A/N: All of the Greek is from iGoogle translator. I apologize for any mistakes, but as I don't know Greek, well...
Chapter Two: θυσία (Sacrifice
Two nights after Sam had been brought to Camp Half-Blood, it was Friday night.
Capture the flag.
Sam still wondered what was so important about capture the flag. Why everyone made a big deal about it. At dinner, Hope and Percy picked on him, regaling him with stories about their first night of capture the flag. Hope had received two broken arms. She had been with the Hermes cabin at the time because it was before the Battle of Manhattan and the Big Three Pact – Sam had yet to figure out what that was – had not been lifted yet.
Percy, on the other hand, during his first game of capture the flag had almost been electrocuted, had fought off around four guys from Ares, including the Clarisse girl, had been attacked by a hellhound and been claimed as a son of Poseidon when the Big Three Pact still existed. It had been a very event that started Percy's first quest. The one that started the whole thing.
"Ready, Sam?" Hope asked, drinking her lemonade.
"No," He said. After two days, he could hardly handle a sword against his siblings, let along a shield. "Can I just go without a shield?"
"You wanna get pounded?" Percy said. "Just stay by the creek."
"Exactly," Hope said. "It's almost time. But the three of us are always on creek guard. The Water gives us power."
"So who are we teamed up with?" I asked, just to make sure. We had the flag right now. And we, well, Hope and Percy, had captured last week's flag.
"The Hermes, Hephaestus, Nemesis, Hecate, Zephyr, Selena, Helios and Dionysus cabins, Jayson and Nico." Percy replied. "Which means we're fighting Ares, Apollo, Athena, Eris and all of the others. By Styx there's just too many cabins to keep straight now." It was true. There had to be approaching fifty cabins now, when you included the minor gods, and many, many more kept putting in requests. Zeus had restricted it to minor gods only, not letting the hundreds of spirits stake a claim. There were a few, like Hestia, who had never claimed a cabin though.
"Nico and you are never separated, are you?" Sam asked. He had met the son of Hades yesterday, and the two boys had gotten almost as well as Percy and Nico. Hope had this tendency to blush every single time his name was mentioned.
"Never since Annabeth," Percy said.
Their joking atmosphere disappeared. Sam had learned that Annabeth and Percy had basically been girlfriend and boyfriend when she died to save him in the Battle of Manhattan. Percy had gone on to save the world and had been almost miserable ever since. In fact, the only times he ever felt like being cheerful was when he was around Hope, Sam, and Nico. Son of Poseidon and Son of Hades, best friends.
"So, um," Hope said, in an effort to break the silence, "shall we go?"
"Mr. D hasn't dismissed us," Sam pointed out. "And isn't there a new kid to introduce?"
"There's a lot of new kids," Percy pointed out. "There was three on your day, three the day after that. This kid was late, actually."
"Were is he sitting?" Sam asked. He had gotten to know a few of the faces. Nico. Jayson the only son of Janus. The Stolls, sons of Hermes. Clarisse, daughter of Ares. And then Katie Gardner, one of Hope's best friends.
"Um," Hope scanned the pavilion, "there are so many new faces. And I think she's a she."
Mr. D stood up and coughed, "I would like to announce the arrival of Yvette Yager-"
"Yvonne Wager," Chiron corrected. No one grinned or giggled. Mr. D's insisted on getting names wrong was just a nuisance now. He did it with such preciseness, never ever getting a name right.
"Would Yvette-"
"Yvonne."
"-Please stand so we can see your little annoying face?"
A startled, very scared looking thirteenish year old girl stood up from the Aphrodite table. "Uh, hi."
"Yes yes, welcome," Mr. D said. Sam snorted. Mr. D could be so annoying sometimes, more so to Percy than anyone else. Of course, he had been introduced with two others new campers, so he hadn't been singled out.
"And, you're dismissed for your very unimportant game of capture the flag," Mr. D called to the cheers of most of the people.
Sam stood up and grabbed Hope's arm, "I'm scared."
