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.It'sas ifthe land on either side of the quake line were rubbing together deepunderground.Unfortunately, that line goes right through Mount Olympus and through allthreecanals."Of course Hephaestus was right, Sam thought, recalling his high school scienceclasses.This Atlantean had figured out something that scientists would onlycometo realize during the mid twentieth century of the modern world.Earthquakeswere caused by plates on the Earth's surface, colliding and slipping into eachother.And there's no solution for it.It's just the way the Earth is built.Atlantisissitting on a fault.Then there might not be anything we can do," he said carefully.What arethe canals for?"We need them for irrigation.They collect rain and river water and carry itin concentric circles around much of the island.They've helped theagriculture,but they've made the land even more unstable.Oh, no."What is it?"The black man pulled Sam away from the olive tree and pushed him towardthe open field.Get into the open.One's coming now."Sam took a deep fearful breath.He had been on the slave ship during thelast tremor.The men in the hold had smashed into one another like leaves inthe wind, while seawater had gushed over them in torrents.Athena had told himlater that it had been minor, as far as Atlantean earthquakes went.He could almost smell this one.The birds screamed overhead as they flewout toward the sea.In the woods, he saw deer leaping frenziedly, heading forshelter.The tremor knocked both men down when it struck, rumbling deep in theEarth.Sam felt the ground moving beneath him, crawling like a living thing.Trying to rise, he dug his fingers into the dirt, fighting off a sudden fearthat hewas about to be swallowed whole by whatever beast lived in its depths.Ahead of him, a tree splintered with a terrible crash and then slid slowly tothe side where it came to rest like a spear tossed miles by a giant.Hephaestus was lying prone, his arms covering his head.Get down, fool,"he shouted.Is this it?" Sam called back as he dropped flat to the ground.The big one?"I don't think so," Hephaestus answered, scrambling closer to Sam.I've beenthrough worse."That's encouraging," Sam mumbled.It was over in less than a minute.At the far end of the plain, one farmhousehad lost its chimney.A cow screamed in pain as it struggled to stand.Othersquat little farm buildings seemed to have come through without much damage.But the metal cable had not held.Hephaestus picked up both frayed endsfrom a spot between the two olive trees which now leaned precariously awayfrom one another.Better to find out now, rather than later, I guess," Sam said.They stared at the broken cable for a long time.It's no use," Hephaestussaid finally.It looks like Hades is going to get his sacrifice after all." Does he believe that'll stop the earthquakes?"He pretends he does.It will make a great spectacle.The people will see himtrying to save them, and they'll regard him as their savior.Then, one day,whena giant quake comes, he'll say it's because Zeus is on the throne and hasangeredthe gods.and the people might be frightened enough to believe him." Hethrew down the ropes.Meanwhile, two thousand slaves will have had theirhearts cut out for nothing." He ran his fingers through his wiry hair.Lifeis socheap to us," he said quietly.Sam could feel the engineer's disappointment.It was even greater than hisown because, after all, Sam had never held out any hope for finding a solutionto the earthquakes, but Hephaestus had been searching for years.Now time wasclearly running out.With each rumble, the land of the island became moreporous, less capable of fending off the encroaching sea.There was never a daynow when repair crews were not working on the canals.Sinkholes had appearedin the plain, and areas which were once arable farmland were turning intosaltwater marshes.And the best mind in the world in Sam's lights, maybe the best mind whohad ever lived could not think of one thing to do about it.Maybe the sacrifices will work," Sam offered lamely.I mean, miracleshappen, don't they?"Hephaestus snorted derisively.Let's get out of here," he said.It was a long walk back to the palace, but before they had gone a mile, afigure came riding toward them in a large chariot drawn by two horseskicking up billows of dust that made the figure appear to be constantlyemerging from a cloud.She looks like a warrior, doesn't she?" Hephaestus said, smiling.She?"It's Athena.You can see the silver of her headpiece."She did, in fact, seem to be made of silver, from the diadem in her hairto the crossed bands of silver across her breasts.Moving in the brightsunlight, she shone like a jewel.No wonder they call her a goddess," Sam said.What's that?"Nothing.She's very pretty, that's all."Athena's beauty is the least of her attributes.If Zeus were wise, he'dchoose her to succeed him on the throne.That is, if anything of Atlantis isleft," he added as an afterthought.The chariot stopped and Athena ran, flushed and dusty, toward them.Hephaestus," she called.A message from Parnassus.Your mother's illnesshas worsened.Come, I will take you to her."As they rode in the chariot over the highlands, the whole of Atlantis seemedto be spread out before them.The main island was fairly large and crescent-shaped, anchored at one endby the towering cone of Mount Olympus, with the capital city of Olympussprawled at its base, and at the other end by the much smaller MountParnassus [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.It'sas ifthe land on either side of the quake line were rubbing together deepunderground.Unfortunately, that line goes right through Mount Olympus and through allthreecanals."Of course Hephaestus was right, Sam thought, recalling his high school scienceclasses.This Atlantean had figured out something that scientists would onlycometo realize during the mid twentieth century of the modern world.Earthquakeswere caused by plates on the Earth's surface, colliding and slipping into eachother.And there's no solution for it.It's just the way the Earth is built.Atlantisissitting on a fault.Then there might not be anything we can do," he said carefully.What arethe canals for?"We need them for irrigation.They collect rain and river water and carry itin concentric circles around much of the island.They've helped theagriculture,but they've made the land even more unstable.Oh, no."What is it?"The black man pulled Sam away from the olive tree and pushed him towardthe open field.Get into the open.One's coming now."Sam took a deep fearful breath.He had been on the slave ship during thelast tremor.The men in the hold had smashed into one another like leaves inthe wind, while seawater had gushed over them in torrents.Athena had told himlater that it had been minor, as far as Atlantean earthquakes went.He could almost smell this one.The birds screamed overhead as they flewout toward the sea.In the woods, he saw deer leaping frenziedly, heading forshelter.The tremor knocked both men down when it struck, rumbling deep in theEarth.Sam felt the ground moving beneath him, crawling like a living thing.Trying to rise, he dug his fingers into the dirt, fighting off a sudden fearthat hewas about to be swallowed whole by whatever beast lived in its depths.Ahead of him, a tree splintered with a terrible crash and then slid slowly tothe side where it came to rest like a spear tossed miles by a giant.Hephaestus was lying prone, his arms covering his head.Get down, fool,"he shouted.Is this it?" Sam called back as he dropped flat to the ground.The big one?"I don't think so," Hephaestus answered, scrambling closer to Sam.I've beenthrough worse."That's encouraging," Sam mumbled.It was over in less than a minute.At the far end of the plain, one farmhousehad lost its chimney.A cow screamed in pain as it struggled to stand.Othersquat little farm buildings seemed to have come through without much damage.But the metal cable had not held.Hephaestus picked up both frayed endsfrom a spot between the two olive trees which now leaned precariously awayfrom one another.Better to find out now, rather than later, I guess," Sam said.They stared at the broken cable for a long time.It's no use," Hephaestussaid finally.It looks like Hades is going to get his sacrifice after all." Does he believe that'll stop the earthquakes?"He pretends he does.It will make a great spectacle.The people will see himtrying to save them, and they'll regard him as their savior.Then, one day,whena giant quake comes, he'll say it's because Zeus is on the throne and hasangeredthe gods.and the people might be frightened enough to believe him." Hethrew down the ropes.Meanwhile, two thousand slaves will have had theirhearts cut out for nothing." He ran his fingers through his wiry hair.Lifeis socheap to us," he said quietly.Sam could feel the engineer's disappointment.It was even greater than hisown because, after all, Sam had never held out any hope for finding a solutionto the earthquakes, but Hephaestus had been searching for years.Now time wasclearly running out.With each rumble, the land of the island became moreporous, less capable of fending off the encroaching sea.There was never a daynow when repair crews were not working on the canals.Sinkholes had appearedin the plain, and areas which were once arable farmland were turning intosaltwater marshes.And the best mind in the world in Sam's lights, maybe the best mind whohad ever lived could not think of one thing to do about it.Maybe the sacrifices will work," Sam offered lamely.I mean, miracleshappen, don't they?"Hephaestus snorted derisively.Let's get out of here," he said.It was a long walk back to the palace, but before they had gone a mile, afigure came riding toward them in a large chariot drawn by two horseskicking up billows of dust that made the figure appear to be constantlyemerging from a cloud.She looks like a warrior, doesn't she?" Hephaestus said, smiling.She?"It's Athena.You can see the silver of her headpiece."She did, in fact, seem to be made of silver, from the diadem in her hairto the crossed bands of silver across her breasts.Moving in the brightsunlight, she shone like a jewel.No wonder they call her a goddess," Sam said.What's that?"Nothing.She's very pretty, that's all."Athena's beauty is the least of her attributes.If Zeus were wise, he'dchoose her to succeed him on the throne.That is, if anything of Atlantis isleft," he added as an afterthought.The chariot stopped and Athena ran, flushed and dusty, toward them.Hephaestus," she called.A message from Parnassus.Your mother's illnesshas worsened.Come, I will take you to her."As they rode in the chariot over the highlands, the whole of Atlantis seemedto be spread out before them.The main island was fairly large and crescent-shaped, anchored at one endby the towering cone of Mount Olympus, with the capital city of Olympussprawled at its base, and at the other end by the much smaller MountParnassus [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]