FIRST HEARING

Ajax Draven's POV 

Walking in this marbled hallway of the courts of the Greece's Ministry of Myths has never been this nerve-wracking. My hands are all sweaty and my heart is beating like crazy. Today is the day of the first court trial about the case of Arachne, and here I am, walking on this long pathway towards the courts.

Hindi ako kinakabahan dahil may mali akong ginawa, kinakabahan ako dahil kung maraming tao nga ang may galit sa akin ay mabilis na para sa kanila na sirain ang pangalan at reputasyon ko, lalo na at isa pa lamang akong baguhan sa mundong 'to.

Hanggang ngayon ay hindi ko pa rin maintindihan kung bakit parang ako ang pinupuntirya ng lahat. Maiintindihan ko pa ang mga gagamba dahil pinatay ko ang leader nila. Pero ang mga demigods na hindi ko kailanman ginalaw? Hindi. Hindi talaga tama. Sa tingin ko ay mayroong mga nakatataas na hindi gusto ang presensya ko. Hindi naman kasi maaaring bigla na lamang akong pagdiskitahan ng kapwa ko demigods nang hindi tumatanggap ng utos mula sa iba. Ang mga taong sa tingin kong mapagkakatiwalaan ko na lamang ay ang limang taong tumulong sa akin na makilala ang mundong 'to. Sila rin ang kasama ko ngayon sa harap ng pinto ng korte.

Handa na akong harapin ang mga elders ng ministry. Huminga ako nang malalim at inihanda ang sarili ko. Maya-maya pa ay kusa nang bumukas ang pinto ng courts. Napalunok na lamang ako nang bumuga sa mukha ko ang malamig na simoy ng hangin sa loob.

Pagtapak ko pa lamang sa loob ay naramdaman ko na kaagad ang bagsik ng vigor ng mga tao rito sa loob. Walang nagpapatalo sa elders, lahat sila ay nagpapalakasan ng vigor sa loob. Dumagdag lamang ito sa kaba at sa pressure na nararamdaman ko. Nararamdaman ko na rin ang nanlalamig kong mga kamay at ang mahinang panginginig ng mga 'to.

Yumuko lamang ako sa kanila bilang tanda ng paggalang. Niyakap naman ako ng stellars bago sila pumanhik sa bleachers. Nagpaiwan si Deion na walang emosyong ipinapakita ang mukha. Nakatingin lamang ito nang tuwid sa mga tao habang ako naman ay umupo sa harap ng judge. May dinukot siya sa bulsa ng suot niyang coat at iniabot sa akin. It is a black handkerchief with his initials embroidered on the side. Kinuha ko naman 'yon mula sa kanya at pinunasan ang basa kong kamay.

I looked around me to assess my surroundings. I am sitting on a chair in the elevated center of the court. In front of me is the old judge that is seated on an elevated platform with the symbol of justice on her table. It is a sword standing with two plates on each side of the handle. They say that the plates become heavy on the side where justice is seen. It gives the final verdict. Behind the judge are the elders and the minister, they will be the ones to share their opinions on the matter at hand. They all are wearing a green cloak, unlike the judge who wears black. Aside from the stellars and the elders, there are no other audience present in this court. Mabuti naman, dahil alam kong pangungunahan lamang ako ng kaba kung mayroon.

I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself before the ceremony starts. I cannot do this with my mind blank because of panic and nervousness. I am on the right here, and I need to fight for it.

"May the deities bless this heavenly place that exudes justice. Remove all the lies and the ill intentions from the hearts of everyone in this court. Gods and goddesses, hear our plea, be the center of thy trial," the judge stated before looking at me.

"Today, 1st of September year 2021, we have gathered here to witness the first disciplinary hearing of Ajax Draven, a demigod, son of Lisa Gwynn and the god of death, towards the case of the disappearance of Arachne. I am Eleanor Wayland, the judge and interrogator of this case," the old woman started.

Deion stepped in front of me, facing the judge and the elders. His broad shoulders covered the light shining on me. "Deion Astrapios, son of Zeus, standing for the defense." Then, he stepped aside, standing beside the chair where I sit. "The charges?"

The old lady opened a scroll and started reading out loud. "The charges are as follows: abduction and/or murder of the spider lady, bringing threat to the mythological realm, and most importantly, the bearing of the curse." The people inside the courts gasped because of the charges pressed against me. The whole room was filled with murmurs and discussions of what the judge has said. I didn't understand it at first, but when it all dawned on me, a sharp, thin sound pierced through my ears, fighting with all the noise around me. The sensory overload is making me feel nauseous, I want to cover my ears and throw up.

Akala ko ba ay patungkol lamang ito kay Arachne? Bakit bigla na lamang nagkaroon ng karagdagang charges? Saan naman nila nakuha ang claims na 'yon? Paano naman ako magdadala ng threat sa realm na 'to? At paanong ako ang bearer ng curse? Ano na naman ba ang ginawa ko?

