Once we landed, Atlas and I followed the two suit guys off the jet and to a black Range Rover. I paid attention to some of the signs as we left the airport and quickly discovered we were in San Francisco. I’d heard they had some great restaurants, and I hoped my clothes were going to be okay for wherever it was we were going. I stayed quiet in the SUV and kept my eyes focused out the window. I’d never been here before and enjoyed looking at something different. Soon we were pulling into an underground parking area for the Giants’ baseball stadium.
“Are we going to a baseball game?” I asked.
“I know you’re a fan of the sport,” Atlas said.
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“Social media. You’re a Dodgers fan,” Atlas replied, as if it were common knowledge.
Stunned, I stared at him.
“We could have gone to a game in L.A.,” I added.
“They’re on the road tonight,” he added with ease.
It dawned on me that the Dodgers were playing the Giants tonight. Fuck. He brought me to a game to see my favorite team. As we walked through a section of the concourse that was separated by orange velvet ropes, I thought about how overdressed Atlas was for a baseball game. While most peoplewore typical spectator attire of team t-shirts and other relaxed clothes, Atlas wore his suit, minus the tie.
A man from the stadium led us to a private sports box that was filled with comfortable chairs with ottomans. There was a buffet table toward the back of the box with tons of food and snacks set out. In the center of the table were two boxes of pizza.
“We have the whole suite to ourselves. I remembered from your social media accounts that you’re a big pizza fan.”
“Pizza is the best!”
“Shall we eat?” Atlas asked.
“Yes, that sounds good.”
I followed Atlas’ lead and picked up a white porcelain plate from the end of the table and walked behind him. I put a few BBQ wings on my plate and added a breadstick and two slices of pepperoni and bacon pizza. I went to the table and set my plate down beside an empty glass that was upside down. I faced the field to take in the view. It didn’t get any better than this—third base side of the field with views of the bay not so far off. There was a self-serve soda machine in the suite along with bottles of water nestled in ice in a stainless-steel tub with the San Francisco Giants logo on it. I took my glass to the soda machine and filled it up with Coke and then went back to the table.
I noticed that once Atlas and I had our food and started to eat, the two suit guys then served themselves and sat close to the buffet table. The game had started, and Atlas and I talked about baseball. As it turned out, he was also a big fan of the sport.
“Do you get to see any baseball games in New York?” I asked.
“Very rarely,” he said. Atlas leaned back in the chair and set his napkin on the table next to his plate. “I’m very dedicated to my work and have taken an oath that my focus is on the academy and the larger picture. Having said that, I do still have personal time and get to see a lot of games on TV.”
“It seems kind of intense.”
“It can be, but I love what I do.”
“So, what is the larger picture of things?” I asked as I reached for my glass of Coke. Atlas had a look in his eyes that told me he was excited about this topic.
“Refining everything you are for as long as you live. That’s Omnia Academy’s mission statement,” Atlas reminded me. He continued when I nodded. “For as long as you live. That’s a tall order. The reason for that is because Omnia students aren’t only pledging their time and dedication to whoever may select them but to the society of the Reges Dei.”
“Who are they exactly?” I asked. I gathered they were some rich and powerful guys who hand-picked an assistant, but I had no clue what they did for a living.
My confusion must have been written all over my face because Atlas smiled and said, “Let’s back up a bit.”
“That would be good.”
“The Reges Dei are also known as the Kings of Jupiter. Or just Kings, for short. They’re a group of men who select an Omnia student to be their everything.”
Everything. Got it… Not really.
“Everything?”
“When I say everything, I mean absolutelyeverything, Ryder. The Kings invest years of learning about each Omnia student to make sure who they select will be the right person for them.”
“What if they pick wrong?”
