Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

EDITED

So, based on the information I’ve found on multiple different sites, I have deduced that this work will take place when Nate is 18 years old. This is different from my other self-inserts because it doesn’t follow a script. It is a work of pure fiction using the characters Nate, Sully, Sam (by name), and possibly a few others like Rafe and Nadine. I’m doing it this way because I have always wanted to write a Nathan Drake story, but have never found the right fit, as well as having plans to further the series and continue through the games themselves. 

During this I am going to have Sam and Sully working on the very beginning of the Henry Avery plans simply because I don't want them to be a part of this as much. Not only to help me get used to writing an adventure story and the such (and two characters are much more manageable than three to four) but because I think at this point in time the Henry Avery plan was not as concrete in terms of happening. I like to think Sam is still doing his own thing a little. If I come across something that delves further into canon then I may change this a bit to fit that better, but for now, we are going to go with it. Sully may show up more later on.

See the Author's Note in Chapter 3 for more information on updates and the like. 

Thanks for reading! 

AllessaRen2198

Chapter Text

EDITED

Nate sat in the truck shoulder to shoulder with five other prisoners. Damn Sully! If he doesn’t mount a rescue, I’m going to haunt him for the rest of his life. The truck hit another bump, and his head hit the ceiling. From inside the burlap sack currently pulled over his head, he could make out the figures of the five guards inside their truck, and the five prisoners. Prisoners, including himself, who were in a convoy headed to death’s mouth. 

If asked, Nathan would honestly not be able to explain how he got here. One minute he had been confirming the baseline facts about Henry Avery at a library computer in Panama, and the next he had been arrested. While the specifics were hazy, as Nate couldn’t really make out what was being said by the guards who took him, he caught that he may have made a mistake in accidentally destroying a small market earlier that week, while running away from a contact who had turned at receiving a better offer. 

Nate leaned back against the truck, trying not to smell the sweat of the others, the dried blood by his nose, or the overall stench of desperation. He ignored the rough rope binding his hands and feet and closed his eyes. This was all sorts of fucked up. As he lay back he heard what sounded like a thump as the side of the truck seemed to shake the tiniest amount. Then he heard the voice. 

“Do not move. I am going to cut the ropes on your hands. On the count of three knock the two guards next to you out. Quickly and quietly.” The voice was female, smooth, and quiet. For a second, Nate entertained the idea that he was going crazy. There was no way Sully or Sam knew where he was. At the annoyed hiss, Nate accepted reality. Some unknown person was rescuing him. As the ropes got looser, Nate braced himself for the fight. He’d have to be quick, and as quiet as possible. Once the ropes went slack he felt a gun being pressed into his hand. Then the voice spoke. “Three”. Nate immediately lunged to one guard, knocking him out fairly easily. Before the second guard could make a noise, Nate had him in a chokehold, pressing until the man fell silent.

Nate winced as he removed the sack from his head. Around him, he saw the other prisoners who had tensed up at the sound of the scuffle. When he looked to spot the other guards, he noticed that they seemed suspiciously quiet. At closer inspection he noticed the small darts sticking out of the back of their necks. Then, at the sound of a bang, he turned as the door to the truck flew open. In came a girl about his age, with her hair placed in a bun that looked one wrong move shy of coming completely undone. There was a sparkle in her eye that hinted at excitement. As she started to untie the prisoners, she explained the plan. As the convoy came to a stop, and the last of the five other prisoners were freed and armed, Nate looked towards the girl who had readied herself for combat just to the side of the doors. 

Nodding, he spoke. “Nathan” Her responding smile sent chills down his spine. “I know.”

Chapter Text

It’s been a while, huh? 

So I have decided since I have officially graduated with my BA and am now finding myself with a bit too much free time, that I am going to pick this back up. Completely disregarding my old plan for the chapter updates, I have decided to do the following instead:

Since I want this to be as accurate to the myths, and as close to the uncharted gameplay, as possible there’s going to be quite a bit of research which will slow down updates. I also need to edit some things from the teaser to better fit the timelines of the games. While I have this as a self-insert x Nathan drake, I think I’ll change it a little since he ends up with Elena eventually. 

The ultimate dream would be to then carry this throughout the games as well, all the way to Lost Legacy with Chloe and Nadine (which is my favorite uncharted game besides the fourth one). Doing this would mean I need to actually finish the first and second games which I gave up on when I was first starting out with video games in general because I found the boss fights at the end to be ‘impossible’ when, in reality, I was just impatient. 

I think, then, the plan would be to end up with Sam eventually, however from how I see him at the moment, it wouldn’t end with the married normal life, but more like a permanent exclusive relationship that never entered engagement and marriage territory, as I feel like Sam isn’t as much on board with the idea since he is still catching up the time he lost). 

So, instead of being a completely romantic relationship all the way, I think it’ll be a slow burn/not super acknowledged through this story, and then they are kind of together until right before Drake’s Fortune when they realize they’re much closer as friends, or maybe even as far as platonic soulmates. I feel like that could be counted towards Elena and Nathan’s many relationship breaks (i.e. Elena is like what's the deal??). (Also I just love Sam.) Maybe be patient with me though as I am not very good at slow burn and also haven’t really written a non-romantic story before. 

If anyone has any slow burn writing tips that would be dope. 

Next to this work, I want to continue on with my Time Turner Tales series featuring Tom Riddle and an OC of sorts. That one will involve some editing/partial rewriting as I feel chapter quality dropped as I rushed to update it. Nothing major will change, I just want it to be better. 

Lastly, I’ll be starting graduate school this early winter/spring semester, depending on the program I choose, so that will take priority, however, I won’t be taking more than two classes at a time so it should be okay.

I don’t want to promise frequent updates, so I won’t. I’ve finally realized that ‘oh shit, I’m an actual adult now.’ so I’ll have a lot going on. But, I’m actually excited about writing for the first time in a long time!.

Thanks!!
AllessRen2198

Chapter Text

The clanging of pots and chatter of the people fill the dry desert air as I patiently lean against the adobe brick wall behind me. As yet another vendor approaches I lower my hand towards the AK-47 propped against the wall next to me. I pray this time, they spread the word. I am not here as a tourist. Speaking of, across from me at a stall two women are purchasing jewelry. One of them looks up and spots the gun next to me. Shit . Her eyes widen and she nudges her friend. Time to move . The vendor seems nervous to report me, so the two quickly head towards a policeman. As he looks up I am already striding away. I weave in between stalls and customers alike as an old man bumps into me sending me a snide grin. A woman almost drops a pot and a fight breaks out between two young boys off to the side. From what I can tell the policeman isn’t following me too closely, probably trying to placate the women, but not get involved. I am not the only one here who is armed, and as far as he knows I may work for one of the many vigilante groups in the city. He doesn’t want to risk it, and I agree. I’m already a sitting duck here, I have to find him, soon, or I may be done before I have even started. Side eyeing a sketchy looking group of men, who seem to have taken an interest in the foreign woman with the gun, I pull the red scarf tighter over my lower face, eyes sending a warning glare their way. As I do, I hope the intelligence I had been given was correct, and that red was not a color associated with any gangs. That’s the last thing I need .

Ahead of me, the road splits in two. To the left are more bustling stalls filled with fruits, meats, and other foods. To the right, the crowd quickly thins out into what appears to be a dead end. Taking the right path I squeeze through the small alleyway off the right of the dead-end and circle back around to the building I had just been leaning against. This time I slip inside. If he wasn’t going to come out, I would go in. The problem would be finding his room. Earlier had been easy, just follow the gunshots. Originally I had planned to approach him outside the city, where it was far less likely we’d be killed by the local militias, get caught in a gang war, or worse, stumble across the hideout of a gang leader. That’s never a fun situation . 

The first door I come to has an arguing couple, they sound British. How’d you two end up here? Before I can move, the woman dramatically sweeps out the door. I sidestep and get a glimpse of the man groaning into his hands. Awkward. Across the hall, the sounds of banging and ridiculously fake moans fill the air. I approached the stairs, I doubted Nathan Drake would have a whore in his room. Just to the right, a door sits open, enough for me to see what is probably supposed to be a drug deal. The glare of the man who slams the door shut and the following muffled shouts pretty much confirms my suspicions. As I pass a window I let out a low curse, three men are approaching the building, the cop from before being hauled by his arm with a gun to his head. The vendors have started to clear out, and the few remaining tourists are taking cover and probably calling the authorities. Unfortunately for them, they’re looking at the ones in charge of those authorities. They better keep their heads down. I make eye contact with the cop before hitting the floor and barely avoiding being spotted by the man holding him. Fuck. I gotta find him, fast. I creep along the floor and stop outside the next room. Inside I hear someone muttering to themselves before the door swings open. 

Khaki covered legs lead to a green shirt and up to the face of Nathan Drake himself. “This is your fault, isn’t it.” His face is a mix of exasperation and disappointment. “To be fair to me, they probably just think I’m a spy for one of their rivals.” He groans before joining me, the two of us crouching underneath a window. Below we hear the men burst into the door of one of the rooms below and the shriek of a woman, followed by scrambling noises. “We gotta go.” Nathan whispers, before heading for the last staircase. As we turn the corner, I catch a glimpse of them reaching the floor we just left. This is not going according to plan . “Come on. I’ve got a car parked outside the city. We just have to get there.” I bite my lip and look at the ground. “What?” His voice is sharp. “Well, we kinda have to pick someone up?” His eyes close and I allow myself to feel a little bad. This was supposed to be a walk in and walk out situation. What were you gonna do? Knock on his door? Yeah, right. I follow Nathan across rooftops in silence and we drop to the ground as I see the boots of the first man reach the rooftop. There is a single gunshot and I close my eyes, giving a moment of silence to the poor policeman. He was just doing as you said, assholes.

As we move to enter the streets again, Nathan takes the scarf and throws it into an alley. “Hey!” “It’s too obvious.” “It was a gift , Nathan.” He rolls his eyes as he drags me through the crowd. “I’ll get you another one, okay?” As he speaks I slam into a large man attempting to squeeze back behind his stand. He glances down at me and I tense for some form of fight, but Nathan is already dragging me away. As we go, I bang into stands as I try to catch my footing again. “Slow down!” I shout as I crash into an apple stand. Nathan and I hit the ground at about the same time, apples raining down from the heavens. “It’s raining apples,” I say as he helps me up, and we duck into another alleyway. “Let’s just get out of here.”

A few minutes of alley jumping later, and we enter out onto a sidewalk. Before I can protest, Nathan is dumping my AK-47 and his shotgun into the alley. Then he grabs my hand and pulls me next to him, wrapping his arm around me as we wait among some locals to cross the street. When the light turns green he hurries us across. Behind me, I hear men clamor out of the alley and the sound of the guns clacking together. Great, unarmed, and in the open . I look at Nathan closely then, his eyes hold panic but his face is calm. “Get into situations like this a lot?” I whisper in his ear, causing a few onlookers to smile at us. “Just keep walking, please. I’d like to get out of here alive.” I roll my eyes and pull away only to stop at a small store. Inside I quickly give the lady behind the register a few coins for a hat and another scarf, this one a deep brown. Nathan accepts the hat with grace, and once my scarf is secure, we head into the busy sector of town. 

It’s easy-going from there, a few stops while men search the streets which involve the purchase of an overpriced necklace made of a gold chain and teardrop ‘sapphire’ and a watch for Nathan. Finally, we exit the city limits into a small area for shipments entering the town. Quickly Nathan leads us to the jeep. “Okay, now who are we picking up?” “His name is Austin and he’s a-” I hesitate for a second trying to find a word that can encapsulate all Austin has been able to do for me so far. “Let’s call him my research assistant.” Nate grunts and starts the car. “He’s back at a cafe. It’s close to the edge of town. We also left a car hidden. It’s got some equipment we should pick up. Let’s get it first.” I point Nathan towards some bushes about a mile away as he sighs. "Anything else we need to get?" he asks sarcastically. "No," my answer is defensive. 

Once we arrive he pretends to inspect the engine while I grab the duffles from the truck, as well as the pistol in the back seat, and the snack bag. “Cookie?” I offer as Nathan drops the hood and turns to head back to the city. “Here’s the deal. I’m going to ask for a quick engine inspection. Grab Austina and get the hell back here okay?” I nod and touch his shoulder. “Thanks.” Nathan shrugs. “No one left behind right?” I smile before jumping out and heading towards the small cafe. Before I leave earshot distance I hear Nathan conversing pretending he cannot exactly understand the mechanic, just enough to hopefully slow the process down. 

Austin sees me approach and immediately begins packing up. However, I gesture for him to slow down as I see another of the men approaching the shop and looking around. I wave at him and he begins to leisurely pack up, trying to look like we have all the time in the world. “The car is getting looked at, but he’s waiting for us with it.” I hear the man pass directly behind me as I speak, and before I can stop him Austin looks up and says hello. Damnit . The man hesitates and looks Austin over before grimacing and looking towards me. I give him a tentative smile before looking at Austin who seems to have realized his mistake. I can see his panic start to emerge and begin to help him pack while keeping my eye on the man who had drifted to a corner but was still watching us carefully. When Austin is packed up we turn to leave and brush past another man. We are five steps out the door when I hear the men start to approach. “RUN!” I shout, grabbing Austin’s arm and abandoning any semblance of innocence or regularity we may have had. 

All I can hear is my heartbeat as we sprint towards Nathan. In the distance I see him throw his hands up in the air as the mechanic closes the hood. “NATHAN! WE GOTTA GO!” I screech as we approach. His eyes widen as I hop into the passenger seat, and Austin scrambles into the back. “OW!” I shout as Nathan’s boot kicks my jaw in his haste to climb over me and start the car. He tosses the startled mechanic a few coins before slamming on the gas pedal. “ YOU HAVE TO START THE CAR FIRST!” I shout when nothing happens and he looks around in confusion. "Right, yeah, I knew that!" Austin is splayed on the floor in the back where he had landed, and his head slams against the seat as Nathan finally gets going. As we go I turn to grab the pistol and lay some covering fire, trying my best not to actually hit someone. The last thing we needed was a militia group coming after us. 

As we get farther away I lean back in my seat and chuckle. “That did not go according to plan” I huff out. Austin just groans and holds his head. “I think I’ll have that cookie now,” Nathan says with a small smile. I throw my head back against the seat and let out a laugh before handing him the bag. “Knock yourself out.”

______ 

The breeze on my face is light, as we drive through the night. Around us, the desert sky is almost black, with the smallest hint of navy. As I look up the stars cover the sky like glitter. “I think that’s my favorite part of adventures,” I say, to break the silence. “What is?” Nathan answers quietly, as Austin sleeps in the back seat. “The sky. It’s always as vast and wide as the possibilities of what we can find.” Nathan hums as he tilts his head back to glance up. “It is pretty great," he answers quietly. In the distance, I hear a howl, and I glance around at the barren desert landscape around us. In the distance, I can see the lights of the city we are approaching. Beside us, the outline of cacti scattered around can be seen in the leftover light of the headlights. “Where are we going when we get there?” he asks, interrupting the quiet. I give him the hotel name and he nods. “I’d tell you to get some rest, but we’re almost there.” I simply shake my head. “You and I needed to stay awake, just in case. I’ll sleep when we get there.” When no response comes, I turn and shake Austin awake. He blinks and glances around in confusion. “I let you get some rest.” He frowns. “You stayed awake in case a shootout happened?” At my nod, he sighs. “So you were going to let me sleep through it? I can protect myself and you. I’m capable.” “I know Austin I ju-” His eyes lock on mine as he sits up. “Do you? Know? Because you treat me like I can’t.” I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. “We will talk about this later. We’re entering the city. We’ll be at the hotel soon.” I turn back around and ignore the glances Nathan sends my way. The atmosphere is tense as we enter city limits. 

As we pull into the hotel’s small excuse for a parking lot, I feel my shoulders loosen. “Let’s go.” I quip as I grab a duffel and my pistol. Nathan follows wordlessly with his bag, and the second duffle and Austin brings up the rear wearing his backpack. I enter the room first after listening at the door and slowly opening and entering the doorway with my gun drawn and pointed forward. “Expecting someone?” Nathan asks as I double-check the hotel entrance before closing and locking the door. Austin glances out of the draw curtains and then unloads his bag from his shoulders, placing it next to mine. As he sets down the duffle and his bag, Nathan turns to me. “Why am I here. I haven’t seen you in two years.” I shake my head. “Get some sleep. I’ll explain tomorr-” “No. You’ll tell me now! I have things to do, I need to call my brother!” He starts to pace. “Do you remember what you said to me that day, two years ago?” Nathan thinks for a moment before groaning. “I said I owed you. Dammit!” He slumps into one of the two chairs provided in the small one bedroom one bath hotel room. “Call your brother, or whoever you need to. Explain your great mistake and tell them you’ll keep in touch as much as you can without compromising our position. Then get some rest . We have a long drive tomorrow. The airport is two towns over. Not to mention the stretches of desert in between. We also don’t know if we’re being followed. We’ll take turns keeping watch. Austin you’re up first. Wake me in three hours.” Nathan nods and steps outside to make his call. 

I head to the bathroom and change into the sweats and t-shirt I had packed for sleepwear. Then I headed to the couch pressed against the wall under the window. I can hear a moment of Nathan raising his voice before it lowers. A few minutes later he steps into the room rubbing his face. He glances at Austin, who has set up near the door with his phone and then to me laying on the couch. After nodding to himself he heads to the bathroom before coming back and sitting on the edge of the bed. After taking off his boots and belt he relaxes back into the pillow. “Goodnight Nathan,” I say quietly. He hums in reply before I let my eyes close. 

At exactly three hours, Austin shakes me awake. My movement causes Nathan to open his eyes, before rolling back over to continue trying to find sleep. In truth, I had really only been asleep the last hour or so. With a sigh of defeat, Nathan sits up. “Gave up?” I say as I move towards the bathroom to change. “Yeah, we should probably leave soon anyways. Before dawn.” I nod and as he gathers himself awake. In the bathroom, I throw on my last clean pair of clothes. The cargo pants fit nicely and the pale green shirt fits snugly and is comfortable enough underneath my gun holster. I splash my face with water then, looking at my reflection. The girl who stares back looks weathered. Her hair is falling out of its bun, her eyes have dark bags under them, and her mouth is in a small frown. Somewhere along the line, I had changed. The past 2 years had made their marks on my life. I traced the scar that ran down my neck and under my shirt across my collarbone before I pulled on my hiking boots, and headed back out, giving Nathan the bathroom. As he gets ready, I lay out the papers of information I had gathered along with a map.

Once he has joined me I explain the next steps as Austin looks on from off to the side. “As you know, you owe me.” Nathan snorts but stops and nods for me to continue when I shoot him a look. “And this-” I point at the map “is how you are going to repay me.” I wait as he absorbs the information in front of him. “Atlantis? Really?” I smirk. “Henry Avery? Really?” “Touche. So, where do we start? I need to finish this as soon as possible.” He says as he claps his hands together once. I nod and look down at the papers again. “Well, we start with Athens of course. That’s where the Atlanteans were last seen before their exile to the bottom of the ocean.” Nathan nods. “Okay. Do you know how we’re getting there?” I nod. “I’ve arranged for a plane, as well as supplies on that plane, to pick us up this evening from the airport I mentioned earlier.” Nathan nods again. “Am I allowed to tell my brother where I’m going? As I’m sure you have assumed, he’s not very happy right now.” I nod. “You can tell him we’re headed for Athens. But don’t tell him what we're doing. Not yet.” Nathan frowns but concedes heading outside once again. While I had been explaining Austin was packing up. Now he stood ready, by the bags. “We’re really taking him?” I lift an eyebrow in question at him. “Is that a problem?” Austin frowns and thinks over his next words. “I thought we didn’t need help? That the two of us were enough.” I shake my head as I look at the ground. Then I look out the window and see Nathan talking on the phone through the crack in the curtains. He runs his hand through his hair, face serious as he speaks. “He’s what we were missing. We need him. We need Nathan Drake.” Austin just nods his head, but I know the conversation isn’t over. 

I grab my backpack, Nathan’s backpack, and a duffle, while Austin grabs the rest of the bags. After a last cursory sweep by both of us, we exit the room. As I load the bags into the car, and Nathan finishes his call while checking to make sure we didn’t forget any of his stuff, Austin returns the key and checks us out. As he heads back to the car, Nathan turns to me as I settle into the passenger seat and place my pistol on my lap. “Why are you looking for Atlantis?” I glance at him before looking at the sky, which has started to lighten to pinks and purples as the sun rises. “Because I can.” And as Austin settles in the back, and we pull out of the parking lot, Nathan nods his head. “Then let’s get to it.”

Chapter Text

Previously:

Allessa planned to wait for Nate to leave the building he was in. She was spotted. The plan didn’t work out . Allessa and Nate found each other, before collecting Austin and narrowly escaping the city. The plan didn’t work out . Austin was upset that Allessa didn’t trust him to help in case of a shootout. Austin was upset . At the hotel, a watch order was given and not stuck to, as no one could sleep. The plan didn’t work out . While Nate was getting ready Austin and Allessa discussed why Nate was there. Austin didn’t like Allessa’s answer . While Austin checked out of the hotel, Nate asked Allessa why she was there. He found her answer a bit lacking, but overall satisfying .

Allessa and Nate: Tentative trust

Allessa and Austin: Wary but still trustworthy

Austin and Nate: Unsure and watching their backs

It had been an hour of quiet driving. And while observers may have named the scene as calm from afar, the three in the jeep were anything but. Allessa looked at Nathan who had his sole focus on the road ahead, seeming to drown out everything else but the road. Austin was, again, in the backseat and glaring a hole through the door, as he had switched away from her head when the sun had risen further. He’s so mad.  She thought idly. What did he expect, though? My entire life’s story? Austin had known perfectly well when they met, that Allessa was anything but open about her past. And when it came to Nathan and Samuel Drake, her lips were vacuum sealed. She shook her head slightly as she thought about the elder Drake brother. He was kind enough, though he really did need to lighten up in terms of his brother. That’s exactly why he’s not here. Sam’s overprotective streak would ruin everything. Allessa once again glanced over at the driver, his arms tensed and face straight. He seemed lost in thought, but not enough that the group was in any immediate peril from his lack of attention. Time to give. Allessa then turned and made eye contact with a sulking Austin, who was already opening the map of Athens. Even when he’s mad at me, he knows exactly what to do. The thought sent an odd ping of awareness down my spine. I’ll investigate that later . Once I was as turned around as I could be I leaned back to see the map. “Okay, so there are four places this book could be,” Austin says. His voice is on the border of being cold and distant, but he seems to have pulled himself together enough to sound at least decently fair and calm. I nod and take out my journal. As I read off the possibilities, Austin marks them on the map. “The neighborhood is Akadimia Platonos. Within are our four sites-” I am interrupted by Nathan. “We have four sites to search? We should split up, it’ll be faster.” “No. It’s better to stick together.” My voice is harsher and more desperate than I’d prefer, and both men raise their eyebrows.

“O-kay.” Nathan drags the word out under his breath, and Austin just looks back down at the map. I pause, taking a calming breath, which is probably more obvious than I’d prefer, before continuing. “We can work our way back down, from the top. Starting with the bust.” I point to a spot off of Tilefanous, near the Plateia. “Next we’ll go here-” I point to a spot on the other side of the Plateia. “This is the Museum. It’ll have guards, more so than the other areas, which are outside. Granted there are fewer places to hide outside.” I pause to make sure Austin is keeping up. “Next, we’ll work our way down Kratilou, before taking Tripoleos to the Archaeological site” I hear a small chuckle and look up to see Nathan smiling. “You really got this planned out, geography wise. How are we dealing with these guards though? Got a man on the inside?” “As a matter of fact, I do.” Austin quiets at this. “Please-” “What was I supposed to do? We don’t have a choice. We’ll cut him out later. Repay the favor.” Nathan raises an eyebrow before shrugging, whatever you say, boss.” With a snort, I go back to the map. “Finally, we go down Skopelou until we run into the Academy’s ruins.” I finish my pointing to the map. “This is our best bet for any type of clues.” “Then why go to the other places?” Nathan asks, eyes leaving the road to glance at the map, before quickly returning, and barely missing a small animal. “CRAP!” he shouts, swerving the car out of the way. Austin barely grabs onto his laptop before we jolt to a stop. The car is perpendicular to the road as we catch our breath.

“Because the inside man was insistent we check everything .” I place a hand on my pounding heart as Nathan and I make eye contact. There’s a small flutter in my chest that I take as a sign of my fear. “Now, do you think you can make it the rest of the way without another incident?” Nathan, who was still holding eye contact, clears his throat and looks away. “Yeah. Yeah, I can do that.” Austin just snorts and rolls his eyes, before mumbling something unintelligible and turning back to his computer. I shift back to face the front before glancing out at the horizon. The desert on either side of us is lined with cacti that pop up in a seemingly random assortment. The desert is beautiful, in its own way. The sun is in the middle of the sky, like a king looking down upon his people. I take a deep breath of the desert air, relishing in the dryness of it. Everything will be fine. Rameses has no idea you’re back yet. I frown slightly as I place my sunglasses on, hair whipping in the wind. I glance sideways at Nathan, who is concentrating on something, that something hopefully being the road, and then in the rearview mirror at Austin, who has replaced his computer with a walkman and was seemingly lost in the music. As I look back to the horizon, I allow a small hopeful smile to come to my face, before leaning back in the seat. It’s going to be okay .

Nathan’s P.O.V.

A rock smashing into the windshield shocked me out of my trance. I shook my head. I need to pay more attention . As I refocused on the road I thought back to the memories I had been reliving moments prior. 

Nodding, I spoke. “Nathan” Her responding smile sent chills down my spine. “I know.” As I looked around, the others, who were slower in gathering themselves, seemed to have grasped that a fight was imminent. Ahead of us, I could see just enough through the wooden slats that comprised the walls, to take note of two motorbikes, each with a driver and a gunman, as well as a single jeep. “There was no one in front of this truck, the last time I was outside.” her voice rang out in the tense and quiet atmosphere, even though she was whispering. I nod and walk to mirror her pose on the opposite side. “Did Sully send you?” At the name, her face adopts an expression of what seems to be distaste, before returning to its original neutral. “No. But he is how I found out.” I process her words as a prisoner asks what the plan is. “There isn’t one. Just aim, shoot, and run.” Her answer receives grumbles of disbelief, but she pays it no mind. “Try not to die, I don’t take kindly to people wasting my time.” 

I look over to the girl in question. She appeared to be thinking, the small frown on her face twitching and giving away the fact that she was, in fact, awake. I shake my head, feeling a smirk appear on my face. She has fire, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. My mind then traveled to her earlier words. She had an inside man. Not only that, she intended to cut this man out. Assuming she had an inside man, that meant at least some of the guards would be under his command. That meant she would have to deal with them when this guy ultimately found out she meant to leave him behind. She’s going to get us killed, or at least arrested . I’m taken out of my thoughts and realize I’ve been watching her. I look back at Austin who had asked me a question. “What was that?”

I frown as I hear Austin’s question. “He really doesn’t have to answer that, you know?” Austin snorts. “But he should. So tell me Drake,” Nathan tenses at the small amount of malice that accompanies the pronunciation of his name. “Why are you here? You have your own treasure to hunt, why come with us to hunt ours?” Nathan frowns. “Don’t answer him. He doesn’t need to know. It doesn’t matter why we are here. So let it go .” I am aware my response just casts suspicion on Nathan, but I don’t care. “Why do you care, man. I’m here to help. Besides, how does she know she can trust you? From what I’ve seen, it doesn’t seem like she does.” Nathan’s response seems to slam into Austin because he suddenly goes quiet. I sigh and shake my head. “Whatever dick-measuring contest this is, both of you need to stop. Austin," I say as turn to look at him. “You know I trust you. Believe me when I say you can trust that he won’t betray us.” then I look at Nathan. “You may be good at this, but I’m still in charge. So shut the fuck up, and drive.”

