Apollo's Secret

by A Y Venona

  The competitiveness rising in the room actually amused Xander that he for a few minutes had forgotten what this evening was about.

  "Don't underestimate the lizard. They communicate with nature fluently," Melo defended.

  "As much as entertaining this animal comparison has become, we have something more serious to discuss tonight," Hector interjected. "Xander, what we are saying is that though we already know which House Jason belongs to, we still do not know his parentage. Why does he have Fenrir's animal? No two alphas share the same animal affinity unless you're..." Hector paused as though something just dawned on him in the middle of his speech.

  "Unless you're family," Lawrence continued. "Animal affinity can be inherited. That's why some houses possess more than one."

  "Are you saying Jason is related to Fenrir?" Xander asked.

  "Yes, but here's the conundrum," Hector said. "Fenrir is very old. He comes from the tenth generation sons of Ki where his contemporaries are mostly dead or asleep. Xander, how far do you think is your generation from the first one?”

  Xander shook his head. "I only know that we are a mixed of Ki, Ra and Ea, but I have no idea how far down the line I am.”

  "You belonged to the one-thousand-one-th generation," Lawrence answered.

  Hector lifted Lawrence’s hand to his face and kissed the back of it and then gazed back at Xander. " One-thousand-one-th is the youngest generation. There are no other Houses born after you. The problem here is that, there are only 10 born to this generation and all of them are accounted for."

  "Except for one whom we assumed dead," Lawrence said, staring directly at Melo who sitting across the table.

  "Who?" Xander asked, confused.

  "Hunter," Hector answered.

  "Just so I understand this correctly. Is this the same Hunter who was supposed to be my dead mate?"

  "Yes, all and the same,” Lawrence replied.

  “And you all suspected that Jason might be him?”

  Silence yielded him their answer.

  So this was why everyone was looking grim when Xander entered the dining hall. This was why despite their best effort to show Xander a positive mood, worry had had some intermittent moments of breaking into their faces of fortitude. And this was why the air around them was thick that Xander had even mistaken it to be some kind of spell Melo may have employed. Now Xander knew what caused the other dense surrounding them. It was fear.

  "What if Jason is older and is from a different generation?" he asked. His voice was edged with hope mixed with anxiety.

  "Nephew," Terrence said. "Take a sip of your wine first."

  Xander brows knitted together, confused at what Terrence was trying to achieve here. "Uncle?"

  "Just trust me, nephew."

  And so Xander did and drank his wine. Only when he emptied it did his uncle spoke again.

  "You can be right, that Jason is older, but the thing here is that his animal affinity is Fenrir's, which means that Jason is either Fenrir's son, or Fenrir's brother, or Fenrir's grandson. But the thing here is that Fenrir's only brother Were is dead. And since Fenrir only has one son, he should have no grandson either.” Terrence paused to sigh before proceeding. “So we are all inclined to believe that Jason is Fenrir's son. But the problem here is that Fenrir's son was Hunter, and Hunter is dead."

  It may have been the wine that caused his heart to thrum harder and louder against his chest. So, yes, Xander was blaming it on the wine. He reached out for the bottle to refill his glass but knocked down other glasses on the table in the process. Lawrence helped him in straightening up the mess he created. The rest watched him silently, waiting. They were giving him time to collect himself. This Xander was sure of. He downed his newly refilled glass in two gulps and wiped his mouth with the napkin.

  "But how can he be alive when he is supposed to be dead?” he finally asked the burning question in the room.

  Lawrence held his hand that was holding the napkin.

  "We'll get to the bottom of it,” Lawrence said then he turned his gaze to Melo. “Tell us the truth.”

  Melo’s gaze fell on the table, looking as though he was in deep contemplation. And then when his gaze returned to Lawrence, it was filled with dread.

