Prologue

Sea breeze blew in through the rain-swept porch of the Flores family home in the dead of night. Tense silence had settled upon that moonlit space where the former Tagmatarchis Bloop and his old protege Gawr Gura faced down the highest ranking officer of the Atlantean military - Polemarchos Bakkhos. Four soldiers from the elite guard of the Aquamarine Palace, clad in majestic gold-trimmed aquamarine capes draped over their ringmail shirts and ornate golden pauldrons, stood by Bakkhos' side. Bloop's family and their newly arrived guests, on the other hand, watched the standoff through the windows of the quaint woodland chalet.

Bloop's eyes shifted nervously in the midst of the confrontation. His family was a stone's throw away from the battle lines that were being drawn on the ruined, muddy remains of the tilled fields. Moreover, his protege Gura had drawn her weapon against the Polemarchos without a sliver of hesitation.

However, Gura stole a sidelong glance of Bloop and reassured him with a whisper.

"Don't worry, chief. I've got this. Leave it to me~!"

She then sauntered forward with her trident in hand and placed herself in between Bakkhos and Bloop. Gura stared down Bakkhos from behind the prongs of her trident and forced him to step away from the porch and back onto the muddy soil of the ruined field. In response, the four Atlantean soldiers summoned their tridents with flashes of powder blue and halted Gura's advance.

"You are making a serious mistake, former Lokhagos Gura." Bakkhos warned, encouraged by the presence of his troops beside him now, "You do not want to make an enemy of the Aquamarine Palace."

"I've been an enemy of the Aquamarine Palace for deserting the military for thirty years, right? Thirty years, you dummies sat on your tails and twiddle your thumbs." Gura tested impatiently and kept her trident pointed at Bakkhos, "Then all of the sudden, when the Ancient Ones contact ya, you suddenly find the will to come after me?" She furrowed her brow and growled, "I can be a bonehead sometimes, but I'm not that dumb! Something's fishy and it ain't me!"

"You've always been a troublemaker, even when you were still a Lokhagos ." Bakkhos shrugged, "I was always the one who had to clean up the messes you made in the military. Now, I'm cleaning up the mess you're making by allying yourself with enemies of the state! Old habits die hard, huh?" He held his trident firmly and offered, "Surrender yourself and your friends now and Atlantis may forgive your heinous crimes yet! You cannot run from her forever!"

"Oh, but I ain't runnin'! I'm going to Atlantis alright - straight to the Aquamarine Palace!" Gura countered and wagged her tail eagerly to take a firmer combat stance, "I'm gonna settle this matter with them directly! I'm not going down there as your prisoner just because you tell me to!" She then felt the weight of the golden watch in her pocket and whispered, "Plus… I'm not gonna let you lay a hand on any of my friends."

"Shall we add 'resisting arrest' to your slate of charges?" Bakkhos snorted.

"Nah." Gura wore a toothy, determined grin, "Try 'attempted sharkslaughter'!"

With that, Gura launched herself from the porch like a spring and thrust her trident at Bakkhos. Aquamarine clashed with aquamarine and the taller Bakkhos cast his shadow over Gura. He laughed with amusement and pushed back against Gura with formidable strength.

"You are a washed up Lokhagos , Gawr Gura! You cannot hope to overpower me!"

"Wasn't planning on it." Gura taunted, "Strength ain't everythin' y'know!"

All of the sudden, while Gura's trident was locked with Bakkhos', the smaller Atlantean followed through and kicked her opponent's shin. That strike robbed Bakkhos of his mountain-like strength and Gura gave him no time to rest. She skillfully shifted her weight, pushed against Bakkhos one more time and finally uprooted him from his steeled stance. Then, Gura pulled back her trident and thrust again.

Bakkhos, still staggered from the sudden strike, could only clumsily step to the side. The prongs of Gura's trident missed his heart, but it struck his side to tear flesh and draw blood like a red mist. Gura whirled her trident again, cast off the commander's blood and tried to follow through a second time, but Bakkhos' goons promptly intervened.

Two tridents, thrown by the back rank of the goons, flew through the air and missed Gura by an inch. The foremost goons, meanwhile, charged Gura and intercepted her before she could resume her assault. Those two attacked Gura at the same time and nearly caught her in a pincer. Gura had to bob and weave to break loose of the pincer, but one of the tridents caught her cheek and cut a shallow wound.