"Now, if I may ask, Mr. Ajax, did you or did you not abduct Arachne after your group's fight with her in Athena's Domain?"

"I-I did not," I answered truthfully.

"Kill, perhaps?"

I heaved a deep breath before speaking. There's no point in hiding the truth from them. "Yes. I killed her." Once again, the room was filled with the voices of the elders. Halatang-halata sa mukha nila ang gulat. Hindi sila makapaniwala sa sinabi ko.

"Are you not aware of the consequences of your actions? Didn't you know that by doing this, you have freed a sinful mortal of the eternal punishment a deity has given? You have defied the authority of the the Goddess Athena by killing the queen of the spiders without permission given."

Sasagot na sana ako nang humakbang paunahan ang anak ni Zeus habang nakasuot sa bulsa ang dalawa niyang kamay. "It was stated in the mission description that we should locate the spiders and kill them all." Deion waved his hand, and the scroll from Athena's special mission flew towards the table of the judge. The lady started reading it. After a few seconds, a smirk formed on her lips. "I can see your point, Mr. Astrapios. However, there isn't a direct statement that orders you to kill Arachne."

"Arachne is technically a spider. If you want me to specify which part of her makes her a spider, I will be glad to present it here one-by-one—" Deion's mockery of the judge wasn't able to proceed when the judge cut him short. "I don't need you to teach me those things."

"Then, great. As I was saying, Arachne is technically a spider. She is, in fact, the source, the mother of the spiders pestering the domain of the goddess. We are ordered to stop the destructive effects of the habilitation of spiders in the domain, as it brings harm to the goddess's servants already. Isn't it the basic principle of damage control to terminate the source of the problem, which in this case is the spider lady herself, to stop the elevation of risks involved? The same thing, isn't burning the roots of the wild bush the most effective way of preventing the growth of the wild bush?"

I almost laughed at the reaction of the judge. Her poorly drawn eyebrows are raised as creases formed on her forehead. Halatang-halata sa kanya na hindi siya natutuwa sa mga nangyayari. Hindi ko alam kung totoo bang walang bias ang judges. Pero ang judge na 'to, halatang-halata sa kanya na ayaw niyang manalo ako sa case na 'to. She is just like those people who are trying really hard to get rid of my existence. Or is she one of them?

"Let's say that you are ordered to kill the spiders. However, this does not neglect the fact that the defendant defied Athena's authority by killing one of the mortals she once had punished." The judge removed her glasses and looked at me and Deion, waiting for an answer. "The demigods, like you, were never meant to tamper with the things that gods have done. It was the Goddess Athena who should be the one to lift off the curse of that mortal."

"The goddess knows that Arachne is the one responsible for bringing chaos to her domain, and that's why she ordered us to kill the spiders. She is implying that we should also kill the spider lady. It was, in fact, her main intention to kill Arachne to lift off the curse she once had given." The judge was about to butt in when a loud hoot echoed inside the room.

When I looked up, I saw the familiar owl descending from above. He is proudly flapping its wings while looking on our direction. It continued flying towards the judge and dropped off a golden scroll on her table before proceeding to his owner's shoulder. It looked back at me and tilted his head. His eyes smiled at me before he decided to flap its wings and rest on my arms. Nimbus hooted again when I caressed his head. He just leaned in on my touch and did not move.

"Now, Mrs. Wayland. Can you read what was written on the scroll?" Deion challenged.

Mrs. Eleanor opened the scroll, and a light bloomed upon her face. When I looked at the direction of the stellars, I smiled when I saw how the three struggles to keep their laughter to themselves.

"Ahem! From the Goddess Athena. One shall not lay a hand on my creations, and one must not open their mouth to protest to my decisions. It is my will to lift off the curse of the lifetime weaving of colorless threads of the prideful mortal. This should not be open for discussions, as I did not protest the killing of Arachne. The ministry need not to tamper with the things that involve me, as I have the authority to punish those who are wrong in my eyes and my principles myself. With grace, Athena."

A breath of relief escaped my lips after hearing the statement of the goddess. I hugged the owl and kissed its head. 'Thank you, Nimbus. Thank you, Goddess.' It was like Nimbus heard my thoughts because he purred. The symbol of justice made a creaking sound as the right plate started going down, like something heavy is placed on it.

"Then?" Deion looked at the judge who looks infuriated.

"This has been the first disciplinary hearing of Ajax Draven on the case of the murder of Arachne. The final verdict for the first trial, charge dismissed."

I was finally able to breathe when the judge disappeared of my sight. Then, I looked at the elders who are leaving the room one-by-one. My eyes caught the sight of one of the elders who is intently looking at me. It was so weird that I cannot see their face, as it was covered by a black cloth. Even the eye color of the elder is not clear to me.

They vanished within a blink when a smoke covered their body. However, before the smoke dissipates, a creepy voice of an old woman rang inside my head. 'We will meet again.'

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