After all, despite the fact that I was considered an abomination, I was given a job by El. A job to protect the race He held in such high regard. There must be something special about humans. I still couldn’t figure out what, but there had to be something.
I hated my human side, so I fought with everything I could to stay in the moment, to use my supernatural senses to take over what I viewed as weakness. But for the first time in my life, as I watched two people hold hands and laugh as they walked by me, I wanted to know, would it be so bad? Was being normal such a bad thing?
As if he sensed my deep thoughts, Adonis grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I gave him a weak smile.
It was nearing two in the morning. The Originals would be meeting us soon. I had no idea what I was supposed to say. After all, the mission had been to convince the Titans to fight with us. I had failed. I mean, I had Atlas, and at least they weren’t fighting for Azazeel, but still.
I was here as a representative of them. They’d asked me to ask Raphael a small favor, and I wasn’t sure it was wise to ask him. After all, he did have a minor anger issue. Well, actually all of them did.
Taking a deep breath, I waited.
The horn sounded three times in the distance. We formed a circle, the four of us, and held hands as a shroud of light fell from the sky. Everything went black again.
The people froze around us as if they were in a paralyzed state. We always did this when we had to meet in public. What people didn’t realize was that this was holy ground.
I know, weird. Seattle, Washington? Really? But it was. Before the Flood took place, the world had been one giant land mass. Eden, or at least Earth’s Eden was located near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, but the new Eden, a part of the world God had created just for humans as a sort of crown of his creation, it was located near what we now call the Pacific Northwest.
It was a place no human had ever entered until after the Flood. For one, it was thousands of feet bellow the earth’s surface. The Puget Sound and Pacific Ocean are so deep and dark you couldn’t even see remnants of it if you tried. I’ve heard stories about it, passed down through other Seekers, and Michael sometimes had talked about it.
But it always made him sad.
I hate making him sad, and he knew it. So once I was too old for the stories, I stopped asking. He said it was his home. It was the home of the spiritual realm when they were here on Earth, but after the Flood, God’s presence left the earth, leaving only sin in its place. Man no longer walked with God. Man no longer talked with God. Man had each other and that was it.
The price of sin was separation and destruction. I kneeled down and picked up some soil in my hands. If you looked close enough, you could still see the sparkle of the stars in the dirt. It made me smile. One of these days, Eden would be restored. I just hoped I would live to see that day.
A shock of heat ran through my body as the three angels descended onto the holy ground, the only place they could stand without leaving permanent marks on the earth. Headquarters was made for angelic powers. Because the earth was broken, it was no longer able to handle so much angelic power in one place. I’m sure there would be a few earthquakes tomorrow to prove it. The plates always shifted under the pressure.
Each of us bowed. I kicked Atlas, but finally after a minute of hesitation, he followed us to the wet ground.
“Rise,” Michael commanded.
The archangels were dressed in battle gear. Large golden armor covered them from head to toe. Swords, nearly as tall as I was, were hanging from their waists. Their white hair was pulled back into tight leather bands. I gulped and waited for Michael to direct his attention toward me. Instead his eyes narrowed.
“Atlas.” A tear ran down Michael’s cheek before he said, “Brother.”
Atlas fell to his knees, sobbing. Although he was a half-breed, he was just like me. He had suffered as I had suffered; he was half-human, half-angel. Though he had long ago given in to the side of his father, he was still innocent in this mess.
“He has a word for you,” Michael spoke confidently.
“He?” Atlas repeated, tears still streaming down his face.
Michael nodded then kneeled in front of Atlas, putting his large hand on his head. Never before had I seen an archangel bend a knee or touch the very earth that had created this mess. I watched in shock as he smiled and spoke, “Forgiveness works from the inside out. In order to forgive, one must accept. One must also receive. He says He forgives and asks why do you not receive?”
Atlas shook his head. “I’m not worthy to receive anything.”
“Says who?”
“Everyone. I’m an abomination.”
I flinched, because I was thinking that exact same thing. Didn’t I struggle with that same insecurity?
“You are His son.”
“I’m the son of Cronus.”
“And who is the father of Cronus?”
Atlas swallowed. “El.”
“Then I ask again,” Michael whispered. “Who is your true father?”
The air thickened with tension.
Atlas hung his head in shame. “El. He is my father.”
“Receive. In order to win this battle, we need you, Atlas, but you must receive.”