The Spirits of the Universe (PJO)

Chapter 68--Enemies and Secrets

A/N-Uh I might have forgotten to post this chapter. Enjoy the read!

~~~~

"Go to your rooms!" I ordered the priestesses. "Now!"

This time, they listened. I don't know if it was because they'd been swayed by my words, or if they were planning to grab weapons, but they scurried off into the distance. 

Now that I didn't have to worry about the priestesses, I made my way towards my friends' rooms as fast as possible. As I passed the woman soldier, I kicked her as hard as I could.

I'm normally very chivalrous,  and I wouldn't harm anyone who'd already been incapacitated. However, this specific soldier had threatened my friends, and had been all around a big jerk. 

That's why I didn't feel any sense of guilt as I watched her roll around in pain from the corner of my eyes. But quickly, my sense of satisfaction turned into dread. My friends were in danger.

It wasn't that I doubted their capabilities—rather, our enemy, whoever it was, was strong. They'd sent a whole platoon after me. Against Liam and Aridne, who were way stronger than me, it wouldn't be crazy to send more than two. 

Additionally, thanks to N's less-than-welcome visit, I'd been more or less prepared for the assassins. No matter how awake my friends were, I just couldn't see them winning against a dozen blood crazed soldiers flooding into their rooms without their weapons.

That's why, when I rounded the corner, I was surprised to see Aridne and Liam barreling towards me.

"You guys!" I exclaimed. "I was so worried about you. Are you okay?"

"No!" Liam yelped. "Run!"

I don't know how, but in my haze of relief, I'd failed to realize that there were more than two dozen soldiers chasing them in bloodlust, only ten seconds behind. Some had bruises and welts on their pressure points—and all had sharp weapons. I don't think peace negotiations are going to work on these guys.

To my right and in between my friends and I was were the doors that led upstairs. Without missing a beat, Aridne and Liam dashed through them, and I was right behind.

"Find something to wedge these with!" Aridne ordered as she held the doors closed.

I looked around to no avail. The priestesses kept the temple as clean as a bar of soap on day one. There wasn't as much as a spindly stick around. 

So I uncapped Riptide and maneuvered the blade through the handles. "Let's go!"

"But what about your sword?" Liam asked as we took the steps two at a time.

"You volunteered yourself for a mission for my sake, and you still don't know that Riptide returns to my pocket?" I asked incredulously.

From behind us came the sound of a pack of soldiers slamming into the doors, only to rebound with pained groans. The doors shuddered, and Riptide began slipping out of the makeshift wedge. It wouldn't last for long. 

But that was enough. We climbed the last few steps as fast as we could and we crashed to the door . . .

Only to find ourselves in utter darkness.

"C'mon," Aridne said urgently scanning around cautiously. "Let's get out of here for the time being."

"Wait," I said, confused. "There's no safety net? No Plan B to capture us?"

"Not that I can see—and I'm not waiting to find out. We'll figure out what to do outside."

As we made our way towards the front door, my vision slowly adjusted to the night. Aridne was right. There was nothing—no breathing, no footsteps. Still, moonlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the twin statues of Order and End while creating ominous shadows around other places. The croaky sound of a nightjay only served to grate on my nerves further—