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Aaron was right. Just shy of two hours they arrived in the small lakeside town of Chalcedonia. It was extremely cute and quaint and reminded Madeleine, as she informed them all, of Switzerland. It was also very quiet with few people around. When Katerina mentioned this Aaron frowned. “Yes, that concerns me. My fear is that Zeus will know we’re here.”
“How could he know?”
“The raptors will have alerted him to our direction. He may be covering all his bases and watching many places in the area. But we know his greatest treasure is hidden here, so he’ll be particularly nervous we might come here.”
“How likely is he to expect us here? Does he know we know about his treasure?”
“It’s taken us months to even find out it’s here. So no, I don’t think he will necessarily be expecting us to know about it.” He was eyeing the closed-up houses they were passing intently as he talked.
“And we still don’t know what the treasure is?” Karim asked behind them.
“No idea,” Aaron agreed.
“But we know where it is?” Josiah this time.
“Yes, it’s near the lake in one of the founding villas. The one with all the extra surveillance. But here’s where we’re going first,” he added, turning into a small side-street.
He led them to a house four doors down and knocked lightly. After a moment it was opened by a little, old lady. She waved them in quickly, shutting the door after them with a few nervous looks down the empty street. Without a word, she led them through a dark, sparse house furnished only with dark-red furniture and garish aqua-blue rugs. They traipsed obediently after her to a room near the back where she pointed silently at a heavy dresser against the wall. Also without a word Aaron and Karim awkwardly moved it aside to reveal a well-hidden trapdoor underneath.
They all went through, down into what turned out to be tunnels underground. Only Karim and the old lady stayed behind. Karim nodded once at Aaron then shut the trapdoor above them. Moments later they heard him pushing the dresser back in place.
“Where are we going now?” Katerina asked. Like all of them, she was so weary she just wanted to lie down, not keep moving.
“We’re heading to another place across town where we’ll meet with the thief. We should be safe there. It’s only another fifteen minutes then you can rest for as long as you need and eat something. We don’t expect the thief till tomorrow.”
They had to walk single file through the dimly lit tunnels. They were travelling, Aaron told them, underneath houses and shops, crossing beneath streets, safe from any of Zeus’s spies. After the estimated fifteen minutes they at last reached another trapdoor — this time opened from above by a smiling, jovial woman. She led them into a large, beautifully-appointed mansion with stunning grounds enclosed by a high wall.
As Aaron had promised, at last they could relax. The house was quiet and cool and safe — and it was a relief to be still, to be given a room and to rest.
Alice was in a strange little corner of the house tucked away from everyone else, with a view of a hidden corner in the back garden. She only managed a short sleep because the afternoon sun pouring into her room made it uncomfortably hot. Then she lay a while with the window open, thinking about Jacob. The only thing stopping her from going crazy whenever she thought of him was the hope that Noah would see him for her when he returned to Earth. Although after Caleb’s death, she was terrified for her brother too. Who would have thought that Caleb wouldn’t make the right choice back home? He had seemed so reasonable, so stable.
Of course, there was always the chance it wouldn’t be Noah going back — maybe Josiah or Madeleine. Josiah, who seemed to be trying to woo Katerina, although whether he would get anywhere was debatable. Madeleine flirting with her brother had not escaped Alice’s attention either nor, she guessed, Katerina’s. Indeed, there was something about Madeleine that made her distinctly uneasy.
She leaned on her window sill, looking idly out and wondering what so disturbed her about the girl. Perhaps protective sister syndrome, she thought wryly.
As she gazed out into the beautiful grounds, to her surprise there was Madeleine herself, talking with someone half hidden behind a tree. Whoever she was with, there was considerable gesturing and arm-waving going on until Madeleine subsided abruptly and nodded twice. She left the rendezvous first, glancing around quickly. Alice drew back out of sight but continued to watch. A few moments later she saw Josiah step out from the trees and hurry away too.
It all might be totally innocent yet something about it worried at Alice so much that she could not let it go. Her growing unease was so strong that she eventually went in search of Noah, finding him outside in the sun. But he brushed it off as, “Perhaps they were talking about the awful things they’ve just been through.” His nonchalant response was frustrating, reminding her of the many times growing up when she had attempted to share with him things that were important to her but not been taken seriously.
Concern over Madeleine’s behavior wouldn’t leave her. She decided to talk to Katerina next, but found her relaxing in the garden with Josiah, who looked none too happy at Alice’s intrusion. That left her with only one option — to keep an eye on Madeleine herself.
For most of the afternoon this proved easy. They all ate together in the garden: delicious pastries, fresh fruit and cake. Then Madeleine hung around Noah, so Alice did too. She feigned disinterest but actually paid attention to every nuance of Madeleine’s conversation — every word she said, her tone and especially her body language. She was in no doubt that the girl was making a very definite play for her brother. Yet this was not so strange surely, for Alice had seen dozens of women do so over the years. But this felt different...or could she just be missing Jacob? Was she actually jealous?
