by S. Y. Lee
“Mister Huffington! I do not tolerate people who interrupt me. If you do that again, I’ll have to hand over control to Mister Baker. If either of you have any smart remarks or questions, keep them to yourselves until I’m done.”
Only the stern look on her face kept Richard from bursting into laughter. Seldom had he come across anyone so disinterested in whatever opinions or anecdotes that Lex had to proffer, that he was starting to like Jessica. Just a little bit.
She adjusted her glasses again. “Now, before I was rudely interrupted, I was saying that we’re headed to Litochoro, which is the village located at the base of Mount Olympus. We won’t be staying in the village. Instead, we’ll set up camp east of Mount Olympus. That will be the dig site and where you and your team will stay. What I’m about to tell you is for you two only. You will not discuss this with the rest of the team. They have no idea what they are looking for, except a hefty pay day.”
She paused for dramatic effect. “What we’re looking for, is an ancient artifact which is thought to be fictional. This item is unlike the armor or bronze clappers. The physical description has varied from accounts, but we believe it could hold immense power that could change the world as we know it.”
Immense power? Both men raised their eyebrows when they heard the two words. Certainly, they had each found artifacts or sites that had brought about a different perspective on history or clarified questionable events, but they would never think that what they did could change the world. They dabbled in the past, not the present or the future.
“We’re not exactly sure what shape or form this artifact takes, but it might be a jar or container of some sort. You’ll tell the team that you are searching for an ancient hut or building, but both of you will have to supervise the dig so that you will be there for the discovery. I have a feeling that even when the team does find it, they won’t know what it is. But you will. I cannot stress how important it is to exercise tremendous caution when handling the item, because we don’t know how dangerous it is. Any questions?”
The archaeologists exchanged looks. They had so many questions, but where to begin? For one thing, both men were rather taken aback by what Jessica had told them. Power and danger? In an archaeological dig? That was strange. It was as if they were really in an Indiana Jones movie, with Nazis waiting around the corner to snatch the loot from their hands. Maybe there was even a giant rolling boulder somewhere, just for the fun of it.
Richard went first. “Danger? What are the dangers that we could face? Do you mean that the soil is easily eroded? Robbers? Hostile forces?”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Jessica replied, leaving it at that.
Lex had the next question. “This item you speak of sounds like a weapon. But what ancient weapon could be harmful to us? Unless you mean to tell me that the ancient Greeks had invented bombs! Or a biological weapon?”
“No, it’s not a weapon. It’s a container, of which its contents are unknown. Trust me, we’ve tried to find out more. For all we know, it could be empty. But understand this, this will be the find of your careers.”
Richard was getting tired of beating around the bush. “Just get straight to the point and tell us what we’re looking for! Surely this container has a name, or at least a better description. I don’t believe Steven Wells would give us each five million dollars just for an antique jar he can use as a vase. If you want us to lead your excavation Miss Miles, you had better put all your cards on the table.”
Lex found himself nodding in agreement.
Jessica looked at Richard, slightly surprised at his brashness. She took a small breath. “Well, both of you have heard of this item. Most people have. It is an object of importance in Greek mythology which was a gift from the Gods of Mount Olympus,” she paused, as though she couldn’t believe what she was saying.
“Well? Come on, what is it?” Lex urged her on, impatient and frustrated at the slow build-up.
“We know this item as Pandora’s box.”
Now they were lost for words. Each man had thought of the many items of Greek history that Jessica could have named, but Pandora’s box hadn’t been one of them. They sat there in stunned silence, trying to process this revelation.
Lex was incredulous. “What? Pandora’s box? You couldn’t possibly expect us to believe that Pandora’s box actually exists, and that you’ve pinpointed the location of it! Even for Steven Wells, I would think his imagination had a limit! You want me to dig up a container and tell the world that I have found Pandora’s box? I’ll become the laughing stock of the archaeology world if this ever got out!”
Richard was ready to go next, but Jessica held a finger up at him, motioning for him to wait.
