Atlantis

= Atlantis, Chapter Three =


In the light of the day, the temple proved to be a beautiful place. Delicate bouquets of flowers were seen at regular intervals, along with wall hangings of bows and arrows. It was a strange combination, but set off the genuine feeling that Artemis herself was: strong, yet a true beauty. It was one of the younger priestesses that led them to a small dining hall. The small girl ignored their questions, particularly Wesley's, and left them to their brunch.

"Does anyone else get the feeling those girls are ignoring us?" Xander asked, poking the food on his plate with what looked to be a fork.

"Well, they are meant to, aren't they?" Wesley replied. Xander, Spike, and Gunn rose an eyebrow at him in unison, a sight that caused Wesley to blink for a few minutes before stuttering to an explanation. "You see, Artemis was rather defensive of her followers. She didn't allow men to touch them, nor the beasts she protected."

"So, they aren't talking to us because we're men?" Gunn said.

"Exactly." Wesley told him.

"Like we'd do anything." Xander scoffed, before glancing at Spike. "Well, most of us wouldn't do anything."

"Oi." Spike said in mild protest. He poked half-heartedly at his plate. Sighing, he reached for the cup of water instead of eating.

"Awww." Xander patted him on the shoulder. "Is the wittle vampire hungry?"

"Suppose we'll just have to find a nice secluded place so I can eat, hmm?" Spike sneered. "Since you won't have sex in public and that's the only way I can feed on humans."

"No, I said I wouldn't have sex in the Magic Box." Xander corrected. Spike perked up at the hidden notion. "But, I'm not having sex in a temple. Or in a place that might have laws against that sort of thing. I don't feel like being stoned, thank you very much."

"Spoil sport." Spike grumbled.

"We'll go out and find you a nice goat to munch on." Xander offered, grinning.

"Those two are weird." Gunn commented, watching at Xander and Spike continued to bicker and tease. The leer on Spike's face grew with every insult Xander sent him.

"They do appear to have... A strange chemistry at best." Wesley replied. "Their relationship is peculiar, that is for certain."

"Why?" Gun asked, glancing at Wesley out of the corner of his eye. "Because they are guys?"

"What?" Wesley frowned, looking confused at Gunn's question. "Actually-"

"Sirs?" A nervous voice interrupted them. Gunn fought back a curse. They turned to look see the young girl that had directed them to the dining hall.

"Yes?" Wesley asked.

"Lady Thelsea wishes to see you about the girl, Tara." She announced. "I believe you know the way to her room?"

"Sure do, pet." Spike replied, winking at the girl. She shuffled on her feet and adverted her eyes, before quickly walking away without another word. Xander turned and gave Spike a glare. "What?"

"Don't tease the virgins." Xander replied.

Spike rolled his eyes and got to his feet. The rest stood and followed the vampire as he led them out of the dining hall and through the large forum at the front of the temple. They passed the arch leading to the inner sanctum and stopped at a small door nearby. It opened at their approach revealing Thelsea's calm form. Past her, Tara lay on a stone bed. Her clothing had been replaced with a soft blue robe. Behind her, a statue of Artemis rose to guard over the sleeping form. Candle's were placed around the bed, casting a soft orange glow in the windowless room.

"How is she doing?" Xander asked as he entered the room. Thelsea gently shut the wood door, before walking around Tara's still form.

"She has yet to awaken, as is to be expected." Thelsea told them.

"What do you mean?" Wesley questioned.

"You are not from here." Thelsea said, her voice thoughtful. "Achilen spoke of a creature before he left yesterday. A creature that was with you when you awoke?"

"It was a demon. A Kranthsaw." Wesley told her. "We were fighting a clan of their kind, when the leader opened a portal."

"And you came here." Thelsea finished. "Was Tara near the being when he opened this portal?"

"Yeah, he was holding her." Xander said.

"Ah, I see now." Thelsea reached out a hand and brushed back a strand Tara's hair. "She has power inside her, but upon closer examination it is depleted. I suspect this demon used her energy source to open the portal."

"Yes, that makes sense." Wesley agreed. "The Kranthsaw can open portals to other dimensions, but the spell is normally cast by three or more members of the clan. It takes a great deal of power... I don't understand how the Kranthsaw could have taken that much from her. Surely she doesn't have that much magical strength."

"We each hold a certain level of power within." Thelsea said. "The gods, however, choose to gift some with a greater level. A power that can seem subtle, but is always there. She holds that kind of power. It's strong, very strong. Perhaps in this world she is stronger than before."

"You said her energy was depleted?" Gunn asked.

"Yes, all of her energy must have been used to open the portal." Thelsea replied.

