Amity had never met someone quite so enchanting as Princess Luz before. Her luck in the dating arena hadn't been much better than her luck in the friends arena, and that was very unlucky indeed. Every woman she'd ever dated or even wanted to date had inevitably decided Amity was a lunatic for her belief in Atlantis and not given her a fair chance. Her mother's attempts to set her up with people hadn't helped matters any. Mom was a wonderful person, but her skills in all matters romance, even setting up dates for her daughter, were so horrible that it was a wonder Amity existed at all. She ended up going out with stuck up bitches like Boscha Hart or nice but vapid people like Skara Melodia.
Luz was a breath of fresh air. She didn't care about decorum or manners or, it would seem, pausing to breathe in the midst of her monologues. She wasn't anything like the high society ladies Amity had dated in the past, despite being actually socially superior to them. If there was word Amity would use to describe Luz (other than being devastatingly pretty, which of course was two words), it would be honest. Luz was unhesitatingly herself. As someone who'd hid so much of her personality to satisfy the never-ending demands of society, that was something incredibly appealing to Amity.
As Luz tried to help her find the other members of the expedition, she talked about just about anything that ever entered her head. Amity found out about her longstanding belief that griffins breathed spiders, the stuffed animal she'd owned when she was seven, the shenanigans she'd gotten up to getting Princess Vee and Liege Masha together, and how much she'd longed to meet people from the outside world.
"…and that submarine you're on sounds so fascinating, it's just like the Nautilus!"
Amity's mouth dropped open. "The Nautilus from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea?!" Luz nodded eagerly. "How do you know about that?"
"Because I've read the book! Sometimes, human detritus washes up on our shores. Jules Verne is my favorite human author…not that I have much to compare him to. I've read Leagues, Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth…"
"What about The Mysterious Island?" Amity shook her head. "Oh, you'd like it. It's a sequel to Leagues AND Search of the Castaways!"
Luz's eyes lit up with more enthusiasm Amity had ever seen in another living being before. She didn't know if it was an Atlantean thing or just a Luz thing but she liked it. "Tell. Me. Everything."
Amity gamely launched into a play by play account of The Mysterious Island while Luz listened on, seeming utterly enraptured. It felt so good to have someone she could geek out with over Verne novels for the first time in her life. Mom's literary interests had always laid elsewhere. It was strange how Luz just acted like your common, run of the mill nerd and not like a prim and proper princess. Maybe so many years of being separated from the rest of society – thousands; Amity could barely envision living for so long a time – had caused her to mellow out.
Amity had almost lost sight of where she was or where they were going by the time they finally managed to track down the rest of the crew. Odalia stared at the Atlantean before her with a hungry, frankly disturbing look in her eyes. Amity just thanked her lucky stars that Aunt Eda was there with them. Without someone who could hold Odalia in check, this expedition could have been a horrible, bloody disaster. Well, a bloodier one than it already had been.
"Hey, I'm Eda Pines," Aunt Eda said with a wave. "Need a hand?" She detached hers from her wrist and waved it into the air. Rather than looking disgusted as everyone else was doing (well, Gus was more bewildered than disgusted, but there was some disgust there), Luz looked like Christmas had come early for her.
"You are the second coolest human I know now," Luz pronounced.
"Eda's my aunt," Amity explained. "We're an archeological expedition trying to find the lost city of Atlantis. We're here for peaceful, scientific reasons." Unhelpfully, Odalia started to file her nails at this point with a wickedly sharp looking dagger. "We didn't expect anyone to be living here, but we just want to get to know you. So…can we come into the city? And maybe I can take you to a nice restaurant to thank you?"
Lamentably, Amity's flirting seemed to go straight over Luz's head. Maybe she just didn't like girls. Or maybe humans. Or maybe Amity was just bad at the whole flirting thing. Or some combination of the above. "Gee, I don't know," Luz said. "I mean, I want you guys to stay – if you're as half as cool as Amity, you're all right in my book – but it's not up to me. My mami, the queen, has to make that decision and she…really doesn't like outsiders."
"My unparalleled diplomatic skills will allow me to get us in like that, hoot hoot!" Hooty announced.
