Flash Fiction by Edie Arks

Dawn of Eumelis

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Prompt #10: Atlantis. Real or fictional? It is said that the sunken island resided in the Mediterranean Sea primarily. However, there are 7 possible locations according to historians, but there has been no proof of its existence. Plato first mentioned Atlantis in his works 400 BCE, but as the centuries went by, more and more people started believing this island existed. Write a story from the point of view of someone who lived in Atlantis as the island sank.

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The Isle of Atlantis was ridden with war. Men had left the comfort of their homes and sailed across the Great Sea towards Athens. By their King they were promised victory, but such a triumph was not his to promise. The goddess of victory had chosen a side, and it became evident forthwith that she was not with the Atlanteans.

In the wake of their defeat, a woman sat kneeling in front of the statues of Poseidon and Cleito, hands clasped tight in an endless prayer. The floor of the temple sparkled with the red light of orichalcum as she continued to whisper under her breath. Around her, the walls bore in gold the names of King Atlas's descendants, the reigning bloodline of the empire.

Despite their immortalization in the temple walls, the sons and daughters of Atlas had ceased to obey their gods. It was their counterpart blood, sprung from his younger twin Eumelus, who had dutifully served the temple from one generation to the next.

The praying woman was a daughter of Eumelus, a keeper of the temple like all who came before her. She was a mother, whose children were sent off on a crusade in the name of greed and gluttony. She was Euadne, whose prayers were about to be answered.

A sudden gust of wind blew in between the pillars of the temple. For a moment the sun shone blindingly, making the sparkles dance around Euadne as disembodied voices grew louder in her ears. The woman was seeking for purchase on the floor when she felt a hand caress her. It was gentle, warm.

Euadne raised her head to witness Cleito- of flesh, no longer bronze and stone- stepping off her pedestal with a smile across her face.

"χαῖρε, ὦ Euadne."

Euadne stared, awestruck, into the brilliant face of Poseidon's consort. She heard her voice echoing in her mind, but her lips hadn't moved from their soft curve. Without a sound, Cleito glided across the floor and beckoned Euadne to follow. "I bring dire tidings with me, but I ask you not to be afraid."

Cleito led the still-speechless woman to the front steps of the temple. From there, the whole kingdom was splayed before their eyes. They could see the acropolis, where all the elites resided, and the palace sitting grand on top of the highest hill. Sighing, Cleito casted a forlorn look at the slums lining the bottom of the territory.

"To live equally is to live modestly. When one betrays humility, another suffers in their stead."

Euadne mustered her courage and meekly asked, "ὦ Κλειτὼ, have you come to aid us?"

The elder Atlantean turned her attention to Euadne, her eyes glistening with tears. "I have come to witness the fall of my homeland."

Cleito then warned the keeper of Atlantis's fate: bred from the belly of Nature, a terrible catastrophe will purge the empire. First will come Air, with Fire in tow; then comes Earth, swallowing in whole. When the moon glows at the sun's behest, Water will rise and drown the rest.

"Does this upset you?", Cleito inquired at the sight of her companion's dismayed expression. Euadne simply shook her head in return.

"Fear not, Euadne. The end of Atlantis will give birth to a new reign," the deity reassured her. "It is time for Eumelus to rule."

"A Eumelean king?"

"That is for Poseidon to decide," Cleito replied. "But I fear after the sinking, not many will survive to witness Eumelis and its first sovereign."

As Cleito drifted back to her pedestal, she was surprised to see Euadne resume her praying position. The woman bowed close to the floor as she spoke.

"I am but a lowly follower, but if most of us are to perish tomorrow, I only ask for it to be painless for the innocent... the elderly, and the children."

The consort smiled again. "You are very generous with your prayers."

And just like that, Cleito came and went.

When the sun emerged the next morning, Air was indeed the first to lay its wrath. It began with howling gales that came from the North, uprooting structures and lifting the covers of shelter. People scrambled to the isle's south for safety, but the gales carried the embers of war from Athens, and they spread from every side of the isle quicker than wildfire. Wails of despair echoed as all that was treasured were reduced to ashes.

By evening, when the inferno had swept through the kingdom, Earth awoke from its sleep and erupted into rage. The isle split into pieces and the ground consumed everything that fell into its mouth until nothing was left standing. By nighttime, water had crawled up to their necks as Atlantis began its descent into the Great Sea.

At the temple, Euadne stood with a houseful of civilians who sought sanctuary with her, as many as she could take in. Seawater had seeped into the hems of their robes, and there was no higher ground to climb to. With her eyes closed, the keeper mouthed one last prayer before the sea took claim of her:

"Ō Poseidon, guardian of seafarers, we praise and honor you. Keep us in your protection, and may those who suffer, suffer no more."

Euadne sank as the isle sank. The screams she heard earlier became cotton in her ears, and her eyes were darkened by the lost of moonlight. It was only when the last of her air escaped her lungs that she realized;

She could breathe.

Before she could recover, a bright light flashed before her eyes; and in her daze she saw the silhouette of a familiar Olympian taking form. It extended a hand for her to receive.

"Come, Εὔμηλίς; your throne awaits."