Later, by midmorning the two researchers from California were still sleeping heavily when the unfamiliar phone buzzer warned them once again that they were in a different world. It was 11:00 AM, Athens time, as Nicasio could see from a plastic clock next to his dorm key on the night stand. He found it somewhat whimsical that the clock was shaped like a miniature Greek temple. He reached over and touched Daniela's forehead with two fingers and ran them down playfully to the end of her nose. He picked up the heavy phone on the third annoying buzz.

"Yes? Oh . . . hello. Yes, thank you. You must be. . . Theofilos?"

Daniela could again clearly hear the voice on the other end of the line. This time it wasn't the professor's, but the accent was still American and actually refreshingly 'West coast.'

"Yeah, that's me, Nicasio. Just call me Theo. Listen . . . I know you're both still tired, so I'll be by to pick you up around noon or after. That way you can just kick back a bit longer. Sleep or whatever. . . OK guys"

Nicasio smiled and Daniela disgustedly put the bed sheet over her head.

"Well are you sure, Theo? I mean that won't make us late anywhere we're supposed . . ."

"Relax people. I call the shots over here for my American friends. Just enjoy the morning a little longer. I'll get you down stairs for breakfast in a while and you'll meet the director of the facilities. That will take place over in the Blagen Library around one thirty or so."

"OK, Theo. Thanks. So see you around twelve then."

Nicasio hung up the phone and slid back under the bed sheet next to Daniela, kissing her on the top of the head.

"So," he said in a renewed, playful voice. "That gives us a little more time . . . to maybe . . ."

"Sleep Nicasio!"

"Are you still upset with me?"

"Sleep."

"Dani? Come on. What happened to the Tiger Lady last night?"

"You mean this morning? Just go back to sleep, OK?"

"Alright, grumpy tiger lady. So . . . have it your way then . . ."

He slid back out of bed and headed into the bathroom for a shower.

"But remember," he retorted from the doorway. "You have only an hour more to rest. After that . . . I start briefing you about your research . . . why you're here. There'll be no more time for . . . funny business. Got that, Angelina? Strictly serious stuff. No more . . . pleasure with business. You got that?"

"Perfect . . . I'll be ready. Will you?"

"Fine then!"

* * *

At 12:15 PM there was a knock on Nicasio and Daniela's dormitory room. Opening it they saw a slightly built young man of perhaps thirty years of age sporting a black leather jacket and jeans. He wore his hair long and pulled back into a ponytail. His dark eyes were sunken into his skull, piercing and lively. His several days of unshaved beard and pronounced dark eyebrows gave him a Rasputin demeanor but when he smiled and turned up the lights on his gregarious face, both the Americans found their Greek counterpart immediately approachable and warm natured.

"Yes, I'm Theofilos. And it's my pleasure to welcome you to Greece . . . and formally to the American School of Classical Studies."

He held out a hand to each of them and once again Theo's incongruous California accent seemed strangely out of place. Nicasio responded to Theofilos' warm gesture and shook his hand. For an instant it appeared to Daniela that the two could have been long-lost cousin—both having Mediterranean features and being close to the same age. Though Nicasio's Greek counterpart had a touch of gray in his long hair.

"Thanks, Theo. We're glad to be here. Your dorm facilities are very comfortable, by the way. Somehow, we didn't expect. . ."

Theo turned to Daniela suddenly and took her hand before she could step back.

"I'm pleased to hear that. And your name, beautiful lady?"

"Daniela." She replied weakly, with a tinge of surprise at hearing her own voice. She looked briefly into Theo's eyes, trying to read his true nature. It seemed that her old mouse-like voice and demeanor threatened to be unexpectedly resurrected under the circumstances.

"Wonderful." Theo said, lingering with an interested gaze.

It was a bit too long for Daniel's taste and she looked away.

"Are you two ready for some breakfast?" He asked.

"Sound's perfect," Nicasio chimed in, almost festively.

"Bravo, then. We'll proceed to Loring Hall if you like."

"Nice. We could both use some coffee . . . and, well . . . anything else actually. The airplane food was pretty minimal, as you probably. . ."

"Ah kala!. Yes I know." Theo laughed and led them out of the building across a well-kept garden area to another building, obviously a cafeteria. Taking one of the many vacant tables, they were quickly approached by an older woman in an apron who gave them simple menus. With Theo's assistance they ordered omelets, coffee and orange juice from the woman who it was understood did not speak any English.

"Won't you have something, Theo?" Nicasio noticed he had not ordered.

"No. No. I've already eaten . . . much earlier. I won't have anything again until later tonight. So . . . while you drink your coffee, I'll tell you a few things you might find useful here with your studies."

