In the Presence of Gods

By Vincent A. Alascia

Will Theron and Ariadne have to sacrifice their love to save the Gods of Atlantis from oblivion?

12,000 years ago Zeus decided to spare the island of Atlantis, allowing the culture of Ancient Greece to flourish. Flush with their superiority, the people of Atlantis regard the Gods as myth and story. Zeus now realizes that he was in error and the eight million residents of Atlantis must die. Theron and Ariadne, along with the assistance of their Goddesses Athena and Aphrodite, race to save the people of Atlantis as well as the Gods from oblivion.

"Theron’s thoughts immediately drifted to Ariadne. He wondered what it would have been like if she had stayed. Then he wondered what it would have been like if he went with her."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vincent A. Alascia
• Release date: Sep 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465746382

Vincent A. Alascia

Vincent A. Alascia is the author of, "In the Presence of Gods," and, "Xristos: Chosen of God," available on Kindle and paperback, as well as work that has appeared in anthologies and online. Originally an East Coast native, he makes his home in the Portland Oregon with his wife and one attention grabbing feline.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The bed was so much larger with just Theron in it. Though Ariadne had spent only a handful of nights with him in this bed, the memories of those kept him awake on many nights such as this one. One night in particular had just passed late in August only a couple weeks before they parted before their freshman year of college. Ariadne had stayed with him at the house while Theron’s parents were in Italy.

Her head lay across his chest, her hair tickling the soft underside of his arms. He could feel the soft smoothness of her body against him. She was his first and his love only intensified as their days together became just memories. They were high school sweethearts, but that only covered half of it. They lay in silence, together, luxuriating in the heat radiating from their bodies.

Ariadne reached up with her index finger and traced small circles on Theron’s chin. You should make arrangements to do a semester or two with me at Yale. Ariadne propped herself up on her elbows so she could look Theron in the eye.

I don’t know.

You know a lot of American heads of state graduated from Yale.

I know, Theron said. He rubbed Ariadne’s shoulder and down the length of her arm. But I am a Greek, an Atlantian no less; my father would shit if I didn't follow in his footsteps at Athens University. Besides, I’m thinking maybe I don’t want to be in politics.

Ariadne's laugh tinkled like glass wind chimes. Good luck with that, she said after drawing a long breath.

Tell me about it. Theron said as he slid underneath her. They kissed long and deep. I don’t want to talk about school. I hate for us to be apart. While we are together I don’t even want the thought of school in my head.

Ariadne rested her face on Theron’s neck. He let his hand slide down the firmness of her back and over the soft round curve of her bottom. He could not help but feel the weight of the world lift off of his shoulders while he and Ariadne were together. He held her as if letting go would mean the end of both. He had access to all of her, and she had the same from him. Lying like this they felt like one being, one heart, one soul. Theron could not get it out of his mind, though the summer was giving way to the fall and time once again would devour these moments. The memory of that night had stayed with Theron as clear as crystal. All the sounds, scents and sensations remained as vivid as if it were yesterday.

In the end sleep did win out and a dream unfolded slowly. Theron stood on the coast of Atlantis, looking out across the Aegean at Greece. The most powerful nation of the modern world, Greece, boasted the longest continuous civilization and the only Gods that mattered. As the capstone that held this civilization together, Atlantis was the hub of Greek life as it had been for the last three thousand years. Theron stood on the beach outside his home and felt the chilled promise of a winter yet to arrive. The sky rolled overhead like a cyclone looking for a home. The horizon drew Theron’s attention. Across the water something held his thoughts.

An small dinghy approached the shore with an old man standing at the bow. His clothes were all tattered rags and his long gray hair stuck out from under the sides of his hat like straw from a scarecrow. The old man pointed one long bony finger at Theron.

Return to the future. Go forward to the past. This way. Come.

The words confused Theron, but he climbed into the small boat anyway. His added weight made it sink more into the sand and some water rose from the bottom of the wood to cover both of their feet. He sat and the old man turned away from him. The boat left the shore behind and headed out to sea, but not by the powers of either oars or sails. The old wood creaked beneath Theron and the water came close to cresting the knotted sides. The sky had settled into a gray sheet and the ocean was unnaturally calm, neither a ripple nor a wave disturbed the surface. Even the dingy failed to create a wake. An indescribable power pulled them along or was it the sheer will of the old man's thoughts. Theron surveyed the ocean around him, hoping for some clue to what was happening or going to happen next.

