Chapter Six

In Which Rachel Spews Some Nonsense

I haven't slept in days, thank you very much. I have kept searching, looking for new combination. I could only use the same combination of words to scry Vera four or five times maybe. So, there I was, exhausted, stirring my finger in the oil and water of the scrying bowl, with a dictionary on hand, trying to think of a new way so say it. My life sucks.

Spring slowly turned into summer for the Greeks and Romans. Everyone was on edge, their shoulder tense, their eyes darting around to make sure no one tried to kidnap them. Arabelle hadn't slept properly in the weeks since Vera's disappearance. Paul had made it his job to bring her food – and she left the cabin at night to do the dishes after dinner, but other than that she had barely been outside all spring. Her skin was as pale as death, her eyes had large bags under them and her shoulders sagged, yet she chugged away, thinking of new ways to scry Vera to make sure she was still alive.

"Show me Vera McStrife."

"Show me the location of Vera McStrife."

"Show me where Vera McStrife is."

"Show me where Vera McStrife is hidden."

"Show me the place of Vera McStrife."

"Show me the current location of Vera McStrife."

Belle's voice had grown hoarse, and yet she didn't stop. Kendra, the leader of Hecate Cabin, had returned from New York shortly after Vera had been kidnapped. She was now standing at Belle's shoulder, looking as frazzled as the redhead, her curly dark hair sticking up. Her coco colored hand would occasionally tap the surface of the scrying bowl in an attempt to make the image clearer, but it had become increasingly blurry.

"You should sleep Arabelle. And then you should go out in the sunshine, all this shadow is not good for you." Kendra said.

"No thanks, Kenny. I think I'll stay here and take care of scrying some more. You go get some rest." Belle said roughly. She didn't take her eyes off the bowl, instead she leaned her head forward to examine a detail of the scene before her. Vera sat, holding her leg which apparently hadn't healed in the time she had spent in captivity. Her head was bent, and her hair glinting unnaturally in the purple firelight emanating from the torches. She slowly lifted her head.

"I-won't-help-you." She said disjointedly, her whole from shaking.

"Someday soon, you will break. You will let us into the Realm of Amphiaraus. No mortal can withstand us forever." The disembodied voice growled from the shadows. Then, the image went dark. Belle placed the hells of her palms over her eyes and groaned, turning away from the scrying bowl in disgust. Kendra rubbed her temples, annoyed.

"There has to be another combination!" Belle cried, whirling and slamming her fists down on either side of the table. The strike rattled the bowl, nearly knocking it from where it sat and she rushed to catch it before it fell to the floor. At is was, a good portion of the water and oil spilled out over the front of Belle's faded orange Camp Half Blood T-shirt. Belle growled angrily through gritted teeth. The lack of sleep was starting to affect her frustration level and usually semi-friendly disposition, "I don't get it! It doesn't make sense! I have tried and tried, but we can't maintain the scrying for very long and we can't use the same combination more than four or five times! It doesn't make sense! It's like there some sort of interference, which is completely ridiculous because only someone magical could do that!" She slapped her hands over her eyes again and yelled.

"Keep your voice down, genius. I hate it when you yell." Belle's entire form stiffened. Oh bother. Bother, bother, bother. The bother of it all, this was just what she needed! Of course it had to be today that Babini came. Just to add to her list of problems, she needed Zarina Jezebel Babini to come in and criticize her every move.

Slowly, hoping that she had misheard Kendra say something, and that Babini wasn't there, Belle removed her hands from her eyes. She was greeted by Zarina Jezebel Babini, standing in the doorway of the Hecate Cabin, carrying a green duffle bag most likely filled with clothes and toiletries. Her dark hair was swept into a neat French braid, unlike Belle's very messy bun that she had cobbled together two days ago (And yes, it looked like she had slept in it, which she had). Zari's liquefied gold eyes searched the room in somewhat of disdain.

"Have you not cleaned recently? I thought inspection day was today." Zari said. Belle shot her a sour look.

