Athena's Son

by Jeryl Schoenbeck

  “While fools argued over Alexander’s empire, one man was wise enough to claim his piece of the kingdom,” Romulus said.

  “Ptolemy,” Archimedes said. “Alexander’s trusted general and father to the current Pharaoh.”

  Romulus smiled at Archimedes. “You are a bright young man. Then you also understand, certainly, that the only true prize left of Alexander’s legacy was not land or gold.” Romulus gave his brother a sly look.

  “It was his body,” Remus said. The twins leered at Archimedes in a way that made Archimedes gulp down his wine. “General Ptolemy, for that is what he was at the time, hijacked the body on its way to Macedonia and brought it here, to Egypt, to Alexandria!”

  Remus got up from the bench, much to Archimedes’ relief, and walked to his brother, saying, “How fitting that the man, some would say god, who founded this great city should now rest in eternity here. To the stoic Greeks, like us Romans, of course, he was simply a great man. The Egyptians, however, revered him as a god. That is why having possession of his body was considered crucial to legitimize anyone’s rule.”

  “Thank you for your lesson on Alexander the Great, gentlemen,” Archimedes said. “Now, can you explain how this information will help us solve the murders at the lighthouse?”

  “Ah, so near…” Romulus mocked.

  “And yet so far,” Remus smiled. “As for your murders,” he began, “we have all but handed you…” he stopped when Romulus gave him a stern look and subtle shake of his head. “Well, let us get back to the ruffian you met in the alley. Let us say he was probably hired by someone who wants to keep you from uncovering the wickedness behind the lighthouse murders.”

  “We, that is, Rome, want to see the lighthouse completed,” Romulus said. “It is in the best interests of both our civilizations to have these murders stopped.”

  “On that we all agree, sirs, but I still want to know how the information I shared helps with catching the murderer?” Archimedes asked.

  Shrugging his shoulders and kneeling down to Mars, Remus said, “Let us encourage you to, shall we say, continue working closely with the lovely Princess Berenike and be attentive to all the corpses. Unfortunately Archimedes, it is getting late and Mars appears to be getting restless. This is perhaps a good time for you to leave.” The usual smirk was replaced by a grave look.

  The heavy front door shut behind Archimedes and he turned to look up at the opposing faces of Janus displayed over the door frame. Janus, the two-faced Roman god. How appropriate, Archimedes thought.

  Chapter 24

  Flickering torches and the distinctive marble hump of the Spider led Archimedes back to the school. He was late, too late, and he decided to sneak in rather than go through the hassle of alerting anyone that he was safely home.

  Far in the distance, he could hear the sounds of the sea rolling out of the harbor. Wooden hulls of ships creaked and thumped against the docks while sailors called out the hour of night watch.

  Mimicking Berenike, he took off his sandals and crept over to the park-like lawn. The front lawn of the school was a botanical fusion of native Greek and Egyptian plants. The landscape designer was able to blend the diverse plants to create a pleasing symmetry of height, scent, and color.

  Archimedes hid behind a tall cypress and breathed slowly. He could smell the myrtle, oregano, and lavender brought over from Greece. The sweet, deep scent of lavender reminded him of his mother, who would often rub the purple flower on her clothes.

  The swaying moonlit shadows from palm trees deceived him once or twice into thinking someone was following him.

  Frogs croaked long and deep from the small pond on the side of the school and the mosquitoes that bred in the same pond now swarmed around Archimedes’ head. It was just like his night started, except now he was sneaking back into safety rather than away from it.

  Archimedes pushed apart the branches of the thick cypress and looked up at the entrance to the school. So near and yet so far, as the Decimus twins had mocked him. Hades take them! What did all that double talk mean? He would have to wait until he met with Berenike tomorrow morning to discuss those two weasels. His only goal right now was getting into the school undetected.

  If not for those torches, it would not be difficult at all. He was just wasting time here; it wasn’t going to get any darker. He tiptoed across the cool lawn and onto the rough limestone walk. He stubbed his toe and nearly tripped forward as he maneuvered for the first step, but he caught himself and continued up. Only nine more steps to go.

