"When you get something in your head, you...well...you"re stubborn and pig headed...very Greek."
Adonis ignored that. "I know Atlantis is real, and I know that on the Island of Santorini..."
"We went there. You didn"t find anything."
"Yes, but I didn"t have the right information. Atlantis somehow disappeared under the Ocean and-"
"Under the ocean now?" Devon laughed.
"Now you sound like everyone else." He threw up his hands. "They think I"m nuts and so do you. Well, I"m going back to Santorini. I think I know now exactly where to dive and..."
Devon placed a hand on his arm. "Look at me. I"m seriously worried about you. I think somehow you"re developing delusions about-"
Adonis jerked his arm away. "I got to go."
He followed him out into the hallway. "You"re going to lose your job. If you continue your obsession, they"ll oust you from the university. I don"t want to see all your hard work go down the drain and-"
"Don"t worry about it," Adonis cut him off. He didn"t tell him it was already too late for that. When caught up with at the elevator, he refused to look at him.
"Adonis, I love you. Forget about all this Atlantis stuff and come back to me. We"ll work all this out, find you the right doctor to help you with the dreams."
The elevator door opened. He walked on and pressed the b.u.t.ton for the lobby. He turned around and gave Devon a sad smile. "No thanks," he said. "I don"t need any more doctors. See you." The elevator doors closed between them.
After three years of research, Adonis had developed a theory, a theory based on predictability and sound geological findings. Not only was he sure he knew the approximate location of where Atlantis once was, he was quite confident it still existed, that Atlantis and earth were separated only by the ocean itself.
When he"d told his colleagues he suspected there was another universe underneath the Indian Ocean, his declaration was met with derision. "You"re out of your mind," Jeff Carter, the head of the Geology Department, scoffed. "Now there"s another world under the ocean?" He glanced around at the others.
"Look," Adonis threw back at him, "given the predicted size of the earthquake which occurred there over eleven thousand years ago, we-"
Jeff held up his hand. "We can"t be sure with any accuracy an earthquake of that magnitude even happened."
"This is ridiculous," Anita Perkins burst out. She was a well quoted expert in the area of seismological research. "If you don"t stop this, Don, we"re going to end up being a laughing stock. I can"t believe you got funding for this Atlantis c.r.a.p. It"s a myth."
"First of all, Anita, my name isn"t Don," Adonis told her, "and secondly, we know little about the ocean floor. We haven"t even-"
"Precisely," she sighed. "Are you saying that somehow Atlantis pa.s.sed through some portal under the ocean floor and..."
Some of the others had begun to file out of the room already.
"I"m not sure how it was done, except that the size of the earthquake was powerful enough to-"
"No earthquake is that powerful," Jack interjected.
"Maybe it had some help. We had an ice age, didn"t we? Why not a-"
"Adonis, I think you need to take a break. You"ve been working too hard," Jeff pointed out. And that was the end of that conversation. He was told to take a sabbatical, so, that"s what he"d do. He was going to take a sabbatical to the Island of Santorini.
He hadn"t slept since he"d arrived on the island, but it didn"t mean the dreams were far away. If he closed his eyes, he could see them. He took a jagged breath, his heart beating hard in his chest. He felt breathless. A trickle of perspiration ran down his temple.
"Yes," a soft voice whispered, "we know you"re here."
His eyes flew open. He glanced up at the huge rock which diligently guarded the ocean. The water was icy blue tonight. The moon grinned down on it prudently. At most, he would be able to dive one thousand feet, which meant that he"d get no where near where he needed to go. "Help me," he whispered. He shivered in the night air, placed his head down on his arms and again closed his eyes. It was the dreams, which told him he was right, but no sane, learned man, would allow himself to be guided by dreams.
"Your theories are pure speculation, Adonis," Jeff had told him before he left the university. "I don"t understand it. You"re a brilliant scientist. In fact, it"s rare to see such brilliance in a man of your age. Get help, save your sanity and your career. Give up on this nonsense. Next, you"ll be telling me you believe the G.o.ds actually existed!"
Suddenly, he couldn"t breath. His eyes snapped open and he began to struggle. No, it couldn"t be. He was no longer sitting on top of the hill. He was under water and there was a current dragging him deeper. His life flashed in front of him as he kicked out frantically with his arms and legs. Then he saw her again. Her face was so close to his. Flimsy material floated around her body and those intense blue eyes scorched his very soul.
