One by one, as he passed their rows, soldiers glanced at him with smirks on their faces.

"Nice plan," he praised Leon.

"What?"

"You're getting us closer to the stage, so we can ambush the Generals and catch them off guard along with Eon."

There was a pause, as though Leon didn't know how to respond. "Um . . . no. You're getting captured for real."

"Nobody can hear us. You don't have to act as if you're the bad guy."

"But . . . I am the bad guy. I have a sword to your neck"—as if to demonstrate, he applied more pressure to the weapon, almost drawing blood—"and I'm not holding back. It's fairly straightforward. A person on your team doesn't try to harm you, while a person not on your team tries to harm you. Ergo, I'm not on your team."

"Oh," Percy said, finally understanding what situation he was in. "So you double-crossed us."

"There is much more than a good side and a bad side," Leon said with a sigh. "And you are much more important than you ever realized."

Meanwhile, on the stage, Eon had her arm around Tania's shoulders like they were friends. "Do you, Tania, a former soldier of Chaos, pledge allegiance to Lady Void?"

What does she expect to happen? Percy wondered with a mental scoff. Of course, she'll say no.

"Yes."

A small smile broke out on Eon's face.

And with that, his whole world screeched to a halt.

Okay, Percy said, trying to calm his emotions. It's only one person.

But when Theon also accepted the title of serving Lady Void, he couldn't help but release a small growl of anger.

By now, Percy and Leon were close enough to the stage that Eon noticed them. "Oh, hello!" she said cheerfully to Percy. "Didn't expect you to stop by. But alas, you can watch your final member defect from the side of Chaos."

She motioned for Psi to walk up. She asked the same question to him as she asked Theon and Tania: "Do you, Psi, a former soldier of Chaos pledge allegiance—"

"Of course not!" Psi interrupted. "I am with Lord Chaos all the way!"

The crowd gasped in shock at his dictation. Evidently, supporting Chaos in a base that hated him with all their heart was a big no-no.

You have got to be kidding me, Percy groaned. Out of all the people who defected, HE had to be the only loyal one?

Eon's eyes flashed dangerously, but Percy had a sense it wasn't because Psi had said; it was because he had interrupted her.

At the same time, Rosaline seemed to take advantage of the distraction and sprint up onto the stage with Adriana. They had their swords out and started fighting with the surprised guards on the stage.

"I'm not on your team, right?" Percy asked Leon.

"Of course not!"

"Then I suppose I'm not sorry about this."

In a move that was skillful and quick, Percy deftly disarmed Leon and knocked him unconscious with the hilt of his sword. Before anyone could react, he was already up on the stage.

"No!" Eon howled when he uncapped Riptide and started fighting with her. "Let me kill some people!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," he told her.

Eon doubled her attack, making Percy go onto the defensive. Her guard was too strong for him to find any flaws, even when she was fighting angry. That would mean the only choice for him was to stall and wait until one of his other comrades could help him double team Eon.

In the corner of his eye, Percy saw the crowd of soldiers scrambling for their weapons. They would be on the stage, fighting in no time, which would mean total defeat for Percy, Rosaline, Adriana, and Psi.

Fortunately, the latter three quickly killed the guards they were fighting. Adriana and Psi jumped down from the stage from the side and fled through the nearest passageway, without looking back as the first wave of soldiers spilled from the crowd and climbed up to help their leader.

For a fleeting moment, Percy thought that Rosaline would join Adriana and Psi, leaving him to be captured. But he quickly dismissed the thought, scolding himself for even thinking about Rosaline abandoning him.

And there she was, swinging her sword at Eon. It distracted her enough for Percy to shove her off the stage. Her golden armor-covered body plummeted for a few moments, before getting lost in the crowd.

Rosaline immediately left the room, with Percy following hot on her heels. He quickly realized it was the same passageway Psi and Adriana went through, and Rosaline must've told them to run.

Before turning the corner, though, he chanced a look back.

The two black-hooded bodies in addition to all the soldiers sprawled out on the stage reminded Percy that this wasn't without a sacrifice.

"I saw what happened with Leon," Rosaline said, breaking the silence. "I don't think Adriana's like that, though."

"It wasn't ideal," Percy admitted. "But it got the job done. Just . . ."

"Go on."

Percy sighed. "Leon seemed onboard and eager with the plan for the most part. I don't know why anyone would help some clueless Chaos soldiers find their next objective and then betray them. The only explanation for this is he was on our side but was discouraged at the end . . ."

"You're still not done," Rosaline pressed.

"It's stupid. Don't worry about it." Percy couldn't look at her.

Rosaline stopped so abruptly that he almost crashed into her. She spun around so fast that she was a blur and glared at him. "Tell me right now, or I'll wait until the Void soldiers come and capture us."

She wasn't lying. Percy could faintly hear the shouts and footsteps of guards as they hunted Rosaline and him. they had a lead on them, but in a few minutes it would be all used.

That thought was what spurred him into coughing up everything. "I can't help but wonder; did he get discouraged by my presence so much so that he immediately thought all Chaos soldiers were as bad as me?"

Rosaline put her hands on his shoulders reassuringly. "That's just an insecurity. You're one of the nicest, funniest, and one of the bravest role models I know . . ."

Percy blushed and scratched the back of his neck. "I think you're taking it a bit too far. Many other people have done so much more than me."

"And humble too," Rosaline noted. " I saw everything. In the end, he seemed to change his personality, meaning he might've been acting all along. Point is, there is no way Leon didn't like your personality. The only way not to like your personality is to be jealous of how perfect you are."

Percy was shocked. "Perfect? My life is anything but perfect."

"Exactly. You brush everything off like its measly molecules of dust, not scar-inducing quests of extreme horror. Everybody wants that kind of personality."

"Even Psi?"

"Even Psi," Rosaline admitted. "Don't always go to blame yourself." She noticed how Percy was attempting to no longer listen, looking anywhere but at him. "I think I embarrassed you sufficiently, let's go."

Percy sighed in relief as she let go of the matter and led him around a corner.

Psi and Adriana came into sight. They were unmoving since the passageway ended at a cliff that presented the . . .

"Sky?" Percy asked incredulously. "We're inside of the mountain? Not below it?"

"The architecture thought it was a better idea to be above ground so we could see people coming from miles away," Adriana told him.

Percy looked at her suspiciously. She certainly looked and sounded genuine, but he wasn't going to make that mistake again, although one of the people he trusted told him he had nothing to worry about. He wasn't about to dismiss her reassurance.

Percy strode to the edge of the cliff and looked down. He was at least twenty stories above ground, making him feel a bit lightheaded. An ocean covered the land as far as he could see, but there was a tiny stretch of coast going towards the east—where mountains were covered with lush greenery—that looked like . . . a path.

"There might be a village over there," Percy said, pointing towards the path. "Somewhere."

Rosaline joined him at the cliffside. Her skillful eyes assessed the terrain quickly. "Looks like it. Maybe hidden behind the mountains, not particular to Void soldiers?"

Psi interrupted their planning. "We have to get into the water to do anything, right? So let's go!"

"First time he's right," Rosaline muttered, making Percy crack a small smile.

It disappeared, however, when Rosaline looked at him with a devilish smile on her face. "I'll do the honors."

Percy made the universal gesture of "go right ahead." He tried to move out of Rosaline's way, but when she blocked him he suddenly understood why she was so happy.

"I'm going first, aren't I?" he said with a drawn-out groan.

Then he was pushed off the cliff.