  “Muzil believed that he could break the soul-bonding spell between Xander and Hunter. He convinced me, said that he had all the ingredients. Strands of hair, blood.” He paused for a few heartbeats and then continued. “I told him it was not possible to reverse it. Two souls united through a bond can no longer be separated. But he was adamant. He said that I should help him because, of course, it involved Xander. I told him I would do it myself in a heartbeat if I knew how.

  But he did not listen. The next day he informed me and Fenrir that he did it that he was successful. He asked me to check on Hunter’s soul, so I gathered my materials to take a peek into the soul of the boy.” Melo closed his eyes as though recalling the event itself pained him. He opened his eyes and continued. “What I found shocked me. Hunter’s soul was broken.”

  “How can you tell, uncle?” Xander asked.

  “His soul has a red spot on its side.”

  “But not all red spot means a wound, Melo. You know that,” Lawrence said. “Why didn’t Muzil ask me to help? I would have helped. I completely understand him. I should have helped.”

  Xander put his arm around his father and his cheek against his cheek. Lawrence kissed Xander’s forehead and then smiled at him.

  “A red spot can also mean that a soul is not pure-bred,” Melo explained. “But Lawrence, Hunter is a pure-bred alpha. He came from two powerful Houses of Odin’s and Poseidon’s.”

  “And so what happened next?” Xander asked.

  “Muzil had this plan he shared with me and Fenrir. We would help him disappear by designing his own death. He was supposed to kill his son and then commit. Fenrir came out with this story about Hunter dying from the spell that Muzil performed and Muzil could not reconcile what he did so he drank the Self-combust Potion. To make it believable, I gave Fenrir a Potion of Hallucination. He took it and for months he believed that both his son and mate really died.”

  “Melo, for months Fenrir has been asking you to kill him,” Lawrence said. “And now you’re saying the pain was all self-infused?”

  “Fenrir would do everything for his family,” Melo said. “After the potion wore off, his memories returned.”

  “So Dionysus was in connivance with you?”

  “Yes,” Melo reluctantly said.

  “So where is Muzil now?”

  “Somewhere,” Melo answered.

  “How come no one is able to track him down?” Hector asked.

  “He hid his island under a protection shield, the same one we used to hide Alpha Academy from the outsiders.”

  Lawrence raised his eyebrows. “You meant you built the shield. Muzil didn’t have what it took to build a strong one.”

  The dread returned in Melo’s eyes. “I didn’t build the shield.”

  “Then who did?” Lawrence asked, his voice sharp.

  “The same person who helped him disappear.”

  “Dionysus cannot build a shield by himself, Melo,” Lawrence said.

  “But Apollo could,” Melo answered.

  Lawrence stood up. His mouth hung open. His eyes glowed.

  “That’s why he disappeared a month later,” Lawrence said. His voice was uncharacteristically soft.

  Chapter 18

  Jason did not know what woke him up, but he had no time to even think about it because as soon as his eyes were open he was immediately on his feet getting dressed. Something was urging him to go outside. He padded out of his room and across the hall without bothering to turn on any lights. When he reached the living room, a small shadow was waiting for him standing in the archway leading to the foyer.

  He frowned after recognizing who was standing in his way. “Avian?”

  “Don’t go,” Avian said.

  Jason knelt down in front of the boy
. “You can feel it too?”

  Avian nodded. Then he whispered, “I’m not invited.”

  “It’s a summon from a god,” a familiar voice said from behind him. Jason rose to his feet to face him. Delvin was standing by the arch column that served as the entrance to a hallway where the master’s bedroom was. “Avian, go back to sleep.”

  Avian’s face scrunched up in annoyance, his arms crossed. “Felt it first.”

  “But it’s not for you. Now go back to bed.”

  Reluctantly Avian stalked past Delvin and disappeared into the hallway.

  “So you’ve been summoned before?”

  “Yes. It’s mostly by deity Fenrir. Each god has a distinct call signature. So I know this one did not come from him.”

  “Do you have any idea who will be waiting for me out there?”