"Don"t struggle. Sleep," she whispered, "sleep, Adonis"
Everything faded.
When he opened his eyes, he was sure he was dead. It was exactly like his dream. He was surrounded by what seemed to be transparent gla.s.s. Outside of it was water. He was horizontal, but there was nothing supporting his body. He was floating in mid air. He tried to move his arms, but they were caught with something over his head. There didn"t appear to be anything attached to his ankles, but yet his legs felt heavy, like they weighed five hundred pounds. He couldn"t lift them at all. He tilted his head down to his chest and noticed that he was naked, but he felt no chill. In fact he felt warm, as if he was housed in some kind of a coc.o.o.n. He glanced around the room.
Suddenly, he caught sight of a strange looking creature. It was bright green, and although it seemed to have a human face, it also had fins, webbed hands and a long tail. It paused, glanced in at him, and its face, neither male nor female, widened into some kind of a grimace. It was frightening. Adonis cried out. "Where am I? Please, don"t just leave me here."
Other creatures swam by now. They paused, floating there in a congregation, gawking in at him. It felt odd being on display like this, naked, with a mult.i.tude of humanoid sea creatures ogling him. Then he gasped as he felt his body shift from horizontal to vertical. He was being slowly turned around from one angle to another, affording the onlookers a better view of his nudity. His entire body was being gradually thrust forward toward the gla.s.s, his legs spread of their own volition, as his hips pushed outwards. He glanced up to see that his wrists seemed to be suspended by something, but whatever it was, it was invisible to the eye. It was as if he was suspended in mid air, attached to nothing.
His c.o.c.k and b.a.l.l.s. .h.i.t the part.i.tion, and although gla.s.s like, it felt soft, pliable. The material seemed to bend to accommodate his genitals. Webbed hands reached up and stroked the definitive bulge in the part.i.tion. Adonis gasped as he was yanked around so that his a.s.s could be displayed. His legs spread open even wider and his body was bent at the waist. He tried to struggle as he felt the slightest tickling over his a.n.u.s. "Okay, enough," he shouted. "What in h.e.l.l is this? What are you?" His body dropped to the floor and everything went dark.
"On your knees," someone shouted as Adonis squinted his eyes from what was gradually switching from darkness to an icy blue hue. "I am the G.o.ddess Cleito," a voice said.
Hands pressed his shoulders, keeping him on his knees. He blinked to see the woman he"d seen so many times in his dreams. She was tall, her body moving as if in one fluid line as she approached. The sleek body suit she wore was aqua, the same colour her skin appeared to be. In fact, one couldn"t tell where the clothing ended and the skin began. She was beautiful in a strangely exotic way, those intense blue eyes now boring down into his as he looked up at her. "Release him," she said. She turned away and floated ahead of him, bidding him to follow.
Adonis checked behind him, but there wasn"t anyone. The woman mounted a two step platform and sat on a stone throne. "I"m dreaming," he said softly.
"I a.s.sure you, you are not."
"Where am...I?"
"You already know," she acknowledged her head. "Welcome to Atlantis."
Adonis choked back a sob. "Then it"s real. It"s real."
"It is."
"How did I-"
"You are here, Adonis, because we led you here."
"But why?" he looked around him. He paused, letting his hands fall in front of his genitals. It was kind of difficult moving into scientist mode when he was standing there naked.
"There is no need to hide here."
"Why am I naked? And who were those creatures in the-"
"One thing at a time. I think I should tell you right away, Adonis, we did not bring you here to study us." Those brilliant eyes looked directly at him, "It"s time for you to know."
"Know what?"
She stepped down from her platform. "We don"t wish to share our society with the world. They wouldn"t understand. They"d try to change it. Poseidon created Atlantis out of love for Cleito the First. We are all her descendents here, as you are his."
"His?" Adonis blinked.
"Yes. It is why you were being studied so closely."
He laughed slightly.
Those fierce eyes turned to him again. "You mock me."
"No," he shook his head. "I-"
"You are exceptionally beautiful. Do you think that beauty is an accident?" She was standing right in front of him now.
"I..." he began.
"Follow me," she said. "They are waiting for you."
It was just like in his dream. He followed her down a hazy corridor where nothing seemed solid. "Are we in the water?"
"We are surrounded by water," she replied, not slowing her pace.
"Are we on the other side of the ocean?"
"The underside, yes."
