Poseidon: Ruler of the Sea
As Lara exited the Damocles doorway, she remembered about the switch that was hiding on one of the columns on the second floor central landing nearby. It was only a matter of hopping over to the landing before she was able to locate the switch and pull it down. When the torches lit themselves, Lara could hear the sound of a door opening far above her current location, suggesting that she would have to go back to the very top of the room to find the third open door. Looking down towards the bottom of the room, she was surprised that Pierre was not seen anywhere or trying to kill her. Where could he have disappeared to? Lara thought to herself.
"Hmm. That's odd." she then said out loud. "Where did he go?"
For her, Pierre's absence was all the more relieving and it meant that the journey back to the top would not be as much of a gruelling process. The only thing that was not certain was whether or not Pierre was waiting for another perfect opportunity to get her. Lara stayed on her toes as she began the upward climb to the top of the room.
As Lara approached the edge of the platform on the opposite side of the room relative to the Poseidon doorway, she remembered the hidden switch on the landing just below the top where she stood. Lara figured that it would be best to wait to pull the switch until after she acquired the third key out of the constant fear that Pierre might catch her off-guard. As a precaution, Lara made one final look towards the bottom of the room to make sure Pierre was not able to see her. Then, she quickly hopped to the top of the central structure and then jumped again upon reaching the far edge of the platform and landed safely near the now open doorway.
Lara entered the room and was immediately greeted with a pleasant surprise. Shimmering in the centre of the medium-sized room under the sunlight that was flooding its way in through large skylight in the ceiling was pool of crystal clear water. Below the surface of the water, Lara was able to see the well-kept surviving Greek artwork that decorated the pool walls. The most prominent aspect, other than the light-blue background, were the depictions of various species of aquatic sea life. The dolphins caught were the most prominent depictions on the walls, displaying vibrant hues of blue, yellow-orange (mango), and white. Also in the pool was a submerged staircase that lead to the bottom, where a long underwater hallway was seen. At the end of the hallway was a large closed underwater gate that seemed to lead into another room.
"How intriguing!" Lara said as she starred into the clear water. "I was expecting this area to be water themed, but I never expected anything like this! I wonder if there's a way to open that underwater gate."
Looking around the room, Lara found other interesting surprises. On the left side of the pool, she could see a tall statue of Poseidon himself carrying his symbolic trident. On the far end of the room, Lara saw that it opened into another area that divided from the main room by a large column. She walked over to other room and examined the intricate stone carvings on the wall. The carvings depicted a line of men dressed in togas as well as some who had nothing on at all.
"Who are these people?" Lara wondered as she stared at the intricate carvings. "Obviously this is the work of an ancient Greek artist. Were these real individuals? They almost look like slaves."
Turning around, Lara gazed and saw three decorative fish fountains, each of them still pouring water from their mouths and into small pools of clear water. She found it hard to believe that after millennia of abandonment that these works of ancient plumbing were still in operation. Lara went to the nearest fountain and stuck her hand in the cold water and, without even thinking about it, scooped a handful of it in her mouth. It was entirely pure and untainted with moss or any other kinds of loose debris. For Lara, it was almost comparable to the water she got from her sink back home.
"It's known that the ancients had very complicated and reliable filtration systems." she said. "Now I'm actually seeing and tasting more proof of it here. This is just too amazing!"
As Lara walked back over to the decorated pool of water, she was quick to notice a large pulley behind the large column that separated the two rooms. She grabbed it and started to pull it, realizing that it was being pulled down by something extremely heavy. Lara used her strength to pull the large chain until it was no longer able to be pulled. Remarkably, the pulley stayed in place and did not fall back into its original state. After a moment, Lara walked back over to the pool of water and found her suspicion to be correct once again. The large gate that blocked the underwater hallway was now open and she was now able to see what lies beyond it.
"Hopefully my sandwich doesn't get wet. I have it sealed pretty tight." Lara said as she stepped down onto the submerged staircase and started treading through the cool water. "Let's see what's at the end of the water tunnel."
