Iris looped her arm in with Franks, and pulled him outside. Fleecy took Percy but the arm and lead him staggering into the back, his face green. Hazel followed, looking cautiously back and forth between Percy and Frank. Near a bay window, Iris sat Frank down at a table. The stars twinkled and the moon shone bright.
"Oh, the moon is so beautiful in the countryside!" Artemis fawned, putting her hand in her face, her eyes twinkling silver, like the stars.
Artemis, Annabeth, and Thalia smiled sadly at the stars, in memory of Zoe, who loved the stars more than anything.
Frank put his spear on the ground, and took a seat after Iris.
"Frank, I know how you feel," Iris patted Franks hand, who was nervously moving in his seat, "I imagine that half-burned stick in your pocket gets heavier every day,"
Frank reached to his coat, instinctively, "How do you-"
"I told you! I know things. I was Juno's messenger for ages. I know why she gave you a reprieve,"
Frank pulled out his firewood, and unwrapped it carefully, as if it was a china doll.
"Juno saved you for a reason. She wants you to serve her pan. If she hadn't appeared that day when you were a baby and warned your mother about the firewood, you would've died. You were born with too many gifts. That sort of power tends to burn out a mortal life," Iris replied, casually. She looked right into Frank's eyes, holding his gaze.
"Too many gifts?" Annabeth wondered. She had accidently said it outloud, and looked around with pink cheeks, as people smiled at her slip.
"The only gift I see is that kick-ass spear!" hooted Clarisse, as demigods looked at her questionably. Nobody accept the gods, Ares cabin, and Athena cabin knew what power the spear held.
"Dad, why don't I get a spear like that?" asked a camper to his father.
Ares grunted at his child, "You don't deserve it, brat"
"Too many gifts?" Frank fumed, "I don't have any gifts!"
Iris swiped her hand in front of her face, like she was cleaning a windshield, a small rainbow appearing. "That's not true Frank. Think about it,"
Shimmering in the rainbow, a younger Frank, from maybe when he was 4 years old, appeared running across his backyard. A powerful, strong willed looking woman leaned out of the window; Franks mother. His mother called for him to not go too far, and to stay near the house. Frank did the opposite.
"Extraordinary. Exactly like his father," Athena observed.
"What? Perfect? Tough? Strong?" Ares sat up straighter.
"Impulsive. Opposing," Athena responded.
"Sounds more like Old Barnacle Beards son,"
"True," Athena agreed.
"Excuse me!" Poseidon glared, gripping his trident, which glowed with power.
In the rainbow, Frank came face to face with a grizzly bear, who was surprised to see a young boy running around. In a flash, Frank's mother was by his side, telling him to go inside. Frank obeyed, and when he turned back his mother was coming out of the woods, no bear in sight. His mother smiled, the warm, inviting kind of smile that melted your worries away. "Mama Bear just needed directions," she said.
The scene changed, and Frank was six years old, curling up in his mother's lap. Her long, black hair was pulled up in a ponytail, exposing her proud cheekbones. She wrapped her arms around her son, and she wore rimless glasses. She wore a fuzzy grey fleece, and was telling stories to her son about heroes, saying they were all related to Frank; like Xu Fu, who sailed to find the elixir of life. She poked his stomach and told the story about Sung Guo, and how he fought dragons, because he was 'the strongest dragon of all. That's how he beat them!" Frank rolled away, laughing, from his mother, who was tickling him. "And then there is your oldest ancestor that we know of; Prince of Pylos! Hercules fought him once! It was a hard fight!" she exclaimed, picking up her small son.
Artemis growled at the mention of Hercules, as did Thalia.
"What's wrong?" asked Nico to Thalia.
Thalia's knuckles were so tight, they turned white "Hercules is-"
"A bad man," Annabeth said, keeping the younger demigods around her from hearing her sailor mouth.
"Did we win?" small Frank asked, smiling up at his mother.
His mother laughed, but her voice was dipped in sadness, "No, our ancestor lost. But it wasn't easy for Hercules. Imagine trying to fight a swarm of bees. That's how it was. Even Hercules had trouble,"
Frank's head tilted to the side, and he looked confused. He looked at his mother curiously, "Where is our family from?"
"Li-Jien. Our family is from many places, but our home is Li-Jien. Always remember, Frank: you have a special gift. You can be anything,"
The rainbow shimmered and then vanished, leaving a small hint of mist in its passing.
Annabeth was working out what had happened. Why had the goddess shown Frank these scenes?She pulled out the key words; "the strongest dragon", "swarm of bees", "Prince of Pylos", "Li-Jien". They had to mean something! She thought of all the possibilities, but nothing she thought of made sense. She looked up at her mother, who looked at her and winked. She knew Annabeth would be able to figure it out- she was the daughter of Athena, she had her mother's brains.
Frank was stunned, "I don't understand," his voice was hoarse.
"Your mother explained it. You can be anything," Iris replied, evenly.
Annabeth's grey eyes widened. It can't be….
