The Last Prince of Atlantis Chronicles: 1, #3

By Leonard Clifton

 

Allen King is an unassuming Black teenager living in a blue-collar family in Miami, Florida. After finding a magical crystal necklace he discovers that he's actually an Atlantean prince. Suddenly things change for the gawky teenager. He gains the powers of telepathy, teleportation through a rainbow wormhole, and he is able to communicate with sea animals. Along with a beautiful Greek Goddess, his orphan best friends, and zany uncle, Allen keeps the Earth safe as they fight against his mortal enemies in an attempt to restore his kingdom, the lost city of Atlantis.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leonard Clifton
• Release date: Jan 18, 2018
• ISBN: 9781477148815

Leonard Clifton

Leonard Clifton started out as a print model, which led him to acting. His first role was in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad. He went on to have roles in several other films like the cult classic Bring It On, television productions, and international commercials. Leonard loves writing, supporting his favorite charities, traveling the world, and is always seeking out new adventures.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

ALLEN’S EERIE DREAMS KEEP HIM SAFE FROM HIS BULLY

On Mount Olympus, my eyes are focused on Earth. I see the teenager I have been watching. He runs away from the guy bullying him. Josh Stone chases Allen King off the boardwalk in his car in Miami, Florida. Allen feels like his heart is about to pound out of his chest as he runs through a park losing Josh. I want none of my fellow Greek Gods to know what I’m doing at the moment. I grab my lightning bolt and speedily leave Mount Olympus to Acropolis in Athens. I look like a mortal wearing dress pants, casual shoes and a short sleeve shirt walking on Athanasiou Diakou Street approaching a doorman.

The doorman stands in front of the hotel next to my apartment building. He smiles at me.

I say, Hello, as I walk into my building and take the elevator up to the fifth floor. I open the door to my new apartment with earth tone walls, a white reclining sofa, and a glass coffee table facing the HDTV mounted on the wall in the living room. I go outside and sit in a chair on the balcony across from my Zeus temple the mortals worship.

My feelings have been stirring towards Allen King. He could change the course of history to my world and his. I have been watching Allen for some time and everyone close to him. I can sense I will unexpectedly meet him as I observe him with my mind’s eye and talk quietly to myself. On Mount Olympus, I talk a little too much as I contemplate.

I watch Allen rushing through the front door of his home. He hears his mother say, Allen, you’re late for dinner.

Allen passes his family and says, I’m sorry not feeling so well. I’m going to bed.

He goes upstairs to his bedroom, takes off his shoes and falls onto his bed on a hot and humid Friday evening. Allen soon falls into a deep sleep, tossing to and fro. His six-foot-one mocha-skinned body is draped across the too small twin-size bed. He sleeps in the hottest room in the modest two-story house. He is saturated in sweat from the top of his short black dreads to the bottom of his dangling feet. Allen has eerie dreams as he burrows his face into his pillow.

He hears a slow, rhythmic, African tribal drumbeat with a creepy growling noise, which mimics the tribal sound. Suddenly, large, oval-shaped, fiery-red eyes appear out of the darkness. Their red glare illuminates a king and queen lying in an extravagant gold bed embedded with pearls and crimson velvet curtains draped around the foundation on which royal crowns were embroidered. The creature’s growls overtake the sound of the tribal drums, as it displays its long white dragon fangs. Without warning, the queen screams and instantly goes catatonic. The king has been killed!

Allen grabs his sweat-saturated bedsheets as he is catapulted from one wild dream to another. He stands unsteadily, trying to keep his balance while the room rocks as if an earthquake had just ejected him out of bed. He scans the room and spies the king and queen, who are surrounded by a red-hot light. It glows brighter and hotter until an atomic explosion jolts Allen awake. He sits up, throws the wet sheets off his skinny body, and whispers to himself, What a strange dream… a king and a queen? And a dragon? I think I’ve listened to too many of Uncle Zadok’s weird stories.