"Considering it's size and strength, it is no wonder we were all sucked in." Wesley commented.

"Will she be okay?" Spike asked, his voice oddly soft. Xander automatically reached over and took the vampire's hand. He smiled when Spike squeezed his hand in reply.

"She needs rest." Thelsea told them. "She will recover in time, by the will of the gods."

"Right." Spike straighten and dropped Xander's hand. Xander just looked at him fondly, causing Gunn to shake his head in obvious agitation. "Well... I suppose we should go and... Do... Things."

"Oh, wonderful idea!" Xander exclaimed, nodding.

"Yes, we'll be back in our rooms. Right, pet?"

"Right." Xander grinned. Spike darted out of the room without another word. Xander gave everyone a little wave, before running after him. Gunn rolled his eyes, unable to believe he was going to have to spend who knows how long in another world with those two. With a quick glance at Wesley, who was inspecting the engravings on the wall, Gunn turned back to Thelsea.

"So, from what I've gathered, our only chance of getting home is Tara." Gunn stated. Thelsea looked at him a moment, hazel eyes calm. "Right?"

"If it is possible, she will most likely be the key." Thelsea told him. "Now, if you will excuse me, we should leave Tara to rest."

"Yeah, okay. Come on, English." Gunn ordered, grabbing Wesley's arm and dragging him out of the room.

"Charles, honestly." Wesley protested once they reached the hallway. He quickly began adjusting his button down shirt, looking like a slightly dirty librarian in need of a spanking. Which, really, wasn't something Gunn really didn't need to think about. The spanking part that is. "I am perfectly capable at leaving a room when requested to do so."

"Please." Gunn snorted. "You would've stayed in there all day wanting to do crayola rubbings of the wall designs."

"I would not." Wesley said, raising his chin in defiance. Gunn tried not to laugh.

"All right." Gunn relented. "Charcoal rubbings, then."

"I'm going for a walk." Wesley replied stiffly, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. Gunn watched him walk off, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"He does not know." Thelsea said softly, stepping up next to him.

"Know what?"

"About how you feel." She replied. She slipped past him, her green robes shuffling on the stone floor.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Gunn asked, his tone mildly cross.

"I'm just observing, Charles." Thelsea told him.

"It's Gunn."

"Ah, I see." Thelsea smiled. "He is the one with that privilege, and him alone? How... Sweet. Perhaps you should tell him how you feel, Gunn."

"Yeah, right." Gunn replied sarcastically.

"He would rather hear it, then learn it on his own later on." Thelsea replied.

"And how do you know that?" Gunn asked.

"Just a hunch." Thelsea said, before continuing down the hall. Gunn watched her go, a frown on his face. Sighing, Gunn hurried to catch up with Wesley. Thankfully Wesley had been caught once again by something else with historical significance.

"Hey, English." Gunn greeted. "Thought I'd join you for that walk."

"I can manage on my own, Charles." Wesley informed him.

"I'm sure you can, I just want to come along." Gunn insisted. Wesley looked at him pensively, before shrugging his consent.

"You know..." Wesley began as they exited the temple. There were a few natives in the quad, each praying or resting in some form or another. Wesley and Gunn walked past them and onto the stone road leading into a more populated area. "If my memory serves me correctly, we are either in 1270 B.C. or 9390 B.C. in our world."

"Those are pretty big differences." Gunn pointed out. They entered what looked to a market. Carts and small stands lined the outside of the road. Hundreds of robed Atlantians bustled around, inspecting various foods and products. Wesley and Gunn received a few odd stares, due to their clothing, but for the most part they were ignored.

"Well, Plato claimed Atlantis to be nine thousand years before his time. Now, Plato wrote Timaeus and Critias, which includes the story of the Lost City, in 390 B.C. That means Atlantis was prospering in and around 9390 B.C." Wesley explained. Gunn merely nodded his head, content in letting Wesley talk. "However, it is said Plato received a lot of his information on Atlantis from a man who read about it in one of the libraries of Egypt. Whether this is true or not has yet to be told, because Plato's teachings are the only written documents we have that directly speak of this place."

"That doesn't explain the other date." Gunn said. They paused in front of a cart overflowed with pottery. Gunn picked one up and began inspecting it as Wesley continued.

"Well, many scholars later discovered that it is a good possibility the converting of Egyptian to Greek altered the numbers." Wesley said. "Some now believe that it was actually nine hundred years earlier, not nine thousand. Which makes the date to be about 1270 B.C."

"Which one are you voting for?" Gunn asked, setting the pot back down.

"Taking in the obvious advances this culture appears to have, I'd say 1270 B.C." Wesley replied. "However, that would be the Atlantis in our world. This one, well, this one could have been created at any moment."