Sighing to herself, she decided to give up and left them to it.
The afternoon passed peacefully. Noah excused himself from Madeleine after a while and went in search of Katerina. He found her dozing on a bench with Josiah close by watching her unashamedly. When the boy looked up at him, Noah detected a faint hint of triumph in his gaze. Rather than engage him, Noah decided to walk away. But Katerina opened her eyes and called, “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Just getting some air,” he turned back. “Want to take a walk?”
“Okay,” Katerina agreed, getting up. She smiled at Josiah, who was stony-faced, “I’ll be back soon,” and joined Noah.
They walked in silence for a while until Katerina cleared her throat awkwardly and said, “I wanted to thank you for saving my life on the boat.”
“It was nothing,” Noah shrugged, embarrassed.
“No, it was something — you could have died yourself. I appreciate it. I literally owe you my life.” By now they were out of sight of Josiah and Noah turned to her quickly, putting his hand on her arm to stop her. He stared into her beautiful green eyes and wondered how to say what he suddenly wanted to say.
“Well then, perhaps you would consider doing something for me?” he asked. His voice sounded as nervous as he felt.
“What is it?”
“I know I shouldn’t be asking you this; I know I have no right to ask you this...I can’t...I can’t promise you anything...but please, don’t get involved with Josiah.”
“Why? What are you saying?”
“I can’t promise you anything, I need some time — but I...I can’t stand the thought of you with him,” he admitted painfully.
“You don’t like him?”
“I don’t trust him. Especially with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t think you’re safe with him. I just want to protect you...” He looked embarrassed by his admission.
For a long time Katerina was silent, uncertain. His protectiveness felt uncomfortable but also somehow reassuring, like he was looking out for her. Yet being vulnerable to him definitely felt too dangerous, with the memory of their kiss and her subsequent humiliation so close to the surface. And yet she did owe him, so she nodded. “Okay, for the meantime I won’t get involved with Josiah. But I can’t promise you what will happen in the future Noah. I’m not sure what it is you see in him, but I find him quite likable.”
She caught the hurt look that flared across his face for a moment. Then he smiled casually, that gorgeous Irish smile that had won many women over and said, “That’s all I can ask. Thank you.”
He released her arm and they walked on, silent now. Katerina wanted to know more but did not want to ask. Noah had more to say but did not know how to say it. He was so relieved she had agreed to his unorthodox request he did not want to push his luck.
Eventually they walked a full circuit back to Josiah, where Katerina said good bye and returned to her seat in the sun. When Noah was gone, Josiah asked casually, “What was that about?”
Katerina shrugged, “He doesn’t want me to date you.”
Because she had her eyes shut beneath the soft heat of the sun she didn’t see the look of anger cross Josiah’s face and when she opened her eyes to check, he was smiling. “Good to see I’m making him jealous,” he said lightly.
After his walk with Katerina, Noah decided that time in his room thinking through what might await him at home would be well spent. This plan soon failed however when Madeleine ‘found’ her way to his room just after he had settled comfortably on his bed. With a breezy greeting she came to sit beside him, smiling seductively.
Noah was no fool when it came to women. It was obvious what she wanted and under different circumstances he might have considered flirting back because she was, after all, beautiful and quite charming. But not now. His priorities were different. Instead he sat up and moved subtly away from her. She noticed but did not comment on it, launching instead into a tale about the house owners whom she had apparently just been conversing with.
Noah barely listened. There were far more important things on his mind — his conversation with Katerina, going home to Earth. Eventually, as her story wound to a close, he decided the best thing to do was put it out there as he had with Katerina.
“Madeleine, I’m not sure what you think could happen here,” he started awkwardly, “but I need you to know...”
“Wait a minute, what are you saying?” she interrupted, getting off the bed to face him, hands on hips.
“I ah...I know you’ve been through a lot and I enjoy spending time with you, but there can’t be anything else between us...”
“Boy, you are arrogant!” she interrupted again. “I’m just trying to be a friend. I thought we could both do with one.”
“Madeleine, I’m sorry! I guess I thought...”
Madeleine’s smile was widening with amusement, “I see what you’re thinking — shame on you!”
Shocked he stared at her, trying to sort out in his head all the signals she had been giving him. Had he got it wrong? But no, she had definitely been flirting with him. He had not imagined all the extra attention, the looks and smiles she was giving to him. Inwardly he shrugged and outwardly he apologized again, “I’m sorry, I guess I misread things.”
She shrugged too and stuck her hand out to him. “No harm done — friends?”
He smiled. “Sure, friends.”
“Okay ‘friend.’ Well I’m going to take a lie-down now. See you at tea.”
“Sure,” he said again and watched her leave, confused, wondering what her visit had been about.
At the door, she paused and turned back to him. “Just out of curiosity, are you saying that because you’re not interested in me or you’re not interested because there’s someone else?”
