Ria's POV
Siningkitan ko ng mata ang babaeng nakatitig sa labas ng bintana. She's staring outside in a weird... way. Like it seems na may kadahilanan ang tingin niya...
I'm curious.
"So Kara..." inayos ko ang paghawak sa manobela. Making sure that there's nothing in front of us before looking a her. "spill it."
Bumalik ang dating facial expression niya. "spill what?" tanong niya.
"Why you're staring like that... no one knows." sagot ko.
Hindi ako anak ni Aphrodite but I can tell she's blooming. To the point na nakakapanibago. Usually, there's this gloomy aura around her.
"Wag mong sabihin na pumunta ka lang sa clinic para tulungan si Doc at pagbalik mo.. ganito ka na?" I asked with an obvious tone that I don't want some silly answers.
"May nainom ka bang medisina Kara kaya ka nagkakaganyan-" napasinghap si Thea. "M-may sakit ka ba?"
We're all girls here after all. Ibang kotse ang dinala ng mga lalaki.
They went first and we just trailed behind.
Hindi ko na nga sila nakikita pero alam naman naming lahat ang address ni Cesia kaya sigurado akong magkikita rin kami doon.
"It's too soon to talk about it." she subtly replied giving me a glare before facing the window. I just sighed at hinayaan siya.
I mean... alam kong may nangyari. But I guess it turned out good for her so hindi nalang ako makikiusisa pa. As long as hindi siya nasaktan.
Natahimik rin si Thea pagkatapos marinig ang sagot ni Kara. We won't try bothering her.
For now, we're focused with our friends' survival.
"Kumusta na kaya si Cesia..." narinig kong bulong ni Thea.
"Si Cesia lang ba ang concern mo? May nakalimutan ka ata." sabi ko sa kanya.
"Ahh.. oo nga pala.. kasama niya si Galatea..." she said wide-eyed.
I was referring to Trev pero mukhang mas mahalaga sa kanya yung dalawa kesa kay Trev.
I'm sure she's safe... she's with Trev and as far as I know, hindi niya hahayaang masaktan si Cesia.
You know... sometimes he becomes possessive of her... which makes me wonder why...
Interesado ata si Trev sa anak ni Aphrodite. Napangiti ako. Bagay naman sila...
Nakita ko na yung dalawa na lumaban at masasabi kong sila ang demigods na nakakatakot tignan lalo na pag pinoprotektahan nila ang isa't-isa.
They just look more than ordinary when together. Mas malakas ang enerhiya kapag magkasama sila as if there was really something pulling them from between.
Kapag normal na tao ka, makikita mo lang ang isang couple. Pero iba ang mga mata ng tao na may experience na sa makabuluhang mundo na'to.
At masasabi kong ang dalawang 'yon.. ay iba.
Kumunot ang noo ko.
Ibang-iba.
•••
Tumigil kami sa harap ng nasabing bahay. Pinark ko ang kotse sa likod ng isa pa na nakaparada obviously, it belongs to the boys. Nauna pa naman sila sa pagdating.
Pumasok ako at nakita ang sirang pinto ng isa sa mga rooms. Our hunch was right. We were too late.
"It's a mess." lumabas si Dio at nilapitan kami.
She glanced at Kara before looking at me. "You can investigate the area then we'll take leave. Pupunta tayo sa dating camp ng huntres after ten minutes." tugon niya bago humakbang sa direksyon kung saan nandoon si Chase kasama si Seht.
We scattered and we looked for the remnants ourselves.
Kara's POV
I walked on the broken shards of glass. Marami-rami na rin akong napulot para suriin. It's been six minutes I believe... at wala akong nakitang gamit na nakakuha ng interes except the fact that it was obvious na inatake nga sila.
"Ah!" napalingon ako kay Thea na may sugat ang daliri. Tinignan ko ang bulaklak na sinubukan niyang kunin but it seems like she accidentally touched the broken vase around it.
"Careful." tugon ko sa kanya. Tumango lang siya bilang sagot saka binaba ang kamay niya.
Within the room, I found a doorway. It leads to the only bedroom. I saw scratches on the door frame at nasa sahig na ang pinto nito. The giants may have forcefully pushed it to get inside.
Dahan-dahan akong pumasok.
I looked at the whole room and my eyes stopped at the suitcase on the ground.
