Beyond The Impossible

Atlantis, Aegian Galaxy

Poseidon sits on his throne of coral and gold, with one hand holding his golden trident and the other one repeatedly caressing his own green beard.

His wife Amphitrite looks at him, analyzing her husband and lord. While she rules her own sector, she’s not allowed to have a throne on Atlantis: only Poseidon is supreme here, relegating her to floating in the water next to his side.

To any citizen of the Olympian Galaxy, Amphitrite would have an uncanny resemblance to Hera with her flowing blue hair, piercingly bright blue eyes and well-endowed physique barely covered by silky robes and strategically placed seashells.

<Was it really necessary for us to answer the call of Calypso, my lord? Surely such a minor goddess should be beneath our notice.>

<Calypso doesn’t scream for help at the first sight of trouble. Why do you think I made her my vassal? I need a servant that I can trust.> the god of the sea answers.

<Far from me to question your wisdom, my lord, by Calypso is hardly your only trustworthy vassal.>

<Please. My children cling to my tunic at the first sight of trouble, Proteus is a gibbering fool, Thetis is an old hag, and your only value is in the bedchamber. I could rule this galaxy on my own if I wanted to.>

<Yes, my lord, I never doubted you could. I was only thinking…>

<I did not marry you because of what you think, Amphitrite.>

<No, you married her because you were jealous of Zeus.> a voice comments, a voice that makes Poseidon’s blood boil with rage.

<YOU DARE!?> the god shouts at Ulysses.

<I’m sure he didn’t mean that.> Calypso sheepishly tries to defend Ulysses, as they’ve both passed through one of the doors leading to the throne room.

Ulysses puts a hand on her shoulder, walking in front of her as she’s holding the unconscious body of Roxiana in her arms.

<It is exactly what I meant to say, Calypso. And it’s the same reason why Poseidon won’t kill me right now.>

<You have some nerve, Ulysses. I did not put you in your place when we met at the Throne Of The Universe; the search for the Dragon Tomb was too important. But Null is not here to protect you from my wrath.>

<Not yet, perhaps. I know you want to kill me, but I have something you want more. Her current body is younger than she was when she died the first time, but surely you recognize her?> Ulysses says, pointing at Roxiana.

<The Angel of Death. I did not get the chance to end that irritating mortal the first time. But now I will get rid of two nuisances at once!>

<You could do that, sure. But then you would lose your only chance to become more powerful than Zeus could ever hope to be.>

Ulysses stares at Poseidon. Behind his shining blue eyes, he can see an ocean of sheer power that could destroy the cosmos… held back by the jealousy that has consumed his life.

<I am listening.>

 

A hundred miles away

Atlantis is made up by three rings, enormous megastructures surrounded by an ocean the size of a solar system.

The vast majority of the population lives on the Outer Ring, where ships can dock. The Middle Ring houses most of the administrative and industrial centers.

The Inner Ring, which surrounds the throne room, is the real capital of the Aegian Galaxy. It’s also where the Sirens are trained, where they meet to coordinate on how to impose Poseidon’s will on the mortal population.

It doesn’t have docks: it would be unbecoming of a Siren to be seen boarding a ship. Instead, they have a convenient connection to the sectors they oversee through a series of portals scattered throughout the Inner Ring.

It’s highly unusual for anything with legs to come out of one of these portals. But after the merman Kestral materializes, he’s followed by several bipeds: first the Vanguard, then Skorpios.

With the exception of Vesta, the others are wearing breathing masks that supply them with air.

<Welcome to Atlantis.> Kestral tells them.

<I can’t believe we didn’t trigger any alarm.> Noriko Null replies.

<Normally the Sirens would sense it, but this particular portal has been disconnected from that system. It’s the one Eros uses whenever he wants to make a quick visit to our Galaxy for, well…>

<I get the idea. Only he would have a direct access to one of the most secure locations in the universe and use it for a booty call.> Null notes.

<We can’t assume we’ll go unnoticed forever. We should hurry looking for the throne room.> Kari says, looking at Quantum.

<I can’t sense any radio or electric signals. Shouldn’t there be something?> he wonders.

<There are dampeners everywhere to stop electromagnetic signals. All communications within Atlantis are based on sound.> Kestral explains.

<I expected Atlantis to be more technologically advanced than that.> Skorpios comments.

<Sound travels faster in water than in air. Poseidon can sense any variation in the water around him, and the Sirens have the ability to manipulate sound.> Kestral continues.

<Then how do we find the throne room? It’s not like we can ask around!> Vesta says.

<Why not?> Noriko replies, swimming away from the corridor that houses the portal and into the nearby hallway. Although it’s more flying than swimming, since she’s using a gravity belt to propel herself in the water.

The hallway is the central hub connecting the various portals, so it’s where most of the Sirens mingle. And as soon as Noriko gets there, she finds herself facing hundreds of topless mermaids wielding silver tridents.

<Hello. I realized I’m overdressed for this place, but take me to your leader.>

The war cry of Poseidon’s army resonates in the water, as the Sirens point their tridents towards the invaders.

<Alright. Guess we’re doing this the hard way.> Noriko comments; she’s ready to draw her Genius Guns when Kari Zel puts a hand on her shoulder.

<Do you mind?> the Myridian asks.

<No, by all means. Have fun.> Noriko concedes.

<Oh I will. We will.> Kari replies gleefully, creating the first ten duplicates who swim towards the Sirens. Followed by the ten duplicates that each of them creates.

