A handsome slim black youth standing next to Zeus nodded: "Yes o Lord of Lords, even the Kings have been plotting secretly for years. They deny our existence and look at the creed set by Poseidon spitefully." "Hermes, when a contagious disease starts in an area, you need to eliminate all in it, so that the disease doesn't spread to other parts. And so be here, if it has started in Atlantis, unless we put an end to it, it'll spread to the rest of the world. This is why I have called thy from the depths of the ocean, the depths of the mountains and the depths of the earth to find a permanent solution."

The court was silent. Zeus turned to Poseidon. "Brother, it is your island, I want to hear what you have to say." Poseidon shook his head "Angry is what I am. I've blessed them for years I cannot count, yet they’ve raised an army that challenged even the greatest one, Athens. I punished them by sending 10 years of drought, then they repented to me. But now, generations later, they have forgotten my blessings, my gifts, and are plotting against ME, I the God of the Sea who adorned my island with the best that none has seen before?!" Zeus nodded: "So we have told you to limit their blessings. For humans cannot live in a perfect world, they are creatures made to err and made to greed for more and more."

Poseidon slammed his fist on the great table of marble, cracking it mildly. "Enough is enough. I will send a terrible calamity unto them. I will cause a great earthquake such as the world has never seen before, in so much that those on the other half of the world, even in Greece shall feel that the Gods were wrathful, and from then on my name will be known as The Earth Shaker." Hades smiled. "More souls for me to harbor, I'm for that decision." The others nodded. Zeus stood up, "So it shall be, the judgment has passed."

Aleskander rubbed his eyes. "Damn" he thought to himself. "Why can't I make myself stop thinking about her? I think I was too harsh to her. What if she was right? No, impossible. Plus I cannot question the Gods. I'm... Too young to die. " He yawned, as he looked up, he felt something in the air. He looked at the clouds and frowned. "Funny... Purple clouds?" he thought to himself. A heavy hand placed itself on his shoulder. Aleskander gasped and turned around. Then he bowed. "Oh great King and God, Nemuzed the Second." Nemuzed smiled and brushed his hair with his hand, all proud of himself. "Yes, yes. Uhh, Aleskander, it has been brought to my attention that you are not tending to your labors well. What matters you? Need you rest I can see, for you have gone for many an hour without the least of a rest."

"You've spoken truth in that I am greatly tired, oh greatest one, but there is, something, small, that bothers me. And I won't be rested until I hear of an answer that I may be satisfied with." Nemuzed stood tall. "You have concerned me greatly. I tell you this, you are my favourite servant, so I'll grant you your answer, whatever it may be, fear not. Ask." Aleskander shook. And he shyly looked up at his king. "Lord, tell me, do you fear anyone?" Nemuzed shook his head: "Never have." "But... What about the Gods? What about Poseidon? What about Zeus?" the young man asked. Nemuzed looked deeply into the page's eyes and thought.

He placed his hand on his shoulder again and sighed. "Son... Let me show you something." He took him into the palace, and walked into a hallway that only royals are allowed into. He stood next to a wall at the end of the hallway then looked at the page. He motioned him to be silent, then Nemuzed turned to the wall and with his finger seemed to be writing something onto the wall. Suddenly, where he had inscribed with his fingers, the outline started to glow with a blue light. The glowing intensified and it looked clearer now. What he inscribed was a letter, of a language older than the "Gods" themselves. Suddenly, the wall split in half and roared open. The page gasped. Nemuzed motioned for him to follow and they went down the steps. Nemuzed said something in a strange language and the room lit.

"My boy, you are the first man who's not a king from the generations under Atlas to see this. Welcome to The Chamber of Secrets." The page looked in wonder as he saw piles of scriptures and tablets made from orichalcum in which were inscribed philosophies and ideologies written by generations of kings.

"Starting from the 5th generation under Atlas, we started questioning things. Why we are here on Earth, why we die, who are the Gods. How do we become Gods? We even questioned the very stories that made the threads of our lives. Namely, the legend of our ancestor, Poseidon." Nemuzed looked at the page's wide eyes. "We've come to the conclusion that the existence of these Gods has become questionable, for 'tis been centuries since they were accounted for. Some said they've weakened, some say they've seized to exist, some say, they never existed." The page gasped. "So it’s true... We are entering the Age of Enlightment. Oh, Catopsilia, I have wronged you so."

"Catopsilia? Who that be?" Nemuzed asked. "Yes, she's from the farms of the North East she said that her family has been visited by this Greek scholar named Elonas who’s had the same theories as yours."

