Reign's POV

"Are you sure the others won't be looking for you?" tanong ni Elpis.

"No." Nakakunot ang aking noo habang iniikot-ikot ang kutsara sa pospas na niluto niya para sa maaga nilang hapunan. "They won't."

"Seeking refuge with hope then, I see," puna niya. "Is that what your mother taught you when you feel upset?"

I looked at Elpis, the Ancient Greek spirit of hope. She wore a mortal's clothing with her black wavy hair tied in a loose ponytail, and though she looked like a normal person, her skin sometimes glowed white, and her feet never touched the ground. She continued to float while preparing herself a meal.

Nasa maliit na kubo ako nila, sa kabilang dako ng ilog na hinahati ang valley, at pareho naming hinihintay si Galatea na makauwi mula sa lakad nito.

"I don't know," mahina kong sambit. "I told you I came here to look for Medea."

"She's still not feeling well," pagbibigay-alam niya. "Even after we took a vacation."

"So, where is she?" usisa ko.

"Back in Greece," sagot niya.

Bumalik ako sa paglalaro sa pagkain na nasa harapan ko habang paulit-ulit na pinapakinggan ang sinabi ni Medea sa aking isipan.

"Is it because we're in war?" ani Elpis.

Sinundan ko siya ng tingin na dahan-dahang naupo sa katapat kong upuan bitbit ang sarili niyang salin ng pospas, suot ang isang nag-aalalang ngiti.

"Your voice, Reign." Maingat niya itong inilapag sa mesa. "Something's changed with your voice... So, is it because we're in war?"

Nagtaka ako sa sinabi niya. "Anong ibig mong sabihin?"

"It's lingering, echoing..." aniya, na mas lalo kong ipinagtaka. "Like you're whispering to a void."

"Wala akong naiintindihan," tugon ko.

"Exactly." Lumitaw sa kanyang kamay ang isang kutsara. "Kaya ba nagbabago ang boses mo dahil wala kang naiintindihan?"

"Not in a way that I don't understand what I'm saying, no," sagot ko. "I just don't understand what's happening, that's all."

"Why are you defending yourself, demigod?" Marahan siyang natawa habang hinahalo ang pagkain niya. "I am only asking you a simple question."

Inangat niya ang kanyang tingin. "You think you can't trust anyone, Skyreign?"

"Ba't nga ba naman hindi?" naniniyak kong tanong. "Pagkatapos ng lahat ng nangyari?"

"Don't hold your guards up too high, or you won't see what's ahead of you," aniya. "So, if you want me to help you, Reign, I will need your trust and calm."

"But I am... calm," giit ko.

"Please." She laughed lightly again. "Hininaan mo lang ang boses mo, pero wala pa ring nagbabago."

Minasdan ko si Elpis na natatawa habang umiiling-iling, at sinimulang kainin ang kanyang niluto.

Ilang sandali pa'y humugot ako ng malalim na hininga at napabuga ng hangin. "Fine."

"That porridge is infused with herbs from the Hesperides' garden, and ambrosia." Sinenyasan niya akong kumain din. "Try it. It might help."

Muli na naman akong napabuntong-hininga at nagsandok ng isang kutsara ng pospas. Hinipan ko muna ito bago tumakam, at agad napatigil nang biglang naglaho ang lahat ng init ng pagkain dahil pinalitan ito ng masarap na lasa sa sandaling dumapo ito sa aking dila.

Napakurap-kurap ako at nang lunukin ito, bumalik ang init nito na tumakbo pababa sa aking lalamunan, patungo sa aking tiyan.

Kumain pa ulit ako at napagtantong hindi pumapasok sa aking sistema ang pospas. Dumadaan lang ito sa lalamunan ko at humihinto sa tiyan ko, at pagkatapos ay parang naglalaho, dahil hindi ko ramdam ang bigat nito kahit nang ilang beses na akong sumubo.

"The food of the gods," pakilala ni Elpis sa di-ordinaryong kinakain ko. "Food that does not make you feel full. Only satisfied with the taste."

Binigyan ko ang pospas ng nangunguryusong tingin. "Pagkain na hindi nakakabusog?"

