Sanctuary – Main Arena
Athens, Greece
05:47 AM

"You're late."

"Milo, manners," Camus scolded, then greeted Mulder with a quick handshake. With Scully, he repeated the courteous gesture from the day before, delicately kissing her hand.

Milo huffed and looked away. Mulder silently cursed under his breath. Aphrodite smiled – and Mulder definitely caught it.

"Please, have a seat. You can watch from here. It's safe – the distance is good, but you'll still get a great view of everything going on. Okay?" Shura was surely enjoying his role as the official guide, finally putting to use a language he never thought he'd need.

"Eh, spagnolo! Viene destra!" Deathmask shouted, waving Shura over – but then threw a charming smile at the redheaded agent as soon as he saw her. Scully blushed despite herself.

"¿He, carcamano!" Shura yelled back, then turned to the agents. "I'm heading down. We're having lunch in the village today, okay? It'll be fun…" He winked at Mulder before bounding down the seemingly endless stairs.

The agents took in the view. From their vantage point, they could see there was still a vast area beneath the arena level, and in the distance, what looked like a small town. It was beautiful – the first rays of sun painted a rosy glow across the white-washed buildings.

"This place is beautiful…" Scully murmured, more to herself.

"It really is. There's an incredible beach on the other side," Milo commented, immediately catching both agents' attention.

"I'd love to see it… is it within the Sanctuary limits?" Scully asked, still captivated by the horizon.

"It is. Maybe we could go later this afternoon. What do you think?" Milo glanced at Camus for approval.

"I suppose so," Camus replied briskly. "Excuse us? We must go down – Aldebaran and Shaka will be left without sparring partners if we're late. Let's go, Milo."

Milo brushed dust off his loose pants, smiled at the agents, and they both watched as the two knights calmly made their way down the massive staircase.

As they descended, Camus didn't hold back.

"Milo, what were you thinking? You know we avoid the cape. Why suggest the beach to the visitors?"

"You guys may avoid it, I don't. I'm not haunted by it like the rest of you. Honestly, you should all get over it and just appreciate the place for what it is!"

"It's disrespectful to Saga, and you know it."

"Come on, Aquarius."

Back in the stands, Mulder and Scully were soaking in a surreal kind of silence. Sure, they could hear distant voices from the arena and birds singing in the trees, but aside from that, it was a stillness they had never experienced before. Life in America simply didn't offer moments like this.

"Mulder?"

"Hm?" Mulder had leaned back against the higher step, looking relaxed but still a little groggy.

"This place is surreal, isn't it?"

Mulder paused before answering. Of course it was surreal. They were tucked away in a place the rest of the world didn't even know existed, ruled by a reincarnated Greek goddess in the body of a Japanese girl, surrounded by young men with superpowers. And he had a feeling those twenty-somethings down in the arena carried enough stories to fill entire X-Files cabinets.

"Mulder?"

"Yeah… yeah, it is," he replied, not really wanting to get into it.

"I'm getting used to it, but I can't help thinking… don't you think Mu could easily be classified as an alien, by your standards?" Scully smiled slightly, knowing the comment would get at least an eye-roll. Of course she didn't really think that – but she was dying to hear Mulder's opinion.

"Scully, come on." Mulder turned to her. "No, I don't think Mu is or even looks like an alien. And stop joking about serious stuff."

She didn't answer – just raised her hands in mock surrender. Mulder shook his head. He'd never understand her. She was acting way off lately. This place was messing with the universe's balance for sure.

"Mu has supernatural powers, that's all. He's Lemurian, remember what Shaka told us? Ever heard of the Lemurian myth?"

"Yes, I've read about it."

"Well then, there's your myth, Scully." Mulder grinned, satisfied.

Down in the arena, the sparring had begun. They were watching hand-to-hand combat that looked like normal training. A few people stood around the arena, observing from closer. Mulder and Scully had only one word to describe what they were seeing:

Incredible.

