Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:46:36 -0600
From: dnrock@rock.com
Subject: Red 18 revised

Red Revised
by: dnrock(dnrock@rock.com)


18:  Science, Adventure and Family


After our evening meal the grandmothers supervised the young girl play and
looked after the younger ones, so their mothers could be part of the
discussion.  Sheila was the youngest female.  I wondered why some of the
older sisters weren't being included.  I was told they were not interested.
I think Jytte and some of the Adonis ladies were there because their men
were, not out of a real interest.  I'm not sure why Sheila was, I'd like to
think it was the combination.

Professor Sepp asked everyone to be gracious and polite to the government
officials but not to comment on the science or politics of the situation.
It was okay to express feelings about the art and the setting or about how
much you like or don't, `working with me and learning first hand,' but that
was all.  Thanos reviewed briefly the kinds of permits and permissions that
were in hand and would be needed in the future.  Dem spoke about his
concerns relating to privacy.  Spiros' parents talked about "potters" and
antiquities pirates.  Elias outlined his security policy, saying, `our home
and the shrine are as safe as our residents'.  The look on Yannie's
mother's face was sheer horror.  `Yes Phaedra, antiquities theft or
defilement is just another form of terrorism.'  Thanos spoke next, he asked
that everyone here take the greatest of care, never to reveal the real
location of the shrine, i.e. that it exists on Paidi Nisi.

Stavors, Stan Adonis and one of the grad students, outlined the plan and
timing for future work, including a marine survey.  Sepp was hoping to get
a copy of the shrine built on a more tourist accessible island, not too
close by either.  Dad said his firm would provide all the engineering
services needed, saying "it's really not much different than building a
stone bridge."  Jason Adonis added that his family trust, along with the
Papas and Koronios families, would fund the creation of two copies of the
statue, one for the museum in Athens and one for the "new" shrine.  The
sculptures would work from Photois' photographs, digital and film, Kos'
paintings and Sepp's surveying measurements.  Now I know why Thanos and Dem
invited everyone for this weekend.  They were mustering economic and
political help for their protection plan.  It was a risk but a brilliant
one.  Everyone is a winner, but most importantly, the shrine is preserved
intact, just as its' creators and later caretakers who obviously worked so
hard and long, had hoped.

Kos told Sheila, Ed and I, "The exact reasons for the shrine's existence or
even its name, is lost in the mists of time.  That does not matter, each
visitor or viewer can bring his or her own interpretation to it.  Like my
paintings, the emotional connection each viewer makes to the work is
unique, valid and of equal value.  The artists, commissioners and care
givers intentions died with them.  Art that glorifies humanity, lives on
forever.  Maybe not forever but for as long as people can look upon it."

Sheila later told me, she thought the statue somehow signified the special
bond between men and boys.  She thought there was a special bond between
girls and women too and that bond was connected to child bearing, for which
many icons existed.

Later we were alone with Ed.  A situation that didn't occur all that often,
with so many people in such a small place, but we were.  Ed took each of us
under his arms.  "I do hope you two are being extra careful, I think I'm
just a bit young to be a great grand father."  Sheila just turned bright
red, I guess I did too but I managed to reply.  "Yes sir, we do too."

That night when we were alone Sheila expressed her concerns.  I just told
her, grandfather Koronios' story about their sons.

"You know we will have to tell our parents some day."

"Yes we will but not until we are both over the age of consent.  But what
if they find out?"

"Two possibilities as I see it.  One, you and I will be asked to call them
mom and dad instead of Mr. and Mrs.  Two, they will try to keep us apart.
My parents will go for one, I'm sure about that and then give us the safe
sex lecture again.  We know what grandfather Carter thinks.  Your parents,
I'm not sure of yet, I suspect they will reluctantly go along."

"How do you know about your parents?"

"Mom and dad are real smart and very observant.  If Ed figured it out then
they must have too, or will soon enough."

"On Monday morning, we boys were all dressing in our fancy dress uniforms
again.  Anglos, the Aphrodite's First Mate, was playing the role of Harbour
Master.  We and the security staff were providing an Honour Guard for the
visitors.  Anyway, everyone was naked and sporting their morning erections,
when the chip jar came around, I pulled Bjorn's name so my chip was taken
out and Bjorn and I would be a pair.  I like him, he is so cute and so nice
and polite.  Since I can't sign in DSL or ASL, we would need other
communication techniques, like lips, tongues and hands.  Man was that
something.