"Yeah, well..." Mahina siyang tumawa. "We don't really die of hunger, unlike you."

"Immortals only crave, Reign," paalala niya. "We do not starve."

Tinignan ko siya. "And you're telling me this to remind me of the difference between a god and a mortal?"

"Smart," namamangha niyang puna. "I am."

I scoffed. "Gods..." bulong ko. "I don't know what's happening to them."

"Medea already told you that something is happening, didn't she?" aniya.

Mahinahon akong tumango.

"She said it's all familiar to her," sabi ko. "Greed... lust... envy..."

"Sins?" sambit niya. "Evil?"

"Mmm." I hummed in agreement.

"And that does not strike something in your mind?"

Umiling ako.

"Well, that's disappointing," natatawa niyang puna. "Considering that you're talking to me."

"I'm sorry," nadidismaya ko ring sabi. "I..." Sumayad ang aking paningin sa gitna ng mesa. "I just can't think of anything at this point."

"Everything's disappointing you?" malumanay niyang tanong.

"It's funny how I want to cry but I can't." Gumuhit ang isang nangangapos na ngiti sa aking labi. "I feel like it's useless."

"Would you like me to tell you something useful, then?"

My eyes slowly lifted to meet the warmth of her gaze.

"Everything that's happening now is familiar because it has already happened before," pagbibigay-alam niya.

I gently raised my head in anticipation of what she's going to say next.

Because what else did she mean when she said that it has already happened before?

"Pandora," sambit niya na ikinatigil ko.

"Pandora?" pagsisigurado ko sa narinig ko. "I don't understand."

"But you know about it?" aniya.

"Pandora was the first woman to exist in this world," sagot ko. "She was made by the gods and was sent to punish mankind."

A relieved smile formed on her lips.

"She was the one who opened the box that contained all kinds of misery and evil..." Nanghina ang aking boses sa bandang huli. "And left hope."

"It was a jar," she gladly corrected me.

Napatango-tango ako. "A jar."

"I need to tell you something Reign, about balance, in life, and in this universe." Magaan niyang ibinaba ang kanyang mga kamay sa mesa. "Especially about good and evil."

"When Pandora opened that jar, greed, envy, hatred, disease, pain, hunger, war..." Nanliit ang kanyang mga mata at marahan siyang napailing habang nagkukuwento. "Every evil was released to plague mankind, and haunt the world."

"But it did not cause the end of the world, did it?" aniya. "It only started suffering."

"Because there was still good against all the evils?" tanong ko.

"Yes," she whispered proudly. "There was still good."

"And hope was left, because in the age of men, they did not have hope against women, the very weapon of destruction that the gods created."

"A beautiful evil..." she said, as she looked at me mesmerized. "For a woman could either be a gift or a curse, Reign." She chuckled, unbelievingly. "And mankind did not have hope against the single mistake of a woman, did they?"

Natawa rin ako nang mahina. "I guess..."

"A woman either creates or destroys," sabi niya. "And that depends on which side she chooses, to be good or evil."

"And I am telling you this because something happened after your parents restored the realms," pagbibigay-alam niya. "Something like Pandora, happened. There was another release of evil in the realms, and that is causing the imbalance between good and evil."

"Sir Glen, our counselor, mentioned about Zeus releasing another Pandora." I shook my head in question. "And now that I found out that some of the Olympians have turned against mankind and every other creature..."

"Does this mean he has already released it?" pagpapatuloy ko.

"That, I cannot answer," sagot niya. "All I know is that your parents or the gods moved the scale of good and evil and for some reason, evil is weighing heavier."

"It is chaos all over again," sabi niya. "May it be a consequence of your parent's actions or the gods' intentions, but everything is not in the right place."

My brows furrowed, and then relaxed, and furrowed again, while my mouth struggled to find the words to say next.

"If you really believe that it is not your parent's fault, and it is instead, the gods'..." ani Elpis. "Talk to them."

I gave her an even more confused look. "You want me to talk to the gods?"

"Not the gods who were once good, but the gods who were, and still are, evil."

"You're asking me to turn to evil," sabi ko.

