The Spirits of the Universe (PJO)

Chapter 9--I Burn a Sacred Book

Because of the attack, we were invited to stay at the castle—which probably sounded a bit redundant, but Lady Chaos probably wanted her primordials close.

And it wasn't as though she had pushed us into the servant quarters (which were still very big); I was sharing a "suite" with Daphne and Gilbert—which turned out to be a very small portion of the castle that was a bigger version of the first floor of Esterhaven. 

Liam had been immediately swept away by Chaos, giving me the evidence I needed to deduce that he wasn't just any normal army medic. I hoped that meant he'd get separate lodging—and not a trip to the dungeon for football-tackling the creator of the universe.

If that was the case, I would never hear the end of it—after all, it had been my plan.

I still didn't regret telling Liam one of my biggest secrets. Keeping one, let alone as many as I did away from my closest ones was . . . taxing. It allowed me to shift some of the burden off of myself—which I desperately needed, especially after being shaken by the abrupt flashback.

And the more people that knew about the immortals in my head, the higher the chance that someone could find a way to get them out of there.

Trust me, if there were a way, we would've been planets away already, End snorted.

I'm not so sure, Order piped up. I'd make sure you were fine before leaving, Percy.

I smiled. Thanks, Order. You should look out for your own freedom, though. I'm fine.

But I still wasn't over it. The second Gilbert and Daphne were out of the suite—called to a council meeting—I flopped onto my bed and let the emotions out. I reserved the day for "self-reflection."

We all knew it was so I could pity myself.

But after a few hours of wallowing, pouting, and immersing myself in memories of the good old days, End snapped. Her exact words were, If you don't find something useful to do in the next minute, I'll make sure you won't be able to count to seven, let alone think about them.

I might've been a bit dense, but I knew when my life was in danger. Which is how I found myself inside Chaos' library.

Now, I know what you're thinking: Percy, what the heck are you doing in a library when you're dyslexic? You better have a good explanation for this.

Problem was, I didn't know what the heck I was doing in a library when I was dyslexic.

The library had called to me, sort of like how I always knew where to go when I was summoned to a council meeting on Olympus, even though the throne room moved every week. (Something about Zeus being bored of his surroundings or whatever—but the throne room didn't even have windows. I'd given up reasoning with the Olympians.) I'd just spun around corners, ascended staircases, and walked through hallways, following my instincts. 

I had some experience in libraries since Annabeth had unrestricted access to Lady Athena's archives. The thought of her made my heart pang. I tried distracting myself by looking at the intricate battle scenes painted on the lofted ceilings. There were tons and tons of shelves supporting books—so many that, if it weren't for the signs, I would've probably lost my way.

The deeper I went, the books got dustier and looked yellower, as if no one had stepped foot here for a few years. Eventually, I burst out of the rows of books into a corner that was lit only by the light leaking from the other sections of the library.

An open book on a wooden table nearby caught my attention.

What are you waiting for?  End asked impatiently when I didn't move.