Aldebaran and Camus were training at a distance – Aldebaran using his fists to block what looked like blasts of ice from Camus. Mulder was intrigued – so that was the French knight's power: ice manipulation. Scully was speechless. How could someone control elements like that, visibly?

Closer to the stands, Shaka and Milo seemed to be practicing Greco-Roman wrestling. Mulder recognized the moves from the TV. What he didn't expect was that the long-haired blond would be so fierce. Both were on the ground, with Milo trapped under Shaka but refusing to tap out.

"Look at that, Scully!"

It was Mu. Aiolia had landed a dazzling blow on his shoulder – but in seconds, he was suspended mid-air, unable to move.

"Damn it, Mu! Put me down!" Aiolia shouted, clearly rattled. He punched and kicked the air – but nothing worked.

Saga couldn't hold back his laughter, interrupting the psychic barrier he'd been forming against Aphrodite, who let out a hearty laugh himself. Shura and Deathmask, who had already stopped sparring and were just cooling down, also turned their attention to the scene. As funny as it was, Saga stepped in.

"Aiolia, focus your cosmos on the points Mu's binding. Try to counter his energy with yours…"

"Yes, Aiolia…" Mu said with a sarcastic laugh. "Neutralize my cosmos… but you'll have to find the right points, dear friend."

Aldebaran had come closer to watch, but was taken aback by Mu's tone – he wasn't usually sarcastic or aggressive.

"You–" Aiolia began, but caught himself – some of the Amazons had arrived, and he didn't want to be rude.

"Come on, Aiolia. Break free. Didn't you say dumb telekinesis couldn't hold you?" Mu stood still, arms crossed.

"Oh boy…" Milo scratched his head, still sitting on the floor. "Big mistake making fun of that…"

"Eh Virgo," Deathmask grinned, "Go tell tuo amore to let the poor Leo go, this is too embarrassing already…"

"Ohm…" Shaka patience was running thin but he held back as Saga stepped forward again.

"Mu, let him down," he asked calmly.

Mu turned and left the arena. Seconds later, Aiolia dropped like a rock – no time to brace for impact. The crash was loud. Shura and Deathmask were still laughing uncontrollably, joined by Aphrodite and Milo. Aldebaran followed Mu into the locker room. Saga offered Aiolia a hand – he stood with some difficulty. Shaka watched both the arena and the door where the two had disappeared.

"You okay?" Saga asked.

"Of course I am!" Aiolia snapped, clearly embarrassed of being shown up in front of so many people. "Crazy Aries…"

"Mocking someone's core ability wasn't the smartest move, Aiolia…" Camus added. "But I hope that's all it was."

"You done with the arena?"

Shina had her hands on her hips. The other Amazons stood nearby, but she always made herself heard.

"Donne arrivati…" Deathmask smirked at them and nudged Shura. "Your beloved – fiery and impatient as ever."

"Shut it, carcamano... si ella escucha, nos mata los dos!" Shura whispered, smiling toward the newcomers.

"We're done, Ophiuchus," Saga replied calmly. "Mind if we stay and watch? We have guests."

"As long as you don't mind your guests seeing how much more productive our training is…" Shina shot a pointed look at Deathmask and Shura, who were still laughing.

"Not at all – go ahead," Saga answered, smiling faintly. He knew Shina's jab wasn't meant for him but for the eternal troublemakers behind him. One day those two would learn not to mess with the Amazons. "We'll head up. Come on, everyone."

"I'm going to talk to Mu," Aiolia muttered. "Catch up later."

A few minutes later, they rejoined the agents in the stands. Mulder was clearly still processing what he'd seen.

"What was that down there?" he asked, baffled.

"Just a minor disagreement," Aphrodite replied with a chuckle.

"Mu seemed upset," Scully said, glancing toward the locker room.