"There is wisdom in good and in evil, Reign." Pinaningkitan niya ako. "For us to understand what's happening, we need to hear both sides."

"So, ask the evil deities what is happening." Tinaas niya ang kanyang noo, at tila nang-uutos ang kanyang boses. "Apate, the goddess of deceit, Deimos and Phobos, the gods of panic and terror, the Erinyes, the goddesses of vengeance, Enyo, the goddess of destruction, Moros, the god of doom... and a few more."

"Those deities, Elpis, were all rebels," paalala ko sa kanya. "They're evil."

A determined smile curved her lips. "Reign..." she called out to me, as if what I just said was a big mistake. 

"Zeus is a rapist. Hera, a murderer. Poseidon, another sexual offender. Athena, a curser. Dionysus, another rapist. Apollo, a deceitful murderer. Aphrodite, a jealous and vengeful goddess. Artemis, another vengeful goddess. Hades, a kidnapper-" Huminto siya para magtanong, "Would you like me to continue?"

My eyes fluttered defeatedly. "I-" nanghihina kong tugon. "I can't-"

"All good has evil," saad niya. "And all evil has good."

"So, you will?" Tumango-tango siya, sinasagot ang sariling katanungan para sa'kin. "You will find out what is causing this imbalance?"

Napabuntong-hininga lang ako bilang sagot.

"The gods are slowly changing, turning to evil, except those gods who already are," aniya. "That is what I noticed."

Dahan-dahan akong napasandal sa aking upuan nang namimigat ang magkabilang balikat.

"So, go to the Underworld," suhestyon niya. "That's where you'll find most of them."

The Underworld...

"Elpis..." sambit ko. "Paano kung sabihin ko sa'yo na pupunta at pupunta pa rin kami sa Underworld kahit hindi mo'ko sinabihan?"

"Then, that's great." Kumibit-balikat siya. "That means all the roads in front of you lead to the Underworld. You were destined to go there."

Destined to...

'Don't go to Tartarus... you will not come back the same.'

"I can see worry in your eyes," Elpis pointed out. "Is there something wrong?"

"I think I was not destined to go to the Underworld..." mahina kong sabi. "Someone warned me."

"They told you you're going to die?"

"No," sagot ko. "He just said that I will not come back the same."

"But what if..." ani Elpis. "What if you figure out that life-changing truth and still come back the same or if not, stronger?"

"You are unpredictable." Nag-abot ang kanyang kilay. "Are you not?"

• • •

I stared blankly at the ground in front of me while I walked in the middle of the black market.

Hindi pa rin ako sigurado kung anong nangyayari pero ang mahalaga, may patutunguhan na ako ngayon. May dapat akong gagawin, at sapat na ito para manumbalik ang lakas ko at determinasyon na kumilos.

Dahil may landas na naghihintay sa'kin, at hindi ako magdadalawang-isip na tatahakin ito, kahit ano man ang hadlang, hanggang sa makuha ko ang gusto ko, at 'yon ay ang mga kasagutan na nasa kabilang dulo.

Dumating ako sa stall kung saan nakatukod sa likod ang isang hugis oval na salamin. Magkaparehong kulay itim ang frame at glass nito, at hindi ko naiwasang mapatuon sa sarili kong repleksyon nang mamalayan ang suot kong blangkong ekspresyon.

Dahan-dahan kong ipiniling ang aking ulo nang nanunuri ang mga mata.

"Hecate..."

From my dark reflection, I slowly looked at the lampad, a nymph of the Underworld that was in charge of the stall.

"This mirror is Hecate's, the goddess of the mist and magic," sabi niya. "The goddess of doorways and crossroads, so if you feel that you are stuck between choosing a path, please." Itinaas niya ang kanyang kamay para itanghal sa'kin ang salamin. "Ask the magic mirror."

Kasunod akong may naalala. "Do you accept ID as payment?"

"I only take cash." Nginitian niya ako. "But go on, something is telling me this mirror was meant to be used by someone like you."

Ginantihan ko rin siya ng isang ngiting nagpapasalamat.

"Ilang tanong ba ang dapat?" usisa ko.

"It only answers at most three questions from the same person," sagot niya. "So choose your questions wisely."

