The Grecian Manifesto (21 page)

Sean leaned over for a closer
look. There was one word written below it.
Inferus.

His eyes grew wide. “Wow. How
did we miss that last night?”

“Miss what?” Yarbrough became
more confused than he had been previously.

Sean pointed at the word that
had caught their attention. “Inferus. It means under in Latin.”

The blank stare on Yarbrough’s
face told the other two that he had no idea why that meant anything. “So?”

“Inferus,” Tommy explained, “is
not the name of an island. It’s not a name for anything. It’s a description.
Caesar is saying that the Eye of Zeus is under the island.”

The agent thought for a moment
before speaking up again. “I still don’t understand. How could something be
under an island?”

Sean and Tommy both had to admit
that was a good question. What had Caesar meant when he put the Latin word for
under on the scroll? How could something be under a land mass?

They’d hit another wall, or so
it seemed. For the next few minutes, no one said anything, each man trying to
explain the strange message left on the animal skin two thousand years ago. It
was Sean who spoke up first. “An underwater cave,” he said. “That has to be
it.”

Tommy perked up. “Of course.
There must be some sort of entrance under the water. We will need to find this
island on a current map.”

“Way ahead of you,” Sean said,
pulling his laptop out of a black book bag on the floor next to the desk.

He opened the silver MacBook Pro,
bringing the screen to life instantly. A few keystrokes later, he was on his
favorite search engine, typing in the words that would bring up a map of
Greece. The Internet in Rome had been surprisingly fast, much quicker than Sean
had expected upon arriving. Where he was from in the United States, fast Internet
was something many people took for granted until they traveled to a country that
either had no Internet, or where service was terribly slow. The hotel where he
and Tommy were staying didn’t have that problem. Thankfully.

Sean clicked on the top link
from the search results, and a second later the requested map appeared. He
zoomed out at first, trying to get a better overall view of the country’s
layout. He scrolled around until he found a group of islands that appeared to
be similar to those on Caesar’s map. A few clicks of the mouse zoomed the
overhead view in a little closer. Sean’s eyes went back and forth between the
animal skin on the desk and his computer screen, comparing the outline of the
islands from both until he finally found what he was looking for.

“There.” He pointed at the
screen to a small island. It looked almost identical to the one drawn two
millennia ago. The other two looked over Sean’s shoulders, virtually standing
on top of him as he zoomed in for a little closer look at the island’s
topography.

“Doesn’t look like anyone lives
there,” Tommy said, observing the steep, rocky cliffs and the rugged terrain.

“It doesn’t look like it’s very
big,” Yarbrough said, squinting to get a clear view.

“Perfect place to hide
something important. No one would even notice this island,” Sean said. He stood
up straight. “We’re going to need a boat and possibly some scuba gear. Can you
make that happen?” He directed the question at Tommy.

Tommy thought for a second.
“Should be able to. I can call around and see what we can dig up. It shouldn’t
be a problem.”

“Good.” Sean turned his
attention to Yarbrough. “You coming with us on this one?”

The agent shook his head and
lifted the sling slightly. “I better not. I’ve probably done enough damage for
one trip.”

“We’ll bring you back some
gyros,” Sean said jokingly.

The two friends said their
goodbyes to Agent Yarbrough, promising they would update him as soon as they
had secured the artifact and rescued Adriana. Tommy returned to his room and
grabbed his things. Sean packed up the small amount of stuff he’d brought to
Italy, along with Caesar’s map. Now that they knew exactly where they were
going, he didn’t need it, but he figured it would make a nice addition to one
of the museums in Rome or at the historical center in Atlanta.

Ten minutes later, Sean and
Tommy were on their way to the airport with an air of determination and
uncertainty looming over them.

While Tommy was preoccupied
with the Eye of Zeus, Sean’s mind was somewhere else, on a woman from Madrid, a
woman he needed to save.

Chapter 39

Rome, Italy

Paulino sped through Rome’s
busy streets in his red Alfa Romeo. The car was one of the luxuries he’d
afforded himself as a result of his work from the last few years. While he kept
a small, minimal apartment, Paulino had always had a penchant for fine Italian
automobiles.

