The sun began to rise as the ship carrying myself and my sister, Juliette Dorian, docked in the port of Athens. It was a little bit of a rough journey to Athens however, as our arrival was delayed a few days, due to inclement weather out on the seas. It was enough to get Juliette seasick however, as I remember on the first day of the voyage, Juliette got nauseous and vomited overboard. I saw her come up from below deck, looking a lot better than she did on the first day of travel.
"Ready to go, Juliette?"I asked, as she approached me.
"Indeed I am, Francois." Juliette replied, as we began our walk off the deck of the ship. "Now let's look for Mr. Minaros' shop. It's covered with red ribbons, and shouldn't be too far away from the docks."
"Let us go then." I replied, as I saluted Michael Minaros, the young Captain who sailed us here. Michael returned a salute to me, as he returned to the Captain's quarters to tend to some business of his. Walking along the docks, Juliette and myself took in the sights of Athens. Along the port was an incredible amount of shops, with vendors selling various goods, such as incense, freshly caught fish, vegetables, and blankets. With the shops came customers. There were lines, with up to twelve people at each shop, and on top of that there were the people walking around, looking lost as they tried to find a desired shop.
It would be fun to learn Greek, I thought, as I looked up at the majestic Parthenon towering over the city. It was a damn shame to see it in the state it was in, after Venetians damaged it by igniting an Ottoman ammunition stockpile over one-hundred and fifty years ago. Nevertheless, it still looked beautiful atop the Acropolis. After marveling the Parthenon for a few minutes, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I whirled around, to see Juliette standing there, pointing at something. I turned back around to see a shop on the outside of the port, covered with large and lengthy red ribbons above the windows. I looked over to Juliette, and held out my left arm.
"Please take the lead, Madame Juliette." I chimed sarcastically. Juliette rolled her eyes at me.
"I definitely know who you got that sarcasm from." Juliette retorted, as she brushed by me, walking towards the shop. Upon arriving at the front, Juliette let out a deep breath.
"I guess this is it." Juliette said, as she opened the door. I held the door open for her, and closed it behind me. What was inside wasn't a shop, but more along the lines of a bar. Behind the bar was a man with short brown hair, wearing a white shirt and a bow tie. He smiled ecstatically upon seeing Juliette.
"Juliette Dorian! How grand to see you!" He exclaimed, hugging her from across the bar. "It's good to see Leonard Frye stick to his word by sending his best Assassin."
His attention quickly turned to me. I smiled politely.
"Who is this gentleman? Your husband?"
Juliette looked away embarrassingly.
"I happen to be her brother." I replied, with a bow of my head. "The name is Francois Charles Dorian, from Paris."
"Pleased to meet you, François!" He stated, as he shook my hand. "Have a seat."
Juliette and I sat at the bar.
"Can I get you two something to drink?" He asked politely.
"A pint of Guinness would be nice, please." Juliette replied, as she pointed at the keg of Guinness behind him.
"And for you, sir?"
I looked around to see the different types of beer he had, until I spied a favourite of mine.
"Get me a pint of Steigl please."
"Coming right up!" The man exclaimed, as he went to pour our beverages. I turned to Juliette.
"Who is this man?" I asked, pointing at him.
"Name's Aleksander Miranos. He's a friend of my Mentor's when they lived in London."
"Fair enough." I replied as he returned with our beverages. Juliette's pint of Guinness was a dark stout beer with a thick layer of foam at the top, poured into a glass bearing the name and the famous harp. Meanwhile, my Steigl was a delicious light lager poured into an elongated glass. The first few sips were divine. I could clearly tell Juliette was enjoying her Guinness, as she had a foam moustache across her upper lip. I chuckled upon seeing is, as did Aleksander. Juliette laughed, and quickly wiped the foam from her lip.
"So tell me, how do you know Juliette's Mentor, Leonard Frye?" I asked curiously.
"I actually me him through your mother, Elise de la Serre, back when she visited him in England some time ago." He replied, clearing his throat.
"Now how did you meet our mother?" I asked again, sipping on my Steigl.