“Yes, not only do I expect you to believe it, I expect you to find it. Mister Wells’ information is very reliable and I have verified the sources myself, although I cannot disclose those details to you. I understand that people might doubt the legitimacy of such a find, which is why we’ve enlisted both of you, the two people at the top of their field, for this incredible discovery. Mister Wells will publicly back your results as well, and he has complete confidence in your capabilities. Otherwise, he wouldn’t promise each of you a five-million-dollar grant.”
She lowered her finger, and Richard spoke. “But how do you know that it’s definitely there? What if we end up with nothing to show for but old clay jugs and pitchers?”
“As I said, I can’t tell you why we’re so sure of its location or existence, so you’ll have to take my word for it. However, in the unlikely event that we unfortunately are unable to retrieve the artifact, rest assured that my report to Mister Wells will be fair and you will both still receive the grant funding as promised.”
Lex was deep in thought. He had never been on such an absurd excavation before, in pursuit of something that didn’t exist. Or could it possibly? Wells had always provided him with accurate information previously. He had never been wrong, but where would a chief executive officer of a major computing company come across such information? At the end of the day, the guarantee of five million dollars was too much for him to walk away from.
“I need to think about this,” he said tentatively.
“No. Either you’re in, or you’re out. Right now.”
Richard raised his hand like a school boy, feeling silly. “Can I call my wife and consult with her?”
“No. No phone calls please, until we’ve found the box. And it would be much appreciated if you didn’t refer to it by name in front of the rest of the team, including in the car with the driver.”
Richard buried his face in his hands as he pondered his decision. It seemed like a good opportunity, but Jessica’s mention of danger remained a lingering omen. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly why that irked him; he had previously ventured into hostile territories under the control of Islamic terrorists. Somehow, this seemed different. And if Pandora’s box was real, would there be any danger for them, or even the world, if they opened it again? The item was one of his wife’s favorite subjects in Greek mythology and he was sure that she would be thrilled if he could be the one who found it. He looked at Lex, who was staring back at him, waiting for his answer.
“Fine. Fine, count me in. If Pandora’s box is indeed real and where you say it is, I shall find it.”
As if relieved by his response, Lex let out a sigh and nodded repeatedly. “Very well then, since this man is willing to go on a wild goose chase, I shall come along to supervise. But don’t get your hopes too high, Pandora’s box is just a myth until it has been found. If it’s found.”
As the team started to trickle back into the vans, Jessica adjusted her glasses again, and for the first time that day, she smiled at the two gentlemen. She sat back down in her seat, and soon the driver returned, scratching his untidy beard and speaking to her in Greek.
The driver was pointing to his watch and telling Jessica when he estimated they would reach their destination. He also tried to bargain for a raise, rubbing his
index and middle fingers against his thumb, the universal gesture for money. Jessica was having none of it, threatening him in his native language. Whatever she said, it had an immediate effect and the driver threw his hands up in surrender before disengaging the hand brake.
As the jeep moved forward, Richard and Lex exchanged uncertain looks, thinking about Pandora’s box and the days to come. Staring out the jeep at the trees as they drove, Richard’s mind began to drift, trying to recall as much as he could about Pandora’s box.
His wife was the expert, really. She taught a college class on Greek mythology and he wished she was here. She would have been a much more welcomed companion than the man currently sitting beside him. The way he remembered her talking about it, the opening of Pandora’s box was a pivotal point in Greek mythology which was much like the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden.
According to Greek mythology, Pandora was also the first woman. The titan Prometheus had crafted man out of clay, and Zeus himself breathed life into the clay figures. However, as time went by, man honored their creator Prometheus, instead of Zeus. Enraged, Zeus demanded a sacrifice to prove their fealty, and Prometheus tricked him by killing an ox and dividing it into two piles, one of meat and fat covered by the stomach, and one of bones covered by shining fat. He then asked Zeus to pick his offering, who chose the pile of bones.
