“What should we do, then?” I heard Freya asked.

The soft giggles and laughter caught our ears as we stopped from our tracks. Artemis slowly turned the knob as we went inside the room. And my eyes were immediately captivated by a blossomed friendship, even if they grew apart for seventeen years, for they will be the enemy of each other. Destiny really does the trick and kicks everyone’s gut, even after locking Aicelyn in this palace.

Aizen was teasing Riley and Skyler while sitting beside Aicelyn, who was lying and resting on her bed.

Jackson immediately shoved Aizen off and ruffled Aicelyn’s hair. And before he could even speak, Aicelyn suddenly pointed the drawer beside her, making Jackson grew confused.

“Oh my Demigods!” Jackson shouted. Shouting and acting like a retard, Freya suddenly felt annoyed and stole the container with her pixie dust. “Freya bobo!”

.
“What is this—OMD!” Nang magulat din si Freya ay pinasa niya iyon kay Glifford na blanko lamang ang ekspresyon na binuksan iyon.

.
“It’s sirang pearls.” I grimaced at Glifford. Bagay silang mag-ama ni Serena. Masasakit sa tainga ang mga sinasalita.

Aicelyn looked at them. “Hestia gave it to me.”

Pearls? Why did she give it to her? “Did you say thank you?” Tanong ni Artemis. Nakangiwing umiwas ng mga mata si Aicelyn na para bang may mali pa siyang ginawa kay Hestia.

At kung tama ang hula ko na ang hawak ni Glifford ngayon ay ang pearls ni Persephone, ibig sabihin ay may dahilan kung bakit sira-sira iyon ngayon. Tumingin ako kay Glifford na abala pa rin na sinisilip iyon.

“Press the pearl,” I said.

All our attention were caught when the pearl suddenly glimmered the alluring shade of an emerald, glowing and shining in the corners of the room. All of a sudden, a map appeared on the top of it, simply projecting a place, along with its coordinate where to find the other half of it.

And with every pearl has its own location, a mission must be proclaimed.

“Three groups…” Sue mumbled. “So, among the five of you, who will be the leaders?”

“Me.”

“Me also.”

“Pass ako.”

“Go with the alon.”

“I decline.”

At dahil sa pagtanggi ni Artemis, lahat sila ay tingnan siya. Samantalang ang siraulong si Freya ay ang kapal ng mukhang tingnan siya nang masama.

“Freya, you’re so stupid. I need to protect this place.” At isa pa, isa siyang d’yosa. Sa prisensya ng mga miyembro ng Primus, siya si Rhealia, ang kapatid ni Aicelyn. At hindi pa ngayon ang tamang oras upang malaman ni Aicelyn kung sino ang tunay niyang ina.

Lumingon ako kay Jackson, na isa pang tumanggi. “How about you, Jackson?”

Nahihiya niyang kinamot ang likuran ng kanyang ulo’t paiwas-iwas ng tingin sa amin.

“Buntis si Leyla. I need to be with—”

“Nice shoot, Sir!” Phoenix suddenly shouted. All of his friends grimaced at him while he was acting as if he was shooting a ball. Kung hindi lang nakakatakot ang awra ni Artemis ngayon dahil sa ginawa ni Aicelyn ay nakisali na ako sa kanya sa panggago kay Jackson.

“Apollo’s son, right?” Artemis asked. Her eyes somberly looked at Phoenix, who just nodded. “You just inherited his stupid trait.”

Ang pabirong mukha ni Phoenix ay dahan-dahan na naglaho. “Not just this trait. His blood, that blood, I’ve wished I didn’t inherit.” Mapait na umalis si Phoenix sa silid ni Aicelyn dahilan upang tingnan ko nang masama si Artemis.

“Rhea, you just triggered a king.”

And with that, I immediately followed Phoenix outside. He walked his way to the balcony, and after reaching it. He closed his eyes, containing himself from crying because of a nightmare he’s been running away from since he learned his role in divinity.

“Hey…” I mumbled. I looked at the horizon while stealing a glimpse of him in the corner of my eyes. “Do you know why Apollo enrolled you to Demigods Academy?”

A bitter smiled suddenly curved in his lips. “To run away from my nightmare. Pero kahit ilang taon na akong nandito, hindi naman effective. Sa tuwing pumipikit ako, nakikita ko pa rin siya at ang ginawa siya babaeng pinakamamahal ko.”

“We all have our bitter moments, Phoenix. Yours was losing Marina… while for me—”

“Losing Sky’s mother,” he interrupted. I looked at him with disbelief. “I’m not that stupid, not to know that Lockser the surname of the mightiest king vessel ever born.”

“Mightiest… but too weak to protect the woman he loves.”

Makahulugan na tumingin sa akin si Phoenix na para bang magiging seryoso ang mga salitang kanyang pakakawalan. “Isa kang king vessel na katulad ko, Master Garet, paano nagawang mahalin ang bagay na hindi mo naman mapunta sa’yo?”