  “You’re late,” a gruff voice called from behind. Archimedes whirled his head, seeing the glow of a scarlet cape and sparkle of a bronze spear tip.

  “Ajax, g-good evening,” Archimedes said. Where in the name of Zeus did Talos come from? Archimedes didn’t dare move without permission. “Yes, I am sorry. I know I’m late. I was with…”

  “It doesn’t matter to me where you were. Once anyone sets foot on this property,” Ajax jabbed the end of the spear against the sidewalk to emphasize his domain, “my only concern is if they should be here. You should be here, but that was three hours ago.” He did not raise his voice in anger, which intimidated Archimedes even more. Just like his brother, Ajax carried the composed voice of someone confident of their authority.

  His back was to Ajax and from the corner of his eye Archimedes could only make out the shadowy, hulking shape of the Spartan and his luminous accoutrements. He risked facing Ajax and finally turned toward him, noticing he did not have on his Corinthian helmet.

  As best Archimedes could discern from the wavering flames of the torches, Ajax had a heavy, dark brow that glowered over his eyes and a full, square jaw above a thick neck. He wore his long, black hair slicked back with olive oil and braided it in back.

  Since Archimedes already failed with an apology and explanation for the appointed guard of the School of Alexandria, he was at a loss of what to do next. Ajax was making it difficult by stating the obvious rather than listening. Taking a further risk, Archimedes took a step down toward the living Talos. “As I tried to say, Ajax, I was working on the murders…”

  “Are you unharmed?” Ajax asked.

  “Why yes,” Archimedes unconsciously patted himself to make sure there were no wounds or broken bones. “Thank you. I am unharmed. I was at the house of…”

  Ajax stepped toward Archimedes and pointed the spear tip toward him. “You shouldn’t be out on the streets this late.” Ajax crooked his head slightly to better view the wayward student. Several ugly scars angled across the back of his head, leaving furrows of white skin stark along his black, gleaming hair. “The only things out this late are predators and prey. I know which one you are.”

  Ever since arriving here, Archimedes was painfully aware of which one he was. He aborted any more attempts to explain his tardiness, waiting until given further orders by the man put in charge of his safety.

  “Go,” Ajax said. “I’ll leave it to you to tell Callimachus in the morning.” And with that, the soldier who sent countless others to their deaths sent the hapless schoolboy to bed.

  Archimedes woke the next morning to the soft lapping of Hypnos in the water basin. Archimedes groaned. “Who let you in?” He stretched and then quickly pulled the covers up when the morning sun blasted his eyes.

  After resting a few more moments, he swung his legs out of bed and stretched again. “I thought I chased you out of my room last night, Hypnos. You’d think with a name like Hypnos, you’d help me sleep rather than constantly wake me up.” He got up to remove the thirsty cat from his wash basin, when a melodious giggle made him turn.

  “Berenike!” Archimedes dove back under his sheet. “For the love of Zeus! What are you doing here! I’m not dressed!”

  Berenike, sitting on the stool by the door, was trying to suppress a laugh, and now that she was discovered, let it out fully. “Oh, Archimedes, that was cute.” She was dressed in a rose colored tunic, with pleating on the sleeves.

  What was cute, the c
at or his show? Archimedes wondered. “What are you doing here? How did you get in my room?” Archimedes was more mortified than angry. He held the sheet tight around his waist.

  “Oh, relax Archimedes. I’ve helped bathe my little brothers. There’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Besides,” she got up and sat on the bed, “I thought there were no secrets between us.”

  “Well,” Archimedes shuffled to sit up straight, “right now there are certain things about me that I do want to keep secret. Would you mind waiting for me outside while I get dressed?”

  She slapped him on the leg. “You’re as cranky as an old goat.” She started to leave. “I’ll wait for you outside. But hurry; you won’t believe what we’re doing today!”

  Chapter 25

  Berenike and Archimedes were flanked by two muscular Medjay and on their way to the Temple of Horus. Kicking up dust ahead of them was a small squad of Greek soldiers and their captain. Any people milling in the streets this early in the morning scattered out of the way of the group of armed men.

