Ash's POV
I sat beside Amber who has not stopped exchanging excited looks with the Alpha seated across her.
"Focus, Amber," paalala ko sa kanya. "We're in a serious meeting."
Nagpipigil siya ng ngiti nang iiwas ang kanyang tingin mula kay Ivan. "Sabi ko nga..."
"Ang sarap sapakin nung dalawa- amputa," ani Zack na nasa kabilang gilid ng kapatid ko. "Abot dito yung kahindutan niyo, eh."
"Gusto mo unang sapakin kita?" banta pabalik ni Amber sa kanya.
"Zack, dude, kumusta?" tanong ni Miles na nasa harapan niya.
"Okay lang bro, pinakagwapo pa ring descendant ni Hermes, bakit?" sagot ni Zack.
"Kapal ng mukha deputa," puna ni Miles na anak ni Hermes. "Parang di lang tiyuhin ang sinabihan."
"Sorry naman po, broskie." Zack didn't really sound like he meant his apology. "Eh alam ko naman kasing mas bata ka pa kesa sa'kin."
"Tatlong buwan lang agwat natin, dudeskie," paalala ni Miles sa kanya.
Sa tabi ni Miles, binati ni Hope na anak ni Hestia si Bella na kauupo lang sa kabilang gilid ko, at katapat niya.
"Hi, Bella." Nginitian niya ito.
"Morning," bati ni Bella pabalik sa kanya at napahikab pa.
"Di ka nakatulog nang maayos kagabi?" usisa ni Hope.
Umiling siya. "Hiniwalay ko kasi yung mga ulo ng huntsmen para ilipat sa mas maliit kong freezer, ih," paliwanag ni Bella. "Para di sila mabilis na mabulok habang wala ako, 'lam mo 'yun?"
Kasunod na napakisap-kisap si Hope sa kanya.
Sa tabi niya ay si Denzel, anak ni Hephaestus, na napamura.
"Puta?" aniya. "May mga bangkay ka ng huntsmen sa kwarto mo?"
"Nanghuhusga ka, Tito?" sabat ni Amber. "Gusto mong ipagkalat kong may mga manika ka sa kwarto mo? Huh?"
"Prototypes 'yon, bobo," giit ni Denzel.
"Mukha mo, bobo," sagot ni Amber. "Di marunong uminom."
"Stop it," sabay na sabi nina Paige at Sophia na nakaupo sa dulo ng mahabang mesa.
Nakalingon si Paige kay Amber, habang si Sophia naman kay Denzel, dahilan na manahimik 'yong dalawa at nagmukmok sa sarili nilang upuan habang nagsusumbatan gamit ang kanilang mga mata.
Humilig si Vine, anak ni Dionysus, paharap para silipin si Denzel.
"Ikaw yung natalo ni Amber sa party?" nagtatakang tanong nito sa kanya, at nadidismaya.
Sa tabi ni Vine ay si Nero na anak din ni Dionysus, at sa kasalukuyang binibigyan ng nandidiring tingin si Denzel. "The fuck?"
"Sa-fuck-in ko mukha mo, Nero, dude?" ani Denzel na di na nag-abala pang depensahan ang sarili niya.
"Tinitingin-tingin mo diyan, Cleo?" Nagsalita na naman si Amber.
Hindi nga naman maipagkakailang ang kapatid ko ang may pinakamaraming kaaway sa Alphas.
"Vance at the party? And now, Ivan?" Nakaangat ang isang kilay ni Cleo habang nakahalukipkip ang mga braso nito sa dibdib. "Are you kidding me?"
"Oh? Kasalanan ko ba kung mas malakas hatak ko kesa sa'yo na anak ni Aphrodite?" tugon ni Amber.
"You stole my fling and now my ex, Amber?" ani Cleo. "Seriously?"
"Sabi ko ngang di ko kasalanan, diba?" naiiritang sagot ni Amber sa kanya. "Bingi ka ba?"
"Yeah, and what if I sleep with your twin brother?" pagbabanta ni Cleo. "Gusto mo ba 'yon? O magtanggalan nalang tayo ng anit?"
"Pfft-" Hindi makapaniwala si Amber. "Si Ash? Eh di pa nga n'yan nahahalikan yung jowa n'yan na goddess of pleasure pa, eh."
"So, magtanggalan nalang tayo ng anit?" suhestyon ni Cleo.
"Can all of you just shut your gods-damned mouths even for just a few minutes?" Kai, son of Poseidon, leaned back on his chair with a troubled sigh. "This room makes me want to kill myself."
Mabilis ang paglingo'ng ginawa ni Bella sa kanya. "Kai?!" nananabik nitong sambit.
"I should not have said that, have I?" tanong ni Kai kay Vance na nakaupo sa tapat niya at tinanguan siya.
I turned to one more Alpha who just entered the conference room. It was Sylvia, daughter of Poseidon.
