The Spirits of the Universe (PJO)

Chapter 29-- Window Pain

A/N--Sorry for the late upload, but I hope you enjoy!

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The man zipped through the town like he was on a bicycle. The dark, coupled with the treacherous greenery, made chasing him almost impossible. We went one way, then the next—only to find that he had slipped right past us.

Eventually, though, we found ourselves stumbling towards the center of the town. (Well, Liam and I were stumbling; Aridne seemed calm, like she was jogging through a nice, well-lit park). The houses became constant decorations to our sides. Wherever we were going, it had to be important.

So when we saw the mansion in the distance, I was kind of expecting it. But I was still surprised. 

Liam stopped short. "There's no way I'm going in the mayor's house."

"You don't know it's the mayor's house," I reminded him. 

"His residence in Helmmount looks the exact same—the same arches, gates, and walkways! Well, this one looks a bit bigger, but it doesn't matter. If the mayor missed his house so much to create an exact copy of it, I don't want to see what nightmares await inside."

"He's still a human," Aridne dismissed. "He can't do worse than a . . . er . . . "

". . . a spirit?" Liam finished for her.

Aridne gritted her teeth, but then nodded her head. 

Whew, End said. She has quite the pride—almost like she kind of earned it. 

End, my sister, Order said, I know you think you're doing well with your hints, but you'll have to try harder to make him understand. 

I completely understand! I insisted. But . . . er . . . how would someone 'earn' pride again?

My only response was End's groan. 

In the silent night, there was a creak. It was subtle enough that I thought I'd imagined it, until, in the distance, I found the spirit we were chasing crawling through an open window. He struggled for a second, then disappeared inside the mayor's house.

One quick glance confirmed that Aridne saw him too. "We follow it. Our only lead to what happened to the town right now is that spirit." 

"But we don't even know what it's capable of!" Liam exclaimed. 

"It's three against one," Aridne said. "If we can't beat one, then what about the others?"

Liam blanched. "There's more?"

Aridne gave him a grim smile. "You want to stay outside in the darkness, or find shelter instead?"

"You're the one who made us go outside in the first place!" Liam protested. 

"Shut it. You want it to hear us or something?"

She's beautiful, strong, AND manipulative, End noted as we crept towards the mansion in silence. They do say that opposites attract.

End, why are you stalking Percy's friend? Order said, exasperated. Are you jealous of her?

Jealous? In what world? I'm just trying to poke some fun—

End, that's enough, I said. I know she's out of my league. I get it, so stop.

I couldn't control the frustration from leaking into my voice. As an immortal, End found it easy to comment on every tiny thing. At first, it'd been entertaining, but now, it just reminded me of what I couldn't have in my life—like a certain someone.