It was a little after ten as Jason Blackthorn started his last security check before heading to bed. He stopped first to see how Lisa Barnard was doing. She was one of the archeologists working the site on the small Greek island.

She brushed her strawberry blonde hair out of her eyes. “Why do this every night?” she asked as she looked up from her computer. “We’ve been here six weeks and nothing has happened.”

Jason shrugged his shoulders. “Force of habit, I guess, besides I want to earn my keep.”

“Trust me, Jason, you’ve more than earned your keep,” she replied with a wink.

“Hmm, I wonder what my old SEAL team members would think if they knew I really got this job just to be your gigolo,” he replied as he reached down to massage her shoulders.

Jason had first met Lisa in Iraq. His team had been assigned to recover some looted relics from the main Baghdad museum. It was after the recovery that he had first meet Lisa, who had come into the war-torn country to assist in securing the many priceless artifacts. What caught her by surprise was the fact that Jason actually seemed to care about the artifacts. She in turn helped his team identity many items, and in spite of their many differences, Lisa and Jason had fallen immediately in love.

At six-two and nearly two hundred and ten pounds, Jason was an imposing figure. Lisa was barely five-three and slim. However, she found that he also had a good sense of humor and loved Far Side cartoons. He was also the first man she had met who was genuinely interested in her job and at the same time wasn’t intimidated by her intellect. Lisa was shocked to find out that Jason’s knowledge of ancient civilizations was all self-educated and that he hadn’t attended college.

They had managed to get together a few times since Iraq, and after he retired she had arranged to bring him on the dig to oversee security. None of the archeologists felt there would be any troubles, but occasionally sites did get looted. For the most part, Jason had little to do in terms of security, but he still took his job seriously and helped in setting up the camp. Even Dr. Fox had to admit that it was the most comfortable and orderly camp that he had even been in.

“You know that I brought you here for more than just sex,” said Lisa with a wink.

“Well, I won’t be long; I just want to walk over to see how Nicola and his men are doing,” said Jason. “I won’t be long.” He then leaned down and kissed her.

“Oh, Jason, thank you again for the ring; it was very thoughtful.”

Jason had bought her the ring during his last trip to the mainland. It was a simple silver ring with a ruby mounted in it. The man in the store had claimed it was two hundred years old. Jason wasn’t quite sure it was that old, but he liked it enough to buy it, although he was able to bring down the cost by throwing in a Zippo lighter with a SEAL emblem engraved on it.

“I’m glad to hear that. See you soon.” He smiled at her as he walked out of her tent.

For the first time in Jason’s life, he had someone who loved him. Jason had enlisted in the navy right out of high school to escape the lack of prospects in his home town in Kansas. It wasn’t just the lack of jobs that drove Jason into the service; it was also the fact that he had bounced from one foster family to another. His father had abandoned his mother shortly after Jason’s birth. She later left him with her aunt when he was five and never returned. His aunt later turned him over to the state.

He found his first real family when he joined the navy. He applied to become a SEAL just because it was the most difficult program in the navy. Jason immediately knew he had found his place in the world. He had excelled in his chosen profession and had retired as Master Chief Petty Officer.

“I can’t wait,” she replied.

In addition to Lisa, there were three other archeologists on the dig. There were also two local workmen and a cook.

Jason walked over and saw that Dr. Fox and his wife were examining the statues that they had just recovered. Both archeologists were in their fifties and had spent most of their adult lives on one dig or another. Jason knew better than to interrupt their work and that they would probably up all night studying the figures. He was slightly surprised when he didn’t see Daniel Morehead, Dr. Fox’s assistant. Oh, well, maybe he went to bed early, thought Jason as he walked out of the camp.

Dr. Peter Fox of the British Museum was the lead archeologist on the dig. He was assisted by his wife, Karen; both were experts on ancient Greek history. They were nice, although a bit stuffy, thought Jason.

Daniel had been on Dr. Fox’s staff for ten years and was a little more relaxed; maybe it was because he was younger. Daniel was in his mid-thirties and saw himself as a bit of a ladies man. If he was jealous of Jason and Lisa, he never said a thing, and over the weeks the two men had formed a loose friendship. Jason liked Daniel, as they had played chess together several times. Jason had even taught the scholar to snorkel.

Chapter 2

The island was uninhabited and was located ten miles off the eastern coast of Greece. It was privately owned by a Greek millionaire, who had originally planned to turn the island into his private hideaway. Its location and lack of year-round water supply left it undeveloped.

It was being studied as Dr, Fox believed it had been once been an outpost for early Athenian expansion. The first month had been disappointing, and only a few artifacts had been recovered, and nothing of real importance. But three weeks earlier they had discovered what appeared to be a temple to the goddess Athena. It was found carved into a hillside. Over the centuries, it had been covered by plant growth and partially buried by a landslide.

This was confirmed the previous days when two near pristine statues of the goddess had been uncovered. Both were around eighteen inches tall and carved of marble. Jason was impressed by the intricate details in the figures. Whoever had carved them was a true artisan.

Both depicted Athena in her full armor. She was holding a shield in one hand. Her other hand, which should have held a spear, was empty. Dr. Fox suspected the spear had been gold. On the top of her head was carved a helmet. A small owl was sitting on her left shoulder on one of the statues; its counterpart’s owl was missing, obviously broken off sometime in the past. Still, they were in extremely great shape.

Dr, Fox decided to spend a few more days digging before contacting the authorities, as he wanted more time to study the statues before the island was overrun with government officials. He was also hoping to make additional discoveries. The Greek officials were still wary of anyone from The British Museum, because they still refused to return the reliefs taken by Lord Elgin from the Parthenon. The only reason why the Ministry of Culture had approved the dig was that Dr. Fox’s reputation was impeccable. Little did Dr. Fox know how deadly this decision would be.

Chapter 3

The island had a small concrete dock and cottage where the workmen lived. The temple was located a quarter mile from the dock. The scientists had set up their tents near the temple site even though it made getting food and water to the site more difficult. Jason had eased this problem by bringing in an ATV to tow in supplies from the dock to the campsite. Three times a week, the supply boat came in from the mainland to drop off supplies and mail.

Jason walked down the path in the moonlight towards the cottage. Over the weeks of living on the island, he had come to know every path. He skipped the main path and used an old goat trail that he used for his morning run. He was the only one who used it, besides the small herd of wild goats that also lived on the island.

For many men, the island would have been boring, but Jason enjoyed his days there. In addition to helping the archeologists and spending time with Lisa, he found time to explore the coastline, as the snorkeling was excellent.

As he walked towards the cottage, the full moon inspired him to start humming the tune to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising. It was one of his favorite songs. As he looked at the full moon, he thought about the lyrics.

“I see the bad moon rising. I see trouble on the way.”

As he came down the hill towards the cottage, it was very quiet, and that’s what set off Jason’s internal alarms. Usually there was a radio playing in the cottage as the men played cards into the wee hours of the night, drinking homemade ouzo. Jason could usually hear the men long before he reached the cottage. He wondered why they had turned in so early that night.

All his years of being in combat came back in a second; when something felt wrong, it usually was. He cautiously walked into the cottage and found the three men lying on the ground. He then saw cartridges from a nine-millimeter on the ground by the doorway. Quickly, he examined the men and found that all three had been shot. Judging by their body temperature, they had just been killed, and since he hadn’t heard the shots that meant that whoever did it had used a silencer. He looked around and listened for the intruders, but he didn’t hear or see anything.

He checked the two-way radio that served as their contact with the mainland, and found that it had been smashed. He immediately knew that getting help was now out of the question.

Jason kept a Mossberg shotgun in his tent, but that wouldn’t do him any good right now. He then remembered that Nicola had a large knife. Jason rolled the body over and found the knife. It had a blade of nearly seven inches and was razor sharp; it wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

He looked out into the Aegean and noticed a large white yacht anchored several hundred yards off the coast. In the moonlight, he could just make out the name Dolphin on the stern. He would worry about that later; first, he had to make sure that Lisa and the others were safe.

He then noticed a Zodiac tied up to the beach; he moved slowly towards it. There were seven sets of prints leading from boat. At least he now knew the odds; seven to one wasn’t good, especially when all he had was a knife, but he knew he had to do something. He started by slicing several holes into the Zodiac, making it more difficult for the men to leave the island.

Jason quickly headed towards the tents of the archeologists. He skipped the main path and again used the goat trail. This would also allow him the advantage of height. As he approached the tents, he heard two men talking. He also could smell their cigarettes. They were either careless or overconfident; either way, it would cost them their lives, thought Jason. The fact that they had so ruthlessly killed three men in cold blood meant that Jason couldn’t take any chances with them.

He froze and saw them standing in the middle of the main path a few hundred yards away from the encampment. Both appeared to be armed with pump action shotguns. He slowly worked his way towards them.

The words to the song began to run through his mind.

“Hope you got your things together, hope you are quite prepared to die.”

He knew the odds were against him, even a trained commando would have to be very lucky to take out two armed men with just a knife, but he had no choice. One of the men had his shotgun slung over his shoulder, and the other was holding his in his hands. Jason decided he would take out the second man first. He had the added difficulty of taking them out as silently as possible, so the other intruders wouldn’t be alerted.

Even though he had trained with knives, he had never actually used one on another human in combat. Still, Jason knew that the lives of the others depended on his actions. His years of training came back as he stalked the two men. He moved like a cat in the darkness and was soon within striking distance of them.

They were looking towards the encampment and had their backs to Jason. He could hear them talking and noticed that they were talking in what sounded like Spanish.

Jason made his move; with one hand, he covered the man’s mouth, and with the other hand he slit the man’s throat. The second man was caught off guard and hesitated in reacting to his friend’s death. This momentary delay was all that Jason needed as he quickly killed the second man. He was surprised at how easy it had been to kill them with the knife.

Jason was also pleased that he had dispatched both men without alarming the others. The odds were better, but they were still five to one. He examined the men and found that one had a pistol with a silencer. He pulled out the clip and found that it had been fired six times. He searched the man and found two more clips. He loaded the pistol with a fresh clip and slipped the others in his pockets of his shorts.

He grabbed the two men and pulled them back into the brush. He slipped the pistol into his belt and grabbed one of the shotguns. He checked to see that it was loaded, and then he tossed the other into the brush. He moved towards the encampment, hoping he wasn’t too late.

Chapter 4

Jason again skipped the main path and used the goat trail route. When he reached the top of the ridge, he crouched down to study the campsite. Jason saw a figure standing outside the main tent, outlined by the kerosene lamps. He was smoking what smelled like a cheap cigar and was holding a shotgun. The man looked into the tent and pointed the gun inside.

He estimated the distance and figured he was close enough to shoot, but he decided to move closer, and he slowly slid down the slope towards the campsite. He was soon only ten feet from the men. Jason looked out from the brush and tried to decide what to do next.

“If you want to live, keep your mouths shut,” the man at the tent stated in heavily accented English. “You will only talk when we tell you to!”

Two other men dragged out Dr. Fox, who appeared to have his hands tied behind his back.

One of the men then punched Peter in the stomach. As Peter collapsed to the ground, the man kicked the archeologist in the ribs. He then began to laugh loudly as Peter groaned.

The other two men joined in the mirth and watched as their partner roughed up Peter. The men tossed insults at him as he struggled to get up.

“Come on, Karl, hit him again!” shouted one of the men. “He’ll tell us if he’s hidden anything else.”

It was obvious to Jason that the men would soon tire of this game and kill Dr. Fox. He had no choice but to move quickly and risk detection. He quietly chambered a round in the handgun and moved towards the men.

Jason wasn’t sure, but the man attacking Dr. Fox sounded as if he was German. Either way, it didn’t matter as he would soon be dead.

Jason thought of his training — shoot for center mass, two shots each. He took careful aim with the handgun and put two quick shots in the small of the man’s back. Karl fell facedown on the ground in front of the injured Dr. Fox.

The other two men turned, and before they could unsling their weapons, Jason shot both of them, two rounds in the chest each. They slumped to the ground without crying out.

Jason ran up and confirmed that the men were no longer a threat. He helped Dr. Fox up and helped him into the tent. He looked around and found the others huddled in fear. Thankfully, they were all safe. He immediately put his finger to his lips.

“Where are the other two men?” he asked softly.

“They went down to the temple,” said Daniel. He seemed shocked to see Jason. “They said you were dead.”

“Not hardly. I’m going after them,” said Jason. He untied the others as he spoke. “I want the rest of you to move up into the hills and hide. Help Peter; he’s been hurt.”

The two women began to lift the injured archeologist up.

“Does anyone know who to use a gun?” asked Jason.

“I do,” said Daniel.

“Okay, take this shotgun and guard the others,” ordered Jason as he slipped a fresh clip into the handgun. “It’s loaded and ready to shoot.”

Daniel nodded as he inspected the weapon.

“What about Nicola and the others?” asked Lisa.

“Dead,” replied Jason as he shook his head. “The radio is also broken, so we can’t expect any help.”

She gasped and put her hands to her mouth.

“Be careful, there are four more of them,” said Peter as he moaned softly. “Two were sent to stand guard by the dock.”

“No, only two more, I already got those two,” replied Jason. “Now, go up in the hills and be quiet, I’ll get you later, don’t come out until you hear me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that nothing happens to them,” said Daniel. He was holding the shotgun with both hands.

Jason looked over at Lisa and winked. “It’s going to be okay, love.”

She ran over and hugged him. Tears were rolling down her face. “They said you were dead.”

“I’m not dead yet,” quipped Jason. He then turned to Daniel and put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Daniel, I’m trusting you with their lives.”

“You can count on me,” replied Daniel.

Jason nodded, turned around, and headed down towards the temple. He heard what sounded like a thunder clap. The blast from the shotgun sent him flying forward and he collapsed on the ground. The pain was intense, and he tried to get up, but as he struggled to stand, the second shot ended his life.

Chapter 5

Jason took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. That had to be the most realistic dream that he had ever had, he thought.

He then noticed his surroundings. He was lying on what appeared to be a marble bench, and everything around him was white. He sat up and looked around; there was nothing to see in any direction. There was no horizon or walls. It was just a big white nothing. The only thing he could see was the marble bench.

“Okay, Jason, keep calm,” he said to himself. He stood up and then noticed for the first time that the front of his shirt was bloody. He could also see that he had a large wound in his chest. He cautiously reached down and touched it and, to his surprise, felt no pain. He then reached around and touched his back and found that it had a great wound in the center, yet it too didn’t hurt.

He then remembered being shot. It then hit him that he might be dead. He looked around and wondered where he was. He had never considered himself very religious and had never really thought about what happened after death. Well, it looked like he was about to find out, he thought.

“I see that you’ve awakened,” said a comforting woman’s voice.

Jason spun around but could see no one near him. He also couldn’t place where the voice was coming from; it almost sounded like it was coming from all around him.

“Okay, I’m either dead or crazy,” he said aloud.

“You’re not crazy, Jason Blackthorn,” replied the woman.

Jason looked around again, and he still didn’t see anyone else. “That doesn’t help,” he mumbled aloud to himself.

Suddenly, a bright light of pure white energy formed in front of him. He had to shield his eyes to prevent from being blinded by it. In a moment the light faded, and the most beautiful young woman he had ever seen was standing in front of him.

She was dressed in what looked like a long white toga with golden armor over her gown. On her head was a golden hoplite helmet. It was resting on the top of her head, allowing him to see her beautiful face. What immediately caught his attention were her eyes; they were gray in color.

A spear was held in her right hand, and a golden shield was held in her left.

A small owl perched on her shoulder and looked back at him with what looked like curiosity.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked softly, almost compassionately.

Jason hesitated for a second. If he answered logically, he had no answer, but earthbound logic didn’t seem to apply in this situation. He then thought of his studies of Greek Mythology. The figure in front of him matched the descriptions he had read.

“You the goddess Athena,” he replied. It was the only answer that made sense.

She turned to the owl and smiled. “I knew he was smart. Yes, Jason Blackthorn, I am Athena.”

Jason didn’t know what to do next. He debated bowing or dropping to his knees, but instead he just stared back.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what to say or what to do,” he replied. Oh, that sounded really stupid, he thought. “I mean, where am I? What happened?”

“You were killed by a traitor,” she replied.

“Daniel Morehead,” stated Jason angrily. The bitterness of being betrayed burned in his consciousness.

“That is correct,” she replied.

“And the others?” he asked hopefully.

“They are all dead,” she replied.

Jason felt a wave of anger sweep through him, which was followed by a sense of deep loss at knowing that Lisa was dead.

“You are a true warrior; you were able to kill many of the attackers,” said Athena.

“Not good enough, I’m dead, and so are the others,” he lamented.

“Death isn’t the end, it’s just a phase. Now, I have come to you with a request,” continued Athena.

“A request? From me? You’re a goddess; you can do whatever you wish,” he said. Oh, that sounded even more idiotic that his previous comments, he thought.

“Within limitations,” she replied with a comforting smile. “I want you to get retribution for me for what was done to my temple, for your murdered friends, and your murdered lover.”

“Your temple?” asked Jason. “What happened to the temple?”

Athena nodded. “Of course, you don’t know. I am about to show you what happened after you were betrayed and killed. It will not be easy for you to see, but it is necessary. Do you wish to continue?”

Jason stared back. “Yes, I want to see.”

“Very well,” she replied. She swept her hand parallel to the ground. “You will now see the past.”

Jason looked to where she was pointing and watched in horror and fascination. He saw himself stalking and killing the first five men. He then saw Daniel point the gun at his back and shoot him. When he rolled over, Daniel shot him a second time. Daniel then shot Dr. Fox twice and then started to led Lisa and Karen by gunpoint towards the temple.

The other two men ran up to join him.

“What the hell happened?” asked the first man. He was large and had curly black hair with a matching moustache. He spoke with a Spanish accent.

“Your men failed to kill the security guy. He killed five of your men before I took care of him,” Daniel bragged, as he propped the shotgun on his hip. “I told you he was dangerous; I warned you not to take him lightly. It’s a good thing I pretended to be one of the captives.”

“You bastard,” screamed Lisa.

Karen was sobbing uncontrollably and was near hysterical as she broke away. She then crouched down and cradled her dead husband’s head.

“Why, Daniel, why?” cried Lisa.

“Shut up, bitch. Now you notice me; I never understood what you saw in that caveman,” he snapped back. “If you keep your mouth shut, I’ll kill you quickly.”

“What about the professor?” asked the second man. He was slightly shorter and had short had brown hair. He spoke with a German accent.

“I killed him,” said Daniel “We can’t leave any witnesses.”

“What about them?” asked the shorter man pointing to the women.

“It’s up to you, but I personally don’t kill women,” said Daniel.

“I do,” said the larger man. He then grabbed his crotch. “But first, why let them go to waste?”

“You don’t need to see what happens next,” said Athena as she swept her hand over the images stopping them as if she had hit the pause button on a VCR.

“They raped and killed them,” said Jason softly.

“Yes,” she replied. “I’m sorry.”

“What happened next?’ he asked.

Athena moved her hand again. Jason watched as the bodies of the murdered archeologists and workmen were thrown into the temple. Jason’s own body was added to the pile, along with the men he had killed. The shorter man then placed what looked like plastic explosives around the temple. He then poured gasoline over the bodies and stepped back.

Daniel nodded, and the man set off the explosives. The temple was destroyed. The bodies began to burn.

“Why?” asked Jason as he turned to Athena.

“A rich and powerful man craved those statues. The traitor in your group was blinded by greed and traded your lives for his reward,” she replied. “Daniel was on his payroll and sent word of their discovery to the men on the boat. They were stationed there for just such an occurrence.”

Jason thought of the times he had seen Daniel using the radio, and it all made sense now.

“But why did they destroy the temple too?” asked Jason as he stared at the image of the destroyed site. “It’s seems such a waste.”

“Why? To be destructive, that’s why!” replied Athena, her voice starting to show anger. “Why does man take such joy in destruction?”

Jason didn’t reply; he thought it best not to interrupt the goddess, especially as she was getting angry.

“If this was the old days, I would rain fire down on them!” Athena vented as she stared at the destroyed temple.

Jason wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard thunder in the distance, and he wondered if he was about to see cosmic justice.

“”Why don’t you strike them down? It would serve them right,” said Jason. “They deserve to die.”

Athena seemed to regain her composure, turned to Jason and smiled. “I cannot directly touch them in this day and age; however, you can… if I send you back. You are a true warrior, Jason, and I am asking you to take on this quest; kill the men who desecrated my temple and killed your friends.

“I’m dead,” he said. This seemed a stupid response, but it was the first thing that came to his head.

Athena chuckled. “Yes, that is true. Jason Blackthorn is dead, but I can give you a new body, a new identity, and in addition to the skills you possess, I can give you additional abilities,” she explained “Now, before you agree, I must tell you everything.”

Jason stared at the goddess and nodded.

“I cannot return you as a male. You will be a woman, but do not fear, you will still be a warrior and more than a match for those you will be hunting,” she said.

Jason hadn’t counted on that.

“Next, once your task is completed, your life will come to an end, and you continue to the next level of existence,” she said.

Okay, I can handle being a woman, if it means taking out the people that killed Lisa, he thought. “I’ll do it,” he replied.

Athena smiled. “I was hoping that you would agree. I knew another Jason, eons ago, and you are much like him.”

“You mean, Jason who sought the Golden Fleece?’ he asked.

