“Carlene?”
The demigod daughter of Hecate walked into the light, she’s been hiding in the shadows for too long that I’ve forgotten she’s with us. Her face is grim and her eyebrows are furrowed in what looked like to be anger.
“Ron,” Jean mumbled beside me. She closed the space between her and Carlene and tied to hug her, except Carlene pushed her violently away.
“CARLENE!” I scolded her, helping Jean up.
“Carlene Belmonte, daughter of Hecate at your service,” She sarcastically announced to the Olympians and bowing down with a smirk.
“Carlene?” I called out because the smirk on her face is making me nervous.
Ron, yes, her brother Ron got eaten by that drakon. Carlene must be in a state of shock that she can’t think straight.
“I’ve waited so long to get here,” Carlene said in a proud voice, she raised her hand and mumbled a lot of ancient Greek words. She was about to swing her hands back down when Zeus snapped his fingers and Carlene stopped moving.
“Wait, what are you doing?” I stood up.
“Stop, child.” Demeter warned me.
“I don’t get it!” I complained.
“She did well enough,” Apollo marvelled, “I didn’t notice that until her eyes turned gold.”
“What?”
The other Olympians nodded in agreement and continued to ignore my questions.
“Unfreeze her, brother.” Poseidon said to Zeus, “Let her speak. I want to hear her story.”
Zeus snapped his fingers again and Carlene’s knees buckled. I ran to help her but she pushed me away, “Don’t touch me!”
“Carlene, why?”
Carlene laughed hysterically that made the hair on my arms stand up.
“Why? You’re seriously asking me that question?” She laughed at me.
“I don’t..I don’t get it,” I shook my head in confusion.
“Of course you don’t!” Carlene glared at me, “You never understood anything!”
“Then explain to me!” I shouted in frustration.
“You let them use you,” Carlene mumbled, “You followed their orders and killed Francis,”
I stepped back, “What about him?”
A tear escaped her eyes, “What about him?” She repeated, “Nothing really, I just thought of mentioning him,” She sarcastically said.
“But I really suspect she’s been doing something dark in there,” Zhane’s voice echoed inside my head.
“Carlene, what have you been doing inside the forest?” I asked. I’m not exactly sure if her mysterious visit to the forest is relevant to Francis’ case but I somehow feel like it is.
“Totally clueless are you?” Carlene laughed, “I’ve been maintaining your curse,”
“Curse?”
“It’s funny really how you never noticed your impatience and easily triggered anger,”
“What?”
“Although Andrew noticed your sudden change after he caught me putting the spell on you,” Carlene casually said.
“What the heck are you talking about, Carlene?” I asked, confused in the sudden inclusion of the late Head Councillor for Ares cabin and the one we were with on our quest to kill that rampaging Cyclops in Balete Drive, Andrew.
“You put a curse on Majella?” Jean regained her voice.
“A mighty good one too!” Apollo added with pure amusement, “Did anyone notice how Majella’s eyes would change to gold whenever her anger is challenged? I bet the curse is affecting her then. Though I don’t get why it turns into blue, might be the Zeus thing eh?”
“What?” I asked, still confused of what is happening.
“I still don’t like how she manipulated the demigods into thinking I blessed her that day in the clearing.” Ares complained, “I mean, why would I bless a wimp just because her friend died!”
“Amazing, isn’t she? She even manipulated the demigods into thinking she was maintaining and even doubling up their barriers when it was her who let the drakon and the empousais in.” Athena mused, “She’s a good tactician.”
“Are you seriously complimenting her about her skills?!” Jean screamed in frustration at the Olympians, “She cursed Majella! Shouldn’t you be angry?!”
“But the best thing about her is that she managed to befriend Majella when all she wanted to do in the world is kill her in revenge for her love, Francis.” Aphrodite mused, ignoring her own daughter and eyeing Carlene like she won an award that the Olympians deserve to give her compliments, “Just so she can maintain the curse strong.”
I felt stupid then when I realized everything. I felt stupid that it took me so long to figure out what they were all saying.
Andrew, Carlene mentioned Andrew caught her putting the curse on me and noticing my sudden change of behaviour. I remembered how she smiled right after Andrew got crushed by that boulder the Cyclops threw. She wasn’t smiling about the fact that the Cyclops is dead meat for not noticing her climb the tree on his back but because Andrew died and she won’t have any problems keeping Andrew’s mouth shut.
Yes, everything’s falling into place. Jean told me everything about my rampage; that Carlene’s the first one on the scene when I lost control facing the Minotaur. I do remember hitting her when she came too close to me but somehow, I know that Carlene wasn’t stopping me that day. She only came close to put another spell on me; a spell that will hide the golden eyes that the curse makes on my brown eyes, she made it red and said to the demigods that I was blessed by Ares so that no one will notice how out of control and powerful I am under the influence of the curse.
The empousais mentioned that they are working for someone! That must have been it! They must have been under Carlene’s orders because empousais are known to be servants of the goddess Hecate. They could have entered Ierotheon’s borders because Carlene permitted them. And the drakon! Ron must have been into this thing too! The way he shouted ‘Taverly’ at it suggested that it was his pet! Not to mention that that drakon looks exactly the same as the one that attacked me, Menea and Sam on our quest in Davao.
All those lies about protecting Ierotheon and putting up barriers! Carlene and Ron must also been the ones behind the attack on the pegasi! And I bet that it was that Taverly the Drakon who did it!
But why would Carlene do all of this?
Francis.
Damn it, why didn’t I realize it before?!
I heard rumors that they were dating way before Francis has gone rogue and stole the lightning bolt! Francis’ death must have been a contributing factor to why Carlene would do all of this. She befriended me, put a curse on me, lied to me and to our friends all because she wanted to have her revenge.
“Carlene, answer me.” I asked, trying my best to get my anger in control, “Did you really cure me of that painful headache after my rampage or was it a side effect to your curse?”
Carlene laughed, “Finally understood everything?”
Unable to control everything anymore, I blacked out and attacked her.
“NOT IN MY PRESENCE!”
YOU ARE READING
Rebuilding the World
AdventureWith the gods and goddesses of Olympus in another row, Hades loses his patience and opens the underworld causing a zombie apocalypse. In an effort to create a better world, the Olympians decides to kill off the zombies with Apollo's solar flare, sa...