"Continue sipping. I will tell you about how I met your mother." Aleksander beckoned, as we heeded his words and got comfortable in our seats. "I met your mother Elise back when I lived with Leonard in London in 1800. Leonard was an associate of hers. She was in London on an important business meeting with a mysterious woman who lived in the Kenway Mansion. I don't recall the details of the meeting, but I do remember meeting you in London, François. From when I laid eyes on her, I knew she would do a great service to the Brotherhood, and judging by her actions in Rome, Egypt, Constantinople, and the Americas, I guessed right. But now, on to you two. Never before would I have thought to have see two brave Assassins birthed from the loins of a woman with Templar ancestry. You two will start the path of what it takes to be true Assassins in your respective Brotherhoods."
Juliette downed what was left of her pint of Guinness, as I swished around what remained of my Steigl. I followed that up with a whistle.
"That's quite the story." I replied, as I took another sip out of my beer. "Now, onto Kassandra's tomb. Where is it located precisely?"
Aleksander pondered for a few moments until the location popped into his mind.
"It is located outside of the city, not far away from the base of Mount Olympus from what I heard. Few hours outside the city to the north."
"Thank you for the location, Master Minaros." Juliette replied, with a bow of her head. "Let's go, François. Time is of the essence."
Just as Juliette opened the door, Aleksander looked up.
"Before you head off there, you may need a key to open Kassandra's tomb."
"Oh? And where may this said key be?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Rumour has it that it is somewhere in the middle of the Parthenon ruins, lies a glyph of the Owl of Athens." Aleksander stated, as he folded his arms. "That leads to the key's location. But be forewarned, snobbish looking men with red crosses have been scouring the area too. Watch out for them."
"They sound like the Templars we know so well." Juliette muttered, before nudging me in the hip. "Come on, François! Let's beat them to the punch!"
I smiled sarcastically as she opened the door, and bolted for the Parthenon.
Oh Juliette, your haven't aged a bit, I thought, as I opened the door, and ran after Juliette, who had to have been at least halfway to the Parthenon by now.
As I arrived at the top of the Parthenon Acropolis, almost winded and out of breath, I saw Juliette marveling at the ancient architecture. It looked as if she never broke a sweat.
"You mind telling me what all that running was about?" I asked, between pants. Juliette let out a little bit of a laugh.
"Didn't you hear me?" Juliette responded with a question. "Greek Templars could be after the Spear of Leonidas. We've got to beat them to the punch. Come, Let's enter the ruins."
I nodded my head approvingly, and followed Juliette into the Parthenon. A building that was used in ancient times and served as a temple to the goddess of wisdom, Athena. The building itself has seen better days, however. As we stood in the middle of the ruins themselves to look for this mysterious owl glyph, a glyph that would have been worn down with time if you ask me, I saw something that caught my attention.
"Juliette! Come here and have a look at this!"
Juliette whipped her head around at the sound of my voice. She darted over to me quickly, and examined the glyph.
"This is it!" Juliette exclaimed happily. "This is the Owl of Athens, Francois! We've got to be close now!"
I smiled approvingly. I've never seen Juliette so eager and motivated to acquire an artifact. I watched as Juliette ran her hand across the worn down glyph. All of a sudden, a low, rumbling sound was heard. Tiles on the floor began to shift, causing Juliette and myself to step back as the yawned open to reveal a stairway leading down to a passage underneath. Juliette looked over to me, and flashed a half-smile.
"Ready to go?" Juliette asked, patting my back as she began to descend. I tilted my head to the side, and followed her down the stairs. The stairs lasted for quite some time, as if they were never-ending. The stairs finally ended, and from there began a long corridor, which was poorly lit. I grabbed a torch hanging on the wall and lit it with a with a small flame. The flame engulfed the torch head, and illuminated the path in front of us. Looking at the intricate reliefs, it looked as if they were telling a story, that of a great hero. I internally applauded the great detail of the reliefs.
Truly a thing of beauty, I thought to myself, as we heard another low rumbling sound at the end of the corridor. The corridor lit up with a blinding white light. We rushed over to investigate the sound, and froze. Ahead of us, stood a statue with a woman's head, a lion's body, and a tail of a snake. The head of the sphinx looked eerily like our mother.
"My god...it's a sphinx!" I exclaimed.
"I wonder what the riddle could be?" Juliette pondered, as the sphinx began to speak.
"Hello weary travelers! In order to successfully retrieve the key of Kassandra, you must answer this riddle correctly, for if you get it wrong, you will die. Do you accept?"
Juliette and I exchanged looks.
"We accept." Juliette replied, with a hint of eagerness in her voice. I gulped.
"Very well, travelers." The sphinx stated. "Here is the riddle. What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three in the evening?"