When I am sure my scolding was absorbed and understood, I go back to glancing at the environment around us. Ahead, on the horizon, I could see the outlines of the next city. As I close my eyes, thinking of Nathan’s words. I did trust Austin, to an extent . I let out a small hum as I remembered the day we met. We’d been in contact a few times before finding a cafe to meet.

I sat in the booth, waiting and glancing at my watch. Rameses had mentioned the guy seemed to be chronically late, but I had chosen to have faith in the stranger. It turned out I was wrong, at least on this count. It is at that moment, a young man speed walks inside, whipping his head around. Once he spots me, he hesitates before slowly walking over. He looked different from the surveillance photos. More boyish and innocent. I almost left then and there. There was no place for innocence in the business. He sits when I wave him to the seat across from me. I see him search my face, before sighing and placing a folder on the table. At my raised eyebrows, he seems to get more nervous. “It’s my resume? You mentioned you wanted it?” I nod once, picking up the folder and glancing inside. It was impressive, the amount of research he’d done. “You worked on a lot of dig sites as the tech and research guy?” I question. He nods. “I’m hoping this dig-” I hold up a hand, stopping him. “Dig?” he nods, obviously confused. I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Oh boy. Yeah, you aren’t going to be cut out for this. Thank you for coming.” He goes to stop me, and I take in the innocent puppy eyes. “Why? I have the experience-” he trails off at my raised eyebrow. “Can you shoot a gun?” he hesitates to answer, and I continue. “Can you shoot a person, kill them, and move on to shoot more. Can you kill in cold blood if it means you get the upper hand?” His frown replaces his confusion. His answer surprises me, and I am not sure if I like it. “Yes. If it means Atlantis.” I raise an eyebrow and see he is telling the truth. “What are you running from?” My question is quiet in the busy cafe, the street outside bustling with life. But at this moment it is just us. He goes to speak and I stop him. “Don’t tell me. If you do, it gets personal. We don’t need that. This is a job.” he smiles slightly at my acceptance. “What if I told you anyway?” I don't reply, instead gathering up his resume. “Burn this. I'll send you the meeting place soon.” Then I leave him behind. As I walk away I murmur to the earpiece. “I think he’ll do nicely. You?” Rameses laugh sends chills down my spine. “He’ll do just fine.”

I come back to reality as Nate parks the car. Ahead I see the airport and on the runway our plane. It’s a small cargo plane, with three seats, and two parachutes, and hopefully, the supplies I requested. I wince slightly, remembering how last minute of an addition Nate was. I hear Nathan chuckle as he exits the vehicle, and grabs his stuff. “I have a friend, Sully, who owns a plane like this. He never lets me fly it.” I smirk, grabbing a duffle and my backpack, while Austin grabs the rest. “I wonder why, you almost crashed twice on the way here.” He snorts and throws an arm over my shoulder. “I only recall once, actually.” At the clearing of Austin's throat, he casually removes his arm, seeming unbothered. I roll my eyes and continue on, seeing the engineer finishing filling the tank. “You’ll probably need to stop, then again, you could probably make it too.” I raise an eyebrow, and as I throw the stuff in the plane I speak. “So can we make it or not?” All I get is a shrug, and I sigh. “Whatever, let’s go. We’re wasting time. Use the bathroom first, we’ve got a long flight.”

After everyone is on the plane, we are waved on. I smile as I sit behind the controls. I never quite got over the feeling of pulling a plane into the air. The pressure increases as the plane speeds up and begins to lift off of the ground. I hear Nate yell in joy as we take off from the co-pilot's seat. We share a smile as Austin settles into the back. There’s a smile on his face too, even him unable to frown at the feeling. 

The journey was finally beginning.

Chapter Text

Previously:

Allessa thought over Austin’s actions and questions. She decided he meant well enough . The route for their search was mapped out. The plan worked out . Nathan suggested splitting up, Allessa shot the idea down. Nathan was surprised but conceded . Nathan almost crashed the car, Allessa and Austin were not impressed. This time, no damage was done . Both Nathan and Allessa thought back on the past. This had no obvious effect . Nathan and Austin got in an argument and Allessa broke it up. Tensions are still high.

Allessa and Nate: Tentative trust that is growing

Allessa and Austin: Strain is beginning to develop

Austin and Nate: Becoming hostile, trust must be established

Nathan’s POV

Nate sat in the truck shoulder to shoulder with five other prisoners. Damn Sully! If he doesn’t mount a rescue, I’m going to haunt him for the rest of his life. The truck hit another bump, and his head hit the ceiling. From inside the burlap sack currently pulled over his head, he could make out the figures of the five guards inside their truck, and the five prisoners. Prisoners, including himself, who were in a convoy headed to death’s mouth. 

If asked, Nathan would honestly not be able to explain how he got here. One minute he had been confirming the baseline facts about Henry Avery at a library computer in Panama, and the next he had been arrested. While the specifics were hazy, as Nate couldn’t really make out what was being said by the guards who took him, he caught that he may have made a mistake in accidentally destroying a small market earlier that week, while running away from a contact who had turned at receiving a better offer. 

Nate leaned back against the truck, trying not to smell the sweat of the others, the dried blood by his nose, or the overall stench of desperation. He ignored the rough rope binding his hands and feet and closed his eyes. This was all sorts of fucked up. As he lay back he heard what sounded like a thump as the side of the truck seemed to shake the tiniest amount. Then he heard the voice. 

“Do not move. I am going to cut the ropes on your hands. On the count of three, knock the two guards next to you out. Quickly and quietly.” The voice was female, smooth, and quiet. For a second, Nate entertained the idea that he was going crazy. There was no way Sully or Sam knew where he was. At the annoyed hiss, Nate accepted the reality. Some unknown person was rescuing him. As the ropes got looser, Nate braced himself for the fight. HE’d have to be quick, and as quiet as possible. Once the ropes went slack he felt a gun being pressed into his hand. Then the voice spoke. “Three”. Nate immediately lunged to one guard, knocking him out fairly easily. Unfortunately the other guard saw this. Before he could make a noise, Nate had him in a chokehold. When Nate looked around, to spot the other guards, he noticed that they seemed suspiciously quiet. At closer inspection he noticed the small darts sticking out of the back of their necks. 

Nate winced as he removed the sack from his head. Around him, he saw the other prisoners who had tensed up at the sound of the scuffle. Then he turned as the door to the truck banged open. In came a girl about his age, with her hair placed in a bun that looked one wrong move shy of coming completely undone. There was a sparkle in her eye that hinted at excitement. As she started to untie the prisoners, she explained the plan. As the convoy came to a stop, and the last of the five other prisoners were untied, Nate looked towards the girl who had readied herself for combat just to the side of the doors. 

Nodding, he spoke. “Nathan” Her responding smile sent chills down his spine. “I know.”

“Besides,” she says as the truck comes to a stop, “Sully’s plan was pretty lame. Tell him hello for me, will you?” As she kicks open the door, knocking the driver back, she fires a shot into his forehead. “Goodluck Nathan Drake.” As he watched her go, shooting her way free of the mess she’d created, he shook his head slowly. 

A bullet whizzing past his ear brought him back to the present, as he raised his own gun. He’d think about her later, now he had to focus.

As he settled into the seat in the back of the plane, as Allessa had stated that after the driving incident he would not be helping to fly the plane, he smiled at the memory. After his escape, he’d found himself regaling Sam and Sully with the whole story. While Sam had shaken his head and told Nathan to watch out for the day she came to collect, Sully was sulking over the fact she’d called his plan lame. 

A chuckle left him and it caused Austin to send him an uneasy glance. I’m going to have to extend an olive branch, there needs to be some type of trust or this job will go south real fast . “I think we got off on the wrong foot. Nathan Drake. Professional Treasure Hunter.” he spoke as he held out his hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Allessa try to hide a small smile. Austin seemed to think for a moment before his shoulders relaxed. “Austin Rivers. Technical Support. Nice to meet you.” While neither spoke after that, the handshake seemed to calm the waters at least a little. 

Nathan sat back, leaning against the wall as he listened to the familiar sound of a plane engine. It was familiar to him- “Hold on. Is this Sully’s plane?” From the pilot’s seat, Allessa laughs. “Yeah. He let me borrow it for the trip. It’s an-” here she hesitated. “It’s an IOU of sorts.” He frowned a little at the lack of information, but let it go. Sully could do what he wanted. And if Allessa had stolen it, it’d catch up to her eventually. It wasn’t his problem.

Allessa’s POV

I smile slightly at the frown on Nathan’s face. He didn’t need to know that Sullivan hadn’t, in fact, lent me the plane, so much as it was mine first, and I had let him borrow it to get Nathan back. Then I’d done that before him and allowed him to keep the plane until I needed it once again. I’ll have to call him and let it know it was me who took it so he’s not stating a manhunt to get it back before I notice. Victor was funny like that. He had no trouble getting himself in debt, but he’d be hell-bent if he didn’t then pay it off, to save his own skin of course. 

It had been a few hours since we had taken off, and I motioned for Austin to take my place. As we switched I placed a hand on his arm. “I am sorry that I keep lying.” he nods and sends me a small defeated smile. “I should’ve known when I saw you. It’s my own fault, really.” I laugh a little at that. “Hey, when we find Atlantis, I’ll tell you everything.” He raises an eyebrow. “Even Sam?” At his words, I glance to see Nathan, seemingly asleep. “Yeah,” I whisper as I stare at the younger Drake brother. “Even Sam.” “I’ll hold you to it.” 

As I buckle in next to Nathan, I hold my breath, then let it out slowly. Sam Drake, it’s been a while since I’ve thought about you.

It was a dark and gloomy night. Storm clouds roamed above, slowed down because of their weight. The air had a current of anticipation to it, as she waited. “He better be here.” Ramses' voice was thin, his patience worn the longer the contact took. “He’ll be here. Drake is trustworthy.” Rameses raised an eyebrow. “I thought you hadn’t met this one?” Allessa replied with a shrug. “He can’t be too far off the mark. He’s meeting us after all.” Ramses nodded slowly and straightened as they spotted a figure emerging from the darkness. “Sorry, I’m late. Got caught up in a project.” Allessa went to speak, but Ramses beat her to it. “Why are you helping us, Drake.” Sam raised an eyebrow and looked to Allessa, who simply rolled her eyes. “Listen, pal, I owe her a favor.” he turned to make eye contact with Allessa as he handed over a folder. “Had to dodge a lot of questions for this.” As she reached forward he pulled back slightly. As Ramses lowered his hand to where Allessa was sure a gun rested, Sam didn’t look away. “We square?” She nods immediately. “No, it seems I owe you a favor.” Before Sam could protest she held up a hand. “You can’t pay his debts, Samuel. No matter how badly you want to.” He sighed in frustration and shoved the file at her. “Be careful. This could get nasty. You’re with a pirate, after all.” Ramses' scoff followed him as he began to leave. But then, he stopped and turned his head to look back into her eyes. “Why are you doing this? Looking for Atlantis, when it’s been almost proven it’s not real?” She feels her breath get caught in her throat, memories flashing through her eyes. And she meets his gaze, just as fiery. “Because I don’t have a choice.”

Allessa comes back from her thoughts to the sound of Nathan’s laughter. “Ah man, you totally missed it! Austin just flew into the air because of the turbulence!” Austin had a disgruntled expression that was quickly fading into a smile. “Yeah, whatever.” I shake my head. “Put on your seatbelt.” He turns his attention back to the controls, and Nathan turns to me. “What were you thinking about?” “Sam.” My answer is short. While Nathan raises an eyebrow, he must sense my reluctance to speak through my tone. Raising his hands a little in surrender he smiles. Nathan was easy going, I had noticed. Easy to befriend, in that annoying golden retriever way. We both sat back in our seats and I shut my eyes, once again. “He came to me.” It’s one sentence, but Nathan takes it in stride, sending me a thoughtful smile. Austin also looks grateful at the information. Before anything else can be said, a beeping comes from the cockpit.

“Austin.” my voice is stiff in worry. I notice Nate has sat up straight and is watching Austin as well. “Allessa, uh, are you positive the plane had a full gas tank?” I frown. “Yes. I watched it fill.” “Okay, well, you see-” “Spit it out!” “There’s no gas, we have no gas.” At his words, the plane engine starts to sputter, then tilt forward. “Holy shit!” Nathan says as he holds onto the bar in the ceiling. “Okay,” I say, forcing myself to be calm. “We’ll get the parachutes. Austin get out of the cockpit. Now.” Austin does, as I produce the parachutes. “Okay, we have two. Austin, you and the essential equipment will take one, Nathan and I will take the other, the weight should be equal that way.” There are frantic nods from everyone as we scurry into position. I buckle Nathan into the parachute. Around us, air rushes past, but in the plane, it’s almost silent. “Austin, if we get separated-” “I know. You’ll find me.” I smile and pat his shoulder as he goes to jump. Then he turns. “You drop her, I’ll kill you.” then he’s gone. Before Nathan can respond I’ve dragged him out. As we fall, I watch as my plane hits the ocean. “Sully has some explaining to do.” Nathan laughs as we fly through the air.

Chapter Text

MISC:

• Information tidbit on snakes and their representation is from prior knowledge from a college course.
• Google Maps and my memory were consulted for laying out the plan in the chapters Wayward Son and Athens, City of Gods Part 1 and 2.

Bibliography:

Claus, Patricia. New Findings on Santorini Point to “Lost Island of Atlantis” Origins. Greek Reporter: Dec 21st, 2020.

History.com editors. "Plato's Atlantis" and "Origins of the Atlantis Story". Atlantis. 21, Aug, 2018: history.com. Plato's Legend

Plato. Trans. Jowett, Benjamin. Critias . The Internet Classics Archive: 1994-2009.  Discovery in Morocco Part 2: Your Route Guidance is Finished 

Plato. Trans. Jowett, Benjamin. Int. Morrow, Glenn R. Plato’s Timaeus . New york: The Liberal Arts Press, 1949. Ramses

Santorini.com. Santorini: Lost City of Atlantis . Santorini.com: May 14, 2021. Ramses

Thompson, Matthew and Nigel Walk, directors. Buried Secrets of the Bible with Albert Lin. Performance by Albert Yu-Min Lin, Buried Secrets Of The Bible With Albert Lin | Disney+, National Geographic, 2019, www.disneyplus.com/series/buried-secrets-of-the-bible-with-albert-lin/mLwdPkWKuXcs. Ramses

Wikipedia contributors. "Atlantis." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia . Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 14 Nov. 2020. Web. 25 Nov. 2020. Plato's Legend

Worrall, Simon. Does new theory pinpoint lost city of Atlantis? National Geographic: Mar 18, 2015 Ramses, Discovery in Morocco Part 1: On Course For Adventure

Chapter Text

Previously:

Nathan thought more about his memory of meeting Allessa. He found comfort in the memory. Nate decided it was time to offer an olive branch to Austin. Austin accepted the offer. Allessa revealed the plane was once in possession of Sully and promised Austin she’d tell him everything when they had entered Atlantis. Nathan’s interest was piqued, and Austin was comforted. Allessa remembered her meeting with Sam. She is impressed but reminded about her purpose. Austin and Nate have a moment of amusement. It furthered their newly growing bond. The plane’s fuel tank was malfunctioning, causing the need to abandon the plane. This caused Allessa to become upset with Sully . Allessa sent Austin off by himself with the luggage and entrusted Nathan with her life. This causes Austin to fear for her, and Nathan to be surprised but full of resolve. Nathan did not drop Allessa while jumping through from the plane and has held on thus far. This has had a positive effect.

Allessa and Nate: Trust is growing quickly.

Allessa and Austin: Strain has lightened, but friendship is still growing.

Austin and Nate: Becoming friendly, though it is in tentative balance while they are separated.

Allessa’s P.O.V.

I realize as we fall, I’ve never been in this situation. Clutching to another person because if I let go, I’ll fall to my death. “HEY!” I wince at Nathan’s shout in my ear. “YEAH?” At his wince, I smirk over his shoulder, payback is a bitch. “You have to pull the chute! Like, now!!” I nod and begin my search. There it is. Dangling just out of reach. I moan into his ear. “You’ve got to be kidding. Okay, Nathan Drake if you drop me I'm going to be so pissed off!” As I speak I tighten my legs around his waist as I let go with my arms, only to place my hands on his shoulders. “Woah! What are you doing!” “Just shut up and don’t let go of my legs!!” His answering scream is high-pitched and full of confusion and frustration. “Just hurry up!” I slowly lift myself up, positioning my body to hang over his shoulder. 

“God! I hate my life! Fuck you, Victor Sullivan!!” I grasp for the parachute but scream and clutch his shirt as I feel myself slip forward. “NATHAN!!” “Sorry!, sorry!” I try again. “Allessa!!!!” I join his scream as I finally reach the handle and pull with everything I have. I whacked in the face as the parachute deploys, and Nathan barely manages to hold onto my hips as I pitch sideways. “Ohmygod ohmygod NATHAN! Ohmygo-” I’m cut off as we reach the trees. As the parachute gets tangled, Nathan’s gri[ slips, as he’s blinded by the leaves and branches raking past us. I grab at the air until my arms manage to wrap around a thick tree branch. There’s a crash below me and then the only thing I can hear is my heart. “NATHAN?!” Below me, I hear an answering groan and sigh in relief. 

When there’s no more sound, begging to shimmy towards the trunk. “Oh shit! Oh, I’m gonna have really bad scratches. Fuck you Sully, god!” a shriek leaves my mouth as my feet brush another branch below me. With support for my feet, I am able to move easier down the branch, with more support as I move closer. Finally, I’m simply walking sideways, holding onto the original branch. “Okay, keep your eyes closed, don’t look and you can’t see anything horrifying in front of you. Don’t.” Against my own advice my eyes open, and I freeze. The first thing I see is an unconscious Nathan hanging by the harness in a tree. The second is the snake slowly approaching him. It’s fucking huge, and green, and fat.

As I watch it, Nathan jerks awake with a yell. “Nathan! Don’t move!” he looks wildly around and spots me. I see relief settle on his face before he notices the tail of the snake. “Ohhhh no! Nope!” “Nathan! Hold still!” he meets my eyes and nods. “Okay! Just slowly work your way out of the harness, and grab the branch below you! Ignore the snake!” 

Nathan’s P.O.V.

“Yeah, ignore the giant snake just crawling towards you. Yeah, Allessa. ‘Get out of the harness Nathan!’ No fucking shit!” I struggle with the buckle before getting it unclipped. Below me is a large enough branch to hold my weight. Probably. I take a deep breath and eye the snake. It hasn’t gotten closer, but it had raised its head to watch Nathan closely. “Okay, deep breath, you got this Nate.”

Slowly he lowered himself down. As he landed he took a hold of the trunk and looked around. It appeared to be a jungle. “A jungle in Greece? Damn, I really do know how to find ‘em, huh?” Across from his tree, he saw that Allessa was also finding her way to the ground. And so he continued. Occasionally he would see the snake following through the branches, docile, but intent on its pursuit. 

When he finally reaches the ground, Allessa hurries over. Just outside the treeline, the countryside flattens out. “Woah. It’s beautiful.” I whispered as Allessa walked to his side. At a hissing sound, they looked down at the snake who had begun slithering in front of them. A sigh of disbelief left Allessa’s lips as she smiled. “What?” Her face turns up to meet mine, and my breath catches at the look in her eyes. It was familiar. The same look Sam got when talking about pirates, and Henry Avery. It was the looks of pure wonder and excitement. “The Minoan Snake goddess! She was a statue found in the palace. Snakes are also known to represent the underworld, and can be considered messengers between the upper and lower world!” I smile as I catch on. “So, if Atlantis is below,” “Then we’re above. This is a good sign.” “So what do we do? Follow the snake?” Her smile answers all questions and I gesture her forward. “Ladies first.” 

As we walk, a figure becomes more prominent, and once we’re close enough we see Austin sitting in a field of wildflowers, staring down at what looks like a closed site. Around us, night has begun its ascent as the sun begins to set. Austin stands and while I go to help him with the luggage, Allessa turns to the snake. “Thank you, friend.” The snake seems to acknowledge her words, a glint of intelligence in its eyes before it turns and leaves. Austin points down towards the ruins. “There’s Knossos. We should go if we’re going to catch our ferry.” Allessa nods and begins to lead the way. As I watch her back, I feel a pressure in my chest. Interesting .

 Beside me, I hear Austin snort softly. When I turn to look at him he has a knowing look in his eyes. “What?” He simply rolls his eyes, before answering. “She’s too focused on this hunt. It won’t end well.” I blink at him as he begins to leave me behind, and I realize I had stopped walking. “Come on Nathan!” her yell brings me forward once again. “We’re on our way, gentleman!” She sounds happy, and I can imagine the smile on her face.

As we approach the docks, we begin to get looks. I can only imagine what they see, as Allessa and I had taken quite the tumble. While Austin didn’t look as severely damaged as we did, he had his own scrapes. Allessa motions for us to stand back as she approaches the ticket stand. As she speaks in greek to the woman behind the kiosk desk, a security guard seems to step closer. I bite my lip only to wince as I hit what must’ve been an already present bite wound from the fall. Before the man can walk over, Allessa returns with the tickets. “The story is we had a parachuting accident. I made up a fake company. The tickets were discounted since she thinks we got scammed.” Austin nods as I raise an eyebrow. “All right boys. Let’s go. I could only get desk space, but it’ll suffice until we reach Athens. It’s a twelve-hour ride back. So we should catch up on rest.”

We board the ferry with surprisingly little trouble once Allessa repeats the story, this time in stilted greek. She’s playing the part of a traumatized woman, and it works. We find ourselves being given access to the ‘nice chairs’ on the deck, which are just red armchairs. However, they’re way more inviting than the padded plastic chairs. We’d been offered couch space but Allessa had declined. When I asked her she answered they would bring too much attention. I just shrugged while Austin placed the bags in the middle of our circle. “Get some rest boys. We’re safe here.”

Allessa’s P.O.V.

When we reach the hotel room, a double queen with a pullout couch which Austin takes, as he had a more peaceful landing than Nathan and I, we all seem to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Nathan gestures towards the bathroom and I nod, instead heading to Austin. “Hey, how have you been?” he chuckles as he finishes setting up the pull-out. “Good. You know how it is. Jumping from a crashing plane, not knowing if Nathan would drop you, waiting for you guys to show up after seeing your chute disappear into the trees. But at least I had a good view.” “He saved my life. He’s a good man, Austin.” he nods. “I know.” After another pat to his shoulder, I gather my clothes and slip past Nathan. As he passes I breathe in the scent of coconuts and the fresh breeze coming off of him in gentle waves. It calms me.

Later that night, in the dark quiet of the hotel room, I let a few tears slip down my cheeks. I almost died today, many times. But Nathan had been there. Sam was right. Nathan was a better choice than him. As I closed my eyes I remembered the night Sam had told me where Nathan was, that if I saved him, he’d be in my debt. That his brother was a much better man, who I could trust with my life. Jokes on you Sam. There’s no one I trust more than you . That night I dream of candles, coconuts, and Atlantis.

Chapter Text

Previously:

Allessa and Nate fell into a group of trees, and Allessa managed to take charge of the situation and help both her and Nathan out. Nathan was impressed and grateful. Allessa convinced Nathan to follow the snake and they found their way out of the forest. They also put together that Atlantis was most likely underground or sea. Allessa moved one step closer to her goal. Austin was left to wait, following a smooth descent from the sky, and took a moment to rest. Allessa and Nathan were put out, but glad he was okay. Allessa manages to buy some ferry tickets to allow their exit back to Athens. They have found a legal way on board. Austin informs Nathan that any form of relationship with Allessa will be next to impossible as her sole focus is the hunt for Atlantis. It furthered their newly growing bond and piqued Nathan’s curiosity. They sleep on the Ferry. The team got some rest . Once at the hotel, Allessa presses home the idea that Nathan is a good addition to their team. This causes Austin to further accept his presence. Allessa allows herself to cry, and accept that while she had wanted Sam's help, Nathan was a better choice. This causes Allessa to reaffirm to herself that the person she trusts the most is Sam.

Allessa and Nate: Trust is established.

Allessa and Austin: Trust re-established.

Austin and Nate: Becoming trustworthy to each other.

Austin’s P.O.V.

As the sun rose, I let out a yawn. Somehow, even if we were in a presumably safe hotel, the three of us had automatically reverted to another watch schedule. Just in case. Over my shoulder, I heard my two companions stirring, as the morning light hit their faces. As the light grew, I spotted the last remaining tear track on Allessa’s face. She cried herself to sleep again. “Allessa?” I whispered as I shook her shoulder. As her eyes opened, I motioned to her face. Just as I had every morning she woke up crying. She nodded thankfully and retreated to the bathroom as Nathan sat up. He looked at me with an unknown expression on his face.

Once Allessa had returned, her face took on an expression that was a mix of dread, hope, and pure terror. But when she spoke her voice was steady. “Alright boys, let’s recap for those who are new to the class.” At her words, Nathan dragged himself out of the bathroom to listen while leaning against the doorframe. Even half-asleep in yesterday's clothes, the asshole looked great. 

Allessa took out her small leather-bound journal and began. “Atlantis first appears in the works Timaeus and Critias by Plato. It represents the opposing naval power that attacked Ancient Athens, which was considered to represent Plato’s definition of the concept of the state. In the end, Atlantis ends up falling out of favor with the gods, and subsequently is sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.” She looks up at the two of us, me leaning on the table and Nathan who had moved to a few steps behind her, peering over her shoulder. I watch as their eyes meet. When Allessa turns back around, her face is steel resolve, and Nathan is confused. 

Allessa continues after a brief moment of silence. “Plato claims Atlantis is located past the pillars of Hercules or Herakles. Most academics agree that Atlantis is fictional, though there is still research into its origins. Now, Atlantis is the embodiment of advanced prehistoric civilizations. For example, the Pillars of Iram.” At her words, Nathan suddenly tenses and pulls a ring from around his neck, glancing down at it, with an expression of loss. Interesting . 

Allessa finishes her spiel with a claim I had come to know she had a love/hate relationship with. “The most recent theory is that Atlantis was based on Minoan civilization, which occupied Crete and Thera, or as we know it now, Santorini, around four thousand years ago. This connection stems from the disappearance of the Minoans at the height of their power, when an earthquake is said to have wiped them out of the area, with the ensuing tsunamis.” Allessa pauses, and Nathan sighs. “So you think that when they were swept under, Atlantis went with them. You know that would mean we are looking for complete ruins in the middle of the sea. Which hasn’t been found by any of the various scientific instruments that have been used to search over the years? And which belong, not to Atlanteans as we think of them, but an ancient civilization?” Allessa smiles at Nathan ruefully. “It’s like I said. Ruins always hold the answer.” Her tone suggests the conversation is over, and Nathan seems to reluctantly agree.

In the ensuing silence, I pull out the map from the car. “Okay, so we have the areas marked out. We’re starting at the topmost point, within Akadimia Platonos, and working our way down. First the bust, off of Tilefanous which is near Plateia. Next, we’ll search the museum, then we work our way down Kratilou, before taking Tripoleos to the archaeological site. Remember, our inside man wants us to search for everything. No mistakes.” As I finish, I notice my tone went from calm, to apprehensive. 

It seemed to be hitting me that this was dangerous. For the first time, I was processing that my chances of arrest and death have risen exponentially. As I continued to mull over my decisions, I noticed that Allessa had moved to one of the duffles. “We’ll use anesthesia darts, that way we don’t have a body count. It’ll be much less alarming for local authorities, and it’s easier for us to make it look like they fell asleep on duty.” Nathan scoffs. “What if they wake up? We’ll be screwed then!” Allessa shook her head. “I’m anticipating that later on, we’ll be racking up bodies by the dozen. For now, in civilization, we have a no-kill rule.” At Nathan’s silence, she bristles. “ Understood? ” he finally caves, with a roll of his eyes, as he grabs his own dart gun. 