Unamused, Gura wiped the blood from her cheek with the back of her hand and she twirled around with breakneck speed. With a skillful backhand thrust, she pierced one of the goons with the pointed base of her trident between the ribs and savagely yanked it out in one fluid motion. Then in the blink of an eye, Gura threw her bloodied trident at the second foremost goon and caught her square in the chest.

While Gura was recalling her trident with magic, Bakkhos suddenly rushed her from behind. The large, muscle bound man ran at full speed with his trident before Gura could summon hers again. This time, however, Bakkhos was intercepted by a solid punch to the face that sent the Polemarchos flying.

Gura turned around and saw Bloop with a bloodied clenched fist and a sour scowl on his face. Gura's old mentor wiped Bakkhos' blood off of his fist and growled at the downed commander.

"You come to my home in the dead of night, trample my crops under your feet, insult my children and assault my protege to take her prisoner - and you expect me to be pacific ?" Bloop's eyes went bloodshot red and he cracked his knuckles, "I am loyal to the Aquamarine Palace, but oh Poseidon - but I am not loyal to you !"

Gura watched Bloop march over to the staggered Bakkhos before her mentor unleashed a flurry of heavy, bone-crushing punches that reached Gura's ears. Every punch was like a hammer striking an anvil with ruthless strength in quick succession. By the time the four goons rushed to Bakkhos' aid, the Polemarchos was already black and blue.

Damn, chief! The scourge of Magna Graecia's still got it, huh?

"Bastards or not, the kids of the Imperial Guard are tough as nails." Bloop reminded Gura and stepped back to stand beside her, "They're not gonna go down that easily."

"Atlanteans are built different. I know." Gura grinned knowingly. She finally recalled her trident and drew her Single Action Army revolver with her free hand, "Besides, it wouldn't be fun if they just flopped to the ground." Her eyes went bloodshot red as well and she added, "Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to vent out all the anger I'm feelin' right now!"

Suddenly, Gura and Bloop heard footsteps coming from behind them. Bloop turned around and saw his old, rusted trident sailing gently towards him sideways. He caught his trident handily and saw his wife Karolina approaching them.

"You sharks always play rough, but I can't let you fishies have all the fun." Karolina mused with a chuckle, "This is a Flores family matter now, after all. I won't let this dummy damage our house and insult our kids."

"Karolina…" Bloop was pleasantly surprised.

"That's my civilian name, Bloop." Karolina extended her hand forward and called forth a large tongue of flame out of thin air. That flame then coalesced into a large two-handed Zweihänder sword. She rested the flat of her blade on her shoulder and wore a nostalgic expression, "We're on the battlefield again, so you can call me by my real name. Bitte, meine liebe . Just like old times?"

A proud smirk formed on Bloop's lips now and he complied fondly, "As you wish, Kotori."

Gura snorted with amusement.

You freakin' power couple!

Ina, Calli, Jenma and the rest of the Flores family watched the scene eagerly now. However, the radiant image of Kotori wielding the Zweihänder blade made of Phoenix flame reflected in Kiara's eyes and gripped her with pure delight. Kotori noticed Kiara's eyes fixed on her and she gave her a confident wink, telling her to watch her in action and to believe.

Bakkhos and his goons, on the other hand, nervously paced backward in the face of the united front that had formed against them.

"The tide's a turnin', stinky!" Gura snarled at Bakkhos now. She stood between Bloop and the Phoenix Kotori and held her trident firmly, "Now be a good fish and let me beat the hell out of ya!"

At the drop of the hat, Gura charged again. Bloop and Kotori followed soon afterwards in perfect sync. Together, the three of them assaulted Bakkhos and his goons with aquamarine and Phoenix-forged steel and relentless strikes. They whittled down the formidable endurance of the elite troops of the Atlantean imperial guard until they fell one by one until Bakkhos was the only one left.

Gura whirled her trident and staggered the exhausted Polemarchos handily. Kotori swept up with her huge orange Zweihänder and swung down with incredible strength. Bakkhos managed to block the Zweihänder with the pole of his trident, but the powerful strike broke the trident in half and dispelled it with a flash of power blue light.

