Atlantis Reborn

Atlantis Reborn, page 16-23, Part One: A Mortal Weakness {ep:0}

A blood curdling scream tore throughout the night startling Rhea out of a deep sleep. Her eyes snapped open to find her room bathed in darkness, the single candle she had lit before she had gone to sleep long since extinguished.{ep:1}

The darkness in the room seemed to be pressing down on her. The weight of it crushed her against the bed, held her helpless, like a sacrifice waiting to be slain. Her hand slipped beneath the blankets in search for the knife she kept hidden with her while she slept. She found it lodged between the bed and the wall. Her fingers curled around the hilt of the tiny dagger, relishing in the familiar rush of power that raced up her arm when she touched the weapon. Her eyes searched through the darkness for a splinter of light to help her gain her bearings. She screamed as the bed she lay on suddenly lurched flinging her onto the hard stone floor. The impact sent shockwaves through her body. For a moment she simply lay there, sweat beading her body, her ears straining for the sound she had come to dread every night. “RHEA!” {ep:2}

Bile rose up into her throat. It was him. A door snapped open and hit the wall sending light flooding into the room. Rhea bit down hard onto her bottom lip. She could not refuse him, not now not never. Tossing back her long red hair, she marched out of the room and into the corridor with as much dignity as she could muster. She stopped and stared at the darkened passageway stretching out before her. {ep:3}

The walls were a dark, charcoal black, the floor polished stone, oil lamps hanging from the ceiling provided the only light. Rhea shuddered as a blast of cold wind blew past. There was little to no warmth inside the corridor. It was hard to believe at one point in her life Mount Olympus used to be her home. The castle was her prison now, her hell. If she closed her eyes hard enough she could sometimes hear the sound of her children running down the halls laughing. {ep:4}

The peaceful fantasy never lasted long. Her children had been grown for centuries, gods and goddesses of awesome power that ruled the mortal realm with an iron fist. They were the Olympians, rulers of Greece, and she was their mother. “RHEA!”{ep:5}

She broke into a run. Fear crawled through her body like a living thing pushing her further down the corridor. She ran as if her life depended on it, as if the hounds of hell were chasing her. The twisting tunnels of Mount Olympus all seemed to blend together after a while. Rhea had no idea where she was going, she simply needed to get away, far away, to a place where she could be safe. She turned a corner and found herself facing a tall wooden door. {ep:6}

She stumbled to a halt, her face white with hesitation. She reached out with the power of her mind searching for any strange anomalies that might be in the room. Sensing nothing, she pushed open the door and stepped into the room. “Ah, mother,” said Zeus, turning to face her. “I see you heard my calls. I didn’t wake you, did I?” he smiled at her, a quick flash of teeth that chilled her blood. {ep:7}

Rhea began to shake. “Wake me?” there was a hint of hysteria in her voice. “No, no of course not,” she looked down at the ground as she spoke, her frail body quivering uncontrollably. “Good,” Zeus’s voice was smooth, cultured even, when he smiled his eyes glittered like ice. “I was worried for a moment that you might be sleeping. I kept calling and calling but you wouldn’t answer.” His eyes stared into hers. ---Whatever were you doing? He said telepathically.{ep:8}

Rhea lifted her head like a frightened animal. She could feel Zeus’s mind pressing ruthlessly into hers, when he spoke his voice was so soft it was hypnotic. “You will tell me where you were.” The handsome smile he had greeted her with moments before faded from his face leaving his features twisted with madness. “You were sleeping, weren’t you? How dare you sleep without permission. I am your son. You belong by my side.” He tilted his chin into the air. “Now is not the time for punishments.” He walked over to a table and poured himself a cup of wine. “We have a guest.” {ep:9}

Rhea swung around as a flash of movement caught her attention on the opposite of the room. She watched in trepidation as a tall blonde-haired man stepped out of the shadows. “Poseidon? Is that really you?” She could not believe her eyes. It had been at least a century since she had seen her eldest son last. Poseidon remained silent. His gaze narrowed at the tiny woman standing before him as if he had never seen her before. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, his face was like a blank canvas. He seemed a world apart from the little boy she had once held in her arms. The harsh lines of his face softened. “Mother.” He said. {ep:10}

