I pulled my backpack over my shoulder as I stood at baggage claim in the Athens International Airport, my converse tapping against the white tiles, the murmur of the crowd echoing in my ears. The sound almost seemed muffled in my tired mind. Athens was eight hours ahead of my little city in north Alabama. My flight out of Atlanta International had left at three in the morning so I could arrive in Athens about midday to make my appointment at National Archaeological Museum. To get there in time I had to leave my house in the middle of the night and drive the three and a half hours. As I was a light sleeper, I was mostly awake for the entirety of the fifteen-hour flight. Simply put I was exhausted and running on the caffeine from an overpriced cup of crappy airport coffee…though that may have just been my opinion because I didn't and never had liked coffee…

I almost missed the pair of back suitcases that held the items that had warranted my trip in the first place. The amphorae and bull statue were safely secured in the larger of the two cases, that luckily for me, was equipped to roll. The black bladed weapon was in a smaller case on its own that I would have to carry, and the obols were in a velvet pouch that I'd packed in my carry-on. I reluctantly threw away the remainder of my coffee to trade it for my bags, making my way toward the exit of the airport, weaving my way through the throngs of people that occupied it.

I had no intentions of staying long, hence the small personal bag I carried. It just didn't feel right being here without Grandpa; we'd always talked about taking a trip here, but it had just never happened. One of the curators at the museum had been an old friend of his, and it was to him that I would be giving the artifacts. I'd never met Dr. Aetós but there were a few old pictures of him and my grandparents in Grandpa's home office. He'd assured me that he was eager to help me identify and catalog the items that I was bringing to him.

The cab ride into the city was quick to pull my thoughts away from both my grief and my fatigue. The bright blue sky shone through the gaps in buildings, prompting me to put on my sunglasses. It was the most beautiful shade of blue I think I had ever seen, but the noon sun made my tired eyes sting. The closer to the museum we got, the more beautiful the city seemed to become. Trees lined the streets and pedestrians filled the sidewalks, shops, and restaurants. Every now and then, I caught a glimpse of the famous Parthenon, which towered over Athens from the acropolis.

The cab driver was a boy who, frankly I was surprised to see driving when I had first got into his cab. He seemed to be a few years younger than me, looking like your average teenager…for the most part. He had a mop of curly brown hair and had olive skin that he shared with many of the pedestrians was creased by a tiny dimple that seemed ever present every time I caught a glance of them in the rearview mirror. He spoke surprisingly good English, pointing out various landmarks to me as we cruised through the city, asking me questions that I would consider normal enough for someone with such a friendly personality.

"So, your first visit to Greece. First overseas too, yeah?"

"Mhm. It is. I suppose I just never had much of a reason before. I prefer my books." I shrugged, grey meeting warm brown as my gaze flicked from the skyline to the mirror.

"You should travel more often. Builds character. Curbs boredom… Sure, it can hurt the wallet but there are plenty of ways to fix that." He shot me a wink and I rolled my eyes with a tiny smile.

"Yeah well for now college. Seeing the world can wait. It's not going anywhere."

"Yeah, but you won't be young forever. Travel, fili mou. Travel while you're young enough to do it. To put it off is to deprive yourself of the gift of youth. You should…Ah… gamó…" He was cut off by the shrill chiming of his phone. He looked down at the idea and sighed. "Sorry, I have to take this. Do you mind if I drop you out here?"

"Oh, yeah that's fine. How far is the museum from here?" nodding, I pulled out my wallet, pulling out thirty-five euros to pay the meter's fare.

"Maybe a twenty-minute walk?" He pulled over to the side of the road as I paid my fare through the slot that separated the front and back seat.

"Awesome. Thank you." I got out, pulling my bag over my shoulder and grabbing the smaller case from the seat next to me. My driver had popped the trunk, talking on the phone as he walked around to get my bigger case from the trunk. Smiling as I got out, I walked around to take my case from him, but as I was pulling it up on the curb, I wasn't paying attention and a man jogging ran into me, knocking me and my bags to the hard ground.

"Periméno…Hey! Ti sto kaló kánis!?" The driver put down his phone for a moment, to yell out at the guy but the man just kept going, taking only a moment to call back over his shoulder.

"Ai gamisou!"

"Prósehe pós milás!" He scoffed, turning back to kneel next to where I was gathering the items that had fallen from my luggage. He muttered into his phone, "Tha se páro argótera…Sorry about that. Assholes are a worldwide hazard."

"It's fine. Really." I pulled the smaller case to me, opening it for a moment to make sure the artifact hadn't been damaged before relaching it quickly The boy's brows were furrowed but he didn't say a word as he returned a few of the items beyond my reach, my passport, phone, and a small folding map of Athens. I took them with a smile, and putting them back into my backpack, save for the map, and turned to check on the other case. I took more time with this one since its items were potentially fragile, but luckily, the interior padding had saved them from damage. With a sigh of relief, I re-latched the second suitcase, brushing off my hands and knees-now slightly skinned, as I stood. "Well. Thanks again, but I really have to go. Have to hustle so I won't be late."

"I can just call him back"

"No, it's fine. The fresh air will wake me up. Worst part of travel is the sleep deprivation…" Shaking my head, I adjusted my grip on my bags."

"Look, at least call me if you need a ride. It's the least I can do to make up for your unpleasant welcome." He got up and opened the front passenger door of the cab, grabbing a pen and napkin from his glove compartment and writing down his number.