“Yes, your parents named you well,” she said. “He was brave and intelligent, and knew when to use his mind and not just brawn.”

“At least they did one thing right,” he muttered. “So, who do I have to get?”

“The men who raided the island, the traitor who killed you, and of course, the man who financed the attack,” replied Athena.

“I know Daniel’s name, but what about the others?” he asked.

“You will have to find out on your own; it is the way it must be,” she replied. “I will start your task near one of the men. I have selected you because you possess brains as well as brawn; use what you know, trust your instincts, and you will succeed.”

“Okay, but wouldn’t it just be easier to strike them down with a lightning bolt or something like that?” he asked.

Athena smiled. “It’s not the way things are done these days… pity.”

“Won’t it be more difficult as a woman?’ he asked.

“In some ways that may be true, but men will underestimate a woman; don’t forget this. Also remember sex appeal can be a very strong weapon; you can use this to distract the men you hunt.”

Jason hadn’t thought of that. While he didn’t like the idea of coming onto a man, what did it really matter, because as soon as the men were dead he would also die.

“When do I start?” he asked.

“Now,” she replied.

Chapter 6

The morning sun felt warm against Jason’s face as he woke up. He half expected to open his eyes and see the top of his tent back in Greece, but he instantly knew that everything had changed.

Jason sat up and was immediately aware that it hadn’t been a very weird dream, as she was now a woman. She threw back the covers and stepped out of her bed and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

She was totally naked, and it was obvious that Athena had kept her word. She was slightly shorter and quite shapely. She flexed her right arm and was pleased to see that she still had muscles, although not as prominent.

She had shapely breasts, which she instinctively knew were 34-C. Her skin was slightly darker than Jason’s, and she suspected that she had a Mediterranean heritage, possibly Greek or Italian. Her hair was short and reddish brown. She then noticed her eyes; they were gray, like Athena’s. Overall, Jason had to admit that she was now very attractive; she seemed to ooze a sense of sensuality, which Jason figured she could use to her advantage as she hunted her killers, just as Athena had said.

Jason turned to look at her back and saw the small tattoo on her right shoulder; it was a small owl. Jason figured that wearing the mark of a goddess couldn’t be so bad.

“So, who am I?” she said aloud. Her voice caught her by surprise as it had an exotic quality to it. She couldn’t quite place the accent. She then reached for her purse and opened it up to check her identity.

Jason pulled out her ID and saw that she was now Tessa Phoenix. She couldn’t help but laugh at Athena’s sense of humor. Without knowing why, she immediately knew that Tessa meant reaper in Greek, which seemed appropriate, considering her task on Earth. She also liked her new last name, which was also fitting, as she was reborn from the flames that had burned Jason’s body.

She knew that she was now twenty-two and held American citizenship, although her mother Greek.

“Okay, now where am I?’ she said aloud. She slipped on a silk robe and looked out the window. She immediately recognized the skyline, as she had spent several memorable port calls here. She was in Palma, Majorca, Spain.

Chapter 7

Tessa showered and dressed and ate the breakfast that she had ordered through room service. The hotel was first rate, which meant that Tessa was well off financially.

She found a laptop and turned it on. The room had an Internet connection, and she logged on. The first screen asked for her name and password, which she typed in without thinking. The first thing she checked was her finances, and she was pleased to see that she had a very large bank account. So money wouldn’t be a problem.

Next, she did a search on several news sites and found out some information on the attack on the island. The authorities were at a loss for who did it, although they suspected international smugglers.

They were also unable to identify the men that Jason had killed. Tessa wondered if they were withholding information from the press.

Next, she picked up her wallet and found that she had several high end credit cards. She also found that she had a large quantity of cash, both dollars and Euros.

Next, she looked in her suitcase. She instinctively pressed against the lining and a secret panel popped open. Inside, she found several passports, listing her as French, Greek, Spanish, and British. The names on the passports were all different. The surprises kept coming, she thought.

Tessa then looked in her closet and found that, in addition to a large wardrobe, she had several wigs of various styles. On a whim, she began to try them on. She was shocked at how drastically her appearance changed from one wig to the next. She put the wigs away, and looked through the rest of her belongings.

She found that, in addition to simple bras and panties, her wardrobe had several pieces of rather sexy lingerie, including several teddies and nightgowns.

“What the hell did you volunteer for?” she asked aloud, as she held a black silky baby doll against her body. She shook her head in disbelief as she placed it back in the drawer.

Next, she went through her cosmetics and toiletries. She examined the razor and then looked at her legs. Thankfully, they were pretty smooth, so she wouldn’t have to deal with shaving them her first day as a woman. Then she saw something that stopped her cold; it was a box of tampons.

She gingerly picked it up, as if she picking up a bomb. The implications of their being in her belongings slowly hit her; she was completely female in every respect. She sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Shit, I hadn’t counted on this,” she said aloud. “Well, hopefully I won’t be around long enough to have to use these.” She then set the box down and began to think about what she would do next.

“Okay, Tessa, time to get to work; why are you in Palma?” she said aloud. Athena had said that she would start near one of the killers. She then remembered that several of the men had spoken Spanish. It was a start.

Tessa looked at the newspapers that had been delivered with her breakfast and saw that it was now three months since the attack. She wondered why Athena had waited so long, but she sloughed this off, as it wasn’t wise to question a goddess. It also bothered her that she hadn’t noticed the date change sooner. Stop thinking so conventionally, she thought, you’re dealing with the supernatural now.

As Tessa poured herself another cup of coffee, she made her next discovery, she could now read Spanish. It was like second nature, and when she spoke aloud she was pleased that she also could also speak the language. Well, Athena had said that she would have additional skills.

She paged through the local paper, and then she saw something that caught her eye; it was a photo of a several women standing by the harbor. The women weren’t important; it was the yacht in the background. It was the same one that she had seen off the island; it was the Dolphin. It was a starting point, she thought.

Chapter 8

Another surprise for Tessa was how automatically she did things as a woman. Things like putting on makeup and styling her hair came automatically to her, as if she had been doing it her entire life.

Tessa noticed that she had no issues about her new gender; it was like she had been a woman since birth, which considering her rebirth, made sense. Tessa figured that Athena had eased the natural confusion one would feel about suddenly waking up in the body of the opposite gender. She had been reborn to complete a task, and she didn’t need any distractions.

Tessa decided to recon the yacht first and then try to get onboard. She decided to go out as inconspicuously as possible, so she dressed in just a t-shirt, jeans, and sandals. She looked at herself in the mirror and was satisfied with her look; she would blend in with the locals.

She decided to take a taxi down to the pier where the Dolphin was moored. She remembered the area from one of her past visits to Palma, as it was a popular area for the tourists. Tessa also remembered with a smile a girl that Jason had met in a café near the very same docks. But those thoughts quickly passed from her mind, as that was from a life which didn’t exist anymore.

It didn’t take long for Tessa to spot the yacht in question, and she knew immediately it was the one that had brought the killers to Greece. She sat down at a small café and pretended to read the paper as she watched the yacht.

Two hours and several coffees later, she headed back to the hotel. There only appeared to be two crewmen on the boat. One was obviously a local, and she figured he had been hired to do basic labor. The other man was in his thirties and was definitely in charge.

The man was five-ten and average build. He had curly hair and was clean shaven. Tess thought he looked like he could be related to one of the men from the island back in Greece.

The man bossed the younger man around and was constantly correcting his work. He obviously enjoyed being in charge. Tessa suspected that he would be the one she should try to question, but how?

On the way back to the hotel, she passed a small boutique and noticed the skimpy outfits they were selling. Tessa looked down at her body and then at a particularly short skirt in the window. Athena had said that some things would be easier as a woman. Her body in that outfit would definitely get the attention of a man, she thought. She took a deep breath and headed into the store. The things I do in the line of duty, she thought.

Chapter 9

Before heading out to check out the yacht, Tessa decided to see just what her new body was capable of doing. She found a pair of running shorts, top, and shoes in her closet. She then realized that she had forgotten to put something on and searched the drawers of the dresser until she found what she was looking for, a jog bra.

Tessa headed out of the hotel and ran along the harbor and down the coast. She ran without effort and was pleased with both her stamina and endurance. She estimated that she ran ten miles by the time she returned to the hotel.

Okay, she thought, I’m in good shape, but what about strength? The hotel had a gym, and she went inside to check it out.

As expected, she wasn’t nearly as strong as before, but neither was she a weakling. She also tried out a few of her martial arts movements and found that in some ways her reflexes were even faster.

Tess returned to her hotel room to change with the confidence that she could take care of herself.

Chapter 10

Tessa chose the long blonde-haired wig to wear with her disguise. In addition to the skirt, she’d bought a push-up bra, a low cut top, and a pair of high heels. After dressing, she examined her appearance in the mirror. She made one change as she adjusted her bra so her breasts were more prominent. After all, she was trying to attract the attention of the man on the yacht.

She didn’t want to look cheap and slutty, rather rich and sexy. Thankfully, the jewelry in her wardrobe was all top of the line, so she didn’t have to buy anything new. She picked out a pair of diamond stud earrings and a gold chain. She also had a gold Rolex watch and a diamond tennis bracelet.

Tessa styled her hair and makeup until she achieved the look she was going for — a spoiled rich girl, just the sort of look that would get her on the yacht, and hopefully, the leads she needed to get her prey.

An hour later she walked slowly down by the piers. She pretend to talk on her cell phone as walked slowly past the numerous yachts. The crews of the boats immediately noticed her and made all sorts of comments, mostly sexual in nature. She pretended not to understand what the men were saying, even though she found that she understood everything that was said, in Spanish, French, and Italian. She only hoped the man on the Dolphin noticed her.

She walked along the docks towards the boat, acting bored and occasionally stopping to look at the other yachts. Tessa wondered what her old friends on the teams would think about what she was trying to do. Deep down, she knew they would approve; she was just doing what it took to get the job done.

As she approached the stern of the Dolphin, the man she had seen earlier smiled at her. He was up on the bridge of the boat and obviously had a bird’s eye view of her prominent breasts.

“Good afternoon, senorita,” he greeted her.

Okay, she thought, so far so good. She looked up and, pushing her sunglasses up on her head, smiled back. “What a beautiful boat. It’s so big!”

“Thank you,” he replied, as he stepped down towards the main deck. He couldn’t help but notice what a sexy young woman she was. He had bedded many women by bringing them on the yacht, and this blonde would be a nice addition to his list of conquests. “Would you like a tour?”

“I’d love it,” she replied with a big smile on her face. “My daddy is thinking of buying a boat like this, and I’ve always wondered what they look like on the inside.”

The man smiled and moved closer to Tessa.

“Really?” he replied as he helped her onboard. His eyes were locked on her exposed, pushed-up cleavage.

“Yes, he owns hotels back in America,” she answered in a matter of fact way.

“My name is Sergio; I am the captain of the Dolphin.”

Tessa figured that he was lying, but she played along. “Really? A captain, wow!”

“And what’s your name?’ he asked.

“I’m Kristen, Kristen Trump,” she replied in a matter of fact way.

“Trump? As in Donald Trump?’ he asked.

“He’s my uncle,” she said innocently. If he can lie, so can I, she thought.

“Well, Kristen, let me show you the Dolphin,” he stated. He took her by the hand and led her inside.

Tessa immediately knew she was on the right track as she looked over at Sergio’s wrist. He was wearing a large diver’s watch that had a SEAL trident on the face. It was Jason’s old watch. It was the one on his wrist when he was killed.

She then noticed the knife he wore on his belt. Tessa recognized the handle as the knife that she had taken from Nicola. So, he liked to wear trophies of his triumphs, she thought.

He showed her around the yacht for nearly an hour. Tessa played her part and asked what seemed to be innocent questions. Soon she knew that he was the only crewmember currently living on the yacht, as the rest of the crew were temporary and wouldn’t be needed until the next time the yacht got underway.

“I have an excellent bottle of champagne chilling; would you like a drink?” asked Sergio. “The view of the harbor in early evening is so beautiful.”

Tessa smiled and sat down, making sure she crossed her legs slowly and seductively.

Sergio retrieved the bottle of champagne and two flutes and sat down next to her. He opened the wine and filled the glasses.

“Here’s to the most beautiful woman that I’ve seen in Palma,” he said as he touched his glass to hers.

Tessa smiled back, sipped her wine and giggled. “Oooh, it’s very good.”

Sergio slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. He then leaned over and began to kiss her.

Tessa played along and was shocked that she wasn’t disgusted by the fact that she was kissing a man; maybe it was all part of her change, she rationalized.

Soon his hands were on her breasts, and he started to undress her.

Okay, kissing was one thing, but she decided that she wasn’t about to have sex with him.

“Can we go somewhere a little more private?” she whispered into his ear.

Sergio nodded and led her into the main cabin. When he turned his back to close the door, Tessa hit him across the back of the neck, knocking him down to the deck.

Before he could recover, she hit him a second time, knocking him out. It was all too easy, she thought. Sergio never suspected that she was a threat.

She pulled his unconscious body up onto the bed and tied him up. She then removed the watch from around his wrist, turned it over, and saw the engraving that confirmed it was Jason’s watch.

Tessa searched his wallet and confirmed that he was Sergio Franco. She also removed the knife from his belt and waited for him to wake up.

Sergio woke up nearly fifteen minutes later. He tried to sit up and discovered that he was tied up.

“What the fuck?” he shouted.

Tessa held a finger to her lips as she calmly placed the knife blade against his throat. “Be quiet, please.”

Sergio’s eyes opened wide with fear. “What do you want, bitch?”

She pressed the knife slightly harder against his throat “Watch your mouth. I want information. Tell me about this watch. If you lie, I’ll hurt you,” she said coldly. “Don’t underestimate me because I’m a woman either.”

“The watch? Why?” he asked.

Tessa pressed the knife a little harder against his throat, it started to break the skin, and a trickle of blood ran down his neck. “I’m the one asking questions. Now, where did you get this watch?” She asked as she held it up. She kept her tone flat and unemotional as she had always found that this worked best when interrogating someone.

Sergio hesitated, as if he was trying to think of a lie. ‘It…it was given to me.”

“By whom?” she asked.

“My… my cousin,” he answered.

“What’s your cousin’s name?” she asked immediately. As Jason, she had interrogated several prisoners and learned that once they started to talk, not to give them time to think, but to keep pressing them; don’t give them time to think.

“Marco…Marco Franco,” he replied.

“Did he give you this knife too?” she asked.

Sergio nodded as he wondered how the woman knew such things.

“Why did he give them to you?”

“I… I did a job for him,” he replied.

“What was that?” she asked.

“I drove took them to Greece on the yacht,” he answered.

“Tell me more,” ordered Tessa.

“Marco came up to me and told me that he needed the yacht. He paid for six weeks use, and so who was I to argue. We sat off shore for a few weeks, then Marco got a radio message and we headed to the island. I swear that’s all I know!”

Good, she thought, she was definitely on the right track. “Did you go ashore?” she asked.

His eyes opened wide in terror as he shook his head. Obviously, the woman knew what had happened on that island. “Dear god, no. I read what happened later. I had nothing to do with what was done to those people.” He then began to cry.

“What was the name of the other man?” asked Tessa, ignoring his cries. “I don’t mean the Englishman, I know who he is.”

“His name is Dieter… Dieter Schultz,” he replied quickly.

“So, he’s German?” asked Tessa, as she remembered the shorter of the two men in the image that Athena had shown her.

“I… I think so, he was a friend of Marco when they served in the legion,” he replied.

“The French Foreign Legion?” asked Tessa.

Sergio nodded. “They met when they were stationed in Djibouti with the 13th,” he replied.

Okay, that will make things a little more difficult, she thought. The men she was hunting had military backgrounds; still, she would put her training up against theirs. She had worked with some legionnaires a few times and they were good.

“Where are they?” she asked.

“Marco lives here in Palma; I think Dieter lives in Hamburg,” he replied.

“What’s Marco’s address?” she asked.

“I can’t tell you… he’ll kill me,” pleaded Sergio.

“He won’t get a chance; if you don’t tell me, I’ll kill you. I have his name, and you’re telling me will just save me time,” she replied. “You know, Sergio, this is a very sharp blade, and I can cut your throat like as easily as cutting through butter.”

“You’re a woman…you wouldn’t kill me,” said Sergio, a nervous smile growing on his face.

“I’ve killed many men, Sergio; what’s one more?” she replied. “Give me his address.”

Sergio obeyed; even if he lied, she still had a name to work with.

“Now, the other men who went on the island, were they also in the Legion?” she asked.

Sergio nodded. “Yes, Marco recruited them all from his old unit.”

“What about the Englishman, did he leave the island with you?”

“How do you know about him?” he asked.

“Answer my question,” she ordered as she pressed the knife back against his throat.

“Yes, he came back here with us. He left a day later with the German. I didn’t like him; he drank too much and was rude. He barely talked to me; I think he thought he was better than me.”

Tessa nodded. She began to debate what she would do with Sergio. She couldn’t leave him here, as he would be found. She didn’t see a need to kill him, as all he had done was sail the attackers to Greece.

Then he helped make the decision for her. He struggled to sit up and the gold chain that hung around his neck slipped out of his shirt. Around the chain was a small silver ring that had a ruby mounted in it.

Tessa immediately recognized it as the ring she had given Lisa.

“Where did you get that ring?” she demanded angrily as she reached down, snapping the chain and holding up the ring. She felt a fury growing inside.

Sergio’s eyes opened wide in fear. “Please… please don’t hurt me.”

Tessa felt her rage growing with each passing moment. “Answer my question, NOW!”

“I’m sorry, I took it off one of the women,” he confessed. He began to cry again. “It seemed a pity to let it be burned with her body.”

“You said that you never went ashore,” she stated. It then hit her. “You lied to me! You raped and killed the woman who owned this ring, right?”

“I… I didn’t kill her,” he stammered.

“But you raped her and then stole this ring?” demanded Tessa. “ANSWER ME!”

Sergio nodded as he cried. “They were going to kill her anyway: what was the harm?”

In the blink of an eye, Tessa reached down, and in a twisting motion that she had practiced many times but never actually done, she snapped his neck. It was surprisingly easy and less messy than slitting his throat.

Tessa stared at his dead body; her only regret was that he had died too quickly. She looked at the ring in her hands and began to cry.

Chapter 11

Tessa was able to get off the yacht without being seen. Before leaving, she had untied Sergio and made it look as if he had been killed during a robbery.

She disposed of the blonde wig on the way back to the hotel. The rest of her outfit would be disposed of as soon as she changed back at the hotel. The killing of Sergio had happened so quickly that it even caught her by surprise. She didn’t mourn his death, as he deserved to die; rather, it was the way she had reacted that bothered her. As a SEAL, she had killed many times, but never like that. She had been in a rage; as a SEAL, she had always been in control. Acting in anger led to mistakes, and she couldn’t afford any missteps. She wondered where she would end up by the time this was all over.

The next morning she read the paper and watched the news on TV. There was a small story about a murder and robbery on a yacht. The police believed it was done by local criminals. Tessa knew she was lucky and that the next time she would have to be more careful. She also worried that Sergio’s death might tip off Marco.

She pulled out a city map and found the address that Sergio had given her. It was only a few blocks away from the hotel. She decided to recon the neighborhood later that afternoon.

Fighting off her curiosity, she avoided the waterfront that day and instead walked into the downtown shopping district. She sat down at a café and tried to read the paper, but was lost in her own thoughts.

Tessa looked at the ring that she had once given Lisa. She had planned to ask Lisa to marry her when they finished the dig. She stared at the ring and then thought about her reaction after she killed Sergio. It was the first time that Tessa could ever remember crying in her entire life. As soon as she thought about Lisa, the pain started to return, and she had to do everything possible to stop the flow of tears.

No, she thought, I can’t allow myself to get caught up in the emotions of this. She had seen people die before and had lost two members of her team, but their losses paled to how she felt about Lisa. Tessa slowly regained her composure and thought about how she would deal with Marco and the others.

Chapter 12

Tessa walked down the street to the address that the now deceased Sergio had given her. She walked past the address without stopping. It was located in a five story apartment building. Judging by the apartment number, Marco’s place was on the top floor.

She continued up the street and stopped at a small café on the corner. She ordered lunch in Spanish to blend in better and sat down at a table that would allow her to observe the building.

It didn’t take her long to figure out that it would be difficult to get in and out easily. She knew she’d been lucky with Sergio, and the last thing she wanted was to end up in a Spanish jail. No, she would have to do Marco somewhere else. She thought about just shooting him from a distance, but she wanted to question him first, as she still had to confirm the locations of Dieter and Daniel. Then there was the man who had financed the attack. Tessa figured that she would have to get that information out of Daniel. It was obvious from what Athena had shown her that the other men were just hired for muscle, and from what she knew of Daniel, she suspected that he wouldn’t have shared any important information with them.

As she casually watched the building for a sign of Marco, she saw a man walk by. He looked familiar, and she noticed that he was also studying Marco’s home. It took her a second to realize who the man was; he was Lisa’s brother.

She had never met Jonathan Barnard, but Lisa had shown her several photos of her brother. Lisa was very proud of him, as he was an award winning investigative reporter. He was four years older than her and had worked for several newspapers before becoming a fulltime writer for the Boston Globe. In addition, he had written several books on international crime.

Tessa had read several of the books, including one on the international sex slave trade. He had helped uncover a major sex tourism business, which led to the arrests of many prominent people. .

