Grey's POV

'Stop it, Gabriel,' pagod at halatang naiinis na utos ni Dad, habang pilit pinipikit ang mga mata. Pero hindi ko siya pinansin. Mas pinili kong sipain siya ulit.

'Gab, patulugin mo na Dad mo,' Mom gently pleaded.

Umusog lang ako nang kaunti at saka nagpatuloy sa pagsipa kay Dad para paalisin siya sa higaan.

'Teka, Trev, nakausap mo na ba si Reign?' Mom asked.

Dad didn't answer. He was already drifting off to sleep so I kicked him in the stomach hard enough to wake him up.

'Gabriel!' Dad coughed out the pain. 'I said stop kicking me!'

I eyed him sharply. 'Maman t'a posé une question.'

'Mom asked you a question.'

Dad lifted his gaze to Mom, who lay behind me. One of her arms was wrapped around me, so I pulled it tighter.

'Tinanong ko kung nakausap mo na ba si Reign,' Mom repeated, to my frustration, because why did she have to say it again? Is my Dad turning deaf? I hope so.

Sighing, Dad answered, 'I did.'

'Anong sinabi niya?'

'She swore not to do it again.'

''Yon lang?'

Dad took a moment before humming. 'Mmm.'

A few seconds of silence. Because of this, I turned around to face the ceiling, then I turned my head to Mom who looked at me back with a worried look.

'Bakit, Gab?' she asked. 'Masyado bang malamig 'yong aircon?'

Umiling ako.

She smiled before planting a gentle kiss on my hair. 'Tulog na, anak,' pabulong niyang sinabi. 'Bukas, magluluto tayo ng paborito ni Reign para magkabati na kayo.'

Tumingala ako sa kanya. 'Reign est seule dans sa chambre...'

'Reign is alone in her room...'

Mom chuckled, and it reached my ears in the form of a sweet lullaby. 'Oo nga, ano?'

'Je devrais aller lui demander de dormir avec nous...' sabi ko sa sarili.

'I should go and ask her to sleep with us...'

'C'est ça, Gab,' Mom gently cupped my cheek. 'Ne laisse jamais ta sœur seule.'

'That's right, Gab, do not ever leave your sister alone.'

Kumisap-kisap ako. 'But the bed is not big enough for the four of us.' It is. It's big enough for the four of us. In fact, more than four people could fit in their bed. 

'I suggest we kick Dad out!' masigla kong suhestyon.

Mom bit her lower lip. Nagpipigil siya ng ngiti nang sulyapan si Dad.

'Gabriel,' natatawa niyang sambit nang bumaling ulit siya sa'kin. 'Hindi rin natin pwedeng iwanan si Dad.'

'Why not? He should be fine,' sagot ko. 'He's old enough to sleep on his own, non?'

'Gabriel.'

Hindi ko pinansin ang nagbabantang pagtawag ni Dad sa'kin.

'Trev....' Mom lifted herself up a bit. 'Puntahan mo nga si Reign.' She reached for him, but I locked her arm around me, leaving her no choice but to give Dad a pleading look.

Ngumisi ako pagkatapos marinig ang malakas-lakas na buntong-hininga ni Dad. The bed shifted as he left and when I thought he was gone, he suddenly grabbed my feet and pulled me down.

'Maaaa!' sigaw ko nang iangat ako ni Dad at mabilis na isinampa sa balikat niya. I tried to resist, but electricity quickly numbed my arms and legs. 'Moooom!' I almost squealed, slumped on Dad's back.

'Comment oses-tu me séparer de ma propre mère!' galit kong sabi.

'How dare you tear me apart from my own mother!'

Mom sat on the bed. 'Trev!' she called. 'Tinatakot mo yung bata!'

To which I scoffed. 

Me? Afraid of him?

'I'm okay, Mom!' paalam ko nang buksan ni Dad 'yong pinto. 'I can take him! I'm strong, too!'

I caught a glimpse of her worried expression right before Dad turned around to close the door. Pagkatapos, maingay akong bumuga ng hangin at pabigong sumalpak sa likuran ni Dad.

