The Golden Amulet (PJO, Sequel to The Silver Ring)

Chapter 16

Surprisingly, it went along smoothly.

Leon and Adriana weren't shocked at their sudden appearance so much as slightly excited at the aspect of saving Chaos soldiers.

"We were never on the side of Void," Adriana told Percy and Rosaline as she led them to where Psi, Theon, and Tania were supposedly getting prepared to be executed in front of a live audience—something either to instill fear or hatred for Choas soldiers among the ranks of Void soldiers. Leon was at the back to make sure nobody was flanking them. "Our father was a mid-ranking corporal for the Army of Chaos—they thought it was a better idea to jail him rather than kill him, knowing that Lord Chaos cares about his soldiers dearly and would almost do anything to get them back."

"Plus, it allowed them to blackmail us to force us to work as guards, albeit reluctantly," Leon added.

"We'll help you free your father," Rosaline reassured them. "It's the least we could do to pay you back."

"Really?" Leon said, sharing a relieved glance with Adriana like they had thought Percy and Rosaline would abandon them to take the fall after saving their comrades—which made sense since Chaos soldiers were probably depicted as sly, cunning, and selfish people. They'd probably been forced to work for Void long enough that their interactions with Chaos soldiers were all but forgotten. "T-That'll be amazing."

"When's the execution taking place?" Rosaline asked.

Adriana said, "In about ten minutes. They will wait for everybody to gather first, so maybe a bit longer. It's in headquarters, which is about a five-minute walk from here."

Rosaline shot Percy a glance, showing him that she was thinking the same thing as him: they didn't have much time to save the others. 

No time for crazy, elaborate plans.

They would have to go in, and out.

And also that he had led them the wrong way through the tunnels.

"How many people will be there?" Percy inquired.

"They told us almost everyone in the compound had already decided they would come," Leon replied. "About a thousand armed soldiers. They'll all be watching the Chaos soldiers, so you might have a chance to sneak up, considering you both don't have uniforms."

Rosaline said, "I need to know if you both really will go the lengths to help."

"Of course we will," Adriana said, sounding slightly offended. "We've helped you this far, haven't we?"

"Just think about it for a second," Rosaline insisted. There's a difference between guiding, and helping. You can be a part of the escape attempt, putting your life on the line and being branded as a traitor on this planet, or you could leave right now, and keep each other safe. You both have done plenty for us. We can happily take over—and we will not judge you if you take the easy way out."

Leon and Adriana seemed to listen and mull it over, which was smart, considering it was Rosaline they were talking to. She was a leader and an excellent one at that. She would make sure everyone was fully committed—and the only reason she hadn't asked Percy was that she knew him like the back of her hand; he would trust and support any decision she made.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Leon said, "We didn't help you to back off at the most important time. We'll stick with you up till the end—and even if we die, it's for Lord Chaos' cause. That's the highest honor we could ask for."

Rosaline hid her relief well—but she couldn't hide it from Percy. Going against a thousand armed enemy soldiers in their home territory which was an underground base without any disguises was hard enough without two people backing out. Plus, Psi, Theon, and Tania wouldn't voluntarily allow themselves to be executed; they would probably be badly beaten up or even unconscious—and Percy knew for a fact he couldn't carry two grown adults at one, and neither could Rosaline. In addition to that, they would probably be tied up, which would take time to free them. An extra person helping or fending them off would be prudent in all of them escaping alive.

Percy suddenly had a thought. "Psi, Theon, and Tania are immortal, right?"

"Yes," Rosaline said, her tone grim. "But that won't change anything."

"How so?"

"You've killed immortals, have you not? Well, not 'killed,' but cause them to go into the reformation process for a very long time, essentially eradicating them for centuries, long enough that most people forget about them. That can happen with us too, obviously, and it's something that we usually try to avoid. Plus, there are two types of immortality that Lord Chaos and Lady Void can give: one where the people have no powers and domains, and one where they have powers and domains. I have the latter, while Psi and the others have the former, making them more susceptible to taking longer to reform."

"Oh," Percy said, feeling slightly stupid that he never thought about it this way. His mind wandered off to his past quests. So many people had died. And for what cause? The monsters would reform in the next few weeks. The immortals would reform eventually.

The demigods would be lost forever.

All the deaths and all the suffering could've been stopped if the gods had just worked with the demigods from the start. He detested the thought of anyone, be it good or bad guys, that didn't see their sacrifice honored, or try to be prevented by their leader.

War was an absolute bloodbath.

And for the immortals?

It was a challenge. A challenge that came regularly for them. They didn't care about how many lives it took, how many tears it took. Because it wasn't their own.

They just wanted to win.

The sounds of hundreds of people murmuring reached his ears from the distance, quickly approaching.

"Who is 'them'?" Rosaline asked.

"Them what?" Leon asked.

"You keep on saying 'they told us,' or something similar. Do you know the names of the people?"

"Five people arrived here just before you guys got captured. They took control of everything. I think their collective name started with a G?"

Percy's hands felt clammy. "Did a woman lead them? With a powerful aura?"

Leon frowned in thought. "I think so. Why?"

"Please don't say what I think you're going to say," Rosaline said with fear and apprehension in her eyes.

Percy couldn't look at her. "Looks like we'll be facing the Generals," he said grimly.