SOLEIA'S POV

"Are we seriously gonna listen to whatever's written on that note?" Kai asked. "You know, they might be trying to fool us, whoever they are."

Maging ako ay nalito. Bakit kami pinapaalis?

May mangyayari ba?

Aelia suddenly picked up the cat and examined it closely. Her eyes shifted from pink to blue, and finally to gold. The colors of her eyes were absolutely beautiful.

"This cat seems harmless, and I think the person who sent the letter is the same," sambit niya. "Kai, what do you think?"

Kai shrugged. "The cat's cute." Napangiwi kami sa kanyang sagot.

Aelia rolled her eyes. "Dimwit," komento niya. "So... are we gonna follow the note or what?" she asked with sass.

Talia pouted like a child. "Mas gusto ko pa yata 'yung mga surprise quiz ni Miss Elliana kaysa dito. Hindi ba pwedeng bumalik nalang sa academy?" she asked, frowning.

Bahagyang natawa si Aelia. "Yeah, that does sound better than this."

After that, a long silence followed. Only our ragged breaths could be heard, and no one dared to interrupt the unspoken agreement we had to stay silent.

Well... that was until Tazyn decided to break it.

"Kailangan na nating umalis," biglang aniya. "Ngayon na," dugtong pa niya. Biglang kumunot ang noo ko.

"What? Are you serious?" Kai asked.

Tumango si Tazyn. "Trust me. We need to leave." Sobrang seryoso ng itsura niya kaya kinilabutan ako. Mukhang kailangan na nga naming umalis.

"Is the limousine still outside, Mavi?" singit ni Amari. "We're gonna leave," anunsyo niya. If Amari says we need to leave, then we will.

"It's still there..." Mavi replied, looking uneasy.

He froze for a second.

"Holy Poseidon... I'm sensing something ominous..." I froze when I heard a hiss.

Nang lumingon ako, nakita kong may nakapulupot na ahas sa binti ko!

"Soleia!"

Napasinghap ako. "For Hades' sake-" Napaupo ako dahil sa dulas ng sahig.  "Gods," I cursed.

"Stay alert!" Raven commanded, his voice radiating authority. Biglang dumami ang ahas sa paligid hanggang sa palibutan kami ng mga ito.

I clicked my tongue, and soon butterflies began to appear. They surrounded me, offering protection as I attempted to escape the snake’s grip. I grabbed the snake with my hands and tried to wriggle free, but I wasn't able to escape its grasp.

Curse the gods! Ayaw ko talaga sa ahas!

I started panicking, and I think I didn't breathe for a few seconds. Bakit ba naman kasi ahas ang umatake sa'kin sa lahat nang pwedeng umatake?!

Bigla akong kumuha ng isang feather blade at hiniwa ko ang ahas na nasa binti ko gamit ito. Mabuti na lang lumayo ito sa akin. Sinubukan kong tumayo, pero bago pa man ako makabangon, humawak muna ako sa isang lamesa dahil nagsimula nang lumambot ang mga tuhod ko.

Come on, why won't these legs function the way they should? Hindi pa ako pwedeng mamatay!

"Soleia, duck!" Out of instinct, I followed the voice and let out a gasp when I saw a snake being thrown in my direction.

Bigla kong sinamaan ng tingin si Cole na siyang nagtapon nung ahas. "Curse you!" sigaw ko.

He smiled shyly as an apology. "Sorry naman!" Biglang nasunog ang isang ahas nang itapon niya ang bola ng apoy na hawak niya. "Geez, I think I'm getting the hang of this," komento niya, natatawa.

"Everyone, follow me!" Mavi shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. Just then, I felt another snake wrap tightly around my leg, nearly causing me to collapse.

Target ba nila ang binti ko? Thankfully, I managed to kill the snake just in time. After that, I tried to run, but my legs felt like jelly.

As if sensing my struggle, someone suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked me forward. "What are you waiting for? Do you still need me to carry you?" Haze asked sarcastically.

"Maybe if you actually helped me instead of cracking jokes, I’d move faster!" I fired back, trying to keep up with him despite the fatigue in my muscles.

Ang sakit ng mga binti ko!

We dashed towards the nearest exit, and I silently thanked Miss Elliana for her mechanism that helped us stop time. If there were people around to protect from all these snakes, we’d probably still be stuck in the chaos.

