[Percy's POV]
The next morning, Chiron moved me to cabin three.
I didn't have to share with anybody. I had plenty of room for all my stuff: the Minotaur's horn, one set of spare clothes, and a toiletry bag. I got to sit at my own dinner table, pick all my own daily activities, call "lights out" whenever I felt like it, and not listen to anybody else.
And I was absolutely miserable.
Just when I'd started to feel accepted, to feel I had a home in cabin eleven and I might be a normal kid or as normal as you can be when you're a half-blood, I'd been separated out as if I had some rare disease.
Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but I got the feeling they were all talking about it behind my back. The attack had scared everybody. It sent two messages: one, that I was the son of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill me. They could even invade a camp that had always been considered safe.
The other campers steered clear of me as much as possible. Cabin eleven was too nervous to have sword class with me after what I'd done to the Ares folks in the woods, so my lessons with Luke became one on one. He pushed me harder than ever, and wasn't afraid to bruise me up in the process.
"You're going to need all the training you can get," he promised, as we were working with swords and flaming torches. "Now let's try that viper beheading strike again. Fifty more repetitions."
Annabeth still taught me Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time I said something, she scowled at me, as if I'd just poked her between the eyes.
After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest... Poseidon?... Dirty rotten... Got to make a plan..."
I hadn't seen head nor tail of Y/N in days. Either he was avoiding me or... Well what else would he be doing. I tried asking the only other people I thought would know where he was. Chiron wouldn't say and Grover had no clue.
Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill me for breaking her magic spear. I wished she would just yell or punch me or something. I'd rather get into fights every day than be ignored.
I knew somebody at camp resented me, because one night I came into my cabin and found a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page.
The article took me almost an hour to read, because the angrier I got, the more the words floated around on the page.
BOY AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER
FREAK CAR ACCIDENT
BY EILEEN SMYTHE
"Sally Jackson and her son Percy are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.
Mother and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons.
Though, police can confirm, there is a potential suspect pending a DNA test. The officers have yet to confirm whether the blood found is from Mrs Jackson or her son, so we are waiting on that information.
Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.
Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.
Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll free crime stoppers hotline."
The phone number was circled in black marker.
I wadded up the paper and threw it away, then flopped down in my bunk bed in the middle of my empty cabin.
"Lights out," I told myself miserably.
That night, I had my worst dream yet.
I was running along the beach in a storm. This time, there was a city behind me. Not New York. The sprawl was different: buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance.
About a hundred yards down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like TV wrestlers, muscular, with beards and long hair. Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green.
They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked and headbutted, and every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose.
I had to stop them. I didn't know why. But the harder I ran, the more the wind blew me back, until I was running in place, my heels digging uselessly in the sand.
Over the roar of the storm, I could hear the blue robed one yelling at the green robed one, "Give it back! Give it back!" Like a kindergartner fighting over a toy.
The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt.
I yelled, "Stop it! Stop fighting!"
The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned my blood to ice.
Come down, little hero, the voice crooned. Come down!
The sand split beneath me, opening up a crevice straight down to the center of the earth. My feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me.
I woke up, sure I was falling.
I was still in bed in cabin three. My body told me it was morning, but it was dark outside, and thunder rolled across the hills. A storm was brewing. I hadn't dreamed that. I heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold.
"Come in?"
Grover trotted inside, looking worried. "Mr. D wants to see you."
"Why?"
"He wants to kill... I mean, I'd better let him tell you."
Nervously, I got dressed and followed, sure that I was in huge trouble.
For days, I'd been half expecting a summons to the Big House. Now that I was declared a son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who weren't supposed to have kids, I figured it was a crime for me just to be alive. The other gods had probably been debating the best way to punish me for existing, and now Mr. D was ready to deliver their verdict.
Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in our direction. I asked Grover if we needed an umbrella.
"No," he said. "It never rains here unless we want it to."
I pointed at the storm. "What the heck is that, then?"
He glanced uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."
I realized he was right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley.
But this storm... this one was huge.
At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.
Grover and I walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against an invisible opponent, their cards hovering in the air. Y/N was sitting next to Chiron at the table, looking frustrated. His cards were bent in his hands and he looked nervous.
I gave him a wave. He grimaced at me in acknowledgment, not looking up from the table.
"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity."
I waited.
"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle Beard is your father."
A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.
"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.
Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth. Y/N had his hand holding the cards down on the table and his other hand scratching at his face with anxious speed.
"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."
"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.
"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."
"Mr. D-" Chiron warned.
"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness."
Dionysus rose, and the invisible player's cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."
Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass.
He snapped his fingers.
The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind. Y/N threw his cards down onto the table in relief, slumping back into his chair and taking slow steady breaths. He put his face in his hands.
Chiron smiled at me, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, please. And Grover."
We did. We sat across from Y/N who sparingly glanced at me with a weak, fake smile. It was a kind gesture but it didn't do much to change the moths in my stomach.
Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.
"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"
Just hearing the name made me shudder.
Chiron probably wanted me to say, Heck, it was nothing. I eat hellhounds for breakfast. But I didn't feel like lying.
"It scared me," I said. "If you and the others hadn't helped me out, I'd be dead."
"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."
"Done... with what?
"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"
I glanced at Y/N whose body shook with what I could only assume to be nerves. He wouldn't look at me. I turned to Grover, who was crossing his fingers.
"Um, sir," I said, "you haven't told me what it is yet."
Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."
Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.
"Poseidon and Zeus," I said. "They're fighting over something valuable... something that was stolen, aren't they?"
Chiron and my friends exchanged looks.
Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"
My face felt hot. I wished I hadn't opened my big mouth. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And... I've also been having these dreams."
"I knew it," Grover said.
"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered.
"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"
"Grover!" Y/N whisper yelled. "Keep it together dude. This isn't our call."
Grover sunk back into his seat.
"Y/N is right. Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."
I laughed nervously. "A what?"
"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two foot long cylinder of high grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god level explosives."
"Oh."
"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."
"And it's missing?"
"Stolen," Chiron said.
"By who?"
"By whom," Chiron corrected. Once a teacher, always a teacher. "By you."
My mouth fell open.
"At least" Chiron held up a hand "that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws."
"But the big guy in the sky thinks your dad convinced some demigod to steal it for him." Y/N cut in.
"But I didn't-"
"Just... just listen Percy. Alright?" He said, his voice ticking with nerves. I nodded.
"As I much as I don't like him, he has his reasons. The cyclops' forges are in the ocean. Which means Poseidon has some kind of say with them. They're the ones that made the bolt. Chiron just said that." Y/N took a deep breath.
"What I'm guessing is in Zeus' head is that Poseidon had the bolt stolen, and then got the Cyclops to make copies. And he's gonna use those copies to overthrow him. But he didn't know which human stole it."
Chiron put a hand down on the table. "Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."
"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"
Chiron and my friends glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.
"Er, Percy...?" Grover said. "We don't use the c word to describe the Lord of the Sky."
"Yeah, as crazy as he may be." Y/N muttered. This time, thunder rolled loudly. Chiron looked at him like only a disappointed teacher could.
"Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggested. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty eight on your final exam..." He looked at me as if he actually expected me to remember question thirty eight.
How could anyone accuse me of stealing a god's weapon? I couldn't even steal a slice of pizza from Gabe's poker party without getting busted. Chiron was waiting for an answer.
"Something about a golden net?" I guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods... they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"
"Exactly." Y/N nodded, now looking towards me. "And since then, ole thunderbolt hasn't trusted your dad even the slightest bit.."
"Of course," Chiron said. "Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along. The proverbial last straw."
"But I'm just a kid!"
"Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you... Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"
"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon- My dad. He didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"
Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date."
"We were hoping that some of the more sane gods would come through, make the brothers see sense." Y/N said. "But you showing up royally pissed him off. Now no one is going to step back, and unless something happens, there is gonna be a war. You know what that would look like?" he asked.
"Bad?" I guessed.
"Big time, Perce. Have you ever watched Saving Private Ryan? Of course you have. We watched it together." He took a deep breath, thinking on his next words carefully. "Think of it like this. Normandy Beach. Times a million."
Y/N kept explaining, his voice wavering. "The world itself at war. Nature would be in disarray. Complete insanity. The different olympians having to pick sides between your dad and Zeus. Millions if not billions would become casualties of this war they had no part in."
He sighed deeply.
"There would be destruction. More than we could imagine. The entirety of western civilization turned into a warfield so big it would make the Trojan War look like rush hour traffic in Montana."
"Bad," I repeated.
"And you, dude. You would be the first casualty out of them all. Then all hell breaks loose. Your dad gets mad, everything is flooded. Then the sky starts falling. It would be the end of the world as we know it. Sort of like when the catholic God flooded the earth the first time."
It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky. I had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of me. I was furious.
"So I have to find the stupid bolt," I said. "And return it to Zeus."
"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"
"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"
"I believe I know." Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago... Well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."
"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"
"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."
I swallowed. "Good reason."
"You agree then?"
I looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly. Easy for him. I was the one Zeus wanted to kill. I looked across the table and Y/N shrugged, letting out a shaky breath.
"Alright," I said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."
"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."
Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trap door.
I pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place.
[Y/N's POV]
Percy had been up there for a while, and I was in the middle of arguing with Chiron. Grover was nearly in a fetal position as we yelled at each other once more.
"We've been arguing about this ever since he was claimed, Y/N. This subject needs to be dropped this instant!" Chiron yelled at me.
"Are you hearing yourself?! It makes too much sense! The sea! The lightning! What else could that mean!! This has to be a part of the prophecy."
Chiron massaged the bridge of his nose. "Dear child, what do you really think will come of this?"
