Amphitrite was laid down on the table, bound by some leather strips, and stripped down completely. Her dress was actually nowhere in sight.
I ignored the burst of anger that seared through my body as I looked at her naked body, opting instead to look at the two men positioned around her.
Let's see…left, right, left, plan made! Alright—let's go!
I silently (but gently, I promise) dropped Malia and unsheathed Riptide, calling upon my powers instantly. I disappeared in a flash of fire, blurring through the room so quickly that neither man had any moment to react. My full-powered [Nike's Leap] knocked Mereleus back a few feet, and I instantly followed up with a kick that he blocked.
He jabbed at me with his sword, but I ducked under it and kicked the hilt hard, causing the sword to go shooting through the air. Boosting myself up with a mana-infused jump, I spun, kicking his sword at Darius with force and easily beheading Mereleus with a well-timed slash from Riptide.
One down, one to go.
The sword I'd kicked at Darius had barely grazed him. Noticing Malia's scared expression, I opted to end it quickly. I blurred forward again, crisscrossing Riptide across Darius' chest and finishing it with a fireball to the face.
Kicking his corpse aside, I slashed through the bindings keeping Amphitrite hostage, barely affected by her naked body.
I mean, yeah, she's a MILF, but I've got way bigger things going on right now. I need her to be safe, and awake. I need to get her out of here.
I reached into my [Inventory] and pulled out some of the spare clothes I'd brought along for Atlantis and one of the ratty camp daggers. I tossed the dagger to Malia.
"If anyone comes through that door, attack first and ask questions later."
Did I think she would? No, not really, but I can't leave her completely defenseless while I dress Amphitrite. It wouldn't do well for the Queen of all Seas to be seen naked by so many people.
I looked through the clothes I had, fitting Amphitrite into one of my larger hoodies and my favorite white and maroon Yancy sweatpants. Honestly, she better return these when this whole mess is over. I don't feel like going back to downtown New York just to buy some clothes.
Well, Yancy, specifically. Could you imagine the look on everyone's faces if I came back to school with Aphrodite on my arm? I'd be a legend—but anyway.
Naked goddess on a slab, murderous cannibal crab. Focus on the matter at hand, Percy, focus on the matter at hand.
"Malia, come here," I said, kindly but with a little bit of steel in my voice.
She basically scurried over. The poor thing was shaking. I gave another hug, squeezing out all of the [Serenity Inducement] that I could muster at the moment.
"It's going to be fine, okay? It's going to be okay. Can you tell me how to wake her up?"
"She should wake up in a few minutes," I repressed the urge to growl—that wasn't the answer I wanted. "But you should just be able to wake her up normally."
I bit my lip, running through my options. Time wasn't something I had much of.
Sorry, Amphitrite!
I reached back and slapped her across the face as hard as I could.
She reacted instantly, sputtering incoherently as she shot straight up. Her eyes were blazing with bloody murder, but that anger died down almost instantly. She spent a moment blearily adjusting to the room, her eyes widening as they landed on me.
"Perseus!"
"My lady," I replied, a not-so-small amount of relief coloring my voice as I reached out and lightly grabbed her hand. "I'm glad you're okay."
"How did I get in these clothes?" Amphitrite wondered aloud, grabbing my sweatshirt and pants like they were foreign materials. "The last thing I remember…oh Zeus! Perseus, Carcinus—"
"I know," I cut her off. "I know. I need to confront him."
"Perseus, I don't doubt your skill, but fighting Carcinus on his own ground might be a tall order," Amphitrite said, slowly regaining some of her regal demeanor. Maybe it was the fact that she'd just noticed Malia, or maybe that weird curse thing was just a version of sleep on steroids—not my place to speculate, though. "I hardly think that's a good idea. Heracles himself would have trouble defeating him. We should leave."
"My lady, are you not the queen of the seas? Everyone in this palace is under your protection," I replied, an idea forming in my head. "Wait—that's it! Is there any way you could begin to evacuate people?"
"No," Amphitrite said instantly.
My jaw dropped.
"Perseus, my powers do not lend me aid in any sort of offensive situation. It would be much too dangerous for me to fight or be actively involved in this. If I were to die or get hurt, the shields around Atlantis would weaken and many more citizens than just the ones here would be harmed. I cannot sacrifice the sanctity of my city for the small group of people in here."
