Percy's POV
The least the Oracle could've done was walk back to the attic by herself.
Instead, Grover and I were elected to carry her. I didn't figure that was because we were the most popular.
Grover: Watch her head!
BONK!
I whacked her mummified face against the trapdoor frame and dust flew.
Percy: Ah, crap.
I set her down and checked for damage.
Percy: Did I break again?
Grover: I can't tell.
We hauled her up and set her on her tripod stool, both of us huffing and sweating. Who knew a mummy could weigh so much?
I assumed she wouldn't talk to me, and I was right. I was relieved when we finally got out of there and slammed the attic door shut.
Grover: Well, that was gross.
I knew he was trying to keep things light for my sake, but I still felt really down. The whole camp would be mad at me for almost losing the game to the Hunters, and then there was the new prophecy from the Oracle. It was like the spirit of Delphi had gone out of her way to exclude me and Theo. She'd walked half a mile to talk to Zoe, of all people. And she'd said nothing, not even a hint, about Annabeth. Or David.
Chiron: What will Chiron do?
Grover: I wish I knew.
He looked wistfully out the second-floor window at the rolling hills covered in snow.
Grover: I want to be out there.
He had a little trouble focusing on me. Then he blushed.
Grover: Oh, yeah. That, too.
Percy: Why? What were you thinking?
Grover: Just something the manticore said, about the Great Stirring. I can't help but wonder...if all those ancient powers are waking up, maybe...maybe not all of them are evil.
Percy: You mean Pan.
I felt kind of selfish, because I'd totally forgotten about Grover's life ambition. The nature god had gone missing two thousand years ago. He was rumored to have died, but the satyrs didn't believe that. They were determined to find him. They'd been searching in vain for centuries, and Grover was convinced he'd be the one to succeed. This year, with Chiron putting all the satyrs on emergency duty to find half-bloods, Grover hadn't been able to continue his search. It must've been driving him nuts.
Grover: I've let the trail go cold. I feel restless, like I'm missing something really important. He's out there somewhere. I can just feel it.
I didn't know what to say. I wanted to encourage him, but I didn't know how. My optimism had pretty much been trampled into the snow out there in the woods, along with our capture-the-flag hopes.
Before I could respond, Thalia tromped up the stairs. She was officially not talking to me now, but she looked at Grover.
Thalia: Tell Percy to get his ass downstairs.
Percy: Why?
Thalia: (to Grover) Did he say something?
Grover: Um, he asked why.
Thalia: Dionysus is calling a council of cabin leaders to discuss the prophecy. Unfortunately, that includes Percy.
Timeskip
The council was held around a Ping-Pong table in the rec room. Dionysus waved his hand and supplied snacks: Cheez Whiz, crackers, and several bottles of red wine. Then Chiron reminded him that wine was against his restrictions and most of us were underage. Mr. D sighed. With a snap of his fingers the wine turned to Diet Coke. Nobody drank that either.
Mr. D and Chiron (in wheelchair form) sat at one end of the table. Zoe and Bianca di Angelo (who had kind of become Zoe's personal assistant) took the other end. Thalia, Theo, Grover, and I sat along the right, and the other head councilors—Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers—sat on the left. The Ares kids were supposed to send a representative, too, but all of them had gotten broken limbs (accidentally) during Capture the Flag, courtesy of the Hunters. They were resting up in the infirmary.
Zoe started the meeting off on a positive note.
Zoe: This is pointless.
Grover: Cheese Whiz!
He began scooping up crackers and Ping-Pong balls and spraying them with topping.
Zoe: There is no time for talk. Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately.
Chiron: And go where?
Bianca: West!
I was amazed at how different she looked after just a few days with the Hunters. Her dark hair was braided like Zoe's now, so you could actually see her face. She had a splash of freckles across her nose, and her dark eyes vaguely reminded me of someone famous, but I couldn't think who. She looked like she'd been working out, and her skin glowed faintly, like the other Hunters, as if she'd been taking showers in liquid moonlight.
