Chapter 446: Chapter 446: The Pact
[Third Person Pov]
"Alright everyone, you can stop holding back now," Annabeth commanded while standing up and staring at the trapped Djinn with a smug expression on her face.
"Ugh, finally," Nico exclaimed in relief as he summoned his saber into his hand. He ducked beneath the swing of the zombie towering over him before slashing clean through its legs. The undead collapsed with a heavy thud and Nico immediately pressed his gun against its skull before pulling the trigger, blasting its head apart with a single shot.
Bianca meanwhile had sunk into the shadows while pinned beneath another undead. A second later she shot upward out of the darkness directly behind it and released two arrows point blank into its back. She landed in a smooth roll across the stone floor, swept the legs out from under another charging corpse, and calmly shot another arrow to its head.
"Don’t you think you went a little overboard with your acting shouting like that?" Lucerna scoffed while conjuring a spear made of light into her hand. She shot forward in a streak of golden energy, tearing through the undead with terrifying efficiency. Every thrust of her spear pierced through multiple corpses while every slash carved cleanly through rotting flesh and bone.
Nox conjured a pair of fashionable shadow daggers into his hands and immediately started keeping pace with Lucerna, teleporting from shadow to shadow while assassinating the animated corpses before they could even react. "Really? I thought I was great," he replied casually while driving a dagger into the neck of an undead soldier. "I’m even considering doing theater now."
Annabeth ignored the banter as she continued staring at the Djinn with a satisfied smile. She watched as the creature snarled and suddenly attempted to step out of the magic circle only for its body to slam against an invisible barrier.
"Raahhh!!" the Djinn screeched as electricity violently surged across its body before blasting it backwards toward the center of the circle once more.
"I wouldn’t bother with that," Annabeth said calmly. "That isn’t actually a magic circle meant to summon another Djinn. It’s a containment ward designed specifically to hold you prisoner."
The Djinn slowly stood back up, smoke lightly rising from its body as it glared hatefully toward her. "I see, so I was tricked, huh? What a smart cookie you are." Despite the venom in his tone, there was still a hint of reluctant respect buried underneath it.
"Thank you. It’s what I’m good at," Annabeth responded proudly without even trying to hide her satisfaction.
"Since you went out of your way to capture me, you must want something," the Djinn continued with an enticing grin spreading across his face. "A wish perhaps? A great desire? If you let me out, I will grant it to you."
"Hm, tempting, but not what I’m really after," Annabeth replied sarcastically before scoffing. "You see, I could waste my time searching through this entire burial ground looking for what I need..." She gestured lazily around the ruins. "Or I could simply use a tour guide to lead me exactly where I need to go and save myself the trouble. You understand where I’m getting at, don’t you?"
"I do," the Djinn sneered while staring at her with open disdain. "And tell me, why exactly do you think I would agree to help you? Just because you managed to capture me? That’s wishful thinking."
"Because I’m giving you another chance to continue living here," Annabeth answered bluntly. "You refusing to cooperate really accomplishes nothing besides guaranteeing your death. I already told you that I can search this place myself and realistically I would probably still succeed eventually. It would just take me longer, that’s all."
As she spoke, Annabeth casually waved her hand and conjured a chair out of magic before sitting down and crossing one leg over the other.
"It’s not like I’m in any rush," she continued while leaning back comfortably in the chair. Her gray eyes remained locked onto the Djinn the entire time. "So, are you in or out?"
"What is it that you’re searching for?" the Djinn questioned while considering the situation more carefully.
"What do you think, genius?" Annabeth replied coldly. "We’re in Solomon’s tomb. I’m after his Lesser Key, his grimoire. I’m sure it was buried with him and I need you to lead me to it." Her tone was firm and unwavering, making it abundantly clear she wasn’t giving him the option to refuse.
The Djinn suddenly barked out a loud round of laughter, practically wheezing from amusement. "Bwhahaha— Oh wait, you’re serious?"
Annabeth didn’t respond. She simply stared at him without even the slightest change in expression while lightly tapping against the armrest of her chair. The gesture alone made it obvious her patience was beginning to wear thin.
"Fine," the Djinn eventually said while narrowing his eyes. "Let’s say I agree to personally escort you to your death, because that is exactly what’s going to happen once you find it. What guarantee do I have that you won’t simply dispose of me the moment you arrive where you need to?"
He leaned slightly forward as he continued speaking. "As smart as you think you are, you’re still predictable. You won’t leave a threat alive."
"I have this power," Annabeth replied calmly. "It’s not one I’ve really used much before, but it allows me to create a magical contract with someone. A contract that I’ll be forced to follow as well."
She pushed herself out of the chair and slowly walked toward the containment ward before stepping directly inside it.
The others immediately looked toward her, but Annabeth ignored them and stopped directly in front of the Djinn. She intentionally stood close enough to show trust, staring the creature directly in the eyes as she activated her [Pact Binding] ability.
A spectral chain suddenly materialized around her hand, glowing with spiritual energy as it slowly wrapped itself around her wrist.
"The contract is simple," Annabeth stated. "You lead me to Solomon’s grimoire and in return I promise I will not act against you."
"I would like to make a change," the Djinn replied with a scoff. "I will lead you to the grimoire and in return neither you nor anyone with you will be able to act against me. Once I fulfill my side of the bargain, should you or anyone associated with you attempt anything against me, you’ll be met with a very gruesome and agonizing death."
Annabeth nodded without hesitation. "Should I or anyone that came with me go against this contract and attempt to harm you, I will die a very gruesome and agonizing death."
As she spoke, the spectral chain reacted to her words. It lengthened and tightened around her wrist, coiling like a living thing as the pact started taking form.
"You have yourself a deal," the Djinn said as his monstrous appearance began to shift into something far more humanoid.
He reached out his hand toward Annabeth.
The moment their hands touched, the chains surged forward and wrapped around both of their wrists simultaneously. The spectral bindings tightened and locked into place with an overwhelming sense of finality before vanishing from sight entirely.
Even though the chains were no longer visible, both of them could still feel the heavy weight of the pact resting on their souls.
Annabeth stepped backwards before casually dispelling the containment ward entirely, allowing the Djinn to move freely once more. She motioned outward toward the ruins ahead of them.
"Lead the way."
The Djinn didn’t move immediately. Instead, his expression hardened as he stared at the aftermath surrounding him and the fate of his animated corpses. The undead were scattered across the chamber in pieces, completely unmoving now.
Lucerna yanked her spear free from the skull of an undead where it had been embedded into the ground.
Throughout the room, massive spikes of shadow jutted upward from the stone floor, each one impaling another corpse. Nox stood nearby slightly hunched forward with one palm raised while his other hand rested casually inside his pocket.
Around Bianca, several bodies were littered with black arrows and golden feathers. She calmly fitted her bow across her back just as a bronze-gold owl flew down and landed on her shoulder.
Nico finished unloading the last of his shadow bullets into the corpse beside him before casually bringing the barrel of his gun toward his lips and blowing the smoke away from it.
Nebula meanwhile flew directly through the air and stopped right in front of the Djinn’s face before landing atop Annabeth’s head.
When the Djinn slowly looked over toward Annabeth again, she was simply smiling from ear to ear.
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