There is a sharp knock at the door. I bolt up in bed and immediately grab my knife. Silena groans and turns towards her side. She covers her head with her blanket.

"Can you get that?" she whines.

There is another knock on the door. Silena groans again. I get up slowly. I know this is Camp Halfblood, but I can't help remembering all those nights where Ares released fake hellhounds into my room. He always said that if I'm going to be related to him, I will have to be one of the best warriors out there. Somehow the training involves letting monsters almost kill me.

My paranoid mind rushes to the worst case scenario. I raise my knife as I walk towards the door. The knife wavers, but I quickly control the shake with a firm handhold. I adjust my grip on the knife. Underneath my palm, the metal shift to adjust to my new grip.

My fingers curve around the cold metal of the doorknob. I hesitate on opening the door. Who knows what's behind the door? It could be something harmless like Chiron or potentially dangerous like the harpies choosing to fetch a meal for themselves.

I fling the door open and bring my knife to my potential attacker's throat. It isn't until the blade rests right on his Adam's apple that I realize it is the god Hermes at the cabin door.

He whistles in surprise. "I guess Ares's lessons really stuck with you. We always told him that waking you up via hellhound was just going to make you a paranoid mess."

I pull my knife away from him and my cheeks light up like red Christmas lights. I tilt my head in respect. "Lord Hermes, I didn't know it was you. I so sorry."

He waves his hand as if to brush off our encounter. "That's fine, Rina. Just brought you some mail from the cloud in the sky." He chuckles at his own joke. Hermes struts past me into the cabin to place several envelopes on my bedside table.

Silena sits upright, her hair sticking out everywhere. Her eyes widen when she sees Hermes on my bed. She uses her hands to flatten down her locks so that she looks somewhat presentable.

"Lord Hermes!" she squeaks. Silena bows as much as she can while under the covers of the bed.

Hermes nods to her in acknowledgment. He turns towards me with a somber look. "Athena is very displeased with you when she found out you haven't been keeping up with your studies." His eyes travel towards a letter in a silver envelope with an 'A' on the front.

I moan. "Please tell me that's not one of her lectures in letter form."

"I'm afraid it is. Believe me, she would've come down here herself to lecture you if Apollo didn't step in."

"Tell him I said thank you."

Hermes snickers. "You might be able to tell him yourself," he winks. I'm about to ask him what he means when Hermes's phone rings. He reads at the caller ID and scowls. "George, Martha, I told you not to let her call me again until she pays the fees for the last package I shipped!"

A quiet voice comes out from the phone. "Sssorry but it seems urgent. She already left ssseveral messssages. Oh! Assssk Rina if she has any ratsss. I love ratssss."

Hermes scowls. "No, I will not ask her that!" he snaps. Hermes closes his eyes for several seconds. "Sorry, Rina. I might as well see what she wants. I'm sure I will see you sometime."

"Goodbye Lord Hermes. I hope you don't have many deliveries today."

Hermes smiles. "You always were a sweet child." With that he disappears; it's as if he never was here in the first place. The only evidence of his visit is the letters on my bedside table and a flustered Silena.

Silena gawks at me with wide eyes. "I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but why on earth did Lord Hermes come to visit you?" she asks. Any sign of her being tired was washed away when her eyes landed on the god.

I hold up the letters. "To deliver some mail."

She lets out a unladylike snort. "Must be some pretty special mail for Lord Hermes to deliver the letters personally." Silena lays back down in her bed to gain some more sleep.

I reach into my chest to grab a flashlight. While being aware that I'm not the only one in the room, I take my letters under a blanket along with the flashlight Apollo gave me as a going-away present.

I make sure it's to the lowest setting before turning it on, remembering his warning about it being able to blind someone. Even on its dimmest setting it is very bright. The light wiggles around in the canister. Sunlight is very difficult to contain; it's too energetic. Apollo must've gone through a lot of trouble getting this.

My gut is telling me to not to look at Athena's letter. It will just be a long lecture, but I can care less if she is calling me the worst person in the world as long as I can have some sort of connection with the goddess. This past week has reminded me how much I actually enjoyed our study sessions. Back then, I thought she was overbearing, but now I see her in a new, appreciative light. She only wanted what was best for me.