Summer school classes are done for the day, and Allen grabs a few things from his dented, army-green metal locker before going to play basketball with his two best friends. He rushes around the corner and slams into the seventeen-year-old jock, Josh Stone, South Beach Miami High’s star basketball player, a star wrestler, and varsity quarterback. He’s tall, muscular, broad-shouldered, half-Native American Indian, half-Black, and good-looking. To keep from falling, Josh grabs onto his gorgeous girlfriend, Mercedes, causing her to drop her books on the shiny concrete. Allen’s face heats up, and he wheezes as he rushes to scoop up Mercedes’s books.

Allen wheezes. Hey, Mercedes… sorry…

Dusting himself off, Josh snarls and says, You skinny idiot! Watch where you’re going with those big, webbed feet!

Reaching into his jacket pocket for his inhaler, Allen stammers, I’m sorry, Josh...

I caught you eyeing my Black queen. I bet you fantasize about Mercedes’ wearing her cheerleader outfit, don’t you? Josh snatches Allen’s inhaler, springs in the air, and alley-oops it into a nearby trashcan before he touches the ground. Josh Stone does an alley-oop and scores!

Mercedes glares at Josh. Josh… don’t do that to Allen. She looks at Allen and smiles. He’s a nice guy… and… we’re neighbors.

Josh pouts as Mercedes watches Allen reach into the trashcan to retrieve his inhaler. Allen pulls it from under a rotten banana peel and wipes it off on his T-shirt. He avoids Josh’s demeaning stare and Mercedes’ I’m so sorry expression. He sticks the inhaler in his mouth and huffs. Once, twice, three times. His breathing returns to normal, and he relaxes a little until he catches Josh’s eye.

Josh mouths, Watch out… and smirks nastily. He grabs Mercedes’ arm and pulls her away.

Feeling a surge of anxiety, Allen runs as fast as he can to the basketball courts in the park near his house to meet his best friends, Francisco Gomez, and Jake O’Connor, who are also fifteen.

Francisco is short and stocky, a Cuban American with dark short-cropped hair, bulging brown eyes, and a scar that cuts through the end of his right brow. He likes to brag he got it when he was only ten while fighting with a seventeen-year-old boy in the orphanage bathroom. He prides himself on his swagger and does a mean impersonation of Tony Montana from Scarface, his favorite movie of all time. Jake is scrawny with scraggly blond hair and weird pale blue eyes. His favorite outfit is a grungy Miami Vice T-shirt, ripped blue jeans and dirty skateboard sneakers with a gaping hole on the right toe. Jake can be shy and is often underestimated, but when pushed he rarely backs down from a fight.

Francisco and Jake consider each other brothers, having grown up together in an orphanage. They now live together in a group home and have been best friends with Allen since they were in the first grade.

Francisco notices Allen racing toward the courts. What’s up, Allen… why are you running like you’re scared?

Allen skids to a stop in front of Francisco and takes another hit from his inhaler. It’s nothing guys, I’m good… the heat is getting to me, that’s all.

Jake nods. Okay, dude… you ready to ball with the other three guys from school?

Allen smiles and nods. Yeah, let’s do this. He goes up for the ball, instantly palming it and dribbling it between his legs like he’s playing in the NBA. He does a behind the back no-look pass to Jake, who does a bank shot and scores.

Jake yells, That’s how to pass, dude!

Allen gets the ball and shoots a three-pointer, hitting the net flawlessly, and making a swish sound.

Francisco screams excitedly, Yeah, bro. We’re about to win this game!

Josh saunters up to the court with a few of his football pals. He watches the game for a moment, then says snidely, Well, well… if it isn’t the bumbling beanpole, who ran into me. I should take those Jordans off your feet and throw them in the trash along with your pacifier… Oh, and look… he’s with his friends, the teen orphs.

Francisco looks at Josh, laughs mockingly and says, Well, well… if it isn’t the jerk with his douchebag friends. You’re just jealous Allen lives in Bayshore across the street from your girlfriend.

Sneering, Josh retorts, I know one of you assholes keyed the side of my vintage black Mustang!

You have no way of proving that! You’re lucky whoever did it didn’t jack you for your rims, says Jake.

