“Actually,” Dawkins said, “you couldn’t be more wrong.” He stood up and strode over to the entertainment system, where a bottle of water was sitting. He picked it up and took a big gulp, letting out a refreshing sigh after swallowing. “Have to stay hydrated down here,” he commented, setting the bottle down again.
“South Carolina can be warm,” Sean added, still not sure where this whole conversation was going.
“Sean, we believe that Dimitris Gikas is looking for a second antikythera, and we also believe that the device may be the key to an incredible power.”
Sean frowned. “Power? You mean like magical power?”
The president shrugged. “We honestly don’t know. But we do know he wants it desperately.”
“Maybe he’s a collector of Greek antiquities,” Sean offered.
Dawkins acknowledged what Sean had said by tilting his head to the side for a second. “He is certainly that. His home is filled with such things. But this one is different. Most of the relics he’s purchased came at auction or through a well-known channel. Not to mention, there isn’t a fully functioning device like that, at least not one we know of. He’s become obsessed with it.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but where is it again that I fit in to all of this?”
Dawkins sat down on the edge of the bed so he was closer to Sean. “Your friend, Adriana, was searching for the Eye of Zeus. The one that has not yet been found. She believed there is another one out there, correct?”
Sean nodded. “Yeah. She thought it was possible there was another one on land somewhere, one that would be intact. She also didn’t buy into the idea that the device was only used for navigational purposes.”
The president leaned in closer. “And what did she believe about the relic?”
“I don’t know. She found some old diary about it. The thing was written entirely in ancient Greek, which Adriana can decipher. She said something about how it aligns with the stars and planets.”
“That is correct. All of the research suggests that one of the purposes for the Eye of Zeus was for navigation by the stars. There is something else, though, that you should know.” The president paused for a moment. He glanced over at the Secret Service agent next to Yarbrough. “Tyler, could you leave the three of us alone for a minute?”
The young man seemed uncertain at first, but Yarbrough gave him a confirming nod that everything would be okay. He slipped out onto the patio where the other two stood watch, and closed the door.
Dawkins turned back to Sean. “Only Agent Yarbrough and I have seen what I am about to show you, Sean. Outside of us, there are but a handful of scientists whose eyes have taken in this information.”
Sean was skeptical, but his curiosity was piqued. Moreover, he was still wondering about what this all had to do with Adriana.
Before he could say anything, the president went on as he handed over another folder to Sean, similar to the first. This one, however, had the words Classified Antikythera on the cover.
“Classified?” It had been a long time since Sean’s eyes had passed over anything that had been classified for government use. For a second, he felt that sickening tug at his stomach, as if he was being pulled back into a life he’d tried so hard to get away from.
Things had been good for him lately. Running the surf and paddleboard shop had been the most relaxing job he’d ever had, and every day he was able to get out on the water and just reset himself.
Sean opened the file and looked through the initial page of text. As he shuffled through to the next, he saw symbols written in ancient Greek, matched with a translation on the right side of the page. The third document was an artist’s rendering of the antikythera as it may have looked if it were completely intact.
“It contains a sequence of numbers and letters,” the president interrupted Sean’s thoughts.
“And the interpretation of the sequence was never released to the public,” Sean finished the president’s commentary. “So, this must be the mysterious information that tells us what is on the device.”
“It is. And more.”
Sean raised his eyebrows. “Let me guess; some of your scientists messed around with the relic.”
“Not the relic itself. We don’t have a working copy of it. However, they were able to get enough information from the original to run a few simulations.”
“Simulations?”
“Yes,” Dawkins answered. “They tested out what would happen if they plugged in certain numbers and letters. At first, they discovered nothing of note. One researcher had the idea to ask the mechanism questions based on the alignment of certain stars.”
“You mean like astrology?” Sean huffed. He didn’t believe things that bordered more on the side of hokum.
The president shook his head. “Not really. More like astronomy. The scientists matched up the reproduction of the antikythera and programmed in the date of the experiment. What they found was incredible. At first, the researchers didn’t believe what they were seeing, but as they continued to enter places and dates from the past, the device continued to give them answers.”
“What kind of answers?” Sean asked, thinking he already knew what Dawkins’s answer was going to be.
“The relic was able to give names, events, and details that were a spot-on match to things that happened in history. In other words, the Eye of Zeus is able to tell the future.”
Chapter 6
Thanos ended the call on his smartphone and slipped it in his pocket. He stood outside the black BMW at a gas station on the side of the road. The late afternoon sun beat down on his bald head, causing little droplets of perspiration to dribble down the side of his face. He’d encountered problems before. That was why Dimitris Gikas trusted him. Thanos took care of problems. Usually, he took care of them quickly and efficiently. On this occasion, the problem was bigger than he ever could have expected.
He removed a handkerchief from the back pocket of his black pants and wiped the sweat from his brow. He missed one bead that found its way across the scar on his left cheek, but quickly dabbed it with the cloth.
The old wound didn’t hurt anymore. It hadn’t for a long time. He told his employer that it had only served to steel his resolve in life, to live it aggressively, and never to be afraid of anything.
The scar had come from a rival business leader in Athens. He was only sixteen when he’d begun serving the man known as Gilapos. The enemy wanted to send Gilapos a message. When he’d caught Thanos, the man’s errand boy, he thought it was the perfect opportunity.
The act of cutting the young boy’s face had not resulted in what Gilapos had intended. Thanos was already very strong, even in his young age. When the blade sliced through his face, he did not cry or scream. Instead, the pain only enraged him. In his short life, Thanos had faced far worse than a little cut. The insult, however, was something that he could not abide.
The man who held the knife had also been the one that tied the ropes binding Thanos to the chair. He’d only done a halfass job, thinking the young boy wouldn’t be any trouble and that fear would do most of the work to keep him down. The man had thought wrong.
Thanos slipped his hands from the bonds in short order, even before the man with the knife had done his work. The sixteen-year-old knew that he needed to let the cutter do his work for his plan to work. As the man with the knife stepped back, Thanos sprung from the wooden chair like a rabbit. Skills he’d learned on the street kicked in, and he snapped the man’s arm back at the elbow, breaking it in what was surely a painful angle.
The knife clanked to the floor as Thanos spun around and drove his elbow into the butcher’s larynx. The man dropped to the ground, grasping at his throat with his good hand. Thanos knew he would be dead within a minute, so he left him and scooped up the knife.