The Grecian Manifesto by Ernest Dempsey Read Free Book Online Page B

years now.
If you need someone to go in and find out what this Gikas guy is doing, it
isn’t me.”
    “Actually,” Dawkins said, “you couldn’t be more wrong.” He
stood up and strode over to the entertainment system, where a bottle of water
was sitting. He picked it up and took a big gulp, letting out a refreshing sigh
after swallowing. “Have to stay hydrated down here,” he commented, setting the
bottle down again.
    “South Carolina can be warm,” Sean added, still not sure
where this whole conversation was going.
    “Sean, we believe that Dimitris Gikas is looking for a
second antikythera, and we also believe that the device may be the key to an
incredible power.”
    Sean frowned. “Power? You mean like magical power?”
    The president shrugged. “We honestly don’t know. But we do
know he wants it desperately.”
    “Maybe he’s a collector of Greek antiquities,” Sean
offered.
    Dawkins acknowledged what Sean had said by tilting his
head to the side for a second. “He is certainly that. His home is filled with
such things. But this one is different. Most of the relics he’s purchased came
at auction or through a well-known channel. Not to mention, there isn’t a fully
functioning device like that, at least not one we know of. He’s become obsessed
with it.”
    “I’m sorry, sir, but where is it again that I fit in to
all of this?”
    Dawkins sat down on the edge of the bed so he was closer
to Sean. “Your friend, Adriana, was searching for the Eye of Zeus. The one that
has not yet been found. She believed there is another one out there, correct?”
    Sean nodded. “Yeah. She thought it was possible there was
another one on land somewhere, one that would be intact. She also didn’t buy
into the idea that the device was only used for navigational purposes.”
    The president leaned in closer. “And what did she believe
about the relic?”
    “I don’t know. She found some old diary about it. The
thing was written entirely in ancient Greek, which Adriana can decipher. She
said something about how it aligns with the stars and planets.”
    “That is correct. All of the research suggests that one of
the purposes for the Eye of Zeus was for navigation by the stars. There is
something else, though, that you should know.” The president paused for a
moment. He glanced over at the Secret Service agent next to Yarbrough. “Tyler,
could you leave the three of us alone for a minute?”
    The young man seemed uncertain at first, but Yarbrough
gave him a confirming nod that everything would be okay. He slipped out onto
the patio where the other two stood watch, and closed the door.
    Dawkins turned back to Sean. “Only Agent Yarbrough and I
have seen what I am about to show you, Sean. Outside of us, there are but a
handful of scientists whose eyes have taken in this information.”
    Sean was skeptical, but his curiosity was piqued.
Moreover, he was still wondering about what this all had to do with Adriana.
    Before he could say anything, the president went on as he
handed over another folder to Sean, similar to the first. This one, however,
had the words Classified Antikythera on
the cover.
    “Classified?” It had been a long time since Sean’s eyes
had passed over anything that had been classified for government use. For a
second, he felt that sickening tug at his stomach, as if he was being pulled
back into a life he’d tried so hard to get away from.
    Things had been good for him lately. Running the surf and
paddleboard shop had been the most relaxing job he’d ever had, and every day he
was able to get out on the water and just reset himself.
    Sean opened the file and looked through the initial page
of text. As he shuffled through to the next, he saw symbols written in ancient Greek,
matched with a translation on the right side of the page. The third document
was an artist’s rendering of the antikythera as it may have looked if it were
completely intact.
    “It contains a sequence of numbers and