"It seems like you have quite the mess on your hands my friend." Adewale sat back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his flat nose with his thumb and index finger.

  I had just finished explaining our long complicated situation, to which Adewale had respectfully mulled over. He continuously shook his head.

  "I am deeply sorry we did not arrive sooner. Perhaps if we had made it on time, we could have been of more assistance. Now, I fear we are only a welcomed distraction. At least this branch is better bolstered for the coming threats." He eyed me carefully as he spoke, gauging the impact of his words.

  "Coming threats?" I felt a lump form in my throat as my heart sank into my stomach. We were grievously unprepared for threats of any kind. The Cathedral was no longer as protected as it once was, and our team had dwindled to almost nothing. Even with the new edition of Adewale and his friends, we weren't in great shape.

  "Orion, surely you and your fellow Chosen have felt the shift. There are dark forces about; powerful enemies lurking in shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. I fear, with the Cathedral as weak as it is, this may be the moment they are waiting for." His mind seemed to be elsewhere now, as if reflecting upon the past. He had only been here a short time, and he had sized us up and picked us apart. The only person who had stuck to training was Tadashi, while the rest of us sat around waiting for things to happen.

  "What exactly are we up against? We know about Damien and Eris, but we aren't quite sure what their end goal is." I stood, my anxiety getting the better of me. Adewale moved with me and motioned for me to follow him. He led me across the library like he knew the place well. We reached one of the great big white boards and he began to draw symbols. I took a seat in front of him, ever the diligent student.

  "Those are the Greek Gods." I called out, recognizing the symbols. Ade nodded.

  "How many of those do you recognize?" He asked, his dark eyes searching my face.

  "All of them. Those are the major Gods of the Greek pantheon."

  "Very good. Most people in our organization will recognize these. We deal with a lot of their Artifacts and other things related to them. Now what if I showed you these symbols?" He took a few moments and drew out a huge circle of symbols and figures that were only vaguely familiar.

  "Can't say I know those ones." I told him, studying the symbols.

  "As I suspected." He shook his head and I frowned at him. "Of course, I mean no disrespect. These symbols are less common. These are the minor Gods of the Greek pantheon. As you can see the major Gods are deeply outnumbered." He stood back and looked over his work.

  "How is your Greek Mythos?" He asked suddenly.

  "My father made me study a lot. I'm pretty well versed." I told him. "Perseus, Herakles, Bellerophon, Odysseus." My boast didn't seem to phase him, as he continued.

  "Then you remember how Zeus and his brother's came into power. They destroyed and banished the Titans, Zeus chopping up his father Kronos into pieces and throwing him into Tartarus. Now, what if I told you, that the minor Gods, unrecognized and underpowered, are looking to do the same thing?"

  I stared in disbelief. An uprising and displacement of Gods in an era where they were all weakened by lack of faith. Now was the perfect time.

  "As we speak, the minor Gods are putting plans into motion that have been years in the making. Eris has been capturing and creating mutant hybrid monstrosities from the dwindling population of mythical creatures. Nemesis, who the Order has dealt with before is looking to bring vengeance to everything we stand for and all we protect. Hypnos, is trying to enact a plan that would plunge the mortal world into an eternal nightmare. And that's just the three we know about." He explained.

  Our encounter with "the modern demi-god" in Athens made sense now. And the emergency monster problem at the Manor. It was all some larger plot for domination.

  "We ran into the child of Eris in Athens last summer. He found the Spear of Longinus. And Anders went to deal with a monster attack that I can only assume was Eris's doing." I told him.

  "Then it is as I feared. We may already be too late. If the minor Gods have obtained the Spear, then soon they will move to slay the major Gods and disrupt the balance. The impact on the mortal world could be catastrophic." Ade moved back from the white board and began to pace. After a moment he snapped his fingers.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "Have any of your Chosen been approached by the major Greek Gods? Any interaction at all, like a sign or a prophecy?" His eyes brightened with reignited fury.

  "Uh...actually, yea. Amelia saw a projection of Athena when we were in Athens. She showed her where the Holy Grail was to bring her brother Ethan back to life. Told her she was a daughter of Athena."

  "Ah! That is exactly what I mean! And if you have the Grail, then perhaps not all hope is lost." He clapped his hands excitedly.

  "Problem is, Amelia hasn't seen any sign of Athena since, that I know of. And the Order confiscated the Grail." I told him, stealing some of his mirth. Poor guy.

  "I have sworn myself to Poseidon in hopes that we might work together through this time of strife, but I have yet to receive any notice from him. Tell me Orion, do you believe that you and your team are worth of the Greek Gods blessings? Could you champion their cause?"

