Eleanor gaped in awe and shock, "And you've been protecting Atlantis all this time?", and Peggy smiled, "Yes, and so, as you must as well, if you want to come along. I know being underwater may seem frightening, but believe me, it's beautiful in a mysterious way, with all the underwater fauna and flora.".
"Oh...", Eleanor exhaled, realizing why Atlantis was rumored to be sunk, when it was actually was, yet from the sounds of it, the place is somehow still standing, while being underground and underwater.
Audrey replied, "Of course, there's still one last thing, and you have to understand that it has been for centuries in Atlantis, and honestly, we couldn't have imagined it any better for everyone deserves to be happy.".
"What is it, Mrs. Barnes-Ramirez?", Roosevelt asked gently, and Bucky replied, "How do you feel towards same-sex relationships and other things relating in the spectrum of love?", looking at Roosevelt and Eleanor firmly, knowing that Audrey is scared for rejection to her sister as Nerissa had already been ostracized once, and she knew that her sister can't handle it again almost soon after the first time, and of course, there are many same-sex couples, threesomes, and such in Atlantis.
"Atlantis is... much more progressive, socially.", Steve explained. "If anything, somewhat in ways like the short time during the French Revolution prior to Napoleon. There are quite a few same sex relationships there, for starters.". The group was praying that hopefully at the very least, they could hold their nose to things.
"Well, I can't exactly blame them if they decided to perhaps take a different route when it comes to the laws and choices of their society, being cut off from the rest of the world and all. After all, I assume religion is way different there?", Roosevelt asked as Steve nodded.
"Yes, it indeed is. They do believe in gods, not too strictly or fanatic like the Greeks or Romans or Vikings back then, fortunately, but they follow a few traditions like blessings, weddings, funerals, birthdays, and the occasional feast. And they honor their ancestors which are the Great Kings and Queens of the Past by having stone etchings of them, and on murals as well.", Steve replied.
Eleanor blinked, "Wow...And how do they feel about modern traditions?", and Peggy smiled, "For our American friends, Thanksgiving is essentially another feast to Atlantis, and it's quite a bit tame when it comes to Halloween, no costumes, but honoring their families in a way similar to the Day of the Dead in Mexico, and for Christmas, it's more of telling the stories about winter and taking the Atlanteans on a trip to one of the areas we discovered on the expedition in having snow.", as most of the people were shocked that the scouting trips never actually touched the area, bypassing it, even while watching them on the expedition from far away, so it's a joy to have taken them the past few Christmases to see the joy of children and adults when they experienced snowball fights or building snow forts for the first time.
It was a miracle that the lava lake never reached that far back, as narwhals, Ketaks, and Martags had helped with the trip. Roosevelt smiled, "Sounds even better.", and the others smiled in agreement to that comment.
Audrey replied, "And with the fact that they are underground and underwater, it's much warmer, and more comfortable, so you will be seeing that most Atlanteans aren't exactly overtly clothed or layered-clothed, with an occasional person here and there wearing noble or royal robes for an important occasion like meetings, citizen summons days, and announcements. Think of it as almost always springtime/summertime, with the occasional nights having hints of comfortable autumn temperatures.".
"It's... it's certainly a lot still to take in, but you give it a few hours and you adjust to it pretty quick.", Bucky finally added. The others thought that probably was about all that needed to say before they would need to leave.
Roosevelt replied, "Wait, what about the crystals?", and Eleanor blinked in surprise, "Crystals?", and Roosevelt took a deep breath, "Not as riches or such like the ones you think, Eleanor, but they are important to the Atlanteans in a way of power like electricity or healing...I...To be honest, without my gifted crystal from the Queen which I couldn't thank her enough for, I wouldn't have a clearer mind or realization to my mistakes I did to you...next to managing the polio somehow where I never thought I'd feel again without the pain...I...This isn't just a secret diplomatic mission to meet the Queen or a vacation, I even tried to ask for a long shot in asking for a divorce with the Queen's help, even if she hadn't heard of the word before, considering that the people back home was damn pushing us to stay together in marriage to death to keep to the damn Roosevelt line, and not considering our feelings even when we fell out of love, I still deeply care for you, and Mercer was a bitch that hurt you, our children, and it's all my fault!", panting heavily at the end with fists clenching into the armrests of his wheelchair as he spilled out his feelings, glancing apologetically to notice that the children was hiding behind legs or in their parents' arms.
Eleanor took a deep sigh when she heard that. "You... you really mean all that?", she asked him quietly as he nodded, "I haven't talked with Mercer in some time, and I never will again. I know I said that before but... the crystal... I really can't see myself doing that all again to you. I'm not asking for everything to try and go back to when we started all this but... I can't go and meet the Maker without at least trying to apologize for all the mistakes and pain I've caused you.".
