"WHERE THE living and dead collide, the gatekeeper will guide the way." John B read the engraved message on the back of the amulet.
After retrieving JJ and Kiara from the hospital, the group had decided to dig further into the amulet drama; it felt like something bigger. Wes Genrette had been murdered, yet Chandler still wanted it, which the Pogues found concerning so they kept the amulet in secret.
"Sounds like a Bible verse." Sarah added.
"It sounds like directions to me," John B explained, "I mean, Genrette was obsessed with Blackbeard, so maybe directions lead to his treasure?"
"And how much would that be in American?" JJ asked curiously.
"Priceless, in every currency." John B replied, "Unlimited US dollars."
"I remember, on the pier, this lady was talking to the guy about a, uh, a crown. It wasn't gold." Pope explained, "A blue crown."
"Sounds like a code word." JJ replied.
"A blue crown?" Rory repeated, "Po—"
"I'm just relaying information that I heard." Pope deadpanned, "I was literally hanging from the bottom of a pier."
JJ suggested, "It could be code for something, like a clue."
"What even is a blue crown?" Sarah asked curiously, as John B stood up and wondered over to the book shelves.
"A blue crown is a blue crown." Rory replied, "Like, for a king or something."
"That's too easy," JJ disagreed, "It has to lead us to something, like a co—"
"If you say code one more time," Rory interrupted sarcastically, "Don't."
"Code." JJ shot back, "It's a code." Rory slapped him gently around the back of his head in annoyance, causing the boy to erupt with complaints; Cleo sat between the two to stop them from squabbling.
"Babies." Cleo tutted, rolling her eyes with a slight smirk.
John B read aloud from an old book, "Apparently, it is the most sought out artefact in the ancient world." He placed the book down on the table, as the group gathered around him.
"Legends abound of the Crown's fabled origins." Pope read aloud, "So, it's a real crown."
"Told you," Rory remarked to her brother, as JJ scratched his cheek with his middle finger. She glanced back at the page and read, "The Blue Crown was created for Darius the Great of Persia over 3,000 years ago." She shrugged sarcastically, "See, I was right."
"Wait, look," Pope continued reading, "It was said to possess the blessing of the gods themselves, granting the wearer immense favour and rare invincibility."
"Looks a lot more than 50K." JJ mumbled.
John B flicked through the pages, "It says Xerxes, the son of Darius the Great, he was a badass. He's wearing it. Uh, Alexander the Great, beat the shit out of everybody. He's wearing it. Julius Caesar, also a badass, murdered a bunch of people."
"So, your dad told you all of this?" Pope questioned curiously.
"No, I don't remember any of this." John B replied, "I only know that it granted wishes."
"Wishes?" Cleo repeated, "Like a Genie?"
Rory frowned, "Like, actually? How many?" She had a few wishes in mind. Aurora had always wanted a big family with parents that loved her, she wanted JJ to have a good future because he deserved a good life, she wished that Sarah would never fall out of love for her, Rory wanted to have a million wishes. However, her friends had wishes of their own too; Rory would wish for her friends happiness over her own, over and over again.
