Purdue let out a small laugh, realizing she was there. “Fighting in the Colosseum...I didn't realize that you’d become a gladiator. What did you face? Warriors? Lions? Partake in a chariot race or two, aye?”
“More like psychopaths with masks and knives. The masks looked like Roman emperors.”
Purdue looked understandably perplexed. “I just had to miss the weird one...”
“That's on you.”
“I suppose it was, aye. So how did it go then? Taking charge and all of that.”
“Excluding the people trying to kill us, I think it went well. At this point, it’d be more surprising if there was a trip that didn't involve outrunning killers.”
“You're not wrong. There's a definite trend. Troubling...” Purdue grew grave. “Those masked killers weren't the same people that attacked us by Genghis Khan's grave, were they?”
“Not that I'm aware of,” Nina said honestly. “They seemed to be doing their own thing. I doubt anyone would want to work with unhinged people like they were. They wanted to bring back Ancient Rome.”
Purdue almost laughed. “What do you mean by bring back? Like have emperors again? Reopen the Colosseum?”
“Pretty much. Insane right?”
“Very.”
Nina usually didn't notice when someone was burnt out and ready to pass out, but it was very obvious with Purdue. The man needed to put aside what he was working on and get some rest; running the Order of the Black Sun was taking a serious toll on him.
“What have you been up to?”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on, Purdue, I know you better than that. You haven't just been in here, sitting on your hands. You’ve been trying to find out about that man who tried to kill us in Mongolia. The one who talked about the old woman and the group that knows about the Black Sun. The one that Julian warned you about.”
She knew she was right; and based on the expression that crossed Purdue's face, she was completely correct. That's what he had been doing while she was running around Rome and Egypt—trying to figure out what this new threat might be. They both had thought they were done with shadow organizations after they brought down and then reorganized the Order of the Black Sun. But, if the rumblings they’d heard from the assassin in Mongolia and Julian Corvus were true, then there was something much worse out there. Something was stirring, they just didn't know what they were up against yet.
“You're right, aye,” Purdue said, standing up from his desk and walking over to the blackboard behind him. He looked a little red with embarrassment, but there was no need for humiliation. She didn't blame him for taking so much time to try and find their new enemy. It was sensible, and he apparently knew she could lead in his stead. Purdue flipped the blackboard over, revealing a mess of chalk lines and messy notation. It was an entangled web of theories and ideas that Purdue had. “You saw what that man was like by Genghis Khan's tomb.”
“I remember,” Nina said. “He tried to kill us all with a helicopter. Killed himself with a cyanide pill before we got anything...I know they're dangerous.”
“And they know all about us,” Purdue said, grinding his teeth and turning back to the board behind him. “And we know nothing about them. Nothing at all. Just what Julian said, but that was nothing concrete.”
“Have you tried talking to him again about it?”
“I did, yes,” Purdue said and she could see how angry he was. “He just sat there in that display case. Just smiling. He refuses to talk about it anymore until we let him out of there. And it's not like he doesn't have all the time in the world. He's literally immortal now, eh? He's not going anywhere, but he can wait us out without a worry.”
“We can't let him out.”
“I know!” Purdue said, louder than he probably intended. His frustration was apparent. He'd clearly been driving himself mad in this room, trying to figure out how to beat an enemy who was practically invisible. “But if we don't do something soon...if we don't identify who these people are soon...who that old lady is...then who knows when they might try something again? And this time, maybe they will hit us a lot harder than before! Everything we've worked for, all of it...we could lose it all again. Even worse this time.”
Purdue had almost lost everything thanks to Julian Corvus...and now that this unseen enemy was supposedly even worse...she could understand why he was scared.
“David, listen to me.” Nina made a point of using his first name only when she was being gravely serious, only in their most intimate moments. “We can't do anything about them right now. We’ve no way of tracking them or anything like that right now. Right now...right now, you need some sleep. You need to rest. I think we all do.”
“And what happens if they come at us while I'm sleeping, aye?”
“Then I'm sure you'll wake up to face them...but please try to sleep. You look like shit.”
Nina left Purdue in his office and made her way to her room. She hadn't quite gotten used to her new bed in the Black Sun headquarters yet but in that moment, she felt like it would be the comfiest place in the world.
She did her best to not worry about this group that was apparently looming over them. She instead focused on how she’d just successfully recovered Julius Caesar's sword, and done it successfully with a team of Black Sun operatives that she trusted.
They could worry about this hidden enemy later.
Besides, she hadn't seen anything that indicated that this old lady was anywhere nearby lately.
Epilogue
THE REAL INSPECTION
There was a knock on the Old Lady's door and then a tall, long-haired man entered as he had done so many times before. He always brought her such interesting information, so she always looked forward to what he had to say. He’d a great eye for observation and great ears for hearing what was important being said.
“It has been quite some time, ma'am.”
Donatello Amaro stood in the doorway, awkwardly refraining from coming any further into the room. He was an odd man, but the Old Lady didn't mind. A little peculiarity was worth it when he also had such a staggering strategic mind. She could tolerate his quirks if it ensured victory.