  Delvin shook his head. “Not at all. But I’ll tell everybody that you're summoned by a god. We’ll be waiting for you tomorrow. Be careful.”

  “I will.”

  At a nod from Delvin, Jason walked toward the foyer.

  ✽✽✽

  The night sky was brilliant with the moon blasting its beam to its fullest. The brunt of its light cascaded into the garden and swum around the circular fountain. This was where Jason's dream came true. This was where he had met his mate again. The sudden change in the air and the crackles made by a pair of feet stepping on dried leaves alerted Jason's senses. He braced himself on whoever would step out of the shadow. And when the moonbeam finally uncloaked the intruder, Jason's eyes widened. Standing tall and broad-shouldered with his braided red hair and uniquely bearded face was deity Janus.

  “My deity, I see you can’t seem to get enough of me,” Jason said as a way of greetings. He didn’t care about this god. His father never taught him to worship one.

  “I see, your father didn’t teach you manners,” the deity answered, revealing not one bit of emotion on his stoic face.

  “Do you know about my father?”

  Instead of answering, the deity thrust his palm up and a bright light appeared to their side. Jason shaded his eyes from the glare. It took a few seconds before his sight grew accustomed to it.

  “This is the door to my temple,” the deity said. “You’re invited to enter.”

  Jason gave him a wary look. “And why would I trust you?”

  “Because you don’t have any other choice. And to your question, do I know your father? Let’s find out. Together.”

  Jason’s muscles tensed and the knot in his stomach tightened. Was his father waiting for him at the other end? His eyes narrowed on the god. “After you, my deity.”

  The deity smirked at him before stepping into the portal. With his heart racing, Jason followed.

  The other side turned out to be a house of stone. Marble wall. Marble floor. His gaze traveled up at the vaulted ceiling. It was made of marble as well. They were inside what looked like a hall and at its center was a long marble table where the gods were already seated, watching Jason with curiosity. His nose perked up. The scent of lilac mixed with burnt candle and incense permeated the air. But there was something else too. Something familiar to him.

  “Let me introduce you to the members of the Legion. If you haven’t heard of it outside of your island, it is the name of the council of the gods. Brothers, do you want to introduce yourself to Jason?” Janus said.

  One by one, the gods introduced themselves. But Jason could not bring to care about who’s who when his main purpose for coming along did not include meets and greets. And as soon as the last god gave out his name, Jason strode closer to them and asked.

  “So where’s my father?”

  “Have a seat first,” Janus said.

  Jason moved to take the offered seat, which was at the opposite end of where Janus was seated. Jason's gaze fell on the abundance of food laid down on the table. Other than the glasses of wine that were on different states of consumptions, none of the dinner guests seemed inclined to touch their food. The god to his right poured him a drink to which Jason accepted. Jason was not about to refuse a wine coming from the gods no matter how uninterested he was to their state of godliness. And after a couple of sips, he regretted nothing. The wine was marvelous. After he emptied it, he put his glass back on his side of the table and did not refuse when the same god filled it up again. But no matter how he was looking forward to have another taste of it, Jason forced himself to focus on why he was there. His father.

  “Why don’t we eat first?” Janus said. “Everyone?”

  The gods started to fill up their respective plates. The whispered conversations over the table were trivial enough for Jason to even consider partaking. An herb found in the lake. A new lotion made to ease up back pain. The food was great. Who was the cook? These were just some of what the gods talked over dinner. But Jason could only watch with gritted teeth as his question hung in the air. On his fifth glass of wine, the dinner started wrapping up.

  “So, lad, your father did not mention about your real race?” a god with a smooth face and long white hair asked.

  Jason stared at him, assessing the purpose behind the question. When he saw on the god’s face nothing but honest curiosity, Jason replied, “No.”

  “Do you know what we are?” another god asked.

  “Race of gods. That’s all I know. My father had never mentioned you all existed.”

  There were some huffing and miffed reactions, but Jason chose to ignore them all.

