comer of the
room and followed SG-1 out. Jack noted them, exchanged looks
with Carter and Teal'c and nodded slightly toward their new friends.
"Teal'c. Watch our six."
Culture shock. Teal'c looked at him with a blankly inquiring look,
one eyebrow threatening to shoot up. Daniel looked just as clueless.
"There are not six of us, O'Neill," Teal'c said. He managed to say it
as if he wasn't calling his CO a lunatic. Probably how he'd survived
Apophis all these years.
Carter smothered a grin. "Guys," she said, and described a clock
with her hands. "Twelve o'clock is in front, six o'clock is behind.
Watch our six means - "
"Behinds," Jack finished in exasperation. "Watch our behinds."
"Ah, Jack, you do know our watches are digital now..."
He sighed. "Shut up, Daniel."
Outside, the big square - the agora - was again bustling with people moving, only this time the flow was all in one direction. Toward
the Acropolis at the crown of the hill.
"Jack?" Daniel pointed. "Think we should have a look?" He took
a couple of steps in that direction. Almost immediately, their darktunic-wearing minders looked worried. One of them scurried off fast,
probably for backup; the other came up to Daniel and stepped in his
way.
"Not a linguist, but I'm guessing that means no," Jack said. "Invitation only up at the temple."
"Maybe that means we should go," Carter put in.
"Or shouldn't," Daniel said. "Maybe it's a religious taboo. No foreigners allowed."
Jack didn't like that idea. "And maybe these fine folks have been
yanking our chain. Let's find out."
He stepped forward, and sure enough, the security guy wasn't
quite sure how much force he was allowed to use. Or, Jack thought,
having been on that side of the problem a time or two, whether he
had enough authority to stop them no matter what. Jack pushed past
him, walking across the courtyard through the misting breeze of the
fountain.
"Maybe it's a morning religious observance?" Carter asked. "Sunrise service?"
"Well... maybe." Daniel didn't sound convinced, and Jack could
see why; this crowd didn't have the bored, comfortable look of people
coming to church. Lots of people, tightly clustered. Parents and children alike, everybody very quiet.
"Funeral?" Jack guessed.
"Something serious," Daniel replied. "Sacrificial rites? I don't
know. The Greeks weren't known for anything too extreme in their
rituals, except for Tauris - Euripides wrote about human sacrifice in
honor ofArtemis in Tauris. She was their patron deity."
"Who's the patron deity in these parts?" Better safe than sorry
...
Daniel gestured at a massive, gorgeously carved marble statue of
a dignified man, seated on a throne marked with seashells and sea
creatures. Surprisingly, it was painted - the robes were saffron, the
flowing hair black. Dark eyes that seemed to follow everybody who
walked by. He was shown holding a trident.
"Poseidon," Daniel said. "God of the sea."
"And Artemis is...?"
"Goddess of the hunt and the moon. Sister of Apollo, god of the
sun and medicine. She's also an aspect of the triple-faced goddess:
Artemis, Hera, Hecate. Maiden, mother, crone."
Moon. Moonlight. A shattered city in still white light.
Over at the Acropolis, a priest draped in white with a cloth over
his head held up a scroll and showed it to the assembled crowd. Jack
stopped, watching, as the man unrolled it and read something out.
"What's he saying?"
"Hard to catch." Daniel stepped forward, as if an extra foot or so
might make the difference. "Sounds like... something about paying tribute... and the safety of the city. Maybe a draft for the local militia."
The priest handed over the scroll to an attendant and was brought a
huge silver bowl on a tripod, and a silver baton. Another priest tipped
a bag full of tiles into the bowl.
The silver baton was put to use stirring the tiles.
"Daniel?"
"I'm not sure. Lottery?"
"I'm guessing it's not Powerball."
Jack put his hand on the butt of his MP5,
room and followed SG-1 out. Jack noted them, exchanged looks
with Carter and Teal'c and nodded slightly toward their new friends.
"Teal'c. Watch our six."
Culture shock. Teal'c looked at him with a blankly inquiring look,
one eyebrow threatening to shoot up. Daniel looked just as clueless.
"There are not six of us, O'Neill," Teal'c said. He managed to say it
as if he wasn't calling his CO a lunatic. Probably how he'd survived
Apophis all these years.
Carter smothered a grin. "Guys," she said, and described a clock
with her hands. "Twelve o'clock is in front, six o'clock is behind.
Watch our six means - "
"Behinds," Jack finished in exasperation. "Watch our behinds."
"Ah, Jack, you do know our watches are digital now..."
He sighed. "Shut up, Daniel."
Outside, the big square - the agora - was again bustling with people moving, only this time the flow was all in one direction. Toward
the Acropolis at the crown of the hill.
"Jack?" Daniel pointed. "Think we should have a look?" He took
a couple of steps in that direction. Almost immediately, their darktunic-wearing minders looked worried. One of them scurried off fast,
probably for backup; the other came up to Daniel and stepped in his
way.
"Not a linguist, but I'm guessing that means no," Jack said. "Invitation only up at the temple."
"Maybe that means we should go," Carter put in.
"Or shouldn't," Daniel said. "Maybe it's a religious taboo. No foreigners allowed."
Jack didn't like that idea. "And maybe these fine folks have been
yanking our chain. Let's find out."
He stepped forward, and sure enough, the security guy wasn't
quite sure how much force he was allowed to use. Or, Jack thought,
having been on that side of the problem a time or two, whether he
had enough authority to stop them no matter what. Jack pushed past
him, walking across the courtyard through the misting breeze of the
fountain.
"Maybe it's a morning religious observance?" Carter asked. "Sunrise service?"
"Well... maybe." Daniel didn't sound convinced, and Jack could
see why; this crowd didn't have the bored, comfortable look of people
coming to church. Lots of people, tightly clustered. Parents and children alike, everybody very quiet.
"Funeral?" Jack guessed.
"Something serious," Daniel replied. "Sacrificial rites? I don't
know. The Greeks weren't known for anything too extreme in their
rituals, except for Tauris - Euripides wrote about human sacrifice in
honor ofArtemis in Tauris. She was their patron deity."
"Who's the patron deity in these parts?" Better safe than sorry
...
Daniel gestured at a massive, gorgeously carved marble statue of
a dignified man, seated on a throne marked with seashells and sea
creatures. Surprisingly, it was painted - the robes were saffron, the
flowing hair black. Dark eyes that seemed to follow everybody who
walked by. He was shown holding a trident.
"Poseidon," Daniel said. "God of the sea."
"And Artemis is...?"
"Goddess of the hunt and the moon. Sister of Apollo, god of the
sun and medicine. She's also an aspect of the triple-faced goddess:
Artemis, Hera, Hecate. Maiden, mother, crone."
Moon. Moonlight. A shattered city in still white light.
Over at the Acropolis, a priest draped in white with a cloth over
his head held up a scroll and showed it to the assembled crowd. Jack
stopped, watching, as the man unrolled it and read something out.
"What's he saying?"
"Hard to catch." Daniel stepped forward, as if an extra foot or so
might make the difference. "Sounds like... something about paying tribute... and the safety of the city. Maybe a draft for the local militia."
The priest handed over the scroll to an attendant and was brought a
huge silver bowl on a tripod, and a silver baton. Another priest tipped
a bag full of tiles into the bowl.
The silver baton was put to use stirring the tiles.
"Daniel?"
"I'm not sure. Lottery?"
"I'm guessing it's not Powerball."
Jack put his hand on the butt of his MP5,
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