Atlantis is a fabled and now lost city that is
supposed to have existed on a chain of islands that streched
from Spain to Central America. The largest of these islands
was reported to be as big as the whole of Asia Minor.
When the Gods divided the Cosmos between them, the mass that would become Atlantis was given to Poseidon. During his early exploration of his new territory, he came upon a young woman named Cleito. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and before long he was doing to her what gods have been doing to this planet since records began. In time she bore him ten sons - the first they named Atlas, and Poseidon named his new lands in honour of him.
Being a jealous God, Poseidon ensconced Cleito on a hill and dug three moats around it. Each moat was half a mile wide and seperated from the others by a ring of land the same width.
When Poseidon's ten sons grew to maturity he made them all into kings, giving each one tenth of Atlantis to govern. Under his orders they formed a council led by Atlas to watch over the people and lands of Atlantis.
The Atlanteans were a fine and noble race, and with their blend of intelligence and industry they soon became the world's first great civlisation, developing skills and sciences that gave them great powers over the elements. For many centuries Atlantis was the centre of the world. The peace and security of the nation were protected by a great army and navy, too strong to be challenged by any other country, and the Atlanteans enjoyed long content lives of achievement and prosperity. But the Ten Kings of Altlantis became uneasy.
Around 1200 centuries ago they decided that it was not enough for the Atlanteans to spread the benefits of civilisation across the world. They felt that it was time that those who had gained from Atlantean skills and technology should now become its subjects. Over the next few hundred years their ships and armies conquered all the world, but on a late campaign in the bay of Athens the tables turned temporarily and the Greeks managed to push the forces back into the sea.
As the ships prepared to return to Atlantis the sky turned as dark as dry blood, and a mass of black clouds swept across it with such a dreadful sound as had never been heard before. The seas rose in gigantic waves which swallowed the entire fleet, while the whole world reverberated with earthquakes and the ocean roared and rushed from one side to the other like water swilling around in an immense bowl. This tumult raged for several days and when, finally, the storm calmed, a few battered ships pulled into the port of Athens bearing news that Altantis had disappeared beneath the waves.
Did Poseidon seek to punish
his wayward sons for their warlike ways? Or did the
scientists of Atlantis discover the forbidden secrets of the
Cosmos and release the forces which may still yet destroy
mankind?
