Project Cyclops Part 90

"Maybe not, but a deal's a deal. Poseidon was the G.o.d of the sea, and the G.o.d of anger. This is Greece, so maybe the old G.o.ds are still around. Maybe I tempted Poseidon and p.i.s.sed him off. Anyway, the sea got angry, and that's how it goes. The way of the G.o.ds. Ten big ones."

"Well," Calypso Andros said, "speaking of G.o.ds, Aphrodite was the G.o.ddess of love and beauty. The Greeks were smart enough to give you a selection. So you ought to think about burning some incense to her next time. Or something. Maybe fall in love. I hear she likes that, too."

"Good suggestion." He glanced over.

"Michael, I feel so rootless," she said finally, leaning against him, strands of hair across his shoulder. "Not close to anybody, really. Now that SatCom doesn't need my mothering any more, I want to try and start a few things over . . . and the place I want to start is Naxos. _My _Odyssey."

He just nodded, understanding.

"I want to go back to my old home," she went on, almost a

sad confession. "I haven't been there for over twenty years. We had such a beautiful little whitewashed house. Looked out on a bay. It was tiny, but I still sneak back there in my dreams. I want to make sure it survived."

"Don't think you have to worry. The shock wave was probably well dissipated by the time it hit Paros and Naxos. Fact is, I doubt it did any real damage to any of the islands."

'Then why don't we go there together? Your _Odyssey_ and mine."

"It's a done deal."

"Good." She straightened, suddenly becoming businesslike. "Just as soon as we find out about VX-1. If it made orbit and if anything is salvageable. Georges should know by tomorrow morning. Then I want to split for a while."

"It would do us both good. Have to. And you know, since we're definitely going to need some transportation, I think I'm getting an idea." He nodded down toward the twenty-eight-foot Morgan, pristine white, bobbing at anchor in the harbor. "Looks pretty seaworthy to me.

Think Bill would mind?"

"With all the SatCom stock I've got now?" She reached out and touched his face. "I'll just fire him if he says a word."

BOOKS BY THOMAS HOOVER

Nonfiction

Zen Culture

The Zen Experience

Fiction

The Moghul

Caribbee

Wall Street _Samurai_

(The _Samurai_ Strategy)

Project Daedalus

Project Cyclops

Life Blood

Syndrome