Chapter 19

The camp seemed very dull once the primitives had gone. Athena reverted to her routine of avoiding anyone who would dragoon her into service except Demeter, who was different. This became easier as time went by and some of the houses were finished. One by one the tents disappeared as the occupants moved in to their new homes. Athena avoided her own designated house like the plague, preferring to sleep in the tent rather than live with Hera. Sooner or later she was going to have to do something about it. Maybe Demeter and Hestia would let her live with them? Or maybe she could build her own house ? just a little one.

Zeus was sitting in what would eventually be his study in the newly-finished house. Right now it contained a camp table and chair and his pad. Hera had fumed about the lack of furniture but when they had been stripping the ship it had seemed the least important thing to bring. Much of the furniture was built in to the walls anyway and would have been difficult to remove.

Zeus himself was unconcerned about furniture. What concerned him were the figures coming up on his pad. It didn't matter how he presented them, they all came out the same way. He didn't see how it could be possible. He must have made a mistake either preparing the samples or entering the information. He pinched the flesh on the bridge of his nose between two fingers and ran over the figures again. Maybe he just didn't have enough samples. Twenty-three botanical and two zoological were hardly representative. He would talk to Demeter, Artemis and Aphrodite and ask them to get some more a lot more.

~*~

It took a lot longer coming back than it had coming up the mountain. The little ones and the old ones were tired and there were not so many young adults to help. Then they had exhausted some of their supplies and had to stop every so often to hunt and gather food. Prometheus hoisted a small boy onto his back and cursed Atlas for deserting the Tribe and taking so many of the young men with him. It was going to be hard providing enough food for the rest. He looked around him at the remnant of the Tribe, wearily stumbling along between the rocks. Nearly all were women and children and old men. He counted the young men - five and five and two. Just about half the young men of the Tribe. Damn bloody Atlas! What was the matter with him? What on earth was he going to do without the Tribe?

Prometheus sighed and stumbled on.

~*~

"Athena!" Artemis came rushing into Athena's tent. "Guess what!"

Athena looked up from her pad. She had been doing some history homework in a desultory sort of way. Modern history was incredibly boring. Everything since the atomic wars was boring. She preferred the ancient stuff - prophets and witches and sea monsters.

"Zeus wants me to collect more DNA samples. Loads of different ones. Want to come? I thought we could start by visiting the Titans."

Athena put her pad to one side. "I thought we'd already got their DNA."

"Yes, but Zeus is having doubts about how we prepared the samples. He'd like us to do it again. And he wants a load of animal samples. And the Titans know where the animals are. I thought maybe we could hunt with them for a few days, take samples of their kill and pick up as much as we can from other animals on the way."

Athena jumped up, eyes shining. "Hunt with the Titans? You mean, actually live with them for a while? Will he let us?"

"Of course he'll let us. It's safer than trying to do it alone. They also know about all the dangers. He suggested it himself."

"Wow!" Athena hugged herself with delight. "That's brilliant! And he said I could come?"

"You have to come. You're the only one who can talk to them."

"Yesssss!!" Athena beat the air with her fist. "When do we start?" She started looking around for her suit and rucksack. All her boredom had evaporated.

~*~

Prometheus knew something was wrong as soon as he rounded the spur above the beach. He put down the sleeping child he was carrying and motioned to the others to keep back. Then he made his way cautiously down to the summer camp, crouching behind the sparse vegetation.

Someone had been here already! The cooking pot had been knocked over and smashed. The fire had been stamped out. The drying frames had been pulled down and the sticks scattered over the ground. There was no sign of the hides.

He ran into the cave. All their stores were gone the meat and fruit they had dried for the winter the wine all gone! Filled with dread, he went into the shrine at the back of the cave. But the sacred things of the Mother had remained untouched and a miracle the sacred fire was still burning. He fed it a few small sticks and walked through the cave, going into all the tunnels. Nothing. Whatever had ransacked their camp had gone.

He went back outside and called to the Tribe to come down. They came slowly down the track, looking round them in disbelief at the devastation. "What did this?" Palaemon asked. "Some animal?"

"It must have been an animal," said Andreas, as he entered the cave. "It has not touched the Mother's things. It must have been frightened away by the fire."

Prometheus said nothing but he thought privately that whatever it was had not been afraid to stamp out the cooking fire. He frowned in concentration. And where was Yanni, the old man they had left to guard the camp?

He walked around the scattered debris on the beach, looking for a sign. Old Yorgo trotted beside him, sniffing the ground. Prometheus had dutifully given Yorgo a drop of the special potion from the Goddess's handmaiden every day. Even when he had been weary from the journey or on the days when he had had to hunt, he had not forgotten Yorgo. The old dog had improved beyond belief. He was no longer tired and he no longer limped. His eyes were bright

and he had a good appetite. He was, in fact, no longer Old Yorgo. He looked like a year-old puppy. He briefly wondered what exactly was in that potion but quickly returned his attention to the ashes of the fire as Yorgo began to whimper excitedly and started off along the beach towards the forest, his nose close to the ground and his tail wagging.

Prometheus followed.