"You'd be foolish not to be," She said, her blue-green hair flashing in the sunlight. "Don't worry Sam. I've got your back."
"Thanks," I said. We followed Percy back to our cabin, Cabin Number 3, to get our stuff. The cabin was amazing. A salt water fountain bubbled in the center and four bunks, one of them oversized, lined the edge of the walls. It was all blue and green and gray and completely wonderful.
They helped me get into some light armor and then they dressed.
"Sam," Percy said, pulling something out from underneath his bunk. "When I went to visit Tyson yesterday, Dad told me to give this too you." He held a long package in his hand, like a staff.
Sam took it from him and unwrapped the paper.
It was a staff, a black staff with blue caps at the end. Percy and Hope were grinning. And Sam knew, he didn't know how, but he knew, what the staff was. It was Hurricane.
Sam pointed the staff at the fountain and muttered a word in ancient Greek. He didn't know where it came from, but it came. A sprout of water shot from the end of the staff and splashed into the fountain.
"That's so cool," Hope said. She twisted the bracelet on her wrist. "This is my gift." She pulled the bracelet off and it formed into sword. "It's not really as nice as Riptide though."
Percy fiddled with his ball point pen. "We're gonna be late."
The three children of Poseidon exited their cabin and headed for the meeting area by the pavilion. Nico joined them about half way, his sword of Styxian ice at his side.
"That's a Hurricane!" Nico cried, grabbing the end of Sam's staff. Everyone considered Nico the resident weapons expert. Percy the resident sword expert and the whole Hephaestus cabin the experts in making weapons.
Sam smiled as Nico inspected his gift from Poseidon. The first thing he ever got from a parent. A parent. Grinning hysterically, Sam looked at Hope and Percy. Siblings. Excellent.
Taking the staff back from Nico, Sam decided to forgo the sword tonight and just see what the Hurricane could do. The capture the flag game started without any delay.
Hope and Sam spent most of the game in the creek, forcing invading people away from their border. The Hurricane worked wonders, responding to Sam's every thought. Sure, some of the sixteen and seventeen year olds got past the pair of twelve and ten, but they did better than expected.
Percy and Nico got the other team's flag.
Nothing happened to Sam. No hellhound. No broken arms. No nothing. Just a normal day of capture the flag using lethal weapons. No big deal. And it was SO much fun.
OoOoOoOoOoO
It was scary.
Shauna regretted her choice now, but there was no way Artemis would take her back. Rigidly, Shauna stood her ground as Artemis talked. Thalia and the rest of the Hunters watched, careful and attentive.
Artemis had no physical contact with Shauna now. She didn't punch her like she had done to Eros. But she talked. In a low, quiet voice so filled with betrayal, anger and sadness, Artemis berated Shauna.
And through the whole thing, everyone could see that Shauna was near tears, but the stubborn Hunter did not give in a beg for death, beg for it to end.
At the end of the discussion, Artemis murmured, "Thou are unworthy of my name. Thou swore to forsake the company of men, and yet ye fall for Eros. EROS. I will no longer speak thy name." Artemis said, ignoring the rest of her maidens and focusing solely on Shauna White.
The goddess had yet to think up of a suitable punishment. Until her thoughts struck Zoe.
The Unworthy Sacrifice.
Artemis stopped ranting and was quiet.
The whole room was quiet. Shauna out of wild fear, the Hunters out of love and respect and loyalty for their leader.
"Do you accept your punishment?" Artemis asked in a voice cold as ice. There was no question as to who she was talking too.
"Forgive me-" Shauna whimpered.
"Do you accept your punishment?" The goddess said.
Shauna hung her head.
"Do you accept your punishment?" Artemis asked, yet again.
The wayward Hunter bit her lip and said, "I accept my punishment."
A smile spread across Artemis's face. She raised her hands above her head and started chanting in ancient Greek. All of the Hunters cringed. At Artemis's first words, Thalia screamed, "No!"
