The Spirits of the Universe (PJO)

Chapter 51--We Lose Control of Our Emotions

She was marching at the front of the caravan, in front of all the soldiers, her back straight as she rode her muscular horse. She was wearing red leather armor that, for some reason, I know would block even my strongest swing with Riptide. Her breastplate crawled up her neck into a turtleneck, giving way for the black lipstick that decorated her mouth. A thin white cloth was tied across her face, covering only her nose. It gave her the faint presence of an anti-masker forced to wear a mask. 

Still, she was by far on my Top Ten Creepiest Enemies That I Don't Really Want to Fight list—even before I noticed the longsword sheathed on her right thigh. 

"Who is that?" I hissed to Aridne, whose hands had tightened into white fists.

"She's dangerous."

I gathered that much, I thought sarcastically. "We talking splitting-mountains-with-her-bare-hands kind of dangerous? Or I-shouldn't-trust-her-with-my-precious-belongings?"

"How about mutilated-an-entire-division-of-the-Chaos-Army-under-a-minute kind of dangerous?" Aridne said pointedly.

". . . How many people is a divison?"

"Five-hundred-and-thirty-nine."

"Oh." I didn't know what else I could say to that. Five-hundred-and-thirty-five . . . I couldn't even imagine that many people together. At Camp Half Blood, we barely had a hundred demigods at the before the two wars. Our first casualty through the wars had ruined the mood in camp for a solid month. As much as I hated to admit it, I wouldn't be able to deal with the guilt if that many people died in front of me. 

Still, it was surprising that Aridne was showing this much emotion. Usually, I could rely on her to be the calm and collected one, no matter the situation. But this time, I wasn't so sure that anything that came out of her mouth would be reasonable. "Ending on a nine seems . . . inefficient. Why not round up to five-hundred-and-forty?"

"I was the last," Aridne said quietly. Her gaze never moved from staring lasers into Red Armor's back. 

Suddenly, everything made sense. My mouth dried up as my joke that was supposed to raise her spirits suddenly turned into the worst thing I possibly could have said. Damn, Percy, why do you always say the wrong thing at the wrong time?

I could've helped you, End said pointedly, but I'm still looking for the 'Percy way' that's supposed to be working. I don't see anything so far.

It's a process, I shot back. Go back to invading my privacy a bit more.

Her snicker was more irritating than ever, but now wasn't the time to deal with her. I turned back to Aridne, who, to my relief, hadn't moved. If anything, I was more at unease with her quiet disposition. "Er . . . I don't think it would be the greatest idea to attack her right now."

"Niyomina."

"Niyo—what?"

"That's her name. Something that monster doesn't deserve. And, don't worry—I'm not stupid enough to attack her alone. There's a reason why there's a big enough bounty on her for her capturer to buy a castle and all the maids they would ever need."

"Why would a criminal of that caliber risk breaking into the capital for the book?"

"It could be anything—maybe she wants to use it for blackmail to get rid of her bounty. Maybe she plans to sell it off for a lot of money. However, there's a high chance she's working for someone—a powerful being with foresight. She always appears at the right time for her plans—and competent scouting can't explain all of her luck."

This doesn't sound good. There'd always been an inkling in my gut that Aridne's words had now amplified. All this time, I'd been hoping that the thief was an independent person who had simple motives—or maybe a small force that could be easily neutralized. However, if Niyomina truly worked for a powerful being . . . well . . .

. . . I could've just stepped into the beginning of an interplanetary war.

Aridne seemed to have the same thoughts as me. "Returning that book comes before my personal revenge. C'mon. Let's head back to prepare." 

By then, the caravan had almost passed by completely; Niyomina was obscured by a cloud of dust as she led the way down the slight ramp out of our sight. I was happy to listen to Aridne—I didn't know the exact number of soldiers lurking around the caravan, but it was definitely greater than our party of two.

Aridne pulled out the crystal again (I'd thought it'd been absorbed in the explosion, but I'd learned through my experience in the Greek world that mythological objects rarely followed logic), but before she could teleport us back to the mayor's residence in Helmmount, my head began buzzing.

Give me control, End growled out. 

End? What—no! You already used your chance in Ananke's castle.

I don't care. There's no time to explain—this is too important. Give. Me. CONTROL!

The last word was a shout that echoed around the interior of my skull like a bouncing ping pong ball—only if that ball was made of molten steel that burned everything it touched.

"Percy!" Aridne said in alarm as I stumbled back a step, clutching at my head in pain. "Is it a mental attack? Is Niyomina attacking? I knew it! That hag—she doesn't draw any lines when it comes to defeating her opponents . . ."

"It's not her," I managed to get out. "Just give me a second."

Aridne looked ready to argue, and End seemed to agree. Percy! There's no time! I need control.

Order, please control your sister—

But he never responded. It was like he'd disappeared, along with his calm and comforting presence—I was alone against End.