I felt happy.
Order had prepared a residence for me on a planet he had created. That's right, there was life on other planets. Sure, that life had stone-grey skin and forked tongues, but it was life none the less. Everyone was happy here, there were never any fights, never any arguments and you'd be hard pressed to find someone walking down the street without a smile. Honestly, it was a little weird at first, but after a while I got used to it.
The locals had a much more advanced civilisation compared to Earth from what I could tell, and they all wore pristine white robes and no footwear, the city was too clean for that. The beings here had no concept of spoken language as far as I could tell, and even their writing was very limited; how they got anything done I'll never know, but the silence was peaceful. Plus, their smiles were enough to communicate any message, and I just smiled and nodded right back. Most of my time was spent on training anyway. The locals had zero military or tactical knowhow, but Order personally sent over soldiers from his army to spar with me. I felt like I was making progress.
I walked over to an empty piece of land, quite far away from where I was currently staying. It was a full-sized arena, built by Order's men with some sort of magic, it reminded me of my friend Connor Kane. How long had it been since I'd seen him?
"You dozing off, kid?" my eyes shot up, landing on a small boy who appeared to be no more than 11 years old.
"What? Kid? Who are you calling a kid?" I looked up at a boy sitting in the stands with his legs up, munching on a bagel. "Who are you? Why are you in the arena?"
His eyebrows furrowed, "Why are you in the arena?"
I stared back at him, dumbstruck, "I'm here to train. I always come here to train. You didn't answer my question, are you one of Order's men? Or… one of their children?" my voice trailed off towards the end.
The boy stared at me, as if confused, he said nothing for a while, simply chewing on his bagel. He had white hair which fell over his eyes and he wore a white hoodie with ripped black pants, very different when compared to the locals' prim and proper style of clothing. I stepped forward, confused as well. The child was clearly not what he seemed. He looked so calm, eating a bagel.
He stood up slowly, his eyes alight with amusement, "Oh I get it! You're just stupid!"
I scoffed, "Alright, real funny. Look, I love kids as much as the next guy, but I don't have time to waste. I need to train. I have to get stronger."
He jumped down from his seat to the middle of the arena, bagel still in hand. "So then… I'll train you. Show me what you got."
"What are you kidding? No way." He waved his small hand and dozens of weapons appeared before me embedded into the marble floor.
"No, I'm very serious. Have your pick, it makes no difference."
I was stunned, goose bumps passing over my skin. "So, you are one of Order's men. Why didn't you say so?" I swallowed hard and went to pull out a sword with a golden hilt.
"Nice choice. A Holy Sword Relic that's an excelle— what the hell are you doing?"
I was panting and straining with all my might, but the damned thing wouldn't budge.
"Why won't it come out?" I yanked again but to no avail.
"As is usually the case, you're not strong enough. Don't waste time and pick another one, dumbass!" he sighed, taking another bite out of his bagel. It was quite strange, seeing a child with such a dirty mouth, but I put that thought aside for now.
For another fifteen minutes or so I was yanking on dozens of the different weapons embedded in the ground around me but couldn't pick up even one. I exhaled heavily, before I saw something I hadn't tried yet, I walked over to it and pulled revealing… a branch? A regular, old tree branch.
I stared at him incredulously, "Why would you even put this as an option?"
"Don't knock branches. I know a guy who split a mountain with one of those bad boys!"
"So, you're telling me this is actually a powerful weapon?" I stare at it for a while, my smile slowly widening.
"No. That one right there just fell from a tree a few seconds ago, just a regular old branch; sucks for you though! I'm not waiting any longer!" he pulled out a plastic spork from his pocket and held it loosely in his left hand.
My smile fell instantly, and I scoffed. "You're going to spar with a spork?"
"You're going to spar with a branch?"
"Touché." I prepared myself, adjusting my stance for branch to spork combat. The air was still and heavy and I breathed deeply, focusing on my opponent. He hadn't moved except to take another bite of his bagel.
He waved the spork, "Go on then. What's wrong, aren't you going to start? You're supposed to be the chosen one or something." I squinted slightly, rushing the boy in an attempt to subdue him quickly.
I didn't even make it two steps.
On my first step, his grip on the spork tightened, and before my other foot touched the ground he was directly in front of me munching happily on his bagel.
"There, I win!"
I couldn't react. What happened? The branch in my hand broke and crumbled away as I fell to my knees, powerless. It was only then that I realised I had a spork pushed against my neck.
"If I had a blade, or even a regular fork. You would've been dead." His childish demeanour faded instantly, giving way to a hardened personality.
"Damn. I couldn't even react… how did you-"
"Chaos was right," he says, taking one final bite of his bagel, "He's stifling your potential. Order's no help to you, kid." My eyes widened, and my breath caught in my throat. I crawled backwards, standing quickly.
"You… you work for Chaos!" I frantically reached for a blade, but just as I was about close my fist around it, it vanished.
"Calm yourself. Chaos is not who you think she is. Percy, you've been serving the wrong deity. Order is not who he says he is."
I clench my teeth, "Wrong deity my ass! If it wasn't Chaos who caused those two wars, then who was it? WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LIVES OF MY FRIENDS?"
The boy looks at me as if the answer was obvious, perhaps to him it was. "Order, dumbass. It's been right in front of you this whole time."
I scoff at him, "Yeah, right. Your mind games won't work, look at this place. Someone that evil wouldn't create a paradise like this. You don't murder and kill with one hand, then create utopias with the other."
"Create?... Order did not create this place. Look, you want proof? I'll show you." The next second we're both in the middle of the city, the aliens walking around us, smiling at us, some bowing slightly
"Heh. Looks like you were wrong. All I see here-"
"Is suffering." He jumps up and taps my forehead. My head spins, my vision blurring. By the time it clears, the silence evaporates.
Help us. We're dying. Suffering. Pain. Confused. Help. Save us.
"What? What is this? What…" my mind is bombarded with messages, images of suffering of torture and pain across many worlds.
"This is the suffering you've been surrounded by since been here. A world subjected to the reign of Order, cursed to live in eternal pain while never being able to show it. Their minds screaming as they smile, suffering as they carry on like nothing is wrong." No matter where I turned it was all the same, voices in pain or suffering, images of death. Of holocaust. Of genocide.
"Remember," the young boy's voice cut through the cloud of despair that was fogging my thoughts, "Those who are bound, are bound wherever they go. And those who are free, are always free. Whoever you serve and wherever you live, if they are your own choices, you are free. But freedom is something that you need to actively acquire. It's not something that's given with no strings attached. To be free means to take responsibility, and to prepare yourself for what's to come."
The young boy extended hand out to me, "Come with me, you don't belong here, I can take you back to Gaea, Earth… back to your friends and family." It happened again. I fell for the trap. For a third time, Percy Jackson is being used as a pawn by the powers that be to fight a war he had nothing to do with. I stared out into the sea of smiling faces, listening to their cries for help. Their suffering.
I no longer felt happy.
