The Vault of Hercules

Chapter 26

It was just short of midday when the party arrived in Kalavryta. The only contribution Purdue had made to this expedition was done through Nina's credit card, with extra funds funneled to her account via a financial affiliate of Purdue's. This way he could not be traced, he figured, while allowing for some back-up equipment, should they need any.

Nina had followed protocol, for once under Purdue's guidance, and procured a permit for three days in the mountains of Kalavryta, just to cover their asses to some extent without the inclusion of their opposition. Of course, it was issued to Dr. Gould for a historical research quest with a few colleagues. No big deal.

“Geez, this is a stunning little patch of land, don't you think?” Sam nudged Nina.

“Aye, I see what all the fuss is about, even for those of us who are not obsessed with history,” she replied, shading her eyes with her hand as she surveyed the panoramic beauty from the rendezvous point up on Mount Aroania's eastern face. “Look at the endless skyline.”

Pure sapphire skies bowed over a never-ending landscape of mountains and forests in dark green splendor, whispering secrets of long past eras and the ancient heroes of mythology. Nina's skin grew taut from the thought of gods and Titans walking this land before time or civilization, no matter how metaphorical. As a matter of fact, she liked to entertain the notion that there were giants of varying creeds, fighting leviathan monsters on a land that would become tame and insignificant in comparison. So many tales had emerged from this collection of islands, retold with such reverence and power behind them, that Nina could not help but believe just a little that the gods were still present.

Unlike the observatory on Mount Chelmos (Aroania) and the few roads on Mount Kyllini, their current position was completely uncharted by official maps. From the town they’d traveled with a rental vehicle, but now it was time to gear up for the mountainous terrain. They’d each packed for light travel and possible diving. While looking for the pair of pillars mentioned to locate the right underground network, there would be no place for large vehicles and heavy equipment, so they elected to use 350cc quad bikes, one for each explorer, to accommodate their weight and gear, and for lugging their basic necessities along toward the entrance to the elusive cavern.

“You look like a Greek goddess in those tights, Nina,” Sam jested with a wink. He looked at Rita. “Which goddess would she be, Professor?”

Rita smiled, “I'd say…”

“Don't make me lame,” Nina warned playfully.

“Artemis?” Rita replied.

Nina looked flabbergasted. “A virgin? The goddess of chastity?” she shrieked.

Sam laughed and clapped his hands together. “Nope. No, way off there!”

“But she’s a hunter who loves nature,” Rita tried to console Nina.

“Who never gets laid!” Nina persisted to the delight of the others. Even Guido and his soldiers were smiling at Nina's protest against being branded chaste.

“Don't worry, Nina. We know better,” Purdue grinned from his quad bike, where he was pulling his gloves on. Nina gasped at his insinuation, but honestly, she couldn’t argue with him.

“I call dibs on Athena!” Rita played along before Nina could switch.

“More like Hera,” Guido muttered, getting a thoroughly hateful leer from his wife.

“Apparently I’m Prometheus,” Sam said plainly.

Nina gave it some thought, and when Sam's continual self-sacrifice for Paddy's friendship and Purdue's protection came up, she understood. She doubted, though, if Sam fathomed the extent of his martyrdom most of the time.

“I'm Zeus,” Purdue claimed with the correct amount of confidence, “… naturally.” The billionaire was just waiting for the Sicilian idiot to try and best him, but he doubted that Guido even knew any Greek Mythology. Purdue was a sharp judge of character and he was not wrong about Guido Bruno.

“I don't have to engage in childish god games to justify myself,” he growled, biting his lip in defeat. “My power is in the real world, over real people. I make people run for their lives and beg for mercy.”

“Like a laxative,” Sam said, evoking a roar of laughter from the others.

Guido Bruno passed Sam Cleave a look of unbridled hatred, but to his surprise he found that Sam's own darkened sneer was fraught with derision. Again, Sam had managed to keep Guido's attention on him, purely because he truly wanted to rip his head off. It was the first time that Nina, Purdue, and Rita had noticed the animosity between the two men in its most raw form. Nina mouthed 'what the fuck?' at Purdue, but he only shrugged.

They didn’t know one another prior to meeting for this expedition, yet the tension between them was utterly personal. It was evident that Guido was uncertain why the journalist despised him so, but he was too conceited to pretend to care or to ask. He was too much of a coward to confront his detractor, but then again, he wasn’t planning to drag Purdue and his associates along for much longer.

