Jo denied access to King Dalios
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Jo attempts to meet with the King, but is blocked by Crito who refuses to let her pass, citing the King's unavailability.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Frustrated yet resolute, balancing outward urgency with strategic caution
Jo attempts to bypass Crito’s blockade to reach the King, pleading urgency with rising desperation. Lakis intervenes, redirecting her while exchanging subdued warnings about Crito’s loyalties. Jo’s sharp observation of Hippias and Krasis signals her tactical pivot to follow them instead.
- • Deliver a warning about the Master’s plot to the King or Doctor
- • Exploit internal Atlantean divisions to bypass institutional obstruction
- • The Master’s threat is imminently lethal and must be communicated
- • Hidden alliances within the palace may be exploited to gain access
Content to wield institutional power dismissively, masking no discernible emotion beyond sovereign indifference
Crito emerges from the palace and blocks Jo’s path to the King, demonstrating his gatekeeping authority within the Atlantean hierarchy. His cold, dismissive response to Jo’s urgency reveals his disregard for her mission and hints at political allegiance to factions hostile to her cause.
- • Protect King Dalios from perceived threats by controlling access
- • Assert personal authority over palace protocols
- • The King's safety requires absolute control over who may approach him
- • Tradition and procedure justify denying even life-or-death pleas
Neutral on the surface, concealing long-term political intentions
Hippias and Krasis exit a side door into the plaza alongside each other, signaling their cohesion against the Doctor’s mission. Though they do not directly confront Jo’s party, their presence reinforces the factional undercurrents Jo must now navigate.
- • Obstruct or delay the Doctor’s access to the crystal
- • Maintain public facade of unity while advancing their faction’s agenda
- • Divine claim through the Kronavore Crystal legitimizes their authority
- • Control over temporal power transcends personal risk
Anxious but compliant, navigating uncertainty between duty and fear
Lakis leads Jo toward the palace entrance before redirecting her away from Crito through whispered urgings. Her cautionary remarks expose her awareness of Courtly factionalism, establishing her as a covert ally within the palace’s royal service.
- • Protect Jo from institutional retribution while guiding her toward safer options
- • Maintain plausible deniability within palace politics
- • Crito’s hostility reflects deeper divisions within Atlantean leadership
- • Subterfuge is necessary for survival under the Master’s growing influence
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Atlantis Plaza functions as a ceremonial threshold where political power is publicly enacted and contested. Its open dais becomes the literal and symbolic blockade where Crito asserts control over access to the King, while Jo’s failed plea exposes the plaza’s dual nature as both stage for spectacle and battleground for influence.
The Atlantis Royal Palace manifests institutional authority through ceremonial grandeur and labyrinthine protocol. Its corridors and steps serve as both refuge and obstacle: Hippias and Krasis slip through guarded exits toward hidden undercrofts, while Jo is diverted into its political quicksand instead of reaching its throne room.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Jo's urgent instruction to Lakis to take her to the King (Beat 194...) is interrupted when she is blocked by Crito (Beat dfbc...), but she observes Hippias leaving with Krasis and decides to follow them (Beat c98...), pivoting her plan to intercept Hippias."
Jo demands audience with the King"Jo's decision to follow Hippias and Krasis into the temple undercroft (Beat c98...) leads directly to her attempt to warn Hippias not to enter (Beat ee8...), and ultimately to her being ambushed by Krasis and pushed inside with the Minotaur (Beat d98...), creating a high-stakes cliffhanger."
Krasis traps Jo and Hippias in undercroftThemes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning