Lame Brother and My Treasure

   I am surrounded by precious things. Gold? Yes! They are! I consider them gold. Know why? If you will name gold as treasure, then they are my treasure. Everything that surrounds me are my treasure.

   A mug with a spoon, pages of paper with printed words, wooden chairs, cheerful music, soft bed---everything is gold.

   Sciron the Great Bandit, my brother in Father Poseidon's side, once told me: "Stealing valuable things is my passion. You do not know true treasures, kid." I then asked myself: What is true treasure? That thought marked on my head. It came back again and again. Would that be... Silver? Platinum? Precious stones? Jewelries? Or other shiny things and of great value when you sell them? I think, my answer would be... NO. Treasure is not a physical thing---it is a sentiment.

   If you will be given a letter or something from a very special person, you will reckon that that thing is a treasure, right? Treasure is not the letter itself but the feelings or emotions from the one who gave it or the effort exerted on it. The letter was just a replica. As I said, every thing surrounding me is my treasure but let me name them "gold". I regard them as gold because that mug and spoon was bought by my mother using her own money. The money was from her job and she worked for it. The printed papers were also gold for they were made, where the word "made" applies work. The wooden chairs, music, and everything are gold for they also bear work.

   Jewel. Every person I love are my jewel. Mom, Father, my brother Percy Jackson, my sisters, friends, and many others are my jewel. It is the feelings I cannot express that made me treasure them.

   My pearl---the sea. It is my home. The place where I live. The place that has many wonderful things. The treasure I will succeed.

   And my greatest diamond would be God---with the capital "G". Not the gods of Olympus but God Himself. He is my greatest treasure. He made the world, the land and water, and even my pearl, the nature and even us. He made me and I treasure Him a lot. There is no such thing that I can trade when it comes to Him. He is just so great.

   And now, I knew what Sciron meant about treasures. Maybe because treasures are one's happiness and that is why brother loves to steal them for he wants others to cast down. He is too lame, right? But it is his nature. That is why when you will hear about Sciron, never let him know where your treasures are because he will force you to wash his stinky feet and kick you from uphill down to the sea and get his prize. Just like what he did to me.

A Love From the Underworld

     Hades' place is the spot where dead people go. Underworld. The underground abode of the fallen.

     My grandmother lives there. She died when I was still 6 months old. My mother said I am her favorite grandchild because we have many similarities with my mom, her favorite daughter. Grandma used to carry me when she was still alive. Even if I have not barely seen her, I love her for raising my mom. I also know she loves me until now, I felt it, she is dead but she had let me feel it...

     I was broken-hearted that day. I saw him--- the man I was seriously devoted ---with another girl, laughing, having a good time. He saw me and did not bother telling me what was happening. It was like rubbing salt in a wound.

     Night came and as I lie in bed, tears were falling continuously. I could not help the feeling of resentment and anger, as if Nemesis entered my soul. I could not tell anyone about what I felt: my friends were asleep by that time; my sister was away from me and I could not call her just to disturb while she was studying; my mom did not live also in our home because she was working and I knew she was busy and; my father Poseidon was attending his duties underwater, I could not afford to have his presence just to listen to my story

. Minutes passed and the power of Hypnos controlled me. The negative feeling made me sleep.

     It happened on the dawn of November 30. I was facing the wall of my room, lying in bed. I was awakened by the loud running steps. The steps came from the sala, until it went to the door of my room, opened it and continued running. It stopped as it reached my bed and I can feel that the owner of the steps was standing behind me. I was frightened for I am afraid of ghosts or paranormal entities and I knew that it was not a human. Its presence was weird.

     I did not have the strength to run. I did not bother myself to peep and see the image standing behind me. Panic and horror ran down my spine. It stood there for a minute or two then it moved. It inserted its hands--- no, not common hands! The shape was different. I felt them like long roots of a tree. Rough and hard ---in the space between me and the bed. Its rare hands bended and covered me. It lifted me no more than 6 inches as I estimated. My eyes were still closed. I could feel the air passing, I was not in bed anymore. It lifted me not more than five seconds and then it was swaying me back and forth. The movement was careful and so meticulous. It swayed me not more than a minute and after, it placed me back in my bed. I still could not have the guts to open my eyes. It stood behind me for 3 seconds and I waited for it to walk away but it did not.  I just felt its presence vanished. I heard a single step nomore. I was shivering and my power came back. I took my phone and checked the time. I saw it was 3:11AM.

     I shared the story to my mom when morning came. I got the instincts that maybe that was grandma, and as I was telling her what happened, our intuition went mutual. Maybe because granny knew what I was going through, or maybe she missed me, or maybe she wanted to let me know that somebody cares for me, and it was her. As I thought about it, I was glad because I was lucky, perhaps Thanatos, the Death god, had let her come back to our world just for a little time to comfort me and to let me feel her love. 

     The lesson I learned about this is that love can conquer everything, even if you are alive or dead, everything will be done just to let your love be felt. That is the power of Cupid. Never think that nobody loves you, because even the smallest pain you felt, somebody out there can feel it, too. 

     "Love is on every side... And one's side. Don't ask what Love can do for you." ~Cupid, Heroes of Olympus: House of Hades