Eleanor looked at Roosevelt, "I somehow believe you this time, but I can't easily forgive you...just not yet...But I will never forget what you did to me...You made so many promises, so many mistakes, Franklin...".
Roosevelt closed his eyes in shame, not even noticing the minuscule victory of her believing him this time, and then opened his eyes in surprise when a hug came out of nowhere, feeling Eleanor's arms around him, and he hesitated before hugging her back gently, and Eleanor pulled back, "From now on, you are going to ask for help, and you must trust me...I still very much care for you, Frankie...", using a long-lost nickname Roosevelt never thought to hear again since childhood, "Can you try to be the best friend you used to be...for me? Not the husband, not the suitor, and especially not the President..".
"I'll damn well try with every fiber of my being.", Roosevelt told her. "Hell, I'll stand on my own two feet on it.", he started to lift himself before she pushed him down by his shoulder.
"Okay, okay, you don't need to try and prove it that much...", Eleanor chuckled. "Let's not accidently cause a national emergency by you hurting yourself by trying that...".
Peggy replied, "She's right. Even if you aren't soon paralyzed, your legs wouldn't be able to hold up for even five minutes, thanks to loss of muscle mass and strength.", and Eleanor raised an eyebrow with a smile at Roosevelt who sighed dramatically with a smile, "Oh, alright...", feeling better to realize that Eleanor is starting slowly on forgiving him, and if being best friends like how they used to be, he'll take that over anything.
Eleanor gave a little giggle before nodding, "Let's go before the sun comes.", and everyone agreed, heading into the ramp of the sub, putting Roosevelt in the section of straps to secure his wheelchair, to put a comfortable seatbelt across his lap, due to Bebinn's advice, having seen the future of cars and such, with Eleanor near him, while Steve and Peggy sat on one side with their kids on their laps or in the next last seat, while Bucky sat on the other side, holding into Marina, with Audrey at the pilot seat, checking buttons and such, pulling up the ramp and checking the pressure, etc.
After double-checking everything, the sub carefully and slowly dived into the water, taking the secret tunnel from the secret docks, knowing of a hiding Preston who pushed the button in the secret docks to close and lock the secret tunnel a minute later after the departure.
They avoided any late-night ships, boats, and the patrolling navy easily by going deep slowly at a pace, watching everything, and soon, they got to the true wild of the sea as Eleanor and Roosevelt had their first look of the underwater world in awe and amazement, seeing the beauty and mysteriousness of the wildlife as Audrey clicked the low lights on.
"I wonder... do you think we might be able to try to find the Titanic with this thing?", Roosevelt asked. "I've always been a bit curious to know exactly what happened to it.". Obviously, being Assistant Secretary to the Navy clearly played a small influence in terms of the sea with him, it seemed. "The reports officially were if I recall that it went down in one piece, but survivors continue to swear that it split in two.".
"Wish we could, but we're not exactly built to truly go on a wide exploration trip with this.", Audrey said. "We'd have to go way north and then try to look for miles and miles around. We've got our heading and that's about as good as we can get.", she explained.
Steve replied, "And no, it wasn't the Levithan. The iceberg was truly real.", with a nod as he heard reports and such from various soldiers who had relatives who are friends, married, or such to the survivors of the Titanic.
"Levithan?", Eleanor spoke quietly, and Roosevelt squeezed her hand, "He's the sea guardian of Atlantis, Eleanor, and he's truly a gentle giant, with the protectiveness of his beloved city like a gorilla.".
Peggy nodded, "Yeah, and he lets people through after checking for our crystals and the sense of being good, sorta like we're keys to him in a way. I guess he was confused with the Ulysses, since almost everyone was good in various beliefs except for Rourke and Sinclair, maybe the number of good seemed to have overreached the bad, and Milo having the map to Atlantis...Of course, it didn't help when Rourke called for orders to attack.", with a scowl as she briefly bowed her head in respect for the lost 200 souls.
"Or just it had been so long since it was connected to Atlantis, it saw everyone as a threat until the crystals touched with it again.", Audrey gave her two cents in the conversation as that sounded right too. "I don't think we ever truly got an answer with that one but either way, it's basically a guardian once more of Atlantis. Hell, saved Steve's life when he took down Schmidt!".
Roosevelt widened his eyes, looking at Steve, "The Levithan was there?", and Steve nodded, "Yeah, but not quite all the time I was up there, just around the end of it...He gave the last blow at Schmidt after I threw him out of the cockpit, though he didn't realize that the strength of his shot blow had hit the Valkyrie as well...Through if it wasn't for him, the damn Nazis of Schmidt would have still been alive, and who knew who was having the next orders on that ship if I didn't get exactly everyone as I was having one direction to the cockpit, not quite the whole directions to every corner of the ship?".
Bucky replied, "At least the power of the explosion got you out, since you knew to stay outside, to either jump to the water even if it would feel like concrete or something or use some way to propel away from the explosion.", as he gazed momentarily at Marina who's hugging his prosthetic forearm in her sleep, something about the faint murmur of Atlantean energy as a lullaby in a way.
