The Daughter of Water and Wise

|Chapter 11|

The god of sun and the god of war

Centuries long, everlasting sores

Between the two to give or take

Shall send four demigods to their fate.

Delphi, once taken over.

Shall find no new closure.

In the overtaker

Who must be stopped.

The four demigods shall travel the West.

Finding the Oracle and facing new tests

Two shall live and two shall die.

By the time the daughter of water and wise

Faces her legacies and opens her eyes.

As the thirteenth year approaches

And the secret Oracle awakens.

"Chiron, are you sure, we don't know anything about quests," Sophia muttered quietly after the centaur had told them their game plan. Chiron bowed his head.

"Exceptions like this are very, very rare," he said somberly. "However, exceptions are being made more frequently, unfortunately."

"When should we leave?" Tu asked, face hard as stone.

"I expect tomorrow morning would be best. We have limited time, given that your thirteenth birthday is in one week, Zoe." Zoe blushed. Chiron had interpreted the thirteenth year as the day that her thirteenth birthday approached.

"Is there any way to back out?" Pan muttered, chewing intensely on his shirt collar. Zoe glanced at the centaur, who suddenly looked thousands of years old. "I'm afraid not, Pan. There is no backing out of a prophecy once it is spoken. There is no backing out of your destiny." He turned to head out of the cabin. "I would suggest packing. And good luck to you all." He left, and the four demigods stared each other down.

"Well...guess we should pack..." Sophia said at last, and the four went to their bunk. As she packed, Zoe went over the plan in her head.

Go to Olympus. Seek an audience with Apollo, god of music. Get a list of all the Oracles. Ask him about an unknown one.

Should be easy enough.

She set her backpack neatly on the edge of her bed. By this time tomorrow she would be on her way to Manhattan. She wondered what her parents would think of her going on a quest.

Tu walked over and nudged her shoulder. "Whatcha thinkin' about, Z?"

"My parents, Tulip," she said, glaring at him for the nickname. "What would they think about me going on a quest so young?" Tu rolled his eyes. "Zoe, your parents are Percy and Annabeth Jackson. I think they'd be fine with it."

"There are ways to contact them, though," Sophia piped up.

"A cell phone?"

"No, an Iris-message," Pan interrupted. "You throw a coin into a rainbow - usually we use a spray of water to create one - and you can see them!"

"Why not just a cell phone? Seems easier."

"Phones attract monsters," Sophia explained. "There are special phones made for demigods that don't, but those are hard to get. Iris-messages save time."

"Here, I'll help you make one," Pan offered, and led Zoe outside. He led her to a hose near the strawberry fields, turned the tap, and water gushed out. He set it to spray nozzle.

Zoe reached into her pocket and pulled out a stray quarter. Pan waved her off and showed her a large golden coin. "This is a drachma," he said, "It's demigod money, used by the Greeks. This one's on me." He tossed it into the spray, and it disappeared. "O Iris, graceful and beautiful and powerful esteemed goddess of the rainbow, show us Percy and Annabeth Jackson." As it shimmered, he whispered, "Dad always taught me to be polite." Zoe smiled.

The water stopped shimmering and an image came into focus - Zoe's mom and dad sitting on the couch, watching Luke play with Legos. Their eyes widened as they saw the message. Zoe waved and was about to speak, but her mom raised a finger to her lips.

"Lukey, how about you go have an hour of TV time downstairs?" her dad asked. Luke didn't require much coaxing. He squealed and ran to the basement.

"Hello sweetie!" Zoe's mom exclaimed. Pan stood out of the picture, holding the hose. Hurry up, he mouthed.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad," Zoe said. "I...have some news."

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other. They both had an idea of what news she could have.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

"There was a prophecy...I have to go on a quest." Percy dragged a hand down his face. Annabeth blew out a breath.

"Tell me the prophecy, Zoe," she commanded, dead serious. Zoe repeated the awful words and waited for her parents' reaction. The water began to flicker. "Time's almost up," warned Pan.

"Look, guys, I love you but I have to go now...I just thought you should know..."

"We love you Zoe," they cried, "Stay sa-" The Iris-message blanked out. Zoe held back tears. She spun on her heel and headed back towards the cabin.