  The soldiers were going to escort Ptahhotep back to the palace to meet with Pharaoh Ptolemy. The important news Berenike had for Archimedes was that her father was detaining Ptahhotep and they were being allowed to accompany the soldiers. After Callimachus presented the evidence Archimedes discovered to Ptolemy, the pharaoh ordered that Ptahhotep be brought in for questioning. Ptolemy was careful not to say Ptahhotep was under arrest because he was aware of the influence the hem netjer, a high priest of Egypt, had over the Egyptian people. He was simply being asked to come in to explain the comments on Ipuwer’s scroll.

  In addition, the high priest commanded his own small contingent of guards, the same ones Archimedes was introduced to when he first arrived in Alexandria. Ptolemy was being prudent in choosing enough soldiers to let Ptahhotep know his presence was expected at the palace, but at the same time a small enough force to minimize any undue escalation of violence. The six Greek soldiers wore bronze panoply similar to Ajax, except for the scarlet cape and, of course, the size.

  The two Medjay were under orders to escort Princess Berenike everywhere until the lighthouse murderer was caught. Medjay were traditionally Nubians from south of Egypt, but over the years more Egyptians joined the ranks, and now the Medjay of Pharaoh Ptolemy were almost all Egyptian. Their panoply consisted of a simple kilt and linen headdress, a wicker shield, and a sickle-shaped sword called a khopesh.

  After Berenike shared her news, Archimedes shared his adventures from last night. While Berenike was delighted in finally discovering that Roxanne was Alexander’s murderer, she was more interested in how Romulus and Remus hinted that their two murder mysteries were related. “This gives us the chance to work even closer together, Archimedes! After they take away Ptahhotep, we’ll solve the lighthouse murders even quicker.” The sparkle from her honey-colored sapphire necklace mimicked the twinkle in her eyes.

  “I’d like that,” Archimedes said. He reached over and held her hand. It was ironic, he thought, that a simple Greek schoolboy could fall in love with an Egyptian princess because of a series of appalling murders. What would happen to them after the murders were solved? Would Berenike still be interested in him if there wasn’t some thrilling adventure connecting their lives?

  Archimedes hazarded a quick glance over his left shoulder to the alley where he was threatened by the thug last night. Obviously, the man would not be standing there waiting for him. But he harbored a small hope that he would recognize the man on the street and could alert the captain to have the thug arrested.

  The captain held up his hand and halted his squad in front of the temple. The dust cloud they created was carried past them by a warm breeze. The Greek soldiers clomped up the steps, followed by Archimedes, Berenike, and her two Medjay guards. A few worshippers on the steps gave them disdainful looks before parting to let them pass.

  The breeze became noticeably cooler when Archimedes entered the shadowed hallway. He couldn’t imagine how hot the Egyptian sun must feel like for the Greek soldiers and their layers of bronze. The captain halted his squad again while his eyes adjusted to the shadows and he tried to determine where a high priest might reside.

  The inside of the temple looked similar to Ptolemy’s palace, except there were much more colorful hieroglyphs painted on the walls and columns. The armed group continued forward and passed between two looming statues of the god Horus, whose image was also carved on the back wall.

  Screams suddenly broke the peaceful environment as a shrieking woman dashed out from the back of the temple toward the soldiers. She was dressed in white and must have been one of the temple servants.

  “Grab her and shut her up!” the captain ordered. A soldier took several steps out of the rank and caught her by the arm as she breathlessly cried to them in Egyptian.

  “She says he’s dead,” Berenike translated. “There’s blood and he’s dead.”

  The captain and soldiers trotted to the back of the temple where the woman was pointing, their shields and hobnailed sandals clanging and echoing among the columns. As they neared the back entrance, the captain slowed. He pulled his xiphos from the scabbard and led the men stealthily into the back room of the temple. The Medjay had respectfully pushed Berenike tight between them as they also pulled their khopesh out from the scabbards.

