis as safely and quickly as she could. She spent nights with the lights on and the book open and she barely acknowledged anyone.

A few days passed before they suddenly stopped at a intricately carved stone pillar. "Wow," Elsa breathed as she examined it up close, "Would you look at the size of this thing. It's gotta be half a mile high at least. It must've taken hundreds, no, thousands of years to carve this thing."

Kristoff pulled her away from the structure and pushed down on a detonator, blowing up the bottom of the column and causing it to fall. "Hey look," Kristoff stood up and looked at his handiwork, ignoring Elsa's anger, "I made a bridge. It only took me like, what, ten seconds. Eleven tops."

They eventually reached a stone wall and Kristoff's supplies were too depleted to blow their way through. "Looks like we're gonna have to dig," Vlad commanded, looking to Olaf.

The man gasped, "It would be my pleasure."

But as he started to use the giant drill, it broke down. Sam shook her head as she opened up the back, "I don't understand it. I just tuned this thing up this morning." Her clanking and clambering inside the machine caused Elsa to look up from the journal and peer over the girl's shoulder. "It looks like the rotor is shot," Sam sighed, "I'm gonna have to pull a spare from one of the trucks."

Elsa furrowed her brow, "Um, can I-"

"Don't touch a thing," she told her with narrowed eyes, "I'll be right back."

Not listening to her, she looked into the machine and examined it. She reached out and twisted a few knobs before hitting it with a spare wrench that Sam had left. Suddenly, exhaust came out the exhaust pipe and Olaf cried, "She lives!" as the engine revved.

"Hey," Sam called when she got back, "What'd you do?"

Elsa shrugged, "Well, the boiler in this drill is a Humac10P54K14. We have the 814 at the museum and heating cores on the Humac line have always been a little iffy so sometimes you just have to hit it in the right place."

She rolled her eyes as she closed the back of the drill, "Yeah yeah, thank you very much." She turned and stared down Elsa before going back to the truck.

They soon came to entrance of the last road to reach Atlantis where a natural chandelier-like stalactite structure hung over the suspended road, casting a green glow over the explorers making camp. Dinner was being served and Sam, Kristoff, Tucker, Olaf, and Valerie all sat in a circle around the fire.

As they picked at their gross greasy food, Tucker looked over to see Elsa sitting with a stack of books by a single light. "You know we've been pretty hard on the girl," Tucker nodded over at the young woman sitting by herself, "What'ya say we cut her some slack?"

Sam smiled a bit, "Yeah I guess your right," she turned to her, "Hey Elsa, why don't you come sit with us?"

She looked up and raised a brow, "You don't… you don't mind?"

"Nah, park it here," she gestured to a rock next to her.

E;sa shrugged and stood, "Well, thanks guys." Before he sat down, she kicked the sudden whoopie cushion off her seat. "Nice try Olaf," she smirked, "But your not as stealthy as you think you are."

"Huh," Valerie raised a brow, mildly impressed, having watched Olaf try to put it there, "How'd you know he was there?"

"Let's just say my sister didn't just study science," Elsa shrugged as he sat down.

As Olaf grumbled and sat back in his seat, Sam noticed the book that was still at Elsa's side, "Hey Elsa, don't you ever close that book?"

"Yeah, you must've read it a thousand times by now," Tucker agreed.

Elsa opened the book, "I know but something here doesn't make sense. Here it's leading up to what the shepherd calls the 'Heart of Atlantis,' the power source that's been said in the legends but then it just stops, almost like there's a missing page."

"Kid, relax," Kristoff shook his head, "We don't get paid overtime."

Elsa closed the book and set it next to her, "I know and I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I get a little carried away. But hey, this is my first expedition. Discovery, teamwork, adventure…" she looked at all the people around her, "Unless you're just in it for the money."

Sam shrugged, "Money."

"Money," Valerie nodded.

Tucker said, "Money."

With his mouth full, Olaf agreed, "Money."

"I'm gonna say… money," Kristoff answered.

Elsa sighed a let out a small laugh, "I guess I set myself up for that one."

Denying another round of greasy food, they all worked on pitching their tents for the night. As Elsa rolled out her sleeping bag, Sam spoke from across the way. "I never got to meet your sister," she said, "What was she like? You said she didn't just study science."

Elsa shook her head as a smiled grew on her face, "Where do I start? We were best friends ever since we were little and she always looked after me. She taught me how to use a knife and defend myself. My parents died when I was a baby and she took care of me, although sometimes it seemed like I would take care of her. She'd always tried to make up for our parent's death by telling stories of wild adventures and taking me out on 'expeditions.'" She paused and laughed to herself.

"What?" Sam asked as she laid down on her sleeping back with a fond smile.

"I just remembered," she laughed, "One time when I was eight, we were hiking along a stream and I saw something shining in the water. It was a genuine arrowhead…" Elsa shook her head, "Hell, you would've thought I'd found a lost civilization the way my sister reacted. When I was older I realized it was just some compressed shale mixed with zinc pyroide that had fractured into an isosceletic triangular but you know."

Olaf giggled as he walked by. "That is so cute," he commented.

"So what about you Sam?" Elsa turned back to her, "What's your story? How did you become the chief engineer of a multi-million expedition."

She shrugged, "Well, I took this job when my dad retired. But the funny thing was he always wanted sons, one to run his machine shop and the other to become middleweight boxing champion. But he got my sister and me instead."

"And your sister?" she asked.

"She's 24 with a shot at the title next month. I'm saving up so my father and I can open up another shop."

Elsa smiled and nodded at her. Kristoff was next to her and was laying down in his tent, "Well, as far as I go, I just like to blow things up."

"Come on Kristoff," Sam rolled her eyes, "Tell her the truth."

The man huffed, "Fine. I lost my parents when I was a kid and was with this foster family that owned a flower shop. They sold all kinds of things, roses and carnations and whatever. One day I'm making about three dozen corsages for this prom, you know the one they put on the wrist. And it's a nightmare. 'When is it,' 'Where is it,' 'Does it match my dress?' Anyway, there must've some sort of gas leak next door and boom, no more Chinese laundry. Blew me right through the front window. I found myself in that boom."

They all look away and over at a hole in the ground when they heard Olaf digging. Elsa raised a brow, "What's his story?"

"Trust me on this one. You don't wanna know," Tucker said before turning to Sam, "Sam, don't tell her. Cause you shouldn't have told me but you did and now I'm telling you, you don't wanna know."

---

Elsa woke up when she heard a buzzing sound. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes he sat up in her tent and stretched. She looked around and notice a bunch of fireflies humming near the tents. She thought nothing of it until one landed on a tent and set it on fire.

"Fire?" she raised a brow sleepily before shaking her head and fully waking up, "Fire!"

