“I know you are right, amada, but I don’t like it. We will depart to Cleito’s palace in the evening so that we can travel under the cover of darkness, away from my peoples’ prying eyes. I believe she will be able to help us complete the prophecy and get you home.”
Raif left to gather supplies. He told me to stay in the house and rest while I waited for him to return, we both needed to prepare for the long night ahead of us. We’d be at the base of the mountains to Cleito’s prison by morning, and we’d be staying there until the next nightfall to avoid prying eyes. He had hope that she knew of a way to get me off this island. If not, he wasn’t certain what we would do. But he held fast to his faith in Poseidon and their prophecy.
As strongly as he believed that I was his soul mate, the man didn’t know me at all. There was no way I was going to stay cooped up in his house when there was a whole world to explore. I gave myself credit though; I stayed in the house for about an hour snooping through all his stuff. It wasn’t as much fun as I thought it’d be, so I decided to go outside and take pictures. I didn’t know if I’d be able to take my camera with me when I left, but I was hoping that I’d be returned with everything I arrived with.
I was in heaven. Atlantis was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen. The skies shimmered in perpetual sunset, with the colors reflecting on the dome protecting us. The clouds were pure white without the smog of a city to fade them. It was truly a shame to have to leave. I was happily taking pictures of the forest behind Raif’s house when someone behind me spoke.
“You really are more attractive than the king gives you credit for, you know.” I turned to see Michael leaning casually against a tree.
“Don’t do that! You scared the crap out of me. What are you doing here, anyway? I was under the impression that Raif’s house was forbidden to all you Atlantean people?” I attempted to hide the camera in the folds of my dress as I turned to face him.
“As I’m fairly certain you’re already spoken for, I think I can bend the rules.” Michael winked at me conspiratorially. “Besides, I’m not quite fully Atlantean and Raifuku sent me to make sure you didn’t cause any mischief. It seems like I got here just in time. You do realize that there are people here who would kill you on sight, thereby eliminating the need for this pointless debate, right?” He smiled.
“What do you mean you’re not fully Atlantean yet? What are you?” I sat down cross-legged in the grass so I didn’t have to invite him inside alone with me. I made it a general rule to stay out in the open with men I didn’t plan on sleeping with.
“I’m like you. I was born in Los Angeles in 1932. I was at a surfing competition during a hurricane in 1954 when the waves tossed me into a current and I drowned. I woke up outside the palace and have been Raifuku’s loyal apprentice ever since. He teaches me things about Atlantis, and I teach him how to surf in the canals separating the islands. It isn’t as much fun as the open ocean, but honestly, I’ve no idea what would happen to us if we attempted to surf beyond the shore. What year are you from?” He plopped down across from me. I grinned as I watched him chew on a piece of grass with his tanned, translucent blue skin.
“Can I take your picture? I don’t even know if I’ll be able to keep it, but I really want to try.” I held up my camera and waited for his approval.
“Why not? I doubt you’ll be able to take it with you, but I haven’t heard of anyone who’s ever come to Atlantis leaving, so knock yourself out.” He smiled at me with the long piece of grass hanging from the corner of his mouth and I took a picture of the first somewhat-Atlantean person of the day. I was starting to feel giddy.
“I was celebrating my thirtieth birthday, it’s 2010. I was scuba diving and a group of hammerhead sharks scared me so I cut the tag line to my partner. I was swept up in a current and knocked out. It was my first dive ever in the ocean, so I was taking as many pictures as I could. Would you like to see them?” I knew I was rambling but it wasn’t every day I was able to talk to someone old enough to be my great grandfather; yet young enough to pass for my age. His eyes widened as I started to flip through the pictures on my underwater digital camera. I smiled as I watched his fascination with this piece of technology. If I remembered my history correctly, when he drowned, they were just starting to come out with color movies. He must’ve looked at every photo four times before shaking his head in amazement and returning it to me.
“They’re truly masterful with their technology on the surface. I wonder how the people here will react to all the changes your culture’s made. It’s vastly different than seeing it in the reflecting pools.”
“What are those?” I asked.
“They’re less like pools and more like raised basins of water. There are two in Poseidon’s temple. Atreyu helps me with the scrying. They are able to show you some of what’s going on. They’re like a mirror, but one that doesn’t reflect;
