“Darn it!” Connor yelled in the cabin while everyone was out except me, because I was a nerd and was reading my book. But I don’t care. Because the definition of nerd is smarter than you.
“Oh, sorry, Alora, he didn’t know you were in here,” Travis said, awkwardly.
“Oh no, I did. I just really don’t wanna go to this council meeting.” Connor said, and Travis sighed.
“Alora, can you go with me to the meeting instead of Connor, since he’s being all moody?” Travis asked, and I nodded.
“Sure,” I said, closing my book, gently.
ততততত
Having never been to a council meeting, I didn’t expect it to be this chill. We were gathered around the ping pong table in the rec room with food and wine which got changed to diet coke.
Zoë began the meeting on a grim note, “This is pointless.”
“Cheese Whiz!” Grover exclaimed, spraying the cheese on a ping-pong ball.
“There is no time for talk,” Zoë said, getting right to the point. “Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately.”
“West!” Bianca said, having taken the job of Zoë assistant. “You heard the prophecy. Five shall go west to the goddess in chains. We can get five hunters and go.”
“Yes,” Zoë said, nodding along. “Artemis is being held hostage! We must find and free her.”
“You're missing something, as usual,” Thalia said, agitatedly. “Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We're supposed to do this together.”
“No!” Zoë exclaimed, frustratedly. “The Hunters do not need thy help.”
“Your,” Thalia grumbled. She was ever so clearly in a bad mood, I didn't need to read her mind to figure that out. “Nobody has said thy in, like, three hundred years, Zoë. Get with the times.”
“Yerrr. We do not need yerrr help.” Yikes.
“Forget it.” Thalia said, rolling her eyes.
“I fear the prophecy says you do need our help,” Chiron said to Zoë. “Campers and Hunters must cooperate.”
“Or do they?” Mr. D mused, trying to unnerve some people, taking a whiff of his Diet Coke. “One shall be lost. One shall perish. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?”
“Mr. D,” Chiron said, sighing. “With all due respect, whose side are you on?”
“Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful.”
“Look, Zoë. None of us are big fans of working together, but we have to. You’d be helping to free your goddess.” I said, and I obviously got to her. “Besides, you know how prophecy’s work. You wanna go against it?”
“We must not delay," Chiron declared. “Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice.”
“Oh, joy,” Dionysus whispered. “Another dull annual meeting.”
“Artemis must be present at the solstice,” Zoë said. “She has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against Kronos's minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations.”
“Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?”
“Yes, Lord Dionysus.”
“Just checking. You're right, of course. Carry on.”
“I must agree with Zoë,” Chiron said. “Artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. We have only a week to find her. And possibly even more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest.”
“Three and three,” Percy said, and I looked over at him. He nudged my knee with his, then took my hand. “We're supposed to have five,” He said. Poor dear sounded self-conscious. “Three Hunters, three from Camp Half-Blood. That's more than fair.”
Thalia and Zo looked at each other before Thalia said, “Well, it does make sense.”
“I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We will need strength of numbers.”
“You'll be retracing the goddess's path,” Chiron said, with a look of wisdom in his eyes. “Moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. You will have to do the same. The prophecy was clear: The bane of Olympus shows the trail. What would your mistress say? ‘Too many Hunters spoil the scent.’ A small group is best.”
Zoë picked up a ping-pong paddle and it sorta seemed like she was having her dramatic moment with it. I didn’t have the time for drama. I set my head on Percy’s shoulder. It gave me a swirling sensation in my stomach that made me feel kinda sick. I quickly lifted my head and sighed. I couldn’t have this crush. I just needed some time away from him to get over it. Simple as that.
“This monster- the bane of Olympus. I have hunted at Lady Artemis's side for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be.” Zoë said, bringing my attention back to the meeting.
The eyes went to Dionysus and he looked up and said, “Well, don't look at me. I'm a young god, remember? I don't keep track of all those ancient monsters and dusty titans. They make for terrible party conversation.”
“Chiron, you don’t have any ideas about the monster?” Percy said, and I stared at the table so hard it hurt my eyes.
“I have several ideas, none of them good. And none of them quite make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit this description. He was truly a bane of Olympus. Or the sea monster Keto. But if either of these were stirring, we would know it. They are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. Your father, Poseidon, would already have sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be more elusive. Perhaps even more powerful.” Chiron said, pursing his lips.
“That's some serious danger you're facing,” Travis said. Lovely use of the word you instead of we. “It sounds like at least two of the five are going to die.”
“One shall be lost in the land without rain,” Beckendorf said. “If I were you, I'd stay out of the desert.”
“And the Titan's curse must one withstand,” Silena said. “What could that mean?”
“One shall perish by a parent's hand," Grover said, still eating the cheese whiz and ping-pong balls. "How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?”
Percy and Thalia had a heavy staring session after that. Must’ve been with their parents being the Big Three with their whole pact that failed…I hope they don’t die.
