Prologue

Prologue

Isidora Merinos approached the jagged edge of the cliff with a slow caution. The light breeze was a soft caress against her face that sprayed her blonde hair in a halo around her as she threw a quick glance back towards the Temple of Pryndivan. This was Isidora’s favorite time of day; the brief moments she could claim for herself after she had completed her chores and before she was required in the dining hall for supper.

Time raced around Isidora in her secluded spot at the side of the cliff. As she sat, she watched the rays of the sun be swallowed up by sea. Poseidon is superior to Apollo after all, she thought smugly before casting a nervous gaze upwards. She was known for thinking out loud, and the last thing she needed was to invoke the wrath of the sun god. Isidora remained there for a few moments to take in the sunset. Warm shades of orange, purple, and red had been splashed across the sky and the sight never failed to give her a comforting feeling. But, she knew she needed to head in before it became too dark to reach the Temple of Pryndivan

As Isidora pulled herself to her feet, she heard a loud crash from below. She peered over the edge of the cliff and saw that the sea, which had been like glass moments before, now stirred violently. Large waves rolled and crashed into the rocks; Isidora could feel the ground tremble beneath her feet. Poseidon is angry.

When she spun around to flee, the long skirt of her white dress twisted around her ankles and sent her tumbling to the ground. The world suddenly grew dark around her. The last remnants of the sun were swallowed by the dark clouds that conquered the sky. The wildlife scattered in all directions at the sound of rumbling from above. Zeus is angry?

Isidora let out a piercing scream as a bolt of lightning struck the forest; she stared in fear as the trees around her caught fire.

“Isidora!” her husband called to her from the other side of an old felled tree, “Come to me!” his clothes became soaked through as painfully cold rain began to pour from the sky. All it took was another crack of lightning exploding above her to send her hurtling over the rotting trunk with the aid of her husband, “We’re leaving!” Arkadios called out over the rain as they ran back towards the temple, “Poseidon has called us all to Atlantis.”

“What do you mean he’s ‘called us all to Atlantis’?” she screamed back in his ear, “What’s going on?”

He shook his head as he led his wife into the safety of the temple. He had no idea; he had never questioned Poseidon’s orders and didn’t plan to start now. Arkadios pulled his shivering wife in close to him. He just wanted to get her out of the cold and into some dry clothes.

            Isidora and Arkadios gathered with the other worshipers in the dining hall as they waited for the Temple Priestess to conjure the portal that would take them all to Atlantis. Within moments of their arrival, Isidora and Arkadios were moving with the group through the dark green portal which left them in a crowded square on the island of Atlantis.

          “Arkadios!” his wife exclaimed as she looked out at the city and turned to him with wide, innocent eyes, “I've always wanted to come to Atlantis!”

          Arkadios smiled warmly at her, At least she's happy. Nearby, another portal opened and a small group emerged. As soon as it was closed there was a deep rumbling as the ground shook beneath them. Isidora clung to her husband's arm as he tried to lead her away from the panicked crowd and stopped by the dock.

          The ground shook again. A violent, endless rolling that knocked everyone to their feet.

        “What's happening?” Isidora cried out in a fearful voice that was nearly lost in the chaos as she tightened her grip on her husband’s arm.

          “I don't know,” he tried to comfort her in the screams of the crowd around them.

          “By the gods!” a woman exclaimed in front of them as she pointed towards the docks, “Look at it! Look! The water is rising!”

            The pair looked out towards the sea to see the water building up around the piers, but not a drop spilled onto the docks. Instead, the water built up as a wall that stretched around the entirety of the water as the land sunk beneath the waves.

            “We’re sinking! We’re sinking!”