Following refills of iced tea and more general conversation, Dr. Vasiliou invited her guests from the balcony into her tidy house. In route they passed a large painting in the hallway. It was none other than that of a young Amazon warrior. Nicasio smiled as Daniela stood before it motionless. Though the central female figure in the painting had similarities to the images she had spent so many hours viewing at the Blagen Library, there was something very contemporary about this young warrior. She sat alone on a horse, dramatically on a hill at daybreak, looking out to the horizon which included a section of vast sea. A small spotlight positioned on the wall behind Daniela illuminated the figure in the painting so as to make her glow in the dim passageway. The Amazon held a bow and sheath of arrows over her shoulder and wore the classical, tight fitting chiton revealing an athletic, supple body. As the artwork depicted in the ancient vase paintings and sculptures which Daniela had perused days before, the garment was worn short against the girl's thighs and fell open off one shoulder, exposing one of her youthful breasts. But what was different about this painting was it was rendered in a photo-realistic style and superbly executed in oil or tempera. The Amazon girl's expression had an intelligence and sensitivity to her gaze which Daniela found captivating.

The professor soon led them to the main salon of the house. The tall, narrow-paned windows, letting in bars of light, seemed foreign to Daniela. She had been used the sweeping horizontal bay windows of her home in San Francisco. In this spacious area Dr. Vasiliou encouraged them to sit on an over-stuffed divan with a collection of colorful pillows, across from a spacious, low coffee table, on which were collections of driftwood, round stones and large cylindrical candles.

It was here that the professor cordially mentioned that there needed to be a discussion about lunch as it was already two o'clock. As she apologized for not expecting company, she suggested enthusiastically that they move from the village down to one of the tavernas out on the peninsula of the Hora. Theo tried to decline the offer, explaining that they had planned their return voyage at six o'clock in the evening back in GavrioPort. The professor insisted, reminding him there would be ample time. She told the group cheerily she would hear nothing more of them leaving before lunch. She also went on to explain that her own Jeep was in the parking lot just across the bridge. They could take both cars, allowing Theo and guests to return to the port directly from Hora.

Standing gracefully and moving across this great room to speak in hushed tones with Theo, it became evident to Daniela just how this woman had spent the first part of her life. Most of the walls, even to the upper ceilings, accessed by a rolling ladder, were covered with bookshelves. They bristled in the harsh window light with multicolored volumes, many with German and English titles as well as Greek. Daniela stood and walked to the fireplace, central to the tall room. It was set into one of the bookshelves with a heat-stained antique marble façade displaying pineapples and seashells in bas-relief. The piece reflected tellingly of the generations of use its hearth had provided during the cold and lonely winters the sea captain's families had lived there.

Who was this woman, Daniela wondered as she looked over the professor's trim, athletic frame, now engaged in animated native conversation with Theo. Was it really possible to have such a life she had managed to carve out for herself in such a beautiful place? So solitary, fulfilling and refined? Daniela thought of how much this professor could teach any woman about independence. Soon the group, including Dr. Nefeli Vasiliou was walking back down the little path out onto the winding streets of Stenies. They all seemed eagerly on their way to the vehicles for lunch.

To Daniela, the drive back down the mountain to the old town of Hora in the professor's Jeep Cherokee was a little too fast and furious. Dr. Vasiliou handled the late model 4x4 deftly and fearlessly, while all the time comically berating the infamous "Greek drivers" whom she herself had to contend with in her own country. As they passed down the steep mountain road, closer to the sea and in route to the old city, the professor's phone began to ring. She switched it to be audible by Bluetooth inside the Jeep.

"Embros?" she answered.

"Nefeli? Is that you?" Daniela could hear the woman's British accent on the other end of the line. It was clearly amplified through the car's stereo speakers.

"Yes . . . . Diedra! Are you here now in the bay?

"Yes, Love! Just off Hora. We got in last night after leaving Mykonos. The seas are brilliantly calm. It's been such a pleasant cruise this year."

"Perfect. So is our meeting still on for tomorrow?" The professor looked over at Daniela and winked.

"Absolutely, Nefeli. We'll have it here on the boat. It's a new present . . . to myself."

