Chapter 20: Into the Temple

Night fell quietly, the stars like fine diamonds set in the sky, flashing attractive light. The Parthenon, this ancient and mysterious building, is even more solemn in the night, as if having some ancient and profound dialogue with the stars in the sky. Around, quiet as the deep sea, only the wind and insects interwoven into the night prelude.

"Alex, are you sure we'll find something tonight?" One of the team members lowered his voice, his eyes shining with anticipation and nervousness.

Alex stopped and looked deeply into every detail of the temple, as if his eyes could penetrate the dust of the years and look straight into the hidden secrets. "Every stone here, every notch, tells a story of the past. We may be one step closer to the truth." His voice was deep and firm, full of unquestionable power.

The team members looked at each other, and needless to say, the desire for the unknown and the excitement for the challenge passed through each other. The tools in their hands glinted cold in the faint flashlight light, and each touch seemed to launch a silent inquiry into history.

The night grew deeper and deeper, but their hearts grew hotter and hotter. In every crevice of the Parthenon, under every stone slab, there could be secrets that would subvert our understanding. They know that this expedition is not only the exploration of ancient relics, but also the challenge of their own limits and the brave conquest of the unknown world.

"Let's get started, guys?" Alex suddenly stopped and turned to look at his team, his eyes shining like never before. "Tonight, we will unveil another layer of history, no matter how hard the road ahead, we will go together, to the end!"

The team members responded in unison, their voices soft but full of unshakable determination. In the night, they set off again, taking firm steps toward the unknown and mysterious depths.

"That symbol disturbs me," Lina wrote in her notebook, looking up at Alex. "It seems to have some connection to the symbols we found in the temple in Madagascar."

Alex nodded, magnifying glass in hand, examining the carving on the temple wall. "Yes, although different in style, the two seem to point to the same ancient civilization." Is there some kind of cross-cultural connection between these relics?"

Thomas stood by, looking attentive. He held in his hand an ancient stone slab with Greek writing all over it. He frowned as he read the text: "These Greek references to a ritual called the 'Gate to the gods' seem to suggest that the Parthenon was not just a place for Athena, but might also have been some sort of gateway to other dimensions."

"The Gate to the gods?" Calvin came over with a sneer and broke the mood. "Are you talking about myth or real history?"

'Perhaps both,' said Alex, looking back gravely. "Many ancient myths have a shadow of reality behind them. We cannot easily ignore it."

At that moment, Leona's scanning device suddenly made a small "drip" sound. She quickly pulled up the data on the device, a flash of surprise in her eyes. "I found it! In the southeast corner of the temple, there is an echo reaction of an underground space."

"Underground space?" Alex immediately moved closer to look at the data.

Leona nodded, "Yes. Based on the scans, there appears to be a hidden entrance, possibly to a basement or deeper structure. But the passage has been closed for years and the stones are very strong."

Alex made a quick decision: "We had to find a way into that underground space. If there is a connection between that symbol and Thomas's 'Gate of the Gods,' that could be the key."

The team sprang into action, breaking into groups. Calvin is armed with tools, ready to attempt to break through the closed entrance manually. Lina continues to search the temple's interior for other possible clues, while Thomas focuses on translating ancient stone carvings in hopes of finding out more about the underground space.

Teams are like precise gears, snapping, falling apart and quickly regrouping. Calvin clutched the tools in his hands, his eyes shining with challenge, and vowed to unlock the secrets of the closed portal. Lina, like an agile cat, navigated the shadows of the temple, searching for any clues she might have missed. Thomas, incarnated as a translator of ancient books, every character on the stone is like his battlefield, vowing to dig out the key to the ground.

With a low grinding sound, the heavy stones slowly moved away, revealing a deep staircase, like a gateway to the unknown world. The air is filled with the dust of years, and every breath is like tasting the taste of history.

"Ha ha, looks like we really came to the right place!" Calvin stood at the entrance to his new discovery with a smirk on his lips that seemed to say that nothing could stop his team.

"Don't get too excited. This is just the first step in a long journey." Alex's voice was steady and strong, his eyes a mixture of anticipation and alarm, signaling that they were ready to dive into the tiger's lair.

Leona quickly pulled out a few special adventure lights from her backpack. In an instant, the dim passage was filled with warm light, and those ancient symbols and words were more mysterious under the light. She recorded as she walked, her eyes shining with endless curiosity and desire for the unknown world. "These symbols... They do not belong to any known civilization, and may be traces left by the Zereta people."

"Stay alert. Every move could be a mystery." Alex is the first to step into unknown territory, his step is firm and steady, like a beacon guiding the team through the fog. Lina followed, and the others scattered around, keeping a high state of alert.

When they finally reached the end of the stairs, a magnificent underground hall opened up. In the center of the hall, a simple and solemn statue of Athena stands quietly, as if guarding the secret of here for thousands of years. On the walls around, reliefs and texts are intertwined into a vivid historical picture, which makes people involuntarily intoxicated.

"Here... Definitely not an ordinary temple." Thomas's voice was low and awed, as if he could feel the ancient power flowing through the air. "There may have been some ceremony here that was beyond imagination."

Alex walked slowly toward the statue, feeling a strange sense of tension and anticipation. He noticed strange symbols on the base of the statue, identical to those they found in the ruins, as if they spoke of some kind of unfinished destiny.

"These symbols... They seem to be guiding us somewhere." There was a tinge of excitement and urgency in Lena's voice. "They are like ancient star charts, guiding us through time to uncover forgotten secrets."

"These carvings are undoubtedly a beacon for us to move forward." Alex pondered for a moment, a look of determination in his eyes. "But to really interpret them, we need more clues and courage."

Just as they were about to explore further, a sudden buzzing noise broke the silence of the hall and a strange wave of energy began to fill the air. Calvin yanked out his expedition tools, eyes as sharp as a hawk, and fixed on the source of the sound. "Look out, everybody! It's a lot more complicated than we thought!"

A tense and exciting atmosphere permeated the whole hall, everyone knew that they were about to step into a new world full of unknown and dangerous.