Unarmed, Bakkhos fell on his butt in the thick mud of the ruined tilled fields with an earthy splash. The Polemarchos crawled backwards through the mud with fear painted in his eyes now. Bloop and Gura, however, didn't let him get away. The two of them set aside their tridents, clenched their fists so tightly that their knuckles turned white under the moonlight and punched Bakkhos' face in tandem.

Bakkhos finally fell down onto the mud, unconscious.

AlterMyth

Gem of the Sea

Seventy-Seventh Scene - Gura's Gambit

Under the waning moonlight, Bloop retracted and unclenched his fist first and heaved a sigh. His bloodshot red eyes went back to their normal blue color and he groaned.

"Looks like we're really sticking it to the Aquamarine Palace now." Bloop lamented, "Fighting a Polemarchos isn't going to be an easy charge to waive." He glanced at Kotori and his family again then insisted, "But I wouldn't have had it any other way."

Gura nodded in agreement.

"I appreciate the assist, Bloop." Gura dissolved her trident with a wave of her hand, "Though, I don't think we're up against all of Atlantis here."

"I had a feeling too." Bloop agreed and picked up his rusted trident from the mud, "Five soldiers isn't even half a Lokhos … and it seems strange that they would come in the dead of night like this."

"Yeah." The smaller shark snorted, "Doesn't make sense that they got their act together all of the sudden after thirty years." She folded her arms and furrowed her brow while she racked her brains, "They would have taken a lot more time deliberatatin' and stuff."

While the former Lokhagos and Tagmatarchis were theorizing, the Phoenix Kotori sauntered over to them and handed them rope.

"I think we should tie these rowdy sharks down first, dears." Kotori reminded them with a smile, "After that, we can deliberate all we want."

Gura and Bloop obliged and methodically helped Kotori hog-tie Bakkhos and his unconscious goons with rope. While Gura was tying up a goon, however, she noticed that all of them carried bunches of sea-slick grass in their satchels.

Sea grass, huh? Did they ride seahorses up here?

Once Bakkhos and his goons were tied up, Ina, Kiara, Calli and Jenma finally stepped onto the porch and joined the triumphant warriors there.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire." Ina lamented and regarded the tied up Atlanteans with dismay. She turned to Gura with a frown, "We're making enemies left and right here, Gura. Was this really the wise thing to do?"

"I wasn't going to let these cod-eaters lay their hands on you, Ina, or anyone else!" Gura reaffirmed her decision, "I'm not gonna lose anyone else."

"I feel the same way, Gura, but how are we going to get out of this one?" Ina asked with concern, "I've seen powerful officials of every stripe in Parliament in Ottawa. Folks like these will flaunt their wealth and status at every chance they get."

"Atlantis, for all its faults, is fair when it has its act together." Gura put a hand on her hip now and managed to wear a small smile. She pointed to Bakkhos with her thumb and continued, "As long as we have evidence to show that stinky here's been sneaky and working with the Ancient Ones without imperial assent, then I think justice will be done."

"And how do you think you're going to get that evidence?" Ina tested.

Gura's smile grew wider and she took off one of the goons' aquamarine capes. She handed the cape to Ina and spoke.

"You and Bloop are gonna help me get that evidence, Ina."

"Eh…!? Me?" Ina's face went pale.

"You said you were gonna do everything you can to help me bring Ame back, right?" Gura's tone became warm, "Please help me out, Ina. I need you to help me out."

Ina took the aquamarine cape in her hands and looked at her reflection in the soft, shimmering fabric. She turned to Gura again and gave her reply.

"I don't know what you have planned here, Gura… but if you think I can truly help, then I'll do what I can." Ina turned away from the small Atlantean and shyly added, "Plus, as a scholar, I'd like to see Atlantis with my own eyes too."

Gura wore a toothy grin now and patted Ina's shoulder.

"That's the spirit, Ina! Now listen up! Here's what I'm planning to do…"

Seventy-Eighth Scene - Veiled in Aquamarine

When dawn started to break over Flores Island, Gura, Ina and Bloop tracked down the steps of Polemarchos Bakkhos through the muddy roads. The Polemarchos and his cohort, however, were loaded onto carts that Bloop pulled along while they searched. Kotori, Ina, Kiara, Calli and Jenma, tagged along and fanned out to help their search too. Soon enough, Ina came across a small, hidden nook by the gurgling river where five Atlantean seahorses were tethered.

