Cleito hesitated for a moment and stiffened.

"Shh, don't be afraid, my Queen, I promise not to hurt you and you will like this."

Her breathing was heavy, making her chest tighten. Poseidon carefully, but gently, widened her legs, then raised them at the knee. Cleito was shivering yet it wasn't cold. Inhaling a sharp breath, more out of l.u.s.t rather than strain, Poseidon licked at the soft b.u.t.terfly folds of her virginal opening.

She grasped a handful of his curly blond hair. Her body writhed to his ministration. A warm tongue glided over her, intimately exploring, investigating, devouring. Cleito's release grew deep within her, akin to that of an exploding volcano. It filled her very soul, where she finally reached completion.

"I need..." Long gasps of air flowed from her lungs. "Poseidon!"

He knew what she needed and obliged, for he could no longer wait. Aware his pa.s.sion would explode in a mult.i.tude of fire before he was complete, he nipped, licked and kissed a path back to her mouth. With his erection poised, Poseidon gave one hard thrust and stayed himself deep within her body. Cleito's eyes tightened, closed with tears as she cried out with pain.

Poseidon couldn't bear to see her like this, but forced himself to remain still until she was at a semi comfort zone that would allow him to move within her. He ran feather kisses over her face, then wiped the tears from her lovely cheeks with the pads of his thumb. Frustration and anger from seeing her pain filled his very soul as he gazed down at her.

Slowly, the calmness poured over her and she began to relax her body. Cleito clutched at his back. "I'm ready my love," she whispered. "Fill me with your child."

"Push, milady! One more good push!" The midwife cupped her hands around the infant's head. Cleito gave one more push and the child emerged.

"It's a son, milady!"

The next sound in the room was bloodcurdling as Cleito screamed. More blood rushed from her exhausted body. A second head entered the birthing ca.n.a.l.

The midwife bellowed orders and all available Atlantean women scurried to bring more sheets, hot water, and blankets to wrap the infants in.

"Artasia! Help me! Poseidon!" Cleito was in the beginning stages of losing consciousness.

"Hold on, milady! I am here." The second child dropped into the midwife's arms. She handed a second son to one of the women who quickly cleaned his mouth and wiped his skin. Both babies were very strong and crying.

Cleito's back arched pushing her forward. Another bloodcurdling scream. This time it didn't end, another son was born.

"You must raise Poseidon!" Artasia ordered one of the women who raced from the bedchamber.

Again, Cleito writhed in pain and bore two more sons. She fell back in total exhaustion in the soil soaked sheets. Another woman was by her side wiping her down with a damp cloth. A second one gently pulled the sheets out from under her so she could lay on something semi-dry.

Time pa.s.sed, and eventually Cleito was moved into a room closer to the water in the temple where she and the children would be safe and Poseidon could watch over them. Two wet nurses were hired to a.s.sist Cleito with the feedings and care of her five sons.

The midwife also remained to tend to all of them, and the Heretic was available if Cleito's health failed.

She was bedridden for several months while her sons grew.

Day by day Poseidon would come to their side. The boys were nearly one year old when Cleito was fully able to function again. Poseidon knew it would be his eldest son who would follow in his stead. Preparation would have to begin when he turned five. He grinned down at his children and sighed in complete and utter contentment.

"What is it, mighty Zeus, that you wake me from my slumber?" Aena, G.o.d of all earth and first of the Deities demanded.

Oxo materialized next. The most feared, Oxo brought darkness to the world. He would bring consumption, decay, rot. Zeus took a step back and bowed to the globes of bright light. He opened the portal.

Oxo moved toward it, still not saying a word.

Zeus nodded to Aena. She followed.

"My brother has mated with a mortal."

Aena kept her distance from Oxo. Known as the Queen of the hags, Yagsrtualia, was also summoned.

Hera appeared suddenly, "Zeus! What have you done now!"

He dismissed her att.i.tude with a wave of his hand that forbade further discussion.

Finally, Oxo spoke in a deep gravel voice, "So you are telling me your water brother protects a mortal concubine? What is it you called upon me for?"

