The Golden Amulet (PJO, Sequel to The Silver Ring)

Chapter 14

"We meet again, Jackson," Captain Aurelia drawled, her sword casually at her side, the tip facing down towards the ground. But somehow, Percy got the feeling she would be ready to fight in less than a second.

He gently laid Rosaline back onto the chair and moved Riptide to be in front of him before giving Captain Aurelia his full attention. "It's Percy. Not Jackson. And how the hell do you know my full name?"

Captain Aurelia's grin was feral. "Void knows everything about you."

Percy wasn't sure if he should be honored or weirded out at that information, but it might play a role in how he could escape with no conflict. "You must know I'm not supposed to be hurt, then. Just let me go—with Rosaline, included."

"That's where you're wrong." Captain Aurelia laughed. "Rosaline is one of Chaos' commanders. I know for a fact Lady Void would not be pleased if she found out Rosaline had been freed. And champions can always be replaced."

Percy narrowed his eyes at her. "You wanted to be her champion."

"Of course!" Aurelia exclaimed, waving around her sword wildly to enunciate her problem. It wouldn't be something Percy could exploit, however, since she carefully made sure it was in front of her at all times, shielding her from him. "I've been working for years to become her first champion, and the next thing I know is that a boy that came from nowhere is Lady Void's chosen one!"

"I'm older than you," Percy pointed out. "If I'm a boy, it degrades you to a girl." He quickly glanced at Rosaline, hoping to see her awake and oriented. 

She was still slumped over on the chair, snoring quietly like she was sleeping, and like she had not collapsed by exhaustion.

Percy didn't like his chances against Captain Aurelia, especially since he didn't have any powers to back him up lest he was in a non-optimal situation. Having Rosaline to back him up would make his chances much safer, even if it was a half-dead and exhausted Rosaline—who could still probably take out a primordial in that state.

Captain Aurelia barreled on, completely ignoring him. It seemed like she'd been hiding her emotions for a long time, and after revealing them, there was simply no way she could stop before her long spiel was done. "That same boy is working with Chaos soldiers for Void's sake! How does the most undeserving person in the universe get one of the most coveted roles in the universe?"

Opposites attract, Percy thought but managed to barely keep it inside. Captain Aurelia would obviously get more irritated, and might just attack him before he was willing to. Instead, he said honestly, "I never wanted to be Void's champion. What I really wanted was a break. Tell you what. I'll give you the role of Void's champion—just like that. No fighting, no shouting, and no conflict. I'm happy with it, and it soundly like you'd like that too. Deal?"

Captain Aurelia stared at Percy's outstretched hand in a way that made Percy feel hopeful about her acceptance. But in an instant, that expression was replaced with one of loathing. "Trying to take the easy way out? You're more of a coward than I ever imagined."

"What? No!" Percy didn't know why everybody seemed to take his words the wrong way. "I just don't want to fight—"

"Cause you'll lose?" Aurelia finished for him. "That's the honorable way out. And I stick with honor all the way—even if I'm helping my opponent. I'm not giving you a choice. Honor is more important than living. Running away from your battles is going to give me another reason for why I can kill you. Either you use your weapon"—she gestured at Riptide—"or not. Either way, you're going to die."

Everything seemed to go downhill from that moment. Captain Aurelia took a few steps back, and Percy suddenly understood the sly grin on her face when she quickly unslung a bow off her back and nocked a Void Gold arrow onto it.

The bow was very beautiful, and it looked like Captain Aurelia's object of affection. It was pitch black, as dark as what Percy would think a black hole would look like. It had a slight aura of power as though it was enchanted and wouldn't behave like a normal bow. The Void gold was engraved with strange, flowing runes that seemed to go on infinitely on the finite space and almost hypnotize him with their strange beauty. 

Why do I always have to be right? Percy wondered when she drew back the bowstring and two more arrows appeared. This time, they were ghostly, shadowy black, dark enough to make Percy wonder if they were actually made of real shadows.

"Let's talk about this," Percy said, glancing around the room for a way out. But when he was met with solid stone walls and no furniture to take cover behind that was close enough to run to, he began to feel trepidation in his stomach—the same feeling he always got when he was close to death.

Captain Aurelia took a few steps forward, and Percy matched that with steps backward. 

Captain Aurelia smirked, drawing the bowstring to the corner of her lip, ready to fire. "Goodbye, Champion of Void," she said in a mocking tone.

Before she could release the arrows, however, a dagger flew through the air and sliced through the bowstring of Aurelia's weapon with a twang. The real arrow clattered to the ground, while the ghost arrows simply disappeared.

"Not so fast," Rosaline said.