“Sino bang may sabing mahal ko ang pagiging king vessel?” Patanong kong sambit. Ngumiti ako’t sinuyod ang himpapawid. “I am a lousy prince. I even ran away from my father, just to find a dream to chase even if he’s been telling me for years that the dream I have is to be the greatest king vessel… but in order to fight for my dream, I have to accept my fate. I have to accept myself as a king vessel. I did not love my role, Phoenix. I just accepted it.”

“Why?”

“To become strong… and the result? The name Skyler Nimrod Lockser.”

Phoenix softly laughed. “Sayang lang dahil hindi alam ni Sky na sa likod ng lahat ng mga achievements niya, sinusubaybayan mo siya. Nagtatakha talaga ako noon dahil kahit nanonood ka sa Grand Olympian Games, hindi ka nila pinakikilala.”

“Ayos ka na ba?”

“Somehow…”

I smiled. “Do you know who your servitour is?”

“Servitour?” He quizzically asked.

Muli akong natawa dahil sa nagtatakha niyang mukha. Pero agad iyong naglaho nang talikuran ko ang himpapawid at pinagmasdan ang pasilyo patungo sa direksyon ng silid ni Aicelyn kung nasaan sila. Delikado.

“Freya is my servitour… while yours was Aizelle Shaina Buenatori.”

“Ha? Certified bobo ako, Master Garet, pero alam kong winged beings ang mga servitour, wala namang pakpak iyong si Aizelle at isa pa may gusto ‘yon kay Light.”

“She’s a half-seraph…” I mumbled. “And her feelings are not yet that strong. Hindi ka pa patay e.”

“Legit ba? Wala naman akong nakikitang pakpak e!” Pagmamaktol ni Phoenix. Paili-iling ko siyang hinila pabalik sa silid ni Aicelyn nang makasalubong namin si Glifford.

“Problema mo?” Tanong ko.

“Fountain of Prophecy…” bulong niya. Nginiwian namin siya ni Phoenix at pumasok kami sa loob. Masyado silang abala sa kanilang usapan kaya’t hindi nila napansin ang pagdating namin.

“Alexis…”

“W—what?” I asked. I felt the warm liquids forming in the corner of my eyes. I looked at Glifford and back to Aicelyn. Foutain of Prophecy… Alexis… is she imprisoned in that fountain? “I—I thought she was thrown in the Tartarus…”

I meaningfully looked at Artemis, who was also flabbergasted. “Akala ko rin.”

“So, Zeus and the others tricked us? Are that seventeen years… not enough to fool us? Answer me, Rhea! After all, you are—”

“Garet, snap out of it!” Freya screamed. Her eyes reflected her frustration and unsaid anger while looking at me. “Don’t you dare question her! We all defy the sacred laws, not just one, but most of it. Alam mong dapat lang sa ‘tin ito. Tayo ang dapat nasa kinatatayuan ni Alexis, not her. We just dragged her into this mess!”

“Freya, Garet, tumigil na kayo—”

“Shut up, Glifford!” Freya exclaimed without looking at him. “Alexis deserves to be here; she deserves to be with her child.”

I frustratingly bit my lower lip when tears suddenly fell. “Emerald… she’s dying every day… dahil hindi pa rin siya nakaka-move on sa pagkawala ng bestfriend niya.”

“Freya…” Jackson whispered.

“I’m sorry…” I mumbled.

Pero hindi nagbago ang mga mata niya, umaapoy pa rin iyon sa galit nang bigla na lamang niya akong duruin. “Remember this, Garet. You don’t have the right to be sad about her, especially that the day before she disappeared, you treated her as nothing. You treated her like a stranger. You treated her as if she wasn’t the dream you were chasing.”

Stupid…

Nang umalis si Freya sa kuwarto, saglit kaming binalot ng katahimikan bago sumunod sa kanya. Hindi ko alam kung lumipad ba siya pababa o hindi, basta ang alam ko ang bilis niyang nakababa. Muli niya akong tiningnan nang masama nang makita niya kaming sumunod sa kanya.

“Why don’t you tell them what really happened that night, Garet?” I heard Artemis asked.

Naguguluhan ko siyang tiningnan dahilan upang ngumisi siya’t dahan-dahan tinuro ang kalangitan. “Sinasabi mo r’yan?”

“May mga mata ako sa itaas. ‘Yong d’yosa ng pag-ibig, nakipag-trade sa akin. May sasabihin daw siya tungkol sa inyo ni Alexis, ang kapalit ay si Hailey. Sabi ko deal, nang malaman ko ‘yong balita niya saka sinabi na nabigyan ko na ng blessing si Hailey.”

“Ang daldal mo, Artemis…” puna ni Jackson, nagbibilot ng papel kasama si Glifford.

Pinanliitan ako ni Freya ng mga mata. “Ano ‘yon?”

“Ayoko…”

“Paraphrase mo na lang ‘yong sinumbat sa’yo ni Freya.” Pagngisi ni Artemis dahilan upang simangutan ko siya.

“Fine,” I mumbled and cleared my throat.

“Wait. Makikinig ako kay Garet,” bulong ni Glifford kay Jackson.

“Remember this, Freya. I have all the right to be sad about her, especially that the day before she disappeared, I treated her as my everything. I treated her like the woman I would spend my life with. I treated her my dream that I will be chasing even after kneeling down in front of her.”

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