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A QUEST
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THE AMPHITHEATER STEPS were carved into the side of a hill, facing a stone-lined fire pit. Fifty or sixty kids filled the rows, clustered into groups under various banners.
Laviana and Jason sat in the front next to Annabeth and Ethan. Leo was nearby, sitting with a bunch of burly-looking campers under a steel gray banner emblazoned with a hammer. Standing in front of the fire, half a dozen campers with guitars and strange, old-fashioned harps—lyres—were jumping around, leading a song about pieces of armor, something about how their grandma got dressed for war. Everybody was singing with them and making gestures for the pieces of armor and joking around. It was quite possibly the weirdest thing Laviana had ever seen—one of those campfire songs that would've been completely embarrassing in daylight; but in the dark, with everybody participating, it was kind of corny and fun. As the energy level got higher, the flames did too, turning from red to orange to gold.
Finally the song ended with a lot of rowdy applause. Chiron trotted up. He brandished a spear impaled with toasted marshmallows. "Very nice! And a special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, camp activities director, and I'm happy you have all arrived here alive and with most of your limbs attached. In a moment, I promise we'll get to the s'mores, but first—"
"What about capture the flag?" somebody yelled. Grumbling broke out among some kids in armor, sitting under a red banner with the emblem of a boar's head.
"Yes," the centaur said. "I know the Ares cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games."
"And kill people!" one of them shouted.
"However," Chiron said, "until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?"
He turned to Leo's group. The girl next to him stood uncomfortably. She wore an army jacket a lot like Leo's, with her hair covered in a red bandanna. "We're working on it."
More grumbling.
"How, Nyssa?" an Ares kid demanded.
"Really hard," the girl said.
Nyssa sat down to a lot of yelling and complaining, which caused the fire to sputter chaotically. Chiron stamped his hoof against the fire pit stones—bang, bang, bang—and the campers fell silent.
"We will have to be patient," Chiron said. "In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to discuss."
"Percy and Allison?" someone asked.
The fire dimmed even further, but Laviana didn't need the mood flames to sense the crowd's anxiety.
Chiron gestured to Annabeth. She took a deep breath and stood.
"I didn't find Percy or Allison," she announced. Her voice caught a little when she said her name. "They weren't at the Grand Canyon like I thought, however I did find Laviana, as most of you know, had...died."
The campers had indeed heard her name, but it was spoken in hushed whispers, for fear of upsetting the son of Poseidon.
But Laviana didn't know that. She raised her hand and waved. "Hi."
"But we're not giving up," Annabteh continued. "We've got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis —everyone's out looking. We will find him. Chiron's talking about something different. A new quest."
"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" a girl called out.
Everyone turned. The voice had come from a group in back, sitting under a rose-colored banner with a dove emblem. They'd been chatting among themselves and not paying much attention until their leader stood up: Drew.
Everyone else looked surprised. Apparently Drew didn't address the crowd very often.
Ethan Nakamura raised an eyebrow. "So someone finally figured out."
"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.
"Well, come on." Drew spread her hands like the truth was obvious. "Olympus is closed. Percy and Allison have disappeared. Hera sends you a vision and you come back with three new demigods in one day, not to mention a dead girl. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?"
Everyone turned to Rachel.
"Well?" Drew called down. "You're the oracle. Has it started or not?"
Rachel's eyes looked scary in the firelight, but she stepped forward calmly and addressed the camp.
"Yes," she said. "The Great Prophecy has begun."
Pandemonium broke out.
When the talking finally subsided, Rachel took another step toward the audience, and fifty-plus demigods leaned away from her, as if one skinny redheaded mortal was more intimidating than all of them put together.
"For those of you who have not heard it," Rachel said, "the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this: "Nine half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm, fire or magic the world must fall—"
Jason shot to his feet. His eyes looked wild, like he'd just been tasered.
Even Rachel seemed caught off guard. "J-Jason?" she said. "What's—"
"Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus," he chanted. "Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem."
Laviana leaned over to Ethan. "Is this a cult?" She whispered.
Ethan crossed his arms. "So when you call it a cult it's fine, but when I do I get a dagger thrown at my head?"
Laviana's eyes lit up. "I threw a dagger at your head?"
"That's not something you should be excited about!" He hissed.
She raised her hands in defense. "I was just wondering if I had good aim."
