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chapter fifty nine
ITS GENIUS
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"Where the hell were you guys?" Pope hollered as the jeep parked, the trio jumping out.

"Paternal complications." Kie stated.

"Luke was at the Chateau." JJ spoke, reaching into the back.

"Oh great! While you were having family time with your pops, John B got bit by a gator." Pope yelled, the three looking over with wide eyes.

"Holy shit." Athena gasped.

"Like, for real?" JJ raised his eyebrows.

Sarah pointed at John B's leg, "Does it look like we're joking?"

"Well, we couldn't help that Luke ambushed us! It's not liked I prayed for John B to get bitten by a gator!" Athena shouted, getting defensive at the group shouting at them.

"What the hell even happened?" Kie asked loudly.

"He got bit by a gator!"

"I got bit by a gator!"

"No shit Sherlock I have eyes." Athena scoffed.

"I dunno why we're being yelled at. I put my ass on the line." JJ spoke.

"You're being yelled at because it was 20 minutes—"

"We got here as fast as fast as we could!" Athena exclaimed.

"We got you Athena's jeep." Kie added.

"I'd like to point out that if the three of you ignored Luke, John B would have never gotten bit!"

"Well maybe getting bitten by a gator will give him some freaking common sense."

"Athena!"

"Like you can talk, you have no common sense whatsoever."

"Excuse me."

"Rude."

"I'm not the one that keeps dragging us into life or death situations."

"You were the one that helped us in the hotel."

"Yeah so you didn't go to jail for breaking and entering or some shit." Athena shouted. "And even if I didn't you still would've found a way anyway."

"It was your dad and brother that tried to kill us."

"It was your dad's research that got us into this mess."

"Okay, calm down! We got here as fast as we could!"

"Really?"

"Yes, smart ass!"

"Shut up!" JJ cut into the five arguing, their eyes turning his way to see him red in the face with and overly stressed expression. "Seriously, guys, I can't take it anymore, all right? Everyone just cut it out for a second."

Athena bit the inside of her mouth as JJ leaned against the tree and began again, "Look, I just helped my dad leave this island for good. Like, he's never coming back. He straight up like the Spanish, just, 'bon Voyage.'"

"That's French."

"That's not the right language..."

"All we got, and I know for a fact all I got is you guys, okay? You're it." JJ waved his arms as he looked around at the group, stopping on Athena a little longer, "And I've come too close to losing, all of you!"

He pointed towards Kie, "I mean, shit, you almost drowned! Pope you were kidnapped. Sarah you've been shot. John B, you were almost dinner for a freaking gator, bro. And Attie, jesus Christ, I can't even keep up with the amount of shit that's happened to you anymore."

Athena laughed slightly, sending a sad smile to JJ as he continued with his speech, inhaling a second. "So, this blaming each other is some Kook-ass bullshit, all right? We don't do that. Okay? We're pogues. Sorry, that was a lot right now."

The group shared a look before they slowly to applause him, JJ scoffing in disbelief, flipping them all off with a shake of his head.

"That was the best freaking speech you have ever given." John B announced his way.  "Also, you should think about, like, a Rosetta Stone because your Spanish and French are flip-flopped."

"We should bon voyage out of here." Sarah spoke loudly.

"Okay, you're telling me Denmark Tanny decided to hide the cross here?" JJ asked in disbelief, looking around at the abandoned and beat down church.

"It's pretty genius actually." Athena shrugged. "I mean the first place I said he would have hidden it was a church and none of y'all believed me because it was too obvious."

"Everybody just spread out." Kie encouraged.

"Okay, well, if I was a cross and wanted to be hidden in an old church, where would I hide?" John B spoke aloud in questioning.

"Are you sure Denmark hid the cross here, Pope?" JJ asked. "Like, are we at the right church?"

"It's gotta be here somewhere, guys." Pope shook hid head, standing at the alter.

"What if we gave to push a secret button or, like, okay, like a... a certain chord, and then all of a sudden, the ground beneath us reveals the catacombs or something on which we stand?" JJ spoke up as he looked down at the ground, standing near the piano.

