"The jewel of what?" Sam asked, not knowing that that was the historical name given to the wishing stone that he (Sam may have looked like a girl now, but still felt like a boy) had in his possession. Regardless, he could answer Athena's question. He knew that it was his wish using that stone that had caused all of this. But he wasn't sure if he should tell her about it. He didn't really know this girl or what she might do if she got her hands on the stone. On the other hand, she did seem to genuinely want to help, and being familiar with magical objects, maybe it was better to let her in one his little secret than not.
"Cusco...it grants wishes..but it isn't exactly...reliable," Athena commented. "At least not in the stories...but it probably doesn't really exist."
"If it existed...what would would it look like?" Sam asked.
"Red, flat...sort of metallic."
"I think I...might have found something like that," Sam said.
"Did you...touch it?" Athena asked. He nodded. "Did you make a wish?" He nodded again.
"I didn't know about...this. I just...I mean, who leaves a magic wishing thing lying around?" Sam said, defensively.
"What did you wish for?" Athena said.
"It's...nothing...it couldn't have caused this..." He insisted.
"What was it?" She asked.
"I...forget exactly what I said, but I...wished I had a better life...I mean...things have been pretty bad since I moved here..." Sam said. "And...when I made the wish...it was like...that...jewel or whatever...didn't know how to grant it...and all these images passed through my head...and then there was this big flash....and after that...the thing kept flashing...but it wouldn't let me wish anything..."
"So...whatever is happening...it got from your mind. Where is it now?"
"It's in my pocket..." Sam said, letting go of Athena's hand to reach for it. He reached in, and...it was gone...not just the stone....but the pocket it was in. "Where'd it go?"
He looked at Athena, noticing something different about her.
