In 276 BC, Alexandria, Egypt is the most vibrant and influential city in the Mediterranean. But Egyptians are shocked when they discover Anubis, god of the dead, is killing men working on the Pharos Lighthouse. The evidence is inexplicable. The victims' bodies have no wounds and the killer's tracks are enormous animal prints. Egyptians believe the jackal-headed god is walking the earth and doesn't want the new lighthouse built. Into this unearthly scene steps Archimedes, a new student with extraordinary skills in mechanics and science. He is there to attend the School of Alexandria and credits Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, for blessing him with the wisdom half of her powers. The pharaoh, desperate to get his lighthouse built, asks Archimedes to use his exceptional abilities to solve the crimes that only a vengeful god could commit and a 12-year-old genius can unravel. But Archimedes believes the murderer is more corporeal than spiritual and has to tread carefully when he applies the cold logic of Greek science in a sultry, mystical world of Egyptian culture. When Archimedes uses an ancient Egyptian scroll to put him on the trail of the killer, he also finds another god returned from the dead. Now Archimedes is going to need Athena's war skills.