“There will be deaths,” Chiron declared. “That much we know.”
“Oh, goody!” Dionysus said, his head in a wine magazine. He looked up innocently and said, “Ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. Don't mind me.”
“Percy is right. Three campers should go.” Silena said.
“Oh, I see,” Zo said, sarcastically. “And I suppose you wish to volunteer?”
“I’m not going anywhere with the Hunters,” Silena said, blushing. “Don’t look at me!”
“A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at,” Zoë scoffed. “What would thy mother say?”
I wanted to punch Zoë. Apparently, Silena wanted to as well as Travis and Beckendorf had to restrain her from beating her lifeless.
“Stop,” Beckendorf said, holding Silena back. “Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will go?”
“I shall go, of course, and I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker.” Zoë said, nodding.
Travis looked up, “The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?” He asked, cautiously, and Zoë nodded. “The one who put the arrows in Connor’s helmet?”
“Yes. Why?” Zoë snapped, glaring at him.
“Oh, nothing. Just that we have a T-shirt for her from the camp store.” Travis said, shrugging. He held up an ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING TOUR 2002 shirt. “It's a collector's item. She was admiring it. You want to give it to her?”
Nothing good could come from a gift from a Stoll. Zoë didn’t know that however and she took the shirt. No one bothered to try to warn her. She continued on, “As I was saying, I will take Phoebe. And I wish Bianca to go.”
“Me? But… I'm so new. I wouldn't be any good.” Bianca said, stunned.
“You will do fine,” Zoë insisted. “There is no better way to prove thyself.”
“And for the campers?” Chiron said, looking at Percy.
“Me! Anything to help Artemis!” Grover said, jumping to his feet.
Zoë wrinkled her nose, “I think not, satyr. You are not even a half-blood.”
“But he is a camper,” Thalia said. “And he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic. Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?”
“Absolutely!”
“Very well, the other two campers?” Zoë asked. “Personally, I would prefer if Alora was on this quest. She’s one of the few campers I can stand.”
“Alright,” I said, shrugging, trying to seem cool while on the inside I was a burst of emotions. My first quest. So help me, if Chiron didn’t let me go, I would strangle that horseman.
“I’ll go too,” Thalia volunteered with that aura of trying to challenge someone to go against her.
“Woah, wait a sec,” Percy said, setting a hand on my knee but I shifted away. He gave me an odd look before turning his attention back to the meeting. “I want to go too.”
“Oh,” Grover said, suddenly aware of the problem. “Whoa, yeah, I forgot! Percy has to go. I didn't mean… I'll stay. Percy should go in my place.”
“He cannot,” Zoë said. “He is a boy. I won't have Hunters traveling with a boy.”
“You traveled here with me,” He tried.
“That was a short-term emergency, and it was ordered by the goddess. I will not go across country and fight many dangers in the company of a boy.”
“What about Grover?”
“He does not count. He's a satyr. He is not technically a boy.” Zoë said, shaking her head.
“Hey!” Grover protested.
“I have to go,” Percy persisted. “I need to be on this quest.”
“Why?” Zoë snapped. "Because of thy friend Annabeth? Or because thou would miss thy girlfriend too much?”
He blushed and refrained from looking at me. “No! I mean, partly. I just feel like I'm supposed to go!”
“No, I insist upon this. I will take a satyr if I must, but not a male hero.” Zoë said.
“The quest is for Artemis. The Hunters should be allowed to approve their companions.” Chiron said, and Percy deflated.
Chiron concluded the council, sending Percy an apologetic look occasionally. “So be it. Thalia, Alora, and Grover will accompany Zoe, Bianca, and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods, present company included, we hope- be with you.”
ততততত
Oh no, oh no, I couldn’t talk to Percy. I wanted this crush gone. I wanted it to go back to normal where we could just talk, being ourselves. I hated all of this. That feeling he gave me made me wanna vomit or sing and I didn’t want to figure out which.
“Alora, hey, what’s your-?” Audrey was walking to me before I grabbed her shoulders.
“You were right, I like Percy, but I don’t want to.” I said, and she paused for a moment.
“I was just gonna ask you for your zodiac sign, but I’m not going to refuse a chance to say I was right,” She said, proudly before faltering. “Wait, you don’t want to?”
“I can barely even talk to him without having a mild freak out, Audrey. I just wanna think of him as my friend again. How do I get rid of it?” I asked, urgently.
“Well,” Audrey clearly wasn’t expecting my urgency as she looked at me shocked. “I guess you could try to remember all the things you hated about him.”
I relaxed back and breathed deeply. “Right, I could just go back to hating him.” I said, and I leaned back.
“Anyways, your zodiac sign?” She asked, and I took a deep breath.
“Sagittarius,” I said after a moment.
She stared at me for a moment before grinning. “Right…” She said before smirking then running away.
~~~A/N~~~
I'm back! Trust me, I'm planning to update more often, I've just been really busy and shit.
Anyways, eat some cheerios,
Hush