"𝚟𝚒𝚡𝚎𝚗" | 𝚙. 𝚓𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜𝚘𝚗

𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎

Percy Is Offered A Quest

OR

Mr. D Does Not Follow Child Protection Laws

third person omniscient

k.p

-

ONE DAY, PERCY would like to say that he was an emotionally stable person who wasn't on the verge of breaking everything in sight.

Yeah, that day just wasn't today.

Chiron had him moved to Cabin 3 the morn after.

Percy didn't have to share with anybody. He had plenty of room for all his stuff: the Minotaur's horn, one set of spare clothes, and a toiletry bag. He got to sit at his own dinner table, pick all his own activities, call 'lights out' whenever he felt like it, and not listen to anybody else. 

And he was absolutely miserable.

Just when he'd started to feel accepted, to feel he had a home in cabin eleven and he might be a normal kid- or as normal as someone can be when you're a half-blood- Percy had been separated out as if he had some rare disease. 

Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but the green-eyed boy got the feeling they were all talking about it behind his back. The attack had scared everybody.

It sent two messages: one, that Percy Jackson was the son of the sea god; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill him. They could even invade a camp that had always been considered safe. 

Stelle still hung out with him sometime, but that made her popularity take a hit. Nobody was willing to talk to her if she'd been with him that day. Only a select few even considered going near her.

She never had activities with him anymore, and Percy saw that she hesitated every time he asked, she was unwilling to be ostracized. Maybe that cut him the deepest, when he would have done it for her.

Still, hesitancy aside, she always did end up spending time with him.

One day, when they sat together on a hill near the canoeing lake, he decided he felt bad about bringing down Stelle with him. That always seemed to be what happened at all the schools they'd been to together.

"You don't have to, you know." Percy flicked a pebble into the lake, watching the naiads (who seemed to think that Stelle-watching was a highlight of their day).

Stelle shrugged. "I've been around you a lot, I haven't died yet. And just because you got claimed doesn't mean that you weren't a son of Poseidon before that. I don't see how you're different now than before."

"You did almost die. Mrs. Dodds, remember?" He watched as Stelle shredded the grass, green stains getting onto her fingers as the inconspicuous plant begged for mercy (silently).

"She doesn't count."

"How?"

"She was my math teacher, half of those try to kill me anyways."

"...What?"

Percy also decided to confide in Stelle the strange dreams he'd been having.

"What do you think about it?"

"I dunno, really. It's weird, but... it's gotta mean something, right? I hear Hypnos is the god of sleep... wait, but is he the god of dreams...?"

The other campers steered clear of Percy as much as possible. Cabin eleven was too nervous to have sword class with him after what he'd done to the Ares folks in the woods, so his lessons with Luke became one-on-one. He pushed Percy harder than ever, and wasn't afraid to bruise him up in the process. 

Annabeth still taught them Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time Percy said something, she scowled at him, as if he'd just poked her between the eyes. It always became mundane, quiet.

After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest... Poseidon?... Dirty fucking rotten... Got to make a plan..."

Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill him for breaking her magic spear. Percy wished she would just yell or punch him or something. He'd much rather get into fights every day than be ignored. 

Stelle knew that someone had it out for them because she found a mortal newspaper stuck in Cabin Eleven and Three's doorway. It took Stelle about an hour to read, because the angrier she got, the more letters floated and fluttered like startled butterflies.

TWO CHILDREN AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT

by Eileen Smythe

The article was about how the Camaro was found, completely wrecked, along with Percy's past 'troubled behavior'. Interestingly enough, there wasn't much about Stelle. Her father's doing, most likely.

There were Stelle and Percy's school pictures (the ones she desperately wanted to wipe off the face of the Earth; she looked at the camera weird), along with Sally's smiling face.

All of this was expected and for the most part, reasonable, but what really got her was a crime-stoppers hotline, circled in black ink. She wasn't a criminal.

Tearing the newspaper to pieces, she tossed the paper into the trash.

Someone was going to pay.

...

That night, she dreamt of being in a field of flowers. She felt the breath of the wind, a fleeting brush of the wild, and the wonderful company of the free.

Oh, and then she spotted the most beautiful flower, most delicate and vibrant. She must've put extra care into creating it. How curious! She had never seen it, or perhaps she just had not remembered.

The nymph she was with was distracted with arranging her own equally (but not really, in her opinion) pretty flowers. The flower she had her eye on splayed its petals out proudly, glistening ruby like pomegranate seeds.

Oh, I loathe that flower now.

She caressed the stem like a whispering breeze, plucking it with a gentleness no being, ichor or iron, could match.

