The Shadow Summoner | Book Three - PJO Universe

sixteen

ONE LAST TIME

Caligula narrowed his eyes. "You would never. You don't have a self-sacrificing instinct in your body!"

"Let them go." Apollo pressed the arrow against his skin, hard enough to draw blood. "Or you'll never be the sun god."

Ariana was panicking. She didn't know what to do. Stuck in place, she could only watch the scene unfold.

"Sunshine out the arrow down!" The girl snapped, her tone threatening but any and all threats she said couldn't be acted upon.

"Oh, Medea," Caligula called over his shoulder, "if he kills himself in this fashion, can you still do your magic?"

"You know I can't," she complained. "It's a complicated ritual! We can't have him murdering himself in some sloppy way before I'm prepared."

"Well, that's mildly annoying." Caligula sighed. "Look, Apollo, you can't expect this will have a happy ending. I am not Commodus. I'm not playing a game. Be a nice boy and let Medea kill you in the correct way. Then I'll give these others a painless death. That's my best offer."

Ariana decided Caligula would make a terrible car salesman.

Next to her, Piper shivered on the floor, her neural pathways probably overloaded by trauma. Crest had wrapped himself in his own ears.

Jason continued to meditate in his cone of swirling shrapnel, though Ariana couldn't imagine he would achieve nirvana under those circumstances.

Meg yelled and gesticulated at Apollo, perhaps telling him not to be a fool and put down the arrow.

Ariana did it for her. "Apollo, don't be a fool and put down the fucking arrow. I swear to every Olympian god I will never forgive you!"

Apollo looked at her, mouthing the word 'i'm sorry'. Ariana shook her head frantically at him, silently pleading with him.

The emperor's guards stayed where they were, gripping their spears. Incitatus munched his oats like he was at the movies.

"Last chance," Caligula said.

Somewhere behind them, at the top of the ramp, a voice called, "My lord!"

Caligula looked over. "What is it, Flange? I'm a little busy here."

"N-news, my lord."

"Later."

"Sire, it's about the northern attack."

Ariana felt a surge of hope. The assault on New Rome was happening tonight. She didn't have the good hearing of a pandos, but the hysterical urgency in Flange's tone was unmistakable.

He was not bringing the emperor good news.
Caligula's expression soured. "Come here, then. And don't touch the idiot with the arrow."

The pandos Flange shuffled past Apollo and whispered something in the emperor's ear. Caligula may have considered himself a consummate actor, but he didn't do a good job of hiding his disgust.

"How disappointing." He tossed Meg's golden rings aside like they were worthless pebbles. "Your sword, please, Flange."

"I-" Flange fumbled for his khanda. "Y-yes, lord."

Caligula examined the blunt serrated blade, then returned it to its owner with vicious force, plunging it into the poor pandos's gut. Flange howled as he crumbled to dust.

Caligula faced Apollo. "Now, where were we?"

"Your northern attack," Ariana said. "Didn't go so well?"