Cesia's POV

Sinundan ko ng tingin ang dalawang bata na napabitaw sa kamay ni Ria at tumakbo sa kinaroroonan ng nanay nila.

"Hey." Nilapitan ako ni Ria. "Not so terrible for our first day in Santorini, right?"

Nabaling ang aming atensyon kay Kara na kalalabas lang mula sa opisina ng chief of police.

"The locals will be taking over from now on," pagbibigay-alam niya. "But I already called the Academy and asked for an ambassador to work with them."

"So the victim was an alumni, huh?" ani Ria.

"Yeah." Napalingon si Kara sa mag-ina. "It's unfortunate."

"A small world, indeed..." mahinang puna ni Ria.

"Have you eaten yet?" tanong ni Kara sa'min. "It's already late in the afternoon."

"I'm pretty sure I want to rest," sagot ni Ria, saka niya ako tinignan. "How about you, Cesia?"

Nginitian ko sila. "Mamaya nalang din ako kakain."

Nauna silang tumungo palabas. Sumunod ako sa kanila, ngunit bago tuluyang makalabas ng istasyon ay binigyan ko ng namamaalam na sulyap ang babaeng nakayapos sa kanyang mga anak.

Naglalakad lang ako sa likod nina Ria at Kara nang mapatingin ako sa kamay ko.

'Huwag kang sumakay sa bangka ni Charon. At kung si Thanatos ang makikita mo, sabihin mo, magkakilala tayo, at sa Elysium... sa Elysium ang totoong destinasyon mo.'

Napatitig ako rito.

'Inaantok ka na... kaya matulog ka na.'

Inangat ko ang aking ulo at natagpuan ang aking sarili na nakatayo sa gitna ng daan. Malayo-layo na sina Ria mula sa kinatatayuan ko at minasdan ko lang sila, hanggang sa tuluyan na nga silang maglaho sa likod ng nagkukumpulang mga turista.

Sa sandaling bumagsak ang aking kamay sa gilid ko, biglang may kumuha nito.

Hindi ako binalingan ni Trev ng tingin kahit nang tumingala ako sa kanya. Wala siyang sinabi, at nanatili lamang nakatuon sa'ming harapan.

Namuo ang isang malambot na ngiti sa aking labi.

Huminga ako nang malalim, at sa magkahawak naming kamay, humugot ako ng lakas upang makapaglakad ulit.

Tahimik lang kami, minsa'y napapamasid sa mga taong nakasalubong namin sa daan.

Hindi niya ako tinitignan pero alam kong nasa akin ang buong atensyon niya dahil ni isang beses hindi ko naramdamang lumuwag, kahit ng kaunti, ang pagkakahawak niya sa'kin. 

Sa halip, may mga sandaling napapahigpit siya sa kamay ko, at alam kong ginagawa niya ito para ipaalala sa'kin na magkasama kami, na nandito lang siya palagi sa aking tabi, at wala siyang balak hayaan akong mapag-isa.

'Yung puso mo, Cesia, nagpaparinig na...' narinig ko ang boses ni Art sa aking isipan. 'At sinasabi nitong may kailangan ka.'

Bumaba ang aking tingin sa magkasiklop naming mga kamay.

Kung may kailangan man ako, kailangan kong hawakan niya ang kamay ko sa panahong hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin ko...

Kailangan ko ang katahimikan niya, sa tuwing nag-iingay yung damdamin ko...

"Teka." Namalayan kong lumagpas na kami ng building namin. Luminga-linga pa ako.

"Took you so long to notice."

"Sa'n tayo pupunta?" tanong ko.

Nasagot ang aking katanungan pagkatapos makita ang puting picnic table sa gitna ng kumukupas na damuhan. Nasa dulo ito ng talampas ng Fira, kung saan mas mataas ang lupa.

Bahagyang bumukas ang aking bibig. "Trev..."

Inalalayan niya ako sa pag-akyat sa hagdan-hagdan na lupa.

Pagkarating namin, bumungad ang maaliwalas na tanawin ng Fira.

"Paano?" Napabitaw ako sa kanya. "Kailan?"

"I found it this morning, when I stood atop a rooftop," sagot niya.

Umikot-ikot ako.

"Trev! Ang ganda!" Naluluha ako sa saya.

"I know," aniya. "I can see it."

Humarap ako sa tagpuan ng langit at karagatan. 

