No one, so far as I'm aware, has done this. No one's done a fic on the original quest, the quest that sparked it all. The quest that began the First Great War, and the fic that brought so many demigods down to Punishment.

No one's done the fic on the quest given to Luke, son of Hermes.

Retrieve an apple from the Garden of the Hesperides.

So here it is.

Enjoy.

He was tired.

In later years, he told himself this was what had caused his recklessness. His wish to go dashing off into the sunset, to be a hero.

But in truth, the fact that he was tired contributed little to the overall quest.

But, either way, he was very tired.

He stood on the very top of the newly-christened Half-Blood Hill, leaning against Thalia's Pine. He pretended he could feel her heartbeat, could hear her gentle breathing as the tree creaked in a wind.

But no.

She was gone.

He sighed.

'We should have had a quest,' he whispered, turning and resting his forehead against the tree. 'You. Me. The kid. We could have taken the world.'

He sighed again, remembering the first time they had met and she had told him her heritage.

'You okay in there?' he whispered. 'Can you hear me?' He got no response, but he wasn't discouraged. He never got a response. 'The kid did well today. She's still got the knife. She says she's ready for a quest.' He chuckled lightly, his breath hot against the bark of the tree. 'I'm ready for a quest too.'

He straightened, patting the tree bark. 'Hang in there, Thalia,' he said, and turned and walked down the hill.

Later that day, the wind blew a message from Olympus to Chiron.

Luke was summoned to the Big House. Chiron and Mr. D sat on the porch, the pinochle cards for once lying, unshuffled and undealt, on the table.

'Luke Castellan, son of Hermes,' Mr. D said as Luke mounted the steps. 'Your father sent a message from the mountain.'

Luke showed no sign of anger, bitterness, or fear on his face, but inside he was furious. Of course his father had sent a message. Of course he hadn't come in person. 'Yes?'

'He says he's giving you a quest.'

Luke froze, stunned, disbelieving. 'A… a quest?'

'Indeed. He says you're too cooped up, that you need to get out. Personally, I would be fine to sit here all day and play pinochle with Chiron, but your father seems to believe halfbloods are made of a different caliber than I.'

'Does he… have you… what did the oracle say?'

'The oracle has said nothing. The oracle is waiting to deliver her message to you in person, as I would have thought and hoped you knew already.'

'Sorry. Yes. I knew that,' Luke said, his excitement showing. 'So… can I go ask her?'

Chiron held up a hand. 'A moment, Luke, please.'

Luke waited.

'Your father wishes you to be safe on this quest.'

And the anger, frustration, resentment were back, and Luke cursed his father with everything he had. What was the good, he roared inwardly, of giving a quest, if it came with a safety belt? What was the point of giving a chance for greatness and honor if you needed to be strapped in to gain them?

'Yes?' he asked.

'Your father has placed one restriction on this quest. He insists that you travel to the Garden of the Hesperides and retrieve a golden apple from their tree.'

And with a nod, he waved Luke inside.

But Luke had no wish to enter. Not yet. Not with this idiotic demand hanging over his joy like a stormcloud. 'An apple… from the Hesperides.'

'Indeed.'

'It's already been done.'

'Only by Heracles, Luke,' Chiron said wearily. 'It's not an easy task.'

'But it's been done before!' Luke almost shouted, and Dionysus' eyebrows twitched.

'Respect, boy,' he said, in a low, quiet tone that Luke recognized as a warning symbol. 'We debated letting you have the quest at all. In the time you've been here, you've shown great potential as a warrior, but not much at all in the direction of respect, discipline, or care. Take this slowly, and I'll say it only once. You get this quest. Take it or leave it.'

And Luke stormed into the Big House.

He entered the attic, a steady stream of muttered curses dropping from his lips, thunder rumbling in the distance, but he didn't care.

In the corner, the shriveled mummy sat up straight. The green light shone upon her. The green mist swirled out of her mouth. Her eyes opened.

'I am the speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo,' she said. 'I am the Oracle of Delphi. Approach, seeker, and ask.'

Luke stepped closer to her. 'Tell me about my quest,' he said.

The mummy leaned against the wall. The smoke from her mouth swirled and churned, as if some divine hand was stirring it together. 'Your quest?' she screeched, in the dry, three-fold voice she used. 'Your quest? Would you hear of your quest?'

A grating laugh left her shriveled lips. 'Then hear my prophecy.'

The mist from her mouth swirled and formed three figures. Two of them, long-haired, hard-eyed young men, Luke didn't know. But the third figure he knew, and knew well. He gasped and put out a hand.

'Thalia,' he whispered.

The three figures stood, motionless, crouched. Then the younger boy, looking something like thirteen or fourteen, opened his mouth, and the voice of the oracle spoke through him.

'The three children of three will come from the haven,

They will three times attempt to destroy you

And three times you will push them away,

The Prophecy of Seven will come through one of these,

And this one will fall because of it.'

With these strange words, which didn't seem much like the prophecies Luke was used to, the three mist figures looked up.

The one who had spoken, the younger boy, raised his arms, and, with a silent scream on his face, fell through the floor, the smoke composing him disappearing.

The other boy stepped forward.

'You will be reborn and destroyed,' he hissed.

'Your flesh will be made strong and your mind will be made weak,

You will be made a stepping-stone, yet you will crush others beneath your feet

You will destroy Olympus and you will save it,

And you will be cast to ashes and your soul shall not find rest.'

With that, he turned, and a shadowy figure leaped forward and slammed an axe into his head. Both figures disappeared.

Luke turned to Thalia, fear of the Oracle's words already working through his body, slowing his tongue and quickening his heartbeats. 'Thalia,' he said again, but she shook her head, and stepped into the green light. She opened her mouth.

'In three years a demigod will enter the camp,' she said.

'He will slay the Minotaur. Take care of him, Luke. And don't wait for me.'

She raised her arms, looking up, as if something was going to fall on her. And something did. A scowling misty statue of Hera toppled through the ceiling, flattening the Thalia-figure, and all the smoke folded and entered the Oracle's mouth.

'Wait!' Luke said, still stunned. 'Wait! That wasn't… you didn't…'

Then the Oracle opened its mouth again.

'You shall go to the west, and find the fruit made from gold,

You will find the dragon of many heads and pay for what you stole,

You will begin the journey back, and meet one whose place was forgot

And Time will end your quest, and your life, and resist you will not.'

And with that, the light vanished, the smoke vanished, and the Oracle closed her jaw with a snap and relaxed.

Luke's audience with the oracle was over.

So, guys. Y'all can guess, I guess, what the prophecies mean… but the son of Hermes sure as Hades can't, and he'll go mad over trying to figure out just what they mean – especially what the second guy was talking about!

Quiz! Can you name the three mist-demigods, what happened to them at the end and why, and what they were talking about? Any decent PJO fan should be able to do it. Easy.

Well, that's it for the first chapter of this delightful delving into the devious and dangerous mind of yours truly, along with some decadent detail into Luke's debut drama!

Peace! Read and Review, my good people, Read and Review. And any favs or follows would be greatly appreciated.

Survive!