“They don’t.”
A crack of the bat caught my attention, and I turned my focus to the baseball field. As the left fielder dove to make the catch, Atlas spoke up again.
“Do you believe in fate, Ryder?”
“I don’t know. It’s hard to think that something intervenes to make things happen.”
“In most cases when something good or bad happens in the world, people suggest fate intervened. Many times, people say this when there are health issues or a matter of life or death at stake. But the fate game can also be said for when something good or bad financially happens. It’s not some higher religious power as many believe, but rather situations that are manipulated for good things as well as not-so-good things.”
“By these Jupiter guys?” I raised my eyebrows and tried to really grasp what he was saying.
“More or less.”
“They can do anything?”
“They have the ability to manipulate nearly anything. With a lengthy and far-reaching history, they’ve pulled financial strings to influence politics and create wealth.”
“Are they rich, or do they just make others rich?”
Atlas laughed and took a sip from his glass. For a moment, he stared out onto the baseball field before he returned his gaze to me.
“They’re the world’s wealthiest individuals who no one really knows about.”
I thought about that for a few minutes. It wasn’t hard to imagine that there were groups that influenced financial systems. That was believable and public knowledge. But was it public knowledge who was really running things? Was the world just run by these guys behind a curtain or veil?
“Is there corruption?” I asked. The look Atlas gave me was a “come on, are you kidding me” type of look. “Maybe it was naïve of me to think that corruption wouldn’t be involved.”
“Not all are corrupt, Ryder. There are more good men than not.”
We watched an inning without talking about anything other than baseball. However, my mind was full of things related to these Kings of Jupiter guys.
“Are they like the Mafia?” I blurted out.
“They’re much more powerful.”
“So, in simple terms, they’re like a superhero or a villain?”
Atlas winced and shook his head. He looked out over the baseball field and said, “Think of it more like ancient gods walking amongst the rest of us.”
“What does the Omnia student do for the Kings of Jupiter again?”
“Anything and everything. They are the people who the Kings can’t live without.”
“So, like a glorified personal assistant?”
“Exceptionally glorified and held in the highest regard.”
“How does a student become so valued by these guys? How are they trained? I’m guessing that since they’re so powerful that their assistants?—”
“Omnia. Pardon my interrupting, but they’re more than an assistant. An Omnia is everything to his King.”
“Okay. How do the Omnias get the job skills to assist the Kings?”
“That’s where the academy comes in. Students train for four years. If a King is eyeing a student they think might one day become their Omnia, they can contact the mentor and request certain elective courses.”
“What happens if the student goes through the four years and then isn’t picked by a King?”
“Then the Omnia has a few choices. They can take a position with the Omnia Academy Council, they can teach in some facet at the academy, or they can take on other roles, like mentoring.” Atlas paused and flashed me a grin. “Or take on another staff or faculty role.”