"Hmm.. A minor contradiction to our theories that we would be the only eartherners to question because of our immense library of knowledge. Nevertheless, Atlantis will still be the first nation on Earth to give its people the gift of immortality and make us Gods ourselves over the rest of the world. True we lost the battle of Athens where we would've become the undisputed rulers of Earth, but the next time, we'll be stronger, mightier, and immortal." The page took a step back, seeing the glowing greed in the King's eyes.

Aleskander trembled. He was afraid. But suddenly he understood many things at once. He understood the meaning of the word Greed. And he understood now why Catopsilia asked him to question the meaning of the word: God. For when people want to become Gods, people want to rule, and want to kill and want more and more. And it will never end.

He also had another inspiration, as sudden as the first. He understood the importance of Atlantis. Unless he does something to stop the chaos, the world will be doomed. Nemuzed looked at Aleskander and frowned: "What is the matter, page?" Aleskander wanted to say something when suddenly, there was a tremendous roar that shook the room wildly and almost caused a cave in.

Nemuzed stood up straight. "An Earthquake? In Atlantis?" The room shook again this time more violently, the roof started collapsing.

The page turned around and ran towards the steps. Nemuzed watched the boy run and turned around, he calmly walked towards the gigantic bookshelf and took out a large book that looked oddly cubed.

He traced another letter onto the cover of the book, and it glowed just like the first time with a pulsating blue light. The cover of the book vanished and you could see that it was actually not a book but a box in disguise. Nemuzed took an orichalcum cube from within it. The cube had an inscription on each side, apparently six letters from that Arcane language.

He walked towards a table and picked up a cup. The cup was also made of Orichalcum, it was also coated with golden engravings of a merman riding a sea-horse.

Around the cup, four more Arcane letters were inscribed in it. The King turned his royal staff sideways and attached the bottom of the cup onto the bejeweled tip of his staff.

Moments later, the cup's golden rim seemed to melt and reform into four prongs that remained outstretched, as if waiting to hold something. He took the cube and placed it in the cup, the size fitting perfectly. The prongs came to life again and latched the cube securely. The orichalcum cube started glowing with its golden red fiery color and Nemuzed smiled. "The day has come to put you to use, oh Cup of Triton."

Three hundred Miles away, On the edge of Atlantis and the Pacific Ocean.

"Step Back." A masculine voice said.

Poseidon stopped. He raised his great trident to look under him and saw a man standing by his foot. The man wore casual everyday Greek clothing. He had long curly hair and had bright green eyes.

Poseidon took another step onto the shore and the earth shook.

"I said. Step back, Poseidon." The man said again.

Poseidon looked at the man and sighed. "Out of my way you feeble human, if you know who I am you will value your life and would step out of MY way before I crush you like I'm about to crush this island and the cities on it."
The man shook his head. "No, you're not going to do that. You're going to leave the Atlanteans alone."
Poseidon laughed. His laugh echoed far and wide in the skies. "Challenge a GOD? By what punishment do you want die? But make it quick I have a mess which I've started that I'm about to finish."
"You cannot kill what's eternal, oh proud one." The man said.
"Huh?" Poseidon was confused. He shook his head then pointed the trident at him. The man raised his hand towards the trident and thrusted his hand upward. The trident flew high up into the purple clouds then fell moments later a mile away onto the tops of a nearby mountain.

"What the... Who are you?" Poseidon asked.

The man put his hand down. "Who I am is of no concern to you, but I'm going to make a deal with you. I've started an experiment with these people, and I'm going to see to it that I continue with my work. You walk away, don't show yourself to these people and I'll take this island away into a parallel dimension where I can observe them. You will then have your "world"." The man snickered and continued: "Enjoy it while you still can..."

Poseidon walked towards the mountain and pulled the trident out. He stood between the mountain and the man. "If you are eternal, show your true self."
The man sighed. "Unfortunately, this IS my true self now. I.. Lost, my original form a long time ago. And I blame it all on the likes of you. You've tainted the mind of man to want to become superior, to become Gods."
Poseidon clasped his arms. "And what are you going to do about it?"
The man shook his head. "Nothing. What comes up must go back down. Except what's been up there all along."

Poseidon shook his head. "I don't understand your stupid riddles."
The man nodded. "That's because it's not. Now tell me, Poseidon, or whatever your real name is. Do we have a deal?"
Poseidon thought then laughed. He started walking towards the capital.

The man fumed and his eyes turned from green to red. Suddenly the ground around him shook and rattled and a small sand storm formed around him. The man elevated high up to be parallel to Poseidon's line of sight.

Poseidon looked on in awe.

The man's lips moved. He whispered in an old language. An old language that caused great cities to fall, that caused demons to rise up to become gods worshipped by the naiveté of humanity.