The rest of the day passes in silence as we discuss our escape routes, running in the shadows until we are very far away, and our meeting point, a cafe outside the Acropolis. And when night hits, we suit up in black tactical gear, not at all suspicious, and file into the van. When Allessa motions me to drive, I raise my eyebrows in surprise but acquiesce. As I spot her turning to Nathan in the back seat, I sigh quietly. He has no idea what he’s getting into. And once again I frown. Allessa was obsessed, and she was going to bring us down with her. If not now, then when we were in the middle of the ocean, chasing her freedom.

Chapter Text

Hi guys!

I'm going to take a small break for the rest of the holiday season so I can focus on family and preparing for my first semester of graduate school. I also don't want to run out of inspiration by pushing myself to write more chapters, as I want this to be a fun experience for myself and not a stressful one.

Updates will resume after my classes start, as I will begin writing after Jan. 11th.

Thanks for sticking around!

AllessaRen2198

Chapter Text

As I recently got a mostly full-time job, I will be a little behind on the posting of chapters (i.e. not able to post as often as I wanted to). As I am also using this week to get ahead on my online graduate classes, I will probably not be writing anything more than outlines until this weekend (the 16th) at the earliest.

However, I do plan on continuing, it is just that this week has been absolutely crazy and it's only half over. XD

I hope to have a chapter out for this and the Tom Riddle book by the middle of/late next week, with others outlined/started so as to not slow me down too much.

That's about it! Just wanted to get that out there. 

Apologies!

AllessaRen2198

Chapter Text

Hi guys!

Okay, so I'm going to be real with you guys. 

There's a lot more work going on in my life than I had assumed. I am NOT GIVING UP on this, I just won't have routine updates, and they will most likely come in groups randomly. 

This book is going to involve lots of research and time on my part, and I would rather give you more put together chapters that make sense (hopefully) and are cohesive than give you chapters that are not as fleshed out as I want. 

I am sorry, I didn't realize how much work I would suddenly have between meetings, my job, school, and finding time to socialize so I don't go insane. 

Again, this will be updated (as will the Tom Riddle book), just not as often as I would prefer. I expect that once I get into a solid routine of figuring stuff out, I will have more time, it's just that right now is the working out the kinks period.

Thanks for your patience,

I totally get if you are upset (I am too)

Allessaren2198

Chapter Text

Previously:

Austin watches as Allessa and Nathan wake up for the day and repeats a daily ritual . He is caught up in the simplicity of it, as well as the repetitiveness and what that means for Allessa. Allessa explains again what their target is and a brief history. Nathan gains further knowledge and insight into their quest. Nathan finally learns what is so impossible about what Allessa is trying to accomplish. Nathan becomes skeptical of their success. Austin goes over the game plan for the night. A plan is formed, and Austin begins to realize the gravity of a single mistake. Allessa informs Nathan that they will be using non-lethal attacks against guards. While Nathan is put out, he ultimately agrees. The team establishes an escape route and meet-up place. They are prepared for an emergency . Austin ruminates on Nathan’s utter lack of understanding when it comes to how much Allessa will risk for this find. Nathan may be caught unaware.

Allessa and Nate: Trust is established, Nate is skeptical.

Allessa and Austin: Trust re-established.

Austin and Nate: Trust to have each other's back, mostly.

Austin’s POV

The drive towards Akadimia Platonos is filled with whispers between the two in the backseat. I catch every other word for a while before I surmise that Nathan is attempting to get details and Allessa is trying to placate him. At a stoplight, we all look around casually. The streets of Athens are mostly empty, with a few stragglers walking in small groups or alone as the evening progresses. 

Most people are at dinner with their friends, talking over a good meal and wine. When the light turns green, we pass a few outdoor seating areas, and one person waves cheerily. Allessa tenses, while Nathan casually nods back. I already know Allessa has marked it as possible exposure of our identities. After all, Nathan and I looked decidedly not Greek, and while Allessa may have been closer, she was often mistaken for being Italian. 

The drive was silent again until Allessa spoke. “How’s Sam?” The question seems to take Nathan by surprise, but he begins to chatter all the same. It was clear the man loved his brother, and also that Allessa had used the question to distract him. 

I once again pondered who Sam was to her. I knew a little about the situation, but only what she’d revealed which wasn’t much. Was he a past lover? Probably not, as Nathan would’ve known at least something about it, as the two brothers seemed to be close. Besides, Sam seemed older, and as far as I knew Allessa didn’t have a preference that way. Then again, what did I know about her, really? In the time we’d known each other, I’d only found out what she wanted me to know, which wasn’t much.

Ahead was another stoplight, and a cop doing his late-night rounds. As we pulled up to a stop next to him, he glanced over, taking a moment to assess us. Before I could say anything, Allessa made a casual-sounding comment in what I assumed was Greek. The officer laughed heartily and responded before the light turned green and we all waved.

I closed my eyes briefly before taking a deep breath. That was two moments now. If I knew her at all, one more and we’d be done for the next two nights. Allessa seemed intent on being as discreet as possible, even if it meant dragging out the tasks at hand, or completing them again and again. 

I may not have known what exactly was at stake here, but I was starting to realize the reason I’d left University to join her was not as clear-cut as I had originally thought.

Finally, we arrived at the park. Or what constitutes as near when you’re sneaking in after dark. Even from three streets over, parked in a quiet neighborhood, we could see the lights lit up around the base of the bust in question. And at the center of it all, the Acropolis in all its glory up at the top of the city, seemingly the world. For a moment, we all stare at it. Grand and tall, holding so many memories in its stones. Tragedy, love, life. Then, as one, our gazes fell to the bust in the distance. 

Nathan’s POV

At first, no one seemed to move towards the bust. Just as I went to take a step, Allessa set out, her pace halfway between hurried and relaxed. Taking on the appearance of someone just wanting to get home, as it was late. Quickly, Austin and I caught up. We’d been told to walk with her, not behind her. We didn’t want to come off as trouble following a young girl home. 

I had barely blinked when she shot off the first dart. It whistled quietly through the air as Austin lunged to catch the guard, before placing him on the ground, in full view. When I raised an eyebrow, Allessa pursed her lips, as if trying not to smile. “It would look more suspicious if he was behind a bush or tree, no? It’s better to have someone find him like this, without his wallet, as if they robbed him and ran.” as she spoke Austin took the man’s wallet, throwing it into a bush a few paces to the right of us. 

I nodded before we approached the area. “Keep your eyes sharp. I was told the area would be less guarded than normal tonight. You two are in charge of shooting and positioning anyone who may come this way.” Then she went to work.

It felt odd, to be the one on watch, rather than solving the puzzle, though it looked more like she was just reading the plaque, before repeating it aloud in different languages. Once she had patted down the statue, though, a clicking noise was heard before a compartment opened and a small leather-bound book fell into her hands. 

She let out a soft laugh that had the corners of my mouth raising before I was snapped out of my stupor by a quick shove from Austin. “Come on. We have to go. Now. ” For a moment I was confused as Allessa ran ahead of us, and Austin dragged me a few feet until I started running when I saw. A man and his dog had come across the police officer and were shouting into the night, though it was in the opposite direction of the bust and us. 

As we ran Austin cursed. “Did you close the bust?” Allessa made a noise of disbelief. “Did I close? Of course, I did!” Though it seemed that there was a twinge of uncertainty to her tone. “Fuck.” Austin said through his teeth as we came to a stop behind a small house. Fuck indeed. I thought to myself. Whatever the chances were that it had been known there was something in the statue, it would definitely be known now. 

Allessa looked caught between crying and laughing as she stared at the book in her hand. “It doesn’t matter. There are no prints and we have the book. The cameras were out. He said they would be, and I have no choice but to believe him.” Her statement was odd but assured enough that I took a deep breath. “We can’t go back for the car,” Austin states as we all straighten up. Allessa nods and glances at the singular bag on Austin’s back. We’d only left an unopened water bottle in the car. “Did anyone touch the bottle?” I whispered into the night air. There was no answer, and I took it for what it was. We all had at some point, while in the room.

“Great start,” Austin said cheerily, though with a layer of sarcasm.

Slowly we made our way further south. 

It seemed we’d be walking to our next destination.

Chapter Text

Okay!

I am excited to announce that I have figured out an uploading schedule that I can work with.

The plan is to do updates on the following works on the 15th and last day of each month:

Time Turner Tales: Currently Book One: The Great Wizard Rescue

Uncharted: Search for Atlantis

61 Days, 10 Fandoms, A Whole Lot of Trash

The Sun Summoner

The current plan for these will be as follows:

Sun Summoner: finish up the last two chapters and begin major editing, eventually a sequel sometime this summer

Time Turner Tales: Continue Book One

Uncharted: Continue Book One

61 Days: continue through gathered prompts 

I am super excited guys, I am finally back to writing and I forgot how much I loved it!

AllessaRen2198

Chapter Text

It was the sun that woke her, along with the voice of her treasure-hunting partner. “Time to get up, Allessa. We’ve got a treasure to find.” She squeezed her eyes shut as the sun shone through the window and into the small one-person tent. Outside birds chirped and she could hear flowing water in the background. 

Grumbling she turned over before shooting up in excitement a moment later. “TODAY is the DAY !” Jumping up she shimmied into her sweater, throwing her boots on her feet, and stumbling out of the tent as she tied them up. 

They had finally found the site, after months of planning their route to it. Minor excavations in earlier months had led to the clues leading them here. Looking around, hand shielding her face from the bright morning sun, she beamed. The sky was almost cloudless, where previous explorations had been cloudy; it was warm, where others had been frigid. There was no moisture on the ground, save the sparse morning dew, where months prior there had been inches of snow thick and unyielding, piling up as fast as they shoveled it, sending them towards the fire after only a few hours, disappointment and anticipation heavy in their chests.

Now, the disappointment was gone, and anticipation had taken over tenfold.

Today was the day .

Ahead she saw her partner preparing a day pack, and she followed suit, making sure she left nothing behind. Or at least, she tried her very best. 

“Allessa, your compass.” came her partner’s voice. She grimaced and took the compass with a small and bashful smile. “Sorry, I’m just excited! Today we may find it! We’ve been looking all year. ”

His laugh filled the small clearing and he ruffled her hair. “Come on, let’s go.”

Together, they traipsed off into the jungle. 

It was moments later when they found their first clue. A small and rotund ruby, lying nearly hidden beneath a fallen tree branch. Excitedly she snatched it up, brushing away the dirt in order to find a seam or clue. There, the very corner. 

Slowly she pulled apart the stone, and from the inside fell a slip of old and musty paper. The ancient writing pointed out their next destination.

“It says we need to find the cliff that faces the sun.” as she spoke she looked up and made eye contact, causing him to smile as if he had the answer to a question she had not yet thought to ask him.

“Lead the way, doodlebug.” She huffed and rolled her eyes before stomping off in the direction of the nearest body of water, remembering the cliff located nearby from their scouting mission the day before. 

However, she wasn’t stomping for long, before it turned into excited skipping as the cliff came into view. Staring up she felt almost dizzy at the height.

Could she really climb that? Was she capable?

“You can do anything you set your mind to, doodlebug. Don’t you ever forget that.” She heard his voice in the background as she placed the ruby inside her bag, and set it off to the side. 

After rubbing dirt on her hands, she hopped up, placing her feet against the side of the cliff, while grasping onto the nearest jutting rocks for handholds. She’d take it slow, no need to get reckless, not now that they were so close. 

After a few near misses, and one slip that sent small rocks and dust down towards the man waiting at the bottom (followed by a distracted apology as she scrambled to steady herself), she heaved herself over the top. 

For a moment, she laid there, staring up at the sky above her. It was so vast, so blue , so full of promise in its blankness. A whole future waiting to be expressed.

A shine catches her eye, and she sees a small point of light sticking up from the earth. 

For a moment, just a moment, she imagines what else she could be doing at this moment. The things that normal girls did. Learning about hair, makeup, talking about boys and who they’d marry someday. 

But here she was, treasure hunting. 

You chose to do this, didn’t you? You had a choice. You chose this. The words are harsh in her mind, she couldn’t let herself forget why she was here. Couldn't let herself forget her motivations, her goal. 

So she rolled over onto her hands and knees and crawled over to the shining light. Grabbing a nearby rock, she began to dig. 

After a moment, another round shape appeared, this time blue, and heavy. Shaking it slightly, she felt something move within. Once again, she found the seam, and when she opened it, water flowed outwards towards the ground. 

As the liquid ran along her hands, down her forearms, and dripped off her elbow she smiled. 

“The water is next!” she shouts towards the bottom of the cliff as she stands. “The water?! How do you think we will get to that?”

In reply, she shouts out a laugh as she flings herself off the cliff’s edge and dives into the cool water below. She ignores the shout of alarm and lets herself fall. 

As she hits the water, dive clumsy and the force snatching her breath and causing a dull shock of pain to run through her body, she opens her eyes to the world around her. 

While there are no fish, she imagines what they would look like if they were here. The colors they’d be, how they would sound if she listened close enough to hear the tiny woosh sounds they’d make as their tails swished back and forth. 

After taking a moment to look around she sees it at the very bottom. A vibrant orange, blurry from her motion in the water, and her eyes adjusting to the sting. 

She reaches for it, and with her last boost of energy pushes back up towards the surface.

As she emerges, she hears faint yelling, probably a scolding for her reckless actions, but she chooses to focus on getting to shore. She once again heaves herself up and over the edge, falling to the ground beneath her. 

Finding the seam comes easily this time, and she breaks it excitedly. Into her hand falls her prize, a small golden key. 

Excitedly she smiles up at him, as he holds out his hand. “One more step, doodlebug, then you’ve got your treasure.”

She jumps up and leads him by the hand back to the campsite, and carefully unwraps the small box they had found in that cave during the harshest month of winter. She exchanges one last glance with him before slowly unlocking the box. 

Inside she finds three items. The first is a chocolate bunny, the second a packet of peeps, and the third a small keychain sporting a single word.

Atlantis .

The letters are bubble-like with a dark blue outline and a soft blue fill, the chain gold, and a small charm that has two letters engraved on it: AJ. 

Above her, she hears a laugh. “Congratulations doodlebug, you’ve found Atlantis!” 

She beams as she turns to wave the chain in her mother’s direction. The wave is met with only a nod of acknowledgment before her mother turns and re-enters the house to continue cooking Easter Dinner. 

She feels her father place a hand on her shoulder and she smiles up at him. 

“Someday we will find Atlantis. Together.” he says quietly, before nudging her in the direction of the house. 

As she skips away, holding her treasure box in her hand, he nods his head in affirmation. 

She was doing well. 

Behind him, the structures that comprised their hunt stand forgotten.

A small tent, a swimming pool, a rock-climbing wall, and a garden. 

After all, she was only six, and she still had a long way to go.

Chapter Text

Previously:

Austin is assigned the job of driver. He is nervous, but trusts in Allessa’s decisions. Allessa asks about Sam’s well-being. Nathan takes the bait, Austin is reminded of how little he knows about her. After a second moment of contact with a law enforcement officer, the group is tense. All become skeptical of their success. Arrival at the bust is confirmed, and a plan is made for Nathan to be on lookout duty with Austin. Nathan experiences a new form of nerves as he waits for a success or a failure. Allessa gains access to the notebook. The trio escapes with the notebook and avoids detection for the moment being. The team realizes that they have left behind evidence of their presence. They resolve to be more careful . Allessa comments that she has no choice but to blindly trust her benefactor. There is the chance that they could be blindsided by betrayal.

Allessa and Nate: Trust is established, Nate is skeptical. NO CHANGE

Allessa and Austin: Trust re-established. NO CHANGE

Austin and Nate: Experienced that both seem dedicated to helping everyone out. 

Nathan’s P.O.V. 

The walk was silent, the only sound that could be heard was our footsteps on the marble below us. Athens was beautiful, especially at night. With the Parthenon glowing in the lights like it was at the top of the world. It’s the City of Gods . My thought is interrupted by Allessa clearing her throat. 

“Stop. Now.” Her tone is sharp, slicing into the air around us. Next to me, I can see Austins topping as well, both of us turning to her. But she is looking ahead of us. 

It is then I catch the shining lights. Police cars surrounding the museum entrance. Off to the side, a man is being led to a car, handcuffed. Alless’s curse sparks the realization that this must’ve been her contact. She goes off on a litany of soft curses, before she stops, eyes widening as a man steps out of the building ahead of us, conversing with a police officer.

I would’ve thought she had died the way the blood drained from her face. Without another word, she turned and fled the scene, walking quickly. Without thinking, both Austin and I follow, recognizing when a plan has been botched and it's time to run. 

Allessa’s P.O.V.

The walk back to the meeting spot is a blur. We had all split up, retreating swiftly and as silently as possible. The world around me was a rush of lights, as nightlife seemed to come back alive all of a sudden. Like the city had realized what was happening and wanted those who had stolen from it to be caught.

No one steals from the Gods and gets away with it.  

His voice is harsh in my head and I whimper slightly as I continue forward. Of course, I would think of him now, of the last thing he had said to me. Think of the fact that the Gods he had been referencing were meant to be us. 

I shake my head and stumble forward into a body, and flinch away. For a moment the voice sounds like his, and I feel panic before my vision clears and I see it's Austin with Nathan looking worriedly over his shoulder between me and the sudden blackness of the city around us. It seems like the streetlights are a warning signal screaming ‘ There they are! Thieves!’ . 

“We have to go . Are you alright?” The worry is laced with urgency and I stand up straight before nodding and forcing a controlled and entirely too neutral expression to fall over my face. 

Later, Allessa. Right now you have to move. If he finds out you were here, you’re done for.  

I speed past them, towards the docks. “It’ll be a long walk. Stick to the shadows but only enough that our faces remain hidden. They’re looking for people who are hiding.” 

With that, we take off. Every once in a while we laugh and hit each other playfully, and Austin and Nathan keep a quiet murmur going that mainly consists of brainstorming what to do once we reach the water. 

“We don’t have a boat, do we?” Nathan asks, which is followed by laughter from me, which triggers a snicker from Austin. Ahead of us, are three men smoking outside of an apartment building. The water glistens in the night air as we gain ground. 

The men have heard us but after quick glances of curiosity at the obviously foreign voices, deem us mostly uninteresting. As we pass, I can see Nathan tensing slightly, a hand moving to my back, pushing me farther. I catch the gleam of the shortest man’s eyes on my form in the light of his cigarette.

Eventually, we are well past them and the water is in front of us. One by one we stop toes at the edge of the wall, the water below.

After taking inventory I realize we only have the bags, but we do have them. For a moment there’s panic as I look at my hands and see the journal is gone. It is quickly put to rest when I spot Austin placing it in his duffel, though, and he sends a stern nod. 

Nothing will happen to it on his watch .

For a moment I wonder if he knows, knows why I am here. What I have to do. Why I have to succeed, no matter the personal cost. 

Why I’d give up everything to find Atlantis.

But he couldn’t know, could he? He didn’t know me. No one did, really. Except for him, and he had lost that privilege long ago.

I startle as a hand on my shoulder begins to push down, and I realize I am being led by Nathan towards a dock at the very end. I take a moment then, to really look at Nathan Drake. 

I had seen his Brother’s face plenty in my time knowing the Drake brothers, but Nathan I had only seen once before this adventure up close, and even then the moment had been fleeting as I was there to set him free and extract a promise from him. 

I wonder if Sam had told him about me when he had finally spilled the beans to him and Sully. Most likely not, if our interactions about Sam to this point said anything. Sam had kept me a secret, closely guarded it seemed, as I did to him. 

Nathan's face was tense with worry, paying rapt attention to everything around us. His eyes flitted back and forth between the path behind us and to the sides, trusting me to stop him should anything come up in our way. Trusting me . Someone else had trusted me once, and now he was my greatest fear and regret. 

As if sensing my mood change, but more likely feeling me tense, Nathan's eyes meet mine. They gleam in the darkness with a fierce determination to get us to safety. He looks away after a moment, expression unreadable. 

We make it to Austin, who has managed to find a good-sized fishing boat, old enough to not have a built-in GPS tracker. This is proven when he tosses a large device overboard. As he starts the engine I break away from Nathan and stare out into the city. 

“Get us out of here,” I whisper softly. Austin obeys, turning the boat's engine on.

It isn't until much later that Nathan breaks the silence, the three of us sitting on the deck, looking out to the water behind us as we drift in place, anchor below holding us still. 

“So, where to next, Captain?” We share a smile before Austin breaks into laughter.

“That’s a good question.” He pulls out the journal and beams, handing it to me. 

I take it and open it slowly. Under the rising sun, I begin to read.

Chapter Text

Previously :

After narrowly escaping from the bust with the book, the team approaches the museum. Despite doubts, the team continues as planned. Nathan observes the divine appearance of the city at night. He is in awe. Allessa spots a rival at the museum, and more importantly their inside man being led away by police. The team abandons the mission. As they split up to reconvene at the meeting point, Allessa thinks about her past and a key phrase. She is taken off guard by Nathan and Austin . The team accomplishes a very sketchy and not well thought out escape plan. They escape undetected.  

Allessa and Nate: Trust is established, both growing closer.

Allessa and Austin: Trust established, NO CHANGE.

Austin and Nathan: Trust established.

Allessa’s POV

I open the journal and do my best to make out the words in the light of the rising sun. The book appears to have water damage but remains mostly intact. The words are old and written in Greek. 

They describe the fall of Atlantis and the storms which raged against them, courtesy of the gods.

“Listen to this: The island is covered in a giant cloud of ash. It rises above us, raining down with heat, filling our throats. The world is covered in it, plunged into darkness, we can not escape.”  

Nathan has drawn closer at my words. “The descriptions continue, but written by another person, look, the handwriting is different, newer.” I point out the changes as both Austin and Nathan look over my shoulder now.

“ The cloud aforementioned in this book reached all the way to Egypt. The island’s culture, the culture of Atlantis, is gone. The eruption ate up most of the mountain, creating the crescent shape of Santorini, where it is believed Atlantis was. The sudden extinction of the peoples here is reason to believe that this was the site of the great civilization. My team works night and day to prove this fact. Excavation in Akrotiri holds high hopes.

A colleague insists that it was Crete, however, that was Atlantis, or the royal city, and that Santorini was simply the smaller island or location of the Metropolis. If they were real places. These fools don’t want to believe, to see the evidence in front of their noses. The entry ends there.” I finish reading and sit back.

“So, is this more evidence for or against us?” Austin asks quietly. I answer only with a frown as I think. “It depends on when this is dated. The traditional, and most accepted theory, is that Santorini is Atlantis, or was the geographical area that Plato placed his imaginary city in. Remember, most people think Atlantis is simply an allegory, invented to show the prowess of Athens as an ideal City-State. It is also believed that Atlantis was simply based on the ancient Minoan civilization, and there is quite a bit of evidence to fit that theory. But Akrotiri was discovered in 1967, which means someone had this journal after all that time, then placed it into Plato’s bust.”

Nathan grunts. “How would somebody that many years later find this, and then choose to write in it? That doesn’t make sense. I mean, that actually points to it not being real, you realize that right?” I frown at Nathan and move to lean over the railing instead. “I know what this looks like. I do, trust me.” Nathan scoffs as if he doesn’t believe me. And I don’t blame him.

After all, what do I have?

I sigh and begin to flip through again, to see if there are more entries. However, a heavyweight falls onto my foot, and I see that the pages, all blank, have been cut out to make room for a storage compartment.

Behind me, Nathan continues his rant. “You have nothing, Allessa, except this weird dream, illusion , and I don’t know what you are running from, but is it really worth this? They have our fingerprints, possibly DNA, who the fuck knows what else. And someone, outside of us , knew where we were going to be. And they made sure they would catch us, do you understand what could’ve happened?!”

I turn around and hold the coin up to the light, choosing to ignore him in favor of shutting him up. “I have this . And that’s something isn’t it?”

Nathan frowns and moves forward, holding out his hand to look closer. I nod, and hand it over, before inspecting the book for any other secrets as I continue talking. 

“Look, the coin has two sides, each showing a city. I think those are the Metropolis and the Royal City, the only two ever mentioned. I mean, that’s a little odd right, out of 10 cities, only two are ever brought up by Plato.” 

I look at Austin, then out to sea. “It makes you wonder why. What happened that the other 8 are left out. Assuming the story is real, why would no one make a point to talk about them?”

Nathan, seemingly back in the spirit after seeing the coin answers. “Maybe they weren’t important enough? Not enough action or important people lived there.” I hum in agreement. 

“Maybe they were destroyed. Destroyed by the others?” Austin is tentative in his addition, not fully comfortable playing the historian like Nathan and I are. I nod eagerly. 

“That would make sense, I mean, Atlantis was fucking decimated by the gods, we are talking tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and a freeze of around ten years after the explosion due to how much ash crowded the atmosphere. Someone did something that made them unhappy. If anyone escaped, it would most likely be from those two cities, the big ones. And why would you talk about other cities, especially if they got extra destroyed so much that no one escaped, or talked about doing so at least. I mean, maybe it was all of them and it was indeed their greed, or maybe it was something else. It isn’t like it is hard to piss off the gods, but I feel like a reaction like this comes from something bigger, something terrible .”

Both men nod along, though clearly a little lost. Around us, the ocean comes to life, and dolphins can be heard in the distance. At the noise, I look around. “We need to go to Santorini. To Akrotiri.”  

Austin balks. “That’s an active archaeological dig site, there will be people there. And I don’t think they’ll want us to be there.” 

I roll my eyes, and head over to the navigation system. “Doesn’t matter, we will sneak in.”

Nathan snorts behind me, flipping the coin carelessly. “Because that went so well   last time.” I grab the coin and send him a glare to which he shrugs. “Stop that, this is evidence. If we lose it we are screwed.”

“If the Greek Government catches us we are also screwed.” Austin points out, though he has successfully put us on course, and is standing behind the wheel. He has made his choice, and we both turn to look at Nathan. 

I feel I should be more surprised at the manic grin that had spread across his face. “Hey, it’ll make for one hell of a story, caught or not.”

With that statement, we settle in.

___________

A few hours later, our stolen and admittedly very in need of repairs boat pulls up to the dock. After exchanging a few words with the fisherman there, I turn and motion for Nathan and Austin to follow me into the town. As we walk, Nathan shrinks under the glares of the men who I had been talking to.

“Why are they staring like that?” he whispers over my shoulder. 

“I told them it was your fault our boat is shit. You’re a gambler, and Austin is my cousin, who can’t speak Greek to save his ass, and is very allergic to everything.”

Both men look at me with offended expressions for very different reasons. “Look, it is the fastest way to get the boat off our hands, and get them to leave us alone.” 

“My fault,” Nathan states with a tone of incredulity. Austin simply gives his arms a once over before looking around at the air. 

As we walk the land around us changes. Beautiful buildings, with bright white exteriors, grow as we enter the city. The streets begin to bustle with life, vendors offering food, which we gladly purchase with what little money we have. Eventually, we find a map and spread it open on a picnic table bending over it. 

“There’s our site. That’s where we need to go. And this-” I point at a bus stop for tourists on the map, “this will get us there.” 

“Wait, so your plan, so I am understanding correctly, is to ride a tourist bus, filled with tourists, who will gain attention from everyone by the way, to a site where people are working, then sneak away and into that site during the day and while people are working to do what? Look around and see if you can find anything? I don’t know if you noticed, but there are three of us, and we kind of stand out from tourists anyways.” Nathan says, throwing his hands into the air before gesturing to our clothes, still the all black ensembles from our night time excursion in Athens. 

I blink twice before nodding. “Will that be a problem? Because right now we don’t have a lot of options, Nathan. And correction, not only will it be just the two of us, you and I, but we are going to buy clothes from there. The site will be repulsive enough to draw attention away from us rather than towards us.” I point towards a stall selling khakis and floral shirts. The absolutely appalled Nathan is silent as he observes his future. Austin, on the other hand, looks affronted for a different reason. 

“Before you protest, Austin, I have my reasons. I need you to visit every store selling books on this island. Anything, and I mean, anything that has the mention of Atlantis, even if it's just once, I need you to obtain it.” He frowns. 

“But we don’t have money. How am I supposed to obtain books without, oh you mean steal them!” Austin says, face now a mix of dread and resignation, while Nathan is still mumbling about the obscene floral prints in men’s sizes. 

