Excerpt: The Heir of Atlantis

Oh crap. I was screwed. All my work, all my hours of preparation, all for not. I dug through the pile of papers stacked on my desk, which was overflowing. It was here somewhere, my last hope. Finally, after pushing aside an overdue library book, two notebooks for class, and a coupon book for the Pizza Hut I found it. My fingers greedily snatched at my school planner, the maroon cover setting my heart thumping with hope. The pages seemed to flip open, almost on their own, until I found it, the athletic schedule. Quickly I found today’s date. My heart sunk into despair. There were no athletics going on tonight. The school was locked. I was screwed.

“GAH! What am I to do?” I yelled in frustration. My voice echoed off the walls of my small room, reverberating through the small apartment. Suddenly my mom , Sarah, appeared in the doorway.

“Jonah? What’s the matter?” my mom asked, her sweet voice calming my nerves, if only a notch.

“Mom,” I began, looking into her eyes. Perhaps it was the angle, or the light. Whatever the reason my mom looked absolutely lovely. She was a young mother, barely 35 years of age. She had me two days after her 18th birthday. Her golden brown hair encased her small face with sharp, prominent features.

“You know that research paper I have due tomorrow? The one I’ve spent hours researching. Well, I have all my notes and sources ready to be typed up. It seems that all of my notes on the achievements of the medieval ages are in my locker. Without them I can’t write the paper! I’m doomed to fail school and wind up living on the street!”

The brilliant green of my mother’s eyes glowed as she thought for a moment. “Go ask Zeus. He can get you into the school.”

I leapt out of the chair, my motion propelled by invisible rockets. I entrapped my mom in my arms, startling her for a moment. “Thanks mom! Why didn’t I think of that?” Without waiting for a response to my rhetorical question I flew through the small apartment and out the door. It was time to see Zeus.

Zeus was a man in his 40’s, the gray beginning to assault his shaggy brown hair. Zeus was also a close family friend, fulfilling the role of my father on occasion. I should also add that he has no relation to the Greek god of old. I was asked Zeus about his name and he just chuckled, saying that his parents had a sense of humor. I had known Zeus my entire life; he was my mom’s closest friend. As far as I could tell there was nothing romantic between them. Sure, mom and Sarah would go out for dinner on occasion, but it always seemed to be as friends. They always returned to sleep in their own beds.

Coincidently, Zeus lived on the same floor of our apartment building, only six doors down. I ambitiously made my way towards Zeus’ place. He would be my savior to the situation. You see, Zeus was the Janitor at Franklin High, my high school. He would have the keys to help me obtain the precious gems of knowledge stored safely within my locker.

Within moments I arrived at apartment number 602 and began to knock at the door with enthusiasm. I waited a moment before knocking again, this time slightly louder. Still no answer. Fear began to grip at my heart once more. Zeus wasn’t home. My moment of hope was shattered. As my world began to shatter I knocked on the door louder, urgency dictating the pace of my fists.

“What do you want?” A voice asked behind me? I nearly jumped out of my skin as I whirled around to face Zeus. Zeus was a short man. I was about six feet tall, which isn’t that incredibly tall. The top of Zeus’ head ended where my chin began, so I had to look down to meet his gaze. Although he wasn’t gifted with height, Zeus was incredibly intimating. He had a mop of brown and gray hair on his head with a closely trimmed beard ensconcing his face. He was also in fit physical condition for his age, muscles hidden on the brown of his janitor’s uniform. He must have just gotten off work.

“Zeus, my pal,” I began. He wore a stern look on his face. I stared into his eyes for a moment, trying to read him before I began my tale of woe. I saw a smile tug at his lips for an instantaneous moment before disappearing into a grim look once again. He was putting on an act. Good.

“I know how much you love Franklin High. It’s such a lovely place, kept in meticulous order thanks to those hardworking hands of yours.”

“Stop trying to butter me up and state your demands.” Zeus said, interrupting me. He seemed very serious; perhaps that hint of a smile had been in my imagination. I figured it was best to tread carefully and lay all my cards on the table.