Where are we going?

The old man in the cloak did not answer him. The boat headed east, towards the Greek mainland. Theron looked out across the bow. The air was thick with a salty fog that coated his lips and made his throat cry out for a drink. A low ringing sound filled his head as the air pushed by his ears. The boat headed right where the whirlpool Charybdis is rumored to churn with the wrath of Poseidon. The coast guard posted warnings to small boats about strong currents in the area, despite the fact that no whirlpool had ever been sighted. Still, the myth of Charybdis was strong enough to keep many from ignoring the warning. The small dinghy began bobbing up and down in the water. Theron tried to stand up to get a better view, steadying himself with one arm on the side of the boat. The sea in front of him opened up like a great round but jagged wound.

The whirlpool was the size of a city block. The sea spun, churned and vomited up foamy liquid death. Faces appeared in the water. Hundreds, thousands, millions of faces churned about in those dark waters riding the whirlpool to oblivion.

Never end, never begin, the old man said. He had to shout above the roar of the water. Chronos devours his children only to spit them back up. Time is not as you think.

The boat turned away from the whirlpool and headed to an area of the Greek coast closest to Atlantis. After a short while it landed on a sandy beach, and the old man climbed out. Come. There is one more thing which you need to see.

Theron followed the old man up the beach to a sea cave about twenty meters from the boat. The air smelled of decaying shellfish and salt. Theron, despite spending much of his youth by the sea, had to cover his nose and mouth to keep from vomiting. As they entered the light of a fire now attracted his attention. He suddenly felt in need of the warmth from the flames and hurried to the spot in the center of the cave where the glowing logs heated the cold dead rocks.

The sight of Ariadne standing beside the fire surprised him. Theron, she said. You’ve come back for me.

Ariadne, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in the Americas.

She looked at him. Her gray eyes moistened and begged for his embrace. What are you talking about?

Ariadne? Theron questioned. Her her clothes were torn and frayed as if she climbed out of a hole in the earth. Weeds and cobwebs snaked through her hair. Dirt smeared her face and and ugly wound scarred her right arm gash above the elbow. Blood had crusted around the wound making it look jagged and painful. "What in Hades happened to you?

Ariadne stood there and her face went blank as if she no longer saw Theron. All gone, she said. All is done. Atlantis has sunk beneath the sea.

Ariadne you aren’t making any sense. Theron reached out for her and held her at arms length. It’s me, Theron.

Ariadne looked at him again as her eyes refocused. She threw herself at him and wept on his shoulder. All is gone. Nothing will be the same. Her eyes widened and her lower lip trembled. The world, our world is no more. History has played against us. She looked around and then turned to Theron. Theron, I have to tell you something...

A loud squealing like nails in a blender drowned out Ariadne's voice it grew louder and louder until the cave around him disappeared. Theron looked around as Ariadne, the fire, the cave and everything else was gone. He looked up and saw the red glare of the flashing screen with the time: 7:30. Son of a Bitch! For the love of Zeus you stupid damn phone. He grabbed his mobile and silenced the alarm. A pop up reminded him of his morning class. He dropped the phone back onto his nightstand.

Theron rolled over. It was only the third week of classes at Athens University and already he was growing tired of everything. He hated the rush to catch the ferry off the island. He knew he could have an extra hour of sleep if his parents would only let him take a room at the school. They wouldn’t. Theron’s father cited the usual reasons. He was an important and sometimes unpopular man in the government who needed his family close by where he could keep watch over them. Ettore even went to the trouble of adding on a second wing for his sister Callia and at the time her fiance. Being head of the Council of Unified Greece may be great for his father but it was torture for Theron. The responsibilities of the son of the head of state stunk, he said to himself. What made it even worse was his father’s planning and scheming to make Theron follow in his footsteps. Of the twenty-four credits he signed up for this semester only the three, his English Lit class, were what he wanted, the rest were political science and justice courses his father had placed on his schedule.

Theron climbed out of bed and sighed. Another day closer and further from when he an Ariadne parted. He walked across his room and looked out of the floor to ceiling window at the Aegean. The sun was just rising over the line of the Greek coast. The sky looked like blue velvet devoid of any clouds. Maybe today would be different. Sometimes, in the mornings like this, Theron liked to pretend it would be. He liked to pretend that Ariadne was there with him and that together they looked out on the glorious morning.