"Why don't we look for more obvious clues?" John B suggested.

"It's not an escape room." Kie rolled her eyes.

"It's gotta be in here!" Pope snapped suddenly.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." JJ rose his hands in defense.

"You could get actually married here." Athena whispered to Sarah as they looked around.

"We're not even together." Sarah deadpanned.

"Not yet..." Athena trailed off. "You will be... again. Just like at the beginning of summer when I predicted you two would get together I know this. Twin tuition."

"Shut up." Sarah stifled her smile.

"I cant see where they'd hide a giant cross here." John B said, taking note of the lack of hiding spots around them.

"No, no. There's no way he would set us up on a freaking goose chase that would lead us to a church that has nothing." Pope stressed, throwing his arms around, his eyes wide.

"Yes, I get it. I don't know what to tell you mean." John B shook his head.

"The clues led us here. The cross is in this church." Pope repeated slowly.

"Pope, it'll be alright." John B stated as Pope threw himself onto one of the benches. "We've had setbacks in the past and we've figured it out."

"He's right." Kie agreed.

"We've just gotta think about this logically." Athena added.

"Right, where else would you hide a seven foot tall cross made of gold?" John B asked, calming them all down.

Pope lowered the eyeglass, staring at the ceiling.

"What?" JJ asked as Pope stood up.

They followed his gaze to the ceiling, it seemingly looking like just a part of the wood built onto it. With a harder look, it became clear that it was shaped like a cross.

"Oh my god." Athena gasped.

"Look at that." Kie smiled next to her.

The group looked over when Pope began to climb up on the side of the wall.

"Hey, no!" JJ shouted at him.

"Pope, be careful!" Athena exclaimed.

"Now Pope's climbing the wall." John B voiced.

"Yo! This church's got to be at least two hundred years old." JJ called as Pope crawled to the top.

"He's right, Pope. It's too dangerous." John B added in.

"Pope!" Kie yelled.

"All right, this one's solid wood." Pope said as he hit one of the ceiling posts. "I'm gonna try the other beam."

"Pope, that's rotten as shit right there, okay?" JJ spoke up as Pope knocked on the next post. "Pope, I hate to break it to you, but that's wood."

"It has to be here. I know." Pope spoke as he rose to his feet on the beam, walking around the post in the middle.

"Bro, just watch out for that giant wasp nest right above your head." JJ called out to him.

"Just move slow, all right? Nice and easy." John B added.

Pope stumbled, everyone moving forward as they gasped.

"Woah, hey!"

"God!"

"Look." Pope gasped as he looked at the post. "It's hollow. Go get me a crowbar!"

"What are you gonna do, Pope?" JJ asked as Sarah hurried towards the twinkie. "I don't want his entire church to collapse on top of us."

"Hey, Pope." Sarah called as she walked back in with it.

"Throw it." He encouraged.

"Everybody watch your head." John B said as they all backed up. Sarah stood under Pope as she tossed it, Athena pulling her back as she did in case Pope didn't catch it. When he did, everyone let out a breath of relief.

"Pope, there's a wasp nest right up there, okay?" John B pointed by Pope's head. "Just move slow, all right."

Pope began hitting the wood with the crowbar, wood falling down towards them

"What is that?" Sarah questioned as they noticed something was inside the wood.

"The cross!" Athena exclaimed.

"It's here." Sarah gasped.

"You did it, buddy." JJ grinned up at the boy.

"Holy shit." Kie cheered with a laugh of her own.

"Oh my god." Athena gapped, laughing as shook Sarah, Kie doing the same to her before the three hugged.

"We did it!" JJ yelled as he wrapped his arms around John B.

"We did it! We did it!" Pope called down to them with a huge smile on his face. "Okay, they're stinging now. Ow!"

The crowbar came down, JJ pulling Athena back as she did the same to Kie and Sarah. Pope began hitting his skin, the wasp swarming him in harsh bites. Pope suddenly lost his balance, falling over the side and holding onto the wood for dear life.

"Hold on, Pope!" Kie yelled in a panic.

