Trev's POV

With one foot forward, I fell from the rooftop of a building and landed in front of a man obviously in a hurry.

"How many of you are there?"

My eyes drifted to the knife in his hand. Nakuha kaagad nito ang atensyon ko dahil may bahid ito ng dugo.

I looked at the shadow behind his feet. It glistened, and for a moment I saw it move on its own.

"I asked you a question." Lumapit ako sa kanya nang nakapamulsa. "And you know what's going to happen if I don't get an answer."

Instead of answering, his grip on the dagger tightened.

I gave him a few more seconds.

Nang mahinuhang hindi siya magsasalita, napabuntong-hininga ako. "Cal."

The man's shadow rose to form another body. Behind him, Cal appeared and violently put him in a chokehold, causing him to break stance and let go of the weapon.

"Where are the others?" I stopped in front of them and picked up the dagger.

"With the authorities."

"Cesia?" I studied the blade in my hand once I noticed it was unusually glossier.

Matagal na nakasagot si Cal at naintindihan ko kaagad ito.

"They have Art, too," pagbibigay-alam niya. "I've been looking for her."

Itinapat ko ang dulo ng blade sa palad ko at dahan-dahang hiniwa ito. "Wolfsbane," I realized, after looking at my wound that's taking a longer time to close.

"Trev," sambit ni Cal dahilan na mapatingin ako sa kanya. "I was able to detect a few underground premises below Fira."

"The structures date back to eighteenth century," dagdag pa niya. "It's possible that they were made due to pirate attacks during the first settlement."

Fira was made in the eighteenth century. The noble families were the first settlers, making it Santorini's capital. During that time, islands were vulnerable to pirate attacks, so it really is possible that the privileged residents may have secretly created underground structures to protect themselves.

"A-A lot..."

Inilipat ko ang aking atensyon sa lalaking kanina pa nasasakal at sa wakas ay nagsalita na.

"T-There are a l-lot of us-" He said in broken english.

I just stared at him.

"D-Demigods... true... mythology..." He kept gasping for air. "Y-you are demigod..."

Panandalian kong binago ang kulay ng aking mga mata.

"I-It's true!" sigaw niya habang nagpupumiglas. "You!"

I let out a sarcastic laugh. "So what if it is?"

"You have... power... w-we need..."

"Ah." I spun the dagger in my hand. "I almost forgot that there are mortals like you."

Mortals who knew about our existence and are not afraid to step in to use us. Hunters, of demigods and mythological creatures.

I snickered.

Just like my stepfather, and Kara's uncle.

"P-Please..." His eyes were already watering.

I waited until his lips turned blue before looking at Cal. I gave him a nod and turned around, playing with the dagger in my hand.

The Academy was a cruel place for people like us, but the world that awaited was even more so. And perhaps it was time to think that despite everything, reality was still not perfect. Like every other realm, the mortal realms, the very realms where we belong, have its own share of evil and corruption too.

Huminto ako pagkatapos marinig ang pagkabali ng buto.

I looked at Cal who stood on the corpse with a twisted neck. 

Below us, I could hear a screeching scream, the cry of a soul being forcefully sucked into the Underworld.

"The gods will think we're interfering too much with the mortals, Trev," malamig niyang sabi.

With a corner of my lips raised, I murmured, "Let them."

Cesia's POV

Tumigil ako sa harap ng babaeng nakatali sa posteng gawa sa kahoy.

"Shh." Sinenyasan ko siyang huwag mag-ingay pagkatapos niyang iangat ang kanyang ulo para tignan ako.

Nag-summon ako ng matulis na salamin at pinutol ang makapal na lubid na nakagapos sa kanya. Nahirapan ako dahil sa sobrang kapal nito pero nagawa ko pa rin naman sa huli.

"You..."

"Demigod din ako," pagbibigay-alam ko sa kanya. "Katulad ng ama mo."

"I am sorry." Umiling-iling siya. "I do not-"

"Je suis un demi-dieu..." pag-uulit ko, gamit ang lenggwaheng alam kong mas madali niyang maiintindihan dahil lumaki siya sa France, ayon sa mga ala-ala niya. "-comme ton père."

Tinignan niya ako na tila hindi makapaniwala. Pagkatapos, namuo ang isang ngiti sa kanyang labi. "Je sais que tu es courageux aussi."

'I know you are brave, too.'

"Mmm." Sumingkit ang aking mga mata. "Not so much."

"I have children..." sabi niya. "Two boys..."

"You're going to get them back," saad ko. "-parce que je vais les trouver."

'-because I'm going to find them.'

"Merci..." Pinadalhan niya ako ng nagtatanong na tingin.

'Thank you...'

Nginitian ko siya. "Cesia."

"Merci, Cesia," tugon niya. "Je me souviendrais de vous."

'Thank you, Cesia. I will remember you.'

Inilibot ko ang aking paningin. 

Kanina lang, lumayo ako ng Fira para mas madali kong mahanap yung mga lalaking nakaitim na nakita kong nagtatago sa may likuran ng stalls. Pamilyar sila sa'kin dahil dalawa sila sa mga dumukot sa'min nung nasa Athens kami.

