Thieves Of Olympus

75

GARETH

Sinubukan kong gumalaw sa pagkakapulupot ni Stheno sa akin. She is newly shed kaya madulas ang balat niya. I keep my eyes closed only breathing along with her hiss.

Kaunti na lang.

"Ahhh!" parang binabali ang buto  dahil hinigpitan niya ang pagkapulupot sa akin.

Lunox is badly hurt. He broke his left arm when he landed on the floor. Stheno knocked him unconscious. Noong hindi na ito lumaban ay nilagyan niya ng banga para walang makita.

"Don't bother. You want to die fighting child of Hermes?" she hissed, "Tricks won't work. Many tried only one escaped."

"W-who?" kinakabahang tanong ni Kaito. Kanina pa siya sinusubukan no Euryale para buksan ang mga mata niya. He didn't open them even if they said that Erina's there.

"That demigod from 15 years ago. He is also a son of Hermes. Looking for his companion. He tricked us into looking for someone in exchange of his friend!" galit na sabi ni Euryale.

"He escaped but his friend... Stayed with usss," Stheno hissed at us.

"Does... H-he have a... name?" tanong ko kahit nahihirapan na.

Stheno tried opening my eyes, "Theo. That fool made it out alive and guilty."

"And his... Friend?" Kaito groans. Hinahawakan siguro ni Euryale ang mukha niya.

"Madieson—the child of Aphrodite," Euryale told us.

Muntik ko nang idilat ang mga mata ko sa narinig. That person was his first love... Kung tama ang pagkakatanda ko. That's why his eyes were full of regret and longing. Kaya hindi na siya sumubok lumabas ng lugar ng iyon.

"The beauty fades but hers last longer.  She remained like a child in our eyes," Euryale stated.

Stheno let's out an odious laugh, "Another one will stay with us with Perseus' kin."

This is bad. Lunox is still despondent inside that thick jar. His injuries and wounds are worse than I expect. Sana ay gumaling din agad ang mga nakuha niyang sugat. But his arm will take longer to heal.

Damn this snake woman!

Her tight coil becomes sloppy. Lumuluwag ito pero humihigpit din bigla. Parang may kung anong nangyayari sa kanila. I heard a falling body on the concrete. Somebody coughs and a muffled banging in the jar is heard.

"Fight the muse's singing voice Euryale!" Stheno commands. A slapping sound echoes around me.

Dumilat ako at nakitang paunti-unting gumagapang si Kaito. His eyes were staring at the floor. He arches his brows and listens, "Wala naman kaming marinig eh! Mga baliw!"

"That language..." Euryale drawls. "Just like their last words to each other."

"But not ours!"

I slipped off Stheno's tail. Pabagsak na ang mga talukap ng mga nila noong iwas-iwas niya ang kanyang buntot. The nearest table becomes clean from cluttered objects and falls on the floor  in half. Nagpadulas ako sa sahig para maabot ang espada kong tumalsik.
I stabbed Euryala's tail and she hissed in pain.

"Kaito tayo! paano natin babasagin yung banga?"

Nagtago kami sa likod ng isang makapal na kurtina. He pants inhaling the dusts around us. He almost sneezes but I stopped him. Pinaalis niya ang luha sa mata bago sumilip sa likod ng kurtina. He looks confused as I do.

"Anong naririnig nila? Wala naman nagsasalita sa atin kanina," pagbulong niyang tanong.

Umiling ako sa kanya, "Hindi ko din alam. But the large vase... Lunox can't stay they for long."

"Then we break it. Just like you said."

"Where's your sword?"

"I lost it. Kwintas ni Lunox ang nandito. I can't use it unless he gives me the permission."

"Here," a gold sword's hilt appears beside him. Mahina din ang boses ng nagabot. Halatang nagmamadali.

"Oh, thanks!" nanlaki ang mga mata niyang tumingin sa akin. I shake my head and his jaw dropped. His breath hitched the moment he realized what happened.

"King Midas!" pareho naming sigaw.

He is dead! Paano niya naiabot kay Kaito ang espada nito?! We both look terrified with the floating object.

Pareho kaming nakatangap ng batok. Our head hurts dumagdag pa ang pagtunog ng isang gong sa malayo. The shuffle of tails and hissing joined the running foot steps. Palayo iyon sa amin. The disarrayed objects are in chaos. The sisters' tails erase any pattern created by the intruder.

"We're safe—"

He continued what I was about to say, "For now."

"Angat natin yung vase! Lunox can crawl out under it."

Nilibot ko ang mga mata ko sa mga gamit na nagkalat. Anything that can be put under the jar. It will serve as a pedestal para mahila o makalabas si Lunox. I found some useless objects, the same with Kaito.

But the dust pattern says otherwise.

'Basagin niyo yung banga.'

"Marunong palang magtagalog si Stheno."

"Oo nga 'no, nice. Kaso ayaw ko sa ahas," Kaito looks impressed.

We both look for heavy ang thick objects. Some bricks to throw at the jar or javelins to break the jar.

We roughly made an opening at it when the running and shuffling I'd closer. Kaya lalo kaming nagmadali. We hurriedly crack the clay jar. Muntik ng masaksak sa mata si Lunox. Because he was sitting up right in the jar. His arm was bent in a odd angle but he did not mind it.

"Did Erina came?" he ask

"Erina?" we look at him puzzled. Walang kumukurap sa amin.

Erina is not selfish but she needs to save herself first. Mas gusto pa namin iyon. We don't want her to be struggling with us in this snake's den.

Sinamaan niya si Kaito ng tingin, "Erina! Your girlfriend!"

Kaito shakes his head hard, "No! It's... I-its King Midas! H-he's here! With us."

"Then, why did you break the jar? If I know you'd push and lift this fucking jar and let me out. Now tell me who told you that?" he sighed. Pinapatay kami ng tingin.

"Someone... left an instruction," I hesitated.

He annoyingly curses us silently. Minasahe niya ang pagitan ng mata at ilong niya, "That's her! Narinig kong magiiwan siya ng menahe sa sahig!"

Inabot ni Kaito ang kwintas kay Lunox. He gladly accepts it and gives up explaining. We all grab some extra weapons and hide behind the pillars. Nakakadiri man ang mga balat ng ahas na nakakabit dito.

The shuffling and running is getting closer. We all hold our breaths and wait for the right timing.

Erina's voice rang in my ears like an alarm.

"No ugly creatures allowed in this sanctuary!"