I folded it, slipping it into my back pocket before turning with a wave. "Thanks again!"

I walked down the street, the cool breeze feeling wonderful. It curled my ponytail and made the fabric of my top sway, cooling me down despite the Mediterranean sun. As soon as I reached my hotel, I was going to be sure to apply sunscreen so that my pale skin would tan rather than burn. I glance back at the boy as I turned the corner to see him kneeling on the ground one arm reaching under the cab. Probably dropped his phone when he was helping me gather my things.

I had been walking for a while, trying to keep up with my progress on my map, (though I probably would have had better luck with my phone's GPS, I was desperately trying to preserve the old failing battery.) and unfortunately, I had a God-awful sense of direction. I ultimately ended up having to catch yet another taxi to the museum, barely making it in time for my appointment with Dr. Aetós. Luckily, I didn't have to wander for long among the ancient relics. I managed to find a guide who had just finished with a school tour and she was nice enough to go find him. If I had been there for any other reason, I would have spent hours in the history-soaked halls.

"Ah, Sekora Midford. On behalf of the museum, welcome to Greece." Dr. Aetós was much younger than I had expected. I thought I'd be meeting with someone near Grandpa's age, but he didn't look a day over fifty…Maybe younger. He was sporting a neatly trimmed peppered beard that matched his hair, also neatly trimmed but long enough to curl under his ears. Blue eyes were accented by crows' feet and faint lines appeared on sun kissed skin around a white grin as he smiled, arms spread wide in greeting. He wore a gray suit that looked like it was tailored especially for him and suddenly, I felt very subconscious in my jean shorts and simple graphic tank top. "You look just like Grace. Your grandmother was such a fiery woman. Always kept Jasper and I in line and grounded when we were working together."

"Thank you. I'm happy to be here. Please forgive me if I'm a little out of it. I've been awake for two days straight now." Returning his grin, I traded the case from one hand to the other, extending mine to shake his.

"Well, you're in the old world now. Maybe you'll get lucky and Morpheus will choose to bless you."

"If only." Laughing, I followed him though the museum and into a small office with his name carved into the plaque. The office reminded me of grandpa's, completely unorganized to anyone who wasn't responsible for the mess. He did, however, have a table cleared off, a bright lamp shining down onto the white surface.

The amphorae were part of a set from the Greek classical period and were decorated with images of ancient athletes. The statue of the bull was supposedly Minoan and was beautifully decorated with still visible details despite its age. But the curved weapon made my heart stop…Mostly because when I opened the case it was nowhere to be found. A cold chill shook my spine and I felt my knees quake me. It was there earlier…I'd come straight here from the airport…The only time when it could have fallen out was when…

I grabbed my backpack, throwing it over my shoulder sprinting out of the office and down the corridor that led toward the museums exit, pulling my phone out of my pocket with the cab driver's number, time seemingly stretching forever as I willed my phone to turn on faster, suddenly regretting the decision to put off replacing it sooner.

Dr. Aetós barged into the hall from his office, calling out to me as I fled, "Miss Midford! Where are you going?"

I didn't respond, bursting out of the doors of the museum and sprinting down the marble steps drawing the eyes of several patrons and passersby. This had to be a misunderstanding. There was no way that the nice boy had robbed me. It had taken half an hour to get from the airport to the inner city and in that time, he hadn't raised any red flags. I may have been a loner, but I prided myself on being a good judge of character. He had seemed perfectly nice…Still I was in a foreign country and didn't know him at all. In busy cities like this, especially the ones who attracted international tourists, con artists and thieves weren't uncommon.

God, I was in a foreign country, by myself. He could have been a serial killer and I may have never known…Was calling this stranger really worth an old weapon? Yes…Grandpa would have wanted it in the museum, not in the hands of some thief. It was everything that he stood for. There was no way I could just let the boy get away with it if he had stolen it. My phone's screen lit up with its lock screen and I quickly opened it, putting in the digits that I'd been given. As it rung, I thought quickly about what I could say to get him to come back. If he was guilty and I let on that I knew, there was no way I'd ever see him nor the artifact again. They would disappear into the crowded city and the kopis would probably be fenced and sold to the highest bidder. I couldn't let that happen.

"Ya su."

"Hi, it's me…I'm done at the museum and I was wondering if you could give me a ride to my hotel?" I clenched my fist, silently willing my voice not to shake.

"Ah, of course. I'm on my way. Ta léme sýntoma."

I paced the sidewalk as I waited, though I didn't have to wait for very long. A cab pulled up next to the curb, passenger side window rolled down, a familiar smiling face across the car. With a tiny smile, I climbed into the back seat, telling the youth the address for the hotel I was supposed to stay in. Once again, he started up pleasant conversation with me and I tried not to appear too distracted as I responded, subtly glancing around the cab, desperate to find any clue.

It came when we were cut off. We'd been driving through an intersection when another car pulled out suddenly in front of us. The boy slammed on the breaks, sending me tumbling into the back of the front seat with a gasp, my heart racing at the near accident. He rolled down his window, yelling something in Greek at the reckless driver angrily and honking the cab's horn in one long continuous tone, but I wasn't paying attention. I was laser focused because from my new, semi awkward position, I could just barely spot a curved black blade peaking out from under the passenger seat.