Bianca: You heard the prophecy. Five shall go west to the goddess in chains. We can get five hunters and go.
Zoe: Yes. Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her.
Thalia: You're missing something, as usual. Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We're supposed to do this together.
Zoe: No! The Hunters do not need thy help.
Thalia: Your! Nobody has said thy in, like, three hundred years, Zoe. Get with the times.
Zoe hesitated like she was trying to form the word correctly.
Zoe: Yerrr. We do not need yerrr help.
Thalia: (rolls her eyes) Forget it.
Chiron: I fear the prophecy says you do need our help. Campers and Hunters must cooperate.
Mr. D: Or do they? One shall be lost. One shall perish. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?
Chiron: Mr. D, with all due respect, whose side are you on?
Theo: (under his own) His own selfish ass.
I nodded in agreement, and so did Thalia and Grover. At least Theo is talking again. He hadn't said much since Capture the Flag.
Mr. D: Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful.
Thalia: (to Zoe) We're supposed to work together. I don't like it either, Zoe, but you know prophecies. You want to fight against one?
Zoe grimaced, but I could tell Thalia had scored a point.
Chiron: We must not delay. Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice.
Mr. D: Oh, joy. Another dull annual meeting.
Zoe: Artemis must be present at the solstice. 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.
Mr. D: Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?
Zoe: Yes, Lord Dionysus.
Mr. D: (nods) Just checking. You're right, of course. Carry on.
Chiron: I must agree with Zoe. 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.
Percy: Three and two.
Everybody looked at me. Thalia even forgot to ignore me.
Percy: We're supposed to have five. Three Hunters, two from Camp Half-Blood. That's more than fair.
Thalia and Zoe exchanged looks.
Thalia: Well...It does make sense.
Zoe: I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We will need strength of numbers.
Chiron: You'll be retracing the goddess's path. 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.
Zoe picked up a Ping-Pong paddle and studied it like she was deciding who she wanted to whack first.
Zoe: 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.
Everybody looked at Dionysus, I guess because he was the only god present and gods are supposed to know things. He was flipping through a wine magazine, but when everyone got silent, he glanced up.
Mr. D: 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.
Percy: Chiron, you don't have any ideas about the monster?
Chiron: 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.
Connor Stoll: That's some serious danger you're facing. It sounds like at least two of the five are going to die.
Beckendorf: One shall be lost in the land without rain. If I were you, I'd stay out of the desert.
There was a mutter of agreement.
Silena: And the Titan's curse must one withstand. What could that mean?
I saw Chiron and Zoe exchange a nervous look, but whatever they were thinking, they didn't share it.
Grover: One shall perish by a parent's hand. How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?
There was heavy silence around the table.
I glanced at Thalia and wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was. Years ago, Chiron had had a prophecy about the next child of the Big Three—Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades—who turned sixteen. Supposedly, that kid would make a decision that would save or destroy the gods forever. Because of that, the Big Three had taken an oath after World War II not to have any more kids. But Thalia and I had been born anyway, and now we were both getting close to sixteen.
I remembered a conversation I'd had last year with Annabeth. I'd asked her if I was so potentially dangerous, why the gods didn't just kill me.
Some of the gods would like to kill you, she'd said. But they're afraid of offending Poseidon.
Could an Olympian parent turn against his half-blood child? Would it sometimes be easier just to let them die? If there were ever any half-bloods who needed to worry about that, it was Thalia and me. I wondered if maybe I should've sent Poseidon that seashell pattern tie for Father's Day after all.
Chiron: There will be deaths. That much we know.
Mr. D: Oh, goody!
Everyone looked at him. He glanced up innocently from the pages of Wine Connoisseur magazine.
Mr. D: Ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. Don't mind me.
Silena: Percy is right. Two campers should go.
Zoe: (sarcastically) Oh, I see. And I suppose you wish to volunteer?