"Sorry I'm late," paumanhin niya nang maupo sa tabi ni Kai. "I dropped Maeve at the clinic. She won't be here because she's finalizing her eyeglass adjustments."
"Good morning, Sylvia," Grey, who was seated across her, calmly greeted her.
Umayos siya sa pagkakaupo at umusog papalapit sa mesa. "Morning," she greeted back. "Anything I missed?"
"Magtatanggalan daw ng anit sina Cleo at Amber," sagot ni Zack.
"Di nga lang namin alam kung kailan," dugtong ni Miles.
"Now, stupid," sabi ni Cleo.
"Ngayon na, gago," sagot din ni Amber.
Meanwhile, Zack and Miles repeatedly hit their fists on the table while chanting, "Away! Away! Away!"
Sumali na rin si Denzel nang kasunod siyang sumipol. "Woooh!" Pumalakpak siya. "Ito yung gusto kong warm-up bago yung misyon!"
Sabay na tumayo sina Amber at Cleo mula sa kanilang mga upuan at akmang aalis, nang biglang bumukas ang pinto ng silid para ibungad sina Luke at Reign na kapapasok lang.
"We said stop!"
Pareho silang napaigtad sa gulat sa sandaling sumigaw sina Sophia at Paige.
Samantalang, mabilisan namang bumagsak sa upuan nila sina Amber at Cleo, at umaktong parang wala lang sa kalagitnaan ng paghahanda para magsabunutan.
Finally, I thought after silence followed. Peace and quiet.
• • •
"What Vance saw was the most interesting," Luke said after Grey showed to their class each one of our memories during the attack at the Orion's headquarters.
"He was able to hit the masked huntsman, but it was him who got blown away?" pagsisigurado ni Sylvia sa nakita niya. "And what was that ringing sound?"
"Trust me," ani Vance. "It's worse when you hear it yourself."
"Play that again, Grey," tugon ni Reign na nakatayo sa tabi ni Luke.
Purple mist gathered in the middle of the table to show us Vance's memory when he hit the huntsman's neck with a sword, followed by the thin painful sound of something ringing. He then took a few steps back, as his vision of the enemy doubled.
We struggled with him, because we saw what he saw. His vision blurred, and then faded in and out when he fell on the ground.
"Pasensya na, bro," sambit ni Zack. "Akala ko nung una nahulog ka lang mula sa kabayo mo. 'Yan na pala ang nangyari sa'yo."
"Buti naman at hindi mukha ni Thanatos ang sunod mong nakita, Vance," sabi ni Denzel.
"Nice swordsmanship there," puna ni Kai.
"Luke, we're not prepared to fight that," ani Sophia na nilingon si Luke.
"Oo nga," sang-ayon ni Miles. "Di pa nga marunong humawak ng espada 'yang sina Cleo at Vine, eh."
"Uh?" Napailing si Cleo. "It's not my fault if I prefer to use my voice as a weapon?"
"Marunong akong humawak ng espada, Miles," giit ni Vine. "Di pa nga lang marunong lumaban gamit ito."
"No, but seriously, what's happened there?" tanong ni Ivan. "Why wasn't he able to slice through his neck?"
"It felt like the blade hit something hard," sabi ni Vance. "Like metal."
It was Paige's turn to ask Grey. "Show it to us again, the moment Vance struck the huntsman."
Grey shrugged and replayed the memory again, specifically the seconds that Vance's sword hit the enemy's neck.
"Can we get a closer look?" tanong ni Sophia.
The purple mist surrounding the memory thickened as Grey zoomed in towards the huntsman's neck. Then he played the memory again, and again, and again.
"Slow it down," tugon ni Paige.
And Grey did, slow down the seconds when the blade touched the huntsman's black-covered neck.
"I think it penetrated through his skin," puna ni Sophia.
"I think so, too," sang-ayon ni Paige. "So, what's under his skin?"
"Muscle, veins, blood..." sagot ni Sophia sa kanya.
No one dared to interrupt the two while they exchanged their observations. Even Reign and Luke, who just stood quietly to listen.
"And isn't it strange that they've covered their entire bodies?" tanong ni Sophia. "Even their necks?"
"They're trying to hide something," sabi ni Paige. "Not just their faces."
"They don't bleed." I kindly tossed my own observation into their conversation after I remembered something. "One of them got his hands cut off and he didn't bleed."
"Then it really is their blood," Paige concluded. "There's something with their blood that stopped Vance's blade."
"You think they have the ability to turn their blood into metal?" Grey asked. "It's what I thought at first."
Nanliit ang mga mata ni Sophia. "They're trying to hide their blood? Why?"
Kasunod na nagsalita si Reign. "May mga alaala ba tayo kung saan maaari nating nahagilap yung dugo nila? Kahit hindi natin napansin?"
"I think I do," ani Grey. "I was the one who cut off the huntsman's hands."
"And this huntsman didn't expect it, I think," he said as the purple mist covered Vance's memory and then separated again to reveal Grey's point of view of when he appeared in front of the huntsman and sliced off his hands.
