Poseidon Awakens (Chapter 4)

Chapter Four of a serialized novella
New chapters every Tuesday and Friday

Oscar slipped unnoticed past the fishermen and made his way to the other side of the marina, where the research team’s lead engineer, Marcus, kept his personal boat.

It wasn’t much to look at, but it was all Oscar needed to get back to the dive site. He wasn’t about to look over his shoulder the rest of his life, wondering when it was his turn to be eliminated.

It was a short trip from Elafonisos to where they’d discovered the sunken city and set up base camp, but Oscar was no fool. He knew the professor would have his muscle standing guard. Fortunately, everyone knew Marcus’ boat, so they wouldn’t be alarmed at the sight of it.

Which also meant they might not notice a man ease over the side and into the water, while the boat continued toward the smaller island where The Mysterious was docked.

Oscar grinned. Those overgrown Boy Scouts won’t know what to do when the boat starts to run aground.

His plan went as expected. Which meant, of course, that it all went to hell...and fast.

He’d slowed down to make it easier to slip off the boat without making a splash, but it seemed that he’d slowed down too soon. The “overeager beaver” of the two guards must have trained his binoculars on the boat and caught sight of someone getting into the water, because he was there to greet Oscar.

What do you get, prizes for capturing an unarmed man? Or do you just love beating people up for fun and profit?

He didn’t stand a chance against the wall of muscle headed his way, but he didn’t care. He also didn’t care about getting even with Frank. The man would probably meet the same nasty fate that everyone on the team would meet, him included.

No, Oscar was after the professor. But to do that, he had to get through this wall of meat headed his way, and he had to do it before they had a chance to hide the man.

“Hey man, so glad you’re here...could use a little help. Stupid me, I fell off the boat and it...”

The scowl on the man’s face didn’t shift in the slightest.

Of course...what did you eat for breakfast, nails?

The goon stood at the end of the dock, his rifle pointing straight at Oscar.

“Don’t shoot...it’s me, Oscar. I work here! Ask the professor...ask anyone!”

Oscar felt something brush past him in the water.

In a flash, a large cephalopod, undulating vibrant greens, blues, purples, and yellows, flew out of the water, grabbed the man, and dove back into the water.

Oscar couldn’t believe what he’d just seen. One second the man was there, the next, nothing but an empty dock.

Surprised at his good fortune, he wasted no time changing into the dry clothes he’d brought with him. He’d wait in the cavern until night to discover what was happening.

The cavern was the first place the team explored upon arriving at the tiny island, known by the locals as Rest. At the time, he’d thought it was an odd name for an island, but after everything that happened, he figured the person naming it was being optimistic.

Truth be told, calling it an island was generous...in reality, it was little more than an oversized sandbar.

The cavern itself held nothing but a few animal bones and stank of seaweed and rotting fish, so after a cursory glance, it was abandoned.

Thankful for the fresh ocean breezes that made the stench bearable, Oscar considered his options.

He could say screw it, hide away on the next supply ship that made port, and make his way back home.

Or, he could find out what the professor had promised the god.

The man was brilliant, but he was also mad. Mad enough to think that he could exert some kind of control over the god of the sea.

Imagine a world where a maniac had the power of a god and free energy at his fingertips. What would he do?

I don’t care how promising a piece of technology is; it always ends up being used for evil. Always. Besides, there’s the Kraken to consider. If Poseidon were destroyed or imprisoned, does that mean the Kraken would be free to do whatever it wanted to do?

Or would it go back to being an ordinary giant squid?

So many questions. Too many questions...and not enough answers.

Looking back, Oscar figured he could have lived without some of those answers...but you never know what you’ll find around the next corner...

Which, in Oscar’s case, was something he’d wished he’d never seen.