Six days had passed since Adonis returned from Greece. It was early morning in the large villa where he lived with his family. The sun barely filtered through the thick curtains, illuminating the dust floating in the air. Adonis was sitting on the floor of his room, with the open suitcase in front of him. Among wrinkled clothes and folded papers, he was taking out the last things he hadn't put away yet.
—"I always save the worst for last..." —he murmured, annoyed.
It was then that his hand brushed against something cold and smooth. He carefully pulled it out. It was the small, empty perfume bottle he had used to store the golden flower.
He observed it for a moment. It was still the same as always: intact, with its gleaming petals, emitting a faint golden glow, as if a spark were trapped inside.
—"Not a single sign of wilting..." —he whispered.
He felt uneasy. The flower seemed like a secret too big for its little bottle.
Adonis held the bottle up to the light from the window, looking for any change, any clue. Nothing. The same faint, almost serene, glow.
—"What are you, really? Why do you keep shining?"
A dull thud on the door made him jump.
—"Broooother! Breakfast!" —shouted a child's voice from the other side.
—"Open up, we want to come in!" —said the other, nearly identical, twin voice.
Adonis huffed. Without thinking much, he stuffed the bottle with the flower into his pants pocket.
At that instant, as his fingers released it inside the pocket, the flower glowed brighter, like a living pulse. It was as fleeting as a flash. Adonis, distracted by the noise at the door, didn't notice.
The door swung open without waiting for permission.
—"Big brother, breakfast is getting cold!" —said one of the twins, bursting in.
—"Come on, move it!" —added the other, pushing him a little.
—"Hey, hey! Calm down! I'm coming," —protested Adonis, pretending to be annoyed as he got to his feet.
He brushed the dust off his clothes with a swipe of his hand.
—"Mom says if you're not down in two minutes, she'll take away your orange juice," —one of them threatened with all the solemnity of a royal messenger.
—"And we'll drink it," —added the other with a mischievous smile.
Adonis looked at them with theatrical annoyance.
—"You're little demons..." —he grumbled, but ruffled their hair.
—"Let's go now!" —said the twins, rushing out of the room.
Adonis looked at the open door, sighed, and touched the pocket where the bottle was.
The glass was warm.
—"Just stay quiet in there..." —he whispered without thinking—and left the room, following them towards the dining room.
In his pocket, the flower seemed to pulse softly, like a heart of light waiting patiently for its moment. Adonis went down the stairs carefully, listening to the echo of laughter coming from the dining room. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and toast filled the air.
—"About time!" —said his mother upon seeing him enter. —"If you'd been one more minute, your brothers would have eaten your portion too."
—"Lies!" —protested one of the twins with his mouth full.
—"True!" —corrected the other, making their mother laugh.
Adonis rolled his eyes and sat down heavily in his seat, right across from his brothers. He noticed them fighting with forks over the last bit of jam.
—"Civilized as always..." —he remarked in a mocking tone.
—"Shut up!" —they said in unison, offended.
The father looked up from his newspaper and hid a smile.
—"Good morning, Adonis," —he said calmly. —"Did you sleep well?"
—"Yes, quite well..." —replied Adonis, shifting a little restlessly. His hand felt for the pocket with the flower.
Again, he felt a slight warmth there. Like a pulse.
—"Again?" —he thought. He glanced sideways at the twins. They were distracted, fighting over the butter.
—"Could it be...?" —He shook his head to dismiss the idea.
—"Is something wrong?" —asked his mother, noticing his distracted expression.
—"Nothing, nothing... I'm fine," —Adonis said quickly, and poured himself some juice with exaggerated concentration.
Breakfast continued with light conversation. The father asked about the butler's tasks. The mother insisted the twins learn to sit up straight.
Adonis ate in silence, trying not to think too much about the bottle in his pocket. But he couldn't help remembering the intense warmth he had felt when they entered his room.
As if the flower... was reacting.
For a moment, his eyes met his brothers'. Both smiled with that innocence that made them impossible to hate.
Adonis sighed.
—"Idiots..." —he murmured.
—"I heard you!" —shouted one of them, pointing at him.
—"Mom, Adonis called us idiots!" —accused the other.
—"Enough, all three of you!" —said the mother in a firm voice, though a smile escaped her.
The father put the newspaper down completely and looked at Adonis with a raised eyebrow.
—"Son, when you're finished... I want to talk to you in my study," —he said calmly, but with a tone that brooked no argument.
Adonis swallowed.
—"...Yes, sir," —he replied quietly, lowering his head.
The atmosphere calmed a bit. Only the soft clinking of cutlery could be heard.
Adonis clutched the pocket with his hand, feeling that unsettling warmth. He knew the next conversation wouldn't be easy at all. After finishing breakfast, both Adonis and his father got up from the table and headed to the study to talk.
His father's study had always seemed like a solemn place to him. The dark wood bookshelves, the old books, and that smell of ink and leather gave it an air of unyielding authority. But that wasn't the strange part; the strange part was that despite that, it was a place where he could relax and feel safe.
Adonis entered slowly, closing the door behind him. His father was standing, looking out the window.
—"Sit down," —he said without turning around.
Adonis obeyed, clearing his throat a little.
Silence hung heavily for a moment. Finally, his father turned around, arms crossed.
—"Adonis..." —he began in a grave voice. —"Let's talk like adults, okay? Even though you aren't one, of course."
Adonis nodded, somewhat nervous.
—"I heard about the robbery in Greece. I heard it on the international news..." —his father said calmly, but his eyes were fixed on him. —"And I also heard there were injuries."
Adonis swallowed.
—"Yes..." —he replied in a low voice.
