Heart of Atlantis

Honestly, I think that I’m a magnet for the destruction of civilization and I’m not exaggerating. Five months ago, I survived the apocalypse, brought on by a severe meteor shower, along with my sister and a few other random people we’ve found since leaving the doomsday version of NYC. I know what you’re thinking – that doesn’t make me a magnet, but that’s the second apocalypse that I’ve survived. The first, which I happened to find out about from my mom on the night this current destruction happened, was the fall of the great underwater civilization known as Atlantis. Apparently, my real parents were the rulers of Atlantis and after some mercenaries found the secret city and attempted to enslave everyone and steal the technology, I was sent ashore on some hi-tech submarine to survive while my parents sacrificed themselves to destroy the invaders and keep the city a secret. It became a secret ruin since the city was destroyed along with them because in order to ensure my survival, they sent me ashore with the very thing they needed to keep the city alive – The Heart of Atlantis. It’s basically the life source of the people and the technology in a small silver, heart-shaped locket. I was found and adopted by a couple from New York, along with the locket and a letter explaining how I got there. So, I basically found out that I’m the heir of Atlantis… who just stepped in the remains of some decaying animal.

“If you puke, I’m gonna puke too, so please don’t.” I rolled my eyes at my sister, but I also didn’t want to start a vomit war, so I reigned in my gagging. Even after we found out that we weren’t blood sisters, Eve continued to push the buttons that only a sister could. “I realize that you’re in your natural element you wildebeest, but we can’t all be so used to animal carcasses.” I stuck my tongue out at her to add a little razzle dazzle to the insult. She shoved me. “It’s been five months Olivia. Five months of us trekking through abandoned city ruins overrun with dead people and dead animals. You should be used to it by now.” I shoved her back. “How on Earth could I possibly be used to this. No more family, or malls, or burgers. Just you, dead animals, a few stragglers we picked up, and the stupid journey we’re making to find an underwater city that’s also in ruins.” She grabbed my arm and forced me to sit on the sand next to her. “You get used to it because you have to. The meteor shower happened and destroyed everything, and I don’t know why we survived, but we did, so don’t take it out on me and the stragglers. And this stupid is our only hope so suck it up. It won’t be in ruins once you and the locket arrive there.” I picked at my nails. “We don’t know the locket will work. I mean look what having a locket of New York City got you – a constant reminder of the end of the world.” She rolled her eyes at me. “Don’t compare the Heart of Atlantis to a convenience store locket mom bought me so I wouldn’t feel left out.” I sighed. She was right. Eve was the level-headed one who could’ve taken over the business industry and became a billionaire. I dreamed of and magic and my emotions ran high every five minutes. I freaked out for a week after the meteor shower while she mapped out a plan to get to the coordinates given in the letter I was found with.

I pulled the locket out of my shirt and opened it to see the hologram of Atlantis. At first glance, it wasn’t anything unusual. American technology had evolved enough from the stone ages that hologram ads were all over the US. Our parents even managed to find Eve a locket that had a floating hologram of New York if you opened it. After toying around with the locket, I realized it was much more complicated than just a hologram of the city. It could zoom in on every little detail, including the citizens going about their daily lives as if they were frozen in time. It was incredible. The technology was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. There was even an inscription on a monument at the city’s entrance that looked like an oath to the Heart of Atlantis.

Eve stood to start a fire, pulling me out of my trance with the locket and I realized the others had returned with dinner. I saw Derek first, who was technically my boyfriend now. The flirting was harmless at first – just a way to take our minds off the destruction and grief, but now he’s become so much more than that. Having a post-apocalyptic relationship was great, but it did come with the risk of possibly navigating a post-apocalyptic break up and who knew how the hell that worked. It wasn’t like one of us could just pick up and leave. Walking up with him was Macie the airhead, Tyler the jock, Asia the self-absorbed barbie, and James the super nerd. Stereotyping everyone was the only shred of normalcy I had left being that I was Olivia the Atlantian. Derek handed Eve some fish and came to sit beside me while she and the others began cooking. “You ready for the big day tomorrow?” We’d finally made it to the coast, and we decided to rest a night before venturing underwater tomorrow. “I just hope my theory of being able to call up one of those Atlantian submarines works, because I don’t know where we’d sleep in the ocean if we got tired on the trip.” He nudged me. “Everything else you’ve tried has worked so far. I’m sure you’ll make it happen, and if you don’t then we can always make you swim and find Atlantis alone first and come get us once it’s done.” He kissed my cheek, and I couldn’t help but laugh as he hauled me over to the rest of the group to help with making dinner. He was right. I’d willed the locket to navigate me to Atlantis, practiced making oxygen bubbles for us to breathe, and given myself super swimming skills. If I could make myself Aquaman, I could call up a submarine. Hopefully.