The Hunters stared at their lieutenant in shock. It was the first time that they had ever heard Thalia try and defy their mistress. But Thalia did not hold their attention for longer.
Artmis glowed with silver light, filling the room. The thirty-old maidens cowered. All but Shauna.
Shauna was frozen, her mouth open in a silent scream, her green eyes blazing in pain. Greek characters shimmered into existence around Shauna, circling her. Μια ζωή για μια ζωή. The Hunters shivered. They knew what it meant. A Life for a Life.
But only Thalia knew who the second life was.
More symbols appeared as Artemis chanted on. Η θυσία του θα μπορούσε να ανάξια. Μια ζωή για μια ζωή. Then Shauna's scream gained sound and with her agonized screech came the words, Οι νεκροί ξαναγεννηθεί. Μια ζωή για μια ζωή.
The light in the room was silver, glowing with silver energy.
Shauna's screams echoed across all of Olympus.
Until her life force burned out.
Until the magical light released her and she grumbled to the ground, a colorless human shell.
Until another girl appeared in the room, naked and pale.
Thalia started crying. Hunters who had been apart of the Hunt for more than two years stared at disbelief. They never had thought that their lady would do such a thing. Not now. Not after she had said goodbye. Several of them shed their own tears, afraid of what was to come.
The silver light retreated, leaving the crying Hunters in a room with an auburn haired girl, a slowly disintegrated shell that used to be Shauna White-
And another girl. Barely breathing.
But alive.
Artemis had done it.
She had brought Zoe Nightshade back to life.
OoOoOoOoOoO
The Oracle of Delphi was mad.
Rachel Elizabeth Dare had never felt more mad and depressed than right now. She wanted to help Percy, but here she was, stuck with her parents shopping for Clarion Ladies Academy in the fall. The girl grabbed her pillow from her bed and slammed it against the opposite wall. She stomped after the pillow and kicked it all her heart.
The pillow slapped against the wall again.
She wanted to be away from her parent's mansion. She wanted to back at Half-Blood Hill with Chiron and Percy and the others. Percy was going through a rough time and even as the Oracle of Delphi, she could have been some help. Had she known that Annabeth was dying, would she have been so quick to take the Oracle?
Why oh why didn't Apollo tell her that Annabeth was dying?
Rachel sank down to the floor and grabbed the pillow. She hugged it, burying her face in the feathers.
She only looked up when the sound of wind announced the arrival of someone. Likely a Apollo. No one else would bother.
"Rachel?" A young adult said from her bed.
"Yes My Lord?" Rachel said, putting aside the pillow and standing up.
"Just checking in."
The Oracle rolled her eyes, "Oh right, Lord Apollo. Just checking in. I'm stranded here, how do you expect I'm doing?"
He chuckled, "I like you Rachel, a lot."
"No way," Rachel said. "I'm your Oracle already. I'm sixteen. Leave me alone."
Apollo pouted in his childish, annoying manner. "I just came to tell you that Arty brought a certain someone back to life."
Rachel frowned, "I think I felt that. Who?"
"Zoe Nightshade," Apollo answered.
The Oracle frowned, trying to place that name in her mind. There were so many names connected to Olympus that it all got very confusing. Especially when some annoying, very childish boy expected you to be his personal adviser in almost all the affairs. Rachel had even been allowed to sit in on meeting of the Twelve Gods. Not that Zeus was very happen about that. "Who's Nightshade?"
"Her old lieutenant," Apollo responded. "Anyway, she punched Eros in the face."
"Nightshade?"
"Artemis!" Apollo cried.
Rachel blinked, "I'm confused."
Grinning, Apollo said, "One of Artemis's Hunters fell prey to Eros so my dear sister Arty punched him in the face. Eros called her Arty too. It was so perfectly memorable."
"You'd think," Rachel said with a roll of her eyes. The Apollo/Artemis sibling rivalry ran WAY to deep.
"Anyway, then Arty used the poor girl who decided she wanted to leave my sis's stuffy company and Artemis evoked the Unworthy Sacrifice."