He had a rugged look, sort of like Harrison Ford, although his hair had more gray in it. Lisa had said that his hair had started to turn gray when he was in his twenties. She was convinced that Jason and Jonathan would get along famously, but alas they’d never met.

Tessa immediately figured that he was investigating the murders in Greece, and while she was glad that someone was trying to catch the men responsible, the last thing she needed was publicity. Her task had just gotten more complicated.

Chapter 13

Tessa spent the next few days hanging out in the area of Marco’s apartment. She only spoke Spanish and was soon treated like a local and not a tourist. She saw Jonathan a few times in passing, but so far he hadn’t paid her any attention. She suspected that he was also seeking Marco.

Tessa hit pay dirt two days later when she saw Marco walk into a restaurant down the street from his place. She immediately recognized him from the vision that Athena had granted her.

He was wearing a short sleeve shirt that allowed Tessa to see a tattoo on his arm; it was the emblem of the Foreign Legion. Tessa knew she had the right man; the question was what her next move should be.

She was dressed in a short skirt and silk blouse, nice but not sexy enough to attract a man like Marco. She went into the ladies room of the restaurant, adjusted her bra to make her breasts more prominent, and unbuttoned two of the top buttons of the blouse, to better show off her breasts even more. She applied a fresh coat of lipstick, used some additional mascara, and a few drops of perfume.

As Tessa examined herself in the mirror, she wished she had time to go back and change, but this would have to do. She walked out of the lavatory and slowly strutted over to the bar, slowly swaying her hips.

She sat down at the bar, crossed her legs and ordered a glass of wine. Marco was sitting alone at a table across from her. He ran his eyes over her and then went back to his lunch.

Short of walking over and sitting down at his table, there wasn’t much else she could do, so she drank her wine and read the menu. Trying to attract a man wasn’t something that they taught her in the SEALs, so she considered this on the job training. Maybe he’s gay, she thought, as he continued to eat his lunch. In spite of herself, she started to giggle at the thought that he might have been more attracted to Jason.

Chapter 14

Tessa was about to order another glass of wine when she sensed that someone was standing behind her. She turned slowly and saw Marco standing in front of her. He had a sly smile on his face.

“Do you speak English?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied. Then she switched languages. “But my Spanish isn’t bad either.”

He nodded as his smile grew. “Touché.”

She then switched to French. “Mais oui.”

“Let’s stick to English,” he said. “I always hated speaking French.” He sat down next to her. “My name is Marco.”

“I’m Tessa,” she replied.

“Pretty name,” he said. “I don’t usually see tourists around here; they usually stay closer to the main section of town.”

“That’s why I’m not there,” she replied. “I don’t like tourists either.”

“You’re too pretty to be a tourist. I noticed you the other day. I’m glad you came back,” he continued. “The question is why?”

“I was bored downtown, besides the food here is excellent and so is the wine.”

Marco nodded. “Your glass is empty, would you like a refill?”

Tessa smiled back. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Chapter 15

They made small talk for a while, until Marco looked at his watch. “I have a business engagement that I cannot afford to miss in an hour. However, I’d like to take you out to dinner. You interest me, Tessa.”

“I’d like that,” she replied.

“I’ll pick you up at ten,” he said.

“Sounds good,” she replied. “I’m staying at Costa Azul.” She saw no need to lie to him at this point.

“I know,” he replied with a wink.

So the hunted has become the hunter, she thought. “Really?”

“When I saw you here the other day and followed you back. Sorry, old habits die hard,” he said.

Tessa smiled back. “You must tell me more about these habits over dinner.”

Marco laughed. “If you only knew, my sweet.”

A short time later, Tessa was heading back to her hotel. It bugged her that he’d been able to tail her without her knowing, but that was water under the bridge; she wouldn’t underestimate him again.

Tessa also had to admit that if she hadn’t been a woman, there was no way she would have met Marco so quickly. A large man, like Jason, would have stood out in the neighborhood, but an attractive exotic woman, like she was now, was a definite advantage. She silently thanked Athena.

Chapter 16

Tessa decided to wear a short black sleeveless dress that night, along with a pair of black pumps. Thankfully, she had no trouble walking in high heels.

She also wore the black lace panties and matching bra. She told herself that it was all in the line of duty. Still, she had to admit that she looked pretty good, and the lingerie felt nice against her body.

Marco arrived on time and nodded in approval at her appearance. “Very nice, classy, unlike many women these days.”

Tessa thought about Lisa and that this monster was one of those responsible for her death. She was able to smile back. “Thank you.”

He took her to a small seafood restaurant. “They make the best paella here,” he explained. “The nice thing is that the tourists don’t know about it yet.”

As they ate, Tessa had the strange feeling they were being watched. She doubted it was someone working with Marco, as he seemed like the type of man who didn’t need or want assistance. She did her best to act as if nothing unusual was going on as they ate.

She told him that she was an heiress, and that she was spending a few months in Europe. He seemed to believe what she was saying, and she suspected that he was the type of man who wouldn’t see a woman as a threat.

Dinner lasted until well after midnight, and they moved into the bar for after dinner drinks. While she knew that he was a murdering criminal, she found that he was a very charming man. She then made the decision that she would go back to his place if he asked. She knew that she couldn’t kill him the way she had Sergio; too many people had seen them together, but maybe she could get some info out of him.

She let him seduce her, and she wasn’t disappointed as he suggested that they go back to his place. Tessa knew that she had to do this in order to find out the location of the other killers, even if it meant going to bed with him.

Chapter 17

The sex wasn’t nearly as bad as she had thought it would be. She guessed that part of her transformation was that her sexuality had changed, as she wasn’t disgusted about having sex with a man. Yes, she was creeped out about having to be in bed with the man who had killed her Lisa, but it was a necessary evil. She pretended that Marco was the greatest lover in the world and complimented him on his lovemaking skills.

They made love twice before drifting off to sleep.

Tessa woke up the next morning alone in bed. She looked around as she got out of Marco’s bed. She took a long shower, dried off, grabbed one of his shirts and slipped it on. For now, she would play the role of his lover.

She walked into the kitchen where she found Marco. He was dressed in a white linen suit. He greeted her with a long passionate kiss, his hands cupping her ass with both hands as he pulled her close. It took all of Tessa’s self control not to kill him right then. She just played along, knowing that soon he would be dead.

“I have a business meeting. I promise I won’t be too long; promise me that you’ll stay here,” he asked as he leaned down and kissed her again.

“Okay,” she replied.

“Thanks, I won’t be long,” he said as he left.

Tessa waited for a while before she started snooping around, as she wanted to make sure that he was really gone.

His apartment was strangely devoid of personal touches. Her hotel room seemed homier than his place, she thought. The one thing that caught her eye was his computer.

She couldn’t believe her luck, as he had left it turned on. Before she used it, she checked around the room for security devices. Tessa figured that he had just been sloppy and left the computer logged on, but there was no sense in taking chances.

After twenty minutes, she was satisfied that the room was clean. She sat down at his computer and did a quick search of his files.

In his address book was the number for a D. S. with an address in Hamburg. She couldn’t believe her luck when, right under it, was another address for a D.M. in the Bahamas. She would go to Germany first and take care of the other legionnaire before paying a visit to Daniel Morehead.

Tessa then opened a photo file and saw a group shot of men in uniforms. She recognized several of the men including Marco, and Dieter. There were several other men who looked familiar and then Tessa realized these were the ones that she had killed back in Greece.

The question remained, how would she dispose of Marco? Too many people had seen them together, so she couldn’t kill him like she had his cousin.

She looked around his place and across the street. There was a building right across the street that was two stories higher. She then examined the windows and found that they were regular glass, as an idea formed in her head.

Chapter 18

When Marco returned, he found Tessa watching TV. She was still dressed in just his shirt.

“Damn, I wish I had time for another round of lovemaking, but I have to leave for the mainland. I’ll be back in two days; will you still be in town?” he asked as he sat down next to her.

Tessa nodded as she kissed him. Two days could give her enough time to figure out a way to take him out.

Marco dropped her off at the hotel, and she watched him drive away. She went up to her room to think.

The first thing that came to her mind was how much she had actually enjoyed the sex with Marco. She was disgusted by him personally, but the physical act was very enjoyable. She also felt no guilt at all over having sex with a man, and for this she thanked Athena.

She studied the map of the neighborhood. It would be impossible to kill him up close; even if she did, she was on an island and getting off would be very difficult. As he had military training, he wouldn’t be as easy to overpower as Sergio, and even if she succeeded, she would look like she had been in a fight.

No, she would have to do it from a longer distance, but where would she get a gun? Then it hit her, and she pulled out the phone book.

An hour later she was walking down a side street, hoping that her plan would work. She was dressed in jeans, boots, a t-shirt and her long curly-haired red wig.

She found the address and rang the bell. An old man with a bald head answered the door. He was short and stout, with very little flab. He prided himself on the fact that even though he was in his seventies, he was still a fit man.

“What do you want?” he growled. He was holding a glass of red wine.

“I was told that you can supply certain goods at a reasonable price,” she replied.

He looked at the redheaded young woman and laughed. “Who told you that? Go away, little girl; this is too early in the day for a practical joke.” He lifted the glass and emptied it.

“I know who you are, Armando Sanchez, and I know the type of goods you deal in,” she whispered. “I wonder if your neighbors also know.”

His eyes opened up. He looked up and down the street and motioned her inside. He closed the door behind her. “Okay, who told you that name?”

“I know many things,” she confessed. “I am, or rather was, a friend of Chief Blackthorn.”

The old man’s face changed expression. “Is that so? I was very sorry to hear of his death. He was a good man; at least he went down fighting like a true warrior, very admirable.”

“He once told me that you can provide things that cannot be easily acquired,” said Tessa.

As Jason, Tessa had met Armando during an operation in the Red Sea. He was on a ship that Jason’s team had boarded during operation Desert Shield. Armando had provided information on ships smuggling arms to Iraq via the port of Aqaba, Jordan. Armando had decided to help, not out of the goodness of his own heart, but because some funds that were due him had never made it into his bank account. He had supplied arms to the Middle East and Africa for nearly forty years and expected to be treated with respect. He had no allegiances and often sold to both sides of the same conflict, but he was not a man to be double-crossed or ripped off. To him, telling the Americans was strictly within the code of conduct of being an arms smuggler.

Jason liked the old man from the start, and they had formed a professional relationship and later a friendship.

Armando was now semi-retired, having turned his main business over to his sons. He still dealt in certain types of weapons. Jason had bought a high powered rifle from him that ended up being a gift to an Afghan warlord.

“Is that so?” asked Armando.

Tessa nodded. She then pulled the watch out of her purse. “Here’s my proof.”

Armando looked at it and nodded. “What do want?”

“Chief Blackthorn said that you never asked questions,” she replied.

He laughed. “That is usually true, but I don’t often get clients who look like you do. I don’t often deal with school girls.”

She ignored his comment. “I don’t want to get you involved, just let me say that I’m out to settle some old debts regarding the death of Chief Blackthorn.”

Armando ran his hand over his chin and studied Tessa. “And what do you need, little girl?”

“I need high powered rifle with a scope, bolt action is preferable, as I don’t plan on missing,” she said. Jason had been an expert shot and acted several times as a sniper for his team. He had made several kills in Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Armando’s attitude changed as he could see that she was serious. “Will this be a daytime or nighttime target?” he asked as he motioned for her to take a seat. He pulled out a notebook and began to write down information.

“A night scope would be great, but time is of the essence,” she said. “I’d like 7.62, bolt action, nothing exotic; actually, something readily accessible would be better, less easy to trace, and it would make it more difficult for the authorities to figure out who had done the shooting.”

“I suppose you will be leaving the weapon behind,” he said. “Oh, excuse my rudeness, would you like some wine? You are old enough to drink wine?”

“Yes to both questions,” she replied with a smile. She wondered if she really looked that young.

He poured her a glass and handed it to her. He watched her reaction as she drank it. The wine was a local variety that was very potent. Armando was surprised when she nodded in approval.

“I usually don’t like wine this strong, but this is excellent,” said Tessa.

“Thank you, it’s from a local vineyard of which I am part owner. Now, what range will you be firing from?” he asked. The girl was full of surprises.

She thought about the building across the street from Marco’s apartment. “Fifty, maybe sixty meters, nothing too difficult.”

“Silencer?” he asked.

“Not necessary, but it would be nice,” she replied.

“Are you left or right handed?”

“Right,” she replied.

“Stand up and extend your arms,” he ordered.

Tessa did as he said. He took out a tape measure and measured her arms.

“Are you familiar with the Mauser SP-66?” he asked, as he paged through another notebook.

The Mauser SP-66 rifle had been developed for both military and police use. It had the reputation of being very accurate and comfortable to use.

Tessa nodded. “Yes, a very respectable weapon; the Germans make excellent rifles.”

“It has its limitations; the magazine only holds three rounds,” he noted.

“If doubt I will need more than one shot,” she replied.

“When do you need it?” asked Armando with a smile forming on his face. He still had no idea what this woman’s connection was to his dead friend, but he liked her; she had spirit. She was confident without being arrogant.

“Two days,” she replied.

“I can have one with a night scope in that time, but it won’t be cheap,” he said.

“It never is,” she replied.

“Type of ammunition?” he asked.

“Standard 7.62 should be perfect, no need for armor piercing.”

“So it’s a soft target?” he asked.

Tessa nodded. She reached into her purse and pulled out a bundle of cash. “Will this be enough?”

Armando cocked his head. “You are really doing this to get Chief Blackthorn’s killers?”

Tessa nodded again. “One of them anyway.”

He took the money, counted it, and handed her back half. “This will be more than enough.”

Chapter 19

Tessa decided to wait until she had the gun before checking out of her hotel. While she didn’t think she was being watched, she didn’t want to take a chance. She did make a reservation on a flight to the mainland. She would use one of her other passports and travel by train to Germany. It would take longer, but airport security was too improved for her to risk getting caught.

She returned to Armando’s house to check on the status of the weapon.

He welcomed her in and led her into his study. Without asking, he poured two glasses of the dark red wine and handed one to Tessa, who took it with a smile.

“Thank you,” she replied.

“I have the gun, but the scope won’t be available until tomorrow,” he said. “In the meantime, I can ensure that the gun is a good fit.”

She examined the rifle and immediately noticed that its serial number was filed off. She then held it in a firing position. Armando examined it while she held the rifle. He was impressed by the way she held it; it was obvious that she had training, the girl was no amateur.

“I need to make a few adjustments,” he said as he reached for a bag of tools. “It won’t take long.”

Tessa watched as he worked on the stock. “I didn’t know that you were a gunsmith too.”

“In my line of work, it’s a requirement,” he said as he worked. He then stopped and looked at Tessa. “I want to help you.”

Tessa shook her head. “I don’t want to get you involved.”

He broke out laughing. “What do you think this is? Involved, please! Tessa, I am an old bored man, most of my friends are dead, as are most of my enemies. I met all kinds of men in my work, and Blackthorn was one of the few really good men that I met in all my years of my work.”

Tessa felt a wave of emotion sweep through her body and did her best not to let it show.

“Now, who is your target?” asked Armando.

“Marco Franco, ex-legionnaire, do you know him?” she asked.

“I know of him; he brags of being a mercenary, but in reality he’s a just a thug, a thief, and a drug smuggler, but I’m not surprised he was involved; he’s the type of animal who would do a job like was done in Greece,” replied Armando with disgust. He set the rifle down and picked up his glass of wine. “Do you know why the authorities have not tracked down the killers? I will tell you; they were bought off.”

“Do you know by whom?” asked Tessa hopefully.

Armando shook his head as he emptied the glass. “I’ve heard rumors, but nothing positive. I can see what my connections know. By the way, how do you know that Franco was involved?”

“His cousin told me,” she confessed.

Armando grinned. “The one who ran that big yacht? So, that was you? Do not worry, Tessa, there is little that happens on this island that I do not hear about. The police called it a robbery, but I knew different. Now, I take it you will try to shoot Franco in his home. You’ll never succeed. For starters, how do you plan on getting this rifle into that neighborhood?”

“I hadn’t worked that part out completely,” she replied honestly.

“I know that neighborhood, and I can arrange for this rifle to be on the roof of the building across the street. I can arrange for the police to somewhere else; I can even arrange for someone else to pull the trigger.”

Tessa vigorously shook her head. “No, I need to be the one to kill him.”

He smiled and refilled his glass. “How are you involved in all this? Are you related to Blackthorn?”

“You could say that,” she replied. “Let’s just say that I owe it to him.”

Armando nodded. “Where are you going from here?”

“Germany, Hamburg to be exact, that’s where my next lead is,” she replied.

“Call me when you get there. I have connections that will supply you with anything you need,” he said. “Oh, leave the rifle on the roof; I will ensure that it disappears.”

Instinctively, Tessa leaned over and kissed the old man on the cheek. “Thank you.”

He laughed heartily. “Who knows, by my helping you with these deeds, some of my black marks may be removed and my afterlife won’t be so horrible.”

Chapter 20

Armando had a key delivered to Tessa the next day. It would allow her access to the building across the street from Marco’s home. She then checked out of the hotel and assumed the identity of Enrica Morales of Alacante, Spain. She dropped off her bags at the airport and returned to town. She was wearing all black, slacks, top, flats, and a jacket. Inside her bag was a pair of gloves and a pullover black mask that she would put on prior to the execution. It was past nine in the evening as she headed into Marco’s neighborhood.

She wore a long black wig and did her makeup so that she wouldn’t draw attention to herself. The cab dropped her off a few blocks away from Marco’s home, and she casually worked her way towards it.

While Tessa had noticed many changes in herself since her rebirth, this was the most she had felt like Jason. She felt as if she was going out into the field with her team. Her senses were elevated, and she was alert to everything around her.

The key worked, and she headed up the stars to the roof of the building. Thankfully, she didn’t run into anyone along the way. The key also opened the door to the rooftop, and she quietly moved out into the warm summer air. She stopped to give her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness and to listen, just in case there was someone else up there. The only noise came from the streets below. She walked cautiously towards the edge of the building and peeked over the edge as she crouched down.

The lights were on in Marco’s place. She then saw her target. He was standing on his balcony, drinking a glass of wine. He was also holding a cell phone, and Tessa wondered if he was trying to get ahold of her.

She went to the place where Armando said the rifle would be. It was hidden behind a chimney in a black bag. She unzipped the bag and could see the rifle in the dim light. After she put on her gloves, she picked it up and loaded the three round box magazine, although she knew that she would only need one shot; still, it didn’t hurt to be prepared.

Next, she slipped on the mask and then moved slowly towards the edge of the building. Marco had moved inside, but he was still visible, and Tessa decided that she didn’t need the night scope. In fact, he was so close that she could have taken him out with a pistol, but she was glad to have the rifle.

She positioned herself for the shot and adjusted the sight. Slowly she took aim, deciding to go for a head shot, as she wanted to kill him with only one shot. She chambered a round and flicked off the safety, all she needed now was for Marco to cooperate.

She tracked Marco through the scope, keeping the crosshairs right in the middle of his head. Then, to her surprise, he walked back towards the balcony. She didn’t want to risk his body falling down to the street, so she squeezed the trigger.

The shot hit him squarely in the forehead, blowing his brains out the back of his head. He was dead before his body hit the floor.

Tessa watched him fall backwards and immediately knew that he was dead. She set the rifle down on the roof and moved carefully away from the edge, removing her gloves and mask.

She had a change of clothes in her shoulder bag, but she decided to wait until she cleared the immediate area of the shooting before changing.

When she stepped out of the building onto the street, she was greeted by pandemonium. People were running around and pointing up at Marco’s apartment. She could also hear the blare of sirens approaching. She remembered her training and kept calm. She was able to walk away without anyone paying her the slightest bit of attention.

Another thing working to Tessa’s advantage was that most people wouldn’t suspect a woman of being a sniper. Even if someone saw her, it was unlikely that they would be able to give the police a decent description. A few blocks later, she slipped into an alley and changed tops and jacket, dumping the other items in a trashcan. Still, she didn’t relax until she reached the Spanish mainland.

Two down, and three to go, she thought.

Chapter 21

Her trip to Hamburg was uneventful, and she checked into a midrange hotel near the main train station. She was now Tessa Black of Los Angeles, college student. She was pleased to learn that her German was as good as her Spanish, and she thanked Athena again.

Tessa called Armando, and he was very pleased to hear from her.

“The police are calling the shooting a revenge killing for a drug deal gone bad,” he said. “Marco had a lot of enemies.”

“Why would they think that?’ she asked.

“Oh, I had someone leave a few threatening messages on his answering machine, along with some other info that was supplied to the police,” he said. “Marco was not well liked — feared yes, but liked, no. No one will spend much effort on the case.”

“Thank you, again,” she replied.

He then asked for her hotel and room number. “There will be a small package delivered to you. It will have a key for a locker in the main rail station.”

Tessa didn’t have to ask what would be in the locker. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure, my lady,” he said. “Call me if you need anything.”

Tessa thanked him and hung up the phone. She pulled out a city map and quickly found the address of Dieter Schultz. She debated just killing him, but she decided that she would question him first to see if he had more information on Daniel.

She dressed in jeans and a USC t-shirt. She applied more makeup that she normally did and used some mousse to spike out her hair. She now looked like an American college student, one of hundreds walking around the city.