"We're a little busy, Babini, so I would prefer it if you run along and do whatever you do in your spare time. Terrorize children or something." Belle turned back to the scrying bowl and picked it up. The remainder of the water and oil sloshed around ominously. Now she had to go refill it and get more oil and see if she could get the stain out of her t-shirt!

"I don't terrorize children. You do that just fine on your own." Zari replied coldly, storming over to the bed that had long since been assigned to her. She dropped her duffle bag on it. While her back was turned, Belle stuck her tongue out at the other daughter of Hecate. Their rivalry had started when Zari had come Camp two years ago. She had already been advanced in her magic, since that was the time that Belle had been claimed. Of course their personalities clashed like fire and water, Zari being fire, Belle being water. When Zari had "single-handedly won Capture the Flag", Belle had lost is completely and yelled at her. Ever since then, they hadn't been on good terms at all, and that was fine by Belle.

"At least I have to attempt to do it for a good laugh. You just do it automatically. I'm getting more water and oil, Kenny." Belle turned on her heel before Zari would make a retort, leaving the older girl opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water.

The sun was so bright that Belle had to shield her eyes with one hand. She blinked several times, her pupils growing used to the bright light.

There were many things that Belle disliked about Zari. She disliked how controlling the girl was. She disliked how Zari was always the center of attention. She disliked how Zari claimed to be selfless but sometimes only wanted to serve her own purposes. She hated the fact that Zari seemed to be Hecate's favorite daughter. Of course Zari was Hecate's favorite. The goddess had just dumped Belle into her father's arm over a fast food counter.

But most of all, Belle was pretty sure that she hated how perfect Zari always looked. Her hair was always perfectly windswept, her eyes always perfectly gold, and her makeup always perfectly applied (Not that Belle wore makeup, she didn't have time to put it on. She had some back in Cincinnati that she wore on special occasions, but the life of a demigod was demanding.) How could Zari find the time to do her makeup like that if she wasn't secretly a daughter of Aphrodite? Zari's skin was perfectly light brown, a little bit lighter than Paris's. Her eyebrows were perfectly arches, her tiny lips were perfectly red, and her eyes were perfectly large! Argh, why did she have to be so perfect? Belle had wondered this many times.

If she had taken a step back, she was sure that she would have seen that Zarina Jezebel Babini was not as perfect as she appeared in Belle's mind. She probably would have gotten along with Zari if they had been a little different.

But as it was, Belle thought that Zari was as perfect as Elysium, and she was just… not. She stopped angrily by the lake to look at her reflection. She looked like death itself, exhausted, pale and a little sickly. She didn't have the energy to make her eyes blue, so instead they were green. Her hair was tangled and knotted, piled messily atop her head. Her button nose was covered in freckles. She ran her fingers down her forearms. In the last few weeks, she hadn't concealed all of her scars due to the fact it would tire her out. Besides, it just concealed them from sight, not from touch. Her forearms were covered in crisscrossing scars from the claws of a small, catlike, killer fox that had attacked her in her early days as a Demigod. The fact of her hands bore scars from an incident with a psychotic chicken. Across her back ran the scars from the monster claws and the bump from where an arrow had found its mark in a small skirmish. And of course there was the fact that she was short. She was shorter than everyone she knew. She was fairly sure she was a certifiable midget!

She paused, and dragged her toe through the water of the lake, creating ripples. They ran outward, away from her toe. The water was almost always calm, and now the slight movement seemed to disturb the peace. As the water rippled, Belle concentrated. Her entire form seemed to glitter as if it were made of diamonds, and in a moment, she was the spitting image of Zarina Jezebel Babini, right down to the partially missing pinky toe. Of course, the height was one thing that Belle hadn't learned to alter yet. Still, looking at her reflection and seeing Zari instead of her was rather disconcerting. A simple Glamour was all it was – Belle could do one in her sleep – and yet something felt different about it. Slowly, she set the scrying bowl down and got onto her hands and knees. A ways out in the lake, she could see the Naiads swimming around and waving cheerily at her, but she didn't pay them much attention. Instead, she drew her fingers gently through the water, and concentrated on pushing her magic into the liquid.