Hindi ko narinig yung heartbeats nila, pero nagtaka ako dahil may naririnig akong mahinang tibok mula sa ilalim ng lupa, kaya hinanap ko ito.

Natagpuan ko ang isang lumang gate sa likod ng isa sa mga gusali. Pumasok ako at bumaba ng hagdan na nasa kabilang dulo ng pasilyo.

"Il y a un problème, Cesia?" usisa ng babaeng kasama ko.'Is there a problem, Cesia?'

"Je ne me rappelle pas être arrivé ici," sagot ko. 'I don't remember how I got here.'

Para naman kasing maze yung dinaanan ko papunta rito. Nakakalat ang mga lagusan na patungo sa magkaibang direksyon. 

Sinundan ko lang ang tibok ng puso niya kaya nahanap ko siya. At ngayon, hindi ko na alam yung daan pabalik.

"Tu es," natatawa niyang sabi. "-tu es drôle."

'You, you're funny.'

Napangiti nalang din ako sa sarili ko. "Sorry."

"Tout va bien, chérie."'It's okay, sweetheart.'

Hinawakan niya ang balikat ko. "You are still human, non?"

Natawa ako nang mahina. "Oui."

Mabilis na naglaho ang aking ngiti nang maramdaman ang presensya ng iilang katao na papalapit sa'min.

Humakbang ako sa harapan niya. "Stay behind me."

Lumitaw ang limang lalaki, ilang metro mula sa'min. Tatlo sa kanila'y may mga dalang kutsilyo, at dalawa sa kanila'y itinutok ang kanilang mga baril sa'min.

"Do not move," utos ng isa.

Napakurap-kurap lang ako.

"I said do not move!"

Dahan-dahan kong ipiniling ang aking ulo patagilid, at tinitigan sila.

Inuutusan niya ba ako?

"A genoux..." mahinahon kong sabi. "-maintenant."

'Kneel before me, now.'

Ria's POV

I looked at the sky that's already darkened. "Would you look at that," namamangha kong puna. "Someone's going to die today."

"Here." Ipinakita sa'min ni Dio ang nakabukas na gate.

I sneaked a peak inside and saw nothing but darkness.

"Let me go first," ani Kara.

"No, let me enter first," Seht insisted, and summoned both fire and light on either of his hands. "I can provide light."

Kara took a shallow breath and gestured him to move.

We did follow Seht, and ended up in between a series of underground tunnels. We stopped in the middle of an opening, and looked around, like lost children.

"We're lost, aren't we?" tanong ko.

Umikot-ikot si Dio sa kinatatayuan niya. "Where's Cal when we need him?"

"Oo nga." Nakapameywang si Thea. "Nasaan ba si Cal? At Art? Tsaka si Trev at Cesia?!"

"Everyone." Itinapat ni Kara ang kanyang hintuturo sa labi niya. "Silence."

Tumahimik kami, at saka ko lang narinig ang mahihinang yabag ng mga paa. Sabay kaming lumingon sa tunnel kung saan ito nanggagaling.

"Unahan ko na kayo," ani Chase bago maglaho.

"Chase!" sigaw ko saka tumakbo para sundan siya. "Come back here!"

We arrived in what seemed like an underground storage room. Cardboard boxes and wooden crates were stacked everywhere.

"Yo." Kung saan-saan lumitaw si Chase sa aming paningin, binubuksan at sinusuri ang laman ng bawat kahon. "Ang daming armas."

I was about to check the nearest crate when the sound of a gunshot rang in my ears.

Yumuko ako, at napahawak sa aking dibdib kung saan unti-unting kumalat ang dugo. "What the fuck?"

I turned around to discover more than a hundred men surrounding us. They were all armed with different weapons.

We've been ambushed, I said to myself. They knew we were going to look for them.

And before I knew it, chaos ensued.

My senses immediately got overwhelmed with guns being fired and elements thrown around. I summoned my golden sword, and started counting the enemies that held a gun in their hands.

I leaped in front of one of them and kicked him on the chest.

Pagkatapos, napasigaw ako sa sakit nang may sumaksak sa likod ko. I spun around and waved my sword behind me.

I was mad. Furious, because they decided to ruin our vacation.

"You-" Sinipa ko ang isa sa kanila sa sikmura. "Dumb-" I lowered my back, avoiding another sword. "Fucks!" I regained my balance and stabbed him in the thigh.

Madali kong nabalewala ang mga sugat ko dahil sa matinding galit na namumuo sa loob ko.

"Everything was already going according to my plan!" naiinis kong sigaw at hinatak ang espada mula sa binti ng sinaksak ko. "Ugh!" Saka ko ito ibinaon sa kanyang tagiliran.

Nakaramdam ako ng matinding kirot sa dibdib ko dahilan na mapaatras ako.

Biglang lumitaw si Chase sa harap ko. "Ria." Hinawakan niya ang magkabilang balikat ko. "Kami na ang bahala rito kaya umalis ka na."