Chapter 22

As she walked around Hamburg, Tessa thought about how drastically her life had changed. A short time ago, she had been planning to spend the rest of her life with Lisa, and now she was now an avenging angel of death working for a goddess. It seemed a good thing that her life would come to an end as soon as she finished her task, as she felt a huge void in her life.

She figured that the main reason that she had adapted so well to being a woman was that she didn’t really care one way or another. She was alive only until she killed the last of the men responsible for those horrible crimes back in Greece. She had no future, so it was easy to exist from day to day.

Tessa thought about the two men she had killed. As Jason, she had killed many times, but those were different as they were in the line of duty. Now she was an assassin, a cold blooded killer.

When Jason was in Afghanistan, he had met a contract killer for the CIA. The man was the most detached person that Jason had ever met. He killed without a thought or regret. Tessa had never understood how someone could get that way… until now.

She casually walked down the street that was on Marco’s computer. She eyed the apartment out of the corner of her eye. It didn’t take her long to decide that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to repeat the type of execution she had done in Spain. There was no place to get a long distance shot, and it would be very difficult to get away. No, she would have to kill him a different way.

Tessa walked back to her hotel and checked with the front desk. They had a small envelope for her. She didn’t open it until she was halfway to the rail station. It was a key to a locker.

Ten minutes later, she was back in her hotel with a small package. Inside was an APB semi-automatic pistol with silencer. Tessa immediately recognized the weapon, as it had been developed for the Soviet Special Forces or Spetsnaz.

Tessa held the weapon in her hand as she examined it. While not the most compact gun in the world, it had the advantage of a twenty round clip. She examined the detachable shoulder stock. It would make concealment more difficult, but she remembered it was a very accurate weapon. Having a silencer would be very handy too.

She practiced holding and aiming the gun and decided that at close range it would be perfect.

“Thank you, Armando,” she said aloud, and she hid the gun in the secret compartment in her suitcase.

Chapter 23

Tessa changed into something more adult and sexy that evening. She would prowl the bars in the area of Dieter’s apartment to see if she could track him down. She selected a short leather skirt and a low cut red top. She went with her other blonde wig, which was shorter in length than the one she had dumped back in Palma.

She did her makeup heavier, especially around the eyes. She also used a brighter red lipstick. While she didn’t expect to meet Dieter that night, she hoped to at least make contact.

Three hours later, she walked into her third bar of the evening. She sat down at the bar and scanned the room. Then she saw something behind the bar that made her suspect that she had found the right place. A French Foreign Legion kepi was sitting up on a shelf above the cash register.

Two hours and several drinks later, she decided to call it a night. There had been no sign of Dieter Schultz, and she was feeling tired. As she got up to leave, she heard a voice that sounded familiar. It was Dieter. She looked behind the bar and saw the short man with brown hair talking to the bartender. As she listened, she determined that Dieter was the owner of the bar. So now she knew of another place to track him down.

She left the bar and headed back to her hotel. Surprisingly, after drinking as much as she did, her head was very clear. Maybe this was another gift from Athena, the ability to drink without getting drunk.

As she walked back to her hotel room, she wasn’t worried about anyone attacking her, but then she got that strange feeling that she was being followed. She kept walking and fought the urge to look over her shoulder. It couldn’t be Dieter, as he hadn’t paid her any attention in the bar; he was too busy talking to the bartender.

She arrived back at her hotel and went straight to her room. She didn’t turn on the lights immediately as she wanted to look out the window to see if she could see who it was that was following her. She was immediately rewarded when she saw Jonathan Barnard.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked aloud. “Okay, Jonathan, let’s see what you know.”

She turned on the light and then walked over to the window, as if she was looking out over the city. Unless Jonathan was blind, he would see her. Ten minutes later, there was a knock at her door.

Chapter 24

Tessa opened the door and saw Jonathan standing in the hallway.

He was dressed in tan pants, a blue shirt and a sport coat. Tessa had to admit that he was a handsome looking man.

“Yes?” she asked.

“We need to talk, Ms. Black, or is it Phoenix again?” he asked.

Lisa had said that he could be very blunt when he wanted to be.

“Please, come in,” she said as she stepped back from the door.

He nodded and walked in. She closed the door behind him and then sat down on the edge of the bed, crossing her legs as if to distract him.

“How can I help you?” she asked.

He sat down in the stuffed chair across from the bed. “I’m just wondering what you’re doing here in Hamburg. I saw you with Marco Franco a few days ago in Palma, and now you’ve been in Dieter Schultz’s place. I would call this a coincidence, if I believed in those kinds of things,” he said.

Lisa was right, thought Tessa. “I met Marco in Palma, and he mentioned Dieter’s bar.”

Jonathan smirked. “Do I look that stupid, Ms. Phoenix?”

“Call me Tessa,” she said. “No, Mr. Barnard, you don’t look stupid.”

If he was surprised that she knew who he was, he didn’t show it. “Call me Jonathan, Tessa.”

“Very well, Jonathan. Oh, I like your books, especially the one about the sex slaves.”

He smiled as if he was amused by the fact that she knew who he was. “Thank you, it’s always nice to meet a fan. Now, do you know that Marco Franco is dead?”

She stared back without showing any emotion. “Doesn’t surprise me; he ran with a rough crowd. As I said earlier, he was just a casual acquaintance.”

“I spent three weeks tracking him down, and he gets shot in the head by a high powered rifle just before he agreed to meet with me,” said Jonathan. “The police consider it a drug hit, but I doubt that; it was too professional. A drug hit would have just kicked down his door and shot him in the face; no, this was more like surgery.”

“Why would you want to talk to a lowlife like Marco?” she asked.

“He killed my sister, or was involved with the killing,” said Jonathan. He sighed slightly. “I suspect that Dieter Schultz was also involved. They go back along way together, and when one is involved in something, the other isn’t far behind.”

“And what will you do if you find out?” asked Tessa. She could see the pain in his eyes when he mentioned Lisa. She wished she could comfort him, but she held in her own emotions.

“Offer him a deal. He might know where the men are who hired him and Marco,” said Jonathan.

“If you’re so sure he’s a killer, why not let the authorities take care of it?” asked Tessa.

“They’ve either been paid off or don’t care. If I can find the men responsible, then I’ll turn it over to the US and Brits. Two of those killed were respected British scholars and, besides my sister, an ex-SEAL was among those killed. I imagine that will get the US authorities up in arms.”

“And then what?”

“I’ll leave it up to the judicial systems to provide justice,” he replied.

“This quest of yours could get you in trouble. If, as you said, Dieter was involved in this with Marco, I’m sure he knows that Marco is dead. If you show up asking questions, he might think you had something to do with it. Why don’t you go back to Boston, Jonathan?”

He stared at her. “I can handle myself, Tessa. What I can’t figure out is what your part is in all this. I don’t think you were involved in the killings, but I can’t figure out why you’re here. I asked some friends I have in law enforcement, and they have nothing on you.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” she replied as she leaned back.

“No, Tessa, they have nothing on you; it’s as if you didn’t exist until recently. Now, just between you and me, are you with the agency?”

Wow, thought Tessa, that was very blunt. It’s too bad that Jason had never met him, as they would have gotten along famously. She also wondered if he liked tequila.

“Go back to Boston, Jonathan,” she answered.

He stood up and leaned over her. “Look, I want to know the truth!” he shouted as he pointed his finger towards her chest.

In a flash, Tessa grabbed his wrist, twisting it around his back as she stood up, forcing him facedown on the bed. “No, you don’t want to hear the truth, Jonathan… besides, you wouldn’t believe it.” She twisted his arm just enough to hold him down, as she really didn’t want to hurt him.

He struggled a little, but then seeing it was useless, he stopped and then let out a sigh. “Okay, that was stupid, I give, let me up, please.”

“You won’t try anything, right? I don’t want to hurt you,” said Tessa as she leaned down and whispered into his ear.

“No, I give you my word,” he said.

Tessa let him up. “I appreciate the fact that you said please; it was polite.”

“That was impressive,” he said as he flexed his arm. He had totally underestimated the young woman; that wouldn’t happen again. “Look, I’m not out for a story; I need to know who killed my sister and the others.”

Tessa bit her lower lip for a moment. “Leave Hamburg… but give me your phone number, Jonathan. I’ll keep you informed.”

“So, you are involved in tracking down the killers,” he stated.

Tessa nodded. “We’re on the same side, and I work better alone. Too many innocent people have died already, and I know Lisa wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

Jonathan’s eyes opened wide. “How did you know Lisa?”

Tessa shook her head. “Not now. I promise that I’ll tell you everything later. But for now, leave Hamburg. I have work to do.”

“I can help you,” he continued.

Tessa shook her head. “You’re a reporter, and I… I do this sort of work for a living. If you want to help, leave.”

Jonathan stared back at the young woman and something told him that she was telling him the truth. He pulled out his wallet and removed one of his cards.

“This has my private cell phone number on it,” he said.

Tessa took the card. “You’ll hear from me in a few days. Now, there’s a morning flight to the States; please be on it, Jonathan.”

“Okay, but if I don’t hear from you in a few days, I’ll be back.”

Tessa nodded. “I promise that I’ll call you.”

Chapter 25

Tessa debated whether it had been smart to say what she had said to Jonathan. However, the last thing she wanted was to have him hurt or killed. She owed that much to Lisa.

Tessa looked at the ring and twisted it around on her finger. A wave of sadness overcame her.

“I’m so sorry, Lisa, that I was unable to protect you,” said Tessa as tears began to roll down her cheeks. The flow of tears increased until she was sobbing as the pain of Lisa’s death poured out.

She had never felt such remorse in her whole life, and it caught her off guard, as she had never been a very emotional person. Maybe it was because she now female, and her old walls against pain weren’t as strong. She thought about her life as Jason growing up and how he had been able to hold back the pain of his upbringing. Lisa would have been the family that he had always wanted, and that had been taken away from him. The tears flowed until she fell asleep.

Chapter 26

Tessa staked out Dieter’s bar and found that he was the one who closed it up every night. At least there wouldn’t be any sex this time, she thought. She would wait until he was alone in the bar and then discuss things with him.

She waited in an alley near the bar and watched the last people leave. Thankfully, it was raining and people seemed to be in a hurry to get home. She had the APB under her rain-jacket. She had thrown out the shoulder stock, as it wouldn’t be needed; any shooting she would be doing would be up close. The previous night, she had found that the bar had a back door with a rather flimsy lock. It wouldn’t take much to get inside. She slipped on a pair of leather gloves and moved carefully towards the back of the bar. As expected, the lock didn’t give her any trouble, and she stepped quietly into the bar. She pulled out the pistol and quietly chambered a round.

She had dressed for comfort; ease of motion, and to blend into the night, choosing black sweatpants and a black sweater.

She felt more comfortable in the sweatpants, as she’d started her first period that afternoon, and none of her jeans felt comfortable. It was also her first experience with using a tampon. She read on the box that the tampon would allow her do all kinds of things normally, and she wondered if that including killing a man. Thankfully, Athena had also provided her with a bottle of Midol, and Tessa found that the medicine really helped.

It would have to happen now, she thought, as she waited to enter Dieter’s bar. She also understood for the first time the crankiness of her past female friends; maybe it would give her an edge.

Tessa walked slowly into the bar and found Dieter sitting at desk in the back office. She pointed the pistol at him with both hands, aiming directly at his head.

He looked up as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. If he was afraid, he didn’t show it, as he motioned her to move closer with his hand.

“Good evening, Dieter, I’d like to talk to you about a small island in Greece,” she said in English. “Oh, and don’t play stupid, I know you speak English.”

His eyes opened up wide, and he casually started to reach into a drawer with his right hand. Tessa noticed the move and fired a silenced round that struck the desk right above his hand.

“I meant to shoot there. I want you to know that, and that I didn’t miss,” she said calmly. “Don’t treat me lightly, Dieter.”

“What do you want?” he asked as he slowly pulled his empty hand back.

Tessa motioned him to move back as she walked forward. She leaned over the desk and pulled out a Sig-Sauer semi-automatic handgun. “Nice gun.”

In a flash, Dieter violently kicked his desk forward with both legs, knocking Tessa back on her backside, causing her to drop both handguns as she fell backward.

The German lunged forward, expecting to quickly overpower the young woman while she was on the ground. He was shocked when she was instantly back on her feet, assuming a fighter’s pose.

“Just so you know, little girl… I like it rough,” he said as he rushed her.

Tessa quickly recovered and used his momentum and weight, and in a move that caught him completely off guard, flipped him on his back.

“Rough enough for you?” she replied as she assumed a fighting stance in front of him.

Dieter laughed. “Nice trick, little girl. You won’t think it’s so funny when I’m on top of you.”

Tessa immediately kicked him in the face, splitting his nose open. She was glad she had worn her steel toed leather boots that night. “Don’t call me a little girl, you bastard.”

“You fucking bitch! You’re going to pay for that!” he screamed as he held his nose. He could instantly tell that it was broken. He glared at the young woman and decided that it was time to put this to a stop. “I’m going to enjoy raping you before I slit your throat.”

“What’s the matter, Dieter? It’s not so easy to take down a woman when she fights back?” taunted Tessa.

“What do you want?’ he asked as he touched his nose and winced again. He was contemplating his next move.

“I know all about what you did back in Greece,” said Tessa.

Dieter instantly charged Tessa again, who was expecting his attack. At least he was predictable, she thought, as she used his momentum and slammed him into the wall head first.

“Ooh, that had to hurt,” she teased.

He moaned in pain as he slumped against the wall. He reached up and felt his head. “Enough of this shit, bitch; how are you against a knife?’ he asked as he pulled a knife out of his boot. He started to stand up and froze when he saw he was facing the barrel of the APB. He was worried now, as it was obvious that this woman was well trained in combat skills.

“I’m not bad, but I prefer a gun; now drop the knife and slide back against the wall,” she ordered. When he hesitated, she fired a shot right past his head. “That’s a reminder; I hit what I aim at, and the next shot goes in you.”

Dieter obeyed, if only to buy time until he could resume his attack. The girl had been careless once; he would wait for his opportunity. He glanced around his trashed office, looking for his Sig-Sauer.

Tessa saw it first and was able to recover it, sticking it in her belt. She also retrieved the knife.

“So, you have me, what do you want?” asked Dieter as he wiped some blood off his nose.

“I want to know where Daniel Morehead is, and who was the person who bought the statues,” asked Tessa.

“And if I tell you, I suppose that you’ll let me live,” said Dieter with a smirk.

Tessa shook her head. “No, I just promise to kill you quickly. You raped and killed two women, Dieter; you don’t deserve to live.”

He shook his head. A grin formed on his face that glowed of overconfidence. “I wish I could help you, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Let me refresh your memory,” she said as she fired a round just above his right knee.

Dieter screamed as he rolled on the floor. “You fuckin’ bitch; you shot me!”

“I have seventeen rounds left in this clip; I wonder how many more times I can shoot you before you die?” she asked. “Now, answer my question.”

“Fuck you, cunt!” he growled.

“Wrong answer,” she snapped back and fired another silenced shot into the meaty part of his left arm.

He screamed pain.

“It’s not so much fun when they fight back is it?” asked Tessa.

Dieter groaned in pain as he clutched at his wounds.

“Now, where is the Englishman who sold out the others?” demanded Tessa. “The next shot will hit something more vital.”

“He’s in the Bahamas. He lives near Fresh Creek on Andros Island; that’s all I know.”

Tessa nodded as this confirmed the information she had taken from Marco’s computer. She was familiar with Andros, as the navy had a facility near Fresh Creek.

“Okay, what about the man who financed your rape and pillage?” she asked.

“I… I don’t know who it was; I was brought in by Marco. Daniel….the Englishman, made all the arrangements. He hired Marco; he also paid us and then left with the statues. He told us that he planned another job, and that if we kept our mouths shut he’d cut us in.”

Tess looked at the injured man and sensed that he was telling the truth. It would have been too easy if he had known the buyer. She debated what to do next.

Dieter made her decision for her.

“Just so you know, bitch, it felt good raping those women, and it will feel good raping you and killing you. If you think these little wounds are going to slow me down, you’re mistaken, I’ve had worse. You won’t shoot me; you’re just a little girl, and I’m going to enjoy hurting you.”

He stood up slowly and started to move towards Tessa, limping, with a look of pure evil on his face. Without even thinking, she aimed the pistol and fired several shots into his chest. He slumped back on floor. He had a look of disbelief on his face.

“I… I didn’t think… you’d really do… it,” he gasped as his life began to ooze out of his body. “A girl … killed me… a fuckin’ little girl.”

Tessa didn’t say a word as she fired two shots into his crotch and then one more into his forehead. The two shots into his groin weren’t really necessary, but she did it for Lisa and Karen.

Tessa reached into the desk and found the night’s receipts. She grabbed them and placed them in a bag. The condition of the room would make the police assume that it was a robbery. Even if they suspected it was something else, it would give her the time she would need to get out of the country.

Before she left, she noticed a framed photo that had been knocked to the ground during the fight. She picked it up and noticed it was the same one of the legionnaires that she had seen on Marco’s computer. She tossed it on the floor.

Tessa listened carefully before stepping out into the alley. The only sound was that of the rain. Tessa stepped out of Dieter’s bar and headed out into the night.

An hour later, she was back in her hotel. The pistols were at the bottom of the Alster River, along with the money from the bar. She called the airport and made connections to fly to Miami.

Killing Dieter was just evening the score. She also knew she’d got lucky that night. She had gone into Dieter’s office overconfident, and it had almost cost her her life… again, and she knew she was fortunate to only have a few sore muscles. It would not happen again, she thought.

Tessa thought of the way she had killed Dieter. Yes, he was a murderer and a rapist, but she had gone overboard with the way she killed him. Maybe it was because she was cranky from her period, but that didn’t make sense to her. No, she’d enjoyed it, and that scared her.

As she packed, her thoughts turned to Daniel Morehead, the man who had betrayed her; he would be next.

Chapter 27

Tessa called Armando when she reached Miami.

“Thank you for your kind gift; it was very useful,” she said.

“I’m happy to hear that. Do you need anything right now?” he asked.

“No, I won’t have a problem getting what I need here,” she said. “However, I may be calling you again soon, depending on what I find out in the next few days.”

“I understand. Our mutual friend would be proud of you,” he said.

Tessa thanked Armando and hung up the phone. She wasn’t sure what Jason would think. She was now an assassin. She thought about the way she had killed Dieter, and what scared her was that for a moment she was enjoying herself. No, that would not happen again. While she looked forward to her meeting with Daniel, she would not find pleasure in his death.

Since Daniel was not a hardened solider like Dieter, she knew that he would break and tell her what she wanted without having to resort to torture. The one thing that bothered her was that as Jason, she had liked Daniel. He wasn’t as stuffy as Dr. Fox, and he’d treated Jason with respect and seemed to feed Jason’s interest in Greek archeology. That’s what made his treason so hurtful. Still, she knew that she would have to kill him.

As promised, she called Jonathan in Boston.

“I don’t suppose I need to ask how it went,” he stated.

“No, no, you don’t,” she replied.

“Where are you now?” he asked.

“I’m in Florida,” she said. She was using a cell phone, so she wasn’t worried about it being traced.

“May I come down and talk to you?” he asked.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” replied Tessa. “Look, Jonathan, the less you know, the less likely you will get into trouble.”

“What about you? Aren’t you worried about getting into trouble?”

Tessa thought about her fate. “No, it really doesn’t matter.”

Jonathan noticed the melancholy tone to her voice. “What’s wrong, Tessa?”

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you,” she said. “I’ll call you in a few days.”

Jonathan immediately made a reservation to Miami. He suspected that Tessa was somewhere in the city, as he had heard rumors that Daniel Morehead was somewhere in the Bahamas. He knew that he couldn’t stop Tessa from going after Daniel, but he didn’t want to see her throw away her life.

Chapter 28

Tessa unpacked her bag in her cottage at Small Hope Bay. It was a small resort located near Fresh Creek. To the rest of the guests, she was just Tessa Martin, a tourist from Atlanta, Georgia.

Small Hope Bay was known for its diving and snorkeling. Jason had spent a long memorable weekend there once with a blonde navy nurse. Even now, it brought a smile to her lips.

Thankfully her period had passed and she was able to go snorkeling that afternoon. She thoroughly enjoyed herself. It was the first fun thing that she had done since her rebirth as Tessa. She had almost forgotten how much she had loved the ocean and how much she felt at home in it, and for a short time, she felt normal.

She spent the rest of the day soaking in the sun and relaxing. The aches she had gotten from her brawl with Dieter felt better after a day of relaxation. She topped it all off with a nice dinner of conch fritters.

The next morning, feeling refreshed, she borrowed a bike and headed over towards Fresh Creek. There was an old bridge that crossed the channel, and after seeing people actually cross it safely, Tessa walked her bike across it.

She then biked around the area of the docks and noticed several large yachts moored in the marina. She also saw several houses, including one very large single story home; any one of them could be where Daniel was holed up. She didn’t think that he would be staying at the hotel; no, Daniel would be holed up in a private home, somewhere close to the marina.

Tessa didn’t stop near the houses; rather, she headed back to the docks and saw an old man fishing off the dock. She pulled out a photo of Daniel she had downloaded from the Internet from her fanny pack and showed it to the man.

“Can you tell me where this man lives?’ she asked innocently.

