“Even though the gods now searched for their alma xemelga as one with us, they still needed our love and acceptance to gain power. They are to strive for our happiness, just as we are to theirs, to maintain utopia. Part of the happiness on both sides is to find our alma xemelga. Poseidon was pleased with his territory for a number of reasons. The first reason was that water surrounded this land; it is his element of choice. The most unforeseen, was the discovery of his alma xemelga.” Raif nodded to me, indicating that he was finally about to answer my question. “Cleito was the daughter of a farmer and very beautiful. She was devoted to her family and her father adored her. He was not particularly fond of the gods and had been hoping that their small island would be overlooked as too insignificant for any of the gods to want. When he saw Poseidon walking toward his farm that fateful day, he was less than pleased.
“There was no mistaking the instant connection between Cleito and Poseidon. The moment their eyes met, life for them, and us as a people, instantly changed. The soul recognized its mate, wanting to meld even before the two bodies had a chance to be introduced. It was said that the earth shook with their meeting, lightning cracked, and the waters churned in delight. I’m told that there has never been anything like it. I was not there for their meld and have never witnessed another alma se funden.”
“What does that mean? Divider alma must have something to do with the curse, right? What does the other one mean?” I was enthralled.
“Divider alma is the Atlantean term for ‘soul split,’ its literal translation is ‘divided soul.’ Alma se funden is the wondrous time when the soul meets its other half and becomes complete again, sharing the twin bodies. It is supposed to be glorious. It literally means ‘soul meld.’” He smiled at me and I shivered. “Poseidon knew before the day was over that Cleito was to be protected and cherished at all costs. He continued to form this land with the sole purpose of protecting his mate from any harm. The other gods mocked him for the futility of loving a mortal woman and he chastised them for their lack of completion. Zeus married Cleito and Poseidon before the week’s end and they lived together in the castle we visited yesterday. Poseidon was inclined to grant his bride anything she desired—we were lucky that she was not a selfish woman and just asked that their people be cared for. She desired only that the land would be forever fertile and their people never want for anything.
“Poseidon would watch her as she interacted with the people. His heart would burst with pride and joy that this woman, who was so giving of herself, was his mate. He was terrified of losing her. It was unknown as to what the effects the dividir alma had on the soul once it melded into one being with two bodies, especially when one of those bodies was an immortal god and the other was human.
“He placed wards on this land protecting her from any unforeseen harm and ensuring that only age would be her end. When he was assured of this precaution he also created natural occurring spring fountains that extended vitality. There are three that exist here.” I held my hand up, not knowing if I could believe what I was hearing.
“You mean to tell me that you have the Fountain of Youth here?” My disbelief was evident.
“We have three.”
“Like, the Fountain of Youth that the conquistadors searched for, killed for, and never found because it’s not real?”
“Similar to how no one has found Atlantis in over eleven thousand years, no? The entire continent of people has faded into myth. Your people allow history to fade and change until you no longer know truth from fiction. You accept truth only from those storytellers called historians, teachers, and doctors. Anyone who has an experience that varies from what they preach—you call them crazy. Your society has baffled me for centuries, yet you continue to thrive and grow; even through losing the connection to the lands, the energy, and the spirit around that makes the world such an amazing place.”
I felt an anger that wasn’t mine. I wasn’t angry at his words, I was chastised by them. He was right. We do only believe those who have prestigious titles in their fields. If a professor of astronomy told us we were the only habitable planet in the entire universe, we would believe them over the person who said aliens exist. And here I was, talking to someone who was essentially an alien on an island that shouldn’t be real, miles below the ocean floor. Who was I to say things couldn’t be?
“How can you not believe in the magic of the fountains when you’re here?” Raif’s voice was pained.
“This is a lot to take in, Raif,” I began. “I’m trying. Really, I am. It’s difficult to wrap my mind around everything, but being here, seeing and touching things that shouldn’t exist—well, it makes it difficult not to believe.” His lips curved into the slightest of smiles and my heart stuttered. It was in that moment that I knew I would do anything to see joy on his face.
“When Cleito and Poseidon had their first set of twins,” he continued, “Poseidon was so overjoyed, he named everything after his first son, Atlas. That was when we truly became a people with an identity separate from the rest of the world. From that moment on, we were known as Atlantis. He named the sea where we lived the Atlantic Ocean, and it was larger than any known body of water.