  Instinctually, I wanted to answer yes. But thinking about it, it was hard to place each Chosen from the Cathedral to a different Greek God. We didn't exactly line up with a lot of their beliefs. Besides, there had to be other Chosen more deserving, more powerful. There were so many of us all over the world. Why should this burden fall solely on us?

  "Maybe. It's hard to tell." I chuckled, trying not to let my building fear seep out. Adewale cocked his head, his smile drained.

  "We must work on your faith in your team, my friend. And your faith in yourself." He smiled again but his eyes showed concern. He saw right through me. Saw my doubt and how I've held this makeshift team together with metaphorical duct tape even before everyone left.

  "I can't risk endangering anyone else here. My sister, my parents, my friends. If this threat is as big as it seems, I don't know if we're equipped to handle it. We are at barely half strength with Erik, Dyson, Ethan and Kalysta gone. Hell even Anders and Chase are out of the question. We don't have any leadership, no one to plan out missions. I just don't know..."

  A big hand rested on my shoulder and I realized I was hyperventilating.

  "Now is not the time for doubts my friend. I will aid you as best I can, as my father aided the Cathedral many years ago." He gripped me tightly, and something about his eyes and his warmth were reassuring.

  "Wait, your father?" I sputtered out, realizing what he had said.

  "Yes, my father was Gideon Solarin, former Master of the Cathedral. Anders specifically requested my assistance." He said proudly. I looked Adewale over in a new light.

  Gideon Solarin was legendary. He was basically a mythical hero in his own right. There were stories that Anansi, the Spider God did Gideon's Bonding Ceremony, granting him Mmaagha Kamalu, an ancient broadsword forged from various metals and infused with celestial energy. Its hilt was said to be pulled from the wood of the World Tree. Anansi put Gideon on a crusade, freeing African slaves and defeating the evil of mortals in that dark time. He went on to become a renown fighter and eventually was given the Cathedral to reforge into something worth a damn for the Order.

  I nerded out hard core, and Adewale could tell.

  "I see you know of my father." He said with a grin.

  "Hard not to! He was one of the greatest heroes the Order ever knew." I smiled back. "Hold on a second. Didn't Gideon die almost twenty years ago? How old are you?"

  Adewale kept smiling, but I could tell the mention of his father's death still hurt him. There was something bubbling beneath the surface, and I didn't want to pick.

  "How old do you think I am?" He asked me, chuckling.

  "I thought you were around my age." I shrugged, clearly wrong.

  "I was five years old when Anders came to Africa and told my mother and I of my father's passing." Adewale stopped smiling, his face suddenly serious and grim. "He told us my father was killed by a man with a cursed sword; a sentient blade that drove an innocent man to murder. But I could see it in his eyes, there was more to the story. I joined the Order of Vigilance, hoping to find more information on my father's killer, but there is nothing. When Anders reached out, I had hoped to speak with him about it, but alas, he is also not available."

  "And might never be." I said sadly, thinking about poor Anders in a coma. Despite Seraphina's best efforts, he was still gone and we were lost without him.

  "I have faith he will recover. Anders was beloved by my father, and he often wrote to us about his power and potential. I knew so much about the man, growing up, I thought of him as an older brother." Ade patted my arm, and came to sit beside me, his eyes going back to the white board.

  "So, what do we do now?" I asked, motioning to the white board and all the symbols of the Greek pantheon.

  "I think its time to rally the troops. I say, we make our own mission." He said without looking at me, but the smile returned to his lips.

  "But where do we start? We don't have any clues as to where to look for Damien, and I certainly don't know how to seek out the Greek Gods. That whole Athena thing was totally by accident." I couldn't believe that he was suggesting we leave, especially with the Cathedral so vulnerable.

  "Well, lets break it down. You said Damien is recruiting monsters to his rebellion against the Order and to support Eris' cause, yes?" He turned to me with that grin, which I was just then understanding, meant mischief.

  "Uh huh." I responded.

  "Well then, let us go to where monsters gather, and find information." He told me. I didn't know how I felt about wandering into a monster den and demanding answers. Something told me that was an easy way to get unalived. He must have gathered what I was thinking from the look on my face because he laughed.

  "I'm not talking about walking into Echidna's nest, Orion. The Old World has all kinds of places here in our world that are easily infiltrated." Adewale pulled out his cell and did a quick Google search, then turned his phone to me.

  "Sanctuary Nightclub?" I read out loud. "What are we going to find there?" I had never been to a nightclub before and had no idea monsters loved that scene. And then it hit me as soon as he said the word, and my face went pale.

  "Vampires."