By the time Rick, Sierra, Heather and I reached the Big House, members from every other cabin had arrived. Everyone was whispering to their neighbors, discussing the burst of light. Chiron was at the back wall, but he looked as though he were a full human in a wheelchair. Mr. D was sitting next to him, but he kept nodding off every few seconds.

When Lucian and the Hecate cabin counselor arrived, Chiron got out of his chair, and I saw that it seemed to magically store his horse hindquarters when he sat in it. I stared at it for a second before Chiron yelled over the other campers.

"Silence!"

He waited a moment for the last of the conversations to end. His perfect brown hair was a little ridged, like he had woken in a hurry. I heard Mr. D snore, and Chiron rolled his eyes.

"Now. I believe you all know why I called this assembly."

"Because of the moon thing," said a girl from the Hebe cabin.

Moon thing?

"Yes, the 'moon thing.' For those of you who did not witness the event directly," Chiron said, noticing all of the confused faces, "the moon acted in an odd way tonight. The light flickered before releasing the burst of silver light I trust you all saw."

Most campers nodded their heads.

"At this time, we are unaware of the true situation. However, as Athena has informed me, it seems that Artemis, the moon goddess, has been kidnapped, again."

"Again?" I asked Heather, confused. It seemed weird that a goddess could be kidnapped, but twice?

"About fifteen years ago. The Titan, Atlas, kidnapped her and trapped her beneath the sky."

"Whoa," I said, and we both turned back at Chiron.

"Of course even the gods do not know exactly, but with the evidence of the solar flare and the lunar burst, both of which are very rare events, happening on the same day, it is only possible they are connected. When Zeus called an emergency council, neither Apollo or Artemis was present, and so we believe it is safe to assume that is what has happened."

There was a lot more murmuring among the crowds, and I asked Heather, "What are solar flares and lunar bursts?"

"Well," she said. "Lunar bursts are sudden releases of lunar light, and it happens whenever something bad happens to Artemis. One hasn't happened since long ago, not even when she was kidnapped last time."

"Okay," I said.

"Mortals do know about solar flares," she continued. "But they don't care much about them. They occur whenever something odd has happened on Apollo's daily trip with the sun car—"

"Sun car?"

"Apollo has a red Maserati sports car, which is technically the sun."

My heart sunk, and I remembered the vision of the Maserati and the sudden darkness.

"I saw Apollo get kidnapped!" I said, a little too loud. Everyone in the room looked at me in shock, and even Heather's eyes were wide. The only person who didn't seem surprised was a dark-haired boy sitting across the room, who almost seemed pleased about what I'd said.

"What?" Heather said.

"Just now," I said, but this time I purposely projected my voice around the room. The two Apollo campers looked scared by what I had said, and I realized that I was being pretty insensitive. Apollo was their father, and they'd just heard me blurt out that I'd seen him getting kidnapped.

"I saw his sports car in the sky, and suddenly it was dark, and then the scene changed," I said, but this time directly to Chiron. "It all happened so fast."

Chiron seemed to be thinking to himself for a while. A few campers started talking again, but both Lucian and Heather eyed me nervously. Finally she said, "Seeing stuff like that isn't good, Alex. It can mess with the outcome of things, tangle up the plan set by the Fates."

"Maybe I was supposed to see that stuff because of the Fates," I said, but I wasn't actually sure what the Fates were.

Finally, Chiron spoke.

"Everyone, quiet!" he said so loud that Mr. D jumped in his sleep and spilled the Diet Coke on the table over an Iris camper. She jumped, and Mr. D said, "Oh, it doesn't matter. Just don't go and complain, like I know you will."

Chiron gave Mr. D a that's-not-how-you're-supposed-to-act look, and the god of wine sighed.

"Go get a paper towel then. But only one, we're in a recession, you know."

The girl ran out of the room, and everyone stared at Dionysus angrily.

"Anyway," Chiron began. "If what you say is true, Alex, we can confirm that our archery gods have been kidnapped. The main questions are who and why now? There must be some sort of significance about today, and if we figure out what it is, we can figure out who it is. But in the meantime . . ." Chiron's expression tightened. "It would be best to consult the Oracle. We need a quest."