Then, faster than she could react, the earth split open.

And she fell, oh yes, no charming prince came to catch her, she simply fell. She would not die, of course, but isn't that such a bitter ending to a happy meeting?

Persephone went to go pick flowers with her friends. Persephone found a pretty flower. The earth split open. Persephone fell.

Yes, sure, she was made Queen of the Underworld later, but he seriously wasn't courteous enough to catch her?

Ohoho, was mother angry.

I could hear it even from the hellhole. The sounds of people dying above, wailing for the gods to help them. The sounds of death from below became stronger. How terrible. How good for me.

Zeus would have no choice but to demand my freedom now, and I shall be rid of this man who tries to win me over with riches and jewels.

The asphodel is terrible. I think I loathe it even more than that wretched flower.

...

Luke shook Stelle awake, prodding her cheek. "'Ey, sleeping beauty, wake up."

"Fuck off, Luke." The girl, who was snuggled up in her warm sleeping bag, rolled over and pretended to fall asleep again. Truthfully, she was fully awake now, but just wanted to fake it to spite Luke for waking her up in the first place.

"Your call. Travis, Connor, your turn."

"No!" Stelle shot up, looking around. The Stolls snored loudly in their bunks, most definitely not going to put ice down her shirt. "Argh, Luke, you asshat-"

The sandy-haired boy smirked and shrugged. "Grover's here for you. Your situation isn't looking so hot, missy."

Grover was at the doorway, stamping his feet like he wanted nothing more than run and leave this place behind. He looked like he was doing an odd jig, kicking his legs alternately and erratically.

Stelle rubbed her throat and sighed. "What's he want..?"

"Mr. D wants to see you and Percy." He managed through his nervous breakdown.

Ah, great. She got dressed and followed Grover to pick up her groggy best friend, who'd rolled out of bed and only seemed to sober when the thought of Mr. D turning him into a grape occured to him.

Percy looked like he had already accepted his fate. Stelle supposed it was a crime for him just to be alive, and the gods were ready to punish him for simply existing. Now Mr. D was going to deliver the final verdict.

Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in their direction. Percy asked Grover if they needed an umbrella. 

"No," He said, "It never rains here unless we want it to."

Percy pointed skyward, at the twisting and rumbling clouds. "What the hell is that, then?"

Grover glanced uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."

Stelle realized he was right. In the week she'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds she'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley. 

But Percy was more skeptical. "But... this storm is huge-"

Grover shushed him, turning pale. The thought of the magic failing the camp seemed to cause him even greater stress than he was already under.

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. 

The trio 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 Percy's first day.

Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents- two sets of cards hovering in the air. 

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up, "if it isn't our little celebrity." 

Percy waited for him to elaborate on that. The god didn't.

"Come closer," said Mr. D, "and don't expect me to kowtow to you 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 rolled his eyes, throwing a card down.

Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth. 

"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."

Stelle smiled sourly. "I'm sure you find this hard to believe, Mr. D, but spontaneous combustion just so happens to be a form of harm."

Chiron nodded gravely.

"Nonsense." Mr. D scoffed, "Boy would 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."

Percy let out a strangled cough. "That would mentally harm me, sir."

"Oh, blast it." Mr. D relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness."

"Anything to not... die." Percy mumbled. Gods, his standards were getting low.

Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' 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. 

Chiron smiled at them, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy. Ah, Estella and Grover too."

They did.

Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use. 

"Tell me, Percy." Chiron said, "What did you make of the hellhound?"

Just hearing the name made me shudder. 

Chiron probably wanted Percy to say, Heck, it was nothing. I eat hellhounds for breakfast. But he didn't feel like lying. 

"It scared me," he flipped a card between his hands, "If you hadn't shot it... I'd be dead."

"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

The sense of foreboding in his voice was far worse than any reprimand that he could dole out. The way Chiron looked at Percy like he was a story waiting to be told, and that he had already guessed his ending... it was unnerving.

Percy stared back, his earnest sea-green eyes swirling with a whirlpool of confusion.

"Done with... what, exactly?"

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

Percy looked over a Grover, who had his fingers crossed, then over at Stelle who was shaking her head.

"Well..." The boy started cautiously, trying to take his best friend's feelings into consideration, "...you haven't told me any of the details yet."

Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details." 

"How so? It's irresponsible and dangerous to let Percy go into something nobody knows about. Or is he just your guinea pig?" Stelle crossed her arms defensively.

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as Stelle could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together. 

Chiron smiled sympathetically at her, looking at her just like he did to Percy. A chill bristled down her neck and back. "No, I assure you that he isn't."

"So why can't you tell him anything?"