"But it is, my daughter" she heard her mother's wise voice in her head. "Don't ruin it for the others, they will figure it out in due time,"
Frank pressed his hands against his pants pocket, where he kept his mother's medal. He looked down, "I can't be anything. I've got zero skills,"
"What have you tried? You wanted to be an archer. You managed that pretty well," Iris pushed, "You've only scratched the surface! Your friends, Hazel and Percy-they're both stretched between worlds: Greek and Roman, the past and the present. But you are stretched more than either of them,"
"What does that mean? I know the other stretches but what worlds are he stretched into?" Leo piped up, leaning back in his chair taking a mento pack out of his tool belt, which he wore around his waist like a belt.
"Listen and maybe you'll find out," Piper shot him a look, her eyes swirling different shades of hazel and brown.
Iris continued, "Your family is ancient-the blood of Pylos on your mother's side, and you father is Mars. No wonder Juno wants you to be one of her seven heroes. She wants you to fight the giants and Gaea. But think about this: what do you want?"
"Inferior goddess! Messing with my heroes minds!" Hera screamed at the screen.
"A choice?" Annabeth's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, "We never get cxhoices…"
"Lucky," the Stoll's breathed.
"I don't have a choice. I'm the son of the stupid war god," Frank started.
"Stupid!?" fumed Ares, throwing a knife down at the ground. The whole Ares cabin started shouting and shaking their weapons, threatening the screen.
"Calm yourselves!" Zeus exclaimed, lightning flashing on the ceiling and thunder boomed. Ares grumbles a few curses in Greek, and the Cabin followed his example by glaring up at Frank on the screen, cracking their knuckles.
Frank continued, "I have to go on this quest and-"
Iris smiled and raised an eyebrow "Have to? Not want to? I used to think like that. Then I got tired of being everyone's servant. Fetch goblets of wine for Jupiter. Deliver letters for Juno. Send messages back and forth across the rainbow for anyone with a golden drachma," Iris rolled her eyes.
"A golden what?"
"How can he not know what a drachma is?" Piper asked. She was one of the newest campers, and she learned about Drachma's the day she crash landed.
"We don't use drachmas in New Rome," Jason explained.
Annabeth nodded, and continued, "It is a Greek thing. Roman's never took to it, like they never took to Iris Messages,"
"Not important. But I learned to let go. I started R.O.F.L and now I'm free of that baggage. You can let go, too. Maybe you can't escape fate. Someday that piece of wood will burn. I foresee that you'll be holding it when it happens, and your life will end-"
"Thanks," Frank muttered, fingering the clothed wood.
Iris wiped away the thought, "-but that just makes your life more precious! You don't have to be what your parents and grandmother expect. You don't have to follow the war god's orders, or Juno's."
"Of course that pathetic hero needs to follow my orders!" Hera exclaimed.
"My son isn't pathetic, he just needs to toughen up! And he needs to follow my orders too!" Ares said, and Aphrodite rolled her eyes.
"Your son needs to follow his heart, and go after Hazel!" she squealed, putting shimmery lip gloss on her plump lips.
"Not this crap again," Ares grunted. Aphrodite glared at him, her ever changing eyes slicing him.
"DO your own thing, Frank! Find a new path!" Iris said, clasping his hands, her warm eyes enlightening.
"Why are you telling me this? You want me to abandon the quest, let Camp Jupiter be destroyed? My friends are counting on me!" Frank reasoned, thinking of his camp and his duties.
Iris spread her hands, "I can't tell you what to do, Frank. But do you want, not what they tell you to do. Where did conforming ever get me? I spent millennia serving everyone else, and I never discovered my identity. What's my sacred animal? No one bothered to give me one. Where are my temples? They never made any. Well, fine! I've found peace here at the co-op. You should stay with us, if you want. Become a ROFLcopter."
Travis and Connor laughed, and Katie smacked them. They shrugged, and their eyes spoke for them; ROFLcopter was a hilarious name.
"A what, now?"
"The point is," Iris said, "you have options. If you continue this quest…what happens when you free Thanatos? Will it be good for your family? Your friends?"
Frank thought between the two possibilities, and decided on a path.
"I have to," he sat up a little straighter, "It's my job,"
Iris sighed, and looked sadly at Frank, "I expected as much, but I had to try. The task ahead of you…Well, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially a nice boy like you. If you must go, at least I can offer some advice. You'll need help finding Thanatos,"
"Why does Percy always have to go on the worst quest's?" Annabeth sighed.
"Because he has the worst luck of any demigod known to man," summed up Thalia.
"Really?" Piper asked, not having met Percy yet.
"I would give you examples, but I don't want to surprise you so much. I've never met someone with his luck, it's ridiculous," Annabeth shook her head, remembering going of quest's with Percy.
"You know where the giants are hiding him?" Frank asked hopefully.