Fuck. I thought I knew the answer to this riddle, but it has been far too long since Mother told us about Greek Mythology. It's not like I heard the riddle before, the answer just escaped my memory. Juliette looked lost in thought as well, and watched her mouth as she mouthed out the riddle. The sphinx looked over us, demanding an answer to her riddle. A large smile came across Juliette's face. She walked up to the sphinx, looked it in the eye, and cleared her throat.
"Man."
I watched as the sphinx began to convulse, and ultimately froze in place. Cracks began to develop in her skin. I jumped back as she began to crumble into small pieces, and before I knew it, the sphinx had turned to dust. In its place was a small, gilded chest. Juliette gently pried the chest open, and took out the key. It was round in shape, and contained several glowing glyphs, none of which I could make of. It seemed natural, almost out of this world. I examined the timeless artifact alongside my sister.
"So this is the key that opens Kassandra's tomb?" I asked, continuing to examine the key.
"Yes it is, François." Juliette replied, gently tossing the key into the air, and landing in her left hand. "Now let's get out of here before the Templars catch wind of our presence."
I nodded my head with approval, and led the way out of the corridor.
"How did you know the answer to the riddle, Juliette?" I asked curiously. "I tried to remember the answer, but it wouldn't come to me."
Juliette smiled and chuckled at me.
"It took me some to think about it, but I remembered the answer from when Mother told us the tale of Oedipus and the Riddle of the Sphinx." Juliette replied happily. "When he is young, man crawls on all fours, which would be the morning of his life. Man walks on two legs at noon, with noon being adulthood. Man walks on three legs in old age with a walking stick, his third leg, during the evening of his life."
"Ah, the more I think about it, the more it make sense." I replied, as we ascended up the long flight of stairs. Before I knew it, we were back up at the top, and back in the Parthenon ruins. While we were walking out of the ruins, Juliette turned to face me.
"Now our quest truly begins." Juliette stated sternly, before happily smiling. "Ready to visit Kassandra's tomb?"
"You bet I am." I replied, followed by a half-smirk. Juliette tilted her head towards the city of Athens below us.
"Race you to the nearest carriage park?"
Before I could respond, Juliette bolted down the hill in a sprint. I groaned, and rushed after her, letting the warm Athenian wind blow through my long, curly hair.
It felt good to have my youth return to me, albeit temporarily.
Two men stood and watched from the far cliff side, as the Assassins Francois and Juliette Dorian darted down the hill from the Parthenon ruins. Clad in elegant black dress robes, they sported a red cross on their left breast.
"They have the key to the Tomb of the Misthios!" A man exclaimed, stroking his beard. "Shall we ambush them, Grand Master?"
"No, you simpleton." A second voice ordered. "We shall follow them to the Tomb of the Misthios ourselves, kill them both, and take the Spear of Leonidas for ourselves. Let us prepare for our journey to the base of Mount Olympus, and take in the sights of a God."
"Very well, Grand Master." the first voice replied. "Your voice is my command."
The two Templars quickly darted down the hill, barely avoiding Juliette's gaze as she looked over, and disappeared out of sight.
Juliette and I sat on a bench at the carriage park, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the carriage that would take us to Mount Olympus. She pulled the key out of her pocket, and continued to examine it.
"So this will open up Kassandra's tomb? I asked, as I ran my hand across the key. I could feel the indent of the runes as my hand ran across its smooth surface.
"Indeed." Juliette replied. "With access to her tomb, we will have access to examine the Spear up close. But..."
I noticed she sounded hesitant.
"But what?" I asked, sounding concerned.
"I saw what looked like two Templars spying on us as were running down the hill. They could be after this key."
"If we do run into them, we will be ready for them, right?" I asked, trying to elevate Juliette's confidence. Juliette turned over to me, a large smile coming over her face.
"You're damn right we will!" Juliette exclaimed, as our hands met in a confident handshake. Juliette returned the key to her pocket, as we continued to wait for our carriage to arrive. As we waited, a woman's voice to my right caught my attention. I looked over to see a woman with braided brown hair walk towards us. Her braid settled on her shoulder. She was wearing a black blouse and black skin tight breeches.
"Waiting for a carriage, hmm?" She asked politely. I could easily identify her Greek accent.
"Correct." I replied. "We are heading to Mount Olympus, and just waiting for the carriage to take us there."
The woman nodded her head in approval.
