Chapter 462: Ambushed

Third-person POV

Penelope had gone ahead of Electra a little when she realized that Electra was taking too much of her sweet time and enjoying the hunt a little too much for her liking. The palace grounds were huge, and even though Penelope knew very well that Jella was exhausted and had nowhere to truly escape to, she still found herself getting more irritated the longer Electra dragged things out.

She just wanted this whole thing to end already. She wanted Electra to finally catch Jella and stop acting like some excited child playing a game, and once they were done with this mess, they could both return to Elysium, and she could finally get some sleep because that was all she could think about.

The atmosphere around the palace grounds was already unsettling enough. The sky was beginning to darken slightly as it looked like it was going to rain, and the garden around them was far too quiet for her liking. The silence, mixed with the occasional sound of rustling leaves from the wind, made Penelope more uneasy than she wanted to admit. Meanwhile, Electra looked completely relaxed behind her, almost like she was taking a casual walk instead of hunting down a woman she intended to kill.

Penelope finally stopped walking and turned around with an annoyed look on her face. "Can you walk faster?" she yelled at Electra loudly. "That evil bitch is really going to get away if you continue being this cocky."

Electra, who was several steps behind her, only rolled her eyes lazily before crossing her arms. "You can go ahead and catch her first if you're that impatient," she responded without sounding concerned in the slightest. "I'm not about to start desperately rushing to catch a weak lady."

Penelope stared at her in disbelief for a second before scoffing loudly under her breath. Honestly, sometimes she genuinely could not understand how Electra's mind worked. One minute she looked emotionally exhausted and confused about life, and the next minute she was acting like a psychopath enjoying a game of cat and mouse.

"You are so irritating," Penelope muttered before turning away from her again.

Electra only smirked faintly behind her, clearly unbothered.

Penelope continued walking ahead on the palace pathway, her irritation only growing. At this point, she was no longer even sure if she still wanted to help catch Jella or if she simply wanted to walk around aimlessly until Electra finally got bored enough to end the game herself. The more she thought about it, the more she regretted not simply staying back at school and minding her business.

She could have been resting in her dorm right now. Instead, she was wandering around the palace grounds while accompanying a half-phoenix who looked disturbingly excited about hunting her stepmother down.

"What is wrong with all of us?" Penelope muttered quietly to herself while rubbing her forehead tiredly.

The gardens around her stretched endlessly, filled with large bushes, flowers, statues, and tall trees that threw shadows across the pathways. It honestly would have been beautiful if not for the fact that a murderous former queen was currently hiding somewhere nearby.

Penelope let out a long sigh before slowing her pace slightly. Behind her, Electra was still taking her sweet time walking, clearly in no hurry whatsoever. Just as Penelope was walking ahead without really paying much attention to her surroundings anymore, she suddenly heard a faint sound come from the bushes behind her.

Immediately, she paused. Her brows furrowed slightly as she slowly turned around to look toward the bushes. The leaves had moved slightly, but after staring for a few moments, she could not really see anything unusual there. The garden was full of bushes and trees anyway, and with the wind blowing occasionally, it was not strange for branches to move.

Still, something about it felt odd. Penelope narrowed her eyes slightly while continuing to stare for another second longer, but nothing happened.

Eventually, she let out another sigh before turning away again. "Probably just the wind," she muttered under her breath before continuing on her way without thinking much more about it.

Meanwhile, carefully hidden inside the bushes, Jella remained crouched low while holding her breath.

Her entire body ached from exhaustion, and dirt clung to her ruined dress and skin, but the moment she had heard Penelope's voice calling Electra's name earlier, she had immediately hidden herself. At first, she had planned on continuing to run deeper into the palace grounds, but then she realized something far better.

Electra was not beside her friend, and that single fact alone had changed everything.

She had almost laughed from relief when she noticed the distance between them. For the first time since leaving the prison, it genuinely felt like fate had finally handed her an opportunity.

She watched Penelope carefully through the bushes while gripping the rusty nail tightly in her hand. Her heart was beating rapidly inside her chest, partly from fear and partly from adrenaline. She knew she did not have much time. If Electra caught up before she acted, then this opportunity would disappear completely.

So she waited patiently and silently.

Penelope, completely unaware, continued walking ahead while occasionally muttering complaints to herself. Jella's eyes remained locked on her the entire time.

She studied her carefully now. The girl looked harmless enough physically. Cute, smaller than she was, and calm. Honestly, she looked like the easiest target possible compared to the terrifying monster walking somewhere behind her.

Jella tightened her grip around the nail.

This was her only chance. If she could grab the girl quickly enough and threaten her life, then maybe Electra would hesitate. Maybe she could force Electra to let her leave the palace grounds safely, and if not… Then at the very least she could kill someone important to Electra before dying herself.

The thought comforted her more than it should have. She slowly shifted closer through the bushes as quietly as possible. Every movement made her muscles ache, but she ignored it. Her breathing remained shallow as she waited for the perfect moment.

Penelope still had not noticed her, and Electra was still not close enough. Without wanting to waste any more time and risk Electra catching up too quickly, she suddenly rushed out from the bushes using the last bit of strength she had left.

Penelope barely had enough time to react. One second she was walking normally, and the next second she felt someone slam into her from behind violently.

Her eyes widened immediately, and before she could even scream properly, an arm wrapped tightly around her while something sharp pressed hard against the side of her neck.

"Don't move," Jella hissed harshly into her ear. "And don't make a sound if you don't want to get seriously hurt."

Penelope froze instantly. For a split second, genuine shock crossed her face. She had been completely caught off guard, and she could feel Jella's uneven breathing behind her as the older woman held her tightly while pressing the rusty nail harder against her skin.

The metal immediately nicked her neck slightly, causing a thin sting of pain, and Penelope's breathing slowed carefully.

"Smart girl," Jella muttered shakily when Penelope stopped moving.

Up close now, Penelope could feel just how unstable Jella was. Her body was trembling badly, not only from exhaustion but from panic too, and the hand holding the nail against Penelope's throat shook slightly.

Still, the threat was very real.

Jella's voice sounded almost broken as she spoke again. "You're going to help me leave this palace alive."

Penelope remained silent for a moment while trying to process the situation quickly.

Honestly, if this had happened a few years ago, she probably would have panicked badly, but after everything she had already experienced in Elysium and in her life as a whole, this was nothing.

"You know," she finally said slowly, "this is actually a very bad idea."

"Shut up," Jella snapped immediately while tightening her grip on her.

Penelope winced slightly as the nail pressed harder.

Jella quickly looked around the gardens nervously. "Where is she?" she demanded quietly. "Where's Electra?"

Penelope almost laughed. "She's behind us somewhere," she answered honestly. "Taking her sweet time because apparently chasing a traumatized middle-aged woman is entertaining to her."

Jella's breathing became even more uneven. "Don't try anything stupid," she warned immediately. "I swear I'll kill you if I have to."

Penelope tilted her head slightly despite the nail near her throat. "You really think killing me would help your situation?"

"Yes," Jella answered instantly, and Penelope scoffed.