Alida Athanasiou craned her long neck to look out of the cabin window of the big jet as it banked on its final approach to the Athens airport. She felt goosebumps on her arms as she got her first glimpse of the "high city",
acro polis
in ancient Greek. There it was, the temple of Athena, crowning the birthplace of democracy and home of her ancestors. How many pictures had she seen of this ancient marvel, how many lessons on Greek history had she taught to inattentive, hormone-soaked eighth graders, trying her best to ignite in them some tiny spark of interest in something other than her full breasts and long, shapely legs. But no, she only saw envious looks from the girls and outright lust from the boys. Even the frequently salacious myths of the Olympian gods which she herself loved couldn't break through.
But now she was here at last, on a long-awaited vacation to the land of her dreams. Abruptly she realized that her seatmate was using the view of Athens as one more excuse to ogle her breasts. Why, oh why had she not thought before changing to shorts and a halter in Rome! She couldn't help it if she was attractive, but she should have had more sense than to leave her lustrous dark hair long, and perhaps wear big sunglasses to draw attention away from her smooth pale skin and full coral lips. She squirmed and tried to make herself smaller but realized that she had inadvertently accentuated her ample cleavage.
Not that she wished she weren't beautiful; she did secretly enjoy the looks men gave her, and even the frankly inviting stares from some of the more mature boys in her classes. But she wished she could somehow avoid unwelcome male attention when she wanted to, like now. Oh well, they'd be landing soon, and she could lose herself in the wonders of ancient Greece, exploring the locale of some of the marvelous and even scandalous legends she taught about. She straightened up in her seat and waited.
She spent a week in Athens. She loved every minute of it. She visited all the ancient sites, ate wonderful food in outdoor restaurants and wandered freely about the city. She could have had plenty of male companionship if she wanted it, given the frequency of attempted pickups by Greek males, but except for a single night with a very handsome waiter in her local taverna, she passed.
Athens was marvelous, but she was glad to pick up her rental car and head south to the Peloponnesus, the site of so many of the great Greek legends, of gods and goddesses, satyrs and monsters, of Cerberus, Hydra, Echidna, centaurs, harpies, and so many other wonderful characters. She wanted so much to see the land over which they roamed and ruled and had their way with poor mortals.
A few days later she visited Sparta. What a disappointment that was! Nothing of the ancient city remained. Just a tatty, dusty commercial town. Leaving it behind, she drove south, toward the Mediterranean, following the ancient Eurotas, now a sad remnant of its ancient self, drained by irrigation. Still, the ancient land was there, and beautiful yet. She could easily picture Diana hunting stags along its banks, or Athena resting beside an olive tree. Perhaps Zeus had flown over this land seeking women to satisfy his lust, pursued by Hera in her jealousy.
Dressed casually in a short skirt and a loose-fitting blouse, she picked up a small lunch of olives, cheese, and wine in Skortsinos, and around noon pulled over by the river. She found a secluded flat area by a wide spot in the river and spread the blanket she had bought in Athens. She ate her light lunch and indulged in some heady Greek wine. The day was warm, the ancient countryside basking under the Aegean sun. She listened to the birds and the lazy buzzing of bees. She watched some swans swimming in the gentle eddies of the river. She relaxed, embracing the ambiance of the timeless scene. The warm sultry Greek afternoon combined with the wine to lull her into a kind of reverie, imagining herself in some of the ancient legends. Looking around to be sure she was alone, she unbuttoned her blouse and her skirt and removed them to try to feel what it must have been like in those ancient days without the bonds of modern clothes. The Mediterranean sun felt sensual on her breasts and her long legs. She lay back and idly watched the clouds, peopling them with imagined gods on their mysterious errands.
A motion in the sky caught her attention. There was a swan up there, flying in circles. It hadn't been there a minute ago. It was a rather large swan, and it seemed to be circling the spot where she was. Unusual for a swan, it seemed to glide through the air as if it didn't really need wings. She had the curious sensation that the bird was watching her, examining her.
"You like what you see, bird?" she said teasingly. "Here, get an eyeful, then." She took off her bra. The sun felt wonderful on her bare breasts. She lay back, propped on her elbows, her legs spread out before her.