"That carriage over there should take you there." She informed me, pointing to the carriage coming into the park. "I hope you find what you are looking for."
"Thank you, madam." Juliette replied, getting up from the bench as the carriage came into the park. I nodded my head as a sign of thanks. She winked at me as she walked by me. After blinking my eyes, I turned around to see that she disappeared from sight, as if she vanished into thin air. I looked to my left to see the carriage beside us.
"Heading out of the city?" The driver asked us politely.
"Yes. To Mount Olympus." I replied, as I opened the carriage door for Juliette to enter the carriage.
"It will be a seven hour carriage ride." The driver replied, looking at his pocket watch. "You will be there by early evening."
"Thank you, Monsieur." I bowed my head, and enter the carriage. Juliette looked really excited.
"Are you ready, Francois?" Juliette asked happily, as I took my seat. "To see the Spear of Leonidas with your own two eyes?"
"I'm more than ready." I told her, as a smile came across her face. We felt the carriage begin to move, and take us on a mini tour through the central part of Athens. I peeked over and looked out the window to take in the sights that central Athens had to offer. After looking out the window for a few minutes, I noticed that Juliette had fallen asleep, deciding to rest up before we got to Mount Olympus. I returned my gaze to the window, focusing on the city, which was getting further and further away with each turn of the carriage wheels.
Who was that woman? I thought, as I looked out into the countryside. It was almost as if she knew we were going to Mount Olympus.
I tried to wrap my head around who the woman could have been, but I couldn't put a name to a face. I slouched a bit, and returned my focus ahead of me, eager to see the tomb we had traveled so far to see.
The carriage stopped just before the base of Mount Olympus. The carriage driver opened the door, allowing Juliette and I to exit. I reached into my pocket, and gave our driver a pouch of coins for getting us here safely. He nodded his head as a sign of thanks, and returned to the carriage. For a few moments, I stood and marveled at the sun setting behind the giant peak, which was said to be the home of the Gods according to Greek Mythology.
A fitting place for Kassandra's burial place.
Well, here we are!" I exclaimed, as Juliette approached me, and pulled the key out of her pocket. The key gave off a yellowish-green light in the darkness. As Juliette was approaching the tomb's entrance, we heard a loud explosion come from behind us. We whipped around, to see the carriage rolled over and horses gone, and the driver's body burning at its base. From the smoke came two men, clad in Templar robes, easily distinguishable by the Red Cross on their left breast.
"Stand down, Assassins!" The first man called. He had short black hair and a moustache to go with it. The second man had brown hair and beard, and was slightly taller than the first man.
"What the hell for?" I yelled. "So you can kill us and take the Spear for yourselves?"
"Who are you two anyway, you fucking numpties?" Juliette asked snidely.
Numpties, I thought. I always thought a villain would say something like that.
I am Marko Runder, Grand Master of the Greek Templar Order." He replied back. "And this man here is my brother, Josiah, my personal apprentice. What you said was only part of our plan. We are here to acquire the key to the Tomb of the Misthios, and harness the true power of the Misthios' bloodline!"
"Oh, and to kill you too!" Josiah roared, as he pulled out his blade. In retaliation, Juliette and I unsheathed our hidden blades and melee weapons, and engaged them in combat. I took on the Grand Master, where Juliette went after Josiah. Juliette was always one to go after the bigger fish. I locked into combat with the Grand Master, who proved himself to be a very capable fighter, countering every strike I threw at him. He did the same to me, but thanks to a trusty defensive stance I learned from Mother, every move of his was dodged or swiftly countered. Marko, however, drew first blood, slashing my right arm with his blade. I looked down to see a long gash on my right arm, freshly bleeding. I looked back up at him, and charged at him. I unleashed a fury of strikes on him. Some he was able to defend against, but some found their mark. Tired from his wounds, Marko fell to his knees. I held my hidden blade up in the air, and thrust the blade into his right jugular, ending the Greek Grand Master's life in a spray of his own blood. With Marko out of the way, I shifted my attention to Juliette and Josiah. I could see that Josiah had Juliette cornered and weaponless. He was about to raise his blade on her. I was about to intervene, but not before Juliette launched her foot into his crotch, causing him to crouch. As he did so, Juliette flicked out her hidden blade, and hurled it into his left jugular. He began to choke on his own blood, and crawl towards his brother's body, where he himself succumbed to his wounds. Juliette dusted herself off, and gave both Templars their last rites. After the last rites were performed, she got up from the ground. I picked up her kukri from the ground, and handed it to her.