"Cushions!" Sarah yelled as they all spread out, moving things and grabbing all the cushions.

"I can't hold on!" Pope called. "I'm slipping!"

They all stacked the cushions under him, his hand letting go as he plummeted down onto the cushions.

"Pope, are you okay?" Kie asked as they all hurried to help him up.

Pope eyes went wide as he stared directly above him, rolling over quickly. The golden cross fell down, JJ grabbing Athena to pull her back as the others did the same, them all staring at the cross as it hit the cushions suddenly, realising they barely got out of the way.

Athena turned to look at JJ, to check if he was okay, to see him already looking down at her. Athena let out a sigh, placing her head on his chest before Kie's voice grabbed their attention.

"Pope, are you okay?" Kie repeated as JJ went to his side.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just give me, like, one second to, like, catch my breath." Pope breathed heavily on the floor.

"You did it, Pope." John B gushed as they looked mesmerized by the cross.

"Pope, she's beautiful." JJ gasped as he looked over it.

"I've never seen anything like it." Sarah laughed.

"Well, here's why Limbrey wanted that key so bad." John B said as he looked at the keyhole.

"How much do you think she's worth? Like, if we melted her old bones down, dude, I'm talking like high billions." JJ spoke quickly, his excitement getting the best of him.

"No this belongs in a museum." John B stopped him.

"So no one sees her?" JJ asked John B in disbelief.

"In a museum where everybody sees it." John B shook his head.

"Are you kidding?" JJ asked.

"This is bigger than money, and the worlds gotta know the truth." Pope breathed heavily as he gripped the base of the bench.

"Pope you okay?" Athena asked the boy quietly.

"I'm fine."

"You sure, ain't you like allergic to bees or wasps or some shit like that?" Athena questioned him.

"I'm fine, Athena." Pope snapped. "Now let's life this thing."

Athena and Pope joined the others as they all grabbed different side of the cross, lifting it up and attempting to move it.

"Who's not lifting right now?" JJ spoke as they all carried a heavyweight, moving it a few feet forward.

"Okay, guys. I can't, I can't." Pope said quickly as it began to lower.

"No, no, no, no!"

"Pope! Hang in there! No, no, no."

They all dropped it when Pope let his side go, the cross falling back on the floor. Athena rushed over to the boy's side.

"Damn it, yo! You almost dropped it on my foot!" JJ shouted at Sarah suddenly.

"Cause I'm the only one lifting it." Sarah defended herself.

"Okay, okay, okay! Listen, we'll make like a sling, like a little—" John B tried to reason.

"Yeah, and then we put it on the tail hitch." JJ nodded alongside him.

"Guys!" Athena shouted, nodding over to Pope.

"I'm not okay. I'm not okay." Pope announced as he clutched his chest, sitting down, looking up with swollen eyes and cheeks.

"You don't look good bro." JJ said as they crowded him in a panic.

"I can't —" Pope began gasping for air.

"Pretty sure his dad told me once he's allergic to wasps or bees or something!" Athena stated.

"Why didn't you say something?" Sarah asked her.

"He said he was fine!" Athena exclaimed.

"Well he obviously isn't." John B spoke.

"It's an allergic reaction." Kie panicked. "We have to do something."

Athena quickly jumped when Pope collapsed, grabbing his feet with Kie as John B and Sarah lifted his front.

"JJ, try and hide it." John B ordered, referring to the cross as they all lifted Pope up.

"JJ! We gotta go!" Kie called out as JJ ran out of the church.

"Pope, what do you need, buddy?" JJ called out to him in a panic. Pope began hitting his arm.

"He needs a doctor!" Athena exclaimed looking at JJ as she helped lay Pope in the back. "A shot!"

"I know where to go! Give me the keys!" JJ yelled towards Athena.

"They're in the ignition." Kie answered for her as JJ jumped in.

"Cmon, JJ." Athena called as he started the jeep up.

"Hang on, Pope! We're going!" JJ called as he put his speed off.

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𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗟 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗦
athena and john bs sibling argument at the beginning gives me life
athena being physic once more
next chapters also chaotic