Silena: A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at. (scoffs) What would thy mother say?
Beckendorf: Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will go?
Zoe: I shall go, of course, and I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker.
Travis Stoll: The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?
Zoe nodded.
Connor: The one who put the arrows in my helmet?
Zoe: Yes. Why?
Connor: Oh, nothing. Just that we have a T-shirt for her from the camp store.
He held up a big silver T-shirt that said ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING TOUR 2002, with a huge list of national parks and stuff underneath.
Connor: It's a collector's item. She was admiring it. You want to give it to her?
I knew the Stolls were up to something. They always were. But I guess Zoe didn't know them as well as I did. She just sighed and took the T-shirt.
Zoe: As I was saying, I will take Phoebe. And I wish Bianca to go.
Bianca: Me? Me? But... I'm so new. I wouldn't be any good.
Zoe: You will do fine. There is no better way to prove thyself.
Bianca closed her mouth. I felt kind of sorry for her. I remembered my first quest when I was twelve. I had felt totally unprepared. A little honored, maybe, but a lot resentful and plenty scared. I figured the same things were running around in Bianca's head right now.
Chiron: And for campers?
His eyes met mine, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
Grover: Me!
Grover stood up so fast he bumped the Ping-Pong table. He brushed cracker crumbs and Ping-Pong ball scraps off his lap.
Grover: Anything to help Artemis!
Zoe: I think not, satyr. You are not even a half-blood.
Thalia: But he is a camper. And he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic. (turns to Grover) Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?
Grover: Absolutely!
Zoe wavered. I didn't know what a tracker's song was, but apparently, Zoe thought it was a good thing.
Zoe: Very well. And the second camper?
I saw Theo was about to open his mouth, but before he could...
Thalia: I'll go.
Thalia stood and looked around, daring anyone to question her.
Now, okay, maybe my math skills weren't the best, but it suddenly occurred to me that we'd reached the number five, and I wasn't in the group, and neither was Theo.
Theo: No, hold up. I'm going with you.
Percy: So am I.
Thalia said nothing, her eyes suddenly looked regretful. Chiron was still studying me, his eyes sad.
Grover: Oh. Whoa, yeah, I forgot! Theo has to go. I didn't mean... I'll stay. Theo should go in my place.
I didn't feel so bad when Grover said that Theo should go instead of me, because I agreed with him. Out of the two of us, Theo has the most to lose should this quest fail. His mother, his adoptive father, and his best friend.
Zoe: He cannot. Neither can Percy. They are boys. I won't have Hunters traveling with a boy.
Theo: You traveled here with us.
Zoe: That was a short-term emergency, and it was ordered by the goddess. I will not go across the country and fight many dangers in the company of a boy.
Percy: What about Grover?
Zoe: (shakes his head) He does not count. He's a satyr. He is not technically a boy.
Grover: Hey!
Theo: No, screw that! I need to be on this quest!
Zoe: Why? Because of thy friend Annabeth?
Theo blushed, but quickly regained his composure.
Theo: She's not the only reason! Do I need to remind you that Artemis is my mother?! And I know if she's headed west, there's a chance David might be there! I have the most to lose out of everyone else who's going!
Nobody rose to Theo's defense. Mr. D looked bored, still reading his magazine. Silena, the Stoll brothers, and Beckendorf were staring at the table. Bianca gave him a look of pity.
Even Zoe looked regretful for a split second.
Zoe: No. insist upon this. I will take a satyr if I must, but not a male hero.
Chiron: (sighs) The quest is for Artemis. The Hunters should be allowed to approve their companions.
Theo: Alright, you know what?! FUCK THIS, AND FUCK YOU!
He got up, knocking over the Ping-Pong table and everything that was on it, and stormed off.
Theo: FUCK!
I just sat there, stunned as Chiron concluded the council.
Chiron: So be it. Thalia and Grover will accompany Zoe, Bianca, and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods— (glances at Mr. D) present company included, we hope—be with you.
