『SKYLER』
“Xian,” Ice called, slowly pushing a strawberry cake in front of Xian. This is new. Is she really comforting him? Xian squinted his eyes and watched Ice drool over the cake she was giving him.
“Thanks, Ice. But you can have it.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Xian assured. Napangiwi na lamang si Xian nang kuhanin agad iyon ni Ice saka bumulong, “Pakiramdam ko ikamamatay ko lalo kung kinain ko ‘yon.”
Matapos ang swimming competition, highlighting the embarrassing moment of Xian, the competition was suddenly halted because it was already lunchtime. The cafeteria was crowded and rowdy, and thankfully, we managed to have our own table thanks to Sue’s dark eyes. Hindi pa rin siya nakaka-move on sa ginawa ni Phoenix.
“Grabe, points lang ni Light ang bigay sa atin ng two digits.” Dinig kong sambit ni Phoenix habang inaabot kay Ice ang syrup.
“Celine, you must panalo the next event ha.” Serena grinned, an evil one, to be exact.
Stop dance will be the last competition for this day, and the fate of our score lies in the outcome of the last competition today. In layman’s terms, Celine must-win for Aizen to fully secure his drachmas.
“Should I?”
“Yes! You have to galingan!”
“Okay.” Celine smiled sweetly, stealing Ice’s attention away from her cake and ice cream. She grimaced while looking at her cousin and whispered something.
“Anong contest bukas?” Sue asked.
“In the morning, the Dim Forest will be the first one, followed by the Pegasus Race, and last will be the Three-Legged Racde—win it ha,” Aizelle mumbled, giving Ice another bottle of syrup for her to pour.
Another?!
“Ice… are you trying to murder your teeth?” Light asked. Tumigil saglit si Ice saka tumungo upang tingnan si Light nang masama dahilan upang mapatigil kaming lahat sa pagkain namin.
Nagpalitan kami ni Riley ng tingin saka pinagkunutan ng noo si Light na para bang sinasabi namin na—Are you really asking her that? Seriously?
“I—Ice look! Tada!” Aizelle suddenly pushed Light away from Ice’s sight, sitting next to him as she blocked his façade while offering another three syrups to Ice.
We all looked dumbfounded at her. She still doesn’t realized what she have done. Maging si Ice ay napatitig sa kanya, halata naman naming lahat na umiiwas si Aizelle kay Light kaya madalas ay sa malayo siya umuupo pero ngayon kusa siyang tumabi kay Light para lamang mapigilan si Ice?
“Aizelle… what’s wrong with your neck and face?” Ice asked, confusedly.
Nagtatakha siyang tiningnan ni Aizelle sabay hawak sa leeg niya’t naglabas ng salamin. Naiilang siyang ngumiti kay Ice saka nagsalita, “Wala namang dumi ah?”
“Ah… I must be imagining things. Sorry.”
Bigla na lamang nagbago ang mood sa lamesa namin, ilang saglit pa’y pabigla na tumayo si Aizelle at nanlalaki ang mga matang lumingon kay Light.
“Holy Styx!”
“Just sit down, Aizelle,” Riley said. “Wala ka na rin namang uupuan—”
“Nasaan ‘yong upuan ko kanina?”
“Inabot ko sa kabilang table.” Pagngisi ni Celine. Walang nagawa si Aizelle kaya’t talunan siyang bumalik sa tabi ni Light.
Kapansin-pansin din ang maya’t-mayang pagnanakaw ni Ice ng tingin kay Aizelle habang kumakain ito. Samantalang si Aizelle ay ginagawa ang buong makakaya h’wag lang silang magkatidikit ni Light. This group is really driving me nuts. Wala na bang ititino pa ang mga ‘to? At may nakakahawa bang sakit si Light?
Aizen suddenly cleared his throat, “Spin the bottle tayo!” He said, trying to lighten the mood.
At dahil isang supportive na boang kapatid ko, kinuha niya ang hindi pa naiinom na inumin ni Light saka ito nilagay sa gitna. Dahil sa sitwasyon niya ngayon, hindi magawang makapagreklamo ni Light kaya’t hanggang sama ng tingin lamang ang nagagawa niya.
“Game, game!” Xian cheered. He spin the bottle until it stopped in Aizelle’s direction. “Truth or truth?”
“Bakit walang dare?” Aizelle bluntly asked.
“Bakit gagawin niyo ba pag nag-dare kami?”
“No,” Aizelle immediately replied. “Truth.”
“I have a question—” Celine and Riley exchanged glances at each other. Aizelle could answer one question; it is the universal rule of this game.
“Ako muna! Paano mo na-acquire ang—” before Celine could actually ask her question, Ice suddenly pulled Aizelle, making the two of them lean on the table.
Ice was speaking, but none of us could hear besides Aizelle. Curiosity began to run chaotically through our veins while watching them. Aizelle gulped with her eyes widened, trying to peek at Ice’s face that she could not see. And before letting Aizelle go, she suddenly kissed her cheek and smiled, which left us speechless.
The two of them sat down back in their seats as if nothing had happened.
I cleared my throat and looked at Ice, “Did you kiss Aizelle?”
“Yup, you saw it, right?” So, my eyes were perfectly fine?
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?” Ice asked. “Aizelle is—”
“So, anong tinatanong mo kanina, Celine?” Biglang pag-imik ni Aizelle habang pinapaypayan ang sarili niya. “Are you asking how I attain the Zenith of Perfection?”
“Yes!”