Vlad groaned in his tent when he heard Elsa calling "Fire!" a bunch of times. "I swear," he muttered tiredly before stepping out of his tent, "Arendal, go back to bed!" But he paused when he saw that almost every tent was on fire. People were rushing around, trying to stop the fire and salvage what they could.

"Get some water on that fire!" Hans commanded.

"No time," Vlad responded, "We gotta get into those caves. Come on, move it!"

The hums of engines all chorused at once as everyone grabbed what they could and hopped into the trucks that began to cross the arching stone bridge. "Elsa! Jump!" Sam called from the back of a truck to the girl who was running from a flaming one. Just as the truck behind her exploded, she jumped in with her as Sam grabbed her arm and helped her in.

The line of trucks suddenly came to a stop as the bridge began to give under their weight. The truck's explosion had broken one half of the bridge and the bridge itself was beginning to slope. Losing control, all the vehicles began to slide backwards into a big pile up.

Everything was still for a few moments before a match was struck. "Alright," Vlad huffed, "Who's not dead? Sound off." A chorus of "ughs" was all that followed before the match went out. A truck headlight soon provided light for the crew. "Sam," Vlad called, "Give me a damage report."

"Not as bad as it could have been," she stood and grabbed a flashlight, flicking it on while looking around at the crashed vehicles, "We totaled rigs 2 and 7 but the digger looks like it'll still run. Lucky for us, we landed in something soft."

"It is ash," Olaf said, examining the soil beneath their feet, "We are standing at the base of a dormant volcano."

Hans grabbed a flare gun from his holster and shot it into the air. "It just keeps going," he said as the flare rose above their heads.

"Maybe that's our ticket outta here," Kristoff suggested.

The flare suddenly exploded when it hit the cave roof. "Maybe not," Hans huffed tiredly.

"The magma has solidified in the bowels of the volcano, effectively blocking the exit," Olaf stated, studying the flare's explosion.

Tucker raised a brow, "So could this whole thing blow at anytime?"

"No no no, that would take an explosive force of great magnitude," Olaf shook his head.

Simultaneously, everyone turned to Kristoff who only shrugged. "If we could blow the top off that thing, we'd have a straight shot to the surface," Vlad said, "What do you think Ms. Arendal?" When there was no response, Vlad turned and searched for the young woman, "Arendal?"

As they all grabbed flashlights the look for the woman, she was off the side, having been separated during the fall. She groaned and blinked away the blackness from her eyes as she regained consciousness. But when she opened her eyes she found three figures crouching in front of her with giant masks that glowed green and covered their upper bodies. Her eyes widened and she tried to back away but couldn't due to the rock debris behind her.

A sharp pain coursed through her bare shoulder and she groaned and clutched it. She pulled her hand away and found it covered in blood. Great, she thought as she also remembered that she was now in nothing but a tank top and pants and had no skirts left with her. She glanced up at the figures again but stopped as one of them had lifted their mask.

It was a man with tan skin, white hair and bright green eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. His crystal necklace glowed green and casted an entrancing light on his handsome features. His lips were pulled into a thoughtful frown as he looked at her with concern.

He took his necklace in one hand as he crouched closer to her, pushing away her strap to reveal a deep gash in her skin. He met Elsa's eyes once more before he touched the crystal to her wound, gently laying his hand over it. A weird, tingly warm sensation passed through her arm and she shivered. When he removed his hand, the gash was gone and Elsa felt better than before. She looked up at him in awe and he smiled back at her.

The sound of the drill's engine echoed in the cave and he froze before he hurriedly pulled his mask back on. He and his small team turned and rushed away. "Hey! Wait!" she called after them as the drill made its way over to her.

But she ignored it as she ran after them. She called out to them as she lept across rocks and squeezed through romations. She finally came to an opening on a rock ledge. "Hey!" she called pointlessly, "Wait, who are you?!"

She stopped at the edge of the cliff and stared ahead, not even looking back at the drill that just crashed through the rock wall. The crew came up behind her and gawked at the site before them.

An island was free standing surrounded by crystal blue water that flowed over the edge of the free standing structure and into a moat of lava. Mist and steam rose from the moat and shrouded the city in a mist, making it seem even more unbelievable. Tall grey stone structures could be seen from the distance, rising from the water.

"It's beautiful," Sam broke the awed silence.

"Elsa, I gotta hand it to you," Tucker patted her on the back with a smile, "You really came through." They all turned when they heard movement behind them and found a band of masked people crouched in a battle position with their weapons pointed at them. "I take that back," Tucker muttered.

"What are they?" Vlad asked, reached back for his gun.

Elsa smiled as it all clicked, "They've have to be Atlanteans."

"What?" Hans looked back at her, "That's impossible."

The center one spoke, the male voice muffled by the mask, "Nonke nivinjelwe ezindaweni zethu. Ngakwesokudla kufanele sikubulale, kodwa awuzange wenze okubi. Uthini?"

"I think it's talking to you," Olaf nudged Elsa.

The young woman stepped forward racking her brain for the translation of what he said and for a response, "Sicela ... uh, singabahloli bamazwe futhi sifisa wena... um, akukho ukulimala."

He reached up and removed his mask, revealing him to be the man from before. Handing his mask to another Atlantean, he raised a brow and crossed his arms across his chest, "Uyazi ulimi lwethu. Sekufile iminyaka eminingi."

"Ngifunde futhi ngafunda kusuka ...um ... kusuka kwezinye izilimi eziyisisekelo," she answered.

He thought for a moment, "Ezinye izilimi ... Ut huius linguae. Do tibi hoc?"

"Est et alia loquela tua similis," she smiled, easily replying now that the language had changed.

He uncrossed his arms as a smile grew on his face, "Scis lingua magis quam Romanis darent?"

"Parlez-vous français?" Elsa asked smoothly.

He let out an astonished laugh, "Oui, mademoiselle."

All the Atlanteans in the group took off their masks and began greeting the crew in a multitude of languages. "How do they know all these languages?" Sam asked Elsa.

She shook her head in disbelief, "Their language must be based on a root dialect, kinda like the Tower of Babble."

"Well, English must be in there somewhere," Vlad said before stepping in front of Elsa and speaking to them, "We are explorers from the surface world. We come in peace."

The man smiled, "Welcome to the city of Atlantis." He moved around Vlad and grabbed Elsa's hand, "Come, you must speak with my father now."

They were lead across a wood bridge, their trucks and drill following the band of warriors up front. "Commander," Hans said in a softer tone to Vlad who sat next to him in the truck, "There were not supposed to be people down here. This changes everything."

"This changes nothing," was his short answer.

The structures that towers over them were beyond ancient yet somehow, most of it was preserved. Greenery thrived and grew over stone statues. Once they reached the center structure, they were led into a throne room of sorts. The floor was a thriving lake-like pool with flowers and plant life. Stepping stones were placed in a strange pattern and an old man sat under a tapestry tent of sorts. Vlad, Hans and Elsa were all led by the man to the center of the room.