The old man shook his head. “Don’t know him.” He then cast his line back out into the channel without saying another word.

Tessa suspected he was lying, but she didn’t want to press the point. He probably just didn’t want to get involved. She then saw an old woman sitting in the shade under a large tree. Tessa walked over and smiled as she showed the photo to the woman.

“Do you know where this man lives? It’s rather important,” she asked as she sat down next to the woman.

The woman looked at the photo and then back at Tessa. “Why do you seek dis man, honey?”

Tessa looked around nervously as if she was afraid that someone might overhear what she was about to say. “I need to find him, it’s rather important….” She then started to get choked up, as if she was about to cry.

“Are you with child?’ asked the woman.

Tessa nodded.

“I knew he was a scoundrel,” said the woman angrily. “He live over dere.” She pointed towards the large single story house that Tessa had seen earlier.

“Thank you,” replied Tessa. “I just want to talk to him.”

“Humph! Talk! Men can be so irresponsible! I knew he was hiding from someting when he came down here. He won’t even hire someone to cook his meals or clean his house!”

Tessa smiled. “Thank you again.” She reached into her bag and began to pull out some money.

“Dat won’t be necessary, honey. Now, if he give you any grief, child, you come find me. I live over dere; ask for Auntie Thelma; everyone knows where I live,” she said as she pointed across the creek. “I have some nephews who will teach him to be responsible!”

“I don’t think that will be necessary, but thank you very much,” said Tessa as she hugged the old woman.

Tessa headed over towards the house, and on a whim she walked right up and knocked on the door.

There was no response, and she knocked again.

A few minutes later the door cracked opened. She immediately recognized Daniel, even though he now had a dark brown beard. It was a rather poor disguise, she thought.

“Go away, this area is off limits to tourists,” he growled. He started to close the door.

“I wouldn’t do that, Daniel,” she said as she grabbed the door, slipping her foot between the door and the frame.

His eyes opened wide. “Daniel? My name is Nigel Lancaster.”

Tessa shook her head. “No, it’s Daniel Morehead, and you’re on the run… and if I can find you, so can the authorities, and I doubt they’ll be willing to make a deal.”

He opened the door, stuck his head out and looked around. He stared at the young woman, as if he was trying to recognize her. “Are you alone?”

“I have partners, but you’ll only be dealing with me, assuming you cooperate,” she replied.

“Who are you?”

“I’m just an enterprising businesswoman, and for a price I can keep your secret.”

Daniel motioned her inside. “We need to talk.”

Tessa followed. She wasn’t worried, as she knew that she could take Daniel even without a weapon. He wasn’t a large man, and with her martial arts skills, she could easily defend herself. In a way, she hoped he would try something.

They sat down in a disheveled living room. The shades were down and it was obvious that Daniel was living in fear. There were several empty bottles of Scotch and one half-empty one on the coffee table. There were also several half eaten microwave meals on the table. It was obvious that Daniel was living on the edge.

“What do you want?’ he demanded.

“Money… and information,” she replied. She noticed that, in addition to the beard, Daniel looked older, as if he had aged years in the months following his betrayal of the others. He had dark circles under his eyes, and it looked as if had lost a lot of weight.

Daniel sat down and nervously ran his hands together. “Information?”

“I want to know who bought the statues and financed the attack on the island.”

“Why do you care? What were those people to you?” he asked.

“I told you; I’m a businesswoman. I just figure that whoever supported you is rich and willing to pay to keep me quiet,” she replied.

“How did you find me?” he asked.

“You weren’t very careful about who you worked with,” she replied.

“Those fuckin’ legionnaires,” grumbled Daniel. “I knew they couldn’t be trusted!”

“Whatever; they didn’t think much of you either, as they were more than willing to sell you out,” she replied as she examined her nails.

“So, you’re just a blackmailer?”

“Just a blackmailer? Please! I prefer the term extortion professional,” replied Tessa. “It has a more classy sound to it, don’t you think?”

Daniel stared past her. “How much money do you want?’

“I’m not greedy. Fifty grand would be sufficient.”

“I don’t have that sort of money here; it’s in the hotel’s safe.” He decided that he would have to kill this woman too. He would have done it right there, but too many people could have seen her arrive, and getting rid of the body would be difficult. No, he had another plan.

“Get it,” she demanded.

“Okay, but not here; you don’t come back here to my house,” he replied.

“Where then?” she asked.

“I have a yacht; we can discuss business there, is that okay?”

“A boat?” she asked. Alarms began to go off in her head; it would make it easy for Daniel to kill her. Still, being on the water would work better for her plans too. “Okay, where is it?”

He nodded. “I’ll meet you down at the main marina this evening, look for the Argo. Be there at seven.”

“Okay, but don’t run. If you do, I will call the authorities, and they will track you down and send you back to Greece. I’d get a reward for that, but it wouldn’t be fifty thousand.”

“I won’t run,” he said as he got up.

Tessa followed him to the front door.

“Again, don’t come back here, Miss. I’ll see you on the boat tonight.”

Tessa smiled. “No problem.”

She walked away and headed back to the lodge. She knew that he would try something on the boat; he had given in way too easily, but she would be ready this time; there was no way he would kill her twice.

Chapter 29

Tessa headed back to Small Hope Bay and packed her things. Thankfully, she hadn’t brought that much with her, so it all fit in one waterproof bag. She caught a ride back to Fresh Creek and headed down to the docks.

The Argo was a large white motor yacht. It was a sturdy forty-fiver footer, with two powerful diesel engines. She watched it for a while and confirmed that Daniel wasn’t there. She decided to board it before Daniel arrived and check out what sort of surprises that he had planned for her.

There was an alarm system that she easily disarmed. A short search of the main cabin uncovered a loaded Glock handgun, with a round in the chamber. Tessa shook her head at this breach of gun safety and pulled out the clip, removed the bullets, and then put the clip back in. She put the bullets in her bag.

She then searched the rest of the main cabin and uncovered a journal and some notes about an ongoing dig in Crete. Tessa read the notes and noted that there was a list of artifacts with a monetary designation next to each one. One of the items was a Cretan fresco listed for half a million euros.

So, Daniel was planning another archeological looting attack. There was no way that he could go back to Greece, as he was wanted by the local authorities, and even if they were corrupt, it would be hard for them to ignore his presence. Also, Daniel was too well known in archeological circles to show his face, so Tessa figured he was doing the planning for his boss and financier. There was no way that Tessa could allow more innocent blood to be spilled so some rich bastard could expand his collection.

Tessa knew that, after she finished with Daniel, she would have to go to Crete and warn the people there.

She replaced the journals and notes and returned topside. She looked at her watch and saw that it was nearly six. She decided to leave the boat and wait on the pier. Before she left, she rearmed the alarm system.

He seemed annoyed when he found her waiting for him.

“What’s the matter, didn’t you trust me?” he asked with a sarcastic tone.

“No, but don’t take it personally, as I don’t trust anyone,” she replied in a bored manner. “Do you have the money?”

He held out a gym bag. “I’ll let you have it when we get out at sea. I don’t want anyone to overhear our conversation.”

Tessa nodded and followed him on board. He turned off the security system, and a short time later they were headed out to sea.

“How long will we be out?’ she asked.

Daniel looked at his watch. “We’ll be back by ten, why?”

“I just took the precaution of leaving a message with my partner. If I don’t call by midnight, you will be turned over to the authorities. Oh, just so you know, my partner has the name and description of this boat. I don’t want you to think that I’m stupid,” she stated.

Daniel glared at her. “Don’t you trust me?”

Tessa shook her head. “No, Daniel, I don’t. I already told you that.”

Tessa remembered that Daniel was an accomplished boater as his father was a commercial fisherman. She was actually impressed with the ease that he handled the large yacht as they pulled out of the slip and out the channel.

“We’ll go up the coast and then anchor,” he said.

“You’re the captain,” replied Tessa.

Thirty minutes later, they slowed down and came to a stop a few hundred yards off the coast.

“It’s pretty deserted here,” he said. “The coast also drops off pretty quickly here, so we’re in no danger of running aground.”

“Whatever, I want to see the money, and I want to know who you sold the artifacts to,” she stated.

“Let’s go inside to talk,” he said.

Tessa followed him inside and watched as he sat down next to the cabinet that contained the handgun.

Tessa sat down across from him. “Okay, who paid you?’ she asked.

“It won’t do you any good,” he replied. “He’s way too powerful.”

“I’ll be the judge of that; I’m working for someone who’s pretty powerful too,” she answered.

Daniel smiled slightly. “If I tell you who I’m working for, will you tell me who your boss is?’

“Sure, but I doubt you’ll believe me,” she replied.

“Okay, have you heard of Lykaios Costa?’ he asked. He figured it didn’t matter if she knew, as she would be dead soon.

Tessa cocked her head. She was slightly surprised as he had a reputation as a respected businessman. “He owns the island where the others in your expedition were killed; he’s also a multimillionaire who owns a shipping line.”

Daniel nodded. “That’s why I’m not afraid of you, and that’s why you’re not getting one fuckin’ dime from me, bitch!” He then leaned back and pulled out the handgun and pointed it at Tessa. “It’s loaded, and I doubt I can miss at this range.”

Tessa shook her head in disbelief. “I suppose it was Costa who hired Marco and his gang of legionnaire thugs to raid the island, am I right?”

Daniel nodded. “Of course, do you think that I would know scum like that? Please, I have standards! I had to be the contact with them, and that was bad enough.”

Tessa nodded, as it made sense that someone else besides Daniel had contracted Marco and his gang. Daniel’s confession made it clear that her job was almost done; all she would have to do is kill Costa after she dealt with Daniel.

“Did you really think that I would pay you off and then let you go? My god, you’re stupid,” he said. “Now, you’ll tell me who you’re working for.”

“Okay, but you won’t believe me,” she replied with a smile.

“Just tell me what I want, and I’ll make this as quick and painless as I can,” he said. He was slightly surprised that the woman didn’t seem afraid.

“How will you explain my death, Daniel? Aren’t you worried about the authorities and my warning?”

“I’ll report that you fell off the stern and were attacked by a shark. They grow pretty big around here,” he replied.

Tessa laughed. She noticed that his hand holding the gun was shaking; she decided to rattle him some more. “Just tell me first, why you named your yacht the Argo?”

She was a cool one, he thought, and he decided to play along. “Why not?” he replied. “It’s a good name.”

“It’s too heroic a name for someone like you. You know, I bet I can think of a more appropriate name, something more fitting for its cowardly owner,” she replied. She put her hand to her chin as if she was thinking. She snapped her fingers. “Oh, I know, how about Ephialtes?”

Daniel stared back with a confused look on his face, as if he was trying to place the name.

“Come now, Daniel, you must remember the name; he was the Greek traitor who sold out the Spartans to the Persians at Thermopylae. It also means nightmare, and, Daniel Morehead, I am about to become your worst nightmare.”

Daniel laughed. “Do you take me for a fool? I’m the one with the gun; now tell me what I want to know.”

“Okay, I work for the goddess Athena. I wear her sign,” said Tessa as she stood up and showed her owl tattoo to him. “Also, can’t you see it in my eyes?”

Daniel laughed nervously. “Fine, so you have a tattoo and pretty eyes; all that will do is make it easier to identify your body, that is, if the sharks leave any remains. What makes you think you work for a goddess?”

“Are you going to shoot me in the back again?” she asked. “Or will you be a man and look me in the face when you shoot me this time?”

“What… what are you talking about?” he asked nervously.

“I am… or make that, I was Jason Blackthorn. I killed five of the men who worked for you in Greece. You murdered me in cold blood with a shotgun that I gave you to protect the others. In the past few weeks, I have killed several of your companions; I killed Sergio, Marco, and Dieter. You remember your partners, the men who raped and murdered Lisa and Karen don’t you? And now, I’m about to kill you, Daniel Morehead,” said Tessa.

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. “This isn’t possible; some one must have told you what happened back there!”

“It is possible, Daniel; you angered a goddess, and I am her agent of revenge. Do you know what Tessa means?”

Daniel shook his head. Tessa could see the fear in his eyes growing.

“It means reaper,” she replied as she stood up.

“You forgot something,” he said as he pointed the gun at her. “I’m the one holding the gun.”

He pulled the trigger, and the click on the empty chamber was deafening in the small cabin.

“No, Daniel, I didn’t forget a thing,” she replied, and she started to walk towards him.

He pulled the trigger several more times before throwing the gun at her, missing her head by a foot. Tessa moved suddenly towards him and kicked him in the stomach. He collapsed in pain, clutching his stomach.

“Now, you said that you would make my death as painless as possible,” said Tessa as she stood over him. “I just want you to know that the first one was very painful, almost as painful as your betrayal.”

Daniel tried to stand up, and she kicked him across the side of his head. He fell to the ground screaming in pain.

“”Please… Tessa…. Jason… I’m sorry,” he moaned. “Please… please don’t kill me!”

“You killed me, and then you brutally murdered Dr. Fox, and you try to beg for your own life? That’s so pitiful,” continued Tessa. She kicked him again in the face. Her rage exploded as she screamed at him. “You turned Lisa and Karen over to those brutal thugs to be raped and killed, and you just stood there and watched. How the fuck can you sleep at night? Those people were your friends!”

“I… I… can pay you… I have lots of money stashed away, just let me live… please have pity,” begged Daniel.

“Pity… just what you denied the others,” said Tessa as she kicked him again.

Daniel fell back and moaned.

“Tell me about the site in Crete. When is it going to be attacked?” demanded Tessa. “I’m not going to allow other innocent people to die.”

Daniel started crying. “I had no choice, Costa ordered me to find him another site.”

“When is it going to be hit?” she demanded as she picked up the handgun and removed the clip.

“Not for a few weeks,” he stammered.

Tessa reloaded the clip with the bullets she had placed in her bag and then inserted it back into the gun.

“Why did you do it?” she demanded.

“Fox was a bastard; he deliberately kept me down so I could do his dirty jobs,” he whimpered. “He held me down. This was my chance to get what was coming to me!”

“So you did it for money? What did Costa give you, thirty pieces of silver?” asked Tessa.

“Costa paid me a lot of money, more money than I would ever make in my whole life! You would have done the same thing in you had been in my shoes,” he exclaimed.

“No. No, Daniel, I wouldn’t,” said Tessa as she chambered a round. The sound of the slide moving forward was deafening in the cabin of the Argo.

“What…what are you going to do?’ he asked pitifully.

“You promised me that you would look after Lisa and the others, just before you killed me. Consider this your payback.”

In one swift motion, she aimed the pistol and shot Daniel in the head before he could reply. He was dead before his body fell back on the deck.

“You got off cheaply,” she said aloud as she stepped out of the cabin and then threw the gun as far as she could.

Chapter 30

It took her nearly an hour to make all the preparations necessary to get rid of the evidence. She brought the boat back down towards Fresh Creek; when she was close to shore, she locked the wheel and throttles and jumped into the ocean.

She repacked her things into waterproof dive bag that she had found on the yacht, and they slowed her down a little as she swam towards shore. She wasn’t afraid of the ocean and the things in it. Men were far more dangerous than sharks.

She was changing into dry clothes when she saw a flash on the horizon as the Argo blew up. It was amazing what someone could do with a little government training, she thought. The explosion was timed to be well enough off shore so that it would be unlikely that anyone would recover the yacht.

Daniel’s body had been weighted down and dumped several miles away, and Tessa hoped that it was now providing a feast for the local sea life. At least, Daniel could make a contribution to the world after he died, she thought.

With any luck, she would back in Florida before anyone discovered that the Argo was destroyed.

Chapter 31

Tessa checked into a Miami hotel, and after a long shower, she went to bed. As expected, she’d had no trouble leaving Andros.

As she lay in her bed, she thought about Daniel’s death. She was surprised how little emotion she felt about it. No, she didn’t mourn his death, but at the same time there was no satisfaction about it either. He was the man who’d betrayed the group, and yet she felt nothing, and that bothered her. Was she becoming that numb? She debated this as she drifted off to sleep.

When she woke up, she immediately called Jonathan.

“Where are you?’ he asked.

“Miami,” she replied.

“Me too,” he said.

Figures, she thought. “Okay, we need to talk.”

“You name the time and place,” he replied.

“Do you have your passport with you?” she asked.

“Yes. Why do you ask?” he asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” she replied.

“I’m not going anywhere with you; at least, not until you tell me what’s going on.”

Tessa laughed. “Lisa always said that you hated surprises.”

There was a long pause. “Okay, but I want the whole story when we get wherever we’re going.”

Chapter 32

“Why are we going to Crete?” he asked.

They were sitting in first class seating in a jet heading to Frankfort, Germany. From there, they would catch their connecting flight to Athens and then a local flight to Crete.

“Remember our deal, no questions until we get there,” she said.

“Why should I trust you?”

“I did buy the tickets,” she replied. “Just sit back and relax, Jonathan. I promise that when we get to Athens, I’ll tell you everything. If you want to continue on with me, then you’re more than welcome to; if you want to leave, I’ll pay for your flight back to the states. Now, I’m going to have another glass of champagne and then go to sleep.”

Jonathan nodded and accepted defeat. “Okay, I’ll wait until Athens.”

“Thank you, Jonathan,” she said. In so many ways, he was as stubborn as Lisa, she thought.

Chapter 33

“We have our flight to Crete,” said Tessa as she hung up the phone in the hotel room.

Jonathan nodded. “Okay, we’re in Athens; talk to me, Tessa.”

Tessa signed. “How open-minded are you, Jonathan?”

“What do you mean, politically, ethically?”

“Do you believe in the supernatural?” she asked.

Jonathan could see that Tessa was serious. “Do you mean, do I believe in UFOs or Bigfoot or things like that?”

“Things like that,” she replied.

“I don’t rule out anything until I’ve seen all the evidence,” he replied. “I’ve seen some pretty incredible things in my life.”

“Okay, I need you to listen to everything that I have to say; promise me that,” stated Tessa.

“I promise,” he replied.

“You said that you couldn’t find out anything about me; that’s because until a few weeks ago, Tessa Phoenix didn’t exist.”

“So this is a deep cover?” he asked. “Who are you working for?”

Tessa shook her head. “No, it’s nothing like that; no governments are involved. I was reborn as Tessa Phoenix. I used to be Jason Blackthorn.”

Jonathan waited for the punch line, but none came. “What the hell do you mean?”

Tessa then told him about the attack and Athena.

“Do really expect me to believe that you are the reincarnated fiancé of my dead sister, and that the goddess Athena is the one responsible?” he asked.

“Ask me anything about Jason and Lisa.”

Jonathan shook his head in disbelief. “I need a drink.” He stood up and walked over to the wet bar. “You want something?”

She nodded. “Look, Jonathan, why would I make up such an unbelievable story? I mean, I could have told you something far more believable; I’ve worked with spooks, and I know the language. I don’t understand it all myself, but I’ve been tasked by Athena to seek revenge for crimes committed against her and the people that died with me back in Greece. I’ve killed four people since I returned, and I now have the name of the person responsible.”

“And this person is in Crete?” asked Jonathan, as he filled two glasses with cognac.

“I don’t think so, but I found out that he’s planning a raid on another dig. I can’t let that happen,” said Tessa passionately.

“Who is the person responsible for Lisa’s death?” he asked. He handed her a glass and made a toast with his.

“Lykaios Costa,” said Tessa, as she sipped the cognac. It wasn’t bad.

Jonathan didn’t say a word, as he drained his glass and walked over to refill it.

“So you don’t disagree then?” said Tessa.

“I heard rumors,” he said, as he filled his glass.

“I have to take him down,” stated Tessa.

“No, that wouldn’t be possible; he usually travels with several bodyguards,” said Jonathan. “Even if you succeeded and killed him, they would cut you down.”

“It doesn’t matter, Jonathan. My deal with Athena only lasts until I get the ones responsible for the killings and the desecration of the temple. And you know what? I can’t wait. I am so empty on the inside right now. I’ve assassinated four men in very brutal ways, and I don’t feel anything. My life ended when Lisa and I died back on that island.”

Tessa then wiped away a tear that rolled down her cheek. She set her glass down on the nightstand.

“Are you okay?’ asked Jonathan.

Tessa laughed slightly. “Okay? You’ve got to kidding, Jonathan. I’ve been murdered, and reborn as a woman. I’ve been the acting angel of death for a Greek goddess, and you ask me if I’m okay? All I want to do is warn the people in Crete and then go after Costa. I can’t go on living this way.”

“Maybe Athena would allow you to stay after you’ve completed your task,” said Jonathan.

“What would I do? I’m okay with being a woman, but I have no life, no job, no one in my life; you have no idea how pointless it makes life. I’m totally alone,” continued Tessa. She wiped away another tear. “Shit, why am I crying?”

Jonathan got up and walked over to Tessa and sat down next to her. A wave of compassion swept over him. “Maybe because you aren’t as dead inside as you claim.” He put his arm around her and pulled her close to him. “And maybe, you’re not as alone as you think you are.”

“I hurt so bad inside, Jonathan. I failed Lisa, I failed the others….”

He pulled her close and felt her wrap her arms around him. He stroked her hair as she sobbed. He noticed how hard she clutched him.

She cried for a few more minutes.

“How do you feel now, Tessa?’ he asked softly.

“Slightly better, sorry about that,” she said as she wiped her eyes.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” he replied.

“I must look like a mess,” she said, a slight smile growing on her face.

