MAVI'S POV

131... 132... 133...

Honestly, I lost track of how many daemons and cyclopes I've killed.

I continued to swing my water whip recklessly, not bothering to think about my own injuries. Once Tazyn had used up half of her energy, remind me to give her a good talking-to afterward, I started to feel a lot better. Much better.

"Soleia!" Napatingin ako sa anak ni Hades nang tawagin ni Cole ang pangalan niya. Sabay-sabay kaming napasinghap nang makita ang papalapit na daemon sa kanilang dalawa ni Tazyn.

Lalapitan ko na sana sila ngunit naunahan ako. Tinakpan ni Soleia ang mga mata ni Tazyn upang hindi niya makita ang mangyayari, bago niya isinaksak ang kanyang feather blade sa puso ng daemon.

Biglang nabitawan ni Soleia ang blade, at pagkatapos ng ilang segundo, nahimatay si Tazyn.

Agad akong tumakbo palapit upang alalayan sila. Nakita ko ang pagsunod ng iba sa'kin. "What in Apollo's name happened?!" Una kong narinig ang boses ni Talia. Agad siyang lumapit sa kanyang kambal.

I held Tazyn's arm gently. Her eyes were closed, but fortunately, she was still alive. Just tired. "They had an encounter with a daemon, Talia. It's okay. They're okay," I assured her.

Nakita ko ang takot na dumaan sa kanyang mata habang nakatingin kay Tazyn. Niyakap niya ito nang mahigpit habang nanginginig. "I was so scared..." she whispered.

I gently patted her head to comfort her. Sunod akong napatingin kay Soleia na inaalalayan nina Callie at Cole.

"You okay, Soleia?" tanong ko sa kanya. Mariin siyang pumikit bago magmulat muli at tumingin sa'kin.

She beamed a small smile, calming the whole of me. "Yeah..." Pumikit siya ulit. "I'm just tired." Sinandal niya ang kanyang ulo sa balikat ni Cole.

I'm glad they're okay.

Humarap ako kay Talia. "Let me carry her." Kinuha ko si Tazyn at binuhat ko siya. "Cole, take Soleia to the clinic," utos ko.

Agad na naalarma si Soleia sa sinabi ko. "I'm okay," bulong nito. Agad na napakunot ang noo ko. "Hindi naman ako nasugatan masyado," dagdag niya. I sighed.

"Pinagsasasabi mo? Sige ka, isusumbong kita kina Haze!" Natawa ako sa banta ni Callie.

Soleia glared at Callie, and I could immediately see the resemblance between her and her father. Geez, she needs to calm down.

"Edi isumbong mo," she said, frowning. "Kaya ko pang lumaban." Stubbornly, she stood up and clenched her feather blade tighter.

I knew I couldn't stop her anymore, so I let her be. "Take care of yourself then. Ayokong malagot," bilin ko. I carried Tazyn and brought her to clinic.

I attempted to avoid our enemies, but they still managed to track me down. Thankfully, Kai and Aelia kept me safe while I made my escape. Aelia even conjured a barrier for Tazyn.

Agad akong sinalubong nina Dr. Phoebe at Nurse Sav na abala sa pag-aasikaso sa mga pasyenteng sugatan. Napatingin si Nurse Sav sa'kin bago sa babaeng hawak ko. "Mavi! Tazyn!" I could hear the urgency in her voice. "Oh gods, are you okay? Prepare an extra bed right away!" utos niya sa ibang staff.

Inilapag ko si Tazyn sa kama nang maayos ito. Hinawi ko ang buhok niya at siniguro kong komportable siya. "You'll be fine..." bulong ko sa kanya kahit alam kong hindi niya ako naririnig. "You shouldn't have done that."

I enveloped her in a soft barrier of water to help ease some of her injuries. I drew my water whip right after.

"Please take care of her." I gave Nurse Sav and Dr. Phoebe a small smile. "I can't do that right now because I have an academy to take care of, so please do it in my stead."

Though tired, Doc. Phoebe managed to flash a smile in return. "Anything for the Elysians." I spared Tazyn one last glance before leaving.

Sinalubong na naman ako ng kumpol-kumpol na daemons at cyclopes pagkalabas ko. Sa totoo lang, kailan ba matatapos ang lahat nang ito?

Napapagod na rin ako. Parang walang katapusan ang paghihirap namin. Mas lalala pa ito kung maisipang pumunta rito ni Medusa.

"Do you want to become one of my water statues?" tanong ko sa aking mga kalaban.

Inangat ko ang isa kong kamay, at kasabay noon, tumaas ang tubig mula sa lupa. Unti-unti, binalot nito ang mga daemon at cyclopes sa harapan ko hanggang sa hindi na sila makahinga sa loob ng bola ng tubig. Ang kanilang mga sigaw ay unti-unting naglaho habang nalulunod sila sa aking kapangyarihan.

"Huh, I guess you do," sarkastikong sambit ko habang nakatingin sa mga nilalang na nakapaloob sa malalaking bola ng kapangyarihan ko.

"You will not destroy my home," bulong ko sa sarili bago sumugod. I fought like my life depended on it, and maybe it did. I continued my attacks, wielding my weapon against anyone who I deemed dangerous. After several minutes, I found myself soaked in blood.

But it was not my own.

Pinahid ko ang dugo sa labi ko. "Tch. How troublesome." Tumakbo ulit ako at nakita ko ang mga Elysian na nakikipaglaban.

Surrounded by her swirling purple and black butterflies, Soleia fought fiercely alongside Amari, striking down their enemies with precision. After hurting the creatures, they would kick them towards Haze and Raven who finished them off using electrocution and suffocation until their breaths ceased.

