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

Chapter 77

I sighed as I opened the door to my room inside the inn and stumbled inside, barely having the energy to close it behind me. I sighed in relief as I felt the cool inside air caress my skin.

It had been a long day.

It had been a long week, actually. It was the same cycle: search for soldiers, get back to the inn at sunset, sleep, and then repeat.

I'd fought monsters, went on grueling quests, and even explored Tartarus barefoot—but nothing could have prepared me for this sort of passive torture.

The days in Aurelia were broiling. I didn't know if Planet Void circled the sun like the other planets did, covered in the Mist so mortals wouldn't see it, but whatever gave this planet heat was nasty hot. It felt like my blood was boiling every time I spent more than a few minutes outside.

And for the past seven days, I'd spent a lot of my time outside, searching for soldiers. Charlotte was nowhere to be found (which was concerning, but she could handle herself) so I often found myself traversing aimlessly through the city on my feet.

At the end of each day, I felt like my legs couldn't carry me further.

But what was worse was that I only got six hours of rest between each search. I woke up feeling sorer and sorer, only to have to walk on my legs for the whole day again.

And what did I find after a week of torture?

Four Chaos soldiers.

Four.

And I only found the first one.

He was working as a bartender inside of the inn Omega had been knocked unconscious in. I, for one, had a grudge against that place and still had nightmares about its kitchen, so the second I had gotten reinstated as an ally of Void, I stormed into the place.

It still took a few days of detective work to find the bartender as an imposter, though. He'd acted perfectly innocent and all of his coworkers had stood up for him, up until he accidentally used Chaos' name in a curse when I "accidentally" dropped a heavy bottle on his foot.

However, he wasn't a bad guy in the slightest. I was worried about what Rosaline would do to him when I brought the soldier to her, but she simply teleported him back to Planet Chaos without another word.

The rest of the days went on in a blur as patrolling became routine for me. 

On the seventh day, Eon announced that our search was over.

"We should still be alert for other Chaos soldiers in disguise," she had said when we met up a few minutes prior outside of the inn. "But we can go back to our normal lives. Or, as normal as we can get after our city being captured."

I jumped onto the bed, releasing a sigh of tiredness. I didn't belong here. I decided to take a short nap, and then tell Rosaline to teleport me back to Camp Half-Blood. Might as well use these accommodations until the last moment . . .

The mattress creaked and groaned as it sagged under my weight—but there was a quiet crinkling underneath too. I frowned. I'd become very familiar with the bed in the past few days, and it had never made that sound.

I turned over. The same crinkling noise sounded out in the room. 

I groaned in annoyance. I was too tired for this.

Still, I pried myself off the bed and found the thing that was making the noise. I was immediately back on alert again.

It was a piece of paper. It'd been a smooth, yellow color, but I'd crumpled it up when I landed on it. I unfolded it and realized it was a letter:

Dear Percy,

Thanks for all your help in the past few days. You totally could've disobeyed Lady Void's order–and I would've understood that. You've done far too much for us in these past months.

I couldn't be prouder.

I know that you're probably yearning to go back home, but I have one more task for you. Please, whenever you read this letter, immediately go to Lady Void's office. It's my last ask of you. Thank you for being such a brave hero.

Love,

Rosaline

P.S-You kind of owe me a favor now. It usually takes a few weeks before someone can meet with Lady Void one-on-one, but I'm giving you a big privilege. Expect me to cash it in soon.

A small smile grew on my face as I read the note, which turned into a big one when I finished it. 

I shook my head. Typical Rosaline.

However, I rolled my eyes as I realized I would have to walk to the palace. Well, it seems like this is the last task I have to do, so why not do it?

I limped out of the door in my sweaty clothes, clutching the letter in my hand.

It had been a long day.

~~~

The walk to Void's palace was quick—but brutal.

It was an hour to sunset—but it was still over a hundred degrees. I immediately started sweating,  and even though the palace was so close I could see its arches looming over all the other buildings.

By the time I made it through the entrance arch, I was covered in sweat.

I sighed in relief as I quickly walked into the air-conditioned hallways. Everybody looked at me weirdly—and I didn't blame them. I probably looked like a hot mess.

It took a while, but I finally found myself staring at the marble doors of Void's office. I stared at it, wondering if I could still flee . . .

A squadron of Void soldiers on patrol passed by me. The second they saw me, they started whispering to each other:

"No way that beggar is getting an audience with Void," one said.

Another responded, "Maybe he doesn't have an appointment."

"Should we stop him?" a third asked.

I quickly pushed open the doors before they could respond. 

Void's office was beautiful. It had a ceiling multiple stories above me, and the desk was surrounded by fancy chairs. Even the cabinets looked encrusted with gold. However, I only got a quick glance at this before I spun around and slammed the doors shut, then slid the deadbolt forward, locking it. 

I sighed in relief and sagged onto the doorframe.

"What are you doing in my office?"