Chapter Sixteen: You’ve Made A Grave Mistake

The message, a stark white text against a black background, hangs heavy in the air. The room falls silent, the only sound the hum of the computers and the ragged breaths of the Oracle Collective.

"What does it mean?" I whisper, my voice barely audible.

Athena's eyes narrow, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "It's a warning," she says, her voice grim. "They know we infiltrated their compound."

"But how?" Brock asks, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"It doesn't matter how," Athena replies. "What matters is that they're onto us. Luckily, we’re in this safe house so they can’t find us, but we need to let the Embassy know.”

We quickly pack up equipment, erasing any trace. The three leave, the list of names tucked safely away in a secure digital vault. We stay behind with Hermes saying they will keep in touch.

Brock and I try to make sense of the situation. We've struck a blow against the Shadows, but we've also made ourselves targets - again. We're no longer just investigating a conspiracy; we're fighting for our lives.

The weight of this realization is crushing. I feel a wave of despair wash over me, threatening to drown me in its depths. But then I remember Brock's words, his unwavering belief in our mission.

I look at my watch and realize it’s nearly midnight and I’m exhausted.

"We can't give up, Patrice," he says, his voice firm. "We've come too far."

His words ignite a spark of defiance within me. He's right. We won't back down. We won't let fear control us. We will fight back.

“You’re right, but I’m so tired of everything. I just want to enjoy life without constantly looking over my shoulder and worrying whether the next time, we won’t be so lucky.” I rub my shoulder and yawn.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed. I’m going to stay up a bit and review the stolen data, searching for any clues that might lead us to Lisa and her partner. The information is vast and complex, a labyrinth of codes and aliases, and in the morning, I’m going to call a couple of my connections and see what I can find in the States.

“I won’t argue with you,” I say heading to the room.

“Good night, Trice. I love you,” Brock kisses me and gives me a gentle hug, knowing it’s still hurts with any pressure applied on my chest. He then closes the door.

After my nightly routine, I lay down on the soft bed. But sleep is elusive. Every creak of the floorboards, every whisper of the wind, sends a shiver down my spine.

Just as I’m about to give up on sleep, a faint knock on the door jolts me.

I rush to the bedroom door and open it. Who could be here at this hour? Brock glances and shrugs his shoulders. We cautiously approach the door, Brock motioning for me to stand back. He peers through the peephole, his brow furrowing.

"Who is it?" I whisper, my heart pounding in my chest.

"It's Hestia," he replies, his voice barely audible.

I'm surprised but relieved. Hestia, the quietest member of the Oracle Collective, is the last person we expected to see at our door.

Brock opens the door, and Hestia slips inside, her face pale and drawn. She looks around the room nervously, as if expecting someone to jump out at her.

"What's wrong?" I ask, my voice filled with concern.

Hestia takes a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly. "We've been compromised," she says, her voice barely a whisper. "They found us."

A cold dread washes over me. "Who found you?"

"The Shadows," she replies. "They tracked us down. We barely escaped."

"What about Athena and Hermes?" Brock asks, his voice urgent.

Hestia shakes her head, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't know. We got separated during the escape. I haven't heard from them since."

My heart sinks. The Shadows have struck back, and they've hit us hard. We're no longer just dealing with a faceless organization; we're facing a real, tangible threat.

We quickly gather our belongings, knowing we can't stay here any longer. We leave the safe house, Hestia leading the way through the darkened streets of Athens.

We find refuge in a small, unassuming apartment in a quiet neighborhood. It's another safe house, one of many that the Oracle Collective maintains throughout the city.

As we settle in, the reality of our situation sinks in. We're on the run, fugitives in a foreign land. Our lives are in danger, and the people we care about are missing.

But we can't give up. We have to find Athena and Hermes, and we have to expose the Shadows' crimes to the world.

Hestia tells us everything she knows about the attack, the escape, and the last known whereabouts of Athena and Hermes. It's not much, but it's a starting point.

Hestia, barely whispering, struggles with each word as she recounts the memory of flashing lights, shouting voices, and the metallic clang of gunshots echoing in the warehouse. Her eyes dart around the room as if expecting the Shadows to burst through the door at any moment.

"It happened so fast," she says, her voice seeming far away, her hands trembling slightly as she recounts the events. "We were just finishing the download when the alarms went off. At first, we thought it was a glitch in our system, but then..." She pauses, swallowing hard. "Then we heard the gunshots."

The tension in the room thickens. Brock and I lean forward; our faces etched with concern.

"We knew we had to get out," Hestia continues, her voice barely audible. "Athena grabbed the drive, and we bolted for the emergency exit. But they were waiting for us."

Her eyes glaze over as she recalls the scene: the blinding light of a flashlight, the snarling faces of masked men, the sharp crack of gunfire as bullets whizzed past their heads.

"We split up," she says, her voice cracking. "Athena and Hermes went one way, I went another. I managed to lose them in the maze of shipping containers, but..." Her voice trails off, the unspoken fear hanging heavy in the air.

"But you don't know what happened to them," I finish the sentence.

She nods and rubs her forehead.

“Come, sit down. We’ll find out what happened,” I say.

We spend the rest of the night formulating a plan. We have to find our friends, and we have to do it fast. But we also have to be careful. The Shadows are out there, lurking, waiting for us.

***

The first rays of dawn peek through the curtains, casting a pale glow over the sparsely furnished apartment, vastly different than the safe house we just left. We sit around a small table, huddled over a map of Athens, our faces etched with worry and determination.

Hestia points to a location on the map, her voice barely above a whisper. "This is where we were attacked. A warehouse district near the port."

Brock leans in, tracing a route with his finger. "If Athena and Hermes were trying to escape, they would have likely headed towards the city center. There are more people, more places to hide."

I nod in agreement. "But we need to be careful. The Shadows could be anywhere."

Hestia produces a burner phone from her pocket. "I'll try to contact my sources. Maybe they've heard something."

We wait anxiously as she makes a series of encrypted calls. Minutes feel like hours as the silence stretches on. Finally, Hestia lowers the phone, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"One of my contacts heard a rumor," she says. "There was a disturbance at a nightclub near Syntagma Square last night. It could be connected."

We exchange a look of understanding. Syntagma Square is a central hub, a place where locals and tourists mingle. It's also a place where information flows freely.

"We have to go there," I say, my voice firm. "It's our best chance of finding Athena and Hermes."

We quickly formulate a plan. Brock will scout the area around the nightclub, looking for any signs of our friends or suspicious activity. Hestia will use her hacking skills to monitor the club's security cameras and communication channels. And I, still recovering from my injury, will stay at the safe house and act as our communications hub.

As we prepare to leave, Hestia hands me a small earpiece. "Stay in touch," she says. "And be careful."

I nod, my heart heavy with worry. I know this is a dangerous mission, but it's one we have to undertake. We have to find our friends, and we have to stop the Shadows.

Brock and Hestia slip out of the apartment, disappearing into the early morning streets of Athens. I'm left alone, the silence broken only by the hum of the computer and the steady beat of my own heart.

The waiting is agonizing. I try to distract myself by monitoring the news, searching for any mention of the disturbance at the nightclub. But there's nothing. It's as if the incident never happened.

Hours pass, and still no word from Brock or Hestia. My anxiety grows with each passing minute. Have they found something? Are they safe?

Just as I'm about to lose hope, a message flashes across my screen. It's from Hestia:

"We found them."

My heart leaps with joy. But the next line brings a chill down my spine:

"They're not alone."