"So, our new head councillors will be; Gabby Price, George Aguilar, Percy Jackson, Miranda Gardiner, Clarisse La Rue, Annabeth Chase, Will Solace, Thalia Grace, Jake Mason, Drew Tanaka, Travis and Connor Stoll, Pollux Lett, Nico DiAngelo, Butch Walker, Clovis Aserinsky, Kai Fredericks, Laurel and Holly Victor, Paolo Montes, Felix and Felicia Pax and Lou Ellen Blackstone." A slight murmur of respect at the centaur's ability to not forget all of these. "Does anybody wish contradict me?"
A few half-hearted protests from the new heads sat around the table; mumbled groanings from those unprepared or unwilling to take on the responsibility, worried musings of those who would never be around to govern their siblings, quietly outraged complaints from those unwilling to have someone leading a cabin. But inevitably, nobody said a word.
Chiron continued, acting as if they'd all finally agreed on something, knowing full well they hadn't. "And next -"
"Sir?"
"Annabeth?"
"What about the others?" Annabeth enquired gingerly.
"Hmmm?"
"Well, we're the only ones here and you've just made every single one of us a councillor. How would you know we're the best choices? It's not like we'd disagree with you, that might mean any of us getting demoted," she continued, complaining only slightly.
"That's because, quite frankly, nobody else would want to be a head councillor. We've just had to assign fifteen new ones, and five of those are replacing… casualties. Nobody would want to take the risk," was Chiron's brilliantly improvised response.
"So nobody else has been nominated because you assume we're the only ones willing to take the job?"
"Yes. Do you have any more questions?"
At that, Annabeth fell silent, for once incapable of finding a counter-argument. The logic somehow inexplicably held up. It would, after four thousand years of resolving disputes. "We've started work on the new cabins," her preordained response to any questions, was all she could come up with.
"Excellent! And Thalia. When do the -"
"The Hunters leave tomorrow at first light. Lady Artemis will be joining us." Thalia smiled wearily, her grin rather forced at the prospect of another's day hunt lost, another dull gathering she had no need to participate in.
"Very good. And Lou Ellen, is -"
"Hecate's still coming to a decision. She thinks she'll accept," came the young girl, breaking out of her subdued rapture for a second to deliver it to the teacher.
"Blackmail'll do that," muttered Kai darkly.
"Kai!"
"I'm sorry for being the one to point it out, but it's hardly fair, is it? She's lost enough children and now we're willing to kill another one just to get her favour. Thought you would have been the one to point that out."
Lou Ellen knew she should have been, but she wasn't going to let him know that. "You wanna go back to them? Fine."
"I don't. I'm just trying to make a point. Trying to choose the least bad side here. Don't get caught up with good and evil."
"I'm sure this is all very useful, but can I suggest we leave this conversation for a later date?" Chiron sighed at yet another argument Kai found himself in. "We have a meeting to finish."
Chiron was pleased to see Lou Ellen give a nod, but Kai remained silent, earning a hard glare from his bickering partner. Really, the boy seemed to make trouble for himself at every opportunity. If he didn't try to be so wise, he might actually get somewhere. He was being a smart-ass and he'd get into trouble one day because of it.
"Right. Very good, you two," Chiron lied half-halfheartedly, making no real attempt to hide his deceit and seeing no need to. "And that only leaves the matter of Rachel. Have we had any further developments?"
Everyone waited for him to realise exactly where Rachel was.
Seymour the leopard snarled.
Someone coughed.
Dean Martin started singing the next song.
Percy reached over and turns the CD player off, unable to bear the singing any more.
Making a mental note to invite Rachel the the meeting as soon as she and Apollo are done, Chiron continued. "And, I think that's everything. Very good. I'll tell you if we need anything else. So -"
"Chiron, are you not forgetting something?" said Gabby Dryden. She had heard the phrase "I think that's everything" or variations on it countless times, and she had soon realised that it was never true. It wasn't an announcement that everything was done; it was an invitation to point out anything the speaker had forgotten. And for once in her life, Gabby was the challenger.
"Eh? No, no, no, Gabby, that's it. We're done," came the reply, Chiron getting angry now. "There's nothing else to discuss. Now if you'll excuse me -"
"Are you not worried about the other Titans? They're still out there."
"I think if they were going to make a move they'd have made it by now. And besides, they've just lost their commander. They're pretty much done."
"What if they're biding their time?" There's still a lot of them out there."
"Kronos is dead. Iapetus lost his memory. Atlas is imprisoned. Hyperion was turned into a tree," shouted Chiron, with the fury of a man who cannot be made to change his mind by any power on earth.
"And what about the others? Isn't is a bit weird that they just disappeared?"
"Correct me if I am wrong, but would they do anything now that four of their greatest soldiers are no longer competent enough to do anything?" And now there's something else… Self-pity? Panic? Self-deception? A sensitive subject to trespass on. But why? When would there be a straight answer for once? "Now. I think that's everything!"
And now, nobody dares become the challenger.
That's not to say there won't be challenge…