Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis)

by Christopher David Petersen

  On the edge of faint and their vision now blurring, both men could barely move their arms. Only their legs kept moving. The once dim light of their target was now bright and expansive. At times, the light seemed to flitter and deflect, as if being blocked by some great entity. Unable to resist a moment longer, both men opened their mouths and prepared to breathe.

  Suddenly, they felt a great force haul them forward. A second later, the two broke free of the water and gasped a tremendous inhale. They heard shouting voices, but they seemed distant and unintelligible. Slowly their vision began to return. The voices began to make sense.

  “Lay them over here,” a voice commanded.

  “Elevate their heads,” another ordered.

  “Lord Poseidon, can you hear me?” one man asked.

  Poseidon’s mind cleared. He was alive.

  “Yes… yes, I can hear you. Where is Cephius? Did he make it?” he asked, his voice filled with concerned.

  “My Lord, I’m over here,” Cephius struggled to shout.

  Poseidon raised himself up slightly and stared over to his friend.

  “We made it. We made it,” he repeated, nodding in relief.

  “I owe you a life, my Lord. Thank you,” Cephius responded gratefully.

  Poseidon nodded in understanding, then turned to those helping.

  “And the others?” he asked in ominous tone.

  No one spoke. One man shook his head slowly and Poseidon knew his answer.

  “I see,” he responded sadly.

  ----- ----- ----- -----

  Three weeks later…

  Poseidon stood by the dock and watched his ship being loaded with supplies. Beside him, Cephius monitored the workers activity, checking off items from a list as they were being loaded. With only a few urns left to be stowed, he turned to Poseidon.

  “Lord, your ship is nearly ready to sail.”

  “Good work, Cephius. I’m anxious to get underway,” Poseidon responded. “You were able to fit it all, I presume?” he added. “Nothing left behind?”

  “No, my Lord. It was a bit tight, but we managed,” Cephius replied, his voice sounding cryptic.

  Poseidon turned to Cephius. He could see he was troubled.

  “Cephius, is everything alright? You did stow all my personal affects, did you not?”

  “Oh yes, my Lord, of course.”

  “You look discontented. Is there something wrong? You’re not still troubled by Zeus’ scepter are you?” Poseidon speculated.

  “Well… it does seem a shame to leave it behind, does it not, my Lord?”

  “My brother’s grave will not be desecrated simply to arm ourselves with another weapon. I will concede that the scepter has great powers, but its strength is insignificant when compared to the strength of our empire, therefore, it holds little value to me, other than symbolic,” he explained.

  “Symbolic, my Lord?”

  “Yes Cephius. It merely represents the power of our nation and to that extent, I will build another symbol to represent that power,” Poseidon responded.

  “Yes, my Lord,” he responded obediently.

  As the slaves finished loading the urns on his ship, Poseidon scanned the area one last time. He knew it would be the last.

  “I’ll miss this place, I think?” he said thoughtfully, then added, “It served its purpose, but Atlantis will provide a more promising future.”

  Cephius only nodded agreeably.

  ----- ----- ----- -----

  Three months later…

  Poseidon manned the tiller of his ship and watched eagerly as the great pyramid appeared far out in the distance, marking the grandiose city of Atlantis. After three months of travel, he was eager to finally reach his destination.

  As they sailed closer, details began to appear. Thousands of white limestone buildings dotted the coastline and spread far up into the surrounding hills. Great wooden docks lined the harbor and hundreds of fishing vessels floated in the bay on their moorings. Even that far out at sea, it was obvious Atlantis was more than just another coastal city. It was a grand and opulent metropolis: the jewel of the Mediterranean and of the new world.

  An hour later, thousands of people lined the docks, beaches and streets as Poseidon drifted into the enormous harbor. Rushing alongside him, dozens of ships rowed close to catch a glimpse of their new king. They shouted out his name in pride, and he waved his arm in a respectful salute.

