Old Serpent hadn't yet realized what the next day had in store.
"I'm planning to swing by Mr. Scamander's friend first," Cohen said, eyeing Old Serpent's gleaming eyes thoughtfully. "You still want to tag along?"
"Tag along? You bet! I'll be your… what's that thing you humans call it when you lead others around? A guide!" Old Serpent said with high enthusiasm.
"Maybe we should wait until Cohen and Mr. Scamander are done with their business," Goat suggested to Old Serpent. "We might cause them trouble… or danger."
"Danger? Where my grandson goes, I go! You think my own kin would lead me into harm?" Old Serpent said, puffing up proudly.
"Goat means you might bring danger to others," Serpent Tail clarified.
Despite the warning, when Cohen agreed to let Old Serpent come along, the creature gleefully cloaked itself in invisibility and slithered after Cohen and Newt.
The Chimaera and the Griffin, on the other hand, opted to stay in the suitcase, ready to pop out if Cohen needed them.
"Once we're in wizard territory, it won't need to stay invisible," Newt said to Cohen as they left. "I can pass it off as one of my safe magical creature assistants."
"Not sure that's a great idea," Cohen replied. "It's actually a runaway from Greece, and it's tied to that temple you mentioned. I want to figure out why."
Cohen had a hunch the temple's more "official" wizards wouldn't chase a Horned Serpent just for "stealing offerings."
After leaving the hotel, the invisible Old Serpent slithered ahead of Cohen, chattering excitedly about its days living it up in Greece.
Newt handed Cohen a magical map, marked with a small ink dot representing Cohen, simple sketches of buildings in Athens, and a faint blue dashed line connecting the dot to their destination.
This spared Cohen from juggling Old Serpent's chatter and Newt's directions at the same time. He was grateful Newt had thought of it—Old Serpent's nonstop talking was as loud as a midnight snore.
But the closer they got to their destination, the quieter Old Serpent became.
"Grandson, is this map leading you wrong?" Old Serpent asked nervously as it spotted the ancient ruins atop the Acropolis hill, sidling up to Cohen.
"Nope, that's our spot," Cohen said, checking the map.
"No, no, no!" Old Serpent nudged the suitcase in Cohen's right hand, frantically trying to claw it open and slip inside. "That's where those wizards who hunted me are! I gotta hide—let me in! If they catch me, I'm done for. You'll only see your grandpa in a cage!"
"What're you scared of? You can't hide from them forever," Cohen said, shaking his head. "Especially not in your homeland. I came with Newt to sort things out with those wizards. You don't even understand human speech—maybe it's just a misunderstanding."
"No way it's a misunderstanding," Old Serpent said firmly. "I did steal their stuff. They were scouring the place for me, ready to lock me up and make me fish for them as payback. Wizards are like that."
"Now I'm even more sure there's a mix-up," Cohen said, exasperated. "Relax, you're safe with me."
The Acropolis area was a tourist hotspot, filled with weathered ruins and crumbling relics—hardly a place for wizards to live or work. Newt led Cohen through the ancient structures to a modern museum nearby.
"In 1874, Athens' wizards struck a deal with the Muggle government and chose this spot as the new entrance to the wizarding world," Newt explained as they navigated the museum. "Some of my old friends say there's talk of moving it in a few years. A new museum might go up southeast of here—you probably saw the cleared land on the way in."
"Feels like something I'd see in the British Museum," Cohen said, eyeing a horse-head statue in a display case. "But then again, they've got a bit of everything swiped from everywhere…"
"If you're interested, you could wander around here," Newt suggested, noticing Cohen's curious glances. "Muggles have collected quite a few ancient wizarding artifacts. See that centaur sculpture? The Greek Ministry's been trying to get it back from the Muggle government, claiming it 'might expose wizards' existence.'"
"Bet every Greek government, Muggle or not, would say no," Cohen said with a smirk. "Muggles think centaurs are just ancient Greek myths."
Cohen wasn't here to sightsee—not yet. He'd have time to explore Greece after sorting everything out. For now, Old Serpent was a bundle of nerves, terrified a wizard might leap out and nab it.
That tension wouldn't ease until Cohen cleared up the misunderstanding with the temple's staff.
Following Newt, Cohen arrived at… a public restroom tucked in a corner. A bucket with a mop stood outside, bearing a sign that read something like "Under Maintenance, Do Not Enter" in Greek—or so Cohen guessed, not knowing the language.
"Why do so many Ministries of Magic stick their proper entrances in toilets?" Cohen sighed. "At least the British Ministry's visitor entrance is a phone booth…"
"Bathrooms are inconspicuous and easy to disguise," Newt said, pushing open the door and stepping over the bucket with Cohen in tow. "But honestly, not many Ministries use toilets as entrances. I've been to the American Magical Congress—their entrance doesn't connect to the Muggle world at all. It's mostly because their relationship with Muggles is so strained, even after Rappaport's Law was repealed."
"Sounds depressing," Cohen said.
"It is," Newt said, frowning with regret. "My wife, Tina, couldn't stop raving about Britain after she visited—no 'wand permits' or anything like that. Only downside? The food's a bit lacking."
"Britain in a nutshell," Cohen said, shaking his head.
"Alright, here we go," Newt said, opening a stall door. "Stand on the toilet and flush yourself down. Only one person can go at a time. But… I'd suggest keeping that serpent close to you—or putting it back in the suitcase—so it doesn't get flushed somewhere else by mistake."