Olympian Nexus (On Going)

I - The Admission Race

Chapter I - The Admission Race

There are 500 aspiring students outside the golden gates of the school. All of them were called to enter by the blue moon last night.

Under the sun, the students were lined up in front of the gates waiting for them to enter the school for the admission. All of them were descendants of heroes and heroines of the universe, which means they all came from the bloodlines of the mightiest.

"So there's a lot of us called by the moon yesterday, huh?" Katalinna asked her best friend, Ingrid, who is beside her.

"Obviously..."

"Let's bet?" Katalinna asked her friend for a challenge.

"What?"

"Less than half of these people will pass."

"Oh shut up! We're all chosen here so—"

"There will be challenges before you can enter the academy..." parehong napatigil ang magkaibigan nang marinig nila iyon mula sa kapatid ni Katalinna na si Wesley.

"I told you."

"Okay... Let's bet."

"Wait— can you hear that?" Katalinna asked, noticing heavy footsteps from a far.

"Can you hear a horse running towards us?" Ingrid asked her friend in return, realizing that she can also hear the footsteps of the horse coming near them.

Ilang sandali lang sa paghihintay bumukas ang gintong gate sa kanilang harapan at lumabas ang isang centaur na siyang pinapatugtog ang trumpeta. Matapos makalabas ang kalahating kabayo ay muling sumara ang gintong tarangkahan.

"He looks weird, isn't he?" komento pa ni Katalinna sa centaur na kalahating kabayo at kalahating tao.

"Welcome aspiring students!" the centaur opened a scroll letter in front of them to read a message.

The students turned their attention to him.

"Greetings from the divinities of Olympus, you are all called here by the moon for a huge responsibility. You will enter the school by the wills of the universe to train you to be the apprentices of the Olympians, to be the warriors, providers, and foxes of heaven and earth."

"Excuse me?! Can't we enter the school now?" a random girl asked from the crowd.

The centaur stopped reading the letter and looked at the girl. "What?" the girl asked as she felt the sudden terrifying stare that the centaur gave her.

The crowd now turns their stares to the girl and switches it to the spine-chilling aura of the centaur.

The crowd gasps in chorus as they witness the girl turned into stone salt. Dahil sa ipinakitang ugali ng babae ay hindi natuwa ang centaur. Sa isang iglap lang ay ginawa n'ya itong batong asin.

Dahil dito ay nagsimula ang tensyon at takot.

"Naway's magsilbing aral sa inyo. Wala kayo sa lugar na ito upang masunod ang lahat ng ninanais ninyo."

Katalinna gulped. The centaur is indeed scary.

"All of you will suffer."

Napahawak na lamang siya sa kan'yang dibdib ng nararamdaman niya ang kaba na bumababa pa hanggang sa kan'yang kalamnan. He'd kill them in just a split of seconds.

"Before you can officially enter the school, you'll undergo challenges that will either let you enter the institution or let you die on the way."

"Oh my gosh!" bulong ni Ingrid.

Nagpatuloy ang kalahating kabayo sa pagbabasa.

"There will be two parts of the admission test. You will all first have a race, the first 200 persons to reach the finish line will pass to the next step of the test."

The crowd gasped once again.

"That's less than half of us," Ingrid whispered to Katalinna.

Katalinna beamed a smile, realizing she won their bet that less than half of the students will pass.

"After you finish the race and reach the oak tree on the way to the school, the satyr will then give you the second instructions for the test."

"Hours from now, the gates will open and that's the indication that the race will start."

The centaur entered the gate and left the students with questions. Pagkatapos mag sarang muli ang tarangkahan ay nagsimula na ang ingay sa mga estudyante.

"Uuwi na ako."

"Bakit pa ba tayo nandito?"

"They will kill us along the way."

"I think the challenge must be so insane."

Ilan lamang ang mga iyon sa komento ng mga estudyante. Lahat sila ay natatakot dahil sa maaaring kahihinatnan nila sa loob ng lugar na iyon.

"Do you think we'll survive?" Ingrid asked.

Katalinna shrugged.

"I don't know. It's either we'll die on the admission or we'll die during the school days." Wesley told the girls.

Halos lumuha si Ingrid sa kan'yang narinig mula sa kapatid ng kaibigan. Mababaliw siya kaiisip sa mga posibleng mangyari.

"Nakakatakot."

"Paano kung ipakain nila tayo sa mga higante? Or halimaw na—"

"Most probably," Wesley said.

Napayakap na lamang sina Ingrid at Katalinna sa isa't-isa habang iniisip ang mga posibleng mangyari.

"Katalinna,kung kakainin ka ng halimaw doon sa loob magpapakain din ako."

"You're right!" Katalinna agreed.

"What if magpakain na lang tayo agad sa mga halimaw para hindi na natin kailangan makapasok sa paaralang ito. Kung ako, mas gusto ko pang kainin ng halimaw kaysa mag-aral."

Tumango naman si Ingrid.

"Tama! Why would we enter this school?!"

Puro reklamo ang maririnig sa lugar kaya't napailing na lamang ang kapatid ni Katalinna habang pinapakinggan ang mga reklamo ng maarteng kaibigan nito at mas maarte niyang kapatid.

"We'd rather die than study!" Iyak nilang pareho.

Lumipas na ang ilang oras ay wala pa rin ang hudyat ng pagsisimula. Lahat ng mga estudyante ay naiinip na sa labas. Lumipas na ang takip silim at nabalot na ng dilim ang paligid, ang tanging nagbibigay liwanag na lamang ay ay buwan.

"Is this the first challenge? Killing us in boredom?"

Matapos ang reklamo na iyon ni Ingrid ay tumunog na ang trumpeta hudyat na magsisimula na ang karera nila upang makapasok sa paaralang iyon.

The golden gate slowly opened in front of them. Everyone was amused by the golden path that welcomes their eyes. The students entered the entrance one by one. Lahat sila ay manghang mangha sa nakikita nila na tila ba'y paraiso. The pathway is gold surrounded by forest where millions of firefly sparks.

"This must be a trap."

"What?" parehong napatingin sina Katalinna at Ingrid kay Wesley.

"Wag n'yong tignan masyado ang mga alitaptap."

Napatingin sila sa paligid at napansing ang ibang mga estudyante ay lumuluha na ng dugo. The fireflies were traps, when you stare at their lights for too long out of amusement, it will blind you.

"Olympians were crazy," Katalinna murmured.