Theron, his mother called out. I heard your alarm go off. Are you out of that bed? You cannot miss the ferry again this week. Though the family had a cook, Adonia insisted on making breakfast for her family. She carried a plate of eggs and bacon across the kitchen to the breakfast nook where her husband, daughter and younger son sat. It was a step down from the kitchen level and built out of the back of the house in an octagonal shape. The large windows made it look as though you were eating breakfast on the beach.

That child is definitely not one for the mornings. Adonia said to her husband.

He is a young man, Ettore Fedoropoulos said to his wife. He sat up in his chair as he took the plate offered to him. He lost most of his jet-black hair back when Theron was born and since then has been aware of how much shorter he was than Adonia. She playfully ran her hand over his fuzzy head. He pushed her away. Theron will never learn the responsibilities of a man if you keep referring to him as a child. He returned to scrolling through the news stories from the morning review he had plugged into his personal data terminal. Well, it looks like the Americans have a new president, he said to start a different conversation.

Let’s hope this one can keep his Johnson in his pants, huh dad.

Julian, your mother. Ettore reprimanded his son.

Oh she doesn’t know...

For your information, I know what a Johnson is, Adonia interrupted. Julian was her baby, with his father's dark eyes and square chin. He was growing up too quickly. English is such a base language, must you use the worst of it?

Ahh, Ettore said. I think it is a joke of the Gods that that language has spread so far.

Apparently it is easier for the Orientals to learn than our native tongue, Callia added. She was more like her father; level headed and strong in her convictions. Most of the time those convictions matched her father. In many ways Ettore had to face the uneasy prospect of having a daughter being better able to follow in his footsteps. She did have Adonia's thick lips and high cheeks, she would make any man a beautiful wife. She wanted a career, however.

Easier for the Orientals, Ettore looked at his daughter. Don’t get me started on them or the Americans.

Yeah right Dad, Julian said.

Both of you should give the Americans more credit for than that, Callia said. You forgot it was the ingenious American scientists that helped us land a man on the moon.

And you forget it was our theoreticians that gave them the science behind the bomb that ended their War in the Pacific. Look what they did with that knowledge. They started a damn arms race with the Soviets and almost brought Armageddon down on all of us, Ettore fumed.

Ah Dad, you’re just too old fashioned. Callia said and punched a text message into her phone. The Americans have changed. I think this new president will help them progress even further.

Ettore looked up from his tablet but didn’t respond. Old fashioned, huh. He studied his daughter. She wore her long hair blond and she even had a pair of blue tinted contacts. He realized she was trying to look American. He reminded himself of the promise he made to Adonia not to be too hard on Callia. Still, he wanted his daughter, the law student, back and not this blonde bombshell.

Here he is, Adonia announced as Theron stepped into the kitchen. My sleepy little college man almost missed his breakfast.

I’m not hungry. Theron said as he placed his shoulder bag on the counter. I just want some orange juice. Maybe I’ll grab a bagel on the ferry. He filled a glass with juice.

Maybe this bacon and eggs your mother made would be better for you, his father said.

Maybe I’m no longer interested in things that are better for me. Theron said as he gulped down his orange juice.

Fine, Theron’s father said and went back to his news stories. Hey, there was another earthquake on the southern tip of the island last night. He looked up from the terminal. I didn’t feel anything. Did any of you?

His family all shook their heads. What time was that dad? Theron asked. The memory of his dream last night was still vivid.

It says here it struck at two forty-seven.

Oh, Theron said. He didn’t mention that was also about the same time he fell asleep and into that very weird dream.

Theron, will you be home for dinner? Adonia asked. Connie’s making your favorite, lasagna.

No, I have some work to do in the library. I’ll be taking the late ferry home. Leave some out for me and maybe I’ll eat it if it's not too late.

You spend too much time in that library, Adonia started clearing away the empty plates. Aren’t there any other places for you to go and enjoy yourself? Work will always be there, you should try to have some fun.

Adonia, what are you talking about, Ettore shook his head.

He works too hard.

He has a lot of responsibilities, Ettore replied. "You know my cabinet is already preparing a position for him in the administration for the next legislative session. I have it all worked out with the Dean. You will be completing