Theo's POV
This is fucking bullshit.
???: Theo, wait.
I just kept walking, ignoring Thalia's voice.
Thalia: Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know what I was thinking. I should've—
Theo: Don't stress about it. Okay? Good luck.
I kept walking, not bothering to give Thalia a glance.
Thalia: Hang on!
I stopped walking but didn't look at her.
Thalia: I'll bring Annabeth back. Okay? And if I find David, I'll bring him back, too. I promise. I'll even storm the fricking Underworld itself if I have to.
I just nodded then kept walking.
I entered the Poseidon cabin and slammed the door shut. I walked past Percy and Chiron, who were having a conversation before I walked in.
Chiron: Theo...
Theo: Leave me alone. I'm not in the mood.
I kept walking until I reached my room. I closed the door and laid down on the bed, putting my hands on my face.
I took my iPod, put the earphones on, and pressed shuffle.
I laid down on the bed, letting the music flood my brain.
I dug into my pocket and took out a picture of me and Annabeth. We were both standing in front of the climbing wall, while we were wearing our orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirts. My T-shirt was fine, whereas Annabeth's was a bit singed.
I remember the day the picture was taken. Annabeth and I had made a bet on who could climb the wall fastest. It was even, but while I did it cleanly, Annebeth did it sloppily, trying to match my time. As a result, she ended up getting too close to the lava. She turned out fine, but her T-shirt was burned.
I chuckled at the memory before placing the photo on the nightstand. Then I did a double take when I saw what else was there.
There was a vial of a bluish liquid, sealed off with a cork. Next to it was a note written in Ancient Greek.
I picked up the note and read it. I could still understand what was written.
Got a feeling you might need this for the quest
Good luck
-Unc
P.S.: It just needs a couple of drops of your blood to be complete. Don't worry about it, it's harmless.
Theo: (scoffs) Bit too late for that, Unc. I'm not even going.
But then I thought about it. I remember Annabeth telling me that trying to alter destiny doesn't end well. Sometimes one often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.
...
...
...
You know what? Fuck the prophecy! I'm not gonna let that stop me! I have too much to lose!
All I had to do is wait until curfew and sneak out of camp. Maybe I'll ask Hermes to get me another supercar that I could drive west.
I thought about where exactly where I'd be going. Whatever it is, it's in California. It has to be. It makes sense to trap Annabeth, David, and Artemis somewhere that'd be too dangerous for a half-blood to go. Also, it's where the entrance to the Underworld is.
After packing everything I needed for the journey, I got in bed and slept.
(A/N: Stop the music)
Of course, I had another dream.
I was back in that barren cave, the ceiling heavy and low above me. Annabeth was kneeling under the weight of a dark mass that looked like a pile of boulders. She was too tired even to cry out. Her legs trembled. Any second, I knew she would run out of strength and the cavern ceiling would collapse on top of her.
???: How is our mortal guest?
It wasn't Kronos. Kronos's voice was raspy and metallic like a knife scraped across stone. I'd heard it taunting me many times before in my dreams. But this voice was deeper and lower, like a bass guitar. Its force made the ground vibrate.
Luke emerged from the shadows. He ran to Annabeth, knelt beside her, and then looked back at the unseen man.
Luke: She's fading. We must hurry.
Fucking hypocrite. Like he really gave a shit about what happened to her.
Then I heard another voice. One that wasn't as deep, but was way too familiar for my liking.
???: This is the girl that Theodorus is so smitten with? (chuckles) Pathetic.
That voice...it belonged to the man who killed my biological father. HOW THE FUCK IS THIS ASSHOLE STILL ALIVE AFTER 3000 YEARS!
The deep voice chuckled. It belonged to someone in the shadows, at the edge of my dream. Then a meaty hand thrust someone forward into the light—Artemis—her hands and feet bound in celestial bronze chains.
