Royal Heiress by Ruth Ann Nordin Page A

delicate balance between action and consequence.
    They stood outside the door and rang the
bell, which chimed beautifully throughout the palace.
    Hephaestus led them into the living room
where Zeus, Ares, Athena, Demeter, Hades, and Poseidon were mapping
out a strategic war plan. As soon as they saw the Augurs, they
stopped and turned to them.
    “Something else is wrong if you’re here,”
Zeus told them. “We were going to visit you after we created a
suitable plan to get to our replacements before they wake up. We
are aware the Earthlings have discovered Atlantis’ location and are
currently inspecting the area.”
    “There is another development,” Gaius
informed them. “The Infer who is currently there has traveled back
into the past with the Queen of Raz, and he intends to change the
course of history. He wants to make sure Atlantis never sank in the
first place.”
    Athena gasped. “Do you know how he intends to
do that?”
    “Unfortunately, no. However, we have seen
through the Mirror of Time, and he will succeed. In the future, his
action will condemn everyone in the Underworld and every Augur to
death.”
    Hades frowned. “Why would he destroy the
people in my domain? They were my responsibility.”
    “He doesn’t intentionally kill them. His
decision to keep Atlantis on the map is what inevitably leads to
their deaths. If we allow his plan to succeed, then Atlantis will
still exist in our current day. In the near future, a rebellion
will occur from the Underworlds all over the Earth. The people
there will demand the same rights enjoyed by those above ground,
and in order to put the rebellion down, Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and
Demeter will vote to eliminate them. Since every Augur will protest
such an event, you will destroy us first.”
    “No,” Zeus argued. “There’s no way we could
be so heartless. The people in the Underworld shouldn’t be put to
death just because they aren’t perfect.”
    “Did they even deserve to put in the
Underworld to begin with?” Hades snapped.
    “That was a long time ago when we thought it
best to do such a thing,” Demeter softly stated. “We were foolish
back then.”
    “Apparently, staying on Atlantis would have
made us worse than we were,” Zeus said.
    “But Hades and Hestia voted against such
measures?” Athena asked. “Or were they no longer ruling by
then?”
    “They still ruled. The leadership remained
intact,” Gaius replied. “They argued in favor of bringing the
people back up from the Underworld.”
    Demeter sighed. “Perhaps there is more heart
in you than I gave you credit for,” she told Hades, her
son-in-law.
    He looked shocked by her admission.
    “We cannot allow ourselves to do what the
Augurs have said we’ll do,” Zeus decided. “We must stop the Infer
from keeping Atlantis above the waters.”
    “He will be harder to locate among the other
Infers, but with the technology to assist us, we can find him and
warn him,” Gaius said.
    “In the meantime, we also need to prevent the
people on Earth from discovering the replacements or taking any of
that technology,” Zeus replied. “We cannot let the rest of the
Earth fail as we had. That technology must be destroyed before it
destroys others.”
    “Agreed.”
    “I have an idea,” Ares said. “The Augurs have
mastered the technology without seeking out their own gain. They
should find the Infer. He will believe them because he knows of
their reputation. Then we will stop the people on Earth in our
current day. Zeus, you are the leader, and you have control over
the thunderbolt you created long ago. Demeter can control the
weather. Poseidon can control the ocean. Hades can release his most
powerful beasts from the Underworld. Athena will provide her wisdom
so we maintain justice in our actions, and I will change our battle
plans as we need to do so.”
    Athena’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “There
might be hope for you yet, Ares.”
    “That is an excellent strategy,” Gaius