"It's just not that simple."

"Like hell it's not-!"

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy cut in, tired of being talked about as if he wasn't even there, "They're fighting over something valuable... something that was stolen, aren't they?"  

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks, and the other two knew Percy was right.

Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?" 

Percy's face felt hot. He wished he hadn't opened his big mouth. He began to explain, but Stelle clapped a hand over it roughly.

"Does it matter all that much? Anyone could figure it out. The sea and sky have been fighting like crazy." She said bluntly, keeping her hand on the green-eyed boy's mouth. He tried to pry it off him, not very successfully.

A muffled complaint liberated Percy.

"Plus, I've had these dreams."

That seemed to instigate more of a response.

"I knew it." Grover said.

"Hush, satyr." Chiron ordered, the lines on his face deepening with thoughtfulness.

"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"

Stelle rubbed her throat, looking around with a controlled appearance. She was panicking. "...Quest?"

"Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, 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." 

Stelle nearly laughed. Her mind was so close to snapping under the pressure. All of this Greek god stuff, she could handle. But interfering with gods, being thrust into danger so suddenly- that, she couldn't handle.

Percy did laugh, very nervously. "Excuse me?"

"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." Percy stared, wide-eyed like a deer in headlights at Stelle, as if she could help make sense of this.

Stelle was biting her nails, a habit she hadn't indulged in since second grade. Her father had warned that if she ever got caught doing it again, there would be no dinner for her. She was clearly spaced out.

Percy took her wrist to stop her, hoping physical touch might ground her again.

"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now, "The symbol of his power, 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." 

"Wonderful. Great! Really great." The black-haired girl said shrilly, going back to rubbing her throat.

Percy gripped Stelle's hand with a vice hold. "And... it's missing?"

"Stolen."

"By who?" Percy demanded.

"By whom." Chiron corrected. Once a teacher, always a teacher. "By you, of course. And Ms. Guan was your clever accomplice."

Stelle closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. She squeezed Percy's hand, and so did he.

"At least," Chiron held up a hand, "That's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice 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."

"Okay? Get to the point." Percy frowned.

"Patience. 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 Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I didn't-"

"Patience and listen, child." Chiron said, "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne."

Grover began nibbling at a Joker.

"The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. 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 while your accomplice charmed the security guard. Zeus believes he has found his thief."

"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!" Percy said, his voice sounding whiny even to himself. He let go of Stelle's hand to ball it into a fist.

Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around them, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over the valley, sealing them in like a coffin lid. 

"Er... Percy...?" Grover said, "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"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 them as if he actually expected them to remember question thirty-eight. 

How could anyone accuse him of stealing a god's weapon? He couldn't even steal a slice of pizza from Gabe's poker party without getting busted, he had to rely on Stelle for that (maybe that's why she was the accomplice). Chiron was waiting for an answer. 

"Uhm... something about a golden net." Percy guessed blankly.

"Poseidon, Hera, and a few other gods trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him go until he promised to be a better ruler, right?" Stelle finished for him.

"Correct." Chiron nodded, "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, 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 we're just kids." Stelle said flatly, too exhausted to put too much expression into her tone.

"Estella, c'mon..." Grover interrupted, "If you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was planning 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?"

"Luckily, I don't wear togas." She said, trying to joke, but it ended up sounding more impatient than anything.

"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon- my dad- he didn't really have this master bolt stolen did he?" Percy asked.

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."

The wind whipped through the porch, and with it, the atmosphere tensed even further. The bad weather was a sign, things were serious. No magical spell or protection could save Camp Half-Blood from two god's anger.

"I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, children?"

"Bad?" Percy guessed.

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

"Bad." Stelle echoed.

"And you two would be the first to feel the Lord of the Sky's wrath."

It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky. 

They had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of them. Percy was furious.  

"So I have to find the stupid bolt," He growled, "and return it to Zeus?"

"What better peace offering," Chiron splayed his hands out, as if to help them see his point. "Than have the supposed thieves return the stolen property?"

"And if he gets smited in the process?" Stelle asked apprehensively.

"There will be risks, but the reward will be well worth it. Rather, the simple mitigation of devastation shall be the reward."

Percy dragged a hand down his face, closing his eyes with a slow deliberateness. "Okay... so, if Poseidon doesn't have the damn thing, where is it?"

"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."

"Bullshit." Stelle snarled scornfully, not wanting to do something so risky as to trust him.

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?" Percy said.

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

He gulped. "Good reason."

The boy looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly. Easy for him. They were the ones Zeus wanted to kill.