I curl my fingers around the silver envelope. It smells like home. I open the envelope. The paper is such high quality that it can only be from Olympus. Athena has never been one to use computers so the words are hand-written carefully with ink.

Dear Rina,

It distresses me that you haven't been keeping up with your studies. It is very important that you continue learning the information otherwise all the hours of studying we did will go to waste. You must continue to learn and expand your mind. I know that you must be enjoying yourself in camp, but you cannot forget to complete the workbooks! If your lack of motivation for your work regresses anymore, I will be forced to assign work to you and have you send it to me or face terrible consequences. I can assure you that it will be equivalent to Zeus himself striking someone down with his master bolt.

Do not underestimate my ability to make sure you are well-educated.

I care about you, that's why I want you to succeed in life. You cannot succeed without the proper knowledge. I hope that you take this opportunity to get back on track with your studies.

I will be paying attention.

-A

I shudder at the last sentence. It makes me think the other gods are also watching my every move, examining my ever decision. I thought it would be comforting to know that someone is looking out of me, but it's the opposite. It feels like they are intruding in my life. As if they just walked into my house, sat at my kitchen table, and watched me eat dinner without ever asking me if they could come inside. It is creepy feeling, similar to spiders crawling all over me.

There is another envelope; this one is a bright yellow and glitters in the light. I open it to see a letter from Apollo, though I can guess that it is from him without seeing his name on the bottom of the letter from the extravagant envelope.

Rina!

I have never been one for letters, but this is the only way I can contact you, so I'll take it! Athena is mad at you, and I'm sure you know why. I'm also sure you do not need another lecture. I will say this, though: she has a point. You need to educate yourself. (Don't tell her that, though. You know that she will never let me forget if I agree with her.)

Aphrodite still refuses to take away that promise of the 'most beautiful, undying love that will make even the iciest heart melt to a puddle'. Your mother's words not mine. I'll continue to try to talk her out of it, but her mind is dead set. You may have a fantastic love story to look forward to.

It's been lonely here without you. I didn't realize how much of my time you took up until you left. It's so boring without you. Honestly, I might even settle to go back to the times where I had to change your diaper if it meant getting you back up here.

I'm sure that we will meet again soon. Maybe when I come and visit my kids, I will visit you too. How does that sound?

-Apollo

It isn't the same as seeing him face to face, but if a letter is as good as it will get then I'm happy that I have letters from two of my favorite gods. They are practically family. Of course, I consider all the gods family, but Apollo and Athena are basically my parents. And that will never change, no matter how much makeup Aphrodite forces onto me. The last in the pile of letters is a blue that looks like the ocean was compacted into a single envelope. It smells like sea salt and almost feels damp in my hands. It's definitely the most unusual of the three envelopes.

I open the envelope. A blast of ocean spray smacks my face. The letter inside the envelope disappoints me. Poseidon doesn't ask how I'm doing, or at least say hello. There is only a single sentence:

Tomorrow night let Blackjack, the pegasus, out of his stall.

-P

Poseidon is using me. Those words rattle around in my skull. He's using me like the gods always use the heroes of Camp Halfblood. I guess it is silly of me to think that he would want to see if I was doing fine. Poseidon and I were never close like Athena and Apollo are to me.

The letter leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I know I shouldn't take it personally —because this is what gods do— but unfortunately I do. As much as I want to rip up the later and say 'screw him', I know I shouldn't refuse a request by a god or else the next time I go swimming I could be eaten by a Giant Squid. Do Giant Squids eat people? Probably not, but Poseidon could most likely make one eat me if he really wanted to.

I turn off the flashlight and set the envelopes in the chest by my bed. I look out the window. It's pitch black. There is nothing left to do but go back to sleep.

I raise an eyebrow at Nico who is running across the volleyball field and to my spot at the armory. My hands vigorously shine a breastplate, but someone left it out in the rain to rust. If I ever find out who it is, they will have a good smack to the face. With my sword. I move my eyes from the boy running towards me and back to the irritating piece of metal. Even when I push down as hard as I can, I can't seem to make this piece of armor shine.

