"First," Rook said, his patience waning, "I don't normally dress like this. Second, seeing as how Pierce's life is dependent on you helping us, I'd recommend you throw caution to the wind and—"
"Jack Sigler," Queen said. "Do you know him?"
Gallo squinted are her. "I've never met him. But George has talked about him. Keeps a photo of he and his… "
"Sister," Queen filled in. "Julie. He was going to marry her." "I know."
"Then you know how much Jack means to him." She nodded.
"We work with Jack. He's like family to us and Pierce is like family to him. You see where I'm going with this?" Queen's voice grew louder. "You ready to help us?"
Gallo paused, looking at both of them.
Queen pulled out a piece of paper and slapped it down on the coffee table.
Gallo looked down at the single image on the page, the symbol Pierce had drawn. She gasped and clutched her blouse, just above her heart. "Where did you see this?"
"Pierce drew it in his own blood," Rook said. "Just before saying your name and slipping into a coma."
Tears filled Gallo's eyes.
"You know what this is?"
"The pillars of Hercules. It represents the Strait of Gibraltar. During Hercules's tenth trial he—"
Queen held up her hand. "We know all this. We were hoping you might be able to tell us something more. Something not as well known."
She picked up the piece of paper with a shaky hand and looked at the drawing. "It's a very old symbol, but not yet well known. It represents several things, all connected, but different. Visually it represents the pillars of Gibraltar. It's first true use was as a crest for Hercules."
"Like a logo or brand name or something?" Rook asked.
"Something like that. But it later became the symbol for an organi — zation formed thousands of years ago, the Herculean Society. Their edicts, George believes, is to protect the real legacy of the historical Hercules. To safeguard his secrets. His discoveries."
"They believe Hercules was real?" Queen asked.
"Hercules was real. And he wasn't the bastard son of Zeus. He was as human as us, but far more brilliant. George has long believed that Hercules gained his godlike strength through alchemies."
"Magic?" Rook asked, doing nothing to show his skepticism.
"Science," Gallo said. "Using plant extracts, known poisons in minis-cule quantities—"
"Homeopathy," Queen said.
"Yes." Gallo looked at Queen, taking stock of the woman who was not only sexy and strong, but also smart. "Combining his knowledge of these things and conducting countless experiments, we believe Hercules was able to refine… serums I suppose you'd call them. Perhaps he created ancient steroids. Or perhaps some kind of adrenaline booster for times when superhuman strength was called for. There are many stories of Hercules using poison to defeat his enemies, including the blood of Hydra. It's all speculation at this point. George's best evidence — a crew manifest — was stolen by the Herculean Society; at least that's who George thinks they were. That's the first attack I mentioned."
The three sat in silence, each processing the information. Rook sat upright. "Could he have used something against Hydra? Something to keep it from regenerating?"
"The Hydra story mentions Hercules severing the immortal head with a sword, then cauterizing the wound. The only mention of poison is what he took from Hydra's blood."
Rook looked disappointed, but Queen spoke up. "What if the story is wrong? Stories that old inevitably suffer the effect of verbal history. The poison could have been used against Hydra."
"I suppose." She cocked an eyebrow at them. "What's your interest in Hydra?"
"It's… complicated. Leave it at that for now," Rook said and then pressed on. "This Herculean Society. You said they've been trying to protect the secrets of Hercules. Removing a poison used against Hydra from the Hydra story would have been a simple thing if they've been around for as long as you say they have. Right?"
"Yes, but— Listen, these people will kill to protect their secrets. They nearly killed George last year to recover the crew manifest that mentioned Hercules by name, and that was simply evidence that the man wasn't just a myth, never mind that he was a fully human alchemist."
Rook sat forward. "We can handle them." "You're sure?"
Rook smiled. "It's what we do, lady."
"Did Pierce tell you about the manifest before it was stolen?" Queen asked.
"He called the moment he found it."
"And how long after that was it stolen?"
"The following night," Gallo said. "Why? Wait, you don't think I—" Rook sighed and stood, walking to a small table where a portable phone sat. He cracked open the back of the phone, pulled out the batteries and then squeezed two of his thick fingers inside. He pinched down and pulled out a small device the size of a nickel. He tossed it onto the coffee table where it spun for a moment, then lay still in front of Gallo.
She picked it up, knowing what she was looking at, though she'd never seen a listening device before. "They're listening in on my phone calls?" She placed the bug down on the table and pushed it away.
"Probably Pierce's, too." Rook said. He picked the bug up, gripped it tight and snapped it in half. "Did he call you before going to Nazca? Did he say anything specific about what he was doing there?"
"Nothing over the phone. We met in person, at a cafe, before he left." Gallo pointed to the broken bug in Rook's hand. "How did you know you'd find that?"
Rook took his seat. "Like I said, it's what we do."
Gallo sat back in her chair, still clutching her chest.
"Now let me preface this by saying I'm not being a pervert." He pointed at Gallo's chest. "Are you going to show us what you're hiding in your shirt?"
Gallo looked down at her hand, which had been holding the object hidden beneath her blouse, the single piece of evidence George had to support his theories. He'd entrusted it to her care. Its heavy weight around her neck now felt like a burden, and with some relief she pulled the chain up and over her head, allowing the iron medallion to twist in the air. The dull gray metal, beaten and worn, spoke of its long history, but the symbol it formed — a circle cut through by two straight lines — the insignia for the Herculean Society, Hercules, and the Strait of Gibraltar meant so much more.
She held it out and Queen took it. "Where did you get this?"
"George found it. On a shipwreck. He was overseeing its excavation when he left. I've been in charge since then. He asked me to keep it safe."
"And he just happened to find this on a shipwreck," Rook said. "Not just any shipwreck…"
Queen held the medallion up, letting a ray of sunlight gleam from the few smooth areas polished by the seafloor. She let out a slight laugh and smiled. "The Argo." "What is the Argo?" Rook asked.
Surprised by Queen's knowledge, Gallo paused before replying, "Designed by Athena, the Argo was this ship Jason and Argonauts used to track down the Golden Fleece. Perhaps the first Greek warship in history and manned by a famous crew that included Hercules. His name was on the manifest."
"Pierce actually found the Argo?" Queen asked.
"He thinks so, but—"
"We need to see it," Queen said. "There must be something Pierce wanted us to find."
"That's impossible," Gallo said. "The wreck is fifty feet below the surface. Excavations are slow, surrounded by a gaggle of undergrads and security provided by the Greek government. Getting you past security would be hard enough, but searching the wreck for something meaningful. It could take months."
All three sat back, deflated by the dead end.
"Maybe the Greek government will give us access? Blue can pull some strings," Rook said to Queen.