Atlas

LIKES

• peace
• exploring
• gems & geodes
• jellyfish
• salmon
• shiny things
• sweet smells

DISLIKES

• fighting
• violence
• being provoked
• threats toward his loved ones

Atlas is a gentle sea monster. He has little resentment for humans and has grown to forgive them. When faced with conflict, he remains calm and makes a logical solution to it. Arguing is seen as pointless and futile to him. 

His expression stays about the same most of the time. He doesn't like to scare people and tends to make himself small. Slow-going and soft-spoken, he speaks and eats in a way that hides his terrifying teeth. His frills stay closed and his claws stay down.

Atlas doesn't talk very much and instead observes the things around him. He doesn't like to go to the surface, and because of this, his skin is slightly less saturated than his brother's due to lack of sunlight. He doesn't know how to bring out his legs or breathe oxygen. But despite this, he's a faster swimmer than Arlow, partly because of his slim build and larger fins. 

The truth is, in the past, Atlas was just like his brother. Him being the firstborn, their father raised Atlas to be an aggressive killer, always prepared for a fight and determined to win it no matter the cost. At a young age, his father would bring him to fight against other large sea creatures until he would become murderous and crave a battle, pressuring him to cause the violent demise of innocent animals, even the calf of a whale once. Atlas eventually lost himself. Once his father saw that he'd raised up a good, strong son who could defend himself, he was satisfied and left him alone to fester. Until his daughter was born.

The birth of his little sister forced Atlas to change. We'll call her Siren as a placeholder name. His protective instincts were overbearing, shortly overriding his killer instincts. He grew to love her and was happy to have something to protect. Seeing this change in Atlas, his father was unhappy. He thought his son had grown soft; forgotten everything his father taught him. As a result, Atlas was punished severely; beaten and bruised by his furious father. But he endured it for his baby sister. Seeing her cry when she was ripped from her brother's arms, Atlas was beginning to see his father for the monster he was.

Years of abuse later, mother announces that she has another on the way. Soon enough, baby Arlow is brought into the world. Father was enlightened, and turned his attention to Arlow. As you'd have guessed, he infects Arlow with the same cruel methods he taught his firstborn. A beaten and scarred Atlas avoids intervention and looks on in worry. At least the abuse had stopped, but father now paid him no mind, and looked at his oldest like lowly scum. He treated Atlas as a failed experiment he couldn't bare to be in the unbecoming presence of. His new treasure was Arlow; the son who had the most to offer. Atlas couldn't care less about what his father wanted. He spent his time with his mother and sister while father was away training Arlow. But by the time he got home, it was time for Atlas to retreat back outside to avoid a hard tail whip. Atlas was practically disowned by one parent.

Atlas tolerated the cold loneliness. He still had the love and support of his mother and sister, and that was all that mattered. He was content with giving up his bed to the new heir and sleeping outside on the rocks. Atlas and Arlow never grew a relationship; their father kept Arlow away from his family while he built him up to be a killer. Atlas honestly thought it was silly and resented his father for subjecting another child to his harsh morals, if they could even be considered such. He feared what kind of monster he'd raise this time. 

As a result, Atlas had much free time to roam the oceans, remembering his mother's advice to keep away from the shore. He learned many things, hunting for himself and earning true life experience. Sometimes he'd bring back small gifts for his little sis, which she grew to cherish. But of course, she had to lie to her father to protect Atlas. She would sometimes sneak out to see him in the open sea to play with him, bring some dinner for him, or some tasty snacks. Atlas enjoyed her presence until it got late and he warned her to get back home before father returned. Arlow knew of his distant brother, but was disciplined when he asked his father about it. Once his father lashed out because of his constant questions about Atlas, Arlow had no choice but to hide his curiosity and keep it to himself. The only people who could give him the info he wanted were the two people he wasn't allowed to see.

20 years pass by before they know it. The children have grown immensely and sprouted into adulthood. Atlas still fends for himself out in the expanse of the seas. With his large size, he's had to learn to be even more gentle with so many small creatures around him. Siren remains straying outside of the gulf to visit her brother. She is still hardly allowed to leave home as per her father's strict rule. Arlow has successfully absorbed the lessons of his father and become an aggressive killing machine. As the star child, he makes his father proud with everything he does, and exalts himself above the rest of his family with his pompous demeanor. 

Atlas was displeased to see his brother transformed. But Arlow's boasting was no joke. At his age, he was already larger and heavier than his siblings, and would frighten his mother with his amount of strength. However, Siren showed her blatant dislike for Arlow and was indifferent toward his displays of strength. He was getting close to being of competition to even his father, though he'd turned his focus on someone else; Atlas. This interest wasn't of concern, but of rivalry. Arlow was eager to find his brother and brawl against him. Father was skeptical of this, but it would make him so proud to see his son give a beating to that failure roaming out there. Though Siren felt otherwise, young Arlow was beyond confident he could defeat his older brother despite having not seen him in a decade. 