'Un jour, Papa...' saad ko. 'Quand je serai aussi grand que toi, je te lancerai partout.'

'Someday, Dad... When I grow as tall as you, I'm going to throw you around.'

I heard him snicker.

'Je suis sérieux!' pagtutuloy ko. 'Je vais être plus grand que toi! Et plus fort!'

'I'm being serious! I'm going to be bigger than you! And stronger!'

Laughing lightly, he replied in a mocking tone. 'Oui, c'est ça...'

'Yeah, right...'

'Put me down, Dad!'

He did put me down, but only after we entered Skyreign's room. And we found her already asleep.

'Reign!' sigaw ko.

Binatukan ako ni Dad pero huli na dahil nagawa ko nang gisingin si Reign. Lumundag-lundag ako patungo sa tabi ng higaan niya.

'Mom wants you to sleep with us!'

Reign groaned, covering her face with her blanket. 'Natutulog na ako, eh...'

'Yes, yes.' I nodded aggressively. 'But wouldn't it be better to sleep with us?!'

Binatukan ulit ako ni Dad.

'Ow!' Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin habang hinahagod ang aking ulo. 'I'm telling Mom!'

'Stop screaming,' utos ni Dad, sabay upo sa tabi ni Reign. He gently rubbed her back, calming her after the disturbance.

'Désolé de t'avoir réveillée, belle au bois dormant,' he quietly said. 'Mais voudrais-tu venir avec nous?'

'I'm sorry for waking you up, sleeping beauty, but would you like to come with us?'

Reign didn't answer.

Did she go back to sleep?

Tinignan ko si Dad na magaang napangiti. Pagkatapos, muli kong tinignan si Reign.

'Reign!'

'Kuya naman, eh!' Pinadyak-padyak niya ang kumot paalis sa katawan niya. 'Sasama na nga ako!'

Dad threw me an angry look. I threw him back a happy grin.

I sat against the big and ancient tree, the cold creeping through my clothes as snow continued to fall softly around me. 

"A memory she doesn't remember... but exists..." I mumbled, while looking intently at the golden card I stole from Hecate. I turned it over, tracing the delicate engravings with my thumb, but the more I stared at it, the less sense it made.

A memory that she doesn't remember?

Inilapit ko ito sa'kin. 

Paano ko ba kasi mabubuksan ito?

"Do you know how to use this?" Ipinakita ko ito sa bangkay na nakasandal sa puno, katabi ko. "It is Hecate's."

Although the man beside me looked like a corpse, I knew that he wasn't dead. 

He groaned in pain as he leaned to look. "N-No..." sagot niya, gamit ang kanyang lalamunan na walang ibang laman kundi ang kanyang mga huling hininga.

The dying man beside me was King Tantalus, cursed by the gods he had angered, so now he's trapped in Tartarus. His punishment was to be hungry and thirsty forever, and he has to stand on water he couldn't drink and under a tree with fruit he couldn't eat.

Not sure about the standing part, though, halata naman kasing hindi na siya nakakatayo. The water around the tree has also frozen completely.

"W-What is it?" naghihingalo niyang usisa.

"A memory that my sister cannot remember," I answered.

The king turned his head to look at me, wincing as his stiff neck cracked. "A-And who are you?"

I sighed. "I'm a descendant of Mnemosyne... which, honestly, is just incredibly frustrating."

"F-Feed me..." he pleaded, his voice hollow and raspy, like something between a whisper and a groan. "P-Please..."

Ilang sandali akong napamasid sa kaawa-awa niyang hitsura. The card in my hand disappeared as I reached to pick a fruit from the tree. I didn't have to stand. The branches were low enough.

I handed him the fruit, but the moment he tried to hold it, it vanished. The king slumped against the tree, his chest crackling with each painful breath.

Kumunot ang aking noo nang alalahin ang ginawa niya kaya napadpad siya rito. He committed several offenses, but the last straw was when he killed his own son, cooked him, and served him as a meal to the gods.

Kung bakit niya ginawa ito ay dahil gusto niyang matiyak na may kapangyarihan nga silang alamin ang lahat. He was testing their godliness. And he hoped that the gods wouldn't find out about the true nature of the food, where it came from. 