“Don’t worry about it; I think you look fine,” he said. A strange feeling came over him as he looked into Tessa’s eyes. He had an overwhelming urge to kiss her. He hesitated for a moment and then leaned down and embraced the young woman and began to kiss her. She responded to his touch and a wave of passion swept through both of them.

* * *

“I thought I sensed your touch, sister” said Athena.

The other goddess turned and smiled. “Come now, sister, Tessa needs some comfort after everything she has been through,” said Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

“I agree,” piped in Artemis. “Tessa is pretty impressive, considering she was once a man. Besides, you can’t have all the fun.”

“This doesn’t change a thing; when she completes her task, her life ends,” said Athena.

“If you say so, sister,” said Aphrodite as she looked at Artemis.

Chapter 34

Tessa woke up in bed next to Jonathan. Her first urge was to climb out, but instead she cuddled closer to him. She couldn’t understand it, but she felt more whole than she had in a long time.

Of course, this only complicated things for her. The last thing she wanted was to fall in love again. She knew her fate and had no intention of trying to get out of the agreement she had with Athena; she still had her personal honor. However, unlike the sex she had had with Marco, the night she had just spent with Jonathan was wonderful. She now understood what it meant to be a woman.

Jonathan woke up and rolled over and looked at Tessa. “Good morning.”

Tessa smiled. “Good morning. I guess this makes things more complicated.”

He laughed. “That’s an understatement.” He leaned over and kissed her.

“We need to get going,” she said. “I want to get to Crete as soon as possible. Daniel might have lied to me about how soon the raid would be taking place. Trust me, Jonathan, I would like nothing better than to spend the rest of my days making love to you, but I can’t let Costa hurt anyone else.”

“I understand, Tessa, and I am going to help you,” he replied.

“That includes you getting hurt,” said Tessa. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you. I owe that to Lisa.”

“I may not be a commando like you, but I can take care of myself. I also can help you get him.”

“How?” she asked.

“Did Athena say that you had to kill them all?” he asked.

Tessa thought about it. “No, she just said to get revenge and punish them.”

“Costa is a man who craves wealth and power; taking that away from him would be a far worse punishment than death,” said Jonathan.

“Maybe, but being rich and powerful, he’s almost untouchable,” she replied.

“Almost is the word,” replied Jonathan. “You go to Crete and warn the others, and I’ll work my side and see what I can do.”

Tessa didn’t know what to say.

“Look, I don’t want to lose you, and I don’t want to see you shot down by his bodyguards,” said Jonathan.

“But even if you succeed, and we take him down, that still be will be the end of my quest,” she said.

“Let’s not worry about that for now. From what Lisa taught me about the gods and goddesses, they often changed their minds. Let’s stop Costa, and then we’ll face Athena… together.”

Tessa smiled. “Okay.”

Chapter 35

Tessa arrived in the town of Aghios Nikolaos in Crete. It was the closest town to the site she had seen in Daniel’s notes. She rented a scooter and received directions to the dig site.

Tessa was surprised that the dig was so well known in town. That didn’t make it a good target. The dig on the island was virtually unknown until after the crimes committed there. She wondered why Costa would risk something like this; there must be something extremely valuable here for him to take such a great risk.

Tessa was traveling as Tessa Phoenix and had decided that this would be her identity until Athena called her back. At least, it gave her the sense of having a real life. She was dressed in shorts, sandals and white sleeveless blouse. Her hair was pushed back under a ball cap. The rest of her things were in her hotel room back in town.

She thought about how she would tell the people at the dig of the impending danger. Tessa knew that she couldn’t just go up and tell them that she was the agent of Athena and that one of the most powerful men in Greece was planning to kill them.

Tessa arrived at the site and was stopped by a security guard at a guard shack. Tessa noticed that he was unarmed and was probably there just to shoo away the curious.

“Visiting hours are from nine to five, Miss,” he explained. “There a fee to enter, and we ask that you obey all the posted rules; this is a working archeological site.”

Tessa parked her scooter and paid the fee. She walked down the trail towards several tents and one small building. To the right of the dig, there appeared to be a large building being constructed.

“That’s going to be the museum, but it’s behind schedule,” said a woman.

Tessa turned and saw an attractive young woman. Her curly dark red hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She had very classic features, and Tessa wondered what her heritage was, as she looked similar to the frescos of Minoans that Lisa had shown her a lifetime ago back in Athens.

The young woman was obviously working the dig. She was wearing a gray Ohio State University t-shirt, khaki shorts, sandals and an old floppy hat.

“That’s okay; I didn’t come out here to buy souvenirs. I’m actually looking for someone in charge,” said Tessa as she removed her sunglasses.

“Well, I guess this is your lucky day,” replied the woman with a smile. She pulled off her gloves and extended her hand. “I’m Professor Hallie Pappadimos.”

Tessa immediately recognized the name from Daniel’s notes. “I’m Tessa Phoenix.”

“How can I help you, Tessa? Do you want to volunteer to work here?”

Tessa shook her head. “Is there a place we can talk in private, Professor?’

Hallie nodded. “The small building over there is my office, follow me; oh, and please call me Hallie, Tessa.”

They walked inside, and a white and black cat trotted over to greet them. The cat rubbed against Hallie and then walked over to Tessa. It purred contently as Tessa rubbed its chin.

“Well, Artemis approves of you, that’s a good sign; she’s our resident guardian,” said Hallie as she reached into a cooler. “You want some water?”

“I’d like that,” replied Tessa.

Hallie handed her the bottle. “Tessa Phoenix, that’s a very unusual name.”

Tessa nodded as she opened up the bottle. “I know.”

“So, what is it that you need to talk to me about?” asked Hallie as she sat down.

Tessa sat down across from her. She then noticed the silver labrys that Hallie wore around her neck. She then remembered something that Lisa had told her about the double-sided ax and its importance to the Minoan society.

“This site is in danger,” said Tessa. She decided to be upfront about this, sensing she could trust Hallie.

“What do you mean?” asked Hallie.

“I recently uncovered information that this site has been targeted for looting,” said Tessa.

“Do you have proof?” asked Hallie as she took a drink of water.

Tessa nodded and pulled out the notebook that she had taken from Daniel’s yacht. “This belonged to Daniel Morehead,” she said as she handed the leather-bound book to Hallie.

“Morehead? How did you get this? He’s a wanted man,” said Hallie. She took the book from Tessa and began to page through it. “Wait, did you say that it belonged to him, is he dead?’

“It’s a long story,” said Tessa. “It’s also a little strange — well, make that very strange. Hallie, do you believe in supernatural forces?”

Hallie looked up from the notebook and smiled. “Try me.”

A wave of energy swept through Tessa, and it gave her chills. She suddenly knew that she could trust Hallie. She pointed to the labrys hanging from Hallie’s neck. “I notice you wear the sign of the Minoans and that you bear more than a passing resemblance to them. I wear the sign of a goddess,” said Tessa. She stood up and pulled the back of her shirt away from her shoulder.

“Athena,” said Hallie. “It’s a very unique tattoo; I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like it. I also noticed that you have gray eyes like your guardian.”

“You’ve obviously heard about the attack on the island where Professor Fox was working; well, I was there,” said Tessa. She took another sip of water and let out a breath. “I have a feeling that I can trust you, Hallie, almost as if we’re connected in some strange way. I used to be a man named Jason Blackthorn. I was killed defending the others and was given a task by Athena to seek out and punish the men who killed the others and destroyed the temple.”

Hallie just nodded.

“I found this journal when I caught up with Daniel Morehead. I also have the name of the man who Daniel was working for, but I knew I had to come here first and warn you,’ continued Tessa. “I have no proof, other than my words. You may think I’m crazy and tell me to leave, but please don’t dismiss my warning. These men are brutal and have no qualms about killing to get what they want.”

“I believe you, Tessa. However, this site is also protected by forces not of this earth,” said Hallie. “Let me show you around and tell you my story.”

Hallie told Tessa how she had once been a man called Harry Thorn and how, through the use of an ancient Minoan object, had been transformed into a woman. Through her transformation, she gained insight and knowledge of the ancient Minoans.

(For Hallie’s full story, please read Ambition and Purpose.)

Two hours later, the two young women were sitting next to the bath that had been used for Minoan rituals.

“It’s a strange world, Tessa,” said Hallie as she ran her hand through the warm mineral water.

Tessa nodded. “So, do you think that we’re related? I mean Thorn and Blackthorn are pretty close.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” said Hallie. “When this is all over, we’ll have to compare genealogies.”

“When Costa is taken down, my life ends,” said Tessa sadly. “It’s part of the deal that I agreed to with Athena.”

Hallie shook her head. “Tessa, nothing is carved in stone; I’ve learned that.”

“That may be, but I will be going after Costa,” continued Tessa. “He’s hurt too many people, and he has to pay.”

“What about your friend, Jonathan?”

“He’s trying to find enough dirt on Costa so he can write about him and expose him. He seems to think that if we strip him of his wealth and power, it will be better than killing him,” said Tessa. “We might even be able to shame him into killing himself.”

“He’s right, Tessa.”

“Well, I just know that he’ll have to get some real dirt on Costa to pull him down,” said Tessa.

“I happen to know a few people who might be able to assist him,” said Hallie. “Why don’t you come back to my place for dinner? I’d love to have you meet my family.”

Tessa smiled and nodded. “I’d like that. But what happens if Costa’s men come here? That guard won’t stand a chance.”

“If Costa’s men come here, then a local goat herder I know will have some new additions to his flock,” said Hallie. “I appreciate you coming here, Tessa; it was very brave of you to come here and warn us, but this site is very well protected. Now, let me see if I can help you.”

Chapter 36

Tessa was surprised that Hallie’s partner was an equally attractive young woman named Kim. They also had an adorable little baby girl named Roxanne.

Tessa was also amazed at how interested she was in the baby. As Jason, she’d never had much room in her life for children, let alone babies, but Tessa was thrilled when Hallie let her hold Roxanne.

A handsome older man named Stefanos was cooking dinner with a much younger woman named Lydia. Tessa noticed how much they were in love, and she felt pangs of remorse over her impending end. She wondered what might be if she and Jonathan could have a life together.

Artemis the cat was asleep on a lounge chair. She looked as if she had been poured into the position she was in.

“This place is so beautiful,” said Tessa. “I feel so much at home here.”

“I know,” replied Hallie. “I love coming here every summer.”

“Here comes Stefanos; looks like dinner is ready,” said Kim. “Here, Tessa, let me take Annie from you.”

Over dinner, Tessa told the others her story.

“I knew the classic gods and goddesses really existed!” exclaimed Stefanos as he banged his fist down on the table. “Now, about Costa, are you sure he’s involved?”

Tessa nodded. “He owned the island where we were working. I don’t think he thought we would find anything. When we did, he had to have the two statues of Athena…”

“But he’s a Greek, why would he destroy a priceless temple?’ asked Lydia in disbelief.

“Because he’s also a well known greedy bastard who doesn’t care about his country’s history!” stated Stefanos angrily. He held up his hands in the air. “Yes, yes, I know he’s made many donations to the national museums, but it’s well known that he’s kept the best pieces for himself. Collectors like him become obsessive as they grow older; they want to outdo each other with their private collections. I’m willing to bet that he wants the fresco for his collection, even if it means destroying the rest of this site.”

“Too bad he won’t come with his men,” said Kim. “It would be nice to see him as a goat.”

“That would be a fitting end to a man like that,” said Stefanos. “Tessa, let me contact some of my old family friends. Costa may be powerful, but that is a double-edged sword, as it means he’s made enemies too. Between us, we may have enough information to drag him down from his throne.”

“Do you really think so?” Tessa asked hopefully.

“I do. Why don’t you stay here as my guest for the next few days?”

Tessa smiled. “I’d like that.”

“If you want, you can come out to the site and help,” added Hallie.

“That sounds like fun,” she replied.

“We’ll go into town after dinner and pick up your things,” said Kim.

That night, she called Jonathan and told him where she would be staying.

“I’ve found out a few things on him already; if this friend of yours is as good as his word, we might be able to drag him down without you having to go Rambo on him,” said Jonathan.

Tessa laughed. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Seriously, Tessa, I don’t want to see you get hurt; I love you,” confessed Jonathan.

Tessa felt a wave of warmth sweep through her. “You have no idea how much it means to hear those words from you. I love you too.”

Chapter 37

Two days later, Tessa was working at the site with Hallie. It was late in the afternoon, and Hallie had sent the rest of the staff home.

“It’s Friday, and they deserve to start working on their Saturday morning hangovers,” said Hallie followed by a laugh.

“You really love this kind of work, don’t you?’ asked Tessa.

Hallie nodded. “I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do in the world… well, nothing else to do for a living; I love being a mom more.”

Tessa nodded. “What’s it like being a mother?”

“It’s wonderful,” she replied. “I was initially scared when I first learned I was pregnant; I mean, it’s pretty frightening knowing that you’re about to bring a new life into the world.”

“So, do you ever think about what it would be like to a man again?”

Hallie shook her head. “I’m at peace with myself now. At first it was hard, but thankfully I had some wonderful people to help me. What about you?”

“I just accepted it as part of the deal. It didn’t seem like a big deal at first, but it’s gotten a little complicated lately,” she replied.

“Jonathan?” asked Hallie.

Tessa nodded. “I love him. It may sound silly, but it’s as deep as it was when I was Jason and in love with Lisa.”

“I hope things work out for you,” said Hallie. “Well, we‘d better get going; Stefanos will have dinner ready for us.”

They walked up the hill towards the Land Rover. Tessa then stopped in her tracks. That old feeling of danger was back.

“Something’s wrong, where’s the guard?” she whispered.

A man in camouflage stepped out from the guard shack with a knife in his hand. He motioned to Tessa and Hallie to walk towards him. An evil grin was on his face.

“How long will it take for your guardians to get here?” whispered Tessa.

“I don’t know,” she replied.

“Okay, it looks like it’s up to us,” said Tessa.

The man was obviously overconfident. He knew that the two women wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe he could have his way with them too if he was lucky, he thought.

Luck was not with him that evening.

Hallie was shocked with the speed at which Tessa moved. One moment she was walking alongside her, and the next she had disarmed the man and knocked him out.

Tessa rolled the man over and pulled a Glock semi-automatic handgun from his holster. She debated killing the man, but decided it wasn’t necessary. “See if there’s something in the shack to tie him up with.”

Tessa checked the clip and found that it was full. She replaced it and chambered a round; her sense of danger told her she would need the gun.

Hallie went inside and found some rope.

Tessa ran over and took the rope from her. “We need to get out of here; there must be to more of them around.”

“The Land Rover won’t do us any good; look at the tires,” said Hallie. “The guard’s car is missing too.”

The tires were flat, obviously done by the man with the knife. Tessa tied up the man, making sure it was especially tight and painful.

“We won’t get far on foot,” said Tessa. “I imagine the guard was persuaded to leave.”

“Back to my office, we’ll be protected there,” said Hallie. “I also have a radio there.”

Tessa didn’t argue, and after tying up the man, they ran down to the small building. .

They were almost to the building that acted as Hallie’s office when they heard a man shout at them to stop.

Tessa turned and saw that he was standing twenty-five yards away. He was also dressed in camouflage and holding what looked like an Israeli Galil assault rifle, a very deadly weapon. Tessa didn’t hesitate and fired two quick shots at him, which dropped him as he stood.

Another man appeared by the building and fired at them with a Glock handgun. Tessa spun around and shot him too, putting two shots dead center into his chest. Her SEAL training came back, and she was now acting on pure instinct. “Hallie, keep moving for your office, it will give us cover.”

Hallie nodded as they ran for the shelter of the building.

“Where are your guardians? I can’t hold them off with just one handgun,” stated Tessa, as she checked the clip, it held seven more rounds. She debated going for the assault rifle, but then she saw two more men running down the hill at them, both were armed with Galils. They would easily cut her down before she got halfway to the rifle. This wasn’t good, she thought.

Then Tessa and Hallie felt a strange stillness in the air, as if time itself had stopped.

Tessa looked at Hallie, who smiled back.

“They’re here,” said Hallie in a relieved tone.

Tessa felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as if the air was filled with electricity.

“Look over there,” said Hallie as she pointed to the sky.

Tessa watched in fascination as a bright blue light descended down over the valley. She had to shield her eyes due to the brilliant nature of the light, but she thought she could make out three figures in the light. Suddenly, beams of light shot out from the figures and seemed to drag eight men from out of the hills and buildings. The men were all dressed in military style clothing and were well armed, but they seemed unable to move. Tessa dropped the handgun, knowing that she wouldn’t need it anymore.

“We’re safe now,” whispered Hallie.

The light flashed and then was gone, as were the men.

“No goats this time?” asked Tessa as she looked at Hallie.

“Apparently not, I have no idea what happened to them,” said Hallie. She then turned around and looked at Tessa. Her eyes opened up wide. Blood was running down Tessa’s left arm. “Tessa, are you okay?”

Tessa then realized for the first time that she had been shot. A bullet had passed through the meaty part of her left upper arm.

“Oh, shit,” she said as she reached over towards the wound. The pain then hit her and she gasped.

“Sit down, I’ll get something to bandage it with and call for help,” ordered Hallie as she ran to the small building to get the first aid kit.

Tessa felt slightly faint and didn’t argue. Her legs felt weak and she dropped to the ground. She had been shot twice as Jason, both times in the legs. As with this wound, she hadn’t noticed being wounded until after the firefights were over; she figured it was a combination of adrenaline and excitement.

She grimaced as she flexed her arm; it hurt, but she was able to move it. Good, she thought, it hadn’t struck bone.

Hallie bandaged the wound and called for help on the radio.

“The others will be here shortly; are you okay?” asked Hallie.

Tessa smiled slightly. “Yes, I feel great,” she replied as she passed out.

Chapter 38

A doctor friend of Stefanos’ checked Tessa’s wound. He confirmed that it had passed through without causing serious injury. While he suggested that Tessa go to the hospital, he didn’t argue with Stefanos; he had known him too long.

“She’ll be fine here, Doctor,” he said. He talked to the doctor in Greek.

The doctor nodded. “The wound is clean, and the bullet didn’t strike anything vital. She’s suffering from loss of blood. I would still feel better if we took her into town.”

Stefanos shook his head adamantly.

The doctor shrugged his shoulders. Many of his clients over the years were smugglers, and he knew when not to ask any more questions, although he was surprised to see a girl this young and pretty getting caught up in illegal affairs. Still, Stefanos was vouching for her, and that was good enough for him.

“I’ll come back tomorrow and check the wound for infection. In the meantime, she stays in bed,” said the doctor to Stefanos.

“I will,” replied Tessa in Greek as she managed a smile.

The doctor smiled back. He pulled a syringe out of his bag and prepared a shot for her. “This will help you sleep.”

“I didn’t know you spoke Greek,” said Stefanos to Tessa.

“You didn’t ask,” replied Tessa weakly.

“Get some sleep, and thank you for protecting Hallie; she’s like a daughter to me,” said Stefanos. “I owe you for this act of bravery; consider yourself one of the family.”

The doctor gave Tessa an injection. “Now, the young lady needs to sleep; you can do her good by leaving.”

Before she could say thank you, Tessa drifted into a deep sleep.

Chapter 39

Hallie and Kim were sitting with Tessa when Stefanos brought her meal in.

“I made you some soup,” he said. “It’s chicken broth from an old family recipe.”

“Thank you,” replied Tessa, as she sat up. “It smells wonderful.”

“How’s the arm?” he asked. There was true concern in the tone of his voice.

“Stiff, but not too bad,” she replied. “Thank you again for everything.”

“Call me if you need anything, my dear,” he said as he departed.

“How do you really feel?” asked Hallie.

“I’ve had worse, but thank you for asking,” she replied.

“I don’t know what to say, Tessa; you saved my life.”

“I doubt if your guardians would have let that happen,” Tessa replied as she tasted the soup; it was as good as it smelled.

“Maybe, but I won’t forget what you did,” said Hallie. “Neither will Stefanos. He said you were now family; he’s Cretan, and family means a lot here.”

“I know,” replied Tessa. “I never had a real father, I now know what I’ve missed my whole life.”

“We discussed this last night, and we’ve decided that our next daughter will be called Tessa,” said Kim.

Tessa felt her eyes well up with tears. “I… I’m honored.”

“It’s the least we can do,” said Hallie.

“Thank you,” said Tessa.

“Oh, Jonathan called; he’s on his way here,” said Hallie with a smile. “He asked me not to tell you, but I think you’d want to know.”

Tessa tried to reply, but instead she started to cry.

“It’s okay, Tessa; that’s a good reason for crying,” said Hallie.

Chapter 40

Jonathan arrived in town late in the afternoon and was brought out to Stefanos’ house by Hallie.

When he arrived, he found Tessa sitting on a lounge chair with her left arm in a sling.

“Please don’t get up,” he said as he walked over to her.

“It’s only a flesh wound; I’ve had worse,” said Tessa with a slight laugh as she got up. “Still, don’t hug me too hard.”

“You get shot, and you quote Monty Python, unbelievable,” he said. “I’m just relieved that you’re okay.”

After the introductions were made and the glasses of wine filled, Jonathan briefed Tessa and the others on the status of his research.

“The first thing I found out is that Costa is not very well liked. He’s burned a lot of bridges on his way to the top,” said Jonathan.