  Dozens of men hovered over the dock as he floated to a stop. Statesmen and fishermen alike, wrestled with ropes, only too happy to be the one to shore up their king’s ship. As Poseidon climbed up a ladder and stepped up onto the great wooden dock, loud cheers roared from the crowd:

  “Long live Poseidon. Long live our King!”

  Poseidon raised his hands again in a gracious salute to his people. He smiled back at Cephius, following close behind.

  “We’re home, Cephius. Long live Atlantis,” he said with enthusiasm.

  Chapter: 2

  Winchester, Connecticut

  The present day…

  Jack Roberts sat on his wooden deck overlooking Lake Winchester. The afternoon sun shined down on him as he lounged in his padded Adirondack chair. He took a sip of his beer, then set it down beside him on a cheap milk crate used as a table. Although the sun’s rays felt good, they did nothing to improve his feelings of sadness. Staring off at the tiny ripples on the water, he could think of only one thing: Serena Arista.

  It had been more than six months since they parted ways, but he still felt the pains of a broken heart. Their relationship had started out promising, then ended abruptly with Serena citing personality differences. The news was devastating to Jack. For weeks, he lived as a hermit, locked away in his home, barely sleeping or eating. Over time, he pulled himself out from his depression and got back to living.

  As he stared out across his wooden railing, he watched a small sailboat drift on by. He smiled at the peaceful scene and envied the young man who seemed to be enjoying himself. He made a mental note to try out the hobby when he was feeling better.

  Jack’s cell phone rang abruptly, startling him, interrupting his peaceful moment. He stared at the milk crate and watched his phone both ring and vibrate, then nearly fall off the crude table. He quickly reached down and grabbed it before it nearly dropped to the deck. Looking at the number, his heart beat faster seeing the last name on the display: Arista.

  His mind quickly thought of Serena. A moment later, a saddened expression overcame his face when he realized it was only her father: Javier Arista. He was about to ignore the call, but thought better of it. Both men had shared some dramatic history together while finding Atlantis and had become close friends. Although he was in no mood to speak, ignoring Javier’s call felt rude to him. He pushed a button on the phoned and answered:

  “Hey Javi, long time no hear,” he said dryly.

  “Jack, you ole son of a gun, how you holding up?” Javi bellowed through the phone. “How’s Connecticut treating you?”

  “Warm and sunny, mostly,” he responded, smiling slightly at Javier’s boundless energy.

  “Great! Are you getting any fishing in?”

  “Not really,” Jack replied, his voice lacking enthusiasm.

  “How about flying? Have you had any more near-death adventures?” Javi asked excitedly.

  “None that I can remember,” he responded blandly.

  “How about climbing? You gotta be doing some of that with all that nice weather you’re having, right,” Javi persisted.

  “Well… I’ve been kind of tied up lately. Haven’t really found the time to do any climbing lately, either.”

  Javi paused a moment to collect his thoughts, then spoke.

  “I heard you were going through a spell. It’s kind of why I’m calling,” he started, his voice sounding sympathetic. “Jack, I’m really sorry about you and Serena, truly I am, but you can’t give up on life. You have a wonderful spirit in you. Don’t let it die.” He paused again, then contin
ued, “I know you’re down, Jack, I can hear it in your voice, but don’t give in to the sadness. You have to fight your way back to the top, fight to be happy, claim your life back.”

  “Thanks Dad,” Jack replied, sarcastically.

  “Ok, I guess I was a little overly dramatic, but you know what I mean,” he said in serious tone.

  “I do and I do appreciate the words, Javi, but it’s not as easy as just fighting your way back.”

  “I know it’s not, but you have to start taking steps forward… even when you don’t want to,” he paused for effect, then continued, “That’s why I’m calling. It’s time to pull you back up to the top again.”

  “This isn’t one of those stupid interventions, is it?” Jack joked.

  “No Jack, no stupid interventions… and no tricks or gimmicks either. How would you like another adventure?” he asked with growing excitement.

