"I just need to talk to Athena." Jon said. "Where is she?"
"I'm not sure. She said she needed to take care of something." Zoe said. "She could be anywhere in the school. You could check the library, though, if it's that important."
"Alright, I guess I'll try that. Thanks, Zoe." Jon said, turning and walking away.
He quickly left the cafeteria and headed toward the library. The hallways were mostly deserted, which Jon was thankful for. Although his changes were minimal, he was still worried that someone would notice them.
It only took him a few minutes to reach the library. Entering, he saw a few students sitting all around the room, studying or chatting. Looking toward the back of the room, he saw Athena, deeply engrossed in a book.
He walked over to her, and when he was directly behind her, he cleared his throat.
She looked up slowly, her face devoid of any emotion. "Hello Jon." she said. "What brings you here? Shouldn't you be eating and laughing with your friends?"
"I could ask you the same thing." Jon said.
"I prefer to spend my lunch periods here. I prefer the quiet atmosphere, and I don't need to deal with those idiotic jocks." Athena said, her eyes returning to her book. "You, on the other hand, are somewhat more social than I am. So, again, what brings you here?"
"I was hoping to talk to you about something..."
"I had gathered as much." Athena replied. "Could you be just a bit more specific?"
"Well, I've heard you and Zoe talking about...magic." Jon said, the last word much quieter than the others.
Athena once again took her eyes away from her book, though this time, she placed a bookmark between the pages and closed it. "Go on." she said.
"Well, I woke up this morning with this ring on my finger." Jon said, raising his hand and pointing to the ring. "It won't come off. I think it's cursed or something."
"That is quite curious. IS the extent of your worry that the ring refuses to come off?" Athena asked, looking curiously at the ring.
"Well, it has done something else, but I'd rather not..."
"If you know something about this, and you withhold it, I may not be able to discover what the ring is."
"So you can help me?" Jon asked.
"Perhaps. The chances of me being able to aid you is decreased if you withhold information from me, however." Athena said.
Jon sighed, taking a seat at the table near Athena. "Alright, but I want you to promise to keep this quiet. Please don't tell anyone, not even Zoe."
"You're not particularly in a position to make further requests of me, Jon." Athena said, smirking a bit.
"Please, it's important."
"Very well, unless I deem it necessary, I will tell no one about whatever this issue is."
Jon sighed again. "I suppose that'll have to do." he said. He leaned in close to Athena, and quickly explained the events of the morning, omitting any mention of the stone.
At the end of the story, Athena leaned back and shook her head. "That is...difficult to believe." she said. "However, magic is capable of many things."
"You're the only one I could think of who may have any idea of how to undo this." Jon said.
"Well, provided you're not lying, I do have quite a bit to go on. I'll research this and get back to you." Athena said, standing up from her seat. "But, do keep in mind that I do not like wasting my time or being deceived. If this is some manner of trick..."
"Why would I lie and say something like this about myself, just for a trick?"
"A valid point. As I said, I'll look into it. For now, I'd suggest going about the day as normally as possible. Now, I must be off to my next class."
Jon looked at the clock. "Oh, lunch is almost over." he said. "I guess I should go too. Thanks again, Athena."
"No need to thank me, yet. I've not done anything." With that, Athena left the library. Jon left a moment later.
At least she took it seriously. he thought. Hopefully she'll be able to figure something out to help Karyn and me. Now I just need to get through the rest of the day.
He stopped as he realized what that entailed. "Shit..." he said, "My next class is gym."
