The Spirits of the Universe (PJO)

Chapter 77-She's Here

A/N--Hey y'all, I'm here to let y'all know that I'm going to be a bit busy, so I won't be able to upload a chapter next week. Sorry for the rough couple of weeks!

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"What's your plan?" I asked Aridne.

She looked at me grimly. "Ever broke a window safely before?"

I thought back to my adventures on Earth. Windows had provided me a way out of sticky situations more often than doors ever did—so I was kind of an expert in that regard.

But safely? Memories flashed through my mind of being thrown through glass panes by monsters—and sometimes even my own teammates. I'd never gotten seriously wounded, but . . .

"No," I said. "I have no idea how to."

She nodded, as if expecting that. "Find a cloth—a rag, towel, or some discarded clothes."

"Uh . . . you're not going to make me wear something dirty, right?" Even demigods had their limits—and this was mine.

Aridne gave me an incredulous look. 

The angry shouts became louder—as if the group of clergy were approaching the door. "Guys!" I heard Liam shout. "There's nothing in there!"

Liam was losing ground.

"Go!" Aridne hissed. She turned towards the half of the room closest to her.

I did the same, which turned out to be the furthest from the door—and, consequently, where everything had been abandoned to be forgotten. Cobwebs reached out from the corners, trying to hide the scraps of broken chairs, boards of drywall—and some sharp rusty metal bars. Their tips were sharp and colored a faint red. I didn't want to know what they'd been used for.

Sacrifices, End and Order said in unison.

Thanks, I said sarcastically. But then, I had to ask a follow up. Uh . . . so were those humans or animal sacrifices?

This planet's history has had some dark spots, Order said cryptically.

Suddenly, I felt queasy. Before I could think any more of it, however, Aridne called out, "Did you find anything?"

"There's nothing except useless junk . . ." My eyes locked onto the sole thing decorated the walls—a fabric poster. It was a portrait of Chaos in a long black dress. She was standing on a stage that had been erected in her castle's central courtyard. The painter had perfectly captured her tall, proud stance as she addressed the partygoers.

How did I know all of this?

Because I'd been there. 

Where it had all started.

The attempted assassination. The lockdown.

And Daphne and GIlbert's mysterious disappearances.

Their names were like dynamite to a dam. Memories shot out of that place in my mind—where thoughts were left to dim into the shadows. 

Esterhaven—my room, comfy dinners, and, most importantly, a place I could call my home.

Or so I had thought. 

Until they had betrayed me. 

Now, more than ever, a single question dominated my subconscious: Had it been worth it to run away?

I wasn't sure anymore. Maybe if I'd stayed for even a day longer—given them time to explain why they'd been hiding their true identities from me, we could've gone back to normal. Maybe I wouldn't have had to go on this quest at all.

I shook my head to dislodge my thoughts. Then I ripped the poster off the wall and threw it to Aridne.

It was too late now. I couldn't keep myself rooted in the past. I had to survive. Maybe after all of this . . .

. . . my life could finally go back to normal.

Aridne wrapped the fabric around her arm like a protective sleeve. She reversed her grip on her sword. Without warning, she slammed the butt of the hilt into the bottom corner of the window pane. 

The glass shattered. An errant shard flew past my ear, but most of the debris was focused towards Aridne's arm. Fortunately, with the poster's help, the shards bounced off harmlessly.

At the same time, the door shot open. Liam staggered in, looked pale and sweaty. He slammed the door shut, locked the deadbolt, and then braced his shoulder against it. "It's not looking good, guys. Are we ready to get out of here?"

"It's double paned," Aridne cursed. "I'm going to have to break one more layer, then clear out an area for us. Thirty seconds at the most."

"Thirty seconds?!" Liam wailed. "We're going to die!"

Outside, the roars of annoyance stopped. Then the door shuddered as the clergy began kicking it down.

"Percy!" Liam yelped. "Help!"

I didn't move—and it wasn't because I was still angry at him. 

Well, I was. But that didn't matter anymore.

Because I'd figured it out.

My gaze was fixed on the center of the town—where the second caravan we'd spotted had come to a stop. Farmers surrounded the guards with carts full of their produce like ants around food. The soldiers were trying to wave them off, but it wasn't very effective.

From my vantage point, I had a clear view of the caravan. Three carriages, all covered with the same flaky black paint. 

Spray paint. 

Not quite carriage paint, so it was a bit . . . unusual. 

Almost as if someone had needed to change their caravan's appearance fast.

But what was even weirder were the guards. As one stepped forward to push a farmer away, his cloak shifted, revealing his armor.

It wasn't cold enough to need a cloak—not like you ever would need one, short of a snowstorm, while being fully clothed in metal that was half your body weight. Those things conduct heat like no one's business.

Unless you were trying to avoid being recognized.

You can't be saying that's Niyomina's, End scoffed. What, she shifted all her stolen goods into TWO carriages?

My shoulders dropped in disappointment. She was right. 

Then it hit me. The first caravan we saw. How many carriages did it have?

Three. I don't see how that's important—

How many does Niyomina's have?

Six. End suddenly understood. You don't mean . . .

I KNEW something was weird. This carriage is spray painted the same way the guards' armor was for the first caravan. Everyone looks shifty too. Niyomina split her caravan to disguise it!

This could all be a coincidence, Order warned. If you jump the gun and you're wrong, you'll put the whole mission in jeopardy. 

I knew he was right—but I couldn't be wrong. I felt it. In desperation, I looked back at the caravan . . .

. . . just as the back of one of the carriages opened. Whoever was inside obviously had run out of patience.

They were enveloped in a cloak that reached to the ground. As they climbed out of the carriage, their hood slipped back for just a second. But that was enough.

Only one person wore that nose mask.

A smile curled onto my face. "Aridne! Liam! Get ready to fight."