Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis)

by Christopher David Petersen

  “I wish I could’ve seen it open for the first time,” Duni continued.

  “No you don’t,” Javi cut in. “Under the circumstances, quite frankly, it sucked. We were so scared, we couldn’t enjoy it.”

  “Sorry about that,” Duni replied with great sympathy.

  As Javi and Duni stood at Zeus’ altar, they studied the four tablets that were propped up on display. Standing two feet high, one foot wide and an inch thick, they were made of stone and intricately carved with hieroglyphics.

  Javi took a wide brush and delicately wiped the silt that had collected on them over the years. As he studied them, he translated their message and Duni took down their meaning on a notepad.

  Hovering over them, Helena watched anxiously, her mind filled with worry and hope.

  While the three occupied their time with the tablets, Jack studied the walls and their inscriptions. Although his skill was limited, three years of studying the hieroglyphics during the previous find, allowed him to get a sense of their meanings.

  One particular wall held his attention. At its middle, he noticed an unusual sight. A picture of sorts was engraved, showing dots of various sizes and semi-circles connecting them. At the center of the diagram was a large circle nearly four inches in diameter. Straight lines flowed out of its center and passed through several dots.

  As he studied the intriguing picture, it dawned on him what it was.

  “Javi, if I’m not mistaken, I think this is a map of something,” he said nonchalantly.

  “A map?” Javi asked rhetorically.

  He broke off from his focus and hurried to Jack’s side. The two stood a moment while Javi studied the diagram for the first time.

  “Fascinating,” he repeated over and over.

  Frustrated by the distraction, Helena joined the two while Duni continued to study the tablets.

  “So what is it?” she asked, struggling to control her anger.

  “Jack’s right. It’s a diagram,” Javi replied. “And if my guess is correct, it’s a planetary diagram.”

  “So where’s Earth?” Jack joked.

  “I don’t know about Earth, but that big planet at the center is called Arae (pronounced: uh-ˈrī),” Javi responded.

  “ARAE?” Helena blurted in shock.

  Her knees buckled slightly and she stumbled back a bit. Jack sprang forward and grabbed her.

  “Helena, you alright?” he asked with great concern.

  Helena composed herself quickly and shot back with a quick cover story.

  “I’m ok Jack. I think my blood sugar is just low. I’m going to need to eat something shortly,” she said.

  Jack nodded in sympathy.

  “Helena, do you know something about this Arae planet?” Javi asked directly.

  Helena hesitated, then replied, “I’ve heard of it… I think. Probably from one of my astronomy classes in college. When you said the name, it just surprised me that it was written on the wall.”

  “Funny, I don’t ever remembering hearing that name before,” Javi responded matter-of-factly. “Do you know anything about it?”

  “No, I can’t recall, in fact, it’s probably not even the same planet I’m thinking of,” she said, downplaying her knowledge.

  Javi returned his attention to the diagram. Stepping close, he rubbed his fingers over the lines as if he was drawing meaning from them by the mere pass of his hands. Suddenly, from behind, Duni called out his own discovery.

  “Hey Boss, did you say something about Arae?” he shouted across the room.

  The three turned from the wall and stared.

  “Looks like it’s mentioned on these tablets too,” he continued excitedly.

  Javi darted over and inspected the stones for himself.

  “You’re right, Duni. Good catch,” he said while focused on his translating.

  A moment later, he lifted his head. All expression had drained from his face. He stood, quivering in his stance, and reached with both hands to steady himself.

  “Javi, you alright? Don’t tell me your blood sugar is low too,” Jack said, only half joking.

  Javi spun around. The seriousness on his face left little doubt: what he was about to say was no laughing matter. He cleared his throat and spoke.

  “I don’t know quite how to say this without sounding crazy but…” he paused a moment, took a deep breath and continued. “…but, I don’t think Poseidon and Zeus were from this planet.”

  Dead silence swept the room. Only the sound of anxious breathing could be heard.

