Malreus checked his watch for the eighth time in less than five minutes. "He's late."

I suppressed my smile. He was in a particularly terrible mood tonight. Narray stood leaning against a tall, marble pillar, her eyes droopy. I'd warned her not to drink too much before we came...

"Relax." I crossed my arms over my chest to cover my body from the icy cold wind. It was winter here, in this part of the world, and the cold nights weren't really for me. I was made to enjoy the summer breeze and the decadent sun. Although, I will admit; nothing compared to the icy chill of Tundra.

"We're wasting our time." Malreus said commandingly and fixed me with his dark gaze. His eyes were more black than blue in the dark of the night. "He's toying with us."

"You're particularly optimistic tonight." Narray commented from the side and lifted her hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn.

"It's been thirty minutes." Malreus replied calmly, but his eyes were anything but serene. He looked irritated.

"So then we wait another thirty." I said with conviction; "We have all the time in the world."

Malreus was about to respond, but a loud voice interrupted our little 'potential' spat.

"Evening, strangers!" Simos rounded the corner with his hands in the air- one of them carrying a paper bag. His eyes twinkled with mischief and his smile was wide and excited.

I smiled in response to his happy-go-lucky attitude. "Glad to see you made it. Finally..."

"My apologies, my lady." He walked towards me with a skip in his step and took my hand in his with a charming smile. "I was busy fulfilling my end of the deal." He placed a soft kiss on the back of my hand and I immediately noticed a shadowy figure creep up behind me.

Malreus growled from over my shoulder; "Which was what exactly?"

Simos straightened up to look him directly in the eye; still smiling. "Tea; of course." He pulled a red flask of hot tea out of the brown paper bag and placed it in my hand with a wink. "Tea for Tea."

Narray had been caught up with our aliases and softly, under her breath, snickered behind us. Simos turned around at the new voice. "And you are?"

"Uh..." She pursed her lips and smiled; "Ray."

"Nice to meet you, Ray." He nodded with polite courtesy and I silently wished Malreus would take note of it. But he didn't. Instead, he pushed his menacing tone further towards Simos before Narray could respond. "Your end of the deal wasn't to just bring 'tea', mercenary."

"Yes, I remember." Simos gritted his teeth at my friend and chuckled softly; "You three are interested in the recent fire, correct?"

"Correct." I nodded, eager to get to the bottom of this.

Simos smiled at me and stepped closer. Malreus did the same. I grimaced at the awkward position I was in, but Narray found all this far too funny. She smiled broadly at the scene- I was stuck in between two tall men, glaring at each other.

"So what do you know about the fires?" Malreus asked suspiciously and Simos replied with dispassion; "I know that they killed thirty-three people and injured two more. And those two who were injured, died this afternoon while in care at the city's finest hospital. So I suppose you could say there were thirty-five deaths as a result."

"We heard there were only thirty?" I said with narrowed eyes and Simos smiled down at me; "Your information wasn't far off, but the city reports rounded the number off to lessen the blow of the incident to the public. It's thirty-five. I assure you."

"And how would you know?" Malreus asked; his suspicion was rising. Mine was too, to be honest. Simos knew quite a bit about this incident.

"Like I said before- I work for a very well-informed employer. She instructed me to find out what exactly took place in the city and so I did."

"And 'she' is?" I asked. Simos smirked knowingly; "Client confidentiality-"

"Yes, yes." Malreus rolled his eyes at the same reply we'd gotten earlier when we'd asked. "We get it. You value her privacy."

"Well," The mercenary shrugged with a roguish smile; "I value her quanti even more." He turned around with his hands on his hips. "I assume you both went to speak with the Baron today?"

"Yes?" I nodded. It wasn't all that brilliant of a guess. We had been looking for the owner of those gold coins.

"And what did you discover?" He asked with curiosity as he stepped around the large statue of Poseidon.

I looked to Narray with suspicious eyes- she matched mine, but nodded, as if reassuring me that it was alright to say more. So I did. "Nothing of note, but the Baron isn't the friendliest man. Although, I think it's fairly obvious that he's hiding something."

"Oh. He is." Simos was smiling, his face angled up to the god's face. Absent-mindedly he asked; "Do you think the gods still care about what happens on earth?"

We were caught off-guard by his odd question. It was rather unexpected, but Narray had an answer ready. "I think it varies from day to day..."

