The Spirits of the Universe (PJO)

Chapter 8--I Throw My New Friend Out of a Window

If I had any lingering doubts that Liam was lying, it was all blown away when we got to Lady Chaos' gala. It was held in the massive courtyard of her ginormous castle, which was the size of two football fields.

The moment we entered, all eyes were on Chronos, Daphne, Gilbert, and, surprisingly—Liam.

Dread blossomed in my stomach as the attention shifted to me, and gasps resounded throughout the room. For a while, I awkwardly followed Daphne and Gilbert, the hair on my neck perpetually pricking up at the feeling of multiple people eyeing me.

Liam just smirked and whispered, "Told you so."

Eventually, I got so fed up with the attention that I grabbed Liam and used him as a human shield. He didn't mind; he patted me on the head sympathetically, then proceeded to casually greet people as though he'd been in the palace before.

I took this time to examine the space. The perimeter of the courtyard was surrounded by tables laden with so much food it seemed too much for five hundred people, let alone the two hundred that were at the event. At one side was a stage, while at the other was an army of tables and chairs. The entire thing was surrounded by the dark stone walls of Chaos' castle.

In the span of a few minutes, I often saw Liam wistfully stare at the stage, where Chaos was deeply discussing with twelve other beautiful beings—including Daphne and Gilbert. It didn't take me long to realize that the only reason Liam wasn't there with them was because of me. I began fervently looking for someplace to excuse myself without looking dumb.

End snorted. It's too late for that. Everyone knows the real you already. I mean, who else would hide behind their friend like a shy butterfly at a social event?

Just before I could respond, my eye caught the presence of light. It was through a window of a guard tower that connected the two opposite walls of the courtyard. Normally, I wouldn't have worried too much about it, but trepidation stormed through my stomach as a silhouette leaned out of the window, facing the center stage.

"Liam," I said urgently as the moon's light flashed briefly over the loaded crossbow in the guy's hands. "Something's wrong."

Liam seemed mildly annoyed that I'd interrupted his conversation with his friends—some high class elites that seemed to giggle and whisper at every annoying thing. But it only took him one glace to see where I was pointing and understand the situation immediately. "He's aiming at one of the primordials."

I looked him square in the eye. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

Bad idea, End commented.

I ignored her. "Good. Go towards the primordials and let them know about what's happening."

Liam frowned. "What will you do?"

I gave him a grim smile. "I'll have to give our friend a warm welcome."

We quickly parted ways, understanding what we had to do. I saw Liam shoving his way to the stage as I slipped closer to the wall.

I wasn't the best with maps. Sometimes I would get lost in Camp, even though it's been my home for years. Now, there wasn't enough time to get into the castle and find my way through the maze-like hallways to the top of the walls. 

Instead, I had to improvise.

I steeled my nerves. I ran forward, narrowly missing a chair that a lady had pushed back from her table as she jumped in excitement. I leaped onto the wall, beginning to scale it. The smooth stone would normally be very hard to climb—but since it had rained that morning, I used the water droplets to cling onto the wall.