CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
With the workers stuck on the island, it was easy for Greek forces to go around to the opposite side of the island, make their way toward the temporary housing and caves, and arrest everyone under cover of darkness.
By the morning, the workers were gone, the forces were gone, and work was once again at a standstill.
The ship bobbed lazily in the sea as Amber and Charles woke to a cloudy day. Seated in the VIP area of the kitchen, they waited for their food to be served.
“I’m starving,” said the woman, pushing back the thick black strands of hair. It wasn’t natural. Not at her age but there was no way she was showing signs of gray to anyone.
“Where is everyone?” frowned Charles looking around. He stood and poked his head into the kitchen, only to be met with the swinging door coming back at him, hitting him squarely in the nose.
“Oh, sorry about that,” said Frank. “Here you go.”
He slid a plate of raw octopus across the table, slices of store-bought bread and whole tomatoes, not even sliced.
“What the hell is this?” asked Amber.
“Breakfast,” smirked Frank, wiping his hands on the apron. “You don’t like octopus?”
“I like it cooked,” she said through clenched teeth. “Take it back and cook it.”
“This isn’t a restaurant lady. Cook it yourself.”
She threw the plate across the room, the octopus making a sickly, sticky sound against the wall. Frank smirked.
“Nice temper. You should learn to control that,” he smiled.
“Who the hell are you? Where are the others?” asked Charles.
“Me?” asked Frank taking off the apron. “I am your worst nightmare. Well, maybe not worst. I mean, I’ve got some friends who might be your worst but I’m definitely not your worst. Close but not the worst.”
Charles stood, gripping his sisters arm and moving toward the door.
“Going somewhere? Darling.”
Amber turned, staring at Nicolai, her mouth wide open.
“Nic-Nicolai,” she whispered. “I thought you were dead. Oh, darling!” She tried to fall into his arms but he simply pushed her back toward her brother.
“You’re a liar. A liar, a cheat, and what you’re doing to the island is criminal. It will not continue. It will not happen.”
“Nicolai, you don’t understand. We have investors. We need this. Greece needs this. It will bring in millions of tourists every year from all over Europe. Think of the income that your little island will bring into the country.”
“You disgust me. My island, our island is not for sale. It never was. You didn’t see how amazing it was exactly how it is. We don’t need amusement parks or fake statues of gods. Our island has its own mysteries and its own art and culture.”
“Art and culture? There is no art and culture on that pathetic island,” she scoffed.
“You just didn’t look,” said Nicolai. “The ancient ruins house so much history for our people. It brought in tourists and students from all over the world to see them. Our food, our people, few but mighty, made us a place people loved to come.
“Even the people of our own country would plan summer visits to our island. They would bring their families, their children to tell the stories of the ancient Greeks.”
“Ugghhh! The ancient Greeks. The ancient Greeks! Do you know how sick I am of hearing about the ancient Greeks? It’s all you spoke about, all you ever wanted to speak about. That and your pathetic claim that you were related to Alexander the Great.
“You are a prince of nowhere. Of nothing. You have no claims, no throne, no riches. You are nothing but another forgotten relic of Greece.”
Nicolai stared at the woman he once thought he loved. He never imagined she could be so cruel, and yet she was showing all the signs of her seemingly endless cruelty here.
“Actually,” said Luke stepping into the room, “he can claim that he is directly related to Alexander.”
Nicolai stared at him, wondering if he was simply saying it to annoy Amber.
“The team back home confirmed it, Nicolai. I’ll let May tell you how they figured it all out but the claims are true from what we can tell.”
“No. No, this isn’t possible,” said Charles shaking his head as glared at his sister.
“It doesn’t matter. No one gives a damn. There’s no money associated with it. There’s no throne. No palace. He’s still a nothing,” she said coldly.
“He’s an ancestor of the greatest Greek warrior who ever lived.
The greatest Greek ruler who ever lived,” said Frank.
“Everyone will want to know what genetics he carries. What makes him a great leader on his little island paradise. You will not be anything or anyone, that the world wants to know about.”
“Nicolai, please,” she said with a sweet expression.
“Nicolai gets no say in this,” said the Prime Minister stepping inside the room with Petros. “You are under arrest. Both of you.”
“No, no! H-he helped us!”
“I’ve admitted my guilt,” said Petros. “I’ll take whatever punishment is sent my way but you will no longer be allowed to ravage that island and its people.”
“We were doing something wonderful for Greece!” she yelled.
“No, you were doing something for yourselves. Not for Greece,” said Nicolai.
The entire ship was confiscated, the captain and crew arrested along with Charles and Amber. The world would know what they attempted to do and how an island of defiant citizens stopped them, helping to save Greek history.
“You should be fine on your own now,” smiled Luke at the group from the island. “We’ll get you back to your homes and things will hopefully be back to normal.”
“Normal?” said Leonidas. “We have two massive holes in our island that scare me to no end. What if an earthquake makes it collapse?”
“The Greek government is sending out surveyors and crews to see if the caves can be filled. It won’t be the same but if there are concerns about structural weaknesses, they’ll make sure they correct that problem.”
“Thank you,” said Marguerite, smiling at her handsome house guests. “I think I’ll miss having you in my home.”
“We’re thinking of returning with our wives,” smiled Frank. “I think they’d love a visit to Greece.”
“And I’d love to have you all,” she smiled, kissing their cheeks. Cam, Luke, Eric, and Hex looked at Nicolai, smiling.
“Well, Prince Nicolai, you have your home back,” said Eric.
“Thanks to all of you,” he said nodding. “I have much to be grateful for and much to think about.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Nicolai. I think Amber and her brother were experts at fooling people.”
“By the way,” smiled Cam, “you never told us what your island name is.”
“Yes, I did.” The men all stared at one another, shaking their heads. “I assure you, I said it many times. I am prince of Pouthená Island.”
“Pouthená?” asked Luke.
“Nowhere Island,” he smiled waving as he followed he others to the boats.
“I’ll be damned. He did tell us that. Over and over again, he said he was prince of nowhere. I never thought that was a real name,” laughed Eric.
“We learn something every day,” smiled Cam. “Let’s go home and see if we can convince our wives to come back here. I think I’d like to find that old man and learn some more about the Greek gods and ancient history. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually get to speak to Poseidon next time.”
“Dude, I don’t think any of us wants that,” laughed Luke.