“I need you to let me into the school. I have a huge research paper due tomorrow. All my notes to aide me in this huge, fail and I flunk assignment lay in my locker. You don’t even have to return to school, just let me borrow your keys and I’ll be back before you know it,” I said, trailing off.

A broad smile tugged at Zeus’ lips. “Do you really think I would give you my keys? I may be named after a god, but I am not crazy. I can run you back to the school; it is only a few minutes’ drive. Just don’t let this happen again, okay?”

I promised that I wouldn’t as we made our way towards Zeus’ car. Zeus was a good man; I should have known he would come through, even when he was playing as a grouch. We hit the stairwell and began the six floor descent. This ancient building that we lived in was without an elevator.

I was beginning to breather heavily as we hit the ground floor. A glance at Zeus showed me his calm demeanor; the trip down hadn’t phased him. I had walked up the stairs with him many a time, and the rise barely had an effect on him as well. Zeus was in good shape, that was for sure.

We made our way out into the open night. It was October, well into autumn, and a chill sliced through the night. I was in a t-shirt, perhaps I should have brought a jacket. Oh, well. It was only a bit after seven, but the darkness had already conquered the light. We made our way through the parking lot, the sound of shoes crunching on the gravel the only sound. Zeus’ car, Pegasus, loomed in front of us.

I had taken to calling his car Pegasus after my English class had discussed Greek myths a couple of years ago. Zeus had chuckled at the name, but it had stuck. Pegasus was a white Honda Civic, more than a decade all. It had it’s problems, but the winged horse refused to die, much to the delight of Zeus. I had once asked him if he was going to get a new car. With a confused look on his face he asked me why. Pegasus got him where he needed to go, which was all that he needed. Luxury was, well, as luxury that he didn’t need.

We both slid into Pegasus as Zeus turned the key in the ignition, brining the white horse to life. “It’s unlike you to forget something so valuable to you at school,” Zeus said. “Is something on your mind?”

A scarlet flush spread to my cheeks. Zeus was perceptive, that was for sure. “Yeah, well, you see,” I stammered. Zeus was the first one with whom I would share this news with. I knew that he would probably give me a hard time, but I also knew that he’d be supportive and give me any advice that came to mind, like a father would for his son. I was quietly for a moment before blurting it out. “There’s this girl…”

Silence enveloped the car as I became quiet again. Zeus said nothing, just waiting for me to continue at my own time. “Her name is Cathy. I really like her. I’m pretty sure that she likes me. I’ve never had a girlfriend in my seventeen years of existence, though. Never held hands, never even kissed a girl. I really like Cathy, she’s one of my best friends. I want to ask her out, but I’m too scared. What if she says no? What if it ruins our friendship?”

Zeus smoothly pulled Pegasus into a parking spot near the entrance of Franklin High. He turned the key to the off position, but didn’t make a move to leave the car. He took a moment to think before giving me some fatherly advice. “Jonah, follow your heart. Do you want to look back on this in the future and regret not having revealed your feelings? If the feelings are not mutual you will need to move on. Do not let it eat at you, though.

“I would start by asking her out on a date. If she says yes great. Begin slowly, do not rush a relationship. If one is to happen, it will. I also would not worry too much about your success at relationships. I am forty-six years old. I did not have my first relationship, but first kiss, until I was in my thirties. This was a part of my choosing, and I do not regret it. If fate has a relationship in store for you it will happen when it is supposed to, not on your own time.”

Zeus was quiet for a moment as he let his words sink in. This was solid advice. If something was supposed to happen, it would happen. When I saw Cathy at school tomorrow I would ask her if she wanted to get together on Friday. Perhaps we could go mini-golfing or something. “Thanks, Zeus.” I said as I slid out of the car. Zeus withdrew his keys from the ignition and followed me towards the door of the school.

Franklin High is a moderately sized two floor high school residing in the western suburbs of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The school is newly remodeled and houses about 1,000 senior high students. We may our way to the main entrance, which is on the second floor. As we got the door Zeus removed his janitor keys from his belt with a cacophony of clang. He instinctively withdrew the correct key and slid it into the door.

