The Spirits of the Universe (PJO)

Chapter 17--I Begin to Develop Trust Issues

Edited by SpeedTopnotch

Have a great read, everyone :)

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I weighed the pros and cons, but there wasn't that much to think of. I was a minute away from doing demigod-level pushups, which really wouldn't help our notoriety—and it wasn't like I was against the idea of dancing with a beautiful girl.

It's just one dance, I reminded myself as I pushed myself to my feet and whisked Aridne into the party, and it has no meaning whatsoever. Aridne needs to get somewhere, and this is the easiest way to get there.

But that didn't stop my heart from beating faster than a Party Pony when a new rendition of a paintball gun was released—or my feet from stumbling over each other like Hydra heads vying for the same plate of food.

"You're really bad at this," Aridne laughed as I somehow almost tripped both of us for the fifth time. "Isn't Earth known for their social dancing?"

"How'd you know I was from Earth?"

Aridne gave me a funny look. "I read your file before Lady Chaos' party."

"Oh. Right." It was really easy to forget that someone as beautiful as her could also be deadly good at fighting. "And . . . you memorized it?"

"Of course. I have to memorize every file. But I have to say . . . it was hard for me to tear my fascination off your background to move on to the next."

I almost tripped over another couple's feet when I heard that, but Aridne pulled me away just in time. By now, I had embarrassed myself in all the ways I could—and I could only follow her defeatedly.

We were gaining on Liam—but that wasn't saying anything. He'd hit a square of people who were so enraptured in their conversation that they refused to let him through. I could see Denham's head peeking through the fringes of the crowd.

"Tell me about your past," Aridne said suddenly.

"Er . . . there's not a lot that's interesting about me."

"Nonsense. Everyone has a unique background."

My most unique aspect, huh? I thought. "Alright then—my life was a lot different than regular teenagers. Back on Earth, I was a part of a group of people that went on dangerous missions—a lot like what we're doing right now, actually."

"I never thought I'd hear the Heroes of Olympus described in such a humble way," Aridne mused.

A cold feeling snaked up my feet. "You knew about us already? Then why did you pretend you didn't know . . ." Then a worse thought hijacked my mind: This wasn't the first time she'd lied to me like this. What if all our conversations—all her emotions—were staged?

What if she never told me the truth?

"It's hard not to know about the Heroes of Olympus in this day and age," Aridne quickly said, interrupting my thoughts. "I didn't know you were a part of them until this moment, but it's not like Earth has another group that fits that description."

End snorted. Great save, she said, but I wasn't exactly about to trust her judgment on this one.

"What exactly do you know about the Heroes of Olympus?" I asked carefully. I wasn't one to care about my reputation, but I knew I was famous. If Aridne hadn't heard about me, there was no way she'd heard about any other demigod either.

"Not a lot," Aridne admitted. "Lady Chaos works hard to keep communications from Earth as silent as possible—it's Gaea's playground, after all."

Don't remind me, I thought. I still wasn't ready to process Daphne's real identity—and especially her betrayal. Spikes of dread formed in my stomach.

". . . All I've heard about is the achievements of your fearless leader before he died," Aridne continued. "A man of honor, bravery, and dignity—Leo Valdez."

I blinked, not sure if I heard her properly.

Even End did a double-take. What? Percy, are you hiding any memories from me? Any that would identify that son of Hephaestus as anything BUT a doofus?

Nope, I said, popping the p. Sure looks like his last invention—the Hephaestus phones—did their job well. I don't think he expected to come into contact with other humans and not aliens, though.

But instead of correcting Aridne, I just softly smiled. "I'm not sure about the last adjective, but yeah. He was a great dude."

Aridne hummed in agreement, and her breath washed over my face like a soothing wind. "If you survived all of that, you should've danced many times." 

I thought back to my time on Earth—more specifically, in the Olympus ballroom. Every demigod was invited after every quest, and I would never forget the countless dances I had with Annabeth when her mother hadn't been watching us like a hawk. My heart still beat faster as I thought about how beautiful she'd looked, no matter the dress she wore.

And during those times, surprisingly, I'd never tripped over Annabeth's feet or performed any clumsy move like I was right now. That might've been because I didn't know if that would be the last dance I would have with her—or the last time I saw her—but . . .

"Times were different back then," I said wistfully. 

Thankfully, Aridne didn't try to pry; I didn't know what I would say if she asked any other questions. But what she did was almost worse:

She laid her head on my chest.

That's it, I thought as she forced me into a slow dance. Percy, if you die of a heart attack right now, that'll be the most embarrassing death in the world—aside from dying to Ares.

My movements immediately became more tense, and I had to force myself to look away so I didn't lean in to kiss her. End?

I'm a warrior, she said gruffly. I don't know how to dance.

Fortunately, though, Order came to the rescue, mixing a reverse turn, a promenade, a three-step, and a bunch of other moves into a complicated dance that I could barely process from the safety of my own mind.

Around us, some couples stopped what they were doing to gape at us; it was obvious that they'd never seen a dance as complicated as Order's before.

It's my own invention, Order said proudly as he hinged more than ninety degrees at his waist. A mix of the various dances found all over the solar system—it's bound to impress anyone who lays their eyes on it, especially with my overclocking.

Overclocking? I had to ask. 

End sighed. It's the only useful thing this idiot can do—and THIS is how he decides to use it. He can speed up your brain to heighten your senses and make your reaction time basically nonexistent—a type of time manipulation, if you will.

"Just where did you learn this?" Aridne asked, a bit breathless with surprise. "You couldn't even do a basic spin a minute ago."

Upon her words, Order, End, and I all froze. We can't tell her about you guys, I said quickly.

Why not? Order asked, recovering and pulling Aridne into a forward sweep. 

Not now, Order. It's . . . not the right time. Make up an excuse or something.

But before Order could save us from a lengthy explanation—or Aridne could ask us for one—there was a big commotion from the center. 

Order retreated back into my mind space , letting me spin around to face the center. My eyes widened in shock. Beside me, Aridne took a quick breath.

No way, End groaned. Wasn't Liam a second away from apprehending Denham?

Now, my friend lay unconscious at the Wolf's feet. Denham stood over him, back straightened, looking completely different from a minute ago—as if he'd never been injured. It was a trap.

And now he was looking right at us.