ABORT MISSION! my brain screamed. RUN AND TAKE COVER SOMEWHERE.
Given the circumstances, it was a reasonable course of action. But I was almost positive that the only thing more awkward than being this close to my dad was running away from him in panic, concealer in hand, so I forced myself to stand still, biting hard on the inside of my cheek.
Focus on the job, Liv.
He was right about his brows. They didn’t want to take creative direction from anyone. I didn’t get it all perfect, but when I finally stepped back, he did look better. Well rested and camera ready. Professional.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
“Wow, good job,” Theo called from behind the camera. “That made a big difference. Okay, boss. You ready?”
“Ready.” My dad nodded, and I moved behind Theo to watch.
“Does he need cue cards or something?” I asked.
Theo snorted. “You are joking, right? Okay, everyone. Quiet, please.” Then he counted down, going silent on the three, two, one. And then all eyes were on my dad, even mine.
“It’s the year 1646 BC. You’re asleep in your home, your loved ones around you, when you hear something outside, a deafening eruption. Welcome to phase one of one of the largest volcanic explosions in history.” His voice was loud but calm, and he gazed intently into the camera, his eyes focused.
“Phase one was the volcano’s warning shot—frightening, but not devastating to the island’s many residents. Ash and pumice burst into the air, leaving behind seven meters of debris. Phase two was a massive explosion of lava, which darkened the sky and brought tremendous heat and lightning.
“Phrase three devastated the island. Pyroclastic flows, a powerful combination of hot ash, gases, and lava, sped over the ocean’s surface, decimating everything in their path. Anything not covered with ash would have been vaporized and destroyed.”
He gestured to the caldera. “And then phase four, the volcano’s now empty magma chamber collapsed, forming a large bowl. As ocean water flowed in, steam and pressure built, culminating in the grand finale, a massive explosion, many times that of an atom bomb. The displacement of so much water created tsunamis, with waves sixty feet and higher that traveled five miles in all directions. And finally, there were the earthquakes.” He stepped forward, his eyes intense. “This was the destruction of Atlantis. As Plato said, ‘There occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea.’ ”
His voice had taken almost a singsong quality, but now it solidified. Clear and ominous. “Imagine, in the space of three days, an entire city, an entire civilization, decimated. Not a single bone or body was left behind. This was the destruction of Atlantis.”
His eyes traveled away from the camera, finding mine, and their intensity glued me to the ground. “What was lost is now found. Welcome to Atlantis.”
Chapter Twelve
#12. MEN’S HERRINGBONE SILK TIE AND POCKET SQUARE, NAVY BLUE, STILL IN THE BOX
I loved everything about Atlantis, but the part I loved most was what my dad called Celebration Planning. It was as much a part of our Atlantis hunt as nailing down its exact location.
Though we already knew where Atlantis was, it was now a matter of saving up enough money so we could go to Santorini to prove our theory.
And once we found it, the celebrations would begin. Our picture would be on the front page of every newspaper in the world, and there would be a parade with fireworks and marching bands, me waving from the top of a shimmering float. The entire world would know my name: Olive Varanakis, the girl who discovered Atlantis. The president of the United States would hold a ball in my honor. I wasn’t sure what I would wear for such an occasion, but my dad knew: he’d wear his silk tie, the one he’d purchased during the few months he’d worked at a men’s tailoring shop.
Included on our list for party planning: a ten-foot chocolate fountain, three bedazzled elephants, and a conga line that would stretch at least twenty blocks.
It never occurred to me not to believe him. He had the tie already, didn’t he?
IT WAS EASY TO WATCH him through a camera lens. I didn’t have to worry so much about what had or hadn’t worked between us. I could see him as anyone else would: someone who was interested in Atlantis, not someone who had left me for Atlantis. It was a monumental difference.
My body did not care in the slightest that I had made up my mind about how to react to my dad. I could blame the heat and sulfur for the light-headedness and stomachache, but I couldn’t mistake my galloping heart for anything else. Excitement.
Despite the fact that she likely hadn’t understood any of it, the woman standing next to me sighed, then nudged me, beaming up at me happily. I couldn’t do anything but smile back. The entire thing had been magical. And those final words, what was lost is now found…
Well, they had sent chills spiraling down my spine.
He hadn’t looked at his notes once. He hadn’t even paused. And he’d quoted Plato like he was someone he met up with once a week for coffee. Listening to him, I latched on to every word, every rise and crackle of his voice. He had completely sucked me in. One minute I’d been sweating it out with the rest of the residents of modern Thira, and the next I was transported back in time to the moment when it had all changed. I had heard the panic of the Minoans waking in their beds, confused, then running for their lives. I’d smelled the sulfur. I’d felt the impending rush and terror of the tsunamis. I’d been there.
“Wow,” I whispered.
“Told you,” Theo said, not even lifting his eyes from the screen. I glanced behind me and realized that—exactly as Theo had said—a small crowd had formed, a group of tourists who must have seen the camera and quietly made their way over to us.
A few of them lobbed questions at my dad, and he smiled graciously, then began answering them one by one, as Theo and I crowded around the camera to watch it play back to us. The shot looked incredible—balanced and interesting—and even without sound I could already tell that the camera had captured his intensity. He looked natural, confident, and completely in his element. My dad, apparently, had been born for film.
“Wow,” I said again, but the word was pitifully inadequate, an ember compared to an aerial firework.
Theo met my eyes. “In the words of every victorious winner in the history of Greece, I told you so.”
I punched his arm but couldn’t help smiling. “Has it all been this good?”
“Better. I think he was nervous because you were here. Usually he moves his arms around more and it gets even more intense. He was a bit, as the Americans say, off his game.”
“What do you think, Liv?” Dad called, managing to disentangle himself from the crowd. “Did it look okay?”
My heart was swelling in my chest. I’d seen only ten minutes of footage, but already I knew that the documentary had the potential to be life changing.
Part of me wanted to downplay his performance, but I couldn’t do it. Not if I wanted to maintain even a scrap of integrity. “Dad, you were amazing. National Geographic is going to lose their minds.”