"Ukubingelela, ukuphakama kwakho. Ngilethe izivakashi," he spoke kneeling down and bowing his head respectively. Greetings, your highness, I have brought the visitors. Elsa, noticing the man's behavior, kneeled down as well in respect for the man who was obviously the king.

The old man's voice was slower and gravely but he spoke with wisdom, "Uyazi umthetho, Danny. Akekho ongaphandle ongabona idolobha futhi aphile."

You know the law, Danny. No outsiders may see the city and live.

"Ubaba," he pleaded as Elsa took out a small notebook and silently took some notes, "Laba bantu bangase basisize."

Father, these people may be able to help us.

"Asidingi usizo lwakho," the king stated. We do not need their help.

He sighed, "Kodwa ubaba-"

"Kwanele. Shizoku xoxa ngalokhu kamuva," the king cut him off, ending the conversation. That is enough, we will discuss this later. Elsa watched as the man hung his head in defeat and put the notebook away, having somewhat understood the conversation.

"Your majesty, on behalf on my crew, may I say it is an honor to be welcomed to your city," Vlad bowed at the waist and stepped forward as the king and his son stared at him.

Elsa cleared her throat, not wanting to get up and disrespect the king, "Vlad, don't. It's not-"

"You presume much to think you are welcome here," the king shook his head.

"Sir, we have come a long way looking for-"

"I know what you seek," the king interrupted, "And you will not find it here. Your journey has been in vain."

Vlad shrugged, "But we are peaceful explorers, men of science."

The king laughed a little at this, "And yet you bring weapons."

"Our weapons allow us to remove obstacles we may encounter," Vlad reasoned.

"Some obstacles cannot be removed by a mere show of force," the king took his staff and stood, "Return to your people. You must leave Atlantis at once."

Elsa stood and grabbed Han's arm, turning him slightly towards her, "Sir, we better do as he says."

Vlad thought for a moment before turning back to the king, "May I respectfully request that we stay one night sir? That would give us time to rest, resupply and be ready to travel by morning."

The king hummed to himself before nodding, "Very well. One night."

"Thank you, your majesty," Vlad said before the three of them turned to leave. Elsa paused and glanced back at the man. Their eyes met and he sighed, looking away.

When they were gone, the king sat back down, "Your heart has softened. A thousand years ago, you would have slain them on sight."

"A thousand years ago the streets were lit and our people did not have to scavenge for food at the edge of a crumbling city," he fired back at him, approaching his throne.

"The people are content," the king reasoned.

He fell to his knees, "They do not know any better! We were once a great people and now we live in ruins. The kings of our past would weep if they could see how far we've fallen," he looked up at the king with pleading eyes, "If these outsiders can unlock the secrets of our past, perhaps we can save our future."

"What they have to teach us, we have already learned," he said wisely.

He shook his head, "Our way of life is dying."

"Our way of life is preserved," the king sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Danny, when you take the throne, you will understand."

Outside, the crew awaited the trio's return. "So how'd it go?" Tucker asked.

"Well, the king and his son don't exactly see eye to eye," Elsa explained, looking in her notebook for further detail, "He seems to like us okay but the king, I don't know, I think he's hiding something."

Vlad turned to her, "If he's hiding something, I want to know what it is."

Hans smirked, "Someone needs to talk to that guy."

"I will go!" Olaf volunteered, "I like new friends!"

"Someone with good people skills," Kristoff added.

"I will do it!" Olaf jumped up again.

"Someone who won't scare him away," Tucker nodded.

Olaf turned to them, "I volunteer!"

"Someone who knows the language," Valerie added in a monotone voice.

"For the good of the mission, I will go!" Olaf saluted.

Vlad smirked and patted Elsa on the back, "Good work Arendal, thanks for volunteering." Elsa looked up from her notebook, dropping her pencil as she realized when everyone just volunteered her for.

Sam elbowed her with a smirk as Olaf began to cry, "Time to work your magic Arendal."

---

Elsa huffed as she waited outside the palace doors, slightly annoyed that everyone had volunteered her for this job. But she perked up when she heard the stone doors open and saw him come out. "Okay, Elsa you can do this," she said to herself while hiding behind a large stone pillar, "Just keep it simple. 'Hey, I just have a few questions and I'm not leaving this city until they're answered.' Okay, that works."

She stepped out from behind the pillar to confront him but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, she was grabbed by a bigger person and a hand was clamped over her mouth, muffling her gasp. "I have some questions for you and you are not leaving this city until they are answered," his voice was hushed and close to her ear and she could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Yeah, well I… okay," she tried before she just gave up.

"Come with me," he said shortly before pulling her along by her hand, through ruins, under waterfalls and over greenery. It wasn't long until they got to a small clearing with multiple fallen stone pillars, then he let her go.

It was then that she was able to get a better look at him. He wore no shoes, anklets, bracelets and a wrap-like green skirt that seemed to serve as a loincloth with a sash from his hip to his shoulder. Green tribal tattoos lined his chest, shoulders, and stomach and she had noticed that all Atlanteans, except a few children, had those markings painted on their skin.

"There is so much to ask about your world," he broke the silence as he helped her down from a jump off of a pillar to the ground, "You are a scholar, yes? Judging by how you took notes throughout our encounter with the king earlier, I can assume that much," he took her notebook from her hands and began to inspect it as his rambling continued, "What is your country of origin? When did the flood waters recede? How did you-"

"Wait a minute, I have a few questions for you too," she cut him off with a smile, gently taking the book from him, "So let's do this, okay? You ask one, then I ask one, then you, then me, then well, you get it."

He smiled at her and nodded, "Very well, what is your first question?"

"Well, um, how did you get here? Well, I mean, not you personally but your culture. I mean, how did all of this," she gestured around herself, "End up down here?"

His excitement faded a bit as he walked forward, lost in memories as Elsa followed him, "It is said that the gods became jealous of Atlantis. They sent a great cataclysm and banished us here. All I can remember is the sky going dark… and people shouting and running," he paused and looked back at her with uncertainty before looking up at the sky longingly, "Then, there was a bright light, like a star floating above the city. My father said it called my mother to it. I never saw her again."

"I'm sorry," she gazed softly at him, "If it… if it's any consolation I-I know how you feel. I lost my parents when I was little and my sister passed away-wa-wait a minute. Whoa, back up," her eyes widened in realization before turning back to him, "Are you telling me… that you remember because you were there? No, that… that's impossible because, I mean, that would make you…" she stopped and looked him up and down, "You know, 85… 88… hundred years old."

"Yes," he shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She straightened up and nodded, "Oh, well, you look good for you age. Just, um, ahem… You got another question for me?"

"Yes. How is it you found your way to this place?" he gestured around them before turning back to her, interest gleaming in his eyes.

