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

Chapter 21

Upon hearing Percy's comment, Rosaline glared at him. But before she could say anything along the lines of why didn't you tell me before you idiot, the soldiers directed them towards the mansion at swordpoint.

They didn't do it quietly, however. They chatted amongst themselves as though it was a normal day, not as though they'd just captured a few Chaos soldiers—their worst enemy. 

However, the soldiers spoke in Ancient Greek, seemingly thinking a bunch of stupid and tired Chaos soldiers wouldn't know Greek. But Percy, as stupid and tired as he was, would never be a full-fledged Chaos soldier, meaning he knew Greek. In fact, it was hardwired into his brain—he knew it better than English. So instead of their chitchat flying over his head like a bird, he understood it.

For a moment, after they started talking, he was tempted to shout, "I know Greek, suckers!" but he would probably miss the opportunity to figure out where they were and how they could get to Deeplige, Planet Void's capital city, and he liked being alive; his provoking personality was a usual reason for why many monsters and immortals tried to kill him—or were planning to kill him. (At least, they were pretending to plan to kill him.)

As they passed by huts, people peered through their windows at them—which were just squares carved into the mud walls, letting the outside and inside air mix around. They were all dressed in the same way as the soldiers leading Percy, Psi, Rosaline, and Adriana, and just as fit, giving Percy the sense this wasn't a normal village. Ergo, driven by his curiosity and mainly because of his trepidation, he eavesdropped on the soldiers' conversation. And surprisingly, he learned a lot:

1) These soldiers hated Chaos. In fact, they hated Chaos so much that they yearned to meet him only to tell him how much they hated him.

2) They were taking Percy, Psi, Rosaline, and Adriana to meet Chief Katuni, the head of the "village." 

3) This might not be a village, but something else, because the soldiers always had to quickly cut themselves off when describing the place and substitute the word they were going to use with "village."

The soldiers herded Psi, Percy, Rosaline, and Adriana into the central mansion. 

It didn't look like anything he was expecting.

They had appeared in a spacious foyer. In modern terms, it was decorated sparingly, but given it was built with primitive tools and materials, it was shocking. The ceiling sat two stories above him, while there were multiple doors leading to bedrooms, stone-age meeting rooms, and supply closets.

Percy kept his voice low so that only Rosaline, who was next to him, would hear what he had learned. "They're bringing us to their leader, Chief Katuni. But I doubt he's the chief of this . . . whatever this place is."

"Oh no," Rosaline said. "Do you think it's another unit of the Army of Void?"

"Let's hope not. Otherwise, we're about to create some chaos."

"You have a plan?"

"No. But I'm working on it. It goes something like this: run and don't get hurt."

Rosaline snorted softly, making the soldiers briefly look at her. But it didn't seem as though they cared about them being quiet since they just continued their conversation in Greek. "You forgot the 'dangerous peril' part we always seem to go through, no matter how safe we are."

"I'm hoping to skip that part this time," Percy admitted.

The soldiers shoved them through a door, and they found themselves in a conference room of sorts, with a long wooden table and crude chairs. Chief Katuni sat on the farthest chair facing them, seemingly just staring off into space.

At the first glance, he didn't look that important. Wearing the same leather armor and having the same muscular build, Percy would've definitely thought he was a soldier if not having his prior information. He was slightly older, but not old enough to restrict his movement given how smoothly he stood up when they opened the door.

His piercing stare was the only thing different; Percy had to try not to flinch as he locked eyes with Cheif Katuni for a moment. But as the man's gaze swept over his companions, Percy had the sense that, in the few moments, Chief Katuni had read his personality and why he was here perfectly with his skillful eyes.

"Why did you bring them here?" he asked the soldiers in Greek.

The soldiers quickly bowed in reverence, before the biggest soldier spoke again. "We found them encroaching on our property," he said. They said they're Chaos soldiers. Should we kill them?"

Percy gulped. His future suddenly didn't seem too promising. 

However, it seemed as though fate was finally on his side. (In retrospect, however, the Moirai probably needed a nap for a few minutes. They would never let him be so lucky.) "Patience," Chief Katuni told the soldiers. "Death should always be a last resort. Especially when dealing with a powerful enemy." Chief Katuni turned towards Rosaline, correctly guessing she was their leader. "Why are you here?" he asked her in a kind voice, in English, reassuring her that she was welcome to speak her mind freely. "And do you really work for Chaos?"

It worked. Rosaline's glare became slightly softer at his tone. "We needed a place to rest for the night," she told him honestly. "We are Chaos soldiers, but we have no business with you."

She tried to go on but was interrupted by the soldiers drawing their swords at her confirmation.

And this time, it didn't seem as though they were going to hold back.

A/N-Thank you all for the support, it really means a lot to me. Just wanted to say—Pertemis incoming in 5-7 chapters!