The professor looked over at Daniela again and raised her eyebrows. "You have a new yacht?"

"It's quite a jewel. Are you anywhere able to look out over the bay?"

"Wait. I'm in the Jeep. I should be able to see you in a few minutes."

"Look for the blue hull and three decks. You'll see the Canadian flag. I'm moored off the power plant, but bringing her over in front of Piso Gialia."

"OK. We'll be over you shortly on the road."

"Think bigger, sweetie. This one stretches ninety-three feet."

The professor laughed. "Diedra, you are so bad!"

"I know I am. But looking forward to seeing you. Claire sails in tonight with her group. She's coming down from Samos. Sounds like she's having a great time. The movie has done well and her husband wants to take a few months off before the next project. She'll be here with the gang from New York just for the meeting. Everything OK on your side?"

"Better than OK. Lots to share with you all."

As they rounded another curve, the cobalt blue Aegean came into view below. A vast bay was all but circumscribed by steep, tan mountains. Several pleasure boats were anchored there, just offshore, in front of a coastal power station. The professor suddenly pointed for Daniela's benefit off to the left, closer to the cove. Just beyond the turquoise shallow water was a very large pleasure boat, moving gently toward the shore. It was just as Deidra described it—magnificent.

"OK," the professor said, as if speaking to herself in the car. "We see you now, Diedra. You are so right! She's beautiful! What do you call her?"

"It's a surprise, dear professor. You'll just have to learn that when you come onboard. But I think you will like it."

"Always full of surprises." The professor was smiling now to herself. "See you at ten in the morning, ladies."

"The launch will be waiting for you at Aigios Nikolas."

"Kallo Mesimeri, Claire!"

Daniela was a bit stunned by the conversation. It was a telling glimpse of the professor's contacts and friends. It became clear to her that this woman was comfortable in any setting and with any company. She tried to picture Dr.Vasiliou for a moment conducting an excavation out on some desolate site, fighting off scorpions in the heat of summer. She would have no trouble, she thought, directing the activities of dedicated graduate students from all over the world or presenting proposals to a boardroom. But there was still that air of mystery about her. Why did she quit her career? It was a question which haunted Daniela since the moment she had met the remarkable woman in her beautiful and secluded home.

Parking both the cars in a designated area just outside Hora, the walk into the once medieval town, unlike Stenies, was now a mixture of white island style shops with the rich Neo-Classical architecture of stately homes. After crossing through a large town square, the four on foot passed onto a crowned, marble-paved main street. It was a feast of images on both sides, combining quaint shops, some reluctantly commercialized, others pure to the style. It was a surprisingly workable harmony of two and three storied buildings, some civic and some obviously residential. At times the buildings connected quite literally to each other with a central walkway below. There were numerous narrow alleys off this main street to explore, with warn marble steps that descended to the sea. All about them the floors and walls of the enchanting historical town were meticulously whitewashed. Soon as they proceeded further out on the peninsula, pathways splintered off the wider pedestrian way into small gardens and gateways each suggesting an interesting personality to encounter along the way.

After passing a large cathedral and several smaller Orthodox churches, again blending in with the mostly cream and white-colored domiciles, they proceeded through a perennially open, arched gateway. This in former times could be quickly closed off, sealing the town's peninsula from enemies by land or sea—no doubt the pirates Theofilos had spoken of who had threatened the little citadel for centuries.

Within this older section of the town, they found themselves in a smaller, quaint square covered by large-leafed trees. This was surprisingly flanked by an architecturally modern museum, a contemporary art gallery, and what seemed to be a marble Turkish mausoleum. The professor pointed out that this small, decorative edifice was in fact an old pump house, once used as the drinking water source of the walled city.

Tucked into the corners of the square were several tavernas, their roofs provided by the trees themselves. At mid-day each of the eateries was rollicking at full capacity by what looked like local patrons and relatively few tourists. The air was fresh and cool, suggesting the Aegean Sea was very near. As Dr. Vasiliou led them out to a table under the shade, a long, curving beach could indeed be seen far below the city wall, connecting the town to the sea by the myriad of uneven descending stairs.

