saying is that the twentieth Hafsid, Uthman, claimed to have the testament of the failed
strategoi
, Hermocrates. That testament must mean Plato’s third dialogue, which was supposed to be named after him.”
“Which you said doesn’t exist,” Jake said.
“It isn’t
supposed
to exist.” Atticus’s eyes gleamed. “But what if it does?”
“So wait,” Dan said. “What’s this even have to do with Atlantis?”
“Nothing,” Amy said. “Atticus, Dan is right, Atlantis is a myth.”
“Everybody was pretty sure Troy was a myth,” Jake said. “Until Calvert and Schliemann found it.”
“But that’s different!”
“How?” Atticus said, and then held up another book. “This is Plato’s
Critias
, okay? It’s the second of the three dialogues and the first time anyone in history mentions a place called Atlantis. It’s
just
like how everyone thought Troy was something Homer made up in the
Iliad
until they actually found it.”
“I don’t know . . .” Amy said.
Atticus practically bounced in his chair. “Okay,” he said. “Was there once an island-based world power with, like, super technology and mermaids that completely vanished? Duh, of course not! But could there have been some powerful kingdom thousands of years ago that was destroyed in a natural disaster? And then, over thousands of years, the myth of it grew until Plato wrote about it and called it Atlantis? Why not?”
“But we found Troy,” Amy said. “With all the technology we have today, how could we have missed an entire
island
?”
“Who knows?” Atticus said. “If it’s really, really, really old, maybe there’s not a lot left to find. Or maybe we’re looking in the wrong places. I mean, it’s not like Plato left us a map in
Critias
or anything.”
“But maybe he did in
Hermocrates
,” Dan said.
“Exactly,” Atticus said. “Look, all I know is that Atlantis theories have always been a kind of hobby for our dad. And the second he saw this stuff in Olivia’s notebook, stuff that seemed to reference a way to find the
actual
Atlantis, he ran like his life depended on it.”
Jake frowned. “You’re saying he wasn’t kidnapped at all.”
“Exactly! He just saw one of the biggest discoveries in history and went after it. That’s why his house was such a wreck. It wasn’t ransacked. You know how Dad is! He was probably so excited to get after it that he tore the place apart grabbing what he needed and ran without even closing the door.”
“Ran where, though?” Amy asked.
“To research Uthman, I’m guessing. If he can find where Uthman was keeping the
Hermocrates
, then maybe he can find Atlantis.”
Amy considered a moment and then shook her head. “Atticus, you and Jake should go check on your dad, but Dan and I have to go back to searching for the silphium.”
“Fine,” Jake said. “Come on, Atticus. We can start at his house and go from there.”
“Wait!” Atticus said as his brother reached for the door. “There’s one more thing.”
“What?”
Atticus sat back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest and a broad smile on his face. He looked unusually pleased with himself.
“The note Olivia made about Leonardo’s joke. Remember? When she asked him where she could find the silphium, he said she should look —”
“On the Island of the Athenian,” Dan said. “But . . .”
The words had barely left Dan’s mouth when it hit him like an avalanche.
“Plato,” Dan said. “He was totally from Athens, wasn’t he?”
“A born-and-raised Athenian,” Atticus said, and waved his hands like he had just performed a magic trick. “Making Atlantis his island and where we’ll find silphium.”
Another astounded silence descended on the room. Dan felt as if his head was buzzing. Jake turned to Amy with a smirk.
“So,” he said. “Looks like we’re headed to the same place.”
Amy was on a ladder high above the library floor when her cell phone hummed. She set aside
strategoi
, Hermocrates. That testament must mean Plato’s third dialogue, which was supposed to be named after him.”
“Which you said doesn’t exist,” Jake said.
“It isn’t
supposed
to exist.” Atticus’s eyes gleamed. “But what if it does?”
“So wait,” Dan said. “What’s this even have to do with Atlantis?”
“Nothing,” Amy said. “Atticus, Dan is right, Atlantis is a myth.”
“Everybody was pretty sure Troy was a myth,” Jake said. “Until Calvert and Schliemann found it.”
“But that’s different!”
“How?” Atticus said, and then held up another book. “This is Plato’s
Critias
, okay? It’s the second of the three dialogues and the first time anyone in history mentions a place called Atlantis. It’s
just
like how everyone thought Troy was something Homer made up in the
Iliad
until they actually found it.”
“I don’t know . . .” Amy said.
Atticus practically bounced in his chair. “Okay,” he said. “Was there once an island-based world power with, like, super technology and mermaids that completely vanished? Duh, of course not! But could there have been some powerful kingdom thousands of years ago that was destroyed in a natural disaster? And then, over thousands of years, the myth of it grew until Plato wrote about it and called it Atlantis? Why not?”
“But we found Troy,” Amy said. “With all the technology we have today, how could we have missed an entire
island
?”
“Who knows?” Atticus said. “If it’s really, really, really old, maybe there’s not a lot left to find. Or maybe we’re looking in the wrong places. I mean, it’s not like Plato left us a map in
Critias
or anything.”
“But maybe he did in
Hermocrates
,” Dan said.
“Exactly,” Atticus said. “Look, all I know is that Atlantis theories have always been a kind of hobby for our dad. And the second he saw this stuff in Olivia’s notebook, stuff that seemed to reference a way to find the
actual
Atlantis, he ran like his life depended on it.”
Jake frowned. “You’re saying he wasn’t kidnapped at all.”
“Exactly! He just saw one of the biggest discoveries in history and went after it. That’s why his house was such a wreck. It wasn’t ransacked. You know how Dad is! He was probably so excited to get after it that he tore the place apart grabbing what he needed and ran without even closing the door.”
“Ran where, though?” Amy asked.
“To research Uthman, I’m guessing. If he can find where Uthman was keeping the
Hermocrates
, then maybe he can find Atlantis.”
Amy considered a moment and then shook her head. “Atticus, you and Jake should go check on your dad, but Dan and I have to go back to searching for the silphium.”
“Fine,” Jake said. “Come on, Atticus. We can start at his house and go from there.”
“Wait!” Atticus said as his brother reached for the door. “There’s one more thing.”
“What?”
Atticus sat back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest and a broad smile on his face. He looked unusually pleased with himself.
“The note Olivia made about Leonardo’s joke. Remember? When she asked him where she could find the silphium, he said she should look —”
“On the Island of the Athenian,” Dan said. “But . . .”
The words had barely left Dan’s mouth when it hit him like an avalanche.
“Plato,” Dan said. “He was totally from Athens, wasn’t he?”
“A born-and-raised Athenian,” Atticus said, and waved his hands like he had just performed a magic trick. “Making Atlantis his island and where we’ll find silphium.”
Another astounded silence descended on the room. Dan felt as if his head was buzzing. Jake turned to Amy with a smirk.
“So,” he said. “Looks like we’re headed to the same place.”
Amy was on a ladder high above the library floor when her cell phone hummed. She set aside
Similar Books