At the moment, he was in a
hurry to reach the airport. He had called Teo and informed him that Wyatt was
heading to Greece, information he’d gathered using a special listening device
that could zero in on very specific targets.

The conversation among the
three men in the hotel room had been short, but Paulino got what he needed. He
was glad he’d left his apartment when he did. If he’d delayed at all, he might
have missed the details of Wyatt’s plan.

There were still a few things
up in the air, some of which Paulino could handle. He knew that Wyatt and
Schultz were going to Greece, and he’d heard them speaking of an island where
the artifact was hidden. The men had also mentioned a boat and scuba gear,
which meant they were going to be looking for whatever the object was, under
water. His problem, however, was that he didn’t know which island they were
going to search. Hundreds of islands surrounded the Greek coastline. Guessing
the correct one would be nearly impossible. Since they would be on open water,
it would be difficult to follow the treasure hunters without being spotted, and
as soon as he was seen things could get dicey.

An idea popped into Paulino’s
head: He could put a homing device on Wyatt’s boat. He would need to find out
which port they would be leaving from, however, a trick that could also be
formidable.

The gears turned rapidly in his
mind as he tried to come up with a solution. First, he needed to call the pilot
Bourdon had provided. His employer’s boss had given him a private jet for the
mission and told him to take the plane wherever necessary. The pilot, however,
would need to file a flight plan, as would Wyatt’s. Wherever Wyatt was going in
Greece, that’s where Paulino would go as well. A plan began to formulate in
Paulino’s mind. It was brilliant in its simplicity. Now all he had to do was
make it happen. He called the pilot of his private jet and requested the
captain determine which private planes had filed a plan with Greece as the
final destination.

The rest of the drive to the
airport couldn’t go fast enough. Paulino couldn’t squelch the feeling that he
was in a race against time. Every red light he encountered built up the tension
inside him. At a particularly busy intersection, he started to lose his
patience with the other drivers, but didn’t honk his horn no matter how
tempted. The last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself or get into
trouble with the polizia. When the light turned green, he pounded the gas,
zipping through the intersection and down the crowded street. Paulino had seen
movies and television shows where people were able to hack into the traffic
grid and control the flow of traffic. He wished desperately that he had access
to that kind of virus, but he knew that stuff was fantasy. Still, it would be
nice.

He reached the airport in good
time, though he would have preferred faster, and steered his car toward the
private terminal. After a quick check through security, he made his way to the
hangar where his jet awaited. The big doors had been rolled back, and a ground
crew busily made the final preparations for the plane’s departure. Paulino
parked his car inside the hangar, off to the right, and stepped out, carrying
nothing but a black Swiss Army book bag. He preferred to travel light. All he
really needed was his laptop and a few hygiene necessities. Clothing was
something he could buy if he needed a change of clothes beyond the T-shirt and
shorts he’d packed in the bag.

As Paulino approached the
plane, the captain stepped out onto the landing and came down the stairs. The
uniformed pilot smiled and briefly shook his guest’s hand.

Paulino dispensed with the
pleasantries. “Did you find out where they were going?”

The man appeared puzzled for a
moment, but answered the question without delay. “Yes,” he said in a cheerful
Italian accent. “It was strange, though. There were three flights going to
Corfu within the next hour. One of the planes belongs to the United States
government.”

Paulino raised a suspicious
eyebrow. “What about the other two?”

“A surgeon taking his family on
vacation, and the other was for a CEO of a major media company based in
Florence.”

The revelation was cause for
concern. Paulino wondered if his employer knew that the United States
government was involved in what they were doing. It didn’t change his plan, but
it might be something Bourdon would be interested in. “Let’s load up and get to
Corfu then,” he said to the pilot. “We do not have much time.”

The pilot’s face expressed
concern. “Is the American plane the one you are looking for?” His question was
innocent enough, but he clearly didn’t want to cause any trouble with the
American government.

“It seems that way,” Paulino
answered. “Don’t worry. They will not cause you any trouble. Besides, we are
leaving before them. Right?”

The man nodded. “Yes. They are
not scheduled to take off for another forty-five minutes.”

“Perfect,” Paulino said. “Then
we will reach Corfu first.”
 

Chapter 40

Corfu, Greece

“They are on their way here,”
Bourdon informed his employer.

