They went with Melanie to see what all the excitement was about- the fact that Melanie and her group were dedicated to Poseidon intrigued Alvie. And Crystal didn't trust Melanie, so she wasn't letting Alvie out of her sight.
Crystal didn't mind the Caribbean side of things- British weather was so dull and rainy- and she had hopes she and Alvie could go sight-seeing.
Then there was Melanie. She went everywhere with them, never giving them a moment's peace. Crystal was quite irate with her and arguments would have exploded forth if Alvie hadn't psychically intervened.
"Will you stop doing that?!" Crystal hissed.
"No." He replied calmly. "I know you don't like her, but I need to figure this out and it's easy to read her mind."
"Why are you reading her mind?"
"Information." He smiled then. "I've got a good enough link to make her walk into a few walls if you want." Crystal blinked at him. So he was learning!
"Maybe later. I need my camera." He nodded in understanding, taking her hand. "You look tired."
"I light-jumped, remember?" She had started calling his version of shadow-travel 'light-jumping'. "And I had you too."
"Oy!" He froze, hunching his shoulders.
"No, I-I meant… you're not… I… um… there- why are you laughing?"
"You dork, I'm just teasing."
"Oh…" His cheeks faded pink and he looked about anxiously. Crystal kissed his cheek, laughing again when he stopped all movement rather abruptly.
"You'd think that having been my boyfriend for several years now, you'd get used to me teasing you."
"Mm-nngh-huh." He managed, looking at her curiously. Even now, she was still able to set him in a daze with any show of affection.
Then Melanie ran up to them and her mood soured. Alvie seemed to notice as his grip tightened on her hand and he did his best to give her a reassuring smile through his adorable flustered state.
"The boat's this way!" She beamed. "They keep moving it, it's a nightmare!" She turned and started off the way she had come. Alvie glanced at Crystal, silently asking her something.
"Let's just get this over with."
"Sure?"
"I might get a chance to kill her, you never know." He started to say something. "Well, you might know, but that's beside the point." She tucked her arm through his and dragged him after Melanie. "I call shotgun. You're driving."
"I can't drive… sail… boats."
"You'll learn."
The boat was a small yacht, christened Poseidon's Army 1. "Inventive." Crystal commented sarcastically. Melanie missed that memo, grinning proudly. Apparently she had come up with the name herself.
Alvie didn't get to drive, so Crystal didn't sit shotgun. Instead she stood at the back of the boat, watching the water spray in their wake. She held her hand out into the water a few times, smiling at the sharp coldness splattering her palm. Alvie stood next to her, almost on guard. Did he think she was going to fall in?
Crystal mocked losing her balance and he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back. "Oh, you do care." She smiled, kissing him lightly.
"Of course I do." He replied, looking confused.
"I wasn't really going to fall in, I was just testing you."
"You might have though."
"Well, it's a good job you're around then, isn't it?"
"Um…"
"That was rhetorical, but yes it is." Crystal hugged him, sensing his confusion and smiling to herself. Someone had to keep Alvie on his toes.
"We'll be there in twenty or so minutes!" Melanie called over her shoulder. Alvie directed Crystal to the side of the boat and they sat on the amazingly comfortable leather seats, holding hands.
"Getting anything?" Crystal asked. His eyes found hers as he chewed his lip thoughtfully. She saw that they were reflecting the colour of the lake about them, a soft blue glint to the stormier grey. It made him look younger, less worried about the families that no longer remembered them.
"Not really."
"Not really?" He stayed quiet for a few seconds, looking at a spot on the water and watching it pass.
"No." He clarified.
"It's not bad, is it?"
"No. Unless you get it. Cursed treasure." He told her, easing her blank look. "And not one of those fake curses, a real one."
"What kind of curse?"
"A bad one." She made to press him and then realised he didn't want to go into details. "Would be nice to have that treasure though. You like shiny things." She smiled in agreement.
"Shiny things are very nice. Could you not remove the curse?"
"If I could breathe underwater, maybe."
"Dammit, Alvie, why can't you breathe underwater?"
"I don't know." He looked at her suspiciously. "Were you being sarcastic?"
