Chereads / Love beyond time / Chapter 23 - Chapter 22

Chapter 23 - Chapter 22

Maera looked around her, she was at the end of the hallway and stood at the intersection of the hallway where it split in two. She and the other students haven't gotten any further then where she stood now. There was so many writings and murals on the walls that it would take months to decipher. She was the only one beside her professor who knew how to read and speak ancient Greek. The other students were under classman and still were finishing school to complete their degrees. Her necklace kept pulsating, it was picking something or someone in its range.

Maera began to turn back around to head to the main part of the temple to try to find her professor when there was a load clicking noise coming behind her. She stopped and turned back around but the only thing that stood in front of her was a wall full of writings. Suddenly though where the wall stood it began to shift and move on its own. Behind the wall that shifted to the right was a hidden room. This is what her professor was searching for, Maera thought. This was the secret room that everyone was talking about.

She looked in front of her and then cautiously took a few steps forward. As she was about to enter the room a tall figure stepped in front of her which startled Maera. The person who stood in front of her was her professor. He stood at least 6 feet tall, dark brown hair, she would say looked to be in his late forties, and he was well versed in all things Greek and in its mythology. Professor Christopher Morton has been her teacher for the last four years. When she finally completed her masters he asked her to be part of this year's expedition to Greece. He went every year and took only his best students with him for the trip.

It seemed like every year that he has gone to Greece, him and his students went to the sites they were studying, there was always something they would find hidden in the ruins of ancient temples. As if he knew where to dig and to search what area. It seemed all to of a coincidence, like how he knew where to look for this hidden room here at this temple built for Poseidon. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear what he said to her.

"Maera, you made it up here just in time. I had a feeling you would be the first one here to see this amazing find."

"I still can't believe that this was here this whole time. I had to see it for myself."

"I had a lead that I couldn't pass up, I had to look for this room. The locals say it where one of the old kings of ancient past is buried. That he was the son of a beautiful woman who was a seer and demigod who rumors say that was the son of Poseidon."

Maera couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was possibly talking about her and Aeolus's son that they will one day have in the past. She didn't know what to say for a moment, but she knew she had to say anything because he would know something was wrong.

"This king, I have read some things about him, but there wasn't much in the archives on the island. Only that he was kind, and just ruler to his people."

"Well, I believe that he is the one buried in here in this room. Come and see for yourself. You're the only other one here to able to decipher the words carved on the sarcophagus."

He turned around to head back into the room behind him. She followed him and as she entered the room, which was lit up by two work lamps the stone around her neck pulsated. Maera suddenly stopped dead in here tracks. Something in this room was making the stone react to it. She looked at her professor for a moment, could he be the one that is setting off the stone, was he a god? Actaea did say that there were some gods and goddesses still alive in this day and age, even after thousands of years. Her heart was pounding, what if he was one of the gods who was Aeolus's enemy in the past? "Everything alright Maera?"

"Yes, I was just lost in thought. I just can't believe that this room was well hidden. When the temple was built thousands of years ago, whoever wanted to conceal this room did a very good job at it."

"They definitely wanted to keep this place a secret." He stood directly in front of the sarcophagus. Maera walked towards him with caution, for who knew if he was a god. She stopped in front of him and then turned to the sarcophagus. It was in an amazing condition for being hidden here for thousands of years. The whole thing was made in marble like the statues out in the main part of the temple. It was at least six feet long, and height came to her waist. There was images and words carved on the front side.

On the lid of the sarcophagus was carved of an entire person of a man that looked to be in his fifties, he had a beard, and long hair with a crown around his head. The details of the stone carver looked so accurate. Was she looking at her son, who she would have with Aeolus? Maera knelt down in front of it to get a better look at the words that were written on the sarcophagus. Some of the carvings were faded so she could only make out some the words. She looked up to see what her professor was doing. He stood on the other side of the room looking at a mural on the wall. It displayed a scene of a warrior on a chariot being pulled by two horses, his sword drawn, and he was facing off what appeared to be a huge creature with horns, and hooves. The warrior didn't look like Aeolus, but if she got a better look at it, the man on the chariot could possibly be Drakon.

Maera turned her attention back to the sarcophagus and began to slowly decipher the words that weren't faded. She took off her backpack, and pulled out a notebook and pen. She also carried in there a mini first aid kit, a small archology kit of tools, a Swiss army knife, and her wallet. Maera began writing down what she could make out. She could easily read ancient Greek, which had always come easy to her, along with able to speak a little bit of the language. She had studied it for years, even before going off to college. It had started when she was a little girl. Maera had always been fascinated by all things Greek ever since her aunt Thetis would tell her stories of the gods, and creatures of ancient past. Even the story of the sea nymph her family was descended from and the gift of second sight that was passed down to the women in her family. Who would have thought Maera would actually get to meet her face to face in the present day.

She then turned her focus back to the words, which she continued to write in her notebook. Once she copied down what she could make out, she stood back up and looked down at what she had written. The first word she wrote down and could understand was the word son, the second word was Aeolus. Maera's heart felt like it skipped a beat when she saw the other words that she wrote down. It was not just his name, but her name appeared next his. There was a phrase which she could understand. It said, "King Drakon son to the demigod Aeolus and the lady Maera, seer to the people of Naxos." She looked over her notes, and then she turned back to the sarcophagus to double check herself. The words that she had on her notebook were correct. Her name and Aeolus's name were carved right in front.