The sight of the seahorses made Ina's face grow pale. She had never seen seahorses of such size so far inland before. They were spiny like the creatures she had seen in the many marine biology textbooks that Ame loved to thumb through during other classes, but they were the size of terrestrial packhorses and carried saddles that would have fit the large Atlantean soldiers.

Their heads were above water so they gurgled when they saw Ina approach, drawing a squeak from her.

"Eep~!"

"Oh, you found em'!" Gura rushed over to Ina's side, "They're really clumsy on land, but they can move through the water real fast!" She brought out a bunch of seagrass from the enemy cohort's sachets and proceeded to feed them, "You boys have been hungry huh? Have some snacks - we've got a long journey ahead of us, after all."

The rest of their companions filed into the nook as well and helped them set up their cargo. Gura took the largest seahorse as her steed and tied the smallest two onto a yoke that trailed behind the leader. Ina watched Gura fasten Polemarchos Bakkhos and his cohort onto the rear horses, just like the vagrants that she had seen transported on horseback by the constables of the North-West Mounted Police back in Ottawa.

"It's like the Shenandoah River all over again." Gura mused fondly to herself, recalling her own journey in North America. The smaller Atlantean turned to Ina with a satisfied smile, "I'm good to go, Ina. Now let's get that aquamarine cape onto ya."

"Do I really need to wear this… thing?" Ina's cheeks went red when she regarded the cape in her hands, "It's pretty, but I'm not really used to flaunting high fashion like this."

"These capes are what nobles and high ranking officials wear in Atlantis, Ina." Gura reassured and draped the cape onto Ina's back, "It'll be part of your disguise. You wouldn't get anywhere near the Polemarchos' office in the Aquamarine Palace without this." She grinned at Ina with a toothy smile, "Plus, these capes will let landlubbers like you breathe easy underwater!"

"These capes are able to do that…!?" Ina gasped.

Bloop joined the two girls now and offered the scholar Ina a history lesson. Her grimoire AO-chan floated around nearby, almost as if she too was interested to hear Bloop's story. Gura, however, rolled her eyes and tolerated the spiel of Bloop that she had heard many times before. The smaller Atlantean excused herself to outfit the last two seahorses while Bloop regaled Ina with his lecture.

"Allow me to explain, Miss Ina'nis. The Atlantean Empire first made contact with the human world in Antiquity, mainly with the Greeks and then the Romans in the Mediterranean. We befriended those empires, traded with them and helped them win naval battles that they would have otherwise lost. We adopted their languages - and they adopted our tactics. Greek and Roman ambassadors occasionally visited Atlantis, and they used those aquamarine capes to survive in our realms. Naturally, when those empires fell, their dignitaries sought refuge in Atlantis - and we bestowed those capes upon them once again."

"Ohhh…" Ina felt the aquamarine fabric over her clothes and hummed, "But hardly anyone knows about Atlantis anymore - and those that do think it's just a myth."

Bloop folded his arms and sympathized. "It wasn't always the case. Do you know the Pillars of Hercules?"

"You mean the Rock of Gibraltar?" Ina tilted her head, "I always wondered why they called it that. It's only just one geological feature after all."

"The Rock of Gibraltar is one of the Pillars of Hercules, yes." Bloop nodded, "But the second pillar is not on the surface, you see. The second pillar is none other than the Aquamarine Palace of Atlantis! You see, Miss Ina'nis, when the Romans founded Hispania Baetica ...o-ow!"

Before Bloop could say any more, Kotori sauntered over and to his side and pinched his ear and chastised him. She turned to Ina and apologized to her with a smile.

"I'm sorry for that, Ina. Bloop really loves his history. If you give him a chance, he'll talk your ear off and you won't get anything done!" Kotori laughed, clucking like a chicken, and she laid a hand on her pregnant belly, "Gosh, do I know a lot about that."

Kotori realized what she said and stopped herself from saying anything more. Ina, on the other hand, pretended she didn't hear what she heard. Instead, Ina deftly changed the subject.

"Anyways, Mrs. Kotori, are you alright with letting sir Bloop go back to Atlantis with us? It could get dangerous down there, after all."

