TALIA'S POV

"Sino ba kasi si Rox?" takang tanong ni Callie.

I frowned. "I don't know either, love."

Halos isang araw na naming iniisip kung sino si Rox. Hindi nga ako nakatulog nang maayos kagabi.

Because of this, I'm totally in the mood for shopping. It's way better than pondering about mysteries I don't have the answer to.

I hope I don't bump into any of the Olympians though. It's gonna be a hassle.

"Gusto mong magshopping?" tanong ko kay Callie. Kanina pa kasi kaming dalawa rito sa library. Nakatunganga lang naman kami habang nakatitig sa mga libro eh.

"Ano'ng shopping? Kailangan nating samahan sina Headmistress Adhira sa pagbati sa mga Olympians," iritang sagot ng katabi ko. "Accommodation, ganon."

"Oh my greeks!" I exclaimed. "Ayoko nga." Bigla akong napasimangot. Kailangan ba talaga? Malalaki na naman sila eh.

"Gusto nilang icampus tour natin sila." Inikot ni Callie ang mga mata niya. "Parang hindi sila ang gumawa ng academy ah."

"Why does it have to be us?"

"Kasi may meeting silang lahat, maliban nalang kina Cole at Soleia. Since we're used to this, they picked us."

I sighed. "This is gonna be a long day then."

We stayed quiet for a few minutes before we decided to meet the former protectors of the academy. We knocked on the headmistress' door and we were greeted by their troubled faces.

"It's nice to see you both, Callie and Talia," bati sa'min ni Headmistress Adhira. Kasama niya sina Miss Elliana at Sir Saint.

"Those gods are so burdensome. I was in the middle of sleeping." Sinapo ni Sir Saint ang kanyang noo.

"Nakakamiss na tuloy 'yung buhay ko nung estudyante pa lang ako. Puro tulog lang ang ginawa ko noon eh," komento naman ni Miss Elliana.

While staring at them, an imaginary lightbulb popped above my head. Kilala kaya nila si Rox? Maybe they know something about her?

"Uh, headmistress..." Kinuha ko ang atensyon niya. "I have a question."

Her eyebrows raised. "What is it, Talia?"

"May kilala ba kayong estudyante na Rox? Kailangan lang naming malaman."

They all froze into place. Every single one of them.

Why are they reacting like this?

"Rox?" Miss Elliana's voice started to shake a bit, but she maintained her composure. "Why do you want to know, Talia?"

"She's a vital piece of the mystery we're trying to uncover," Callie replied. "Kaya kung may nalalaman kayo, sabihin niyo sa'min."

The headmistress sighed deeply. "I might be mistaken, but the Rox I remember was a remarkable student at Elysium Academy. Her real name was Roxanna, and she was truly one of a kind. Very few people ever really knew her."

"But we did," dugtong niya.

They... did?

"What was your connection to Roxanna, headmistress?"

"Roxanna was one of our closest friends... and I'm sure she would've been the headmistress if her life hadn't been cut short."

Roxanna...

"When..." Humina ang boses ni Callie. "When did she pass away?"

"She died about a decade ago."

Then how could she have known us? How was she aware of our identities if she passed away before we even entered the academy?

She was indeed a beautiful mystery, just as they described. Gusto ko siyang makilala.

"Is there anything else you can share?" I asked. They shook their heads, keeping their thoughts close. "Thank you then."

Miss Elliana's eyes grew distant with sorrow. "I wonder what Rox was hoping to accomplish." It was clear that she was lost in fond memories. "I miss them terribly."

She was likely thinking of the other fallen protectors. From what I understood, there were six of them, but three died.

It must have been incredibly difficult. I couldn't imagine my life without the Elysians. They were everything to me. Hindi ko alam ang gagawin ko kung mawala sila.

"Talia? Let's go. The Olympians are waiting for us." Sir Saint smiled at me, and I smiled back at him. Hindi ko na namalayan na nakatayo na silang lahat kaya sumunod nalang ako sa kanila.

"Where are we gonna meet them, Adhira?" tanong ni Sir Saint. Kasabay niya sa paglalakad si Miss Elliana na nakabusangot ang mukha.

