Vito was at the café when I arrived the next morning. He sat in the corner facing the doorway and raised his leathery hand to me and smiled.
“Athena,” Vito said.
“Yes,” I replied, but was unsure where the Greek goddess would take us.
“The Temple of Athena. You remember it, no?” asked Vito.
“Yes, no…wait,” I begged as I flipped back through my journal.
“Himera…480 B.C…” Vito offered kindly.
“No. What am I saying? Of course, yes,” but I was stalling. While I paged backward, Vito returned to tell me the story again.
“Gelon, tyrant of Siracusa, defeated the Carthaginians in a great battle near Himera in 480 B.C. He celebrated the victory by building a massive Temple to Athena outside his city. Well, it was upon this foundation that Zosimo built the Cathedral of Syracuse.”
I thought I k
