The Spirits of the Universe (PJO)

Chapter 47--Meeting Familiar People

I came to when we reached the gate to enter Helmmount.

I hadn't rested since we had entered the Great Forest. For hours now, my body had been running on fumes of adrenaline. I probably could've held on for longer, if not for the fact that riding on the skeletal horses was surprisingly comfy. Mormolyce had equipped them with soft saddles just in case we had to evacuate our chariots during the horse race (thankfully, we didn't have to resort to that, but it was nice that he had thought that far).

Even worse was the fact that Aridne and Liam hadn't slept at all. "We didn't want to wake you," he explained. "You look like you were run over by a herd of Taraxippi. Aridne and I are used to this."

I know all he was trying to do was make me feel better. It was obvious from his and Aridne's expressions that they were worried for me after Paul's sudden departure. Just thinking about it made me feel horrible.

Here I am, the bearer of bad news, taking a refreshing nap before I tell a girl who's younger than ten that I watched her father die, I said sarcastically. I'm just great, aren't I?

My emotions fell flat against End. Better than falling asleep while giving the news.

You shouldn't punish yourself, Percy, Order added. It wasn't your fault.

I doubted that the guards outside the gate, who looked surprised at our appearance, would've agreed with Order if they'd known about my situation. Neither would the townspeople—a family of three warily watched from the sidelines—nor the soldiers inside of Helmmount, who ran deeper into the city to get their superiors.

I was still sulking when I heard horse hooves pounding on pavement. A unit of horseback soldiers turned the corner of the city block and, within half a minute, skidded to a stop in front of us. I recognized them as the men that had escorted us partway into the Great Forest. They all looked shocked, as if we'd done something wrong by showing up. Our skeletal horses are probably freaking them out.

The leader was riding Wraith, the horse that'd been assigned to me previously. Milord! he exclaimed, sounding relieved. You're back!

You thought I would die? I joked around.

But he was dead serious. Those voices are the ruin of this city. We've been living without hope for so long that anything could happen.

"You don't have to worry now," I said aloud, addressing the horse as well as the guards around us. "There was a Titan by the name Mormolyce in the Great Forest who was maintaining control of the ruins of your previous city. We vanquished him, along with the Taraxippi, his horse-spirit subordinates who were responsible for that horrible stampeded that drove you out of your city. You are safe to venture in now and rebuild your lives."

The soldiers looked at me like I had suddenly grown another head. As I thought about it, though, it made sense—to these mortals who had probably picked up weapons about a year ago, killing a Titan with three people probably seemed to them as an impossible task.

But when Aridne and Liam stayed silent, tentative smiles growing on the soldiers' faces. The leader ordered his subordinates, "Go inform the mayor that our saviors have come back with good news. Tell the kitchen to prepare a feast!"

The soldiers cheered, then three men galloped at full speed deeper into the city. "Come along now," the leader addressed us, then led us down the road at a gentle trot. "I'm sure the mayor will be happy to see you after risking your lives for our citizens."

"You guys go ahead," I said. "Aridne, could you give me the reins for a second?"

Unlike Liam, I prevented our horse from starting forward. My head was swiveled to the left, where I'd thought I saw—

There it was again. 

Before I could doubt myself, I tugged at the reins—and our horse blasted out of position. "Percy!" Liam shouted in alarm as Aridne and I crossed into a side street. Behind us, the soldiers didn't follow. They trust us now—or maybe they're too lazy to stop us.

In front of me, Aridne screamed, "You better know what you're doing, or I'll kill you!"

"You'll see!" was my only response. The wind pricked at my eyes, but that didn't stop me from scanning the surrounding urgently—only to lose hope when I didn't see anything.

You're probably just seeing things, End said. 

I'm not hallucinating, I insisted.

End sounded doubtful. Trust me, if I didn't see it, you DEFINITELY didn't see it. A good night of sleep will do wonders for your body—

There!

I tugged hard at the reins, and our horse veered to the right—and halted. The turn was so sharp that we almost fell off. I held onto the reins tightly, while Aridne grabbed onto two of the horse's exposed ribs tightly. If our horse felt any pain, it certainly didn't show it.

Aridne didn't try to hide her anger. "Percy, are you crazy? There's nothing important here—"

"Mr. Percy?"

Aridne fell silent and her eyes roamed across the alley we were in. There was trash strewn everywhere, even though there was a big steelwood dumpster close toward the end of the alley, where the passage dead ended at the side of a shop.

From behind the dumpster, a pair of innocent brown eyes peered at us. Two seconds ago, they were filled with fear, but they now were overtaken by excitement. "Did you find my father?"

My mouth immediately dried up. I cleared my throat. "Vespera . . . there's something I have to tell you."