“Figure it out. We don’t have much time. Now,” I walk over and hold up two maxi dresses, impractical, both hideous, and exactly what I need. “Pink or orange?” 

Nathan groans and Austin just shrugs. 

Very helpful guys.

____________________

As we wait at the bus stop, Nathan can’t stop tugging at his shirt and shorts just a little too big and held up with a very tacky belt. A camera hangs around his neck, and his shoes are bulky, but the most walking friendly we could find. I am not much better, housed in an obscenely bright green and completely impractical dress, sandals, and two passes to the site. 

While we did gather some glances from the other tourists present, and a few unwavering stares from the cumulative two children who were there, everyone left us alone. 

As we boarded the bus, I led Nathan towards the back, and we sat in silence before he struck up a quiet conversation. 

“If we don’t look disgustingly happy soon, we’ll be stared at even more.” 

He was right, so of course, I did the first thing I could think of. “Darling, did you put on sunscreen? Your skin always peels horribly.” 

For a moment we just stared at each other in shock, betrayal shining in his eyes. “My- my skin peels?” He looks incredibly unsure, and I nod. With a sigh, he shakes his head. “Uh, no, forgot that, sorry hun.” While no one turns to look at us, I see a smile on a woman’s face a few rows ahead.

Mission accomplished.

__________

Nathan’s POV

“Archaeological site of Akrotiri, year 2000. Our heroes walk towards what could be the first real clue on their adventure. Will they succeed? Or will their dreams fall to ruin?” I could see Allessa sigh and shoot me another side glare as I spoke. 

After an hour we had finally arrived at the site, neither of us thinking that ‘tourist bus ride’ meant we’d be stopping every 10 minutes to depart and look at old stuff. It would be exciting if this was the old stuff we wanted, but alas, it was not to be our fate.

Damn, I am dramatic today . 

Finally, we come to a stop outside the site. Within, archaeologists can be seen digging in the dirt, sun beating on their backs. Allessa nudges me and gestures to an area fairly far away from the action, looking more like it was being used as a corner to store things, rather than be excavated. 

I looked but couldn’t see any markings to indicate it was what we wanted. Turning to her I catch a smile on her face and follow as she points to something in the dirt. 

Around the entrance, two snakes have curled up, and a third is exiting from a hole in the rock wall face. 

While it seems like it could be a sign, due to the snake on Crete, I am hesitant to follow her as she begins to move away from the group. However, I either follow or I stay and explain why she is gone. 

No thanks, here we go.

It is surprisingly and offensively easy to slip away, and once we reach the wall, a small out cropping hides us from view. The only way someone would find us is if we made noise, or they came to get one of the many brooms that sat in buckets alongside the wall. 

I jump when I feel something slither against my ankle, and look down to see even more snakes have appeared.

“Well, this is definitely a sign, though I am not sure if it’s a good one,” I say quietly shaking the snake off and hoping it won’t bite me. 

“It is, a good one that is.” her voice is quiet and for a moment I take a chance to really look at her. Her hair, down around her shoulders, gets tossed in the breeze. Her eyes are underlined by purple rings that show the stress of the last night and her lack of sleep. She frowns as she looks over the wall, but her eyes hold my interest the longest.

They are bright, but not happy. They shine with a manic need to find something, anything , and they also hold fear.

Whatever she’s in for, it's deep.

Finally, a smile splits her face, and it makes me cringe with its brightness. 

Definitely not the right kind of happiness .

She turns and looks at me, pointing her finger at the very bottom corner of the wall, where the snakes seemed to come from. It is a perfectly round hole with a smaller one where the snakes come and go. 

“The coin,” I whisper quietly. She nods once and offers it to me. “You do it, maybe it’ll get your head back in the game.” Her tone is light but her words are heavy. I remember, suddenly, why I am here.

I had gotten so caught up in the fact that we might be onto something, I forgot my only purpose. 

I owed her and she was finally ready to start collecting on that debt. Risk to me or not.

I swallow and slowly approach the opening. The hissing of the snakes had risen, and it was deafening as I leaned down. Through the hole, I can make out the glint of the sun on something alive. I place the coin into the slot, and nothing happens immediately. Just as I begin to dread turning around to face her, there is a bigger hiss, much louder. 

The sound that accompanies the release of air after it is finally decompressed. 

She lets out a laugh of disbelief and excitement, already grabbing the coin before it can slip away. I hadn’t noticed that the wall had slid open, like a door.

Behind us, I hear footsteps, and I feel her hand on my arm, yanking me inside the rock. Behind us the door slides closed, leaving us in darkness. On the other side, a muffled curse is heard about those damn snakes . 

I turn around and she is already off, the flashlight lit up. I follow quickly, not wanting to lose the only other living being down here that had legs. 

Hopefully, at least . 

Our footsteps are quiet as we descend staircase after staircase. I wonder how far below the site we are, how deep into the earth. The musty smell has evened out to include that reek of death and decay that accompanies the old places of the world.

I find the reason when I look at the wall next to me. The face of a skeleton stares back at me, and I jump back, slipping over the edge of the staircase, only to hit the floor moments later. 

“Found the bottom,” I grunt out. She laughs, but it holds a distraction as she looks at something behind me, utter awe on her face.

Two columns carved into a stone archway stand at the entrance of a room. As we enter, flames flare up to life, illuminating a scene that steals my breath.

Along the floor, tones of green and blue marble take the shape of islands and sea. In the center rests a dais on which sits a book. But none of these things are what hold us in silence.

It is the walls.

The walls which hole murals made of tile and jewels. Painted on seamlessly, and completely intact.

“Holy shit.” I breathe out, and her laugh, a real one, joins mine. She turns to me and her eyes shine in the darkness.

Alight with victory and I see something else that I had been denying the whole time. 

Her eyes held a small sign of grief. A sadness that seemed out of place amidst this discovery of ours. 

I do not mention it, and follow her as she begins to observe.

“Look, it’s the Royal Palace. And there, that is the King.” She points to a scene of a man, regal and standing above bowing figures. The world around him is lush and prosperous. “And here, here are the princes, each with their city. And here, the temple.” I stop and stare at the scene depicting a large golden wall, behind which could barely be seen a marble point. “The temple, closed off from sight.” she whispers. 

I continue to marvel at the gold that lines the walls until I hear a gasp. I whirl around to join her as we stare up at the next scene. 

The horror, I am sure, is reflected in our eyes. 

The scene is bloody and honestly quite dreadful in its depiction. It shows a great war, dead bodies littering the canvas of stone. 

“Wait,” I mutter as I step closer. “Look here.'' She follows as I point out one figure. 

“I assume that this is the King, yes?” she nods. “Yes, he looks just like the figure in the first depiction.” I nod and move my finger to the one he is fighting. “And this is one of the princes?”

Her eyes widen in understanding as we step back to view the whole scene.

“He wasn’t fighting Athens,” I whisper.

“No, they were fighting each other.” 

We are silent as we take in this new information. 

She sighs. “Well, I suppose all great stories hold some lie at least.” She quickly abandons the pictures to approach the book. 

As she begins to read, translating some language as she does, I continue forward, absorbed in the paintings.

They get progressively darker, showing destroyed cities and lands. The princes grow less in number until it is just the king left, on his knees before a god. Surrounding him are his brothers, and his people. The golden wall around the Temple lies in ruin.

“Nathan?” she says as she walks behind me. 

“Yeah?” 

“Listen to this. 

We stand now, as we watch her burn, our great city. Turned to ash. He has brought unto us the rage of the gods and the grief of our father. It is but I alone, who remains to stop him. But unlike him, I cannot raise sword nor stone against my brother. So I wait. The golden all has fallen, the temple revealed, the most forbidden action of all broken. For he gazed upon the treasure within, and now he suffers. Some things are meant to remain unseen, though I have watched him grow obsessed over the years. It is the end of our time, I only hope the others have escaped, to spread word of our downfall, and that my dear friend will carry the message to the philosopher, that he must tell of our weakness in any way he can. Erase us from history.

None must come to seek this power, for it belongs solely to the gods.

He is coming. ” 

She stops as we stare in silence at a boat on the sea. Passing through a storm, waves towering above, water carrying it forward as far as it can go. Followed by a lack of ocean, and men dragging themselves across the sand and dirt.

“The only survivors,” I whisper, as she reaches out to touch the wall. I grab her and stop her, sudden unease filling my stomach.

“It just occurred to me, Allessa, the one place we haven’t looked since we entered.”

Together our gaze falls to the floor. She gasps and backs up.

“It’s a map! A very destroyed one, but a map nonetheless.”

And she is right, it is barely legible, but there is a distinct golden glow around two islands in particular. Neither though, hole any familiar marks to place them. That doesn't stop her though, from tracing the outlines of each, an unreadable expression on her face.

Then again, maybe I am once again looking to deny the truth.

 I almost don’t notice when her face turns to horror. 

“Watch out!” she yells, tackling me to the ground as the floor begins to cave in. Frantically we grab hold of the side she seems to be struggling though and I soon see why. 

“You’ve got to drop the book!!” I scream over the crumbling stone. 

She looks into my eyes and I see them flash from rejection to regret. As she lets it go she screams, filled with rage and defeat. 

I ignore the tears falling from her eyes.

Eventually, the rumbling stops, and we are left in silence. 

“Come on,” I say as I haul myself up, turning and giving her a hand. “Let’s get back to Austin.” She simply nods as we stand and take each other in.

“We can’t go back to the tour group like this.” her voice is a whisper laced with a laugh. 

She’s right. We look like we took part in a collapsing tunnel. Her elbows are bleeding, and she is covered in dirt. I can feel the sting of many scratches, and the place on my hip where a bruise will form. 

“We won’t have to,” I say as I head towards an opening in the wall. Around us, the torches die and the last thing I truly see is her face, closer than before. 

As we walk into the dark tunnel ahead I smile.

Chapter Text

Austin’s P.O.V.

“It is the year 3434 of the second age, here follows the account of Austin Rivers, thief in training and treasure hunter apprentice. ‘The Article has come to me-’” I murmur under my breath as I stare at the magazine rack across the street. 

What I want is there, on the top shelf, left side, the copy in the back. 

Allessa wanted me to get a book. And I could do that, of course. Even if it was a magazine instead of a book.

Getting a book was easy. All you had to do was reach out and lift it up, then walk to the cash register and pay.

Stealing a book, on the other hand, involved a lot more patience and skill.

A frown hit my face as I saw a few old men, seemingly playing an innocent game of checkers, casually looking my way every few minutes.

I sigh in frustration, knowing that sooner or later I would be found out.

Okay, Austin. It is simple, really. You walk over and pick up the magazine. Then you open it and look through it, make some facial expressions, then act like you are going to put it back. Then knock over the stand, pass a sleight of hand check, put it in your pocket, and move on. No one will even notice.

I discreetly stood taller and shook my shoulders. 

Here goes nothing.

Walking across the street, I zeroed my focus on the top shelf. Once I had stopped right in front of it, I started to lift my hand to the magazines.

It was odd, watching as my hand moved, having to consciously move my fingers to grasp it.  

Just as my pointer finger and thumb closed around the edges of the first page, a voice caused me to jump and preemptively knock over the display.

Shit! Okay, okay you can DO this. 

I look up and lock eyes with one of the men who was playing checkers. 

His eyes narrow as he takes me in. Then, he looks at the magazines I have begun to pick up. 

“Maria!” he yells a woman’s name and follows it up with some words in Greek. A woman who looks equally as young yet old as the man comes rushing outside, waving a towel and yelling at him. 

She shoos me away and begins to quickly pick up the magazines. After giving him a stern glare she turns to me.

“He always comes to knock over my displays! Every morning ‘Maria!’ he yells, and down I come to clean up his mess. Take which one you like, for the trouble.”

My eyes widen but I reach out and grasp the National Geographic issue on Atlantis, the ocean, and the undersea castle on brilliant display.

“Ah, yes. A popular choice. A most tragic love story.” Her comment catches me off guard. 

“Love story? I thought it was a tale of battle and defeat?” at my words her smile widens.

“Every great battle happens over love, does it not? Even the jealousy of the gods could not match this.” as she speaks she makes a sign to the heavens as if to ask for forgiveness.

If the gods are anything like Allessa has made them seem, I am sure it is warranted.

“If you are looking for more, check down the street that way. A bookstore has many books.” her tone is light, but something in her eyes claims recognition of my purpose. 

“Be careful, boy, of what you may wake at the bottom of the seas.” Her tone drops and then, quick as she came, she is gone. 

Looking behind me, the man and his friends have also departed, leaving an abandoned checkerboard, the pieces stacked in ten piles of two. 

Kings. Ten Kings . 

With that thought, I take off down the street.

________

The first thought I have upon reaching the bookstore is that I hope it does not rain. It is obvious there used to be a roof to the tent frame that still stands. 

The shelves are wire racks that look like they're barely hanging on. 

And everywhere they are covered in books.

Holy shit, this is a place. That’s for sure.

I look around to see the place is seemingly deserted, though I assume I am not alone, as somewhere I can hear the slightest shuffling noises.

Slowly, I step into the tent's would-be coverage, if there had been a roof, looking at the nearest shelf. It is covered in books on birds.

Their sizes, shapes, colors, sounds, names, diets, everything you could ever want to know. The sections go by area. The top left holds North American birds, well the top right covers Europe and Asia. The bottom is filled with books on rainforest birds.

Interesting, but not today . Next!

Further in I begin to notice the pattern. The left side of the store holds animals, the right holds places.

Rocky places, hilly places, places with grass and without. 

Ah! Here we are.

I stop in front of the books on the ocean. In all, there are only three. 

One is about the Indian Ocean and the coral that resides there. The second is about clownfish and seems to be marketed to children.

The third though has an interesting title. In fact, had I not known better I would assume it was in the wrong place. 

I took the copy of Critias off the shelf, noticing that my hand was shaking.

Before I can open it, I hear the clink-clink of metal on rock. Quickly, I shove the book inside the magazine, before taking the book on clownfish off the shelf. 

“Ah! A customer!” comes a cheery voice. Looking up I balk. 

It’s the man who had been playing checkers. The man from the magazine stand.

“Hello again,” I say, cursing myself for my awkwardness. 

“Ah, yes, it is you as I thought. Well, did you find what you were looking for, my boy?”

For a moment, I want to say yes, to tell him everything. 

But I don't, simply saying no, and quickly move to leave.

“If you do nothing else, remember this. Though ten kings there may be, only one must fall to take the others down with him.”

I turn around and point my finger at him. “What does that mean?!” 

While he has me shaken, I can see the setting sun, knowing I need to return to Nathan and Allessa. 

He shoots me a small smile then, as he picks up the book on coral, flipping through it slowly. 

“Love. It is a fickle thing. It can cause so much pain, so much rage, and yet we give in to it, every time. No matter what history has taught us.”

After holding my gaze, as if searching to see if I understand, he nods and clears his throat.

“Very well, Austin Rivers, on you go.”

It isn’t until I am back to the docks that I realize.

I had never told him my name.

Chapter Text

Previously :

After reading through the journal, the team is one step closer to solving their puzzle. This renews faith in their goal. Once on land, the team decides to split up, Allessa and Nathan heading towards an archaeological site, while Austin sets off to become a criminal. He succeeds and Allessa and Nate find more than they thought possible. After making a discovery that could place them way ahead in the game, Allessa and Nathan make a narrow escape out the backdoor of the secret cave. They live. Meanwhile, Austin has found his way through the city and gathered quite a few books and cryptic statements. He has succeeded in his assignment . 

Allessa and Nate: Trust is established, both growing closer.

Allessa and Austin: Trust established, NO CHANGE.

Austin and Nathan: Trust established. Sense of camaraderie growing. 

Allessa’s POV

It was silent as Nathan and I began the journey back to our pre-chosen meeting spot. The world around me seemed dull as my mind remained fixed on what we had learned. 

The princes were fighting each other, not an army from Athens. 

Next to me, Nathan is just as quiet, though it may be because of our near-death experience. There is a weight now, to our mission that had not existed before. Things had become so very dangerous and real, and I was struggling with it. 

I think back to my beginnings, and how I had never expected it to come to this. This frantic scramble to find the truth, find it, and destroy it before he got his hands on it. My beginnings, a topic that seemed to be popping up more and more. Shaking my head I look up when my name is called. 

Austin sat just ahead of us, smoothie in hand and sunglasses on, looking for all the world like he had won the lottery. From the books in his hands, he most likely had. His smile fell though when he took us in.

We must’ve looked in a state, in our dirty and ripped tourist clothes. I could see bruises already beginning to form on Nathan’s arms, and the scrapes on his hands were no longer bleeding. My own ribs ached and I was sure my knees were torn up as well. 

The most notable pain, though, came from my hip where I had swung into the wall, when I had dropped it.

The journal. A valuable resource, gone.

I groaned slightly and before Austin could speak began to write with a pen onto a napkin. Neither man questioned me but allowed me to work in peace. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Austin slowly hand Nathan his smoothie, and Nathan send him a grateful smile before he collapsed heavily into the second chair. 

“Get up. We can’t stay here.” Nathan and Austin frown. 

“If it’s the clothes-” Nathan begins, obviously wanting to rest his surely aching bones.

“ Someone was bound to have heard that collapse, Nathan . We need to go. ” at my words, Austin sits up straight and immediately begins looking around, even removing his sunglasses to see better. 

I rolled my eyes before beginning to drag them away. 

At this rate, everyone will know it was us. 

“ Stop making it obvious. ” I hissed as I dragged both of them through alleyways until finally, we had reached a small and secluded section of beach. 

Nathan’s POV

Watching her walk through the city was like watching dark clouds right before a storm. She had fixated on a location and that was where she would break. I could see the pain and some odd form of grief in her eyes. 

It must be because she had to drop the journal.

I could see Austin watching her warily, and realized then just how much they did not know each other. I thought back to Austin’s comments on her obsession with this hunt. He implied that she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted, though I was still unsure exactly what that was. Finally, we reached a secluded beach and she turned to us. 

For once I was unable to decipher her expression. 

“Austin, Nathan and I were able to find an underground cavern where the battle was depicted. It was-” she seemed to struggle for words. 

“It was pretty gruesome, and also very enlightening.” I continued as she shot me a look I chose to interpret as grateful.

“Gruesome?” Austin’s question wasn’t hesitant, and he seemed to be agreeing with our statement which was odd.

What does he  know? 

“Yes, it turns out they were not fighting Athens at all. They were fighting each other.” At her words, Austin’s eyes go wide. Before he can speak though, she opens the napkin and begins to read. 

" We stand now, as we watch her burn, our great city. Turned to ash. He has brought unto us the rage of the gods and the grief of our father. It is but I alone, who remains to stop him. But unlike him, I cannot raise sword nor stone against my brother. So I wait. The golden wall has fallen, the temple revealed, the most forbidden action of all broken. For he gazed upon the treasure within, and now he suffers. Some things are meant to remain unseen, though I have watched him grow obsessed over the years. It is the end of our time, I only hope the others have escaped, to spread word of our downfall, and that my dear friend will carry the message to the philosopher, that he must tell of our weakness in any way he can. Erase us from history. None must come to seek this power, for it belongs solely to the gods. He is coming.” 

Her voice carries out into the sea, and I can almost swear it seems to get rougher, waves growing a tad bit harsher. Above us, the sky seems to cloud over. 

Austin, also noticing, frowns. “Was it this cloudy earlier?” Allessa simply stares before sighing. “No. No, it was not.” He nods his head at her comment but continues to watch the sea. 

“There was also a map,” she says. “The floor had a map but it was almost destroyed. There were two islands though. I assume they were Atlantis. However, they were not labeled and any geographic markers were destroyed.” 

“Uh, I might be able to re-draw them, I just need something to write on,” I say stepping forward. 

Her head snaps up and she immediately shoves the napkin and pen into my hands. Carefully I place the napkin on the rock and draw as much of the map as I can on the back, after unfolding it. 

Man, I should invest in a journal or something.

When I am done she takes the napkin, glances over it, then places it into the journal we had found in Athens. 

“Wait, why didn’t I draw it in there?” I ask. She simply shrugs.

“It is more authentic and adventurey like that,” Austin comments as he begins to withdraw his books. 

“Now, in terms of fighting each other, I have some information that can confirm that.”

This catches both Allessa and I’s attention and we turn to him.

“So my adventure started when I went to this magazine stand. I was preparing myself to steal the magazine, you know as you do, and I saw these old men playing checkers and watching me. It freaked me out a little, but I carried on.” 

He stops as if expecting praise and I awkwardly pat him on the back. “Good job, bud.”

Allessa shoots me a look and I shrug. Smiling, Austin continues. 

"So I make it to the stand and just as I am about to knock it over to grab one, one of the old men does! Then this old woman comes running out and says that he had done it again, which was odd because I think it is rather rude to consistently knock over someone’s display. Anyways, she saw I was holding this National Geographic-” 

Here, he waves it around and proudly points to the cover, which features a very fantasy-like depiction of Atlantis as an underwater castle or kingdom. 

“And she said to me that it was a good choice and a tragic love story .” At this Allessa straightens, and I begin to put the pieces together. 

“Yeah, right? She said that all great battles happen over love and that even the jealousy of the gods could not compare.” Austin’s tone is excited now, as he continues to tell his story.

“Even the gods?” Allessa whispers in shock. Austin nods enthusiastically. 

“Yup! She also told me to be careful of what we may wake at the bottom of the sea.” At these words, all three of us glance towards the ocean, mere feet away. 

“Wait,” I say. “Has the water come closer?” I can hear the hesitation in my voice, and I step closer to the cliff face. Allessa frowns but turns to Austin and motions him to continue. 

“So, it says that one theory of the location of Atlantis is that it is actually off the coast of Morocco a bit south of Casablanca. One of the best clues Plato gives is that Atlantis has a series of concentric circles around it made of black and red stone. There is black and red stone (striped) off the edge of the Sahara and up the hillside are circles, a few miles away is the ocean.

It also claims that Tartessus in Southern Spain, a lost city from antiquity and not too far from modern-day Seville Malta has the most ancient temples in the Mediterranean and could be a possible location. The culture there was destroyed by a tsunami and earthquake, which ties into the doomsday volcanic eruption and the ensuing aftermath. I don’t think it is very likely though.”

Listening to him, I can tell he is finally hopping on board. After all, we had a solid next destination that seemed fairly promising. Allessa herself looked almost convinced. 

“What else did you find?” she demanded. Before Austin can say anything I yelp slightly. Looking down I notice the water has crept all the way up to our feet. 

“Uh, Austin perhaps you should hurry?” I say anxiously. 

“Oh yeah of course. Anyways I also found a copy of Critias which tells the story of how Atlantis came to be. Though perhaps we should go over that later?” he ends with a question and Allessa and I nod in agreement. 

“Finally I have this book on clownfish. It was kind of an accident that I took it, but if we go diving maybe we can look for some.” His statement is hopeful and he smiles brightly.

“Uh yeah, maybe,” I say, the idea sounding fun. “Anything else?”

At this question, Austin goes silent and looks around, nervously stepping as far away from the water as he can. 

“Yeah, the man from before showed up. He asked me if I had found what I was looking for. I didn’t answer him, saying no instead. He gave me some warnings too." 

Austin's voice gets quiet as he continues.

"He said ‘If you do nothing else, remember this. Though ten kings there may be, only one must fall to take the others down with him.’ and that ‘Love is a fickle thing. It can cause so much pain, so much rage, and yet we give in to it, every time. No matter what history has taught us.’ it was very weird.” 

Allessa frowns at this news. Before she can speak though, Austin says something else far more alarming. 

“Guys, he knew my name . And on my way back, the checkerboard had the pieces stacked into 10 kings. Not princes, kings .” 

At this revelation, I can see Allessa’s eyes widen and her frown indicates she is thinking. 

“You know, they could represent guardians. People meant to dissuade those seeking Atlantis and its treasures. According to Plato, it was greed that brought it to its end, and if it was a fight over love that could involve greed as well. Technically love and greed intertwine a lot in stories.” as she speaks her voice gathers surety.

“So, like, they’re really old guardians of a place that may or may not, though it is looking like there is at least something, exists?” Austin asks. 

Before she can answer there is a loud crack as lightning illuminates the sky. 

While we were talking, the storm had grown. 

“Uh, guys maybe we should go, we are pretty cut off here,” I say as I begin to climb on top of a rock to avoid the now rapidly rising water. 

Both of them agree and together we begin to climb out as the walkway had been flooded. Thankfully, it was a fairly simple climb, the rocks almost resembling steps. 

“We’ve got to get a boat,” Allessa yells as we stand looking down at the docks, her voice barely louder than the wind. “Ours isn’t fixed yet. Do you see one?”

Both Austin and I look before he points to a fishing boat at the end of the dock. “What about that one?!” Allessa scrunches up her nose in distaste but nods.

While it was rickety, it seemed sturdy and very much not electronic. 

Prioritizing speed over stealth, we all run towards the docks, which had been deserted suddenly as if everyone else was seeking shelter, a most likely wiser decision than ours, which was to sail into the open sea.

It’s almost easy, gaining access as if someone wanted us to get on the boat. 

Austin quickly sets about figuring out the anchor, while I try to remember everything I know about sailboats and storms. 

Eventually, I decide to let myself wing it and go by instinct. 

Meanwhile, Allessa climbs up into the crow's nest. 

“Oh my god! Get down here! You’re going to get electrocuted!” Austin yells as he hangs into the ropes to avoid being knocked over by the wind. 

Allessa seems to stare at something before climbing down and making her way over. Austin joins us at the helm and I do my best to get us going. 

As I man the wheel she speaks. Her voice is calm and her words are strong and sure. 

“We are going to Morocco.”

Austin and I both nod, neither wishing to fight that decision. 

Around us, the storm rages on.

Chapter Text

Hello!

Due to finals and work being much more than expected at this time, I will be skipping this 31st update day and doing a double update on the 15th of August.

Thank you!
AllessaRen2198

Chapter Text

Previously

The group reconvenes to go over their missions. They relocate to a secluded stretch of beach. The new information is shared. While speaking a storm brews. The group is unsettled. The group goes over their findings. The pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together . Allessa decides they need a boat, and the group leaves the stretch of beach as it begins to flood. They escape harm. Upon reaching the dock they notice that it is eerily empty and that a boat waits for them. They board as the storm rages on.  

Allessa and Nate: Trust is established, both growing closer.

Allessa and Austin: Trust established, NO CHANGE.

Austin and Nathan: Trust established.

Austin’s POV

Once the storm has settled to a firm but consistently non-violent rainfall, we head below deck to check out what exactly we ended up stealing. 

What we had assumed to be a fishing boat was correct, except it looked more like a repurposed pirate ship with its Captain Hook vibes. 

Once we saw the food, though, as well as what appeared to be new(er) clothes, the trepidation over where the boat came from or who it belonged to vanished.

Immediately I was handed some clothes and pointed to a cabin, ordered to get some rest, before regrouping the next morning. 

As I left the main area, I noticed that Nathan had remained behind, so I stopped to listen in. 

“...sure you’re okay? You look overwhelmed, and it isn’t something to be ashamed of-” before he can finish, though, Allessa interrupts him. 

“I’m... fine . It’s just been a crazy couple of days and I need to regroup. So much has changed. More than he, more than I , anticipated.” 

Again, I noticed the sudden appearance of that pronoun. He. She rarely slipped up and included this mysterious figure, but when she did I wondered who he was. 

She spoke about him with familiarity, as if she was absolutely sure of his thoughts on a matter. She spoke as if they had worked together at some point, though she had made no mention of a previous partner to me, or Nathan if I was assuming correctly. 

“When you say ‘he’, do you mean Sam?” Nathan’s voice is quiet, as if slightly afraid to ask.

I didn’t blame him as Sam seemed to be an even more sensitive subject if that was possible. Then again, she said Sam’s name, which was more than this other guy got. 

