Ria's POV

Tumingala ako sa gintong plate na nakadikit sa itaas ng pintuan at binasa ang nakaukit na mga salita.

'THE BOSS'

I scoffed.

Tinulak nina Juan at Pedro ang mga pinto, at sa pagpasok namin, tumambad ang isang malawak na silid na walang laman maliban sa isang mesa at upuang nakapwesto sa gitna, nakatalikod sa'min.

At first, I thought the chair was empty, but whoever was seated on it was clearly just taking in the skyscape around the office. Just like the previous floor, all the walls in this room were made of glass. Pumihit-pihit nang kaunti ang upuan at saka huminto nang magsalita ang isa sa dalawang satyrs.

"Boss? Nandito na sila."

We heard a man clear his throat before speaking, his voice thick with authority.

"Nasira ang main entrance ko dahil sa inyo."

His voice was calm, but there was a threat to it.

"Magsilayas."

Saglit na yumanig ang sahig nang magbitaw siya ng utos. The satyrs quickly left the office, and once they closed the door, that's when the god finally revealed himself. His swivel chair slowly turned.

Hermes, an Olympian, the god of travel, thieves, trickery and more, looked like...

Sabay naming nilingon si Chase.

Chase?

Tumingin ulit kami kay Hermes, tapos kay Chase, tapos balik kay Hermes.

"What the—" I stopped myself from swearing in front of a god.

The god grinned at us, his eyes gleaming with mischief. He had the same smile as his son, sa tuwing nanggag*go ito.

He also looked very young, na parang kasing edad lang namin. His entire face was well-defined with sharp, symmetrical features, and his short, wavy hair was neatly styled with hairspray or gel.

"Alphas..." Hermes wore a typical business suit, with a small golden feather pinned as a brooch. He stood from his chair, opening his arms as a sign of welcome. "Bro!"

"Bro!" Naglaho si Chase at lumitaw sa tabi niya, at saka nagyakapan ang dalawa.

Hermes stood taller than the rest of us, mortals, but in terms of posture, it was Chase who stood straighter.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" sabi ng god nang bitawan ang anak. "Bro..." Mahigpit niyang hinawakan ang balikat ni Chase at umiling-iling, suot ang ekspresyon ng isang amang parang matagal nang nawalay sa anak.

He's a god. He can literally see his son anytime.

Pinunasan ni Hermes ang di-nakikitang luha na tumulo sa kanyang pisngi. "How are you, my son?"

"Ayos lang," kampanteng sagot ni Chase. "Gwapo pa rin."

"Same," ani Hermes. "Did you receive the skincare package I sent you?"

"Ah..." Napahagod si Chase sa kanyang leeg. "Hindi pa," sagot niya. "Di pa kasi kami nakakabalik sa Academy."

"Well." Nakapamulsa si Hermes. "I hope you'll like it."

Marahang natawa si Chase. "Thanks, Dad."

Napangiti ako, pero saglit lang dahil agad akong nilingon ni Hermes. He turned to face me, and he stared at me with a gaze I couldn't read. But I could feel it. The same thing I always felt—sa tuwing may binabalak si Chase.

I hid my hand and summoned a golden sword behind my back.

The god smirked and it was the last thing I saw of him before he appeared in front of me, my sword already in his hand.

Napabuga ako ng hangin sa pagkabigla.

"Give it back—" Sinubukan kong kunin ang espada mula sa kanya pero humakbang siya paatras upang ilayo ito.

"Interesting." Sinuri niya ang espada. "It looks like mine, but mine is better." Nginitian niya ako, matalim ang mga mata. "As it should be."

"Mine is better," I seriously insisted.

He pointed my own sword at me. "It was my sword that Perseus used to kill Medusa. Not yours."

Mula sa dulo ng espada, umangat ang aking tingin kay Hermes. "I can use mine to kill you."

He snickered and tossed my sword into the air. I caught it mid-flight, just before he could take it back and with one swift motion, I stepped forward and pressed the blade against the side of his neck, our eyes locking.

"You come to my lair, reeking of my son's scent." He pressed his own golden sword against my neck. Hindi ko namalayan ang pag-summon niya nito. "And threaten me?"

I refused to flinch, kahit nang nagawa niyang gulatin ako.

Hermes' eyes slowly lost their light as I felt blood trickle down my neck.

"Who do you think you are?"

I answered through my mind, 'Someone who hates gods.'

His eyes flickered for a moment. He heard it, and maybe even felt it—how much I hated them.

"Ria—"

Before he could say another word, I pointed my sword at Chase who appeared beside his dad. Umiling siya, nakikiusap ang mga mata. He looked at me with a silent 'please don't' and I did, hesitate, but only for a short moment.