He didn't suspect it, but her answer was a rather reliable source.

Simos nodded and locked his blue eyes onto mine. There was a new emotion behind them- conviction. "I do believe the gods have forgotten about these lands. You see... My employer is not someone I trust. She isn't someone anyone sane should trust."

"Is this turning into a therapy session?" Malreus muttered from the side and slanted his eyes with annoyance. Simos ignored him and kept his eyes fixed on me. He looked rather desperate. "But I work for her for a more... personal reason. It's not something I wish to discuss right now, but trust me when I say this- I am not on her side."

"Alright..." I nodded. I didn't really have anything to base my belief on, and so I went with his word and the sincerity saw in his eyes. Although, it was a thin reason to trust someone, but I was an optimistic person. I wanted to trust people. Earth didn't seem like the place trust bred anymore.

"I'll be honest." Simos said with a familiar grin and he lifted his hands up to his chest, as if to throw a heavy weight off it.

Malreus eyed him carefully; "Interesting change of pace."

"I'm on the edge of my seat." I added with a smirk, but my tone was more civil. Simos smirked at it and continued. "I know who bombed your reapers." He turned to Narray and our eyes widened.

We hadn't even mentioned the bombing to him before.

Malreus' growl shook the small temple. "Give me one good reason why we shouldn't kill you right here and now!"

"Because I'm on your side!" Simos lifted his hands, but instead of a desperate expression, I found him smiling again. He laughed softly to himself; "So rash! Very rash, Mal..."

I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head at the mercenary; "Simos, you better have a damn good reason for knowing that."

"Or I might return the favour." Narray said darkly and stepped away from the pillar towards the newcomer. Simos smiled at her, his hands still lifted up in defence.

"Let me explain." He showed his teeth and for the first time, his smile irked me. This wasn't a joke anymore. "My employer set the bomb, or rather, instructed the Baron to do so. I swear I had nothing to do with it. But I know why she did it. You see... I know a great deal of what's happening in this city. The question is;" He turned around to me again and paused dramatically; "Do the gods really care?"

We stilled.

Narray and Malreus met my eyes, but I kept mine fixed on Simos.

His smile grew and quietly, he whispered; "Hello, Theia."

"How...?" I was speechless.

Simos smirked at me and chuckled softly when he realised that I was at a loss for words. But his smile didn't have time to mature- Malreus sprung forward with a snarl and withdrew his sword.

Simos was ready. He grabbed his daggers and held them high, ready for the godly onslaught. I managed to squeeze myself in between them. My voice was loud and commanding; "Back off!" I shouted at both of them. We didn't have to spill blood on these holy grounds. Not tonight.

Simos did as I said, but Malreus lingered close to me and pulled me back when he retreated too. Their eyes were latched onto the others- glaring coldly.

"How did you know?" Narray whispered, her eyes wide with worry.

Simos shrugged; "It was easy to put two and two together. Your clothes- they're too well-made for these parts. The emblems you two wear on your belts are reserved for royalty only." He gestured to Malreus and me. "I saw it when you moved. You should be more careful." Simos' eyes shifted to Narray. "And I noticed you moving with the reaper squadron a few days back."

Her eyes registered a click. "You mean..."

"The explosion?" I whispered and Simos stepped back from us quickly. He held up a hand to explain; "Let me be clear- I do not condone any of this, but to be a spy and act as a mercenary in the inner circle is the best possible way for me to know what's going on at all times. I know what I'm talking about. That bombing on your squad- I'm sorry about it. I helped a merchant deliver the shipment of undetectable powder across the borders."

That's what he was talking to the merchant about this morning. The shipment of powder.

Narray stormed for Simos' throat; "Son of a bitch! I could've died!"

Malreus didn't bother to jump in and stop her, but I knew I had to- there was so much Simos knew that we needed to know. I pressed her back and she growled at the strange man with anger.

He sighed; "I am sorry, truly. I didn't know you'd be part of the scouting group." He smiled sheepishly; "I also didn't know that I'd be meeting you. So... Oops."

"Oops?" She shouted at him and growled louder. I struggled to keep her at bay. My head turned around to face him. "You know, I'm trying to help you here, but you're not making it very easy."

"I realise that. But hopefully when I tell you the reasoning behind my 'sins,' you'll realise that I have to keep my cover at all times. It's vital that I play by their hand."