"My lady, respectfully, I think that what you just said is—"
Malia gripped my arm tightly.
"Percy. It's starting."
I stopped talking, pausing for a moment and turning my head back towards the dance floor, where the music had abruptly stopped playing.
"Zeus," I swore under my breath, looking back at the two women. "Fuck me. Okay—Malia, you stick with Lady Amphitrite. My lady, take the chariot and go back to Atlantis. Send help instantly."
"Perseus, as I mentioned before, fighting Carcinus is hardly a good idea," Amphitrite brought up once again. "There is no need to risk your life."
"I can't let all of these people die," I reached forward and lightly tapped her shoulder, activating the second tier of [Nike's Leap], which let me teleport to marked spots. If things ended up going sideways, I could always teleport to her and explain my powers—but only as a last resort. "You're a priority target, Lady Amphitrite, and I was given a mission. I intend to see that mission to its completion. Here. Delta gave me this rectangle thing, activate it on your way out."
I handed her the weird device Delta had given me. She looked like she wanted to argue but ultimately decided against it. Amphitrite and Malia disappeared out of the room, and I kept my eyes on them until they got in the chariot and began moving back toward Atlantis.
Okay, phew. I could breathe a bit easier now knowing that the two high-level people that I was supposed to protect were gone.
I wasn't going to be able to find some incriminating evidence, but between the fact that he drugged the Queen, and his daughter's testimony, something told me I'd be fine. I think, best case, she would get back to Atlantis in half the time it took us to get here—and that was if the chariot was really pushing it. From there, obviously, she would send help.
Hopeful thinking.
Even then, by the time help would get here, everyone involved could already be long dead. I couldn't take that sort of gamble. I needed to make my move now.
I slowly made my way back to the main floor, blending in with the groups of people who were lounging around. That dumb mechanic from Assassin's Creed 2 had always seemed so farfetched to me—like how could you really just lose people by walking in a group—but I'll be damned because it actually worked out. The palace guards were getting frantic. I could see them start to argue amongst each other, all of them yelling about one thing or another. Their heads must be on the line if they can't find me—literally.
I tried to focus on getting people out of there, but not that many were willing to see reason. Even when I laid down all of the clues and stuff, even telling them what Amphitrite said, they weren't willing to budge. I felt like one of those weird Jehovah's Witnesses, going door to door to spew nonsense at people while they looked at me like I was high. I should know—there are enough bums in New York smoking weed all over the place, and that's the exact same look I give them when they offer me a hit.
Ugh, what a bunch of snobs.
This wasn't ideal at all. Atlantis truly was a paradise on paper, but the people were stuck up pricks half of the time. Compulsion barrier or not, you'd think they'd listen to someone they consider a celebrity. How much more famous do I need to be? Am I really just not popular enough for them to—wait!
Thank you, Triton.
I jumped on top of the table, screaming at the top of my lungs, "Hey! Triton just called me and told me that the next fifty people who get to his concert will get free VIP tickets and spend the rest of the concert with him!"
Yeah. No, yeah, I'm a genius for that one.
There were hordes of people who started screaming and running towards the door, pushing and shoving each other to get out. The dance floor was basically empty in minutes. The guards tried to gently tell people to stay at the party, but even they had to get out of the way as the horde of people stampeded out of the palace. I saw an older gentleman shove his wife's face into some punch on the way out—why did he even feel the need to do that?
My grin died almost instantly as I heard clapping behind me.
Carcinus stood in a mocking bow, blood dripping off his chin and onto the ground.
"Well, well, well. I was wrong to underestimate you. We can't have our guest of honor going hungry tonight, can we? Kill the rest."
The assorted guards in the palace instantly made their move, and I knew there was no way I was fast enough, even with [Accelerate] and [Time Dilation], to save all of the people still dancing—not that I'd even get the chance.
Carcinus lunged forward, his arm twisting and transforming. His skin peeled back in a horrific unraveling of muscle and bone, revealing a metal-looking crab leg. I rolled as the partially formed giant crab leg came shooting over my head, hitting the wall behind me with a hollow thud!
I watched in horror as the dozen or so stragglers on the dance floor instantly exploded in a shower of blood and flesh.
"You won't live to regret that."
A scowl started forming on my face. A deep vat of anger started boiling in my stomach, and I felt my skin crawl. This fight was going to be on a completely different level than anything I'd ever encountered before.