  When Archimedes entered, the soldiers were gathered around a body lying on the floor. Flickering torchlight cast eerie shadows around the captain as he knelt beside the body and the glistening blood pooled around its head. The rank smell of death permeated the room and reminded Archimedes of Herophilos’ autopsy room. Berenike walked up to Archimedes and clutched onto his arm with both hands and leaned her head against his shoulder.

  The captain tilted the face toward Archimedes. “Is this the priest Ptahhotep?”

  Archimedes could not pull his eyes from the crimson slash across the slender, white neck. “No. It is his scribe, Ipuwer.”

  “Whoever did this knows how to cut a throat,” the captain said as he callously dropped Ipuwer’s head against the stone floor. He tipped his helmet back and took a deep breath. “His death was quick. There wouldn’t have been any thrashing and screaming from this one. It’s hard to get a clean, deep cut through the throat and muscles without some practice.”

  “Please, let’s go outside Archimedes,” Berenike whispered. “I want to get in the fresh air and away from this miserable place.” Her warm breath brushed his ear. He put his hand to her cool forehead. Berenike was strong willed, but this was the first death she ever witnessed.

  Outside, she still held his arm tightly as they sat on the front steps of the temple. The two Medjay kept a respectable, but safe, distance. “Why Ipuwer?” she asked Archimedes. He could feel her trembling slightly. “I thought we would see Ptahhotep lying back there.”

  “I did too,” Archimedes said. “Poor Ipuwer must have known or seen something and cutting his throat kept his mouth closed forever.”

  “Researching murders from 50 years ago seemed thrilling,” Berenike murmured. “It was exciting to think about the plotting and killing. I was removed from the brutality of it. But actually seeing a dead man makes me realize that death is never thrilling; it is only sad and wasteful.”

  Archimedes knew the murder was committed very recently because the blood hadn’t dried and very few flies were buzzing around the corpse. But he thought it would be inappropriate to discuss the science of it at this moment. He put his arm around her shoulders and held her close. “You’re right, Berenike. All death is tragic. But the captain said he didn’t suffer. Ipuwer is at peace with his gods right now.”

  At that moment a small street waif came bounding up the steps toward Archimedes and Berenike. The young boy stopped and looked them over as if he had to make sure they were worthy to meet a grimy urchin with a stained, torn kilt. He judged them suitable, wiped his nose and asked in Egyptian, “Are you Archimedes?”

  Berenike answered in Egyptian, “He is. But who are you?�
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  “Not your skinny boyfriend. Here!” The boy threw a rolled up note at Archimedes that bounced off his knee and landed on the steps. The boy dashed down the steps and was glancing back to smile impishly when he was smacked in the face with Berenike’s sandal.

  Archimedes picked up the piece of papyrus at his feet and opened it. Berenike sat down after retrieving her sandal while he read it to her. “It is from Farrokh. ‘Come to my stall in the market, quickly. I know who the lighthouse murderer is and why he is killing the workers.’ ”

  Chapter 26

  It was an unruly current of elbows, shoulders, baskets and bundles, and they were swimming against it. It seemed that everyone in the marketplace was heading in the opposite direction Archimedes and Berenike wanted to go.

  The market was always a hectic place, but visiting in the morning, with thousands of people shopping for the best choices of merchandise, was near anarchy.

  The two Medjay guards plowed through the sea of people like a Greek trireme toward the back of the marketplace where Farrokh conducted business. One Medjay was in front pushing people out of the way, while the other stayed in back to keep the princess from getting trampled.

  While it was the same marketplace he toured earlier with Callimachus, there were countless new sights, sounds, and smells. To his left was a group of dancing women, but they seemed younger than the troupe he watched before. A man missing a leg sat on a stool and was selling cheap pottery that was a poor imitation of more expensive Greek pottery. A young woman was showing people exotic birds that flaunted rainbows of feathers and large, curved beaks. The birds were perched on a thick branch and stayed there, Archimedes noted, because their wings were clipped. But it was the smells that caught his attention because his stomach was now reminding him that he skipped breakfast.