Iris gazed her wind chimes, which were dancing in the winds, "No…Alaska is beyond the gods' sphere of control. The location is shielded from my sight. But there is someone who would know. See out the seer Phineas. He's blind, but he can see the past, present, and future. He knows many things. He can tell you where Thanatos is being held."
"Phineas…" Frank said, his eyes up to the ceiling, thinking of his classes at Camp Jupiter. "Wasn't there a story about him?"
The gods groaned, and the campers that knew his story (Athena Cabin) rolled their eyes. The unknowledgeable demigods just connected the dots; Phineas was not a good person.
Iris nodded reluctantly, "In the old days, he committed horrible crimes. He used his gift of sight for evil. Jupiter sent the harpies to plague him. The Argonauts-including your ancestor, by the way-"
"The prince of Pylos?"
Iris hesitated, "Yes, Frank. Though his gift, and his story…that you must discover on your own. Suffice it to say, the Argonauts drove away the harpies in exchange for Phineas' help. That was eons ago, but I understand Phineas has returned to the mortal world. You'll find him in Portland, Oregon, Which is on your way north. But you must promise me one thing. If he's still plagues by harpies, do not kill them. Not matter what Phineas promises you. Win his help some other way. The harpies are not evil. They're my sisters,"
"Sisters?" Connor asked.
"Your sisters?" Frank asked, startled.
"Dude, you guys think the same," Travis stated, and Katie giggled.
"What, you hit your boyfriend before, but not now?" Connor questioned, his arms crossed.
"Not my boyfriend," Katie said, her cheeks pink, matching Travis.
"Sure, guys. Just like Annabeth and Perce before the war," Connor said, getting smacked by Annabeth,
"I know. I don't look old enough to be the harpies' sister, but it's true. And Frank…there's another problem. If you're determined to leave, you'll have to clear those basilisks off the hill,"
"You mean the snakes?"
"Yes, Basilisk means 'little crown', which is a cute name for something that's not very cute. I'd prefer not to have them killed. They're living creatures, after all. But you won't be able to leave until they're gone. If your friends try to battle them…well I foresee bad things happening. Only you have the abilirt to kill the monsters,"
Clarisse rubbed her hands hungrily, "Yes! About time!"
"What?" asked Nico.
"Well Corpse Breath, the spear is about to come into play," Clarisse's eyes glimmered with anxiety.
"But how?" Frank asked.
Clarisse through her arms up in exasperation. She turned to her dad, "Father, how can he be yours? Does your Roman side not know a perfect weapon when he sees one!?"
"Don't insult my Roman side, Brat. And that boy is probably the only one of my children that wouldn't know the perfect gift I gave him!" Ares bellowed, and Clarisse rolled her eyes, picking at her nail.
Iris glanced down at the spear lying next to Frank's feet. He shifted uncomfortably.
"I wish there was another way. If you had some weasels, for instance. Weasels are deadly to basilisks," Iris said hopefully.
Frank raised his eyebrows, "Fresh out of weasels,"
Iris shrugged, "Then you will have to use your father's gift. Are you sure you wouldn't like to live here instead? We make excellent lactose-free rice milk,"
Frank got out of his seat, "How do I use the spear?"
"Yessssssssssss," Clarisse said, bouncing in her seat gingerly.
"You'll have to handle that on your own. I can't advocate violence. While you're doing battle, I'll check on your friends. I hope fleecy found the right medicinal herbs. The last time, we had a miz-up…Well, I don't think those heroes wanted to be daisies…" She said, biting her lip.
"Oh, gods, can you imagine Perce as a daisy?" Thalia laughed, shoulder tapping Annabeth, and hitting Nico's arm.
Nico started laughing too, "Oh, gods!" he cried.
"Stop…" Annabeth said, stifling her laughs.
Iris stood up, her glasses flashing with light, reflecting an image of Frank. Her looked serious and grim, and nothing like the worry free boy in the rainbow.
"One last bit of advice, Frank. You're destined to die holding that piece of firewood, watching it burn. But perhaps if you didn't keep it yourself. Perhaps if you trusted someone enough to hold it for you…" Iris said slowly, letting every word sink into Frank.
Frank's hand curled protectively around his wood, "Are…are you offering?"
Iris laughed gently, and placed a hand on Franks shoulder, her hair blowing around her face, "Oh, dear, no. I'd lose it in this collection. It would get mixed up with my crystals, or I'd sell it as a driftwood paperweight by accident. No, I meant a demigod friend. Someone close to your heart,"
"HAZEL!" screamed Aphrodite, fanning her face. She smiled and Piper looked down at her feet, embarrassed by her Barbie-doll mother.
He wrapped up his tinder, and slipped it back into his coat, "Thanks…thanks, Iris," he said. He toed the spear, and Iris squeezed her hand.
"Don't lose hope, Frank. Rainbows always stand for hope," she winked at him, making her way to the back of the store.
"Hope," Frank grumbled. He shook his head, "I'd rather have a few good weasels,"
He picked up his spear, and marched out, dejectedly, preparing to fight the snakes.