Read Online Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis) by Christopher David Petersen - Free Book Online

high priest took his position behind it. He stared out amongst his order of brethren and surveyed their presence. With a simple nod of approval he began the ceremony.
    Resting on the altar in front of him, lay a two foot long golden scepter. Ornately engraved and encrusted with precious gems, its brilliance left little doubt that it symbolized the essence of their purpose.
    The high priest reached his hands forward, delicately grasping each end of the great wand and lifted it high above his head. He twisted his body slightly from left to right, insuring all in attendance made visual contact with the golden scepter.
    “We are the chosen: descendants of Gods. Bow before the might of Zeus,” he shouted for all to hear.
    Instantly, all in attendance bent forward in respect. He lowered the scepter back to the altar and continued to speak:
    “Welcome brothers and sisters of Arae. It’s good to see all in attendance. This day marks a very special ceremony. Today we meet under the gravest of circumstances.”
    He paused for effect, then continued:
    “For thousands of years, our society has grown slowly. We’ve drawn our power not by numbers, but by our bloodline… the bloodline of Arae. Our secret society is closed to all but those who are descended from the blood of Zeus. It is the mighty Zeus who has made us superior to the common man in strength and intellect. It is with his blood that we have assimilated into the highest levels of society and are now poised to take over this great world.”
    All eyes focused intently on him. All in attendance knew his escalating message would not go unresolved.
    “It is with my greatest sorrow and disappointment that one of you has betrayed us. One of you has become the enemy of our great society. One of you must die…”
    A low hush moved through the audience. Nervous eyes shifted from side to side, scanning for the alleged offende r. Slowly, barely detectable, two men moved through the sea of humanity. They converged on a single man standing toward the front of the crowd.
    Hearing movement behind him, he turned quickly, but only too late.
    “Noooo!” he shouted in shock and disbelief.
    Before he could finish his words, the two men pulled stun guns from inside their robes and imbedded the probes of the weapons into the man’s neck. Instantly, he fell to the ground, writhing in pain. The two men quickly dragged the man before the altar amidst the startled cries of the shocked onlookers.
    The high priest grabbed the golden scepter, then came quickly around to the front of the altar and stood before the accused man. Holding the scepter high above his head, he spoke:
    “Jackson Norris, you are accused of high treason against the Society of Arae. You have procreated with a common human. You have tainted our bloodline. You have betrayed us all.”
    “Not true,” Jackson retorted through clenched teeth, his pain making it difficult for him to speak. “She had an abortion. The bloodline is still pure.”
    “It’ s too late. You’ve proven you are a risk… and you must die for your carelessness.”
    Before Jackson could speak, the high priest lowered the scepter for all to see. He rolled his thumb over a switch, creating a low hum that sounded from the wand. A split-second later, he laid the tip of the weapon on the back of Jackson’s neck, creating a path for the electricity to flow through. A shocked audience gasped at the sight of the condemned man, convulsing on the stone floor, foam and spittle ejecting from his contorted mouth.
    A minute later, Jackson ceased to move. He was dead.
    The high priest switched off the scepter, then nodded to the two men with stun guns. Quickly, they dragged the body from the assembly of speechless people. He cleared his throat and spoke:
    “The threat to our society is now been purged. My apologies for the ugliness.”
    There was only silence as the assembly of men and women digested the scene they just witnessed.
    As the high priest walked back to