The sensation was hard to describe. Her whole form was abuzz like a thousand bees were crawling all over her and flying around her. A light tingling started in her stomach, and then it changed to that feeling that one gets after a roller coaster goes into freefall. She felt like lightning was shooting up her arm and into the water. There was a hiss-popping sound that filled her ears. A gentle vibration started at the tips of her fingers, where they touched the water. Then, the vibration became more violent, leaving a burning sensation all the way up her arm. Her skin felt like it was on fire too – like burning hot words were being etched into her forearms.

This was unlike any feat of magic that she had cast before. It was light she was fighting against interference.

Her Glamour collapsed, leaving her whole form shaking. Yet still she pushed her energy into the water. Maybe the scrying bowl wouldn't work, maybe she needed something… bigger. She reached with her free hand and knotted her fist in some of the reeds by the shore. Immediately, she felt one of the barriers seemingly fall away. A door had opened up and Belle's mind slipped through. She squeezed her eyes shut for a minute, and then opened them again. The surface of the lake had become a glassy image of Vera, now on her feet.

"I don't know! I have no idea, alright? You wanted me to get into this Realm of Amphiaraus and yet you haven't told me how!" Vera yelled into the darkness. Reflections were cast from the glossy stone walls, and Belle could see the hint of a shadowy figure draped in elaborate robes. It moved towards Vera in a menacing sort of way.

"Then figure it out, and fact, for soon your life will be forfeit. The Deal has only just begun. You shall be the first casualty if my servants cannot enter the Realm of Amphiaraus." That mysterious voice hissed. Belle had a sudden flashback regarding a story that Paul's dad had once told about Kronos rising again. But that couldn't be Kronos, right? Kronos didn't have the magic enough to shield himself from scrying… right?

"Yeah, right. What Deal?! You've been ranting to me about this mysterious 'Deal' for days, and yet I know nothing about it!" Belle had to admit, Vera was rather cunning about the way that she approached getting information about the big baddie. But the figure merely laughed.

"I could tell you… but then I would have to kill you. And I need you alive. I cannot have me schemes revealed to the puny demigods who will try to stop me. It will only serve to give them false hope. I am destined to cleanse this world back into its original, beautiful chaos!" The figure's voice had turned longing.

"Right. Sounds petrifying," Vera snapped. In the back of her mind, through all the hazy buzzing, Belle was glad that Vera hadn't lost any of her stubbornness or sarcastic streak.

"Everyone shall quake in fear, my dear. Now, open the door," The voice commanded.

"If you're so all powerful, why don't you do it?" Vera motioned to the stone wall that was hidden by the shadows of the unreliable torches.

"Foolish child! I need a Child of Death to open that door. But once I do… I shall have an Oracle of my own!" The voice cried. The surface of the water suddenly grew very choppy, obscuring the image almost completely, "You shall break, you shall all break!" The final words rang in Belle's head and the image completely disappeared. The buzzing and burning went away, leaving Belle feeling awkwardly breathless. She turned to look at her hand knotted in the reeds, and her heart skipped a beat.

The reed was shriveled up, blackened like it had been burned. It had twisted away from Belle like it had been desperately trying to get away from her as she slowly drained away the power of it. She had killed it.

"Are you alright?" It was David McCarty, his baggy hoodie and equally baggy jeans draped over his small frame. His hood was pulled up over his shaggy blonde hair and his eyes were shaded. He leaned forward, and Belle lurched away from him.

"Get away from me David! I said get away! I don't want to hurt you! I don't know what's wrong with me," She said, motioning desperately toward the black plant. David turned, and realization dawned in his eyes.

"No, Belle, I get it –" He had reached for Belle's arm again. Her feet skidded in the mud and she kicked the scrying bowl into the water. David swore in ancient Greek and lunged for the bowl, which was currently floating out towards the center of the lake like a little bronze boat. He stumbled through the muck near the edge of the lake, and by the time he turned back, Belle was already sprinting for the Hermes Cabin, panic clear in the way she moved. David sighed, resigned. He knew what it was to be afraid of himself. He broke off some of the blackened reed, examining it.

