The Society of the Ethereal Medallion

Atlantis

The water was fresh and relaxing, which was odd because I've always found it unbearable. The cold didn't bother me. It was almost warm.

Was I dead? Was this a dream?

Water flowed in my mouth, but there was no struggle. Saltwater didn't burn my eyes as it usually would. I could breathe through my nose and not feel the fire as I did during my torture.

William waved me over as Fabian and Roger dove in after us. He grabbed my hand tightly and swam down; my ears didn't boom with the elevation.

My lungs didn't crush from the weight. I felt like I genuinely was flying.

The further down we went, the darker it was supposed to be, but I could see all too well.

Rays of sunlight danced like long octopus tentacles; we swam deeper and deeper into the depths.

A shark swam past us, not even giving us a second glance.

William looked at me and smiled; I couldn't smile, I could breathe underwater, but my spirit could feel the weight of the ocean upon its shoulders.

Why did this seem familiar?

First, Delphi and now this scene. The great big ocean blue and its bottom. There were golden statues at the bottom; my feet drew to the wet sand like a magnet. I didn't need to have the support of William.

We trudged through the terrain; I looked back at Fabian, he waved to go further.

Like my dream with Dione, this was precisely the same.

Except over the hill was...nothing. There was no big city, nothing.

I looked back at them; they insisted on keeping going.

So we trudged on; the sea was deafeningly silent—the calm before the storm. The waters soon receded as we stepped into a bubble of air.

I gasped as I fell forward, being caught off guard by the city that was now before us.

"Atlantis," William stated breathlessly, panting to catch his breath.

"Just like my dream," I whispered to myself.

The air was so clean, like a soft breeze you feel after a rainstorm. I expected it to be more ruined and damp.

"Just like mine," William said beside me.

I looked at him, and he looked at me; I could see in his eyes just how much this meant to him.

"I know how scared you are, Greene. But thank you."

"Thank you?"

"For helping me anyway. Forgoing on despite the fear, I know what you're up against. I know you got something planned in that beautiful head of yours."

"Beautiful?"

He's never called me that before.

He brushed it off, "Don't do anything to the city without consulting me first. Don't exclude your partner. That's all I ask."

I turned as our crew stepped into the air. "Fabian. Where to?"

"To the main inner city. We'll find what we need there."

"How long?"

"About an hour or so? Maybe two if we're slow."

"Greene," William poked, looking up at the sky.

Schools of fish swam by unawares of the hidden city; they swam into the bubble only to see the other side of the ocean.

"Outstanding," I smiled. "I'm sure there's more to see further down into the city."