Ethan rolled his good eye. "I'm alive, dipshit, what does that tell you?"
"You just ... finished the prophecy," Rachel stammered. " —An oath to keep with a final breath/And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. How did you—"
"I know those lines." Jason winced and put his hands to his temples. "I don't know how, but I know that prophecy."
"In Latin, no less," Drew called out. "Handsome and smart."
There was some giggling from the Aphrodite cabin, but it didn't do much to diffuse the tension. The campfire was burning a chaotic, nervous shade of green.
Jason sat down, looking embarrassed, but Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder and muttered something reassuring.
Rachel Dare still looked a little shaken. She glanced back at Chiron for guidance, but the centaur stood grim and silent, as if he were watching a play he couldn't interrupt—a tragedy that ended with a lot of people dead onstage.
"Well," Rachel said, trying to regain her composure. "So, yeah, that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it's starting now. I can't give you proof. It's just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The nine demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here."
The campers began to stir and mutter, looking at each other nervously, until a drowsy voice in the crowd called out, "I'm here! Oh ... were you calling roll?"
"Go back to sleep, Clovis," Laviana yelled, and a lot of people laughed.
"Anyway," Rachel continued, "we don't know what the Great Prophecy means. We don't know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the second Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad."
"Or worse," Chiron murmured.
Maybe he didn't mean everyone to overhear, but they did. The campfire immediately turned dark purple.
"What we do know," Rachel said, "is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken."
Shocked silence. Then fifty demigods started talking at once.
Chiron pounded his hoof again, but Rachel still had to wait before she could get back their attention.
She told them about the incident on the Grand Canyon skywalk—how Gleeson Hedge had sacrificed himself when the storm spirits attacked, and the spirits had warned it was only the beginning. They apparently served some great mistress who would destroy all demigods.
Then Rachel told them about Piper passing out in Hera's cabin. Laviana noticed Drew in the back row, pantomiming a faint, and her friends giggling. Finally Rachel told them about Jason and Laviana's visions.
"Jason," Rachel said. "Um...do you remember your last name?"
He looked self-conscious, but he shook his head.
"We'll just call you Jason, then," Rachel said. "It's clear Hera herself has issued you and Laviana a quest."
Rachel paused, as if giving the both of them a chance to protest.
Jason looked at Laviana. "Are you with me?"
She smiled. "I can't let you get all the glory, can I, blondie?"
Jason set his jaw and turned back to Rachel. "We agree."
"You must save Hera to prevent a great evil," Rachel continued. "Some sort of king from rising. For reasons we don't yet understand, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now."
"That's the council day of the gods," Annabeth said. "If the gods don't already know Hera's gone, they will definitely notice her absence by then."
"They'll probably break out fighting," Ethan said in a bored voice. "accusing each other of taking her, blah, blah, blah. It's what they usually do."
"The winter solstice," Chiron spoke up, "is also the time of greatest darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things ... stir."
"Drama Queen," Laviana whispered.
Ethan snorted. "Like you aren't?"
"Okay," Annabeth said, glaring at the centaur. "Thank you, Captain Sunshine. Whatever's going on, I agree with Rachel. Jason and Laviana has been chosen to lead this quest, so—"
"Why haven't they been claimed?" somebody yelled from the Ares cabin. "Laviana's been here for years and she still hasn't been claimed. The gods promised we would be when we reached 13. If they're so important—"
"He has been claimed," Chiron announced. "Long ago. Jason, give them a demonstration."
At first, Jason didn't seem to understand. He stepped forward nervously, but reached into his pocket. His coin flashed in the air, and when he caught it in his hand, he was holding a lance—a rod of gold about seven feet long, with a spear tip at one end.
The other demigods gasped. Rachel and Annabeth stepped back to avoid the point, which looked sharp as an ice pick.
"Wasn't that ..." Annabeth hesitated. "I thought you had a sword."
"Um, it came up tails, I think," Jason said. "Same coin, long-range weapon form."
"Dude, I want one!" yelled somebody from Ares cabin.
"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" one of his brothers agreed.
"Electric," Jason murmured, like that was a good idea. "Back away."
Annabeth and Rachel got the message. Jason raised his javelin, and thunder broke open the sky. Every hair on Laviana's arms stood straight up. Lightning arced down through the golden spear point and hit the campfire with the force of an artillery shell.
