The Infamy of Olympus

The ball gradually disappears as darkness falls down, the goal post on the other side of the field blurs, and the flock of egrets flies West. It is already nightfall. It is impossible to see the ball and deliver that winning kick. Indeed, to score a goal is unattainable. Yet, I and the rest of my team cannot leave the football field that even light rain showers cannot stop us. The field seems like a newly-plowed rice field already. Football shoes are swathed by sludge. Everybody is soaked in sweat. We spent the entire afternoon practicing for our football game tomorrow. I know I am in the best team. But why do I sense defeat, sort of a bad news, is coming?

My feet are sored, my jersey shirt is dirty, my hair is a mess, and I smell stinky… yet I had so much fun. I love the wind, softly rebelling against my face and unsympathetically playing with my hair, as I run fast for the ball. It gives me a certain feeling of freedom. It was so liberating that I enjoyed it a lot.

I look at myself in the mirror of the locker room and smile. Things really change. No one knows what kind of life I used to live with. I will not trade my pigtail for braids and curls, or my jersey uniform for long gowns. I will never long for that extraordinary abundance of power and wealth. I will never ever wish to have it… again. I am happy and contented now. This is exactly the life I had ever wanted and fought for.

I took my gym bag, and off I go to a place I call home – a place where you can smell poverty everywhere. Alone I live in a congested area where I share walls with my neighbors.  Yet, I enjoy this kind of solidarity inside my room listening to the nonsense stories of drunken men, heated arguments of couples, and laughter of children playing, just outside my door. I am too tired to beg them to keep quiet. Hence, I just get myself drowned thinking of my lover and the love we have for each other… and the rest of the world shuts off.

The morning screams typically serve as my alarm to wake up. It is like any other mornings. I satisfy my empty stomach with two cups of noodles before I headed to the stadium. Today is the day of the regional football championship. I am excited yet at the same time terrified. I join my teammates in the locker room. Pigtail tied up, long socks put on, football shoes strapped on, muscles warmed up… “This is it!” I told myself. Then, someone puts his hands on my shoulders. I look back and stare at those beautiful eyes I am dying to see every second.

“I finally found my favorite football player! Are you ready to kick their asses, love?” He said with his eyes smiling.

I shrugged. “I think so, but I’m scared love.”
“Wow! It is my first time to hear that you are scared… Why?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps, I’m scared to appear silly on the field for my first ever football game.”
“You know you will not. You won’t be on the team if they think you do not know how to play the game. You are a powerful player love.”
“Grr. Don’t label me powerful please,” that word reminds me so much of the life I used to have which I tried to escape. “Thanks for the support anyway. You will always be my favorite fan.”

He gave me a hug and a kiss. “See you in the field, my pretty girlfriend,” and he goes out of the locker room. I sighed. This is it. “Do it right the first time, Penelope,” and I wished myself good luck.

The first whistle echoed amidst the gloominess of the sky. The game starts. The ball has been passed from one player to another, players are running to and fro, and the crowd grows frenzied in every attempt to make a score. No matter how gloomy the sky and chilly the wind is, we are all bathed in our own sweat with some dirt splashes all over our body.

I can hear my heavy breathing. I can feel my rapid heartbeats. I am so exhausted, but my desire to make a goal heightened. I run, I kick, and I play with my teammates. Until, I managed to strike and put our team in an unlikely lead. Picking the ball up on the left wing, I kick and shot from the distance. The ball swerved wickedly to wrong foot the goalkeeper of the opposing team who had been mostly inactive during the game.

Yay! I made a goal. We scored! Everybody is on their feet shouting wildly and happily. The cheer went louder and louder… then BOOM! There goes a loud deafening thunder that shocked the entire stadium. It seems like even the heaven is celebrating for our goal, I think. It made my heart leaps. Then there is an eerie silence. The faces of the crowd change from surprise to awe to fear. Everybody is looking up to the sky. And I gasped when I see what they are looking at: the skies divide open and a handsome man comes down from the heavens.

“This must be the end of the world! God is here!” I heard somebody screams. Some run in different directions like a mad bull. Some fall down on their knees, crying and praying. Some hide and control their trembling body. Everybody is in panic. Everything is in chaos. The vivacity of the stadium dies down. I see myself standing alone in the middle of the field with the ball resting on the ground meters away from me.

I can feel my body trembling and shaking uncontrollably. My tears are streaming down my cheeks. I stand there immobile in disbelief as the familiar face of a long dark-haired and bearded man wearing that stern look lands to the ground and comes closer to me. No, this is not the end of the world. This is the end of my world.

Then someone from behind holds my hand and whisper, “we need to go now, hold my hand and we will run together. Don’t be afraid I’m here, love.” I look back at him and stare at those beautiful eyes... the eyes that I may not see again. I hold his hand so tight… the hand that I may not hold again. The thought of losing the person I love the most scares me to death.  He started pulling me away, but I am glued on my feet that I cannot move, instead I burst out into tears tremendously.

