Athena's Son by Jeryl Schoenbeck Read Free Book Online Page A

Archimedes should have disappeared, then got on his knees and carefully wiped up the spill.
    “ I am sorry master. I have been careless,” the boy murmured.
    “ It is all right, boy.” Archimedes thought it was ironic to be calling someone else a boy. “There is always a balance in life. See, now my floor is cleaner.” The boy gave a wide smile that showed two missing front teeth. He got up, bowed, and left as hastily as he came.
    Some of the water spilled on his alchemy kit sitting at the end of his bed. Archimedes knelt down and wiped off the puddle, then set the latch and opened the kit.
    He picked up a green bottle and held it up to the light. He tipped the bottle to the left and then to the right. The chemical inside followed the movements like a metallic liquid ball. The label read Quicksilver, what the Romans called mercury. It was rare and expensive because it is the only metal that stays liquid at room temperature.
    Now that he was in Egypt, he planned to visit the marketplace sometime. Although Archimedes had a decent collection of chemicals and tools, Alexandria was the hub of trade in the Mediterranean, and all kinds of new inventions and mysterious chemicals could be purchased there. He liked that Greece was exact, but Egypt offered the exotic.
    He lifted the two trays out and took out his most valued invention. He had been working on the machine for nearly two years, designing and creating a mechanism he believed would revolutionize man’s ability to plan the future. When the intricate set of interlocking bronze gears was turned, it showed the future phases of the moon, orbits of the planets, and solar eclipses using dials and small models of the sun and moon as they orbited the earth. He wrapped it back up in sheepskin, locked the lid, and went to get breakfast.
     
     
    The dining hall was large, filled with long wooden tables. Archimedes could smell fresh barley bread wafting in the air and hear a drone of voices resonating in the open room. As would befit a dining room, the walls were decorated with two of the Greek gods best identified with drinking and eating. Two of the stone walls were painted with scenes of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.
    The murals showed Dionysus frolicking at one of his raucous festivals, dancing and drinking with satyrs and women. The other two walls had scenes of Demeter, Greek goddess of the harvest overlooking farmers reaping the grain and picking grapes from vines heavy with fruit.
    Archimedes found a seat and glanced around. There were about 40 men in various groups eating breakfast. He realized for the first time that he was the youngest man there. The person nearest in age seemed to be at least 18 years old. He sat by himself and was served warm barley bread soaked in wine and a terra cotta bowl of figs.
    Nearby were three teachers debating the best way to measure a year. Most Greeks used the erratic Athenian calendar that relied on inserting an extra month whenever needed to balance out the year.
    Many other city-states wanted to use their own calendar, adding to the confusion. For example, in Athens a new year started in summer, in Sparta it was fall, and in Delos a new year began in winter. Although the Greeks were well versed in astronomy, they couldn’t agree on one calendar, so each scholar was defending his own solution.
    That was a subject that interested Archimedes so he pushed his bowl over and sat by the three men. They all stopped talking and looked at the brash young man.
    “ Good morning, sirs. My name is Archimedes, from Syracuse. I’m a new student here. I found your discussion of calendars very enlightening. May I ask something?”
    The three looked at each other in a mix of confusion and apprehension.
    “ How old are you, young man?” the teacher across the table from him asked. He was thin, bald, and had a specks of grey in his beard along with some of his breakfast.
    “ That is exactly what I was going to ask you, sir. If I used the Athenian