Rachel's face remained blank.
"Oh come on!" Apollo cried. He stood up on Rachel's bed and started bouncing on it. "Don't tell me that you've never heard of the Unworthy Sacrifice."
"I won't tell you then." Sarcasm was the only way to handle Apollo. The only way.
"No fun," Apollo said, jumping up and down on the bed. "So anyways, there's a Worthy Sacrifice and an Unworthy Sacrifice. The Worthy Sacrifice is when someone dies to keep another person alive. The Unworthy Sacrifice is when a third party kills someone to bring another back to life."
Rachel gagged. She could understand why someone like Annabeth had died to keep someone like Percy alive. But why would Artemis ever sacrifice a life, even one she view as a traitor, to bring someone back.
"Hades and his plethora of minions were very upset," Apollo said, grinning like a five-year-old girl who had just gotten a pony. Actually, he grinned a whole lot like a five-year-old who had just gotten a pony. "Even if Zoe was in Uranus's territory!"
"She was a constellation?" Rachel cried, running to her window and throwing it open. She breathed in the night air before staring up at the sky. Immediately, she cursed the New York nightlights. It was a clear night, but none of the stars were visible.
Apollo snapped his fingers.
Rachel had to admit, being Apollo's Oracle had some perks. She looked out over the completely dark city before glancing up at the sky. Sure enough, a few of the stars had dotted out. Apollo came up behind the girl and pointed out where the constellation had been. There was nothing but a few unconnected stars. And Rachel, being Rachel, could see the connections between the stars.
"Oh," Rachel said, softly. "The Unworthy Sacrifice."
"Never thought it of my dear Arty, really. Asclepius was brought back with the Unworthy Sacrifice. Now that was one complicated affair! Especially since he was killed for bringing someone back to life with the Unworthy S." Apollo snorted, "Oh, and Dionysus used it to bring Ariadne back once. It took so long to convince Zeus to let her become immortal that she died. Tragically awesome, I must admit."
Rachel blinked, "That's not what the myths say, about Asclepius and Ariadne, I mean." She did not mention that she had figured out exactly who Asclepius, the god of healing, had been brought back by. Apollo loved putting blame on other gods and never accepting blame himself.
"Because we're forbidden from speaking of it!" Apollo said, turning away from the window. "Dionysus isn't a fan of how angry Hades got."
The Oracle of Delphi sighed, "Apollo, my lord, why are you here?"
"Just wanted to give you the news," He shifted, uncomfortable.
Turning away from the stars, Rachel locked her elbows behind her back, cracking her doubled jointed arms. "Really. Why?"
"Because I want someone with me when I see my darling sis later tonight," He whined. Now he looked like a five-year-old girl who was begging for a pony.
"And I'm the perfect choice because I'm a girl," Rachel translated. "She knows I'm the Oracle, Genius."
"Do I have to order you?" Apollo said, still pouting.
Rachel paused. It would get her away from her parents for the night and maybe next morning. Completely depending on how long she talked with some of the minor gods or whatever. Maybe she could talk with Ariadne about the Unworthy Sacrifice. Or maybe even that Zoe Nightshade...
"Nope, I'll come," Rachel said. At least it was something to do. A week. She reminded herself. A week before she could to Camp Half-Blood for the rest of the summer. Or maybe Olympus. She did want to see Percy... but she could take day trips down there.
"Excellent," Apollo cried, snapping Rachel from her musing. "Let's go." He grabbed her arm and wind-traveled them straight to Olympus.
When their feet hit the ground, Rachel threw up.
"You really need to get used to that," Apollo said, waving a hand and cleaning the mess up. He was grinning. Typical.
"Sorry," Rachel muttered. Looking around, she couldn't help but grin. She loved Olympus! It was so majestic and marvelous and... Olympus-y. There just weren't words to describe the magnificent palace. What's with all the m-words? Rachel asked herself as she hurried after Apollo.