Kida's Stories: An Atlantean Princess' Secrets
The Queen's Perfume
By: Nedak

One day, as she was walking across the palace corridors,Kida noticed that her father was not in his throne room. She started searching for him through the palace.

"He's so weak," she thought,"but I cannot keep him closed in the palace. No one could stand this."

Kida saw a guard. She asked him if he knew where her father was. "The King went to the royal perfumer, your Highness, who lives near to the marketplace."

"You mean...he went there...alone?" Kida asked.

"But of course not your Highness!! He's guarded by two of our most trusted men!" the guard said.

"Thank the Gods!" Kida thought, and thanked the guard.

After a while she saw the King coming. He sat back to the throne and told the guards to leave him alone. He seemed sad.

"Father, what's the matter? What makes you so sad?" Kida said and sat next to him.

"Don't worry Kida. It's just an old man's hopeless romantism. I thought that I could..." King Kashekim stopped.

"What? What did you think?" The King gave his daughter an old little paper with something written on it. "It's...it's a perfume recipe!" Kida said, surprised.

Part II
"Your mother's perfume. I hoped that the royal perfumer could make that perfume, but he said that he needed a flower that no longer blooms in Atlantis. I just wanted to smell her perfume so I could close my eyes and convince myself that she's here by my side..." The King stoped for a while. "It's only a fantasy..."

Kida was now sad and confused. She couldn't see her father like that. "But father, is there no bottle in the palace that could contain the mother's perfume?" she asked.

"There was one, but it was stolen by a servant who left Atlantis a few years ago. The other servants said that he would travel to Greece and sell it there against gold, as something that could be used as an offer to Aphrodite. Maybe it's true but...it's too late now..."

"It's never late for me..." thought Kida, as she was leaving the throne hall and the palace. After a while she reached a dark, little hut, that looked like an invevtor's workshop. And that's what it was. The inventor that lived in was very old, about 25,000 years old. He couldn't see and read very well, but he still could be helpful.

"My dear Norinentehm, I came to you because I need your help. I have to leave Atlantis for a while. I know that, for many years, the Atlantean vehicles have not been able to function, but only you could find a solution to this problem."

Part III
"My dear child," said Norinentehm,"even I haven't found a solution. But there is one vehicle that I invented many years ago, that can function with any kind of powersource; it works with water!"

"Water?" exclaimed Kida.

"Yes child," the inventor continued."It's able to work through the air and the sea. Nobody knows about it, because I made it for myself, for my own protection. Now that I'm old, I won't need it any more. You can have it! But you have to leave at night so noone will see you. Here it is!"

Kida admired the beauty of the vehicle which was like a mini-submarine. She thanked the old man and returned to the palace.

Later that night, Kida approached the shore. She revealed her vehicle, which was hidden beyond the plants and launched it to the water. She got in and pulled up the only lever existed in there. Her private submarine was now underwater. She pulled the lever again and the vehicle speeded up. Kida had left Atlantis.

A few days passed and Kida was in the Mediterranean Sea. She knew those waters very well, because she had visited that area when she was helping Ares, the Merman to take his throne back. She reached the Greek waters. After a while, she disembarked on a beautiful, quiet shore.

"Aaah, my legs!The journey was so tiring!" she said. Then she looked around her. "Where am I?" She saw a cart passing by. It was a merchant who was carrying traditional Greek dresses.

"I guess I'll need one of those if I don't want everybody to stare at me. Please, sir...WAIT!!!"

Part IV
The merchant stopped the cart and stared at Kida.

"I'll need that wonderful blue dress. How much does it cost?" she asked kindly. The merchant did not answer but stayed there speechless with his eyes wide open. "How about this?" Kida said and offered a gold Atlantean coin.

"This will do!"he said at last.

"By the way,dear friend, where are you going? I have to reach the most commercially high-developed city of all Greece!!"

"Well, that would be Athens of course! This is where I'm going!"

"Excellent!"Kida cried. She wore her new dress and got in the cart. They reached Athens by night. Kida admired the beautiful temples, the statues and of course the Parthenon too. But she was all-alone and it started getting cold, something she had never felt in Atlantis before. She had nothing but a few Atlantean coins and of course her crystal. Then she saw a young woman as she was ready to enter her house, a beautiful, Ionian-style villa. She didn't want to ask for hospitality because she was a proud and strong young princess, but she had to, due to the fact that she was really exhausted.

"Excuse me..." Kida said,"...I'm a traveller. I have no place to stay and it's getting cold. Could you..."

"Of course," the woman said. "Come in, please. You must be exhausted."

Part V
After a while, Kida was warming her hands by the fireplace. "I have to say that I'm really overwhelmed by your kindness, er..um.."

"Megara. My friends and family call me Meg!" the young woman said. "I'm daughter of Kreon, King of Thebes. I live now here with my husband, Hercules, and my daughter, Hebe. Hercules joined the army for the Trojan War and I haven't seen him for months. I miss him so much!"

"He'll be back soon, don't worry," Kida said.

"Well, you must be an Atlantean!" Meg said. "I know Atlanteans have dark skin and white hair, because an Atlantean merchant visited me a few years ago. I bought a bottle of perfume from him!"

Kida stood up."Perfume?" she exclaimed. "And...where is it now?"

"Well, I offered it to Aphrodite's temple, as a gift for the excellent husband she gave to me!" Meg answered.

"That perfume belonged to my mother! It was stolen from the palace and I have to get it back because my father needs it!" Kida said.