"Live long enough with someone at your side, whether they be a lover or a friend, and you'll have to learn to trust them, Ina." Kotori patted Ina's head, "A part of me doesn't want to let Bloop go. Our fields aren't going to replant themselves, after all. But your friends are staying to help me with the chores and keep us safe - so I trust Bloop will protect you kids and come back home alive and well." The mother's smile then grew warmer and she added, "That's how you and Gura feel about Miss Amelia Watson, am I right?"

Ina felt the golden clasps of the aquamarine cape she wore now and nodded to Kotori.

"Yeah. We do." Ina spoke from the bottom of her heart, "Just like how Ame trusts us to get her back."

With that, Kotori patted Ina's and Bloop's shoulders and sent them off with a smile. Gura helped Ina mount the saddle of a seahorse and take its reins while Kotori, Kiara, Calli and Jenma watched. Their friends, and the kids of Kotori and Bloop bid them farewell by the riverbanks as well.

Gura, Ina and Bloop waved goodbye and rode their seahorses downstream and then down into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean itself while their sequestered aquamarine capes trailed behind them.

Seventy-Ninth Scene - The Aquamarine Palace

Light from the morning sun grew dimmer and dimmer as Gura, Ina and Bloop rode their seahorses deeper into the Atlantic Ocean. The priestess and the larger Atlantean rode a good distance from Gura, roughly two trident throws away, but Ina couldn't quite breathe as easily underwater as she first thought.

The aquamarine cape was working as Gura described it. Ina was able to breathe underwater as if she was still on land and her grimoire AO-chan floated alongside her unhindered by the salty waters. Despite this convenience, the sheer speed of the seahorses moving underwater and the presence of Atlantean border guards still made it hard for Ina to breathe freely. Thankfully, Bloop rode close to her and made sure that Ina and her seahorse didn't drift too far off course, but Ina was more worried about Gura.

She watched the smaller Atlantean bring the three seahorses and the tied-up Atlantean high officials to the border where the border guards confronted her. They were speaking in Greek, Bloop told her. He translated what he could overhear from their conversation. Apparently, the guards recognized Gura and were amazed that she was able to take down Polemarchos Bakkhos.

"Doesn't seem like Bakkhos is popular among the rank and file." Ina commented.

Bloop grunted in agreement and just watched the guards escort Gura through the border. Once the smaller Atlantean made her way through, Bloop reached over his back and wore the hood of his cape over his head until it shrouded his face.

"That's our cue to go." Bloop noted.

Ina nodded to him and followed suit. The two of them then rode their seahorses onwards to the border for their turn at the crossing.

The Atlantean border was a curious place, Ina thought. It was demarcated by coral-lined walls that were hewn out of natural rock formations. Aquamarine banners bearing the imperial standard of Atlantis hung from hooks on the walls and floated upward, fluttering along with the ever-changing movement of the undercurrents. Braziers of curious Greek fire illuminated the entire length of the border while cadres of trident-bearing Atlantean soldiers patrolled the perimeter on seahorses of their own.

Ina counted two dozen mounted Atlantean border guards before they were halted at the crossing. Three of the guards at the crossing approached them but quickly recognized the aquamarine capes that Ina and Bloop were wearing. The guards gave Ina and Bloop respectful salutes, but one of them approached and gave his sheepish speil in Greek.

From what Ina could understand, the border guard was given orders by the Atlantean military brass to confirm the identities of folks crossing the border. They also wanted to know what their business was outside of the realm.

Bloop heaved a sigh and then spoke with a deep, albeit veiled authoritative voice. He spoke in Greek and told them that he was Taxiarhos Baral and introduced Ina as Syntagmatarchis Innocencia - his protege and a relative of the Empress herself. He even told them that they had just finished surveying the wreckage of the RMS Olympic - the sistership of the RMS Teutonic that was attacked and sunk by the sea serpent. Ina's heart beat hard against her chest, but she stayed as still as she possibly could while Bloop gave his outrageous lie.

Thankfully, the border guards bought the story and let them through without any further question. Ina could tell that the border guards were just as nervous as her to be in the presence of high-ranking Atlantean military officials. They didn't even dare to remove the hoods they wore over their heads. Just how powerful were the cape-wearing patricians of Atlantis? Ina could only wonder.

The border guards stepped aside and let Ina and Bloop through as Innocencia and Baral respectively, stopping short of laying down a red carpet for them and their seahorses. Once they got through the border, it was smooth riding all the way to the heart of Atlantis. Braziers of Greek fire that still burned underwater guided their way to the sister of the Rock of Gibraltar - the Aquamarine Palace.

