The Spirits of the Universe (PJO)

Chapter 48--I Make Some Real Promises

A/N--Bro. I swear I published this, but i guess Wattpad wants to mess with me. Have fun reading!

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"Mr. Percy!" Vespera said, "I heard you were back in the city, but I didn't know you would come looking for me this quickly! You must have news for me, right?"

She bounded up to me happily, quite the opposite of how our first interaction went. This only made me want to tuck tail and run. I felt like I was ruining her future dreams. But . . . This is what Paul would've wanted.

That didn't mean I had the courage to spell it out immediately, though. Instead, I handed her the bracelet.

Vespera studied it for a moment, and her excitement only grew. "I gave this to my father on the last birthday we celebrated together—you really found him? This is the best day of my life! But . . . where is he?"

She looked behind me playfully, as if expecting Paul to surprise her with his presence. But when no one jumped out, the hope in her eyes wavered. She turned back toward me. "Mr. Percy—where is my father?"

"It's true," I said softly. "We found him in the Great Forest. But it was already too late. He told me that he wished he could spend more time with you—"

A choked sob rose from Vespera's throat. She stumbled backwards, but Aridne was there, snagging her arm before she could fall. Her complexion was pale and sweaty. I watched as the joy in her eyes slowly turned into despair—and then the tears fell. "T-take the bracelet back to my father."

I could tell what she was thinking: Paul had been alive until he'd given me the piece of jewelry. So, if it was returned, maybe he could come back to life. To a child, this was perfect logic. But . . . "He's gone for good, Vespera. He's in a better place now. He wishes you to do the same—"

"How can I be happier if he abandoned me?!" Vespera screamed. I knew she wasn't angry at me, but I still took a step back. The girl dropped to her knees.

Aridne looked at me pleadingly. It was obvious that she didn't know what to do next.

It's your turn now, buddy, End said.

I-I'm not a therapist! What am I supposed to do? But even as I said that, I knew that wasn't completely true. Truth is, Vespera reminded me of myself—when I lost everything in my life, and I couldn't imagine my future. Anyone could whisper false promises in her ear, but the thing she needed the most was . . . 

Empathy.

Before I knew it, I had walked forward and enveloped the child in my arms. Vespera leaned into my embrace, her sobs tearing my heart into tiny, sharp pieces that all wanted revenge—how could anyone call the world fair when even children couldn't be protected?

Before I knew it, my tears were staining the dirt surrounding us. "I'll come back and get you," I promised her. "After everything is over. I'll give you a happy life."

But that seemed like the wrong thing to say. Vespera stiffened in my embrace, then pushed away from me. Before I knew it, she was at the mouth of the alleyway—and then she disappeared. Well, that went as well as I expected it to.

End asked, What happened to false promises?

They're still banned, I said. I wasn't lying—I''ll be back. No matter how long it takes.

I wiped the tears off my face, then stood up to face Aridne. "We got a mayor to deal with now, right?"

~~~

True to what the leader of the guards had said, the mayor had set up a huge banquet for our return. 

He didn't seem happy about it, though.

As we dug through the various cuisines of bread, cheese and stews (even lobster, though I didn't understand where the mayor would've found them; Helmmount wasn't near any bodies of saltwater) with no regards to table manners, the frown on the mayor's face only deepened. He quickly caught himself though, covering his dark demeanor with a benevolent smile.

The man's struggle only proceeded to egg Liam on. My friend hadn't liked the mayor from the start of our first meeting, and he was doing everything in his power to inconvenience the man. He grabbed portions from the serving trays with his bare hands, blatantly ignoring the serving utensils. He must've burped at least a dozen times before the end of the meal, and, once his stomach was full, he wiped his mouth on the tablecloth, even though a white velvet napkin had been placed in front of him.

"That was the best meal of my life!" Liam laughed. "Did you see the mayor's face at the end? If we were in a cartoon, smoke would've been shooting out of his ears!"

It was an hour after the banquet. Servants had led us to the place where we would be spending the night. After good food and warm baths, we were all in joyful moods.

"I was ready to murder you too," Aridne growled. "Who behaves like that in front of others?"

"That's not fair, Aridne. You weren't here when he treated us like trash. You should be glad that I didn't destroy some of his property—and you!"

Liam changed his tone and turned toward me so fast that I was taken aback. "Me?"

"I thought for sure you were going to join in!" Liam exclaimed. "Instead you were busy pouting the entire meal. Did you even eat anything?"

"The lamb was pretty good," I mumbled.

You ate one meat skewer, End tutted in disapproval. It was clear that she supported Liam's behavior. That doesn't count as a snack, let alone a full meal.

"I'm just a bit tired," I lied. "Nothing to worry about."

Truth be told, I was doing a lot of worrying. After Vespera had fled from my embrace in that alleyway, thoughts of her safety filled my mind. Where was she? Was she cold? Did she have enough to eat?

And now, surrounded by the mayor's lavish castle and luxurious foods only made me queasy. How could I enjoy myself when I'd just broken a little child's dreams?   

But Liam had no way of knowing that. He just nodded his head, then went back into his rant. "Maybe you're right, Aridne. Maybe I should've waited till morning before causing a ruckus—who offers one room to three guests?"

"It's not horrible," Aridne pointed out. "The room's plenty big. The mayor's being hospitable enough. They even set out extra mattresses!"

She was pointing to the floor, where servants had dragged in two feather-stuffed mattresses about half and hour ago. Plump with bedsheets and pillows, I knew the moment my head hit the mattress, I would fall into deep sleep.

"Funny coming from you!" Liam complained. "It's no fair that you're taking the bed!"

"If you want it, you can come fight me for it," Aridne said casually. "But we both already know who'd win."

Liam looked ready to fight, and I sighed. "Just keep it quiet, alright?"