The Spawn of Winter [Tagalog]

PROLOGUE

The Mount Olympus

Olympus Castle

The lulled blue sky and the velvety scent of mystical flowers that danced around the balcony, could not brush off the cripple of anxiety of the god of sky. Even the whisk of warm air felt like a tremendous strike of pain in his lungs.

Upon an alarming conversation with the Morai, commonly known as Fates. Zeus could not put himself together after their encounter. The forlorn look on his face would make anyone fear the unknown as it only showed how trouble he really is.

It's just a matter of time before Apollo's arrival. He thought as he cannot stop the surge of possibilities that they might fail to stop another chaos.

"Zeus," a falsely sweet voice suddenly called from behind.

He smiled from where he stood as he heard the velvety of her voice lingered on his ears. Zeus leaned on the marble railings and when he turned his head a little, he caught a glimpse of his beautiful queen.

"Kaliméra, vasilissa mou," he greeted.

As Hera got near, the warmth in the air doubled and it somehow calmed Zeus' raging fear in his head. His queen wore her favorite red fit gown that hugged all of her curves. It also has a low cut on the chest area and it showed a teasing amount of skin of her plump breast.

The wind blew and Zeus caught some of Hera's hair on her arm as it stood up. He smiled and couldn't stop himself to gaze at the milky soft skin of his wife, no single blemish could ever be seen.

"Eyes up here, diastrevló."

Zeus' forehead furrowed. "Who are you calling a pervert?"

The goddess bit her lower lip to hold back her smile as the sudden twist of annoyance traced on her king's face. But then, she quickly noticed the disturbance in those eclectic blue eyes of her husband.

"Is something the matter?"

Zeus faked a cough. "What do you mean?"

"You know I hate to run in circles. I want to know what's bothering you," Hera asked with suspicion as she got closer.

The god of sky gazed down from their balcony as he avoided his queen's questioning eyes. He stared at the busy lands below Mount Olympus. From their castle made of white marbles and gold stones, he could see the Senoas Realm.

A world that served as home to those who have the reignian blood. Together with mythical creatures. Below that is the Mortal Realm where humans live together with supernatural beings and those who associate themselves with magic.

However, most races hid their existence from the mortals as they did not want to engage themselves into a war. Because everyone knew that the mortals' curiosity and greed can make a race go extinct.

"I have heard... the Morai requested an audience. How long has it been since we saw those three? A century perhaps?" Hera mentioned as she tried to break the ice.

A sigh escaped from Zeus as the rumbles of thoughts came in. The echoes of conflict rang in his head.

"Am I not worthy of the troubles you have in your head?" concern was evident in Hera's voice.

"My queen—"

"We have shared love and a handful of conflicts in our immortal life. And yet, you still deprived me from the duties of being your queen?!"

Zeus flinched when his wife's voice elevated. "I would rather shoulder this alone than to stress you."

Hera's jaw clenched. "Very well—you still decided to do this all by yourself. Like how you chose those infidelity on your own."

"Hera!"

"What?" the queen snapped. "Oh, the need to raise your voice is like how puppies bark when they get nervous."

Zeus massaged his temple. "I will pretend that this conversation didn't happen. Leave my queen, I would like to be alone."

The warm air they enjoyed for a while started to sizzle Zeus' skin. His eyes bawled out as the wrath of his queen sent warning signals in his head. A yellow sunlight flashed in his wife's direction. It made Hera's blonde hair shine like gold dust in a field of yellow daffodils in the first bloom of spring.

But instead of appreciating how beautiful the goddess is. He knew that it was no good.

"F-fine!" he breathed. "But first, you need to calm down, vasilissa mou."

Hera suppressed her smile and let out a cough instead. She rubbed both of her forearms as she avoided her husband's gaze. Fortunately, Zeus did not choose to anger her even more.

"Come here."

The gentle voice of her husband made Hera almost run in his arms. And when she was an arm away from Zeus, the god of sky yanked the goddess of marriage into his arms and kissed the crown of her head.

"S'agapo, vasilissa mou."

They fell silent for a couple of minutes and that is when Hera noticed her husband's gaze. "Is this trepidation of yours concerns of those blood?"

Zeus adams apple boobed in his throat but he remained silent. While Hera, who disliked being left out in the dark, brushed off her husband's arms on her waist aggressively.

"If you refuse to tell me what's happening right now. I will rain the mortal realm with plaque and sickness! And start a war with the Reignians myself!"

Troubled by the words of the goddess, Zeus came up with a sudden idea. It was all thanks to the man he saw below. A man with frosted white hair.

My apologies for using you as my scapegoat. He whispered in his mind.

"You got it all wrong, vasilissa mou." He blinked. "The Morai only warned me not to meddle with the mortals."

"What do you mean? We haven't delved into that realm for decades."

"Nevertheless, they saw from their threads the possibilities that I might disregard what happened in the Les Sytoh."

"What?"

"Their only purpose was to remind me of the wrath of Ares."

Hera gracefully massaged her temple. "Oh, that damn son of ours."

Zeus on the other hand nervously laughed as he succeeded to divert his wife's attention. But he knew better, he still needed to weave another lie since she is always suspicious of him.

"But that matter should not even bother you to the point where you have a melancholy look on your face."

He crossed arm to hide the fidgeting of his fingers. "You see... the real reason I'm apprehensive is... well—someone caught my attention."

The goddess brow arched. "Hmm, and who might that be?"

Hera walked towards the marble railings and looked below. Their castle is way too far from the other realms. But their eyes can see everything clearly, as if they are looking from a magnifying glass.

Hera followed her husband's gaze and was surprised to find a man in a black cloak with the hood on, it almost covered the man's face. She smirked as her eyes caught the frosted white hair of that man.

The man still has the resemblance of the King of Winter Kingdom, Jack Frost.

Hera hummed. "What is he doing in the Fire Kingdom?"

There was no disagreement between the five kingdoms of the Senoas Realm. But it was unusual to find Jack Frost around the Fire Kingdom. That man dislikes everything that is painted with red.

"Try to guess, vasilissa mou," Zeus simply answered.

It makes Hera's mind wonder... until something came into her mind when Jack Frost bought something from a jewellery shop.

"Interesting," she whispered. "The King of Frost, is trying to woo a woman?"

Zeus chuckled. "If he does, then, Hades might win our bet."

The goddess laughed as she remembered the childish bet of the gods years ago. While Zeus let out a sigh of relief as he successfully kept the warning of the Morai to himself.

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