"I have no idea! But I would think I know what my prophecy says, Chiron. I may not be the oracle but I'm also not an idiot. Who cares what comes of it?? We don't know what'll happen! That's kind of the point of a prophecy!"
"I care, Y/N. Do you realize what could happen if-"
I heard footsteps. The doors creaked. Percy was back. Chiron took a deep breath and turned back to him.
"Well?" he asked, expectantly.
Percy stumbled over and slumped into a chair. I wasn't surprised. First time with the oracle was very disorienting. I patted him on the back and sat down myself.
"She said I would retrieve what was stolen." He finally spoke, nearly looking as green as the grass in front of us.
Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"
"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."
"She... she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."
"I knew it," Grover said. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Anything else?" I asked him. He looked at me cautiously for a moment.
It's times like these when I wish I could read minds. His eyes flitted off of me and then back to Chiron. He sat up and leaned against the table.
"No," he said. "That's about it."
He didn't look so certain as he spoke.
Chiron clapped his hands together. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."
"Okay," he said. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"
"Think, Perce. Zeus and your dad fighting. Who really wins from that?"
"Somebody else who wants to take over?" he said, uncertainty clear in his voice.
"Yes, quite." Chiron muttered. "Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken." He got lost in his thoughts speaking as Percy did the mental math.
"Hades."
Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."
A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh- what?"
"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."
"Yes, but- but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon..."
"Well... Think about it, Grover. A hellhound was here. As far as I know those are only in the underworld. And it was summoned into camp. Hades must have a spy." I told him.
Chiron looked at me with a pleased smile. Then his expression turned grim as he looked back at Percy.
"He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."
"Great," he muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me."
"But a quest to..." Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."
"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."
Percy's face maintained its expression, but his eyes. They looked angry. He clenched his teeth.
"Look, if we know it's Hades," he seethed, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."
"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades and I imagine Poseidon does. They couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule."
"Yeah." I muttered. "We 'heroes' have a bit more leeway. We can go wherever, whenever, and do whatever, provided we haven't been brutally dissected by something. None of the gods claim accountability for what we do. That's why they always work through humans. It's all a bit of a mess."
"You're saying I'm being used."
"What I'm saying is that Poseidon claimed you just now for a reason. High risk, high reward if it goes in his favor. I'm sure he's very desperate. There's no other reason he would own up to breaking that vow they made."
"Your father needs you, Percy." Grover said.
He looked around at us then settled on Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"
"I had my suspicions. As I said... I've spoken to the Oracle, too."
I got the feeling there was a lot not being shared right now. Between Percy, Chiron and myself. Grover, bless his hooves, probably not. As much as I loved the guy. If he had any secrets, I would've known them by now.
"So let me get this straight, I'm supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."
"Check," Chiron said.
"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."
"Check."
"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."
"Something like that." I huffed out, wiping my (H/C) hair out of my face.
I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.
"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked weakly.
"You don't have to go," Percy told him. "I can't ask that of you.
"Oh..." He shifted his hooves. "No... it's just that satyrs and underground places... well..."
He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If... if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."
Percy looked like he wanted to cry for a moment.
"All the way, G-man." he turned to me. "I can't really ask of you to come with me either, but... will you?"
"Of course. We're friends. I'm with you til the end of the line, Seabiscuit."
"What?"
"Seabiscuit. Makes sense. Water and horses. Read it in a book."
The confusion on his face faded as he turned to our teacher. Chiron had a sour expression on his face from my blatant disregard for what he wanted me to do.
"So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."
"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."
"Where?"
Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."
He choked out a laugh. "Of course it is. So we just get on a plane-"
"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"
He shook his head. I sometimes forget that Percy has no idea of what's going on.
"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."
Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.
"Okay. So, I'll travel overland."
"That's right," Chiron said. "Some companions may accompany you. Grover and Y/N are two. A third has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."
"There's only one other person crazy enough to volunteer for this. And I bet she's here right now." I pointed at where I thought she would be.
The air shimmered behind Chiron. That wasn't where I thought she was going to be. It was more to the left.
Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.
"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."
"If you do say so yourself," he said. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"
Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?"
"A quartet," I said. "This should be fun. We could sing barbershop music and get famous." Annabeth scoffed a chuckle.
"Need to be able to sing for that, Prancer."
"I'll have you know my singing voice is amazing. I can do a great version of anything Frank Sinatra." I said. Percy audibly cringed.
"You know the words I'll give you that." Percy muttered. He looked at Annabeth. "He used to sing 'My Way' in the shower." She paused for a moment and started laughing.
"It's catchy. Sue me." I paused when she didn't stop laughing. "It's good music..."
Grover bleated something that sounded suspiciously like chortling. I was going to get on him about his reed pipe playing ability (or lack thereof) but Chiron clapped his hand on Percy's shoulder, distracting me from the dismantling I was about to deliver upon the satyr.
"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."
Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were supposed to have no kind of weather other than sun.
"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."