I think those professional porn boys, on the internet, better look out.
God I sure love these boys.  I love them all: Max, Seb, David and Bjorn and
not just because we are all about the same age.  I love them because they
are all so sincere and considerate of each other.  And because none of us
can keep our hands off the others.

After breakfast we assembled on the dock to greet the visitors, who were
arriving on a float plane.  It is a little floating platform with stairs up
to the dock proper.  We were all lined up on the dock to form an honour
guard.  Everyone else was on the patio.  Anglos tied the floats to the dock
and helped the visitors down to it.  Two women and two men got out,
followed by the pilot and copilot.  As they came up the stairs we all
saluted and Stavors and Yannie offered their arms to the ladies, while Kon
and Iason walked next to the men.  Photois was busy taking pictures as
usual.  Several guardians appeared to help the pilots and show them around.
Max, Seb, Bjorn, Spiros, Kos and I fell in behind the leaders.

We went along the dock and up the steps to the patio where Dem and Thanos
were greeting the visitors and making introductions to everyone else.
Coffee and snacks were served and everyone seemed to talk at once.  After
snacks, the visitors, mom, Spiros' parents, Jason Adonis, the geology tutor
Dr. Kemp, history tutor, Dr. Albrech went into the big formal dining room,
which had been turned into a conference centre.

The graduate students had placed large maps and huge photographs all
around.  In addition, Photois and Yannie had a short video to show on one
of the huge plasma screens that hung on the wall.  Yannie was appointed
official secretary.  He did take notes but also had a tape recorder with
multiple microphones to record stuff.  All of us including the Adonis
brothers were seated off to the side and along the walls.

Thanos called the meeting to order and thanked the guests for attending.
He had all the people at the table introduce themselves and state their
area of expertise and affiliation.  He asked the language tutor to sit
between mom and Sepp so he could translate for them.  The language would be
Greek and if anyone didn't understand something, he should interrupt and
ask.  The university person knew Spiros' parents and the history tutor
already and mom by reputation.  The museum people knew Sepp and Antiquities
didn't know anyone, except the museum people, before.  Of course everyone
knew Yannie's step father but he was not taking part in the discussions.
Most of the mothers and the grandmothers were outside with the younger
children.

Sepp showed his slides, documenting the site before, during and up to
today.  The graduate students outlined their research work and results to
date.  Yannie showed his film of the "uncovering" and his slides of the
statue and partly exposed columns.  Dr. Kemp talked about dating and
geology and each academic had his or her say, about what it meant and
placing it in historical context.  We broke for lunch and we boys were
asked to change our uniforms for work clothing.  We all went to the site,
the guests and old people on quads or in wagons, drawn by quads and us boys
and younger ladies on bicycles.

The afternoon discussions were intense.  The museum people wanted the
statue moved to Athens.  Thanos and Dem were adamant that would not happen.
Absolutely out of the question.  The university wanted its people working
with Sepp.  Spirodon was not opposed but Sepp was the lead archeologist on
the project and they would need to pass his academic and professional
standards, to be cleared by the islands', Papas Shipping and "national"
security checks and be prepared to keep the location a complete secret for
all time.  In addition, they would need their own funding.  The Antiquities
people were concerned about security and theft of national treasures.
Elias reminded them that the last time the island was invaded, in an
attempt to kidnap one of our residents, those that remained alive were now
in jail.  He also went on to tell them, their aircraft had been followed
and it was only through the efforts of the Hellenic Air force and Coast
Guard that those followers were cut off north west of Naxos, preserving the
confidentiality of their destination.  They could check his claims when
they got back to Athens.  Apparently the antiquities pirates were better
informed than any of them thought.  Now you know why the site is covered by
some very clever camouflage.

Stavors presented the plan for further work, including the marine survey
and Jason Adonis spoke about the statue copies being made and the idea of a
duplicate shrine, on some other, more accessible island of Antiquities'
choice.  We boys were hard pressed to sit still and keep our comments to
ourselves.  I think most of the others were too, but everyone played their
parts well.  The institutions liked the idea of not having to contribute to
the cost of this.  Mr. Koronios said Olympic Air would fund the placement
of the statue copy in the museum. (Olympic is owned by the people of Greece
anyway.)