"Well, I'll tell you, it wasn't easy," she pulled the Shepherd's Journal out of her bag and showed it to him, "If it weren't for this book, we never would have made it." He stared at it for a moment before snatching and opening it, flipping through the pages as Elsa continued, "Okay, second question. Legend has it that your people possessed a power source of some kind that enabled them-"

"You mean you can understand this?" he cut her off.

She let out a small sigh, "Yes, I'm a linguist. That's what I do, that's my job. Now, getting back to my question-"

He abruptly turned to her and shoved the book in her face, "This, right here, you can read this?"

"Yes, yes," she gently pushed him a away with a small reassuring smile, "I can read Atlantean,

just like you," she paused as she watched him look back at the book, almost willing the words to make sense, " … You can't, can you?

"No one can," he shrugged, "Such knowledge has been lost to us since the time of Umkhuleko Omkhulu."

"Oh," she nodded, "The Great Flood."

"Show me," he shoved the book at her excitedly.

She shrugged and took it, "Okay, uh…" She began to read it aloud and he translated it to himself.

"Follow the narrow passage for another league. There you will find the fifth marker," he finished.

She nodded at him with a smile, "Yes. Yes, that's it. How was my accent?"

He shrugged, "Boorish, provincial… and you speak it through your nose."

"Needs work then."

"Here, let me show you something." He took her hand and led her past some more ruins before coming to a tarp. Pulling it off revealed a fish-looking vehicle.

"What?" she marveled, "It looks like some sort of vehicle."

"Yes," he nodded as she moved to examine it, "But no matter what I try it will not respond. Maybe you could-"

"I'm on it," she moved to the pad on the vehicle and began to read the inscription, "Ok, let's see what we got here. 'Place crystal into slot.'"

"Yes, yes, I have done that."

"'Gently place your hand on the inscription pad.'"

"Yes."

"Ok, did you… turn the crystal one-quarter turn back?"

"Yes."

"While your hand was on the inscription pad?"

"Ye…" he stopped, "No."

She nodded a stood, turning to face him, "Ah, well, there's your problem. That's an easy thing to miss. You know, you deserve credit for even getting this far…" He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a pointed look. Elsa just blushed at his gaze, "Ok, um, give it a try."

He took his necklace off and followed the instructions. The vehicle began to glow and rose from the ground to hover in place. They both gasped and moved back. "Umoya ongcwele," he muttered.

"You can say that again," Elsa agreed, "Oh, this is great! Do you think we could use it? I could see the whole city in no time at all," she examined the touchpad, "Wonder how fast it goes." Lightly pressing her finger on the pad, it zoomed forward banging around and causing the two to have to jump to the ground for cover.

They both looked up when it crashed into a wall and began to sputter. He turned to her with an amused smirk on her face. She just sheepishly smiled back.

"So… um, next question?"

---

"By the way, we were never properly introduced," Elsa called up to him as they both scaled a large stone tower, using vines and stairs to get to the top, "My name's Elsa."

"My name is Dannattatreya," he smiled down at her.

She blinked back at him before giving him a sheepish look, "Do… Do you have a nickname?"

He laughed as he reached the top of the tower, "Danny."

She nodded and took his offered hand, stepping up with him, "Okay. Danny. I can remember that." He smiled at her and nodded out at the view in front of them. "Oh," her gaze moved from him to the entirety of Atlantis, "Wow." Blue waters, thriving green plants and tan stone structures spanned out below them.

She did it. She really did it. She found Atlantis. And here she was, standing on top of it all.

"What's wrong?" Danny turned to her, his eyes worried.

"Hm?" she looked back to him.

He reach out and gently touched her cheek, "You're crying." She furrowed her brow and reached up to her face. Sure enough, trails of tears wet her finger tips. "Have I upset you?" he asked, concerned.

"No," she wiped her eyes and reassured him with a smile, "No, not at all. It's just…" she trailed off and looked back out at the landscape before them, "My sister, before she passed, would go on and on about this place and how she swore to find it," her shoulders slumped a bit, "But she never did."

"But you have," he stated matter-of factly before his voice turned soft, almost like a whisper, "You carry your sister with you in your heart," he placed a hand on her chest, "She is here with you. You have discovered it with her."

As he removed his hand, she touched her own heart, looking down at her chest. "Yes," she smiled softly, "I guess you're right."

"Come," he took her hand, "It is time you saw the city."

---

"Tell me more about your companions," Danny smiled at her as they walked through the Atlantean market by the bay, "Your physician, he is called Tucker?"

"Yeah but he's got a little bit of an ego," Elsa laughed.

He quirked a brow, "Ego?"

"Oh, it's like… having a lot of pride," she explained.

He nodded as they arrived at an Atlantean house. It seemed to function almost like a dining hall. People from that part of the city congregated there for meals. The two sat together and talked about the crew and how they got down there as said crew sat around them and tried to figure out what they were eating or how they were eating with the Atlantean utensils. "And the little digging animal called Olaf… he is your pet?" he asked.

She laughed at him, "Close enough."

After dinner, the two ventured down by the shore of the bay. Elsa smiled as she watched the fireflies flutter in the darkening sky. Danny held a glass lantern that housed a few. Elsa's eyes followed a few they fluttered around them, "They're kinda cute when they're not, you know… formed into a fiery column of death," she laughed to herself, "Danny, the most we ever expected to find was some crumbling buildings, maybe some broken pottery. I never would've thought I'd find…" She trailed off when she turned to him, seeing the light that was casted on his features, and hair.

"Find what?" he asked.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat, a blush rising in her cheeks, "A-A living, thriving society."

He sighed, "We are not thriving. True, our people live… but our culture is dying. We are like a stone the ocean beats against. With each passing year… a little more of us is worn away."

Seeing the sad look in his eyes, she stepped closer, trying to offer some comfort, "I wish there was something I could do."

"Maybe there is," he turned to her before leaning the lantern against a fallen pillar, "I have brought you to this place to ask you for your help. There is a mural here… with writing all around the pictures."

She offered him a smile, "Well, luckily, I speak your language," she turned slightly to scan her surroundings, "So where…" She trailed off when she noticed he was gone she spotted him closer to the water, his hands dropping his sash to the ground, revealing his muscular, bare back. "Um, Danny?" she blushed, "Uh, what are you doing?"

"You do swim," he turned back to her, dropping his skirt to the floor, revealing a piece of clothing that closely resembled underwear, "Don't you?"

"I-I… um," she tried to form words in front of this almost naked and very handsome man. She tore her eyes from his chest and swallowed before nodding, blush bright on her face.

"Good," he nodded out at the water, "It is a fair distance." He turned back to her, "Well…"

"Hm?" she hummed.

He softly laughed before biting his lip, eyeing her a little, "You're not planning to swim in your clothes, are you?"

Her blush was brighter than before. "Right," she breathed, trying to focus again. She turned away and removed her clothes so she was left only in her underwear.