"Yes."
"Was that sarcasm?"
"No. And that wasn't sarcastic either." He nodded at that, relaxing slightly. "Is Mom OK?"
"She's fine."
"And the others?"
"They're fine too." Crystal looked out at the lake passing them by, sprinkles of water dusting her skin. "When this has all calmed down, we'll go back to them. Promise."
"Thank you." He squeezed her hand reassuringly and dutifully sat still when she leant against his shoulder. "I miss them though. Even Addy."
"Me too." He tugged gently on her hair, making a small braid.
"We're here!"
"Was that twenty minutes?"
"No…"
"I misjudged, shush!" Melanie docked the boat. "Off!" She ordered, smiling cheekily. Crystal made a face at her as soon as her back was turned and Alvie smiled.
"No trouble."
"I'm not trouble." He gave her a disbelieving look. "I'm trouble."
"That makes more sense."
"This way!" Melanie called. Alvie climbed from the boat first, turning to help Crystal up, being ever the gentleman. She linked her arm with his again and he supported her across the island. There was a white-sandy beach first that led into a warm, tropical jungle. Crystal was pretty sure she heard monkeys and saw quite a few colourful birds flying through the trees. The flowers that blossomed here smelt heavenly, the tallest growing at about head-height to her, all shades of pinks, yellows, oranges, reds, blues and purples.
"I like it here. Ugh, except for that." She pointed at Melanie. "That just ruins the whole thing."
"See, trouble."
"Thank you."
Melanie stopped ten minutes later, which probably made up for the twenty minutes she 'misjudged'. She had stopped to the left of a beautiful waterfall, one almost as tall as the Empire State Building. They stood atop white cliffs, a wide set of stairs carved artfully into the side. A golden banister barricaded the side; here and there, flowers and vines had twisted around it, giving it a serene, other-worldly look.
"How many stairs are there?"
"About three thousand."
"Ugh…" Crystal leant against Alvie, exaggerating the exhaustion she was guaranteed to feel after climbing down those steps. He responded by tucking his arm around her waist and resting his hand on Melanie's shoulder, light-jumping them down. Crystal grabbed his arm to stop him falling. "You didn't have to do that, but thank you."
"It was that," He started haltingly, massaging his forehead, "or have you complaining about never-ending stairs."
"Now I know you're definitely learning. Oh, wow…" The jungle had nothing on this!
It had to be the place dedicated to Poseidon, but place didn't cover it. Alvie had only heard stories of Atlantis from his father and aunt, seeing as he couldn't go down there himself, but this was how he had imagined it to be. Except, on the land with more of those flowers and other plants flourishing about it and on a smaller scale.
The set of palaces and other buildings was sat snuggly in a bowl, surrounded by white cliffs and lakes, with waterfalls at all four directional points. The buildings themselves looked brand new with white, green, blue and silver walls. The colours appeared to be all melted together, swirling and swishing about and reminding them of churning waves. Arched windows could be seen about the place, glassless. It was so warm here, maybe they didn't need proper windows.
A covered walkway led to the main building, Greek style columns supporting the marble roof. Flowers twisted around the columns and sea coral filled large pots lining the crazy-paving path. Above the main door, glowing faintly with energy, was a trident, the symbol of Poseidon. Other buildings were much smaller than the main one. Melanie explained to them that each one had a different purpose- dormitories, bathrooms, the infirmary, the dining hall, the library, the combat training room and the magic training room.
"Why couldn't we move here?" Crystal demanded.
"I don't think we can afford this."
"It's OK!" Melanie cut in, laughing. "You're staying for free! Come on, I'll give you the tour."
The interior was as stunning as everything else they had seen so far. Instead of blues and greens, the hallways were white and a dark, soothing brown. Red carpets lined the floors, clean and plush, as if they were new too. Statues of Poseidon and his court filled small niches in the walls, opposite the windows. They were all painted perfectly, like little people living in these gaps.
"It actually looks like him." Alvie mused, studying one of the Poseidon statues. He gingerly poked the trident and a green spark danced across his skin and up his arm. This brought a smile to his face and he left a small stack of drachma at the statue's feet. Crystal was pretty sure the statue smiled too.