“Unfortunately, being a bastard isn’t something you can prosecute someone for,” said Stefanos as he emptied his glass of wine.

“Did the authorities get a chance to question the men who shot you?” asked Jonathan.

Tessa looked at Hallie and the others. “It’s a little complicated.”

“Coming from you, this should be interesting. Please tell me, I doubt I can be shocked these days,” said Jonathan with a chuckle.

Tessa looked at Hallie. “It’s your story, why don’t you tell him?”

“Before she starts, let me fill your glass, Jonathan; you’ll need it,” said Stefanos, as he reached for another bottle of wine.

After Hallie told Jonathan about her own transformation and the temple, he emptied his glass of wine and held out it out to Stefanos.

He looked around at the others, who all nodded in agreement with Hallie’s tale.

“It’s just too bad that we don’t have one or two of the men to question,” he said.

“I doubt they would have known anything, Costa isn’t that stupid,” said Tessa.

“Oh, I do have a lead that might help bring him down. He started his shipping firm in 1953; there’s a lot of questions as to where he got the capital to do so. I’m tracking down a man who might have the answer to it.”

“What good will that be?” asked Kim.

“Well, things were hard in Greece back then, and where would a twenty-two-year-old man get the money to buy ships?” asked Jonathan.

“I suppose you know the answer,” said Hallie.

“The rumor I’m tracking down is that his father was a Nazi collaborator,” said Jonathan. “His official biography states that he was orphaned after his village was destroyed by the Nazis in retaliation for a resistance attack. Many official records were destroyed during the war, so it would easy enough to make up such a tale.”

“Add to that the chaos of the Civil War, and it would have been easy to hide one’s past,” said Stefanos. “However, this is a very serious charge, and we must have solid proof.”

“I have a friend in Germany who is going through their databases as we speak,” said Jonathan.

“If Costa was a Nazi, wouldn’t someone have done something about it by now?” asked Kim.

“He would have just been a teen during the war, but if the initial capital that he used came from the Nazis and he knew it, he would be immediately sued by hundreds, if not thousands of people,” said Stefanos. “I’m also looking into some smuggling that his shipping line may be involved in.”

“Like what?” asked Jonathan.

“Arms to the Middle East,” said Stefanos. “The problem is that those people don’t talk.”

“I know someone who might be willing to help,” said Tessa. She then told them about Armando.

“You know a real gun-runner?” asked Kim. “That’s so cool.”

Tessa laughed. “He’s the one who helped me in Palma and Hamburg” said Tessa. “I’ll call him and set up a meeting for you, Jonathan. Don’t worry, he’s trustworthy.”

Jonathan shook his head in mock disbelief. “The circles you run in, my dear.”

“Only the best,” she replied, as she blew a kiss in his direction.

“So what good is all this going to do? I mean, he can just deny everything and sit back and laugh at us,” said Kim.

“Not if we find out he supplied arms to terrorist organizations. The Israelis, the Americans, the Brits, and many others will be lining up to get a piece of him. If all the dirt gets out, there’s also the possibility that one of his business associates might not want him talking,” explained Tessa.

“If he provided weapons to any group that has attacked Israel, they might take him out themselves,” said Jonathan. “The important thing is to do this right. I have the outlets that would love to print a story like this, but they will want solid proof.”

“Won’t he wonder what happened to his team?” asked Kim.

“He just might assume that the men he hired took the money and ran,” said Stefanos. “However, I will have the security of the site immediately upgraded. I trust the guardians, but we don’t need another shootout.”

Chapter 41

After dinner, Jonathan was sitting alone with Tessa out on the patio.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he said. “I can’t tell you the fear that ran through me when I got the call telling me that you were shot.”

Tessa reached over and took his hand into hers.

“I also know that I might lose you when we nail Costa,” continued Jonathan.

“What can we do?’ she asked. “It’s not like I can run away and hide.”

“True,” replied Jonathan. He paused for a moment, as if he was thinking about what he was about to say next.

‘Okay, what is it?” asked Tessa.

Jonathan smiled. “Is it that obvious?”

Tessa nodded.

“Okay, I have to few things to say; please let me get though it,” he said.

“Go ahead,” she replied.

“How do you see yourself?” he asked.

Tessa cocked her head. “Oh. You mean inside?”

Jonathan nodded.

“I’m a woman now. I see myself as Tessa Phoenix. I am a twenty-two year-old woman,” she replied. “Oh, there’s a lot of Jason left in me, but not in terms of gender, if that makes sense; why?”

“The more I’m around you, I find it harder to believe that you were ever male,” he said.

“Thank you… I guess.”

“I also know you did everything possible to save Lisa’s life; your recent actions just reinforced that you are a truly heroic person, and in spite of your loathing of your mission, a really good person” continued Jonathan. He paused for a moment, before reaching over and touching the side of Tessa’s face to caress her. “I also can understand why my sister was so deeply in love with you.”

Tessa stared back and was about to speak when Jonathan put up his other hand. “Please, let me finish, the reason I understand Lisa’s feelings is that I too have fallen deeply in love with you, Tessa.”

“Um, so where is this all leading to?” asked Tessa. She found her breathing was becoming heavier.

“How would you feel about us getting married? At least in the time we have left, we can be joined,” he asked.

Tessa turned towards him. “Is that a proposal?”

Jonathan laughed. “Okay, I have to admit that it was lame, but I mean it; I want to marry you.”

“When?” she asked.

“Tomorrow?” he asked.

Tessa laughed. “You’re crazier than me.”

“Maybe, but l want you to be my wife anyway,” he said. “Look, even if we can’t legally do it here, we can declare to each other.”

Tessa stared back, speechless. She felt waves of emotions sweeping through her body. It was difficult to speak, as she had to fight being choked up from her feelings. A tear began to run down her cheek.

“What do you say? Will you marry me, Tessa?” he asked.

“I’d love to do that, yes, Jonathan. Yes, I want to be your wife!” she replied as she began to wipe away tears. “I just hope we get a chance to have a honeymoon.”

Jonathan leaned over and kissed her. “I love you, Tessa.”

Chapter 42

The others agreed to be part of the ceremony, even though it had no legal basis. Stefanos stated that it would be a good excuse for a party.

“Well, Hallie and I can’t be legally be married, and we consider our exchange of vows to be perfectly binding, so why can’t you two do it too?” said Kim.

“When we get back to the states, we’ll make it legal,” said Jonathan.

“You mean IF we get back to the states,” added Tessa.

“Think positive,” said Jonathan. “Besides, we can use this ceremony as a chance to blow off some steam before we have to get back to work.”

“Will your paper publish the articles on Costa?” asked Stefanos.

“Yes, and they’ll syndicate it to papers around the world,” he replied.

“I don’t think it’s enough,” said Tessa. “I mean, Costa can deny the charges and even file suit against us.”

“Um, this was partly your idea, Tessa,” noted Jonathan with a smile.

“Oh, I’m in favor of using the dirt we can dig up on him, but I have another idea on how to use it,” she said.

“What do you mean?” asked Hallie.

“The worst things we have on him, we don’t have real proof of — not unless we get Athena or your guardians to provide an interview, right?” asked Tessa.

“That’s true,” said Hallie.

“Can you get an interview with him, face to face?’ Tessa asked Jonathan.

“Maybe,” he replied cautiously, as if he was wondering what was on Tessa’s mind.

“Okay, I go in with you, as your secretary or something like that, and instead of an interview, we confront him with the information we have on him.”

“And?” asked Kim.

“We give him an offer he can’t refuse,” said Tessa with a smile. “Maybe we can create some good out of the death and pain that this man has caused.”

“Let’s hear your plan,” said Jonathan.

Chapter 43

It was later that night, and Tessa leaned close to Jonathan on the lounge chair they shared. The others had long gone to bed.

“I think there’s still some champagne left if you want some more,” said Jonathan.

Tessa shook her head. “No, I think I’ve had enough. I know it’s not legal or anything, but I’m so happy that I’m your wife.”

“I just hope that I get a chance to speak to Athena when this is all done; I mean, it’s not fair that you have to die,” he said.

“Look, I want to live as much as you do, but I can’t beg for my life; I made a deal with her. I’m just thankful for whatever time we have together. I never had a real family, and time didn’t permit me to really have a life with Lisa; so I’m going to enjoy every moment we have together. Look, no one knows how long they’ll have together; at least we know when it will end.”

“Enough of that for tonight, let me take you to bed,” he said.

Tessa smiled. “I’d like that.”

“How’s your arm?” he asked.

“It’s healing up nicely. Trust me; any screams you hear out of me tonight will be those of sexual bliss!”

Jonathan laughed. “Subtle isn’t exactly in your vocabulary, is it?”

“I don’t have time for subtle,” she replied. “Take me to bed, Mr. Barnard.”

“As you wish, Mrs. Barnard.”

Chapter 44

As Jonathan worked his side of the story, Stefanos got the Greek government to increase security for the temple site. An article was published in the news about a plot to loot the site. The article implied that a member of the group that planned to loot the site had confessed to the police and an investigation was underway to track the people responsible.

“The article implies that the informant doesn’t know who hired them. Costa will think that he’s safe. While we want the site safe, we don’t want to scare him down a hole either,” said Stefanos.

Tessa recovered quickly from her wound, and spent her days with Hallie and Kim at the site. She also babysat for Roxanne. She rationalized this as just something to do while the evidence was complied against Costa, but she truly enjoyed looking after Roxanne.

“Have you always been so good with babies?” asked Kim one afternoon.

They were down at the small beach on Stefanos’ property. Tessa and Kim were watching Roxanne play in the sand.

Tessa laughed as she shook her head. “No, in fact, I couldn’t stand them before, but something has changed. I suppose it’s because of my new gender, but I think it’s deeper than that. It wasn’t until I met Jonathan that I even thought about having a family,” said Tessa.

“It makes sense that it’s part of your transformation. Hallie became all gaga over babies after her change too,” said Kim. “She can’t wait until her next pregnancy.”

Tessa nodded and then stared off towards the horizon.

“I’m sorry, I guess talking about the future is hard for you,” said Kim.

“It wasn’t at first. I just wanted revenge for my dead friends and to make amends for my own failure to defend them, but now it’s difficult. I want to get Costa for the pain he has caused so many people, but it also will bring new pain to Jonathan. For me, it will be over in flash,” she said. “Maybe it would have been better if we hadn’t fallen in love.”

“Don’t think that way, Tessa,” said Kim.

“I know, but I don’t want to see him hurt.”

“He’s an adult, and he’s not being forced into anything, and he really loves you,” said Kim.

Tessa nodded. “Let’s change the subject, okay?”

“Sure, Tessa,” said Kim. “What do you want to talk about?”

Tessa chuckled. “I have no idea. Okay, how do you feel about how your life has been changed because of the Guardians and your role in the transformations?”

“At first it sort of creeped me out a little. I mean, my mind has been opened to a whole world that I never knew existed. In some ways it was more comforting then, but now I know that ‘beings’ exist that have powers way beyond our comprehension. On the other hand, I feel honored to be involved, sort of like being in a secret club,” she explained. “I also wonder what role our children will play in this. I’m not worried or anything, as the Guardians have watched over us, but it’s a little spooky.”

“I know what you mean. I always thought that there was some basis for truth in the myths and legends of ancient civilizations, but I never thought I would be caught up in their world.”

“What do you think they are?” asked Kim.

“Do you mean do I think they’re gods? I don’t know. They just might be beings that have evolved way beyond our present status. I don’t see a religious side to this; I mean, Athena hasn’t asked me to pray to her or anything like that. She said that they don’t directly interfere with our society anymore; so maybe they’re here to observe and guide us.”

“So you don’t think that she has helped you in what you’ve done?” asked Kim.

“I don’t know. I mean, I used the skills I had been taught as SEAL to take out the others, and she said that she picked me because I have a brain as well as brawn; so I suppose she’d approve of the way we’re going after Costa. It’s beyond my ability to figure it all out.”

“It’s a bit heavy isn’t it?” asked Kim.

Tessa nodded. “Are you going to tell Roxanne when she’s older?”

“Yes, we’ve already discussed this,” said Kim. “I mean, her father is now her godmother.”

“That’s good,” replied Tessa as she watched Roxanne. “She’s so lucky to have such a wonderful family.”

“I wish that the rest of the family was here, you’d love Alex and Carla,” said Kim. “They’re spending the summer in Maine.”

“They’re the professors who first brought you and Hallie together, right?”

“That’s right, to make a very long story short,” said Kim. “Well, we’d better head up to the house. I enjoyed our conversation, Tessa.”

“I enjoyed it too,” said Tessa.

Chapter 45

Three weeks later, Jonathan laid out the evidence that they’d found on Lykaios Costa. It was very extensive, and it showed that he was involved in a variety of criminal enterprises.

“Okay, why hasn’t anyone else put this all together?” asked Hallie.

“We’re just the first to compile it. Being ‘outsiders,’ we were able to talk to groups that don’t share information between each other,” said Jonathan. “For example, I doubt that Armando would have talked to me, if it hadn’t been for his personal connection to Jason.”

“So what do you have?’ asked Tessa.

Jonathan picked up a file. “Okay, his father wasn’t Greek; he was actually a German SS officer. Hauptsturmfá¼hrer Heinrich Glaus was assigned to Athens1942-45, and he profited greatly during the war. He was in charge of confiscated goods and apparently he helped himself to much of it. His mistress was a Greek woman who later became Costa’s mother. In early 1945 Glaus went underground to avoid being prosecuted as a war criminal; we have no idea what happened to the woman, and most likely she died in the last days of the war. Being a wanted war criminal, Glaus had to stay undercover, even with his stolen wealth, but he was able to finance his illegitimate son. Lykaios would be the front and operate a legal business. Unfortunately for Glaus, he died in a car crash in Argentina in 1952, leaving Lykaios the sole owner of Costa Shipping.”

“Well, that explains it; a true Greek wouldn’t have destroyed the temple,” stated Stefanos.

“Costa can always claim that he’s not responsible for what his father did,” said Kim.

“Yes, but according to several Nazi hunting groups, Costa shipping was suspected of helping many war criminals. They were supplied with money, jobs, and when necessary, they smuggled men out of the country,” said Jonathan. “Apparently, it was part of the deal for the initial funding of the company.”

“Solid proof?” asked Hallie.

“Nothing by itself, but everything together is pretty incriminating,” said Jonathan.

“If we can prove that Costa’s father was a Nazi, then his support in the government will fade away,” added Stefanos.

“Yes, but he could drag it out in the courts for years,” said Jonathan.

“Okay, what about the terrorist connections?” asked Tessa.

Jonathan picked up another file. “He’s helped groups all over the Med, ranging from the PLO to The Red Brigade in Italy to the Basque groups in Spain. It was all for money, as he also helped rival groups in the Lebanese Civil War. As far as I can tell, the only cause he’s ever cared about is himself. He did it strictly for the money. Armando was able to provide us with some very incredible documents,” noted Jonathan. “Oh, just let me say, he thinks the world of you, Tessa.”

“He’s pretty impressive,” said Tessa with a smile.

Jonathan nodded. “Yes, he is, and he’s quite a character. He offered to help me with a new book.”

“I must thank him for giving you the bottles of his wine,” said Tessa.

“Why do I think that I’d like him?” asked Stefanos as he lifted up his glass of wine and took a sip. “This is very good… for Spanish wine.”

“I think you two would hit it off famously,” said Tessa as she smiled at Stefanos.

“What else do we have?” asked Kim.

“Ahh, here’s where I come in. I have a full file on Costa’s past looting and pillaging of ancient sites,” said Stefanos. “I talked to quite a few of my father’s old friends, and they have provided me with lists of things that he has in his personal collection.”

“How could he get away with that? I mean, wouldn’t someone say something?” asked Hallie.

“No, besides, he has made considerable contributions to the Ministry of Culture,” said Stefanos “He’s also very generous with his bribes.”

“Did you turn up anything on his drug smuggling?” added Jonathan.

“Yes, I have a fat file on that too,” said Stefanos. “He’s been really smart about it; he strictly deals drugs outside of Greek waters, so his political friends leave him alone.”

“And yet, he’s considered a respected leader of industry,” said Kim in disgust.

Stefanos took another drink of wine and then turned to Kim. “Not to defend him, but Costa shipping does provide a lot of jobs.”

“Costa’s also protected by generations of politicians, some who he’s helped get into office and some that he’s blackmailed,” added Jonathan.

“Okay, I think we have enough to bring him down,” said Tessa. “It’s time for us to go talk to Mr. Costa.”

Chapter 46

“It’s all arranged,” said Jonathan as he hung up the phone. “He’s agreed to meet with me in two days at his mansion in Athens.”

“How appropriate to hold the meeting in the city named after Athena,” noted Tessa.

“My, that was easy enough,” commented Hallie. “I’m surprised he agreed to see you so easily.”
“Well, he thinks that I’m going to be interviewing him for a profile of self-made millionaires,” replied Jonathan. “Rich, powerful men have equally enormous egos.”

“And did he agree to allow you to bring your assistant?” asked Tessa.

“Yes, he didn’t see any problem with it,” answered Jonathan.

“I still think we should go to the authorities,” said Kim. “I mean, what’s to stop him from killing you?”

“The authorities are either too corrupt or will act too slowly,” noted Stefanos. “I admit that the plan is dangerous, but short of Tessa going in alone and killing him, I don’t see an alternative. Besides some good might come out of this, if it works as Tessa plans.”

“It’s still very risky,” said Kim.

Tessa stood up and crossed her arms. “I don’t see any other way. I could work out a way to assassinate him, but that could put all of you at risk. I mean, after the act is done….”

“Stop that, Tessa,” interrupted Jonathan.

“Okay, but if I were to just shoot him, his looted artifacts would remain in his family’s hands, and it would also be business as usual for Costa Shipping,” said Tessa. “If we did contact the authorities and they actually did something, it would probably destroy the company and put lots of innocent people out of work. I want Costa dead, but enough innocent people have been hurt. Athena said that she picked be not just because I’m a warrior, but because I also have a brain. This is the only way I can think of making this work.”

“And if he tries to kill you?” asked Kim.

Tessa looked at Jonathan. “I will try to kill him first. That’s why I would like to go alone.”

“Yes, but he wouldn’t see you, and you don’t have time to become a well known writer and reporter,” said Jonathan. “Besides, I want to be there when he’s confronted; he did cause the death of my sister.”

“Well, we’d better get up to Athens,” said Tessa. “I’ll need to get something respectable to wear if I’m going to pass as your assistant.”

“We can catch the late afternoon flight,” said Jonathan. “I’ve already made reservations for our hotel rooms.”

“Does this mean that you won’t be coming back, Tessa?” asked Hallie.

Tessa shrugged her shoulders. “To be honest, I don’t know.”

Hallie stood up and gave Tessa a long hug. Kim did the same thing.

Tessa looked at Stefanos. “Do I get a goodbye hug or even a kiss/”

He smiled and shook his head. “No, because I know you’ll be back, Tessa.”

“I’m glad you’re so confident,” she replied. “However, I still want the hug.”

Stefanos stood up and gave her a hug. “You’ll be back.”

Chapter 47

Tessa picked out a professional looking suit to wear. She preferred to wear slacks, but knew that a skirt would look better; she did however skip high heels and went for flats.

She was in a suite in the Athens Hilton. To maintain the charade that she was Jonathan’s assistant, they had separate rooms.

The linen suit was tan, and she wore a white silk blouse with it. She knew that if things went badly, Costa and his guards would see Jonathan as the main threat. She just hoped that there weren’t many guards and that they weren’t too big or heavily armed. Tessa suspected that Costa wouldn’t be armed, so the guards would be her first targets, if they didn’t suspect her, and if she was fast, she could take them out; if they were armed she might be able to get one of the weapons, and if there was enough time take them down. Tessa shook her head; that was a lot of ifs. No, the only way to make this work was to hope Costa cooperated and that there might be some divine intervention. Last night before she‘d gone to bed, she saw what looked like an owl fly by her window. She naturally assumed this to be a sign from Athena.

“You ready, Miss Phoenix?’ asked Jonathan as he walked into her room.

“Miss Phoenix?’ she asked with an amused look on her face.

“Costa is a very traditional man; I doubt he would approve of Ms.”

“Old fashioned sexist pig is more like it,” she replied as she reached for the container of antacid that she had bought that morning.

“You still feeling sick?” he asked.

“I guess it’s just nerves,” she replied as she drank some water to wash the taste of the antacid out of her mouth. “The last time I threw up in the morning was after a rather wild party that involved many shots of Cuervo Gold.”

Jonathan nodded. “I can’t blame you for feeling nervous.”

Tessa smiled and then walked over and kissed Jonathan. It was strange; she had been in many dangerous situations before, and she had never felt ill before. Maybe Jonathan was right and it was just nerves, knowing it would be her last mission. “Just promise me that you won’t give up on living after I’m gone.”

He shook his head and put a finger to her lips. “No more of talk like that. Hopefully, Athena will allow me a chance to speak in your defense.”

“Anything is possible,” she replied. “Okay, let’s go.”

Chapter 48

They drove up to Costa’s home. It was a large white mansion, and it had a large wall surrounding it. They stopped just outside the large iron gate. A uniformed security guard checked their identification and then opened the gate for them. Tessa noticed that there were cameras and security sensors by the gate. She suspected that there were others all around the mansion. Obviously, Costa wasn’t the type of man to take chances with his own security.

