Under The Sea Book Club

Excerpt #2: Amy991517

The young man, who Jason now realized was the baby he'd seen before, reached out and took the sword. As he recited a series of words Jason could not understand, the sword transformed form a simple to an elegant weapon in his hands. The dull blade, now shined as though it was made of pure silver, and the hilt morphed into an elegantly crafted work of dull gold, bearing the same symbol that he'd seen on the crib moments ago.

Atlas turned towards the edge of the plateau, holding the blade in the air and a loud roar of approval erupted from the crowd below.

Still not fully understanding what was happening, the scene faded once again and Jason found himself now standing on a battlefield between two vast armies. One army consisted of crudely armored humans while the other seemed to consist of various fanged and clawed monsters that came out of fairy tales Jason had read as a child. At the front of this army was a burly and dangerous looking man with pale gray eyes. In his hand held the same sword that had been held by Atlas. Raising it above his head, the man began to float into the air and lightning rippled across the sky, followed by the loud boom of thunder.

The armies charged at one another and devolved into a bloodbath of carnage. Jason raised his arms to protect himself until the vision once again faded.

He now stood atop a mountain in front of what seemed to be a very large wooden box. In a flash of light, a very tall and powerful looking man appeared, dressed in shining armor that was covered in symbols unlike anything else he'd ever seen. Four pure white wings extended from the man's back and Jason immediately realized what he was.

The angel extended his hand and the enormous wooden crate began to shake, revealing the outline of a door. The door slowly extended with a loud creaking noise. As it lowered, it became a large staircase and inside Jason saw an elderly man and woman standing with six other people and large assortment of animals behind them.

"Noah!" the angel spoke in a commanding voice that made Jason fall to his knees, "the Lord in his mercy has chosen to preserve you and your children alone from the great judgement. Never again will we judge the earth with so great a flood, but take heed. Walk with the Lord in righteousness, you and your descendants, for the evil that plagued the previous world can be restored.

"Noah's ark? Jason thought. Slowly he began to piece everything together in his mind. He was seeing a vision that was giving him a history lesson. Although each scene was brief, his mind was able to put together the details. Atlantis? Merpeople? Monsters? Angels? Everything everyone thinks is only stories, they're all real. It just all happened before Noah's flood. It all really happened. But what am I supposed to make of all this?

As though the vision responded to his question, the scene once again changed. Now Jason found himself surrounded by water. Different varieties of fish swam past him in every direction until finally his eyes focused on a circle of mermen and mermaids that sat along the ocean floor beneath him. In the center stood a tall, bald merman with a long gray beard. He held a golden trident in his right hand and in front of him stood a meticulously carved stone cube.

"And so it shall be written," the merman declared, the trident glowing in his hands. Jason saw that as he spoke, symbols that he did not recognize began to appear in the stone cube and he realized the merman must be writing them with magic. "Never again shall the merfolk make contact with the surface world. The war and carnage of the world before must never again come to pass. Let man continue in his wicked ways, but the merfolk shall have no part in it. Furthermore, any merman or mermaid who chooses to walk among men shall be put to death. Any of the merfolk who do not heed these commands shall face the justice of my covenant!"

"Long live the King Ea!" rose those voices of the merpeople standing around him.

Oh no Jason thought when he realized the implication of the merman's words. That's why Adonia was so secretive all this time. She didn't want me to know what she was risking every time she saw me. Somehow Jason found he knew it all, and each piece of information that flowed into his mind fit together perfectly with the previous one.

Finally, the scene faded into one final vision. He now saw a young mermaid standing before her parents while they explained the ancient ritual of the mating ceremony and why it was put into place so long ago.

Adonia! Jason's mind screamed when he realized that it was her childhood that he was seeing. "Adonia!" he called out, this time able to hear himself, but no sooner were the words out of his mouth before everything he saw around him went black.