“So I had the triangle part kind of sorted, but that left the bit about sacred and it was driving me crazy. Seeing that dish just now brought it altogether — the triangle and so on, and that is when the reference to the sacred finally made sense.”
“Still not following you, mate.” Hawke grabbed a second apple from the bowl. The catamaran bobbed gently up and down as it cut effortlessly through the waves.
“The ancient Greeks were famous for their love of geometry, and they achieved amazing things that we don’t even think about today. One of these things is called the Sacred Triangle and it's right here — look.”
He used the path facility on Google Earth to draw out a perfect isosceles triangle over the Greek islands and mainland.
“I’m connecting three points on this map. If you look closely you’ll see they are the Acropolis in Athens, the Temple of Aphaea on the island of Aigina to the southwest and the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion at the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula. These three places were built to form a perfect isosceles triangle across the earth.”
“So not a monument,” Sophie whispered, “but a shape on the earth itself.”
“Exactly!”
Hawke peered into the screen, his apple-munching gradually taking second place to the revelation before him. “That’s actually amazing.”
“I’ll say it is,” said Lea, subconsciously taking hold of Hawke’s harm, causing Scarlet to raise an eyebrow.
“So next I started thinking what was the relevance of the triangle. It couldn’t be a coincidence or a mistake — it was just too perfect. So I gave it some more thought and realized that perhaps the lines of the triangle were pointing to something. I drew lines from the Temple of Poseidon to the Acropolis but found nothing that made any sense, and again from Aphaea’s temple to the Acropolis but again couldn’t find anything that stood out.”
“But then?”
“But then I drew a line from Poseidon’s temple to Aphaea’s temple and found two things straight away — the line connects both temples with the Temple of Isis in the east on Delos…”
“So we need to go to Delos?” Hart said, staring wide-eyed at the screen.
“No — I don't think so. The line also connects perfectly with another location — pointing very clearly and perfectly to Sami, on Kefalonia, the biggest island in the Ionian Sea. I think The Samian’s Sacred Work Shall Guide means follow the southern line of the triangle to Kefalonia — to Sami.”
“Does Sami have anything to do with the Samian?” Hawke asked.
Ryan shook his head. “Coincidence.”
“That’s confusing.”
“To you maybe…” Ryan stopped and apologized. Hawke laughed, his admiration for Ryan Bale growing by the minute.
Hawke replied: “But how can you be sure it’s pointing us there and not to the Temple of Isis on Delos?”
“Because of the reference to the acropolis in the first clue.”
“Still not with you.”
“Just outside Sami, on Kefalonia, is a famous acropolis.”
For a few seconds there was only the sound of waves as the catamaran moved through the water, and everyone considered Ryan’s logic.
“If you break it down — Beneath the Highest City, Where The Samian’s Sacred Work Shall Guide — The Kingdom Of The Eldest Is Where What You Seek Doth Hide — it’s actually rather simple. It means “Under the acropolis at Sami, on Kefalonia, there’s some kind of underground complex — Hades, the eldest brother — and that is where we’re going to find the vault of Poseidon.”
More silence, and then Hawke spoke: “Somebody get this lad a beer. We’re going to Kefalonia.”
“First,” Reaper said. “I suggest you get some sleep. It’s going to take a couple of hours to get to the mainland, and we know Zaugg has a head start on us, but there’s no way he’ll attempt to access the tomb without more men. When he left the Thalassa he was down to a handful.”
“What happens when we get to the mainland?” Lea asked.
Hart spoke: “I’ve made some calls and organized the chopper that brought us to the Thalassa. Demetriou is waiting for us there with more men. Now we know we’re going to Kefalonia it’s just a matter of getting there as fast as possible.”
Ryan and Sophie disappeared below decks while Lea sat next to Hawke on the front deck. It was a long sail, and the sun was bright.
“I think Ryan might be over you, Lea.”
“Eh?”
“Have you not seen the way he and Sophie are looking at each other?”
“Oh… no. Good for him.”
“So you’re not going to thank me for rescuing you?” Hawke said.
“You didn’t rescue me!”
“Of course I did!”
“Hardly. You landed on a yacht, got captured, keelhauled and then Ryan saved you. How is that you rescuing me?”
“Well…”
“And who the hell gets keelhauled in this day and age?”
“Keelhauled in the act of rescuing you, yes. You could be a bit more grateful if you ask me.”
“But I didn't ask you,” she said, smiling gently in the warm sun.
“You’re welcome, all the same…”
Lea pursed her lips. “You’ve got a real nerve, Joe Hawke, did you know that?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I did know, and why do you always call me by both my names? It sounds weird.”
“I didn’t know I did.”
“Well, you do.”
“And so what if I do?”
“Just saying it’s weird, that’s all.”
But there was no reply. Lea had fallen asleep, her head rolling down onto Hawke’s shoulder.
Hawke stayed awake, and began to plan the assault on Zaugg at Kefalonia.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Thirty miles west of the Greek mainland, Kefalonia is the largest of all the islands in the Ionian Sea. Its coastline is punctuated with a blend of rugged cliffs, pebble-covered coves and golden beaches glistening in the Mediterranean sun. Tourists amble along the waterfront and the tavernas, oblivious to what is buried deep beneath their feet.
Now, the island’s mountainous east coast slipped beneath the helicopter as it swung around into the bay and began to descend to the peninsula to the east of Sami.
Hawke and the others weren’t taking in the view. Their minds were too focussed on the dangers that lay ahead in whatever subterranean hell Zaugg and his men were opening up on the island below them in their insane quest to become immortal.
Hawke was uneasy. He was finding the whole idea of living gods and armageddon weapons hard to handle, and as for the concept of immortality actually being real — that really blew his mind.
On top of that were the usual fears when going into a combat situation, only this time he wasn't backed by one of the best Special Forces units in the world — the SBS, but a loose collection of misfits, most of whom he’d only just met.
He knew from experience that Lea, Cairo and Olivia could look after themselves, and he was pretty sure that Sophie knew how to handle things as well. The less said about Reaper the better, he thought, but when he looked at Ryan Bale and Professor Demetriou he knew they were at great risk entering into a situation like this.
Now, as he looked at their apprehensive faces, he wished he’d asked Hart for some back-up instead of telling her to focus on Zaugg’s headquarters.
She’d made a joke about how if anyone could save the world single-handedly then it was him, but now he was getting closer to the action it really did feel like he was going into war again. And yet… it wasn’t Zaugg and his thugs that made him uneasy, but whatever the hell was lurking in that vault.