"He was more arrogant, that's why he wasn't able to defend himself before I removed his hands," dagdag pa niya.
"Get us a closer look on the cut of his hand," utos ni Paige.
The memory zoomed in into the seconds when one of the huntsman's hands fell off his arm.
Sa tabi ko, narinig ko si Bella na napahagikgik dahil inulit-ulit ni Grey ang mga sandaling naputol ang kanang kamay ng huntsman.
"There," Paige said and the memory paused the second the hand revealed to us its sliced muscle and cleanly cut bone. It was dark, and so the inside of the hand appeared dull and shadowy.
"But I don't see anything," sabi ni Sylvia.
"Not the hand," ani Sophia. "Below it."
Pinaningkitan ko ang tinutukoy niya, at nakita ang dalawang kinang na tila tumalsik mula sa loob ng hiwa ng kamay.
"That's their blood?" usisa ni Luke.
"I don't like where this is going," saad ni Vance.
Determined to go through despite what her brother just said, Paige ordered, "Follow that drops of blood, Grey, until we see what it really looks like."
All of us watched how Grey slowed the memory and followed the two drops of blood that fell, and then paused, when one of them showed a color.
"Oh, fuck," puna ni Kai na nagpakawala ng maingay na buntong-hininga.
Kumunot ang aking noo. "What?" bulong ko sa nakikita ko.
Sabay kaming lahat na napaiwas ng tingin mula sa ala-ala para patahanin ang sarili namin. May iba na napahilig pasandal sa mga upuan nila at may iba ring napahilamos gamit ang palad nila.
"Gago, teka-" Isa na si Amber do'n na napadagan ng mga palad sa magkabilang templo ng kanyang ulo. "Teka muna." Napahawak siya sa nakatali niyang buhok. "Putangina."
Hinagod naman ni Zack gamit ang dalawang kamay ang kanyang mukha. "Sigurado na ba tayo d'yan, bro? Hindi ka namamalik-mata?"
Nanatiling nakatuon si Grey sa sarili niyang ala-ala. "Pretty sure I saw that."
Napasandal din ako sa aking upuan at marahang napahawak sa aking bibig.
"Dude..." Miles groaned exhaustedly. "Di pa 'to alam ng founders, ano? Eh, di ba hindi nila na-recover ang bangkay ng mga 'to?"
"No, they weren't able to," seryosong sagot ni Reign. "Because they're not dead."
Biglang tumayo si Denzel at inilapit ang kanyang mukha sa ala-ala nang nandidilat ang mga mata. "Anak ng putangina't ama-" Hinarap niya sina Reign at Luke. "Ano 'to?!"
"Well, that explains the same abilities," Nero chuckled.
Padabog na naupo si Denzel sabay balibag ng kamay niya. "Wala na." Umiling-iling siya. "Pagod na ako kahit di ko pa nakakalaban ang mga 'yan."
"Grey," sambit ni Reign. "Show us each one of the masked huntsmen."
Nakahawak pa rin ako sa aking panga nang isa-isang lumitaw sa ibabaw ng mesa ang buong hitsura ng limang huntsmen na nakalaban namin.
Cleo laughed in denial. "No," she whispered to herself. "Just no."
"If I'm not mistaken," ani Paige. "Their only woman, who carried the silver bow, is Artemis."
"Tangina," puna ni Amber. "Hindi."
"The one with the red hair who can summon weapons, is Ares..."
"Stop," Cleo said, her voice not commanding, but pleading.
"And the one who controlled light, is Apollo..."
My eyes fluttered weakly at the huntsman who held a ball of light in his hand, and then at the huntsman whose hand was on fire.
"The one with fire, Hephaestus..."
I gently palmed my entire face and closed my eyes defeatedly.
Someone wake me up from this bad dream, already...
"And the one who fought against Vance, the enemy with speed and flight, was Hermes..."
For the next few seconds, there was only heavy silence, broken by my sister who whispered.
"Putangina niyo, Lolo Hephep at Lolo Apo, anong pinanggagawa niyo?" di-makapaniwalang tanong ni Amber.
And then there was silence again, followed by the depths of confusion, anger, and the desperation of our unanswered questions that quietly filled the entire room.
I opened my eyes, concerned about the silence, and turned to Reign and Luke who were both frozen, as they stared at the five masked huntsmen above the table.
Paige let out a loud sigh and nodded her head with blank eyes, to force herself to accept what she just came to realize.
"So, what are we going to do with this?" natutulala ang boses ni Sophia nang magtanong.
"The Omegas are dismissed," Reign said, before calmly walking to leave.
Nagsitayuan kaming lahat at unang sumunod sa kanya si Paige bago kami.
"Alphas, stay." Narinig kong utos ni Luke. "We need to discuss how we're going to face the founders with this information and-" Nanghina ang kanyang boses sa bandang huli. "Maeve..."