The next morning the conch failed to sound for breakfast the campers stood around the common, everybody keeping close to their siblings, wondering what was going on. Chiron appeared between Zeus and Hera's cabins wearing an unusually stern expression and followed by a train of nymphs carrying trays.
Usually Chiron is a real softie but last night we'd crossed the line but good. "Please return to your cabins," he said in the steely tone he uses when he's seriously pissed. "Breakfast will be served to you there and you will remain inside until I say differently. Understood?"
We all mumbled that we did and crowded into our cabins, campers followed by three or four nymphs with breakfast trays. Apollo's cabin was lucky to have a table to put them on I wondered how Hermes or Ares cabins – which don't have any furniture aside from bunks – were going to manage.
"Uh, have we just been grounded?" Damon asked after we'd all dropped slices of toast or handfuls of cereal into the brazier in front of Dad's statue and started eating.
"Sure looks like it," Lee answered grimly.
Threnody who was new last year, looked at me. "Has that ever happened before?"
"Not in my time," I answered.
"Or ours," said Wendy and Lee nodded agreement. They've been going to camp longer than any of us, eight years.
Staying inside wasn't a problem for Apollo's cabin, we jammed and then we had a darts tournament, but I shuddered to think what must be going on in the Ares and Hermes cabins. I expected they'd be taking bodies out by lunchtime. It turned out I'd underestimated them. Hermes' Cabin had a great time stealing from each other and Mark Service, the smartest of Ares' kids, organized a slap-down wrestling tournament that kept his siblings happy.
The nymphs had delivered lunch and we'd settled down to a game of Cap That Verse when a satyr knocked on the door and announced Del was wanted at the Big House.
Del was scared; "What, me, why?"
"Yeah," Lee was worried too. "Del didn't so much as throw a punch last night, I can swear to it." Several of us, including me, muttered support.
"Look if it this is about Beckendorf's kneecap I'm the one you're looking for," Mike said getting a number of surprised and impressed looks. Beckendorf is almost twice his size.
The satyr rolled his eyes. "Chiron said to tell you it's got nothing to do with last night. Del isn't in any kind of trouble the director just wants to talk to him."
Chiron wouldn't lie but Mr. D is pretty unpredictable and so we worried. It seemed like forever but finally Del came back. He hadn't been turned into anything but he had a sort of dazed look on his face and sat down on the nearest stool.
"So?" Lee prompted.
He looked up at him. "I got a quest."
There was a moment of stunned silence then cheers and a lot of back slapping. Xander, Helice and I exchanged looks. Apparently none of the others had been warned to expect this – and we'd completely forgotten to tell Lee.
"That's great!" Our counselor was saying. "Nobody's been allowed a quest since Luke nearly bit the big one. What's it for?"
"The golden bow," Del answered, still kind of out of it, "Dad's golden bow."
"Who are you taking with you?" Silvie asked and everybody looked hopeful.
"Laurel," he said immediately, which surprised nobody including me. I'm Del's favorite sister. The only reason he's my second favorite brother is because I have a twin, "And Threnody."
"Me?" our kid sister squeaked.
"You," Del said firmly. "You're in my prophecy."
"Me?" she repeated even squeakier.
"Athens' goddess the first sign shows," Del recited, "Then Apollo's foe a maid with tears subdues," That's got to be you, right?"
Threnody made a face, "Yep, sure sounds like Weepy Girl." She doesn't think much of her power.
Being a multi-tasking kind of god gives Dad a wide assortment of powers to grant his kids. Musical talent, marksmanship and healing are pretty much givens but some of us have additional abilities. Both Threnody and Helice for example have voice magic. Helice can hit notes that shatter celestial bronze and knock people cold but Threnody's voice moves listeners to tears, which is much less cool.
"What's the rest?" I asked.
"After a hecatomb to Apollo the quester brings; The Fates offer the final choice to win or lose. Not exactly deathless poetry," Del grimaced.
"It never is," Lee answered then said the prophecy all through:
"Athens' goddess the first sign shows
Then Apollo's foe a maid with tears subdues
After a hecatomb to Apollo the quester brings
The Fates offer the final choice to win or lose."
"What's a hecatomb anyway?" Del wanted to know.
I could answer that one; "An offering of cattle."
"Dad wants cows?"
"Dad has cows," said Wendy, "the red cattle of the sun. You remember, from the Iliad."
"So he wants us to find some and sacrifice them to him?" Del asked me.
I could only shrug. The gods have pretty much gone off blood sacrifices these days and I kind of doubted Dad wanted to bring them back but as to what else 'hecatomb' could mean I hadn't a clue.
"Don't worry about that now," Will, another of our elder brothers, advised. "This sign Athena's got may make the prophecy clearer."
"So – we start by looking for Athena?" said Del uncertainly.
"That could take forever," I said. "How many universities are there in America anyway?"
"Nashville!" Dottie blurted out of nowhere. Everybody turned to her and she went on: "We've got an exact copy of the Parthenon in Nashville," she said 'we' because she's from Tennessee. "It's even got a replica of Phidias' statue inside. That's where you'll find your sign."
Del, Threnody and I looked at each other and shared shrugs. It seemed as good a place to start as any.
Just about then a satyr knocked on the door and told Lee we could resume our usual schedule but the volleyball tournament, sing-alongs, capture the flag and other group activities were cancelled until further notice. The rest of the cabin went to the archery butts while Del, Threnody and I tried to decide what to pack.
Weapons of course were a given; bows, quivers of arrows, spears for Del and me and a short sword for Threnody. Then there was money; all of us had been given mortal cash by our mothers and Dad's always handing out drachmas with his face on them. Medical kits with individual dose sized bottles of nectar and brownie sized ambrosia squares. Changes of underwear, toothbrushes, toothpaste, handi-wipes (questing is a dirty business) and of course our birthday presents.
Dad has this tradition of giving his kids a magical gift on the birthday before they first go to camp as a sort of a gentle hint that he's not normal and neither are we. They're always extremely cool and useful. Del's was an eta-pod with Dad's greatest hits on it; music to cracks stone, charm animals; build walls etc. My present was a golden arrow that could drive through anything including solid rock and reappeared in my quiver after it was shot. Threnody's was a golden pitch-pipe which didn't seem to do anything but what you'd expect. Still it was from Dad and I was ready to bet it did something fantastic even if Threnody wasn't. I mean it took Helice two years to discover her pretty crystal necklace cast holographic illusions.
Del decided to leave right away enthusiastically seconded by Threnody and me, camp was no longer a place you wanted to be. So about three o'clock that afternoon Argus – yes the Argus, the one with the hundred eyes – got out the camp's white SUV and Apollo cabin assembled in front of the Big House to see us off.
"Good luck, guys," Lee said shaking Del's hand, then mine, then Threnody's. "Take care and come back. I'd really hate to have to use the shrouds we're going to make."
"We'd hate that too," Del answered.
Xander already looked sick with worry, "Thanks a lot, Lee," I said and hugged my twin. "I'm gonna be fine, little brother."
"Little? I'm taller than you are!" he shot back but his heart wasn't in it.
There wasn't much else to be said so we climbed into the SUV. Just as Argus got it into gear Del shot his head out the window to call back to the others; "I almost forgot – Dad said to tell you guys there are going to be a lot more quests. Everybody's going to get a shot."
"Really?" I asked as he pulled his head back inside.
"Yeah," he frowned a little. "I got a bad feeling about this. I don't think Dad's giving us quests just so we can be real heroes."
"Me either," I said.