Whoa…

Ina was awestruck when she regarded the Aquamarine Palace growing larger as they approached it. It was a towering geological feature like the Rock of Gibraltar, but a sprawling palatial complex, one hundred and twenty stories tall, had been carved into it. Intricate coral formations grew on and around the rock and painted it in majestic colors ranging from blue to purple and gold. Multitudes of Greek fire torches and braziers shone through the many windows of the palace and illuminated its marvelous form.

Further down the road, Gura and the border guards escorting her were met with fanfare from the denizens of the Aquamarine Palace. All eyes were on Gura, the lost daughter of Atlantis, entering the realm after her thirty year absence.

Ina couldn't exactly see Gura's face from where she was riding, but she could feel that Gura was uneasy. This wasn't the sort of homecoming that Gura wanted to have, Ina figured, but this was what Gura was prepared to do.

At the very least, that commotion let Bloop and Ina avoid the eyes of the crowds. They carried on to the seahorse stables near the central layer of the Aquamarine Palace. There, they disembarked from their seahorses and infiltrated the palace complex in earnest.

Ina and Bloop, still shrouded by the hoods of their aquamarine capes, walked briskly through the intricately carved and polished, albeit labyrinthine halls of pristine aquatic stone. They found a large spiral stairwell at the heart of the palace and started climbing it up all the way to the top.

With every floor, more and more folks wore aquamarine veils and the intricacy of the carvings and decorations intensified dramatically. Majestic chandeliers of Greek fire replaced the baser braziers while oil-paintings in sea-treated parchment began lining the walls.

When they reached the hundredth floor, they encountered a marble statue of a trident-wielding lady watching over the stairwell. Bloop turned to Ina and introduced her to it.

"This is a statue of our young Empress, Flavia Iustitia Synetos , or Iustitia IV." Bloop spoke with muted reverence, "She was only ten years old when she took the throne thirty years ago. Snakes like Bakkhos were her regents while she was still a child. They did a lot of things without her knowledge back then - just like condemning Gura and exiling me without imperial assent." He raised his head up to look at her lifeless marble eyes, "I sure hope she managed to grow a spine like Gura did in these past thirty years - or at least get the imperial court in order."

"I hope so too." Ina agreed with a nod, "Gura's laying her life on the line for us. We have to hurry."

Eightieth Scene - Exetasi Synedisis Ston Kathrefti

Deeper in the heart of the vast Aquamarine Palace was a colossally large amphitheater thrice as large as the colosseum in Rome. The place was built in Greco-Roman fashion and was carved out of pristine aquatic stone and was supported by Doric pillars and impressively large statues of Greek gods, from Hercules to Poseidon himself. All the while, seats for a hundred and fifty thousand people were carved into the stone and arranged in a circle around a stage of dirt.

Under the protection of the statue of Poseidon, an elevated platform looked over the entire amphitheater and bore a regal throne made of solid aquamarine. A small band of Atlantean soldiers bearing aquatic trumpets blew their instruments, summoning Atlanteans of all stripes to the amphitheater.

Atlanteans from all one hundred and twenty floors of the Aquamarine Palace trickled into the place and took their seats. Once most of the seats had been filled, Empress Iustitia IV appeared on the imperial platform.

Iustitia was a girl of small stature, just like Gura, but she wore an impressive dress with gold trimmings and pearl jewelries that radiated her majesty. On her head of light blue hair, she wore the imperial Aquamarine Crown adorned with Atlantean pearls, Western Roman rubies and Byzantine amethyst. Furthermore, she wielded a beautiful golden trident adorned with pearls while her shark's tail swayed calmly behind her.

The crowd stood up in attention and applauded their Empress, but there were patches of frustration and grumbles mixed in with the din. Gura was among the skeptics in the amphitheater. In Gura's eyes, she saw nothing more than a kid who was playing dress up. Gura stepped into the amphitheater too, but she was escorted by Atlantean soldiers onto the stage of dirt.

When Gura's skeptical eyes met with the Empress', Iustitia stood up from her throne and addressed the crowd. Iustitia spoke in Greek with a firm voice that echoed through the amphitheater. She explained to the crowd why the Atlantean peoples were summoned there that day.