"Pigilan niyo ako mamaya. Baka makasampal ako ng Olympian," ani Miss Elliana. Bahagya akong natawa.

She's usually not the aggressive type unless someone annoys her. In this case, she doesn't like the Olympians. She hates them with a passion.

"Now, now, Elliana, calm yourself. They're still the rulers of Olympus. We can't get on their bad side," pagpapakalma sa kanya ni Sir Saint. Inirapan lang siya ng kausap niya.

"Quiet down. They're in the main building, talking to the centaurs who are managing the academy's mechanical system. They want to make sure everything's working," sabi ni Headmistress Adhira. Agad na natahimik ang dalawa.

A few moments later, we finally arrived. We were standing in front of the mechanical room. My nerves were getting the best of me, but I tried to remain calm.

Just calm down, Talia.

Pumasok na kami sa loob at bumungad sa'min ang nagkakagulong mga centaur.

"Oh my greeks!" Napasigaw ako nang may mahulog na makina.

"That goes there, young fella! Make sure not to drop anything." Hephaestus' commands roared across the room. He looked really hot.

Literally.

His head was on fire. "Literal na mainit ang ulo," bulong sa'kin ni Callie. Mahina akong natawa at wala nang sinabi.

Mahirap na, baka marinig ako ni Hephaestus at sunugin niya ako nang buhay.

Headmistress Adhira coughed in order to catch the god's attention. "Good day, Lord Hephaestus."

Humarap sa'min ang diyos ng apoy. Halos masilaw ako sa puti ng kanyang ngipin nang ngumiti siya. "Ah, Adhira, my beloved cousin! No need for formalities, what brings you here?" Lumapit siya sa'min.

Our headmistress sighed. "Where is our father, my lord?" she asked. Hephaestus frowned.

"I told you to call me Hephy, dear cousin!"

"Just get to the point," pabalang na saad ni Miss Elliana. The god laughed.

"The other Olympians have departed. I believe Dionysus is heading to the spa, while Poseidon is off to the pool. As for Father? He's with Hera, but I'm not sure where they went."

So... we went here for nothing when I could've gone shopping? Curse the gods.

Nakakahaggard!

"Oh, that reminds me. How is my son doing?" tanong sa'min ni Hephaestus. Bahagya akong nagulat.

No Olympian has ever asked about their child's well-being. Honestly, I know they don't care about us; they just want to mold us into saviors who will protect the realm when evil threatens to overtake it.

And that's fine. It's the only way I can be of any use.

After all, the Olympians are gods and goddesses. They sit on their thrones while we defend them from any threats that could potentially challenge their power.

But there's nothing I can do about it, so it's okay.

"Cole is doing fine, Hephy." I cringed a bit at how Headmistress Adhira addressed Hephaestus. Mukhang napilitan lang siya.

Seryoso ba silang tatawagin nilang Hephy si Hephaestus? Ang corny. Hindi pang-Olympian.

A few moments later, my thoughts were interrupted when a familiar crow appeared. "That's your dad's crow, right?" tanong sa'kin ni Callie. Tumango ako.

The crow landed on Hephaestus' shoulder, appearing to relay a message. "Hm, Apollo's daughter?" My ears perked up."If I recall, her name is Tazyn. Why?" he asked the crow.

Tazyn? Why is he asking about my twin sister?

I decided to intervene. "I hope you
don't mind me asking, my lord, but if I may..." I cleared my throat. "Is something wrong?" Hephaestus' expression shifted to one of seriousness, and he gestured for me to wait.

As I waited, anxiety began to weigh on me. Every passing second heightened my worry. Bakit ang tagal nilang mag-usap?

Hephaestus said something else to the crow before it took off. He turned to us with a grave expression.

Bigla akong kinabahan.

"You are Tazyn's twin sister, aren't you?" tanong niya sa'kin. Agad akong tumango.

"You need to go to the clinic. Right now," he commanded.

My heart raced with fear. "What… happened?"

Hephaestus sighed. "Someone tried to poison your sister."