Nico gasps for breath. He leans against the wall and takes in deep mouthfuls of air. When he has caught his breath, he speaks to me with a breathy voice. "They... are... deciding... what to do about the... prophecy in the Big House," he gasps. Nico leans over and places his hands on his knees.

I throw the infuriating piece of armor to the side with a clang, adding even more dents to it. "Right now?"

"Right now!"

I drag him behind me as we dash towards the large building. Even if we aren't invited to the meeting, we will eavesdrop. Maybe I can help them in some way. With my connections to the gods, I can probably help more than they think.

By the time we reach the side of the Big House, Nico looks like he's about to die but I feel like I can run another five miles. Nico leans against the building.

"Did we have to run?" he asks between deep breaths.

I roll my eyes. "We don't want to miss anything." I start towards the door, but Nico holds me back.

"Only cabin leaders are allowed."

I swear several greek profanities under my breath. I'm just about to give up when I see an open window. Very convenient. We walk under it, and if we hold our breaths, we can hear the conversation. I sit on my knees so that I can peer over the ledge into the room.

They are surrounding a ping-pong table covered with snacks. Mr. D is engrossed in a wine magazine while the others talk. Grover stuffs cheese whiz and ping-pong balls into his mouth. Everyone else keeps away from the snacks.

"There is no time to talk!" Zoe exclaims. She balls her hands into a righteous fist. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."

"And go where?" Chiron asks.

There is a long moment of silence. Bianca perks up from a sudden realization. "West!" She jumps up in her seat. Her hair comes slightly out of its braid. In the past few days, she has looked more and more like the Hunters. Now she appears as if she has belonged to them the whole time. Her skin has a soft glow to it and I swear her arms are more muscular. "You all heard the prophecy too. Five shall go West to the goddess in chains."

Zoe gazes proudly at Bianca. "We shall take five Hunters then go right away. We must find and free Lady Artemis at whatever cost it takes!"

Thalia glares at the huntress. "You're forgetting something, as usual. Campers and Hunter combined shall prevail. Obviously we have to work together. We have to follow the prophecy," Thalia reminds her.

"No! The Hunters do not need thy help!" Zoe snaps. Her eyes shine with a ferocity that would make the gods afraid but Thalia doesn't back down.

"Your!" Thalia says while gritting her teeth. "Nobody has said 'thy' in three hundred years."

Zoe forms her mouth to correctly say your. She hesitates for several seconds then makes a sound that sounds more like yer than your. "Yerrrrr. We do not need yerr help. Yerrr? Yerrr help. Yerrr..."

Thalia scoffs at her. "Forget it."

Chiron looks between the two. "I fear the prophecy states the Hunters do in fact need help from the campers. Campers and Hunters have to cooperate."

"Or do they?" Mr. D says. He takes a diet coke up to his nose and smells it like someone would smell a fine wine. He winces but sips from the can anyway. "One shall be lost, one shall perish. That sounds rather... nasty, right? What if you fail because you cooperate?" he muses. Zoe nods in determination.

Chiron sighs. "Mr. D, which side are you on?"

Mr. D shrugs. "Sorry, just being helpful." I have to keep myself from laughing at the thought of Mr. D being helpful. It's one of the funniest things I have heard in a while.

Thalia stares at Zoe with determined eyes. "We're supposed to work together. I don't like it either, but you know prophecies. You want to see what happens when you fight against one?"

Zoe grimaces and looks uncomfortable in her seat. The corners of Thalia's mouth lift into a small smirk at her silent victory.

"We cannot delay," Chiron warns. He looks around the room at each person. "Today is Sunday. On Friday is the Winter Solstice."

This is much more serious than I originally thought. Without Artemis at the meeting, the gods will decide on nothing. Another year where we can be preparing against Kronos will be lost.

Zoe speaks to the group, and it seems she has the same idea as me. "Artemis has to be present in Olympus for the Solstice. She has been the most vocal arguing about taking action against Kronos and his minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing and a year of war preparation would be wasted."

Dionysus looks at the Huntress curiously. "Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together?" he asks.

"Yes, Lord Dionysus."

Mr. D lips curl into one of approval. "Alright, just checking. And they do, by the way. Carry on."

