Divine Chaos

Chapter 3 - The Temple

Chapter 3.

I don't know what I pictured in my head when I thought about what the ruins of this old Athenian temple would look like. Possibly a few columns lying in a field of grass and the remains of a stone platform that the old temple would've stood on.

But I know for sure they were nothing like what it truly looks like.

My eyes widen as I finish walking up the rise of the hill that the temple sits upon with the rest of my class, and I take in the view as we all gather around Mr Tanner, who is standing next to a locked gate with another man who I've never seen before.

A couple of hundred metres behind them are the temple ruins, but from what I can tell, most of the temple is still there, and in amazing condition. The don't joke about the preservation skills the people of the Cobalt Isles have.

The whole class quietens down as we wait for Mr Tanner to speak, and I share an excited glance with Ashlyn who is standing beside me. Her wild hair billowing around her in the breeze.

"Alright class, listen up!" Mr Tanner shouts, so that all twenty-four of us can hear.

"Ok, this is Mr Warner, he is part of the Cobalt Isles Preservation Society!" Mr Tanner nods to the man next to him. "Mr Warner, and the rest of the Society have graciously allowed our class to explore the ruins today, which is a very exciting privilege! So please pay attention as he will reinforce the rules of being on this site to you all."

We all remain quiet as Mr Warner begins to speak in a deep, authoritative voice, the kind of voice that says I can and will kick you out of this place if you step one foot out of line.

"Right. As you all know, this is a very big privilege for your class, but you all need to obey these rules or else your privilege will be revoked. The temple looks to be in great condition, but this is only because of reinforcements and work our society has been doing over the years. Don't touch anything that has a red line of tape on the ground in front of it, don't even think about stepping over those lines, I will be watching you all. Don't muck around, respect the temple, as it is still a sacred place. Don't touch any construction gear, and don't go into any areas of the temple that have yellow tape over the entrances."

The class nods, and Mr Warner still looks a little worried that one of us will end up knocking the whole temple over. But he begins to unlock the heavy-duty gates that lead onto the temple ground as Mr Tanner speaks again.

"Ok class, now there are four groups of six, and you will each be exploring a different part of the temple grounds in a rotation, as outlined on these sheets here," He holds up a collection of colourful laminated sheets in his hand, "I will ring a bell every twenty minutes to signal it's time to move to your next area. Remember to take notes about the architecture and history of the area, you can also take photos. But please remember to make the most out of this opportunity, this is a once in a lifetime chance students!"

Once he has finished talking, I head over to join the rest of my group as Ashlyn goes to collect our sheet.

My group looks like a dysfunctional family when I approach it, Selina's furiously tapping away on her champagne coloured iPhone, Marco has a scowl on his face as he kicks at the gravel covering the path, whilst Luca and Lyke talk about what sports they're taking part in this term.

I give the four of them a slight wave as I approach, and am grateful as Ashlyn appears next to me.

"Right guys, we get to explore the outside of the temple to begin with." She explains as she reads the cherry red laminated sheet in her hands.

Selina groans loudly, "You have got to be kidding me! My hair is going to be ruined if I stand out in this wind for another twenty minutes! Can't you swap sheets with another group?"