My heart soared with relief when I spotted the limousine waiting for us. "Go inside," Haze commanded seriously as we approached. "I'll follow in just a second."

The only ones left outside were Haze, Mavi, and Raven, who were rushing to keep us shielded from the swarm of snakes pursuing us.

Dahil dito, inutusan ko ang ilang mga paru-paro ko upang protektahan din sila.

Maya-maya, nang makatakas sila at nang makasakay na ang lahat, umandar na ang limousine namin. Pinabalik ko na rin ang mga paru-paro ko dahil nawalan ako ng enerhiya nang pinalabas ko sila.

Hinihingal akong sumandal sa upuan ko. "Is anyone injured?" biglang tanong ni Tazyn. "Kung meron kayong sugat, sabihan niyo lang ako," mahinahon niyang sambit.

Tiningnan ko sina Talia at nakahinga ako nang maluwag nang makitang maayos lang ang kalagayan nila. 

Maliban sa nananakit kong mga binti ay may ilan akong natamong galos katulad nina Cole, pero buhay pa naman kami.

Fortunately, Tazyn healed us.

"Where am I going to drop you off, masters?" the centaur asked.

"The park." Si Kai ang nagsalita. "The Asphodel Class is waiting for us."

Aelia sighed. Mabuti pa silang dalawa ni Kai, parang hindi lang kakasabak sa labanan. Fresh pa rin silang dalawa eh.

"I wonder if Irisha's okay..."

Ah, si Irisha, ang anak ni Iris. Siya rin 'yung host nung claiming ritual nang una akong mapadpad sa Elysium Academy.

Habang tinatahak ang daan papunta sa park, unti-unting lumakas ang pintig ng puso ko. Hindi ko maipaliwanag pero masama ang pakiramdam ko.

Bakit nagkaroon ng ahas sa mall? Dahil ba ito sa nilalang na sinusubukan naming hulihin?

Dumagdag pa 'tong sina Hermes at Iris na hanggang ngayon ay hindi namin alam ang kinaroroonan.

"Be cautious. Those snakes might be a distraction," Haze said, looking serious. His cold eyes bore into the window, deep in thought.

Napatango-tango ako habang pinipilit kong pakalmahin ang aking sarili. Sa buong buhay ko, nasa bahay lang ako, nagbabasa ng mga libro, o kaya naman ay nag-eensayo kasama si Mira.

Ngayon pa lang ako sasabak sa totoong labanan kung sakali... medyo natatakot ako.

I knew that being both a daughter of a major god and a protector meant new things — and that included killing mortals, monsters, gods, and even fellow demigods.

Was I ready to fulfill that responsibility?

Maybe, maybe not.

The weight of it all hung heavy in my chest. Could I truly become the weapon they needed?

I took a deep breath, summoning the courage I needed. With a firm resolve, I clenched my fists. I can do this.

My eyes widened as I saw us approaching a park.

"Bakit mukhang nagkakagulo ang lahat?" natatarantang tanong ni Callie. "Manong, ibaba mo na kami rito!"

"Is that Irisha?! Oh my magic, she's bleeding!" Aelia exclaimed. "Hurry, manong! Our classmates are being attacked!"

Bigla akong naalerto at bumalik sa katinuan. Narinig ko ang tuloy-tuloy na paglabas nila sa sasakyan kaya't sumunod ako sa kanila.

I froze for a second when I saw the current situation. Tila nawala ang sakit na nararamdaman ko dahil sa gulat.

Blood.

It was full of blood.

Demigods were constantly battling earth golems that kept crushing them, while snakes slithered all over, searching for their next prey.

But that wasn’t our main concern.

In the midst of the blood-stained battlefield stood a woman who caught everyone’s attention.

She wasn’t looking our way, and I felt relieved. Instead, her gaze was fixed on the unfolding carnage in front of her. A small grin spread across her face, revealing her satisfaction.

"Don’t look into her eyes…"

Narinig ko ang boses ni Mavi sa isipan ko.

"Unless you want to die, of course."

It seemed the woman had sensed us, so she swiftly turned to face us. I averted my gaze immediately.

I heard her laugh. "We finally meet at last…" She paused for a while. "Elysians."

The hissing of the snakes on her head was enough to know how much of a threat she was.

"Medusa…"