After what had happened, Adonis returned to the place where he had been before falling into the Elysian Fields.
—"What was all that...? It wasn't a dream, was it?" —he wondered to himself, his gaze still lost on the ruins. Everything he had just experienced seemed surreal.
— "Well... it will all become clear. Whether it was a dream or not, I'll know in two months," —he said aloud, remembering the promise he had made. His eyes shone, excited to discover what would happen when he returned.
With that, Adonis began to look for a way out of the place. He finally found one and, upon exiting, he walked until he found the old "Property for sale" sign. Without thinking, he took out his phone and took a picture of it.
—"This might be useful later..."
He checked his small pocket watch.
—"I got here at 9:00 in the morning... and now it's 9:59. Did only an hour really pass? I thought it had been at least seven... —" he whispered, confused.
—"Good thing it's still early. It would be so scary to be lost here at night!" —he said, shuddering as he ran out of the place.
A while later, he managed to find the road and took a taxi to the hotel. He was covered in dust, his clothes were torn, and his legs still ached.
—"Oh, little one,"—said the taxi driver—, "are you one of the new students from the prestigious Heliconios Academy?"
—"Huh? No... why do you ask?" —replied Adonis, puzzled.
—"Well, you're coming from that direction. The academy is about 60 kilometers from here. I was just curious... so, what were you doing out there?"
—"It's just that... I'm not a student yet, but my parents are going to enroll me," —said Adonis, lying a little to avoid more questions. It felt like an interrogation.
—"Ah, I see. Well, here we are, kid. That'll be fifteen Cenith. And good luck with your new year at Heliconios!"
—"Thanks..." —Adonis forced a smile, then muttered under his breath—: "What a nosy old man... though maybe he just wanted to chat."
Back at the hotel, Adonis went straight to take a shower.
—"What a day..." —he said as he got out of the bathroom and looked at the clock. —"It's already 11:00..."
—"I'd better go to the museum tomorrow. Today, I don't want to get lost again," —he commented, throwing himself onto the bed. Then his stomach growled loudly.
—"Well, I think it's time for a feast..." —he said, laughing, while greedily thinking about all the food he was going to order.
After having a good feast, Adonis checked the time again: it was already 1:00 in the afternoon. Time seemed to fly, as if every minute disappeared in the blink of an eye.
—"Well, I've eaten... now what do I do?" —he wondered, bored.
—"By the way, how is Dad doing on his expedition in Egypt? I'll ask him when he gets back," —he said indifferently, shrugging his shoulders.
—"Oh, that's right... that academy. What was it called? I don't remember well... But I should find out. Maybe it will help me find an excuse to go back," he said to himself, thoughtfully.
He then decided to go out for a walk, to get to know the surroundings a little better. Without realizing it, he ended up visiting the world's largest ecological reserve. There, he came across a herd of giant lions, creatures believed to be extinct. Their mere presence commanded respect and beauty.
—"Wow... how majestic they are," —murmured Adonis, fascinated.
After touring other tourist sites, he felt the weight of the day and fatigue. The sun was already beginning to set, staining the sky orange. It was time to return to the hotel.
—"Tomorrow will be more interesting... I'm finally going to the museum. I want to see with my own eyes what those archaeologists discovered," —he said with a smile before closing the door to his suite.
Adonis lay fast asleep, but little by little his breathing became agitated. His body moved restlessly, as if trapped in a nightmare.
He was dreaming about everything he had experienced... but the images were mixed with unreal fragments. He heard Hades' voice speaking to him, but he couldn't understand what he was saying. His voice was a distorted echo, as if speaking from the deepest depths of time.
He saw the glowing flowers again, the silver river, and that meadow of strange calm. Hades' voice repeated his name over and over, as if it didn't want to fade away.
Then, something changed. In the dream, the god approached and gently placed a small golden flower on his chest, which glowed faintly, as if made of light. And in that instant... the anguish disappeared.
Adonis calmed down and was finally able to sleep peacefully.
It was already daytime. The sun's rays hit his eyes directly, forcing him to wake up.
—"Oh... what a strange dream. But I slept incredibly well," —he said, stretching vigorously.
—"Now, for real! To the museum," —he added, excited.
But as he moved, he felt something small fall to the side of the bed. He turned his head to look... and froze.
There it was.
The same golden flower from his dream.
