Chapter Twenty-One: Secrets of Atalntis
"What are we doing exactly?" Jason asked as he Max and Milo hid behind a pillar and saw Kida walk out the palace closing the doors behind her.
"Okay here is the plan, we won't take no for an answer we have some questions for her and we are not leaving this city until they are answered" Milo said.
"Sounds good" Jason said as they looked around the pillar to see Kida was gone.
"Where did she go?" Max asked as Kida jumped down behind them and covered Milo mouth.
"I have some questions for you and you are not leaving this city until they are answered" Kida said.
"Well I, okay" Milo said.
"Come with me" Kida said as they followed her to a private more secluded part of the city.
"Oh there is so much to ask about your world, you are a scholar are you not? Judging by your finished physic and large forehead you are suited for nothing else" Kida said to Milo.
"I think that was either a compliment or an insult" Max said.
"I'm not sure either" Jason said.
"What is your country of origin? When did the flood waters recede? How did you-"
"Wait a minute I got a few questions for you too let's do this, I'll ask one then you then me then you well you get it" Milo said.
"Very well, what is your first question?" Kida asked.
"Well okay how did you get here? I mean not you personally I mean your whole culture, how did all of this end up down here?" Milo asked.
"It is said that the gods became jealous of Atlantis, they sent a great cataclysm and banished us here, all I can remember is this sky going dark and people shouting and running and then a bright light like a star floating above the city my father said it called my mother to it, I never saw her again" Kida said.
"I'm sorry if it's any constellation I know how you fell because I lost my-wait a minute! Whoa back up what are you telling me? You remember because you were there? That's impossible because that would make you I don't know eighty-five eighty-eight hundred years old" Milo said.
"Yes" Kida said.
"So that's why they all have white" Jason said.
"Oh well hey looking good uh ahem do you have a question for me?" Milo said.
"Yes, how is it that you found your way to this place?" Kida asked.
"Well I'll tell you it wasn't easy if it wasn't for this book we never would have made it" Milo said pulling out the book and Kida took it and flipped through the pages, "okay second question legend has it that your people possess a power source of some kind-"
"You mean you can understand this?" Kida asked.
"Yes I'm a linguist that what I do that's my job, now getting back to my question-"
"This! Right here you can read this?" she said holding out the book.
"Yes, yes I can read Atlantian like you" Milo said as Kida starred at the pages, "you can't can you?"
"No one can, such knowledge has been lost to us since the maibelock" Kida said.
"Oh the great flood" Milo said.
"Show me!" she said handing back the book eagerly as Milo began to read in Atlatian as Kida began to repeat it in English, "follow the passage for another league and you will find the fifth marker."
"Yeah that's it how is my accent?" Milo asked.
"Boorish, provincial and you speak it through your nose" she said.
"Yeah got to work on that" Milo said.
"Here let me show you something" Kida said leading them to an object hidden under a large blanket.
"What is it?" Jason asked as Kida pulled it off to reveal a stone fish like vehicle.
"W-what? It looks like some short of vehicle" Milo said.
"Yes but no matter what I try it will not respond perhaps if you-" Kida said as Milo interrupted.
"Way ahead of you! Okay let's see what we got here" Milo said as they look at the directions written on a strange symbol in Ataltian.
"What it say?" Jason asked.
"Okay place crystal into slot" Milo read.
"Yes, yes I have done that" Kida said.
"Gently place your hand on the inscription pad."
"Yes."
"Did you turn the crystal on corner turn back?"
"Yes."
"While your hand was on the inscription pad?"
"Ye-no" Kida said as Milo chuckled a bit.
"Well see that was your problem right there, it's an easy thing to miss you deserve credit for even getting this far" Milo said as she crossed her arms and glared at him.
"Awkward" Max said.
"Okay give it a try" Milo said as Kida did as told and place the crystal in the slot and her hand on the pad as she turned the crystal as they heard a hum as the pad glowed blue as parts of the vehicle glowed blue as it began to float off the ground as they backed away.
"Ne ya loct noca" Kida said.
"Yeah you got that right" Milo said.
"Wish we knew what that meant" Jason said as they approached the vehicle.
"This is great! With this thing I could see the city in no time at all!" Milo said.
"Yeah this would make traveling easier" Max said.
"I wonder how fast it goes?" Milo said touching the blue panel with one finger as it took off fast and began to bounce off the walls around them as they all it the ground as it flew over them then crash as Kida, Max and Jason all glared at Milo.
"That is how fast it can go" Jason said.
"So who's hungry?" Milo asked nervously.
Later that day they were climbing up a massive statue with wind blowing.
"By the way we were never properly introduce my name Milo."
"I am Jason."
"Max!"
"My name is Kidagakash."
"Ki-Kinagsmlge...uh hey do you have a nickname?" Milo asked.
"Kida" she said.
"Princess Kida hmm that works" Jason said as they reached the top.
"Okay Kida, I can remember that" Milo said as they looked around as the wondrous site of Atlantis as Milo looked like he was about to cry.
"What is wrong?" Kida asked.
