“It’s been suggested that Lorelei came from the line of Shalako,” said Koryak, who had gotten quite familiar with the Atlantis Chronicles during his imprisonment with his grandmother. “Could this be related to the Dark Gods?” Vulko guffawed, incredulous. Koryak didn’t spear him through, but he was sorely tempted. “My child, all of that mythical nonsense is just that, legends and stories. The witch said she was the former queen Lorelei, yes, but she had no explanation for how she was alive after so many years, and claiming an older lineage when joining the royal family has always been quite common.” Koryak wasn’t intimidated, long accustomed to condescending white people telling him that the knowledge of his ancestors was nothing but worthless lies. If his eight grade teacher hadn’t broken him, the most false man under the sea wouldn’t be able to do so either. “I may have believed you if we hadn’t met her also centenary son. If Atlan has been able to do it, why wouldn’t she?” “Queen Lorelei was never that powerful. A conniving and manipulative woman, yes, she caused a lot of strife upon our people, but she was little more than a shrew. The men who lent her their ears were more at fault than she was.” “That’s like―so sexist,” said Lorena, who was still new enough to bother pointing out when the Atlanteans were sexist, and racist, and generally awful. “Also, what are the Dark Gods?” “Basically what they sound like,” sighed Garth. “The first king of Tritonis used their evil power to build the city and turn the inhabitants on creatures of the sea. Allegedly. It was thousands of years ago and the historical record is dubious at best.” Koryak scoffed, annoyed. Garth wasn’t wrong, sure, but that didn’t mean he was right. And they had dealt with enough dubious tales jumping out of the historical record to be a real, flesh and blood problem, that doubt started to become unreasonable. “Honestly, I would think the scaly monster born from rape and incest who nearly destroyed both cities and could command the sealife, on top of being able to dig in your mind and take what he willed, sounded way less realistic. And yet we know it’s true.” “Thanks to your foolishness, yes,” pointed out Vulko, arching an eyebrow. “You freed the monster.” That fucker. Koryak's past sins had to be brought forward in every discussion, but his own could fade into the darkness and be forgotten forever. The hypocrisy would be kind of funny, if the others weren’t so ready to agree.