  “No thanks,” Jack said, dryly.

  “No seriously, Jack. I’ve made a new discovery, here in Atlantis,” he said.

  “Don’t tell… let me guess. You’ve found Poseidon’s toilet.”

  “Ha ha, very funny. No, I’m not certain, but I think we’ve found Zeus’ burial chamber.”

  Javi listened but heard only silence.

  “Jack, you still there? Did you hear what I just said?”

  “Sorry Javi, I was taking a sip of my beer. Yeah I heard you.”

  He overheard Javi exhale in exasperation.

  “So what do you think? Exciting right?” Javi asked.

  “Not really. We already knew there was a possibility of another burial chamber on the right hand side of the pyramid… old news.”

  “No Jack, that right hand chamber you’re talking about turned out to be just a shadow we misread on the imaging printout. There’s no chamber on the right hand side.”

  “So what chamber are you talking about?” Jack asked, now mildly interested.

  “Well, it’s not quite confirmed yet, but I think we might have found a chamber deep below the pyramid, at its center.”

  “Below the pyramid? As in underground?”

  “The pyramid was carved out of solid limestone, so the chamber is somewhere below the base level, carved deeper into the stone. Not really underground per se, just lower in elevation than the base level.”

  “Like a vault, then?” Jack asked.

  “Yeah, sort of.”

  “Hold the phone there professor. I think you’re forgetting something,” Jack started, sarcastically.

  “And that is?” Javi groaned.

  “The city of Atlantis was wiped out by an enormous tidal wave. That wave also buried the pyramid. We found a thick layer of silt that had seeped into the corridors and chambers when we entered the pyramid. That was at a relatively high elevation. If you’re talking about a vault deep in the ground, wouldn’t it be chocked full of dirt?”

  “I thought of that too, but if they had drainage specifically design to handle that kind of flow, we might see very little sediment buildup after the tidal wave. It’s pretty clear the Atlanteans knew about the underwater rivers that flowed deep beneath the surrounding mountains of limestone. I’m thinking they accounted for the flooding at some point in their calculations and built drains to handle the problem,” Javi explained.

  “They were clever little devils, weren’t they?” Jack joked.

  “So what do you think? Impressive, huh?”

  “I guess so,” he responded dryly.

  “You guess so? Jack, if my hunch is correct, this’ll be the greatest find since… since…”

  “Since the last greatest find?” Jack teased

  “Yeah, sort of. Maybe even greater. Who knows where this could all end up? Just think of the possibilities.”

  “Sounds exciting,” Jack responded, his voice lacking enthusiasm once more.

  “Jack, I want you here for this. After all we’ve been through, it wouldn’t be right to find Zeus without you. What do you say?”

  “I don’t know, Javi. I’m kind of busy right now,” he said, realizing the absurdity of his statement. “Well… I plan on being busy shortly.”

  “Jack, come on. We both know you don’t have any plans. In fact, I’m betting if I was to hang up the phone right now and call back six month later, you’d be doing exactly the same thing you’re doing now… which is nothing,” Javi stated in serious tone. “This is it, Jack. This is the opportunity of a life time.”

  “I don’t know, Javi. I just don’t feel up to it,” Jack said, taking another sip of his beer.

  There was a long pause between the two. Javi finally broke the silence.

  “Jack, I didn’t want to say this, but I think Serena will be here too.”

  Jack sat up straight in his seat. His heart beat faster. He imagined himself holding her hand and the sound of her soft voice.

  “I suppose I could put some of my plans here on hold,” Jack joked.

  “Thought that might interest you,” Javi shot back, sarcastically.

  “So when do you want me out there?”

  “You’re booked on the six o’clock flight tomorrow morning,” Javi shot back quickly.

  “Pretty sure of yourself, huh?” Jack teased.

  “It was touch and go there for a while, but I was sure you’d make the right choice,” he replied boldly.

  Jack laughed at Javier’s confidence.

