CITY of EPIRUS
They did not talk about it more. I realized Gideon was a sensitive topic. The tears in Aster's eyes showed how hurt she was, knowing one of the Rebels is her akala niyang deceased lover.
It still confuses me, sobra. Paano siya namatay, or paano nabuhay ulit? And ilan ba ang Rebels? Parang dalawa palang silang nakikilala ko.
"Pasaan tayo?" mahinang tanong ko kay Diane nang mapansing nasa isang valley kami, and it was overshadowed by a mountain. Nilingon niya ako at nagkibit-balikat lang.
Nakaalis na kami sa isla ni Hebe at Heracles. As usual, Aster chanted a portal to... I don't know, basta nasunod lang kami sa kanila. Nahihiya akong magtanong dahil sa sitwasyon.
I heard Damon ask Aster. "How can we get the Artemis' ambrosia from the Rebels, Aster?"
"Hindi ko pa naiisip ang bagay na 'yan.We'll think of a plan evenetually," sagot ni Aster, at hindi ako sanay sa malamig na tono ng boses niya. She looked so pain, but Gideon was... so jolly.
Halos napatalon ako nang nilingon ako ni Aster. "We're in the mortal world, Xynthea. In Epirus, where the Grove of Dodona stands."
"Epirus?" linaw ko. Epirus was an abandoned city, at walang nakatira rito except for some runaways, I guess.
Napatingin kami sa ulap nang makarinig ng pagsiyap ng mga ibon. Tinakpan ko nang bahagya ang mata ko dahil sa sinag ng araw. Doves. They are flying above us, creating a circle.
"Those doves are the priestess of the Oracle. Be sure not to harm them," ani Aster. She sure knows a lot. Pero expected na, anak ba naman ng God of Prophecies!
Suddenly, her eyes glowed of a golden color. She spoke in an ancient language that we— or I did not understand. Nagulat pa ako lalo nang mapalibutan kami ng Doves. Hindi na namin nakita kung ano ang nangyayari, but I saw a faint green glow around.
The moment Aster stopped chanting, the birds flew above us again. Kinusot ko ang mata ko dahil sa pagkapuwing, at nang matingnan nang maayos ang paligid, nagulat ako sa nakita.
Maraming mga sundalo ang nakatapat ang kanilang mga espada at pana sa'min. Nagkunot-noo ako, kalian pa sila nakapunta rito. From afar, I noticed a man with a crown. A king?
"Who are you? How have you entered our city?" tanong nito sa'min.
"What's happening, Aster?" tanong ni Damon habang hinahawakan ang kaniyang espade defensively. Diane held on her bow and arrow tight. "Paano sila nakapunta rito nang gan'on kabilis?"
Aster shook her head. "Lower your weapons, Damon and Diane. Looks like Epirus is not an abandoned city at all."
Nagkunot-noo ako. Ang hirap maging bobo?
"We are Semideuses from the Olympian World. We are sent here for a mission given to us by the Oracle of Delphi. I am the demigod daughter of Apollo, Aster, that is why I chanted an ancient spell to summon the Grove of Dodona, but it seems like I've chanted an opening to your protected city."
Protected city? Hindi ko pa rin gets?!
"We sincerely apologize for trespassing your land, King Epirus. Ginagawa lang naming kung ano ang inutos sa'min ni Pythia para madaling mahanap si Goddess Artemis."
The King arched one of his eyebrows. Naglakad siya papalapit sa'min, at pinalibutan naman kaagad siya ng Knights. "Bakit niyo hinahanap si Goddess Artemis?" tanong niya.
This time, Diane spoke. Wow, brave! "The Goddess is missing. Not even the Olympian Gods could find her, so they sought help from the Oracle of Delphi, and here we are. Cool city, by the way. Paano niyo nagawang maging invisible ang city niyo sa labas?"
Huh? Invisible lang ang city kanina? Bakit gets nila?!
Tumikhim ang hari. Ngumisi siya bago magsalita, "The Epirus City is protected by the Titaness Rhea. 'Yon ay para maprotektahan din ang Oracle of Dodona. So if you seek the Oracle, you must prove that you are really Semideuses."
Ahh, parang gets ko na. This city is protected by the powers of Rhea, the Titaness of female fertility, motherhood, and generations. The Titaness mother. Kaya hindi nakikita ng kung sino lang ang kanilang city. Wow, safe.
Tumango naman si Aster. "We will do anything to prove it."
"Lately, there's been someone trespassing in our City. Hindi naming alam kung paano sila nakakapasok, at hindi rin naming kilala kung sino sila, but we assume they are also people like you, people with powers. If you manage to catche them, we will give you the authority to ask the Oracle of Dodona."
"Rebels," mahinang wika ni Diane. "They know we're going here too. Malamang sila 'yon."
Aster nodded. "We will surely catch them, King Epirus."
One girl approached us, she had a patch in her eyes. She smiled sweetly before speaking, "I am Adelina, and I will guide you around our city."
Napatingin siya sa'kin, and for a moment, my heart stopped beating again. Napahawak agad ako kay Diane, at napasubsob sa kaniyang balikat.
"Xynthea," nag-aalala niyang wika. "Anong problema?"
"Is she... okay?" narinig kong wika ni Adelina. Something in her voice gave me a feeling of déjà vu. I looked at her, and I suddenly remembered something. A memory.
"Xynthea," the same voice as Adelina's called me. "We must do this in order to keep you safe."
"But... why?" I asked. "Why must I forget?"
"They need to forget that you exist, Xyn," sagot ng boses. "There was a misunderstanding. I will find a way to fix it, and I promise you... you will remember everything in time."
"We're running out of time. He's coming now," the voice said once again. I tried looking to the face of the girl, but everything I remember is a blur.
Before I could even fall into darkness again, I heard a name.
"Cronus."
The Semideus
By lostmortals
Plagiarism is a crime.
Votes and comments are highly appreciated.
Thank you for reading!
BINABASA MO ANG
The Semideus
FantasyPUBLISHED UNDER PSICOM PUBLISHING | "Lives in exchange of one life." Every year, the Olympus Gates opens for mortals who dreams to become a Semideus, a mortal favored by the Gods. However, one needs to take the Semideus test and must be prepared for...
