Dire Wolf

Chapter 11

"Oh, let me just remind you since it's obvious that Surt forgot to tell you this, but we will now be passing the Gates of Apollo," Rex Yrano, the Maharlikan son of Bia, the goddess of force and raw energy, warned me when our group arrived in front of large golden gates blocking the way through what seemed to be city ruins full of demolished buildings and destroyed roads, "Any lies, deceit, and secrets will all be revealed. Make peace with any things that you are hiding physically because the moment you pass through here, we will all see the truth."

I looked at the stocky blonde-haired boy with beautiful brown eyes and kind face curiously, "Doesn't sound painful. Why the grim warning."

"Well, there are those who passed here thinking they have nothing to hide, only for them to be revealed shamelessly," Sothea Sancta, the Riksentian daughter of the goddess Soteria, goddess of safety and deliverance, said solemnly before looking at me with utmost worry showing vividly in her teary blue eyes.

A hulking seventeen-year-old Scanian son of Chione named Bliz Polaris, the goddess of snow, flexed his muscles and pat the head of Sothea softly and protectively that gave away that the two are in a relationship right now, "Sothea is right, Keenan. Either let us through first, which I wouldn't advise at all or show us what you got."

"I bet if you are not in a relationship with Sothea here, Surt would've made you a chew toy, Bliz," Sita pointed out casually that made Surt howl in laughter before looking at me kindly, "As much as I don't want to intrude to your privacy, I highly suggest we don't spend too much time outside the gates? My plants have told me that a huge swarm of monsters is roaming around. It will be wise if we get a move on guys and girls."

I took a deep breath and sighed before taking off my bag and throwing it at my boyfriend.

Well, not for long, that is.

If this gate really purged away all lies and deceit, I am sure that I am trying to hide everything that I am trying to hide for so long, ever since I was a kid.

The painful and odd time when my female relatives taught me how to put on thick makeup on my face and in my body where I have to show some skin on the public to avoid unwanted attention.

If there is one memory that I cannot forget with my father, it is the time when I was ten, and he is teaching me how to dye my hair black on my own to hide my oddly colored one.

"You are our family's most precious loved one. Our greatest treasure and secret. For as long as we can, we will safeguard you with our lives if need be. But always remember, there are still many people who will not be able to understand who and what you really are. Until you meet that one who will accept you really despite your unique appearance, you have to understand why we have to do this. Why we have to hide you here inside our manor, and why you have to continue with the charade even if we are all gone. Until the day everyone can accept what they don't understand..."

Well, I finally know what you mean by now, father. 

Is my appearance connected to this strange reality I am in now?

In a fantasy island where demigods and monsters exist side by side?

"Keenan..."

I glanced at my boyfriend and smiled sadly, "Well, I won't blame you if you dump me after this. Don't worry, no hard feelings."

I slowly walked towards the gate, and the moment I crossed it, the thick and heavy makeup from my whole body and face slowly got purged away like water cleansing the impurities from my body, and soon enough, I saw once again the horrendous stains I am trying to hide for so long.

These accursed freckles blotch my whole body like dots of scars that can never be erased.

The wind blew hard suddenly, and I saw strands of my hair falling in front of my eyes and cursed as I saw that it's back to its detestable natural color.

Fiery red-orange.

The reason why I always dye my hair black so no one will look at me like a freak with a burning head. 

Finally, I felt my eyes get lighter, and I know for sure that my contact lenses are dissolved.

The thing that hides my reddish-orange eyes from the judging looks from other people that I meet daily in my life.

Ever since Surt began spending weekdays with me, I am forced to wear makeup and contact lenses even in my sleep so that he won't find out.

Well, the jig is up.

"Keenan..."

I gulped and slowly turn around to face them all to face their judgment.

The moment they saw me, they let out collective gasps and surprised screams as I just smiled sadly at them and looked at my heavily freckled arms and hands.

Then suddenly, Rex punched the arm of Surt, who is just looking at me speechlessly and unblinkingly, "You are one lucky bastard, you furry beast. What a f*****g catch you have here!"