—"What I want you to tell me now," —his father continued, —"is exactly what you did over there. Without your mother present. Just between us."
Adonis shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
—"Dad... nothing serious happened to me. I swear." —He ran his hand through his hair. —"I arrived fine. I stayed in a hotel. The next day... well, I was going to go straight to the National Archaeological Museum, but I got a little lost, walked more than I should have. Of course, since I didn't find the museum because I got lost, I went back to the hotel, had lunch, and then went out again, but this time with the goal of sightseeing, going for a walk, getting to know the surroundings a little better."
His father frowned but said nothing.
—"The next day... I went to the museum." —Adonis lowered his voice, measuring his words. —"But it was already closed. That's when I found out about the robbery from a guard."
—"And do you know what exactly was taken?" —asked the father.
—"Well, what the guard told me they stole was a shield and a spear, apparently part of an ancient statue of Athena..." —replied Adonis, avoiding looking directly at his father.
—"Athena?" —repeated his father, frowning.
—"Yes. And also some ancient writings, things like that. That's all I knew." —Adonis shrugged. —"It was a disaster, Dad. I couldn't do anything. And seeing that I had nothing else to do in Greece... I came back."
The father was silent for a moment.
—"Is that all?" —he said in a low tone.
Adonis nodded. Although his hand, hidden in his pocket, clung to the bottle with the flower as if it were a talisman.
He hadn't told him anything about the ruins he had found. Nor about his strange encounter with Hades. Nor about the flower that wouldn't stop glowing.
The father sighed heavily and sat down opposite him, interlacing his fingers.
—"I understand. You were wrong to go alone, but I appreciate you telling me this. And..." —he paused, searching for words. —"It was dangerous, Adonis. There were deaths, do you understand?"
Adonis nodded, his gaze lowered.
—"Yes, Dad. I know."
The father sighed.
—"And I want you to know something else. In Egypt..." —he said, his brow still furrowed. —"When I was there, they also tried to rob us."
Adonis looked up, surprised.
—"What?"
—"Yes. It was a failed attempt. But they found things... fragments of pottery, bones, remains of an ancient civilization." —The father adjusted himself in his chair. —"And some writings... in ancient Greek."
Adonis opened his mouth but said nothing.
—"The curious thing is that some fragments mention Olympian gods. —" The father looked at him seriously. —"Although they are so deteriorated they can't be read well."
Silence took over the room. Adonis felt his heart beating strongly. His father continued:
—"I don't know if it's related to the robbery in Greece. Maybe it was pure coincidence. Or just tomb raiders... you know how it is."
Adonis bit his lip.
—"Yes... of course," —he replied, though inside, questions were piling up like a whirlwind.
The father studied him with his gaze.
—"I just want you to be safe, Adonis. And..." —he added with a sigh. —"Don't ever do something like that without telling us again."
Adonis lowered his head again.
—"I know, Dad. I'm sorry."
The father stood up and put a hand on his shoulder.
—"We'll talk about your punishment later. For now... go on, go help your mother with your brothers."
Adonis stood up, with the bottle safely tucked in his pocket.
—"Yes, Father," —he said in a barely audible voice before opening the door and leaving.
Later, gathered in the main living room, Adonis's parents made him sit facing them. His brothers were playing in a corner, but weren't missing a detail.
His mother was the first to speak:
—"Well, son. It's time to resolve this," —she said calmly, though her eyes accepted no excuses.
Adonis swallowed.
—"I already apologized..." —he attempted, raising his hands.
His father raised an eyebrow.
—"Yes, but that doesn't erase the fact that you went alone to another country without permission."
—"But I came back safe and sound!" —protested Adonis.
His mother took a deep breath.
—"We are not negotiating whether it was dangerous or not. You were irresponsible. If you had been in that museum on the day of the robbery, you could have died."
Adonis lowered his gaze.
—"I understand..." —he murmured.
There was a brief silence. The father settled into his armchair.
—"You need to learn some discipline," —he said in a firm voice. —"And your mother and I have already discussed it."
Adonis looked up with fear.
—"What... what do you mean by 'discipline'?"
His mother leaned towards him.
—"Your cousin needs a partner for fencing practice. You will be that partner," —she said, smiling maliciously.
Adonis opened his mouth, indignant.
—"What?! No! That idiot and I can't spend a minute together without fighting!"
The father crossed his arms.
—"Exactly why. It's a good punishment."
—"It's discipline. It's physical training. And it's only for 20 days," —added his mother with a calm but inflexible expression.
—"But Mom..." —Adonis tried.
—"None of that 'but Mom'. You will do it. End of discussion," —she concluded.
Adonis slumped back against his chair, defeated.
—"...Twenty days, right?" —he murmured.
His father nodded.
—"Twenty days. And if you comply, we'll talk about giving you a little more freedom."
Adonis narrowed his eyes.
—"Does 'a little more freedom' include... Greece?" —he said, raising his left eyebrow.
His mother raised an eyebrow, guessing his intention.
—"That will be a topic of conversation after you've served your time."
Adonis sighed deeply.
—"Alright..." —he conceded, without enthusiasm. —"I'll do it."
The twins, who had been listening to everything, broke the silence by laughing.
—"Brother is punished! Brother is punished!" —they chanted, amused.
—"Shut up, you two!" —snapped Adonis, though he couldn't help smiling a little.
His mother sighed and stood up.
—"Well, matter resolved. Now let's have dinner."
His father remained seated for a moment longer, looking at Adonis with a mixture of severity and affection.
—"You did wrong, son. But I'm proud that you are here for us to scold you."
Adonis smiled a little—more relaxed.
"I know, Dad. I know."