~•~
Atlas puts all of his strength into heaving the log further up the beach. His joints and muscles ache in protest, his wounds from the day before stretching and reopening. He welcomes the pain, as it is the perfect distraction from his whirling, hate-filled thoughts.
He releases his anger by hammering stakes through the wooden logs, though it does little to diminish his fury. He is blinded by so much hatred and guilt he can hardly see straight, the task at hand being the only thing to keep him from going insane with rage.
Self hatred burns in his chest like the hottest flames, burning him from the inside out with guilt and shame. His breaths are laboured both from the physical activity and the strength it takes to ignore the pain from his wounds. His back feels as though it is being ripped apart all over again each time he reaches for another log. The pain is good, though; maybe he deserves it.
He had grown sick watching the human girl for so long. The longer he stared at her the worse her injuries seemed to look. He can only imagine how horrible they would be--how much she would have lost--had he not saved her. Yet, at the same time, how bad would her wounds be if he hadn't kidnapped her at all?
She wouldn't have any.
He picks up another log.
He had stared at her so long he got to where he couldn't look another second. He ignored her hand reaching for his as he rose and left the tent. He knew exactly how he could fix his mistake, so that's exactly what he did.
It was still dark when he left the tent, the moon still high in the sky. He was wary of leaving her unaccompanied, so he never strayed far. Every now and then he would return to check on the girl, making sure she was still sleeping soundly. Each time she was exactly as he had left her, fast asleep and curled by the fire.
All of this, everything that had befallen her was his fault. He knew at the beginning that his actions were wrong, but he was too afraid to admit it to himself. Coward. He had only wanted to make someone pay. He wanted to do unto them as they had done unto him. It was payback, a penalty to the human race for everything they had taken from him.
Only, he hadn't realized he had lowered himself to their level of inferiority in doing so. In aiming for justice he had made himself no better than they had been. He had been so controlled by hate it blinded him from the consequences of his actions.
Now every time his looks at Calliope all he sees is what had been done to her. Atlas became no better than the very men who destroyed his childhood and taken her away from him. Humans had taken the most important thing in his life, someone innocent and kind. Now Atlas had done the same.
He continues to work on his project, placing the various logs and branches in their allotted places before fastening them together with reeds and vines. It will be some time before it can be put to use, but it will indeed be useful. Maybe then he will have redeemed himself in some small way.
"Atlas? Atlas!" He hears her voice call. Even from here he can sense the anxiousness in her tone.
Without another moment's thought he dashes back to the hut. He arrives just as she stumbles out, eyes searching and hands trembling. Concern fills his countenance as he reaches her, wondering what could have possibly happened in such a short period time since he last checked her.
"Did something happen?" He asks instantly, standing only an arm's length away from her.
The sight of him slowly calms her down to a more rational state. Her arms secure around herself as she fumbles for an answer. "I... no, nothing happened. I just, um, didn't see you when I woke up."
Atlas instantly realizes his mistake. "I didn't leave you, I swear. I was only working just over there," he says, gesturing to his project laying a little farther down the beach.
A light bit of pink reaches Cally's cheeks as embarrassment heats her neck and ears. All of her irrational worries were for nothing. He had no reason to stay all night with her anyways. "Its alright. I was just being stupid," she mumbles.
Atlas does not reply, as he isn't exactly sure how to do so. After looking her over once more, he turns and makes his way back to the work still left to finish. Walking further down the beach, he hears the distinct sound of her soft footsteps following after him. He does not mind, as the closer she is the easier it is to keep an eye on her.
"What are you building?" She asks tentatively as he resumes his work. He seats himself at one of the corners, beginning to wrap vines around the junction of logs once more.
"A raft," is his short reply.
A small bubble of hope fills Cally's chest, but she forces herself to not make any assumptions on the matter. "Why..." she swallows thickly. "Why are you building a raft?"
"So I can take you home."
Atlas wasn't sure what he was expecting Cally's reaction to be, but what happened surely was not it. Before he could say anything else, she had completely thrown herself at him. The girl's arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder. He was at a loss on what to do exactly. One of his arms was pinned againdt him by her torso pressed tightly against his, and the other hung awkwardly at his side.
Cally felt him stiffen instantly, but she refused to let go, instead holding him tighter and letting long awaited tears fall freely. "Th-thank..." a sob. "Thank you!" The cried more, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. "S-so much!"