  “What do you mean, ‘were from this planet’? What are you saying: they were aliens?” Jack asked incredulously.

  Javi nodded, struggling to confirm Jack’s statement.

  “Not just aliens, Jack. They were Araeans… and that large planet on the diagram is there home.”

  Javi’s words felt foreign, uncomfortable even. Although they had all grown up with the idea of aliens, their existence had never been confirmed. Those who publically announced their beliefs were secretly or openly ostracized. Hearing Javi’s announcement, they were almost afraid to believe.

  “Javi, are you absolutely certain of this? This is the kind of thing that could easily destroy your reputation overnight,” Jack warned.

  “No Jack, I’m not certain, in fact until we confirm this, I suggest we all keep it to ourselves,” he replied.

  ----- ----- ----- -----

  One week later…

  Huddled around a set of three computer screens, Javi, Jack, Helena and Duni discussed the new discoveries from the previous week. Due to the gravity and sensitivity of the data, Javi had purposely withheld his findings until he felt confident of his conclusion. This would be their first time in hearing the result of his analyses. They waited nervously for him to speak.

  “Well, I’ve translated the tablets the best I could and have made some startling discoveries,” he began, his voice quivering with excitement. “It does indeed appear that both Zeus and Poseidon were not from this planet and are in fact, from the planet Arae. The chamber is as we thought: a shrine dedicated to Zeus… and the tablets and walls pay homage to his life here on Earth.”

  “Do the tablets mention anything about Arae?” Helena asked.

  “No, unfortunately. There isn’t much data regarding that planet, other than to say Zeus was some kind of military officer from there.”

  “Military, huh?” Jack responded. “Translation: Arae was a warring type planet.”

  “Yes Jack, it does appear that way.” Javi paused to collect his thoughts, then continued. “But what’s even more disturbing is the greater picture: If Arae is a warring planet, who are they warring with?”

  “Earth?” Duni asked.

  Javi shook his head.

  “No, Duni, I don’t think so. The tablets aren’t clear, but there appears to be another planet they were waging war with,” Javi answered.

  “Wow, now we have two distant planets with life on them. Imagine the reaction from the scientific community when they hear this little gem,” Jack joked.

  “Which is kind of my point. If Arae isn’t warring with Earth, what planet are they warring with? Furthermore, could there be more than one we’re talking about here? The possibilities of life beyond our solar system, boggles the mind.”

  “So how’d they get here?” Duni asked.

  “There’s no record of that either,” Javi said in disappointing tone. “As I said earlier, the chamber is just for the glorification of Zeus, nothing more.”

  “So what about him, then? What do the tablets say… that he was a sensitive guy, who liked drinking with his buds and enjoyed long walks on the beach?” Jack joked again.

  Javi smiled, then responded, “No Jack, but they claim he was a great leader here on Earth: fearless, fair and well liked. It appears that sometime after they made Earth their home, he assembled the indigenous people into one common society and created modern civilizations for them.”

  “Translation: he conquered the peop
le of Earth and forced them to follow his rule,” Jack responded in ominous tone.

  “Yeah, that’s how I read that too, Jack,” Javi said. “I’m sure those who were tasked to inscribe the tables, were told explicitly what to say.”

  Helena shifted impatiently in her stance. Although she found Javi’s information somewhat interesting, she struggled to concentrate as she waited on news of Zeus’ scepter. From private conversations with Jack earlier in the week, she learned that Javi had made an important discovery, but refused to announce it until he was sure of his findings. In her mind, she was certain the discovery was the scepter. Now, as she stood and listened, she could tell Javi was working up to that climactic conclusion. Unable to contain her composure, she bellowed out her request:

  “Javi, I know you’ve got something big to tell us. Could you spare me the suspense and just spill the beans?”

  The three men stared for a moment, trying to gage the seriousness of her rude request. Realizing she’d crossed a line, she added a softly worded, “Please.”