Beside them were Callie, who used her powers as Demeter's daughter to pierce opponents with thorny vines, and Cole, who enjoyed burning his enemies alive. Meanwhile, Talia expertly picked off every creature from the sidelines with her steady aim, her bow and arrow never missing their mark.

Ang brutal ng mga kaibigan ko.

Agad akong napangisi nang makita sila. Time to join the fun then.

Sa bawat galaw ko, may naiiwan na bitak sa lupa, at nang mas bilisan ko pa ang aking pagtakbo, yumanig ang aking tinatapakan hanggang sa matumba ang lahat ng daemon at cyclopes.

The Elysians gazed at me in disbelief, but as soon as I winked at them, they understood my message. I triggered another earthquake, which created the perfect opportunity for them to eliminate every single creature that posed a threat to us.

"Luh?! Bakit ayaw nilang maubos?!" sigaw ni Callie pagkatapos ng ilang minuto ng pagpatay.

"H-hindi ko na kkaya..." Napasinghap kami nang matumba si Talia habang nakahawak sa puno. Napansin ko na rin ang ilang sugat sa kamay niya dahil kanina pa niyang ginagamit ang pana niya. "T-they're draining my energy. Gods, for Apollo's sake..." Tuluyan na siyang napasandal sa puno.

"Talia!" Agad na nilapitan ni Callie ang anak ni Apollo. "Hoy, tumayo ka nga dyan! Pupunta pa tayo sa spa pagkatapos nito!" pagpilit niya pero wala siyang nakuha na sagot dahil sobrang nanghina na si Talia.

I looked above and noticed the sun was slowly setting. What's happening?

We've been fighting for an hour... and there's still a lot of them. At this rate, we're all gonna die. Not everyone could receive healing, as the clinic was already at full capacity.

"N-nanghihina na rin ako." Kumapit si Cole sa kanyang tuhod. Inalalayan ko siya papunta sa puno na sinasandalan ni Talia. "Sorry..." paumanhin niya.

Only five of us were left standing. I looked around and noticed that nearly all the students were completely exhausted.

Kai, Aelia, and Irisha were all injured too but were desperately trying to shield their classmates. Even Lianna was struggling.

Among us, the headmistress and the other protectors were the only demigods still standing tall. I could tell they were fatigued, but they didn't want to show any signs of weakness in front of their students.

Because the sun slowly set and Sir Saint drew his energy from it, his weakened state didn't go unnoticed by me.

If those three were the only ones left... could they possibly defeat over three hundred foes?

They were strong, but they were not invincible.

Napabuntong-hininga ako.

Gods, help us. If you have any compassion for your own children... please.

Kahit ngayon lang. Tulungan niyo kami.

Yet, as always, there was no response.

At that moment, I felt all hope fade. I was ready to give up. I was ready to quit.

But someone clearly wasn’t.

"Elysians..." Soleia called out sharply, her eyes scanning us with concern as she stepped closer.

We exchanged glances, hope fading in our weary eyes. We were all tired, but we didn't want show it. The only strength we received in that moment came from one another.

"I'm sorry..." Soleia began, her tone heavy. "If only I had acted sooner..."

Ano'ng ibig niyang sabihin?

Without waiting for our responses, she walked away without turning her back on us. Instead of her usual carefree expression, she looked serious as she let go of her feather blade, which fell to the ground with a loud thud.

She grasped the necklace around her neck with a sense of urgency before tearing it off. My eyes widened at the weight of her action.

In the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by daemons and cyclopes, she stood her ground. Just as we began to walk towards her, a sense of danger stopped us in our tracks.

Bakit pakiramdam ko, hindi na sa mga daemon at cyclopes nanggagaling ang panganib?

"Ano'ng nangyayari-"

The sun was replaced by the moon rising ominously above, casting an unsettling glow across the chaos.

We stood dumbfounded. Paano 'to nangyari? Bakit nakatayo si Soleia sa gitna ng mga kalaban? Gusto niya bang magpakamatay?!

"Soleia!" sabay-sabay naming tawag sa kanya.

Her facial features, now brighter than the moon behind her, shone with a strange intensity. Though, when she turned to face us, her eyes revealed both regret and a newfound determination.

"If only I hadn't been afraid…" she said, her body beginning to illuminate with a haunting glow. "Then perhaps our situation would be different."

"Pero ngayon, lalaban na ako..."

The moment she lifted her hands, shadows surrounded her, accompanied by black and purple butterflies, forcing us to step back.

And then... chaos erupted.

What in the name of Poseidon... this is insane.

"Child, unleash what you have hidden all these years. You are safe here." A voice echoed through the bloody field, its message specifically meant for Soleia.

A confident smirk spread across Soleia's face, as if drawing strength from the darkness itself. "Kaya pa nating manalo. After all, losing is not in my vocabulary."

"Seryoso?! May kapangyarihan si Soleia?!" sigaw ni Callie. Hindi kami nakasagot sa kanya dulot ng gulat.

In an instant, Hades' daughter radiated an unyielding power, unlike anything we had ever witnessed. The ground beneath us began to crack while shadows continued swallowing daemons and cyclopes without mercy.

Naubos niya... naubos niya ang mga kalaban.

Ito ba ang kapangyarihan ng anak ni Hades? O wala pa ito sa kalahati ng kaya niyang gawin?

I... I didn't know how to react.

The fact that this chaos was brought by a single demigod didn't want to sink into my mind.

In the midst of it all, there she stood.

Her wavy midnight blue hair, usually tied in a braided crown, flowed freely in the wind like an untamed tempest.

And her eyes...

Her eyes are glowing dark purple.