I gasped. Her silvery dress was torn and tattered. Her face and arms were cut in several places, and she was bleeding ichor, the golden blood of the gods.
Deep Voice: You heard the boy. Decide.
Artemis's eyes flashed with anger. I didn't know why she just didn't will the chains to burst, or make herself disappear, but she didn't seem able to. Maybe the chains prevented her, or some magic about this dark, horrible place.
The goddess looked at Annabeth and her expression changed to concern and outrage.
Artemis: How dare you torture a maiden like this!
Luke: She will die soon. You can save her.
Annabeth made a weak sound of protest. My heart felt like it was being twisted into a knot. I wanted to run to her, but I couldn't move.
Artemis: Free my hands.
Luke brought out his sword, Backbiter. With one expert strike, he broke the goddess's handcuffs.
Artemis ran to Annabeth and took the burden from her shoulders. Annabeth collapsed on the ground and lay there shivering. Artemis staggered, trying to support the weight of the black rocks.
Deep Voice: (chuckles) You are as predictable as you were easy to beat, Artemis.
Artemis: You surprised me. It will never happen again.
Then the other man stepped in front of her and kneeled down to her face. That's when I saw his face.
The same brown hair, the same blue eyes, the same sickening grin. The only thing that was different was the scar that spread from his left eyebrow to his right cheek.
Artemis looked at him, and she had an expression that looked fearful and rageful at the same time.
Man: Indeed, it will not. Now I have you right where I want you. Your son could not resist running into my clutches. Not with the three people he cares for most expecting him.
Wait...he said three...if Annabeth is one, and Artemis is the other...That means David is the third.
Artemis spat at the man's face.
Artemis: Don't you dare touch him.
The man wiped the spit off his face and grinned before turning to Luke.
Man: Have the dracaenae guard her here. And bring the mortal man here. We'll keep them alive until the winter solstice.
Deep Voice: After that, if our sacrifice goes as planned, their lives will be meaningless. The lives of all mortals will be meaningless.
Artemis: You will never find the monster you seek. You will fail.
Deep Voice: How little you know, my young goddess. Even now, your darling attendants begin their quest to find you. They shall play directly into my hands. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a long journey to make. We must greet your Hunters and make sure their quest is...challenging.
The man's laughter echoed in the darkness, shaking the ground until it seemed the whole cavern ceiling would collapse.
I woke with a start.
I knew it. I knew David would be there with Annabeth and Artemis.
I looked at the bedside clock and saw that it was about 5:30 in the morning.
Shit. I overslept. Doesn't matter. I'm still leaving.
I got up and put my backpack on and slipped on my Adidas shoes. I opened the bedside drawer and grabbed Annabeth's Yankees cap. I sighed before putting it in my back pocket.
I grabbed the vial and looked at it. All it needed was a couple of drops of blood to be complete, right? Screw it.
I flicked out the hidden blade on my right bracer and placed it on my left palm.
Theo: Here goes.
I cut my palm, wincing while doing so. I made sure was only deep enough to minimize the blood flow.
After cutting my palm, I opened the vial and squeezed my cut over it, allowing two drops of blood to fall into it. The blue liquid inside glowed and then turned purple.
I guess that's it, then. I put the cork back on and bandaged my hand. It should heal in a week.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
I walked over to the front of the cabin and opened the door to see Percy standing there with two Pegasi, one black and one white, behind him.
Theo: Percy? What are you doing?
Percy: Come on. If we hurry, we might catch up with the van.
Theo: Wait...you wanna sneak out?
Percy: Don't tell me you haven't thought about it.
Theo: Never said I didn't. I was actually planning on going alone.
Percy: (smirks) Well, now you don't have to.
I smirked back as Percy looked at my bandaged left hand.
Percy: What happened to your hand?
Theo: Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it.
Percy narrowed his eyes at me, then just shrugged.
Percy: If you say so. Come on. Let's fly.
Percy and I got on the Pegasi and took off into the skies.