They parked next to the main house and were escorted inside by a man in a tailored suit. Tessa noticed the bulge of a handgun in the small of his back.

The man didn’t speak to them and just motioned for them to follow him inside. They walked inside the house and were met by another man, who inspected their bags. He also used a wand to check them for weapons. Tessa was glad that she wasn’t armed. She had debated packing a knife; however, she’d suspected that the security would be very tight. No, she would have to depend on her martial arts skills and hope that she got lucky.

Tessa could also see a security camera focused on them, she was very impressed with the safety measures that protected Costa.

They were led into a large study by another man. Tessa suspected that he was wearing a shoulder holster, judging by the way his suit was buttoned up. That meant there were at least three armed men to deal with, probably several more. She hoped that the plan would work, as it would be very hard to overpower all the guards, even with the element of surprise.

The room looked more like it belonged in an English manor house than a house in Greece. The walls were paneled in dark hardwood. One whole wall was a bookcase. Tessa noticed that it was filled with classics ranging from Homer to Shakespeare. They all looked brand new, and she doubted they had ever been read; they were there strictly for show. What a waste, she thought.

The furniture was fine leather and very expensive. There was also a large fireplace against the wall opposite the book wall. On the mantle over the fireplace were two statues of Athena, the ones looted off the island.

Tessa stared at them for a moment, and then it hit her; no one off the island had seen the statues, so Costa could openly display them without fear of someone recognizing them.

The guard left them alone, and a door behind the large oak desk opened. A proper looking elderly man stepped through the door. He had silver colored hair and a small well trimmed beard. He was wearing an expensive tailored gray English suit.

“Welcome to my home, Mr. Barnard, I must say that I’m honored that a writer of your stature would come all the way to Athens to interview me,” he said.

“It’s my pleasure, Mr. Costa. This is my assistant, Miss Phoenix,” said Jonathan.

He cast a quick glance at Tessa and didn’t say a word. “Please sit, down,” he ordered. “I noticed you taking in my study. Yes, I know it doesn’t go with the rest of the house, but I’ve always wanted a room like this. It’s so classy.”

Jonathan and Tessa sat down across from him. He sat behind his desk. He pulled out a cigar and trimmed the ends. He then lit it and took a long drag and gently blew out the smoke.

Tessa immediately recognized the aroma as a Cuban. She had smoked a few at various events with the SEAL team. All that was missing was snifter of brandy, she thought.

Tessa was also relieved to see that the guards weren’t in the room, but she suspected that they were just outside, as a man like Costa wouldn’t want them far away.

For the first twenty minutes, Jonathan conducted a normal interview. He asked Costa about his creating the company and his vision of the future.

“Now, I have a few more questions. First off, can you tell me about how fugitive Nazi war criminals helped bankroll your company, like your father, Hauptsturmfá¼hrer Heinrich Glaus?” asked Jonathan.

Tessa hid her smile as Costa’s face turned red. He crushed the cigar out violently in the marble ashtray.

“I must ask you to leave,” he replied angrily. “I refuse to discuss such vile lies about me or my family. I am one hundred percent Greek!”

Jonathan put up his hand. “Before you call your guards in here, I want you to hear what we have to say. Also, just so you know, copies of what I’m about to show you are with my publisher and my lawyer. If anything happens to me or Miss Phoenix, you’re going to be on the front page of hundreds of papers throughout the world.”

Costa stared back trying to hold in his rage. “What do you want?”

“I have evidence that you’ve been involved in a variety of illegal activities ranging from supplying terrorists to looting of historical sites; we are here to offer you a way of… cleansing your soul.” He then nodded to Tessa, who pulled a copy of the files out of her case. She carefully placed them on Costa’s desk, directly in front of him.

“What do you mean, we?” demanded Costa, as he began to scan the files.

“He means me,” said Tessa, as she walked over towards the fireplace. “I like these figurines you have here; they’re both statues of the goddess Athena, right?”

Tessa noticed that the statues had been cleaned up. Additionally, both now held replacement spears made of gold.

“Yes, what of it?” asked Costa, annoyed that the reporter’s assistant was asking him a question. Women should be seen and not heard.

“What is their worth?” asked Tessa.

“What do you mean?” he asked, as he looked up from the files.

“I mean, what price would you pay for them?” asked Tessa, as she ran her fingers gently across the top of one of the statues. She decided the spears didn’t look good with the statues. They looked too modern.

“They’re priceless,” he replied, a small smile forming on his face as if he was finding this amusing.

“How much did you pay for them?” she asked.

“I don’t remember,” he replied, his annoyance showing in the tone of his voice. “Why do you care, Miss Phoenix?”

“It’s Ms. Phoenix, and I know that those two statues cost seven lives: Dr. Peter Fox, Dr. Karen Fox, Dr. Lisa Barnard, and three workers on the island where they were discovered.”

Costa chuckled. He would play along now; it really didn’t matter as he would have them killed as they left his estate. “You forgot one, the ex-navy commando… what was his name… on yes, Jason Blackthorn. Oh, don’t forget the men who he killed; still, for art that fine, it was worth it.”

Tessa figured that he expected her to look horrified, but she just joined in the laughter. “Oh, I didn’t forget Jason Blackthorn. I also didn’t forget Marco Franco, Sergio Franco, Dieter Schultz, or Daniel Morehead. I killed them, but not before they gave me information about you.”

“Really? A little girl like you? I had no idea you were so dangerous,” replied Costa with a chuckle. “I don’t suppose you have any real proof.”

Tessa opened her bag and pulled out copies of letters written by Costa to David Morehead and tossed them on Costa’s desk. They flopped in front of Costa. “The originals were in Morehead’s notebook. I took it with me after I killed him and blew up his yacht in the Bahamas. The originals are in a safe place.”

Costa nodded as he examined the papers. That damn fool was supposed to destroy these, may he rot in hell. “Please go on, you might as well talk now, as soon you’ll be dead.”

“I was dead once; it’s not so bad,” replied Tessa as she sat down. “Killing isn’t so hard either; I killed your men on the island, along with three of the ones you sent to Crete, the rest were… well, taken by others.”

“What do you mean… taken by others?” he demanded.

“I was Jason Blackthorn. I was killed on your island and given a new life,” replied Tessa. She glanced over at Jonathan as if to gain strength from him. “You’ve angered forces that are beyond your comprehension.”

Costa shook his head as he reached for a new cigar. “That’s not possible.”

“Your men destroyed the temple where those figures stood. The temple was built to honor the goddess Athena. She’s the one who gave me life to seek revenge on those who desecrated her temple. You’re the last one in the chain.”

His eyes opened wide in fear as he shook his head back and forth. “That’s not possible,” he repeated.

“You know it’s all true,” said Tessa. “Look at my eyes; they’re gray, just like Athena’s.”

“Are you going to kill me?” he asked as he leaned back in his chair and lit his cigar. He had pressed the button for the guards, and he expected them to burst in at any moment. Even if these two people were telling the truth, it wouldn’t matter soon, as they would both be dead.

“I’m going to leave that job to you. We’re going to give you an offer; if you fail to live up to it, then I’ll be back,” said Tessa.

“You expect me to kill myself?” he asked. He began to laugh nervously.

Tessa nodded. “First, you’ll donate your entire collection of artifacts to the Ministry of Culture; next, you’ll end all illegal operations that your company is currently involved with.”

“Is that all?” he asked, holding out his arms. He wondered what was keeping his men. He leaned forward and pressed the button a second time.

“As for your death, you can do it any way you want, fake an accident, take an overdose of the drugs that your ships smuggle, I really don’t care. I will know when you’re dead. You have a week; if you haven’t done it, then I’ll come back for you, and I will track you down no matter where you hide,” said Tessa. She then stared deep into his eyes. “Trust me; you don’t want that, as it will be very painful; I promise that.”

“If you keep your end of the bargain, I won’t publish the information I have. Your ‘good name’ will be protected, and your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren won’t be ashamed of their name,” added Jonathan.

“Why do you care about me one way or another?” asked Costa. While he was nervous about the fact that his guards hadn’t arrived, he relaxed slightly. These two weren’t going to hurt him, and they foolishly believed that he would take his own life.

“Obviously, you haven’t figured out that Dr. Lisa Barnard was my sister, you murderous bastard.”

“Of course, we can always turn our information over to the various countries that have been hurt by the terrorists that you helped. I doubt they’ll be as understanding,” said Tessa. “I know the Israelis would be eager to seek revenge, but then again, with all the enemies you’ve made, it may be a race to see you gets you first.”

Costa nodded. “Why are you doing it this way? Wouldn’t it be easier to just shoot me?”

“Maybe, but even with all your flaws and sins, your company employs thousands of people; why should they be hurt… just because you’re a total son of a bitch?” asked Tessa.

He glared back at Tessa and waved his hand as if he was dismissing a servant. “You both can go now.”

“Remember, I’ll know when you’re dead,” reminded Tessa. “I will be back if you don’t keep your word.”

“Leave,” he ordered. He was furious that he guards had failed to appear.

“There is no place you can hide from me,” continued Tessa, as she menacingly leaned over his desk. “I will track you down and kill you; that’s not a threat, it’s a promise, you bastard. Maybe I should do it right now!”

Jonathan grabbed Tessa by the arm and pulled her away. “Tessa, not now.”

“LEAVE!” Costa shouted. He was furious that someone would dare threaten him in his home, and even more furious that his guards hadn’t shown up, heads would definitely roll.

Tessa and Jonathan walked out of his office. They immediately headed back to the hotel to pack.

On the ride back to the hotel, Jonathan took Tessa’s hand. “What do you think? Do you think he believed us?”

“There’s one more card to be played,” she said as she stared out the window at the city named for her benefactor.

Chapter 49

Costa sat in his office staring at the two statues above the fireplace. He had regained his composure and thought about what the reporter and that strange woman had said. What an incredible story! The information the reporter had on him was worrisome. Costa had taken great strides to hide the truth of his past. It could cause him much trouble, maybe even beyond the protection of the various government officials that he owned. The officials would overlook some things, but his father’s past was something that they wouldn’t overlook.

This couldn’t be happening; he was rich, he was powerful, and he had everything that a man could ever want. Now, two strangers had come into his home and threatened him, and threatened to take everything away from him.

“Do they think that I will actually kill myself!” he shouted aloud. He would have them killed before they could leave the country.

He then walked over towards the statues and picked one up. He looked at the marble face of the goddess. He had marveled at the detail since Daniel Morehead had delivered them to him. There was even a small owl that sat on Athena’s shoulder.

“So, Athena, you seek revenge against me?” he said aloud. He than laughed loudly. “I don’t suppose it would be too much to ask for proof that you’re real? Well, Athena, can you give me a sign that you exist?” He began to laugh.

His laughter boomed in the study, and he looked around. “Just as I thought, Athena, nothing! A myth cannot hurt me. I am Lykaios Costa!”

Just then there was a flash, followed instantaneously by a deafening boom that shook the very foundations of the house. Costa fell to ground, barely holding onto the statue. He was dazed, and it took him a few seconds to clear out the cobwebs from his head.

One of the guards rushed into the room and assisted him back to his feet.

“What happened?” Costa shouted. There was a loud ringing in his ears. He was also trembling slightly.

The guard shook his head and assisted his boss to his feet. “The damnedest thing, sir; a storm just blew in suddenly from the Aegean, and a bolt of lightning struck that huge olive tree in the front of the house. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life! It was as if the storm came from the gods!”

Costa nervously returned the statue to the mantle. He waved his hand at the guard. “Go.”

“Are you alright, Mr. Costa?” asked the guard nervously.

“Damnit, can’t you just obey my orders! Leave Damnit!”

The guard had never seen the old man so frazzled before, and it sent a chill up his spine. He nodded and left without saying another word.

For the first time in his life, Costa felt true fear. He began to shake from fear, not knowing what to do next. His mind was suddenly filled with images too horrible to comprehend. He saw the dead bodies, those of the murdered archeologists, among the rubble of the smoldering ruins of the temple built so long ago to honor the goddess Athena, and he could see her glaring down at him in pure rage for what he had done. She blamed him for this desecration, and only his death would appease her. He stared at the two statues, and he knew that there was nowhere on Earth he could run; his great wealth and power was useless. It was also too late to beg for forgiveness. He sat down on the floor in front of the statues, pulled his knees close to his body, and began to shake and whimper like a baby.

Chapter 50

“Why did you give him a week?” asked Jonathan. “I wouldn’t think you’d trust him to give him that much time.”

They were back at their hotel packing. They had an afternoon flight back to Crete.

“I wanted to give us a little more time together,” confessed Tessa as she snuggled up next to Jonathan.

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.

“Do you think he’ll do it?” asked Jonathan.

Tessa nodded. “I didn’t tell you this, but I had a premonition that he would get a sign from Athena confirming our story. Costa will comply with our demands, and this will all be over.” She then told him about the owl.

“It’s not right; you can’t leave… not now; we just found each other,” lamented Jonathan. “This isn’t fair.”

Tessa wiped away a tear. “Trust me, there’s nothing more in the world that I want than to spend the rest of my life as your wife. I want to be Tessa Barnard and lead an ordinary life with you, the man I love. Jason is dead; he hung around long enough to help me gain revenge and to survive, but I’m not Jason any more. I’m Tessa.”

“I wish there was something I could do,” he said.

“There is; take me back to Crete and make love to me,” said Tessa.

Chapter 51

Six days after Jonathan and Tessa returned to Crete, they were sitting out on Stefanos’ patio having dinner. It was another beautiful day, and Tessa sat holding Jonathan’s hand, drinking wine and eating roast lamb.

“Maybe you could take refuge in the temple?” suggested Kim. “The Guardians would protect you.”

“What, and cause a dispute between your Guardians and Athena?” asked Tessa. “No, I don’t want to be the cause of a cosmic conflict.”

“There has to be a way,” continued Kim.

“I’m all ears, if you can think of one,” said Tessa.

The phone rang, and Stefanos excused himself to answer it.

“Tessa, what will you do if Costa doesn’t kill himself?” asked Hallie.

“I’ll have to track him down and kill him. I’ll place a call to Armando, and he’ll supply me with what I’ll need,” she replied. She looked over at Jonathan. “I will go alone, as I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. I mean that, no argument on this issue.”

Before Jonathan could reply, Stefanos returned.

“That won’t be necessary; I think that Costa has agreed to our plan,” announced Stefanos. “My old friend Peter Roussos just called me and told me that Costa has donated his entire collection of antiquities to the Ministry of Culture.”

Tessa felt a chill run up her spine.

“Did he just say this, or did he give Peter proof?” asked Hallie.

“The first of the artifacts were delivered yesterday to the Ministry; Peter would have called sooner, but he was too busy cataloging them. Oh, the two statues of Athena were the first things delivered,” said Stefanos. “He also gave the island that held the temple to the Ministry!”

Tessa turned to look at Jonathan and was instantly aware that something extraordinary had just occurred. No one else was moving; it was as if everything was frozen in place. Tessa stood up and looked around. Artemis was frozen in mid-lick. The flames on the candles weren’t moving, and even the birds in the sky were not moving. So, this is the end, she thought. She leaned over and kissed Jonathan on the lips. She then removed the ruby ring from her finger and placed it in Jonathan’s open hand. At least, he would have something to remember her by. Tessa then stepped away from the others to await her fate.

She didn’t have long to wait, as a bright light suddenly appeared in the sky and began to approach Tessa. She stood her ground as there was no sense in running.

The light settled a few feet in front of her and began to fade. When the light was gone, Athena stood before her. As before, the goddess was dressed in her golden armor. The same owl she had seen in Athens was sitting on Athena’s shoulder.

“Costa is dead,” said Tessa unemotionally.

“That is correct, Tessa. He was just dragged out of the Aegean like a big fat fish. He was swimming, and it appeared that he had a heart attack and drowned. However, the truth is that he poisoned himself,” admitted Athena. “He accepted his fate for the destruction of my temple and the death of your compatriots.”

“So, it’s over,” said Tessa. A sense of weariness swept over her.

“Not completely, Tessa,” said Athena. She then looked over at Hallie and reached down to touch Hallie’s cheek. “So this is the one that I’ve heard about. She’s quite remarkable… for a human. They chose well, but then again they’ve always been wise.”

Tess wondered why Athena was taking so long. All Tessa wanted now was to get it over with.

“I must admit that you deeply impressed me, Tessa. You have honor and are very brave,” said Athena. “I am also pleased that you used your intellect to punish Costa, which is the mark of a true warrior.”

“I’m ready to go,” said Tessa. She really didn’t want to hear compliments right now, even from a goddess.

“You’re not going to beg for your life?” asked Athena.

Tessa shook her head. “We had an agreement, and I always keep my word.”

Athena smiled back. “Another admirable quality you possess, Tessa. Alas, it’s not your time to leave. No, this world can use someone like you, and it would be a shame to deprive it of a person like you.”

Tessa stared back in disbelief. “Does that mean what I think it does?”

“Besides, I can’t take you for another eight months, even if I wanted to; I cannot take an innocent life,” continued Athena.

It took Tessa a moment to realize what Athena was saying. She placed her hands on her stomach.

“That’s right, Tessa; you’re going to be a mother. If I took you now, an innocent life would also be ended. I suppose I could just wait until you give birth, but a daughter should have her mother,” said Athena.

“Thank you,” replied Tessa. A tear began to run down her cheek.

Athena reached over and wiped the tear away. “So, you don’t mind spending the rest of your life as a woman?”

Tessa shook her head. “I am Tessa Phoenix Barnard now, and I can’t imagine life as anyone else.”

Athena nodded. “I am pleased to see how well you’ve adjusted. You have also surrounded yourself with good people, Tessa, people that care deeply about you, I suppose this is fate’s way for the mistakes that were made the first time. However, you still wear my sign; there may be another time when I come to you with a task.”

Tessa nodded. “You can always count on me.”

Athena smiled. “I know that I can, Tessa. However, in the meantime, enjoy your life and your family.”

“Thank you so much,” replied Tessa. She wondered if she was allowed to hug the goddess, but she never got the chance to find out.

There was a bright flash of light, Athena was gone, and everything had returned back to normal.

Jonathan and the others did a double take, as Tessa was standing in a different place. It was as if she had been magically transported to the far end of the patio.

“What the hell?’ asked Jonathan as he jumped up out of his seat. “Tessa, are you okay?”

“What just happened?” asked Hallie.

“It’s over,” said Tessa as tears ran down her face. She ran towards Jonathan. “Costa is dead. Athena was here and has decided to let me live.”

Jonathan immediately hugged her. The others joined in; even Artemis came over and rubbed against Tessa’s legs.

“Not that I’m complaining, but why the reprieve?” asked Jonathan.

“Are you ready for this? I’m pregnant,” exclaimed Tessa. A huge smile broke out on her face. “Jonathan, we’re going to have a baby, a daughter!”

Jonathan took her into his arms and kissed her. He then placed the ring back on her finger. Tessa just smiled up at him and continued to hold him.

“Now, this calls for a real celebration!” exclaimed Stefanos. “I’ll break out the champagne!”

“Yes, but Tessa shouldn’t drink,” added Hallie with a big smile on her face. She took Tessa by the hand and led her back to her seat. “Don’t worry, sister; you’re going to love being a mother.”

Chapter 52

Jonathan and Tessa were cuddled up against each other in their bed. His hand was gently rubbing her tummy.

“I can’t believe that we’re going to have a daughter,” he said softly.

“I feel incredibly alive right now,” said Tessa. “Ever since my rebirth, death has hung around me; now all I want to do is focus on life.”

Jonathan nodded. “As soon as we get back to the states, we’ll get married legally.”

Tessa nodded. “There’s one more thing; I want to name our daughter, Lisa. Is that okay with you?”

Jonathan leaned over and kissed her. “I can’t think of a more appropriate name. Better still, how about Lisa Athena Barnard?”

Tessa nodded. “I like that, although, I don’t know what kind of mother I am going to be; I didn’t exactly have a great upbringing.”

“You’ll do fine,” he replied.

“Well, I can always teach her how to fieldstrip a rifle,” said Tessa with a wink.

Jonathan laughed. “I doubt that it will ever be boring with you, Mrs. Barnard.”

They then embraced and began to kiss.

He looked over and noticed that tears were rolling down her cheeks. “What’s wrong?”

Tessa smiled and shook her head. “Nothing is wrong. It just hit me that I now have a life again.”

Chapter 53

“That was very sneaky of you, my sisters,” said Athena as she looked down on Jonathan and Tessa sleeping together.

“Oh, you’re not fooling anyone,” said Aphrodite. “You’re just as pleased as we are that things worked out. We noticed how the security system suddenly failed in Costa’s study when Tessa confronted him and that his guards were distracted. You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?”

“Yes, admit it, sister. Tessa deserved this reward,” added Artemis.

“Aren’t you upset that her companions have a feline named after you?” teased Athena as she looked at Artemis.

Artemis laughed. “No, not at all; besides, I’ve always liked cats... sometimes more than humans. Besides, from what I’ve seen, she’s a superb hunter; the name is very fitting. Now, back to our question, you don’t mind that we interfered, do you?”

“Admit it, sister, you didn’t want to end her life anymore than we did,” added Aphrodite.

Athena nodded. “I’m not upset; besides, I will have need of Tessa and her daughter another day, but for now, let them enjoy their lives.”

The End