Infuriated by the Prometheus’ trickery, Zeus denied man the secret of fire. The coldness of winter was too harsh on the mortals, and they suffered without warmth. However, Prometheus’ love for his creations motivated him to steal fire from Mount Olympus and hand it to man. This act of defiance angered Zeus, but what was given couldn’t be taken back, so Zeus had the rebellious titan chained to a mountain in Caucasus, where an eagle would come every day to eat his liver. Because of his immortality, his liver would regenerate daily, causing him to experience great pain and agony over and over again, until the end of time.
Zeus’ punishment didn’t end there. He ordered Hephaestus to craft something similar to man, and to use all things that were loveliest and sweetest and best, but at the same time to include the exact opposites of those components. Hephaestus took gold and dross, wax and flint, snow and mud, honey and gall, and mixed them all together. Then, he plucked the bloom of a rose and dissected a toad for its venom, he took the voice of laughing water and the squall of peacocks, he captured the beauty of the sea and its treachery, he acquired the essence of a dog’s loyalty and the wind’s inconsistency, and finally he obtained the love of mother birds and the cruelty of tigers. When Hephaestus was satisfied with the mixture, he crafted a woman.
The other Gods and Goddesses gave the woman various gifts: Athena clothed her; Aphrodite bestowed upon her beauty like her own; Hermes gave her cunning and charm; Demeter taught her the skills of gardening; Apollo bequeathed her musical talent; Poseidon gave her a pearl necklace from the seas; and Hera gave her curiosity. Finally, Zeus gave her mischievousness, and when he was satisfied, he named her Pandora, meaning “all gifts.”
Zeus then ordered Hermes to bring Pandora, with a jar bestowed to her by the Gods, to the titan Epimetheus, brother of Prometheus.
Epimetheus had been warned by his brother not to accept any gifts from the Gods, but he was smitten at the sight of Pandora and immediately fell in love with her. As Zeus had planned, Epimetheus later married Pandora.
The day of their wedding, Epimetheus told Pandora never to open the jar. However, the insatiable curiosity given to her by the Gods eventually got the better of her and she opened the container, letting out evil spirits that brought with them strife, greed, jealousy, hatred, sickness, famine, and death.
When Pandora realized her folly, she hurried to close the jar, but the damage had already been done, and man was doomed to face sickness and toils which they had never endured before.
But all was not lost. Pandora sensed that there was something good left in the jar. Seeing how much woe she had brought upon man, she opened the jar again, and this time, let out the spirit of hope. With hope, man was given a glimmer of light to survive the darkness of the adversities and diseases that Pandora had unknowingly unleashed.
That was all Richard knew about Pandora’s box. That was no mention of what happened to the jar after Pandora had let hope out, so it could have been anywhere, or even cast away as a normal jar.
Now, he had somehow wound up on a quest to find this object connected to humanity’s origin. An object with lore older than the Holy Grail. These unforeseen developments were overwhelming and Richard even considered the possibility that his plane had crashed on its way to Greece, leaving him in a purgatory to chase mythical artifacts until the end of eternity. But every time the jeep hit a bump and his buttocks left the seat for a split second, Richard was jolted back to reality.
Beside him, Lex had a hand on his chin. There was a frown on his face, no doubt because of what he had just been told. Richard knew that if they really found Pandora’s box, Lex would be most displeased at having to share the honor with anyone, especially him.
That was the least of Richard’s concerns right now. He was more focused on the possible dangers Jessica had mentioned. Obviously, she knew more, and he needed to find a way to get it out of her.
He had encountered difficulties in the past, where the expertise of people such as Walter Timmons came into play. There had been instances when his team would be met by robbers or violent criminals, but usually they caused no harm and only wanted money.
This danger that Jessica eluded to, he sensed, was not the same. If Pandora’s box did indeed exist, who knows what it might contain? Perhaps Pandora kept something else in it? And if there was anything left in it, would it be good or bad for mankind? There were so many things to think about and consider, with too many tangents, that Richard gave up as the web of possibilities unraveled in his mind. He closed his eyes, leaned back, and attempted to clear his head.