Stelle's face was flushed, the blood rushing to her head in an attempt to conjure something to say to get out of this- but Chiron was steady and calm, and Percy wouldn't (rather, couldn't) refuse.

"All right," Percy turned away from the other girl, determined not to catch sight of her expression. "Better than being turned into a dolphin." 

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. For someone who succeeded in getting what he wanted, he didn't look pleased at all. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

Stelle began to pace, her throat a raw pink from being practically scrubbed by her hand. Things raced through her head- why couldn't she understand Chiron? Why didn't he have mortal reactions?- but maybe Chiron wasn't mortal in the same way as humans.

Yes, that was it. Chiron was a story as well, he experienced history (rather, was history, created it). Of course, the centaur was far from immortal... but not quite mortal. He didn't bleed the same blood... did he?

'I'm being too morbid.' Stelle massaged her temple, scolding herself internally.

"Ms. Guan," said Chiron, watching her walk back and forth intently. "This does not just involve Percy."

"I know, Chiron, I get it, don't lecture me about-"

"I don't believe you do get it, Estella."

Her? Being told she didn't understand? She understood just fine, she always understood. She could catch along fine. It was all fine.

"What don't I understand, then?"

Chiron looked at her too gravely and seriously for comfort. She stopped her pacing and felt an uncomfortable heat prickle at her nape.

"I'm offering you a way out here, child."

A way out. That was music to her ears.

"I'm listening." Stelle leaned against the rail, just about calming with the simple words.

Chiron smiled placidly. "Abandon Percy."

That was not what Stelle was planning to hear when she heard a way out. That automatically included Percy as well, right? She swallowed thickly.

"What?"

He held his firm gaze, completely unwavering. This scared her the most. Cowardice, or her best friend?

Stelle was a coward by nature. Weren't all those with silver tongues? They even developed If there was an easy way out, wouldn't that be the best option?

"Percy will bring suffering to anyone near him. Choose to stay close, and he'll be your end or your salvation. That's the price of making history."

A thrill of danger waved through her.  "But he's just a kid."

"I know."

"He's not supposed to be a hero."

"I know."

"Or anything but a kid."

"I know."

"I don't think you do, Chiron. I really don't."

Chiron settled his hands in his lap. "Maybe. But I know that this is Percy's story. Not anyone else's. If you don't want to be part of his legacy, just abandon the boy. You'll just be another friend who walked out of his life at the first sign of trouble."

Grover was determinedly pretending not to hear any of this, but he looked guilty.

"I couldn't imagine anything easier. You'd avoid so much trouble, because I promise you that that boy will be going on so much more dangerous quests. Just leave him."

Ah. Stelle always knew the boy was trouble, perhaps more than she bargained for. But she was a coward by nature, and would fear looking Percy in the eye more than facing 100 monsters.

"No." She said. "No, I won't."

Chiron looked out to the rolling fields, watching the growling sky pour torrents of rain down on the camp. "I thought that would be your answer. All I can do now is apologize for putting you two through this, but I swear on the River Styx that I believe it will all be worth it in the end. For the greater good."

'He believes. He swore that he believes. It doesn't matter the outcome, it only matters that he believes it's for the greater good. Chiron didn't promise anything at all.' Stelle crushed a card in her fist. She let her face settle into a perfect neutral.

Lightning crackled in the clouds above.

Grover stood up hastily. "Chiron!"

"Quiet and sit, Grover. Now, I ask that you don't tell Percy this conversation ever happened."

Stelle nodded mutely. She didn't want to tell Percy anyways. He would appreciate it... but Stelle feared that she would come to regret choosing him over safety.

Percy walked into view, approaching them with a vaguely bewildered appearance. For a brief moment and wild moment, Stelle thought that he did lose his sanity like Chiron said.

'Never mind, that's just his face.'

"Well?" Chiron asked him.

Percy slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen."

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."

Percy's ears were still tingling from the reptilian voice he had heard from the Oracle. "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.

Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

Percy didn't want to tell. He glanced furtively at Stelle, then looked away quickly, as if guilty of something.

The words he heard from the Oracle repeated through his skull, yanking the frays of his mind until he was going to go crazy from thinking about it.

Being betrayed by someone who calls him a friend... he didn't have that many. Grover? Eh, he couldn't see it. Did Luke even count as a friend? He was cool, clever too, but he didn't really count. Same with Annabeth (though he could see her betraying him).

That left Stelle. He felt guilty just for considering it, so he pushed it back into the darkness.

And the last line- he would fail to save what mattered most. What kind of Oracle would send him on a quest and tell him, 'Oh, by the way, you'll fail!'

How could he confess to that?

"No." Percy said, "That's about it." 

