Oculus of Time

Seek

Kara's POV

Napatingin ako sa spiral stairwell na papuntang basement ng temple.

"I'm sure you can find your way back." Aphrodite took a few sips from her iced coffee. She was already wearing a red dress and white high heels, looking like she's going somewhere in the middle of the night. "I'll be in France by then. So, I guess this is farewell."

Nauna ako sa pagbaba ng hagdan.

Everything was dark, until my eyes got accustomed with the dimly lit place. We were surrounded by torches and when I arrived at the bottom, there were tunnels leading to the other temples.

Hahakbang na sana ako nang mapagtantong hindi ko nga pala alam kung aling tunnel ang patungo sa templo ni Ananke kaya bahagya akong napalingon kay Cal na sinulyapan lang kami at naunang dumako sa entrada ng isa sa mga tunnels.

Pagpasok namin, binalot kaagad kami ng katahimikan. Not one of us dared to speak a word, maliban nalang kay Art na naghu-humm ng opening theme ng paborito niyang cartoon.

For some reason, I was tensed, and so did every one of us. Marahil, wala kaming alam sa sasabihin sa'min ng Fates. But I swear that if they tell us that we can't do anything about what's happening to us right now, I will instantly lose my mind.

The deities think different, and they speak their own language that only they can understand. I just hope we can understand whatever the Fates has to say.

A few minutes passed by and Art's humm finally stopped as we arrived in the temple. Just like Aphrodite's, the floors were shining white. There were marbled pillars encircling us and in the middle is a huge marble statue of a woman in a veil.

Malaki ito, kasinglaki ng templo ni Mnemosyne na nasa ilalim din ng lupa, at ang tanging umiilaw sa aming paningin ay ang mahahabang torches na nakadikit sa bawat pillar.

"Umm... may summoning ritual pa ba?" Art's voice echoed throughout the dome-like temple.

Nasagot ang katanungan niya nang lumitaw ang dalawang babae sa harap namin. They were both wearing black chitons and their faces were covered by black lace veils.

"So it's true." puna ko, pagkatapos makitang dalawa nalang silang natira.

My eyes drifted to the hands of the goddess standing on the right. Nakatali sa bawat daliri niya ang iilang gintong sinulid na lumulutang sa hangin ang mga kabilang dulo nito.

Then I looked at the other goddess beside her. Her fingers were tightly curled around an end of a rod. Its other end was slightly resting on her other palm.

If she is Lachesis, and the other one is Clothos, then that means Atropos was the first fate to have vanished.

Atropos, the one that cuts the thread of life...

"We already know why you are here." With a raspy and tired voice, Clothos was the first to speak.

We couldn't get closer to the goddesses because they were standing in the middle if what seemed like a black puddle.

Sinenyasan ko si Thea na ibigay sa kanila ang kahon na naglalaman ng mga sulat ni Matilda para kay Theosese.

Inilahad ni Thea ang kahon na nakapatong sa palad niya nang nakayuko.

For a few seconds, the fates just stared at the box until it moved on its own and floated towards them.

"Why did the great father Chronos give you this?" Lachesis grabbed a hold of the box and looked at it suspiciously.