"Bastian, this is Theron! He's a warrior from Atlantis. Our people guard the Thief's Ridge." Ambrosia's voice was honey, sweet and pure. Yet Bastian did not relax. If anything, he grew a little alarmed that Ambrosia seemed perfectly comfortable around Theron.

"Guard?" Lachlan's incredulous voice cut through Bastian's thoughts, and the light he had summoned with his song began to fade. "Don't you mean that they prey on passing merchants?"

Zareb reached out to Lachlan and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Lachlan, now is not the time or the place to throw accusations. We are clearly guests of the... Atlanteans."

The other shadows had been revealed as equally bizarre in Lachlan's light. They bore extra appendages or strange colored skin and none of them had a tail like Ambrosia's. All of them were... different than merfolk, but Bastian didn't know what he could possibly refer to them as. The Atlanteans were disliked by the merfolk yet they were still a clan, weren't they?

"Best to listen to your friend, little Selchie," Theron's voice was filled with a smirk that Bastian could not see, "These are dangerous waters after all. Never know who is lurking about."

Bastian stiffened. Lachlan had been rude, but he would not forgive anyone threatening his friends. He opened his mouth to retort. Ambrosia beat him to it.

"Theron! Be nice. We came this way to see Atlantis. I'm sure mother would be pleased if you and your pack could lead us through the tunnels." At her words, a murmur lifted in the water. Tension filled the water.

Theron's eyes sharpened as he looked at Ambrosia, reflecting the last of the faded light. "You want to take them to Atlantis?"

"Yes. We'll take the direct paths, Theron. Time is of the essence, and mother will want to see us." There was a pause that seemed quite significant to Bastian, though he didn't know why. "That's an order, Theron."

"As my lady commands." A sharp note filled the water, and violet magic sparked. The magic gathered into the palm of the octopus merman, and he lifted it high so that it cast muted light around him in a short radius. Then he spoke in a guttural language that Bastian did not understand.

Around them, the other Atlanteans moved. They ushered Bastian and his friends toward the back of the cavern and Theron revealed a small tunnel. It was roughly circular, only big enough for two merfolk to pass through at the same time, and only if they were very close to one another.

Theron led the way, looking back over his shoulder now and then. Ambrosia held her hand out to Bastian, and he smiled as he took it. Bastian did not miss the way Theron gritted his fangs when he did. Somehow, Bastian felt pleased with himself.

Ambrosia moved close to Bastian's side, her glittering tail side by side with his as she guided him behind Theron. Varick and Varya followed right after, followed by Lachlan and Zareb. A creature with crab claws sticking out of his ribs brought up the rear.

Behind the group, a trail of glittering red scales lay like drops of blood along their path.

The tunnel was a maze, with twists and turns and split routes every few minutes. Theron moved through the maze with ease. His confidence made Bastian feel better about not getting lost, so Bastian's mind wandered. "So Atlantis is on the other side of the cliff?"

Ambrosia chuckled. "I'm sure there is an 'other side' of the cliff, but I've never seen it. The land goes on for at least a hundred leagues, it's just that the ocean floor rises to meet the top so it seems like it's not there from above."

"Wow. So... how can Atlantis be near here then?"

"Atlantis exists in a depression of the rock, but we've built up and around it, so it is disguised from the ocean. If you didn't know where to look, you could never find it."

Bastian's eyebrows rose. As far as he knew, Atlantis wasn't at war with anyone, so it seemed odd they would do something so time consuming. "Why would you want to hide your city?"

Darkness shadowed Ambrosia's face for a moment as Theron's body blocked his light. "It was done a long time ago, Bastian, and I'm not that great a history student. But I know that our ancestors thought it was necessary at the time. There was someone, or something, that they feared greatly."

Something that the creatures of Atlantis feared... Bastian shuddered at the thought of that. Ambrosia squeezed his hand. "Bastian, we're almost out of the tunnels. I'm so excited for you to see my home!" The energy in her voice distracted him from his dark thoughts and Bastian smiled.

"I'm excited to see it too." He was excited to see her smile even more. Ambrosia's happiness was Bastian's happiness.

Gradually, the tunnels lightened and opened up into another cavern. Bright silver light streamed into the cavern from somewhere outside, making Bastian squint his eyes. Before he could adjust completely to the new light, he was tugged forward and out into the open water.

Atlantis came into view slowly. It took Bastian's breath away.

Cold, pale stone was shaped into boxy looking buildings, with windows too large for safety. Poseidonia grew rampantly over the stone, splashing vibrant green against the pale canvas of the city. Snatches of gold trimmed the buildings here and there, and beautiful flowers Bastian had never seen before sprouted along the pathways between buildings.

In the middle of the city was a building that looked rounder than the others. The ceiling of it loomed up in the same was as the Dome's, but the circular top was broken by a mighty tree growing straight through the center of it. Dripping from the branches of the tree were strips of something that sparked silver and lit all of Atlantis as though Selene herself floated above the city.

Bastian's eye drifted upward, searching for the goddess, and he found that Ambrosia had understated the city's defenses. Clear panels of glass arched over the entirety of Atlantis, encasing it like a treasure inside of a chest. Outside the panels, the beauty of the deep ocean was visible for miles around.

Confusion filled him. "I thought you said Atlantis was hiding?" His thoughts escaped his mouth before he could think about them. A secret smile flitted over Ambrosia's face.

"They are hiding." Varya's voice pulled Bastian's attention from the clear glass. "Something isn't right." Immediately, Lachlan stiffened behind her, his hands curling to form claws. Theron scoffed.

"It's called a mirror," he offered gruffly. "We can see outside of the dome, but when you are on the other side, all you can see is your own reflection. Most people swim right by without ever knowing we are here."

"And that's exactly how we prefer it." The feminine voice rolled smoothly through the waves and the hair on Bastian's arms stood up. He whirled to the right, where a new mermaid came into view in front of the cavern.

Her curly hair was a deep red, and her skin was pale green. Just like Ambrosia, her skin was covered in swirls of ink, forming a fierce mask over her face. Unlike Ambrosia, her tail was charcoal grey and had an odd split near the fin. It almost made her look like she was trying to imitate the weird two-legged race of humans.

Despite her oddities, there was something about her that made Bastian stare in awe. She moved with a grace that he had never seen before, as though she were dancing under the water.

Ambrosia released Bastian's hand and bowed low to the mermaid. Theron followed suit.

"Welcome home, daughter." The mermaid's violet eyes honed in on Bastian. "And welcome to Atlantis, Triton Bastian. I've been expecting you."

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Author's Note: 

I'm tempted to take a popularity poll. Care to comment who your favorite merperson is?