The whispers danced in the air and echoed in the skies. Poseidon panicked as the whispers taunted him and flew about from ear to ear. The ethereal words gathered up in front of the gliding man and formed into three words glowing in the air.

Poseidon's eyes widened. "But.. How did you learn those... letters?"

The man laughed. "LEARN IT? I CURATED IT! Under my directions, fifteen hundred angels forged the first Alphabet out of Fire, Water, Earth and Air. It represented the Divine Name which cannot be pronounced, the strength of which can create and destroy with the right combination. Your family stole it from the Devic Kingdom and used it to empower yourselves and create petty artifacts such as your trident to scare and overpower man. And because of that you claimed your Godhood over them. But now, these four words which I cast now in front of you will put you back into where you came from."

Poseidon gasped as a fourth word started to form in the air. He covered his eyes. "NO! Stop! Alright, I'll give you Atlantis if you let me go."

The man swiped the air and the letters disappeared at once.

Poseidon started walking back towards the Ocean.

"Go, demon. Go play your little game of God while you still have your powers. The higher you rise, the harder you will eventually fall." The gliding man taunted.

As Poseidon waded into the ocean, the man weaved a sigh of relief. He may be able to invoke the letters. But he has fallen, so he has no power to cast any devic spell. The bluff worked.

Suddenly he heard Poseidon laughing. "Take your Atlantis BARE of humans!" Poseidon raised his trident high in the air and a tsunami formed a hundred nautical miles away, and started to make its way towards the island.

Insofar, there's been seven quakes. Each one destroyed a big portion of the capital. The palaces of golden walls crumbled, the unliftable tons of stone buried people alive. The disaster was terrible. And the purple clouds ripped the sky with lightning and thunder, a torrent rain forced people to wade instead of running to safety.

"Father! No, father! Wake up!" That voice was all too familiar to Aleskander.

He turned around at the source and saw Catopsilia on the porch of a now-ruined Inn, her father seemed to have collapsed on the ground, the water was rising as high as his chest as he lay there. Catopsilia tried to raise him onto her knee but his weight subdued her.

He ran towards her and raised her father from the water.

She looked at Aleskander. Her face trickled with the rain water, and her soft hair was now wet and dripping. "He slipped and hit his head against the wall. I think he's fainted."
Aleskander pushed the old man's head onto his chest and pulled it back again. The man gasped and opened his eyes.
"FATHER!" Catopsilia cried in happiness.
The man coughed. "That hit was very hard. I don't think my old age could've handled such a blow... I think.. I think the wheels are in motion to prepare for my death."
"Daddy... Hang in there... We're going to be enlightened very soon. When we discover the secret of living forever, you won't have to worry about getting sick and being disease-ridden, you will be ok! Just wait..."
The man shook his head. "Darling... It is not my generation." He then turned around at Aleskander and pat his shoulder "But yours... I have laughed as I've seen you sneak away together, two young Atlanteans happy and full of life. I've had mine." He then looked at Catopsilia.
"I've had mine... My life became complete. When your mother, bless her soul, gave you into this world. She died a few years after you were born because she was sick with a disease that has no cure. I cursed death and disease and swore to fight them. But I know that... I've raised you right, darling. I've raised you to know that you need to fight two evil things: Death and those men who claim to be more superior than others. Status and money means nothing when there's disease and death, after all, death's scythe differentiates between no King or Pauper."

"Daddy..." Catopsilia cried.
"I will make sure she achieves that, sir." Aleskander suddenly said.
The girl and the old man turned to him confused.

"...Because I know now what the truth is."

Suddenly they heard a laugh. It was coming from the center of the palace. Catopsilia stood and looked on as Nemuzed stood tall with a glowing scepter on his hand.

"Gather around fellow Atlanteans and witness a miracle. Of a man becoming a God. Witness as I subdue our disaster which was foretold by kings of old. It is sad that my brothers are scattered far and wide in our great island and that they will not witness this great day."

The people stopped running and looked on towards the court. Awed with the glowing sceptre which they had never seen before.

The old man coughed. "Don't listen to him! He's a liar!" His eyes shut.
Aleskander gasped. "Sir... Sir..."
The old man wasn't responding. With those words, he had uttered his last.
Catopsilia held her father. "Maybe he's sleeping again? Daddy? Daddy?"
The moments passed like hours. He was dead. And it wasn't easy accepting that for neither of the two.

They turned as Nemuzed said something in an old language.

Nemuzed raised his staff high into the air and the pulsing grew more and more intensive. Its fiery redness illuminating the darkness of disaster.

Suddenly bolts flew out of the staff into the clouds, the rain stopped. The people gasped.

(Continued...)