The conversation between the professor and Theo, while they all waited to be served, flashed in and out of their native Greek. The topic seemed to be what had transpired in Stenies during the period of Theo's missing years there. Daniela used the opportunity to speak in a quiet tone, singularly to Nicasio.

"I just don't want to leave this place," she told him, excitedly in a whisper. She was smiling at the exotic surroundings they once again had found themselves in.

"That's impossible," he said emphatically, also whispering, though a bit louder than she. "We've got to be back on the ferryboat in Gavrio in just a few hours." He looked nervously at his watch. "Theo will need to get back to the library for his duties. And besides, I really need to contact. . ."

Suddenly, as if possessing radar, the professor looked up and smiled at Daniela.

"Forget the men," she said, coolly, and surprisingly to the point. "If you truly like it here, you can stay a few more days with me. I have a guest room."

Nicasio looked up surprised that the professor had heard them.

"Other than that meeting I have tomorrow, Daniela, my schedule is absolutely free for the time being."

Daniela was speechless. She was also embarrassed as all eyes were on her.

"Well . . . that's really kind of you, Professor . . . but . . ."

She looked over at Nicasio who was trying to temper his consternation at the suggestion.

"And besides, I didn't bring any. . ."

"Don't worry, Daniela," Professor Vasiliou added, "I have many clothes at the house that will fit you. My place affords total privacy and complete accommodations to guests."

She smiled, pouring everyone a glass of the bottled water which had been brought out to them.

"Hmm . . .Well. . ."

The professor looked pleasantly at Nicasio.

"Daniela, I'm sure your vacation could stand a little detour here. Look. Let's face it."

She leaned closer to her, over the table.

"Whether you two are lovers or just friends, a little absence from each other might bind you even closer. Right? At least that's what I've been told." She then laughed out loud.

Daniela just blushed even more, and the men smiled.

"I'm serious now," the professor insisted, sipping from her own glass. "You would be no trouble at my house for a while. I can see Andros appeals to you. Just be free and go with that."

"Yes. Yes it really does." She looked over at Theo for some outside support. At first he shrugged his shoulders in a neutral gesture and then smiled and nodded affirmingly.

The professor took charge once more. "Don't worry, young lady. I'll get you back to the Gavrio port when ever you wish. Tickets to Rafina can be purchased in Hora any day of the week.

Without waiting for Nicasio's forthcoming opinion, Daniela nodded at the professor and smiled appreciatively.

"Well maybe for just a day or so . . . I suppose that would be alright. It's really so amazing here!"

"Then all is settled," the professor confirmed, looking over at Nicasio more playfully. "We women habit of making our own decisions. Quickly and firmly."

"OK. . . alright." Nicasio conceded. "It's Saturday today . . . so by Monday. . ."

"Wednesday . . ." The professor countered calmly.

"Tuesday . . . I'll meet you back at the port in Rafina Tuesday. Alright Dani?"

"Sounds like we have a compromise," Theo chimed in, smiling.

Everyone laughed.

At that moment the waiter, a young boy, arrived and Theo and Dr. Vasiliou took turns ordering what seemed like an extensive number of items without looking at the menu—all traditional dishes, they insisted. Some, they further expounded upon in detail, as if in competition. To Daniela, food was the last thing on her mind, as she found it too exhilarating to believe where she would be over the next few days. Even more exciting was the prospect of discussing her newest interest with one of the foremost authorities in the world.

After a lovely meal and many stories about pirates, Turks and Venetians, a stroll back to the jeeps and a rush back to the port of Gavrio were in hasty order for Nicasio and Theo. In saying goodbye in the parking lot, a long hug was given to Theo by the professor, while a less demonstrative gesture of affection occurred between Nicasio and Daniela as they prepared for their brief separation. As he held her in his arms Nicasio whispered something excitedly into her ear.

"Try and get the name of the Greek navigator or the Spanish professor those ship logs were sent to. I know you can do it, Dani."

Daniela retreated from his embrace quickly and disgustedly. Her subtle frown said volumes about the diverging perceptions of why they had come to this enchanted side of the world, and what it now meant to each of them.

* * *