When she turned back around she was met with piercing green eyes that were closer than she remembered. Danny would be lying if he said he didn't peek at her ever so slightly while she was undressing. "Elsa," he breathed looking straight into her eyes, "You are a very beautiful woman."

Her breath hinged at the very blunt compliment and her blush, if possible, grew brighter. She tried to play it off with a sheepish laugh, moving around him after a moment. But she tripped and fell into the water.

Danny couldn't help but laugh as he was splashed and took a moment to appreciate her adorable, sheepish expression, before joining her in the water. "Follow me," he said with a smile before diving into the water and she soon followed him.

They swam through the clear blue waters with Danny's crystal to light their way. Eventually they came up into an air pocket. They gasped as they sucked in a big breath of air. However, Elsa had hit her head when coming up. Suppressing his laugh, Danny reached up to touch her head and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Well," she rubbed the back of her head as she laughed, "I didn't drown so…"

"Good," he smiled, "Follow me." He took a huge breath of air before sinking back into the water. He led Elsa down a little deeper to a bunch of sunken mosaics with ancient writings and chipping tesserae. Elsa stopped, using the light of his crystal to read a few lines of the ancient script before turning to him and pointing up to the air pocket.

When they broke the surface she shook her head in disbelief, "This is amazing! A complete history of Atlantis. It's just like Plato described it. Well, he was off on a few details, but…"

"The light I saw," he urged her, "The star in the middle of the city. What does the writing say about that?"

"I don't know yet," she nodded at him with determination, "But we're gonna find out. Come on."

Diving back down again, they explored the ruins, scanning the fallen tiles for anything they could understand. Once more, Elsa pointed up towards the surface, indicating she had found something.

"It's the heart of Atlantis!" she said once they were in their little cave, "That's what the shepherd was talking about. It wasn't a star, it was… it was some kind of crystal…" she paused and gently took the crystal around his neck in her hands, "Like these! Don't you get it? The power source I've been looking for… the bright light you remember… they're the same thing!"

"That's not possible," he shook his head in disbelief.

"I''s what's keeping all these things… you, all of Atlantis alive," she explained.

"Then where is it now?"

"I don't know," she admitted before thinking to herself, "I don't know. You'd think something this important… would have been in the Journal, but… Unless…" her eyes snapped back up to his, "The missing page."

They swam back together, Elsa in more of a hurry to get back to the journal and figure out what happened to it. She broke through the surface before Danny did and took in a deep breath.

"You have a nice swim?"

Elsa looked up from the water to find Vlad smirking down at her. The crew stood behind the captain, each with a gun in their hand.

"Vlad?" Elsa raised a brow but then it clicked and she began to put two and two together. "I am such an idiot," she muttered to herself before turning to everyone else, "This is just another treasure hunt for you. You're after the crystal."

"Oh, you mean this?" Vlad's smirk grew as he pulled out the missing page from the Shepherd's Journal.

"The heart of Atlantis," Elsa sighed.

"Yeah. About that… I would've told you sooner… but it was strictly on a need-to-know basis… and, well, now you know. I had to be sure you were one of us," Vlad's tucked his gun in the holster on his hip, "Welcome to the club."

"I'm no mercenary," she spat.

They all stopped when Danny came up from the water beside her with a gasp. Immediately a few crew members grabbed him. With a grunt he kicked one off and the punched the other one away. He jumped the last one and pulled a knife from his discarded clothes, but when a gunshot rang through, a bullet knocked the blade from his hands and he paused, allowing two men to grab him by the arms. He did deliver one last strong kick into the guy's crotch before the two managed to hold him down.

"Mercenary?" Vlad asked casually, waving his gun as he talked, "I prefer the term 'adventure capitalist.' Besides, you're the one who got us here. You led us right to the treasure chest."

"You don't know what you're tampering with, Masters," Elsa warned.

"What's to know?" he shrugged, " It's big. It's shiny. It's going to make us all rich."

Elsa shook her head, stepping out of the water to face Vlad with squared shoulders, "You think it's some kind of a diamond. I thought it was some kind of a battery but we're both wrong. It's their life force. That crystal is the only thing keeping these people alive. You take that away, and they'll die."

"Well, that changes things," Vlad hummed, "Hans, what do you think?"

The red head smirked, "Knowing that, I'd double the price."

"I was thinking triple."

"Vlad, don't do this," Elsa was desperate now, willing to try anything to save these people.

"Academics," Vlad shook his head, "You never want to get your hands dirty. Think about it. If you gave back every stolen artifact from a museum you'd be left with an empty building. We're just providing a necessary service… to the archeological community."

"Most artifacts don't keep people alive," Elsa's eyes narrowed, "Not interested."

Vlad sighed and shook his head, "I have to admit, I'm disappointed. You're an idealist, just like your sister," his look darkened, "Do yourself a favor, Elsa. Don't be like her. For once, do the smart thing."

Elsa just glared at the man, not showing any signs of surrender. Vlad huffed, burying his face in his hands, "I really hate it when negotiations go sour." With a snap of his fingers, Danny was thrown to the ground and a gun was cocked in his face.

"Let's try this again."

---

Boom!

"Knock knock," Vlad smirked, standing at the destroyed doorway.

Hans cocked his pistol before pulling it to Danny's back. "Tell them to drop their weapons," he yelled into the throne room at the king, nodding at the guards that pointed spears at them.

"Yehlisa," the king called tiredly. The guards hesitated but obeyed.

"Spread out," Hans commanded as he held onto the struggling man, "Search everywhere."

The crew quickly fanned out and searched for anything they could find, not caring what they destroyed and what they tossed aside. When they weren't finding anything, Vlad turned to Elsa who was being held back by Kristoff. "You're not applying yourself, Elsa," he growled, aggressively shoving the journal into Elsa's chest, "They're gotta be something else."

"All it says is 'The heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of our king,'" Elsa bit out in reply.

"Well then maybe his majesty can clue us in," Vlad turned and strolled over to the old king. "How bout it chief?" he nodded at the man as he stood, "Where's the crystal chamber?"

"You will destroy yourselves," the king warned.

Vlad's eyes narrowed, "Maybe I'm not being clear." He stepped forward and delivered a hard punch to the weak, defenseless man's stomach.

As the king crumbled to the ground, Elsa and Danny both jumped forward but were held back. "Vlad!" Elsa yelled angrily.

"Uyisiwula futhi uzofa lapha," Danny practically growled.

Tucker rushed forward, dropping down to help the man. "Vlad this was not part of the plan."