Chiron's face morphs into a worried expression. "I have to agree with Zoe. Her presence on the council is very crucial. There is only a week to find her. And quite possibly more important: finding the monster she was hunting. Now we must decide who will go on this quest."

"Three and two," Percy says. Everyone turns to look towards the demigod. His cheeks turn a light pink from the sudden attention. "We're supposed to have five. Three Hunters, two campers. That's more than fair."

"That does make sense," Thalia agrees. Silena, Charles, and the Stoll brothers also seem to approve of the idea.

Zoe grunts in support, but she doesn't look completely satisfied. "I would prefer to take five Hunters. We need strength in numbers."

"You will be retracing the goddess's path. Moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. The five who are going with have to do the same. The prophecy was very clear: The bane of Olympus shows the trail." Chiron says.

"Still would be best with five Hunters," Zoe persists.

Chiron shakes his head. "What would Lady Artemis say? Too many Hunters spoil the scent. We both know that a small group is best."

Zoe opens her mouth to disagree but closes it quickly. She picks up a ping-pong paddle and glares at all the campers. Zoe swings it back and forth in her hands. "I have hunted by Lady Artemis's side for many years yet I have no idea what this monster could be. I'm not even sure that I have ever seen this creature in my entire life. Whatever it is, it is a powerful and dangerous monster."

Everyone falls silent, even Dionysus, but maybe that's because he's too interested in his wine magazine to be bothered with the threat of a dangerous creature.

Percy taps his fingers against the table. "Do you have any idea what it is, Chiron?"

Chiron purses his lips in distaste. "I have several ideas; none of them are remotely good. None of them make any sense, either. Typhon, for instance, is truly the bane of Olympus. Or the sea monster, Keto. But we would all know it if either of them were stirring. They are the size of skyscrapers and Poseidon would've sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be even more elusive and possibly more powerful."

The Stoll brother's exchange a glance. "Sounds like some serious danger you're facing. It seems like at least two out of the five will die," Conner Stoll says. He looks at the other people at the table as if to decide who will not return.

"One shall be lost in the land without rain," Charles repeats a part of the prophecy to himself. "If I were you I would stay out of the desert."

Grover nervously pops a ping-pong ball into his mouth. "One shall perish by a parent's hand. Why would someone's parent want to kill them?" he comments.

Chiron looks increasingly worried by the second. His father is Kronos. I'm sure that if Kronos was here, he wouldn't have a single moment of hesitation to kill Chiron.

There is a long silence until Chiron's calm, unwavering voice breaks it. "There will be deaths. That we do know," he says slowly.

Silena looks over at Percy. "Percy is right. Two should go from the camp."

Zoe narrows her eyes at the Daughter of Aphrodite. "Oh, I see. You're volunteering, then?"

Silena blushes and clenches her fists. "I'm not going anywhere with the Hunters! Don't look at me!"

Zoe lets out a dry chuckle. "A Daughter of Aphrodite doesn't wish to be looked at? What would your mother say? Perhaps your sister would like to join us. She has experience with the Hunters and she is very skilled with a sword. Rina would be a valuable asset to the quest."

Silena grows angrier by the second. She slams her fist on the table. "You stay away from Rina, and everyone from the Aphrodite cabin for that matter!" She starts to jump out of her chair but the Stoll brothers hold her back. After several seconds of struggling, Silena sits back down with a huff.

"Both of you stop it," Charles's voice booms. "Let's decide about the Hunters first. Which three of you will go?"

Zoe stands up with an aura of pride. "I shall go and I will take Phoebe. She is our most skilled tracker." She looks down at Bianca sitting in the chair next to her. "And I would wish for Bianca to join."

Nico's mouth falls slack and he lunges up to the window to get a better look.

"Just hold on, Nico," I hiss at him. He mumbles something under his breath then takes his spot by the window again. The scowl on his face reminds me of someone. I know he reminds me of a god, but which one?

Bianca watches Zoe with a stunned expression. "Me?"

Zoe nods. "Yes, you."

"But... but I'm new! I won't be any help."

"There is no better way to prove thyself. You will be fine." Zoe reassures confidently.

