Why would she do it?

"Isabella, happy birthday." I said and she was staring at me with utter surprise.

"How?...how... " she was definitely at loss of words and somehow, I liked it. I was successful in surprising her.

"This is not it. Please go forward." I said pointing to the pathway I had made for her.

The path was decorated with the petals of red roses.

She looked at me and then followed as the rose petals showed the way.

Just as the path was about to end, Will appeared out of nowhere with a birthday cake in his hands and a wide smile on his face.

"Happy birthday." he wished her and put the cake on the beautiful decorated stand on the beach.

The timing was perfect, the setting sun made the whole sky look like gold. It's reflection in the vast, endless sea was entrancing.

All this time, Isabella was quite. She didn't say a word or express herself. I was beginning to worry about her. I wondered that I might have made her mad at me.

She stared disbelievingly at the cake in front of her. She turned to face me and Will. I was anticipating a slap from her when she moved forward and hugged me and Will.

We were too shocked to react. For me, this was the second time she had hugged me, but still it felt like I never wanted to leave her embrace.

Just then, she pulled back and my heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were gleaming with happiness and the smile on her face was enough to bring a dead man to life. This was the same happy and radiant face I had seen in the photo of her. I thought that I would never be able to see that smile of hers but here it was, taking my heart away. I could do anything just to see that smile on her face. ANYTHING.

"Thank you...so much. This is my best birthday ever." she said happily and I was satisfied.

"Now, cut the cake." I told her.

The chocolate flavored cake was cut and savoured. It really delicious.

"Where did you get this delicious cake from? Isabella asked.

"Actually... my mother taught me how to bake a cake. It's her special recipe."

"You baked this cake?!" she astonishingly asked and I nodded, hiding my face to prevent Isabella from seeing me blush.

"My goodness! Adrian, this is the best cake have ever had!" she exclaimed and I smiled at her.

Will was quite the whole time, he was staring the cake as if it brought back some painful memories.

"What is it, Will?" I asked and he looked at me, his eyes were trying really hard to hide the sorrow but Will was a terrible liar.

"It's just... that... Michelle loves chocolate cakes." he said.

"We will find her, Will. I will find her. I promise you." I tried my best to console him but I didn't tell him about my oath. I decided it was better to keep it to myself.

"I cannot ask you to not worry for her. That just can't be done. But Will, you can't lose hope. After all, you are all she has in this world, if you will give up, just imagine what will happen to her then." Isabella reasoned and Will nodded.

Will was getting weaker day by day. If this continued even for a week, his condition would become serious.

Just in a matter of few minutes, all three of us were talking like good old friends. But, there was an invisible blanket if gloominess hovering over us, keeping us from enjoying ourselves. I knew these were hard times but a little motivation was needed too. And this birthday presented a perfect opportunity for it.

"What do you think, what exactly had happened to Michelle?" I asked Will. Though I had already asked this question a thousand times but nobody ever gave me an exact and straight answer. All of them seemed to hide something from me. But I was sure my friends would never do this.

"Adrian...believe me, if I knew what happened to her, I would have gone through hell to help h...her." his voice broke. It was filled with dejection and pain.

"Where did she go?" I asked again. I knew I was pushing Will more than he could bear, but I had know the whole truth to help him.

"She went to Paris. That's where her parents are. She... " he hesitated for a moment. I knew Will knows something that he's not telling anyone.

"What is it?" I insisted.

"Michelle... she was working on a plan to revive Zeus. She said that, he her dreams, the sprit of the Oracle had told her to meet someone in Paris. So, she took the excuse of meeting her parents and left to find that person, but..." It was obvious he couldn't go on, his emotions were on a brink of collapse.

"It's okay, Will." I said. I wished I knew anything better to say to console him.

"I don't know who that person is but there's a hope that we can get information about Michelle if we find him. He has got something to do with her disappearing." he said.

"If you know this, why didn't you tell Hecate?" Isabella asked and Will's sorrowful expression changed into regret.

"I can't. Before leaving, Michelle made me swear on the river Styx that I won't tell anyone... even... even if she... never comes back." he said and everyone fell silent.

I knew they were also thinking the same thing as me - why would she do it?