"Plans changed, Tucker," Vlad shrugged pulling out his gun as two crew members held up the king, "I'd suggest you put a bandage on that bleeding heart of yours. It doesn't suit a mercenary," he sighed, "Well, as usual, diplomacy has failed us. Now I'm going to count to 10," Vlad said to the king, "And you're going to tell me where the crystal is. One… two…" After getting no answer, Vlad got impatient and pointed the gun at the old man's head, "Nine… Te-" He stopped when he noticed something about the stone tiles on the floor floating in the water, recognizing it to be the pattern on the cover of the Shepherd's journal. "The heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of her king," Vlad repeated before heading towards it, "This is it. We're in."

Elsa huffed as she was thrown towards Vlad in the center of the room, "Vlad for the last time, you don't have the slightest idea of what this power is capable of."

"True," Hans stepped forward, bringing Danny, "But I know a few countries who would pay anything to find out."

Vlad stood on the centermost tile. It shook a bit before beginning to sink. "Hurry, get on," Vlad grabbed Elsa and pulled him onto the tile with Hans and Danny following.

They sunk into a giant cave-like chamber. Still water covered one portion and the other was a rocky beach. Above the water, stone carved heads of men surrounded a green glowing energy, almost as if they protected it.

"The kings of our past," Danny gasped as they all gawked at the sight before them. He fell to his knees with his head bowed began muttering words in Atlantean in prayer.

Vlad just scoffed, "Tell him to wrap it up, will you Arendal?"

Elsa glared at the man before turning to Danny with a softer look. Hearing the click of a gun, Elsa leaned down and gently took his shoulders, "Danny?" He gasped and sat back up in surprise as if she had startled him out of a dream. "I'm sorry," she said to him quietly as she helped him up.

Vlad hummed as he kicked a stone into the pool of water. The whole chamber glowed bright red as lights suddenly began to stream from the carved stone and circle the room, all gentle green colors turning to a fiery red. "Come on, let's get this over with," Hans said, glancing around, "I don't like this place."

"All right, Arendal," Vlad turned to Elsa with his arms crossed, "What's next?"

"Okay, there's a giant crystal… hovering 150 feet above our heads… over a bottomless pit of water," she raised a brow at the older man, "Doesn't anything surprise you?"

The light suddenly changed to green again when a light landed on Danny. He stared up at it and smiled as he saw his crystal necklace rise from his chest. "Umama," he whispered.

"The only thing that surprises me that that thing's not on the truck yet. Now move it!"

Elsa huffed, "I don't know how to move it. I don't even know what's holding it up there."

They both froze as Danny passed them, seemingly pulled toward the light by his crystal, his eyes fully glowing green. Vlad grabbed Elsa's arm before she could follow him. "Talk to me, Arendal," Vlad demanded as Danny stopped on the shore, "What's happening?"

Elsa shook her head, flipping through the journal in her hands, "Look, all it says here… is that the crystal is alive somehow. It… I don't know how to explain it. It's their deity. It's their power source."

"Speak English, professor," Vlad rolled his eyes.

"They're part of it. It's a part of them. I'm doing the best I can here."

Vlad reached down to the gun that sat on his hip, "Well, do better."

"Oh, I know," Elsa said, pretending that she had an idea before glaring at the man in front of her, "Why don't you translate and I'll wave the gun around!"

Danny slowly turned to them. "Konke kuzoba kuhle, Elsa Arendal. Ungesabi," he spoke. His voice was not his own. It seemed to echo off the cavern walls in different pitches and tones.

All will be well, Elsa Arendal. Be not afraid.

They all froze before Vlad looked at Elsa, "What did he say?"

"I don't know," she lied, looking at the ground, "I… I didn't catch it."

Danny turned back to the crystal and took a breath. He stepped forward onto the water, the bottoms of his feet touching the surface as if it were solid. They all stared in amazement as he was taken up into the crystal in a swirl of blue light. A bright, blinding light filled the chamber, causing the three to look away.

When they could see again, he was back on top of the water, except this time he was completely enveloped in green and glowed as if he himself were made out of the crystal. As he slowly made his way back to the shore, the stone carvings of the kings fell into the water. It splashed up into the air but not one drop touched him as he reached to shore.

Vlad reached out to him but Elsa stopped him "Don't," she said softly, still staring in awe, "Don't touch him."

---

Elsa glared at her former crew as they chained the iron containment that held Danny to a truck, a gun pointed squarely at her chest as to make sure she didn't try anything. "So… I guess this is how it ends?" she asked who she thought were her friends before she shook her head and turned away, walking back towards the Atlantean people who were gathered to watch the surface people leave with their king's son, "Fine. You win. You're wiping out an entire civilization but," she turned back to face them with a sneer, "You'll be rich."

She watched as none of them responded but they all refused to look at her. "Congratulations, Sam," she said to her as she climbed into the truck, "Guess you and your dad will be able to open up that second garage after all. And, Kristoff, you can start a whole chain of flower shops. I'm sure your family's going to be very proud," she shrugged, "But that's what it's all about, right? Money."

"Get off your soapbox, Arendal," Vlad huffed as he stepped forward, "You've read Darwin. It's called natural selection," he poked Elsa in the chest, "We're just helping it along."

"Commander, we're ready," Hans called from a truck.

"Yeah, give me a minute," he hummed to himself, "I know I'm forgetting something. I got the cargo, the crystal, the crew… Oh, yeah." He abruptly backhanded Elsa across the face, causing the younger woman's head to fly to the side. "Look at it this way, Elsa," he spoke through the tense silence that followed, "You were the one who discovered Atlantis and now you're part of the exhibit," he turned to the crew, "Let's move, people."

Elsa's head rose up and she glared at the man before her before spitting to the side, wiping the blood from her lip.

Sam sat in the driver's seat of a truck, looking at Elsa through the side mirror. "That was an order, not a suggestion. Let's go!" Hans called.

Sam turned her eyes back to the front and reached back down for the keys but she stopped. She sighed to herself before kicking open the door and stepping out. She crossed her arms before marching over to Elsa. Her eyes softened when she reached her and she placed a hand on her shoulder.

Kristoff's eyes met Elsa's and he huffed before moving over and joining the two. As a few people began to move to Elsa's side, Valerie shook her head, "We're all gonna die," before joining them.

When things finally settled, Sam, Kristoff, Valerie, and Olaf all stood behind Elsa. Vlad sighed and rubbed his temple, "Give me a break."

"This is wrong and you know it," Sam called to him with a glare.

Vlad sighed before getting angry with this mutiny, "We're this close to our biggest payday ever and you pick now of all times to grow a conscience?!"

Kristoff shrugged, "We've done a lot of things we're not proud of… robbing graves, plundering tombs double parking… but nobody got hurt. Well, maybe somebody got hurt… but nobody we knew."

"Well, if that's the way you want it, fine. More for me," Vlad turned back to the truck and the engines began to start up again. As the trucks drove over the wooden bridge, the water stopped flowing over the edge and the Atlantean crystals dimmed completely.

Elsa stepped forward to follow them but Kristoff grabbed her arm. "Wait."

Boom!