"Dad, remember, the last time you tried to use diplomacy, you started the Spanish American War," King reminded him. Hooty scowled.
Luz gave them an encouraging smile. "Not to worry! Amity's already sneaked her way into my heart already; I'm sure Mami will be just as happy to meet her!" Amity blushed. Aunt Eda gave an unholy grin that sent a chill going down Amity's spine. She had a feeling Aunt Eda was already coming up with a scheme to get herself great-niblings. "It's into the city we go!"
And so into the city they went. The lost city wasn't quite the shining utopia Plato had depicted it as. The citizenry were clearly just going through the motions of life. There was a listlessness to all of them that markedly contrasted with the inner light Luz and to a lesser extent Princess Vee was exuding. Even the presence of outsiders, something that hadn't happened for thousands of years, didn't seem to rouse them from their stupor very much. It was almost sinister. Amity knew Queen Camila had good intentions when she'd caused their agelessness, but the end results were clearly not worth it.
Amity was absolutely terrified about meeting with the queen. Setting aside the sensible fact Queen Camila could have them all executed for daring to intrude in the city, Amity could not deny that she was starting to develop a crush on Luz and it was almost certain Queen Camila would not approve of such a liaison. She only hoped she would be able to sell her case in a respectful manner and not make an utter fool of herself as she always did in front of her girlfriends' parents, even the ones she didn't really care for too much. (Her breakdown in front of Boscha's mothers graced her nightmares to this day.)
"Hi, mami!" Luz said as she skipped into the throne room as if she was just a normal commoner bringing home a girlfriend (uh, in a hypothetical sense!) to her normal mother. "Remember when you told me I was strictly forbidden from bringing outsiders to the city…? Well, I might have…uh, bent the rules a little…" She proceeded to introduce Amity and the rest of her team.
Queen Camila stood up from her throne. She was a stern, terrifying woman. She wore warrior regalia just like her daughter, but her armor was even fancier, emblazoned with a symbol of what looked like some sort of sandal. There was not anger on her face, though. Just disappointment. And by the looks of Luz's face, that was even worse than anger ever would have been.
"Luz Isabella Noceda," she said in a quiet, resonant tone. "I thought you would have known better by now. Do I need to remind you of how the humans treated your sister? How they sliced her up and removed her innards to see how long she could survive without them? And it was only by the grace of Kronos himself that she survived."
Luz looked at the floor. "Mami, I know I disobeyed your orders, but I had a really, really good reason. These people don't mean any harm. They're not like Jacob or any of the others. They just want to understand our city and our culture better."
"Your Majesty, the world is not like it was thousands of years ago," Amity said earnestly. "People have changed. The people who have wronged you are long gone, as are their entire civilization. If Atlantis returned to the world, they would be welcomed with open arms."
"So humans have overcome their demons then?" Queen Camila shot back. "They do not fear what they do not understand? Women are on an equal footing with men? All nations are treated as equal? Do they still make war, Amity Clawthorne?!"
Amity's thoughts immediately turned to the devastating war raging across Europe and a deep shame of how far humanity still had to go coursed through her. Maybe she was wrong. Most people couldn't handle a woman who didn't "know her place." What in God's name had made her think they could handle Atlantis?
Willow stepped forward, looking terrified but resolute. "It's wrong to judge a society on the actions of its worst members! Most people are just like us, trying to do the right thing. It's just people in power, afraid of losing what they've built, who make this world so bad. Atlantis can help us, just as we can help you."
"Help us?" Queen Camila said in a low, icy tone. "And what makes you think we need any help?"
"Because your daughters told us you do," Amity said, looking Queen Camila straight in the face. This seemed to cause her to be taken aback and doubt herself for the first time in the conversation. "They think immortality has caused the people of Atlantis to stagnate, and from what I can say, they're right."
"How dare you come in here and tell me how I am to lead my people?!" Queen Camila thundered. Amity flinched and Queen Camila's countenance noticeably softened. "When I made the bargain that made Atlantis what it was today, I knew there would be costs. There is no such thing as a free lunch. But I have banished Thanatos from our halls. I have saved untold numbers of lives from the curse of death. No one…no one will ever have to grieve again like I did when I lost my dear Manny…"
A somber silence descended upon the room. "Being a queen means you have to make difficult decisions. Sometimes, they hurt people, but the consequences of not making those choices would be even worse. And it is the same for a parent."