“Enough of all these stupidity Penelope, you gave up everything for these? Look at yourself now, is that what you want?” The long-haired and bearded man said in a loud voice that echoes throughout the entire stadium.

I can see the surprise written all over my lover’s face. “Love… he… he knows you?” He asks in a shaky voice. I do not know what to say, I give him a hug and a kiss… before it is too late, before I cannot do it again. I am sure how this thing will transpire.

“He is Zeus, my father.” I answered, trying to calm myself. Then I turn to my father, “What do you want? Why are you here? You ruined my first football game, you ruined everything.”

“Everything? Is this what you mean everything? My daughter, this is a mere piece of shitness!”

“This is my life!”

“You gave up everything you have as a goddess to live in shanties, get yourself dirty, and fall in love with a mortal who has nothing to prove and give you? You call this life?” His voice roared, and I am feeling this familiar fear corrupting my system again.

“You have no idea what life is all about Father. Life is not all about power, money, women… it is about learning to survive. We are living in a modern world where people are rational, they know what they are doing, they are already capable of surviving, even without our help...That’s the reality. I prefer to live in shanties than to stay in your kingdom. You know why? Because with the people living there, I can see the realities of life and not idealities of your kingdom. I need to live with them to feel and understand them and their needs.  Yes I maybe a goddess, but how can I serve the people if I don’t know what their needs are? I learned a lot in getting dirty and getting hurt. I submit myself to pains and anxieties to feel complete. And loving someone to hold my hand at times like this, make me sure that life is better beyond the walls of your kingdom. I want to live an ordinary life; that is what I only wanted. ”

“Have you heard yourself Penelope? I forgave you for leaving our kingdom. I let you live in shanties. I thought that everything will make you suffer and will bring you back to us. But falling in love with a mortal? That is more than enough. You cannot fall in love with him!” Thunders roared one after another. I know Zeus is angry.

“But why?” I answered almost in a whisper. I feel dizzy. I feel numb.

“You don’t know?” A deafening thunder that shakes the world followed after his question. I then feel nothing. I cannot move. I cannot speak. I realized I am slowly rising from the ground. I can hear my lover shouting my name. I can see him trying hard not to let go of my hand, holding me so strong. Another thunderbolt was hurled. Everything went black. I am lost.

The next thing I know, I am lying in a bed with the familiar feathery pillow beside me. I am in an long gold gown. My hair is curled adorned with braids and little flowers. I am back in the kingdom. I don’t want to get up. My head is throbbing. I close my eyes to see those beautiful eyes of a guy I love the most, and to feel his hands, his kisses and his hugs. He is gone now.

I do not want to be here. I feel so alone. I am a daughter of Zeus to an unknown mother. I am not close with my siblings. I have no power as mighty and strong as what they all have. I am foretold to be the supreme political leader of the world whom political leaders across the globe will look up to. I am the goddess of politics. But what can politics bring good to humanity? Strife? Pain? Cruelty? Greed? I am nothing. I have nothing… even the person I love the most is gone now.

I hurriedly get out of my bed, enter my father’s library, and open various shelves and cabinets until I find what I am looking for - the red bottle. It feels cold against my palm. It is truly sealed that I had a hard time opening it. The smell of blueberries then fills my nostrils the moment I opened the lid. Without any hesitation, I take a sip. It tastes like a beverage which completed everyone’s party in the ordinary world. I can feel the heat going down my throat. It tastes so good that I drink it all until the last drop. I see my lover’s face. I feel relieved… and the last thing I heard is the sound of the red bottle dropping to the floor in pieces after it slid out of my hand.

The gates of our kingdom open. I am now free. I hurried down back to the earth.  I saw my lover… he is down on his knees in the center of the football field, looking up at the heavens, tears rolling down his cheeks. I can hear him calling my name, talking to me, whispering “I love you”.

In tears, I take steps closer to him. Look straight at those familiar beautiful eyes. He smiles, and he says, “Why didn’t you tell me everything, love?  I can’t blame you for it, though. But why are you so hard headed? You know you cannot do anything against Zeus’ will, if only you listen to him and talk to him, these things cannot happen… a good world leader knows that diplomacy is a key to solve conflicts and to curb further evil.”

He is right.

And he continues, “If you can hear me, talk to your Father diplomatically. Ask him to let me with you. I will prove my love for you. I love you so much.”

He is right. He is right. But it is too late… it is too late. I can see him but he cannot see me. I hugged him, I kissed him… but he cannot feel me. I saw the football ball, and with all the hatred I have against the world, I kicked it… But the ball stays still on the ground.

Thunderbolts after thunderbolts roared.

I am a weak goddess who dies for love, everyone ought not to know. I am the infamy of the Olympus.  And my story is written in the wind and will forever be sealed in silence.

*after a very long time, i made another new short story. its my first time to make one in English. but this is in compliance with our assignment in our Mythology class for summer 2013