Letting out a problematic sigh, I whispered to myself, "I should have brought Paige with me..."

Pagkatapos, binalik ko ang aking atensyon sa salamin.

Three questions...

Napatango-tango ako sa pagkakaintindi.

"Alright," sambit ko. "Enchanted mirror of the mist..."

White smoke emerged from the borders of the mirror and gathered at the center to form a white foggy mask that slowly grinned at me.

"What is happening to the scale of good and evil, as of this moment?"

Unti-unting nanlaki ang butas ng mga mata nito sabay lapad ng ngisi, na tila nasisiyahan sa katanungan ko.

"That's interesting," puna ng lampad. "I have never seen the mirror so excited to see someone before."

Tinignan ko siya. "Anong ibig sabihin n'yan?"

"It means you need to listen carefully," aniya. "It's going to choose the best out of the best answers for you."

"Tipping, tipping, tipping..." The mask's lifeless voice echoed within the mirror. "The scale is tipping towards the forces of evil that are emerging, gathering, weighing..."

The lampad did not need to ask me again to give the mirror my full attention, because the moment it answered, I was already fully invested, as it gave me the assurance I needed about the information Elpis just gave me.

So I guess I really have no choice but to follow her advice and pay a visit to a few gods of the Underworld...

"Enchanted mirror of the mist..." I called, again.

"Yes..." It called back, its eyes widening in anticipation. "Yes?"

"What will be the outcome of this war of powers?"

"Yes!" It laughed wickedly. "The end! Every end is only a beginning! The day of judgment! An awakening!"

Pinaningkitan ko ang salamin at humilig papalapit dito. "Enchanted mirror of the mist..."

"Yes!" It gave me a dark grin.

"What will the son of Destiny do?" bulong ko.

Bigla itong tumigil.

"He will..." I leaned back and stood straight in front of the mirror that seemed to have frozen. "He will, what?"

Unti-unting nabura ang nananabik nitong ngiti.

"Answer," utos ko nang mapagtantong hindi ito sasagot. "Or you will not serve your purpose."

The hole of its eyes slanted to form a worried look. It frowned, and turned its head slightly to avoid looking at me.

"You are scaring the mi-"

Sinulyapan ko ang lampad na agad nanahimik.

Pagkatapos, binalik ko ulit ang aking atensyon sa salamin na umuurong sa takot, ngunit hindi nito nagawang maglaho dahil hindi pa rin nito nagawang sagutin ang huli kong katanungan.

"A question you cannot answer..." nanghihinala kong sabi rito. "But you know the answer to?"

Tumango ito.

"That's already three questions," the nymph reminded me.

I continued to look down on the magic mirror that recoiled from my stare.

"Please leave," sabi ng lampad.

That's disappointing, I thought.

Gently and slowly, my lips parted. "Shame," I said under my breath.

"Shame..." The mirror whispered to itself. "Shame..." It faced me once more to give me a frightened look. "Shame..."

"Shame!" It screamed out of disappointment and fear, and a crack formed along its edges. "Shame! Shame!"

Minasdan ko ang salamin na unti-unting nabasag sa bawat sigaw ng salitang binulong ko rito.

"Sh-ame!" Nagsimula na ring mabasag ang boses nito nang patuloy na dumarami ang bitak nito. "Sh-Shame!"

Tinignan ko ang lampad na napaatras nang bahagyang nakaawang ang bibig at nakakunot ang noo.

"Shame..."

Muli akong tumuon sa salamin sa sandaling nanghina ang boses nito, tila naiiyak sa pagkadismaya sa sarili.

"Forgive me..." The mirror gave me a broken smile, before breaking completely apart. "I am ashamed..."

Its face vanished, revealing to me a dark reflection of myself again, only this time, it was broken.

"What have you done?" di-makapaniwalang tanong ng lampad.

Nilingon ko siya.

"It broke itself," dismayado kong sabi sa kanya.

Umiling siya. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," I calmly answered. "I just found it..."

I looked at myself on the broken mirror with a heavy sigh.

"Disappointing," dugtong ko.

Everything hurts. 

Everything is disappointing.