Zeus bowed his head for a moment while he walked away from the portal. "They have all but forgotten me..." his voice trailed off in deep thought. "It has stifled me all these years! I have tried, but Poseidon has a temple built in his honor! I ask you, do you see one down there for me?"

Aena floated near Zeus. "You must make peace, Zeus. Do not allow your anger to overwhelm your logical thoughts. It is up to you to save what little is left of the Earth."

"Silence!" Yagsrtualia spat. "Do you not see what they have been creating below?

"What are your desires for my Atlantean people? Do not speak so unkindly regarding the mortals, Zeus... Do not forget, it was I who created this kingdom. It was I who bore you into this world. It would serve you well, my dear G.o.d, to remember I can destroy you just as easily." Aena reminded him.

He turned his head toward her, eyes glinting red circles of hatred. "I will do what need be, for I am G.o.d of the heavens."

Mighty Zeus gritted through his teeth. "I have seen enough from the mortals. Their strange ways, rutting, failure to maintain the beauty of the land..." he trailed off.

"Forget all about you?" Aena reminded him. "I know what it is that has vexed thee all this time past. "The mortals share a high regard for Poseidon and this bothers you. You feel it is they who shall bow down to you and sprout wings?" She hovered over the still water in the portal glancing down at them.

"Smite them! Smite them all!" Zeus raised his hand over the water.

A huge horizontal wave of rain smothered the lands. Lightning struck the trees, causing great walls of fire.

With one sweep of his trident, Poseidon doused the flames and silenced the thunderous roar of the winds and rain.

"This will end! It will end now!" Poseidon roared toward the heavens, his sheer brute strength no match for Zeus. He watched the mortals scatter farther up into the mountains toward the safety of the temple.

Cleito opened the great doors and they ran inside.

Zeus struck again, this time with Tsunami winds. The trees uprooted from their resting places and flew straight into the water, littered with broken limbs and leaves.

The city was falling and Poseidon strained to prevent it. His trident was held high against his brother's bitterness, but still he could not stop the madness.

Oxo waved one mighty hand that spread darkness over the island.

Poseidon retreated into the depths of the ocean, leaving his precious mortals with a safety ring around the temple.

Zeus bellowed, then shook his fists. "I will destroy the island of the mortals if it's the last thing I do!"

The elder son grew to become a strong leader, at the very same time, Hercules, son of Zeus, became strong and tall. Zeus made every attempt to convince his son that Atlantis was the enemy, but Hercules was soft within his heart. He would no sooner harm his father, than harm the water G.o.d below on his father's command.

Day by day Zeus's anger worsened. Each day that pa.s.sed destroyed his reserve even more. He was the G.o.d of the heavens and earth. Why did the mortals forget him? He was a loving, kind and merciful G.o.d-until they had forgotten. He watched Poseidon's sons grow, all twenty-five of them.

Poseidon stepped down, leaving his throne to his eldest son. Cleito and Poseidon guarded their sons from afar, but long enough to spend a lifetime together. As time dissolved, the Atlanteans became more reckless.

The respect of the island and its people no longer remained. Orgies were everywhere, which angered even Poseidon.

Zeus had welcomed his long overdue wish, and now, finally had an excuse to punish them properly. He rubbed his fuzzy chin with his fingers and grinned. This worked well to his benefit, as his water brother showed deep frustration and disappointment for his precious mortals.

This day, Zeus would smite them all and be rid of them, while his brother slept deep beneath the sea with his mortal queen. His fury would lead him in this war and, in its place, he would create a world where the people would honor him as their G.o.d...he would create the t.i.tans. A military force no one would dare reckon with. Such a force as never to be questioned by those lower in force or rank. They would never deny Zeus and would always honor him as they should.

He brought a tsunami onto the people of Atlantis. A tidal wave followed with enough force to rip apart the entire island. The mortals flew into the ocean in droves, as he watched the mighty towers and the great temple crumble like sand and disappear into the ocean below.

