John pulled up to his brother’s house, thankful for the tinted windows as the car crawled through the paparazzi that lined the lawn. As they came to a stop, he spotted his sister, Jayne, standing in the doorway, arms crossed, waiting for them with a raised eyebrow.

  John murmured to Dawn, “Stay close,” before stepping out of the car and making his way toward the house, Dawn following close behind. They skirted around the paparazzi and walked up the driveway as the gate closed behind them.

  Jayne’s sharp gaze flicked from John to Dawn, and a teasing grin spread across her face. “Well, well,” she said, her tone playful. “I didn’t expect to see you bringing company.”

  John shot her a look that silently said, It’s not what it looks like, but Jayne only chuckled, unfazed.

  “Sure, sure, big brother,” she said, giving him a wink. “I’ll try not to make too much of a scene. But, I’m curious—who’s this?”

  “This is Dawn,” John introduced, turning to her. “Dawn, my sister, Jayne.”

  Dawn smiled and extended a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Jayne shook her hand with a sly grin. “Likewise. I owe you an apology for the paparazzi circus earlier. It’s usually a bit less... dramatic, but it’s part of the job.”

  Dawn shrugged it off. “I’m used to it. It was a little worse at the restaurant.”

  “Good to hear,” Jayne said, chuckling. She glanced at John with a teasing look. “Well, I hope it was worth all the trouble.”

  John smirked, clearly unbothered. “It was. Honestly, probably the best time I’ve had since I came back.”

  Dawn smiled warmly at him in return, which only made John feel more at ease.

  “Alright, enough of the small talk,” Jayne said, straightening up. “Let’s get to work. We’ve got things to figure out.”

  As they made their way through the house, Dawn’s eyes widened at the impressive size of the place, clearly taken aback by the opulence. The interior was sleek and modern, with a lot of open space. But it was the library that caught her attention the most. They walked toward the large glass-enclosed room that stood like a quiet fortress at the back of the house.

  The library was nearly all glass, framed by dark wood. It felt both vast and intimate, filled with rows upon rows of neatly arranged books. The glass walls provided an unobstructed view of the backyard garden, giving the space a sense of isolation, like a cocoon of quiet. The heavy wood shelves almost seemed to breathe with the weight of knowledge they contained, but it was the quiet stillness that made the room feel sacred. A perfect spot to escape from the world.

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  John noticed Dawn’s awe as she gazed at the room. “Jason loved this place,” he explained. “He designed it himself. Wanted a place where he could just get away from everything. The whole thing was built with soundproof glass, so when he was in there, it was like the world outside didn’t exist. He’d come here when he needed to focus or work.”

  Dawn looked at him, her brow furrowed slightly. “So he didn’t have many visitors?”

  “Not really,” John confirmed. “He had ‘people,’ but they were never around here. Just business, you know?”

  Dawn nodded slowly. “I get it. This is definitely the kind of place you’d go if you needed to think or focus.”

  Jayne suddenly turned to John. “Have you tried getting into the library yet?”

  John frowned. “No, I haven’t had a chance. Why, did you?”

  Jayne nodded, a hint of frustration in her voice. “I tried. I used the code Jason always had, but it didn’t work. I don’t know what he changed it to.”

  John shook his head. “Great. Just what we need.”

  Dawn, who had been quietly observing, suddenly pointed toward the book shelf. “Hey, is that book upside down?”

  John and Jayne both turned to look. Sure enough, one of the books was upside down, its spine facing up.

  “You think that could be a clue?” John asked, half-joking but curious.

  Dawn walked closer to the shelf, studying the book carefully. “Maybe. Or it could just be a mistake.”

  John wasn’t sure what to make of it, but nodded. “Alright, let’s check it out.”

  As they approached, Dawn went to the keypad and typed in 2-9-2-3#. The door clicked open, and John and Jayne stared in surprise.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” John said, his disbelief evident.

  Dawn shrugged, smiling. “It’s the Dewey Decimal for Greek mythology. 292. There’s three of us, so I thought I’d try it.”

  John blinked. “You guessed that?”

  Dawn simply nodded. “I have a thing for books.”

  “Well, apparently,” John muttered, still shocked.

  As they stepped into the library, John walked toward one of the shelves and pulled out a book. As he opened it, a small object fell from the spine and almost hit the floor. He caught it just in time—a coin. It was worn, faded, and in the shape of a tree with three branches but many roots.

  “Looks like a drachma,” Dawn remarked, peering over at it.

  John glanced at her. “How do you know that?”

  Dawn grinned, but her tone was serious. “Slept with a history professor. Kidding.”

  She turned the coin over, and John’s eyes widened. The face etched into the coin was unmistakable. “That’s Hades,” she said, her voice low.

  Jayne leaned in to get a better look. “That... kind of looks like you, John,” she said with a raised eyebrow, her tone half-teasing, half-serious.

  John stared at the coin for a moment longer, then glanced at Jayne and Dawn. “This is getting stranger by the minute.”

  As they continued to ponder the meaning behind the coin, John’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced down at the screen, his expression shifting to one of concern.

  “Mother’s here,” he muttered, looking back at the others. “We need to go.”

  Dawn quickly slid the book into her bag and the coin into her pocket. They all headed out of the library, knowing they had more to figure out but no time to waste.