It was a stormy winter’s night when Barak began to make his approach into Lindos bay. The waves churned and writhed with anger tossing Barak and his crew around the deck of their galleon. Poseidon was coming for Barak and he knew it, and the only refuge he could think of was the tiny cove at the town of Lindos.
Some days earlier, Barak had undertaken a daring mission forced upon him by the king of Athens. The corrupt king had taken Barak’s only son, the one person who could carry on his family legacy. His mission was take the sapphire of the sea, one of the most extravagant jewels in Poseidon’s crown, which could be found deep inside a cave on the cliffs of Santorini. It was a dangerous task to undertake, but if there was anyone who could do it, it was Barak. He was known throughout the Greek isles for his courage and ability to strike enemies down, hence the name Barak which translates to lightning. He hastily assembled a crew for his mission and set off in one of the king’s boats.
The waters between Athens and Santorini were sleepy and calm as Barak and his men sailed for the mysterious cave. Poseidon was clearly resting at this time so they needed to take advantage of the situation. It took 2 days to sail to their final destination and by this time the crew were becoming nervous. Stories of men disappearing at sea and huge sea monsters sent from the depths to consume sailors were beginning to sound more and more real. Could Poseidon really do these things to those who had angered him? As Barak sat pondering this thought, a strange gurgling came from beneath the boat…
On the morning of the second day, the sheer granite cliffs of Santorini came into view, seemingly rising from ocean like Hades from the underworld. It was an imposing sight to all that beheld it, however Barak hastily reminded everyone to be on the lookout for the cave in which Poseidon’s crown was kept. The men searched the imperious cliffs all day but to no avail, and with night drawing in decided to call it a day. Speculations had already begun to arise that this was just some sort of a wild goose chase, a myth taken too literally. Sitting in his cabin, Barak studied the charts given to him by the king of Athens under the warm light of a candle. The cave was clearly marked on the scrolls, however there was no sign of it on the cliffs in front of them. He sat contemplating his findings long into the night as the blazing orange sky transitioned into inky darkness. It was in the early hours of the morning on day three of the expedition that an idea came to him. What if after all this time, they had been looking too far up the cliffs. The charts did not show where the water met the rock, so there could be a chance that the treasure sat below the waves. Once all of the men had awoken, Barak voiced his opinion and asked for two volunteers to accompany him in his underwater search. The men were hesitant at first. A low his of whispering voices enveloped the ship, but eventually two men stepped forward. That was that then, the mission could commence.
Barak and the two men prepared for the dive by tying rope around their wastes, so that if anything were to go wrong the men on the ship could haul them out of the murky depths. Peering down from the deck of the ship, Barak watched as the ocean writhed in anticipation below him. It looked as though it was waiting to swallow him up like a hungry beast. In any other situation, the terror causing through his veins would get the better of him, but this was different. His sons life was on the line, and nothing else in the world mattered apart from that boys life. Taking one last gulp of salty sea air, Barak launched himself off the deck, his companions quickly following suit. Once under the water, the men began feeling their way around the cliffs in search of the crevice that held their prize, only surfacing for air or to communicate their findings. After what felt like hours, the only thing they had found was a sunken galley which had probably gone down during a storm. It was not what they were hoping for and it was getting to the point where all really did seem lost. Barak however was curious about sunken galley. It was lain up against the side of the cliffs which seemed odd. Diving down once again, he swam up to the side which lay against the sheer rock wall. It all seemed normal, but through his blurred vision he made out a small cave partially covered by the sunken ship. This had to be it.
Quickly swimming up to the surface, Barak called out to his fellow divers that he had found a cave. Without so much of a word, the men all nodded to each other as a sign of readiness and went down into the depths of the mighty ocean. Feeling around for a gap in the wreck, they came to the conclusion that the only way through would be to squeeze through one at a time. Clasping their leather sacks that they had filled with air, they took turns pulling and pushing each other through the gap and swam off into the unlit cave, and as they left the warm glow of light behind Barak swore he could hear a gurgling moan from in front of him…
After another minute or so, the men stopped to take in the air from their leather sacks. It was a welcome relief to all but now they knew their was none left till they returned. The men continued to swim up the cave which seemed to travel upwards. Rounding a bend, Barak saw what looked like light a few feet in front of him. Swimming up towards the light source, the men finally found that they had entered a large cavern that was lit with a few ancient looking torches. Leaving the water behind them, they gratefully took huge gulps of air and admired the beauty of the cavern. Large stalagmites hung from the ceiling like polished daggers and the granite walls were studded with various seashells and gem stones. In the center of the room stood pillar of marble shaped like twisted seaweed and upon it sat a magnificent crown that shone in the low light of the torches. Without hesitation Barak approached it and marveled at its beauty. This was the item that could bring his son home. Grasping the crown, he slowly lifted it from its perch and placed it into a velvet sack given to him by the king.
Seconds later the ground began to rumble and the water in the passageway began to bubble up with anger. Poseidon had awoken and must have known that his crown was missing. Barak went to consult his fellow divers but they were frozen with fear. They had thought this only a myth, and the reality of the situation had taken them completely off guard. Barak had no time to reassure his men, so he left them to fend for themselves; jumping into the swirling pool of water and swimming as quickly as his body would let him. The whole time he swimming in absolute darkness and the impending feeling of doom was beginning to get hold of him. Just as his lungs began to heave for some oxygen, Barak came to the gap between the wreck and the cliff. Squeezing through, he noticed the water was suddenly stormy and could feel the current dragging him towards the cliffs; he was now a mere piece of driftwood at the mercy of the ocean. Struggling up towards his ship, he burst through the surface of the ocean, gasping for air. The men pulled him aboard using the rope tied to his waste and got him some dry clothes. All the while, they tugged on the ropes of the other men who were still missing. For some reason the ropes were far too easy to pull up and after a while it became clear as to why. The men were nowhere to be seen. If anyone else thought this was still just myth then the reality would now hit home.
The churning of the sea made it almost impossible to steer the ship, however Barak’s helmsman battled heroically with the wheel. The ship sailed East, following the stars and battling the oceans as it tried to escape the storm. Poseidon was persistent and ruthless, more than a few times sweeping sailors overboard as they worked on deck. The sight of an island on the horizon brought hope to the exhausted crew who had battled for more than a day. Barak could see the iconic temple on the cliff side and realized they nearing the port of Rhodes. Commanding his helmsman to make for the port, he breathed a sigh of relief and prepared his crew for landing. The ship was to be repaired and re-stocked with supplies as quickly as possible. As the ship was about to enter the cove, a huge was rose seemingly out of nowhere. It crested at an extraordinary height and came crashing down upon the hapless vessel sending the men, including Barak, flying like feathers in a gust of wind. The ship rolled under the water, crashing against the rocks and sending splintered wood flying in all directions. Poseidon had caught them now, and taken his revenge by taking their lives.
Baraks body, along with many of his crew were washed up on the shores of Lindos bay and buried at the church by locals. The man of lightning had been struck down, and he still rests in Lindos to this day.