“Hmm…” Aizelle took a deep breath as if she was shaking off the thoughts from Ice’s action and smiled, “Three years ago… before the battle against the Titans, Apollo and Eros trained Phoenix and me in the Loveiridge Island with the help of the Horae and the hourglass in the Demigods Academy’s possession. We trained in a time paradox for seven years, but in reality, we only spent a month.”
“Really? Hindi ko naisip na may ganoong silbi ang hourglass. I thought it was just a key for Tita Alexis’s imprisonment.” I heard Sue say.
“That hourglass has half of Kronos’s life,” Aizen stated, looking at all of us grimly.
“How did you know?” Light asked.
“I saw it.”
“Nang pa-prank ka ba?” Inis na tanong ni Phoenix dahilan upang tumawa nang malakas si Aizen. “Gago talaga ‘to.”
“But… he is telling the truth,” Ice assured. “And Tita Alexis absorbed his life, putting it into the hourglass.”
“Just… just how strong Tita Alexis is?” Serena asked. It was a serious question. Ilang beses na naming tinanong noon ni Light si Mama ngunit palaging ngiti lamang ang sinasagot niya sa amin, na para bang iniiwasan niyang sagutin ang tanong na ‘yon.
“Ba’t ‘di ka matanong? Pag-iisipin mo pa kami.” Pag-irap sa kanya ni Xian, pinaikot nito ang bote habang nag-chachant, “Next, next!”
Napalunok na lamang si Xian nang tumigil iyon sa tapat ni Ice, “Next…”
“Anong next?! Magtatanong ako!” Aizen exclaimed, he faced Ice and grinned mischievously, “Ang boring ng mga tanong na lalabas sa bibig nila. So, Ice, do you have someone you liked before entering Demigods Academy? If yes, sino ‘yon?”
Serena and Celine’s face turned sour. Pinapahiwatig nila na maling tanong ang lumabas sa bibig ni Aizen. But Ice always in the Cerulean Palace, is there someone in that place that made her heart flustered?
“No!” Celine screamed. “Ibang tanong na lang—”
“Luh, pakisali,” barumbadong sambit ni Aizen. “Dahil sa reaksyon ni Celine, mayroon kang nagugustuhan noon. So, sino?”
“Ikaw.”
“Huh?”
“Ang sagot sa tanong mo ay ikaw.”
Ilang beses na kumurap si Aizen, dahan-dahan siyang lumingon sa direksyon namin ni Riley saka nagtakip ng bibig. At habang pa unti-unting umaangat ang kilay niya, mabilis naman na kumukulo ang dugo ko sa kanya dahil sa pang-aasar niya.
“Pasensya na, Sky, Riley… wala e, mas g’wapo ako sa inyo.”
Can I drown him?
“Si Aizen talaga? Bakit ‘yan?” Nagtatakhang tanong ni Xian.
Ice looked at him with the eyes as if she was telling him why to bother asking an obvious question, “Why not him?”
“She’s may gusto to him for so many reasons.” Serena giggled. She suddenly looked in my direction and smirked, “In the attic of the Cerulean Palace, you’ll see two scrapbooks— one is dedicated for Aizen, and the other one is for…”
She intentionally paused. Serena hummed teasingly while looking at me. If she was purposely irritating me, she really is nailing it.
“The other one is for Sky?” Sue asked.
Droplets of sweat started to gather on Ice’s forehead. She nervously looked at me and awkwardly laughed, “No,” she eagerly said to stand her point.
“You’re a bad liar,” Light stated.
“A thousand reasons to kick Skyler Nimrod Lockser from the Primus Section.” Celine’s laugh echoed in the cafeteria, followed by the snickering of our friends.
Sky Cold Era 2.0.
“Langit—”
The bell suddenly rang, making almost all of us run into the arena once again. After coming back to the bleachers’ side, Ice tried her best to approach me, but Riley and Light seized her opportunity by talking to me, which was great. Hindi lang siya ang marunong sa cold shoulder treatment.
╔═════ஜ۩۞۩ஜ═════╗
ZEUS SECTION: 26 points
HADES SECTION: 22 points
POSEIDON SECTION: 17 points
PRIMUS SECTION: 15 points
╚═════ஜ۩۞۩ஜ═════╝
“Before the Stop Dance Competition begins, a special rule will be added— if the three contestants were eliminated in the same round, the last one standing would receive 15 points.”
The contestants’ faces grew darker except for Celine, who was smiling at them sweetly. What on Olympus is she planning to do?
“Music, please!”
Oh don’t you dare look back
Just keep your eyes on me
I said you’re holding back
She said shut up and dance with me
This woman is my destiny
She said oh oh oh
Shut up and dance with me
“I thought she could dance?!” Riley exclaimed to Serena, who laughed at her.
Celine was stiffly swaying her hips, na para siyang isang puno na pilit sumasayaw kahit sobrang tigas naman ng katawan. Halos lahat kami ay nagpipigil ng tawa habang pinapanood ni Celine. Siya mismo ang nag-volunteer na sasali siya sa stop dance tapos hindi naman pala siya marunong sumayaw.
“I said… She is a dancerist, not a dancer. It is so magkaiba kaya, duh,” Serena argued, still laughing.
The music suddenly turned silent, making all the contestants stop moving. But out of nowhere, the ground suddenly trembled, waking up the familiar feeling when we went to Cavinti, Laguna, the ground lifted, throwing the other three contestants in the air.
What a dirty trick to use, Daughter of Gaea.
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