According to Iustitia, Gawr Gura, the lost daughter of Atlantis was to be tried, at the demand of Polemarchos Bakkhos, for her desertion from the Atlantean Army. Bakkhos himself soon appeared on a lower platform under the shadow of the Hercules statue and presented his case for Gura's trial, point by point.

After a short while, Bakkhos also started laying down new charges against Gura - from exposing her Atlantean nature to people of the land to fighting against a ranking official of the Atlantean military. Bakkhos was even demanding that he be allowed to raise an army to punish Gura's friends when Iustitia finally interrupted him.

"We shall tackle the charges against Gawr Gura one at a time, Polemarchos ." Iustitia chastised firmly in English, "Do not get ahead of yourself. After all, the defendant must be given a chance to defend herself." The Empress' blue eyes then turned to Gura's again and she spoke warmly, "We have heard the side of Polemarchos Bakkhos, Gawr Gura. Now, please tell us your side of the story. You may speak in English if this is more amenable to you."

"I appreciate it, your highness." Gura obliged and spoke to the crowd now, telling them the things that she had seen on her journey. Her story drew gasps of outrage and shock from the crowd, but she kept on going.

"Those are the ramblings of a lunatic!" Bakkhos tried to interrupt Gura.

"Silence, Polemarchos !" Iustitia lashed out, "Gawr Gura's story is wild, but it deserves to be heard in full. However, as it stands, the cases that the accuser and the defendant are presenting cannot reasonably be reconciled. Only one of these perspectives can possibly be true." Empress Iustitia raised her golden trident and pointed it at Gura, "Former Lokhagos Gawr Gura. You are a deserter of the Atlantean military, so we must examine your conscience in the eye of the public to determine if your word is indeed trustworthy. Trust that has been lost will be difficult to regain and the price must be paid in sweat and blood. Do you understand?"

Gura lowered her head and looked down at her own shadow. She remembered the day that she first met Ame and Ina and all of the adventures that they had together. Those memories gripped her heart and urged her to stand up straight with her head held high once more.

"I understand, your highness." Gura took a deep breath, "I submit myself to the Exetasi Synedisis . Examine my conscience all you want, your highness. You'll know I'm telling the truth. Εκ λόγου άλλος εκβαίνει λόγος!"

"Well said. Not many people are willing to look at their true selves in the mirror so eagerly, let alone dare to fight it. I commend your courage." Empress Iustitia nodded and raised her golden trident up even higher and addressed the crowd, "By the powers invested in me, the court is now in session. The trial of Gawr Gura for the charge of desertion shall now begin!"

Epilogue

A veil of golden magic emanated from Empress Iustitia's trident. It took the form of a curtain that stretched from one end of the amphitheater stage to another. At the same time, the Atlantean guards that had accompanied Gura on stage stepped away and a golden dome formed and surrounded the stage of dirt like a protective barrier. All hundred and fifty thousand Atlanteans watched the scene in absolute, nervous silence.

Just about every examination of conscience that had taken place in that amphitheater had ended up in a bloody hell of gory bloodshed and Gura knew this. And yet, Gura stood tall in the heart of the stage. The former Lokhagos tore off her fishbone shaped pendant and transformed it into her trusty aquamarine trident that she held firmly in her hands. However, for a moment, Gura's trident trembled ever so slightly.

C'mon, Gura. Don't get cold feet now.

Moments later, Empress Iustitia's clear voice reached Gura's ears.

"The stage is set, Gawr Gura. Step through the curtains once you have prepared your heart and your mind. Then, we shall see if your story is a tragedy - or a triumph!"

Gura gripped her trident tightly and stepped carefully through the curtain of golden magic. Once she did, the entire curtain rippled like water, as if a rock had been dropped onto a still lake. A disembodied voice soon spoke straight into Gura's mind.

You're a bad, bad shark .

Your tired eyes begin to fall.

Your darkest thoughts?

Unleash them all!

Chills ran up Gura's spine when she heard this voice.

After all, it was her own voice speaking to her.

Gura whirled around and held her trident at the ready. Then, she saw her opponent standing at the other side of the stage - a mirror image of herself with a terrifying gaze and eyes bright blood red.

You're finally here to face me, huh?

Give it all you've got, you 'gem of the sea'!

To Be Continued