Aftermath [malexmale]

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

My temples in Atlantis were always crowded during spring time, the time when the plants who'd withered during the winter returned bright and vibrant. The warm sunlight of my sister, Atlia, and the day time warmth from my father, Atlan, made the day all the more perfect.

A woman was singing a hymn in my honor as she swung her hips from side to side in dance to the music that her all male band was playing behind her. They had set up just outside one of my main temples, a large white prestine building with my sacred emblem of a phoenix etched into the roof, matching the gold version of it that was spread out across the temple hall.

I wandered in, cloaked from their view as I paused near one of the tall, Atlantean etched columns that held the roof towering over our heads. A statue stood at the head of the temple, white and smooth, it was an almost exact copy of me, but probably slightly more handsome with the long straight nose and stern features that were a little too soft compared to how I really tended to look. A sharp edged shield was etched with my emblem, and the clothes were so well carved that it looked as if any moment the gentle day breeze would ruffle them.

And at the statue's feet was a long gold table with offerings for me. My stomach growled at the sight of the amount of fruits and meats they had offered for me. A few women had given up their greatest jewelry for me, and even the little handprints made by infants in the gold dust on the tables warmed my heart.

"Father told you to stop spying on the mortals, didn't he?" A voice asked. I blinked, then turned to see one of my youngest brothers hidden in the shadows near the forest that lined the outside of my temple. I cocked my head at him and he took that as an invitation. Atlantean custom forbade other gods from entering another temple without permission first.

And Anexius was always invited into my temples. My favorite brother, as much as I hated to admit it, Anexius was the youngest of our group, setting aside the twins, Drulius and Drak. Anexius wasn't quite as tall as the rest of my siblings and I. He was barely six foot, his long black hair in straight locks down to his waist, with two braids that trailed down the left side of his head. His eyes were the same bright clear shade of white as the rest of my siblings and I. And while my robes were white with streaks of green, Anexius's were white and blue.

"I couldn't resist," I told Anexius honestly as he approached me, "These are my people. It should only make sense that I visit them on my sacred holiday." Anexius shrugged, as if he could partially agree with me before he stood beside me as we watched the worshippers come and leave gifts. A few even got on their knees and bent all the way forward so their forehead touched the marble floor, their hands spread out in front of them. As they rose, they drew their hands out and over their hand, then back down on their laps before they rose.

The prayer of rebirth and hope.

"They truly love you, brother." Anexius murmured. I turned to look at him. There was an odd tone to his voice that I couldn't pinpoint, but I wasn't sure whether I should bring it up or not. While Anexius was much beloved as the god of protection and sanctity, he wasn't so much appreciated by the other gods, particularly our siblings. I wasn't sure. Anexius, as a child, had been a very sweet playful and naive god. He was very forgiving and hopeful. But now, as we reached adulthood, there was a bitterness to Anexius that wrenched at my heart.

His happy goofy smiles and silly little games were non-existent. He held himself with a cold reserved state of being. And while occasionally, he would smile with me or laugh at my pathetic jabs, when in the presence of our siblings, he became a marble statue. Expressionless and guarded.

There was no doubt in my mind that it was the mistreatment of our siblings and family that had driven him to become like this. And by mistreatment, I meant that they used to corner him and poke him and push him and even punch him to the point where he'd come running to me with a bloody nose once. As he grew older, he had learned to fight back, which only enraged them further, so they had taken to desecrating his temples and playing the usual tricks most gods played on one another.