"Okay so." Sam begin ushering the three of them through a dark, dreary chamber underneath the castle. "There's this legend." Sam confessed with Patrick and Jason laughing, both shaking their heads. "I don't know, guys. Sam's family; they were into some pretty heavy shit during their reign, mine was to." Robin glanced over at the guys before bringing her attention to an old family painting. "It's funny that you said that, Robin cause your family is part of the legend." Robin slowly turned to face her; a puzzled expression on her face. "I don't know how true this is but supposedly, my grandfather and your grandfather were after the same treasure; and my grandfather, Mikkos double-crossed yours and hid the treasure somewhere within these walls." Robin stared around the castle before bringing her attention back to Sam. "Are you serious?" Sam shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, it came from Helena Cassadine so take it with a grain of salt."
"Do you believe it?" Jason asked as she slowly nodded. "I mean, she didn't tell it to me. I heard her talking to my uncle Stavros when I was very young and; I don't know. I guess I wanted to be like them and used to dream of coming here and hunting for that treasure. I didn't really have a lot of good people to model myself after. That's why I started working for Mac." Robin nodded with a smile. "and, Sam; don't worry about me saying anything to Mac. I understand that Jason is in danger and while I don't think that my uncle is behind anything, I understand not knowing who to trust." Sam thanked her before turning back towards the chamber; pulling a musty, old book to reveal a trap door leading down a long, spiral staircase. "holy shit." Patrick quipped out; his eyes dancing with excitement. "Y'all wanna go on a treasure hunt?"
:This is so awesome! It's like Tomb Raider; and Sam Is Lara Croft." Patrick exclaimed as they slowly descended the steps. "Patrick!" Robin chuckled while they shined flashlights at the bottom. "I take that as a compliment." Sam said smiling back at them. "Whose Lara Croft?" Jason asked as they turned towards a dark stone hallway. "You still think it's cool?"Sam asked turning to face Patrick as he swiftly grabbed his face, the odor hitting all of them like a ton of bricks. "What is that?" Jason asked hiding his face into his jacket. "It's sulfur." Sam and Robin both answered stepping off the last step; making their way through the stone opening leading into a long dungeon. "Sam?" Patrick quietly spoke he and Jason appearing behind Sam and Robin. "Why would your family have a dungeon with...cells." Jason shined his flashlight inside. "What are those stains inside?" He asked as they all turned to focus on the stains. "Probably blood." Sam replied.
Sam and Robin continued unfazed down the corridor of the dungeon while Patrick and Jason stood motionless, shock evident on both of their faces. "Did she say blood?" Patrick asked as Jason nervously nodded. "She was probably joking.." He assumed as they continued on behind them. "The Scorpio's and The Cassadines have been mortal enemies for centuries." Sam revealed tracing her finger tips along the rough, rugged edges of the walls. "Then how come you two are so chummy? Patrick quipped from behind them as they both turned to face him. "I think Robin and I became close through my cousin, Nikolas but The Cassadines also had a lot of bad blood with the Spencer's and I dated Lucky Spencer in High School so clearly I am fucking up my bloodline hate." Sam chuckled before turning back, continuing on to a large, towering door. "Guys? If you will?" Sam and Robin moved aside as Jason and Patrick pushed the heavy doors open.
"Oh my gosh! This is the original Great Hall!" Sam exclaimed with excitement as she hurried in; tattered curtain's revealing a monstrous thunderstorm outside. "Damn, I guess we are staying the night." Patrick groaned. "I thought you said it was 'like tomb raider'?" Robin poked at him. "I mean, it's nice and all but it shifted pretty fast from tomb raider to house on a fucking haunted hill." Patrick admitted, his uncomfortable stature evident. "That was actually one of my great grandmother's favorite films, according to my grandfather. He'd say that the miserable old woman had a passion for dark cinema." Sam noted tracing her hands along the dusty old hall table. "This actually looks like a scene out of gladiator or something." Robin circled the room while Jason glanced around; reaching out to wipe the dust from a mirror as it swiftly dropped, shattering to a million pieces.
"Damn, Quartermaine! You can't take anymore bad luck!" Patrick chuckled as Sam and Robin hurried over towards him, easing him away before kneeling down to collect the frame, and the large pieces. "It's not bad luck.." Sam argued shaking her head. "Sam, what's this?" She turned to face Robin who was now tracing her fingers through where the mirror used to be. Sam sat the frame down, walking back over to where Robin stood revealing a message in white paint, faded but still legible. "It's in Russian." Sam s pursed her lips trying to decipher it. "Where stone and shadow softly weave, Lords' hidden trove, secrets retrieve. In cryptic halls, a silent bloom, Discover the prize in castle's tomb" Sam read aloud as Patrick mockingly shrieked making all of them jump before laughter escaped from all of them. "I know it's a bit dramatic but my grandfather did have a thing for the theatrics during his reign."