“No. Sam is tolerable, Sam is definitely not like this, Sam would never do the things he would, with the power we could unleash.” She sounds resolute, and I wonder again who this man could be. I wonder how well she knows Sam, to make these assumptions about him.

Was he an ex-lover, ex-partner, all of the above?

What could he have done, or planned to do, that brought this animosity and fear from a woman who I had believed to be mostly unafraid of everything?

I tuned back in as I heard footsteps heading my way. 

“Well, if you want to talk more, let me know. Now get some rest, we all need it.” 

As Nathan’s voice got closer I stepped into my assigned room and shut the door. 

Interesting indeed.

__________________________________

The next morning, we all gather to go over our current information. Allessa pulls the copy of Critias from the bag and places it on the small table. 

“So, Critias tells us the classic known information about Atlantis, including its origin and its decline.” Her voice is all business, even more so now that we have learned new information. 

“Poseidon was gifted Atlantis as his allotted piece of land. There, he had children with a mortal woman named Celito, which is definitely a trend among the gods, and he settled these children among the land he was given, in the most prosperous area.” 

Poseidon and Cleito had five pairs of two sons. To make the land allotments equal among them, he split the island into ten Kingdoms, awarding a section to each son. The largest went to the oldest son and so on, the oldest son being ruler overall, and the remaining sons being princes. As the oldest son was named Atlas, so the kingdom was named Atlantis, and the surrounding waters the Atlantic. 

The sons ruled in harmony and had a peaceful land, until one day, when they had been overtaken by greed, the gods punished them, destroying their home and sinking it into the sea, therefore ending the Atlean race and ideology.”

A moment of silence follows her words before Nathan speaks. “The woman mentioned love, and the paintings spoke of a reason that caused fights amongst the brothers, indicating an attack from within.

If we assume that love is the common factor, which is a definite possibility, we should look at Poseidon and Cleito. Where was she from?”

Allessa seems delighted for a moment and also surprised that after so many moments of resistance, Nathan has seemed to finally jump on board.

“She was born to Evenor and Leucippe who lived in the mountains of the island,” Allessa says quickly.

Nathan frowns, thinking. “So, maybe if we can find the mountains, we may find a clue? Though that means we have to find the island itself, which technically shouldn't exist.” 

It is quiet for another moment before Allessa speaks again. “And that’s it. Any dialog of Critias is lost after that. However, we now have our new theories to add. Which dramatically changes the story.”

Nathan seems to smile wider. “I love it when the story takes an unexpected twist. Imagine if common legends, that everyone thinks they know, happen to be something completely different? Like an item, instead of a place, for example.”

Shaking her head, Allessa continues, her voice seeming to hold a new weight to it. 

“Our new running theory is that yes, this is a love story gone horribly wrong. Imagine if all ten brothers wanted the same woman? Not too far-fetched after the clues we have been given. Add in the fact that the checkers alluded to them all being kings instead of just Atlas, and you have a more even power balance, meaning that any of the brothers could have had her, instead of deferring to the eldest getting first pick.” 

I hum before smacking the table. “You said that there was also mention of that one brother, perhaps Atlas himself. Had turned to enter the Golden Temple that was off-limits to everyone. Could he, whichever brother mentioned, have entered to find a gift? Maybe to prove he was better than his brothers, for he could offer the greatest gift of all?” 

Both Allessa and Nate think for a moment before Nathan counters me.

“But wouldn’t the greatest gift of all be marrying the eldest brother who ruled over the whole island and all the other brothers? I mean, this also assumes that we are counting ‘great’ as wealth or power. What if ‘great’ is referring to the brother who felt the truest love for her?” 

Allessa shakes her head. “Back to what Nathan said though, about objects not places. What if we are looking for something that represents that love. That could add a huge chunk of time to our search. That means we need money, supplies, time …” She trails off as she walks away over to a map hung up in the corner. 

Recognizing a dismissal, both Nathan and I find our way to the deck, where the sun has come out and is in full ‘look at me and I will burn out your brain’ mode. 

Nathan’s P.O.V.

It’s been days since we’ve been on the open sea. Since we lifted anchor and set sail into the night. 

“Day 34 of our intrepid adventure. We’ve lifted anchor and charted a course for Morocco. Where will we land? We do not know. What are we looking for? We do not know. Will we find something? We do no-” Austin’s voice goes on and on as he narrates our activities out loud. 

“And here we are, I shall move this barrel towards the other side of the ship, once again, marking 54 barrels moved since our enigmatic captain has been below deck, charting course, or whatever the fuck it is she’s doing.” 

After pushing the barrel he makes another tally on the wall. 

Turning away from him I glance out to the sea. 

We should’ve brought a clock. I think as I gaze out to the horizon.

“Moving the barrels, moving the barrels. What are we doing, we’re moving the barrels.” I look up again at Austin’s singing. Shrugging I hop down off the side and join him.

“Moving the barrels, mov moving barrels. What are we doing? Moving the barrels! 18, 24, 100, and 10. Moving the barrels. Mov moving the barrels.”

On the fifth barrel moved, I glance up and gasp. “Austin!”

He looks up and watches me ascend to the crow's nest. When I reach the top I smile. 

“LAND HO! Get the captain! Lower the sails! Whatever the fuck else you do on boats!”

Austin rushes beneath the deck to grab Allessa and I slide down a rope, burning my palm on the way down.

Shit shit shit! Bad idea Nathan!

*Below Deck, 20 minutes earlier*

Allessa’s P.O.V.

I sigh as I trace my fingers over the map again and again. 

Why couldn’t I find it? Why couldn’t I see?

I close my eyes as, unbidden, a memory surfaces.

“Remember, look with your heart not with your hands. Eyes are deceivers.” a man speaks as he watches a young woman look through the dirt in front of her. 

“It’s been hours, can you at least give me a hint? I think I’ve earned that at least.” the woman turns and smirks, though her face falls at his expression. “Right. With my heart.” She turns back to the soil and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. 

Slowly she feels the ground, smiling when she comes across a small metal bump. Excitedly she beams at the man before clearing it away, to reveal nothing but a small metal indention in the shape of a circle. 

Behind her the man sighs. 

My eyes shoot open as I feel crushing disappointment fill me. He had been so upset, almost inconsolable. 

But, he had also been right, no matter how loath I was to admit that. 

In fact, that day should’ve been the first inkling of trouble, but I had ignored it as well. 

Now, this time, I would not do so. Now, I was stronger than him, and while my team was much, much, much smaller, they were loyal, some to a fault perhaps. 

I shook my head lightly and closed my eyes. Lifting my arm I began to trace over the map. 

With your heart, not your head.

Before I could open them, I heard Nathan’s shout from above. “LAND HO!”

I race above deck, only to stop as I sniff the air. Off to the side, both Austin and Nathan look awfully busy with nothing. I look around and see the cause, a pipe is lit and laying on the deck. Next I see the barrels.

I groan and turn to them. “Really!? Can’t you read!? ” 

Both give me confused looks before taking a closer look at the barrels.

“Explosives, keep away from flames?” Nathan reads slowly. Then his eyes widen. 

“OH MY GOD!” He yells as he grabs me and Austin and hauls us both overboard. We swim frantically away, though stop upon realizing nothing is exploding. 

“Wait- is it no-” before Austin can finish a huge boom sends vibrations of waves towards us, knocking us backward and under the waves. When I surface, I see the ship in flames. Slowly I turn to the two men beside me, glare heavy in my face.

Austin looks down sheepishly, while Nathan just smiles guiltily.

“What. Happened.” My words are short and sharp.

“Well you see, earlier I found this pipe on the desk.” Austin began. 

“Yeah, and we saw land. I shouted ‘LAND HO’ you know? And was like, we should do pirate things!” Nathan continued.

“Pirate things?” I ask, voice full of doubt and definite judgment.

Austin, eager, picks up the story. “Yeah! So I said ‘hey, I have this pipe!’ and Nathan was like ‘Pirates love pipes!’ So we lit it, but then it got hot, so we were tossing it back and forth.”

Nathan finished the story guiltily. “Yeah, but uh, I missed and threw it at the barrels.”

I stare for a moment, in disbelief, then shake my head.

“Let’s just, find land okay?”

Both men nod, and we turn towards the distant shore. 

As we begin to swim, a chunk of wood bumps into Nathan, and we climb on gratefully.

For a while, we are silent, observing the water around us. Then Nathan speaks. 

“Um, are we even moving?” At his words, Austin and I groan, because of course, we would get a raft, but no paddle. 

Before anyone can speak, though, a white fin pops out of the water, followed by several more. Austin gasps and almost falls off in his haste to escape the shark fins now surrounding us. 

“Wait, wait there are ten of them!” Nathan exclaims, and I quickly confirm the number.

“Ten sharks, ten kings. But, there was never any mention of any sharks.” I say quietly. 

“Yeah well, they’re here,” Austin adds unhelpfully as he centers himself between Nathan and me, to be as far away from the sharks as possible. 

As they continue to circle us, I notice we are moving, slowly but surely.

“We’re moving,” Nathan whispers, noticing the same thing I have. 

“Yes.” I reply, sitting down for the ride.

After a while, the tide takes over, and we find ourselves rapidly moving closer to the shore. Quickly, we disembark from the raft and look around to get our bearings. 

“Listen,” I say as I point towards a hill. “There's a sound coming from over there.”

Austin nods along with Nathan as they also hear the bustling noise of a city. 

“Come. We need supplies. Food, clothes, and weapons.” 

Without question the two follow. At the top of the hill, I turn back towards the sea and can swear I spot the sun glinting off a white fin or two. The trip into town is mostly a tired blur. I remember a lot of weird glances from the locals, and the town being much smaller than we had anticipated. 

After bargaining for some clothes, some food, and some other supplies, we regroup in a corner.

“Okay, we need a car and guns,” I say quietly while chewing on my sandwich. 

“Yeah, but, in case you haven’t noticed, this town is like a village with ten people. Where are we going to find a car and guns?” Nathan says sassily. Both Austin and I shoot him various types of withering glares. Before I can say anything, however, I catch sight of exactly what we need.

A group of men stands surrounding an envoy of jeeps and covered vans. Each jeep holds what appears to be climbing supplies and guns. 

“Son of a bitch.” I whisper quietly. “He already knows where to go.” Nathan sends me a look and Austin snorts. 

“How is he always right behind you?” Nathan asks me. I frown and think before I answer.

“We worked together for a long time. He knows me, and I know him.” Nathan seems to want to say something else but I shush him.

“Okay boys. Here’s what we are going to do. I will approach, while you two stand back. I will tell them we were sent ahead. Hopefully, I can secure a truck. If the plan fails we steal a truck and get the fuck out.” 

Before either of them can protest, I am off. 

As I approach, the men stand straight. 

“Hello boys.” I say with a smile. “I was told you were expecting me? Sorry I am late, our boat got sidetracked when we were sent ahead. Took on some water. Though I suppose that’s what happens when you’re put in a lifeboat and told to reach land.” I make sure my voice holds the correct amount of sarcasm and authority.

The two men shoot each other looks before one steps forward. “He did not mention a woman.” then the man looks over my shoulder. “Or them.”

I glance back at Austin and Nathan and raise a hand. 

Then, I turn back to the men. “Gentlemen please, you and I both know that any delays will result in a rather unfortunate twist of fate for us.”  They seem to think for a moment before nodding and gesturing me forward. 

“Perfect!” I say as I wave Austin and Nathan forward. As I hop into the jeep we are ushered towards, a third man makes his way out of the building behind us, taking on a radio.  I turn on the engine and shift into gear, as the previous men unhook the gas line and close up the tank.

At the noise, the man on the radio looks up in confusion. At his look, I take my cue and turn to the first man I had spoken to.

“Thank you very much, but we must be going now. No time to delay!” He nods, and we drive off. In the rearview mirror, I see the men conversing with one another, before going back to their duties. 

Austin sighs in relief before he notices my grim facial expression. “What’s wrong, they clearly let us go.” he says.

“Yes,” I say before going silent for a moment. Then I speak up again.  “The question remains though. If they were told we were intruders, as I can safely assume they were, then why did they let us go?” 

Both men stay silent as we settle in for a drive.

Chapter Text

Previously

The group goes below deck and finds food and places to sleep. They are well rested.  Austin wonders who Allessa’s partner is. He is still curious. Nathan questions Allessa about Sam and she responds in a way that implies a longer relationship than originally thought by Nathan. He is determined to figure out the connection. The group goes over their findings. The pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together. Nathan and Austin sing songs. They bond. Allessa reflects on a memory in her past. She retries an old technique. They spot land. The group has reached their destination. Nathan and Austin blow the boat up. Allessa is unamused. The group ride a raft pushed by potentially mythical sharks towards shore. Austin is very much afraid. Once reaching shore the group comes upon a town. They eat and rest. Allessa tricks her way into a vehicle, before realizing that someone has allowed her to have it. She is wary of who pursues them .

Allessa and Nate: Trust is established, both growing closer.

Allessa and Austin: Trust established, NO CHANGE.

Austin and Nathan: Trust established.

Nathan’s P.O.V.

As we drive through miles of desert, conversation grows. While it is mostly just Austin and I trading stories, Allessa jumps in every once in a while to share her own. She talks about zoo visits with her mother, summer barbecues with her cousins, late night drives with her boyfriend in high school. But she never mentions a father. 

I just assume she doesn’t have one.

It isn’t until I mention Sam, though, that we catch her full attention.

It’s as I am narrating one of my many escapes from the orphanage that she interrupts.

“You know, Sam tells that story differently. He says you tricked him into taking you with him.” her voice is quiet, gentle, as it always is when she speaks about him. 

“Yeah, well, just him trying to appear tough I suppose. But really, where else would I have gone?” 

She hums and nods. I stay quiet for a moment before I speak again.

“He never talks about you. At least, not by name. Why is that?” 

For a moment, I think she will not answer me. 

“The last time I saw Sam, we were in South America. Exploring the wall of Tikal. You know, they say there’s treasure, waiting for whoever can reach the end of the wall.”

I wait, as does Austin, who is now listening instead of dozing. 

“The last time I saw Sam, he told me he was leaving, that Tikal was it, that we were done. He said he was working on something new, something big, bigger than anything he had ever done. The last time I saw Sam he left me in the middle of the night alongside a stupid wall that didn’t have an end. He left me in the middle of the fucking jungle.” 

She is quiet for a moment as I let it sink in that Sam had known her, trusted her to watch his back. 

“Though,” she continues quietly, “that isn’t quite true. The last time I saw your brother was when I told him I would be cashing in on your debt. When I told him I would be placing his beloved baby brother in more danger than any of us have any business being in. Then again, I saw Samuel Drake that night. Not my Sam.” 

I nod slowly, before we drift off into silence. It isn’t uncomfortable, but it is weighted with the many implications her story had brought up. 

That’s how we spend the rest of the drive.

Eventually, we spot a slight raising of the ground in the distance, which becomes a set of ruins, the closer we get. Allessa stops the jeep behind a sand dune, though it wouldn’t hide the jeep from anyone approaching from the left. 

After gathering our guns, strapping on the gear, and covering the jeep, we approach the set of pillars staked into the land. Before we reach them, we find a sign, weathered down and decaying. On the front, we can make out a few words. Mainly the name of the excavator, and the words ‘Keep out- dangerous’. 

“That’s the guy from the journal!” Austin exclaims.

Allessa nods before walking forward towards the crumbling site.

“It was very clearly abandoned,” she says thoughtfully, as she bends down to look at the different dig areas. “I wonder why they left.” her voice is quiet, as if she is talking to herself. I leave her side to look around. 

As I approach a small site, something glittering in the sunlight catches my eye. It’s a coin, well half of one, and it’s in a very familiar looking circular indent. I smile widely and call her over. 

Quickly she tries to take out the half of the coin that was there, and replace it with ours. However, it quickly becomes a harder task than anticipated. After a few moments of trying to lift with her fingers, she gets out a hunting knife, causing me to whistle. 

“Where’d you get that ?” I ask. 

She sends me a smile. “Wouldn't you like to know.” I shake my head at her answer and Austin watches with interest as she finally manages to remove the coin. She throws it away and places ours in. Austin, however, picks up the half piece, now bent and disfigured, and places it in his pocket. 

Noticing me watching he just shrugs as if to say ‘why not? They don’t need it’. 

This time, instead of a wall, the ground begins to spiral downwards into a staircase, however it stops about a quarter of the way down as the stairs quickly become broken fragments instead. 

“Looks like we will have to repel.” I say as I begin to look for places to attach our climbing gear.  As I do this, Allessa stares at the area that was broken. Before I can stop her, she descends down the intact stairs, stopping at the end. 

“Oh my god what are you doing?” I ask exasperated. She sends me a smile before waving it off. 

“I’m looking at these blast patterns!” She yells up. I pause in my knot tying and look at Austin with a raised eyebrow. 

“Blast patterns?” we both shout back. She looks amused for a moment. 

“Yes! They’re very clear. Do you know what this means??” She asks excitedly. Austin shakes his head and while I sigh. 

“It means we aren’t the first ones here. Someone else found these stairs, and went to a lot of trouble to try and prevent anyone else from entering.” I inform as I tie off the final knot.

“Wait, if they were trying to stop people, should we really be going down there?” Austin asks, as Allessa buckles into the harness I throw her, and I follow suit. 

“No, we most definitely should not.” Allessa says before jumping off into the darkness. 

“Well, we better follow.” Austin says as he hesitates at the edge. I smirk and walk up so I am right next to him. 

“You know, you could stay here and wait for whoever else decides they want to show up.” Then I launch myself over the side, groaning when the rope goes taut. 

Austin is quick to follow.

-----------------------------------

We don’t make it very far before the stairs reappear. Once we have secured our equipment, Allessa passes out unlit torches and guns. Austin hesitates before grabbing his, and Allessa shoves it into his hand.

“You hesitate, you die.” Her voice is low, but still stands out in the silence. It’s out of place, and the echo lasts just a moment too long for comfort. Reaching into her pocket she withdraws a lighter, and we all gape as one by one, our torches reveal the walls. 

There are skeletons, mashed together, crowded on the walls.

Austin takes one look before he throws up into the dirt. I am almost right behind him, and would be, if it wasn’t for the sight just beyond. 

While the walls are covered in skeletons, the floor is covered in a map. A map identical to the one we had found in Crete. A very large, very intact map. 

“Oh.” Allessa breathes out. She tentatively steps forward, but the moment her foot touches the ground, it lights up and the portion she touches sinks down. One by one, three areas are outlined in white light.

“Greece, Crete, Morocco.” Austin says quietly. 

Allessa nods before speaking. “I wonder. Austin, go stand in Greece, but don’t touch the ground.” He looks confused before he notices that her hand is gesturing towards the wall, where skulls stick out into handholds. 

He groans loudly before nodding when she raises her eyebrow. “Fine. Fine! Okay.” I shake my head in sympathy before I catch her expression. She points me towards Crete.  Unlike Austin, I go about my task quietly, only groaning on the inside. However, I notice then that Allessa hasn’t stepped off of the piece of ocean she stepped onto. When I raise my eyebrows she turns to look at the section of wall not covered in pieces of skeletons.

There, Three sections of spikes jut out of the wall. I freeze, hanging onto the wall and look at her. She shrugs her shoulders and shouts “I am hoping that they disappear when you guys step on the spaces. Remember though, Austin should step first, then hop onto Crete at the same time as Nathan, then hop onto the all the same time that Nathan jumps to morocco!” 

Before I can point out that her plan is actually ridiculous and we most definitely would not be able to do that, Austin shrieks and pieces of skeleton fall as he hits Greece. 

Allessa and I watch horror struck as pieces of bone hit down on Crete, and bounce onto Morocco.

All we can do is watch in silence as a doorway opens, and a spot on the map appears.

There is a moment of quiet, as we all wait for the other shoe to drop. When nothing happens, I make my way over to the glowing dot.

“They’re coordinates,” I say. My voice rings through the air. Austin goes to speak but is cut off by an engine revving in the distance. 

Quickly, Allessa copies the coordinates into the journal, before we rush up the stairs.  At the top, we duck down to avoid being spotted by the goons that have begun to patrol. Austin groans. 

“Why’d they have to come from the left?” I can’t help myself when I respond. “Technically, with the way we are facing, it’s the right.”

Chapter Text

Previously

The group takes a drive through the desert during which they discuss their pasts. The group’s bonds are strengthened. The boys learn more about Allessa’s relationship with Sam. Nathan gets some questions answered, but even more are created. The group arrives at an archaeological site that was under the direction of the man from their journal. The group is happy there is still a trail to follow. The group repels down into a secret chamber with an intact map. They’ve found a clue. Austin accidentally solves the puzzle. Nathan and Allessa are impressed. The group finds the supposed coordinates of Atlantis. They regain some confidence in their search. Upon exit, they notice that the competition’s goons are roaming the sight. The first fight is about to begin.

Allessa and Nate: Trust is established, both growing closer, loyalty beginning to develop.

Allessa and Austin: Trust established, loyalty beginning to develop.

Austin and Nathan: Trust established, loyalty beginning to develop.

Austin’s P.O.V

Watching the men patrolling the camp and looking for us, I realize that this is it. This is the first encounter. 

We had to fight, now, or who knows what would happen.

I liked to think we would be taken captive, forced to share our knowledge, then let go after the enemy won his gold, everyone is happy, yay!

But one look at Allessa’s grim expression told me otherwise. And when she pressed a cold .45 into my hand, the point was driven home.

“Austin.” Nathan whispered from behind me. 

“Yeah?” I was trying to stay calm but my voice was shaking.

“When I say go, you’re going to run to the jeep, hop in, and start driving.” I whipped my head around and stared at him, my eyes wide.

Before I could say anything, though, he turned to Allessa. When he began instructing her on the plan, she did not question him.

Hmm perhaps she has no idea what to do either.

When Nathan finished explaining his plan she gave an affirmative nod. 

“I trust you.” her words were hard and stern, her face serious. 

For a moment, Nathan seemed surprised. 

“Good.” he said, then he turned to me, and I readied myself to run.

As he said ‘one’ he rose up out of cover and shot two men consecutively. My eyes went wide, and a scream lodged in my throat. 

But I stayed ready, listening carefully. 

‘Two’ was shouted over gunshots as the men realized we were here.

‘Go’ came as Allessa fired her first of many bullets to come. 

And then, I ran. I didn’t bother to aim, I didn’t take my eyes off the jeep.

But I did scream, a lot.

Surprisingly I made it, before shoving the keys into the ignition and flooring it. 

Looking in the rearview mirror, I saw the fight begin. A shape in my pocket caught my attention.

Allessa had shoved all of our notes into my possession. Before I could think too hard about it, however, I came upon a very unsettling scene. In front of me was a caravan, a very large number of very military-looking vehicles, armed with very prepared men.

Well fuck .

Nathan’s P.O.V.

While I shot, and screamed, and took hits, I was focused on two things. My safety and Allessa’s safety. We both had to make it out of this or Sam would probably kill me.

It was still odd to think he’d had a whole segment of his life that he hadn’t told me about.

Tikal . 

I wondered what that was, and why they were there but was interrupted by a gun to the face.

“Oh fuck ” I cried as I held my nose. It was bleeding, but I quickly forgot as I looked at a very large man. 

Shit, okay.

I hadn’t done a lot of fist fighting in my life, and that was showing as I mainly dodged his hits, every so often taking on to the gut, or back.

I was seriously considering giving up, face shoved into the dirt as he pushed down on my back when three gunshots rang out, and he fell on top of me. 

“We have to go !” Allessa shouted as she grabbed me up. I stood, the world blurring around me as I shook my head. 

Fuck got a concussion, fuck okay.

I watched as she reloaded my gun, and grabbed us both some machine guns, reloading hers as well.

Finally seeing straight I also grabbed a bag of grenades. 

When she just looked at me, I shrugged. 

Gotta be prepared . 

Looking around at the bodies I sighed. 

Fuck .

Then, we both looked up as a very familiar jeep came forward. 

“Austin! We told you to get out of here!” Allessa yelled, running her hands through her hair.

She didn’t look so good, head bleeding, hair ripped from its ponytail, shirt smudged with dirt and blood.

“They have reinforcements. A whole caravan .”

I sighed heavily and kicked the ground.

Fuck fuck fuck!

“Okay, new plan,” I say as I look around. Spotting a jeep with a gun mounted on the back I head towards it.

“We gotta take out the caravan.” for a moment both are silent before Austin lets out a disbelieving laugh and Allessa sighs quietly. 

“Alright, how do we do that?” she states, climbing into the back. 

“Austin will have to drive beside us, off to the side, so we have an escape. You and I are going to be doing a lot of jumping.”

She seems bothered for a small moment but nods anyway. 

I grab her arm. “Can you do this? You need to kill these people, they won’t spare you.”

Her eyes meet mine and she pulls her arm back. 

“You’ve got no idea what I’ve done, Nathan. Let’s go.”

_________

It doesn’t take long to catch up with the caravan who are beginning to leave, since they probably heard the gunshots. 

I look to Allessa and speak again. 

“We need to take out their big guns, that’s what they’ll aim with. Smaller guns we can avoid. Disarm if possible. Cover me with your gun. If we don’t shoot with our big one, maybe they’ll leave the car alone.”

Then I turn to Austin.

“You may have to use that. Be careful.” he nods, eyes wide with fear and anxiety.

He wasn’t meant to do this.  

The thought is sad, but now, he had no choice. 

This was life or death.

Damn, treasure hunting is messy .

It’s almost a blur, though that's probably my concussion, getting onto the first truck. The men are surprised I am there, and therefore don’t fight back. Stepping on the gas, I note Allessa has dragged herself onto the roof of the cab, ready to jump to the next one. 

As she does, I set the gun on the seat onto the gas, before climbing onto the top. Across the way, she is in a fistfight with two men, a third approaching from behind.

Quickly I jump, throwing a grande behind me. 

As it ticks the truck runs next to another of theirs. 

I turn away and try not to think about it too much as it explodes. 

After dispatching man three, we finish off the two, and I place another grenade on the big gun there. In all, they have three and I have two more grenades.

Huh, this is some predestined shit.

Before I can think anymore I hear Austin off to the side.

“Nathan! You can do this man! Take them out!”

In disbelief I turn and look at him, using a handgun to shoot towards the caravan, and doing what he thinks is offering advice.

Too bad none of his bullets were actually hitting anything.

Ahead of me, Allessa has already cleared the next gun, and I throw a grenade to her. It misses and lands precariously on the edge. 

She seems to hesitate before hauling herself over the side of the truck, clinging on as she reaches. 

While watching I don’t notice the man behind me until his arms are around my neck. Struggling, I manage to throw him over the side.

I have to hang on as the truck runs over a bump.

God, I hope that wasn’t him .

I don’t look back to check.

An explosion and Allessa hopping to another truck confirm that there is only one gun left.

Austin is still yelling off to the side, though now it just sounds like shrieking, and Allessa is way ahead of me, already approaching gun three.

Just as I make it, an absolutely ridiculously unnaturally large man appears, seemingly from nowhere.

“Oh, what the fuck!?” I yell, wanting to stomp my foot.

Austin’ P.O.V.

Someone was screaming as I drove frantically, firing shots in the general direction of the caravan. With a start, I realized it was me. I had also gone from pumping up Nathan, who was the only one who could hear me, to pumping up myself.

“YOU CAN DO THIS AUSTIN! It’s just some guns. Some bullets, imminent death as a possibility, but it's fine !”

Then, a very unnecessarily large man appears above the two and I groan.

“Seriously!? What the fuck!?” I can’t watch the fight, as much as I want to, because I am too busy dodging carnage, trees, and rocks. 

However, the two manage to escape, leaving behind a final explosion and many potentially dead people. 

Some are definitely dead. I think.

For a long while, there is only silence, permeated by pants for breath and groans of pain. 

“Fuck I can’t see straight.” Nathan finally says, holding his head. 

“I can’t either. I think he broke my brain when he slammed his head into mine.” Allessa commented. 

In alarm, I turned around, and there was a very large red oval on her forehead.