  Javi smiled in understanding.

  “My apologies, madam. I was just about to get there,” he teased. “It appears there is a burial chamber for Zeus after all.”

  “Yesss!” Jack shouted.

  “Now that is good news,” Duni shouted.

  Helena breathed a deep sigh of relief. Her dream still lived on.

  “Let me guess,” Jack added. “It’s sitting right below Poseidon’s chamber, right?”

  “No Jack, it’s not,” Javi responded simply.

  “Then it’s just below the new antechamber we found,” Duni guessed.

  “Not even close,” Javi joked. Looking to Helena, he said, “Wanna give a try?”

  Helena simply shrugged. The two previous responses would be her only guesses.

  Javi reached over and pulled the new crystal globe from a specially designed box, created to protect it. Drawing it out, he held it for all to see.

  “Ok, first, a little background. With Poseidon’s crystal, we were able to find his pyramid using several clues, the most important one coming from the crystal itself. On the surface, when viewed in the right light, one could just make out a tiny trident recessed just below the surface. The trident typically represented Poseidon and his power in all inscriptions about him… except on the face of the crystal. There, it represented the exact location of his burial chamber.”

  “Don’t tell me there’s a symbol for Zeus too, embedded in his crystal?” Jack asked, now visibly anxious.

  Javi rotated the crystal globe and placed it under a desk lamp. Suddenly, a small glint flashed from the surface. Taking a magnifying glass, he held it over the spot. All four now instinctively moved closer to see the finding.

  “It’s a tiny golden scepter!” Helena shouted excitedly.

  “This just keeps getting cooler and cooler,” Jack responded, now grinning ear to ear.

  Javi smiled proud, still holding the magnifying glass.

  “But it’s not located on Atlantis,” Duni announced, his eyes mesmerized by the sight.

  Helena refocused hard. Her heart now skipped a beat at the new revelation.

  “What is that?” she asked, now staring at the strange landmass etched into the surface of the globe.

  “Not what… but where?” Javi replied. “If my guess is correct, that location, my friends, is Greenland.”

  “Greenland? Home to ice, snow and cold? That Greenland?” Helena asked in disappointing tone.

  “That’s the one,” Javi smiled.

  “How the hell are we ever going to find his chamber in all that ice and snow?” she asked.

  “It’s very simple really. The Atlanteans were water people, so any civilization they personally built was located close to shore. The site of his burial chamber is located at the northern most edge of Greenland… and,” Javi paused for dramatic effect, then continued, “…and, he’s also buried in a great pyramid made of gold.”

  “No freakin’ way! Gold?” Jack blurted in shock.

  “Yup, that’s what it says, according to the data on the hieroglyphics,” Javi said, nodding enthusiastically.

  “Ah ha, so that’s what they were talking about,” Duni responded.

  “What do you mean?” Jack asked.

  “I was able to translate some of the hieroglyphics. I saw the symbols that talked about the gold pyramid. I just thought they were referring to the one inside the crystal globe,” he explained.

  “That’s what I thought too, Duni, but after further digging, I found an obscure grouping of hieroglyphs that indicated his chamber was at the base of a great structure of gold. That structure was marked by a pyramid symbol,” Javi responded.

  “Voilà, we have our golden pyramid,” Jack said.

  Helena’s heart was pounding. Unable to contain her joy, she hugged and kissed Jack.

  “Man, we need to find more of these,” he joked, wiping lipstick from his lips. Turning to Javi, he continued, “Any idea how cold it gets in Greenland?”

  “From my preliminary research, I believe it gets quite balmy in the summertime,” Javi said cryptically.

  “How cold is balmy?” Jack asked, understanding the hidden meaning.

  “Well, in Nord, about fifty miles west of the pyramid, it can climb as high as forty-five degrees.”

  “That’s not too bad,” Jack responded.

  “The bad news is it’s still winter there,” Javi revealed.

  “Well, at least we’ll have time to plan,” Helena said.