They all turned away from the debris that flew up into the air as the bridge exploded behind the trucks. As the smoke cleared, it revealed that the bridge had been blown up. "Okay," Kristoff let go of Elsa, "Now you can go."

"Elsa!" She turned when she heard Tucker call her name. The doctor waved her over to the Throne Room door, "You should see this."

Elsa rushed up to the Throne Room to find Tucker sitting with the King who was laying on his back and breathing heavily. "How's he doing?" she asked.

Tucker shook his head, "Not good, I'm afraid. Internal bleeding. There's nothing more I can do."

"What a nightmare," Elsa sighed, "And I brought it here."

"Don't go beating yourself up," Tucker closed his medical bag, "Vlad's been after that crystal since Iceland."

Elsa's eyes lit up, "The crystal," she smiled, "Tucker, that's it." She gestured to the necklace the king wore, "These… these crystals they have some sort of healing energy. I've seen it work."

"No," the king spoke, looking at Elsa, "Where is my son?"

"Well," Elsa looked away from him as she kneeled beside the king, "He… he…"

"He has been chosen…" the king concluded, "Like his mother before him."

Elsa blinked, "What?"

"In times of danger the crystal will choose a host, one of royal blood to protect itself and its people. It will accept no other."

Elsa blinked, "W-Wait a minute. Choose? So this thing is alive?"

"In a way. The crystal thrives on the collective emotions of all who came before us. In return, it provides power, longevity, protection. As it grew, it developed a consciousness of its own," the king coughed a bit before continuing, "In my arrogance I sought to use it as a weapon of war but it's power proved too great to control. It overwhelmed us and led to our destruction."

"That's why you hid it beneath the city, to keep history from repeating itself," Elsa finished.

The king look up at her with sad eyes, "And to prevent Danny from suffering the same fate as my beloved wife."

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked immediately, "What's going to happen to Danny?"

The king sighed, "If he remains bonded to the crystal, he could be lost to it forever. The love of my son is all I have left. My burden would have become his when the time was right but now," the king pulled his crystal necklace over his head and held it out to Elsa, "It falls to you."

She stared at the man in shock, "Me?"

"Return the crystal," he coughed, placing it in Elsa's hands, "Save Atlantis. Save my son."

The king's hand fell limp and the whole room went silent. Elsa bowed her head as a few guards who had lingered kneeled for their fallen king.

"So," Tucker said after a few moments of respective silence, "What's it going to be?"

Elsa looked up, "Excuse me?"

"I followed you in, and I'll follow you out," Tucker said, "It's your decision."

"Oh, my decision?" Elsa stood up and turned to face Tucker, "Well, I think we've seen how effective my decisions have been. Let's recap. I lead a band of plundering vandals to the greatest

archeological find in recorded history, thus enabling the kidnap and/or murder of the royal family, not to mention personally delivering the most powerful force known to man into the hands of a mercenary nutcase who's probably going to sell it to the Kaiser! Have I left anything out?!"

"Well, you did set the camp on fire… and drop us down that big hole."

Elsa huffed, "Thank you. Thank you very much."

Tucker smiled and placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder, "Of course, it's been my experience when you hit rock bottom, the only place left to go is up."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Who told you that?"

"A girl by the name of Anna Arendal."

Elsa froze and looked down at the crystal in her hand. You carry your sister with you in your heart, she remembered Danny's words, She is here with you. Her eyes narrowed in determination and she turned to walk out of the Throne room.

"Where are you going?" Sam called after her once she emerged from the entrance.

"I'm going after Vlad," she answered.

She grabbed her arm, "Elsa, that's crazy."

"I didn't say it was the smart thing," she pulled her arm away from her, "But it is the right thing."

They all watched her jump over a few ruins. Sam just sighed in defeat, "Why does she have to be right?" They followed her and found her climbing a fish like ruin with vines growing over it. "Elsa, what do you think you're doing?"

She smiled down at them, "Just follow my lead." She placed her hand on the pad, put the crystal in and turned it. The engines revved as the fish lit up and floated about the ground.

"Wow," Valerie said, "I'm impressed."

"Hey, Elsa," Kristoff called up as other Atlanteans gathered around, "You got something sporty? You know, like a tuna?"

"How is this done?" an Atlantean guard asked.

Elsa hopped down from the fish and held up the crystal, "All you gotta do is use the crystals. Danny showed me. Half-turn right, quarter-run back. Keep your hand on the pad." As more Atlanteans plus the crew began to find fish of their own, Elsa got back onto her fish. Soon they were all at the ready, poised to follow her.

Kristoff revved his engine, "Oh, I'm excited. This is gonna be fun."

"Alright, this is it!" Elsa called out to everyone, "We're going to rescue the prince. We're going to save Atlantis. Or we're going to die trying. Now let's do it!" A collective battle cry was heard as they all charged towards the tunnels.

---

"I love it when I win."

Vlad smirked as the crew chained the iron box to the giant hot air balloon, ready to make his get away through the newly formed hole in the rock formation. As it rose into the air, he spotted an army of fish-like vehicles. "We've got company!" he shouted to his men.

Utter chaos unfolded as bullets flew through the air. The Atlanteans shot arrows back down at the men from the backs of their aircrafts as Vlad's own planes were being launched into the air. Vlad climbed onto the balloon with Hans as Kristoff accidently discovered how to activate the Atlantean lasers.

"Kristoff, new plan," Elsa called, "You and me, we're going to be decoys. Sam, Tucker, fly up underneath that thing and cut him loose."

"We're on it," Sam nodded before flying down to the iron box.

Elsa and Kristoff quickly shot at the zeppelin, letting Vlad and Hans get distracted by them. Unfortunately, Vlad wasn't fooled for long and he spotted the two people who were working to saw off the chains that held up the cell. "Look who's working overtime," he pointed down at Sam and Tucker. Hans aimed his gun and began to shoot at them, giving them no choice but to get out of there.

"Alright, Elsa, this is it. Any last words?" Elsa asked herself before she sighed, "Yeah. I really wish I had a better idea than this!" She steered her fish towards the zeppelin and jumped out of it before it crashed into the red fabric, grabbing onto a rope on the side to swing to safety.

"We're losing altitude," Vlad said as the balloon began to lose helium, "Lighten the load."

Hans nodded and began to throw away everything on the balloon, "That's it, unless someone wants to jump."

Vlad grabbed his shoulders, "You first, insist." With a grunt, he lifted him and threw him over the railing.

In a split second, he came right back and delivered a swift kick to his jaw. "You said

we were in this together!" And another. "You promised me a percentage!"

This time, Vlad caught his leg, "Next time, get it in writing." Again, he threw Hans over the edge, this time with greater force. "Nothing personal," he called down to the falling man.