Atlas could feel the tears and snot on his bare skin, but he figured he should let her be. He stayed still as a statue as she cried for many minutes. Eventually, she released him, wiping her nose and then wiping his shoulder with her shirt sleeve as a sheepish expression filled her countenance.
"We will have to wait until the Tide ends before we can depart. I can't make the journey in my human form," he explains.
A smile forms on her lips as she nods her understanding. Ever so slowly, nervousness creeps into her form. Atlas doesn't fail to notice. "Whatever it is you want to ask, just say it," he sighs.
Cally bites her lips anxiously, but obliges nonetheless. "I hope you don't mind my asking, but why did you..." a pause. "Why did you take me?"
Atlas releases a heavy breath, dropping the tools beside him. He knew this question was coming, but he didn't dread it any less. He owes her an answer. Hell, he owes her a lot more than that, but transparency is not one of his virtues.
He sits quietly on the sand, facing the ocean with an unreadable expression. Cally seats herself beside him, offering him both physical and mental space to articulate his answer. It is a while before he speaks.
"My kind never stay long with their young. None of us ever meet our fathers and our mothers only care for us until we are old enough to protect ourselves, usually around eight years." Atlas pauses as he notices her shocked expression, but he doesn't stop to acknowledge it, continuing on. "My mother... She was different. She stayed with me--cared for me--much longer than she needed to.
"Her name was Naya." Atlas chews the inside of his cheek. He had never spoken of her aloud, and the effort proved more difficult to do so than he had imagined it would. "I was nearly thirteen when..." he sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. He doesn't look at Cally--he can't bear to--but he feels her stare, though it isn't one of judgment.
"She had taken us to the surface. It was something we didn't usually do, as it was dangerous being so exposed, but she loved watching the humans. She loved their culture and how they loved each other so much. She taught me about how humans had families. The idea was foreign to me, but I found it just as fascinating as she did.
"We didn't see it coming. There was a boat, a small one, that had nets in the water. When we saw it, we immediately dove for the bottom, but she wasn't fast enough. She was caught in the net and I..." he swallows thickly. "I couldn't get her out in time. She told me to hide, and so I did. I turned and fled.
"When night fell I gained the courage to return to the surface, only to see that the Tide had come. She was in her human form and those males," his fists tremble at his sides. "...They did horrible things to her. I could do nothing but watch as I was too young to have shifted as well. I was trapped in the water unable to save her, only hearing her screaming for them to stop. They eventually killed her, said she was a liability and threw her back in the sea.
"I never forgot their faces. They were even stupid enough to fish the same waters a few years later, so I gave them what they deserved. I had been so angry at all of the human race that when I saw you..." he looks away, forcing himself to release his clenched fists. "I thought you would be the perfect payback. I took you from your family just like my mother was taken from me. I wanted to kill you. I would have, but I couldn't. So, I kept you. I figured that if I didn't give you death then you deserved imprisonment.
"I was mistaken. I failed to realize I had become more than the victim, but also the murderer. I... I almost let you receive the same fate my mother had." He looked at her then, more sincere than he ever had been before. "I won't let you suffer any longer Calliope. I will take you home. I swear no more harm will ever befall you under my care."
Slow, steady tears fell silently down Cally's rosy cheeks. The pain he had gone through was something she could not imagine, even more so on her own. She understood now why he behaves the way he does. She understands her purpose is on the island. Though she does not agree that it is good that she is here, she understands why.
Once more, she pulls him into a hug, though this time with less enthusiasm. She holds him gently, carefully, laying her head on his shoulder. "Humans give each other hugs when we are sad," she explains.
Ever so slowly, Atlas places his hands on her back. He does so gingerly and with much hesitancy, but Cally is grateful for his acceptance nonetheless.
"I am not sad," he says.
"But I am," Cally sniffles.
With a final squeeze, she pulls away from him. Atlas slides a little farther away from her, not exactly as comfortable in her presence as he once was. Cally notices, but makes no objection.
The two stare at the crashing waves, the morning sun rising higher and higher in the sky. The breeze is cool and welcoming on their skin as they sit in silence. Both are lost on their separate thoughts, but they are also at peace. Cally finally has an answer for a question she has had for quite some time. Atlas has found peace with himself at last, a burden lifted.
"Thank you for telling me," she says at last. "I will not condone your actions as far as why I am here, but I thank you for being willing to correct those wrongs."
"I will not ask your forgiveness," he replies. "I only ask that you allow my presence to ensure your safety."
Cally smiles gently at him, small and understanding. "I accept."