Dad waded into the discussion, by pointing out that Greek ship builders had
recently built the replica of a 3500 year old Minion ship, that sailed in
the Aegean Sea.  He also pointed out that a replica of the Argo was on
trial right now, near Volos.  The ship was built with Bronze Age tools, to
the specifications of a Mycenaean era vessel of 28.5 m.  So the idea of a
recreation of the sanctuary, was in fact, quite consistent and evidently,
politically acceptable.

Let me tell you, I was impressed and wanted to cheer but I didn't, and I
could see Kos was proud too.  We were not only proud of dad but mom too.
They both made a contribution and not because I am a patient of Dem's but
because they thought it worthy to do so.

What our boys did not know, nor anyone else, was the pilots of the
government's Twin Otter float plane were asked to fly south and then turn
north west and come over the island of Naxos just in case anyone was still
watching, for the return flight.  Army intelligence had already altered the
original flight plan to show a destination southeast of Naxos.  Obviously
the officials, Antiquities and Museum at least, were being watched.  Also
what Russ could not have known, because he was just a bit to wrapped up in
Sheila and himself, was the effect that his mom and Spiros's mom had on the
younger girls.  They saw these ladies and others like Eva Adonis in
professional roles which was something that would be open to them if they
chose.  Their families were wealthy; all they needed was motivation. Jytte,
Sandra and Sheila already knew that lesson.

After another gourmet meal and lots of interesting conversation, the
visitors departed.  In the morning the Aphrodite would sail to Athens with
the family and mom, dad, Ed, Sheila.  The Adonis clan would fly back to the
Netherlands and North America.  I was not looking forward to saying good by
to Sheila, even if it was only for a couple of weeks.  Dem had talked my
parents into letting Kos and I stay on for another week.  He told them we
were needed, mostly by Kos, I think.  I guess he filled them in on my test
results and outlined his treatment plan.  Simon was to fill me in on the
details when I got home.  He whispered to me, "One part was a constant
supply of high grade male sperm".  He would explain later.

Sheila and I had one last night on the little sail boat.  I was getting
accustomed to sleeping with her, well the sex too.  We made the most of it.
I think she woke me up three times for sex.  I know we both had a hard time
getting up in the morning.  I'm sure it was three times as I counted four
used condoms.

We all put our uniforms on again and saw the Adonis clan off at the air
strip.  A little while later we all boarded the Aphrodite and headed for
Athens.  I spent my time with Sheila and my parents and Judge Carter too.
Kos was around but he seemed to be engaged in some navigational problem
with the older boys.  I had mastered all that math on my first Aphrodite
trip.  In fact, I was almost as fast as Angelo's computer, once they showed
me the equations.  Sheila and I wanted to play kiss face but it would not
be polite, so we didn't.  Bjorn was holding court on the deck outside the
lounge, telling jokes to the boys.  I noticed every once in a while Jytte
would turn red, so they must have been quite risqué.  Apparently Photois
had abandoned her for his camera.  Grandfather Koronios informed us that he
had arranged for Sheila and Ed to fly from Athens to Amsterdam and meet up
with the Adonis aircraft for Chicago.  Mom and dad would fly direct to
London.

When we arrived in Athens everyone departed in long black limos and Sheila
and I said a bitter sweet goodbye on the dock, like in some 1940's war
movie.  Okay, it was not misty or dark but I did have a uniform on.  While
we were saying goodbye to everyone and there were a lot of them, I could
see a whole host of diving equipment, including some remote camera sleds,
were being loaded on the Aphrodite.  Yes!

I know Kos is as interested in learning how to dive as I am and since we
are both first class swimmers... On the way home, back to the island,
Stavors told us how we were all going to assist in the marine archeological
survey.  Man is this exciting.  Anglos would qualify Kos and I, that
afternoon.

The little underwater sled had instruments: sensitive magnetometers and
high res video cameras with powerful lights.  One of the cruisers would
pull it slowly over a tight grid, guided by differential GPS for exact
positioning and computers to keep it on course.  As soon as the grad
students saw anything, they would drop a weighted float and teams of divers
would go down to investigate.  The teams were one man and three boys, a
fourth boy would keep station in a smaller craft, over the dive location.
This is in water no greater then 10 m deep.  For deeper water, the dive
teams would be two of the former navy divers, from the guardians and
security service.  If anything interesting was discovered, the grad
students would go down and assess the potential.