Nasabi ko na ito, at sasabihin ko ulit, "Ang..." bulong ko, sabay bawi ng hinga. "Ganda..." 

"It is... beautiful."

Trev's POV

Will she ever look back and find out that I'm not talking about the view?

"Cesia." I grabbed her attention before she could take another step closer to the edge. "Come back here," tugon ko. "We don't want you falling off a cliff."

"Trev!" Tumakbo siya pabalik sa'kin. "Bumalik tayo dito!"

I never envied my own power, not until I saw how the wind gently moved her golden brown hair from her shoulders.

"Whenever you want." I said, and silently sent a small breeze to brush the strands of hair that fell on her face.

"Trev." She gasped, and pointed behind me. "Aurai..."

I glanced at my watch before turning to face three winged nymphs walking from the distance. Two of them each carried a silver tray, while the other one, held a golden bucket against her chest.

Sinalubong ko sila.

"Just in time, I believe?" One of them spoke with a voice as smooth as the wind.

Another one leaned her head to the side and smiled. "Hello there, beautiful."

I looked at Cesia whose cheeks flushed immediately. "H-Hi..." Pabalik-balik ang kanyang tingin sa'kin at sa tatlong aurai. "Anong ginagawa niyo rito?"

"Please." The third nymph chuckled. "One cannot easily decline when the sky itself asks for a favor."

Cesia answered with a laugh as well. "Talaga?"

Ah, nakalimutan ko nga palang ipaalala sa kanya.

I walked towards her and held her by the waist. "You're not allowed to talk about this to anyone, do you understand?"

She leaned closer and whispered back, "Inuutusan mo ba ako?"

"What if I am?" I asked under my breath.

Marahan niya akong siniko sa dibdib.

A playful smirk drew across my lips. "Are you going to command me to kneel, daughter of Aphrodite?"

"Trev!" pabulong niyang sigaw.

 Eventually, I led her to the table, where the aurai were busy preparing.

I looked at the roast beef tenderloin displayed in front of me. It had a salad on the side and was lightly drizzled with wine sauce.

My hand grabbed for the glass of champagne.

"We heard about the ruckus you went through, demigods." 

I took a sip of the sparkling liquid and tasted vanilla.

"You have went through great lengths to protect the realms, and you continue to do so."

Tumikhim ako at maingat na ibinalik ang baso sa mesa.

"Sa puntong ito, sanay na kami sa biglaang mga gulo." Cesia smiled at the food being prepared in front of her. "Mukhang hindi na namin ito maiiwasan, kahit anong gawin namin."

I rested my hand on the table and looked at her.

Light from the sky illuminated every corner of her face. Her eyes, the color of royalty, radiated with stars, as if they hold entire galaxies inside. The tip of her nose was interestingly small, and her rose tainted lips were curved perfectly.

She was beautiful, far too beautiful to even be real... like a goddess I could only meet in my dreams.

"Hope is strong in you, and so does love," puna ng aurai sa kanya. "And now I know why..."

Cesia looked confused for a moment.

"-why someone continues to worship you beneath his eyes."

I suppressed a smile.

Once the aurai finished setting up the table, the sun was already setting.

"We shall take our leave," paalam ng isa sa kanila. "Enjoy the rest of the evening, lovebirds."

Then, they finally spread their wings and disappeared along the wind.

"Trev..." Cesia bent forward. "Magkano ba ang babayaran mo para dito?"

Umangat ang aking kilay. "Why?"

"Para makapaghanda ako." Kumisap-kisap siya. "Hati nalang tayo."

I raised my hand and lightly scratched my lips.

Gods. She's unbelievable.

"I've already paid," I informed her.

"Magkano nga?" usisa niya.

I took a deep breath and sighed. "They just wanted an invitation."

"Huh?" Nagkasalubong ang kanyang kilay. "Para saan?"

"Soon, you'll know."

She leaned back and I could hear her mumble to herself.

"Sérieusement, pourquoi ne pas simplement..."

Sure enough, it caught me by surprise. 

Though, it shouldn't have. It's a daughter of love that's speaking the language of love.

"Cesia," sambit ko.

"Hmm?" She smiled at me, as if she didn't just complain about me.

I leaned closer. "Pourquoi on parle français?" 

'Why are we speaking French?'

Her eyes immediately widened. "Trev-"

"I never told you where in Europe I was born and raised... have I?"