"As long as his feet touch the ground, a man is not lost" - Anne of Toulouse, Journey of the Soul
Hyas came out of the "Greyhound" at the docks of the Hudson river in New York City. He set his sight immediately on a fast food joint, whose weathered neon sign spoke of a tradition of greasy breakfasts for dinner in form of free-range beef patties of the dubious variety. Well, maybe a small rodent here and there, unlucky as they are. Or a pet. Triton left him a message with instructions where and when to appear and which number to dial. Current time - 12:05, ante meridiem. He had about an hour to waste. Upon entering the diner on the corner, he sat in the corner of the diner. The floor was tiled with that classic red-and-white kitchen look, surprisingly cleaner than expected. Menu carte had the right amount of smudges on it, all made of coffee, dairy and good old pork fat. He ordered a "Philly Cheesestake", and a hot cup of joe. The rain started a minute before his food arrived and it came down like a heavenly tsunami. He cursed under his breath for not bringing an umbrella. The "Philly Cheese" was dripping grease, just a tad vile and tasting nothing like the real thing, or actual food for that matter. The coffee, on the other hand, was refreshing.
Excluding one fat taxi driver, and the staff of the establishment, there was no one else around. 'How hard will it be to find the guy?' The note states: "Carnegie hall, call this number (it implied a phone booth) and wait." That was all. 'Easy, right?' It was so strange, seeing how the toughest part of their job was already done, or at least that's what Triton thought. The first device was stored in China, in some well guarded complex. The whole extraction operation for the Blue Sphere, the first of the three Foundation Spheres, from some science research complex in Shanghai had the smell of a spy flick. Cold war and all that jazz. 'We even had a fucking helicopter and two hackers that got us in. That was actually most of the work. There were bullets fired too, of course, even an anti-air grenade, but aside from that, everything went as expected. Should be smooth sailing from here'. As he finished his trip down memory lane, Hyas took a glance at the clock and decided it was time to go. He paid the charming young waitress, leaving a hearty tip. Money was no issue when you live a few millennia or so. And being the son of a Titan had its perks, too. As he came out in the rain, his hand promptly cramped. Yup...that's exactly why he hated rain. Especially if thunder came with it. Zeus left him with a permanent mark, a scar that felt more like a wound that never closed. Hyas knew it was there to stay, until he slits that bastards throat, just like he did to everyone else. Well, not everyone. Some got away. Some, he let slip on purpose, feeling pity. Hyas felt a smile creep on his face as he once again saw Hermes's face, vivid in his minds eye, as the Olympians little post-boy burned in the high furnace of some wretched and abandoned factory in the south of Europe. 'Not even Gods can escape justice.' He caught the fat cabby as the man was entering his car and got himself a ride over to midtown Manhattan. He paid in a rush and ran for cover. He didn't get soaked, but it still caused him discomfort.
The time on the cellphone showed 10 more minutes. Putting the phone back, he took out a pack of "Gold Flakes" and lit the cigarette with a zippo that bore a "fleur de lis" engraved on both sides. He stared at the lighter, once more reminiscent. The lighter was previously owned by a young American soldiers during World War 2. He remembered blowing Apollo's head off with his Mosin-Nagant, somewhere on the dunes in the Sahara dessert, during the North African campaign. He was done with the cigarette when he glanced at his phone again. It was one minute passed the agreed time. Shit. Hurriedly, he took the number out of his pocket and dialed. After only one tone, a fine, well sanded voice of an older gentleman replied with a "Wait there". Then the line was cut. It wasn't long before a small fellow in an unseemly army raincoat came out of the Hall building. He signaled to Hyas to come over and brought him in through a back entrance. They went via a labyrinth of hallways and staircases, the old building looking less and less impressive with each turn. It once again changed when they went through the gate that said "Weill Recital", introducing them into a small concert hall.