"And this is where you'll be staying!" Melanie threw open another large door and Crystal decided to stay- even if it meant putting up with Melanie, she was going to stay.
They had a well-sized apartment to themselves, split into four rooms. The room they walked into was the dining-living room, all modernised and comfortable- suitable for two young adults. Bookshelves lined the walls to the right between two doors. Opposite those, the mahogany dining table stood ready to seat and serve six, the matching chairs polished and spruced to perfection.
In the centre of the room sat two couches and two arm chairs, all of crisp, black leather. The couches had fluffy blue throws smoothed neatly over them with white cushions to bring out the colour. A coffee table rested amongst these, a vase of miniaturised versions of Crystal's new favourite flowers delicately scenting the air. No TV, but to their immediate left was a salt water fountain, sitting in the light of the sun. Perfect for making IMs.
Crystal hurriedly explored the other rooms and found it was literally her dream home. There was the kitchen beyond the dining table, through an archway, with all modern appliances gleaming silver and going nicely with the black cupboards and check board floor. The fridge was fully stocked, as were the cupboards. She grabbed an apple before rushing off to see what the other rooms were, half-noticing Alvie examining the bookshelves.
The bathroom was designed to be all oceanic, the bath set proudly in the centre, round and seashell shaped. Lights dappled across everything, giving the room an underwater effect. They had all the essential toiletries, the exotic smells brightening Crystal's mood and smile.
And last, but not least, the bedroom. They had a water bed- something Crystal had always wanted- decked in silken sheets and the softest pillows ever. A dressing table was ready and waiting, stationed between the two white wardrobes- one for him and one for her. Weirdly, there were clothes that fit her and her taste- she made a mental note to ask Alvie about that later.
Turning back to the room, she saw they had a small bathroom too, concealed behind a beaded curtain. The beads were oceanic too; seashells, starfish, seahorses and fish. Their little bathroom only had a pristine toilet and sink, no bath, but there were sweet-smelling toiletries in here too.
"Alvie, I want to stay!"
"I thought you might." He had already picked out a book, but he set it aside to accept her hug.
"But we'll have to do something about the pests."
"Mmm…" He hummed and she could almost envision him rolling his eyes. Almost- she couldn't think of a time where Alvie had ever rolled his eyes at her, but maybe he did that mentally. She knew she did. A lot.
"You could sell the house. You'll probably get more for it now it's actually liveable."
"We can't stay here forever."
"We can try."
"We have to go back at some point."
"Oh, we can just visit them; this place is amazing!"
"And you haven't even had the food yet!" Melanie smiled, sticking her head around the door. Crystal was too amazed to be annoyed at the girl's presence. She was absolutely smitten with this place. And it was free too!
They got to meet the other inhabitants at dinner. The dining hall reminded Alvie of the Great Hall from Harry Potter, but with a more Poseidon-y twist. He didn't get to take in much detail though as he was suddenly swarmed by the two hundred or so people, all dressed similarly to Melanie in blue chitons and cloaks, depending on whether they were male or female.
It was sheer madness, all this attention, and Crystal was forced to pull Alvie back and shout at them all to sit down. Maybe some Underworld legacy mojo had kicked in as their hosts hurried back to their seats obediently and then looked confused as to how they got there.
"Very nice." Alvie murmured in her ear.
"That was me?"
"Yep."
"It wasn't you?"
"No."
"Sweet." She grinned.
"Everyone, this is Alvie and Crystal!" Melanie informed with a smile. "Alvie and Crystal, this is, well, everyone!" The couple waved. Crystal kept a tight grip on Alvie's hand as he suddenly looked nervous with all these people watching him expectantly. What did they want him to do, cartwheel? Shoot fireworks from his hands, make things disappear and yell 'Abracadabra!'?
"How long are you staying?" Someone yelled.
"As long as they want!" Melanie answered.
"Are you going to teach us?"