“How have things been?”
“Fine, fine,” she said eagerly. “I hope you’ve come with something good.”
“I have, yes,” Inspector Amaro crossed into the room and took the chair across from the Old Lady's. He shifted his body around in it, trying to get comfortable before moving to another seat nearby. He seemed satisfied with that one so he remained. Most people would have found that off-putting, but the Old Lady didn't mind.
“So what news have you brought me?”
“Well, Rome was something of a roller coaster of late. Its museums were plagued by a group of vermin called the Third Triumvirate. They were thieves that had ambitions to make Rome the dominant world power like it used to be a few thousand years ago.”
The Old Lady balked. “Ridiculous.”
“Undeniably, but they were fairly capable with the thievery part. They stayed four steps ahead of the police for quite some time.”
“But you caught them? Yes?”
“Of course, it took some assistance but they were arrested and taken into custody. The three of them are currently in holding. Should I let the justice system devour them for their crimes or would you prefer that they make a miraculous escape?”
She loved how dutiful he was.
“That depends. Based on what you’ve seen of them, would they be helpful if we brought them into the fold?”
“Perhaps. Even if we just need some expendable fodder for something. I'm sure we can find something for them to do. They’ll just have to forget about their fantasy of reviving Ancient Rome.”
Inspector Amaro reached into his coat pockets and pulled out some folded up pieces of paper. There were blood stains blotched on some of the sheets as he handed them over to the Old Lady. They were the handwritten letters that the Third Triumvirate had made; all of thei
r ravings and rantings about restoring Rome into a powerful empire again. The Old Lady only read a few sentences before she chuckled and dropped them to the floor.
“Yes,” the Old Lady smiled. “Show them that our dream is so much more than that, and that it’s something far more attainable as well. Make them the offer...and if they refuse...”
“Bury them in so much legal consequence that they’ll never see the outside of a holding cell ever again.” That notion pleased Amaro and the Old Lady knew that there were plenty of people rotting in prisons that had suffered that same terrible fate thanks to Amaro. The inspector continued, running a finger across his chin in thought. “Or, if you prefer, we take a more dramatic approach, we could just dispose of them entirely if they say no?”
“I’ll leave that up to you and your own discretion, Donatello.” There was another pressing matter that she wanted to discuss with him. “What about Dr. Nina Gould? She was involved in all of this, wasn't she?”
“She was, yes,” Inspector Amaro said. “She led a small group of Black Sun members on a search for the sword of Julius Caesar himself. She was...tenacious, to say the least. Stubborn. And in the end successful in her quest.”
“What else?” The Old Lady asked.
Amaro didn't respond at first, looking uncertain.
“What else about Dr. Gould? I want to know more about her.”
“Oh, I can tell you quite a lot about her,” Inspector Amaro said with a proud smirk. He reached into the inside of his jacket and seemed to be rummaging through all kinds of things inside. He pulled out the small notebook that he’d used while interviewing Nina, and dropped it on the table in front of the Old Lady. “The rest is in there. All of my notes. Everything you could possibly want to know without seeing her in the flesh with your own eyes.”
The Old Lady took the note book and flipped through its small pages. Most people would’ve assumed that it was filled with notes pertaining to the crime case; eye witness accounts, descriptions of crimes scenes, things like that. But this note pad had none of those things. The contents of that book were far less broad.
Every notation inside was a description of Dr. Nina Gould. Every observation that Amaro made while in her presence while she was speaking with him. It was a trick that he often employed; making it seem that your notetaking was for deduction purposes for the police work when the real analysis was focusing on the one being interviewed.
Nina Gould had no idea that all of her mannerisms had been analyzed and recorded in that little notebook. Every imperfection on her face, every word she pronounced incorrectly, even how many times she blinked in a minute normally. Amaro was sure to also take note of all of her responses to his questions and how carefully she tried to keep him from learning about her secret society.Inspector Donatello Amaro hadn't been inspecting the crime scenes or the case. He’d been meticulously assessing Nina Gould herself the entire time—and it was a thorough analysis.
“You did well, Donatello. She didn't know what you were doing?”
“No...I performed all of my tests, all of my examinations without her suspecting a thing. I even tried to take the sword from her just to see how she’d react. It's right there on the last page. I thought she was going to run me through with it...she's a tough one, that much is certain.”
“Thank you for your report,” the old lady flipped through more of the pages of notes. “Go back to Rome. I’ll call if I require anymore need of your services. And I’ll await to hear what you decide to do with those three prisoners.”
Inspector Amaro's mouth twisted into a thin, toothless smile as he rose to his feet and bowed his head. “Don't hesitate to call. I’d love the chance to make some more observations of this new Order of the Black Sun that has formed.”
Inspector Amaro left, closing the door behind him. The Old Lady found herself alone again, but now had a lot of reading to do. She sat there in her rocking chair, looking over all of the extensive notes that Amaro had taken about Nina Gould.