Noah’s thoughts sprang immediately to Katerina. He shut them down and said only, “Because I’m not thinking about being with anyone. There are some issues I need to resolve before I consider dating again.”
“So this isn’t about Katerina?” she asked. Although her tone was casual, her gaze was not.
“I would say the same to her,” Noah reassured quickly. But he was not sure if the girl believed him. He wasn’t sure if he believed himself.
As the sun began its slow descent, Katerina got up to rearrange her seat to re-capture its final rays. She had lain there with Josiah for several hours now and it had been extremely relaxing. Every now and then he had made small talk, asked her questions about her ‘normal’ life or the time they had been apart. He seemed quite interested in her relationship with Noah but she had been cagey about that. She told him only that nothing was going on and she and Noah would probably never see each other again once ‘this’ was all over. The thought was a sobering one however and she shut down all conversation about Noah after that.
The one thing they had been talking about for a while now was what had happened on the plane and the ring Claudia had given her. Josiah was quite interested in the inscription, so she held her hand out for him to look at it.
“What does it mean? Any ideas?” he asked.
From half-closed eyes, she studied his face. He looked all innocence but Aaron’s words came back to her, bringing a caution, so she replied carefully, “I’m not sure. It’s just a Bible verse I think. Claudia was pretty religious, that’s probably why she liked this ring.”
“Why did she give it to you then?”
“Good question. I guess she took a liking to me,” she said, aware how lame that sounded but unable to think of another explanation for him.
“It’s quite special to you, isn’t it?” he was examining it again.
“It is, surprisingly. It feels like it’s become a part of me. I can’t imagine not wearing it now. I would feel quite naked without it.”
“Mmmm, so I might grow on you? So you would feel naked without me around?”
There was no mistaking the suggestiveness in his tone. That, and the way he was looking at her, rendered her speechless. She thought maybe he was going to try to kiss her again and she wasn’t sure how she would respond. But instead he dropped her hand and said, “You look cold. Let me get you a top.”
“Oh, thanks. Do you know which room’s mine?”
Josiah nodded. “Already scoped it out in case I get lonely tonight.” He winked and walked away before she could think of a suitable response.
After a few minutes, she decided a toilet stop and food would be a good idea and followed Josiah into the house. He was not in her room however and she could not see any of her few tops missing, so she grabbed one and headed for the bathroom, before scouting the lower floor of the house for him.
She found him in a room off the main entranceway; the room Aaron and their host had retired to after their arrival. The door was open just wide enough to see in. She stood in the doorframe a few moments watching him, wondering what to do about his flirtiness. If anything. Admittedly his admiration was flattering after Noah’s rejection.
Her attention shifted to what he was looking at and she stepped into the room, “There you are! What happened to getting me a top?”
To her amusement, he actually jumped and a guilty look swept his face. It was so brief she thought she must have imagined it, for when he turned to face her he was all innocent smiles. In criminology however, they were taught not to ignore any intuition; any sign that something was out of place, so she moved rapidly towards the desk to see what he was looking at. He tried to cover it up, also casually, but she caught a glimpse of house plans and a photo of a beautiful home by a lake.
“Sorry, I got distracted. I was looking for Aaron to ask him something but when I came in here, I saw the plans for getting Zeus’s treasure. Aaron’s so secretive, I just wanted to sneak a peek and see what he’s wanting us to do...”
“So what did you find?”
“Just a photo of the house it’s in, nothing else particularly interesting.”
She considered pushing harder, to see if he was telling the truth. A glance at the truth ring told her nothing, though it was quite dark in the room with all the shutters drawn. As if he had read her mind, he was holding the pile of papers on the desk out to her. “Here, see...”
Obligingly she glanced through them, recognizing the plans as the interior of the beautiful house with an X marking where Aaron believed Zeus’s treasure was being held. “You know he would have showed us this when it was time anyway?”
“I know. I guess I’m just kind of a curious person. I don’t like to be kept in the dark.”
“I relate to that,” she smiled. “Anyway, I got my top so I think I’ll catch some more sun. It’s so nice to just relax.”
“I agree. I’ll join you again.” Josiah took the papers back from her and slid them into the top drawer of the dresser as she waited.
As they walked back outside, her mind was whirling. He had claimed the plans were lying around but returned them to a closed drawer. Had he stumbled across them and was now hiding them to ensure no one else did the same? Or had he been deliberately snooping in the desk drawers? If so, why? Were his intentions good or otherwise?
And what were his intentions towards her? He barely took his eyes off her, flirting with her at every opportunity. He touched her often, caressing her skin whenever he could. She would have to be blind not to know he wanted her. But why, when he barely knew her? Had she just become a fantasy that kept him going in Zeus’s prison?
Not that it mattered, because she would keep her promise to Noah for now. Which meant nothing could happen with Josiah even if she started to want it to.
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