To make a long story short, Arlow sneaks out and confronts his brother Atlas for a fight. Atlas warned his brother and told him he had no interest in fighting, but Arlow was too excited to back down now. Atlas had caught Arlow in a dangerous chokehold, and just before he would go unconscious, Atlas stopped and let him rest. "Why didn't you finish me?" a blue-faced Arlow questioned him through wheezing breaths. 

"Because I'm not a monster," Atlas replied, maintaining his composure. "You're my brother." Arlow felt nothing but confusion as his brother offered him a hand. The brothers sat together and Atlas proceeded to share with Arlow the story about him and his father, how he only wanted to protect his baby sister and was shunned for showing his loving side. Arlow was puzzled, that being the first time he heard of anything going against his father's rule. If he'd known his brother's story all this time, he wouldn't have regarded him so lowly. From that point on, Arlow saw his brother in a completely different light. Atlas seemed like a wise person he'd look up to rather than his cruel father.

With that, Arlow scurried back home before his family woke up and spoke nothing of his embarrassing encounter, though he did have to make up an excuse to explain his wounds. Unfortunately, his arrogance and love for fighting hadn't ceased after being defeated, likely because of his immature mindset. But he did take one piece of his brothers advice, and that was to protect Siren. 

Arlow would later fail to fulfill his brother's advice, as Siren was captured by a group of fishermen when going with him to bring Atlas some food. Atlas had arrived just in time to spot Arlow about to confront the fishermens' boat. He saw that they had poison harpoons meant to kill creatures as big as whales, and held Arlow back with all his strength. 

"No, Arlow, you can't let yourself be seen by the humans, you'll get yourself killed!"

The furious sea monster wiggled vigorously to escape his grip. "Let go of me, Siren's up there!" 

"We can't risk it," Atlas shouted.

Arlow was overpowered by his brother and exhausted himself. The ship sailed out of sight and Atlas released him when they were out of danger. Arlow wasn't pleased with Atlas holding him back, but Atlas was just glad to have saved his life. 

Arlow swam home as fast as he could and warned his parents of the news. Mother was hectic, but father had no reaction. In fact, his father showed no sense of urgency to rescue his daughter, only showing concern for Arlow's safety. This pissed Arlow off, and his relationship with his father dwindled. 

It was only months later when family stress escalated and a big argument broke out between mother and father. Already fed up with the stresses of another son revolting against him, father snapped and struck mother against her head, killing her almost instantly. Shortly after, Arlow came back from "hunting" to see his dear mother's lifeless body. Somehow, he already knew who the culprit was. Immediately, Arlow grows furious and rebels, attacking his father with intent to kill. From eight miles away, Atlas detected the scent of his mother's blood and began to make his way toward the smell. 

Within minutes, Atlas arrives home to see a bloody brawl; slamming, punching, biting, scratching, and tearing. He had no time to process what was happening, but he had to do something. Which side would he help? Assist his father and push Arlow away, in the hopes that he's the one in the wrong, or assist his brother and cause the death of his last remaining parent? Atlas had to think fast; lots of blood was being shed. His brother could fend for himself, using what he was taught, but he was clearly growing exhausted by the heavy weight of his enemy. Father only had several scratches and torn fins and was bound to come out victorious. Suddenly, father was thrown against a sharp rock and stunned by a hard blow to the head. Atlas took this small window of time to swim behind and hold him in a chokehold for Arlow to deliver the final attack. Arlow lifted his head and rushed toward them with murder in his eyes, and ended his father with the hard whip of his tail, cracking his skull. Red blood seeped out and reddened the water as Atlas let go of the body, letting it float. His jaw was dropped, and his eyes were wider than they'd ever been. 

"W-What did I just do?" Atlas anxiously clasped the frills on the sides of his head. 

"He deserved it," Arlow commented as he looked down at his father's body with spite, huffing like a bull who'd won a duel. He then grabbed it by the tail before it floated up too far, telling his brother, "Hurry, help me find Mom's body." He swam off, dragging the body along in the water as Atlas stared off in disbelief. Did he really just aid in the death of his father? Was father even the one who killed mother? Since when was Arlow going against his father? Why had so much suddenly happened that day? 

And so, they buried their mother's body in the sand, decorating her grave with beautiful corals and seashells. Beforehand, Arlow had tossed father's body into a whirlpool leading to the bottom of the ocean. Now that he had practically no remains of a family, Atlas found it dismal and dispiriting to remain living in the gulf. They both agreed to split up and start their lives as discreet sea creatures, leaving the past behind to make room for their future.