Cam looked at Luke and then turned to Eric and Hex, both men nodding. It was risky but between the four of them, they could protect Nicolai if necessary.
“Nicolai, we’re leaving in an hour for Greece. We plan to meet with the prime minister to discuss what’s happening. Do you want to go with us?”
The excitement on Nicolai’s face said he was very much willing to go but there was also a hint of fear and uncertainty.
“Nicolai?” Luke stared at the man knowing he was afraid but didn’t want to say it. “No one would blame you for staying back, at least for now. Once we know that you’re safe and the island is safe, you can return. We, the four of us, are very good at what we do but if their forces were to come for you, the four of us wouldn’t be able to stop them.”
“I can’t make you risk your lives in that way. You’re already advocating on my behalf. My being there right now might put you in greater danger. If they think you’re hiding me, they may detain you.”
“They won’t detain us,” said Cam.
“How can you be so sure?” asked Nicolai.
“Over the years we’ve done a lot of work for many, many countries. Someone, somewhere owes us a favor and that includes inside of your country. We meet on our terms, in our way just to see if the prime minister is aware of what’s going on. We get in and out without anyone actually seeing us,” said Eric.
“You’re so confident, so sure of yourselves. I wish I shared your brevity. I’ve never had to fight for my island. I’ve never had to fight for my country. Perhaps I should have. I didn’t realize until these last few months just how perfect my little slice of heaven is.
“Even as modern citizens of Greece, we still believe that our gods are protecting us, guiding us, watching over us. They form the basis of our ancient religion and influence much of how we live today. Are you familiar with our gods?”
“No,” smiled Hex, “but I’m always up for a lesson.”
“As I said, Greek gods are the principal deities of ancient Greek religion, led by the twelve Olympians residing on Mount Olympus. They include Zeus, god of the sky,Hera, goddess of marriage,Poseidon, god of the sea.”
“Him I’m familiar with,” smirked Luke.
“Hades, god of the underworld,Athena, goddess of wisdom,Apollo, god of the sun and art, Artemis, god of the hunt,Ares, god of war.”
“I’m familiar with him as well,” said Cam under his breath.
“Then of course we have Aphrodite, goddess of love,Hephaestus, god of fire and crafts,Hermes, the messenger god, and finally, one very important to my island,Demeter, god of harvest.
“They were central to Greek myths and our education, explaining the world, human nature, and heroic deeds, originating from primordial deities likeChaosandGaia, evolving from theTitans. They included famous figures likeHercules,Odysseus, and monsters likeCyclopsandSirens.”
“I remember learning about them in school but I have to be honest, I didn’t pay much attention,” said Eric.
“There was no need for you to pay attention. They were just stories to you. Words on a page that could mean that they were real or fake but they weren’t of your world. They were critical to our world. Critical to our culture.
“To us mythology was not only integral to ancient Greek life, serving as our religion, but it explained natural phenomena like storms, thanks to Zeus and Poseidon,” he smirked. “I wonder where it all went wrong. When did we stop believing in such powerful beings and the lessons they taught us, the moral codes they gave us?”
“I can’t answer that one,” said Luke. “We could ask the same thing here in our own country. We came to this land believing in one God and determined to wipe out the indigenous tribes who believed in many deities. How do we justify that? How does anyone justify destroying someone’s culture and beliefs?”
“I suspect you’ve fought for this before,” said Nicolai.
“On more than one occasion,” said Hex. “Nicolai, for what it’s worth, I think you should remain here, help the team with other projects while we test the waters. For your safety.”
Nicolai nodded, standing to leave the room.
“I trust you. I trust that you will do what’s right, even though you don’t believe in Zeus,” he grinned. The men laughed, giving him a nod.
“What are you going to do?” asked Luke.
“I believe I’ll take a boat ride to the animal sanctuary and speak with your fathers again. They were to be out there all day, separating some of the animals. Apparently the giraffes are up in arms over the smell from the bison enclosure. They’ve requested to be moved closer to the center of the island.”
They heard him laugh all the way down the hall and exit the building. The four men stared at one another smiling, then heard the familiar voice in their ears.
“When you princesses are done with story time, we have a deadline to keep so get your cute assess to the chopper. Please.”
“On our way, Evie,” laughed Luke. “On our way.”