It looked like she had sucked the life right out of it – but that was impossible, right? She wasn't some daughter of death.

.o0O0o.

Amelia Martinez did not expect to find anyone in the Hermes Cabin. She was on Cabin Inspection duty, even though no one really cared at the moment. She had been walking around, checking all the Cabins, when she had heard scraping from inside the Hermes Cabin. Curiously, she peeped around the doorframe. Belle sat, her knees pulled up to her chest, rolling marbles dejectedly around the floor. The marbles had apparently come from a metal tin of them sitting next to her. It looked like a battered old dominos tin from what Amelia could tell. Amelia was about to turn away and leave Belle in peace – she knew how mad Belle could get when people were too nosy – when Belle's head lifted.

"I know you're standing there." She said quietly.

"How?" Amelia asked. Even her senses weren't that good. Even Auden's senses weren't that good. A small smile split Belle's face.

"I heard you humming earlier." She stopped rolling the marbles on the wooden floors and twisted around to look at Amelia. Amelia took a step back, a little surprised at what she saw. She knew Belle – everyone knew Belle, usually not in a good way. She was known as the friend of Paul's, the fierce defender of her friends, the magician who was a little bit… quirky to put it nicely. But Amelia had never really talked to her. And she had never seen Belle look so terrible.

The girl's cheeks were hollow, her skin like paper, her eyes weakly flashing between blue and green. Her red hair looked bedraggled. She was exhausted. She'd been overworked. She was of no use to the Camp in this state.

"You're not looking to good," Amelia pointed out.

"I know. I just… I needed a minute. I'm going to go back and get back to work in a moment. I just… I can't believe it. I was scrying with lake water, and I grabbed ahold of a reed and… it died. I sucked all of the energy out of it to feed my own, to feed my spell," Belle sounded miserable, "I can't believe I did that. I've… only ever done it once before. To a clover plant when I had just arrived at Camp and unknowingly used my first magic spell." Belle didn't know why she was telling Amelia this. She had never really told anyone – Hecate had appeared to her in a dream and explained it. Magic took energy from Belle's reservoir. When Belle's reservoir was drained, she needed to find energy elsewhere. Using her slightly necromantic powers, Belle could drain the energy (But not the life force) away from a plant. It was one of those powers that scared her, just like the ability to call on skeletons for aid. Amelia decided to leave Belle in peace. Who knows, Amelia thought, she might actually fall asleep.

Auden confusedly found Arabelle some minutes later, curled up in the Hermes Cabin, dozing. Of course he couldn't see her face, or anything about her. Heck, he didn't even know what color her hair was. He was guessing blonde. She struck him as blonde. Not that she was a dumb blonde, but she just seemed blonde. Auden attempted to justify his mistake in his mind.

"What's going on?" Belle's whole form stiffened when she heard him talk. She slowly turned around and stared at him.

"You should be at the meeting in the Big House." She told him, yawning. He suddenly felt bad for waking her. She could have done with an extra twelve hours if not more.

"Yeah, maybe. Probably. But I don't want to. All Marley is going to do is yell and scream. By the way, I just saw Zari headed up the Big House. It's safe for your to go back to Hecate Cabin now." Auden said. The ginger-haired girl ran her fingers through her messy scalp right up to her bun.

"That's not why I'm hiding in here, but alright. I should get back to work anyway." Belle sighed. She got to her feet and headed for the door, but Auden, hearing her footsteps, stepped in her way.

"You should sleep tonight. It will help." He told her. Belle didn't smile.

"I'm not sleeping until we find a way to get Vera back. It's partially my fault that she got captured. If I had gotten those skeletons to do the bonds tighter, or if I had woven the brambles a little better…" Belle trailed off.

"Is this what all of this work is about? Proving that you can fix it? You think you did something wrong, and now you want to set it right? Arabelle, that's not what this is supposed to be about." Auden said.

"I don't think you get it, Auden. I could have prevented this from happening and I didn't. I need to fix my mistake." She made an attempt to push past him. Auden stuck out his arm to stop her from going, and stared pointedly at a space three inches above her head. In the back of her mind, Belle was glad he thought she was taller.