Everything that was Atlantis was gone. All its perfect beauty, mountains, rivers.

Poseidon ripped through the water with unmerciful movements. The water rushed into the dark sky nearly reaching the clouds. His ma.s.sive bellows of rage rattled the heavens and reverberated through the mighty realm of the throne of Zeus.

Hera was too late to prevent it and cried when she spied the damage. Atlantis was gone. Zeus's realm was at its beginning once more, and Hercules would grow to be a great power to Cleopatra.

Zeus was the mighty now and nothing would ever change that. He sat back on the throne and closed his eyes. One by one, the army of heaven would form and in the very end, they would all love him.

SHIFTING SANDS.

Celine Chatillon "I don't usually do this sort of thing, you know..."

Arianna's voice drifted away on the soft sea breeze shifting sand across the beach. It had been her first holiday in literally years, and usually she was such a cautious person. But the allure of the ocean and the wink of a handsome man with shoulder length golden hair and golden skin combined with biceps the size of an Olympic bodybuilder's had addled her brain and caused her caution to stray. His expert kisses had sent zings of heat and shivers of excitement throughout her love-starved body, causing her to practically wet her pants with s.e.xual excitement. She sighed. Well, there always had to be a first time for enjoying some guilt-free, anonymous s.e.x, right?

"I know you don't usually do this sort of thing." The sun-kissed Adonis pushed a lock of her unruly black hair away from her pale cheek and leaned closer to her on the blanket, his warm breath tickling her bare shoulder. "You're not that sort of girl."

"Exactly." Her mind made up, she cleared her throat, pulled up her falling swimsuit straps and sat up straighter. "And this is a public beach so perhaps it's best if we don't go any further." She rolled over to her knees and gathered her belongings. "It's been nice meeting you..." She realized she didn't know his name. "Uh, it's been nice."

"Phantom."

"Pardon me?" Had she heard him correctly? "Did you say your name is Phantom?"

"Yes, it is." He grinned and leaned back on his elbows, watching her with an almost evil glint in his dark eyes. He didn't appear to be in any hurry to get off her beach blanket. "I call myself Phantom because I'm not really here."

"You're what? Not here?" Arianna laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. I can see you. I can...feel you. I mean I felt you kiss me...touch me." She shivered at the remembrance.

"Look around. Where have all the noisy sun-worshippers gone?"

Arianna shivered. He was right-the mothers and fathers and obnoxious whiny toddlers and overweight retirees who had been frolicking along the seash.o.r.e were nowhere to be seen. Had she been so entranced with Phantom's attentions that she had missed their departures?

She looked up at the sky. The sun remained in the same position. Actually, it appeared not to have moved at all in the hours she had been sunning herself. And the breeze felt damp, cold, somehow not of this earth...

"Oh my G.o.d... Are you an alien?" She leaned away from him. "Have you abducted me from the beach and taken me to another planet without my knowledge?"

Phantom chuckled, then reached over and grabbed her hand, pulling her close. "Something like that. But I'm not an alien. I'm from this planet. I live in the ocean."

"In the ocean?" His close presence must be causing her mind to fog. "You work for the Navy?"

He laughed again. "Not quite. I work for my uncle. Uncle Triton. In Atlantis."

She frowned. "Don't tease me. There's no such place. At least, not anymore. It's a myth, a legend."

"But we're here. We're in Atlantis."

"Right now?" She stared at him and nodded slowly. "Sure we are. How are we breathing then?"

"I'm breathing through my gills. You're breathing oxygen dissolved into the water. We've perfected the technology over the centuries and even created little habitats like this one to make things easier to take for our first-time guests."

Arianna scowled. "This isn't funny, Phantom-or whatever your name is." She rose to her feet. "I'm going now without my blanket. Have a good holiday, and maybe I'll catch up with you sometime in Shan-gri-la or Nirvana or Valhalla or some other fictional locale. Good day." With back ramrod straight and nose high in the air, she spun about on her heels and marched off toward the hotel in the distance. That is, until she hit an invisible brick wall, bounced off it, stumbled backward and landed hard on her backside on her beach blanket.