"Then start talking, spy." Narray spat on the ground and this time Malreus didn't flinch in disgust. He was glaring at the back of Simos' head.

"Believe me- I do not want to anger gods or reapers." He shook his head and eyed each of us with a sincere look. He smiled optimistically; "I'm here to offer my help- or rather, to offer you a chance to help me."

"And why on earth should we help a mortal like you?" Malreus scoffed at the mere thought of it.

"Because earth is in great danger. There's a great evil in the west and no one on earth has the capacity or will to stand up against it. The gods know nothing about it- but then again, perhaps they do and they simply do not care."

"Don't make assumptions." Narray snapped at him and stepped around to stand beside Malreus. Her glare followed him.

Simos nodded, but posed a new question; "Do you know of the man they call 'Manos of Mania'?"

I turned around to look at my two best friends, but their eyes showed just as much bewilderment by the name as mine. I shook my head and turned back to Simos. He smiled and looked down. "So then you do not know and I suppose ignorance here is better than a blatant disregard for human life."

"You're speaking in riddles." Narray said and Simos tutted his finger; "Facts, dear. Facts."

"And what are these 'facts' exactly?" I asked curiously. Simos stepped closer to me and smiled, but this time it was kinder. "Thank you for believing me."

I nodded and looked down, suddenly shy. "Of course. Everyone deserves a chance."

"Then you will agree that even mortals deserve justice."

I nodded and his eyes searched mine for any form of doubt. He found none. There were many gods and goddesses who believed that humans were lesser and they weren't entitled to the fairness life could offer, but I didn't agree with that. Majority of our inner circle didn't either. We were raised to respect mortals- my mother had been one, after all.

"There is a man in the west; he calls himself king, but he's a tyrant." Simos said darkly and for the first time, his smile was gone and replaced with a scowl. The mere mention of the mad ruler brought fury to his face. "He rose to power about ten years ago, but recently, about five years back, his true reign really started. He's the man responsible for all of this. And he employs my employer."

"What has this mad man done?" Malreus asked, but his tone was still reserved and cautious. He didn't trust Simos- not even slightly.

"Many things. When he started, he was cruel and harsh in his rulings, but he only reigned over his islands. Now, with the help of my employer and her elite regiment, his control reaches everywhere." Simos picked the gold coin out from his pocket. It shined in the moonlight. "This doesn't truly belong to the Baron. The Baron and all other men like him in control of the larger cities are under the control of the tyrant."

Simos flicked the coin towards me. I caught it in one hand. He pursed his lips. "They're called the Aetós."

"The eagles?" Malreus whispered. It was Greek. "These are the men who work for your employer and who bombed the reapers? Why?"

"To create a distraction for the fires. They wanted the reapers to believe that the rumours about there being riots in the city were true and that the people were sick of the reapers." Simos looked very calm as he spoke. "The Aetós wanted to peg the two sides against each other to cover their own tracks. And it would've worked too, but that's where I come in."

He stepped closer to me, his eyes half-pleading. Malreus wasn't going to stand by and watch this- he moved closer too. I tried to keep a steady hand when Simos held out his own palm to ask for the coin back. "Do you believe me?"

"I don't know the full story." I said and looked into his blue eyes. "Why is the Baron doing this man's bidding? And what is this tyrant planning?"

"The Baron is scared- much like the populace. You'll notice that people are disappearing. That's because the Baron is selecting seven men and seven women every month to send to Manos of Mania- the tyrant."

"Why?" Narray asked bewildered and stepped closer too, her anger forgotten for a moment.

Simos chuckled suddenly and it felt so out of place. "You've really been living under a rock, haven't you?" He was smiling again, but it held no amusement. "Manos requires sacrifices every month, from every city under his thumb. It's his bargain- the lands deliver his quota and he lets the city prosper." Simos gestured to the large and expensive temple. "Haven't you realised how much the population has increase? He feeds them, empowers them and rains down quanti like a storm. But he requires payment too- in the form of flesh."

"Wha..." I shook my head, completely flabbergasted by this. "What do you mean he requires sacrifices? This is against all godly laws."

"The gods have been blind to this for more than half a decade." Simos scoffed angrily and I sensed a deep hatred underneath the surface. There was a personal side to this for him too- there had to be. He seemed far too invested.