"That isn't how balance works. None of it was your fault, in the first place, and secondly, you won't balance it out by spending all night and all day searching for Vera. You'll only find her if you rest." Auden intoned. Belle rolled her eyes, and the remembered to say,

"I'm rolling my eyes Auden," Auden's lips thinned.

"You won't achieve balance in this state. If you really want to find her, you need to actually figure out where she's hidden and how you can get- Belle? Belle?" But Belle wasn't listening anymore. She had suddenly gone whiter than normal, and a new spark had come into her eye.

"That's it! Auden, you're a genius! I know how to find Vera!" She pushed past Auden and grabbed his wrist, sprinting for Hecate Cabin. As soon as she entered, she saw Kendra standing, tapping her foot. Auden slammed into the doorway as if he had hit an invisible barrier, staggering backwards. Blue tendrils of electricity jumped up and down his form, making him shake. His red hair was sticking straight on its ends.

"Oops," Belle's face flushed with embarrassment, "Auden Remi, I give you permission to enter Hecate Cabin. Okay, you can come in now. I should have warned you."

"You're certainly right," Auden muttered under his breath, saying a few swear words, "Di Immortalies, what was that?"

"I put in place a Ward to keep unwanted visitors out," Kendra sniffed, "Belle, would you care to explain to me why David McCarty had to return with a properly filled scrying bowl, not you? You know Hecate doesn't trust the scrying bowl to anyone but Hecate Campers? There's a reason for that. He nearly broke the bowl five times in the Cabin alone, and he broke the handle to our bathroom. I want you to fix that, by the way. Without magic, thank you very much."

"Only if you want it more broken," Belle muttered in a singsong voice.

"I've been scrying for the past forty-five minutes without you. Where have you been?" Kendra demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Taking a cat-nap. Believe me, she needed it."

"I didn't mean to I swear-" Belle started, but Kendra's face had softened a little bit.

"You needed the sleep, Belle. The rest will do you good, I'm sure. I don't mean to be cross with you, but imagine what would have happened if the klutz McCarty boy had broken our scrying bowl. We would have had to resort to using the magic mirror, and you never know what that can end up doing." Kendra said.

"Actually… Kenny, I scryed Vera in the lake water. I don't know how but I did. And I drained the energy out of a plant while doing it…" Belle hung her head, and Auden turned to look at her. She didn't look at him. She knew there would be horror on his face. There had been horror on Paul's face when she had told him. There had been horror on Lilah and her father's faces when she had told them. The only people who had not been horrified were Paris and Silena.

"Cool! What if you could do that to monsters?" Silena had said.

"We accept you for who you are Belle. Sometimes my abilities scare me as well, but the more afraid of them you are, the more power over you your godly skills hold," Paris had said, sounding awfully poetic.

"I don't care about that. You successfully scryed Vera from the lake? I'll have to talk to Hecate about that when I next go to Olympus." Kendra said

"Now, Kenny, I need to use the scrying bowl real quick," Belle said breathlessly.

"Be my guest. I've been at it for a while, and my head hurts. I think I need to lie down." Kendra frowned. Belle shook her head.

"You might not want to do that yet," She told her Cabin Councilor. She and Auden headed across the room to the scrying bowl, who David must've set back upon the table. It sat there, a glittering bronze bowl looking as pretty as you please, so innocent. No one could have guessed that it could be used to spy on anyone or anything. For the first time, Belle was surprised that Chiron even let them have it. They could use it to listen to top secret meetings of the gods and other important people. It was the biggest invasion of privacy ever. Belle had never really thought about it.

"Why not?" Kendra asked, yawning pointedly. Belle tossed her head.

"Just watch. Please. Okay, show me how to find Vera McStrife!" The oil and water surface of the scrying bowl rippled. An image of Rachel appeared on the surface of the water. Then, it changed to a picture of a glowing green light – the personification of the Oracle of Delphi. A series of rapid images flashed in front of Belle's eyes, finally stopping on a regal looking man with olive skin and short, curly dark hair. He was looking down his nose from a silver and black throne, garbed in purple robes.