The room burst into discussion. I didn't know what was so strange about what Chiron had said, at least nothing more strange than the existence of the Greek gods.

Heather must have sensed how I felt, because she leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Four years ago, the Oracle gave a prophecy to the wrong hero. Because that hero went on the quest, nothing turned out as the prophecy had predicted, and everyone on the journey died."

"Ouch," I said, and Heather smiled.

"Calm down, calm down," said Chiron, and he grunted like he was preparing for a speech.

"I know that the last time a quest was given, there were . . . to say it gently, a few problems. However, I believe our Oracle is ready. Mr. D, would you be so kind as to fetch Miss Dare?"

"Hmm?" Dionysus said, and he snapped out of his sleepiness in a few moments. "Sure. Carter," he said, pointing to one of his sons. "Do what Chiron . . ." Mr. D fell back to sleep. Muttering under his breath, the boy named Carter went out the door of the meeting room.

"While we wait for our Oracle, I think we should decide who should go on our quest. I believe it would be most appropriate to send a child of Apollo," said Chiron, and he turned to the two campers, a boy and a girl. "Mitchell, as the Apollo counselor, will you accept the quest?"

"Of course, Chiron," said the boy named Mitchell without time for hesitation. He had honest eyes that were swimming in different emotions, fear, surprise, sadness.

A few seconds later, Carter returned with a redheaded women who looked to be in her early thirties. She had tricky eyes, and looked like a person you wouldn't know if you could exactly trust, much like the Hermes campers.

"Rachel, we are ready for a new quest. Our hero will be Mitchell, he is the Apollo camper sitting across the table."

The woman jerked her head around, and walked over to Mitchell.

Suddenly her eyes turned a violent green. She looked like some sort of demon had possessed her, and she opened her mouth. When she spoke, it sounded much like the woman from my dream.

I am the spirit of Delphi, said the woman. The voice sounded like it was echoing through my head, which really disturbed me. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, Seeker, and ask.

The voice stopped, and all eyes were on Mitchell.

"Umm . . . uh, how can I find Apollo and Artemis?"

Suddenly a vision appeared in the room, much like the orientation film. It showed Apollo in his Maserati, smiling at Mitchell. When Apollo spoke, though, his voice was that of the Oracle.

"The sun and moon rest in the sky,

Above the world, two of five shall die,

The deities shall return,

But their replacements shall fade,

And the leader must stay,

As debt to the betrayed."

The woman, Rachel, blinked and her eyes returned to normal. The vision faded, but Mitchell still stared above the table like it hadn't faded. After a moment, Rachel whispered something to Chiron and left. Then Chiron spoke, and Mitchell snapped out of his chance.

"I believe the prophecy was clear enough. You shall take four campers with you to find Apollo and Artemis. The only question is now up to you, Mitchell. Who shall accompany you?"

For a moment, Mitchell was still, thinking hard. Then he spoke. "I want Casey," and the other Apollo girl stood up. "I accept," she said, and Mitchell nodded.

"I also want Kyle," he said, and a Zeus camper stood. "I accept."

"I also want Sierra." Everyone looked shocked by this. It even seemed strange to me that Mitchell wanted an unclaimed camper, until he kissed her. That's why, I thought to myself.

"One more," said Chiron peacefully, but he looked upset about the kiss.

"Finally, Lucian."

Lucian stood and looked at me. It was weird at first, but I realized that Lucian had friends here too. I figured if Mitchell wanted him on the quest, I couldn't stop him from going. However, that line scared me, "Above the world, two of five shall die."

I noticed Heather looking nervous about Lucian going, but she started nodding at Lucian, and I decided that Lucian going would be for the best. The quest members couldn't have a better partner.

Finally I nodded as well, and Lucian said, "I accept."

"Excellent," Chiron said, and he looked seriously at the standing campers. "You shall leave in the morning. That gives you about five hours to plan. Argus will drive you into the city, and then you will be on your own. Good Luck."

Then he turned to the sitting campers, and said, "Back to bed, all of you. The quest members will use this meeting room to plan for the rest of the night."

And with that, all of the campers left, and I waved goodbye to Lucian. Only two people will return, My mind said against my will. I left the Big House trying not to think that I would never see Lucian again.