I took off towards my locker, calling a thanks to Zeus over my shoulder. The entrance of the school is a grand entryway with the trophy case on the left side. On the right is a desk for security to reside and have all visitors sign in, and students who leave during the day sign out. In the middle was a stairway that led to the basement, my destination. I took the stairs two at a time, my goal drawing ever nearer. As my feet hit the floor of the crypt, our affection name of the lower level, I was enshrouded in darkness. “Hey Zeus, a little light would be great,” I hollered up the stairs.

Zeus chuckled, calling down, “I was getting to that, but then you had to go running off like a dog chasing a kitten.” As Zeus made his joke I heard his footsteps echo at the top of the stairs. Soon light flooded into my corneas, blinding me for a moment. Once I had my bearings I began my way towards my locker.

I weaved past the library and found my way to a hallway brimming with lockers. I found my quite easily, number 008. My hands spun the dial, entering my combination. I spun it right to 36, left to 54, then right again to 18. I pulled up on the lever and was rewarded as the locker slid open. There, lying in the bottom of my locker, lay my blue binder. How could I have forgotten it? Man, Cathy must really have been distracted me. She was running laps on the track in my head.

With my prized binder head close to my chest I made my way towards the stairs. That’s when I heard it. It was a clicking sound, almost as if an animal were walking on the tile floor. I dismissed the idea immediately; the only animal in the school was the snake which was on the other side of the school in the biology department. I supposed that it could have been a mouse, the snake’s food. Yes, perhaps a mouse made its way over here. That’s when I heard the growling.

I sprinted towards the stairs. “Zeus! Something’s wrong!” I yelled in a panted voice as I hit the steps and began to high knee my way up them.

“I leave you alone for one minute,” Zeus grumbled, “What did you do?”

I made it to the top of the stairs, my lungs gasping for the precious air. “Some…kind…of…animal,” I said, forcing the words out of my mouth. Zeus looked down the stairs and after a moment I sensed him tense up. I turned around, following his gaze. There were four dogs down there, if the term dog is used loosely. The first one vaguely resembled that of a Great Dane. He, or perhaps she, I couldn’t tell, had a striking coat of silver. The dog was skinny and long, almost like a small horse, with a long snout and an almost humanlike look of satisfaction etched on the lips.. The eyes were the most disturbing part. They glowed a dull purple in the light. If I didn’t know it impossible I would have said that the dogs eyes portrayed the intelligence of a human.

“Laelaps,” Zeus said, in barely a whisper. The name hit a cord of familiarity in me, but I couldn’t place it. My gaze was drawn to the other three dogs. They were similar and terrifying to look at. They reminded me of a hyena, except their fur was the deep black of dead knight. A steady stream of slobber coursed from their jowls, and a growl that forced shivers upon me escaped from their lips.

Behind the demon dogs two men stepped into the light. They were clad entirely in black, except for a badge embroidered onto the breast of their clothing. It was hard to make out from the distance, but the crest seemed to be that of a trident, silver handle with a gold head. The men looked as if they had escaped from some fantasy movie. It was their eyes which were most disturbing of all. They were not normal, not at all. The colors were reversed, black where the whites of their eyes should be with chalk white pupils. The man on the right was tall and lean, where the one on the left was tall and broad.

“Ah, Zeus, it seems that time has not been your friend,” the broad man said, a snarl on his lips. “Creon has sent us with orders to execute you and bring him the trident. We shall succeed, you know. You’ve aged drastically since you murdered the king and fled. While we haven’t aged one bit. You could barely best me in the past, now you are as good as dead.”

I took in everything that the broad man said, most of it going in one ear and out the other. What in the world was he babbling on about? Bruce used his forearm to push me behind him. “Run Jonah, it is your only hope of survival,” he whispered.

I moved backwards as he pushed me, but I could not run. I could not force movement into my limbs, I was dumbstruck with the current events.

“While I deal with you, Zeus, Rayton will take Laelaps and find Sariel. We know of her plot in the kings death.” With that Rayton and the dog, Laelaps, disappeared into the darkness of the crypt, making their way towards another exit.

“Hennen,” Zeus said, his voice barely a whisper, “You know me. We go way back. I would never have hurt the king. Creon has deceived you. Listen to me, trust me, old friend.”