Because I remembered, I've always wanted to fight against a god.

Sinulyapan ko si Hermes at bahagyang napangiti.

Dio's POV

"So this is what happens when the both of them get to meet each other for the first time." Inakbayan ko ang kaibigan kong hindi maiguhit ang mukha. His expression was a mix of confusion and disbelief, tila hindi makapili kung dapat ba siyang matakot o magtaka sa laban na nagaganap sa harap niya.

Kagat-kagat ni Ria ang dumudugo niyang labi. A portion of her face was bruised badly, but the determination behind it never faded. Not even once. Her eyes, though bloodshot and filled with pain, refused to show weakness.

She was still smiling too, kahit na kanina pa nagsimula ang laban. Obviously, she wasn't about to give up anytime soon.

"She's been wanting to do this, hasn't she?" tanong ko kay Chase na hindi pa rin makapagsalita.

"Cheater." Narinig naming puna ni Ria pagkatapos siyang sipain ni Hermes sa likuran.

The god replied with a chuckle. "I don't remember making any rules."

Ria got to her feet, gripping her sword tightly with both hands.

"Give it your all, Alpha," Hermes challenged. "Show me what you are worth."

"I don't need someone like you to remind me of my worth," she snapped. "I already know I'm worth more than you."

Nanlaki ang aking mga mata, at saka ako napangiti nang malapad.

Oh?

Natutuwa kong hinataw ang dibdib ni Chase. "Bro."

"Bro—t*ngina—bitawan mo nga ako!" Tinulak niya ako palayo sa kanya. Napataas naman ako ng mga kamay at dahan-dahang umatras.

Tumabi ako kay Kara na sinamaan ako ng tingin.

"What?" tanong ko, natatawa, sabay pihit ng mga braso ko sa dibdib.

She rolled her eyes at me before focusing back on the chaos unfolding. Napatingin din ako rito, at lumapad ang ngisi kong namumuo.

Nahagip ng aking tenga ang mahihinang hagikgik ni Art. "Parang kayo lang ni Ria sa Academy, Chase, oh..."

"He's trying to do something," napagtanto ni Kara.

"Like what?" usisa ko. "Testing her?"

"No," aniya. "More than that."

At saka ko lang napansin ang seryosong determinasyon sa mga mata ni Hermes. It had the same intensity as Ria's, but while Ria was determined to win, Hermes seemed like he had something else in mind.

"Her eyes," Kara pointed out. "He means to change her eyes."

Ria's eyes shifted constantly between brown and red, and the angrier she became, the brighter they glowed, until they looked like rubies reflecting light.

"You'll have to do better than that," ani Hermes na mas lalong ikinainis ni Ria.

"Tumahimik ka," she murmured with gritted teeth, lunging forward to attack him, her sword slicing through the air with a deadly speed.

"You need more than speed to win against me," sabi ni Hermes.

Ria didn't answer. She didn't need to. Her eyes burned brighter as she ran to him again, this time, with a scream.

She faked attacking his left, making Hermes turn towards it, but she quickly reversed her move, aiming at his exposed side.

Kumunot ang aking noo sa biglang pagbilis ng galaw niya. For a split second, even Hermes couldn't react fast enough. She was able to cut the god before he disappeared, appearing behind her with a bleeding hip.

Ginto ang lumabas na dugo mula sa sugat ni Hermes. Napahawak siya rito bago tinignan si Ria na hindi nag-aksaya ng segundo at muli siyang hiniligan ng espada. Fortunately, he was able to block it.

The god winced slightly, but he quickly grinned. "You can't kill me," paalala niya. "I am immortal."

"I can make you wish you were dead!" galit na sigaw ni Ria.

"Ano sa tingin mo ang plano niya?" tanong ko kay Kara. "Maybe he wants to tire her out?" Who knows what Hermes is planning to do to win. He's a god with a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

"Dio, look closely," ani Kara.

I glanced back at the fight. Walang kapaguran ang mga galaw ni Ria, at sa bawat lipat niya ng pwesto, nasilayan ko ang mga baga ng apoy na iniiwan niya. She moved like fire, her steps leaving trails of energy that seemed to burn brighter with each passing second.

"What's happening to her?"

"I don't know, either."

Sinundan namin ng tingin si Ria na sumalpok sa pader. The glass cracked and she fell on the floor with a loud thud.

"Ria!" Cesia couldn't help but shout.

Itinukod ni Ria ang kanyang espada at itinulak ang kanyang sarili patayo. Her body was shaking, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. The red in her eyes pulsed, beating in sync with her breath, growing more intense until... until it burst into flames, dahilan para mapatigil ako at mapasinghap 'yong iba.

