The Silver Ring (PJO)

Chapter 41

I was ready to step forward to stop Omega from mutilating the soldier, but then I remembered what he said.

Whatever happens, I'm not losing control.

That was the sole reason why I backed down and watched the show.

Omega put up a great performance; if you met him for the first time, you would get the sense that he was powerful—and had anger management issues. His quietness seemed more like he was brooding, and not as though his habit was to observe.

"Stop!" the soldier gasped when Omega reached threateningly for his hand. "I'm not going to tell you anything! This is all pointless!"

"We'll see about that," Omega said in his best impression of a villain—which was, again, very convincing.

Meanwhile, the other soldier was slowly pulling out his backup-backup knife in a way that he probably thought was stealthy, but I could see it easily.

A glance at Chaos showed he was fighting the urge to laugh at his ridiculousness as well.

When the unrestrained soldier also lunged at Omega to save his buddy, we didn't react, knowing Omega had it handled.

Sure enough, he spun around, grabbed the soldier by the scruff of his neck, and pinned him on the wall next to his buddy, even as the soldier was trying to wildly stab at him.

Chaos and I cringed in unison when Omega kneed him in the nether region, effectively shutting him up.

"You friend cares a lot about you," Omega observed. "Maybe it's the other way around too. I'll break his arm if you don't tell me why Void wanted Eon to escape."

The soldiers laughed. "That's what you wanted to know?" one of them asked incredulously. "You guys are dumber than I thou—"

The last word was cut off with a pained groan as Omega threw him across the room. The soldier hit the metal bed and dazedly got up with a deep gash above his right eyebrow.

"Don't talk about Lord Chaos like that," Omega snarled. "You deserve much worse—and you'll both get it if you"—he turned towards the soldier he was restraining—"don't answer my question."

The soldier's eyes traced over his friend's wound before looking back at Omega. "You won't hurt us if I tell you, right?"

"If you tell me everything," Omega corrected. "After the battle, you'll also be freed."

For a few moments, the soldier wavered. Suddenly, he cracked like an egg. "Fine! We were tasked to distract him"—he pointed towards me—"if he tried to stop the Generals from escaping. Lady Void wanted the Generals for the battle, and that's all we know."

"Not for any other devious plans to sabotage us?" I asked.

"Not as far as I know. The battle's today in a few hours, right? There's not enough time."

He sounded like he was telling the truth, and his eyes were full of honesty and worry for his friend. 

Apparently, Omega thought this as well, since he took a step back from the soldier and let him run towards his friend, who was sitting on the lower bunk and watching what was happening with a pained expression on his face while keeping pressure on his wound. 

"Here, this will help," Omega said while leading us out of the cell before throwing a plastic bag towards them which seemed to be filled with beef jerky.

The soldier nodded in thanks and fed the injured man some of it. While I was watching, the injury magically started to heal, leaving no apparent scar.

"Was that ambrosia?" I asked Omega while I followed Rosaline—who had joined us—out of the dungeon.