Nakakapit pa rin ako sa manggas ni blondie habang sinusundan si Miss gorgeous girl patungo sa kung saan raw si Hades. Hermes mentioned her name a minute ago but I immediately forgot it. I won't die rin naman kung hindi ko alam ang pangalan niya diba? And since she looks stunning, I'm just gonna call her Miss Gorgeous.
Nang makarating kami, tila nanlambot ang tuhod ko nang masulyapan sa pangalawang pagkakataon ang dambuhalang aso na may tatlong ulo. 'Di tulad kanina, maamo itong nakaupo katabi ng isang pigura ng lalaking mukhang rock star.
The man who looks like a 90s rock star sits intimidatingly on his throne while petting the huge dog beside him. Contrary to his other two brother's appearances, this guy is the human version of this place. Just dark and dreary.
Out of the three siblings, he's the only one who makes my knees wobble. I feel like if I made a mistake, he will imprison my soul and torture it in the most twisted way possible.
Dionysus, Hermes, and blondie gets down on their knees as they greeted him and his wife. Blondie grab my arm kaya napaluhod din ako.
"Welcome, welcome, mortal to my kingdom." He suddenly speaks, his deep voice echoes throughout the place.
"Hey, what about us?" Hermes pout. I almost gouge my eyes out.
Miss gorgeous sits beside Hades and gave us the warmest smile. Okay, she's better than Hera already.
"What took you so long? We waited yesterday all day." Hades asked.
Nagkatinginan kaming apat tsaka napakamot si Dionysus sa batok niya, "Someone's desperately wanting to ruin the trial. It's a long story."
"I see." giit ng huli.
'Yun lang? Ang dali naman niyang kausap.
"He's one of the most powerful Gods, no surprise he already knows about that." biglang komento ni blondie, parang kinakausap ang sarili. Narinig ko ang sinabe niya kaya nilingon ko siya.
"Knows about what?" I whispered.
"Whoever that someone's trying to kill you." He whispered back.
Oh my God, is there actually someone attempting to kill me right now?! Why? Nakahanap kaagad ako ng kaaway sa mundo na 'to without knowing it? Ugh, ang dami ko talagang hater!
"Apologies for our dear Cerberus earlier, my baby is just hungry." Miss Gorgeous said as the mutant three-headed dog barks in agreement.
Baby? It can devour an entire population of a barangay, yet she calls that thing baby?!
"And I'm hungry as hell too."
Biglang sumulpot out of nowhere ang isang lalaki na may pakpak at dala-dalang arrow. He looks similar to Hermes because of his light blonde hair.
"What are you doing here?" sabay-sabay nilang tanong.
"A real life angel?" halos hindi ako kumurap sa nakikita.
"Angel my ass." Hermes scoffs, "He's Eros, mortal."
Umakyat ang sinasabing Eros sa trono ni Hades at may ibinigay kay Miss Gorgeous na crown made out of shells. "My name's Eros, dear. The son of Aphrodite and Ares." proud niyang pagpapakilala at bahagyang yumukod.
"Your fellow humans known him as 'Cupid'. You know, the guy who shoots arrows and made people fall in love." komento ni blondie. Nag form into 'o' ang bibig ko.
Oh, so Cupid is actually true? I could convince him to shot Lysander's heart and make him fall in love with me. But what about lagyan ko ng lason ang arrow? Day by day, unti-unting nababawasan ang feelings ko sa lalaking 'yon for some reason.
But wait, "Aren't you supposed to be a chubby baby that only wears a diaper and carries heart-shaped arrows?" napatanong ako.
Everyone laughs at my question, which makes me confused. Si Eros naman ay napailing-iling, parang sanay na siyang maka-receive ng ganoong klaseng tanong. "Uh hello, I was asking a genuine question?"
The fact that Hades and his wife are also chuckling amazes me the most. I thought they would be stone-faced.
"Okay, that's enough. Now you see me in real life, which debunks that myth of me being a chubby kid. You knows what I actually look like. Once you're done with this trial, spread the truth amongst your people, alright? I wish you luck. " Eros said before fleeing the scene. May request pa sana ako sa kanya eh.
"Aww poor Eros, do people still thinks he's a chubby baby?" natatawang giit ni Persephone.
"Everyone thinks he is." Dionysus replied.
Tumayo mula sa kanyang trono ang natatawang Hades. "Now that we've finished the commercial break, let's get down to business."
"The second trial of Chanel Genevieve Valistine will now begin!"
Upon the announcement, a man with wings on his head entered the scene. Hades introduced the guy as he came closer to me and halted his feet right in front of me. "Permit me to introduce you to our companion, Hypnos. He is the God of sleep. Look into his eyes and you will be hypnotized. "
Wait, hypnotized? W-why do I need to be hypnotized?
Hypnos stood sternly in front of me with his eyes staring deeply into mine. He's pretty good looking, so it was hard to stare back.
Hades continued, "Don't be afraid, he won't hurt you. Hypnos will simply make you sleep because this is essential for the trial."
Lumingon ako sa likuran kung saan tinanguan ako nina Dio and Hermes. Blondie on the other hand looks a bit worried. T-teka, worried?
The guy with the wings on his head whispers, "Relax your thoughts, imagine you're just floating on the ocean." I did what he told me. As I relax my mind, my eyelids becomes thick and it sounds like his voice is hovering near my ear.
"Think of nothing, dear."
My vision began to haze as I keep staring into his eyes. Everything is spinning around and my head feels as light as feather.
I feel like I'm drunk.
Hypnos moves closer to my face and says, "Sleep," in my ear.
And just like that, I immediately passed out.
* * * * *
"Open your eyes slowly."
I did what the voice tells me to do and I found myself standing on a bridge made out of stones. Underneath is an ocean of literal fire with souls floating in it, screaming and shrieking for help.
Nanlambot ang tuhod ko dala ng takot at gulat sabay takip ng aking bibig habang pinagmamasdan ang mga kaluluwang pilit inaabot ang kamay sa kung saan ako nakatayo.
There's no handle or railing so if I ever lose my balance, I would be part of those poor souls.
Just the thought of falling itself makes my stomach twirl.
"Chanel, can you hear me?"
Nag-angat ako ng tingin at nakita si Hades sa kabilang parte, kasama niya ang tatlong itlog at ang kanyang asawa.
"W-what am I doing here? Gusto niyo ba ako maging tustado rito?!" mangiyak-ngiyak kong sigaw habang nanatiling nakaluhod. Pakiramdam ko, mahuhulog ako 'pag susubukan kong tumayo.
"This is the trial, mortal."
Anong klaseng trial 'to?! This is insane! They're crazy! How come every trial ay parang sinusubukan nila akong patayin? Trials are supposed to be all just talking and explaining.
"Listen to me young woman."
Kahit ang layo nila, naririnig ko pa rin ang malalim na boses ni Hades.
"You have to cross the bridge while I'm asking you questions. No, it won't be a Math or English questions but rather—about your life. All you have to do is to answer everything truthfully and wholeheartedly. Each time you lies, the bridge will get thinner and thinner until you'll fall and join the party below." paliwanag niya. He even smiles sweetly upon mentioning the party.
"By the way, those souls are the ones who failed to accomplished the second trial. Some of them committed heinous crimes and some refuse to relinquish the sin which cause their downfall. You know what 'sin' is it, Chanel?"
I stared at him, "I have no idea."
"Pride, human. Pride." He smiles gently.
"Pride is the greatest enemy of mankind. If you don't surrender your pride, well I'm afraid this place will be the end of your soul's journey and you'll be stuck here for eternity."
Hindi nakatulong ang pinagsasabe niya dahil mas lalo lamang ako natakot. I want to act tough in front of them like I usually do ngunit hindi ko alam saan ako huhugot ng lakas. I'm scared. Really scared. Gusto ko ng umuwi.
C'mon, stop being a cry baby! You're Chanel Genieve Valistine, mas matibay ka pa keysa sa bagyo.
"Thanks for the encouraging words, Hades." I sarcastically said as I forced myself to get up.
I tried to ignore the screams below and just glued my eyes on them.
Before turning to look at me, he told the three rowdy guys behind him to quiet down.
"Here's the first question!"
Okay Chanel, you got this. Just be honest and this will be over.
"What is your favorite gift that your parents gave you?"
Favorite gift? That's quite easy. Maraming mamahaling gamit na binigay sakin sina mommy at daddy. From branded clothes and designer bags to trips from all over the world. To put it simply, they will buy anything I ask them to. But what was the thing that stand out the most?
Fortunately, I know what is it. "It's the Paris trip. The first time I ever landed my feet abroad." I answered confidently.
"You got it right."
Nabunutan ako ng malaking tinik at huminga ng malalim.
Kung nasa classroom lang sana kami, matagal ko nang i-flip ang aking curly hair at nag flying kiss sa kanilang lahat.
Nagsi-palakpakan ang tatlong itlog sa likuran ni Hades. Nag thumbs up pa sakin si Hermes samantalang napahilamos si Blondie sa mukha. Ewan ko kung dahil kinakabahan din siya o marahil gusto niya ako mahulog sa ibaba.
The memory is still clear to me. Niregaluhan ako nina mommy at daddy ng ticket to Paris noong mga panahong naghihirap pa kami sa buhay. They said na our business was going really well kaya nakaya nilang bumili ng ticket papunta sa dream country ko. I thought that dream of mine would only be part of my fantasy but those two oldies made it possible.
But after that, none of their presents had any more value. They just bought it because they wanted to. It wasn't an act of the heart.
Mom and dad thought material things could replace them.
"Second question."
I push my shaking feet to move further until Hades told me to stop. I'm still too far from where they're standing. Hindi pa ako nangalahati.
"Did you experience extreme starvation?"
What kind of question is that? Noong bata ako, oo. Ngunit nung naging stable ang business namin, I don't think I starved myself to death.
Sasagot na sana ako ngunit sa hindi malaman na dahilan ay pinigilan ko ang sarili.
Did I really experience extreme starvation noong walang-wala kami?
Or was I just starved because namimili ako ng pagkain?
"The time won't wait for you, Chanel. It is running."
Nataranta ako at nag-isip ng malalim. "Teka lang! Nagmamadali ka? May lakad? I'm trying to think, so give me a second!"
As long as I'm honest, it'll be okay right? As long as galing sa ilalim ng puso ko.
"At first, I thought I did experience it. But as I think deeper, sa tingin ko hindi ko talaga ito naranasan. A-ano . . . " ugh, ang hirap sabihin! "K-kasi mapili ako ng kakainin."
Hindi nagsalita si Hades kaya gumapang papunta sa aking utak ang matinding kaba. Am I wrong?
"You never admit that, right?" imbes na sabihing tama o mali ang sagot ko, nagdagdag pa siya ng tanong.
"Why is that important? I already answered your question." I said firmly.
"That's not what I'm talking about." kumunot ang noo ko sa sinabe niya. "What I meant was that you never admit that your parents did everything they could to put food on your table. You judge their effort based on how tasty and expensive the food they bought for you back then. If you don't like the food, you immediately assume they're not working hard enough to feed you."
Hindi ako nakapagsalita ng ilang segundo. Parang bala na tumama ito sa noo ko. Is he trying to make me look like a bad person? It's humiliating. He's looking at me like those annoying kids at my school. Those kids who labeled me as 'spoiled brat'.
"Am I right, Chanel?"
Is that another question?
I can't say anything. I cannot bring myself to admit it.
"I suffered the same as them back then, you know." iyon na lamang ang nasabi ko.
This is so unfair. Ang unfair talaga! Why was I always viewed as the villain?
"Have your parents ever asked you anything?" He threw another question again.
"Y-yes!" mabilis kong sagot. Ngunit as I think deeper, parang walang pumasok na ideya sa isipan ko. There's only one thing that those two old fossils always requested.
"G-good grades and be a good daughter."
Tumango ng marahan si Hades, "And what else?"
"N-nothing." I lowered my head.
"Ahh . . . I thought your parents asked you to buy them luxurious things." aniya, sa tono ng pananalita halatang sarkastiko at pinapatamaan ako.
"You can move forward." He motioned his hands to step closer until I arrived at the middle of the bridge.
I saw Blondie giving me an encouraging nod, "You got this." he mumbled.
Kahit palagi kaming nag-aaway ni Blondie, somehow pinagaan nito ang puso kong nagwawala sa kaba. That guy damn well knows how high my pride is, which is how I came to be this kind of Chanel.
"Inhale and exhale, dear. Ignore the souls, they're just excited to have a new roommate." wika ni Hades at natawa ng bahagya si Miss Gorgeous sa gilid niya. Ugh, mas pinapalala talaga niya ang kaba ko. Kapag ako nakaalis sa bridge na ito, I will cut those long hair of yours.
"Next question! What traits about your parents do you hate the most?"
I have a long list of this one.
"First of all, they're supper annoying. They're always nagging about everything. Palagi silang kontrabida at hadlang sa mga kagustuhan ko. Pinapamukha nila akong mangmang na walang alam sa buhay and I hate it so damn much. They never as well gave me my freedom. Eto pa ha, kinaladkad din nila ako sa party ni Josh at pinahiya sa harapan ng buong schoolmates ko! And—"
"Mom and dad no longer cared for me, unlike when I was a kid, when we had nothing."
"How can you say that?" usisa pa ni Hades.
Once again, I despise talking about my feelings. I always have this feeling that if I open up, they'll take advantage of my vulnerability and use it against me.
Chanel Genieve Valistine never shows any sign of weaknesses. That's what I'm living for.
Nagbaba ako ng tingin at napabuntong hininga, "When money came into our lives, I thought they would still treat me the same as before. I anticipated their presence each day and night. But they always used the same script. They're too tired and busy."
As if those luxurious things could actually replace them.
Nang masanay na ako sa mga materyal na bagay, I learned to fully embrace it at huwag nang hanapin ang presensya nilang dalawa.
Walang sinabe si Hades sa halip ay sinenyasan akong lumakad kaya I move forward.
"What are the things you love about your parents?"
Sa pang huling tanong niya, tuluyan akong hindi naka-imik.
As if I lost my tongue.
The things that I love about them? Nag-isip ako ng malalim.
"Why think deeply? This is not math exam, dear."
Naiirita ako sa mga side comment ni Hades so I shush him. "Hold on! You're distracting me!"
Ano nga ba ang gusto ko sa mga magulang ko?
"The things that I love about my parents are—uhm, their wealth?" gusto kong sampalin ang sarili dahil parang hindi ako sigurado.
The bridge I was standing on began to tremble, causing me to fall to my knees, and shrieked in shock. Hades was right about the bridge getting thinner each time I answered insincerely. Now it's only three feet wide. If I accidentally trip, I'm sure I'll fall right away. That's how narrow it is.
Not to mention, para akong barbeque na iniihaw dahil sa init. My skin will be completely ruin right after this trial.
"It's scary right? The way that bridge tremble, I know you badly wanted to escape. I told you human, you have to be sincere. Lower your pride." sabi ni Hades nang huminto sa pagyanig ang bridge.
"But I'm sincere! Gusto ko talaga ang pera nila. Gusto nga rin nila ang kayamanan nila!" depensa ko pa, nanatiling nakaluhod sa takot na baka mahulog ako.
"Was it actually their wealth you love the most about them?"
"You should also ask them the same thing! Do they still care for me? O baka pinalitan ako ng pera nila? Don't be blinded by their fragrant words, they will never ever let me enjoy my life because they feared that I might ruin their image! N-nontheless, sila rin naman ang dahilan kung bakit ako nagdusa noon."
Kung hindi nalang sana nila ako iniluwal sa mundong 'to . . .
Why those two old couple brought me into this world when they have nothing in the first place? To suffer with them?
I hate that they made me feel like I'm a burden.
I hate that I lost most of my childhood because all I'm thinking about is how we're going to survive the next day.
Alam ba nila kung gaano kahirap ang pinagdaanan ko noon? I had to endure all those hurtful words.
Isa pa, their lives would probably be whole lot better without me.
Rinig ko ang paghinga ng malalim ni Hades, "You poor girl."
Naikuyom ko ang kamao. I don't want their pity.
Bigla na namang yumanig ang bridge kaya napahigpit ang pagkuyom ko sa lupa as if may nakakapitan ako.
"If you keep being blind and neglecting the truth, you know what will happen!" napa-angat ako ng tingin. Hades' face becomes serious.
"Do you want to live or die for your pride?"
H-hindi ko kaya. Hindi ko kaya!
"Why is it always me? Why am I always the villain?!" I kept screaming as the bridge shuddered and rocks fell down into the pits of doom.
"Chanel, enough!"
It wasn't Hades who called my name, it was Blondie.
I search for his face, and I find him staring at me as he breathe heavily. I look down to see his fist clenching, refraining himself from something. He steps forward until he gets closer to the end of the bridge. He stretches out his hand while giving me an encouraging look. "Come and reach my hand."
I want to but he's a bit far away from me.
"You can tell me the truth—everything that your heart has been longing to tell. I'll listen. I will listen and I will protect your secret. Show them who you actually are. You're Chanel Genevieve Valistine, right?"
Tumutulo na ang luha ko sa pinagsasabe ng lalaking 'yun. Habang tinititigan ko ang kanyang mga mata, bigla na lamang nag-iba ang kapaligiran.
At natagpuan ko ang sarili na kaharap ang aking mga magulang na nagtatalo.
And right beside me is my 10 year old self.
* * * * *
- E N D O F C H A P T E R 20 -