"It was offered to the Goddess. Now Aphrodite owns it. You should go to her temple and pray to her. If she's in a good mood, she may listen to you."

"In a good mood or not, I'll make her listen to me!" Kida thought and touched her crystal.

Part VI
Next morning, Kida visited Aphrodite's temple. The temple's high priestess, who looked like a pin-up girl, asked her what she wanted.

"I just want a perfume your goddess stole from me!"

"How dare you?" exclaimed the high priestess."Our goddess is not a thief! Gifts are always accepted!" But Kida had decided to take back the perfume, one way or another.

"Do you hear me Aphrodite?" she shouted."I want the perfume!" Then, a pink cloud appeared and took Kida high, to mount Olympus and to Aphrodite's place. Almost everything was pink and heart-shaped. Kida felt sick. Then a curtain opened and a blonde woman appeared, resting in her comfortable sofa. It was the Godess of Love herself!

"Oh, gods! This haircut is so weird! And this tattoo...You'll need tons of make-up! Honey, it won't be easy to make someone fall in love with you!" Aphrodite said.

"I don't want a boyfriend! I just want you to give me back my mother's perfume!" Kida said.

"Sweetcakes, I just don't know what you're talking about! I've got lots of perfumes!"

"That perfume is unique! One of its ingredients, the flower Manadehm, is Atlantean!" Kida explained.

"Then you mean...this!!" the godess said and showed Kida a little, purple bottle.

"Yes! This is it!" Kida cried.

"Hah! And you want me to give it back? You must be crazy! This is my favourite perfume!"

Part VII
"But you have to help me! My father is sick and his only consolation is that perfume! It's what makes him hope..." Kida explained.

"Oh, all right, I could give it back, if only you could do me a favour!" Aphrodite said maliciously.

"What kind of favour?"Kida asked.

"I had a boyfriend named Adonis. But Ares, the God of War, was jealous of our love and killed him. If you down to Underworld and convince Hades to bring him back to life, I'll give you what you want!"

Before Kida could say anything, a pink fog covered her and when it was gone, she was in the temple again. She went back to Meg's house and told her everything.

"Hades? You can't go down there all alone! He could easily trick you! I know, trust me, I've been his slave for a long time..." Meg said.

"What else can I do?" Kida asked.

"Nothing else. But I'm coming with you. At least he can't trick me any more..."

That evening, Kida and Meg visited the dark and cold Underworld. When they met Cerberus, Kida's crystal shined more than ever, and the beast let them pass. Hades was surprised to see them.

"Meg! Babe! I haven't been this choked up since I got a hunk of moussaka caught in my throat! Hey, what brings you down here, Meg?"

Part VIII
"Look," Meg said, "I don't have much time. This is Kida, Princess of Atlantis, and..."

"Baboom. Name is Hades, Lord of the Dead. Hi. How ya doin'?"

"I came here to take Adonis'soul!" demanded Kida.

"I'm sorry. You mind runnin' that by me again?"

"Aphrodite wants her boyfriend back to give us a perfume that belonged to Kida's mother, Queen of Atlantis," Meg explained.

"Meg, Meg, Meg! Aren't we forgetting one teensy-weensy, but ever so crucial little, tiny detail? THE GUY IS DEAD! And, hey, I own his soul! So can't. Love to, but can't."

"I'm not leaving this place untill you give me Adonis' soul! And you own anybody's soul!" Kida said angrily.

"He he he! Let me show you around," Hades said and took Kida and Meg to the River of Dead.

"See? Here is Adonis. Not in a very lively mood, you know. So, will you jump in and take him back?" Hades asked.

"I will!" Kida answered, but Meg stopped her.

"You'll die if you jump in there!" she said.

"I have an idea," Kida whispered to Meg. "I could use my crystal's power as a protective vault around me!"

At once, Kida jumped in the River of Dead. But Hades didn't notice that her crystal's power was protecting her from getting old and die.

"Game, set, match,"Hades said to Meg. "And you didn't even try to stop her, babe."

Part IX
Before Meg could say anything, Kida came out with Adonis' soul in her hands.

"Thanks for your service. It's been a real slice!" Meg said and left with Kida. Hades screamed so loud that his flames got higher than ever. After a while, Adonis came back to life. A pink fog appeared suddenly and then Aphrodite showed up.

"Well, it seems that you did it, Kida of Atlantis. I think I owe you something!"she said and Kida smiled. Aphrodite gave her the perfume and continued: "As for the perfect boyfriend, it will take you a few thousand years, but when you find him, he's gonna be the best!" Aphrodite kissed Adonis and they disappeared.

"Hey, you really did great," Meg said to Kida.

"I couldn't have done it without you. You're a real friend. Thank you!" Kida said and embraced Megara.

After a few days, Kida was back in Atlantis. She found Seliah wandering on the shore.

"Kida!"she exclaimed."Where were you? Everybody thought you left Atlantis!"

"Well, actually, I did. But I knew I could count on you. What did you tell to my father?"

"I said that you were in the woods for hunting. Same old lie! Now tell me where did you go this time? Did you meet anyone? He was handsome? Did you kiss? Did.."

"I'll tell you everything but first I have to give something to my father," Kida said.

The King's eyes filled with tears when he smelled the perfume.

"Are you happy?" Kida asked with tenderness.

"I'm happy to have a daughter like you," the King answered. Kida smiled and touched his hand. The King continued, "At least, I know that a new perfumer's shop is now officiating in the woods!"

Everyone laughed and Kida fell in her father's embrace.

THE END