Athena's Son

A
thena’s
S
on

Jeryl Schoenbeck

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Papyrus Publishing, West Bend, Wisconsin 53095

For more information, visit:

AthenasSon.com

Published by

Printed in the USA

Cover design by New York Graphics

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011943304

Copyright © 2011 Jeryl Schoenbeck

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-0615563121
ISBN-10: 0615563120

For Linda

.

Histor
ic
al
background

Archimedes
(287-212 BC). Considered by many historians to be the greatest scientist of the ancient world, he invented and improved many of the first machines, including levers and pulleys. He was born in Syracuse on the island of Sicily. He traveled to Alexandria to study science, mathematics, and mechanics and would have been 12 during the setting of this story. All of the science that Archimedes employs in this story is authentic: he used it, discovered it, or envisioned it during his lifetime.

Pharaoh Ptolemy II
(309-246 BC). Second pharaoh of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, he built the Pharos Lighthouse and expanded the Library of Alexandria. The Ptolemys were Macedonian, not Egyptian, and the mix of Greek and Egyptian culture made Alexandria a unique and vibrant city. The Ptolemaic Dynasty lasted 275 years and was Egypt’s last pharaohs, ending with the death of Cleopatra in 30 BC.

Berenike
(286-246 BC). Daughter to Pharaoh Ptolemy II. Not much is written about her early years, but she would have been about the same age as Archimedes.

Callimachus
(305-240 BC). He worked at the Library of Alexandria and developed the first library catalogue.

Herophilos
(335-280 BC). Founded the Medical School of Alexandria. One of the first doctors to use the scientific method in medicine. He was also one of the first to perform autopsies and dissections on humans, which he used to explain how the heart works by pumping blood throughout the body. He also studied the human brain and was the first to discover our brains were used for intellect; previously physicians believed the heart was used for thinking.

School of Alexandria.
It was built by Pharaoh Ptolemy I and contained the largest collection of books in the ancient world. It was part of the Museum of Alexandria. The name “museum” comes from the Greeks who called it the “House of Muses” and rather than a museum in the modern sense, it was a place of learning. There is no clear record of when the Library was destroyed, but it possibly burned down during the time Rome ruled Egypt. Along with the Library went most of the written works of the ancient world.

Pharos Lighthouse
. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it was started by Pharaoh Ptolemy II in 280 BC and when completed, may have been taller than the Great Pyramid at Giza, the only Ancient Wonder that still stands. The lighthouse was destroyed by a series of earthquakes in the 1300s AD.

Chapter 1

A pair of yellow eyes was watching one of the last workers gather his tools. The eyes were large, almond shaped, and would have belonged to a dog, except they were too big for a dog. The setting sun glazed two long fangs an ominous orange tint. The amber eyes blinked deliberately, sensing that death was near for this man.

The sculptor decided to stay late and finish working on a piece he started three days ago. Djedhor was one of the many artists hired to carve images of the gods out of stone for Pharaoh Ptolemy’s Great Lighthouse. He could work undisturbed in the evening after most of the other men left. The noise, dust, and swarming bodies were too much of a distraction for a sculptor. Besides, the evening was cooler.

The sun god Ra took his blazing orb below the horizon in the west, the direction of death. He would rise tomorrow in the east, representing new life.

Djedhor chipped away at the soft limestone as it took the shape of Isis, goddess of Egypt. After he finished carving her, a painter would carefully paint her so she would appear lifelike. Isis was the most popular of the Egyptian gods, the caring goddess who was a vital link between the gods and man. She helped the deceased make an easy transition into the afterlife, ruled by her husband, Osiris. Djedhor had no idea how soon Isis would be assisting him.

The staccato chipping of Djedhor’s chisel masked the footsteps behind him. His forearms were taut with muscle as his left hand gripped the bronze chisel and his right swung the wooden maul. His left hand deftly moved the chisel along as it shaved the curve of Isis’ slim waist.

He smiled as he thought about his own young wife’s waist. It was rounded and full, carrying his first child. He remembered the leek soup she had promised him when he got home. Hopefully there would be a bit of chicken in it if she was able to trade one of his simple carvings at the marketplace. In only one more month the baby would be born. Sadly, the child would never see his father.

Djedhor stopped chiseling to brush away some stone flakes. The footsteps made a faint crunch on some dry esparto grass. He turned to see who was still working this evening. It was no worker.

Djedhor’s eyes went wide, he tried to stand. There was a quiet gust of wind and Djedhor exhaled painfully. His eyes quickly glassed over and his hand reached for his chest, his heart was beating unnaturally. He slumped over, knocking down the unfinished Isis with him.

The amber eyes watched Djedhor writhe on the ground until the sculptor’s ka left him for the afterlife. Two arms picked up Djedhor’s corpse, laid it on a nearby slab of limestone block, and crossed its still-warm arms across his body. Next, a hand took a small amulet of a scarab beetle from where it was tucked in its kilt, and carefully laid it on the corpse. The turquoise amulet gleamed an ethereal blue in the evening light.

Suddenly the quiet night was wrenched awake with a piercing sound, like a kheft—a demon—screeching. The yellow eyes narrowed, a soft growl throbbed in its throat, and left. The only evidence was a body and the abnormally large tracks of a jackal.

Chapter 2

This was going to be just another problem to fix for Archimedes.

He grabbed the rope handles of a wooden box and dragged it out from behind some crates. His alchemy kit contained the materials needed to bring his ideas to life and it was too valuable to be left sitting around on a cargo ship.

The key clicked in the lock and he opened the lid only a couple of inches, then slid his hand in and secured the safety latch. The latch held back a thin wire blade that would whip down and cut the finger off anyone stupid enough to open the lid all the way.

He removed the top tray that contained his chemicals. The small green bottles rattled in the wooden slots when he set it down. The second tray held a selection of bronze gears and wooden pulleys. He put that tray next to the chemicals and pulled out the third tray that had his inventions in various states of completion.

Finally, he reached into the box and sorted through his tools. He pushed aside the saw and took out the mallet.

The dank air in the hold of the
Calypso
was hard to breathe and a lamp flickered weakly trying to get its share of oxygen. He hammered the last of two sharp pins through a narrow board torn from a discarded crate. Two pins were facing up on a similar board. The bronze pins were donated by Farrokh, a merchant who was also traveling to Egypt.

Traveling by cargo ship was slow, but cheap.
Calypso
was one of the hulking ships that plied their trade across the Mediterranean Sea. The craft was old but solid, sluggish but steady. It smelled of fish, sweat, and sea. It was all Archimedes’ parents could afford after paying tuition for the School of Alexandria.

In 276 BC, Alexandria was the cultural crossroads of the Mediterranean and the school was the finest university in the world. In addition, Alexandria had the world’s largest library, with writings from Aristotle to Xerxes.

Archimedes was the youngest student ever accepted to attend the school because while the other children were adding 1 and 3 to make 5, he was showing his teachers how to do geometry. Other 12-year-old boys threw rocks; Archimedes wondered if the heat of the sun could be harnessed as a weapon. The scholars in Alexandria heard about the inventive boy and convinced him to leave Syracuse behind.

When the bulky ship waddled out of the port of Syracuse, the captain tossed an offering of wine overboard to Poseidon. It must have been cheap wine. The heavy oak beams groaned against Poseidon’s temper and the salt spray spit through any available crack.