  “We are what the world believed to be the mythical true alphas,” Janus answered. “We are from the race of alphas and omegas. Those who care about this world became the gods. Those who do not want responsibilities called themselves the House as we all belonged to different houses.”

  “So which house do I belong?”

  “Your animal affinity placed you under the House of Odin, god of the werekin.” Janus brought the glass of wine to his lips and drank from it. When he was done, he put it down on the table. He then stared at Jason with glassy eyes. “Earlier, you asked about your father. And I said, let’s find out. Now it’s time, for all of us to know the truth.”

  ✽✽✽

  Jason followed the gods through an arched passageway. He remembered them taking the elevator down to the bottom level. Although the ceiling was high, Jason could not help thinking that they were underground. Torches attached to every column lit their way. Other than the soft footsteps echoing in the hallway, silence trailed along behind them.

  When they reached the entrance to a chamber, a familiar scent filled Jason’s nostrils. It was the same smoky rich smell of an aged wine with a hint of cedarwood in Jason’s pillow, in the living room back in his home in the island. It was the same scent he smelled when he buried his head in his father’s chest every time the loneliness overwhelmed him. With his heartbeat surging up into his throat, he quickened his strides guided by the scent that intensified as he got closer.

  And deep inside the chamber where the light was dimmer, where the room was devoid of ornaments and where the smell of his father was the strongest, he halted his step to stare at the huge stoned bed that looked no different from a sarcophagus. His heart constricted. His eyes began to well, for right there lying on top of the bed was his father. Was he asleep, or was he dead?

  He approached the bed and sat on the edge of it.

  “Father, wake up. Father,” he said with a lump in his throat. His father’s hand was cold between his own. It was smooth and hard like a marble.

  “We are not really sure of your parentage because, like you, we were lied too. We were told so many lies we don’t know what to believe anymore. But we waited without a slight clue of whether you are still alive. I know that you have a lot of questions, but we may not be able to answer all of them.”

  “What happened?” Jason asked anyway, his eyes filled with tears. Then with a huge gulp, he said, “Is he dead?”

  Janus took time to answer that Jason was forced to divert his gaze to him.

  “
Jason the father you believed to be Marcus was no other than Fenrir the god of the werekin. And yes, he is dead. He has been dead for a couple of years now.”

  Jason’s grip of his father’s hand tightened as he tried to subdue the rage rising in his throat. But as a floodgate broke open, there went his control. A long guttural cry of a son mourning his father reverberated inside the room.

  Chapter 19

  Apollo from the House of Zeus was a deity to the world and father to Lawrence, which made Xander his grandson. He was the hero in every story that Lawrence shared to him. Apollo’s heroism in every tale was what molded Xander into what he became. And it amused him, and, whether he admitted it or not, gave him a sense of pride whenever he heard people describing him as someone with the likeness of Apollo. Of course, they did not know his lineage.

  So regardless of how unaffected Lawrence portrayed himself in front of his family, Xander knew his father was distraught about this revelation. This was why, despite how Xander detested this idea to keep himself from seeing Jason, he somehow agreed. The only silver lining attached to his predicament was his father Hector’s promise of finding anti-Shii conception to solve their situation. There should be one, right? But with Hector’s determination and the combined skills of Lawrence and Melo, Xander believed that they could find the solution. All he had to do was buy them some time.

  On his third day of imprisonment, Xander was so bored he considered learning how to knit. His father Hector looked so worried that he took him to the practice area on top of their house.

  After a few parries and attacks or a combination of both, Xander found himself on his knees. Cold and hard floor cushioned his fall as his sword slid off his hand. He was beyond exhausted. His father brushed his hair and ruffled it after.

  “You’re fast, but not fast enough to counter my thrusts. You gave me too many chances. Had I been your real foe, I could have killed you in so many ways,” Hector said. “Stop moping. You just need more practice, or perhaps, another weapon. This sword is just too heavy. Not a good fit for you.”