Alex Keemen’s "Birth of the Gods," Summary

This book is a science fiction novel about an ordinary student sent back to antiquity to save human civilization. Created in 2021, the author depicts Ancient Greece with extreme realism, devoid of magic and superpowers, showing the clash of progress with the harsh mores of the past. The novel draws on historical details and challenges the protagonist’s difficult moral choices. Alexey Deev has no illusions about the easy life of a time traveler. He is forced to adapt to a harsh reality and constantly fight for his survival.

Catastrophe and transfer to the past

The events begin with a global tragedy in the distant future. An alien race uses neutron radiation. Due to the alien attack, the Sun begins to rapidly cool. Humanity is doomed to imminent extinction. Russian scientists, led by Academician Deyev, create a time-transfer mechanism. Economics student Alexei travels to antiquity. His mission is to rewrite history and preserve the remains of human knowledge. Arriving in a remote primeval forest, the young man securely hides vacuum-sealed packages. They contain microfilms containing a vast scientific library and e-readers.

After this, Alexei goes to the river and tries to find people. Soon, he is knocked unconscious and captured by passing Greek merchants. The young man ends up on the ship of Nicomedes and Thrasyclides. The Greeks are carrying goods and slaves to Athens.

On the ship, Alexei gradually learns ancient Greek. He is assisted by a slave boy named Aeneas. Alexei invents a legend about his origins. He tells the Greeks that his people were destroyed by the gods, and he survived thanks to a magical talisman.

Slavery in Athens

At the bustling slave market in the Athenian port of Piraeus, Alexius is put up for sale. The young man attracts the attention of Sosius, a cruel clerk recruiting slaves to work in the Lavrion silver mines. Wanting to escape certain death underground, Alexius demonstrates his mathematical abilities. He impresses the noble Greek Tophon with his ability to calculate quickly. Tophon buys the young man back in six minutes. Arriving in the house of his new master, Alexius is given the name Alexius. He meets the old housekeeper Iphgenia and the cunning slave Timocles.

Soon, Tophon appoints the clever slave as manager of his pottery workshops. By applying the basic economic principles of division of labor, Alexei significantly increases his master’s income. At the same time, he conceals his true managerial successes. The young man secretly hides some of the silver coins. He needs this money to buy his own freedom and prepare for future achievements.

In Tophon’s house, Alexei frequently crosses paths with the master’s daughter. Pandora despises the barbarian slave at first sight. Alexei accidentally ruins her participation in Artemis’s religious procession. The sacrificial pig slips from his hands and stains the girl’s celebratory peplos.

The Spartan spy and the escape

One day, Tophon sits in a people’s court for the murder of the Athenian Polyzalos. The accused is the wife of the murdered man, Agariste. In reality, she was the secret lover of the merchant Theodore. Alexei undertakes to decipher the intercepted secret letters from the crime scene. Using frequency analysis, he cracks the Spartan cipher. He manages to prove Polyzalos was working for the enemies of Athens. Despite the revealed truth, the jury finds Agariste guilty. Theodore, through large bribes, only secures a stay of execution.

Impressed by his success, Alexei asks Tophon for his freedom. Hellen agrees, but promises to release the slave only after ten years. Realizing the hopelessness of his situation, the young man decides to flee Athens.

That night, the Spartan spy Acmatides infiltrates his cell. The enemy wants to learn the secret of deciphering the letters at any cost. A bloody brawl ensues. Alexei defends himself and kills the spy. Pandora, emerging into the courtyard, raises a cry. She accuses the slave of murdering the noble guest. Fleeing the attack, the young man takes Pandora hostage.

Tophon’s servants break down the flimsy door. They free their mistress and brutally beat Alexei. Pandora is deeply distraught. She realizes that Acmatides was indeed a spy and secretly helps tend to the wounds of the defeated Alexei. Meanwhile, Theodore bribes the greedy housekeeper, Iphgenia. He kidnaps the battered youth and takes him on his ship to Macedonia.

Life in Macedonia

Theodore generously settles Alexei on a Macedonian estate near the city of Dion. The young man is given complete freedom of action. He builds dams and designs the first water-powered sawmill. He then establishes a manual paper mill from sawdust. The new product is in demand and highly profitable. To expand his operations, Alexei purchases slaves in Pella. Among them is an emaciated, gravely ill girl. After bringing her to the estate, the servants revive her. Alexei is surprised to recognize her as Pandora.

It turns out that she was captured during an attack by Theban warriors on a house in Oropus. Tophon was wounded, and the girl herself was sold to slave traders. Alexei places Pandora in the best quarters of the estate. At first, he conceals his presence from his former mistress. When Pandora finally recovers, she is horrified to recognize her new master. She is certain that the runaway slave will exploit his absolute power for base revenge. However, Alexei treats her with emphatic respect and care.

He tries to win her heart. The young man teaches the girl horseback riding. Pandora accidentally finds Alexei’s diaries on the table. She carefully reads a philosophical treatise on the nature of things, free will, and the moral duty of each person. The girl is struck by his bold thoughts, which contradict the will of the ancient gods. Religious prejudices and wounded pride prevent her from reciprocating his feelings. Pandora believes herself to be held hostage by a prophecy once uttered by the priestess of Lysimachus.

Invasion and the Path to Salvation

Pandora gradually softens. She learns of Alexius’s secret attempts to send her home on a passing merchant ship. Theodore arrives at the Macedonian estate with the rescued Agariste. The Athenian refugee warmly tells Pandora of Alexius’s nobility. The girl realizes the depth of her delusions. But the fragile peace quickly crumbles due to the outbreak of war. A rebellion against the legitimate government breaks out in Macedonia. The troops of Philip, the brother of King Perdiccas, suddenly attack Alexius’s estate.

That night, a Macedonian warrior bursts into the chambers. Alexei engages in an unequal fight and is gravely wounded in the shoulder by a bronze sword. Pandora selflessly helps him fight back and bandages the wound. They leap from a high balcony and flee into the dark forest. The opulent house and workshops burn to the ground.

The wounded Alexey and Pandora spend several days trudging through the wild mountains, covering over a hundred kilometers on foot.

The young man is rapidly weakening from critical blood loss and a high fever. Pandora nurses him, keeping the spark of life alive.

Finally, the exhausted travelers reach the outskirts of the port city of Therma. An allied Athenian garrison is stationed there. Alexei refuses to go to the authorities, unwilling to become a powerless slave again.

Before parting, he solemnly declares Pandora absolutely free. He leaves her precious jewelry to return to Athens to the rescued Tophon. Pandora slowly walks toward the city gates. An exhausted Alexei trudges back.