“Fuck, that’s gonna leave a mark.” Nathan says. 

After his comment, the silence continues. 

“Head to the sea.” is the only instruction Allessa had given me. 

_______

Allessa’s P.O.V.

The air quickly fills with the smell of the ocean, the closer we get to the coast. While I know chances are slim, I hope he’s there. In our last communication, he had stated he would be waiting for me after we raided the dig site. 

For a moment, I think back to all we had done. 

Were we doing the right thing? Raiding historical sites, tearing up ruins, killing people ? 

Stop. You can’t think like that. Not when you’re racing against him. 

I think, though, of the gods. Was this retribution? If Atlantis was real, it gave some sense of reality to their existence as well. And if they did exist, if they were watching, what did they think of our goal? If Atlantis had been as much of a disaster as it was turning out to be, would they try and stop us from finding it?

We drive over a bump and Nathan groans loudly next to me. I was sure he had a concussion, and he looked almost as bad as me. 

Flashes of the fight try to surface but I push them back down. I would deal with that trauma later.

Especially because it was most likely just the first of many fights in front of us. 

To be honest, it surprised me how long it had taken to get to this point. With how serious he was about getting there first, I had expected an attack long ago.

It doesn’t take too long to spot him, Ramses, waving from an idling motorboat.

“A pirate!? ” Nathan says, barely able to hold back a scoff. 

At my glare, though, he just rolls his eyes and holds up his hands in surrender. 

Not much is said as we board the small boat and take a quick ride towards a larger ship looming in the distance. 

I relish the quiet for the moment that I have it. 

Unbidden, I remember the last time I had been on a boat.

“Allessa! Are you ready?” his voice rang out, loud and playful in tone. “Yes! Yes, I’m here dad!” The little girl ran out of the cabin of the small fishing boat, smiled wide, and wore a polka dot pink swimsuit standing out against the blues and whites of her surroundings. 

Her father, a middle-aged man, average in height and appearance, was waiting with a small set of scuba gear, to match his larger one. 

“Today, we dive.”

I shook my head. 

Today we dive . 

The memory was a sweet one, one not plagued by harsh rules, practice, and training. It had been a day to play, look at fish, and swim around, without a care. 

However, now that I was older it wasn’t too hard to see it as something else. But that was a dangerous train of thought better left for bedtime. 

Of course, it wasn't the only time I’d been on a boat. Though, remembering Same was painful at best, and not entirely suited to a situation involving his brother, who I seemed to grow closer to with every harrowing turn of this adventure. 

Sitting against the wall of the boat, looking for all the world that he was perhaps minutes from death, Nathan Drake was watching me. 

I looked away before I could decipher the emotions in his eyes, and very clearly beginning to show on his face. 

Fuck.

Chapter Text

Previously

The group encounters their first brush with death when goons, allegedly from the mysterious opponent, appear in their path. The group fights for their lives. Allessa and Nathan work their way through disabling the large machine guns mounted on trucks. They must now process the trauma. Austin drives a jeep for a long time. He has calluses. Allessa has a moment to think back on her past and the current situation. She begins to understand the situation more clearly.

Allessa and Nate: Loyalty growing, trust growing, friendship growing

Allessa and Austin: Loyalty affirmed, trust gained, friendship solidified

Austin and Nate: Loyalty growing, trust gained, friendship growing

Nathan’s P.O.V.

As much as I didn’t want to believe it, the evidence was right in front of me, smoking a cigar and looking like he’d won the jackpot. 

“You owe me.'' The pirate, Ramses as he had introduced himself, was smiling so widely at Allessa it looked like he was part shark. 

It took a moment for Allessa to turn around, but when she did her face was caught between disbelief and amusement. 

“I owe you? How do you figure that?” her tone was teasing, and I felt something well up inside me. 

“Because I just saved your asses.” Almost immediately, Allessa’s expression darkened, but there was no further comment or reaction from either of them. 

Eventually, we arrived at the main ship. It was large, but bare, holding only the necessities. 

Behind me, I could hear Austin’s breathing pick up. Just as I went to follow Allessa and Ramses below deck, assumedly to our rooms or towards food, Austin placed a hand on my shoulder. Turning to him, he wordlessly pointed at the sky.

Where it had been sunny, clouds were beginning to roll in. While their progress seemed to be slow, it was clear they would arrive in the next day or two, and the storm looked like it would be fairly bad. 

Meeting eyes we both seemed to agree that whatever it was we were growing closer to may not be as welcoming as we thought. 

Before I could say anything, I heard Allessa’s voice calling out to us, claiming we should hurry up if we wanted warm food. 

_______

Dinner passes in silence, all of us recovering from the past couple of hours. 

I’d seen some action looking for Henry Avery, or any sign we could find, but it was mostly Sam and Sully who did the dirty work. But I hadn’t seen anything like what we just experienced. 

After taking a deep breath I look up, only to meet the eyes of our gracious host, the pirate .

“You look tired .” his voice is smooth, and it’s filled with something that sounds like sorrow. 

“I know what that is like. Robert will show you to your rooms.” 

We follow without question.

I’m thinking that following without question is beginning to become a problem.

__________

I wake up to commotion above deck. Quickly I make my way to the deck, wiping sleep from my eyes and stumbling due to slight dizziness from standing up too fast.

When I get there I almost turn around to walk back to my bed. 

The scene before me is almost too ridiculous to be real. 

Allessa is reaching up to grab a book from Ramses who is hanging off the ropes and holding it over the ocean screaming in more than one indistinguishable language. Meanwhile, the crew watched on in what could either be disinterest or amusement (it seemed to depend on the person), and Austin well, Austin was doing a weird nervous hop that looked a bit like he really had to use the bathroom but was too nervous he would miss something if he left. 

“Listen, Ramses, would you come down so I can give you the proof!? ” Allessa yelled as she reached for his legs and began pulling at his pants leg. 

“ PROOF?! Listen, I don’t know what she’s been telling you boys but she’s crazy! Do you know how much debt- ” 

Ramses doesn’t get to finish his statement because at that moment he tips just a bit too much, his arms waving in his passionate state, and he falls right into the ocean. 

By some stroke of luck, Allessa manages to catch the book. 

Great, the literature is safe . 

______

After everyone takes a break to calm down (and dry off), Allessa, Ramses, Austin, and I stand in a circle in the captain’s cabin office. 

“Look Ramses, I know this sounds crazy, I know . Just listen.” He grunts before throwing his hand up in the air in defeat, collapsing into a chair. 

For a moment the smile on her face is all I see. 

“Atlantis was a mighty power which, unprovoked, made an attack against the whole of Europe and Asia, to which Athens put an end. This power came from the Atlantic, for in those days the ocean could be navigated. The island was placed in front of the straits called the Pillars of Heracles. The island was larger than Libya and Asia put together.”

As she speaks, she paces around the small space, stuck in her own storytelling. I notice Austin watching from the corner, concern heavy on his face.

“On Atlantis was a great prosperous empire which had rule over the island and its surrounding areas. The men of Atlantis subjected, that means they made slaves of their people, Libya within the Pillars as far as Egypt and Europe as far as Tyrrhenia. The vast power, here being Atlantis, gathered to subdue Athens, but Athens won because of their “preeminent courage, military skill, and being leader of the Hellenes” or all of Greece. The Athenians also released the those subjugated to Atlantis from slavery.”

Her tone lowers then as she continues. 

“After the battle, there were violent earthquakes and floods and in a single day and night, Atlantis sank into the sea. This is why the sea is impassable in this area and impenetrable as there is a shoal of mud from the island’s remains.” 

Ramses grunts “So?” he says, sounding annoyed.

“ So , the people of Atlantis allegedly launched an attack on Athens 900 years before Solon talked to the priest: in Timaeus , Athenian lawyer Solon visits Egypt in 590 BC where he was told the story of Atlantis by a priest at Sais. Atlantis is said by the priest to have been a great and wonderful state which ruled over the other islands and owed its power to the civilization that had evolved there.”

She runs her hand through her hair as she gets more worked up. 

“Athenians defeated Atlantis and liberated the cities it had conquered, later Atlantis suffered the earthquake and flood.”

When she stops talking Ramses scoffed. “Again, so ?”

I don’t think I have ever seen someone roll their eyes so hard before.

“ So , there’s every chance that Solon heard about the story from whoever escaped, and was told to pass it on to Plato.” 

Suddenly something clicks.

“Wait wait wait.” All eyes turn to me. 

“Plato, writes this 900 years after Atlantis falls? I’m not the only one who thinks that’s fucking fake right?”

Austin speaks up then. “Yeah, I don’t think Plato was 900 years old” his voice is soft as if expecting retribution.

Allessa doesn’t disappoint either. 

“Listen, Atlantis was magic right? The gods? All that crap ! They say the future!” even she must hear the ridiculousness behind her words as her voice gets quieter and more defeated.

There is a moment of silence before she continues, quiet and strained.

“ Plato wrestled between the idea of what is true and what is untrue, he believed the falsity of a story is used to teach a lesson. He’s our sole reputable source for the story of Atlantis. Falsity, the cause being the greed when it’s love instead, just like in the painting.

It’s like Jose Maria Galan said ‘The only thing we know for sure is that everything gets wiped out in the end. So, Plato took a natural disaster he heard about and twisted it, maybe he had an ancestor. Plato’s message was that even an advanced civilization can bend and break to Nature’s whim and wish.” 

She looks up then, searching for something. But no one can, or will,  give it to her.

“Look, Atlantis is a lot of things. It represents quite a few historical events. Exodus, the Minoans, it’s all connected. Atlantis is real , there’s no way it can’t be. We’ll figure it, I will figure it out .”

I hold up a hand then, confused. “Wait exodus ? As in Moses and the Red Sea?” She nods, almost waving me off. 

“Yeah, the information lines up with events that might have happened during the volcanic explosion. You know, the ten plagues, sky darkening, sea turning to blood, locusts, the whole deal. Mainly the parting of the sea as they crossed which directly correlates to a tsunami. It happened at the Sea of Reeds.” She’s waving her hand as she speaks as if this is information we should’ve already known.

She sighs then. “Let me just think Ramses and I’ll have it figured out. I know it exists, I know it .” 

It is clear that I am not the only one disquieted by her desperation.

Ramses sits for a moment and stares. He stares hard.  

I can only guess what’s going through his mind. 

“Okay, alright, okay. Your money, but it’s my men . Y ou have two weeks. That’s it. This competitor of yours is picking us off like flies okay. So just, figure it out.”

Among profuse thanks, Allessa directs him towards our new destination. 

However, at the same moment the ship begins to turn, the sky grows dark.

Beside me, Allessa frowns.

“No one steals from the gods and gets away with it.” her voice is quiet, and if I wasn’t so close I wouldn’t have heard it. 

She says something else, something that causes a look of resignation to cross her face, but the picked-up wind blows it away.

At that moment, there’s a shudder that shakes the ship. It’s deep, and then a deafening crack splits the air as water begins to rush the deck.  My eyes meet Allessa’s before the world descends into chaos.

Chapter Text

Due to adding an extra class, I am just now able to get this note out.

I am currently waiting on a new computer and until it shows up (should be in the next day or two) the following works will be on hold from normal updates:

Book One: The Great Wizard Rescue

Uncharted: The Search for Atlantis

61 Days, 10 Fandoms, A Whole Lot of Trash

The new computer was a long time coming so I'm not surprised. XD Again, this shouldn't be for long and the next update date should not be affected.

Thanks for your patience,

AllessaRen2198

Chapter Text

This is a reminder that during Search for Atlantis Sam is 23 and Allessa and Nathan are 18.

In Interlude: Sam Drake and the Wall of Tikal , Allessa is around 13/14 and Sam is 19, because this is a huge age gap and Allessa is a minor, her developing crush is very much not reciprocated. It is also based on the fact that Sam is an adult figure who has not used her as a means to an end, though that will be vague. In all, it is much more of an admiration that she mistakes for a crush.

The teaser scene takes place when Allessa and Nathan are 16 and Sam would be 21. 

The meeting between Sam, Allessa, and Ramses present in an earlier chapter takes place in between the teaser and the first chapter, so Sam would be around 20 and Allessa would be around 15. 

Allessa’s journey starts very young, and from this point on as the situation becomes clear themes of emotional and mental manipulation of a child by a parent and other authoritative figures will be present. While it will not be super in detail it will be there and I wanted to let you know so no one is caught off guard.

From this point forward please heed the tags. 

I also wanted to leave this note as a perspective of how young Nathan was when he got started as well. While we see depictions in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception I still feel like it was sometimes lost in the plot (at least for me). 

While this story won’t be too dark as I don’t what that to be a huge part of it, the theme is important to Allessa’s backstory and choices from here to the end. 

I also wanted to drop that I have a whole series of books surrounding her character planned out and am so excited for this series and where it will go.

14 chapters left plus an Epilogue!!

I hope you enjoy the next two chapters. 

Thanks for your support, 

AllessaRen2198

Chapter Text

Previously

The group officially meets Ramses, who declares that they owe him. Nathan cannot believe what is happening. Dinner passes in silence while the group begins to think about the encounter. They begin to process the trauma, Nathan realizes that the danger from his hunt for Henry Avery’s treasure is nothing compared to what awaits him, and Rmses takes pity on the group, relating to their fatigue. Allessa and Ramses have an argument, resulting in Ramses falling overboard. He is wet and annoyed. Allessa starts to narrate what they know, and talks herself into a hole when it comes to the timeline of events. Nathan brings to light a troubling piece of evidence. After this revelation, Allessa turns desperate. This causes concern to grow among the group . Ramses gives Allessa two weeks to find Atlantis. The group now has a deadline. The boat begins to sink. The storm got there fast.

Allessa and Nate: Loyalty growing, trust growing, friendship growing, trepidation beginning to set in

Allessa and Austin: Loyalty affirmed, trust gained, friendship solidified, trepidation beginning to set in

Austin and Nate: Loyalty growing, trust gained, friendship growing

Allessa and Ramses: strained partnership, trust in terms of life/death, heavy doubt 

Austin and Ramses: neutral

Nate and Ramses: tense

Austin’s P.O.V.

At the sound of a thunderous crack, my eyes go wide. I had always expected many things to happen in my final moments, unable to stick to one thing. 

Instead of all sound disappearing, I hear the screams of people being crushed by the waves and dragged out to sea. 

Instead of my life flashing before my eyes, I see blurred figures running for lifeboats, or praying on their knees.

As the waves reach me, and I am dragged under, I hope that maybe it’ll be painless, like people always said. And for one blissful moment, there is no sound, I think of my mom, and I feel no pain.

That was before the chunk of wood slammed into my head.

After that, there is only darkness.

Nathan’s P.O.V.

The ship is in chaos. Around me, bodies are taken by the waves.

I think back to something Allessa had said, about taking things from the gods. About the arrogance of man, and how the lady had warned Austin to be wary of the things we could wake in the deep. 

Was this retribution? What the hell had we gotten into?

What had started as a simple hunt for a dream, was quickly becoming the desperate chase towards some finale that could only end in bad and terrible things for all involved. 

I see Austin, and start to make my way towards him. He looked terrified, and if there was one person on this boat I could trust it was him.

So far Austin showed remarkable signs of mental stability and an interest in staying alive, unlike everyone else who seemed ready to lay down their lives (Allessa) or take what they could and run (Ramses). 

I barely make it ten feet from him, when Austin is grabbed , there really is no other way to describe the sudden wave that overtook him, and dragged into the sea. 

Well fuck.

I briefly debate going after him, but am forced by a sharp tug to dodge the falling mast. I can only watch as a sail falls weighing down the men in the water.

I am reminded of a children’s nursery rhyme I’d once come across, written by a sailor, when researching Henry Avery.

Down in the deep

Dark and Deadly Sea

The man with the locker waits for me

Down in the deep

Dark and Deadly Sea

Davy Jones and his court of three

Wait for my soul, light and bright

Wait for me in the dark and deadly night

I am able to make out that the hand belongs to Ramses before another huge wave knocks into us. As my eyesight fades, I can only think, again, of the woman’s words. 

Except we hadn’t woken something at the bottom of the sea, not yet at least. 

We’d disturbed the sea itself. 

Allessa’s P.O.V.

Everything seems to happen in flashes. Men being dragged to their doom, Nathan going for Austin, Austin going overboard, Ramses saving Nathan’s ass only for both to be swept away. 

And then it's just me, for a long and still moment. Standing on the deck in the sudden silence, as the world seems to go silent. 

For just a moment, I wonder if it's over. Then, as if to make sure I understood that I was not in control of this moment and my life was in fate’s hands, the storm flashes to life. 

I feel my body slide sideways as the boat rolls. I feel the current tear at me, thrashing my body back and forth, my hair tangling as I tumble, the burning in my lungs. 

Then a white shape darting towards me in the water, before darkness takes hold. 

-------------------------------

When I wake, it’s to a painful poking in my back. As I blink back to awareness the sky in front of me blurs, tall jagged shapes taking form slowly, until I am able to make out that they are rocks. 

Lots of sharp and pointy rocks. 

That must be what’s poking my back.

I shift around and eventually sit up, hugging my side as I do. Looking down I glimpse red before shaking my head to fight off the sudden wave of nausea.

No, don’t think about it. You haven’t died from blood loss yet, so it’s fine. 

I look around and see more rocks, a little sand, and what appears to be pieces of the ship. 

Slowly I make my way towards it. 

Picking my way through the spiky rock spikes I spot a hand. 

Suddenly I feel a wave of hope crash into me. T

hank god, it’s someone else!

Excited, I call out, quickening my pace to reach them faster.

As I get closer though, I hesitate. They hadn’t moved or responded. 

Maybe they’re just knocked ou-

I don’t finish my thought before I notice that there is in fact a hand, and a head, and even a torso to go with it. 

But where there should be legs and feet there is nothing except spilled guts. Looking around, I spot the other half of the body and gag. 

Taking a look at his face I registered him as one of the men who had been with us at dinner. 

But, I couldn’t remember his name.

Looking around I notice a few other suspicious shapes, and while I want nothing more than to walk the fuck away in the opposite direction, I resign myself to looking. 

I have to find Nathan and Austin. I have to try.

Very quickly I determine that none of these mangled corpses are Nathan or Austin and move the fuck on. Looking around I spot the rock cliff face and sigh. 

Up it is.

As I prepare myself to climb I shut out the burning in my side, the potential ramifications of the wreck should Ramses be alive to see his precious ship and crew, and the fact that both Nathan and Austin could be dead. 

One after the other, I slowly make my way up the cliff face, hands slipping and gathering nicks and cuts, blood quickly replacing sweat and rain. 

For a moment, just a moment, I imagine what else I could be doing at this moment. The things that normal girls did. Doing hair, makeup, talking about boys and who they’d marry someday. But here I was, treasure hunting. If you could even call it that, at this point.

You chose to do this, didn’t you? You had a choice. You chose this. You could’ve walked away, but you didn’t. See it through.

The words are harsh in my mind, but I  couldn’t let myself forget why I was here. Couldn't let myself forget my motivations, my goal. 

I can’t let him win. I will die before that outcome comes to be.

I am struck then, by the sobering thought that yes, I would die if that is what it took. I think about Austin, Nate, and Sam who was counting on me to bring him home. How Sully was probably waiting to get me a new plane so I wouldn’t kick his ass. 

I thought about Tikal, about all the nights spent staring at the stars through my bedroom window and wishing beyond anything that I could help fulfill his dream and find Atlantis.

There, hanging off the side of the cliff, I made my decision. 

I would live as long as it took to watch him watch Atlantis escape his grasp.

Eventually, I make it to the top of the cliff. Collapsing I take in deep breaths and allow my head to lull to the side. 

I sit up though when I spot Nathan’s limp form.

“Son of a bitch.” I mutter as I crawl towards him, picking up his head and lightly patting his face. 

Then I look behind him, to see the nice and smooth path he had dragged himself up. 

“ Son of a bitch! ” I had climbed up that cliff for nothing. 

At a stuttered inhale from Nathan, I finally let my body collapse. 

Cursing the ship for sinking, the storm for existing, and the stupid path for not being more obvious. Sinking into darkness once again, I feel the raindrops finally letting up.

_____________

It’s sunny, at least from what she could tell. She stumbles, grabbing onto the boy next to her, who helps her regain her footing. Samuel Drake, though she knew his real last name. She’d looked him up, having had access to a computer earlier that month. But, she would let him keep his secret.

They’d been out here, following the so-called great Wall of Tikal, for a week. 

They’d gotten nothing so far except for bug bites and blisters. Though, she supposed, this was nice, after what had happened, what she had said to the person she thought she trusted most. But it had happened, so here she was instead, following Sam through a god-forsaken jungle, looking for god knows what.

She stops then, tugging on his arm for him to join her. On the ground is a round rock, almost like granite in its appearance, though a little more unnaturally blue. She pretends it's a sapphire and wonders what she would do, but ultimately stops before she gets too far into that fantasy. 

A world where she was a real treasure hunter, and he hadn’t betrayed her, and Sam liked her back instead of seeing her as a dumb kid. 

“It reminds me of that easter, it’s round, just like the eggs were.” she says before going quiet for a moment, lost in her thoughts. 

She doesn't look at Sam but can feel a little bit of amused annoyance at the sight, even though out loud he hums. “He was so proud of me.'' She is surprised at her words, guilty for bringing the topic up, after there had been so many fights, so much lost time, and Jesus they were kids they were supposed to have all the time in the world. 

But here, in this jungle, where it was just them and the wildlife, she felt like they were running out. Like a world with both of them in it no longer existed outside of this place. 

After all, even she knew that she would have to leave him, to keep him safe, to keep him secret. 

No, he could never know about Sam Drake. She jumps a little then, as he speaks.

“ I am proud of you. Look, you found something!” You laugh with him as you both look at the graffiti marked rock, small sharpie smiley face glinting in the sun. 

For now, you were here with Sam, and things were normal. 

For now, you could pretend that he wasn’t out there beyond the borders of the forest, waiting to snatch you up again. 

Nathan’s P.O.V.

I startle awake. One moment there is darkness, the next the sounds of waves crashing faintly meets my ears. 

For a moment I panic, wondering if I am back beneath the waves, being banged against rocks and the bodies of other human beings. 

Looking around I carefully take stock of my body. My ankle twinges in pain, but I can move it, which means it’s not broken too badly. My head is pounding, and my ribs hurt, but overall I am in one piece and alive . 

I hear a groan and turn to find Allessa laying next to me. Well, half on top of me, like she’d been looking down then just slumped over in exhaustion. 

I follow a trail of blood with my eyes to the side of the cliff and laugh. 

She’d climbed the side, hol-y shit . 

This girl was a whole different breed of crazy.

Speaking of crazy, I look around for Austin. We needed to get back on the crazy ship because we had two weeks before Ramses probably killed us all himself. 

Maybe I should call Sully. We could probably use him in this. 

Brushing off my hands I lean down, squatting and subsequently ignoring my ankle and nudge Allessa. 

She sniffs as she comes back to the world from whatever she’d been dreaming about. For a moment I think I hear her say my brother’s name, which dampens my mood slightly. 

I wasn’t blind, Allessa was pretty in that ‘badass treasure hunter who’s a touch insane and hyper-focused on running herself into the ground to find a potentially not real place’ kind of way.

As she wakes up I begin to scan the beach. 

Down at the bottom of the cliff was the shipwreck, or what hadn’t been dragged to the bottom of the sea. From up here, I can’t make out any individual bodies, but the water around the area still runs red.

It hasn’t been that long then, since we hit rock bottom . 

Then again, they’d hit rock bottom at that Plato statue in Greece when they left their fucking fingerprints all over the damn thing. they were so screwed once they got back to actual civilization, not just other crazy people. 

I feel her presence behind me as we look down together. 

“I’m taking the fucking path down.” 

I find it in myself to chuckle at her words and their conviction.

Chapter Text

It was odd how she had ended up so far from home. How she ended up here. 

In some ways, she kept expecting the boy, or man as he kept insisting, next to her to decide she was slowing him down. That she was just an annoying kid. 

She assumed on some level he probably didn’t know what to do with her, after having found her stumbling through the jungle after her mad dash to escape the clutches of her former life. 

Of my destiny . 

The words still brought back the look on his face, the wild eyes, the sinister smile, and worse, the way he had praised her when she did something right.

All these years she had mistaken it for affection and love when the whole time she had been nothing but a tool to get to the final destination. 

It was fitting then, that now she did not have one. 

What would she do when this stranger decided he’d had enough and moved on? 

Shaking her head, she decided to leave those thoughts behind her and outside of the Jungle that surrounded them. 

She stops walking as the man, who had introduced himself as Sam Drake, it’s nice to meet you , kneeled down to once again poke at the earth. 

She didn't tell him she knew exactly who he was, that she had been told to report any sign of him or the man named Sully. She figured he'd probably leave her here if he knew. 

“Hmm, the Wall’s gone, if it doesn’t pick up again in the next 10 min we’ve made a wrong turn.”

“What happens if we make a wrong turn?” she winces as the question works its way free. She shouldn’t ask questions she didn’t need to know the answer to. 

But, this man before her smiles. His eyes twinkle with mischief as he responds “We turn back and go another way. And we keep going until we find it again.”

And oh wow, he had answered her question, not been mad, and his smile was kind of cute.

She felt her shoulders relax a little and she knew he had noticed too. He’d been watching her, probably still wondering why a child, She was almost 14 thank you very much, was wandering around in the jungle with red-rimmed eyes, and smudges of dirt all alone.

That was another thing about Sam Drake. He didn’t ask questions he did not want to know the answer to. 

“And what happens if we never find it again?” His shrug is carefree. “We will find it again, it’s here. And hey, maybe we’ll find the treasure too.”

She tries to force her shoulders to not tense up again, and when he frowns she shakes her head.

“I’m not much for treasure hunting, you know. I prefer to stay inside where it’s safe and nothing adventurous ever happens.”

The lie is clear and they both know it, but he doesn’t press the issue. She’s made it clear it’s off the table, and he respects that.

As they turn around he begins to talk about his brother, Nathan who is her age and seems to share her excitement about the world. He talks about how they’d just escaped from the orphanage Nathan had been in. How’d they left America behind and had worked their way down. How he’d read about this place and decided to try his luck, leaving Nathan in the small village under the watch of the locals. 

About the old lady, and their mother’s journals.

As he talks, she wonders at how his perspective is so different from what she’s always known treasure hunting to be. 

Sam doesn’t have a set end goal or treasure. 

He simply thirsts for adventure and freedom. 

She briefly wonders if, one day, he’ll turn out to be like all the others she knows. Craving treasure and glory instead of adventure and wonderous sights. 

Maybe he’ll be both, the perfect balance. Maybe he’ll fall into the trap that is greed for glory and desperation for power only few possess. 

“Hey Sam?” She says amongst the loud quiet of the Jungle around them.

“Yeah?” his voice is smooth and it’s nice to listen to. He’s nice.

“If you could find one place in the whole wide world, what would it be?”

He thinks for a moment, his mouth turning down at the corners, and she watches the slight breeze lift small strands of his hair. 

“The place where I belong.” his words are quiet and hold a small amount of hope and sadness. “What about you?” 

She smiles up at him, feeling the earth and roots beneath her feet, the sun peeking through thick leaves, and she feels for the first time, real hope settle in her chest. 

“I think that would be a wonderful thing to find.”

Chapter Text

Hello!

I will be going on a short hiatus until the semester comes to a close. This means my next update will be on December 30th as the semester ends on December 15th, negating that update.

This hiatus will allow me to get more Sun Summoner updates done, as well as work on the next work in our Throw of the Dice series just in time for the holiday season.