"This is a joke? Right?" Narray scoffed and laughed; "Are you hearing this?" She asked Simos. "None of this makes any sense? What does he need sacrifices for?"

"For his playground."

We fell silent one again and this time it was Simos who had to break the silence for us.

"Do you remember the great tale of Theseus and the monstrous minotaur?"

"You're meaning to tell me this 'king' is sacrificing mortals to his pet man-eating bull?" Narray asked jokingly, but Simos' didn't smile.

"Try a man-eating werewolf."

Malreus was the first one to react; "What in the fuck?"

"Hmm. That was my reaction too." Simos said with a lighter tone, but his face showed no sign of a smile. He was deadly serious.

"Did you say... werewolf?" I scoffed and shook my head in disbelief. "They don't exist anymore."

"Oh. It's real. Believe me." There it was again- that glimmer of anger in his eyes. I trusted that rage.

"Oh." Malreus' expression changed dramatically and his eyes widened as he stared at the ground. "Manos- Minos. King Minos of Crete. He was the mad king who had young women and men thrown into the Minotaur's labyrinth. Is this some sort of gag? Is this man trying to rewrite history?"

"Oh, no." Simos said with an ominous tone. "This man has rewritten mortal history. He's pure demonic evil. And he needs to be stopped."

"I-" I stopped my words and stared head at the large statue of Poseidon. It was rather accurate and I could feel his normally joking eyes laugh down at me. It felt wrong to be here. "I don't know what you're asking us to do?"

"I'm asking you to help earth. I'm asking you to come with me to Mania and infiltrate this sickening man's ranks. If this goes on, thousands more will die."

"We can't make that decision." Narray shook her head with serious eyes and darted them between Malreus and me. "We don't have that discretion."

"So you'll rather sit behind your father's commands than rise up and do the right thing?" Simos scoffed and took a step back from us, disgust written across his face. "You know, I thought he gods were all holy and wise, but all I see here are three lackeys."

"Careful." Malreus snarled at the young man; "You're forgetting all powerful."

"Threaten me all you like, Malreus." Simos said with snarky tone; "I'd rather die standing my ground than die behind the orders of a coward."

My hand pressed against both men's chests as Malreus growled and rushed forward again. I was really getting sick and tired of this damn alpha-male bravado running around. "Calm yourselves!" I hissed them and pushed them back with my hands. They stumbled a bit. "We need to be rational about all of this. We need to go speak with the kings."

"Wait." Narray called for our attention. "We never got to the fires. Why were those people killed?"

"It was a riot. An actual one this time- not a fake one. Some people wanted to rise up against he Baron's commands and he dealt with them. The Aetós stepped in and set them all alight. I suspect the two survivors were killed in their hospital beds too." Simos crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged; "No more riots for Leibysos."

"Is that how all rebellion is dealt with?" I asked softly and dread the answer. Simos gave me a look. "What do you think, princess?"

"Come on." Malreus grabbed my hand and tugged me along with him towards the exit. I turned around with shock; "Where are you going?"

"We need to tell the others. And our fathers need to know about this." Malreus laced our hands together and ripped open a dark blue portal with his hand. Narray was more than ready to leave too, but I wasn't quite there yet.

I turned around to talk to Simos. He was looking at me with expectant eyes- desperate again for an answer. I had no answer. Just another question.

"What will you do now?"

"That depends..." He shrugged and stepped closer to me, but Malreus put his arm around my waist and shielded me from him. "That depends on you, Theia."

"You can't put the world's fate on me." I scoffed, but in his eyes I saw that he had already.

"Think about it, Theia." Simos appealed to me. "Five years. Sixty months. Fourteen sacrifices a month by twenty large cities all across the world. That's nearly twenty thousand lives he's taken. Families he's ripped apart. If that's not a concern to you, then perhaps I mistook you for someone else. Something else..."

I swallowed, but Malreus was quick to come to my defence. "You have no idea who she is. What she can do." He locked his jaw with anger at Simos. His patience was done. "You have no right to ask anything of her."

And with that, I let Malreus whisk me away to safety and comfort. Nevertheless, Simos' words stayed with me.

'I mistook you for someone else. Something else...'  

Special Update for oopsthejokesonyou

What are your thoughts for book 5 so far? Do you think the mystery will be as difficult to piece together as it was in the previous saga? And what do you think of the new mercenary, Simos?

Let's get The Red Dawn to One million guys! Xx