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

Chapter 54

My unusual welcome aside, everybody was friendly as they introduced themselves, given the circumstances.

There were five Void Generals, two of whom I knew; Eon (who was basically a more violent and angry Rosaline) and Chris—the cocky, second-in-command. Then there was the shy brunette, Kayla, who was really good with ranged weapons, the "smart-aleck" (who really was just the brainiac), Elijah, and the muscular brute, Kenton. 

This full time, I'd been thinking of the Void soldiers as "bad" and "evil," just like how I thought of the monsters I had faced in the past. But that was far from the truth. Each of them seemed as normal as everybody in the Chaos base, which made me feel ashamed of myself. I was brought back to the present when the orb on Void's throne pulsated, sending me stumbling back a few paces with the power I absorbed. I knocked into Elijah, who was so thin he couldn't support the force—and instead was carried back with me by it. We then both slammed into Kenton, who, stuck out one huge hand and stopped us cold. 

"That's concerning," Omega muttered, staring at the orb, completely ignoring what just happened. 

I sent a grateful smile to Kenton, then posted myself a few steps next to Eon.

She glanced at me warily. "What are you planning to do, Jackson?"

I sent her an innocent smile. "Oh, nothing. Just wanted to body-slam into you as hard as possible if I get imbalanced again."

"The only one who will be getting hurt is you," Eon said, glaring at me. 

"The only one who deserves getting hurt is you," I corrected.

"And why is that?" Her grip tightened on her sword. I knew I wasn't supposed to aggravate a new ally like this, but I couldn't help it when it was so . . .fun.

I stared at her incredulously. "You don't remember when you beat me up in Chaos' dungeon when he put me in your cell?"

Eon waved that away. "I spared you; I could've easily killed you. And didn't you capture me?"

Busted. I immediately tried to change the subject. "You've tried to kill me dozens of times!"

"And you weren't trying to kill me those same instances?" Eon countered with a smirk. "The only person who deserves getting hurt is you."

She's right. I was trying to hide it with jokes and distractions, but I knew: My greatest enemies—the ones I had fought so long—were now my allies. The ones that I had hurt, from time and time again, the ones that I had killed. And with that, the thing I had been so desperately trying to hide from my brain popped up.

I was a traitor. To both sides. 

Worse than an enemy, and yet, worse than a double agent.

The smirk fell off Eon's face as though she knew what I was thinking. "Wait. Jackson—"

The orb of Void's power suddenly grew twice its size in a moment—now as big as a car wheel, but in spherical form. It let out a strange sense of foreboding. It was so authentic, in fact, that I thought it was mine for a moment, but once glance confirmed that everybody else felt it. 

And then the orb released a huge amount of energy, not unlike an invisible tsunami—blowing us all off our feet and back into the nearest wall.

I groaned and rubbed my head, slowly getting up—only to be pushed back down by a strong wave of trepidation. Nearby, the Void Generals and Omega seemed to be having the same trouble as me.

"What the hell is happening?" I managed to groan out.

"Lady Void almost has enough power to reform into her physical body," Omega grunted out. He wobbly stood up, seizing the doorframe for support. "Problem is: our physical bodies can't handle the power." He called to everybody. "Get out of here, and prevent Chaos soldiers from entering the castle. We'll do our best to protect Our Lady from a distance."