“When Atlas came of age to rule, Poseidon took Cleito to their summer home on the cliffs. They lived in secluded bliss for a century, knowing their family would want for nothing. It was a mistake to have given complete control to mortal men, one we have paid for in blood and tears for eleven thousand years.” His voice was sad with the destruction of their proud history.
“We have a metal that is only found here in abundance, and in extremely small pockets that are difficult to get to in other parts of the world. You asked me about it earlier; the red, multifaceted stone. We call it orichalcum. It is an amazing metal that can be used in just about everything. It is strong, yet can be melted to be handled as easily as fabric. Our fathers traded this metal for the chance to find our mates. As you can imagine we craved this more than anything else, and for all that we had, our lands were, and are still, mostly comprised of men. Trading the metal to other regions enabled us to have their females visit for a chance to find our alma xemelga.
“Few women who visited these famed islands could stand the isolation from the fast-paced cultures that other gods led. They would stay, search for their mate, then leave as quickly as possible. We lacked the variety of other lands, yet have never felt incomplete because of it. We had never been a people to force others to live on our lands against their natures, but we did trade fairly and pray to the gods that we would find our mates.
“King Atlas had begun to feel pressured to find a wife to produce further heirs, as we were, and still are, unsure of our lifespan. We do not live as you do, Lady Natasha. There is something about either living in Poseidon’s lands or having his blood in our veins that makes us practically immortal. We also discovered that we have a very difficult time reproducing.
“Atlas had the same hopes as we all do, to find his mate and become complete. After sixty unsuccessful years of searching, he gave up and married one of Aphrodite’s daughters, Triana.”
“Aphrodite… Wasn’t she the goddess of love, or something?”
“Yes, love and beauty. All her children shared her beauty, and Triana was no exception. Because of this, she was accustomed to being spoiled and pampered by her father and mother. Atlas felt burdened to spoil her in the way that she had been accustomed to because she had agreed to give up the chance of finding her mate to be with him. She was constantly draped in fine jewels and expensive, rare fabrics. She had the latest fashions sent to her for her approval upon their creation. Exotic perfumes were found or created just for her. Atlas doted on her, eventually becoming so enamored with her that our trade agreements changed to suit her needs and we no longer had time to search for our mates. We were too busy keeping our king and queen sated. Our treasury grew to be the most valued and coveted in the world. With news of our treasury and the vanity of Queen Triana, we quickly became prime targets for invasion and had many enemies.
“Atlas was a good leader in that he saw the threats and prepared for them. A better ruler would have avoided what was to come, petitioning to his god and father, Poseidon, for guidance and direction. Atlas, however, created a vast army and built walls around the borders of our lands, making it nearly impenetrable to attack. Our warriors were brutal in their defense of our lands so that not one single member of invading armies lived to tell the tales. Atlas was amazed at the brutality his people were capable of and became insatiable. We quickly became a warrior nation to be feared by all we approached.
“Atlas was cunning in his strategies for conquering other lands, and eventually he began to draw the attention of the gods. They watched with growing anger as our king desiccated their lands and Poseidon did nothing to contain him. For years we plundered and lived as gods among men. We were feared for our brutality, respected for our tenacity, and envied for our wealth. King Atlas declared himself the god of Atlantis.” Raif paused and shrugged his shoulders, as if to erase the burden of his people’s history.
“Triana gave Atlas a son the year we were destroyed. The day Prince Nereus was born was a fantastic day of celebration for all. Had we been attacked that day, we would have been defeated. For a week we drank to celebrate the health of Prince Nereus and the prowess of King Atlas. It was a joyous time of celebration that the gods used to destroy us.
“A scout arrived home a week after Prince Nereus was born, bringing news of an uncharted land filled with treasure that made ours look like a drop of water in the vast ocean. Queen Triana was incensed by this news and King Atlas immediately sent out our strongest warriors to obtain this treasure for his beloved wife. He depleted our army so that only a handful remained behind to defend our borders.
“We were attacked from all sides by three different armies. If we had all of our warriors we may have stopped the bloodshed of our people, but we will never know. I was just a boy when I saw them come. My father was the Warrior Chief and was among those sent out to the sea to obtain the treasure when we were attacked. I took up