The work would start in the little bay, over by the shrine.  While Kos and
I were being qualified, the others set up all the equipment.  The survey
was to start in the morning.  Even Thanos, Dem and the nurses wanted in on
this.  The Aphrodite would anchor just off shore and be our supply host.
Kos was armed with underwater cameras, just like Photois.  They had both
still and video units with them.  Sure we all had cameras but Kos and
Photois, at least knew what they are doing with them.  My team was mostly
involved with navigation and station marking.  We would guide the sled
under water like a video game, with a joy stick and a few other controls.
After we dropped a few markers we would turn it over to another team and
dive to investigate our markers.  I was diving with Paul, Iason and Elias.
Paul and Elias are powerful swimmers as well as powerful, athletic men.

Most of what we found the first few days were natural things, rocks or
corals, sponges and stuff like that.  On the second day one of the other
teams found what looked like a trail of square stones, not unlike the
"ballast rocks" we picked out of the pool.  Along with them or close by,
one of the graduate students found some "pot shards".  These were pieces of
broken Amphoras.  My team was called down to lay out a detailed survey
grid.  It was made out of yellow polypropylene ropes making squares of 1 m.
Each intersection was held in place by a clever little weight, that had a
plastic, snap ring, clamp device that would prevent the intersecting ropes
from slipping past each other.

Each square was given a little sign with a number on it and photographed.
Then the archeological teams began sifting through the sediment, with great
care placing stuff in a basket, which was hauled up to the surface for
examination.  Any non archeological stuff was sent back to its square in
the basket and replaced.

(Russ is assuming you know what these Amphora "Pot shards" look like and
were used for.  See these sites if you don't:
http://www.greece.org/poseidon/work/cyprus/kyr34.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphora)

Only pieces of different vessels were ever found.  Some were handle parts
and those handles often had the makers hallmark or name on them.  That did
not mean they could be traced or enough of any one pot was recovered to
even suggest what it may have contained.  From the clay used, most of the
pot shards were thought to be Minoan but the lack of decoration on the
surfaces and the handles, offered no clue except to suggest these were
probably ordinary food stuffs and little more.

Everyone had hoped a ship wreck would be found that would shed light on
just who the visitors and builders were.  To date nothing has.  If any
ships were ever wrecked in these waters they must had carried only
materials that did not survive in the shallow, well oxygenated waters.  The
only metals recovered, were from post industrial revolution sources and
these were things probably dropped or lost by passing fishing or sponge
boats.  The boys chose to believe that the gods had been looking favourably
on the site, that is the reason why no clear evidence was ever found.

The Archaeologists chose to believe their data, which suggested the site
builders and keepers were meticulous in making sure nothing identifiable,
was ever left behind.  It is possible few people ever stayed there, except
for short periods of time.  The middens had yielded only evidence of the
foods eaten and approximate numbers.  Fish bones and sea food shells, olive
and date pits and seeds from common food plants, such as figs, pollen from
native trees and grasses, grains and legumes, such as barley and lentils,
bones of domestic animals like lamb, goat, birds and so on.  Little wood
was ever on the island and few hearths were ever operated. They were small
and obviously used intermittently.  No evidence of ovens or making bread
was found.

It was suggested that much of the cooking that took place must have been
along the shore line and been erased by time and waves.  Drift wood was
probably the main fuel source, supplemented by what little the visiting
vessels would have brought.  Since modern currents bring little to the
shores of Paidi Nisi, ancient currents probably didn't bring much either.

Along the shore, in the sand and sand dunes, fishing floats, bottles, line
and net parts, driftwood and other stuff are found, all much too modern.
The science boys concluded, the pre-abandment people utilized or took away
anything that did happen to float ashore.

In and around the foundations of the outbuildings, a few things such as,
pot shards, broken buckles, clasps, knife blades and the like were located.
These were all from the immediate pre abandonment and post CE times.  All
that could be learned was these people were Greeks.  In looking at some of
the other small uninhabited islands, in the area, the science people
learned that much more stuff, like driftwood was common on their shores,
which supports the utilization hypothesis.

The lack of any writing or symbols to identify the post or pre CE
caretakers and builders remains a puzzle.  If the post CE structures were a
true monastery some symbology should have been found.  Since no graves were
ever found and the time lines indicated almost 4500 years of occupation, if
you can call it that, some visitors or residents must have perished.  Given
the customs of the time perhaps the dead were carried away.

