The Guardian of Atlantis

By Robert Britt

When Susan Foster is sent by her mentor and friend, Professor Richard Anderson, to help with an excavation on Crete being led by fellow archeologist, Steven Thomson, he was pleased to have someone with her qualifications join the team. Susan's expertise in Classical Greek and Mycenaean languages would prove to be invaluable in validating his theory that the legendary Atlantis was actually Crete. What they discover is shocking and unexpected.
Told alongside the myth of the Minoan king Minos and the Minotaur this is an exciting, fast-paced tale with a touch of magic.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Nov 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781667866925

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The Guardian of Atlantis

© 2022 Robert Britt

All rights reserved. This book or any portion there of may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-66786-691-8

eBook ISBN: 978-1-66786-692-5

Contents

The Maze

Foster

Crete

The Affair

The Villa

The Diary

Answers and Questions

The Bronze Guardian

Pasiphae’s Plan

Killing the Beast

The Minotaur

A Failed Plot

The Rescue

The Tunnel

The Beach – Part One

The Beach – Part Two

Minos’s Tunnel

Rescued?

Unlikely Hero

A Statue Wakes

The Cliff

The Vault

Death by Greed

The Maze

King Minos yelled at the women’s entourage to move faster down the dark tunnel. Oh why hadn’t he brought some of his stronger male slaves along to lift these chests? Regretting his decision now and fearing anyone finding out about his secret, he had brought these weak females believing he could better control them. Only the powerful Lyos was with Minos to help maintain control over this group in the tunnel. The king wiped the ash and sweat from his face, looking at the women laboring to carry the heavy metal chests filled with gold.

Minos turned his angry eyes to his queen and her handmaidens yelling, Pasiphae, you and those bitches of yours help the slaves carry the gold, and you help them, too, Ariadne. Minos ordered his daughter.

Yes, Father, the young princess replied, bending down to help the women with the large chests.

We need that gold to survive in the outside world until we can return to the capital for the rest of my treasure, he yelled. Now all of you hurry up. We need to get to the ship before Thera kills us all. The Atlantean king had been hiding a large share of the empire’s gold from his people for years now. He had convinced them of the growing threat of an invasion by the Mycenaeans to destroy their civilization on the islands. Minos had increased taxes across the empire to build a powerful fleet and larger army for protection of the homeland. He had tried to convince the inhabitants of the kingdom they were the rightful rulers of the Mediterranean, not the cursed Mycenaeans. He knew those mainland people were only driven by the need to conquer and enslave the entire population of his empire. The final persuasion of any of the kingdom’s hesitant people came when his son, Prince Androgeos, traveled to the Peloponnesian peninsula to take part in Olympic games, which were held every four years in a competition of sporting events between the rival kingdoms.

His son was a beloved young hero of his people and the champion of many of the events, bringing pride to his father and the capital. However, with growing resentment of the young prince’s success, a small group of drunken citizens managed to catch the young man off guard and assassinate him before he had sailed for his homeland on Crete. The outcry had come immediately across the islands with the news of Androgeos’s death. Destroy the barbarian Mycenaeans, echoed throughout the empire. Gold and silver had poured into the capital city Knossos, and into Minos’s hands making him smile at the growing offerings from his people.

He had loved his son deeply; the anguish over his death had been the final unfortunate act the king had needed to start a war of conquest and expansion over the Mycenaeans. Yes, he would avenge his son’s death and build a great temple to the god Poseidon over his tomb. He would sacrifice many bulls and the enemy’s virgin daughters over the grave of Androgeos. This great conquest would add new lands of opportunity for the Atlantean islands and the always very welcome expansion of Minos’s personal wealth and power. After all, this was the very will of his people, to destroy the Mycenaean enemy in the name of justice for his son.

King Minos had hidden away a fortune in the maze and tunnels leading to the treasure vault under Crete. He had commissioned the system built by the famous architect Daedalus, and upon its completion it had been named the sacrificial labyrinth. The maze and tunnel system had been protected by a guardian, the Minotaur, until that fool Prince Theseus had challenged the legend Minos had created and killed the beast, and nearly discovered the true secret there! But the king’s gold chamber was still safe and Minos would return soon to claim it and his kingdom as soon as the gods were done having their fun with this eruption on Mount Thera.

His plan was to set sail for a safe harbor until it was possible to return home. The tunnel shook with a stronger quake, sending dirt and rocks down on all of them. Minos reached out and braced himself against the stone wall, watching some of the women get knocked off their feet, dropping and spilling out the contents of one of the chests across the tunnel’s floor.

Lyos, help me! Minos yelled as he started to stumble and fall under the shaking. He felt metal arms reach out, take hold, and help him to his feet. Minos squinted to look through the ash and dust now filling the tunnel at the gold and bronze armored soldier standing in front of him. The king looked into the face, seeing no emotion in the black eyes, only the command he had given the metal being was apparent as the soldier helped him up. You can release me now, Lyos, Minos ordered as the tremor subsided in the tunnel. Minos then looked at the slaves and other women in the group crying. Some were on the floor, others leaning on the walls, and one started screaming out, Death approaches us!

Minos walked over and slapped the woman across the face saying, Shut up, fool. He ordered and turned his eyes to the rest of the women in the party. Pick up my gold, you idiots, he yelled at them. Lyos turned his bronze head awaiting the king’s next order.

He watched as Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, walked over to the man saying, Father, we are running out of time to escape this tunnel. We have enough of the gold. Should we not leave now? This one chest can stay here.

No! Minos shouted, leaning into her face causing her to step back from him. This gold is mine. I want all of you to get on your hands and knees and pick up every coin! I’m ordering all of you. Do it! Even you, Ariadne, and I mean now! he yelled.

Queen Pasiphae moved up and stood next to her daughter saying, Do what he says. You can now see what god this man worships in this world, and it’s not the love of you or me, Ariadne!

Silence, woman. Remember what I hold over you, he snarled at his wife as he then turned