"You kicked him right in the numpties." I said, followed by a chuckle.
"That's not what the word means, François." Juliette retorted, as she placed her kukri into her scabbard. "But anyway, let's enter the tomb."
Juliette fiddled around with her pocket, feeling around to see if she lost it during the skirmish. She let out a relieved sight when she found it, and pulled it out of her pocket. We walked up to the door, which had some Greek text on it, and below it was a small keyhole. Juliette inserted the key into the keyhole. It fit perfectly. After the key was inserted, we jumped back as the door slowly lowered into the ground. I spied a torch hanging on the wall of the tomb.
"Hand me that torch, would you?" I asked, pointing at the torch. Juliette hesitated before walking in front of me to grab the torch. She handed me the torch, and from there we began our descent into the tomb. Looking at the corridor walls, I noticed the carving and painting looked very fresh, as if it were done recently. I caught Juliette looking at the artwork on the corridor walls as well, seeming surprised to see the carvings stand the test of time. At the end of the corridor was a large room. Torches were still lit up, casting light all over the room. As we entered, we froze. A Greek-style painting hung on the wall opposite of us, depicting a beautiful woman with brown hair, and a braid down her left shoulder. Various weapons and pieces of armor were placed beside a large sarcophagus underneath the painting.
"It seems that this is her tomb." I stated, examining what was before us. Juliette, ever so eager, rushed over to examine the unopened sarcophagus. I took my time walking over to the sarcophagus, marveling at the painting of Kassandra. By the time I got there, Juliette was already trying to open it.
"Mind giving me a hand, François?" Juliette asked, grunting each time she lifted the lid. I cracked my knuckles, and helped Juliette in trying to lift the lid. On the third try, we managed to lift the heavy stone lid. Looking inside, I was shocked to see the body of Kassandra, naked and remarkably preserved, covered by an elegant white cloth. Her arms folded over her breast, bore the fabled Spear of Leonidas in her hands. It was almost as if she was buried yesterday.
"My God! It's real! It's really real!" Juliette exclaimed. "Kassandra actually existed!"
"It's incredible! I exclaimed as well, looking at the ancient weapon, which was emitting a greenish-gold light. "An incredibly powerful family heirloom."
Juliette took off her left glove. I watched as she leaned into the sarcophagus, excited to examine the Spear of Leonidas. I readied my notepad to get a sketch of the mysterious Piece of Eden. As Juliette reached for it, and as I finished my sketch, a greenish-golden light enveloped the burial chamber, causing us to shield our eyes from it. Without notice, a large explosion sent us belong back into the walls. As I collided with the wall, everything went black.
I awoke, as I tried to all that I could to shake the cobwebs out of my head. I looked around to see the rubble scattered around the chamber. I groggily walked up to the sarcophagus to see the body of Kassandra remaining unscathed from the explosion, and the Piece of Eden gone. I picked up my notepad, and noticed that it was surprisingly intact. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Juliette slouched in the corner, still unconscious with her left hand burnt a bit. I rushed over to her.
"Juliette! JULIETTE!" I shouted. I gently shook her shoulders. I tried slapping her face gently. She still wasn't responding.
Juliette woke up, and rubbed her eyes. She realized that she wasn't in Kassandra's tomb anymore. She was at the Parthenon, but it wasn't in ruins. It was like how it was in ancient times. Before her was a Spear. Juliette let out a deep breath, and began to walk towards it. Upon closer examination, it wasn't the broken Spear tip of Leonidas, but the actual Spear Leonidas used at the Battle of Thermopylae. Juliette's jaw dropped. The Spear of Leonidas was before her. Juliette extended her left arm, and placed her hand on the Spear. As she did, a spectral figure appeared.
The figure was wearing Spartan armor up to just below her navel, with bronze bracers on her wrists. The spectre's right arm was covered in scars. Her hair was brown, and a braid flowed down to cover her bare left breast. A gray eagle landed on her right shoulder. Kassandra, the legendary Misthios, was standing before Juliette.
She extended her left arm, and placed her hand on the Spear as well. Her eyes locked onto Juliette's, and then she spoke.
"Be the Misthios you were destined to be. Don't let the bloodline stop you. Your Odyssey has only just begun."
