Saints of Sin

The (Mis)Adventures at the Museum

The class was buzzing with excitement as they poured off the bus and gazed up at the towering columns of the city's largest history museum. It was all here: ancient artifacts, endless exhibits, and countless opportunities for shenanigans—at least in Andrés's mind.

"Alright, everyone, let's keep it together. We don't want a repeat of last year's field trip to the science center," their teacher warned, side-eyeing Andrés, who merely shrugged and grinned innocently at Auggie.

The moment they stepped inside, Andrés sprinted toward the nearest sign, reading it aloud with a dramatic flourish. "Behold! The Hall of Greek and Norse Mythology!" He turned to Icarus, who'd joined him. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Icarus adjusted their glasses, grinning with the faintest hint of mischief. "If it involves trying to summon Thor, then yes."

The friends followed Andrés into the hall, where marble statues loomed, gods and goddesses frozen in heroic poses. Auggie, however, was visibly vibrating with excitement as he spotted an entirely different hall nearby. "Look! They've got dinosaurs!"

Icarus, with a soft laugh, watched as Auggie dragged Theo into the Hall of Prehistoric Life, nearly knocking over a display. "I thought we were sticking together, Andrés!" Icarus called.

"Just give them five minutes," Andrés assured, dragging Icarus toward a statue of Zeus. "Now, if I remember my Greek mythology correctly, Zeus is the 'I'm angry at everyone' type."

As they wandered through the halls, Andrés attempted to mimic the stance of each Greek god they encountered. When they reached a bust of Hades, he draped his arm around Icarus's shoulders. "I am Hades, god of the underworld!" he declared, dropping his voice in an overly dramatic tone.

"And you're also the god of 'detention if you keep shouting in the museum,'" Icarus teased, nudging him playfully.

Auggie's laughter rang out from the dinosaur hall, where he was eagerly explaining the merits of each dinosaur he passed to Theo, who listened patiently. They found Auggie in front of a massive Tyrannosaurus skeleton. "Did you know that T-Rex had a bite force of over 8,000 pounds?" he whispered, wide-eyed, as if sharing a sacred secret.

Theo raised an eyebrow. "That's...actually really cool." He looked around the dinosaur bones, admiring their grandiosity. "Imagine building a society where these guys roamed around. That's a whole new level of ancient."

Auggie lit up, practically bouncing on his feet. "Exactly! It's like...imagine how much ancient humans had to fear these things if they had been alive at the same time. I mean, they'd be unstoppable!"

Meanwhile, Andrés was lecturing Icarus about Norse mythology, gesturing wildly. "You've got to admit, Norse mythology has a lot more 'oomph' than Greek. Loki, Thor, epic battles—they've got frost giants!"

Icarus crossed their arms, bemused. "Yes, and about as much internal family drama as a reality TV show."

They passed by the Hall of Ancient Egypt next, where Theo was in his element, explaining to the others how early societies developed hierarchies, labor systems, and, of course, massive pyramids. "Look, they built this stuff without cranes or modern machinery. Just people, ropes, and a crazy amount of teamwork," Theo said with an approving nod, as if ready to join the ancient Egyptians himself.

Auggie nudged him. "And I thought our group projects were tough."

The friends roamed around, each getting lost in their favorite areas—Auggie in the dinosaur bones, Theo in the ancient civilizations, Icarus captivated by relics and texts of long-gone societies, and Andrés reveling in the world of myths. They'd regroup every so often, sharing fun facts and daring each other to "accidentally" set off the exhibits' alarms, which Andrés almost did several times.

But at the end of the day, they gathered at the museum café, swapping stories about everything they'd seen. Auggie sipped on his soda, beaming. "Today was epic. I got to see so many fossils."

"And I learned way more about Norse family drama than I thought possible," Icarus added, smirking at Andrés.

"Hey! I stand by it! Norse mythology is hardcore!" Andrés protested, nearly knocking over his drink.

Theo laughed. "This was a good trip. Thanks for making it...more chaotic than educational."

They all laughed, basking in the camaraderie only a museum trip—and a little chaos—could inspire.