I was falling down.

Down.

Down.

Down.

I screamed, but no sound came out from my lips. Frightened and confused, I tried moving my limbs a little, but they were numb and frozen like ice. My body was spread out on all sides and I was still falling down the endless void, and I didn't seem to stop anytime soon.

When would it ever end? This is kind of bothering me now.

Instead of worrying further, I roamed my eyes around the place to examine where I was. There wasn't much to see, only darkness and darkness beyond.

Why did I even want to see Ben's memories in the first place? I'm really becoming too curious for my own good.

Before I could think of an answer, I felt my back land on a cold, smooth surface, which sent a shiver down my spine. I tried wiggling my fingers and they moved, unfreezing from their petrified state. I then slid my hand across the alien surface, feeling small squares on my fingertips.

Tiles? Am I lying down on a tiled floor? That's weird.

I slowly sat up and as soon as I did, blinding lights started to appear above me, revealing a corridor with colored doors.

And there were a lot of them.

The plain corridor had no turns and it seemed to have no end at all.

Curious, I walked towards the nearest door I was standing from. It was a white one and looked like it was newly painted. I held the bronze knob and turned it. The door swung open.

Uncle Ben was on the hospital bed beside me, hugging me tightly. Tears streamed down his face and his lips started moving, like he was saying something. I was sobbing uncontrollably.

I was shocked because the scene was happening in front of my eyes.

I just stood there by the door, unsure of what I was going to do. Both Ben and my other self didn't seem to notice me standing awkwardly outside. I waved my hand around to catch their attention but they just continued embracing each other.

Then it dawned upon me.

They can't see me because this is just a memory. Ben's memory. A recent one at that.

With nothing else to do, I closed the door behind me and looked once more at the corridor in front of me.

Corridor? It was more like a lane. . .

I trudged onward, checking each and every door along the way looking for Ben's memory with Athena.

As I did, I noticed that the doors' colors varied from time to time as I peeked at each of them. There were three main colors: white, gray and black. From what I have deduced, the white doors represented good memories, the gray ones neutral, and the black ones bad.

Most of the doors that have seen so far were gray doors, which contained not-so-memorable memories in the hospital, and there were several black ones too, showing. . . bad news that Ben got from Doctor Solomon about my condition. The only white door I saw was the first one that I have opened.

Ben had a hectic week in the hospital because of me. I should probably make it up for him sometime later.

Sighing, I continued walking and peeking at the doors. It looked that the further I walked forward, the more the lane stretched, showing more and more doors for me to open.

After checking what felt like a million doors, I leaned on the wall and took a breather. A heavy weight pressed down my shoulders, making me slide down and sit on the tiled floor. Sweat trailed down my face and I wiped it with my arm.

I glanced lazily at the doors nearby. A gray door stood across me, its dull color making me more tired than before. I yawned and closed my eyes shut for a few moments.

Maybe I'll just rest for five minutes. . .

I snapped my eyes open, the sudden thought of my purpose here jolting me awake. I shook my head to get rid of my sleepiness and stood up.

I have rested for too long. I have to find that memory before I get stuck here or worse.

On my right was another grey door, while a black one was on my left. I opened the grey door and saw Ben again talking to Dr. Solomon. I didn't know what they were talking about because they were like those old black-and-white movies, mute and colorless, but their faces revealed the whole story. Ben looked haggard while he was listening to whatever the doctor was telling him.

I sighed. Another hospital memory. I'm getting sick of seeing the same scenes in the same place.

I closed the gray door in defeat. Staring at the black door on my left, I reached for its doorknob and slowly turned it. The door creaked open and I peeked inside.

I was lying on the hospital bed, a white blanket covering my whole body except for my blank face. I was so soundly asleep that I didn't notice my chest rising until a moment later, making me think that I was. . . dead.

Ben was sitting on a chair looking at me, my memory self, so his hunched back faced me. His shoulders were slumped and his arms were dangling loosely on his sides. Ben began shaking his head vigorously as if he were denying something. His lips were moving but like before, not a word came out.

A blond woman appeared out of nowhere. She stood in front of the bed with her arms crossed. I noticed the way she stood confidently and how she talked to Uncle Ben with poise. There was only one person I knew who acted like that.

Athena.

Athena looked fine compared to when we were defending ourselves against Artemis. Her lips parted and closed constantly, suggesting that she was speaking to Ben, but like the rest of Ben's memories, she was mute. I tried reading her lips, but she was talking too fast.

While it seemed that she was talking to Ben, he, on the other hand, looked like he didn't want anything to do with it. He was distracted, and his eyes, full of melancholy, stared at my unconscious self.

Noticing Ben's somber state, Athena paused then sighed. She slowly walked to his side and patted him on his shoulder, this time her features softened while she spoke to him.

Wanting to see them closer, I stepped inside the memory. As soon as I did, the scene in front of me suddenly turned from black and white to colored. I started to hear Athena's voice too like someone turned up the volume with a remote.

". . .she would wake up," Athena told Ben. "Amelia will make it through this condition. I believe she's strong enough to do so."

Is that a compliment?

Ben, his expression still slack, looked up. "You think so?"

Athena nodded.

"I hope you're right." He weakly smiled. "I couldn't imagine what will happen if she. . ."

"Dies?" Athena finished, which made Ben wince. "I. . . couldn't imagine if she were to pass away so early. She has potential."

I smiled.

