should waste as much of it as possible.” He waved a hand in dismissal. “The death cult of Hades supposedly guarded the opening that led down into Hades itself.”
“I’ve never heard that.”
“Of course you have. Heracles found a way into Hades to capture Cerberus, remember? That was his twelfth and final Labor. Theseus and Pirithous went there as well, to capture Persephone to be the wife of the latter. Heracles journeyed there to save Theseus later. Theseus and Pirithous were both minor gods, though they lived in the mortal world, but Heracles was half mortal. There had to be a non-mystical way for him to travel.”
Lourds turned that over in his mind and swapped looks with Marias. An actual gateway to Hades? The idea boggled the mind. And yet...there was fascination there as well.
“So somewhere in Elis, near the temple of Hades, is the entrance to the underworld?”
“According to this scroll and the accompanying map, yes. The death cult that worshipped Hades at Elis was known as the gatekeepers. They were devoted to keeping out all who did not belong to Hades. Until the proper time, of course. One has to assume they made way for the departed.”
Lourds took notes.
“I’ll tell you something else, Thomas.”
“What’s that?”
“If Alexander did indeed have weapons that were given to him by Hades, then the god of the underworld would have brought them back to his domain.”
“Why do you say that?”
Westmoore pulled one of his long ears. “Remember the story of Demeter and Persephone? How she was stolen away by Hades and taken to his realm?”
“Yes.”
“She ate four or six pomegranate seeds. Seeds. And she had to live a third of her life in Hades as a result.” Westmoore raised an eyebrow. “Hades was a jealous god, no question about it. Alexander’s weapons, if they were given by Hades, would have been worth a lot more than a pomegranate seed.” He thought for a moment. “Makes you think a little more about why Alexander died at such a young age, doesn’t it? And why his great friend Hephaestion died so young too?” The old professor chuckled. “Maybe Hades was just reaping what he had sown as well.”
***
High TV Television Station
Plaka, Athens
Hellenic Republic (Greece)
“Are you going to be all right, Ms. Cherkshan?”
Seated in the chair in the television studio, Anna nodded at the assistant, instantly regretting it as her head spun. “I’m fine.”
The young man gave her a thumbs-up and hurried away, already talking on the headset he wore.
Anna was not fine, though, and she knew it. She had a fever that felt like it was burning her up from the inside. Her shoulder, the one the woman had scratched at the airport, burned and itched at the same time. She wanted to scratch it, but every time she touched it, pain exploded and filled her whole chest, making it hard to breathe. It was, in fact, getting harder to breathe anyway. She just couldn’t seem to get enough air into her lungs.
Convincing the news producer—and his bosses—at the television station had been easier than she’d thought. Especially after she had shown them the papers Spaso had downloaded. They made a convincing argument, even though they were all she had.
Security around the station had been doubled since the story was going out live.
The fact that she was doing the delivery herself was a blessing and a curse. She liked the thought of being in front of the camera again. She’d loved working in the news station at university, but it was too much of a production. Print journalism afforded her more of a chance to be herself and say the things she wanted to say.
“Are you ready, Ms. Cherkshan?” The director’s voice came to her through the earbud she wore.
Anna was scared. As much as she didn’t want to be, she was absolutely terrified. But she held it in and made herself be on point. And when the news anchor turned to her, she kept the fear in check and made her voice strong.
“Good evening. My name is Anna Cherkshan. I am a Russian citizen, and I am here tonight to expose the truth of what President Nevsky has done to the Ukrainian people and how he plans to incite terrorist attacks in your country.”
A hush fell over the studio. Most of the people working the broadcast didn’t know what she was there to present. There had been some press releases hurriedly done, some promo spots on earlier programs, but no one had wanted to let