Rhea rushed forward and hugged him. There was a loud smash. Zeus sat crouched over a broken goblet on the floor, his expression curiously blank. “Look,” he whispered, pointing at the pool of wine soaking into the rug. “It broke. The glass broke. I killed it. I like to kill,” he said quietly. He picked up a shard of glass and swiped it across his own wrist. He frowned as the slash instantly healed. “I healed. I’m always healing. I cut humans and they don’t heal.” He turned towards Rhea. “I am good at causing pain, wouldn’t you agree?” {ep:11}

A wave of anger rippled in the air as Poseidon glided in front of Rhea, his larger body acting as a shield. “Stop it Zeus. You are frightening her.” Zeus’s breath escaped in a long, low growl. “You dare tell me what to do in my own castle?” Sensing danger, Rhea stepped between her sons to separate them. “Please don’t fight. You know how much I hate it when the two of you bicker.” She turned towards Poseidon with a smile on her face. “You don’t know how much your visit pleases me, Poseidon. What news do you bring?” Poseidon folded his arms across his chest. “I have great pleasure to announce I have found my soul mate.” The silence that fell could have been cut with a knife. {ep:12}

“Is that so?” Zeus spoke so quietly, the words were little more then a thread of sound. Rhea twisted her hands together in a panic as the air thickened with tension inside the room. Desperate, she turned towards Poseidon. “That’s…”{ep:13}
“Wonderful!” cried Zeus, rushing forward with his arms open wide. Rhea blinked her eyes in bewilderment as Zeus patted Poseidon on the back in congratulations. “I’m always happy to hear of another one in our family finding a soul mate. What is her name? Is she Greek?” {ep:14}

“Why, yes, as a matter of fact,” said Poseidon, grinning at the sudden change in his brother’s behaviour. “Her name is Cleito. She’s from Athens.” {ep:15}

Zeus tapped a finger against his chin in thought. “Cleito…Cleito…I don’t believe I have ever heard of a goddess with that name before. You must bring her to Mount Olympus for a celebration banquet. What do you think mother?” His eyes lit up with a cruel glint as Rhea backed away nervously. “Its sounds wonderful,” said Rhea, smiling sweetly. {ep:16}

“Its settled then,” said Zeus, turning back to face his brother. Poseidon smiled. “Very well then. I shall tell her the moment I return.” He turned to leave. “Oh, and one more thing, Cleito isn’t a goddess, she’s a human.” He vanished in a swirl of his cloak. {ep:17}

Silence filled the castle. There was no creaking, no whisper of servants, even the wind had gone quiet. It was as if the castle was holding its breath. Rhea stared at the place Poseidon had disappeared in shock. It took all of her self-control not to fling herself onto the ground and sob for him to come back. Her breath caught in her throat as a crack of thunder boomed outside, the sound echoed throughout the castle from the highest tower to the darkest dungeon. {ep:18}

Rhea slowly turned to look at Zeus. Her youngest son stood staring at the ground, his ageless face twisted with rage as he repeated Poseidon’s parting words under his breath. “A human. Poseidon’s soul mate is a human.” He flung his head up causing his blue black hair to whip in the air like a living cloak. “Did you hear that mother? Poseidon’s soul mate is a human.” He laughed, the sound torn from his throat as he teetered on the edge of hysteria. “Isn’t it strange that Poseidon could find his soul mate among mortals…” his hands tightened into fists. “And I, the King of the Gods, must go on alone. How many centuries must I spend married to Hera until the Three Fates give me a soul mate?”{ep:19}

Rhea took a step towards him, her eyes filling with tears at the sight of him in so much pain. “Zeus,” she said. “Son. Listen to me. I know you may think its unfair, but---“ {ep:20}
Zeus turned towards Rhea as if noticing her for the first time. “What are you doing here?” his eyes flashed with madness. “You are not allowed in here. I am the king, the king do you hear me? Get out of my sight!”{ep:21}


Rhea fled from the room sobbing, her son’s cruelty hurting her more then words could say. She ran until her legs ached and her throat stung. When she could no longer run she sunk to her knees on the ground in exhaustion. Rhea cried out in fear as a high pitched scream echoed throughout the castle. The hideous shriek seemed to go on forever, a long mournful cry laced with jealousy and rage. {ep:22}