The Silver Ring (PJO)

Chapter 2

A million questions were floating around in my mind. But out of all the ones I needed to ask, like: How? or What am I supposed to do? I blurted out the first thing that didn't need to get asked.

"How do you know this?"

"I'm the Creator," Chaos said. "I'm supposed to know everything."

"So, technically, you have the full world on your shoulders," I concluded.

"I guess you could say that." That was the exact answer I wanted him to reply with.

"Then tell me, why do you act like a kid if you have that much stress?" I asked, barely suppressing a smile.

Chaos gaped at me, making him look like a baffled fish. I could almost hear the gears turning in his mind, trying to come up with a good answer. "Er . . . fine. I leave the future to somebody else," he said, then started defending himself. "I didn't want to be grouchy and cantankerous for infinity."

"Who?" I asked, curious. "The Fates? Because I can tell you from experience; they're not really good at their job."

"Actually, the Fates are the ones who actually visit the mortal world. I leave it up to Ananke."

I had suspected that it would be Ananke, but I wasn't sure. Up until now. I decided that I had learned enough information for one day, and I went to the topic of war. "How long do I have until the world dissolves into destruction? And what do I have to do?"

Chaos looked surprised, as though he thought I would've needed more convincing to act. "You're agreeing this fast?"

"What else am I supposed to do?" I asked. "I could always rescind my offer . . ."

"No, no, no, that's fine," Chaos said quickly, waving his arms around wildly. I smiled satisfaction. "I just thought . . . never mind." he cleared his throat. "The war is going to be against Nyx, Artemis and Athena."

"Artemis and Athena?!" I exclaimed. "They're literally the most loyal Olympians!"

Chaos quickly corrected himself. "You have to stop Artemis and Athena from fighting each other, and prevent Nyx from taking over."

"Oh," I said, then realized what he said. "I have to prevent two wars?! You said only one!" I glared at him.

"Well . . . the wars will happen because of each other. I can't say anymore." Chaos actually looked apologetic, as though, if it was his choice, he would stop it with his own powers.

And that's what stopped me from yelling at him. It was kind of sad, but he was the only deity that actually treated me like a person, and not like a pawn he could play with. "Can you tell me any clues how to stop it?"

Chaos brightened up, as though he was waiting for me to ask that. "Of course I can!" he exclaimed dramatically, as though he was rehearsing a play. "In approximately a week, Artemis is going to realize that she's missing her silver bracelet, and in several days will amass enough evidence to accuse Athena of stealing it. Athena will then deny any involvement. One thing leads to another, and suddenly, Artemis and Athena will be at each others' throats."

"What's so special about the bracelet, enough to wage war?" I asked. "And is Athena a suspect?"

"The bracelet was given to Artemis from her mother, Leto, as a parting gift. It has sentimental value, plus Leto enchanted it, giving the wearer enhanced powers and some protection. It is so valuable to Artemis that she never wears it, fearing that she might lose it. If you ask me, she was better off wearing it. Unfortunately, I can't tell you if Athena is clear, so think of her as a suspect. Find the bracelet, and give it back to Artemis before she starts a war."

The idea of waging a war against another person only for a bracelet didn't make too much sense. I then imagined myself in Artemis' place: It was be the last parting gift from her mother, and she would never see her again. Suddenly, it made a lot more sense.

I returned my attention back to Chaos. "How do I stop the war with Nyx?"

"Just get the bracelet, and that's it," Chaos said, trying not to give too much away.

I still had my suspicions though. "That's it? How on earth will giving a bracelet back stop a primordial from attacking?" 

Chaos playfully glared at me. "You're just trying to get me to spill my beans, aren't you?"

"Do you expect me to go in blind?"

"I gave you lots of information already!" Chaos exclaimed.

"No, you haven't," I argued. "You only gave me a bit of backstory, and one suspect. It's like not telling a football team who they're playing against, and what their strategy should be."

Chaos sighed. "Fine, fine. Nyx will manipulate somebody you have met into stealing the bracelet without them knowing it's Artemis'. She will then use that disturbance as a distraction and launch a surprise attack. The camps will be wiped out before the gods can organize back into ranks." Instead of using a somber tone, he was using his normal one, as though he was talking about a make-believe battle, rather than one that would destroy the entire Greek world.

I'll bet a thousand drachmae that it's Ares, I thought. He's stupid as a goose, and very easy to manipulate.

"That's not much better," I said, frustrated. "I've met almost everybody in camp, and lots of gods. There must be thousands of suspects."

Chaos groaned. "This is the last hint you're getting: it's somebody that you have met at least one-hundred times, or fought closely with. In other words, somebody you're tight with, or one of the Olympians. Got it? Thanks for doing this for me! I owe you my life and the whole galaxy! Goodbye!" He disappeared, presumably teleporting somewhere else before I could open my mouth.

The scenery started to dissolve, meaning that I was about to wake up.

I barely noticed this, since I was disturbed about what I had learned. I had to stop two battles, in a week. Chaos had narrowed my list of suspects from thousands to less than a hundred people.

But it was still a daunting task.

I was used to non-stop battling, adventuring, and saving the world, but Chaos had given me something that I wasn't good at: detective work. 

I felt fear and anxiety crawl through my body.

I had to save the world. Again.

A/N-Hope you're enjoying the story, and please star it. Feel free to leave any comments, and have a nice day! If you want to see another story after this one, please comment the idea and I'll consider it.