"Find me. Your Oracle is ready to issue a prophecy now."

Belle and Paul stumbled away from the scrying bowl as it began to vibrate, and then as if magic, it leaped from the table, flew across the room and shattered against the wall, spilling fragments of beaten bronze, oil and water all over the floor. Belle met Auden's eyes. He had flinched away from the loud noise, but now he was staring at her.

"You heard it too right? Rachel's going to issue a prophecy!" Auden explained. Belle nodded – then paused.

"I'm nodding Auden." She told him. Auden snorted, but said nothing. In unison they turned toward Kendra. Kendra's dark face had suddenly pale a little bit. She nodded.

"You two need to report to the Big House. I need a nap."

.o0O0o.

Paul had his sleeves rolled up. His button-down blue shirt was unevenly buttoned, and his hair was a mess from running his fingers through it over a thousand times. He had been sitting in the Big House for close to three hours, listening to Marley, Chiron and Rachel yell at each other. Annabeth was sitting quietly, surveying the situation with mild interest and analyzing possible methods of searching for Marley's missing sister. Percy was out looking with Frank, Hazel, Leo, Jason and Piper. Calypso sat, her eyebrows drawn together in a frown. Julian, Emily, Maria and Bianca Zhang, Silena and Luka Rodriguez, Thea, June and Jett Grace, Esmee Valdez (Sammy was with Leo), Cecelia (Who sat perched anxiously next to Julian) and Cody Blaire all sat around the table looking bored. Why did they have to sit through this?

"It's been two and a half months since Vera disappeared and you've done nothing!" Marley kept coming back to that same argument over and over again. Chiron massaged his temples.

"My dear boy, we've been doing all we can. Arabelle and Kendra have been scrying Vera, but there seems to be something blocking them from seeing properly. They don't know where she is. All they know is that she is hidden somewhere near the Realm of Amphiaraus," Chiron said patiently.

"Then go and find her!" Marley shouted.

"Sadly, no demigod has ever found the entrance to his Realm, Marley. We can't find her without knowing where to start looking. It might even be back the in Old Underworld in Greece for all we know. Or in Rome. It could be in Russia if we're taking guesses. We're covering ground as fast as we can, but it looks like the only way to find the Realm of Amphiaraus is to have our Oracle issue a prophecy." Chiron explained. Paul could hear the forced calmness in his voice. His patience was beginning to fray.

"Then issue a prophecy!" Marley turned to Rachel. They'd been there three times already. Rachel shook her head sadly.

"The Spirit of Delphi doesn't work that way." She said, sounding forlorn.

"Then make it work that way!" Marley cried.

"Look, Jameson, we've been here nearly every day for the last two and a half months. Don't you think we're doing what we can?" It was Silena, who had suddenly pushed her chair out and stood up. Paul abruptly followed. He hated these meetings, but he was there as Percy's "delegate". Every evening, Percy would message Annabeth and him to check in.

"What you're doing isn't good enough! If it was, Vera would be back by now. You're just lazing around relying on Belle and Kendra-" Marley started, but Paul knew where this was going.

"If you say a word against my friend I will hurt you very badly." He said in a low voice. Annabeth reached and put her hand on his arm.

"That's enough, Paul. I don't think you need to stress Marley any more. He's already dealing with the loss of his sister," She turned to Marley, "We're doing what we can, but right now this is all we can do. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"Then I'm going out to search for her myself." Marley proclaimed. He made a sharp movement towards the door, but Thea Grace was faster. She leaped for her seat in a neat backflip and landed, her back pressed to the door, her arms splayed out.

"Think about this, Marley, You're just going to get killed." She warned him. She had long blonde hair like her father, usually kept in a sport ponytail. She was the only Grace Child to inherit Jason's pale skin as well. Wendy, June and Jett all had darker, Cherokee Indian looking skin. Her eyes though were like Piper's kaleidoscope and constantly shifting. Marley gave her a withering glance, and tried to push her aside, but she wouldn't have it.