“Shall we get going?” Rita said, interrupting the staring stalemate for the sake of the journey.

“Aye, it’s getting late and we still have to find the two pillars to lead us there,” Nina agreed, pulling her helmet and goggles down and securing the strap.

Sam tied his hair back in a rough ponytail and did the same. On his back he carried a satchel with camera equipment, including night vision features. What the others didn’t know was that his video camera had a chip card in for Wi-Fi and ISP functions to facilitate uploads from his camera to any number or IP in the world. It was, ironically. a gift from Purdue during a previous trip. For this trip it was linked up to satellite surveillance belonging to the Interpol Division Archaeological Crimes Unit in London.

Rita had the Donar's Club with her map in the small side pocket of her carry-bag. She also had a small oxygen cylinder and mask with her. Trying as she might, she couldn’t figure out what Purdue had in his rucksack apart from some climbing rope, carabiners, stoppers, and an array of magnets, the purpose of the latter leaving her confounded. But it being Purdue, Prof. Rita Medley had learned long ago not to question his unorthodox anticipation of events. Strange as his proclivities were, they always made sense at some point. Reluctantly she asked her husband in a low voice, “This time I do hope that you’re wearing proper hiking shoes, darling.”

He looked miserable, but he lifted a pair of hiking boots out of the luggage and put them on with no small amount of malcontent. She had at least coaxed him to wear a pair of jeans that morning, something that was a feat in itself. The three bodyguards were dressed casually, but by no means were they prepared for the terrain they were about to traverse. On their quad bikes, packed with food and camping gear, the group departed into the more hostile environment down the slope of the mountain towards the east.

Firs and black pines populated most of the rocky surface area, still growing in sporadic spurts of greenery where the party descended along the slope. It was a treacherous journey downward, with loose gravel and unexpected curves of stone and loose rock that could easily give way under the horsepower of the wheels. Rita and Nina led the way, with Purdue, Sam, and Guido not far behind them. Purdue was an expert at handling these vehicles and Sam was not too bad either, although his forte was dirt biking. Guido held his pace admirably among his soldiers at the back, but he had reason to. He wished to watch the back line of their formation to make sure that none of them could turn around or escape and sabotage his important exploration.

Gradually the forest grew thicker and denser, with the tree branches and foliage choking out the sun. Soon they would reach the valley floor where the bases of several hills converged into a moist, hot basin. They were heading toward the back of the mountain range, opposite the side where the better-known cave systems were the playground of tourists and adventurers.

Undetected apart from their engine noise, they finally started up the southern face of a third mountain of the chain. The sun would be wielding its light for some time yet, but they needed to get as much done as possible. There was always a chance that the chamber could sink under the mountain water table before it was predicted. Suddenly Nina held up her fist, motioning for the others to halt. They gathered their machines around hers to hear what she had to report.

“Look! I could be wrong, but that looks completely out of place here, doesn't it?” she asked, out of breath. Nina pointed into a clump of tall beech trees that resembled a natural lane. Under their dark, cathedral-like meeting at the top, a peculiar sheen presented itself in white.

“What is it?” Purdue asked.

“I have no idea, but it looks like a proper building from here,” she insisted. “Look, deep inside there! It appears to be some sort of facade within an entrance surrounded by more white material. It almost…” she was reluctant to finish the sentence, “… like the Temple of Hercules?”

“No shit!” Rita gasped at the sight. “It does! It looks like the Temple of Hercules in the Forum Boarium on the Tiber River!”

“Do you think it’s the two column entrance we're looking for?” Purdue asked, while Sam whipped out his long lens to capture the surreal majesty of the strange structure.

“I believe so,” Rita told Purdue. “Shall we get a closer look while we have light?”

They rode at a slower speed to scrutinize the odd structure. Nina's heart raced and she could only imagine Rita's excitement. What was concerning was the tomb-like atmosphere of the place. Ahead of them, behind the structure towered the western slope of yet another gigantic rock mountain. The structure under the trees seemed to run into the mountain.

Rita dismounted her quad bike first, eager to investigate the white material within the twisted roots and trunks of the massive trees. True as she thought, the two main columns were slightly more significant. Rita ran her finger over the left column and caught her breath. “My God, this is pure Corinthian Marble!”

“Bingo,” Guido said from the back, leaning back on his seat with his helmet in his lap. From a peak near Mesorrougi, only a few miles from there to the northwest, someone was watching him through specialized binoculars. The eyes watching him logged his position and counted his colleagues.