The Moon's Miracle

Chapter 8: Hold Your Breath

 Claire

   As we were eating, the table was surrounded by an awkward aura. It was really a good thing that the musicians had continued playing a jazz a music, if they had not. The atmosphere here would get any more awkward.

   "Hey do you like to bake, because I like to bake. One time I baked brownies for these guys." With a scrunched face that says 'They were ungrateful', he pointed at them with his thumb.

   "They were sooo ungrateful." With a sassy voice, he said elongating the O. 

I giggled at his sassiness.

    Apollo would make small conversations with me so that I could feel less tense and nervous whenever I am around them. Surprisingly it had worked:  I am starting to warm up to Apollo and I felt less tense and nervous.

   "Oh there was one time where Hades kidnapped Persephone so she would be his bride. Tsk Tsk" He said as tsked at Hades. Hades suddenly choked on what he was eating.

   "I didn't kidnapped her, she accidentally ventured into the entrance of the underworld, and she ate one of the pomegranate. Because she got lost and she was hungry." He said defensively.

  "Sure she did Hades." Apollo teased Hades more. Hades only blushed at mention of Persephone.

   "She did!!!" Hades whined, which made me burst out laughing. Because the 'God of the Dead' to which whom many mortals had said that he was the one they feared. Was whining like a baby. 

   "And there is the smile that I was looking for!" Apollo had said triumphantly. His eyes gleamed against the dim-lighted room.

   Our table had became more and more noisy as we are all engaged in a conversation.

   "There was also a time where Apollo had baked a pastry, and it was too floury!" Zeus had complained, Apollo only rolled his eyes at him.

   "Nuh uh, It wasn't. You're just ungrateful." He snapped his fingers as he said 'Nuh uh'.

   "If you need baking lessons, I am here to help you!" I offered. His His eyes suddenly gleamed with happiness as I offered to tutor him about baking.

   "That would be wonderful!" He exclaimed gleefully.

   "I am gonna show you that I can master this! I will prove you all wrong." He exclaimed, with pride, he huffed his chest out.

   Our conversations had continued, what was once a heavy atmosphere here in our place, had suddenly been  replaced with lightness and laughter. Although, I was still bothered by the events that had occurred lately. I was ready to talk about it.

   "I am ready." I smiled at them. Suddenly the expressions on their faces had turned into a serious one.

   "Please, I just want to know on what is happening." I begged them. Zeus heaved out a sigh.

   "She's right we must tell her now. Let's be straightforward." Zeus suggested.

   "I will explain everything to her, you all might suddenly scare her." Apollo had volunteered.

   "What is the first thing you want to know?" Apollo asked me.

   "About the godly things?" I said with a bit of uncertainty laced in my voice.

   "What we're saying is true: It is true that we are the Gods of Olympus. I am assuming you know our roles as Gods right?" He asked me.

   "I know a bit, since you're Apollo you are the God of the sun, light poetry and other stuff. While Zeus is the Gods of Gods, Poseidon is the God of the seas, Hades is the God of the Dead and Underworld. I am not sure." 

I assumingly said.

   "You are right on Zeus's Hades' and Poseidon's part. However, you are wrong about the part that I am the God of the sun, because Helios is the 'God of the sun' Helios is one of the titans." He explained, so he could clarify his role to me.

   "Oh, what are the God's of Olympus doing down here." I asked them, I was a bit wary now. I mean what are the business of the Gods down here?

  Apollo let out a sigh. "After the war between the Gods and the Titans. My grandfather: Cronus whose a titan, He was the God of Time. Before he was imprisoned, he placed a curse on one supernatural being." He said, the tone of seriousness in his voice, was now replaced by a solemn one.

   "Who was it?" I asked him curiously, Hades, Zeus and Poseidon was staring at me intently.

   "The king of werewolves." He said.

   "What does it have to do with you guys being here and why does it have to be the king of werewolves?" I asked. I was confused. What was the connection of them being on a cruise if the king of the werewolves had been cursed?

   "He took the king of werewolves as the target, because he knows that once the king of werewolves is suddenly tipped off the scale. The balance would be thrown off. The king created the treaty between humans and supernatural beings. Why do you think the supernaturals aren't bothering the humans? It's because they feared on what will the king do to them, once they harm any of the humans. But when the king will be gone the supernaturals will try to harm the humans and war will wage between two species." He said.

   "It was Cronus' way of revenge to me, because he knows how much I treasure the life I created. He wants to hurt me by hurting the most precious thing I created." Zeus said. His face was filled pain and anger.