"Get out of my way!" He snarled, raising his fist. Thea raised her own into the defensive position. Her father and mother had taught her martial combat since she was very young. Wendy too – but not June and Jett. The twins were interesting cases of trouble, and they had their own way of taking care of themselves. Thea, who had never shown any affinity towards either parent's godly powers until much later, had been a rather helpless demigod. So ever since she was six, she'd been doing Aikido, Tae Kwan Do, Karate, Jiujutsu and Hapkido. She wasn't about to be threatened my Marley raising his fist at her. Besides, he would never hit a girl… would he?

"You're going on a death mission if you think you can find her. Let Vera handle it." She replied.

"I can't sit back and do nothing. I've done nothing for long enough. And I can't… my parents… I can't tell my parents that I lost my little sister. I can't imagine how they'll look at me." Marley hung his head as if in shame. Thea's gaze softened just slightly. She was a stubborn pain in the neck most of the time. She and Jason were constantly at odds because she wanted to follow in her older sister Wendy's footsteps and join the Hunters. She knew what it felt like, not wanting to see the disappointment in her parents eyes.

"I know you don't. We'll try to find her, and hopefully, you'll never have to tell them." She said, hoping that would make him feel better. Marley gave her a scathing look.

"I don't have a choice. I'm going to have to tell them eventually, and the longer I wait, the worse it will be. Chiron, can I use your phone?" He turned to stare at Chiron.

"No, Marley. You may not. Thea is right at the moment, you shouldn't tell your parents. You don't need another distraction. But she's not right about keeping it a secret forever. You will need to tell them in the end." Chiron said. Marley rubbed his face.

"Maybe another distraction is what I need. I keep on thinking about how we lost her." He groaned. Thea hovered by his shoulder, staying pressed to the door in case he tried to make a run for it.

"Maybe. I remembered when Percy disappeared I tried-" Annabeth started.

"Annabeth," Chiron warned. He didn't want to start Marley's shouting again. Marley and Annabeth's situations weren't all that different, but he didn't want the younger boy getting the wrong idea. Thea was suddenly thrown away from the door and into Marley, who did his best to catch her before she tipped all the way over, and Auden and Belle paraded into the door, both looking incredibly disheveled, Belle with a large oil stain on the front of her shirt.

"Chiron! Rachel's going to issue a prophecy to find Vera!" Belle cried. Marley whirled from Belle to Chiron to Rachel, looking outraged.

"You said the Spirit of Delphi can't see on command!" He spat. He halfheartedly straightened Thea up. Thea brushed off her shorts and shot him an icy glare.

"It can't!" Rachel replied, distressed.

"What is the meaning of this?" Chiron thundered, turning to Belle and Auden. They launched into an explanation of the details, talking over each other, scrambling to get it all out. But right when they got to the flurry of images on the water, Rachel's whole form stiffened. She stared in horror at Belle and Auden, and then her eyes went from their usual green to a bright, intense, glowing green. When she spoke, it sounded like three Rachels were talking at once.

"Marley - Amphiaraus is found upon a dark throne,

Hidden behind a wall made of stone.

Only a child of death can open the gate,

But a daughter of magic shall hold the fate.

The Blind will rise to face the feat,

And eight shall set out but two will retreat."

Rachel let out a shuddering breath, "That wasn't normal," She said, just as Marley said, "Well what are we waiting for?" Chiron sighed and rubbed his temples.

"This is highly strange. Everyone, return to your cabins, except you, Marley. I want to talk to you. And Rachel, I need a word with you too. It seems we have a quest."

.o0O0o.

The campfire light flickered eerily. Silena enjoyed the flickering of the firelight. It cast strange, dancing shadows across the earth and the faces around it. The mood around the fire was somewhat subdued. All of the Greeks and Romans were muttering amongst themselves about the quest. The last quest had been over ten years ago. Since the mood was so foul, the fire burned low and a dark, dark orange. Starts kept spitting up and flying away on the breeze. No matter which way Silena moved, the smoke seemed to follow her. Paul plopped down next to her.

"What do you think it means?" He asked.