"I haven't talked to Alvie about that yet." A few grumbles, one of those Crystal's. First of all, there had to be catch to live here for free. Second, why couldn't Melanie shut up and let them answer the questions that were clearly directed at them? Third, why hadn't she told Alvie about this teaching thing? He was getting anxious just standing still and quiet in front of all these people- imagine him trying to teach them!
"Melanie." Crystal said through gritted teeth, trying to keep her tone as level as possible. "A word, if you please." Melanie glanced at her friends and then followed Alvie and Crystal out. "You never said anything about him having to teach!"
"I wanted you two to get settled first before bringing it up!" She looked at Alvie worriedly, as though he were going to smite her down for her insignificance. Crystal wished he would, but he wasn't like that. "I'm really sorry, Alvie, I was going to tell you and-" Was she crying? "-hopefully it was going to be soon, but I thought you should get comfortable first and-" She was crying! "-then maybe approach the idea, because-" Crystal really wanted to smack her. "-we're not the best, we have to learn by ourselves. It came up that maybe you could teach us, because-" Crocodile tears had no effect on either her or Alvie. "-you're so advanced with your powers and it'd really help us defend ourselves should Lord Poseidon ever call on us."
Alvie stared blankly at Melanie and then looked at Crystal. Just let me hit her! Crystal screamed at him mentally. I can push her down the stairs, throw her out a window; just let me hurt her!
You really are violent, aren't you?
You heard me?
Yes. He rubbed at his forehead, indicating a headache. Loud.
Sorry.
No you're not.
Not really, no, but still. I want to hurt her!
I know you do, but let me see what she's on about.
"What would I teach them then?" He asked aloud.
"Anything you can! Um, please?"
"What are they capable of?"
"Well, anything if they put their mind to it." Crystal scowled, but said nothing. Melanie was so faking this! Those weren't real tears, that wasn't fear in her voice- she was just sucking up to Alvie to improve her forces and then probably try and conquer the world or whatever deranged bimbos did nowadays.
"I'll think about it." Alvie said monotonously. Melanie beamed hopefully. "But we're going to have to get used to things here first."
"I understand, thank you!" She grabbed Alvie's hand in both of hers and then hugged him.
"Hey!" Crystal shoved her away. "He's my boyfriend!" Melanie suddenly looked like she wished the ground would open up and swallow her.
"I'm… I'm sorry, I just-"
"Just nothing!" Crystal interrupted harshly. "He is my boyfriend and if you try anything like that again, I will personally make sure you regret it! Understand?"
"Yes." Melanie mumbled, looking down at her feet, shame-faced.
"That's Yes, Miss Watson to you."
"Yes, Miss Watson."
"Now go away before I hurt you." Melanie hurried off down the corridor, head bowed. "Stupid idiot." She grumbled, rotating to face Alvie. "What? What's that look for?"
"Um… nothing."
"Alvie…" She warned.
"Sorry Miss Watson."
"Don't you start!"
"I'm not." He held his hands up, soothing her. "But, uh…" He pointed at the ground. She looked down and saw rubies and emeralds and other jewels dotted about her feet. "Little Miss Underworld."
"What do I do?"
"I think they disappear again if you leave them." He was still giving her a funny look, so she had clearly done something else other than summoning jewels.
"What?"
"You, um, you kind of… flickered."
"Flickered?" He held his hand out to her and she took it. Her vision went dark and then flared with light in the space of a second. She was watching herself from Alvie's point of view.
"He is my boyfriend and if you try anything like that again, I will personally make sure you regret it! Understand?" Jewels started to appear.
"Yes."
"That's Yes, Miss Watson to you!"
"Yes, Miss Watson." There, she flickered. Flickered, like a failing light.
"Now go away before I hurt you." Shadows coiled about her feet and her fingers- something she hadn't noticed before- and she flickered again.
Everything went dark again and then she found herself staring into Alvie's eyes. "I flickered." He nodded. "Why?" She stared at her hands, as though she was still flickering. The jewels had gone.
"I don't know. Maybe it was a shadow thing." He looked uncertain though. "I'll see if I can find anything out, but try to stay calm, OK? I got a really bad feeling when you… flickered."
How's this? :D