“Astrology, right?” I said, scooting farther down on my rock, pretending it was a couch and this was a fairy tale, not a life and death situation.
“Exactly,” he beamed. “What I taught wasn’t necessarily evil, it just made the humans all the more curious about things they should never have known about in the first place. My brothers followed my lead, teaching the art of metal-working, the art of war, and worst of all, the art of cosmetics.” He scowled. “It was hard enough being forced to watch over mankind day in and day out, but once the women began painting their faces, learning the dances of the Heavenlies — we were entranced. It is a weak excuse, but a reason nonetheless.”
“What’s your story, Atlas?” I said, not recognizing the curiosity in my voice.
“My story…” he mumbled, shifting in his seat. “It’s sad, Thena, and don’t think I’m ignorant of why we are having this little meeting. My power is endurance and reading the stars. I am not easily swayed, nor do I give in to pressure, regardless of how beautiful the messenger may be.” He reached out and grasped at a piece of hair that had fallen loose from my ponytail. “I’ve always admired the Seekers. They have both the beauty of the angelic race and the fascinating characteristics of the humans.”
I felt uncomfortable at his pensive stare, as if he could see right through my clothes. I crossed my arms, offended that he was staring at me in such a way.
“Calm down, little one. I mean you no harm. Isn’t that what got me in trouble in the first place? No, I have learned my lesson, and now I’m cursed. Tell me, Thena, why would I fight for the side that so heartlessly threw my brothers into the Abyss as punishment?”
“You tell me. After all, you were willing to meet. It does make one wonder if your desire is to be whole again — to rejoin your brothers, to go home.”
The look on his face darkened. I knew I had him there, but I needed more information about the reason behind his betrayal. It needed to make sense to me. Why would someone who was given everything, knowingly abandon all he held true for one human?
“You are young, Thena,” Atlas said. “Don’t you understand love at all?”
I didn’t want to answer. He grabbed my hand. I liked his touch enough to allow him to hold it. He said something in his angelic tongue that sounded a lot like beautiful sin.
“Pardon?” I asked.
“Love can masquerade as a great many things, Athena. It can possess you, show you power, promise you things you never knew you even wanted. I became entranced by the outward beauty of the women I saw. I fell, and once I fell, I turned into something I didn’t recognize. I needed more and more of the intimacy that the women gave me. I didn’t stay true to my partner. I didn’t stay true to myself. Sin has a way of pretending to be something good. That is how the Darkness works.”
“Yet you’re willing to sin, to fight on the side that promotes sin, for what? For revenge?”
He dropped my hand and answered, “Acceptance. I see in your eyes you don’t understand, my dear, but those who fell will never be accepted by the Heavenlies, regardless of the side we fight on. If we fight for your father, we’ll be rewarded with freedom. If we fight with you… the only ending is eternity in the Abyss.”
“So you’ll make the wrong choice all over again to hide from the punishment you deserve?” I asked sadly.
He drew his sword and stared at it. Like a flash of lightning, he pulled it across his hand. Silver and red liquid oozed out. “Do you see my blood? The divine ichor of the angels flows through my veins. I am connected to my brothers, whether I like it or not. In the Abyss they see… everything.” His eyes flashed white before returning to blue again. “My brothers see what they betrayed every day of their existence. That was our punishment. Can you not understand? I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, Athena. My burden to bear is that I will always know the happiness, the joy, and the pain of my brothers, whom I’ve been separated from, but I will never rejoin them. Being free, regardless of which side I fight on, is my only aim. No being is strong enough to witness what I’ve witnessed or carry my burden. I would do anything to be free.”
I wondered silently why he was free when his brothers were not. There was something strange about Atlas. He was beautiful, like an angel, but part of his mannerisms shocked me, made me wonder if he was hiding something. If he was truly a Titan, he wouldn’t be able to roam the world or use power as he did.
He put his sword back in his belt. I was stunned into silence. I wanted to help, to show him El was just, that things would be okay, but even I wasn’t blessed with knowledge of the future.
Everyone depended on me, on my wisdom. So I pushed further. “Atlas, if your brothers — the other Watchers — if they wanted to fight for our side, would you join them or abandon them?”
“I would have no choice but to join.”