"That would be great . . . don't you think?" Nicasio directed his question loudly and obviously to Daniela.

"Yes. Yes, that would be . . . most helpful." She was fighting back the voice she most hated and trying to get into her new role as researcher. "It's all just a bit overwhelming," she added, more calmly, "coming straight here last night from California."

"Ah, California . . . ti oreo, pedia!" Theo spoke wistfully as he lit up a cigarette, despite the fact that there were purposely no ash trays at the tables. "I miss that place so much, guys."

He sat back comfortably, while the white smoke roiled out of his nose and mouth.

"It's been five years since I finished my studies at Cal, but I still think of it all the time. I loved that whole environment . . . so much. The City . . . well, you know."

Nicasio and Daniela nodded politely.

"What a paradise you have over there! These years now . . . it's very sad to see my own country in such severe decline. Poor little Greece. Did you know California is three times this country in size . . . and population?"

"I had no idea," Nicasio replied, catching Daniel's continued uncomfortable look.

"And I bet you didn't realize that San Francisco and Athens share the same latitude? On almost opposite sides of the world."

"Really?"

Nicasio was making every effort to get into his role of student-abroad there.

"Yes. I used to drive down the coast from the Berkeley campus on the weekends to Monterey, right? Carmel . . . Big Sur! My God what amazing places!"

Daniela's eyes shot over to Nicasio's with the mention of Big Sur. He was showing no reaction.

"But you have some pretty amazing places over here," Nicasio added.

"Indeed we do. And considerably older."

Everyone smiled at the overstatement. Theo leaned back again comfortable with his new company and the enjoyment of his cigarette and memories.

"I read here in the school's news bulletin that you're both actually from San Francisco."

Nicasio spoke up. "That's right. I'm teaching at Berkeley . . . while finishing my doctorial in history there. Daniela's doing some . . . research as a freelance artist in the City."

"Wow. Sound's exciting." Again he was looking at her intensely. "So it seems you're both living pretty cool lives over there on the other side."

Daniela smiled nervously and focused her gaze on her coffee which was just brought out along with the plates of omelets and juice.

"Cool, guys. So let me tell you a few things about this place . . . so you can get the most out of your research time here."

Nicasio nodded while putting cream and sugar into his cup and feigning to listen intently.

"Our facilities here at the AmericanSchool serve a large international community of classical scholars, archeologists and historians . . . not to mention artists."

He smiled at Daniela cordially, seeming to speak now to her directly. "Primarily our academic guests utilize a large collection of sources. Texts in both English and Greek, graphic reproductions of artifacts dating from the Neolithic era right up to and including the Classical period . . . and collaboration sessions periodically with other scholars based here in Athens and abroad."

Daniela nodded studiously at the formal plethora of information.

"Any sources dealing subjects later in time, right up to the present day, can be found over at the Gennadius Library across the street."

Theo pointed in the vicinity where such a street might be outside the compound, while both guests looked absently in the direction.

"Our two libraries, while linked to the BritishArchaeologicalSchool . . . just down the road in that direction . . . are considered the most extensive in the world for the studies of Ancient Greece and Hellenism."

Theo was lecturing proudly now, however mechanically, while the two indulged him despite their lack of a full night's sleep.

"Now, over at the Blagen we have over ninety-thousand volumes on broad subjects and seven-hundred different periodicals. That's certainly an impressive number, even when you compare the research collection at Berkeley. searching for some spark of response.

"Sounds impressive. Can't wait," Nicasio said, taking a large mouthful of his omelet.

Theo once again looked directly at Daniela, searching for some spark of response.

"We have a data base of photos and images of all the major sites in Greece. Its islands, Anatolia, and even up into regions of the Balkans where there was ancient and historical activity relating to Greek culture.

Daniela too, nodded.

"Our electronic archival system, Ambrosia, connects with these two libraries and the British Archaeological School of Athens for digital images and textual representations of each period of Greek art."

Daniela merely smiled, trying to eat more gracefully than her research partner.

The cafeteria woman returned to see if everything was in order.

"Endaksi? Ola Kala, pedia?"

They all nodded politely.

"Kalli oreksi," she said pleasantly while leaving. Theo quickly explained she had wished them the Greek version of bon appetite.

Daniela nervously began to hope Theo would not change the focus of their conversation from the facilities to the purpose of their own visit. While getting ready that morning Nicasio had given her some pointers on how to stay general. And he provided a bit of evasive deterrents if such questioning came strongly from the AmericanSchool staff. He stressed that she was to present herself only as an art student—interested only in the images of Amazons. How they were portrayed in antiquity. No more needed to be said, he adamantly told her.