"You could've tested the gods in so many other ways, but cooking your own son? Seriously?" dismayado kong sabi.

"W-What would you have done?" 

Ilang sandali akong napaisip sa kanyang tanong. "I would've told them an unsolvable riddle," I replied. "And then I'd say that whoever can answer it is the one true god among them."

"You are... a son of Eris?" 

"What? No." I chuckled. "But I do enjoy causing a little chaos. It's fun."

After a while, I finally decided to stand up. "Well, I guess it's time I leave." Luminga-linga ako sa nakapalibot sa'ming walang hangganang kulimlim.

I raised my right hand, and a lantern appeared in my grasp. "Erinyes," bati ko sa apoy na umiindap-indap sa loob nito. "Time to do your job."

The flame flickered in hesitation. 

"Who am I talking to?" tanong ko.

"Megaera," labag sa loob na sagot ng apoy.

"Bien, help me locate the others," utos ko.

Paige's POV

"Hedone?" Sisyphus, asked, grunting. "Hedone the lovely is here?"

Sinundan ko siya habang tinutulak niya paangat ang malaking bato. The boulder was almost the size of a giant. Sa sobrang laki nito, dinidilim nito ang madilim nang kinaroroonan namin.

One of his foot slipped because of the snow. Mareklamo siyang umungol nang mapaluhod. Bumuntong-hininga ako at napagdesisyunang lapitan siya. Gamit ang aking kamay, pinigilan ko ang bato na gumulong pababa.

"Yes, she's here," I held the boulder while he struggled to stand on his feet. "Have you seen her?"

The muscles in Sisyphus' body strained as he pressed his shoulder against the boulder. I stopped helping him and then, stared for a few seconds at his body that was shaped by thousands of years of pushing the massive stone. 

Napakurap-kurap ako rito at bago pa man bumaba ang aking tingin sa tanging saplot sa katawan niya, lumingon ako sa tuktok ng burol kung saan gugulong pababa ang malaking bato at babalik na naman siya sa pagtutulak nito.

It was his punishment for tricking others and cheating death twice.

"Haven't seen her," sagot niya.

I loudly sighed. "Do you know where I should go? I am looking for her."

"No, I haven't left this place-" He grunted, the stone becoming heavier and heavier. Umikot siya at ginamit na ang buong likuran niya upang itulak ito.

Nagsimulang mamula ang katawan niya, at nagsilabasan na rin ang kanyang mga ugat.

"But I did- agh!" He roared, struggling not to slip. "I-I did meet another goddess."

"Who?" usisa ko.

"E-Eris-" aniya. "The goddess stops by once in a while."

Kumunot ang aking noo.

Sisyphus chuckled but only for a moment, as he soon groaned in exhaustion. "Everytime, she leaves me a loaf of bread... or whatever she has baked... One time, she made chocolate pudding, then an apple pie..."

Patuloy lang ako sa pagsunod kay Sisyphus habang binibilang niya ang mga pagkaing nahatid ni Eris sa kanya.

"Oh, and a fruit salad... but my favorite? Her meat pie."

Sumilip ako sa kanya nang unti-unti na siyang pumapailalim sa bato. "Where can I find her?"

Sisyphus didn't get to answer right away. Pagka't gumulong na ang bato pababa sa burol, at saka ako napatingin sa katawan niyang dinaanan nito. Pinalibutan siya ng dugo at nagkabali-bali sa maling anggulo ang kanyang mga braso. His folded legs were also flattened, crushed under the weight of the boulder.

"Do... Do you need help?" tanong ko.

"Just a minute," namamagod niyang sagot.

I didn't understand what he meant, until his bones started cracking back into place. Napaatras ako, at kagaya ng sinabi niya, isang minuto nga ang kinailangan upang makabalik sa dati ang kanyang katawan.

"Must be fun," puna ko nang makatayo siya. At saka ako napalunok nang iunat-unat niya ang kanyang naglalakihang mga braso. He then stretched his legs and hopped in place, getting ready for the next round of his torture.

"Who are you again?" He asked, before jogging down the hill.

Tumakbo rin ako upang sundan siya. "I'm Paige, and I'm here to save Hedone."