  “Ok Javi, see you in a couple of days,” he responded, ending the conversation.

  ----- ----- ----- -----

  Two days later…

  Cythera, Greece: Kithira Island National Airport

  Jack stepped from the last stair leading off the twin engine commuter airliner and onto the hot tarmac. He felt the heat radiating up and into his face, causing him to immediately sweat.

  “Welcome to Greece,” he sneered aloud.

  From inside the small airport terminal, Javi Arista watched for Jack through the windows. As several people stepped out of Jack’s path, Javi caught a clear shot of his brawny six foot two frame. He smiled as he noticed Jack’s clean shaven face.

  Javi stepped through the rear door of the terminal that lead to the airport parking area. As Jack approached, he flashed a great smile.

  Jack spotted the short balding man in his fifties step through the rear door. Instantly, he recognized Javi as he approached.

  “Looks like someone has put on a little weight,” Jack teased loudly.

  “And looks like someone’s brown hair has gotten lighter. Lounging in the sun are we? And what happened to the goatee?” Javi teased.

  Jack reached up and rubbed his bare chin.

  “My mom said I was beginning to look like a gangster,” he joked.

  The two stopped just feet from each other. Jack dropped his duffle bag, then leaned in and hugged his friend.

  “Good to see you again,” Javi said in jovial tone.

  “Back attacha. What’s it been, a year?”

  “A little over. And wait till you see the progress on the pyramid,” Javi said enthusiastically.

  “Impressive?” Jack asked. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, “So what do you think? Do you think the vault is Zeus’ burial chamber?”

  “It makes sense, doesn’t it? After all, we found two golden statues inside the pyramid: one of Zeus and one of Poseidon. Most of the hieroglyphics are dedicated to both those men, yet we’ve only found one burial chamber: Poseidon’s. If I had to guess, the chamber I think I’ve found has to be Zeus’.”

  “So you haven’t actually broken into the chamber yet?”

  “Not yet. Like before, we ran our scans from the surface and straight down from inside Poseidon’s tomb. The void I found appears to be roughly thirty of so feet below the base level of the pyramid. From the initial data, it also appears we’re seeing large metallic objects inside the chamber.”

  “Gold,” Jack speculated.

  “Yeah, it kind of looks that way,” Javi responded in positive tone.

  “So have yo
u found a way in yet?”

  “Not quite yet. We think we’ve found a hallway but we’re not sure yet,” Javi responded cryptically.

  “It’s not showing up on your scan?” Jack asked with suspicion.

  “No, it’s showing up alright,” he responded, still evasive.

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “There’s a huge wall blocking the corridor,” Javi stated with reluctance.

  “Perfect! So what you’re telling me is no one has cleared away the booby traps, which means we have our work cut out for us,” Jack responded with apprehension. “Just what I need to get back into the swing of things… a little death defying danger.”

  “I knew you’d like it,” Javi teased.

  ----- ----- ----- -----

  Javi drove to his rented stone cottage overlooking the city of Atlantis. Although for centuries the city’s name had been named Palaiopoli, once the discovery was made that their city was the original site of Atlantis, the inhabitants proudly adopted the new name.

  Standing on the rear patio to the cottage, Jack stared at the great three hundred foot pyramid of Atlantis, carved from a mountain of limestone. He recalled their frantic search to find it and of the evil Russian thugs that met their demise while holding Serena Arista hostage. He smiled as he reflected on their discovery of Poseidon’s tomb, found high up inside the pyramid’s top and especially of finding Poseidon himself, perfectly preserved in his sealed crystal coffin.

  As he looked around, the once quiet city he remembered before their discovery, had now transformed into a bustling tourist destination.

  Javi walked up beside him and stared at the pyramid. His stomach churned with anticipation.

  “Just like old times, eh?” he said excitedly.

  “Not quite. This time we don’t have the Russian mafia breathing down our necks. Kinda takes the pressure off, doesn’t it?” he replied.