"I think I'm going to take a break and go back home for a little while," Tatiana told Arthur. After all, everything had changed now, and dramatically at that, and she had to reassess her situation and options. "Besides, I might have to move back; he - Orm - was helping me pay for my stay and research, after one of my partnerships fell through, but I can't steal his money, not now." It was like admitting defeat.
"But you can steal mine." Arthur chuckled at her confused expression. "Hey, I'm King of Atlantis, that kinda makes me rich."
She gawked at him. "You'd be willing to help me financially?"
"Yeah."
"But you barely know me."
"But I can see how much this all means to you. I don't want you to lose your chance at research, especially not now when it sounds like you're the closest you've ever been to your goals. And besides, you managed to change Little Brother, and trust me, that's no small feat. You deserve all the awards for that." Then he turned more serious. "And I feel partially responsible for what happened."
"You don't have to be. He was the one who lied."
"Yeah, but I ordered him to spend time on the Surface. I didn't expect it to go well, necessarily, but also not go this badly." As in an old enemy resurfacing.
"Well if you hadn't then we would never have met." She didn't regret it, for it had literally changed her life, and in many more ways than one.
"I was starting to fall for him," she admitted suddenly. "But not him, not really." No, she had been falling for the false version of himself he had presented to her. The real version was a liar, a killer, full of hatred.
She shook her head, face ablaze now with flush. "I don't know why I just said that..."
But Arthur, as usual, was nothing but kind and supportive. "Hey, you have a lot to process. Take some time, and all this will still be waiting for you when you return."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Santorini, Greece
Going back home for a while was like breathing a heavy sigh of relief. Something familiar in the midst of so much unfamiliar.
And then her family dropped the bomb.
"We are descents of Poseidon."
Her family, her own family, had lied to her. As well as everyone else. Tatiana turned to her sister, full of betrayal. "You knew? You knew too and you didn't tell me?" By the looks, and sounds, of things, she was the only member of the family left in the dark on this, and that hurt even more deeply.
Again, had anyone not lied to her? And all so recently.
"You knew? You know how fascinated I am with all this and you still hid this!"
"Tatiana, it is a curse-"
"Maybe to you, but maybe not to me. I am free to make my own decisions about this for myself. Did you ever think of that? Ever consider it?" No, they had been too busy thinking she was wasting her life.
And just like that, home didn't feel very much like home anymore.
This did connect some dots though, she realized, once she was able to wrap her head around it all: her vision of Poseidon's Temple when holding Orm's trident. Little had she known it was her ancestor, the Sea God himself, calling out to her.
She had to go there - now she knew she just had to. Her ancestor awaited her.
She cut her visit short after that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SOLD
When Tatiana arrived back in Amnesty Bay - which was a huge relief after her trip home - she was greeted by a big sign on the front lawn of the cottage. She was so alarmed and confused that she ran right to the lighthouse to find the Currys.
But Arthur was totally calm. "I figured you'd need a more permanent place to stay," he explained. "So I bought it. It's all yours now, for as long as you'd like."
She was still shocked by his kindness and willingness to help her, still a complete stranger. However, thanks to Orm, their lives were now undeniably intertwined.
"Hey, you prove my point," he reminded her. "That not all Surface Dwellers are the same. Some really care about the oceans, and you believe in Atlantis." He nodded to the new amulet around her neck. "What's that?"
"Home held a lot of surprises for me too," she said wearily. "Turns out, my family is descended from Poseidon himself."
His eyebrows shot up. "Oh shit."
"Yeah. I guess my lifelong obsession with the sea and Atlantis makes sense now. This is the Amulet of Poseidon - had to go all the way to his Temple for it. Apparently it gives the wearer special abilities underwater."
"Huh - have you tried it out?"
"A little. I can breathe underwater with it."
"Well that's handy - what d'ya say we test it further?" He paused for dramatic effect. "How would you like to visit Atlantis?"
"Wait what? Are you serious?"
"Yeah."
"Is that even allowed?"
He shrugged. "I'm the king, I can do what I want. Besides, with the plans I have to reveal Atlantis to the Surface, we could use an Atlantis expert up here."
This was all happening so fast - her head was spinning, but in a good way. She was shocked - and excited - speechless.
He chuckled. "I take that as a yes then?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you a good swimmer?" Mera asked.
"Well, probably not as good as you, but I grew up by the ocean so, not bad."
"No human has ever done this before."
"Are you sure you want to break that tradition?"
Arthur grinned and excitement flashed in his eyes. "Oh yeah!"
And so they swam - she thought she kept up pretty good all things considered, especially with the help of the amulet.
"Welcome Tatiana," Arthur said. "Welcome to Atlantis."
She cried - though you couldn't tell, her tears immediately washing away in the water.
It was an underwater wonderland. And it was incredible. More incredible than anything she had ever seen or could have ever imagined. It met and exceeded all her expectations all at once. It was completely overwhelming, but in a wonderful way. She was screaming internally.
To everyone who had never believed in her, in any of the believers, well look where she was now. Look how far she had come.
"How does it feel to be the first Surface Dweller in Atlantis?" Arthur asked.
"Amazing!"
"How would you like a promotion?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, how would you like to be Dr. Tatiana Andreas, Archaeologist and Atlantis Expert of the Surface?"
"I think I'm dreaming!" These people's kindness would never cease to amaze her.
Something pulled at her heartstrings though - she had thought, and hoped, that if she were ever to see Atlantis, Orm would be the one to show her. But that had been nothing but a far-fetched fantasy - again, too good to be true.
Orm - she still thought of him constantly. Yes, as the years passed, there was not a day that went by when she did not think of him.
(Bless you all for your comments and response to the last chapter!
Apologies if this one seems rushed - I know I stuffed a lot into this chapter, but I'm really eager to get things moving into The Lost Kingdom storyline! I need to get Tatiana and Orm reunited ASAP! ;)
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))