Meanwhile, Lex was looking up the tale of Pandora’s box on his phone. He didn’t know the details of the story as well as Richard, and although he didn’t like having to share the spotlight, he was secretly glad to shoulder this burden with someone else.
If anything went sideways, he would find a way to extricate himself from this debacle and divert the blame. He stared blankly at his phone, contemplating the outcomes this excavation might result in. He wasn’t sure if he found solace in any.
Chapter 8
Chicago
It was swelteringly hot and the searing sun was directly over the swimming pool. The swimming pool was located behind the mansion, next to the high walls that surrounded the estate. It was a very modern-looking swimming pool, the kind what one would expect to find in a fancy resort. There was even an outdoor jacuzzi next to it where the older Lynches often enjoyed quiet evenings in. Currently, it was unoccupied.
It had been a week since Leo arrived in Chicago and he was enjoying himself. Right now, he was lounging in a deckchair by the water, reading a novel and sipping on a milkshake. There was an empty chair next to him with a large towel draped over it. Eva was doing laps in the pool. Truthfully, Leo had seen Eva swim a couple of days ago, and he was too embarrassed to join her. For all his athleticism, he could barely float, while Eva moved around the water like a dolphin.
Leo took another sip out of the tasty beverage that Berta had made for him and set his book down to see if Eva was done. She had been going at in it for about twenty minutes now, swimming lap after lap without break. As Eva approached his end of the pool, she gripped the edge and pulled herself out of the water in one swift motion.
Leo grabbed the towel from the empty chair and tossed it to her. Draping it over her black one-piece bathing suit, she dried her hair as she walked over to the vacant deckchair and sat down.
“How was your swim?” Leo asked.
“It was good! You really should try, swimming is very healthy and particularly good for your cardiovascular system, you know.”
“Yes, I know… So, what do you want to
do today?” Leo quickly changed the subject.
Eva thought for a second. It had been an activity-filled week, from tennis to jogging, from relaxing by the pool to late-night movies on cable. Unexpectedly, she had found Leo’s company to be more pleasant than she could have imagined.
“Why don’t we go to the mall after lunch? My mother’s birthday is on Friday and I need to get her something,” Eva suggested.
“Sounds good.”
Leo didn’t really like going to malls, but he figured that as long as he was with Eva, it wouldn’t be that bad. In his brief time here, both of them had gotten along better than each had anticipated, and Leo enjoyed spending time with his host. At the back of his mind, he knew that this would be over in a week, but he chose to ignore that. Not that long ago, he had been whining about being forced to come to Chicago. Now he was dreading his departure.
They went back into the house after Eva dried off, where Berta had prepared another scrumptious lunch and informed the teenagers that their parents had gone golfing. They finished up quickly, got dressed into casual clothes, and hopped into Eva’s car to go to the mall.
It was a relatively new establishment that was packed with all sorts of novelty outlets that sold unique or handcrafted items, in addition to the usual departmental stores. Eva was looking for something special for her mother’s birthday. Foreign yet exquisite, she said. Normally she would get her mother jewelry with her father’s credit card, but this year she wanted to surprise her mother.
Leo knew from the many decorative objects around the mansion that the Lynch family were huge collectors of art and items from foreign cultures. He tried to keep up with Eva as she went from window to window, peering into the stores but seldom entering. He didn’t have much to contribute, so he just trudged along, making a few casual comments occasionally about the displays.
Soon, Eva sensed that Leo was getting bored and she suggested they make a detour to the food court for a soft pretzel. Just as she was about to step onto the escalator, out of the corner of her eye, Eva saw a store that sold antiques and wood-crafted furniture. She grabbed Leo’s hand and pulled him towards the store, “Look! They sell Greek antique replicas! I’m sure there’s something interesting there. Let’s go take a look. Maybe there are even some things from Greek mythology that you can teach me about.”