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“I suppose the first thing I must do is express my gratitude,†The Merlin began. They’d gone inside, which meant they were out of the sun, but none of the air conditioners were on due to how wizards tended to mess up technology, so it was still kind of miserable. “If not for your timely intervention, many great wizards wound now be lost to us.â€
He inclined his head toward Simon, who nodded shallowly in return.
“You’ll be happy to know that the rest of the Brute Squad is largely intact,†He told his fellow wizards. “They were forced away from your tower by a sudden invasion of Reds, but weren’t caught completely by surprise thanks to the information we received prior—another thing I believe we have our guests to thank for. They were forced to retreat towards Edinburgh when it became obvious that fighting their way back to you was unfeasible and arrived shortly thereafter, though the Red Court harried them all the way to our gates. I must admit, when we first heard how many had come for you, we’d feared the worst, but we did not even have time to formulate an appropriate counter before you contacted us. I must admit, the method you used was quite intriguing. If possible, I would like to speak to you about it when possible.â€
“I’m sure Annabeth would be happy to explain it to you,†Percy replied, sliding cleanly out from under the responsibility before it had a chance to settle upon his shoulders.
Annabeth rolled her eyes, but nodded.
“It can be an expensive way to communicate, but often worth it as well. If it could help you, we would be happy to share the method.†She replied.
“Then you have my thanks once more. Sadly, the time before the meeting is short, so it shall have to wait. It is my understanding that you are the leader of your group?†He asked, returning his attention to Percy.
“Yeah, at least during times like this,†Percy nodded, feeling somewhat surprised at how used to the position he was starting to get. “This is Annabeth, my second in command.â€
Well, technically, no one had given her that position—but really, it’s because no one had bothered. Everyone had pretty much assumed she’d be his second in command, including him, and she’d stepped into the role without having to be asked.
“As you are likely aware, I serve as the leader of the Senior Council in my role as the Merlin. If possible, I would like your permission to forgo pleasantries and speak frankly to you, as one leader to another.â€
Percy sat up straighter in his chair, knowing that this was important. This would be the first time he’d really acted as the leader of the camp in a political situation, rather than a military one.
Which was to say, the stakes were the same, but it was a field of battle he had no experience in. Thank God Annabeth was here.
“Of course,†He said.
“Simon has informed me somewhat of your goals and as such I feel it is only proper to tell you of my own. I’m aware that you may not agree with them, but I would like you to hear them from my own mouth, rather than from someone else’s, and I would like a chance to explain my reasons.†He paused for a moment, whether for dramatic effect or to give either of them a chance to interrupt. Either way, they said nothing and he continued on a moment later. “If at all possible, I intend to pursue peaceful negotiations with the Red Court.â€
Percy’s eyebrows lifted high at those words and even Annabeth blinked a few times, though that was the only indication of her surprise. But Simon just closed his eyes and sighed.
“Um…I have to be honest; I’m pretty new at this and there’s a lot I don’t understand. But…they just tried to kill Simon and a lot of other wizards. Is pursuing peace really the best choice?â€
“Oh, of course not; a peaceful negotiation is hardly ideal.†The Merlin calmly shook his head. “I have hundreds of years of experience with the Red Court and I’ve seen first-hand the horrors they’ve inflicted upon humanity. They are monsters, responsible for the deaths of countless innocent lives—in theory, the ideal solution would be to wipe every last one of them from the face of the Earth. Sadly, there is often a difference between the ideal and the actual and such a solution…I would not say it’s impossible, for it quite possible. But a number of factors keep it from truly being the ideal solution.â€
“What do you mean?†Percy asked, honestly confused.
“I firmly believe the White Council is more powerful than the Red Court. Should it come to an all-out war, I believe we shall triumph in the end. But it would not be an easy fight, by any means. It will require great effort and focus and even then, heavy losses are inevitable. Tell me, how much experience do you have with fighting monsters?â€
“A lot,†He replied immediately.
“Then perhaps you can understand what a battle of attrition can be like against them.â€
Percy paused at that—because, yes, he could understand. How many times in the war had he killed a monster, only for it to come back? Sometimes in a week, sometimes in a month, sometimes it took years, but so many had returned and had to be fought again. That’s just the way monsters were; they always, always came back.
