“I have a question,” Tommy said as the group reached a curve in the path. “If this device really could predict the future, why didn’t Julius Caesar just use it to evade his enemies or to tell him how to take them all out?”
“A good question,” Cagliari answered. “And one that I have asked myself many times. It wasn’t until I began looking into the strange world of quantum possibilities that I realized the answer.”
“Quantum possibilities?”
Sean kept his mouth shut, knowing the answer but deciding to let the old professor do the talking.
“Yes,” Cagliari said, continuing down the passageway. The path started to angle downhill ever so slightly. “Quantum mechanics tells us that in the universe there are limitless possibilities to everything. As it applies to our lives, that brings an entirely new meaning. Many people believe that our lives are on a linear path, like a train on its tracks. Try as we might, we are not permitted to leave that track; at least, that is what many people think. Quantum mechanics tells us that not only are we on that track, but that there are trillions of other tracks running alongside us, and at any time we can choose to jump to another set. The catch is that when we switch to a new path for our life, there will be a different set of outcomes in response to that jump.”
Tommy processed the information for a moment. “Sounds like the old television show Quantum Leap.”
“It is very much like that show. I discovered it when I was doing my research.” Cagliari looked back over his shoulder with a wink and a wry smile. “Essentially, the Eye of Zeus calculates possibilities based on decisions, locations, and people involved. Caesar initially believed that it was a gift from the gods. With the power of the antikythera, he was able to win major battles and claim the largest empire for Rome in its history up to that point. But the Eye of Zeus also came with a curse.
“Caesar became obsessed with it. The more he studied the outcomes the relic predicted, the more it began to occupy his every thought. He lived in constant fear, and no matter how many calculations he ran with the device, the ending always came out the same for him. Caesar realized that he could avoid death for a time, but eventually it would catch up to him. So he hid the Eye of Zeus until such a time when a worthy person could find it.”
“Are we worthy?” Sean asked in a somewhat sarcastic tone.
“In my opinion, at this point, whoever finds it is worthy,” Cagliari quipped. “It has been hidden for so long, a person who finds it would certainly qualify as that.” His laughter echoed through the corridor.
“I don’t understand,” Tommy said. “I mean, if he didn’t want anyone else to be able to use it, why not just destroy it? Then no one would ever be able to use it again.”
Sean had wondered the same thing but had refrained from asking the question.
Cagliari stopped and swiveled around to face the other two. “You have to remember that even though the great leaders of the past were very intelligent, logical men, they also held a great deal of respect for their deities. While Zeus was not the god Caesar worshipped, he was still a deity to be respected by all, if for no other reason than to play it safe.”
The explanation made sense and seemed to satisfy Tommy’s curiosity. Cagliari spun back around and took off again, plunging forward into the darkness.
After another ten minutes of vigorous walking, the passage straightened out and the three men could see a faint light coming from a point in the distance. The musty, dank air dissipated, mixing with the typical smells of the city. Fifty feet later, the light took the shape of an arched doorway, protected by a metal gate. Cagliari lifted an old latch and flung the gate open. He stepped out of the tunnel onto a narrow landing and into the warm sunlight. The Tiber River flowed by, just beyond the embankment beneath their feet. The noise of cars, people, and other reminders of the bustling city resumed in their ears.
“I’ll need to call our driver and tell him where we are,” Sean said, turning off the flashlight on his phone and pulling up the keypad.
Cagliari walked over to a steep set of concrete stairs and ascended toward the street. Tommy and Sean did the same while Sean looked up the number of their driver. When they reached the top of the steps, they found Cagliari standing face to face with a police officer. The policeman had a surprised look on his face and seemed more confused by Sean and Tommy’s arrival.
He began speaking in rapid Italian, too fast for Sean to understand. The officer’s hand gestured toward the river and a sign that obviously warned people that the area was restricted.
Cagliari began speaking in a calm tone, trying to explain that the three had gotten lost and ended up down in the sewer. Sean hoped the policeman was buying it, but from the suspicious look on his face, he wasn’t.
Suddenly, the officer’s eyes widened as they came to rest on Tommy’s jacket. He reached up to the radio on his shoulder and said a few words in muffled Italian. They were spoken slowly enough that Sean could understand them, which was a blessing and a curse.
The cop was calling for backup, for two armed Americans.
Chapter 26
“We have the map,” Thanos said proudly into his cell phone. He and the other two marched hurriedly back to their car on the other side of the Piazza Navona.
He wanted to call Gikas as soon as possible, but knew once they re-entered the throngs of people in the plaza, it would be difficult to hear.
“Outstanding work, my old friend,” Gikas replied. “You have done well. There will be a special treat waiting for you in the cellar when you arrive.”
Thanos tried not to let carnal thoughts take over what needed to be done. The Eye of Zeus wasn’t in their hands just yet.
“Where does the map indicate the relic can be found?” Gikas asked, getting the conversation back on track.
“Ostia,” Thanos answered. “The clue is written in Latin, and the image displays the mouth of the river. Cagliari must have been working with Villa. I found the map in a letter addressed to her.”
“Excellent.” Gikas paused for a second before asking, “What did you do with the good professor?”
It was Thanos’s turn to wait for a moment before answering. “He was not home. We left the apartment as soon as we found the map. I would rather not leave too many loose ends lying around. I assumed you would agree. Cagliari will have no idea who stole the map. And without it, he will be lost.”
Gikas had become accustomed to the high body count his right-hand man tended to leave in his wake. Leaving Cagliari alive was an odd move, but one that Gikas agreed with. Time was of the essence. Things were becoming more and more unstable with the Greek government. He was scheduled to give a speech at a rally in two hours. Now that the Eye of Zeus was within his grasp, he could relax and prepare to rally the nation to his cause.
“Let me know how things are progressing in Ostia.”
“Of course.”
Gikas ended the call, and Thanos slipped the device back into his front pocket. The three men reached the parked car and slid into the hot, leather seats. A few minutes later, they were back in traffic, winding through the busy streets of Rome.
The Tiber River meandered through the city off to their left like a giant anaconda. Ahead on the left, Thanos noticed three police cars on the side of the road, with half a dozen police officers surrounding the area. Thanos narrowed his eyes as he peered through the windshield. The driver brought the car to a near standstill as the commotion with the authorities slowed traffic.
His eyes grew wide as Thanos realized who was being arrested. “No. We could not possibly be that lucky.”