Suddenly the inevitable happened as Theo kept his gaze fixed on her.

"So what's the aim and scope of your artistic research over here, Daniela?"

She swallowed a bite of her omelet too quickly and began to cough slightly. Nicasio handed her his glass of water and calmly spoke up.

"You know, my thesis in progress at Cal deals with the landing site on the California coast of the English explorer, Francis Drake."

"Yeah?" Theophilos looked puzzled.

Nicasio elaborated authoritatively. "Such research background is actually in Latin American Studies, specifically Spanish exploration and colonization of New Spain."

"I see."

Teofilos finally looked at him.

"So . . . why would that bring you here to Greece, Nicasio?"

"Well, it's all sort of early to tell, but there is an explanation. You see . . . some of Drake's recently uncovered ship logs give questionable allusions to celestial navigational details not believed to have been known otherwise at those times."

"Seriously?"

"At least not to the early Spanish, Portuguese or English expeditionaries. Those who first came to the West coast."

"Wow." Theo seemed genuinely interested.

"You see . . . Drake may have been privy to some pretty advanced planet-shooting for finding his position during his circumnavigation of the world. He was only the second to do so."

"I see."

"To possibly find some connection to what the ancient Greeks were up to in navigation is my purpose here."

"Fascinating research. You must be referring to the Antikythera Mechanism, housed over at the NationalArchaeologicalMuseum."

"Exactly."

"Please, Nicasio. Go on."

Daniela looked over at her soul mate with trepidation. Could he really convince this scholar of something that was, as far as she knew, being mad up on the spot.

"Well, it's pretty hypothetical at this point," Nicasio went on, confidently. "But we're assessing through the recent re-evaluations of that little wheeled device, here in Greece, published in Science, that the Greeks may have used the instrument for predicting relative positions, past and present, of the Sun, moon, and five known planets in as much as they could be used to triangulate for navigation."

"Yes! Wow. And that's exaxctly one of the possible applications an international consortium of scientists on the devise came up with these past three years while studying the remains of the device here in Athens."

Daniela just at Nicasio without blinking. She was also holding her breath.

"You see, Theo, that devise was constructed by the Greeks with an unknown technology to anyone else in the world. Bronze wheeled gears were not seen for at least a thousand years later in Europe as the mechanisms of clocks."

"Indeed!"

It predated the Spanish Age of Exploration by as many years. But in the hands of navigators it could have had implications in pinpointing longitude. Something we in the field accept was not yet possible to 16th century explorers. I'll be here looking for any connections."

"That's truly amazing! I'll admit it's a long shot . . . but imagine the implications if you turn up something?"

"Exactly. Well that's what my work involves over here, Theo. But trust me. Drake got around. If there was anything going on about navigation in his day, he knew about it. As a pirate, he was just as happy to capture a ship's maps and logs as the silver and gold he took from the Spanish. The quintessential navigator, you might say."

Daniela was still holding her breath when Nicasio stopped speaking. She had also stopped eating sometime before.

"Well, that's really interesting," Theophilos said earnestly.

"And very confidential, at this point, Teo. Can I trust you, Cal brother?"

"Certainly, my friend! In the name of pure science . . . we are indeed brothers, Nicasio."

The two men knuckle punched and smiled.

"Very Cool. And pretty lady? Do you have any connection to all this?"

After his stellar performance Nicasio could not resist the opportunity to cover for her.

"Daniela is basically just along for the ride," he said. But she does have a fascination with a certain motif of Greek art. One which she wants to explore more in her own work, Stateside."

"Nice," Theo said, nodding to her. "And what is that?"

"Well actually, it's. . . Amazons, she said boldly."

Nicasio also momentarily stopped breathing. It was a gamble to have her the one who would pursue the subject, but it might have a great payoff if Theo was comfortable of and knew she would be looking into the topic. He looked at her proudly.

"Great subject!" Theo said surprisingly. We've got tons of materials for you on them. And many images to study. There was a group of women a number of years here who took a great fascination with the Amazons. Not much really has been looked into about the topic since then."

Nicasio's eyes widened and he stared for an electric moment into Daniela's eyes. She had the presence not to react and only looked at her coffee up, once again escaping Theo's obvious physical interest in her.

"So I think you'll enjoy our collection," Theo responded, smiling.

"Thanks," she said, quietly breathing a sigh of relief. She looked at Nicasio. He was flashing back a smile of victory which he craftily disguised by a drink of orange juice.

* * *