    "So again, why are you all here?" I asked going back to the unanswered question.

   "The Gods and Goddesses had tried to find the cure for the curse. It was unbearable! A decade had already passed and the cure for it wasn't still found. But then the Oracle of Delphi had finally spoken. It said there was a prophecy, 'The timeless battle among Gods, Goddesses and Titans had falter. But the fall of Cronus shall be the fall of an another kingdom, and a new Pandora's box will be opened. Your answer lies on the seas. Among the earthborn her bloodline will be your key.'" I went quiet as I realized why they were on a cruise.

   "You are on cruise because the prophecy told you that the answer lies on the seas?" They all nod at my realization.

   "Well have you found her?" I asked them. They all looked at each other with unease faces. Then they started nudging each other lightly

   "I am not going to tell her, how about you tell her. You're the father here." Hades lightly nudged Zeus.

   "You tell her Apollo, you're the youngest here!" Zeus had said. I looked at them, with my face contorted in confusion. What are they going to tell me?

   "Nuh uh, I have always been pushed  around. Poseidon should tell her!" Apollo had argued back to his father.

  "Just tell me already!" I exclaimed at them. I was already getting Impatient.

   I yelled at them. When I yelled at them, Hades' posture went stiff, as if he became scared when I yelled at them. Then he suddenly blurted out "It's you Claire! you are the one we are looking for." With his voice full of fear, he answered me back.

   "Why would you suddenly say that?!" Apollo said, as he hit Hades' head lightly.

    "I got scared! When she yelled at me. She looked like my Persephone!" Hades defended himself. Apollo had only managed to facepalm. He ran his palms through his hair as a sign that he was stressed out. He looked at me with a wary face; He was expecting on what was my reaction.

   The problem was, I only laughed at their joke. I burst out laughing, I mean what kind of joke are they pulling on me? I mean, I believed the part that they are Gods, but me being a part of a prophecy? nada!

   "You guys are joking right!?" I asked them, as I kept on laughing. The only problem was, is that they looked serious and not joking at all. My laughter slowly died down as I realized that they were not kidding at all.

   "You're not joking?" I asked, and now I started to panic.

    "Seriously?" I asked them again. They all nod at my question, which means that they were not joking.. AT ALL!

   "The monster that was chasing you. It was a Cerastes, it was trying to kill you, maybe because Cronus had found out that you were the answer to the prophecy. That is why he sent out the Cerastes" Hades had said, I was really panicking again!

   "Or it was because I left the underworld, that is why it managed to escape." He quickly changed the reason, when he saw that I was already panicking. But that didn't changed the fact that monsters are going to be chasing me forever!

   "How did you knew, that I was the one that the prophecy was talking about?" I asked them, I still wanted evidence on everything that they are saying.

   "Remember, at the port. The time that we first met?" Hades asked me. I nod at him.

   "When I met you I felt some sort of energy coming from you. The part when I touched your shoulder, the energy that I felt from you was different it was like you are a demi-goddess." I still questioningly looked at him. I am still not going to buy that s**t.

   "When I was at the port I felt an energy that was lingering there, it was something else. It was a dark energy. However, when I touched you at the shoulder you had a different energy." He paused.

   "Then Apollo had a vision, the oracle had spoken to him. His vision told him that there was danger, inside the ship. That was when I realized; The energy that I felt from the port came from the Cerastes, and the energy that I felt, when I touched you came from you." He said, clarifying his statement.

   "The oracle said that we found the answer, Apollo's vision showed him you. It is you Claire." He said with seriousness in his voice.

   "Claire, please cooperate with us because you are the one who can retrieve the balance again." Apollo pleaded. Apollo handed me a cup of tea, to calm my nerves down.

   "The necklace that I gave you will guide you and help you." I suddenly remembered the necklace that he gave me. I pulled the small box, in which where I had safely placed the necklace. I handed it over to Apollo.

   "Please believe us Claire. This is the only way." He said, Apollo pulled out the necklace from the small box.

   "Wear it." He put the necklace around my neck, and he locked the clasped of the necklace. I clutched the necklace, I felt a sense of comfort from the necklace as if it was trying to tell me that it will always be here to protect me.

   "I will think about it." I said.

   "We will give you time. But think about this thoroughly Claire, the life of the mortals will depend on you." Apollo had said, his eyes were pleading. I looked at the rest of the Gods. Their eyes were also telling that they were very desperate in saving the world.

  "For now we shall enjoy the party" Apollo said reassuringly. I agreed with him. It would be nice to forget all about this for a while right? I mean, this will be just a dream.