Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis) (22 page)

“I think I used up eight of them on that last stunt. I really thought those guys were going to get me. Boy, those snipers are really something, aren’t they?”

“I’ll say they are,” Javi answered enthusiastically. “We barely made it outside the entrance, before they dropped the two front-men like it was child’s play. Once I saw that, I knew we’d be ok,” he added confidently.

“So
that’s
why you told them we were wounded,” Helena responded.

“You told them yo
u were wounded?” Jack shot back incredulously.

“Sure did,” Javi replied proudly. “I figured if we couldn’t move, they’d eventually have to come and get us.”

“Unless they just decided to shoot us,” Helena cut in.

Javi shook his head.

“I knew they couldn’t do that. If they shot us, they’d give up their only chance of escape,” he responded confidently.

“That was good thinking, Javi,” Jack said, giving Javi a congratulatory pat on the shoulder.

With the high drama passed, Helena’s focus returned to the scepter.

“You’re not going to believe this, Jack: Zeus’ chamber was em
pty. Nothing but a lousy statue and some urns. Javi thinks it’s basically a shrine,” she said in disappointing tone.

“I know, I heard everything,” Jack responded.

“You heard?” Javi asked.

“Yeah, before you guys got here,
Inspector DiApopolus had his guys bug the place. We heard everything. That’s why they decided to wait for you guys to exit the pyramid, instead of storming it.”

“So what now?” Helena continued her complaint. “Are we out of luck or do you really think we’ll find some kind of clue to Zeus’
real
burial chamber?” she asked Javi directly.

Javi glanced to Jack knowingly, then back to Helena.

“If we’ve learned anything with the Poseidon discovery, I’m betting somewhere in that shrine, we’ll find the answer… and that answer will probably point to his burial chamber hidden somewhere inside this pyramid,” he said with growing excitement.

Jack rolled his eyes.

“Oh great! More booby traps. Like we haven’t had enough excitement already,” he joked.

----- ----- ----- -----

A week later…

With the crime scene recorded and the pyramid released back to the state, Javi, Jack, Helena and Duni got back to work. Inside the new chamber, they began to decipher the clues.

“This place is amazing,” Duni said, seeing it for the first time.

“I’m kinda surprised at the functionality of the new crystal globe. Pretty clever of the Atlanteans locating the locking mechanism near the floor. I never would’ve guessed that,” Jack responded.

“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 h
eld 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-ˈ
rī
),” 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 qu
ick 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, d
o 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 seriousnes
s 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.

J
avi 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 t
he 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 gu
y, 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 people 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.