"Can I have everyone's attention please?" Chiron called as he stomped his hoof on the stone floor of the pavilion. "After breakfast all of the immortal campers are to report to the Big House immediately. We have received important instructions from the gods regarding a quest that is only to be given to those with the strongest will. On a happier and yet sadder note, today is the first of August, marking the defeat of Gaea and her giant children exactly three centuries ago. So to commemorate that moment, we will be having a Capture the Flag game against Artemis and her Hunters who you may have realised arrived during the night."
The campers cheered at the mention of an extra capture the flag game, yet not all of them were happy that they would be playing with the Hunters – the band of immortal girls always won. Chiron thanked the campers and conversations immediately started again.
Annabeth sighed, "Great, another quest." Annabeth had been on more quests than she cared to remember. She knew full well why all of the other immortal campers were sullenly picking at their food like they had no desire to eat anything – she was doing the same. Today, three hundred years ago, was when Camp Half-Blood had been told that Percy Jackson had sacrificed himself to close the Doors of Death. According to Hades, Percy was still alive in Tartarus somewhere. One of the downsides of being immortal was that you remembered practically everything with an almost photographic memory. Annabeth could still picture Percy in her head as he shouted at her to go, saying that he would join her. He didn't, and instead held the button with Bob, Small Bob and Damasen protecting him from the hoard of monsters and Tartarus himself. A tear rolled down Annabeth's cheek and landed in her breakfast.
"Hey, Annabeth, you okay?" One of Annabeth's siblings asked worriedly.
"I'm fine," Annabeth choked out, but another tear that landed on her breakfast said differently. She abruptly stood up and without another word turned to sprint out of the pavilion with her blonde hair flying behind her. Annabeth ran towards the cabins – all forty-eight of them. Since the Giant War the constructions of the cabins had finished and the original 'U' that had become a Greek omega now had an outer ring of cabins.
Annabeth slammed the door to cabin six shut and immediately made her way to her bunk, scrabbling around underneath to pull out a wooden chest. She waved her hand over the lock and murmured, "ἀνοίγω." Open. The chest unlocked and Annabeth quickly scrambled onto her bunk before taking out what she was looking for. Percy's camp bead necklace - he had thrust it into her hand before shoving her into the elevator and ordering her to leave him. She then took out a picture. It was old and torn, but to Annabeth it was irreplaceable – the only picture she had left of her and Percy. She fired up Daedalus' laptop, marvelling at how the electronic had survived. In the three centuries since the giant war the mortals had started to threaten the existence of Olympus with their technology, so Zeus had ordered destruction to be released on all the newer factories. Even one and a half centuries after the 'worst natural disaster in the history of mankind' mortals were still baffled on how concentrated lightning strikes, storms, earthquakes and hurricanes had destroyed their newest technology.
Annabeth scrolled down through the files on the computer until she found the one that she wanted. Soon she was looking at a map of Tartarus that she had drawn when the Argo II was departing the House of Hades. Annabeth had memorised every nook and cranny that showed on the map in the hopes that she might one day be able to try and free her Seaweed Brain.
"When did you do this?" A voice asked from behind her. Annabeth spun and grabbed her drakon bone sword, swinging it instinctively at the intruder. Luckily, Thalia was fast enough to duck under the blade. "Oh gods, Thalia," Annabeth exclaimed, "I'm so sorry."
"Don't worry, I shouldn't have startled you," Thalia said dismissively and then focused on the silver laptop. "Seriously, though. When did you do that?"
"On the Argo," Annabeth muttered, "after we left Percy in Tartarus." Annabeth sniffed as she attempted to hold back her tears.
"Oh, Annabeth," Thalia murmured sympathetically. There was silence for several minutes until Thalia cleared her throat. "Breakfast in done, Chiron asked me to bring you to the Big House. He said you would definitely want to hear what he had to say."
Annabeth nodded and put everything back in the chest, but on a gut feeling she kept the laptop out and tucked it under her arm. "Alright, let's go."
Thalia nodded and walked out of the door which she had left open. "All of the other half-immortal campers should be there already. So we should hurry."
Annabeth took a breath, "Race you there?" She offered.
Thalia nodded, "You're on, Bird Brain." The lieutenant of Artemis took off with Annabeth close behind. Annabeth was conscious of the laptop she was clutching as she attempted to beat Thalia.
Several minutes later they burst into the meeting room of the Big House. It hadn't changed at all and the counselors all met around the ping pong table still. Chiron was at the head with the immortal campers all around the table and they looked up when Thalia and Annabeth entered the room.
Chiron and Dionysus were looking uncharacteristically serious and Mr. D was actually paying attention as Artemis sat in one of the chairs beside Chiron. "Ah, good," Chiron said after Annabeth placed her laptop on the table, "we may start now – if you will, Lady Artemis, Lord Dionysus."
Artemis looked happier than usual as she thanked all of the immortal campers for coming. "Now, yesterday Hades called an emergency council meeting." Annabeth tried to hide her surprise. An emergency council meeting hadn't been called for almost a century, which had made Annabeth think that all Tartarus was about to break loose.
"An emergency council meeting, Lady Artemis?" Thalia asked in shock, "What for?"
A smile appeared on Artemis' face. "Apparently Thanatos managed to persuade Tartarus to allow a quest into the Pit. Tomorrow the Doors of Death will open in the forest here and a quest will enter Tartarus to free Perseus Jackson."