It’s just the first wave, useful to absorb the first reaction of the Sirens: their sonic screams hit like jackhammers. The first hundred duplicates vanish once the lethal attack lands, but the Sirens are not prepared from what follows: the next five thousand Kari Zel duplicates.

The hallway is the size of large city street, but since it’s filled with water it can be occupied in all three dimensions. The Sirens find themselves completely surrounded by a solid block of fighters that they can’t take down for good: every time they land a sonic blow or stab someone with a trident, a new Kari can appear instantly behind their back.

Even with the disadvantage of not being able to fight at her best when she’s underwater, a single Kari Zel is a formidable opponent for a Siren. Let alone when each one has to fight half a dozen.

<I don’t think I’ve ever seen her create so many duplicates at once!> Vesta says.

<Poseidon must’ve noticed that. What’s he doing?> Quantum wonders.

<Let’s go ask him. I just thought of a way to find the throne room.> Kestral says, placing his hand against the wall. His eyes shine when he activates his Drylon device, and the wall becomes transparent. As do the walls in every direction in front of him, creating the illusion of a hole that leads miles away, out of the Inner Ring and into the ocean surrounding Atlantis.

<Transmuting the walls into glass? Be careful, these walls are holding a lot of pressure.> Noriko warns him.

<It’s reinforced glass; I didn’t get my powers yesterday, Null. Nothing on this side, let’s see…> Kestral mumbles, moving his hands around.

The glass turns into a wall again once he’s no longer touching him. But the area that is being transmuted changes depending on his line of sight, revealing more hidden structures of the Inner Ring until he finds what he’s looking for.

He then transmutes a larger section: now there’s a good view of an enormous structure past the Inner Ring, a colossal mass the size of a mountain.

<That wasn’t here the last time I visited Atlantis. I’ve never seen anything like it!> Vesta says.

<I have. It’s a Gate of Heaven.> Noriko remembers.

 

Throne Room of Poseidon

Poseidon takes Roxiana from Calypso’s arms, holding the unconscious mortal by the throat and lifting her with one arm.

Standing next to his eight feet of pure muscle, even the athletic Ulysses looks like a child.

<To think that this fragile little thing holds the secrets of the Drylon.> Poseidon says, them examining the bracelet that Roxiana is wearing.

<Were it not for this accursed Absolute Defense trinket, I would cut her brain open to pry that knowledge out of her. How did you manage to defeat her? The Absolute Defense cannot be pierced by any weapon, divine or mortal.>

<I have my ways, Poseidon. Grant me a pardon for my crimes and immunity from persecution, and I will extract from her the knowledge on how to open the Gate of Heaven for you.>

<You murdered my son Polyphemus, and you expect to be pardoned for it?>

<How dare you make such demands to my husband, mortal? He will never accept…> Amphitrite intervenes, and all she gains is having Poseidon’s trident a few inches from her eyes.

<I did not ask for your opinion, wife. You have yet to give me a child worthy of my glory, so you don’t get to say anything about my offspring.>

<Y-yes, my lord. I apologize for overstepping.>

<You’re still mad about Polyphemus? You exiled him to a primitive planet to raise, eat and presumably sleep with sheep. You never cared for him until I killed him, which was in self defense I might add.> Ulysses clarifies.

<You have escaped punishment for centuries. In the eyes of a mortal, that is a long time. Why ask for my forgiveness only now?>

<I didn’t have anything to offer until recently. And I have grown weary of running away. If you wish to kill me, Poseidon, go ahead. But be assured that you will never gain access to Heaven.>

<Hm. You have been at most a minor nuisance. Perhaps gaining Heaven is a worthy price for my son… but I am not a fool, Ulysses. I can’t trust your word: there needs to be a test, which has just been delivered.>

<POSEIDON!> is the shout coming from the door leading to the throne room, which has just been crashed open by Vesta. Who rushes in the room followed by the Vanguard and their allies.

<I don’t care what Ulysses told you, don’t trust a word he says!!!> Noriko Null shouts.

<I know that too well.> Poseidon calmly replies, handing Roxiana over to Amphitrite and swimming back to his throne.

<You are trespassing on my realm, Null. I was aware of your arrival the instant you touched my water. If you were anyone else, I would impale your head on my trident… but you are co-ruler of Olympus, and the rules of the Nine Gods don’t permit me to attack you.>

<I could dispose of her for you. If you agree to my proposal.> Ulysses suggests.

<That was my intention as soon as I sensed her arrival.> Poseidon says, raising his hand.

A whirlpool manifests itself in front of the throne, delivering his vassals: Triton, Rhodos, Despoina and Proteus are now between him and the Vanguard.

<Heaven is payment enough for the murder of my son, but your impunity demands a bigger price. Kill Null for me, and I will agree to your request.>

<Poseidon, you can’t be serious! Ulysses is here to kill you!> Noriko objects.

<Then it is your duty, as my ally, to kill him first. I decree that this shall be settled in combat. If Ulysses triumphs, I will rule Heaven. If Null triumphs, I will rid myself of Ulysses.>

<Sounds good to me. We have unfinished business.> Noriko accepts, drawing both her Genius Guns and ready for a fight.

<Not a problem. You didn’t have to summon your vassals to help me.> Ulysses adds.

<They are not here for you. Children, leave Ulysses and Null to their own fight. The rest of the intruders are guilty of invading Atlantis… kill them for me.>