Chapter 47 - FORTY-SIX: The Truth

ERICA

"Run!" 

Camila and Fay quickly ran out of the room and I used my powers to orbit in front of Zeus surprising her and taking Poseidon's arms over my shoulder then orbited out of the room. 

"We've been cheated," Poseidon said losing hope. We were only out of the room. 

"Now it isn't the time to say we are losing hope or not, Poseidon. This is the time to run." 

He nods and we both ran out of the hallway meeting up with the others but Samuel wasn't here. "Seriously," I complained. "There is a god out there who wants our heads off and Samuel isn't anywhere to be found."

"I'm here," Samuel yawned coming out of his room with his hair wet. Don't tell me he was in the shower room the whole entire time? We all faced palm our heads in defeat. My daughter still held onto Fay's hand looked confused at our action. Meanwhile, Poseidon quickly grabs Samuel by the hand and pulls him near to us. He quickly made a portal underneath us without a warning we all fell in yelling our heads off. All except Samuel who was in too much shock from the fall that his body became paralyzed and his voice stuck in his vocal cords the following scream that came after was late.

"Seriously," Camila commented at his late reaction.

I quickly took a quick look at our surroundings. We were all panting and people were all staring at us. They all look like Latins. I began to observe the area. They all looked so unfamiliar streets, pavements, and roads especially since people were eyeing at us like we were strange folks that suddenly came out of nowhere. I looked towards my side and the wooden boulevard reads Mexico. 

I looked over at Poseidon. "Really?... Mexico?"

He shook his head. "It wasn't me."

"It was me," a voice came out from the shadow at the corner of the street. The voice sounded so familiar but I couldn't remember who it is. The mysterious woman walked out of the hiding in a brown cloak hiding her figure and face. I stood on my guard. This woman screams danger to me. I was ready to use martial arts if she started pulling any suspicious movements, but she just placed her hand on her cloak pulling down to her shoulder so we can see her face. 

I looked at her in surprise and eased my posture. My face broke into a smile. "Manni?" I said her name fell out of my mouth.

"Mrs. Manni!" Camila exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Mrs. Manni?" Fay asked. "Your biology teacher?"

Camila nods her head.

"It's good to see you too Camila and young Lumia." She smiles. Looking at Poseidon she placed her hand over her heart and bow to him. "Lord Poseidon," she greeted. He nods at her well-mannered courtesy.

"Hi," Calchas tried, but Manni ignored him.

She looks at all of us. She still remains the same even though, we hadn't seen each other at all for the last five years. She looks down at my daughter. "Now that looks the chibi version of you, Erica."

I couldn't hide my smile. I know we weren't on good terms when we first met, but she has always been a loyal person to the Aztec Family. The only immortal family to that family. "Come, this place is not safe." She beckons and all of us followed her.

She was bringing us to many small narrow space short cuts. It was getting hard to memorize the road to her house. Once we reached into a certain old building. All of us had to climb all the stairs to the top floor of the building. It looked old. Once Manni opens the door it revealed a tiny studio room. Everything was squished into one single room. I was quite surprised. "I'm sorry it's quite small," Manni apologized. 

All of us shooked our heads. "It's alright," I replied. 

"Please make yourself comfortable," she stated.

All of us headed inside Fay, Camila and my daughter sat on the sofa while Poseidon and I sat on the floor. Manni headed into the kitchen and heated up some black tea which filled the air with its pleasant fragrance pouring into a teapot then transferring it onto the food tray. 

Thoughts began to travel around my mind. Zeus is my mother and they have been merged. Hades is in the middle of the merging or maybe he had finished merging already. The two powerful gods are out there running havoc out in the world killing many innocent lives. In a few days, my wives and father might end up the same as Zeus and Hades.

Can I really do this?

Am I really going to do this?

"Have some tea, Erica," Manni said breaking my trance. 

"Thanks," I said taking the mug into my hands warming up my skin. I took a sip of the tea and puts it down on the floor. I took both of my hands up for me to look at it and breathe. I fold them and place them down to my legs. I took some steady breath and then I open my hands little tiny blue flames ignited the darkroom and flew into the air like thousands of fireflies were inside the room. 

My daughter started to giggle at the sight of it. She started to catch the fire in her hands but it just melts away like what snow really does. I really wished I can see my daughter happy every single day, but I am not sure if I can even do that. I don't know what's going to come.

"Where have you been Manni?"

She sat across me and took a sip of the tea. "I have been told by my creator to hide."

"My brother told you to do that? Why didn't he tell me?"

She shakes her head. "He couldn't if he wanted to."

"Why?"

"Wait," Camila intervenes. "You have a creator?" she asked. "Who are you?"

"I am an immortal created by the original immortal, Jamison, Nora's brother. To summarize everything, if Erica didn't explain to you Camila, I am an immortal in charge of investigating a case of the scrolls of mother earth being active in the house of the Arcana Family."

"That doesn't explain why you have gone missing?" I questioned.

"Yes, it does. After all the assassins who have gone on that investigation, even the best assassins from the Aztec family had gone to that house, disappeared without a trace. They ended up being reported missing. So I decided to go on that investigation alone, myself. Since I am an immortal I thought the Arcana can't do anything to harm me, but I thought wrong, Erica.

The night I infiltrated the Arcana Manor I saw a strange light coming out of the underground basement while I was around the bushes with a sniper in my hands. I tried to scoot closer to the window looking through the scope to see what's going on, but what I saw was just horror. Everything was just in a split second, the scroll that we have been searching for is without a doubt in the hands of the Arcana Family but the cruelty of the scroll is truly horrifying. 

The reason the scroll emits such a strange light because it was eating the infiltrators that came to the Arcana Family. I was afraid of course, but since I thought I made it from the scrolls that it won't hurt me. I used my inhumane strength to break into the basement and took the scroll into my hand. On the run, the alarm went off the and the enemies were running after me to get the missing scroll. Of course, I outsmarted them after being years of an experienced undercover assassin, but along the way, the scroll started to take my powers of immortality if I kept it near me.

So I hid it and ran to Mexico to hide."

We were all shocked by what we are hearing. "So that means you have the scroll of mother earth?" Poseidon asked. She nods. "Where?"

"Inside this very room in a box. I have open the scroll and had seen everything that it wrote. Turns the only person who can open this scroll without being eaten by it is you, Erica."

"Why me?" I sighed. I can't lift off the heavy pressure that I have on this chest. "Why everything has to be me?"

Manni gets up and went to her window I was surprised when she lifts up a frame of it and took out the box. She walked in front of me handing the box over to me. I was a little hesitant.

"Once you open you'll understand everything."

I took in a big breathe and exhale. I held the box and put it on the ground. I open them and it was skinny looking ancient Chinese scroll. My hands were shaking. I open up the scroll and there was no light emitted from the scroll. Words started to appear from the scroll and the image of a woman shown up. My eyes went wide and unconsciously drops the scrolls towards the ground. I stood up from the floor restless. 

I held my hand over to my head. "That's not possible. That is not possible," I yelled. Tears came streaming down my eyes.

"Zeus inhabited Elena. Poseidon is Lorenzo. Hades Kieran. Phobos is Fay. Deimos is Camila. Calchas is Carlos," Manni said. 

"Gee... thanks for finally acknowledging my existence," Calchas complimented.

Manni glares daggers at Calchas. I placed my hand over to my ears. I refused to believe in any of this. "You thought Chione inhabited you, but Chione is just a spirit that has the goddess Gaia memories." 

"No."

"You can't escape this, Erica." 

"Please."

"This is the truth." 

"Stop!"

"You are Mother Earth."