As he turned back around, Elsa came swinging around on the rope, tackling Vlad to the floor. Vlad stood and laughed, "Well, I have to hand it to you. You're a bigger pain in the neck than I would have ever thought possible," he quickly punched Elsa, making her fall down and catch herself on the chains that held up Danny's box, "I consider myself an even-tempered man. It takes a lot to get under my skin, but congratulations you just won the solid-gold medal."

Hans grunted from the solid rock he had landed on as he shifted to take out his gun. He pointed it towards the balloon and smirked, "Nothing personal." With a bang, he shot a bullet up into the balloon, triggering an explosion from the engine that powered the fire and propellers.

Vlad grabbed an axe and jumped down to where Elsa was. He growl as he swung the axe, hitting the window on the iron containment. Elsa quickly grabbed a glass shard just as Vlad grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her up. She quickly, slashed Vlad's shoulder and climbed back up onto the balloon's deck once he let her go. She heard cracking and the sounds of a piercing scream before she looked back down. Vlad was completely crystallized. Thinking fast, Elsa jumped down and kicked him up into the zeppelin's propellers.

Vlad was shattered in an explosion and the chains that held up Elsa and Danny broke, sending her and the box tumbling down the side of the ash. As she sat up, thankful she had landed safely, the ground began to shake. "The volcano," Olaf cried, "It's awake!"

"Hey," Kristoff said, "I had nothing to do with it."

"This sure would be a good place not to be," Valerie pointed out.

"No, wait," Elsa said, grabbing a loose chain and hooking it to the container, "We have to get him back or the whole city will die."

Sam huffed as she took the chain from her and tied it around her fish, "And if we don't get out of here, we'll die."

"It's the only way to reverse this. Just do it!" she yelled as she climbed on with Sam. But as they started to fly, the hook broke the top of the container off. Without a second thought, Elsa jumped down and grabbed the chain, ignoring Sam calling after her. She quickly tied it around the whole box and shouted, "Go!" She grabbed onto the box as it was pulled by the aircraft, zooming through the tunnels and out-running lava that was just behind them. They finally reached the city and Elsa and the box were lowered onto a platform of sorts. A guard handed her a spear and together they began to pry at the box.

"Elsa!" Tucker yelled, "Olaf says the wall's gonna blow!"

Ding!

The box creaked open a bit and suddenly it fell apart. The pieces of metal fell away and began to circle Danny as green light travels through the ground throughout the city, making Atlantean symbols visible. Danny rose into the sky, the carving of the kings of Atlantean past emerging from the ground and following him. As he rose a force field began to cover the city, it's green light preventing anything that came flying at them. The lava poured over the force field and soon the magma solidified, the rock breaking away after a calm moment.

As the smoke cleared, Danny was lying limp on the floor. Elsa rushed to him in an instant and checked for a pulse. She sighed in relief when she felt it and took Danny in her arms, helping him sit up against her as the green lights faded in the sky. He leaned into her for a moment before blinking his eyes open. "Elsa?" he asked.

"Hey," she smiled down at him.

He smiled at her before looking sadly up at the sky where he had come from. He looked back to the girl beside him and tackled her in a hug, bringing her close to his chest. Elsa smiled as she wrapped her arms around him before pulling away and gesturing out at the city. She helped him stand as he turned and smiled at the sight before him.

Spanning out below them, the city looked new and rebuilt as water flowed freely and plants thrived, ruins now restored to their former glory. His smile widened as he took her hand in his.

---

"Atlantis will honor your names forever," Danny smiled as he placed a crystal around Kristoff's neck. He stepped away and looked fondly at the whole group, "I only wish there was more we could do for you."

"Uh, you know, thanks anyway but I think we're good," Kristoff nodded back to the giant ship some Atlanteans were filling with huge amounts treasure.

Elsa smiled at him, "They'll take you as far as the surface."

"We are really going to miss you, Elsa," Sam said.

"You know," Kristoff placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder, "I'm going to reopen the flower shop and I'm going to think of you guys every single day. Monday through Friday, Saturday until 2:00," he turned away as he began to talk more to himself, "Sunday… I'm going to take Sunday off probably, and… Maybe I'll go in for a couple of hours, you know but August… I'm going to take August off."

Sam made her way up to her and hugged her tightly. "See you Elsa," she smiled before giving her a light punch on the shoulder.

"Now, you sure you want to stay?" Tucker asked, "There's a hero's welcome waiting for the person who discovered Atlantis, and I'd think it'd be a real kick in the face to science if they found out a woman discovered it."

Elsa laughed before she shrugged, "I don't think the world needs another hero. Besides," she glanced back at Danny with a smile, "I hear there's an opening down here for an expert in gibberish," she shrugged, "It's my job as a historian to keep their culture alive, to revived it the best I can."

"You take good care of yourself, Elsa Arendal," Tucker nodded at her before pulling her in for a hug.

"Yeah," Elsa smiled and hugged him back, "You, too, Tucker."

Tucker let go and turned to everyone else, "Come on guys. One last shot in front of the fish."

Everyone climbed onto the pile of treasure and posed. "Say ushizi," the guard at the camera said.

"Ushizi!"

"Alright now one of you two," Sam said, shoving Elsa into Danny and running behind the camera as everyone moved, "Okay, one…"

"Oh and Elsa," Danny said to her, "There's one more thing I forgot to mention about staying down here."

"Two…"

She turned to him with a quirked brow, "What's that?"

"Three!"

Danny cupped her face and kissed her as the camera flashed.

---

"Now, let's go over it again just so we got it straight," Frostbite sighed as he looked at the finely dressed crew in front of him, "You didn't find anything?"

"Nope," Kristoff shrugged, "Just a lot of rocks… and fish… little fish."

"What happened to Hans?"

Valerie answered, "Missing."

"And Vlad?"

"Nervous breakdown," Tucker answered, "You could say he went all to pieces."

"What about Elsa?"

"Went down with the sub," Sam shrugged.

Frostbite looked down at the pile of pictures in his hands and smiled at the one of Danny and Elsa kissing, "I'm going to miss that girl. At least she's in a better place now." He suddenly came to a package that was wrapped neatly. He opened it to reveal an Atlantean crystal and a note.

Dear Frostbite,

I hope this piece of proof is enough for you. It sure convinced me. Thanks, from both of us.

Elsa Arendal

Frostbite smiled fondly at the note before he put the necklace over his head and around his neck.

---

Elsa and Danny stepped away from the carving before them. Danny reached to his necklace but his hands began to shake as he removed it. Elsa took his hand in hers and gave him an encouraging smile. Together they touched the crystal to the carving.

The carving of Danny's father, the former king, began to glow and rise up into the air. As it began to rise, Danny took Elsa's arm and they both ran to a tower, the same one they had climbed when they'd first met. They stood together on top and watched as Danny's father joined the other kings who floated in the sky around the crystal that was now proudly above the city, watching over it, protecting it. Danny took Elsa's hand and they smiled out at the restored city before them.