"Hinawakan ko ang puso ko ngunit nagtaka ako nang wala akong maramdamang panghihina."

"Xynthea, the one who doesn't have a thread."

— Chapter 5, The Fates.

ARROW
DIANE's POINT of VIEW

"Hindi ko gets!" sabi ko kaagad kahit isang araw na ang nakalipas. We all had headaches. Like, hello? Sino ba naman ang hindi sasakit ang ulo kapag may memories na pumasok sa utak mo, tapos hindi mo pa naintindihan!

"Ano 'yon? Pinatay ni Cronus si Xynthea, tapos binuhay niya rin?! Paano?!?! Hindi ko talaga ma-gets, sismars!" angal ko at muntik nang magpadyak-padyak.

How the Tartarus did Cronus make Xynthea alive again? Grabe. Anong klaseng magic 'yon? Pwede rin kaya akong maging gan'on kung sakaling mamatay ako? Charot lang. Tanggap ko na naman.

"Cronus has the power of time. Xynthea has too. Basically, hindi kinailangan ni Cronus ibalik ang oras para ibalik ang living state ni Xynthea. Katawan lang ni Xynthea ang bumalik sa pagkabuhay, but then her soul will forever belong to the afterlife. She's the opposite of a ghost. The ghost is a lost soul, but then Xynthea is a lost mortal without a soul. Soulless."

Napapikit-pikit ako sa explanation ni Calliope sa'kin. Tinagilid ko ang ulo ko para i-absorb lahat. She has no soul... then how is she living?

'Yong isang muse na hindi ko kilala ang nagsalita ngayon. 'Sensya na guys, si Calliope lang kilala ko. Alangang magbanggit ako ng pangalan tapos mali pala.

"Xynthea lives by the soul of the others, or by any living creature. Remember the judgment? She didn't die because first, she is already dead. Second, she doesn't have a thread. Third, her energy is being regenerated because of the dying souls. Kaya n'ong panahong 'yon, mas lalo siyang lumakas."

Another muse continued, "There was also an instance wherein she unconsciously steals lives. The one in the Grove of Dodona. May bumagsak o namatay na puno d'on 'di ba? It's because she was getting energy from that tree."

"Ay gan'on?!" singit ko bigla. Wow. Nakakabigla.

They all nodded at me. Napansin ko namang malalim ang iniisip ni Aster kasi syempre, smart siya.

She recalled something aloud, "The hourglass indicates the time the mortals would all die..."

Ah, I remember. 'Yan ang huling sinabi ng ghost mother ni Zeref na lumandi kay Cronus!

"What about it?" Gideon asked.

Yieeeeeeee.

Aster looked worriedly at us, "We should go to the mortal world now."

"Ngayon? We still have two days, Aster. If my calculation isn't wrong—"

"It's wrong, Zeref. Kayang-kaya ni Cronus pabilisin ang pagpatak ng grains sa hourglass. He is the Titan of Time. Remeber that. I really have a bad feeling. I just hope that I am wrong," pagputol ni Aster agad kay Zeref.

The Muses nodded. "We shall transfer you to the mortal world," they said in chorus.

"Please take us back to Astakos," hirit ni Aster bago muling kumanta ang mga Muse. A symbol lit the floor, and suddenly we were afloat in the air. Nakarating kami sa mga ulap, at pumikit lang ako... biglang nasa Astakos na ulit kami.

Aster ran and entered the Nekromanteion. Sinundan naman siya ng iba, at dahil chismosa ako, sinundan ko na rin sila. Nang makapasok ako naramdaman ko na parang... may nag-iba.

"I knew it," sambit ni Aster. Ha? Alin? Sana all alam.

"What is it, Aster?" tanong ni Gideon.

Yieeeeeeee pt. 2

"Look," utos niya. Dahil masunurin ako, tumingin nga ako. Nagtaas-kilay ako. Anong meron?

"There are no souls around here anymore. Everything must have been transferred to Xynthea. Kaya gusto ni Cronus na pumunta tayo rito ay para i-unlock 'to, at para magkaroon sila ng access sa souls."

Naningkit ang mata ko lalo. Ibig sabihin, mas malakas na si Xynthea ngayon dahil sa dami ng souls na naging energy niya?

Once again, Aster looked at us worriedly. "Remember in our memory? Cronus said, Life in exchange of life. Mortals will die first, and the gods will follow. Xynthea will be the one to make that prophecy true."

"When the last grain of the hourglass falls, I think Xynthea will be consuming the lives of mortals. That's just my theory."

Malakas na nagbuntung-hininga si Zeref, at napaupo na sa sobrang lito? Frustration?

His bloodshot eyes looked up on us. "Then what must we do? Kill her? Hindi naman natin kaya 'yon."

"Break the hourglass," biglang sabi ni Llyr. Wow, nand'yan pala s'ya. Hindi ko napansin hehe.

He sighed, "If we break the hourglass, then Xynthea will not claim the lives of mortals kagaya ng sinabi mo. Time will not freeze if we break it."

Wow, may point!

Natigilan naman kaming lahat nang biglang malakas na kumidlat. Umulan din nang malakas at yumanig ang lupa.

The three superior Gods must be mad. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.

"They must be here in the mortal world," Damon said.

