076- ROOTS OF POWER, ROOTS OF DEATH
AURAELLIA
"Tell me, young demigod. Do you know the tale of how the Eleusinian Mysteries were first established?" Faustus asked as he guided Priam and me to sit with him by the bonfire at the center of their encampment.
"My mother taught the people of Eleusis to perform these rituals, in-honor of her search for the goddess Persephone—"
"Yes and no, child. Not of Persephone, but of Kore." Kore? But aren't they one and the same?
"But Kore is the goddess Proserpina—I mean, Persephone. What are you talking about Sir Faustus?" Imik naman bigla ni Priam sa gilid ko na tila naguguluhan na din sa mga pinagsasabi ni Faustus.
Pero bigla kong naalala yung tinawag sa'kin ng mga sirens kanina. They didn't actually refer to the goddess as Persephone when they mistook me for her earlier; instead, they called me Kore.
"Demeter had her first daughter with the king of the gods, and named her Kore, the maiden. One who embodied vigor, youth, and innocence, like a newly-bloomed flower of spring. The goddess of agriculture loved her daughter like no other, and kept her in a garden accompanied by ten handmaidens, so that she could protect and care for her for all eternity," panimula nito sabay titig sa'kin.
For a brief moment, I could have sworn fleeting images flashed through my mind before Faustus continued with the rest of the story.
"That was until Hades arrived—snatching the maiden from her mother's garden and taking her to his kingdom beneath the earth. He made her his queen, and in time, she grew to love him. Together, they ruled the Underworld side by side."
"In grief for her lost daughter, Demeter tirelessly searched the ends of the earth for days, yet she found not a single trace of Kore. The handmaidens, who were meant to guard Kore, felt guilty for failing in their duty. To atone, they willingly offered themselves to the goddess Demeter to aid in the search."
"The Sirens," I managed to croak kaya napabaling si Faustus sa'kin.
"Indeed. Ten sisters swore their loyalty to the goddess of agriculture, and in return, she granted them the power to exact vengeance upon men—the very beings they believed had stolen Kore from them. And so, Demeter sent them forth to scour the earth in her stead, desperately searching for even the faintest news that spoke of her long-lost daughter." Ito yung nabanggit sa Sybilline books na kwento ng mga Sirens.
"The Sirens' search came to an end on the ninth day when the chthonic Titan-goddess, Hecate, emerged from the Underworld. She revealed Kore's whereabouts, declaring that the ruler of the Underworld had abducted the maiden and made her his queen." Ito na yung parte na lumapit na si mom kay god Zeus para humingi nang tulong upang kumbinsihin si god Hades na ibalik si goddess Persephone sa kanya.
At that time, Mom didn't even know that it was actually the god Zeus who orchestrated the arrangement for goddess Persephone to be wed to the god Hades, which is why he took her.
Pagkatapos makiusap ni god Zeus kay god Hades tungkol sa kagustuhan ni mom ay wala narin itong ibang nagawa kundi ang pumayag nalang sa gusto nitong mangyari, lalo na nang makitang unti-unti nang nagdudulot ng matinding tagtuyot at taggutom sa buong mundo ang pangungulila ni mom sa pagkawala ni goddess Persephone.
"Still, Hades was cunning. He agreed to Zeus's terms, but before returning Kore to Demeter, he offered her a pomegranate. Kore willingly ate six of its seeds—one for each month she was destined to remain with him, tying herself to the king of the Underworld in indissoluble matrimony." Naramdaman ko ang biglaang paghawak ni Priam sa kamay ko kaya't sandali akong napabaling doon, na nasundan pa nang biglaang paghuramentado ng puso ko.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Prophecy of Fates (SLOWLY EDITING)
Fantasy"You are fated to end the reign of the gods." After discovering the appalling truth behind her birthright, Ahlkria ends up in a position far from the reality she once lived-in and believed. Exploring places where she thought to have only existed in...
