Powerful - (Her Gods - Book One) Completed

Four - The Cave, The Team and The Secret

Nico called for me after breakfast the following morning informing me the helicopter was fixed and loaded ready to go out to the dig site.
I tried to hide my excitement as we drove to the airport, I had never been in a helicopter, but my nerves were squashed by the thrill of something new.
Nico has told me our pilot Kal was very experienced and had been working with the team as a pilot for many years, I smiled at Nico wondering why he wanted to tell me about Kal as we stopped by the heliport and unloaded.
I could see a dark haired man bent over checking under the helicopter and jumped slightly as Nico called out to him.
"Hey Kal!"
The man turned and straightened, running his hand through his jet black hair and smiling as he came our way.
God he was beautiful and huge, standing 6ft tall and that was almost a foot over me, I stood next to Nico as he approached, looking up more as he got closer, his eyes were a deep silver grey colour with green flares in them as he squinted at me in the sunlight.
"Kal, this is Miss Athena Artaxerxes, she is our archaeologist" Nico introduces me and I hold out my hand to shake his, staring as he raises it to his lips and smiles kissing the back and sending tingles up my arm.
"Goddess it is a pleasure" he purrs before releasing me.
I look at him, what is it with everyone calling me goddess, just because my name is Athena.
I can still feel the tingles making the hair rise on my body as he turned and calls over his shoulder "come, we are ready to go once you are aboard"
I shake my head to clear my mind before following him towards the open door of the helicopter, Nico helps me climb in, pointing out the headset and harness, he helps me get secure before steeping back and I realise he is not coming with us.
"Thank you" I tell him smiling at the friendly man.
Nico waves and bows before shutting my door and the blades start turning.
I can hear Kal talking to flight control through the headset and settle back to watch as he skilfully lifts off and we are flying.
I wriggled in my harness to get a better view of land as we fly over, my face split with a big grin as I look down on the familiar but unknown landscape underneath me, I was obsessed with Athena and the Greek mythology but had had very little actual time in Greece and was looking forward to using my knowledge on the dig site.
Kal touched my arm and pointed just ahead of us, I could see a rough helipad cut into a opening and surmised we were nearly here.
My nerves came back and I swallowed, clasping my grandmother necklace I prayed to Athena that everything would go okay.

When we landed, Kal touched my arm again before saying "stay there, wait until the Rotas stop"
I ground my teeth at his tone but followed his instruction, watching as the dust we had pushed up settled and the blades stopped moving.
Three people moved out of a large canvas tent and watched as two tanned men rushed forward to open doors and unload.
I smiled at the man who helped me climb down "thank you"
His eyes went wide and he bowed before rushing off muttering in Greek.
I looked at Kal who was watching with a smirk on his face, "come on, I'll introduce you to the boss"
I followed him across to the tent where the men waited. I looked round nervously, there were no other women in site and I suddenly felt very small and vulnerable surrounded by large, no very large men.
Kal stood towering behind me as the taller of the three men stepped forward and held out his hand.
"Miss Artaxerxes, I am Owen Anax, this is my site" he introduces himself.
I shake his hand again feeling the tingles up my arm.
"It's nice to meet you Mr Anax" I reply.
"No, call me Owen please, we are informal here" He waves his arm back, "this is Jace and Miles, they are working here with me"
"Hello" I say wondering which is which as it wasn't clear from the wave.
I can feel all there eyes on me as Mr..Owen pulls back the tent flap and ushers me inside.
I relax as I see the traditional set up of a dig, tables covered in bagged fragments, cleaning trays, tools, files and camera equipment.
"I know it was short notice and I know your professor didn't have much to give you but thank you for coming to help us" Owen said, sitting down at a desk and indicating a chair for me.
I was conscious the three men had followed us into the tent and were listening in just out of my view.
Owen smiled at me before handing me a single document "please sign this, it's a standard NDA, you should have had it before leaving the UK but we had some IT difficulties and missed sending it before your flight"
I read down quickly, its seemed a standard NDA but I had never had to sign anything like this before.
"Why?" I query looking at Owen.
His eyes rake over me and I shiver a little.
"We have a great historical discovery, everyone on site has signed one, we cannot risk the news getting out until we know for certain what we suspect is true, if you do not wish to sign, then Kal will return you to your hotel and a flight home will be arranged" he explains looking at me.
I can feel the tension in the room and my eyes lock with Owen "please" he says indicating the form.
I sigh before leaning forward and picking up a pen from his desk and signing, handing the form back to him nervously.
"Good girl, now I can tell you everything" he purrs smiling at me.
My hands lift to clasp my necklace nervously.
"We found a cave with beautiful paintings depicting the goddess Athena, on more investigation we found a deeper corridor leading into a temple within the hillside, untouched, there are unknown writings in the walls, we think there is more deeper still, but cannot work out the story to follow" his excitement making my interest rise.
"What do you think you will find?" I ask carefully.
"The actual tomb of the goddess Athena" he tells me looking straight into my eyes.
I look at him in disbelief, "she mythological, the temples worship gods, gods are not a mortal body" I explain, wondering if he was crazy. I turned to look at the men behind me, who were watching silently, before turning back to Owen.
He smiled at my words, "I know it's crazy, but wait till you are inside and you see, we have photos but it's nothing compared to seeing it in person, come, let us show you" he said rising to his feet and holding out his hand.