"By the way, Athena, how are your brothers doing?" Ben asked. "I haven't had the chance to meet them since I was looking after Mel."

"They're good," she replied. "Zeus's leg is almost healed, while Poseidon's already hydrated. Both of them are going to be discharged tomorrow."

"That's great," Ben said. "At least you three are going out of here."

"I could stay here longer to watch Amelia with you if you want," Athena offered. "Poseidon and Zeus can go without me tomorrow."

Ben stared at Athena incredulously. "You're too kind, young lady. . ."

I groaned inwardly. As if!

". . .but no," Ben continued. "Amelia's my responsibility. I'm the only one who should be taking care of her and no one else."

My eyebrows raised at his words.

"Are you sure, Mr. Miller? I really don't min—"

"No, Athena," Ben said, shaking his head. "I can manage. But you, on the other hand, I'm sure you're tired from looking after your brothers. You should take a break."

"But—"

"Athena," Ben intoned. "Take a rest. You deserve it."

"Alright, alright." Athena rolled her eyes. "But I'll come back here later."

Ben waved at her dismissively. "Just go, Athena. Kick back and relax."

"Your wish is my command, Mr. Miller." She mocked a bow. "Before I go. . . can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Where did Amelia get her necklace?" she asked. "I noticed it when we were at the museum, and it looked pretty."

What? She did?

Ben gazed at my unconscious memory self. "Her father left it for her as a memento." He brushed away some of the hair on my neck and pulled up a silver necklace. "Here, take a closer look."

Athena obliged and stepped closer, inspecting my necklace with a close eye.

"M-May I touch it?"

Ben nodded, and Athena poked the necklace with one of her fingers. The moment it brushed the surface of the pendant, it suddenly glowed with a green light which made Athena jerk her hand away.

"It's glowing!" Ben exclaimed.

It continued doing so for a few moments before its light faded and turned back to normal. Ben and Athena both sighed in relief.

So that's why I heard the word 'glowing' while I was unconscious. . .

"That didn't happen before," Ben said. "What was it?"

Athena stared at the necklace, her eyes wide. "When I touched it, I felt something."

"Felt what?"

"A strange energy," she murmured. "A powerful one. This necklace. . . it's a talisman."

"A talisman?" Ben echoed. "What are you talking about?"

"See those tiny symbols carved on the pendant?" She pointed at the necklace. "You might not notice at first, but those are Greek symbols forming some sort of incantation."

"There's no such thing as—"

"As magic?" Athena cut in, her tone suddenly serious. "After all that we've been through, you still don't believe what I'm saying?"

"No, it's not that. . ."

"Then you better listen," she said. "At the museum, when Amelia suddenly pushed us away with her. . . shockwave, Zeus and I saw her necklace glowing but I think she didn't notice it."

"So?"

"So I think the talisman activated when she used her powers at an extreme," she said. "I think this talisman she's wearing is a type that casts a spell or charm on its wearer. My mother told me that usually, the charm used here is either an enhancement or protective charm."

"Okay. . . So how do you know which one is used?"

Athena rubbed her chin. "If it were an enhancing charm, Amelia would've been able to easily unleash her powers. But that wasn't the case."

"So maybe it's a protecting charm?"

Athena slowly nodded. "That's the only possibility. But the question is, why?"

They grew quiet as they stared at the necklace. Athena scrutinized the necklace for a minute until she turned to Ben again.

"Where did you say she got her necklace from?" she asked.

"Um, she got it from her father—"

Her eyes narrowed. "Where did he get it?"

"I don't know." Ben shrugged. "Dmitri used to collect artifacts as a living. Maybe he got it somewhere along his travels."

"Hm. Although it's a rarity, it seems likely," Athena muttered. "Many ancient Greek artifacts were lost in time, most of them destroyed. This amulet though looks relatively new."

Ben looked at the necklace. "New? How so?"

"An artifact like this can date as far back as 4,000 years," Athena explained. "Even if taken care of properly, it would probably survive for only a thousand, give or take. By then, its magic would have been completely depleted and would be considered as useless junk."

"Junk? I think it could be a nice trinket."

"That's not the point!" Athena rolled her eyes. "What I'm trying to say is, I think Amelia's father—Dmitri, was it?—could've made this talisman himself."

"A-Are you sure?" Ben asked, glancing at my necklace nervously. "Maybe he bought it somewhere, or paid someone to make it for him."

Athena shook her head lightly. "I don't think so. The art of creating Greek talismans and charms has been lost for years. It would be quite difficult, impossible even, for someone to just make one, except if you were knowledgeable enough about its science. If what you just said is true, then Dmitri could have got his hands on a. . . recipe on one of his journeys."

Ben blinked. "That's absurd, Athena. Let's just forget about this."

Athena crossed her arms. "You're hiding something."

"What?"

"You're not making eye contact, and you're fidgeting," Athena pointed at his arms tapping on his knees. "I also saw your Adam's apple bobbing, suggesting that you swallowed hard. You know something about the talisman and you're trying to hide it from me."

I walked closer to them, suddenly becoming hooked with their conversation.

"Wha—that's not true! Why would I hide something from you?" Ben said quickly.

"Just spit it out, Mr. Miller," Athena said, her eyes glinting. "You can't hide it from me. There's a reason why I'm named after the goddess of wisdom."

Ben glanced between the talisman and Athena, then sighed loudly.

"Fine, you got me," he said, raising his hands. "I'll tell you. J-Just keep this between you and me, alright?"

"You have my word."