The Semideus

Chapter 1

THE FIRST TEST

Nakaramdam ang nakapikit kong mata ng liwanag. Araw. Anong nangyari? I totally forgot what happened next after getting struck by lightning, or maybe nothing happened at all. Napasapo ako sa noo ko nang makaramdam ng sakit.

At the first try of opening my eyes, I immediately shut it. The sun was too blinding. Bumangon muna ako mula sa pagkakahiga, gayunpamang nakapikit pa. I put a hand over my eyes to cover it from the sun and started to look around. We're in an open field surrounded by forests.

My eyes landed on the man that was struck by lightning. Napansin kong lahat pala rito ay gan'on din ang nangyari. Meaning the light that Zeus was pertaining to was the lightning. Lightning is a visible flash of light because of its incandescence— high temperature and luminescence— excitation of nitrogen gas in the atmosphere. Wow, I learned something in science.

"Get up mortals!"

My attention, then, turned to a tall and slim woman with grey eyes. Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and War. Hindi ako sigurado kung s'ya nga 'yan, but she was the known as the goddess who had grey eyes. Her figure showed elegance, and at the same time, it was intimidating. She was dressed like an archer in the woods, at mayroon din siyang shield kung saan naroon ang mukha ni Medusa— the woman who had snakes in her head, and the one who turns people stones by just a direct look in her eyes.

Then— everyone got up as she commanded. Marahil ay nakilala na rin nila ang Diyosa bilang si Athena. Of course, who would dare defy an Olympian, the god and goddesses above everyone else? Especially the favourite daughter of Zeus! She's the favorite because she sprung from Zeus' head. Zeus alone gave birth to her. Hindi ko lang alam kung sino ang ina niya.

I looked around. May isa palang babaeng naglakas-loob na hindi tumayo. Wow, brave! She was in a full squat with her two arms resting on her knees. After a while, she lazily looked at Athena.

Tumingin akong muli kay Athena, at napansing masama siyang nakatingin sa babae. "Just because you are—" she paused for a moment to roll her eyes. "my previous mentee, you will disrespect me. Get up little huntress."

Nanlaki ang mata ko. Previous mentee? Ibig sabihin, Semideus na siya noon. Kung gan'on, bakit siya narito?

I watched her stand up. Purong itim ang kaniyang buhok, at tila may buwan na nagniningning sa kaniyang mga mata. Nag-igting panga siya. Pinaikot niya ang kutsilyo o dagger bago nilagay sa sheath o lalagyan. Sa lahat ng narito, siya ang mukhang pinakamalakas. She gives off cold Athena vibes.

I almost jumped in surprise when the little huntress looked at me. Napalunok ako at binalik ang tingin kay Athena na nakatingin din pala sa'kin. Wews. Ang scary naman. Napalunok tuloy ako hanggang sa iiwas ni Athena ang tingin niya sa'kin.

"Mortals, you have passed the first test, but it won't guarantee you success." Wow, rhyming! "The next will be about Wisdom. Remember that knowledge is useless without wisdom. I'd like you to be wise, 'yan lang naman."

Her lips stifled a smile. Humangin nang malakas at bigla nalang siyang nawala. What? That's it? Walang iba pang mechanics, but maging wais? Maybe the short direction was part of the test. We should have wisdom to pass the test, but we must first know how.

Bahagyang nagdilim ang langit dahil sa mga kuwago or owls na lumipad paikot sa open area. I figured na nanggaling sila sa forest. May mga bitbit silang letter sa beaks nila. Nilalaglag naman nila 'yon para iaabot sa'min.

Tumiad ako para makaabot ng isa. I flinched when I felt a feeling of burn as I touched the letter. Tumingin ako sa iba pero parang hindi sila nakaramdam ng gan'on. I brushed the feeling off and started reading,

Find me. Only the first 50
to find me will pass.
—A.

Huh? 'Yun lang? Kakaiba rin talaga 'tong si Athena. Muli akong tumingin sa iba na mayroong mga kunot sa noo nila. Hindi lang pala ako ang nagtataka. I glanced at the little huntress, at nagulat nang makita siyang papasok sa forest. Luh, nakakatakot kaya 'yon!

Sumunod naman ang iba hanggang sa ako nalang ang natira. Hindi naman sa takot ako, pero d'yan ba talaga mahahanap si Athena? I glanced at my back when I felt someone watching me. Lol, wala naman.

An owl flew above me. Owl. Athena. Sa pagkakaalam ko owl ang isa sa mga sacred animals niya. Nang pumasok 'yon sa woods, d'on ko lang din napagtanto kung bakit sila pumasok sa woods. Clearly, it's because the owls would be there. Pero mamaya pa naman silang gabi lalabas lahat 'di ba? They love to roam at night.

Nevertheless, I entered the woods. Nagka-mini heart attack pa nga ako nang makaapak sa isang bagay. Actually, napairit ako at napatingin sa'kin ang iba. Napakagat ako sa ibabang labi ko, at tinungo ang aking ulo sa kahihiyan. Oh, dagger lang naman pala ang naapakan ko. Jeez, akala ko kung ano na.

Athena must have left this purposely for us because you never really know what mystery the woods behold. Hala, ayan tuloy natakot ako!

I looked up. It was dark inside, unlike in the open field. The shadows of the big trees almost occupied every space. Dikit-dikit pa ang mga ito, at may mga bushes din na malalaki. There were small hints of light, but it wasn't enough.

Napatingin naman ako nang makarinig ng kaluskos sa paligid. Nanliit ang mata ko nang may makitang pulang mata na nakatingin sa'kin. Not really red, bright brown siya na medyo may pagka-orange, like fire. "Uh- sino ka po?" magalang na tanong ko.

He smirked. I noticed that his hair was curly, and his nose was crooked. Nagtaas-kilay ako nang lumapit siya sa'kin. "I'm Gideon," he casually said.

"Okay," I answered. So?

Tumingin siya sa malayo na tila may tumawag sa kaniya. Then, he returned his eyes on me. "Anyways, narito lang ako para tingnan ka, utos ni Master. You won't find Athena here in the woods. It was nice meeting you for the first time."

The Semideus
by lostmortals
Plagiarism is a crime.

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