One of Josh’s linebacker friends intervenes. "Let it go, Josh, you know how crazy the teen orphs can be. They never back down from a fight."

Francisco laughs like a maniac. Yeah, let it go, Joshy boy. You want a piece of me? He throws a few air punches and shouts, Okay! Let’s do it punk. I’ll bite your ear off!

Jake eggs Francisco on. Do it, Fran! I wanna wear his ear as a necklace.

Allen steps in. C’mon, Francisco, let it go, bro.

Josh pushes Allen down hard. You stay out of this, you lanky-ass nerd!

Francisco and Jake flank Allen, ready for a fight. While Allen slowly gets up with Josh hovering menacingly over him, the other guys playing with them walk in the middle, breaking it up before Francisco or Jake do anything serious.

Jake shouts at Josh as they walk off the basketball court, Screw yourself and your football jerkoffs! You mess with one of us, then you know you’re messing with the other! You’re messing with the Three Musketeers.

CHAPTER TWO

UNCLE ZADOK GIVES ALLEN HOPE

Allen wakes up, yawning and stretching his arms out in his bed. He shakes off his bedsheets dampened with sweat, props himself up against his headboard, and looks around his cramped bedroom. The teenager stares at his posters of LeBron James on one side of the room, and Kobe Bryant on the other side. It looks like they’re facing off. He wonders if he’ll ever have the courage to face off against his bully Josh Stone.

He looks at his poster of the Pirates of the Caribbean hanging on the wall at the foot of his bed. He dreams of discovering treasures of his own one-day. He especially loves the huge poster on his ceiling displaying the stars, with a rainbow originating from the depths of space, descending into the ocean where it bounces onto a pristine white sand beach. The end of the rainbow showers gifts from the Gods — gold coins, medallions, and golden swords – onto the beach. The poster is titled: Somewhere over the Rainbow. Allen gazes at the advertisement every night before he falls asleep and every morning when he wakes up. I’ll find my treasures one day, he whispers to himself.

Allen told his dad, whom he calls Leroy, that he would meet him at the loading docks. He’d bring Francisco and Jake, and they would be ready to go to work at noon. When Allen’s not in summer school, he works for Leroy at the Port of Miami, loading docks doing odd jobs. Leroy is an independent longshoreman and has owned his company -Leroy’s Longshore and Salvage- for ten years. Leroy wants Allen to follow in his footsteps.

Since it’s another beautiful sunny day in South Beach, Allen decides that he’ll take a stroll along the beach off Ocean Drive for a few hours before reporting to the docks for work. He arrives at the beach and almost trudges through a fashion shoot. Embarrassed, he trots to the sidelines and watches as a tall, powerfully built, but lithe young woman with bronzed olive skin and golden-brown eyes struts and vamps in front of the cameras. Her long dark brown hair unravels from its tight crown of braids, and she laughs as she whips tendrils away from her remarkable chiseled cheekbones and full mauve painted lips. Allen is entranced, then realizes that she is the famous Australian-Greek socialite named Athena Dranias. Her image is regularly splashed across the covers of the fashion magazines his mother, Alicia buys and leaves lying around the house.

She’s wearing a chic one-piece, white bathing suit cinched by a wide black belt with a buckle displaying a triangle with a line through the middle. Allen squints at the symbol and suddenly recognizes her initials in ancient Greek letters Alpha and Delta superimposed over the other.

Athena also wears a thin gold chain around her neck with a large bluish-green crystal that sparkles in the intense Miami sunlight. The faceted gem catches a beam of light that momentarily blinds Allen. He shields his eyes, blinks, and peers up from under his hand at Athena, who is looking straight at him. Her gaze registers shock as she sees that his eyes seem to have changed color from brown to deep blue-green. She blinks, and looks again, and notices his brown eyes meet hers. She smiles and turns back toward the cameras.

Allen feels faint. The hot sun perhaps, or more likely, Athena’s gaze. Allen remembers he has read she is only seventeen — so close to his age — and she is a child prodigy. He has also read she is an authority on Greek history and lost civilizations and has written many scholarly books on both subjects. Soooo out of my league, he thinks.

