Mariana

Chapter 1

Life doesn't come with a manual, it comes with a mother

I - Brothers

~~~

"Mariana, are you leaving?" Harper asked worriedly to the busy Mariana. She's packing her things in her get-go backpack. She doesn't want to bring many things. It's not important anyways. She just wanted to have a light journey.

She stopped packing and looked at Harper. She nodded at her. "I'm sorry Harper but I need to go and find my brothers. It's the last thing my mother wanted me to do."

Lying has become Mariana's ally. She don't want Harper to know that she will be going away to retrieve her mother.

"Are you really sure about this? Why are you such in a hurry?"

Mariana just hugged Harper and whispered to her.

"Thank you for everything Harper. I promise to be back."

Harper heaved a sigh and tapped Mariana's back. She can't stop Mariana for she know that she has no right to do so. Also, Mariana is already an adult. She's already know the wrong from the right.

"Be careful Mariana," Harper let go from the hug and stared at Mariana's face while holding both her arms. "I'll be waiting for you to come back."

Mariana smiled. She's always been thankful to Harper.

While Mariana's still packing, Harper on the other side packed some foods for Mariana.

When everything is packed already, Mariana is only waiting for the sky to turn dark.

Eventually, night came and it's already time for Mariana to go. She took her backpack and gave Harper a last hug. She gave her goodbyes and exited the house. It was rather a peaceful night with lots of stars painted on the night sky.

Mariana arrived at the beach just a little walk from Harper's house. There was no one there. She looked around but saw nothing.

"Ha! I shouldn't have trusted them." She exclaimed due to frustration. Mariana is not that patient. She doesn't want to wait, in other words, she hates waiting.

Mariana was about to go back when she heard a loud shout which made her look of where it came from.

"Hey there! Come on and let's sail!"

A smile creeped from Mariana's face. There they are, her brothers, in their human form.

She didn't waste any time. Mariana immediately approached the wooden, old and more likely a pirate ship in style ship when it reached the sands.

Chrysaor reached for Mariana's hand and lift her to the ship. When Mariana got on, she immediately observed the ship. It's in good condition which Mariana is thankful of.

Pegasus started to hoist the sail and the ship started to run. The seas were in peace. No waves have crashed unto them so Pegasus just tied the sail and walked towards his sibling. He at least want to know his sister.

"I believe this is the first time that we've met. So we will introduce ourselves." Pegasus said. Looking at Mariana, his cold gaze soften. He can see the resemblance of Mariana from their mother, Medusa.

"You really looked like her," he commented. Mariana didn't react. She knew that she's her mother's daughter and that she have the beauty of her kind mother.

"I am my mother's daughter, it's normal." She replied without even looking at his brother.

Chrysaor chuckled, "I guess our mother raised a feisty lady. Let's skip the pleasantries. I am Chrysaor, a winged boar. You might know me from mother's stories."

"I am Pegasus," introduced Pegasus. "Chrysaor and I are twins, born with wings. I am a winged horse. How about you?"

Mariana stared at both. She knows her brother not from stories or legends. She knew them since her mother kept murmuring their name every night when she turned into her cursed state. Mariana was curious who they were and why was her mother always whispering their names that she bravely asked her mother about it. Medusa, not wanting to keep everything from her daughter, told her everything from beginning to the end. That's the reason why she knew her brothers.

Mariana let out a sigh before starting to speak.

"I am Mariana. Born with no wings but with the mother's curse and the father's ability."

Both Pegasus and Chrysaor were shocked. They can't believe of what just Mariana said.

"No way. You mean that you have the ability to control the waters?" Chrysaor asked with voice full of excitement. No offspring of Poseidon have inherited his ability to control waters. Chrysaor's excitement is more of an understatement of what he's feeling right now.

Mariana nodded in response. How can she not? It was imprinted in her body, the curse and the ability.

"But what do you mean by mother's curse?" Pegasus asked.

Mariana stared at the barrel standing in the sides. "I guess it's more easy to show you."

Mariana stared at the barrel with full of focus. She can feel her eyes have changed its shape and color. Her eyes have became the shape of an oval, like a snake's eyes and it's golden. The barrel immediately petrified. With that, Mariana closed her eyes and opened it again when she felt that it came back to its original shape and color.

Pegasus and Chrysaor were speechless. They can't believe it. Their sister is overwhelmingly powerful!

Pegasus came to his senses faster than his brother. "Chrysaor let's keep silent about this or else Olympus will hear about this. There are Gods and Goddesses who are envious. We need to keep our sister safe as possible."

Chrysaor, who just got out from his awe, nodded in response to his brother.

"I know but we won't know if Pheme is listening to us right now or Hermes is being his usual messenger self. You know that I can't stop them since they're more powerful than me, brother."

"I know but let's keep quiet for now since we are on the territory of our shithead father," Pegasus replied.

Chrysaor laughed. Both of them doesn't like their father at all. In fact, they share the same hate to their father as Mariana.

"Brother, he can hear you right now," he teased Pegasus. "By the way, Olympus is busy right now. They're on the move since they have a strong weapon in their hands. I guess they'll be declaring a war to the underworld."

"What weapon?" Mariana asked. She already have a gist of it but she just wanted to know if her thoughts are right. It's a very bad thing.

Both Pegasus and Chrysaor looked at each other. Both heaved a sigh. They don't want to keep from their sister as they want to gain her trust.

"It's the weapon that we are going to take to revive our mother back." Chrysaor said.

Mariana looked at the two with curiosity filling her eyes. "What kind of weapon is it? Is it a holy sword or maybe a shield?"

Both her brother's shook their head.

"Why are you keeping it on suspense? Quick, tell me."

"Our mother's head," they both answered in chorus.

Upon hearing her brothers answer, she became speechless and tears began to fall from her eyes.

M-mother, you're suffering more. You don't deserve to bear the pain your feeling right now. I will make them pay! Everyone who used you for their own benefits and the ones who discarded you. No matter who they are, even if they're the rulers of the place they call Olympus. I promise to get revenge for you!

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Pheme - also known as OSSA was the goddess or personified spirit (daimona) of rumour, report and gossip.

Hermes - the swift messenger of the ancient gods. He was the god of translators and interpreters. He was the most clever of the Olympian gods, and as to why he served as messenger for all the other gods.

Source: https://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Pheme.html
https://www.eso.org/public/outreach/eduoff/vt-2004/mt-2003/mt-mercury-mythology.html