"And for campers?" Chiron asks. He makes eye contact with several of the demigods at the table.

The satyr springs up from his seat, dropping several ping-pong balls. "Me! I will do anything to help Artemis and the Hunters!" he almost yells enthusiastically.

Zoe wrinkles her nose in disgust, and not because of the crumbs and half eaten ping-pong balls that fell off Grover's lap. "I think not. You're not even a demigod," she scoffs.

Grover looks down at his lap with a defeated expression. Thalia immediately comes to his aid. "But Grover is a camper. He's got a satyr's sense and woodland magic. Can you play a tracker's song yet?"

His eyes grow wide with hope. "Absolutely!"

Zoe opens her mouth to disagree but thinks otherwise. I don't blame her. A tracker's song would be very helpful on the trip to find Artemis. She straightens her back. "Very well. What about the second camper?"

"I'll go," volunteers Thalia. She glares around the table to dare anyone to disagree with her.

Percy shakes his head. "Whoa, wait. I want to go too."

The table falls quiet. Grover looks over at his friend with a guilty expression. "Oh. I'm sorry, I forgot! Percy has to go! I didn't mean... Percy has to take my place." Grover says finally.

Zoe glares at Percy with such hatred that only Zoe can muster up. "He is a boy.." She hisses the sentence with more venom than a poisonous snake. "I refuse to have the Hunters travel with him."

"You traveled here with me," Percy reminds her.

"That was a short-term occurrence and an order from Lady Artemis. I will not go across the country and fight alongside a boy," Zoe replies with the same ferocity as before.

"What about Grover?"

She shakes her head. "He is a satyr. Technically he is not a boy."

Grover lets out a sound of protest while Percy is getting angrier by the second. "I have to go on this quest!"

"Because of thy friend, Annabeth? The one who fell from the cliff?" Zoe asks calmly.

Percy blushes. "No! I mean, that's part of the reason. I just know that I am supposed to go!"

"No," Zoe booms. She takes a deep breath and repeats quieter. "No. I insist on this. I will travel alongside a satyr but not a male hero. I refuse to allow it."

Percy opens his mouth to object more, but Chiron interrupts him. "The quest is for Artemis. The Hunters should be allowed to approve their companions." He sighs. There is a long moment of silence. "So be it. Thalia and Grover will join Zoe, Bianca, and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods be with you."

Chiron concludes the meeting and everyone goes their own ways. Thalia leaves with Bianca and Zoe to make arrangements for their travels. Grover goes finds other satyrs to tell them the news while Percy heads to his cabin to sulk.

Nico starts to chase after his sister, but I hold him back. He jerks his arm from my grasp. "What are you doing? I have to make my sister stay!"

"We can't say anything! They will know we overheard them!"

"I don't care!" he snaps. "I don't want to lose my sister!" Nico storms after them but I pull him back again, more gently this time.

"Do you think she'll stay just because you tell her to? She's a Hunter now. She can't go against Zoe."

Nico narrows his eyes. "And why not?"

"She's her lieutenant. Disobeying her would be close to disobeying Artemis," I reason. Nico stops pulling against me.

He looks like he is close to tears. "I don't want her to die, Rina."

"Maybe I can do something about that," I say after several beats of silence. I pull him to the side of the Big House where nobody will see us. "You're going to have to promise never to tell anyone, okay?"

Nico nods. "I promise."

"Swear on the river Styx."

"The river Styx?" Nico furrows his eyebrows.

I sigh. "Swearing on the river Styx is one of the most powerful and serious promises. If you break it, it is said that you would face a fate worse than death." I see the hesitation in Nico's eyes. "I wouldn't be asking you to do this if it wasn't important."

He pauses. "I swear on the river Styx that I will never tell anyone." A rumble of thunder echoes across the sky to signify the promise.

I close my eyes and picture Bianca's face in my mind. It has been years since I have done anything like this so I won't be perfect.

My face moves to resemble Bianca. A dark brown color runs from my roots to the tips of my hair, still remaining purple where it is has been dyed by the Stoll brothers. Each strand of hair moves to a side braid like Bianca has. I open my eyes to see Nico staring at me with wide eyes.