She walked over to Luz and squeezed her hand. Queen Camila was remorseful, Amity could tell, but she wasn't going to be budging. "Sweetie, I understand you're upset, but being royalty means you have to make sacrifices for the good of your people."
"And when was the last time you sacrificed anything?" Luz spat at her.
"Don't talk to me about sacrifice!" Queen Camila suddenly thundered at her. "You know nothing, NOTHING about what it means to sacrifice!" She pointed at Amity. "I want all of them out of here, now!"
Amity got on her knees. "Please, Your Majesty! I have spent my whole life in pursuit of this city. Pursuing a dream some people thought was nothing but folly and madness. Don't make everything I've done meaningless. Please have mercy and let us stay, for the sake of your daughter if nothing else."
Luz gave a set of devastatingly adorable puppy dog eyes to her mother. It probably could have gotten a mountain to move out of her way, and Queen Camila was not immune to it. "Very well," she said softly. "Against my better judgment, I will permit you and your team to stay for no more than one week. Any violence against any of my subjects will result in your immediate expulsion. Nor will you be permitted to remove anything from the city grounds."
Luz practically pounced on her mother with a flotilla of hugs and kisses. "Thank you, mami! Thank you so much! Oh, I promise you won't regret it! They'll be such good guests, I promise they won't cause any trouble."
"Begone from my sight, all of you," Queen Camila said, suddenly seeming to be very exhausted. "I need to pray to Lord Kronos."
Luz quickly ushered them out of the palace. She led them to a very luxurious set of apartments not too far from the palace. Apparently, this was where Liege Masha and Princess Vee's other noble friends lived. Luz explained that everywhere they went, they'd be escorted by guards. They were, in essence, prisoners. But it was still better than the nothing they would have gotten before Luz had intervened on her behalf, so Amity acquiesced without hesitation to the restrictions. She had no intention of violating them. The photographic evidence they were collecting would be enough to convince even the most stubborn of the naysayers.
Over the next few days, Amity was petrified someone (read: Odalia) would do something that would disturb the delicate peace their team had established with the Atlanteans, but thankfully, everyone, even Hooty was on their best behavior. Gus seemed to be disturbed by something, but he wouldn't explain when Amity asked him what was going on, and told her he'd say something more when he had more proof. In the meantime, Amity did her best to spend time with Luz without acting like a besotted fool, which was definitely easier to be said than done.
"So what was it like, doing magic?" Amity wondered one afternoon after Luz had shown her the Grand Library. So many books! If only Amity could read a single word of their language!
"I just don't have the words," Luz admitted. "I used to, but…it's been so long. It was so long ago, and everything from before I lost my dad seems like some vague, hazy dream. I miss magic, though. It was…everything. It was a gift from Kronos, and the gift we have now seems so…pointless next to it. We have forever…but nothing to do with it."
Amity gazed deep into Luz's eyes, prompting the princess to blush. "If there's anything I can do to help, you need but name it. Atlantis is a wonder, a thing of beauty. You – IT deserves a chance to shine."
A crafty smile formed on Luz's face. "Now as it happens, there's something you can do. After dinner tomorrow, I'm going to show you something."
"Why, Luz Noceda, are you asking me out on a date?" Amity asked in a teasing tone.
"Uh, well, maybe?" Luz said, her cheeks tomato red, looking at the floor and shifting nervously.
"I'd be honored," Amity said, and, steeling up her courage, planted a kiss on Luz's cheek.
Luz gave her a grin and they stood there, just reveling in each other's company like they were the only people in the world. "Anyway," she said with a cough, "I hope you can swim, cause we'll be going underwater."
"Good thing I packed my swimsuit!"
"What's a swimsuit?" Wait, did that mean…they didn't wear….
Everything went dark as Amity got a nosebleed and blacked out, nearly smacking her head on the pavement. "Amity!" Luz called out. "Amity, are you okay? I was just joking! Amity!"