"Yeah, looks like Aiolia said the wrong thing. We just don't know what," Milo commented, sitting on a lower step and tightening his sandals.

"But what exactly did Mu do?" Mulder asked – until now, he'd only seen Mu move objects, not people.

"I thought it was the Crystal Net," Saga said, "but Aiolia was still able to move. So it must've been plain telekinesis."

"And you can't break out of his telekinesis?" Mulder asked, even if the answer felt obvious.

"I can," Shaka said. The others looked at him, surprised. "And Saga knows how, too."

"I know how," Saga clarified, "but I've never tried, so I'm not sure I could."

"So Mu's bound you with telekinesis before?" Shura teased, smirking. "What was that like?"

Shaka didn't answer, slightly red. Aphrodite shook his head.

"Shura, don't be rude. You know we have our disagreements sometimes!" Then with a sly smile, he added, "Like that time I had to drag you and this carcamano out of the village's party… What did you dream about during those three days you were knocked out?"

The two fell silent, both turning beet red at the memory.

"They were so drunk that when Aphrodite and I showed up to collect them, they tried to attack us," Milo laughed. "They could barely stand. But they picked the worst day to mess with Pisces here – he whipped out his knockout roses, and it was lights out in thirty seconds flat. Carrying them home was the hardest part."

"Don't laugh, Milo – we've had to pick you up from town plenty of times…" Deathmask shot back.

"Oh, definitely," Camus agreed. "I've made too many midnight runs for you, Milo."

"Yeah, well, at least I don't go around messing with the Amazons…"

"Speaking of Amazons… who's that one? She's really going hard on the other girl," Mulder said, pointing.

"That's Shina, from Ophiuchus. She's Silver Company. The other one's a trainee," Aphrodite squinted at a heavy hit the girl took. "Yikes. They're intense today – it barely looks like a 'free' session…"

"She seems strong… and tough with the girls," Mulder said, eyes still on the arena.

"She's also fair and kind," Shaka added, drawing surprised looks. "What? They're just different from each other. Marin is softer; Shina is fire."

"Marin's not soft – she's just polite," Milo added seriously. "But yeah, she's way gentler with her trainees than Shina. Just look…"

Marin was also training some girls – but instead of sparring, they were seated in a circle.

"Is she teaching meditation?" Mulder asked.

"No, not quite…" Saga focused on them. "She's teaching them how to focus their cosmos and control elements. Look – some have glowing hands, others are shifting the air around them…"

Scully, who'd been watching attentively, now had wide eyes. Some girls had fire-like energy in their hands; others created tiny whirlwinds around them. To the untrained eye, it might've looked like they were just sitting there – but up close, the phenomena were astounding.

"How old are these trainees?" she asked, astonished.

"They start at eight. The ones who qualify begin training around ten or twelve. These here are more advanced – probably fourteen or fifteen," Saga explained. "They usually earn their Amazon titles by sixteen."

"But the instructors look so young…" Scully was amazed all over again.

"They are. Like I said – Marin and Shina had to grow up fast. They're from a generation that had no choice. I think Marin and Shina are about nineteen or twenty now. They became Silver Amazons at twelve, skipped the Bronze phase."

"Tough times, old guy…" Shura said with a grin.

Mulder chuckled. Scully knew what had made him laugh: the phrase coming from someone who looked so young. But the more she looked at Saga, the less youth she saw. His eyes were so deeply sad. Like they carried centuries of pain.

"Scully? What is it?" Mulder asked, noticing her expression.

"Nothing… sorry," she murmured, glancing away from Saga.

"Don't worry, Agent Scully…"

Saga had noticed her gaze and regretted not hiding his darkness better. Though even if he wanted to, he doubted he could – not under the scrutiny of such a sharp observer.

"Shall we head down? Lunchtime's coming, and we've got a bit of a walk to the village," Milo said, sensing the shift and steering the mood. "Let's go before the sun gets too hot!"

TO BE CONTINUED...