Kumunot ang noo ko saka nilapitan ito.
May ilang mga litrato na nakalagay including paperworks... files...
Nakita ko ang iilang certificates of recognition for 'Abigail Young'. Cesia's earthly name. May mga special awards rin siyang natamo.
I felt insecurity rise inside me.
I never had one of these.
Bago pa ako tuluyang madala sa nakaraan, tumayo na ako at pinagpag ang likurang bahagi ng jeans ko.
We all had our different stories.
Wala tayong karapatan na ikumpara ang pinagdaanan ng ibang tao. We weren't with them during those times kaya wala tayong alam kung ano ang naramdaman nila. Life is unfair.
I frowned.
"Well the Gods are." I said to myself.
Realizing na wala na akong makukuha mula sa kwartong 'to, I made my way out.
Huminto ako nang may nahagip akong litrato. I found myself picking it up.
Two men and a woman. The way they were smiling, halatang matalik silang magkaibigan.
The woman, I recognize as Cesia's aunt.
Beside her is a handsome man. He shares the same looks with Cesia kaya alam kong posibleng siya ang ama ni Cesia...
I remember.. Gabriel Young ang pangalan niya.
And then the other one...
I felt my breathing stop.
Bakit... bakit may...
"Kara? we have to go." nagulat ako sa boses ni Dio.
Tinitigan ko ang litrato just to see if I wasn't hallucinating.
And I wasn't.
Then that means magkakilala sila.
"Kara? May problema ba?" I lifted my head to see Dio. Nakakunot ang noo niya. Napansin niya ata ang reaksyon ko habang nakatitig sa larawan.
Umiling ako. "let's go."
Tumango siya.
My breathing was shallow.
Maybe it was a coincidence...
To make things clear, the elite businessman, Dioscoro Nicastro never treated me as her daughter because I was not in the first place.
Siya lang ang itinatag na pillar ko pagkatapos mawala ang ama ko. Dioscoro was my father's brother. He knew I was a demigod then kaya ginamit niya ako sa business niya.
He was wicked.
And I remember myself crying every night because my father never returned. Just like Dioscoro, Elias was strong and fearless and a genius. But unlike his brother, he had a good heart.
So good that he got the Goddess of War's attention. Wala siyang kaalam-alam but she was accompanied by the Goddess day and night until the Goddess herself fell inlove.
Maraming nagtataka kung bakit may anak si Athena. Kung bakit nagmahal siya ng isang mortal.
She is a virgin goddess so how did she produce me?
You see, the Gods are capable of shifting themselves into something that they are not. In this case, nag anyo si Athena na mortal. At first, itinakwil lang siya ni Elias. But later on, he grew fond of her.. her wit, her courage...
Athena.. she was just like a mortal in love.
She even confronted Aphrodite about it but the goddess said she didn't do anything. Pinuntahan niya rin si Eros, to ask if he shot a love arrow at her in which he denied.
Then they slept for a night and Athena left him like that.
She didn't know she was pregnant so she left her mortal form behind. She became a goddess again. Her mortal form is not a virgin anymore and now that she was a goddess she didn't want to lose her dignity.
One day, she realized she was bearing a child. Afraid that she would have to lose her virginity by giving birth to me, nagkaroon siya ng ideya.
And like how Zeus gave birth to her, she let Hephaestus open her head and there I was. A little suckling.
I knew this on my way to the Academy. Ginabayan ako ni Athena and during those times, kinwento niya sa'kin ang nangyari sa kanila ni Elias... kung paano niya ako ipinanganak.
I should be mad at her though dahil iniwan niya ako. But I wasn't. Athena was someone with focus. She followed all the rules na itinatag niya para sa sarili niya. She was a virgin goddess so she wanted to stay that way. She was the Goddess of Wisdom afterall.
Yet, she chose to fall inlove and keep me. She was wise enough to let me live instead of killing me in her womb.
'You were my choice Kara. At hinding-hindi ko pinagsisisihan ang mga desisyon ko.'
Naalala ko ang mga salita niya...
I felt a hand on my shoulder. "You're making me worried."
I just gave him a smile. Right. It's unusual of me to space out.
Yet it's hard to not think of the past when I am holding this picture.
Cesia might not know it...
But one of the men in this photo is no other than Elias Nicastro.
My father.