Sanctuary
Athens, Greece
12:38 PM

Scully's barely-contained scream echoed only at the entrance of the Pope's Temple. Mulder stood frozen, his eyes darting to survey their surroundings. To them, this seemed like magic, witchcraft, or outright madness, even though they'd already been told about Mu's specific power.

"You can breathe. You're safe,"Mu said, smiling.

"How…?"Scully tried to speak but was too stunned.

"Teleportation, miss."

"And that's how we got to your… home?"Mulder finally relaxed – though not entirely. Unknown places unsettled him, no matter how beautiful.

"Yes. Though you were unconscious at the time."Mu stepped closer to Scully, who seemed frozen in place."Forgive me, miss. I should've prepared you. I didn't mean to startle–"

"No, it's fine, I just…"Once again, Mu's presence calmed her almost instantly. How?"I'll be okay. It's just…"

"Then let's proceed. Athena awaits us in this hall."Mu took Scully's hand, and Mulder followed, unable to hide his irritation at the Aries Saint's closeness to his partner.

A reaction Mu didn't miss. And one Mulder immediately regretted revealing. If he could, he'd punch himself. He hated being read so easily. So he did what he did best: changed the subject.

"What about your friends? I thought they were coming here too…"

"They are. They should arrive any moment."Mu noted Mulder's skeptical look."The stairs, right? Don't worry, they're used to it."

With that, Mu led them toward the massive door at the end of the corridor. Soon, footsteps echoed behind them, and the agents turned, stunned to see Shaka and Shura catching up.

"Eh,hombre, how long were you lingering out here? We thought you'd already be inside."

"We decided to wait for you,"Mu replied, smiling. The great door swung open, and Scully was struck by the hall's beauty for the second time in a row.

Inside, Saori glided gracefully toward them. The three Gold Saints bowed slightly, and she returned their smiles. Mulder, unconsciously, mimicked the gesture. Scully, however, was still in shock: theirGoddesswas barely older than a teenager!

"I'm glad to see you're both well. My name is Saori Kido."She greeted them with a slight Japanese-style bow."I thought it'd be more pleasant to talk somewhere less austere. Shall we go to the overlook?"

They moved outside the temple. Saori gestured for the guests to sit, amused by their bewildered expressions. Clearly, they hadn't expected a young Japanese woman in place of the famed Greek goddess. Scully pinched Mulder discreetly, chastising his blatant disbelief. But Mulder ignored it and cut to the chase.

"Miss Kido, I assume you already know everything about us, but just in case… I'm Fox Mulder, and this is my partner, Dana Scully. We're special agents with the FBI."

"Yes, Agent Mulder, I knewofyou but not everything."Saori's smile was warm."Only what Mu shared when he brought you here. It's a pleasure to meet you both in person."Noting Scully's polite but tense smile, Saori took control of the conversation.

"I'm sure you have questions, so let me explain."Her English was flawless."First, you're probably confused about me, right?"The agents nodded, and Saori glanced at Shura, who understood the silent request.

"Saori is the reincarnation of the Goddess Athena. This cycle repeats whenever humanity needs it. Seventeen years ago, a new era began – and with it, battles that will decide mankind's future. Those outside these walls have no idea, but that's why we exist: to shield humanity from the scars of wars between gods, titans, and beyond. So, eighteen years ago, Saori was born as Athena's current incarnation.

Shura's explanation was clinical but perfect for the moment. Delving into the Sanctuary's bloody history would only needlessly frighten them. But thiswasMulder…

"Wow…"Mulder whistled."Scully, thoughts?"He couldn't resist teasing his partner, who must've been reeling. This was even better than the aliens he chased!

But Scully couldn't retort – her eyes were too busy widening.

"Ah, good, they're here! Now we can meet the others and have lunch."

Saori stood, waving cheerfully at Saga, Aiolia, Milo, and Camus as they descended from the upper hall that served as a library and office. Shura chuckled at the priceless look on the redheaded agent's face, while Mu and Shaka simply smiled. That effect was always worth it.

And the day was just getting started...

TO BE CONTINUED…