The Harvest [Unedited]

XXX

Acheron's POV

Styx was glaring at me and I can hear the other reapers' disappointed sigh. Hindi ko naman sila masisisi dahil naging pabaya ako. But everything that happened was not my fault.

"You should've dragged them out there kung kinakailangan!" singhal niya sa akin sabay bato ng apoy na agad kong sinangga.

"It wasn't my idea to go near the gate, and facing Phlegethon wasn't even the list of things I wanted to do!"

"Enough with your banter," pag-awat ni Eridanos sa 'min. "The important thing right now is that you're all in one piece. Now Acheron, I need you to tell us what happened between you two."

"Tsk. It's a miracle I'm still breathing." Itinaas ko ang aking damit at halatang nagulat sila. "I've been stabbed by one of his cursed blades. Kung hindi ko inagapan ang pagtulo ng dugo at kung wala si Alpheus para bigyan ako ng pang-unang lunas, hindi ko na sana kayo kausap ngayon."

"More like, it's a miracle Alpheus never left you to die," sambit ni Lethe at tumingin sa gawi nina Cammie at Alpheus. "I don't know if you're all busy to notice, but in such a small amount of time, he changed."

Tumango ako at sinundan ang kaniyang tingin. We all know Alpheus changed a lot, but after that encounter with Phlegethon, I feel like he's keeping something. His actions became reserved. Iniiwasan niya ring makipag-usap sa aming mga reapers. In fact, hindi niya ipinaalam sa amin kung saan silang dalawa pupunta ni Cammie at kung hindi ko pa sila sinundan, hindi ko alam na sa isang amusement park sila pupunta.

He knows it's too dangerous for the both of them to wander alone, especially now that the time Phlegethon declared is nearing. Pitong araw na lang ang nalalabi, at hindi namin alam kung sisikatan pa ng araw ang mundo ng mga mortal.

Iginala ko ang tingin sa buong paligid at nababagabag dahil hindi alam ng mga tao kung ano ang sasapitin ng mundo. They're laughing, and they all look merry while strolling the carnival without knowing that the world is facing an impending doom.

Naputol ako sa aking pag-iisip nang biglang nagsalita si Cocytus.

"What did he tell you when you fought?"

"That he never died. That we freed his astral body and that Hades was lying when he ordered us to kill him," sagot ko sa kaniya at iginala ang tingin sa bawat isa. They were all waiting for me to continue.

"He also told me his name is Zagreus."

Napuno ng tension ang buong paligid at kahit ang ilan sa mga mortal ay napansin iyon. Parang tumigil ang ikot ng mundo at takbo ng oras.

"Imposible! If that's true, there is no way we can fight him! I doubt Thanatos can handle him all by himself," matigas na sambit Cocytus.

"It's quite bold of him to speak the name of the god equal to Zeus and Hades, so I'm sure he's not lying. Besides, that explains how he escaped death," sambit ni Eridanos at mas napahigpit ang hawak sa kaniyang espada.

"Him being Zagreus clears everything Acheron," ani Lethe at tumingin sa gawi ko. "The tyranny he committed towards Hades makes sense now. That means he never wanted the throne for himself, he just really wanted to kill Hades."

"But why?" tanong ni Styx. I forgot she never read books about the gods, the wars of Olympus, and the Underworld. I bet she doesn't even know the identities of the Titans.

"Zagreus is believed to be the true ruler of the underworld and is considered to be one of the many mysteries. There are no accounts of him in any scriptures since he's a bastard of Zeus and Persephone before her marriage with Hades. You don't care about rumors, so I don't think you know about those," paliwanag ko na siyang ipinag-kibit balikat niya lang.