He laughed. "Like the page of a book?"

Napangiti ako, pero mabilis itong nabura nang makita ko ang lalaking nakatayo sa tabi ng malaking bato.

Tumikhim ako sabay iwas ng tingin nang tuluyan kaming makarating sa paanan ng burol. And when Sisyphus asked who he was, I took interest of the snow falling around us.

"Xerxes Gabriel." Grey offered his hand. "And you must be the infamous Sisyphus."

"Xerxes. Pleasure to meet you." Nagagalak na tinanggap ni Sisyphus ang kamay nito. "Now if you'll excuse me," mabilis niyang ibinaling ang kanyang atensyon sa malaking bato. "I have a punishment to fulfill."

Grey tilted his head as he asked Sisyphus a question. A question I couldn't understand because he used another language. Probably Ancient Greek.

Nanliit ang aking mga mata nang sagutin siya ni Sisyphus nang may kasamang tawa.

"What did you ask him?" naiintriga kong tanong.

Nilingon ako ni Grey nang nakangiti. "Nothing." Biglang lumitaw ang mga damit sa kamay niya na agad niyang inabot kay Sisyphus. "Here. You must be cold..."

He then continued to say something in Ancient Greek.

Then Sisyphus replied, grabbing the clothes.

Nakakunot ang aking noo habang pabalik-balik ang tingin sa kanilang dalawa na nag-uusap nang hindi ko naiintindihan. 

It was frustrating not to understand what they were saying, especially right in front of me. 

"We should go," Grey said, ending their conversation. "It was nice meeting you."

Sisyphus answered, and just as I was about to ask him what they talked about, Grey grabbed my hand, pulling me away.

Hinatak niya ako nang magtangka akong bumalik. "We need to find the others, Paige."

Bumaba ang aking tingin sa kamay niyang nakahawak sa'kin. "What was that about?"

"What was what about?" He held the lantern in his hand a bit higher. Only now did I notice it.

"You're not telling me?" seryoso kong tanong.

"Tell you what?" sagot niya dahilan para mapairap ako.

His soft laughter echoed through the surrounding darkness. "Aren't you cold as well?"

Hindi ako nagsalita at muling napagulong ng aking mga mata.

"I asked if he was cold," sabi niya di kalaunan. "He told me he didn't need clothes, his sweat was warm enough."

"That's it?"

"Mmm."

"But you exchanged more than one sentence," giit ko. "I counted."

"Where do you think the others are?" he asked, completely ignoring me. Dahil dito, marahas kong tinanggal ang aking kamay mula sa kanya.

Huminto siya sabay sulyap dito.

"I don't know, Grey," sagot ko nang abutin niya ang aking tingin. "Why are you asking me? You're the one with the lantern."

He slightly opened his mouth, pressing his tongue against his cheek, and laughed. "Do you really want to know what we talked about?"

Sinaksak ko siya gamit ang aking mga mata.

"Then learn Ancient Greek, Paige," he said casually.

Bumlangko nang tuluyan ang aking mukha.

"I can teach you," he continued with a shrug.

"Gago ka Vance!"

Mabilis kaming napalingon sa direksyon na pinagmulan ng sigaw.

Zack.

"No, shit, Zack! You opened their cages!"

And Vance.

Nang magsimulang yumanig ang lupa, sabay kaming humarap ni Grey sa kanila. Unti-unti ko silang nasilayan na tumatakbo patungo sa'min, at habang papalapit sila, lalong lumakas ang pagyanig ng lupa.

Pumiling ang aking ulo sa mga aninong humahabol sa kanila. "What is that?"

Zack summoned his flaming wings, casting a burst of orange light at the creatures chasing them. At saka ko naaninag kung ano ang mga ito.

Giants.

A lot of them.

Nagpalitan kami ng tingin ni Grey.

"Can we take them?" tanong niya.

I looked at the mob heading straight towards us. "Maybe?"

"Takbo! Hindi natin kaya 'to!" sigaw ni Zack. "Imortal lahat ng mga halimaw ditooo!"

Muli kaming nagtinginan ni Grey.

"I think we should run," sabi ko.