Song of The Rebellion

The Underworld

Matilda's POV

"How about this?" tinapat ko ang aking kamay sa likod ni Kaye. Nakaupo kami ngayon sa kwarto niya dito sa Underworld.

I sighed.

Ever since we arrived in the Underworld days ago, ngayon lang kami naparito sa palasyo ni Thanatos. We can't go inside Hades' castle because it's currently filled with rebels.

Based on my enchanted watch that was given to me by Thea, tatlong araw ang ginulgol namin para mahanap si Thanatos.

For three days, we roamed aimlessly in this pits of hell. Tumigil lamang kami para kumain. We ate and drank food offerings from the temples of the chthonic deities here in the Underworld.

IT WAS THE WORST EXPERIENCE EVER.

Especially the toilet breaks.

All of this while avoiding every chthonic creature. We were dying when we found ourselves in Erebus, a valley somewhere in the Underworld.

It was so dark kaya't nakakapit lang ako palagi sa kamay ni Kaye dahil siya lang ang may kayang makakita ng daan. Sinabi niyang may cave daw kaya pumunta kami doon.

It was a cave where no light and no sound can enter.

And that's where we met Kaye's uncle, Hypnos. Thanatos is the God of Death while his brother, Hypnos personifies Sleep.

Tatakbo na sana kami papalayo dahil wala kaming balak na makasalubong ang isa pang deity pero ipinaliwanag ni Hypnos sa'min na hindi daw siya kasali sa rebellion.

I mean, siya na mismo ang nagdala sa'min dito sa palasyo ni Thanatos so we trust him now.

My hands stopped when I felt a wound on Kaye's back.

Sobrang lalim nito.

"Ba't hindi mo sinabi sa'kin?" tanong ko pagkatapos iangat ang kanyang t-shirt. I traced the deep cut on her flesh.

"Tumama yung likod ko sa matatalim na bato." sagot niya.

"You mean this was three days ago?!" hindi ako makapaniwalang nakaya niyang itago ang sugat niya mula sa'kin.

Ang sakit nga pala ng bagsak namin dito sa Underworld. Bumagsak ako sa putik. I thought she did too pero ilang metro ang layo niya mula sa binagsakan ko.

"I didn't want you to waste your energy on me." nagbuntong-hininga siya. "Baka manghina ka..."

"Kaye." tumayo ako. "I have more experience than you. I'm older than you so you should not worry about me."

Parang pamilya ko na rin siya. Maybe a soul friend that I never had. And at the same time, my favorite companion... kahit hindi okay ang first meeting namin.

Kinuha ko ang ambrosia mula sa kahon na nakapatong sa mesa. Ito yung first-aid kit na binigay ni Hypnos para sa mga gasgas namin.

"Sabihin mo sa'kin kapag may dinaramdam ko." I grabbed the bottle with clear liquid and a few cottons saka bumalik sa kanya.

"Hindi pwedeng ganito nalang palagi, Kaye. You need to learn how to open up. Especially to things like this."

Slowly, I dabbed the ambrosia-dipped cotton on her wound. Napailing ako habang ginagamot siya.

"Hindi ba weird?" narinig kong tanong niya. "Kasi ginagamot mo yung taong pumatay sa'yo?"

Nagbuntong-hininga ako. Here we are again. Hindi pa rin kami tapos sa issue na'to.