But demigods didn’t. All the friends he’d lost—they stayed dead. They’d won in the end, but their losses had been actual losses; on the other hand, he was certain he’d probably find himself face to face with the Minotaur again, some day.
“Yeah, I can,†He said quietly. “It wasn’t fun.â€
“No,†The Merlin agreed. “I rather think not. The Red Court is worse than most; if it comes to a war, casualties would be heavy, and not just on the Council. As the tide turned against them, they would undoubtedly begin to draft more allies from the mortal population, which would result in just thousands and thousands of deaths if we were lucky. They breed quickly, birthing new members in mere days and training them in short order, whereas teach a wizard to control his powers takes years. A battle against them would be drawn out and gruesome, most likely leaving hundreds of wizards dead. But even so, I believe we could do it. But it would be a Pyrrhic Victory.â€
“How so?†Annabeth asked and Percy could all but here gears turning in her head as she weighed the options and compared the numbers.
“A part of it would be the casualties of the war, of course. Another part would be all those people that would be left to die while the Council’s limited numbers are drawn away from protecting people and monitoring areas of the world to take part in the War—something which, no doubt, many creatures will take advantage of. But the biggest reason is because of what would come after. In my role as the leader of the Council, it is my responsibility to look not only at problems, but beyond them—to not only come up with a solution, but to see how that solution would affect things and if it would create new problems. The Red Court is…massive. It is a nation, unto itself. They all but control South and Central America, with holdings all over the rest of the world. They hold power in the mortal world as well as the supernatural one—property, stocks, entire corporations, and more. More than a few members hold positions of political or economic power. If we successfully destroy them, it would create a vacuum of power such as the world hasn’t seen for centuries.â€
“You’re talking about a vacuum of power,†Annabeth said, realization filling her eyes as the last piece of the puzzle snapped into place. “If the Red Court disappeared, it would be like an open invitation for everyone else. Nature abhors a vacuum and something would try to fill it.â€
The Merlin nodded.
“The Red Court, for all its horrors, serves at least one use—it defends its territory and fights against any new party that seeks to gain a foothold in the mortal world. Its motivations are purely selfish, but if it suddenly disappeared, there would be an entire continent left reeling in its wake and free for a thousand creatures to come rushing in. Small groups will try to horde power and set the foundations of empires, larger groups would shift their attention to seek out the Red’s holdings. The areas they leave behind will be open to yet more newcomers and as the larger groups come in contact, they will fight over power and humans will suffer in the process—as food, slaves, recruits, or what have you. The Council will need to respond to protect them.â€
Even Percy could see where this was going.
“You mean another War,†He said. “As soon as the fights with the Reds end, another one will begin.â€
“Precisely. More battles, more casualties—the time it takes to train wizards means we won’t have time to replenish our ranks and each battle will reduce us more and more. We’ll be whittled away, piece by piece, until there is nothing left. The truth is, the White Council is limited. We are powerful, but there are so few of us in the grand scheme of things, whereas our enemies are beyond counting. We can win against one of them, but what does it matter when there are a hundred others in the wings? At the end of the day, what we are, what keeps Mankind safe, is a threat—we’re a gun with an unknown number of bullets. Everyone knows that we cannot fight every monster. Everyone knows that if they ganged up against us, we would quickly fall. But we could take at least some of them with us, and so they hesitate to be the one to go first. And as long as no one knows how many, we can hold on that threat alone—but once we start firing, everyone knows it’s just a matter of time before we click empty.â€
Percy didn’t know what to say to that. He’d never had the entire story spelled out for him quite like that. Was this why their parents had hid them away? Was this why they’d never seen all these monsters before?
“I tell you this, because you and I are in the same situation—leaders of groups that exist to protect Mankind. And yet, the eternal conundrum we face is this: We will protect no one if we are dead. So I will try to resolve things peacefully, if I can, even if I hate vampires with every fiber of my being. Even if it means putting up with them, I must do what I feel will save the most lives in the long run, even if it requires me to do things I once never thought I would have to do.â€
So spoke the Merlin, leader of the White Council of Wizards.