The Semideus

Chapter 26

NECKLACE

"How come? Alam ba ni Diane 'yon?" kaagarang tanong ni Aster.

Umiling si Apollo. "It would be dangerous for her to know. Artemis kept it a secret, and my twin sister is already atoning for her sins, so that she wouldn't be mute."

Mute? So it must be true— that whenever one breaks a vow to the River Styx, he/ she will be mute.

"You knew all along where Artemis was, Dad? And you also knew that Diane is her daughter?"

"Halos ngayon ko lang din nalaman. She used a deer to talk to me and send her message- that I must keep her child safe, Diana, from the seas."

May pinakita siya sa'ming liham na may nakalagay ngang sulat. It was written in gold text... wait is this ichor? Her own blood?

"I knew it was from her because of the deer and her own ichor," wika ni Apollo, at hinipan ang liham bago 'yon unti-unting naging abo.

"And Diana is the roman equivalent of Artemis, and Diane gave me Artemis vibes since then. Her disappearance makes it more significant."

"So we'll go to Poseidon?" tanong ko.

Apollo gave me a glance, then his eyebrows made a furrow. "Poseidon? There are many sea Gods and Goddesses besides him. We shouldn't conclude anything so easily."

"Why don't you use the oracle of Delphi, Lord Apollo?" suhestiyon ni Damon.

Apollo scowled and shook his head. "The Olympians would surely be notified when I do that. Ayoko nang maki-epal sila 'no."

"Then what shall we do?" Damon inquired.

The silence stretched over us. Slowly, a cold familiar wind gushed over us, then the trees swayed with it. The rustling of leaves gave everyone chills.

"Wait. Wait until the Rain falls,
Before heading around the River Okeanos," biglaang sabay na wika ng mag-ama.

Both of their eyes were glowing with golden light, as if possessed by some spirit!

Wait... is the Oracle of Dodona taking control of them again? But we're not in the Grove anymore.

"Unseal her from the seas, Xynthea."

And my own inner voice talked to me again, or was it the Oracle of Dodona too? Why is it talking to me?

And who must she be? Ang dapat kong i-unseal? Diane, or is it somebody else?

"Your purpose shall be fulfilled." And it was the last thing I heard from my inner voice before it rained heavily.

Aster and Apollo looked up, and I did too. One dove flew around all of us, then it suddenly landed on my shoulder.

Soon, it flew away leaving a necklace in my shoulder. Kinuha ko naman 'yon, at napansing may sariling pattern ang kwintas. Hindi ko naintdihan ang pattern. It's familiar, but unfamiliar at the same time. What's this?

"It's raining, we should head to the River Okeanos," Apollo implied. Tinago ko naman ang kwintas sa bulsa ko.

Unseal her... with this necklace?

༻❁༺

ASTER's POINT of VIEW

"But the River Okeanus is all around the Olympian World. Where shall we head to?" tanong ko sa ama ko.

The River Okeanus symbolizes the eternal flow of time. It encircles the Olympian World, and some part of the river flows in the air. It was almost infinite.

"The waters of the River Okeanos reached the waves of the island of Aiaia. Diane wouldn't probably literally be in the waters of Okeanos. She would somewhere be near there, and it is that island," sagot naman sa'kin ni Apollo.

Island of Aiaia? One of Circe, the Sorceress' island? Does this mean... Goddess Circe has something to do with Diane?

Apollo whistled, and two swan chariots came from the clouds again. But this time, the swans were black.

P.S. if you are wondering why I only call my father only Apollo sometimes, it's kinda normal here in the Olympian world.

"These are my faster chariots. Haven't used it for a while, so here it is."

I nodded. Lumapit ako kay Xynthea para siya ang makasama, but I noticed that she was looking worried. She looked like she was deeply thinking about something.

"The island of Aiaia is protected by Circe's barrier," biglang wika ni Damon, kaya't napalingon ako sa kaniya. "Baka hindi natin 'yon makita. It's invisible in the naked eye of men."

Apollo smirked then flashed a smug smile, "I'm an Olympian, Damon. Confident naman akong makikita ko 'yon."

Damon nodded. "Okay, but Aster... won't you join your Father in the chariot?"

Umiling ako. "I want to keep Xynthea safe from the both of you," I joked, but the truth was... I wanted to know something from her.

I saw the necklace from the dove earlier, at hindi man lang siya nagtaka nang makita 'yon. She didn't ask us, so I think she must be hiding something.

Napatingin ako sa bulsa niya, kung saan niya nilagay ang kwintas. I almost squinted my eyes when I saw the necklace's pattern glow.

What kind of necklace is this?

Tinabunan naman n'ya 'yon ng kamay niya nang mapansing nakatingin ako r'on. I looked at her, and she almost gave me a scowl.

For a second, her eyes turned violet. Nagulat naman ako dahil d'on. What the Olympus was that? Was I hallucinating, or did I really see it become violet?

"Aster, sumakay ka na sa chariot. What the heck are you doing?" 'saka lang ako natauhan nang tawagin ni Ama ang atensyon ko.

I sighed and went towards Xynthea who's now inside the chariot. Sinadya kong ipagtama ang kamay ko sa bulsa niya, and I almost shrieked when I felt burnt.

What is happening to her? What is her connection to the Oracle of Dodona?

The Semideus
By lostmortals
Plagiarism is a crime.

Votes and comments are highly appreciated.

Thank you for reading!