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In ancient ti the Delphic Oracle was perhaps the most frequently visited in the coht out the Pythia of the day, usually a local woman chosen to temporarily serve as the Oracle’s earthly conduit

Scientists had in the last few years relieved Delphi of its ly omniscient trance into which the Pythia would fall was in fact caused byfrom the rock beneath the temple

An attack on Delphi would have been in keeping with Xerxes’Delphi would have been tantaods, similar to what he had done in Babylon with Bel-Marduk

Reht after he crushed the Spartans at Thermopylae, Xerxes sent a battalion of seven thousand end they were turned away by a timely rockslide sent by Apollo himself”

“Which may or may not be true, if I recall my ancient history correctly”

Remi nodded “There’s a lot of debate about that Okay, let’s continue the assu party wasn’t turned back? What could they have taken?”

“The Pythia herself, but unless Bondaruk’s looking for a skeleton, that doesn’t seem likely How about the Omphalos?”

The Omphalos, or “navel,” was a hollow-cored pineapple-shaped stone that was said to have been modeled after a rock that Zeus’s s to trick Zeus’s father, Cro nus, who in a jealous rage was bent onthe newborn

Situated within the Delphic teedly allowed direct coain scientists had since speculated that the hollow nature of the Oases into the Pythia’s lungs

Reo There are plenty of accounts of the O the war The probleed to steal the Declaration of Independence during the War of 1812, how anxious would the US government have been to admit it?”

“True What else?”

“There were plenty of treasuries at Delphi Two in particular were said to have been centers of wealth: the Treasury of Argos and the Siphnian Treasury They had sonificance, but they were essentially sold and silver repositories”

Saain, it’s possible, but Kholkov said Bondaruk was after a ‘faacy’ That sounds a little more personal than loot from an ancient bank robbery”

“Plus, he said, ‘finish as begun a long tio’ Sounds like a mission of some kind”

Sa out of steaht and pick it up tomorrow”