Steve nodded, "Yeah.", before glancing at Roosevelt, "Used my shield to shoot me out like a firework rocket by one of the turret guns that was on top of the Valkyrie, got me to Greenland, and managed to rough it out by hopping ships, sleds, and such, and making it to the mainland and upon hearing stories and talk about Captain Britain, well, I knew it was Peggy...After all, there's no other woman I'd support entirely in becoming a super soldier all for the sake of protecting our family.", with a warm, tender, loving smile as he kissed Peggy on the cheek, squeezing her free hand as they cradled Asher and Avery, with Brookyln in the third seat, all asleep, as it's far past their usual bedtime.
"When we heard news...", Roosevelt sighed. "We thought the worst in Washington. The only thing that was keeping it from being quite the hit to morale was the fact that we could see it was fairly clear the war would be over soon. Sooner or later, we were going to break the Germans somewhere and overwhelm what remained of their forces.".
Eleanor nodded, "Even the Secret Service had respect for you, Steve...They couldn't believe it either.", remembering the feeling of being stunned, and sympathizing with Peggy as she had fairly made friends with her, and hearing the agents talk in a spread of whispers and shocked gossip when they thought she wasn't nearby.
Steve blinked in surprise to hear that, realizing why the Secret Service people were seemingly relieved and friendly when they were escorted and such.
Roosevelt then chuckled, shaking his head, "I couldn't have been gladder when I heard of you and your wife's efforts to dwindle the Nazis and helping innocent citizens escape over the borders of Berlin, before of course, little Avery changed that, but I couldn't imagine better for you two to finally relax, technically retire, and still enlisted just in emergency.".
Peggy smiled wryly, "And I ain't letting my husband go anywhere when I got him for peacetime, praying that it will last many years.", with a nod as Steve shrugged with a sheepish smile, "I couldn't say no to my own wife, especially when I have all the intention not to miss a single moment again with our children.".
"And I wouldn't dare dream of disturbing that wonderful life of yours. The world has truly seen through enough of war to last me a lifetime.", Roosevelt said with a sigh. Bucky replied, "You and me, sir. It's true that war leave marks, physical and mental, yet we get through the memories easier with family.", with a firm nod and a glancing smile of love and appreciation to Audrey who gave him a glance back as she kept the sub on a fixed heading.
They all murmur in agreement before the sound of whooshing was heard, and then a clicking purr, as Eleanor gasped, "What was that?", as Roosevelt replied, "Could that be a pod of whales?".
Audrey replied, "Nope. It's Levithan.", as a shadow darkened the view as the whooshing and the clicking purrs got closer and closer, with Brooklyn blinking open in confusion as she woke up sleepily, before widening her eyes with a toothy smile, "Levi!", bouncing from her seat, and ran to the viewing window, "Levi!".
A thrilling purr came happily as the shadow came closer, and then a cooing purr, as Brooklyn giggled before frowning, "Levi! Why are you not coming out to 'nuzzle' us?". The shadow purred yet gave a little soft rumbling growl.
Audrey rubbed Brooke's head, "I think Levi doesn't want to scare the President and his wife, Brooke, considering that they are older than your grandparents.", and Brooke pouted, "But Gramma and Grappa didn't get scared!".
Peggy replied, "Brookyln, if Levi decided to not truly show up, it's his choice. He's just escorting us, and he knows that all of us are good including the President, and his wife since she's related to the President, if I remember those clicking sounds right since that's a sort of a scanning probe to check our crystals. Now, get back here and sit down, young lady, as we aren't far from the crevice tunnel to the air pocket.", with a firm look.
Brooke backed down as she sighed and gave a small nod. "It's okay...", Peggy gently brushed her hair, "Just one of those times; I promise you that we'll make sure Levi says hi another time, alright?".
Brooke replied in a little voice, "Okay, Mummy.", while Audrey casually kept driving, as Roosevelt patted Eleanor's hand, "Breathe, Eleanor, you're turning a bit pale there.".
Eleanor took deep breaths, stunned that all of them wasn't unphased by the sounds and such of their gentle giant guardian, "Did you see that shadow? That must have been big as a navy ship!", having been with Roosevelt sometimes when he would go to ceremonies to decorate navy captains and such as an honor.
"Probably rivaling the Yamato and Musashi if I heard the right dimensions of those super battleships the Japanese used.", Steve said. "I'm still surprised we were able to sink those juggernauts.".
"This last war proved that air power would be the king of the seas rather than which ship is the biggest and has the most guns.", Roosevelt said. "Still can't simply build a whole fleet of carriers alone though; they do need protection.".
Bucky replied, "Perhaps building, because people would still appreciate jobs, especially after returning home, but best not to rush that, sir, as I'm sure people are tired.".
