“Orichalcum is purported to be an ancient metal alloy used by the Atlanteans in the construction of their buildings, particularly for the interior of Poseidon’s temple. It was mined on the island and considered almost as valuable as pure gold.”
“Have you ever come across it before?”
A pause, then, “No. Its existence is widely considered to by rumor, much like the lost city itself. It seems you may have come across some. Tell me, this artifact: where did you find it?”
Jayden heard the question through the phone’s tinny speaker and shook his head at Hunt. Don’t give him our location! Hunt nodded. He reached into his backpack while speaking and pulled out some of his research notes.
“Daedalus, I’m no fool. If I tell you where we are, you’ll just send in some strike team to take the Anubis statue from us by force. I’ll make you a deal, though: I’ll give you Anubis, and in return you give us Maddy—alive and unharmed.”
At length, Daedalus replied with, “Very well. Tell me where you are and I will bring her to you.”
Hunt laughed into the phone. “No deal, Daedalus. You must really think I was held back a couple of grades in school. That’s the same thing as giving you our location. So here’s the deal, and it’s a fair deal that will give both of us what we want without compromising either of our safety.”
“I am all ears, Mr. Hunt.”
Carter opened one of his books to a map and nodded slowly to himself. “I want to meet you in a crowded, popular place. How about the Bahamas?”
“The Bahamas? Where? Which island?”
“The island of New Providence, city of Nassau. Tomorrow. We will have Anubis for you.”
“Nassau, okay. Where in Nassau?”
Hunt looked at Carter and smiled. “Meet me in Atlantis. By Poseidon.”
Chapter 14
The giant manta ray glided over Hunt’s head, while a recorded male voice droned on about the people of Atlantis, Atlanteans, they were called, and how advanced their technology was for their time.
“I have to hand it to you, Hunt,” Jayden said, stepping aside to allow a mother with a stroller to move past him up to the aquarium display in the crowded lobby area of the Atlantis Resort, “I’m really racking up my frequent flyer miles hanging out with you. My credit card perks are going ballistic.”
Hunt tore his gaze from the majestic animal to glance around at the crowd ogling the over-the-top sprawling indoor architecture. A massive skylight let in streaming sunshine between huge pillars wrapped in ivy, while patrons looked down from the veranda seating of a seafood restaurant one floor up.
“As pressing as the situation with Maddy is, you have to admit, this place is pretty cool.”
Jayden stared back into the giant aquarium, watching a school of thousands of silver fish swim through a carefully sculpted rock tunnel beneath a statue meant to resemble some mysterious ancient god. He sipped from the Bahama Mama concoction he purchased at a poolside bar a few minutes earlier (“Just to make sure I blend in with the tourists, you know”). “I could get used to it, I guess.”
But then he saw Hunt shift the weight of his backpack on his shoulders and was reminded of the urgency of their mission here, the reason why they had come all this way on a moment’s notice. To save the life of their friend, and as a bonus, to keep priceless artifacts out of the hands of a murderous black market antiquities dealer. He hadn’t realized before how much he cared about preserving history for everyone to see. Maybe Hunt was on to something, he couldn’t help but think.
Hunt glanced at his Omega dive watch, given to him as a special present from his grandfather when he’d graduated college. “We should start moving to the rendezvous point.”
He and Jayden walked across the large marble tiled floor until they entered a mall-like area enshrouded with indoor trees and subdued LED lighting. High-end shops lined both sides of the enclosed avenue: jewelry, souvenirs, Bahamas-themed resort wear, scuba gear, activities booths encouraging guests to try parasailing, jet-skiing, snorkeling or deep sea fishing…There was certainly no shortage of things to do here if one was not short on money or time, Hunt thought. He entertained a fleeting notion of he and Maddy lying on a secluded beach in one of the island chain’s outer isles….Maybe, just maybe, when all this is over, Hunt thought…
“There he is!” The no-nonsense urgency in Jayden’s voice was unmistakable as he looked straight ahead into a large foyer. Hunt also directed his gaze that way. The ceiling was multiple stories tall here, again with a skylight, and an indoor waterfall cascaded down into a fountain luxuriously decorated with marble sculptures of mermaids and shipwrecked sailors. And there, against one wall, was a giant sculpture of Poseidon the sea god, seated in a massive chair while holding his iconic trident. A family of three stood in front of it while a man — Daedalus — took their picture.
“One more, just to make sure — say All Praises to the Mighty Poseidon!” The family laughed and he handed them back their camera as they sauntered away.
“I don’t see Maddy with him,” Hunt said under his breath.
“He sees us.” Jayden nodded casually at Daedalus, who returned the gesture.
“Game on.” Hunt and Jayden walked toward Daedalus. Contrasting to their own beach bum wear — surfer’s board shorts and scuba shop tank tops with flip flops, towels around their shoulders — Daedalus wore expensive resort linens, leather loaders and a lot of gold jewelry, including a shipwreck coin from the famous Atocha wreck discovered by Mel Fisher off Key West in the 1980s, as a medallion that Hunt had no doubt was authentic and not one of the replicas most people wore.
Hunt and Jayden walked up to Daedalus at the foot of Poseidon. Daedalus handed Hunt a point-and-shoot digital camera. “If you would be so kind, sir!”
Hunt shot his friend’s kidnapper a used car salesman smile and snapped off the obligatory tourist shot. He handed the device over to Daedalus while saying in a low voice, “Where is she?”
“She is enjoying herself at the bar in the company of two exciting gentlemen…not you two, I’m afraid, for the moment. But that is about to change, am I right?” Daedalus glanced kitty-corner across the space to an indoor establishment called The Sandbar that beckoned with a literal sand beach floor and tiki hut ambience. Hunt caught his breath as he saw Maddy there, wearing a black bikini top with a pink sarong, seated on a bamboo barstool at a table between two of Daedalus’ Treasure, Inc. goons. Both of them wore khaki shorts with open button down aloha shirts to show off their hairy chests festooned in heavy gold chains.
“You have a thing for 1980s rap videos, Daedalus?” Jayden mocked.
But the black market mogul was unfazed. “Perhaps she will do the wild thing with you two later, yes?” He grinned lecherously until Hunt took off his backpack. The smile disappeared and Daedalus watched him intently.
“Here’s what you came for. Tell your cretins to release her to us and it’s yours.”
Daedalus spread his hands in a gesture of reasonableness. “You can see that she is fine, Mr. Carter. I have brought her to you. Allow me to see the artifact, to verify its authenticity, and you may join her at her table…alone.” A couple of twenty-something lovebirds walked up to Poseidon at that moment, the young woman, sapphire nose ring glinting in the overhead lights, climbing up onto the knee.
“You see,” Daedalus said to Hunt and Jayden, “every woman loves a god. Now let me see the one you have brought me. Let me see Anubis.” His gazed seemed to burn right through Hunt’s backpack. The couple took their pictures and then bounced off, laughing, oblivious to the drama playing out before them.