As I publish this note, I will also post the 61 days chapters I currently have done as an apology gift of sorts. :)

Thank you for your patience,

AllessaRen2198

Chapter Text

Previously:

The storm hits and the boat sinks, claiming many lives with it. The group is split. Trauma has occurred. Effects unknown . Allessa wakes up injured and must find her way to help after witnessing dead bodies on the beach, and no Nathan or Austin. As she does so she thinks about her reasons for continuing. She comes to terms with her situation and carries on, goal in mind. Allessa finds Nathan and a much easier path up to the top, before passing out. Her limits have been reached. Allessa dreams of Tikal. Effects unknown. Nathan wakes to see Allessa and comes to terms with the fact that she may be more than he thought, and isn’t she pretty? Or is that just him?. He comes to the realization that they are majorly screwed . Allessa is injured. Effects unknown. They must find Austin before Ramses finds them. The deadline is closing in.  

Allessa and Nate: Loyalty growing, trust growing, friendship growing, trepidation beginning to set in, romance?

Allessa and Austin: Loyalty affirmed, trust gained, friendship solidified, trepidation beginning to set in

Austin and Nate: Loyalty growing, trust gained, friendship growing

Allessa and Ramses: strained partnership, trust in terms of life/death, heavy doubt 

Austin and Ramses: neutral

Nate and Ramses: tense

Allessa’s P.O.V.

Hiking down the path was much easier than climbing the cliff. Although I wasn’t so sure that the world had always been so blurry or topsy turvy.

Nathan’s P.O.V.

As we walked down the path which had seemed more daunting the night before, I stared at Allessa’s back. 

Her hair was swaying a lot in the breeze. For a moment I admired it before realizing that it wasn’t a breeze and she was very much falling.

Panicked, I ran up to catch her but before I could reach her she went over the side.

Looking down and expecting to see the worst, I sighed in relief that the drop had been only a few feet. Though it looked like she had landed fairly hard on her side.

As I rushed down I felt my own knees and ankles twinge in sympathy.

When I reached her I noticed a large patch of red on her side and sighed deeply. The injury looked pretty bad, and slamming it into the ground had most definitely not helped. 

First and foremost I needed to stop the bleeding. For a moment I panicked, before fumbling to undo the gun holster that had been empty, yet still in place. 

“Alright, you’re going to be okay, I’m gonna use this as a tourniquet and we will explore to see what we can find as a bandage.” Expecting a response, I turned to glance at her face. But what I saw made me pause.

She looked lost and utterly hopeless.

“Nate?” her voice was quiet and I stiffened.

“What are we doing? What am I doing?” 

Her expression was a mix of confusion, and her eyes swam with a sadness I couldn’t even begin to describe. She’d seen so much on this journey, ad I only knew about the part I’d been on. As far as I knew, she'd been doing this her entire life. 

We’d found clues, that had seemed to point towards an alternate story. But now that timeline was dust unless Plato had some very reliable, very old , sources.

I’d seen the manic desperation in her eyes when she’d been confronted with that hard truth on the boat.

We all had. It had been painful, watching her begin to realize that maybe this wasn’t real, maybe this would get her killed.

Hell, it almost had. Many times.

It still might, if I didn’t find a way to save this from infection.

“You know, I still think there’s something somewhere.” I kept my words slow and confident, making sure she heard every one.

“Somebody made that cave we found, someone put that journal in the statue, someone knows something. Atlantis is real, in some capacity, and I’m going to make sure you find it. God help anyone who stands in our way.”

There was silence, and this time when I looked at her face, I stopped short.

She was right there. At some point, she’d leaned forward.

My mind flashed back to the cave and the last time we’d been alone, and how I’d almost kissed her then, but didn’t.

“Nate.” her voice was quiet and I wanted to close my eyes and just be here , for just a moment.

It hadn’t been quiet in so long. 

Not since I’d left the orphanage with Sam, not since we’d started this adventure.

Because it was an adventure now, right? There was death, discovery, competition, treasure, and traveling.

I didn’t startle when her lips brushed mine for a moment before she leaned our foreheads together. 

Because it wasn’t a big deal. It had been a long time coming, and I should’ve found time to kiss her when I was 16 and she had saved me from jail. 

We sit in silence for a few more minutes before we both sigh and I stand back up. 

“We’re going to have to go back to the wreckage. Try to salvage weapons, find something for your side, find anything or anyone that may still be there.” 

Helping her up as she nods, I feel my soul shift. Whatever reservations I had had on the boat were gone. 

Yes, god fucking help whoever stands in my way.

----------

I hadn’t had time to really take in the scene when I had dragged myself away last night. From the way Allessa’s glance flew to a patch of rocks before quickly glancing away, I knew she had. 

She would’ve had to walk amongst them just to reach the cliff she had climbed, which I still thought she was insane for. If she’d gone a few more steps to the left she would’ve seen the path up.

Looking around the scene in the harsh daylight, I felt myself choke, quickly moving away so that I didn’t throw up all over Allessa, whose face had taken on a look of utter dread.

It was almost beautiful, like an old painting, the way the pieces of the main ship split into two in the background, while smaller pieces littered the ground.

The various dead bodies in various forms of mutilation were also scattered.

Their faces were forever frozen in variations of fear, pain, and sometimes peace. Like they knew their suffering was now over.

While I hadn’t known how many men total had been on the ship. I was sure they were all dead.

That crash hadn’t been natural, it couldn’t have been. The way it had come so suddenly, and so violently.

I didn’t mention the soft whimper that left Allessa, or the few tears that had run down my face.

Neither of us could show the other weakness at this point, if one of us broke, we both would. 

Finally, I spot a miraculously clean piece of sail and send a brief thank you toward the sky (I’d never been religious but at this point, I would do anything to make sure we all made it out of this alive) and a hand holding a bottle of rum. Ignoring the fact that whatever the hand was attached to had been crushed under a rock, I grabbed both items and sat Allessa down to properly (as proper as I could at least) dress her wound.

There wasn’t so much as a flinch when the alcohol met her wounds. I sighed deeply, if she wasn’t feeling pain or wasn’t able to articulate it, we were probably in big trouble. It was looking like any adrenaline she may have been running on was quickly running out. We needed to find a safe place to rest, and some form of food or water. 

I knew at some point she would need stitches. Luckily the edges of the wound were not ragged, which meant the job would go a lot easier once able to be completed. I gave her cheek a pat.

“Hey, Allessa. You gotta stay awake okay? We have to get to a safe place.”

She grimaced. “Nowhere-” her words were interrupted by a grunt. “No where is safe. Not with him .”

I wanted to believe she was hallucinating, unaware of where we were, but I also knew better.

The shipwreck had been bad, but whatever was coming was much worse. And I wasn’t sure we were prepared for it.

I set her down, making sure to keep her upright, knowing that if I let her lay down she may not get back up again.

“Alright, I’m going to go get some guns, and maybe some food. Stay here okay?” 

She seemed to not hear me for a moment and I was on the cusp of repeating myself when she nodded.

As I went to go, though, she grabbed my hand. 

“Sorry I kissed you. Shouldn’t have done that.” her words were a little slurred and I placed my hand over hers. 

“You’re all good. Don’t worry.” I kept my voice soft but loud enough for her to hear me. I found that it was important she know, though I didn’t acknowledge it was because she could die. 

Carefully, I scanned the wreckage, making myself look at each dead man, at what they had next to them. I also made the sign of the cross. I didn’t know if they were religious and I didn’t know the last rites, but I figured it couldn’t hurt. It wasn’t right that they had died for us when they didn’t even know what they were dying for (which had, so far, been a bunch of nothing).

As I walked though, I thought about the cave again.

Someone had made the choice to create it. But who, if not those who came from the island.

Maybe it was the ancestors making sure the story was known. Maybe it was a warning for those who went looking. 

Look what will happen to you, should you dare to defy the gods .

Maybe it was fake, and we were chasing nothing.

A love story gone wrong and pure destruction and betrayal were popular tactics to make stories worth telling.

Man, if it was just a story a lot was going to go wrong real fast. Allessa may be beginning to accept that the story was false, but whoever she was trying to stop was very much not going to do the same.

I wondered who he was. A lover, family member, mentor? 

Shaking my head, I head back to Allessa. When she sees me she points to a backpack that I recognize as Austin’s. It’s got blood on it, but I ignore that. 

Carefully I approach Allessa and strap a gun to her waist, along with some ammo. Even if she wouldn’t be able to use it, either from fatigue or a mental block created from trauma, it would make me feel better that it was there. 

After picking up the backpack which held all of our clues (Even in distress Austin was looking out for her), I help her up.

Feeling to make sure my gun was easily accessible, I turn to the drag marks barely visible now in the shadows of the cliffs.

Maybe they were from Austin. I didn't know if we would find his body at the end, or something worse, but I knew we needed to follow it. 

Chapter Text

Previously:

Nathan and Allessa head towards the shipwreck below. On the way, Allessa falls, and the severity of her wound is revealed. The situation has become just that much more dire than it was. Nathan does his best to bind the wound and stop the bleeding. Allessa needs medical help as soon as possible. The two talk about why they are here, and Allessa questions her actions. Morale is very low. Allessa kisses Nathan. Nathan is determined to see this through. Nathan searches the wreckage for supplies while Allessa stays behind. He finds some guns, effect unknown. Nathan thinks on their journey and about Allessa’s mysterious first partner. His resolve is bolstered. Nathan finds Austin’s backpack with all of their notes. Trust in Austin solidifies. The two prepared to follow a faint trail left by the backpack, its cause unknown. They must go forward.

Allessa and Nate: Loyalty and trust solidified, mutual trepidation, budding romance

Allessa and Austin: Loyalty and trust solidified, trepidation beginning to set in

Austin and Nate: Loyalty growing, trust gained, friendship growing NO CHANGE

Allessa and Ramses: strained partnership, trust in terms of life/death, heavy doubt NO CHANGE

Austin and Ramses: ?????? 

Nate and Ramses: tense

Allessa’s P.O.V.

I know I am walking, because I can see my legs moving, I can see Nathan’s moving too. I can also see the glances of concern he was shooting at me as we walked.

I know I am awake, because there is pain. 

But it feels like water is rushing over me, like on the boat, when it filled my ears and nose, pushing against my mouth, screaming at me to just give in.

I would never tell anyone, but I almost did. 

Because what did I have left? I had an unpayable debt that could only be escaped by death or payment. I had a theory built that had been torn down by the sheer amount of time that had passed. I had a ticking clock, a missing assistant turned friend, and now I had kissed Nathan Drake.

And he was still here, dragging my ass as I hung walked beside him through this godforsaken and neverending jungle.

I wanted to give in, lay down on this dirty mud and fern-covered floor, and just stare at the sky, maybe search the clouds for an answer.

But I owed Austin so much and I would never be able to pay him back for it. However, I could start by finding him, then sending him as far away from this mess as possible.

I was about to speak when Nathan brought us both to a halt. For a moment I was dismayed that he was, in fact, dragging me while my feet attempted to imitate taking steps.

But then he shoved us both to the ground.

It took everything I had to not yelp in pain, but I remained silent at the look on his face.

It screamed danger.

Carefully, Nathan moved to place me against a tree. 

“Stay- …. Going to go get Austin …. Someone com-....don’t hesitate.” His words swim in and out of my head as I realize he is going to leave me here, alone. At Austin’s name, I try to stand up, but my limbs won’t move. 

As I see the world begin to fade I feel Nathan’s hurried steps walking away.

The first explosion is blurry but magnificent. 

It takes a moment to realize it is dynamite, a sound I recognize too well.

A body comes crashing down next to me and I raise the gun and point it towards what I think is the body’s head.

The missing side of his face erases my need to kill him. The sight of his brain makes me gag and I pull myself away, clawing at the dirt and gritting my teeth.

Finally, I am able to see the battlefield in front of me. To his credit, Nathan has eliminated most of them on his own with a few well-placed throws, and I can see the top of his head as he sneaks up on the remaining two goons. 

Austin is laying on the ground under a small tent, his form slumped over. 

I am about to move forward again when I feel a hand on my ankle. Looking behind me I see another man, looking on the verge of death crawling towards me, towards the gun.

Through the pounding in my head and side, I struggle to see straight. There is no way I can shoot him considering there are three of him in front of me. 

But he stills, hand still on my calf, gripping tightly.

I gag again as I realize he is dead.

Then, another figure approaches from the side of the small clearing the camp is in. Nathan isn’t paying attention, attempting to draw the two remaining goons away from Austin so he can light ‘em up. 

Suddenly his voice rings through my head. 

“You can do anything you set your mind to, doodlebug. Don’t you ever forget that.”  

For how much I despised him, he’d been right on a few things. 

Shutting my eyes I focus on clearing my head. I would only have a few moments where my eyesight would be clear, I had to make it count. 

Slowly, so as not to alert the man only a few feet from me, I draw the gun up and cock it, eyes still tightly closed. To my great relief, he seems to not hear the small click that accompanies the action. Then I snap my eyes open, aim, and fire. 

My goal isn’t to kill, it’s to bring awareness to his presence. And it works. 

Immediately the three other men turn to look at him. Unfortunately, this alerts them to Nathan’s presence.

But I’m already gone, the world going dark.

Nathan’s POV

The gunshot rings through the clearing. As one myself and the two goons in front of me turn to the sound. My eyes widen as I see another man falter slightly and look down towards his chest, the small hole there quickly spreading a circle of red larger before he falls forward. 

It is quiet for a moment until the two men spot me and begin shouting, raising their guns.

However, one goes down as another shot rings through the clearing, and a figure comes stumbling out of the woods.

It’s fucking Ramses. And he looks pissed. 

Before I can react, he has shot the other man too.

Then his gun focuses on me, and he waves it off to the left.

“Pick up the girl, walk over to the kid, and stay there.”

Then he collapses back against a tree, hand pressed onto his thigh. The stain of blood is large but also looks dry, signifying it had probably stopped bleeding, or would soon.

Slowly I approach the area he gestured to and find Allessa unconscious on the ground. Her calf is in the grip of a dead man and it takes a moment to get his hand to let go. When I finally get it off, there is a large bruise in the shape of his fist, distinct marks in the pattern of his fingers and palm.

I wince but pick her up, all the same, my own body beginning to feel battered and bruised as the last of the adrenaline fades. 

As I set her down next to Austin, who doesn’t actually look that bad, sporting a black eye and a few bruises on his arms. However, I can't see under his clothes so there isn't a way to fully catalog his potential wounds. I glance at Ramses. 

“What now?” my voice is quiet and to my annoyance sounds a little defeated.

“My men are dead. My boat is destroyed. And this bitch -” he stops to look at Allessa with disgust on his face. “She’s fucking crazy man . But whoever is working against her is insane . If she doesn’t get us killed this mystery man will do it for her.” he stops and glances up at the jungle canopy.

“So, Drake, we'll finish this. And I never see you again. Got it?”

All I can do is nod.

“Good. Get some rest. We set off as soon as they wake up.”

Chapter Text

Previously:

Nathan and Allessa follow the trail. Allessa can barely stand. Allessa’s morale is tanked, Nathan has to carry her, it’s not a good time . Nathan leaves Allessa to fight after locating Austin. He informs her not to hesitate, should someone find her. He tells her to stay put. Allessa wavers on the edge of consciousness. Nathan begins the fight by throwing dynamite then commences sneak tactics. Allessa can only watch. A body crashes down next to Allessa. The trauma is deepened. Effect unknown, outlook not great. Allessa notices Austin, but before she can head towards him a hand closes on her ankle. The fist tightens after the human attached to it dies. Allessa struggles, trauma deepens . Allessa uses her remaining energy to alert Nathan to another man’s presence. This blows his cover. Allessa loses consciousness. Nathan is on his own. Ramses shows up to save the day, mad as hell. He tells Nathan they are going to finish this. A few facts are made clear: They don’t have a choice but to finish their quest, and they have another party to worry about.

Allessa and Nate: Loyalty and trust solidified, mutual trepidation, budding romance

Allessa and Austin: Loyalty and trust solidified, trepidation beginning to set in

Austin and Nate: Loyalty growing, trust gained, friendship growing NO CHANGE

Allessa and Ramses: strained partnership, trust in terms of life/death, heavy doubt NO CHANGE

Austin and Ramses: ?????? 

Nate and Ramses: tense, understanding has been reached

Austin’s P.O.V.

When I wake, I wish I hadn’t. Everything hurts almost not enough to equate with what happened, or at least what I remember.

Really it’s a bunch of nonsense, men grabbing me from the ocean, hauling me to shore. Pain across my face, darkness, then faded light. Being dragged across a surface covered with what I could only guess now were sticks and stones. 

Looking around I can see Nathan and Ramses, staring at each other, steel in their gazes. And Allessa, shirt covered in red and passed out, a frown on her face.

“Is she okay?” My voice is scratchy, and speaking hurts my throat. 

Nathan makes a noncommittal noise before standing. 

“Where are you going?” my legs shake as I try to stand, but Ramses is there, hauling me up. 

“We’re leaving. Too exposed here.” his voice is hard, but his eyes are nervous, darting around the edges of the clearing we are in.

I don’t have a choice but to follow them as Nathan scoops up Allessa, groaning in the process, then marches towards the dense jungle.

As Ramses helps hold me up I speak again.

“Where are we going?” 

No one answers.

Nathan’s P.O.V.

As I walk, stumbling over roots too small to see, or blocked by Allessa’s body in my arms, I try to think. 

We had reloaded on guns and ammo, we had found Austin, we weren’t dead yet, and Allessa wouldn’t wake up. 

Quietly, she mumbles in her unconcious state. 

“Drake.” 

I frown. 

Was she thinking about me? Then I shake my head. That wasn’t important. 

She kissed you, idiot. What do you think? It doesn't matter, hopefully, this means she'll wake up soon.

Shaking my head I lean against a tree. It shudders under our combined weight, and I wince, holding back a groan.

Austin is looking better, his face having gained back most of its color. Ramses, who has been helping all this way, leans him against a tree. 

“Man, the jungle is rough, huh?’ Austin’s voice rings out, but it’s unstable.

Okay, so he is awake but he is not alright . Okay, Nathan, take a headcount. Allessa is here, though completely gone to the world at the moment. Ramses is here, but very pissed. Austin is doing his best but he definitely needs a break. Then there’s you. And those guys over-

I stop and drop to the ground. Waving over Ramses and Austin, they do the same and we all watch through the leaves.

I frown and nod to myself.

“I’m going to hide Allessa. Then we are going to get caught.” I feel Austin freeze beside me, but Ramses is nodding along. 

“They catch us, your girl follows at a distance, we ambush them not the other way around, fight, medical supplies, we go home alive. Except you know this isn't it Drake. This is a small fraction.”

“So you know who it is, then? Who are we up against?”

For a moment Ramses thinks, then sighs. 

“It’s not my story to tell. You’ll have to ask your girl.” I bite my tongue. 

“She’s not my girl,” I mutter as I place her on the jungle floor, making sure she is hidden.

Ramses hides a couple of guns and grenades, saying a quick prayer, before joining me and Austin.

I peek back over my shoulder after we walk for a few minutes, heads ducked low, as silent as possible. 

She’s beautiful in a way. But she also just looks dead.

I’m sorry.

Then Austin trips and falls, alerting them to our presence.

As they converge I force myself to look away. Our survival depends on it. 

“Where’s the girl?” A man yells, shaking Austin by the front of his shirt. Another steps forward. 

“You saw the blood on the side of that cliff. She’s dead by now.”

Another man grunts. 

“Boss man won’t like that.”

After murmurs of agreement, I have time to think one last thing before a large object makes contact with my head.

I am never going into a jungle again.

Chapter Text

Previously :

Allessa is severely injured. The situation is grim . Austin has been reunited and he, Ramses, and Nathan must carry an unconscious Allessa, and injured Austin, to their next destination. Group morale is at a new low, though determination is beginning to set in as the fight for survival begins. Nathan is unsure whether Allessa is dreaming about him or his brother. He decides that’s not what’s important even though it was totally him, right? Upon hearing more enemies lurking in the jungle, Nathan comes up with a desperate plan, hiding Allessa and having himself and the others captured. All hopes rest on Allessa’s survival and skills. 

Allessa and Nate: Loyalty and trust solidified, mutual trepidation, budding romance NO CHANGE

Allessa and Austin: Loyalty and trust solidified

Austin and Nate: Loyalty growing, trust solidified, friendship growing

Allessa and Ramses: strained partnership, trust in terms of life/death, heavy doubt NO CHANGE

Austin and Ramses: Forced partnership, feelings unknown

Nate and Ramses: tense, understanding has been reached NO CHANGE

Allessa’s POV

It’s dark, and I can feel softness brushing my skin. Around me the world is alive. I try to open my eyes. While they are heavy, I manage to drag myself into what I assume is a sitting position. Pain laces through and overtakes my senses.

The world stays black.

---

There is a bright light and I slowly crack my eyes open to see large leaves in front of me. 

---

I open my eyes and notice I am alone, the world devoid of human presence, only the sound of the birds and other wildlife. 

Carefully I look down to my side. The bleeding has stopped, and it does not look as if an infection has set in. This is good.

---

Slowly I haul myself up after listening to see if others are near. At the silence, I take a step forward, then another, before collapsing to my knees with a grunt.

Where am I?

---

All at once, my memories come back. I am standing, though I feel as if I may fall. Putting one foot in front of the other I sift through the past few days.

The realization that the timeline is inconsistent.

The boat sinking.

Climbing the cliff, the wound in my side.

Finding Austin.

The man’s hand gripping my ankle even in death.

The bruise is dark purple, I can still feel his touch.

The faint realization that I had been left, abandoned.

The very real realization that I had wasted years looking for something that didn’t exist.

My goal of ending this saga before it ended me. 

---

I make my way through the jungle, stumbling over everything, mostly my own feet though. Picking them up is hard, almost too hard.

I have to find the others.

---

As the sun sets I scramble my way into a tree. The branch is only a few feet off the ground, or maybe it’s so high up I will be able to see the sky, to float away on a cloud. 

That would be nice. A good dream.

It wouldn’t decay, wither, abandon me.

He abandoned me. He left me here . 

No, Nathan left for a reason. I need to find the others.

But first, sleep.

---

Maybe it’s been days, maybe hours, maybe time has stopped.

I don’t even know if I am going in the right direction.

Maybe I will be lost here, to time. 

Like the dream of finding Atlantis. 

I think of the story of the brothers fighting over love. I think of the warnings of the old man and woman. The white shapes in the water, the storms that came and when they did.

Nature would not be so cruel, would it?

Yes, I have done terrible and unspeakable things to get this far. 

Unbidden, the memory of Tibet comes to me. His actions, what I had done to make him proud. 

No, that time is dead. Find Nathan and Austin. Then get the fuck out. Leave him to his dream, his madness, his nightmare. 

Snippets of Tikal, and Sam. The first time I ran.

Then the second, and how I vowed to find the dream first. Because it was mine as much as it was his. 

Not his to take, not anymore.

---

I walk faster now, strength returning with my new determination. I cannot let them die for me, not for this.

Then, voices. Gruff and deep. 

I recognize them.

Geralt and Matthew.

The definition of goon.

I hide in the bushes and I don’t emerge until they are long gone.

But now, I know where to go.

---

It’s easy, really, once I get the hang of walking, of following.

They aren’t quiet.

And then, there, a camp. A fire. Food.

Taking them out is easy enough, once I’ve got a gun. There’s only three.

I ignore the pain in my thigh. It doesn't exist, not yet.

---

The food is good, the best I’ve had in a while. Then again, when did I last have time to eat and enjoy it. 

A call comes over the walkie-talkie, I leave it unanswered. By the time they get here, I will have moved on.

The wound in my side throbs and I rebandage it. 

Digging the bullet out of my thigh is messy and painful. But I do it. Because who knows what pain the others are enduring. 

He is not nice, and he is beyond being fair. He’s losing and he knows it.

The extra bandages are shoved into a small backpack, along with some food and the remaining water.

---

Waking up is startling. But I refuse to dwell on the what-ifs and what comes after this. 

Austin and Nathan will leave, and I will be alone. 

You will always end up alone, it’s where you belong.

Then, there, in the distance. A column of smoke. Coming from between two mountain peaks.

Almost there.

“I’m almost there. Just hold on.”

No one answers me.

---

The first mountain is fairly flat as the cliff face winds around, around, around.

Like my thoughts.

Not real, it isn’t real. But where did the stories come from? Why the room, the mural, the dead ends.

All dead. We will all be dead.

I almost fall off as I slip on a rock and wonder if that wouldn’t be better. 

---

The snake is large, and it looks out of place here, in the mountains. 

Only you could find a snake and mountains in a jungle.

I hear Nathan’s laugh in my head. It morphs into Sam’s, then Sully’s, then his voice. 

I don’t laugh after that.

---

At the top of the mountain, I change my bandages. They stick to the wound, tearing the skin. I almost bite through my tongue to avoid screaming. 

A quick glance over the side of the cliff, a moment of contemplation, then I begin my descent. 

---

Through the trees ahead, I see them. 

Orange hats, camouflage, guns. 

And Austin, Nathan, Ramses too. Tied up and kneeling as he walks back and forth, back and forth. 

His lips are moving, but I cannot hear his words.

I wonder if he has told them yet. Told them the secret. The secret that only Sam had known. 

I feel a flash of pain, of regret, that this is how they find out who he is.

That he is my father.

Chapter Text

Hey everyone!

As we reach the end of the semester for my grad program I am getting swamped and haven't yet been able to write the next chapter for this (or do anything that is not panic about school work and doing that schoolwork while still panicking even though everything will probably be fine)!

To save me some stress from what is already a large pool of it I plan to skip today and update both this story and my Tom Riddle on the 30th.

Thanks for understanding (why did I do more school).

AllessaRen2198

Avid Kylo Ren Supporter

Din Djarin is a good dad

Baby Yoda is a precious bean

Chapter Text

Previously

Allessa is severely injured. The situation is grim . Allessa makes the journey to find her friends. Self reflection is a harsh thing and she is teetering on an edge unknown to her. Allessa fights against goons she knows for survival. Trauma added, effect unknown. Allessa makes it to the encampment through sheer willpower. There it is revealed her long lost partner is her father. Tensions spike. 

Allessa and Nate: Loyalty and trust solidified, budding romance 

Allessa and Austin: Loyalty and trust solidified NO CHANGE

Austin and Nate: Loyalty growing, trust solidified, friendship growing NO CHANGE

Allessa and Ramses: strained partnership, trust in terms of life/death, heavy doubt NO CHANGE

Austin and Ramses: Forced partnership, feelings unknown NO CHANGE

Nate and Ramses: tense, understanding has been reached NO CHANGE

Allessa and her father: tensions high, betrayal present, old wounds re-opened

*Note I am not adding relationship descriptions for Austin, Nate, and Ramses in relation to Allessa’s father just yet.

Allessa’s P.O.V.

For a moment I consider walking away. All of the pain that accompanies this moment, this confrontation that hangs in the air before me, is it worth it?

The dream is all but gone, the impossibility of it entirely outweighing any fool’s hope that remains.

But I cannot leave them, not yet, not with him. I sink low into the bushes, the burning in my side a constant I have grown used to, am working around. My thigh, on the other hand, is a new pain and the bandage is already soaked through, though its lack of dripping blood means the bleeding has stopped for now. 

I flinch slightly when Nathan speaks and the gun in his hand raises. Then he laughs, knocking it against Nathan’s forehead hard enough to cut him.  

But I wait, for the moment to allow them to take me. 

Then it comes. He is turning to speak to Jamison and I have to hold back tears.

Uncle Jami, haven’t seen you in years.

I am glad that my grand escape those years ago had not left him dead as I had feared. That was one less regret I held now. Only one.

Sighing I stand and walk as best as I am able into the camp. 

“Hello, boys.”

For a moment, the entire camp freezes before guns are cocked and aimed. Slowly I raise my hands and drop my weapons to the ground. As I do he laughs. 

It’s old and cruel and I wonder how I ever felt safe with him, how I ever believed he had loved me. 

How I ever believed he was right.

“Ah, Allessa, my beautiful daughter come back to me at last.” his voice rings out in the clearing, far and wide, and grating on my soul. A voice I had hoped never to hear again. 

“How is Sam, by the way? Remember when we last saw him?” I flinch at the memory and ignore Nathan’s questioning gaze. 