"Then I was right. I..."
She turned now and looked at him. "You didn"t figure this out alone, Adonis."
He shivered, turning the corner, the floor waving beneath his feet. He felt dizzy and he was beginning to feel cold. "Am I your prisoner?"
No answer.
Then abruptly he was being lifted, flying through the air, only to feel himself caught again, arms and legs out straight as he lie suspended in the air.
"He is here," she said. "I will leave you now."
His body lowered near the ground. He struggled again. Then he saw a face smiling down softly at him. His hair was a mess of golden curls hanging to his shoulders. The eyes were as blue and fierce as the woman"s. He gasped. A name materialised in his head, but he couldn"t say it. He felt himself tremble all over. Tears acc.u.mulated in his eyes.
His voice was deep with the quality of silk. "My desire for you is overwhelming to me, but I must share you with the others if we are to go back. But, please before they come, let me kiss you."
Adonis closed his eyes as honey lips pressed against his. His mouth opened. He felt his tongue play along his teeth. He moaned softly in his throat as the soft lips pulled away. Then his head was pulled back. He felt the round solid shape of a c.o.c.k ease into his mouth. He was trying to think. He was trying to sort out the things that were happening. Nothing made sense, and as rough tongues and callous, rubbery feeling hands invaded every inch of him, his mind envisioned a whirlwind and in the whirlwind were many images of people and G.o.ds. His body shook with o.r.g.a.s.m as he felt himself hurled down under the ocean. Atlantis was moving.
His eyes opened. The sky was blue over him. He was no longer surrounded by water. He was lying on a velvet day bed in an open structure surrounded by great white columns and statues. He sat up and lowered his long legs over the day bed and onto the floor as a woman entered, her head bowed. Adonis looked at her.
"My lord," she said, "I have had the slaves bring grapes and wine for your refreshment."
"I thank you," he heard himself say.
"I can"t tell you how grateful I am that you have agreed to spend you free time with us here on Atlantis. I hope that Aphrodite will not bring her wrath down upon us for this."
"Zeus will calm her. I understand there is some urgency."
She gazed at him. "It is true what they say. You are the most beautiful man. I understand why Aphrodite and Persephone fought over you."
He smiled softly. "You are too gracious. What can I do for you?"
"It is my son, Atlas. He is to be crowned the first king of Atlantis, but he is not worthy. I"m afraid his father Poseidon, will be very angry. I am a mere mortal woman and I-"
"You are a mortal worthy of a G.o.d"s love," he corrected. "And remember, I am half mortal myself."
She gave him a grateful smile. "Can you take my son under your tutelage? Can you teach him how to be a good ruler?"
"I will do my best, Madam," Adonis bowed his dark head. "First, I shall partake of your hospitality and have some refreshments, then I shall see your son."
"I should warn you, he will be resistant."
He bowed his head, hiding a smile. Resistance didn"t worry him.
When Adonis cracked the whip he had in his hand on the bed, just barely missing his foot, Atlas let out a yelp. "What in Hades!" he cried, scrambling off the bed and dragging the sheet with him to hide his nakedness.
He ran his eyes over him. "Good afternoon, Atlas. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Adonis. I"ve come to train you in your fated task. In order to rule, you must first learn how to be ruled. Thus, this begins your first lesson in obedience."
Atlas allowed his gaze to run over the length of the man. "You are really..." He caught his breath, "Adonis."
"I am," he smiled. "Now, drop the sheet."
"I will not," he protested, nervously fingering his disarray of golden curls.
The smile disappeared from Adonis"s lips. He cracked the whip again, this time narrowly missing Atlas"s arm.
He did a step and dropped the sheet.
Adonis came closer. He ran his eyes over him scrupulously. He was slender and fair skinned but well shaped for a young man, with just the right muscle tone. "Turn around," he barked.
"You can not treat me in this..." he was trembling. Tears threatened.
"Ah, my Atlas," Adonis stepped up to him and took his chin roughly between his fingers, "you will need to be far tougher if you are to rule Atlantis."
Atlas gave him a defiant look.
Those light blue eyes of his were sensational and for a second, Adonis felt hypnotised by them. He released his chin and moved slowly around him. He noticed the stiffening of Atlas"s c.o.c.k. He smiled and ran his hand over the delectable swell of his a.s.s. "Well," Adonis whispered up against his ear, "let"s get started, shall we?"