Once Maera finished eating her breakfast she went back into the house to put the empty mug in the sink. Some of the other students were finishing their breakfast too and began gathering their stuff before heading up to the temple. There was six of them altogether and their professor. He rented a separate cottage for himself that was up the road from their place.
Maera went to grab her back pack that she set by the front door and then grab the key to the moped she was renting. It still made her wonder why her professor was at the temple last night. Something just didn't add up, especially after talking with Actaea and having the vision in the same night.
Also, she and the other students were told when they arrived that it was to dangerous to go up to the temple at night. From what Mike had mentioned their professor got some lead about the secret room up in the temple and went to investigate it.
Maera then headed out the front door and walked over to the modded. The others haven't left yet, for the van was still parked out front. She wanted to get up there as fast as she could to check out this hidden room there. Who knew what was in that room especially if there were any objects that could have been made by the old gods. The necklace around her neck would be able to sense them at least that's what Actaea had mentioned.
She strapped her helmet on, put the keys in the ignition and made sure her back pack was secured and then Maera head out to the temple. It wasn't a far of a drive from where the house that they rented. The temple sat on top of a hillside, almost on the edge of a cliff that sat over the sea with the beach below it. It was built centuries ago during ancient times when the first of settlers who came to Naxos. The people who came here to the island after leaving main land of Greece, from the city of Thebes, to come to the island where they could worship Poseidon and his queen Amphitrite. Also, the island had fertile soil, which the people here were able to grow olive trees and vineyards and became a main supplier to the other islands and main land.
Here on Naxos the people built a grand temple in honor of the god of the sea and his queen. It was once an impressive structure in its glory days of Ancient Greece. Today the temple still stood partly in ruins, but half of it still was completely intact. That's where her and the other students have been studying up at the temple. They had permission from the national history museum in Athens, and anything that was found by her and the rest of the team would get full credit.
The staff at the history museum in Athens told her professor if him and the students would find anything that had to do with the history of the island or any items they would send out some of their people to help out. They were to help with labeling, packing and shipping the items that were found back of the main land at the history museum. That's why Maera had to get there first before anyone else.
She was worried that whatever was in that hidden room there could be items made by the ancient gods. Powerful items that in the wrong hands would be disaster. Thankfully the necklace she had hidden under her shirt would sense them, and there were anything in there she would make sure to get the items to Actaea. She would know what to do with the items made by the gods.
Maera was so lost in thought that she nearly missed the turn to the road to the temple. The road itself was very narrow, and steeper as she drove herself closer to the main temple. From what the locals say the road wasn't really meant for vehicles especially in the days of ancient gods but was wide enough for riders on their horses. As she got closer she could see the temple sitting onto of the hillside. The sun was shining thru and it was a good day to be there to study and explore the hidden room that was found. It still made Maera wonder why her professor would be there last night when she and the others were told not be up here at night. Plus, it was all to strange of a coincidence for him finding the secret room the same time she had that vision. Maera just couldn't shake the feeling that something didnt seem right.
She then finally made it up the steep hill and made it to the temple. Marea pulled right into the parking lot, which was added on by the locals for the tourists that come to visit the island. She parked her moped right into a spot that was off to the left of the main temple. She then took the key out of the ignition, and pulled off her helmet. Maera stood up and placed her keys into her backpack. She saw that her professor was already there, his vehicle was already parked in the lot. Maera then headed around towards the front of the temple. As she was about to take a step up the main stairs leading inside she suddenly felt light headed. It felt like a vision was about to happen, but the feeling came passed.
She told herself she needed to calm down, but being here made her feel like she was going to get pulled into a vision. Especially now that she knew her fate was to end up in the past. Maera then walked up the stairs and she found herself inside the temple. She then came face to face with two large statues of Poseidon and Amphitrite both standing well over 7 feet tall and made of white marble. Somehow both statues stood intact for centuries and were in amazing good shape.
Both statues were carved with amazing detail, as if artist had seen both god and goddess himself. From what Maera know about them was they were both centuries years old. Now knowing what Actaea had told her the old gods were real back in ancient times, and she said some still walked the earth even in this day and age. She then walked past the statues and made her way further into the temple. The temple had eight columns for support, four on each side that made up the building, and where the walls once stood now was all open air. The back half of temple was still intact and there was a large entrance way and from there a long hallway that split up ahead.
Being that there was no electric back in those days there were torch holds mounted on the walls in that hallway and probably through out the inside part of the temple. Maera and the others believed that at one time the priest and priestess who once worshiped Poseidon lived here in the temple. She was hoping that once they got past the hallway it would lead them to more rooms that needed to be explored and to be studied.
Since they needed lights to study, her and the other students had step up work lamps through out the long hallway. They had a generator that powered the lamps when they were here studying and exploring this part of the temple. Her professor and them had this part roped off from any tourists that would come to visit the temple. They didn't want people coming in and disturbing their work.
Maera stood in front of the large entrance way that lead to the long hallway. That's where she would probably find her professor. For didn't see him anywhere in the front part of the temple. The work lamps were already on so she slowly made her way down the hall way. As she made her way down the long hallway she could feel the necklace tucked under shirt suddenly pulsated. Maera suddenly stopped and out her hand over her chest where the necklace sat.
She couldn't believe it, but the stone itself was alive. What Actaea told her about it was true, it was sense other objects made by the gods and it would sense other immortal beings that would be near by. Something or someone was nearby that the stone could sense them. She wondered what it could be that made the stone react to it.