"The prophecy?" Silena asked, exasperated. She had already had several people ask her that question, and she really didn't feel like discussing it. She felt like she wasn't going to be going on this quest, no matter how bad she wanted to. She didn't need to talk about it.

"Yeah. You and I were both there. You heard what Delphi said. A daughter of magic. The Blind. Auden and Belle, and Marley is the quest leader," Paul said.

"It might not be Belle. It could be Zarina or Kendra," Silena said.

"You know it isn't," Paul said, "You know that Belle is going on that quest, don't you? It might not mean a specific child of magic, but I know Marley will chose her as a companion." Silena sighed, and ran her fingers through her dark hair.

"I know, and I don't want her to go," Silena replied, shaking her head. Paul reached forward and took Silena's hand.

"You know she wouldn't have the guts to die on a quest without saying goodbye to us. She'll be back. Believe me, anyone who knows Belle knows she always pops back up from disaster," Paul said. He glanced across the campfire to where she was talking to Amelia Martinez. It looked like Belle was making a new friend.

Just then, there was a shout. Their peaceful evening was disturbed. Paul dropped Silena's hand, and guiltily she wished he hadn't. But she scanned the crowd anyway, looking for danger. She spotted it in the form of a girl, lying face down in the dirt, her dark hair spread over her shoulders. Shadows swirled around her form, but began to dissipate in the firelight. She looked up and her hazel eyes scanned the crowd, all staring at her.

"Where am I?" She asked, "How did I get here?"

A couple notes on the chapter:

This is the first chapter about fourteen year old Arabelle that Paris doesn't appear in. She was actually tended to some of the more critically wounded Romans who happen to still be in the Infirmary, though they're mostly all better.

Amelia Martinez usually gets saddled with being Cabin Inspector. She can usually be pretty neutral about it. She, Rodger Nicodemus and Kendra and Chiron's first choices. He knows pretty much everyone else would be biased in some way.

Thea Grace is considered to be the least pretty of the Grace siblings. She inherited Jason's looks for the most part, and has a couple of scars that mar her appearance, including one right above her eyebrow from when she fell on pavement, and one of her chin from when she was riding her bike and managed to face plant. She is however, the sassiest of them all and the most well trained in hand-to-hand combat. She knows how to Judo flip people, kick people, and pretty much defend herself against any enemy without having to have weapons. Her powers are weaker than her siblings, except she can fly with the winds and Charmspeak. She is often at odds with her father. She was named for Theia, in order to honor the Titan of sight and the shining light of the clear blue sky (Consort of Hyperion). She is like her namesake in a lot of ways, and can usually see problems very clearly.

Sammy went with Leo to go and search for Vera. He didn't want to, but Calypso thought it would be good for him to overcome some of his fears. She worries about him a lot. She thinks he worries too much.

Belle and Kendra have been working non-stop to find Vera on Chiron's orders in order to appease Marley, who has been going crazy ever since she disappeared.

Paul can't button his shirts correctly – like, ever. He has tried many times, yet he always has to unbutton them and re-button them. Usually, he has time to do this several times to make sure it's right. That's why he is often times seen wearing t-shirts, not button-down shirts. He only wore one in this chapter because his mom told him to.

Silena has mixed feelings for Paul that she will have to muddle through in the story. It's part of her character development.

You're supposed to use oil and water for scrying, so Kendra was particularly shocked when Belle managed to scry with the lake water. More on this will come later. It has to do with the bad guy/girl.

Ever heard the saying, "All you must do is ask?" Essentially that is what happens in this chapter. Belle and Auden "ask" how to find Vera, and the option presents itself. This will be addressed in more detail later.

Any guesses as to who the evil person is yet? Any at all? I would love to hear them. Anywho, this chapter was long in coming, and it isn't the longest chapter yet. My week's been pretty hectic, but I'm glad I finally got to update. I hope you enjoyed. Please give me feedback on what you think of the characters, how the plot is taking shape, etc. I also want to know how well I am handling the romance factor of it. There isn't a lot of romance, but we shall see. In the later stories about Belle, there will be some more.

-PR