"Wow, man, you really showed us all that you've got. Why, look at you, you can't be just a random human. There's just no way. You look so... What is the term again, my love?"

The daughter of Soteria looked at me with awe and wonder from head to foot before looking at the blue skies above, "Dive, my love. He just looks divine."

"I really don't understand why you wear such thick foundation all over your face and body and nothing else, so I am sure it is not for beauty purposes. So you are hiding that beautiful visage of yours from the outside world? Damn you, Surt, you one lucky bastard!" Sita exclaimed as she kicked my boyfriend in the shin rather painfully.

I just look at them all in confusion because they are reacting the exact opposite as I am expecting them to, "You're seriously not making fun of my looks. Why?"

"What is there to make fun of? I would've dismissed your looks as fake if you didn't get past the Gates of Apollo and I saw how you just got yourself purged. I stand by my earlier statement, Surt. You are definitely one lucky bastard. He is one heck of a catch, and you already fenced him before bringing him here. That's rather advanced thinking coming from you," Rex said proudly at his friend, whom he shoved towards my direction as he is still not saying a single word since gazing upon my actual appearances.

"If you don't say anything, Keenan will think that you dumped him already," Sothea shouted before giggling a little as my boyfriend quickly walks in my direction and suddenly pulling me into one of his big warm hugs.

"Gods, my Keenan. You just gave me more reason to be more protective of you. Honestly, I don't know what to say, except to ask you a question."

I furrowed my brow and inclined my head as I put on my bag that I let him carry earlier, "What is it, Surt?"

"Did you also dyed your pubi---"

Thankfully he didn't get the chance to finish what he is going to ask out loud because I swiftly grabbed his neck and performed a suplex at him so hard he flew several meters back to the forests where we came from so he would never be able to ask his stupid question anymore.

"Well, now that I passed the Gates of Apollo, I am sure everything will be fine, right?" I asked excitedly as I looked back at the other side, and I can see just a blur of what seemed to be a bustling town over yonder.

My companions just looked at me warily as they nodded slowly as we heard the faint moan of pain coming from Surt, who is now seemingly writing in the bushes.

"I highly advise that you behave yourselves, Rex and Bliz. As divine looking as he is if he can suplex his own boyfriend to oblivion without a single word, you better watch your necks," Sita warned the boys that respectfully bowed before me before clapping my back and with Sothea grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the other side of the gate.

I glanced back and saw Surt emerging from the bushes and smiling at me lovingly.

Yeah, looks like I haven't lost a boyfriend.

-0-

"Welcome to Elysian, Keenan..."

I took a step forward to fully marvel at the majestic place in front of me after Rex pointed the town before us after several minutes of walking.

So this is the fabled town of Elysian, the place where the power of the immortals is still fully felt even after several millennia of being cut off from the rest of the world.

Buildings made of smooth calcite alabaster and marbles and gray bricks form the crisscrossing avenues and streets.

The stores are selling things that only existed in the old scriptures that Ms. Peregrine has shown me during our classes, and there are a lot of scientists, archeologists, and all sorts of scholars busily walking to and from the dig sites and scientific camps in an almost never-ending fashion that made them look like busy ants.

Aside from soldiers patrolling the streets diligently and guarding the entrances of the buildings, the town is heavily populated with teenagers who are clearly only here temporarily for their immersion, just like I do.

They are all heading north of the town while happily chatting with their friends. Some are walking, others flying towards that direction gracefully in the skies.

"We can tour you after our class this afternoon, but for now, let's head to the Hellenic Citadel. It is time for the Opening Ceremony, Keenan," Sothea said happily that made her boyfriend nod in agreement.

"She's right. We don't want to miss the speech of Headmaster Clarion. During the last decade of my stay here, he never failed to motivate and impress me with his words of wisdom," her boyfriend said as we all started walking north where all the teenagers like us are heading as fast as they can, "Sita, do you think there are even more newbies this year than the last?"

The daughter of the goddess of agriculture looked around her, and the skies as almost a horde of boys and girls can be seen moving towards the same direction, "I think our numbers easily tripled. Look at those boys and girls flying at the skies in flocks."

