The Remembrance of Chaos (PJO)

Chapter 8

"Come on!" Artemis pulled Percy through a random street. Thanks to people shouting about the price of their wares, her shout was almost muffled, and the guards did not hear. They weaved through the busy street, bumping into many people. Percy tried to apologize every time it happened, but it was impossible, since he seemed to bump into everyone. Besides, no one seemed to care, and the people who had heard him looked at Percy curiously.

It was apparent that bumping into someone was quite common. Since he tried to apologize, he was now pegged as a foreigner—which was technically true—and the citizens would remember him as such.

Technically, it was not a bad thing, trying to apologize, but it just singled him out. If they got interrogated, they would remember him. Even the tiniest details would make them more observant towards him. He then tried to melt with the crowd, and stopped apologizing.

It took every single bit of willpower to do that, since apologizing was ingrained in his being. Nevertheless, he managed.

Minutes ticked by. Artemis was still dragging Percy in an inconspicuous way, and Percy could not see any guards anywhere. He hoped that was a good thing: it meant that they did not have to sneak around as much, but it was also concerning; if there were no guards patrolling, that meant they had been summoned. Percy could bet it was something to do with them.

"Where are we going?" Artemis asked.

Percy looked at her incredulously. "You're the one pulling me! Where were you leading me?"

"I was leading us away from the guards, now we need to agree on where to go. Do we go to the gates?"

"They're probably guarding those heavily: End probably doesn't want us to escape her territory."

"The only other place I can think of is an inn or some kind of public place."

"Good idea. Can you summon money?"

"I think so. Why?"

"We might have to stay in the city for a bit, since the guards are blocking our way out."

"In that case, we should look for an inn for the night."

"Not now, at least. It's too risky with the searching guards."

Finding a populated public place would be better. In the afternoon, most people were outside, enjoying their day, or even working. If they went in the night, there would be more people in the inn, and it would be harder to spot them.

All they needed to do was find a public place before the guards came. Just staying in the streets was not ideal, since movement generally attracted attention. With Artemis' white shirt, and his red shirt, they could be seen from a long distance away. All the citizens wore darker clothes—things like dark blue, black, and grey. 

Artemis seemed to notice this too, since she closed her eyes an immediately their shirts had changed colors: hers to grey, and his to dark blue.

"I'm surprised you did not change the color of my shirt to pink," Percy muttered.

Artemis smirked at him. "Don't give me any ideas, now."

Oh great, Percy thought.

They walked a bit more until they reached a public space. There were stores: people were selling fresh vegetables and fruits; other people were selling clothes and other household items; and finally, a huge park, complete with walking trails. Just the place they were looking for.

Percy had expected it to be a bit full, since it was the middle of a working day, but it was populated to the max.

Apparently, it's very popular park, Percy thought.

All the people would make it very easy to blend in. The sky was starting to darken; they planned on going to an inn after it turned completely dark, or when all the people started flocking towards their homes.

Percy dutifully followed as Artemis started walking on one of the trails. Percy looked around before confirming there was nobody within earshot.

Now the long term planning begins," Percy said.

Artemis rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "Oh boy, we're both horrible at this."

"Do you know which planet we are on?" Percy did not have the slightest clue, but he was hoping Artemis did. 

Unfortunately, Artemis shook her head. "No."

"Do you know where Chaos is located?" Again, Percy did not have the slightest clue. In the palace, he was busy trying to contact Chaos—or running away from End.

"Actually, I might know that," Artemis said. Percy perked up. "I think he's on . . . Planet Chaos?"

"That's probably it," Percy nods. "If he isn't the ruler of that planet, I'd be shocked."

"You could ask him tonight," Artemis suggested. 

"Maybe," Percy said unsurely. He usually could not talk in dreams.

Artemis understood. "Oh, you can't talk in your dreams. You did one time, right?"

"Yes, but I didn't know how to replicate that scenario . . . "

"We'll think of something."

Percy wished he could be that confident; the only emotions he had at that time were worry, nervousness, and paranoia. His head was filled with many questions, him having no clue how to answer any of them.

Why did End want him? Was End planning something, or was the kidnapping a kind of revenge plot, or even for fun? Were they on a different planet than Chaos? If so, how would they get off the planet?

Artemis seemed to notice his inner turmoil and tried to distract him. And "distract" she did.

An object suddenly appeared in Percy's hand. Like any other normal person, he lifted the object into his line of sight: the object was a pair of sunglasses, the frame a bright blue.

"Sunglasses?" Percy asked, glancing at Artemis in confusion. "What for?"

"We better head back." Artemis did not answer his question, but she was right; the sky was the color of ink, and the buildings were tall silhouettes. The crowd was beginning to thin out. Artemis and Percy mixed in within the crowd. Their destination was the inn on the corner of the block.

"But why sunglasses?" Percy asked.

Artemis shrugged yet again: it seemed to be her go-to answer. "I don't know, they'll cover our eyes while making us look cool."

Percy snorted. "I'd understand that in the morning, but in the night nobody can see you . . . "

And off they went, Percy arguing with a hyper teenager.