  “We?” Javi responded, now puzzled. “Helena, I’m sure you may want to come, but I’m quite certain your government won’t approve. This is not only out of your jurisdiction, it’s about three thousand miles out of your country.”

  “The heck with my job, I can find another. This is an adventure of a lifetime. You wouldn’t want me to miss out on something like this, would you; especially after all we’ve been through?” she said in compelling tone.

  Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulder and looked to Javi for approval.

  “Welcome aboard,” Javi said, smiling to both.

  Chapter: 9

  Atlantis, Greece

  Papyrus Café

  Helena sat at an outdoor table. Arriving early for her 10am meeting with Christian Laikos, the director of operations at the Department of Tourism, she ordered a coffee and stared out over the ocean bay with dread. The previous month had not gone well for Javi and Jack, as their plans to search for Zeus’ pyramid in northeastern Greenland encountered one delay after another. With the operation proving very costly and with time running out, there was now a real possibility that everything could be put on hold for another year while the team waited for more favorable conditions to occur. She knew all too well from dealings with Karl Sita, the high priest of the Society of Arae, that he’d view the negative reports with great dismay and would see her as increasingly ineffective. Watching the waves break onto the shoreline, she worried about being replaced.

  “That can’t happen,” she said to herself aloud.

  “What can’t happen?” Christian asked, startling Helena as he quietly approached her table.

  “Christian!” Helena blurted, “You scared me.”

  He smiled dryly, then took a seat across from her, placing his cell phone on the table beside him. Helena pointed to a carafe of coffee at the middle of the table.

  “Care for some? It’s fresh,” she offered in cordial tone.

  “I’ll get to the point,” he responded bluntly. “Give me an overview of the progress.”

  Helena shifted nervously in her seat, cleared her throat, then spoke.

  “Well, as you know, we entered what we thought was Zeus’ chamber, but it turned out to be just a shrine…”

  “We know all about that you idiot. You are aware what listening bugs are used for, right?” Christian cut in impatiently.

  Helena shot Christian a look of anger, then quickly recovered.

  “Yes Christian, I’m well awa
re of their purpose,” she responded, struggling to sound pleasant. “Anyway, after Jack thwarted our men’s plans, he and Javi began planning for the search for Zeus’ pyramid in Greenland.”

  “Hmm, that was an unfortunate event, losing our team like that. Frank Chelmsford was a good man. Bad break that Roberts guy surviving, but I guess no one could’ve predicted that.”

  Helena nodded, then said, “From what I’m hearing, the money to fund all their activities is coming from various organizations, as well as governments, but there’s not enough to cover both the Atlantis pyramid and the new expedition to Greenland. Both Javi and Jack are using some of their own personal money to keep the operation moving forward, but theirs is just a drop in the bucket compared to what they really need. Because Greenland is so remote, the cost to fly there, set up camps for excavation, fly in equipment, fly in extra personnel, and manage a whole assortment of other considerations, is far beyond anything they can afford.”

  Helena stopped a moment, then continued:

  “To make matters worse, the summer season starts in a couple of months. They had hoped to have everything in place before then, to take advantage of the warmer weather and extended hours of daylight, but it’s looking now like they might not even be able to finalize their arrangements till the end of summer when the weather will grow increasingly unstable and the daylight hours will only shorten by the day. I think the two are considering postponing the search until next year, that way they can obtain more sponsors and plan the timing correctly. Honestly, with all the work that needs to be done, it may not be a bad idea to wait.”

  “Out of the question!” Christian roared back, furiously. “That’s not just a bad idea, it’s a terrible idea. This operation will happen on schedule.”

  “But Sir, we have only two months to organize. We’re going to need more time… a lot more time,” Helena contended.

  “I’ve been an archeologist for more than thirty years. Been on countless excavations. Managed thousands of projects as Director of Operations. I know exactly what an expedition like this will need… and more time is not it.”