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The beach was gorgeous if, sadly, empty of Achilles, or any of the Myrmidons for that matter

"Where the hell did all of those half naked et to?" Kat muttered

She probably should have double-checked about where he was and then gone to lare off the water It had to be at least lunch ti like a picnic lunch? And a blanket, for that matter Maybe they could practice some daytime hypnotism

Of course that was difficult to do without the patient--or the victihed Aetnia had obviously heard wrong Maybe they were practicing in the area of the beach between the two ca close enough to the waves that she had to take off her slippers and hold her robes out of the way But the water felt good against her feet and calves and she was kicking at the spray when a ht her attention Kat stopped and peered out into the crystal water, blinking to clear her eyes There seeht she saw flashes of silver and white and red Hiking up her dress even farther, Kat took a step out ihtly colored salt-water fish in the tanks at the Jenks Aquarium

Shapes undulated just below the surface Lots and lots of shapes At first Kat was struck by their odd beauty They were gelatinous and glowed a blue-white light that ree units sci-fiWeird… she could swear the water lapping around her calves had cooled by several degrees When she saw the eerie, an to step back Then Kat felt so clammy and cold slither around her ankle She lifted her foot,to brush off as probably just a piece of seaweed and the sharp pain of a sting jolted her, followed al sensation in her ankle and foot Kat looked down

It wasn’t seaweed What rapped around her totally dead-feeling foot was a long, thin tentacle that looked like a rat’s tail covered in a clear membrane

With a shriek, Kat tried to finish stepping back, but her leg had become completely useless and she fell to her knees

The deeper water in front of her writhed with tentacles and glowing, sightless bodies as they closed on her

Another tentacle snaked out Kat ducked and tried to lurch back, but the thing was still gripping her ankle, and it was pulling her slowly into deeper water toward the swarod! Help!" Kat screa ar herself back a few inches and anotherher with a painful sting that faded even faster than the first bite as the nu things were going to drag her under the water and kill her! She was going to die in this ancient world just as surely as she’d died in the car accident when Venus had--

Venus! Sobbing in relief Kat grabbed the locket and wrenched it open "Venus! They’re killing me! Help!"

Then a tentacle wrapped around her wrist Kat screahout her hand and up her ar her other hand into the sand behind her like a claw and tried to hold on Please Venus, please hurry…

Achilles was, indeed, drilling with his men--on the opposite end of the beach from where Aetnia had sent Kat He had just stopped to wipe the sweat fro cloud of sest Myrmidons instantly fell to his knees in supplication

"Venus! Great Goddess! You have heardher how you feel instead ofat hi her cloak "You must come with me"

Achilles blinked in surprise He’d had nothing to do with the Goddess of Love for his entire life What could she possibly ith hier Hurry!" Venus snapped