He studied my face. "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."

Percy got the feeling he knew he was holding back something bad, and he was trying to make him feel better. 

Stelle watched him expectantly. She wanted him to tell her later.

"Okay," He said, anxious to change topics, "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?" 

"Ah, think, Percy." Chiron said, "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in war, who stands to gain?" 

The Chinese girl straightened. "You wouldn't-"

"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." Chiron spoke straight over her.

Percy thought about his dreams, the evil voice that had spoken from under the ground. "Hades." 

Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

"No." Stelle said. "Percy, we're rejecting this quest."

Percy hated it when Stelle did that. It happened far and few between, but when she did, it got insufferable. She made decisions for him without regard for what he thought.

A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "What?!"

"I don't deal with the dead." She was resolute, unmoving. "Especially not gods of the dead, or the Underworld."

Every part of seeing the spirit beings of the long dead screamed unnatural, against laws of the universe.

"The Oracle has already given the quest. You cannot refuse." Chiron said, to Percy, not to Stelle. "You can't make Percy's choices for yourself, Stelle, no matter how well-intentioned."

She looked away, a familiar fear bubbling in her stomach. "So... he has to go down to the Underworld and get this master bolt."

Grover swallowed. "I mean, can't the master bolt be in someplace like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

"Two major gods who want to kill me. Great." Percy muttered.

A strange fire burned in Percy's stomach. The weirdest thing was: it wasn't fear. It was anticipation. The desire for revenge. Hades had tried to kill them three times so far, with the Fury, the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It was his fault his mother had disappeared in a flash of light. Now he was trying to frame him, his best friend and his dad for a theft they hadn't committed. 

Percy was ready to take him on. 

Besides, if his mother was in the Underworld ... 

'Whoa, boy,' said the small part of his brain that was still sane. 'You're a kid. Hades is a god. Stelle is right.'

Grover was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips. 

The poor guy needed to complete a quest with him so he could get his searcher's license, whatever that was, but how could Percy ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said he was destined to fail? This was suicide.

"Look, if we know it's Hades," He tried to reason, "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."

"But mortal heroes can?" Percy asked.

"Exactly. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"You're saying I'm being used."

'When are we not?' Stelle thought purely out of spite.

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble in a desperate situation. He needs you." Chiron smiled a little, and Stelle almost groaned. He had Percy hooked.

'My dad needs me.' Percy thought.

Emotions rolled around inside him like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. Percy didn't know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored him for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed him. 

He looked at 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."

Percy got the feeling there was a lot he wasn't telling them about his prophecy, but he decided he couldn't worry about that right now. After all, he was holding back information too. 

"So let me get this straight," He said, "I'm supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check." Chiron affirmed.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe." 

"Check."

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days." 

"That's about right."

Percy 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," He 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 and Stelle saved my life, Percy. If... if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."

Percy felt so relieved he wanted to cry, though he didn't think that would be very heroic. Grover was the only friend he'd ever had for longer than a few months (besides Stelle, of course). Percy wasn't sure what good a satyr could do against the forces of the dead, but he felt better knowing he'd be with him. 

"Then..." Stelle muttered, kicking a tiny rock off the porch. "I'll go too. If you guys died without me, I'd..." She trailed off.

Percy didn't have to hear the end. He bumped his shoulder with hers, smiling like an idiot. "You guys are the best people in the world to get in unspeakable amounts of danger with. So, Chiron, where do we go?"

"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 in America, though?"

Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

"Because Hollywood is obviously the gateway to hell." Stelle said.

"Naturally." Percy said, "Okay, 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, feeling embarrassed. His mom had never taken him anywhere by plane. She'd always said they didn't have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash. 

"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." 

That explained so much in both their lives.

Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed. 

"Okay," He said, determined not to look at the storm, "So, I'll travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron said, "Two companions may accompany you. Grover will be one. There's Estella as well. One has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."

"I don't, whoever it is. I want Stelle." Percy said immediately.

The air shimmered behind Chiron.

Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket. She was frowning severely.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain. 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. Plus, you don't get to refuse my help." Her hand twitched towards her back pocket, where Annabeth no doubt had a hidden weapon.

"Don't care. Who says I have to pick you, Chase?"

Stelle crossed her arms. "Does it have to be a trio?"

Chiron looked concerned. "Well, no... but anything else is considered unlucky."

"Great, a quartet it is." The girl nodded.

Percy sighed. He did need all the help he could get, even if it was from someone like Annabeth. She was smart, at least.

"Very well then." 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 never supposed to have violent weather. 

"No time to waste." Chiron said, "I think you all should get packing."