Gikas remained stoically calm.
“Here?” he asked, uncertain he had heard correctly. “They are coming to Corfu?”

“Yes.”

The wealthy Greek wasn’t sure
how to react. His surprise was evident, washing away the normally unemotional
expression on his face. He had long suspected that his home was close to where
Caesar had left the Eye of Zeus, but Gikas didn’t dare let himself get his hopes
up. It was folly to dream wistfully that the thing he coveted most in the world
would be right under his nose. That seemed to be exactly the case.

“There is a problem, however,”
Bourdon added.

“Problem?” Gikas didn’t like
the sound of that. Problems were something his hired hands dealt with. Whatever
it was Bourdon was about to tell him, he hoped the mercenary would be able to
handle it. Otherwise, Gikas would begin to question his decision about bringing
the man onboard.

“The plane they are tracking is
an American government plane.”

“Yes, I am aware of the
Americans’ involvement. It seems their president would like to intervene in our
affairs. Unfortunately for him, they are too late.”

The two men sat in the dimly
lit study, located in the east wing of Gikas’s coastal mansion. The room’s
bookshelves overflowed with hardbacks on topics ranging from ancient history to
modern fiction. Despite barely having enough time to breathe while running his
various operations, Gikas still tried to make time for reading; it was one of
the few guiltless pleasures he permitted himself.

The study had been wrapped in
rich mahogany paneling, accented with iron candle sconces and a matching mini chandelier
overhead. His opulent desk featured hand-engraved pillars for legs, a tribute
to the ancient architects of the mighty Grecian temples.

Gikas sat behind the desk,
staring at his computer screen. He’d been waiting to initiate his plan until
the right moment. He could delay no longer. While he wasn’t exactly concerned
about the American government meddling with his plans, he couldn’t afford to
sit around and see what happened.

His fingers flew across the
keyboard as he typed out a quick sequence of characters. He hit the enter key,
and the screen changed back to the desktop.

“What was that?” Bourdon asked.
He didn’t care about whether or not he was prying. When he wanted information,
he asked for it.

“I just initiated the plan. In
the next few hours, all my distribution centers will reduce their shipments by 50
percent. By the end of the day, people will already begin to feel the effects
of it. Of course, I will leak reports of huge production shortfalls. The media
will tell the public that the crop output was far lower than originally
thought. A story about a meat shortage will also go through the various media
channels, many of which I am a primary shareholder. The people will not stand
for it. They will ask the government for help, and their government will not
have the means to help them.”

“It sounds like a good plan.”

“Thank you,” Gikas smiled
proudly at the compliment. “I believe so as well.”

“Will the government not ask
you to assist them?”

Gikas shrugged. “How can I help
them? As far as they know, I am taking a huge loss with my holdings right now.”

Bourdon nodded. “Clever.”

“Yes. And once I have the Eye
of Zeus and am the new king of Greece, I will be able to topple every nation
without so much as firing a single bullet.”

Gikas had ambition. Bourdon had
to admit that. As long as the paychecks kept coming in, he didn’t care how the
money was made. His own ambitions crept up in the back of his mind as well. It
would be nice to be the right hand of the most powerful man in Europe. If he
was right about this Eye of Zeus thing, he would be the most powerful man in
the world. Another thought occurred to Bourdon, one that he kept to himself. If
this ancient relic really could tell the future, what was to stop him from
taking it as his own? Deep inside his heart, he began to conceive a treacherous
plan. For now, he needed only to serve his master. He would do as he was told.
Let Gikas have the device and test it out. No point in betraying the man if the
relic turned out to be useless. But if it worked, the possibilities were
limitless.

“Like I said, sir, an excellent
plan,” he changed the subject. “What should we do about Wyatt? And what about
the girl?”

“I have a yacht waiting in the marina.
Have your man stay onboard with Wyatt and his friend. He will need to let us
know exactly where they are going. We will follow from a distance and overtake
them. If it is out at sea, there is nothing they can do to stop us.” Gikas
sounded excited for the first time since Bourdon had met him.

“His plan is to put a homing
beacon on their boat. He will relay the signal to me and I will be able to
track it.”

“Good. Grab the girl and take
her to the boat. If there is any trouble with Wyatt, I want her there as a
bargaining chip.”