"Okay, so; what does it mean?" Jason asked as Sam bit her lip before clearing her throat. "This may or may not freak y'all out but my family also has a mausoleum here; that's probably where it is." Patrick groaned; his lighthearted moment gone. "I thought you said you've never been here." Jason said crossing his arms. "I haven't but for some reason; we've always had a mausoleum or a graveyard; or as the riddle pointed out, a tomb." Sam said pointing at the writing on the wall. "You guys don't have to come along if your too scared." Robin laughed. "I am not scared. I am not scared at all but I am warning you, Cassadine! If I get lost in this maze of gothic creepiness, and I end up losing my fucking mind and eating my own tongue, I will be returning to haunt your ass!" Patrick warned as Sam nodded, a smirk on her face. "That's fair."
On the other end of the castle; the four nervously trailed down several stone steps leading into a large, dry crypt; they could hear the storm raging on outside while scanning each and every plaque that seemed to line out with each and every tomb opening on both sides of the walls but above the tombs; on top of the stone ceiling was a crest of a shield divided into quarters. In the top left quarter, a towering castle, in the top right quarter, a serpent intertwined with a key, The bottom left quarter features a sun and moon while the bottom right quarter features a blood wreath. "Fortuna Favet Fortibus." Sam read the motto below the the crest. "Fortune Favors the Bold." Robin translated. "Okay, I am officially freaked out! I admit it! Let's go!" Patrick begged, Robin pulling him further into the crypt with Jason following behind him. "It's somewhere in here." Sam assured reading each inscription on the small tomb stones.
Sam stood before those who'd gone before her, the cold surface engraved with names of the departed – Ivan, Dmitri, Aleksandr, Sofia, Natalia, Veronika, Mikkos Cassadine. As her finger traced the letters, a sense of unease settled in. "This...This isn't right. My grandfather wasn't laid to rest here," she murmured, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. Casting a scrutinizing gaze upon the inscription, she noticed something peculiar. The letters seemed unusually fitted, and her fingers hesitated on the 'C' in Cassadine. With a gentle push, it yielded, rotating on a hidden axis. A subtle grinding sound echoed as the tombstone seemed to respond to her touch. "Holy shit.." Patrick murmured in shock as Sam turned to face them, an expression of excitement painted on her face before the ground began to tremble beneath them. "What the fuck." Patrick yelled as a concealed door emerged in front of them.
"Woah!" They were all stunned; Robin and Sam knowing the family and their creativity were the least shocked. The door revealing a long, descending spiral staircase into the darkness. "We're not really going down there? Are We?" Patrick asked, Sam and Robin already making their way down the stairs; the echos of their steps surrounding them. "This is how people die in horror films!" Patrick groaned following Jason who remained as close to Sam and Robin as possible. "It's gonna be fine, Patrick. I can guarantee you that no one has been hiding in this secret passageway." Jason assured him as Patrick shook his head. "How do you know? How do you know that Leather-face isn't waiting to knock us off one by one?" Patrick suggested as Jason shrugged his shoulders. "i am not going to pretend to know who that is but look at this place; it's creepy, sure but it's clearly been empty all this time." Jason finished as they made it to the ground level.
Their surroundings were magnificent however dusty; gold trim all over the black, marbled flooring. Crimson, dark curtains all around them; the entire room looking like a scene out of some epic, mystery flick. "There it is!" Robin exclaimed pointing at the center of the room where a large, singular chest sat with an obscene amount of dust covering it; along with cobwebs and the occasional spider maneuvering across it. "This fucking treasure better be worth it!" Patrick growled as they slowly peered over to it; kneeling down in front of it. "What do you thinks inside?" Jason asked as Sam carefully examined it; a keyhole in the center of the side. "Hmmp.." Sam trailed off before digging into her pocket, fetching the large set of keys. "This was my grandfather's set of keys and I know pretty much what every key goes to but this one." She revealed a large, vintage key, a single sapphire emblem in the center of it matching the sapphire on the chest.
"Let's open it!" Robin encouraged as Sam knelled back down in front of the chest; slowly inserting the key, turning it; hearing a click before she pushed it open, a large gust of dust surrounding them before they all hovered over the opening. "Wow!" They all exclaimed.