Dr. Nina Gould was impressive—far more than the Old Lady ever expected her to be. She'd wrongly believed that Dr. Gould was nothing more than a textbook of knowledge that David Purdue would just carry around with him and open whenever he needed. She had seemed like a tool and a resource for the Black Sun's new leader but it turned out that Dr. Gould was much more than she seemed. She was very much her own force to be reckoned with—and the Old Lady knew that meant that she was a threat.
That meant that Nina Gould either needed to be recruited or eliminated—whatever the case, she needed to be neutralized. She’d proven to be just as much of a hindrance as her friend Purdue. The Old Lady didn't like the Third Triumvirate already, but maybe they had their uses. The Old Lady could play along with their self-righteous games only to humor herself when she was bored. If they did join her efforts, she’d make sure that those pretentious anarchists knew their place. Their triangle meant nothing to her. It wouldn't be a larger triangle where they all shared equal power. No, she was above them, at the top of that triangle, whether they’d accept that or not.
The loss of Caesar's sword wasn't a major problem. On the contrary, it wasn't even an inconvenience really. It would’ve been nice to acquire such a historic weapon ,but what they gained instead might’ve been better—insight into Dr. Gould and this new Order of the Black Sun that Purdue had put together.
Information was often more valuable than anything material. It was how the Old Lady had gotten where she was, by knowing everything she could.
The inspection that Amaro performed made things clear enough for her.
Dr. Gould could be a valuable ally to their cause, and would be an even better weapon to use against David Purdue and the Order of the Black Sun.
The End
Poseidon’s Secret
Prologue
THE THIEF ON THE SHORE
ANCIENT GREECE – THE ISLAND OF CRETE – 670 BC
The ocean was roaring. Its salty spray hissed and writhed about. Waves punched at the coast with the utmost anger and fury.
Dio stood on the beach, staring out in horror at the encroaching storm. It was coming from the sea, determined and focused. He knew what this was and knew why it was happening. It was because of what they took from the depths, from the very heart of the ocean.
They should never have done it—he should have never gone along with it. He knew what the consequences were if man stole from the gods. He knew that the punishment would either be long, drawn out torture, or a quick and destructive end. Given what he was seeing, it would probably be the latter. He wanted to return what he stole, to make amends, but he couldn't give it back and it was far too late to make things right.
The pearl in his hand didn't belong to him. Having it was just dooming him to some horrible death. He considered just throwing it back into the sea, returning it to where it belonged, but it really was too late for that. He knew it wouldn't change anything so it was better to just hold on to it and flee. It might be futile but he had gone through far too much trouble to give up now.
The theft would give him power that no other mere mortal possessed but the cost would be great, he knew that. He just had to run and not look back. The oncoming storm was powerful and marching toward him but there was only so far it could reach. If he could just outrun it, then he could get somewhere that not even a god could reach him. He might not be able to do it forever, but he could do it long enough to secure his family's future.
As much as he wanted to live, he knew there was no real escape for him now. He would eventually be found and he would have to face what he did. He would have to accept the fate that he had brought upon himself.
The waves crashed harder. The ground shook violently. The ocean screamed at him.
Dio knew that his days were numbered. The end of his life would not be what he always imagined. He wouldn't get to die peacefully with his children at his bedside. He would not get to enjoy quiet times of calm and tranquility. He had given all of that up the moment he too
k that pearl. No, a man like him would probably die screaming. His end would be much, much worse than most. The gods would be sure of that.
In the end, he wouldn't be able to breathe.
The sea would devour him, and Poseidon would swallow him.
1
GROWING PAINS
Sam Cleave was still trying to get used to the fact that he was now part of the Order of the Black Sun. The secret society wasn't the same one that he fought so many times before. Thanks to the efforts of Sam and his allies, they had neutralized the threat of the Black Sun and made the Order a force for good in the world. It was the only way to really defeat them for good. Otherwise, there was a chance that the Black Sun could bounce back, more dangerous than ever. They could ensure that that wouldn't happen now, and use the Order's resources to their advantage.
One of the first things Sam saw happen once the new management took over was that many people from the old Order of the Black Sun fled, scattering to the winds, and new blood was being recruited to replace them. The new recruits were comprised of fewer megalomaniacs than most of the people from the prior incarnation. The majority of the fresh faces seemed like really good people, all handpicked by David Purdue to help protect the history of the world.
There were growing pains of course, just like there always were during tense times of transition. He was having trouble with it but he knew he was in the minority. He just missed the good old days and he was going to have to get over that.
Sam could see all of the good things happening around him but couldn't help but feel so overlooked now; forgotten even. Not long ago, he was traveling the world with his colleagues—friends even—working together to collect the rarest treasures and keeping those items away from people that would misuse them. He never expected to be part of some secret society—and definitely not the one that was once their biggest enemy. Sam thought the Order of the Black Sun would always be a threat and couldn't believe that he was now among their ranks. He was a part of the Black Sun, despite how many times the very same group tried to murder him and his friends. It was hard to wrap his head around because it never seemed like there was even the smallest chance of that ever happening.
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