Poseidon's Secret Read online

  POSEIDON'S SECRET

  ORDER OF THE BLACK SUN - BOOK 33

  PRESTON WILLIAM CHILD

  CONTENTS

  Books by Preston William Child

  Special Offer

  Prologue

  1. GROWING PAINS

  2. THE FLOOD'S MESSAGE

  3. THE DAMP ONES

  4. THE HOMELESS MAN

  5. THE EXPECTED SEA VOYAGE

  6. TUXEDOS, GOWNS, AND THE PEARL NECKLACE

  7. AN ALL-TOO-FAMILIAR FACE

  8. FINDING SOMETHING INVISIBLE

  9. THE HEIR

  10. WHISPERS AND DEMANDS

  11. BLIND INVESTIGATIONS

  12. THE CREAKING SEAT

  13. WILD HORSES

  14. THE TIPS OF THE HIDDEN TRIDENT

  15. THE HOOVES

  16. THE GOD IN THE WATER

  17. THE PARTINGS

  18. THE SETTING SUN ON THE HORIZON

  Epilogue

  Books of this series in order

  Special Offer

  About the Author

  BOOKS BY PRESTON WILLIAM CHILD

  All Books by Preston William Child in Order

  http://prestonwilliamchild.com/books

  SPECIAL OFFER

  Want to read some of my books for FREE?

  Available for a limited time only. To download them, go to my

  Free Starter Library

  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 took 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.

  He heard so many stories of the recent adventures of the Order of the Black Sun that were going on. The ones that he knew he should have been a part of—the ones with Purdue and Nina—were the hardest to hear secondhand. He knew he should have been there with them at the time, helping them and working with them. He wanted to go with them but was rejected both times, something that he never expected to happen. Their reasoning was they wanted to focus on building bonds with the newer members. He understood that and he accepted it but he had more experience than any of those people; his experience was worth more than meeting new people, he thought.

  From the sounds of it, he could have been a big help if they let him go on some of their more recent expeditions. Purdue had led a mission to find the tomb of Genghis Khan that led them all over Asia but almost got them killed when they were attacked by a new enemy. Nina led her first expedition as leader to try and find the sword of Julius Caesar. Once again, it had been a difficult task that almost killed her. Sam would have been furious if either of them had been hurt when he wasn't allowed to be there.

  It was a hard thing to get used to and he wasn't sure if it was just a temporary situation or if this was going to be the new status quo for his place in the Order of the Black Sun. He certainly hoped not. While the others had gone on these dangerous and exciting adventures, Sam spent most of his time around the Black Sun compound, just stewing in his own frustration. There were some days when he just wanted to march up to Purdue and tell him that he was quitting; that this drastic change they made to their lives wasn't working for him. But he held on to the hope that things would get better. He had to believe that at some point, his life would get back to some normalcy; that he, Nina, and Purdue would reunite and work together like they used to despite now being under the moniker of their former enemies.

  It used to just be the three of them, and being a part of their trio had been something that meant so much to Sam. The bonds they had
forged and the things they had managed to accomplish together were things that managed to pull Sam out of some of his darkest moments. The world just seemed so much less bleak when they were working together.

  If only things could bring them together again, but Sam wasn't going to hold his breath. Everything was changing so quickly, it was never clear what things would be able to survive the shifts in life that were so great.

  Sam walked through the Black Sun compound. He wasn't very close with the new faces that were around him. He knew they came from all parts of the world and the majority of them were more than qualified to be part of this reworked Order of the Black Sun since they were chosen specifically by Purdue. They were probably fine to work with but to Sam, they were all just strangers. They all seemed to sense his displeasure of the circumstances so kept their distance from him. There were times when Sam felt like some grouchy old uncle that was refusing to adapt to the new circumstances. Maybe that was partially true, he wasn't sure, but he knew that he felt quite a bit of resentment toward all of these people.

  “You're Sam Cleave, right?” a young man asked from his left.

  Sam stopped but had trouble hiding his irritation at the interruption. He had places to be and didn't really want to waste time making small talk with some fresh-faced kid who didn't know anything about what they had gone through to make this new order even possible.

  “You know Mr. Purdue really well right? Everyone says you go way back.”

  “We do go way back,” Sam said disinterestedly. “Way further back than most of the other people here. Why? How far back do you go with him?”

  “We've only ever exchanged a few passing sentences so far...”

  “My point exactly,” Sam said. “I'm actually on my way to go talk to him right now...so if you don't mind...”

  Sam stepped away but the young man asked him to wait. He looked like he couldn't have been older than twenty-five years old, probably fresh out of some fancy college. Sam couldn't imagine what potential Purdue saw in this boy but there had to be something of value...because in those brief moments, Sam couldn't see anything that warranted needing this kid.

  The young man looked at Sam with wide eyes. “You're practically one of the founders of this place?”

  “The founders? No? We didn't find anything,” Sam explained honestly. “The Order of the Black Sun was founded a long time ago and it was a terrible, terrible thing...maybe it still is...the point is, we didn't build the Order up. The Order was already here, it was just run by murderous psychopaths. Purdue took it and made it something better...at least, he hopes so. Believe me, I'm no founder of anything here. If we had done things my way, we would have let the Order of the Black Sun fall apart and rot. That's what I wanted. Purdue had other plans...”

  Sam turned away and started walking back down the hall. He didn't know what effect his words had on the kid but he was glad to at least inform someone that this whole situation wasn't exactly normal and it wasn't all fun and games. That young man was proof that the new Order of the Black Sun wasn't at all aware of all of the trials that he, Nina, and Purdue had gone through.

  Hopefully, a talk with someone he actually knew would make him feel a bit better and not like he was living with a bunch of people he didn't know.