“You don’t get to talk about him, not after what you did.” I can feel the tears well up, my throat closing, but I refuse to cry in front of him. Especially over this.

“Don’t you remember? You did that all on your own, doodlebug. No one else.”

Anger courses through me and I clench my fists. In response, he puts his gun to Austin’s head.

Austin, who I had foolishly dragged into this, like a fucking idiot. 

“Easy now, wouldn’t want him to get hurt would you?”

Yup, still a piece of trash.

Quickly, though, the gun is pulled away, and he’s in my face as if daring me to move. 

“You think you can waltz in here and take them away, that I will not make you pay for what you have done? You are indebted to me , and you will take me to Atlantis. You will bleed and sweat and you may die, but I will have it. ”

I almost want to laugh, reveal the ruse, but I need to play along. How to go about it? Tell him of the old woman, the old man, the storms, the love story?

In the end, I take too long to think, just as I always have. His presence always terrified me, I just hadn’t known. I was too young to understand that what he was doing was wrong, too young to realize how I was changed and molded to be what he wanted. 

A gunshot rings out and Austin’s cry echoes in the trees, the few birds remaining taking flight. Blood quickly seeps out of the fresh wound in his ankle. 

He always had remarkable aim, another shortcoming he chided you for.

“Please! I was just thinking, there’s a lot to say.” my voice is not steady the mask I had once had gone. Lack of exposure would do that.

“I remember the day you left. It was really very dramatic.” he turns to the boys. “Did you know that she blew up a ship, killed nearly all of my crew, screaming she would no longer serve evil? Well darling,” he turns back to me. 

“We all serve someone. It’s who you choose that declares the outcome. When you only have one life will you live it in passing or rise up to discover a new dawn?” The words I had once perceived to be defeat and hope when he would say them at the end of every failure now fill me with rage. How weak I had been, how stupid. To see those words as a declaration of loyalty and acceptance that no twitter what we would persevere. 

Now, I wonder who he had served. 

“I’ve chosen who I serve, and that person was never you.” My voice is steel and for a moment I regret the bold claim, wondering if I had gone too far. Ramses scoffs mumbling about dramatics under his breath.

My father just smiles. 

“Now, now doodlebug, none of that. You owe me a debt in the form of not killing your friends, hmm? Not to mention the information you stole. Or the lives ended. It will be fun.

Sam and Nathan Morgan, the younger brother who is here today and indebted to you. How cruel of you to save him only to later drag him into danger, and on purpose too, you always were selfish. To drag him away from Sam, who you also owe, I wonder how you’ll pay back those debts. Ramses, the pirate who you continue to manipulate into helping you, his crew’s deaths are all on you. Another debt, unfortunately. Or Austin Rivers, a simple student with technological skill. How you molded him into a criminal. They have his fingerprints you know? He can never go back to his life. Ever. You have ruined it. How will you pay that back?”

Each statement makes me sink further into the little girl who had escaped years ago. 

Before I can answer, Nathan speaks. 

‘She owes you a debt? Let her pay it back. We find you Atlantis and you let us go.”

The camp is quiet and I can see that he is thinking it over. Weighing his chances, calculating the risks. 

“Very well. One wrong move and Austin is the first to go. Get her wounds treated, she is useless to me dead.”

Then he is walking back into his tent, leaning over a map, and I am being led away.

My eyes connect with each of the boys, my boys now, as I walk past. 

Each looks back, determination in their eyes. 

It allows me to hope, just a little. 

Chapter Text

Allessa’s First Treasure Hunt

Tate Lincoln

Jami Lincoln

Lincoln Backyard, somewhere in the southern United States

The two men watched as Allessa ran inside, Atlantis keychain clutched in her right hand, the left excitedly waving down a figure inside the kitchen. 

“Tate, you do realize what this is all going to take, right?” Jami Lincoln’s voice was deep and drifted with the wind. As he looked over the elaborate setup in the backyard he frowned. 

If you had told him three years ago the hunt for Tate’s dream would bring them to this, to training a young child to help them in the future, he would’ve laughed.

He would’ve said there was no way that Tate Lincoln would stoop so low. 

Then again, this wasn’t the Tate Lincoln he used to know, and times were hard.

Next to him, his brother stayed silent. 

---

The Truth Below

Allessa Lincoln

Nathan Drake

Somewhere on the docks, Santorini, Greece

After disclosing Nathan’s new role in our small group, the men on the dock hadn’t let him out of their sight. 

While it was problematic, it was also entertaining. 

At one point we had walked by a group playing poker, only for all of them to move the chips away at Nathan’s glance. 

Hah, gambler my ass. Drake has a terrible poker face .

Finally, I spot a clothing store. 

“Come on, boys, let’s get this show on the road.”

---

Discovery in Morocco Part One: On Course for Adventure

Allessa Lincoln

Nathan Drake

Outside of Akrotiri archeological site, Santorini, Greece

Walking slowly, as if a thousand pounds of air were pushing on my shoulders, I glanced to Allessa at my side. 

You almost died, Nate. What would Sam have done? What would you have done?

Watching her now, I wondered what was going through her head. 

As we made out way to meet Austin I allowed myself to take a moment to just think over the pros and cons of this adventure we were having.

Pros:

Find Atlantis, discover some other shit off to the side which would be cool, have a great story to share

Cons:

Die horribly, die slowly, die where no one will ever find you, probabaly get injured real bad, never see Sam again, also death

Well, your answer should be obvious Nate, so why aren’t you making the right decision?

Sighing I simply rolled my shoulders.

Because, Nate, the right choice isn’t always the best one.

---

Interlude: Sam Drake and the Wall of Tikal

Allessa Lincoln

Sam Drake

Somewhere along the Wall of Tikal, Northern Guatemala’s Peten Province

Sam Drake had made her think. And if she knew anything, it was that thinking was dangerous.

Because thinking gave her ideas, and a voice, and made her say things that upset her father. 

But wouldn’t it be nice, to just be excited about adventure, and not focus on the end goal, on the prize.

Sam had also said he wanted to find where he belonged, and she thought that was a nice thought.

Everyone deserved to find where they belonged, just like she had. 

Because it was here, finding a dream with her family, that she belonged.

---

??

Allessa Lincoln

Somewhere in the future

Ever since she was a child, she knew her destiny would be intertwined with his. She never thought it may end with his as well. 

All alone now, friends scattered around the globe, she knows she must find the next dream, and the next after that, and so on. 

Because if she doesn’t, her destiny will end as well.

And then what would she have left?

Chapter Text

Hello!

After thinking real hard about it (and having my second summer class start today, as well as a few weeks of a full-time nanny position) I have decided to go on a short hiatus for the summer until mid or end of August. 

HOWEVER

I owe you guys a chapter so I will have that up at some point in the near future as it has already been started.

Sorry for the late notice and thanks a bunch! I usually try not to get too behind on my Ao3 stuff but this summer woke up and said No. 

AllessaRen2198

Chapter Text

Allessa’s P.O.V.

All I know is that we are in the desert. I could barely remember a flight, and someone tending to my wounds, inbetween foggy glimpses of my father’s face.

Underneath me, the camel grunts and I almost laugh. 

Me too, buddy.

Behind me Nathan and Ramses are in literal chains, and Austin is being pulled in a wagon, hasty bandages wrapped around his various wounds. I look over my shoulder at them again, Ramses is being given water by a man twice his size who I do not recognize. 

Perhaps a man who works for the man my father serves? Or has he left that behind, his words weren’t very enlightening.

Regardless, seeing the two men stumble alone, even at our slow pace, is draining. I know it will not go on for much longer, that my father will soon have them dumped next to Austin, that it is just to show us his power, that he is in charge. 

But it is still painful. To know that it was me who had brought us all together. 

And then, he had mentioned Sam. My blood boiled at the memory of what had happened all those years ago in Tikal. At what he had done, what he had made me do. 

I thought back to the day I had saved Nathan Drake, knowing I would need him in the future, fully intent on using him to get what I wanted. 

But somewhere along the way, my revenge had turned to hope, which turned to determination to defeat those who would do me harm. 

And you fell in love, as much as you can be at least.

I wished that for once, I could have the time, as soon as I finished up here. 

As soon as I killed him. 

I am drawn out of my thoughts by my father’s chuckle. 

“Ah, I see you’ve replaced one Drake for another.” he looks amused almost, and something else I cannot place. His eyes sparkle for a moment and I remember my father, before I knew he loved the idea of Atlantis, of glory, more than he ever loved me. 

“It wasn’t like that, you know that.” my voice is meant to be sharp but I am too exhausted to see it through, and I end up sounding defeated.

“Well, in that case, we best finish up here, hmm? Be on our way.” he is looking across the sand, and I consider asking where we are.

But then I realize, that I no longer care. It doesn’t matter.

The only thing that matters is getting my friends out of here alive. 

And killing your father, don’t forget that.

We sit in silence, groans of pain can be heard from Austin’s wagon and I grimace.

“Did you have to shoot him in the foot?” my tone is overly sarcastic and I can see the shake of Uncle Jami’s shoulders out of the corner of my eye. 

Glad someone finds this situation amusing.

“No, I did not. Then again, I will do anything I need to, Allessa, you mustn’t forget that.” 

I can see madness building in his eyes, like a storm is slowly taking over. We are so close to the end of this, and no matter what happens part of me will be glad it is over. That the end will have been reached. Ahead, a scout calls out, and my father takes off, his whoop of triumph heard at the same time I see it. 

Cresting a mound of sand, I spot the top of a building, and then it is there.

Far down in a valley, surrounded by sand dunes, sits an ancient city. Towers of sandstone stretch into the sky, intricate carvings covering their surfaces, telling stories I do not yet know, may never know. Three circular walls, with lookout towers, ring the sections. And in the center a large rectangular block, with more pictures sits, waiting. 

We had found it, it was here. 

I look back at Nathan, awe on my face reflected on his. Ramses looks stricken as if he had been betting on it not being here. 

We all had. 

I frown though when I notice small differences. For one, the walls are all the same color, there is no red or black in sight. My father also seems to notice, though he shrugs his shoulders. “Age has worn this place down. As it has taken the water.” 

No one tries to correct him, for the look in his eyes has taken over. He has found his purpose, as he wants to see it. Uncle Jami looks towards me for a moment, and when our eyes connect I see the warning and caution in his.

Be ready he seems to say. I place my hand on the knife tucked into my boot. 

I am ready, more than I have been in my entire life.

Slowly, our caravan makes its way down into the valley, the shadows passing as night falls. But it does not stop our progress, and soon the team is split. Nathan and I are herded into a group of fifteen, including us, my father, and Uncle Jami. 

Only eleven. Doable, assuming both Nathan and I can fight. If Uncle Jami joins us then it’s solid. Though I cannot count on that.

“Where will you take them?” Nathan asks as he watches Ramses and Austin be led away. 

“There is a pit nearby, I spotted it from the top. One wrong move and in they go. It will be a long and nasty death, don’t you think?” his voice is cheery with a dangerous undertone to it. Before I can think I’ve lunged at him, and I am met with a resounding slap to my face knocking me to my knees. 

“Don’t you dare girl . I have worked too hard for this moment and you will die before it is taken from me. Do you understand? ” his voice is hard, and there is a moment of silence where I stare at the ground. I can feel everyone waiting for me to do something, and so I do. I look up and make eye contact with the monster who now stands in front of me. 

“Yes, sir.” 

He simply nods and Uncle Jami goes to help me up but I stare him down, struggling up myself. No, he will not be any help. He never was. 

Slowly we make our way to the center, to that square building that holds our fate. I think back to the story of the lovers, of the brother’s fights among themselves, and wonder if it is true. Was this tomb entered by a brother who invaded its sanctity, causing the wrath of Poseidon to be felt? Or is it simply a monument or tomb? 

The night is a black blanket, the stars pinpoints in the sky, far above. What is this place, in its purpose and entirety? Are we truly the first to discover it? Or has it been entered before? Regardless, we are the first visitors it has seen in a while, made obvious by the lack of presence.

That in itself is suspicious. 

It’s a city, but it is empty. All signs of human occupation one would expect, dishes, scorch marks from fires, pots, none of it present. It’s simply walls and ceilings, structures that are empty. 

There is nothing. 

Nathan and I glance at each other, our unease echoed in the men around us. 

“Boss, what is this place? There is nothing here. You said-”

“Quiet, fool. Your treasure is waiting beyond those doors.” he motions to the entrance in front of us, the doors sealed shut. 

For a moment I wonder how we will get in, before men start setting charges. 

“You’ll bring the whole place down!” I say, hoping to stall for time. Whatever is behind these doors should not be disturbed. I can feel it. 

My father laughs and shakes his head. “Then we dig through the rubble.” He grabs me by the arm and shoves me back, Nathan dragged as well. 

“Would you like to do the honors, my dear? This is our dream after all.” My glare simply makes him chuckle before he presses the detonator with no care at all for the consequences.

There are a few blissful moments of silence during which I remember the storms and the sharks and the sense of dread that had been building all this time. 

Then there is nothing but boom and a cloud of smoke. For a moment, dust is all that can be seen amidst the sound of stone crashing in on itself. Somewhere, a man screams in agony before he is abruptly cut off. 

Waving the dust away, I can make out some figures sprawled on the ground. After another moment, the dust begins to settle and the newest horror is revealed. Three men lay half buried in the rubble collapse. Heads bashed in and bodies crushed under the weight of the rock. A hand moves before a gunshot stills it, and I see my father place his gun back into his holster. 

“Mercy kill.” is all he says before beginning to trek up the pile and into the dark cavity of the building before us. 

Slowly, the rest of our party follows him, numbering twelve now. 

8 men is a lot easier to handle . I can’t help but think as I drag my way through the brand-new hole in the wall. I look behind me and catch a glimpse of a man untying Nathan with a nod so that he can climb by himself. 

How courteous.  

Inside we congregate around the center of the room. My father stands, staring down into the tunnel leading into the ground. 

It smells of wet and rot and all things evil. Everything in me says to run as far away as I can. Above us thunder cracks and a flash of lightning illuminates the outdoors.

There is no hesitation as he begins the descent into darkness. No hesitation as all of us follow. 

Nathan’s P.O.V.

While it is clear this man is insane, the adventurer inside of me is overfilled with curiosity and wonder. This is it, supposedly, though the sense of dread that has overcome us weighs heavily on the feeling of discovery. I remember the last time I was in a cave, thinking of the mosaics that told the story of the brothers and their fight over love. The kiss Allessa had granted in the dark, and the terror I felt at the fact I might die down there. 

Now all I can think of is Austin and Ramses, how the fuck we are all going to get out of here, if we will all get out of here. 

And isn’t that a thought to have in a dark and scary cave.

The stairs seem to lead perpetually downward, and it feels like we are going in a spiral, but the darkness is so thick I can only stumble along like the rest of them. Suddenly, a man screams and I feel the floor under me shake. Frantically I step forward colliding with the person in front of me. 

When the silence has settled in once again, I cautiously move a foot forward.

Nothing, just a ledge.

“The stairs collapsed. They’re gone.”

My news is met with a curse from the front, assumedly our leader. A head count places us at just nine now. 

We continue on as there is no way to turn back.

Chapter Text

Allessa’s P.O.V.

I spend the rest of the staircase waiting for it to break again, waiting to hear more men plummet to their deaths. 

There has been so much death and destruction on this journey. So much that could have been avoided. Or perhaps it couldn’t. Maybe we were always meant to take this path, and end up here together. 

The sudden presence of even ground causes me to stumble and I feel a hand grip me. Flinching I wait for another slap, but it is only Uncle Jami. He whispers my name, and a simple ‘shh’ as if I am a child again, scared by nightmares. 

Scared the gods will take my father away for trying to find them and their lost city. 

Maybe lost cities should just stay lost. I think as we all take our place on the platform. Stumbling is heard and then there is light. 

I wince and once my eyes have readjusted enough to see I spot my father handing a torch to one of his men, and holding his own. “There is a passage, I will go. Allessa will come with me, and Jami. Listen for my signal, and if you hear it kill Drake.” His words leave no room for argument and so no one tries. 

I make eye contact with Nathan before I am shoved into the tunnel, and I hope he sees the apology for what I will have to do. 

He is a Drake. He can take care of himself. He doesn’t need you. No one does.

The tunnel is cramped but easily navigated through. At least at the beginning, very quickly Uncle Jami has to turn back, his frame too large to continue. My father is unphased by this and continues onward, not bothering to acknowledge his brother’s exit. I can hear him reunite with the group before the crevice takes a turn and we are by ourselves in the silence. 

“Fitting, my dear, that we would end up here together, just the two of us in the end.” 

I grunt, focusing on squeezing through a narrow bit, realizing for the first time the large man my father used to be has withered into the stooped and aged man now walking before me. 

“Do you know why your mother called you doodle bug?” The question takes me by surprise and I momentarily stop moving. 

I hadn’t thought about my mother in a long time, my past staying firmly where it belonged, all memories of the time of before shut away. 

“No, I don’t think I ever heard the story”. My response is quiet, but deafening in the silence around us. 

“When you were younger,” he pauses to heft himself over a stone, “watch that there, yes, when you were younger I used to read you the myth of Atlantis, straight from Critias , and oh how you loved it.” his voice has taken on a softer tone, as he thinks about the beginning of before.

I swallow around a lump in my throat. 

“Well, when you got older and could talk, you would ask for the story every night. Except, you would ask about the bugs. For a while, we didn’t know what you meant. Until one day, there you were at the kitchen table, drawing while I did my research, and you looked up at me and said ‘Atlantis’.” There is another pause as he huffs before grunting. I can barely make out his form in the shadows, the light having dimmed. He is stooped and breathing hard. 

“I looked at your picture and there it was. A castle, some fish, and a bug!” he laughs, the sound reverberating off the walls around us. 

“You’d convinced yourself that the Poseidon must be a bug, and that he had abandoned the city because the fish were trying to eat him!” he chuckles again and finally breaks out into a cavern. 

‘Ah, watch the water, anyways, the idea didn’t last for long but the name stuck”. And at that moment he changes again, my father is gone, and the broken man returning. 

“Regardless,” he says in a neutral tone, “We are here.” 

If I hadn’t been expecting it the change would have been frightening. It settles in me then, that it is just the two of us here, alone. I shift my foot in my boot as I climb out of the crevice feeling the outline of the knife against my calf. 

Be ready.

After stepping into the circle of light cast around us, and cataloging the water around our feet slowly rising, I gasp as I see the walls. They are covered in broken mosaics, and I can barely make out figures.

“Here,” I say pointing to a man who appears to be kneeling, “and here. He’s being handed something.” My voice echoes in the small space and the water raises.

My father looks at the wall next to me. 

“They’re tablets, handing him tablets. But why-” 

We both stop as the water suddenly surges upward. 

“We need to leave,” I say, already knowing that we most likely will not make it out in time. I turn back to the crevice and yell as loud as I can. 

‘GET OUT! THE CHAMBER IS FLOODING!” 

I hear an echo of a response but I cannot make it out. Next to me, my father lets out a wail full of rage and dread. 

“It’s here! I know it is!” he is splashing around in the water. 

“What's here!? There is nothing! We need to leave .” he turns then, and there is a dangerous glint in his eyes. 

“Do you see it, down there under the water?” his voice sends chills over my body, and I back up. 

“We need to go-” 

Before I can finish he’s elbowed me in the stomach and my head is underwater.

Well look at that, the bastard is right.

There are tablets making up the floor. Five of them, each with ancient greek writing. Before I can read them he drags me back to the surface. 

“Get them up,” he demands before pushing me back under. 

It isn’t hard as the water level has risen.

This crazy bitch, he is going to drown me.

Then it hits. He knows we are going to die. He just wants to prove he is right. I struggle against him and manage to catch a breath, slamming him back against the wall, which instantly crumbles behind us. Grabbing at the ground I try to fight the current pulling me under, but I only manage to hold on for a moment, take one breath, before the stone breaks in my hand and I am swept under. 

The last thing I hear is a scream of loss. Then my world is chaos.

Nathan’s P.O.V.

The water came from nowhere. One moment we were standing perfectly dry and the next I can hear Allessa’s scream from the tunnel. The flood is quick I only manage to hear her yell ‘get ou-’ before I am under. 

I have a bad track record with caves and breaking.

Through the chaos of swirling water and rock debris, I can make out Allessa’s Uncle Jami and his terrified face before a large boulder pins him down. I am swept away before I can think to help him. 

I surface frequently and a few times I think that this is it, this is where I will die, as my vision blurs and my lips began to open. Then I reach the surface and the process starts over. Twice, I feel hands grab me, and the one time I am able to open my eyes I am met with a dead man’s face right across from me. 

Eventually, I catch a flash of pink, before my head hits a rock and my sight shatters. At the same moment, I feel my body heaved ashore by the waves as if they are throwing me from their depths. 

I hear gasping in the next second and the sounds of two people scrabbling in the rock and sand. 

I turn my head enough to see Allessa fighting a man. By the time I realize it is her father, he is dead, a knife sticking out of his throat. 

Then there is silence. 

----

I have no idea how long the quiet lasts, but it’s probably only moments before I feel someone heaving me upwards. 

“We have to go, the water is still rising.” I can’t decipher her voice and I honestly don’t care to. 

“You’re alive.” I say, my voice hoarse. 

“I am.” her statement is short and I reach out and grab her hand, squeezing it in mine. 

She seems to relax then, an unknown tension leaving her body. 

“We need to go.” she repeats, but this time it is softer, less hurried.

The water is rising, but it's slow and gentle and seems to be staying that way. The air is fresh which means we are most likely at another cave entrance. Sure enough, looking up provides us with a view of the night sky. 

It had seemed time was endless underground, but now we were being reminded that there was a world outside, waiting. 

“We must go, before they decide we have died, and throw Ramses and Austin into that pit and abandon us all for dead." 

No one has to mention that they would surely die because we would be left with no way to get them out. The climb out is either easy, or I have lost track of time, my vision still a little fuzzy at the edges. 

Next to me Allessa curses and groans, deep and guttural. When I look at her in alarm she smiles weakly. “Stitches ripped open.” I only nod.

Finally, we emerge into the night air, dense with humidity, a storm raging around us. The city, however, is left untouched, as if it is the eye of the storm. 

Maybe this is Atlantis after all, and the gods have trapped us here to die. 

Getting back to camp doesn’t take too long, even at our slow pace. The world is muffled by crashes of thunder echoing inside my head, causing my vision to blur. For a moment I am falling to the ground, before Allessa intercepts me and we tumble down the side of a sand dune, directly into the firefight below. 

The thunder must have covered up the sounds of shooting, but there is no hiding it now. Bullets whiz past us and I feel a bullet hit me somewhere below my right knee. The sudden assault on my senses almost knocks me out but I, unfortunately, stay conscious. 

Struggling to move, I can only hope that nothing hits me while I do.

Allessa’s P.O.V. 

Absolute chaos surrounds me. Bullets whizzing through the air, multiple slamming into the sides of my arms and legs. It's all I can do to crawl in any direction. I see Nathan out of the corner of my eye. For a moment the air is still, then there is a giant boom and the world goes white.

I can feel my body lift into the air, and the resulting slam is almost painless. Quiet reigns soon after, the blast seeming to have forcibly calmed the situation. Groggily I can see many figures sitting up, groaning, and I can make out Nathan, Ramses, Austin, and two of my father’s men who look like they are hanging on by a thread. 

One’s ear is missing, probably from the blast, and the other is barely keeping himself upright. With two shots from an unknown source, both fall. 

“So, did you find it?” Ramses’ voice is half curious and half annoyed. 

I can only laugh in response.

Before I can answer him, though, Austin speaks up. 

“There’s still a few more, they’re on their way. They went back to look for you.” he sounds weak and when I finally get a good look at him I cannot hold back my gasp. 

He looks like shit, the wound on his foot having bled through his shoe at some point, sporting a gash on his face, and his arm is clearly either broken or sprained. 

“Jesus Austin, what happened !?” Nathan yells as we both scramble over. 

“Doesn’t matter, you’ve gotta go. Now. ” it takes a moment for us each to process what he is saying, looking between him and the bag of grenades next to him. Ramses understands first, then Nathan, both letting out soft curses.

But I can’t. 

“I can’t leave you here, I brought you into this, I have to get you out.” my voice is broken and I can hear yells in the distance getting closer, having entered the eye of the storm. 

“You did. I didn’t ask for this, not by a long shot.” 

His words hang in the air around us and I close my eyes in defeat.

“But I am glad I was here. Because I have lived more in the past few months, the past few weeks with you than I ever would have if I hadn’t come with you. Now, I am going to keep you safe. I had nothing when you found me, but I am leaving with everything I could have ever wanted from life, including saving yours .”

The yells are there then, the men only feet away when Ramses hauls me up.

I scream then, loud and broken, and as we run, barely holding ourselves together I do not look away from him. I do not look away from the flash, from the sight of the city sinking into the sand when the eye inexplicable moves as if following us.

I don’t look away until after Nathan has used the radio Ramses stole to call out an SOS to Sully, until after we sit on the cliff face barely hanging on to consciousness. I don’t look away until I am settled in the plane and my palm spikes with a small prick of pain. 

The piece of stone is still in my hand, with a single word inscribed on its surface. 

I close my eyes as I squeeze it once, and tears gather in my eyes.

And I cry, finally, as I watch it fall into the sea. 

Looking up, Nathan catches my eye. 

“What happened down there?” he sounds like he doesn’t want to know, doesn’t want any illusions to be shattered.

‘It doesn’t matter.” and I know I am telling the truth. 

As I watch that single piece of a dream, my dream, sink into the ocean past my sight, I know it doesn’t matter. That it won’t for a long time. 

Because Austin is gone, my father is dead, and the three of us are severely injured.

There will be paperwork to file, authority to answer to if we are unlucky, and some calls to make. 

But now, now I simply look to the sky. 

If there were gods, they had been on our side last night, today. 

But if I knew anything about the gods, it was that their favor could change in a split second. 

Next to me, Nathan takes my hand and I can’t help but lean in and kiss him. 

And it's nice, and for now, it’s enough.

Chapter Text

Somewhere in the Bahamas

Allessa’s P.O.V.

I smile as a cool beer is slid in front of me on the table. Looking up I meet Nathan’s eyes and smile widely. 

“Hey you,” he says and the smile on his face is more than I deserve. 

“Hey.” there must be something in my voice because he sighs.

“I knew you’d stuck around too long. Where are you off to?” I want to be surprised by his ease and lack of resistance but then I remember this is Nathan and of course, he would understand because he is a good man, a good person. Unlike me.

Instead of answering him, I slide him a folded piece of paper. He takes it and unfolds it slowly, pausing to look at me before reading its contents.

“El Dorado huh?” he seems amused by the idea but also intrigued.

My smirk makes him laugh. 

“If anyone can find it, you can.” My voice is full of confidence and I do mean it. 

“And where will you go? Now that the heat is off?” he sounds less upset than I thought he would and I appreciate it, having wondered if he was going to make this hard. 

“Ramses owes me some favors, and I owe him some too. I also have an old friend who may be able to help me find my next target. Until then, I am going to get another drink.”

He tilts his head. 

“And you’ll be back?” 

I smile at him and he nods.

“I owe you a favor Drake, don’t I?

Nathan’s P.O.V.

I shake my head, caught between watching her walk away and looking once again at the piece of paper in my hand. 

But I know once I look away she will be gone.

Looking out over the ocean I feel comforted by the fact that I know I will see her again.

Chapter Text

“Chloe Frazer, isn’t it?” my response catches her off guard and I can see her tense for a quick getaway.

“Relax, I’m looking to do business. If you’re interested?”

She tilts her head and raises an eyebrow. 

“What kind of business?”

‘Well,” I say as I turn to face her head on and place a hand on her forearm. “It involves a jungle, a city that may or may not exist, probably gunfire at some point, and of course, my company?” my statement ends in a question and a raised eyebrow. 

Her smirk carries a hint of danger and I can feel the excitement of adventure grow just a little more in the pit of my stomach. 

“Well, in that case,” she throws back the rest of her drink, “I’m in.”