After we ate, we laid out our dusty bedrolls we’d scavenged along the way and decided to get a good night’s rest before we drifted out to sea. The heat from the sun woke us up around the same time the next morning. The rest of the gang stood back as I walked towards the water and dipped my hand in. I closed my eyes and pictured exactly where I’d seen the tiny submarines in the hologram and willed them to come to me. Since using the locket more, I felt my connection to Atlantis whenever I was in a body of water that connected to the ocean. It felt like a phantom limb almost.

After several long minutes, I felt a tug back and almost fell into the ocean, but I steeled my surprise and focused on pulling the tug towards myself. I expected it to feel like deadlifting six hundred pounds but pulling up the submarines felt like gently tugging something. I almost wondered if I was reeling in fish instead. Everyone behind me stayed quiet while I worked, so when I heard them gasp, I knew it worked. I opened my eyes to see seven submarines afloat in front of me, each of them a different glossy neon color. Apparently, redecorating was going to be a top priority once we made it. Everyone raced to claim their ship, and since they were all standing and better prepared, I got stuck with a bright orange one. I glared at them all as we opened the hatches and got in. I willed the locket to turn them all on and made sure our communications systems worked. Not so surprisingly, the locket allowed me to automatically know how to drive the subs, so I gave everyone else a quick, yet painful, lesson through our com systems.

Being underwater was unlike anything. It was beautiful, and not just because I was used to destroyed buildings at this point. It would’ve been beautiful next to Italy in its prime. I was lost in the beauty of it all since I’d let the submarine drive back to Atlantis on autopilot, until we came to a steep underwater cliff. Hearing everyone else’s screams through my speakers practically drowned out my own. I heard vomiting which sounded like it came from Asia’s submarine and had to fight not to vomit myself, especially when I heard Eve start gagging as well. I yelled, “Can we not! I’d like to make it to the freaking city without having to clean my puke off myself.” Asia groaned, “Yeah. Must be nice to still have that option.” James chimed in, “Count me out of that option as – HOLY CRAP!” I heard a bang before I could ask what happened and whipped my head around to see the source of it. The freaking Kraken hit James’ submarine with one of its tentacles and sent it spinning out of control – at least I assumed it was the Kraken. I don’t know too many other giant octopus monsters and if Atlantis could be real, I don’t see why it couldn’t either. I didn’t have time to continue thinking on it before Macie’s sub was hit next. I steered towards hers and let it ram into mine to stop her from going too far off course. “Does anyone have eyes on James??” I was barely holding it together, but I was basically the leader of this group now that we were underwater. I needed to keep tabs on my people. “I’m fine, but it’s gotten really dark guys. I can barely see anything.” He was right. The water seemed murky somehow. “Everyone follow me and stay alert. We’re close to the entrance.” We sped through the water, occasionally getting hit, until it finally began to clear, and I saw two giant trident pillars at the entrance of a massive dome. “That’s it,” Eve yelled. We were home free. We made it. I’d completely forgotten the stupid octopus and was almost on the verge of tears when Derek’s sub was hit and slammed into mine making us spiral out of control through the gates. We landed hard enough that I blacked out and woke up to James and Eve hauling me out of the sub. I focused through the blurry vision and ringing in my ears to see Derek unconscious a few feet away from me. My knees buckled. There was no freaking way we made it all the way here and my boyfriend was dead. Before I could run to him in hysterics, he began coughing and I slumped with relief against my submarine. Eve laughed and I looked at her before I busted out laughing as well, causing everyone else to. We were in shock. We made it. We continued laughing as the locket floated from around my neck and transformed into a giant crystal. We finally stopped laughing to watch it fit itself into an opening in the large stone column before us. I recognized it as the monument with the oath inscribed on it. As I read it aloud and motioned for everyone to join me, seven tiny crystal necklaces formed around our necks and the city came to life. Waterfalls ran free, buildings lit up, and the submarines repaired themselves and floated off to where I’d called them from. We had an actual home again. I looked over at Eve and she was beaming. “You see what having a locket of Atlantis got you?”