When the smoke cleared, and the ringing in her ears subsided, the entire camp sat frozen in shock, half blind, covered in ashes, staring at the place where the fire had been. Cinders rained down everywhere. A burning log had impaled itself a few inches from the sleeping kid Clovis, who hadn't even stirred.
Jason lowered his lance. "Um ... sorry."
Chiron brushed some burning coals out of his beard. He grimaced as if his worst fears had been confirmed. "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."
"Jupiter," Jason said. "I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky."
Everything broke into chaos, with dozens of people asking questions until Annabeth raised her arms.
"Hold it!" she said. "How can he be the son of Zeus? The Big Three ... their pact not to have mortal kids ... how could we not have known about him sooner? Even people thought Allison was a daughter of Zeus, but she was never claimed. Why him now? Why hasn't Laviana been claimed?"
Chiron pursed his lips. "I don't know."
Laviana's ears buzzed. Lie. She wasn't sure why, but she knew he was lying, like a sixth sense. But what exactly the truth was escaped her.
"We can only hope," he continued. "She will be claimed after or during the quest."
"The important thing," Rachel said, "is that Jason and Laviana are here now. They have a quest to fulfill, which means they will need their own prophecy."
She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers rushed forward and caught her. A third ran to the side of the amphitheater and grabbed a bronze three-legged stool, like they'd been trained for this duty. They eased Rachel onto the stool in front of the ruined hearth. Without the fire, the night was dark, but green mist started swirling around Rachel's feet. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing. Emerald smoke issued from her mouth. The voice that came out was raspy and ancient—the sound a snake would make if it could talk:
"Child of lightning, beware the earth,
The giants' revenge the nine shall birth,
The dead girl shall rise once more,
A secret weapon for the new war,
The forge and dove shall break the cage,
And death unleash through Hera's rage."
On the last word, Rachel collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her away from the hearth and laid her in the corner to rest.
"Is that normal?" Piper asked into the silence. Everyone looked at her. "I mean... does she spew green smoke a lot?"
"Gods, you're dense!" Drew sneered. "She just issued a prophecy—Jason's prophecy to save Hera! Why don't you just—"
"Drew, please shut up," Laviana said. "First off, it's our quest."
Annabeth nodded. "Second, Piper asked a fair question. Something about that prophecy definitely isn't normal. If breaking Hera's cage unleashes her rage and causes a bunch of death ... why would we free her? It might be a trap, or—or maybe Hera will turn on her rescuers. She's never been kind to heroes."
Jason rose. "I don't have much choice. Hera took Laviana's and my memories. I need it back. Besides, we can't just not help the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble."
Laviana hummed. "Well...we could, couldn't we?"
"I wouldn't advise it," Jason said.
A girl from Hephaestus cabin stood up—Nyssa, the one with the red bandanna. "Maybe. But you should listen to Annabeth and Laviana. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her own son—our dad—down a mountain just because he was ugly."
"Real ugly," snickered someone from Aphrodite.
"Shut up!" Nyssa growled. "Anyway, we've also got to think —why beware the earth? And what's the giants' revenge? What are we dealing with here that's powerful enough to kidnap the queen of the heavens?"
No one answered, but Laviana noticed Annabeth and Chiron having a silent exchange. She thought it went something like:
Annabeth: The giants'revenge ... no, it can't be.
Chiron: Don't speak of it here. Don't scare them.
Annabeth: You're kidding me! We can't be that unlucky.
Chiron: Later, child. If you told them everything, they would be too terrified to proceed.
The giant's revenge, Laviana mulled over mentally. Her first instinct was creatures who embodied all the elements (fire, earth, water, ice, wind), but something told her that wasn't the case.
Annabeth took a deep breath. "It's Jason and Laviana's quest," she announced, "so it's their choice. Obviously, Jason's the child of lightning and the dead girl is Laviana. They may choose any two companions."
Someone from the Hermes cabin yelled, "Well, you, obviously, Annabeth. You've got the most experience."
"No, Travis," Annabeth said. "Every time I've tried, she's deceived me, or it's come back to bite me later. Forget it. No way. Secondly, I'm leaving first thing in the morning to find Allison and Percy."
"It's connected," Piper blurted. "You know that's true, don't you? This whole business, your girlfriend and your friend's disappearance—it's all connected."
"How?" demanded Drew. "If you're so smart, how?"