Ria screamed as she charged across the room, heading straight for Hermes who was able to put up another fight. He then pinned her against the wall but before she could lose her breath, he let her go.

Bumagsak ang aking tingin nang mahulog si Ria, nakaluhod sa sahig. Balewala ang bagong sugat niya—isang mahabang hiwa sa kanyang braso, muli siyang tumayo.

The fire from her eyes spread across her body, gradually forming a pair of wings.

"Is that—" hingal ko, hindi makapaniwala.

Hermes appeared on the other side of the room. Ria ran to him with a sudden burst of speed, and the god rushed to meet her in the middle. But just as they were about to clash, she erupted in flames, transforming into a blazing bird.

"A phoenix," pagtatapos ni Kara sa tanong ko.

The screech of a phoenix echoed in the room. Sinunggaban nito ang espadang nasa kamay ni Hermes, at sumiklab ito upang ipakita si Ria, hawak ang dalawang espada, nakatutok ang bawat dulo kay Hermes na nginitian siya.

Napaatras si Ria nang isang hakbang. "What—" Nabitawan niya ang mga sandata. "How?"

"You cannot control your divination because you cannot give freedom to what lies within you," sabi ni Hermes. "I am also a God of Unconsciousness, demigod, and I cannot bear to watch you struggle simply because you refuse to recognize what is inside you."

Ria's brows furrowed. "I don't understand."

"Your deep hatred for the gods has manifested into a creature of fire—a phoenix," paliwanag ni Hermes. "You are a shapeshifter, child of Ares."

"Why..." Napalunok si Ria, at kumislap ang mga luha sa kanyang mga mata. "Why would you help me?"

Ilang sandali siyang tinitigan ni Hermes bago ito lumingon sa gawi ni Chase.

"Like I said..." Humina ang kanyang boses. "I cannot bear to watch you struggle."

"Bro..." Chase whispered back, emotional.

Tumango-tango si Hermes. "Bro..." At saka niya muling hinarap si Ria. "But don't thank me just yet. Your phoenix was born from rage and hatred. It can blind you," sabi niya. "You will learn to control it, yes?"

Ria nodded. "I'll try my best."

Umangat ang magkabilang kilay ng god. "You have to."

Ria nodded again. "I will."

Inabot ni Hermes ang kamay niya kay Ria na mariin itong hinawakan.

"I still want to kill you, you know," she said as they shook hands. "Just not today."

Binitawan siya ni Hermes. "Sure," natatawa nitong sagot.

Ria lowered her head slightly to hide her smile from the god, but she didn't hide it from us. Lumapit siya sa'min nang nakataas ang noo at nakangiti.

"You're a phoenix!" pabulong na sigaw ni Kara.

"Gods, that felt good," ani Ria.

Maingay na napabuga ng hangin si Cesia. "Nakahinga na rin ako sa wakas..."

Sabay kaming natawa sa sinabi niya.

"Wah!" Tumalon si Art sa gitna namin. "Ria! Nagiging phoenix ka!" Kuminang-kinang ang kanyang mga mata. "Ba't hindi unicorn? Ayaw mo ba n'on?"

"Hi, idol," bati naman ni Chase na lumapit din. "Pa-autograph ako—aray!"

Isang kamay ang naramdaman kong pumatong sa balikat ko. Nilingon ko si Cesia na nginitian ako.

"Dio..." bulong niya. "Iba 'yong dahilan ng kaba mo kanina. Hindi ka natatakot para kay Ria..."

Kumunot ang aking noo. "What are you talking about?"

"Wala." Bumaba ang kanyang kamay. "Napansin ko lang kung paano palaging bumibilis ang tibok ng puso mo sa tuwing..." Sinulyapan niya si Kara kaya't napatingin din ako.

"Tinitignan mo siya," dugtong ni Cesia.

"Everyone, come!" biglang tawag ni Hermes. "The sky is clearing! You can see from here my company's flying trains!"

"Ha?!" Naunang tumakbo si Art. "Hala! Oo nga! Oh my Greeks!"

Sinundan ko ng tingin si Cesia na sumunod kay Art kasama 'yong iba. I was about to call her when someone else spoke.

"Men don't ask. They know what they're feeling."

I turned to Trev who stayed back to watch the others from afar.

"I don't think you understand how confused I am right now," tugon ko.

Cesia was right. I had noticed it too, but I kept ignoring it, denying it.

Maybe now's the time to face it—the unfamiliar feeling growing inside me. The one that sometimes makes my chest hurt.

"I actually do," Trev replied with a tired sigh. "Because I am too."