ATN: THE ELEMENTS OF BEAUTY

WE HONOR THE FALLEN

Being stabbed at the back is a pathetic way to die. And our Juan Marquez had been awarded such a death. We still had no idea who killed him, but the satyrs, witnesses to the tragedy, said that some guy in a black hooded cloak did that. Juan had trusted the guy and turned his back on him, and the guy had done his job. I decided that if I ever found that guy, I would disintegrate him into pieces.

Juan's mother had died while giving birth to him. His only family back in Cozumel was his grandmother. She was teleported through a portal here in Atlantis. We had been gone for an hour, and by then, the people had already built two coffins. As Juan's body was put inside the coffin, Hermes appeared. The demigods lifted the coffin, but couldn't handle its weight. As the coffin was falling, Hermes ran with Flash like pace, and approached his son's coffin. Behind him, Apollo arrived too. We kneeled in front of both of them. Hermes said something in ancient Greek, and carried the coffin to the grave all alone. He put the coffin in the grave and stepped back, as Iris waved her hands to move the soil to cover it.

Nadia Petrova had been killed by Periboea when she threw her scimitar at the tower from where she was shooting arrows. She had been pressed under rocks when the tower fell. Oh, I can't even imagine. Nadia's only family back in Kazan was her mother. She, too, had been brought to Atlantis through a portal. She kept crying, and Apollo tried controlling her. Nadia's Mom cursed Apollo, and accused him for Nadia's death. Well, technically it was true. All who fell today would not have fallen if the gods didn't go making enemies with Gaia, the Earth Mother.

Nadia had the same funeral as her boyfriend. I felt like it was good. Now that she and Juan had both died together and heroically, perhaps the judges would grant them both Elysium, and they would reunite there. After the burial, Apollo stepped away, his hands automatically running through the strings of his lyre. And he sang. An absolute masterpiece of a song. His voice was so perfect, that despite him singing in ancient Greek, I could understand the song, its tone, its feelings. The god of music sang of life, death, and the feeling that goes through a parent when they lose their child. Tears flowed through my eyes, and I thought that my parents would also feel the same if I died before they did. I looked around, and saw every single one, even Hermes was crying to the song. Such was the power of Apollo's music.

Finally, we honored our fallen queen. Iris told us of how Queen Anastasia had been on her own since she was twenty-six. Her husband, King Basil had died so young, that she had to take upon the responsibility of the kingdom on her shoulders. Yes, Iris was there to help her, but she had watched her grow everyday. Just for the sake of Atlantis, she did not remarry. She stayed loyal to Atlantis till her last breath. She had ruled Atlantis for thirty two years. Just when Nadia fell when the tower fell, so did our brave Queen, for the two archers were fighting side by side then. She was still alive when my Mom pulled her out of the ruins, but only long enough to thank us and pass on the rule of Atlantis to Iris, who had accepted to be the stand-in ruler, unless the true ruler was found out. And I had no idea who the true ruler was going to be.

Anyway, Queen Anastasia had a last wish: she would be given an Athenian funeral. As her funeral pyre was being set up, a woman appeared out of nowhere. She had wore a white long dress. She looked no more than thirty. She had red hair, black eyes, and a reddish skin tone, which made me sure that this was Queen Anastasia's mother, Eos, the goddess of dawn. Eos had big red wings, like that of Danny, the phoenix. Her face had a similar expression of sadness. She arrived, cried in front of her daughter's corpse, and stepped away as she was being put on the pyre. Eos lit the fire to the Queen's pyre. And after the body was completely burned to ashes, Eos put the ashes in a jar. Then, she looked at us, and said, "My daughter, Anastasia was the greatest Queen of Atlantis. You, her subjects were everything to her. She has made me proud every single day. I watched how she grew as a person, as a ruler, and as a leader. Today, she gave her life in a war. She didn't fail to make me proud even when she was dying." She turned to Iris, "Protect these people well, Iris. They are your responsibility now. Anastasia trusted you as the stand-in Queen. Honor my daughter's choice."

"I will, Lady Eos." Iris promised.

Eos, Apollo, and Hermes left soon after, as we finished burying the rest of the fallen. Our team of twenty demigods had reduced to eighteen. It was very hard to take in. But when I was walking back to my room with my cousins, I knew well that nothing would be same anymore. In an year's time, the giants would rise again. We would have to go on another deadly mission again. We would lose some of our friends again. It seemed too much to think now. We had lost a lot already. I didn't know if any of us could get over the losses, but I believed that time could heal us one day, perhaps.