After Kassandra spoke, her spectre and eagle had disappeared. After Kasssandra disappeared, the Spear of Leonidas slowly began to vanish. Once the Spear vanished, everything around Juliette went black.
Tears began to flood my eyes, and I began to panic, until I saw her stomach rise up and down. Juliette opened her eyes slowly, much to my delight.
"Juliette! Thank God you're alive!"
"...what the hell happened?" Juliette asked after letting out a deep breath, holding the back of her head.
"From what I remember, an explosion from the sarcophagus knocked us back." I recalled, as I lifted my sister up to her feet. Still a little groggy, Juliette dusted herself off. "That's all I remember before I went black."
"I remember that." Juliette replied, her voice still shaky. "When I was unconscious, I experienced something."
"What was it?" I asked curiously. "What did you experience?"
Juliette made her way over to the sarcophagus. I approached it and took a look inside, to see the body of Kassandra intact, but the Spear of Leonidas was gone.
"What the devil?" The Spear is gone!" Juliette exclaimed, as she kicked some dust around. "It can't be!"
I did a double take to see if I missed the Spear. My eyes weren't deceiving me. The spear was missing.
"You still haven't told me about what you experienced." I said sternly, patting my sister on the shoulder.
Juliette cleared her throat.
"While I was unconscious, I...I ...met Kassandra."
"How the hell did you meet her?" I asked, sounding confused. I looked down to see her body. "She's been dead for two thousand years!"
"I was like a dream sequence. I held the actual Spear of Leonidas in my hand, not the broken tip. Kassandra held it with me, and told me that the bloodline shouldn't stop me, and to be the Misthios I was destined to be, for my Odyssey was only beginning."
I tried to wrap my head around what Juliette had just told me, but failed in doing so.
"Come, Juliette." I said, patting her on the shoulder. "At least we proved one thing. The story of Kassandra isn't a myth, and it is very much real."
"It would have been real fucking nice to have actually held it in my hands." Juliette spat, as we approached the exit of the tomb. "But oh well. I guess some things aren't meant to be."
I smiled, and looked over towards the rolled over horses were grazing not too far away, with their saddles still on them. I nodded over to Juliette, and then to the horses. Juliette smiles, and accompanied me over to the horses. I got up on my horse rather quickly, as did Juliette. I was surprised to with how she got onto the horse so quickly, especially with being so groggy and having a partially burned hand as well. I snapped on the reins. The horse neighed, and began to trot forwards. I looked over to my right to see Juliette smirking at me. I returned the smirk, and began the long trek back to Athens with my sister.
Upon arriving back at Aleksander's shop the next morning, we tied our horses up to poles outside the entrance. Juliette took off her glove, and examined the burn on her left hand. I examined it too, noticing the burn was starting to scab over around her scar.
"Does it still hurt?" I asked, still examining the burn.
Juliette inhaled, and then exhaled.
"A bit, but not as bad as it was before."
"Does your head not hurt?" I asked, pointing at her head.
"It still does, but it feels a lot better,"
"Good to hear." I replied, as I held the door open for her. Juliette smiled as she entered Aleksander's shop. I closed the door behind me. When Aleksander saw us, a large smile came across his face.
"Francois! Juliette! Welcome back!' He exclaimed, coming out from behind the bar to greet us. "Did you discover what you came to Greece for?"
"Yes and no." Juliette replied, as she put on her glove. A look of concern came across Aleksander's face.
"We did indeed findthe Tomb of Kassandra, but were unsuccessful in fully examining the Spear of Leonidas." I added, placing my sketch of the Spear on the bar. Aleksander examined it, a look of amazement came across his face.
"So it wasn't a myth after all."
"One hundred percent real." I replied reassuringly. "Hand to God."
"I may have to visit there myself." He stated, as he began to clean his bar, awaiting the arrival of customers.
"I wouldn't if I were you." Juliette chimed in sarcastically. "Area is too dangerous. Wouldn't want to anger the Gods."
The three of us burst into laughter for a few minutes, with Aleksander laughing the hardest. I laughed fairly hard, enough to draw tears from my eyes.
"Godspeed Dorians! Thank you for the laugh!" Aleksander shouted happily."I will write to Leonard about both of your successes!"
We both bowed our heads to Aleksander to show our respects, and left Aleksander's bar to go to the port, just as the first customers were arriving.
