Palace of Themis
Purpose / Function
To create, verify and validate the law of Apollo City, as well as hold judgement for offenders of the law. It also houses city hall where the mayor resides.
Architecture
Although many of the buildings in Apollo City share a modern or even futuristic architecture, the Palace of Themis is one of the only structures in the city that holds a strong ancient design. Most people comment feeling as if they walked right into Ancient Greece when they step into the building. The palace itself stretches for three city blocks in each direction, making it one of the largest buildings in the city. However, it only has three floors:
The Courts of Dike
The ground floor of the Palace of Themis holds administrative services, an extensive library of legal material and twenty courtrooms which have been adapted for both analog and digital hearings. Surveillance cameras and White Shield APD Officers help monitor and control the entirety of the ground floor, leaving the courtroom interior and hallways to appointed bailiffs who work out of Tartarus Prison. Legal proceedings, mayoral appointments, media coverage and public usage of the law library take place here.
The Hall of Eunomia
The second floor of the Palace of Themis holds numerous offices for city officials, as well as a massive auditorium where said officials meet to decide on the status of new and existing laws. Non-appointed civilians are not allowed on this floor without an approved escort recognized by the City of Apollo. The ratification, passing, denial and creation of new laws, as well as adjustments or addendums of current laws, take place here.
The Chamber of Kratos
Also widely known as the mayor's office, the top floor of the Palace of Themis holds a swath of the most dedicated and trained administrative and legislative professionals Apollo City has to offer. Some branches of the APD convene with professionals across a wide range of services meet on this floor to collaborate on the direction of Apollo City with the current mayor. To this day, Katrina Masters holds the final say on any decision made concerning city business, including the structuring and operation of the APD. Legislative business, mayoral decrees and meetings of the highest echelon normally take place here.
History
Upon its inception, Apollo City had little in the ways of law and order aside from vigilante groups and citizens who wanted to make a difference. It was only when The Watchdogs were formed, inspiring the eventual formation of the Apollo Police Department, did the question of true law and order in a new, mysterious land come to the forefront. During the initial construction stages of Tartarus Prison, Alphonse McCreedy contracted the assistance of retired lawyer and widower Codain Titus to help him create a place where all in Apollo City could be judged fairly, regardless of their crime.
Codain Titus, supplementary to Officer McCreedy's philosophies, believed that Apollo City was in dire need of a centralized place of law where people didn't have to settle their differences in a fight to the death. Despite this, a flagrant majority of Apollo City's residents, both anonymously and publicly, voiced their opinion against having a court system installed, believing that it would be the institution that would shape the city into another corrupt police state.
APD Supreme at the time, Ochi Hasubari, wanted to do what was best by the people but was also conflicted by his desire to reform the city rather than simply punish the innocent. His disposition soon changed, however, when victors of coliseum fights were soon targeted by associates of the loser. Ochi then realized that catching and imprisoning offenders based off of a pre-set system rather than a living, breathing system of centralized law would lead to more damage than good.
Given approval, Officer McCreedy and Codain Titus worked together to build the Palace of Themis with a team of construction workers and architects who also had a personal stake in making sure both the citizens of Apollo, and the APD itself, were fairly judged by a neutral body. For his contribution, Codain Titus was given the appointed status as chief justice, a position some say has been blessed by the goddess Themis herself. Ever since he was officially ordained, he has not aged and has become more knowledgeable about the law than any team of attorneys combined.
To this day, the Palace of Themis stands as a testament to the honest, hard-working people of Apollo City who want a just city in an unjust time.