"So, do I look like her?" I ask.

Nico taps his own nose. "The nose is wrong. Make it more like mine." My nose shifts to resemble Nico's, just as he said. "Bianca doesn't have a huge spot of purple in her hair, either," he comments.

I look at the ground sheepishly. "I can't change that. Can you get me a hat?"

He takes off running and comes back several minutes later with a Camp Halfblood hat. Most likely from the Stoll brothers who always steal from the camp store. I place it on my head.

"Can the other kids of Aphrodite do that too?" Nico asks.

I shake my head. "No, only me. I think." While I speak I change my voice to get as close to Bianca as I can. It's like tuning a guitar: you have to be patient.

"This is weird." He looks like a deer caught in headlights. This won't be the weirdest thing he will see, though.

I shrug. "I don't like doing this, but desperate time calls for desperate measures."

"How can you do this, if your siblings can't?"

I shrug. "I just have been able to do this sort of stuff ever since I was born. My mother can change her looks to however she wants, and I guess I can too."

Nico moves aside so that I can walk by. I dash towards the direction Zoe, Bianca, and Thalia went. They are writing supplies on a list then grabbing them from the medical tent. Ambrosia, gauze, vitamins, you name it. Occasionally I see Zoe and Thalia glaring at each other, but other than that, they are surprisingly getting along.

Bianca says something to Zoe and leaves. She heads towards the bathrooms. I follow her from a distance. When the door closes behind her I place a wood chair under the handle. It doesn't feel good to lock Bianca in the bathroom, but it has to be done.

I walk up to Thalia and Zoe. Thalia smiles when she sees me come up. "We almost have everything on the list," she says.

"Actually, I have been thinking. I don't want to go on the quest," I tell them.

Thalia opens her mouth in protest. "I know you're nervous but it will be fine."

Zoe raises an eyebrow at me; she taps her foot on the ground. "Why not?"

I shuffle my feet in the dirt. "Because I am unprepared. I need more time to train before I go on any quests."

Zoe shakes her head. "You have trained with Artemis's Hunters. There are no better teachers. You are prepared, my dear Bianca."

"No! I'm not! I refuse to go," I say sternly. Thalia shrugs and continues to gather medical supplies. Once she leaves the tent, Zoe rips off my hat so fast that I have no time to react.

"Aikarina, why did you impersonate Bianca?" Her lips form a straight line.

I sigh and let my hair fall out of the braid. My face contorts back to the one I was born with and my hair returns to the unnatural purple. "I don't know. I thought that if you thought she told you that she didn't want to go, then she would be safe at camp. She can't go."

Zoe narrows her eyes. "I'm very disappointed. Years ago you told me that you would never do this sort of... treachery. Did the boy tell you to do this?"

"Nico didn't tell me to do anything." I snap. "I did this because I am his friend and Bianca will be one of those who will die during this quest." My arms wrap around my waist. "I can feel it."

Zoe stays silent. "You notice it too," she whispers.

I nod.

"It's like a weight on my mind. From the moment I met her I knew that she would die a Hunter. I can't explain it."

"It's like a nagging feeling in the back of your head."

Zoe nods. "That's exactly how it feels."

"Then you won't let her come with?" I ask hopefully.

Zoe shakes her head. "There is no way to know that she will be one of the two who will perish on this quest. It may not be her time. There is no way to know for certain that Bianca will die on this quest. I will ensure, to my best abilities, that this quest will not be the end of her."

My mouth falls slack in disbelief. "You know that's not true. These feelings do not appear for no reason. Keep her at Camp Halfblood with her brother. She will be safe here!"

"Fighting fate is a useless endeavor. You know that as well as I. If it is her fate to die, then so be it," Zoe says sharply. "This will be the last of this I hear from you. Bianca will go on the quest unless she herself tells me otherwise." Zoe storms out of the tent, leaving me alone with only the medical supplies as company.

Her words bounce around in my head. What if it is Bianca's fate to die on the quest? The real question is can I stand to let her leave knowing that she will not return?

No, maybe Zoe is right. It might not be Bianca' time to die. I will have to have faith in the Hunters' ability to protect their own.