Once the water was deep enough and Lara was treading water, she dove below the surface and started to swim down the submerged tunnel. Although the water was a bit chilly for her liking, she remained persistent and continued swimming forward into the unknown areas that lay beyond. After Lara swam past the open gate, she could clearly see that the tunnel opened up into a larger area. Once she emerged into the new area, she immediately swam up to surface and catch her breath. Looking around, Lara found herself in a large submerged hall with two landings, one submerged below the water above the bottom surface and the other "floating" at the top. In addition, there were walkways leading from the central platforms to small alcoves around the outer edges of the room very much like the main hall. Besides the large quantity of water, the room was different in that it was much smaller than the main, as well as the fact that the central landings, as well as the entire room, were circular. The other features of the room that Lara found worth noting were the echoing sounds of running water and the shimmering reflected light on the walls that was being contributed by the sunlight pouring in from the open ceiling. Lara swam over to the top landing and climbed out of the water. Looking straight ahead, she could see a large metal gate at the end of a walkway that only lead to a small room. However, as Lara ventured closer to the gate, she was able to spot a small Ionic pedestal that contained an item. It was the Key of Poseidon. Studded in the centre of the key was a large aquamarine gemstone which suited the watery deity it was dedicated to. The gate was obviously much too heavy for Lara to lift on her own, so she immediately turned around to look for a possible solution.
"Well, at least nothing or no one is trying to kill me!" she said.
Looking ahead in the direction she came, Lara finally noticed the two other walkways that were connected to the central circular platform to the left and to right of her. They both lead to huge beautifully crafted fish fountains similar to the ones in the previous room. And, just like the other statues, they were also pouring water from their mouths, feeding the large quantity of water that filled the room through small circular holes. However, there was something strange about the level of the water. Although a large quantity of it was being poured in with the rest at stupendous rate, the water level remained constant. That meant the water was also being drained out of the room too, and at the same rate it was being replenished. This made Lara think.
"I think I have another puzzle on my hands." she said as she started for the fish statue to her left. "Somehow, I have to lower the level of the water in order to get to what's down below without running out of breath."
Upon reaching the landing where the giant fish was set, Lara studied it to see if there were any switches or hidden mechanisms that would affect the flow of the water. After a few moments, Lara was able to spot a small lever switch that was connected to the fish's mouth. She pulled it and was pleased to see that the mouth of statue was blocked and the water flow had come to a halt. As a result, the water in the room was already starting to diminish before her eyes.
"Well, that was easy to figure out." Lara said. "Now I have to fix the other statue too."
Reaching the other side of the room across the walkways, Lara was able to find the switch controlling the mouth of the other statue. Sure enough, the water in the room was beginning to drain twice as fast, revealing the other lower walkways that had been submerged for millennia. After about ten minutes, the water in the room was completely gone and Lara started to search for a way to get to the bottom of the room, where a suspicious-looking passage was seen. It was another minute before Lara found a nearby wall that was suitable for her rock-climbing skills and she started carefully making her way towards the landing below. One slip-up would mean instant death upon reaching the ground.
"These stones are almost too slippery to climb on." Lara said as she reached the halfway point. At that moment, her left hand started to slip on the wet stone and her heart started racing with a sudden rush of adrenaline. Thankfully, she was able to save herself and regain her concentration before finally reaching the second landing. After stepping safely onto the walkway, Lara turned around and started walking towards the central support structure supporting the landings and walked to the other side, past the now waterless tunnel where she first entered and found a large section of the walkway missing. Looking down to the ground, Lara judged that the ground was still a little far away, but was close enough for her to drop safely down. It was only a matter of moments before she would discover the possible hidden secret down the small passageway, if there was one. She grabbed the grabbed the edge and hung above the ground before safely dropping to the bottom of the room. The impact was slightly rough, but not rough to cause any major injuries. After a few moments of recovering, Lara walked over the small dark passage and discovered another chain pulley that controlled a hidden mechanism.
"Could this be the switch for the gate at the top of the room?" Lara wondered as she started pulling on it. To her utter satisfaction, the pulley remained in place with each new pull and the sound of moving metal was heard from the top of the room. To be sure it was what she thought it was, Lara walked back out into the tall room and looked to the top, where the large metal gate stood wide open. A smile crept across her face, knowing that her luck paid off once again.
"Now, to get back to the top." she said.
After about five minutes of climbing, Lara was able to reach the top of the room and regain her sense of stability. The climb up to the top proved to be much harder than the climb down, but she was relieved that she had made it up the slippery stone steps. She walked over to the open gate and grabbed the Key of Poseidon from the pedestal before placing it in her backpack with the others.
"Only one more to find." Lara said. "Somehow, I'm under the impression that the last key is going to be a challenge to get. Let's hope it isn't!"
Lara only needs to find one more key before she can open the grand door at the bottom of the main hall. What will Lara find behind the door of Hephaestus? Stay tuned for the next update. I look forward to bringing you the final chapter of St. Francis' Folly! :)
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