  2

  THE FLOOD'S MESSAGE

  Sam had known David Purdue for a long time. They had gone on countless adventures together over the years. It used to annoy him that Purdue seemed so unfazed by all of the dangers that they faced. He had always been so carefree, but it made sense given that Purdue had been a billionaire. What did a billionaire have to worry about when they were richer than God? Nothing usually seemed to ever be able to get to Purdue—up until recently.

  Purdue was nearly completely destroyed by the leader of the Order of the Black Sun at the time, Julian Corvus. He lost his home, all of his money, and all of the relics that he, Sam, and Dr. Nina Gould had collected over all of their expeditions together. Purdue fought back and was mostly able to recover but he had never been quite the same. That carefree nature was beaten out of him—or maybe he finally just grew up a bit and got a taste of reality, Sam wasn't sure.

  Purdue's decision to take over the organization that had plagued them for so long was a good tactical decision that seemed to be paying off. The Order of the Black Sun members were spread across the globe on various expeditions, finding priceless artifacts and keeping them out of the wrong hands.

  Still, the responsibility of being the new leader of the order seemed to be taking a toll on Purdue. He was usually huddled away in his quarters, surrounded by papers and books. He was researching something—something big apparently—but he wasn't sharing the details with anyone; or at least he wasn't sharing them with Sam.

  It was hard seeing Purdue look so utterly fatigued, like he was barely even eating or sleeping. He was a far cry from the thrill-seeker that he used to be. It looked like it would take all of his current energy to just leave his room for a few hours.

  The relationship between the two men had been a bit of a rocky road. There were times when they were practically best friends and then there were times when Purdue felt like a complete stranger to Sam. There were plenty of times when they butted heads and didn't get along but there were also just as many times when they worked extremely well together. That was part of what made them work. They had been through it all together: the good, the bad, and everything that could possibly happen in between.

  Purdue was exactly where Sam expected him to be—sitting on the floor surrounded by a field of paperwork.

  “You kind of look like hell,” Sam said bluntly.

  Purdue gave a halfhearted chuckle and shrugged where he sat. “Aye, I've been getting that a lot lately. I feel like I've been right in the middle of Hell for a little while now. And I'll tell you one thing, it's too damn hot down here in the fiery pits.”

  He wasn't making much sense but Sam nodded anyway, slowly pacing the room and looking over all of the papers that were strewn about. Purdue sat at the epicenter of the mess, looking like he hadn't moved from that spot in days. Maybe he hadn't, Sam couldn't be sure anymore.

  Sam couldn't help himself. He had to know what all of this was about. “If you don't mind me asking, Purdue, are you doing okay? What the hell is all of this even about?”

  “What it looks like,” Purdue said, like all of this was completely normal. “It is research, of course.”

  “I've done plenty of research myself...and I've seen you do plenty yourself. This is much more than that. This is...” He wanted to say insanity, madness, or ridiculous, but he chose a much less hostile word. “...excessive.”

  Purdue laughed but even his laughs seemed tired. “Excessiveness is unfortunately what this requires. Anything less than that and I won't learn a bloody thing from any of this. It will just continue to be nearly invisible.”

  “What will?”

  Purdue's face grew gray. “This new enemy we might be up against.”

  Sam had heard whispers about that around the compound. Nina mentioned something about some mysterious man trying to kill Purdue's team back when they were searching for Genghis Khan's tomb. Sam hadn't been invited on that expedition, though, so there was no way for him to gauge just how serious of a threat this new enemy was. He wasn't too bitter about being left behind anymore but it would have been nice to be there, if only to have seen this apparent threat with his own eyes.

  “Have you learned anything about them yet?” Sam asked. “Please tell me your sleep deprivation is paying off for you.”

  Purdue looked somewhat defeated. “I have learned very little so far. Not much more than what I was told initially. It's some sort of shadow organization that has a history with the Order. There is someone that is referred to as the Old Lady and Julian knows about them but refuses to tell me more about them unless I let him out of his cage.”

  Sam didn't miss Julian Corvus. The former Black Sun leader nearly ruined all of their lives. He was proba
bly one of the most dangerous people Sam had ever met. Worst of all, he was immortal now thanks to being stabbed by the Spear of Destiny during an attack that was meant to kill him. Purdue now kept the immortal Julian in a reinforced display case down in the Order's vaults. It served as his cell, trapped with the rest of the world's oddities around him but out of his reach. Maybe some people would consider it a cruel punishment but Sam wasn't one of them. He had seen how deadly Julian was and agreed with Purdue that he should be locked down there. Nothing was too cruel of a punishment for a monster like him.

  “You're not going to agree to that, right?” Sam asked. “You're not going to let him out...are you?”

  “Of course not,” Purdue said, his eyes wide with surprise. He looked shocked to even be asked that question. “How daft do you think I am? After what Julian did to me...to all of us...he's staying right where is. I can promise you that.”

  That was comforting but why did Sam still feel a little unsure? It might have been because of how desperate Purdue looked; he was desperate to learn more about this old woman and her group but what happened when he filed through all of his papers and came up empty? Would he go to another source like Julian if there were no other options left? Maybe...only time would tell.

  “I went to the Order's archives and pulled up all of this. For a secret society, the Order of the Black Sun kept up on all of their record keeping...but so far I haven't seen a single mention of the Old Lady or any other group that the Order knew of. There were no associates that stood out and no rival factions to speak of. There was nothing to go off of...not a single scrap of helpful information that we could use.”

  Purdue swore under his breath, looking extremely frustrated with himself.

  “You want to know the worst part?”

  Sam wasn't sure that he did, but nodded anyway. It was just nice that Purdue was confiding in him again. It had been so long since they had gone over something like this together, digging through any facts they could find to discover a greater truth.