"Well, the wind gods are at it again. They can produce a lot of demigods just by themselves," Bliz said matter of factly, "I heard from mother that dad's fifty-one children are old enough for immersion this year and wow, just look at them go!"

The son of Chione then pointed at the fifty teenage boys flying information, following the lead of a single girl as they glide gracefully in the sky, bringing the cold breeze of their father, Boreas, the god of the northern wind.

"Chione: Exploding Snowflakes!"

Bliz sent a blast of snow towards them, and it exploded in several beautiful fireworks that caught not just his young uncles and aunt's attention but the rest of the teenagers in the town that stopped what they are doing to marvel at the glacial splendor our companion has unleashed.

 The Borites, what the male sons of Boreas are called in a group, and their only sister waved at him happily before sending us their own cold fresh winds in response.

"What can you say, Keenan? Amazing, right?" Surt asked as we both shivered because of the cold front unleashed on us playfully by the northern wind god's children before they flew off over yonder followed by several children of the aerial deities by the hundreds, "I always look forward towards the time I spend here every year."

I nodded and smiled at him, who really seemed to be happy just by being here, "You said you've been here since you are eight, Surt?"

"Yep. Because of my unique transformation, I started my immersion here rather early because back then, I can barely control my emotions and powers at all. Sita came when I was ten. Sent here by Tsarina Olean von Feodor because she is overloading the granaries of the Tsardom of Holst to their maximum capacity during the winter season. Rex came a year after Sita, brought by his weary father getting tired of demolishing their house every week. Bliz and Sothea arrived three years ago together. They are already in a relationship before they realized they are demigods, so no problems for them whatsoever."

The two lovebirds looked at each other fondly before nodding in agreement, "Your boyfriend is right. We are childhood sweethearts because our parents are best friends for so long. We are so fortunate to have someone to share our feelings and incredible powers, right, Bliz?"

"Absolutely right, my dear Sothea. We can just be ourselves completely with each other without a care in the world, unlike some of the kids here. They have it rough," the son of Chione said as he looked at a dejected-looking boy around our age walking ahead of us wearing worn-out jeans and clothes sadly, "See that one? He is Melson Regus from Bairalia Province and the son of Melinoe, the goddess of nightmares and ghosts. I heard from other students that his father's relatives, despite knowing his divine parentage, don't want to do anything with him and treating him with utmost disdain and fear."

Sita sighed and left our group to talk to the underworld demigod whose sulking, handsome pale face light up a little when the daughter of Demeter chatted him up energetically.

"Oh, the daughter of Comus is here!" Rex then hailed a joyful-looking girl with a broad smile on her beautiful face walking past us, "How are you, Fiesta?"

"I am here so as festive as always, Rex!" she answered happily before looking at me in surprise, "Wow, who is that boy in Surt's arm? A god?!"

I quickly shook my head as my companions laugh out loud when they heard her exclaimed that in shock, "No, I am not."

"Divine, isn't he, Fiesta? But sadly, or thankfully, he is not an immortal. According to Surt here, he is his classmate under the tutelage of Ms. Peregrine, and he earned her approval enough to be sent here even if he is not a demigod or a powerful mortal with elemental capabilities," Sita shouted over her shoulders as the son of Melinoe smiled at me a little which I returned that made him blush a little to my surprise.

The son of the god of festivities and revelry clapped her hands and jumped up and down in excitement, "Oh my! The first mortal to come here who is not a scientist, a soldier, or a government official! This calls for a celebration, I tell you all!"

"Well, we will leave that to you, Fiesta. For now, let's go to hear our beloved Headmaster's opening speech for this year's immersion! I am so excited!" Sothea exclaimed as we finally arrived in front of large, imposing gates and beyond it, a school of sorts with hundreds of kids like us flocking inside in droves towards what seemed to be an open-air auditorium.

Surt gave me a tight squeeze on the shoulders before grinning at the buildings before us, "Welcome to the Hellenic Citadel, Keenan. You're going to love it here."

I sure hope I will...