Piper didn't seem able to form an answer.
Annabeth saved her. "You may be right, Piper. If this is connected, I'll find out from the other end—by searching for Allison and Percy. As I said, I'm not about to rush off to rescue Hera, even if her disappearance sets the rest of the Olympians fighting again. But there's another reason I can't go. The prophecy says otherwise."
"It says who we pick," Jason agreed. "The forge and dove shall break the cage. The forge is the symbol of Vul —Hephaestus."
Under the Cabin Nine banner, Nyssa's shoulders slumped, like she'd just been given a heavy anvil to carry.
"If you have to beware the earth," she said, "you should avoid traveling overland. You'll need air transport."
"The flying chariot's broken," Nyssa continued, "and the pegasi, we're using them to search. But maybe Hephaestus cabin can help figure out something else to help. With Jake incapacitated, I'm senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest."
She didn't sound enthusiastic.
Then Leo stood up. He'd been so quiet, Laviana had almost forgotten he was there, which didn't seem like him.
"It's me," he said.
His cabinmates stirred. Several tried to pull him back to his seat, but Leo resisted.
"No, it's me. I know it is. I've got an idea for the transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!"
Jason turned to Laviana, who nodded, before looking back to Leo with a smile. "We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you're in."
"Yes!" Leo pumped his fist.
"It'll be dangerous," Nyssa warned him. "Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive."
"Oh." Suddenly Leo didn't look so excited. Then he remembered everyone was watching. "I mean ... Oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this."
Laviana gave him a lopsided smile. "I pray for your mental state. So now we only need the fourth, the dove-"
"Oh, absolutely!" Drew was on her feet and flashing Jason a smile. "The dove is Aphrodite. Everybody knows that. I am totally yours."
Piper stepped forward. "No."
Drew rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Dumpster girl. Back off."
"I had the vision of Hera; not you. I have to do this."
"Anyone can have a vision," Drew said. "You were just at the right place at the right time." She turned to Jason. "Look, fighting is all fine, I suppose. And people who build things ..." She looked at Leo in disdain. "Well, I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty. There needs to be a sacrifice, or perhaps a human shield."
She glanced at Laviana, but Ethan was next to her. The son of Nemesis raised an eyebrow as he flipped a dagger in the air before catching it, all the while looking the daughter of Aphrodite in the eye.
Drew wisely changed course. "But you need charm on your side. I can be very persuasive. I could help a lot."
The campers started murmuring about how Drew was pretty persuasive. Laviana rolled her eyes. She had no idea why, but she wasn't affected; unlike the other campers. Laviana could see Drew winning them over. Even Chiron was scratching his beard, like Drew's participation suddenly made sense to him.
"Well ..." Annabeth said. "Given the wording of the prophecy—"
"No!" Piper's own voice sounded strange to Laviana. "I'm supposed to go."
Everyone started nodding, muttering that hmm, Piper's point of view made sense too. Drew looked around, incredulous. Even some of her own campers were nodding.
"Get over it!" Drew snapped at the crowd. "What can Piper do?"
Piper tried to respond, but she couldn't.
"Well," Drew said smugly, "I guess that settles it."
Suddenly there was collective gasp. Everyone stared at Piper like she'd just exploded. There was a reddish glow around her.
"What?" Piper demanded.
She looked down and yelped.
She was adorned in a beautiful white sleeveless gown that went down to her ankles, with a low V-neck. Delicate gold armbands circled her biceps. An intricate necklace of amber, coral, and gold flowers glittered on her chest.
"Oh, god," she said. "What's happened?"
Laviana pointed at Piper's dagger, which was now oiled and gleaming, hanging at her side on a golden cord. Piper unsheathed it and stared at her reflection in the polished metal blade. Her hair was perfect: lush and long and chocolate brown, braided with gold ribbons down one side so it fell across her shoulder. She even wore makeup—subtle touches that made her lips cherry red and brought out all the different colors in her eyes.
"Beautiful," Jason exclaimed. "Piper, you ... you're a knockout."
Laviana snorted, but couldn't argue.
Drew's face was full of horror and revulsion. "No!" she cried. "Not possible!"
"This isn't me," Piper protested. "I—don't understand."
Chiron folded his front legs and bowed to her, and all the campers followed his example.
"Hail, Piper McLean," Chiron announced gravely, as if he were speaking at her funeral. "Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love."