As Athena’s entourage — her creative team and at least four massive bodyguards — pack up, Athena picks up her black Cocker Spaniel, who wears a shiny collar with the name Lesbos inscribed in curlicue lettering and tucks the dog under her arm. Lesbos, I wish you would be friendlier around boy dogs… Athena nuzzles Lesbos and coos, …but I’m not judging you for only liking girl dogs.

Allen overhears a few of the local gawkers gossiping. Athena is in Miami raising money for her foundation for urban youth in Australia, says one of the gossip girls. Her friend says, Apparently, she is heading back to her yacht to meet with the local celebrities, who will be contributing to her charity.

Allen checks the time on his phone and realizes he’s missed his chance to dip his toes in the ocean; so, he heads back up to Ocean Drive. He texts Jake and Francisco to remind them to meet him at the docks in fifteen minutes. Francisco calls back and says, We’ll be there as soon as possible, bro. Jake has a headache and toothache. We had a little trouble at a bar last night.

Allen stops in his tracks and says, You’re not old enough to get into a bar!

Francisco says, We have fake IDs! Anyway… Jake was wearing his Kobe jersey and got into a fight with some guys arguing over a Miami Heat game, and they knocked one of his front teeth out. We kicked their asses after that happened and left quickly before the cops came.

Allen pleads, Okay, dude, please make it to work on time. I begged my dad to give you guys a summer job. He will have my ass if you and Jake show up late.

All right! We’re on our way, bro. We love working with you at the port… smelling that stanky sea air…

Half an hour later, Allen stands with his Musketeers next to the steel gangway leading to his father’s barge docked in the industrial area of the port. Allen hands Jake and Francisco hard hats. Fellas… thanks for making it to work.

Jake checks out a stunning brunette in a red dress accompanying two tall, slender albino men with flaming red hair walking with Allen’s dad. Two monstrous guys trail in the distance.

Jake whistles under his breath and crows, That is one good looking lady. He laughs idiotically and shrieks, Hey, listen to how good I whistle since my front tooth was knocked out.

Francisco laughs like a hyena and bellows, Knock it off, Jake! We gotta act like good ‘ole Dade County employees… ‘Bitch, I’m from Dade County!’ Francisco then lowers his voice and says, Look at the weird albino guys in the white suits wearing those dark shades! Yikes, their white skin, and white suits are creepy with red hair. And look at the two muscle-bound goons acting like they’re the shit.

Jake titters and Allen snickers, but then shushes his friends and says, Come on, guys, it’s time to get serious.

Leroy and the albino men, accompanied by their small entourage, walk up to the teens. Leroy says, Boys, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Damon and Drogan Reptilly.

Allen nods gravely, and Jake and Francisco suppress giggles.

Leroy glares at Jake and Francisco. He then turns toward the men and says, Gentlemen, I’m honored to be working for Reptilly’s Conglomerate Inc. Thank you for getting rid of all the red tape with the American government, which has allowed me and my crew to use your incredible resources and technology to find the lost ship you’ve been searching for all these years.

Damon replies in a thick Australian accent, Yes… as you well know, Mr. King, for many years, we’ve been searching for this Spanish ship that we believe, sunk in a storm in the early fifteen hundreds. The treasures were almost seized from this ship in the early seventeen hundreds by the pirate Charles Vane and his infamous friend…

Blackbeard, says Allen.

Damon looks at Allen with a half-smile. You are correct, young man. You know your history. The pirates sometimes traveled together along the Florida coast. Fortunately, they did not manage to take what my brother and I hope will soon be ours. We’ve searched from the South of Spain to Santo Domingo. We certainly hope the treasure you’ve been able to salvage is what you say it is…

Leroy asks, How long will you be staying in Miami?

We have no timeframe for our return to Australia. My brother, Drogan and I will fly back to Sydney once we have a chance to thoroughly examine the relics you’ve discovered.

Leroy leads the Reptilly brothers, followed by the lady in red, Allen, Jake, Francisco, and the two goons in single file down the gangway onto the barge to begin work.