Natawa lang ako sa sinabi niya.

"Sugatan ka," paalala niya.

I snorted the blood under my nose. "Baka nakalimutan mo kung kaninong anak ako, Chase."

"Hindi, kailangan mong makinig sa'kin."

I was about to talk back when a ball of fire flew in between us.

"Sorry!" Narinig naming sigaw ni Thea.

"Bumalik ka sa dinaanan natin, at lumiko ka sa kaliwa," ani Chase. "May dalawang bata. Nakakulong sila."

"W-What?" Hindi ko maintindihan ang sinabi niya.

Binaba niya ang kanyang mga kamay. "Naglibot kasi ako."

Tinapunan ko siya ng tamad na tingin. "You're telling me, that you had the time to roam around this labyrinth while we're on the verge of death?"

Kumibit-balikat siya.

"You're sleeping on the couch, tonight." I said, before running off.

Tumakbo lang ako nang tumakbo. May mga lalaking sinubukan akong hadlangan, pero nagawa ko naman silang iwasan, sa pamamagitan ng pagpapahilig ko ng espada sa direksyon nila.

Gods know where my feet took me, but true enough, I did found two boys locked in a cell at the end of one of the tunnels.

"Hello there," I greeted, and kicked the bars open.

"Où est notre maman?" tanong ng isa sa kanila.

I was quick to recognize his spoken language.

"I'm sorry," I crouched down to their level. "...but I don't speak French."

"Mother," the older one said. "Where is mother?"

I looked at him, and let out a sigh. "I don't know, but I'm sure we're going to find her." I assured them.

Tumayo ako at inayos ang sarili ko. "I need you to come with me."

"Non-non! S'il vous plaît, aidez-la!"

I just stared at the boy who screamed hysterically. "Right..."

"But seriously..." Kinuha ko ang kamay nila. "We have to go."

"You have blood."

Napatingin ako sa duguan kong damit. "Do I?" Nginitian ko sila pagkatapos. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"You are demigod, non? Just like grand-papa?"

"Yes," sagot ko. "I am-" Napasinghap ako nang biglang bumigat ang aking katawan at kusang lumuhod sa harap nila.

"She's near..." I whispered.

"Who is?"

Kasunod na umalingawngaw ang kulog mula sa labas ng selda.

"Oh." I chuckled. "And he's here."

Cal's POV

I lightly ran my fingers on the stone walls while walking.

It really is easy to get lost underground where everything is dark. Darkness, in some way, could become an illusion, and hinder one's sense of direction.

I sensed a man appear in front of me and with one swift motion of the hand, I sent the shadow under my fingertips towards his direction.

"My wife." Lumapit ako sa kanya na napaluhod pagkatapos gapusin ng sarili niyang anino. "Where's my wife?"

"I don't know-"

Mabilis kong sinipa ang gilid ng kanyang mukha.

"I'm going to ask you one more time." I walked around the man who fell on his side with a broken jaw. "Where is she?"

"Wieeeee~"

Lumingon ako sa direksyong pinagmumulan ng matinis na boses, at nakita si Art na lumulundag-lundag bitbit ang container ng fries na in-order niya kanina.

"Artemia," sambit ko nang harapin siya. "What did I say about wandering alone?"

She stopped in front of me. "Sabi mo okay lang kapag pamilyar yung lugar..." she recalled, and for some reason, she couldn't stop giggling. "Eh diba pamilyar naman sa'yo yung ilalim ng lupa kasi anak ka ni Hades?"

"I grew up in the Underworld, Art," paalala ko sa kanya. "Not underground."

"Luh! Pareho lang kaya yun!" She retorted. "Tsaka may ability ka namang maka-detect ng underground chuchu ih!"

I continued to stare at her with a blank expression, and only took my eyes off of her when I noticed something move behind her.

On the other end of the tunnel, a body slowly crawled into my perspective. It left charred pieces on its trail, from its skin that had been burnt to a crisp.

Before Art could look at her own doing, I reached out an arm and pulled her to an embrace.

"I'm glad you're safe," bulong ko. "Don't disappear on me again, okay?"

"Okie."

Napangiti ako, bago muling sulyapan ang sunog na bangkay.

"Cal, alam mo ba? Hindi ko nabitawan yung fries kahit wala na akong malay," kwento niya. "Ubos na nga lang pagkagising ko."

"Was it really that good?" I felt my eyes change its shade when I summoned the darkness to gather around the ashened corpse and devour it whole.

"Mmm!"

With the body gone, I finally released her from my embrace and held her hand. 

"I believe we're done here," saad ko. "Let's go back before this place breaks down."

"Sa ngalan ng Firanch fries!" She threw the food container on the ground, almost hitting the man that I recently kicked in the face. "Lumabas na tayo rito!"

A soft laugh escaped my lips.

"Gods." I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm so glad I married you."

"Weh?" Kumisap-kisap siya. "Di ka nagsisisi? Kahit slight?"

"Hell, no."