"Juliette, do you remember the time that the Templars portrayed Mother as Medusa?" I asked as we approached the port, which wasn't as busy as it was when we arrived. The morning sun was rising over the port, giving the water an orange hue.
"It's been a while since I heard about it, so please, do tell." Juliette replied, showing interest in hearing the story.
"Well, here it is." I began, as we meandered our way through the port. "In the first couple years of my existence, the Templars commissioned a naked statue of Mother with snakes for hair, with the head of Francois-Thomas Germain in her hand. It was put on display outside the de la Serre estate in Versailles."
"This is starting to come back to me now." Juliette inquired. "Wasn't there a plaque at the base of the statue?"
"Right." I replied. "It was something along the lines of this: The Hideous Gorgon Slayed The Only Man Who Could Save The Order. Rise Up Perseus, And Slay The Gorgon! Save Our Order, O Great Perseus!"
Juliette laughed at the way I said what was on the plaque.
"I'm still thinking about that dream sequence." Juliette told me. I looked over to her. "She told me that I shouldn't let the bloodline stop me."
"What do you think it means?" I asked.
"I have a feeling that we may be descendants of Kassandra."
I paused briefly to assess what Juliette has just said.
"How could we be related to her? Mother and Father aren't Greek." I replied. "But if you want, I can look through the family tree and see if she is one of our ancestors."
"Thank you, Francois."
"Could it be possible that the body in the tomb wasn't Kassandra?" I asked. Juliette looked up at me in confusion.
"It has to be." Juliette replied. "Where else would the Spear have rested?"
"There was a woman I encountered at the carriage park. She was a splitting image of the body in the tomb. I could be possible that she is..."
"Immortal?" Juliette chimed. Her look shifted over to a ship flying the Greek Flag. "That I am not so sure about, Francois. I don't think Kassandra is immortal. You may have seen her ghost or something. But look over there, that's the ship that got us here. perhaps Michael Minaros is still on board."
I looked to my right to see a young man with brown hair and a light beard walking about on his ship. While on his rounds about the deck, Michael saw me, easily distinguishable by my red hair.
"Francois! Juliette!" He exclaimed, waving to us. "Welcome back! Come on board!
He beckoned us on board with a gesture from his arm. We walked up the ramp, and greeted the captain at the helm of his ship.
"Staying here for a while, Michael?" I asked, humorously jabbing my elbow into his side. Juliette chuckled.
"Actually, I was just about to leave for France." Michael replied, as he pointed towards the dock crew removing the ramp from the deck. "You showed up right on time."
Michael cranked the wheel to his left, shifting the ship towards the port's exit. Michael gestured to his crew mates to get to full sail, and before we knew it, we were out of the port and on the choppy waters of the Aegean Sea.
"My father spoke of you two coming here to find the stuff of legends." Michael inquired, his focus not leaving the horizon. "If you don't mind my asking, what was it you were looking for?"
I let out a deep breath. Juliette looked over to me, mouthed the words I don't mind if you tell, and smiled.
"Juliette and I came to Athens to find the tomb of the legendary Misthios, named Kasssandra, and to observe the weapon she wielded, the fabled Spear of Leonidas."
I could see Michael's jaw drop.
"Are you serious?" Michael asked, turning his head to meet my face. "Were you successful?"
I paused for a moment, and reflected, The run in with the fabled sphinx. Our interaction with Marko and Josiah Runder. The explosion in the tomb, and Juliette's lapse into unconsciousness inside. Despite all these occurrences happening, we were successful in observing the Spear of Leonidas with our own two eyes. I flashed a a smile of approval.
"Yes, yes we were." I replied, nodding my head up and down. Juliette smiled happily as well.
"I'm glad to hear about your successes, Francois and Juliette." Michael stated, returning his focus to the sea. "But now, I must focus on getting you two home safely to France."
I nodded my head politely, and walked behind him to stand beside Juliette. I looked over to her , as she looked out onto the horizon. I could see that she was still a little bit disappointed that she never got to hold the Spear of Leonidas in her hands. She looked over to me.
"Quite an adventure, wasn't it?"
I nodded my head and smiled.
"Indeed it was, Juliette." I replied, propping my elbows on the railing at the helm. Juliette flashed a little bit of a smile, and then returned her gaze to the horizon. I did the same, and reflected on the success of our trip. I couldn't wait to return to Paris to tell Mother and Father that the story they told us growing up wasn't a myth, but very, very real.