Once all are on board the barge, Damon’s beady eyes focus on Allen staring out to sea. Young man… Allen tentatively glances at Damon. How did you know about the infamous pirates?

Nervously, Allen replies, Um… I’ve always had a fascination for sunken ships, and infamous pirates come with the territory.

Damon smirks and looks at Drogan, who… hisses!

Allen feels a sudden chill. Leroy turns to Allen and says proudly, You just heard, I found the ship the Reptillys have been searching for all these years. You and your friends are going to help my crew remove the treasure inside the old chests that are on the barge and put it into brand new titanium containers. He beams at Allen and the boys and says, I thought this would be a cool job for you and your friends. Then he leans in and whispers, This is top secret stuff, boys. That’s why the Reptilly brothers have one of their bodyguards keeping an eye on things.

Francisco’s eyes light up, and he practically sings out, Thank you, Mr. King!

Bodyguard Number One cocks his eyebrow at Francisco for a second.

Drogan and Damon are followed by Number Two and the lady in red leaves the barge, while Number One stays behind to watch Leroy’s crew, including the teens, do their work.

Number One has taken a dislike to Francisco and is watching him like a hawk. Francisco seems oblivious and swaggers around the barge pretending to be Tony Montana, barking orders and fondling the treasure chests.

As Francisco hoists a sizeable, rusted chest filled with treasure, Number One growls, Be careful with that old chest.

Francisco looks up at the bodyguard, affects his best Tony Montana, and growls back, I know what I’m doing, asshole. Francisco wheels around bumps into a huge crate and drops the fragile rusted treasure chest. It splits apart and gold coins, jewelry, a strange bracelet with a pyramid-shaped emblem, and a thin gold chain with a sizeable blue-green crystal spill over the floor of the barge. The crew, Allen and the boys, and Number One throw themselves on the treasure to keep it from rolling all over the place.

Number One screams at Francisco, You idiot! Look what you’ve done!

Allen rushes up and apologizes. We’re sorry. We’ll take care of it.

Francisco says with sarcasm, "Yeah, yeah, sure. I’m very sorry."

Allen frowns at Francisco and says, Look, dude, you can’t piss everybody off and blow this! We need the money.

Francisco sneers at Number One and says, Sorry, man.

The bodyguard stoops down to pick up the coins but continues to keep an eye on Francisco.

Francisco snickers and points. You missed one right there.

The bodyguard looks where Francisco is pointing. He stretches his arm out to grab the gold coin but slips and falls flat on his face. Francisco bursts out laughing, while Jake and Allen try to stifle a fit of giggles. Number One leaps up and lunges at Francisco, who nimbly dodges his massive fists.

Allen intervenes and says, Uh… Mr. Number, I mean… hey… it was an accident. We’re cool, right?

Number One grunts, Get back to work.

The boys scurry around, gathering coins and jewelry.

After the guys are done with the job for the day, they hang out at the beach, checking out the girls on Ocean Drive. Francisco and Jake are drinking out of Jake’s flask filled with his signature Jack Um drink made with Jack Daniels, Captain Morgan’s Rum and Coke. They persuade Allen to take a drink to commemorate their friendship even though he’s not much of a drinker. He takes a swig out of the flask to show his loyalty.

Jake whistles at a local high school girl named Letty riding by on her bicycle.

Letty is half-Jamaican and half-Cuban. She smiles back and waves. Hi, bad boys.

Francisco yells, Hey, where are you going, Letty? I’m the King of Miami, girl!

The guys laugh as Letty shakes her head and yells back, You have no game.

After Letty has ridden off and the teens have fallen into a buzzed stupor, Allen says, You know those Australian guys looked pretty creepy. I think my dad worked with them a few years back. Come to think of it, I do remember them. They still give me the creeps. But hey, we’re getting paid a lot!

Francisco nods and says, Yeah, bro, the money is good…

Jake says in a low voice, They look almost like lizards. And the bodyguards swayed from side to side like crocodiles… however, we’re getting paid, and that’s all that matters, my friends.