Irish closed her eyes, and teleported all of us again. Gosh, kung ako talaga 'yon, mawawalan na ako ng lakas!

Tumingin ako sa paligid at napansing nasa Capitol City kami. Center of the mortal realm, where the Olympus gate stands.

Napagtanto ko rin na nasa harap pala namin ang Olympians. Oh my Olympians! They eyed us. Some worried, some mad, some confused, some walang care.

"Semideuses. Go back to your island," utos ni Poseidon. Ikaw bumalik ka sa tiyan ng ama mo kasi d'on ka na nga muntik mabulok. Ay joke.

But then I realized why they were here. To kill both Xynthea and Cronus. Malamang ay 'yon ang napag-usapan nila. If that's the case, I must do something to stop them. Maaaring madamay si Xynthea kapag naki-epal sila!

So, I took a step forward. "We will not go back."

Pinanliitan ako ni Zeus ng mata. "You, mortal, what do—"

"Ops! Diyosa ako ngayon. Olympian pa nga dapat. Hello? Ako ang pumalit kay Artemis," singit ko kaagad.

I smiled. I looked at my comrades, and they were confused by my actions. Hinila ko ang kamay ni Zeref at Llyr, at tinabi sila sa'kin.

"Reasons why we should not go back. One, Zeref is the seventh child of Cronus. Siya ang bagong makakatalo kay Cronus, kasi expired ka na Zeus. Sorry not sorry."

Halatang nagulat naman sila dahil d'on. Sumama na agad ang timpla ni Zeus. He's not buying it. But then Apollo and Athena both talked at the same time, "She is saying the truth."

Two Olympians who could read between truth and lies. Buti naman, sinabi nilang totoo. I don't really know how to prove it.

"Two, we have someone who could overthrow you, Poseidon. Llyr, son of Thetis and Poseidon. A prophesied child too. If you interfere with us, and ruin our plans, and make us go back to the Semideus island. He will not hesitate to kick your dumbass."

Bago pa sila makaangal, nagsalita ulit ako. "Three."

"I am the daughter of Artemis. I am sure you are aware. Only one of us can live, and Artemis can only go back to life when I die."

I stepped forward again. Maybe I have to this— no, maybe I am destined to do this.

"I will die here in front of you only if you promise to the River Styx that you will go back to the Olympian World. They can defeat Cronus alone. We can. If you don't, then Artemis will never live. I won't let her," I blackmailed them.

Alam kong hindi sila magpapatalo kung hindi ako mamba-blackmail. They are stubborn Gods, after all.

"Diane," suway sa'kin ni Llyr. Hindi ko naman sila tiningnan pa. Baka magbago isip ko.

"How will we make sure that you will really die in front of us—"

"I hereby make an oath to the River Styx. I will die in exchange of a promise that the Gods will not interfere. That the Gods will not kill Xynthea or any other. I promise to return Artemis, my mother, back," bukal sa puso kong wika.

Nawala naman ang pagduda sa mata nila. I held my breath to stop the tears from forming, to stop my own voice say "joke lang, ayoko pa mamatay."

Tiningnan nila ako. The Olympians looked at each other. I've already given them three reasons. Don't tell me, hindi pa rin sapat 'yon?

Dapat ba apat para sapat?

Zeus finally talked.

"Do it now. Return Artemis to us, and we shall return to the Olympian World. This, I vow to the River Styx too."

Napasinghap ang ibang Olympian na tila hindi sang-ayon kay Zeus. Napangiti naman ako nang mapait.

"Sure, I will."

Maybe I lived this long to do this, to protect them. To make this sacrifice. Maybe Artemis purposely let me do this, and lend me her life shortly.

Maybe I am an arrow and my comrades are the archers. They will be the reasons for me to launch towards victory. And in that one shot, my mission will be done.

In this one shot, I will risk everything— even my life.

So, this is my end.

I looked at my friends one by one. Aster was already sobbing. The rest of them looked at me with pity. But then, I also recognized the gratitude in their eyes.

Almost all my years of living, revolved around them and Xynthea.

"Bakit kayo naiyak mga tanga ang ikli-ikli pa naman halos ng pinagsamahan natin!" I joked, but of course time does not measure friendship. It will never do.

Gideon raised his middle finger at me. Tuluyan namang bumagsak ang luha ko.

"Gago," I mouthed.

I turned to Llyr, nakakunot-noo siya ngayon. "Dumbell."

I smirked, and winked at them all. Mas lalo namang tumulo ang luha ko, kahit bahagya akong nakakatawa.

Napabuntung-hininga ako, at pumikit bago itaas ang kamay kung saan may marka ako mula sa Nekromanteion. The skull mark— the death mark.

Then, slowly, very slowly, I felt my existence fade.

Sinubukan kong imulat ang mata ko, and realized that I am transforming from Diane to Artemis.

Artemis, the mother that I haven't seen, talked to, or anything. But I know she is always within me, and I am always within her too. From now on, I will be the guiding arrow of her heart.

Despite everything, I know I inherited my brave soul from her. Nawalan naman ako ng paningin sa isang mata ko. But I felt fresh tears from both eyes— one from my own, and one from my mother.

"Let us return and trust the Semideuses." At iyan ang huli kong narinig mula kay Artemis.

The Semideus
By lostmortals
Plagiarism is a crime.

R.I.P.

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