There was complete silence for several seconds before Chiron looked around at the campers. "This quest calls for our very best, which is why it is only open to the half-immortal campers. Now, who would like to lead the questers?"
Everyone turned to look at Annabeth and Thalia grinned at her friend. "Annabeth should, Chiron, she even has a map of Tartarus."
Chiron's eyebrows shot up, "A map, you say? Well then, Annabeth, do you accept this challenge?"
"Yes Chiron," Annabeth said confidently.
"Then go talk to the Oracle in her cave. Assuming you are still sane after, then we shall discuss the members of the quest. Could you pass me the map and I will see if I can add anything?" Chiron asked and Annabeth nodded, opening up the laptop and handing it to the centaur before standing up and jogging out of the room.
Annabeth didn't know what she should feel. On one hand she was going to free her Seaweed Brain, but on the other, she was going back to Tartarus. Annabeth trekked half-way up Half-Blood Hill to a cave set back in the hill. A purple drape covered the entrance and inside it was even more comfy than the cabins as being the Oracle was an important position.
"Ah, Annabeth," Diana's voice called when Annabeth ducked inside, "I knew you would come."
Annabeth had voluntarily taken up the task of searching for the Oracle when the current one resigned from their position. So she knew each Oracle personally. "Hello, Diana," she said amiably once she could see the Oracle. "Are you well?"
"Very well, yes, though Apollo is trying to add some of his 'flair' to the cave. Personally I don't want any more naked statues of him around here," Diana laughed.
Annabeth smiled as she sat down on one of the couches. "Apollo hasn't changed in three centuries then."
"Obviously not," Diana said in amusement before leaning forward and her dark brown hair fell over her emerald green eyes. "So, Annabeth, you wish for a prophecy?"
"Yes," Annabeth nodded.
"Then ask away."
"How do I free Percy from Tartarus?" Annabeth asked.
Diana stiffened and green mist flowed from her mouth, circling her like snakes. The Oracle said:
"Nine will enter the depths of the earth,
find the never forgotten hero and return to the hearth.
But despair when all seems lost,
for his exit will not be without cost.
Wisdom, skies, beauty and fire,
will find help when all seems most dire."
Diana slumped forward and Annabeth quickly caught her, leaning her up against the couch. Diana's eyes fluttered open and she gagged. "Argh, tastes like snakes." The Oracle looked at Annabeth's pale face and sighed, "What did I say?"
Annabeth repeated the prophecy for Diana, finishing with: "It doesn't sound good, but this is Tartarus we're talking about. It was never going to be easy."
Diana nodded and gave Annabeth a hug. "Find Percy, he's a hero and deserves to live like one." Diana had never met Percy, but Annabeth had told her enough stories about him for her to know he was a true hero and people like that only come around every few centuries.
"I will," Annabeth said determinedly and gingerly detached herself from Diana's embrace. "Thank you, Diana."
"No worries," Diana smiled.
Annabeth swiftly left the cave and soon found herself back with the immortal campers. They were all crowded around Daedalus' laptop. Chiron looked up when she entered the room and she saw slight shock on his expression. "You saw all this when you were in Tartarus?"
Annabeth nodded slightly as she sat down. "That's everything that could be used to find out where you are. Tartarus is like a massive body. The Doors are his heart and everything flows towards it."
Chiron looked at the screen of the laptop for a few more seconds. "I'll run this by Hades before you leave," he decided and left the laptop in front of him. "Now, let's hear the prophecy."
Annabeth took a breath to steady herself:
"Nine will enter the depths of the earth,
find the never forgotten hero and return to the hearth.
But despair when all seems lost,
for his exit will not be without cost.
Wisdom, skies, beauty and fire,
will find help when all seems most dire."
"So we need nine people," Connor Stoll said to break the silence.
Annabeth nodded, "Wisdom, skies, beauty and fire. That's obviously me, Thalia, Jason, Piper and Leo. So we need four more." Leo had appeared on Festus several weeks after the war with Calypso hanging on behind him whilst the Camp had been burning his shroud, almost giving all of his friends a heart-attack.
"I'll go," Nico di Angelo said, "my dad is Hades. It may give us an advantage." No one bothered to argue with him.
"We'll come," Hazel announced and Frank Zhang nodded in agreement.
"One more than," Annabeth said as she looked around the group of campers. None of them met her gaze.
"All of you are a bunch of prissies," Clarisse La Rue growled, "I'll go with you to free the punk since everyone else is going to be cowards."
Annabeth nodded. "When do we leave Chiron?"
"Tomorrow the Doors will open," Chiron said, "the Capture the Flag game is later today and you will be able to play it in honour of the win against Gaea." He tapped the laptop in front of him, "I will send this to Hades via Hermes and hopefully Hades can add some more places to the map."
Annabeth nodded and turned to look at Leo. "Can you make some Greek fire grenades or something? Anything that can be used as an explosive or weapon we will need. Tartarus is the monsters' home turf, we can kill them, but they just reform amazingly quickly."
Leo grinned wickedly, "Those monsters won't know what hit 'em. I'll get the Hephaestus cabin started on it right away."
Annabeth looked around at the questers, thinking that this was her chance to get Seaweed Brain back – and it was a damn good one.