“You call me an old friend, but you are no friend of mine. You killed King Travir over Sariel. You hadn’t counted on Creon to perceive your plans, but he did. Now you shall die. Kill him.” With a wave of his hands the demon dogs hurtled up the stairs towards Zeus.

I could feel the air around Zeus changed, it seemed to charge itself with energy. He stole a glance towards me, yelling “Run!” as the dogs were upon him. My legs moved me backwards, but I was so distracted that I tripped over my own feet, crashing to the ground. I sat on my rear end as I watched my first display of true magic.

Two of the midnight black dogs struck of at Zeus as the other stayed back, a little more cautious about his prey. Zeus, it seemed, was prepared for the two dogs. A dazzling display of various shades of blue energy seemed to glowed around his hands. He struck at the first dog with his right hand, then energy catapulting out of Zeus and into the dog, whirling him in a storm of dazzling colors directly into the trophy case. The glass shattered and the dog lay still for a moment before bursting aflame with a sickly looking green fire.

I forced my head away from the dog as it burned, a sickly smell filling the room. As I looked back at Zeus I saw that he had been unable to defend the second dog, who was now on top of him, the dogs jaws held inches from Zeus’ face. The third dog took this moment to advance towards Zeus. My heart seemed to jump to my throat as Zeus appeared to breath his final few breaths. Suddenly Zeus’ left hand, aflame with the same energy his right hand had held, struck the dog directly in the chest. No, that’s not accurate. His hand went through the dog’s chest. I watched in a fascinated horror as the dog suddenly exploded raining black blood and red meat all over the previously immaculate school. The smell sent a wave of nausea coursing through my stomach, threatening to eject my dinner of a ham and cheese sandwich.

Zeus’ face was almost as pale as bone. However he had been able to defeat the dogs, it had cost him dearly. The third dog was now bounding through the air, Zeus still on his back. Zeus brought his feet up to kick the dog, but the results were not what he had hoped them to be. He did manage to kick the dog’s hind legs and send him overshooting Zeus, but the dog’s front paw dug into Zeus’ left shoulder, drawing four lines of crimson blood to seep into his brown shirt. The dog spun around, but his claws slid on the tile floor and he sprawled to the ground. Zeus began to get to his feet, but it became clear that the dog would beat him to it.

I’m not sure exactly what happened. My brain was still numb with shock, but my heart knew that Zeus was about to die. I moved without thinking, leaping to my feet and shooting towards the dog. On my way my hand scooped up a state championship football trophy that had clattered to the floor when the dog had shattered the case. The trophy was a lot heavier than I has expected, it was solid. I had adrenaline coursing through my veins, though, giving me unexpected strength. Glass crunched underneath my feet as I quickly closed the distance and bashed the dog on the head from behind. The blow sent the dog back on all fours. I hit him again, opening a wound that leaked black blood. I hit him a third time, the sound of his skull cracking from the force. I stood there and began to shake, the adrenaline leaving my system. The trophy was suddenly really heavy in my rubbery arms. I let go and it fell against the ground.

“I see that I shall have to be the one to kill you,” Hennen said as he made his way up the stairs. He held a silver short sword in his hand, the end serrated like that of a saw. Zeus was to his feet, facing Hennen, and he made a move that once again cause my heart to find its way to my threat. Zeus leapt down the stairs towards Hennen. I gazed down the stairs as Hennen’s mouth dropped wide. Zeus tumbled into him, his right arm using the momentum of the fall to drive Hennen’s own sword through his heart. They struck the ground hard. Zeus began to stir, but Hennen didn’t move as blood oozed out of his wound. His frightening reversed eyes were void of life.

I stood dumbstruck at the top of the stairs as Zeus made his way back up them, towards me. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t think. I had just murdered a dog, Zeus a man. “Jonah, I know this must seem like an extraordinary turn of events. Please, please, hang in with me a little longer. We need to go help Sariel, I mean Sarah, your mother. I can explain all of this after she’s safe.” Zeus placed an arm around me and led me towards the door, my brain still in shock to do anything besides go where I was directed.