Small, intact, and glowing with a faint light, as if it were breathing.
—"And this...? How did it get here?" —murmured Adonis, shuddering.
He had no answers. But one thing was certain: it hadn't been just a simple dream.
After that, Adonis didn't want to overthink the matter. He knew that, in the end, he wouldn't find any answers on his own. If he wanted to know the truth, he would have to wait the two promised months.
He dressed quickly, putting on his best clothes, and went down to the reception to ask for the museum's address. And so, he finally managed to find the right way.
—"I finally made it!" —said Adonis enthusiastically, not noticing what was happening around him.
—"Hey, kid, what are you doing here?"—asked a guard from the entrance.
Adonis was in his own world, so excited that he didn't pay attention.
—"HEY, KID! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?"—the guard shouted louder this time.
Adonis, startled by the shout, jumped a little.
—"Hey, why are you shouting? Can't you see I'm happy to finally be here!" —he said, annoyed.
—"Sorry for shouting, but you weren't paying attention. And as I see it, you haven't heard... The museum was closed," —the guard explained seriously. —"Some thieves stole what the archaeologists had recently discovered."
Hearing this, Adonis's face filled with rage.
—"What!? What do you mean they stole it!? But I came personally to see that research and to help...!" —he exclaimed, indignant.
He felt disappointment. Pain. And a deep frustration for not having arrived earlier.
—"And how could that happen? Do you know what they took?" —he asked, desperate.
—"The robbery was completely unexpected," —said the guard. —"But you should be grateful you weren't here yesterday. People were injured... and one is in critical condition."
Adonis swallowed hard.
—"What they found was an ancient piece of Athena's statue. To be precise: the shield, the spear... and some writings from the ancient Athenian civilization. All of it was stolen."
Adonis clenched his fists. Not just because of the robbery. Not just because of the tragedy. But because he felt that none of it was a simple coincidence. Did those objects have some connection to what he had seen in the ruins?
He shook his head. Now was not the time.
—"Thank you very much for the information. And, well... it's also true I was lucky not to be here yesterday," —he said, lowering his gaze.
—"Have a good day, young man," —replied the guard, with some compassion.
—"Another wasted day..." —murmured Adonis as he walked away, his shoulders slumped.
But then he stopped. He clenched his fists tightly.
—"No... I shouldn't feel like this. It was unexpected, yes, but I encountered something much bigger..." he said, with renewed firmness.
And so, he began to walk back. With fewer certainties than before, but with a decision budding inside him.
Adonis arrived back at the hotel. He started packing his belongings quickly: he had already bought his return ticket a little while ago and the plane was taking off in two hours. He knew he had to be at the airport at least four hours in advance to avoid any unforeseen events.
Before leaving, he decided to take one last shower. As the water ran, he remembered the small golden flower. That detail, which seemed part of a dream, was still with him.
He carefully took it and placed it inside a small empty perfume bottle he found in the bathroom. There was something about that flower... something that told him he shouldn't lose it.
—"Well... it seems my little trip ends here," —he murmured thoughtfully, going over everything that had happened.
When he got to the reception and saw that everything was already paid for, he handed over the keys to the suite. Then, he remembered something:
—"Oh! One question," —he said.
—"Of course, go ahead, young man," —the receptionist replied kindly.
—"Do you know the name of an academy located around this area?" —he asked, showing her an approximate address on his phone.
—"Ah, of course. That's the Prestigious Heliconios Academy," —the woman replied with a smile.
—"Thank you very much," —replied Adonis, leaving the hotel and taking a taxi to the airport.
Later, Adonis was sitting in his seat, waiting for the plane to take off. He looked out the window with a mix of nostalgia and nerves.
—"Oh, of course... now that I think about it, what are the twins up to? My little, beautiful brothers are so mischievous... I hope Mom can handle them," —he thought, smiling.
But his expression suddenly changed.
—"Dammit... Mom!" —He brought his hand to his forehead. —"The real problem is her. What am I going to tell her when I get home? She's the one who's going to kill me! Dad would just talk to me... but she's a different story," —he said in a low voice, imagining the scene.
And then, the plane took off. The sky opened before him as Greece receded through the window.
His little adventure had ended in an unexpected way, with more questions than answers. But deep down, he knew that something much bigger was about to begin.
And well... he also had to figure out how he was going to save himself from his dear mother.