"Oh! Uh it's nothing just got something in my eye" Milo said quickly removing the tears, "you know my grandpa used to tell me stories about this place as far back as I can remember I just wish he could be standing here with me" Milo said.
"Oh man, finding that keyhole in all this won't be easy" Jason said.
Later that day the four went to the fishing docks as Kida gave them a grand tour as one of the fishermen tossed them a very large crawfish as Milo tried to dodge it's pinchers as Kida grabbed the head and bit down on it as the crawfish flinched then died as Kida put it in Milo bag.
"Tell me more about your companions your physician he is called Cookie?" Kida said.
"No that is Sweet" Milo said.
"What is?" Kida said.
"The doctor he's Sweet" Milo said.
"Oh he is kindly" Kida said.
"No no no that is his name" Milo said.
"His name is Kindly?"
"No it's Sweet but he's kindly too."
"So all your doctors are sweet and kindly?"
"No-well I guess some are but that's not a requirement, you're missing the point!"
"You are confusing me" Kida said as they all meet with the others for dinner as Jason, Max and Milo tried to figure out how to use the Atlatian utensils.
"Cookies are sweet but yours is not, Sweet is kindly but that is not his name, Audrey is sweet but she is not your doctor and the little digging animal you called Mole, he is your pet?" Kida said.
"Close enough" Milo said.
"Is this thing even safe to eat?" Jason asked pulling out a still alive small green animal with many eyes.
"Don't forget to eat off the head" Sweet said biting the head off the little animals, "that's where all the nutrients are."
"Max how did we end up from eating a five star Paris meal each night to trying to figure out what we're eating?" Jason said eating one of the many foods.
"I have no idea but that multi eye thing is not so bad" Max said biting off the head.
Later that night they were collecting the fireflies with a lantern.
"You know Kida the most we hoped to find was some crumbling buildings maybe some broken pottery but instead we find a living thriving society" Milo said as the bug moved up his arm, "you know these guys are kind of cute when they are not formed into a fiery column of death."
"We are not thriving, true our people live but our culture is dying we are like stone the ocean beats against with each passing year a little more of us is worn away" Kida said.
"I wish there was something I can do" Milo said.
"I have brought you three to this place to ask you for your help, there is a mural here with writings all around the pictures" Kida said as Milo took the lantern.
"Well you came to the right guy" Milo said stabbing it into the ground by a broken pillar with some writing, "okay let me see let's start with this column right here" he said as he glance at Kida as his eyes widen as Jason and Max looked over as their eyes widen as well.
"Oh my" Jason blushed.
"Uh Kida uh ha ha what are you doing?" Milo asked as they saw her in the water and toss her skirt to the shore.
"You do swim do you not?" she asked.
"Oh I swim pretty girl p-pretty good! Pretty good! Swim good I swim pretty good" Milo stuttered.
"Good it is a fair distance where we are going" Kida said as Milo pulled off his shirt and shorts and was left in his boxers as Jason and Max followed leaving on boxers while Jason kept on his armor on his arm.
"You are talking to the belly flop champion at Camp Geronimo" Milo said getting into the water as his boxers inflated with air as Kida giggled as Milo deflated it with a big blush.
"Come on were wasting time" Milo said diving under as Kida, Jason and Max waited as Milo came back up.
"Why don't you lead the way because I have no idea where we are going" Milo said.
Kida then took a deep breath and dived in as they all took deep breathes and dived under after her as they swam and followed Kida glowing crystal as their light swimming in the dark underwater ruins of the city as they swam into an underwater pocked in the ruins of an old building as they took in much need air.
"Are you alright?" Kida asked.
"Well I didn't drown" Milo said.
"I'm good" Jason said.
"Good, follow me!" Kida said taking a deep breath and diving back under as they followed after her as they reached the large mural as Kida crystal glowed on it as Milo approached and began to read it as Milo pointed back up as they swam back into the air pocket.
"It's amazing! A complete history of Atlantis! It's just like Prado described it I mean he was off on a few details" Milo said.
"The light I saw, the star in the middle of city what does the writing say about that?" she asked.
"I don't know yet, but were going to find out" Milo said.
"While you're at it see if it mentions anything about the keyhole" Jason said.
"Come on" Milo said as they dived back to the mural as they looked at the light in the middle of the mural as Jason eyes widen to see a keyhole on the star.
'The keyhole is that light!' Jason thought as they all swam back up.
"The heart of Atlantis!" Milo said.
"What?" Kida said.
"It is the heart of Atlantis! That's what the shepherd was talking about it isn't a star its some kind of crystal like these!" Milo said holding up her crystal, "don't you get it? The power source I've been looking for the bright light you remember they're the same thing!"
"It cannot be" Kida said.
"It's keeping all of these things you, all of Atlantis alive!" Milo said.
"Then where is it now?" Kida asked.
"I don't know, you'd think something as important would have been in the journal...unless the missing page" Milo said.
"The Heart of Atlantis also has the power to reveal this place keyhole, we need to find that page!" Jason said.
"And find the Heart we only got a few hours left before our twenty-four hours are up" Max said.
A.N. Please Review.