I was thrilled to be diving and helping the older boys and the scientists.
It was a real learning experience to say the least.  Since our mystery had
so few clues, it seemed that everyone had a different or slightly different
idea about it.  Professor Albrecth had to admit that all hypotheses were
equally valid.  Grandfather Papis had confirmed that no artifacts of note
were found when the main house, out buildings and docks were built.  We did
find some metal and wood objects around the harbour but they were all quite
modern, at most no older than 1900±.  The present harbour is the best
anchorage to be found on Pside Nisi or any other of the surrounding
uninhabited islands.

After several days, the novelty kind of wore off and we younger boys all
found more fun things to occupy our afternoons, like sailing and swimming.
The most exciting part for me was my opportunity to sleep with Thanos and
Dem.  I had shared a bed and sex with Kos and Eric on more than one
occasion and with many other combinations on the island.  This was
different and well, just thrilling.  Dem started off by giving me another
examination and telling me about my medication which was mostly vitamins
and protein supplements and a few hubris (What? Hubris is pride).  He told
me that I should try and take at least one load of male spunk up my ass a
day, if possible.  He indicated that male ejaculate not only had sperm and
mucus but also low concentrations of male hormones, that would assist the
supplements.  The danger was my puberty would shut down before I was
finished growing.  The male body also makes estrogens and females make some
testosterone, if the two came into balance, my puberty would finish and may
not get restarted, without a big artificial testosterone push.  The
objective of his treatment was to keep the testosterone levels, just high
enough to keep things like growth going, until I had reached my natural
genetic height.

It was the overbalance of male hormones, testosterone being one and
probably the most important one, that encouraged growth and when the
balance is reached the estrogen would cause the bones to harden off,
stopping growth.  He figured from my genetic profile and the family
information provided by Simon that I should reach about 2 meters by 16 or
17.  All we needed to do was keep the pituitary pumping out human growth
factor until then.  I asked why not just give me the growth factor now?  He
told me the body can only grow so fast and it just takes time for things to
happen.

I liked the idea of needing ejaculate up my ass on a regular basis and I
told him so.  Dem laughed a bit.  He told me this was a bit of an
unconventional therapy and not to talk about it to anyone other than Simon.

The data related to this idea is very slim and very hard to get at in any
ethical way.  Since the concentrations are so low in ejaculate and the
levels in the blood a natural, if small variance, can not be proven.  Dem
thought it more likely to be placebo effect, if anything and more
psychological than physical.

Dem then gave me one of his therapeutic massages using some lovely scented
oils and his strong hands.  He told me that I should have as many
ejaculations a day as I felt comfortable having.  I didn't even want to get
off the table.  Okay, the mention of food got me going.

These men loved their sons; all of them.  They loved Kos and me too and
probably Bjorn.  Sex with them was so special because it was not about them
but about you.  It was about bonding and sharing and my pleasure.  It was
obvious they loved each other and when you spent private time with them you
too shred in that love.  They shared it with you and I knew they would
gladly take me into their family.  In fact we three already were part of
the family.  We had been taken in by them and we took them in as well.  It
was unofficial but still very real.  There would always be a place for us
on Paidi Nisi and for them, each and every one of them, in our hearts.

This was just one super great summer.  The best I have ever had, that is
for sure.  I sure had no idea how much and what I had been missing out on
with those people for parents.  Sure not very many boys got to do all this
neat stuff, even ones richer than us or the Papases.  I doubt that many
boys 12 get anything like the sex I do either.  Too bad for them.  It is
not sex that I am talking about.  I felt a little sorry for Kos not having
Nadine here, since I had Shelia for a few days anyway.  He was quite
philosophical about it and didn't lack in quantity or quality, just no
females.

........................................

[Authors note: I don't make everything up, for example, from a September
18, 2006 news release: "Volos - A replica of Argo, a mythical Greek ship
believed to have sailed 3,000 years ago on a heroic quest from Greece to
modern-day Georgia, set sail on Sunday from the central Greek port of Volos
on a trial run.

Built with Bronze Age tools to the specifications of a Mycenaean-era
vessel, the 28.5m wooden ship sailed into the waters of Pagasitikos Bay -
the legendary expedition's original starting point - after a four-year
construction project.

According to Greek legend, the expedition headed by Jason and featuring 50
other heroes - including Hercules and Peleus - sailed to the Black Sea
kingdom of Colchis in a mission to retrieve the Golden Fleece, the skin of
a divine ram.

Equipped with a ram of its own, the 14th century BC ship was of similar
design to the vessels that later carried the Greek armies of the Trojan War
described in Homer's Iliad, the organisers said....Sapa-AFP"]