The Musketeers cheer to that and take turns sipping out of the flask.

Allen turns to Francisco and says, I’m serious, Francisco. You have to be cool with that bodyguard. We might not get paid if he says something to those albino guys. I don’t want them getting mad at my dad.

Francisco’s eyes twinkle, Don’t worry about it, Allen, that bodyguard is lucky I didn’t kick his ass and clean the shit stain off my shoe on his pants leg from having it buried deep in his ass-crack… and besides, we got more than just the money they’re going to give us tomorrow. He pulls the thin gold chain with the bluish-green crystal out of his pants pocket. The crystal glows, and Allen’s eyes instantly change from brown to the bluish-green color of the crystal.

Francisco and Jake yell, Wow! Allen, your eyes! They changed color! They’re blue… green!

Allen chuckles as he takes a sip out of the flask. Keep it one hundred. He hops off the bench and looks in the side mirror of a parked car. My eyes are definitely brown. You guys are tripping.

Allen sits back down, the crystal in Francisco’s hand glows, and Allen’s eyes change color again. Still holding the crystal necklace, Francisco grabs Allen and pushes his face into the car’s side mirror. Allen looks in the mirror and sees his eyes glowing blue-green in unison with the crystal.

He jumps back and shrieks, What’s going on? He grabs the crystal necklace and looks in the mirror again. He stands back and stares at his friends, stunned. The crystal swings from the thin gold chain, glowing dim and then bright like a light being turned on and off.

Back on the bench, the guys whip out their phones and search for any information they can find on crystals and eyes changing colors. They discover that Plato wrote about crystals used by the ancient people from the lost city of Atlantis. The story mentions a great king with the power of teleportation, could read minds and talk to sea animals. Then they come across an author and historian who knows a lot about crystals. Her name is Athena Dranias.

Guys, I saw this girl earlier today at the beach. She’s a famous Australian socialite. And… she was wearing a necklace exactly like the one we have!

Her phone number and e-mail address are on her website. Allen e-mails her with a video of his eyes changing colors as he moves the crystal necklace close to his face.

Allen arrives home at dinner time. He hides the chain under his bed in a pair of gym socks before going downstairs for dinner. Allen’s dead grandmother’s brother, Uncle Zadok, lives with him, his father and his mother, Alicia. Allen sits down at the dinner table and notices Zadok staring at him intently without saying a word. Allen is used to his uncle’s strange ways and tall tales.

Leroy looks delighted and says, Allen, you did a great job today. You surprised me when you butted into my conversation with Damon Reptilly, but you were brilliant! I have no reason to be angry with you. You made me look good in front of the billionaire brothers.

Allen smiles and replies, I’m happy to hear that, Leroy.

Leroy asks, And how did you like working with your friends?

Allen says a little coolly, It was fine, we enjoyed it… thanks…

The family eats in silence, and at the end of the meal, Zadok rolls his wheelchair away from the dinner table, looks pointedly at Allen and asks, Neph, would you be kind enough to take me to my room please? Zadok winks at Leroy and Alicia as Allen gets up to help him.

Zadok often asks Allen to keep him company, which Allen does happily, but tonight Allen is in no mood for his uncle’s usual stories. He’s heard them all and assumes Zadok is about to recount his favorite WWII story: I was carrying two wounded white American soldiers over my shoulders at the same time in France, and when I laid them down and wiped the sweat from my brow… I stepped back and… kaboom! A damn land mine blew my legs off. But after that day, it forever changed the minds of the two white soldiers I saved. One of the soldiers became a senator after retiring as a four-star general during the Vietnam War, and he helped build the civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Yes, sir! I contributed to making America great and I have inspired people by making a difference in this world.

Allen pushes his uncle through the living room and into his bedroom. Zadok says, "Nephew, I noticed something different about your eyes. You don’t have to say a word. I’m going to

Reviews for The Last Prince of Atlantis Chronicles

[ellelainey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Really original idea, concept and characters. The whole discovery thing was done well as was the link between real world and Atlantian.