"What the h.e.l.l was that?" She rubbed her bruised forehead and looked hard at where she had just stood. She hadn't seen it previously, but there seemed to be an unusual sheen glowing on the horizon, like the world was wrapped up in clear plastic-or in a bubble of translucent soap...

"Do you believe me now?" her s.e.xy captor asked. "We're approximately twenty thousand leagues beneath the surface. While you were napping, I slipped you into a transport bubble and shifted some of the beach sand along with you to take to Atlantis. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you outright that I wanted you as my mate. I was afraid you'd think I was insane or worse and run away."

"d.a.m.n right I would have!" Arianna fumed and sat up. It was all ridiculous and she couldn't wait to wake up from this sunstroke induced dream. And then, she thought about what he said again. "Did you say you wanted me as your mate?"

He smiled and scooted closer to her. His fingers lightly stroked the sides of her arms, sending familiar shivers of antic.i.p.ation racing up and down her spine. "Yes, Atlanteans have been capturing mates from the surface for many centuries now. Otherwise, we would have become inbred long ago and died off. So it's better for our society if we look elsewhere for... mates."

Her jaw dropped in amazement. "Mates. Uh-huh. I know what you mean. You mean breeders. Men!" She crossed her arms over her ample chest. "That's all a woman is good for-to have your offspring. They think alike even if they're half-fish and live in the ocean rather than are half-Neanderthal and live in the city. Sheesh!"

Phantom pouted sadly. "No, no, that's not it at all. I find you to be very stimulating intellectually."

"How is that?" She crossed her eyes in frustration. "We haven't said more than ten words to each other at one time. You don't even know that I have a Ph.D. in Early American Literature. I'm just some curly-haired bimbo who looks good in a somewhat modest two piece swimsuit."

"A very s.e.xy curly-haired bimbo with a minor in American History with particular emphasis in the Civil War and Reconstruction periods."

Arianna gulped. "How on earth did you know that? I don't believe my last two boyfriends knew I minored in history..." She leaned away from his expert touch as he danced his digits across the tops of her thighs. "Have you been following me around?"

"Yes, I have. I'm the one who implanted the idea into your dreams to come to the ocean. You had been thinking of going to the mountains. A nice holiday location, but the Sasquatch tribe doesn't need human mates as much as we do."

She bit her lip thoughtfully. "Yes, it did seem odd of me to suddenly want to go to the beach for my spring break from the college. I don't really like the water, and I had been thinking of learning how to snow ski so I'd have something in common with-"

"Darrell Nixon, head of the foreign languages department." Phantom paused and smiled at her look of amazement. "Yes, I've been watching him as well. He isn't worthy of you, Arianna. And he has a girlfriend in Rome whom he visits when he does his semester abroad teaching once a year. You don't need a two-timing human for your mate."

"I need you, right?" She chuckled at his arrogance. "How do I know that you don't have some gorgeous mermaid mate swimming around here somewhere already? I could be just a little bit of something on the side-something the authorities told you capture to improve the breeding stock. Atlantis getting low on halfway bearable-looking female intellectuals, huh?"

His jaw dropped open. He appeared stunned by her words. "No, it's not that at all... I-I felt attracted to you the moment I laid eyes on you at the aquarium. You remember the night they dedicated the Arts and Sciences school's new aquarium? All the faculty of the college were there at the gala. You were wearing that dangerously low cut black velour gown with a thigh high slit up the side..." He took a deep, shaky breath. "It was very difficult for me not to ravish you, then and there."

"I don't recall seeing you at that event. You were actually at the aquarium?" She frowned as he beamed a bold grin at her. "Oh, my goodness... You were in the aquarium, weren't you?"

"Yes, I shapeshifted until I appeared to be a bottlenose dolphin in the large pool close to where the c.o.c.ktail party took place. It was the first time in my life that I wished I wasn't an Atlantean. I longed to walk by your side."

Arianna gasped. "You were a fish? So how come you appear to be human to me now?"