Hey. So sorry for disappearing off the face of the planet for a while. :D The problem is I lost this chapter and chapters 13 through 16 and I never really got my momentum back. But now I have! So…yay!

-Calypso C.

"What?" I jumped up out of my seat. "That's impossible. My dad gave it to Hestia for safe keeping!"

Chiron shifted while Grey froze in his seat. "I know Olivia. But that just means that whoever took it and let hope out is strong enough to overtake Hestia, a goddess. "

Grey shook his head slowly. "This is bad. Really bad. But even so, what do we have to do with it?"

Rachel started sobbing. "I'm so sorry Olivia! We should have told someone—we should've—"

"Now, now Rachel," Chiron said quietly. "Let's start from the beginning." He looked at me and then Grey.

"About eleven years ago, before you were born Olivia, Rachel gave a prophecy. I was the only one who heard it and as soon as she came out of her Oracle state I told her exactly what she had said. We didn't tell anyone, we thought it would just be messing with fate and make things worse. Besides, what were the chances it was about Percy and Annabeth's child? They might not even have a daughter." Chiron sighed.

"Then, when you were born and they named you Olivia…we still didn't tell anybody. It could still not be about you, it could be about another Athena child. We hoped that it wouldn't happen in your lifetime Olivia. We really did. We prayed. But…"

"Now it's too late," Grey said softly, almost sounding like he had feelings. "It's happening."

I looked at Rachel, confused. "Wait…what's the prophecy?"

She gulped and took a deep breath. Then she began to chant.

"Four of olive, spell, wheat and bow,

To survive, Mane and Beak must end their row,

You must be back in time or all will be lost,

Olive must give her life, that is the cost,

The quest to save man's last chance,

Save her from the mother's trance,

Omega and Alpha must unite,

The latter not knowing, they will win the fight."

Time seemed to slow down around me. Everything was moving in slow motion as the prophecy chugged slowly through my brain.

For a few precious seconds I didn't register what the words meant. Then it hit me.

I had to die.

My blood ran cold and I barely noticed that Grey looked sick to the stomach.

"Are you- are you sure that's it?" I choked out. "There's not, like, a mistake or anything? There could be a mistake, right?"

Chiron shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry Olivia."

"But how do you know it's even Christmas G- I mean, Olivia? It could be another Athena daughter," Grey said.

"Grey, think about it. Olive? You and I both know that's what Olivia's name means," Chiron said gently. "And the fact that it was her dad's gift, well, that just seems all the more likely."

Rachel's tears slowly stopped and she sniffed. "You're going to have to go on the quest. I'm so sorry, Olivia. I really am."

Chiron nodded. "She's right. This person or god or spirit let hope out of its box. That is very, very, very bad. Without hope nobody will do…anything. Everybody will just give up, lose the incentive to live."

"We have to go find hope," Grey said, a little dazed. "We can always find hope."

I ignored Grey and gulped. "What would I do? If I go on the quest, how do I even find hope and put it back in its box? Or pithos or whatever."

"I don't know," Rachel said. "I don't know."

"But we know someone who might. Hestia can probably help you and get you started." Chiron looked at Grey. "And you are going to need to pick your companions."

I looked down at my hands. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I was terrified. Not of the quest so much…but of myself.

I couldn't stop wishing that I wasn't the one in the prophecy. That I wasn't the one who was going to die. How could I be so selfish, to want someone else to die in my place?

I didn't know, if it came down to it, if I would give up my life, willingly, to get hope back. I didn't know if I was brave enough. I didn't know if I could do it.

Both my parents bravely fought during the war, risking everything to save the world. My dad was willing to give up his life.

But I didn't know if I could give up mine. And that's what scared me the most.

"And that's why I brought Grey with us," Chiron continued, interrupting my thoughts. "I think it is obvious, especially after last week's…display, of magic, that he is the spell in the prophecy. You are obviously the olive, which leaves wheat and bow. You can choose the other two companions…as long as they fit the prophecy."

"Ty and Rigel," I said slowly, still trying to wrap my brain around the prophecy. "It makes perfect sense."

Chiron nodded sadly. "Indeed. That is what I was thinking, and—"

"No." Grey crossed his arms and looked Chiron in the eye. "Ty is awesome and everything; she'll be a great help. But I don't think Rigel should come."

My blood started to boil. Again. "Well it's not your choice. So it doesn't matter. Wheat for Demeter and bow for Apollo. It makes sense, you idiot."

"But he's so inexperienced with stuff like healing!" Grey yelled at me, standing up and leaning over the table. "We need someone whose better at it, has had more practice-"

"Oh, like YOU?" I pushed my chair back with a thump. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! What do you want? Some senior in high school that we BARELY KNOW?"

"YES!" he bellowed. "THAT'S WOULD BE GREAT!"

"Olivia! Grey!" Chiron knocked his foot against the ping pong table. "What has gotten into you two? This is not the time to be fighting."

I looked down at the table. "Sorry," I muttered.

"Grey, Rigel is coming. I'm sorry, but Olivia is the leader of this quest— not you." Chiron sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Why don't you go get Ty and Rigel?"

Grey muttered something too low for me to hear and stormed out of the room. I heard what sounded suspiciously like a fist hitting the wall. Hard.

Served him right.

After Grey had gone I collapsed back in my chair, suddenly exhausted. Rachel, through her swollen, red eyes, looked like she was about to laugh.

"Man, does that bring me back to the past," she said while patting me on the shoulder. She sighed. "Well, I'm going to go take a nap. Maybe I'll see something in a dream."

When she left it was just me and Chiron.

"You'll need to talk to Mr. D before you go. You have to get permission."

"Oh," I said . "Yay."

"After you finish, come back and talk with me. There's something I want to give you." Chiron walked over to the side of the room and starting sorted through some papers. I took that as my cue to leave.

"Uh, Mr. D?" I stared at the heavy set man in a bright orange tiger striped shirt sitting on the porch playing pinochle with invisible opponents. He barely looked up from his game, just giving me a tiny nod.

"Well, as I'm sure you know, uh, hope has kinda been let out of Pandora's Pithos." I shuffled my feet.

""Kinda" or it has?" He cursed as stared at the cards on the table. "Stupid satyr."

"Ummm, it has." I avoided eye contact. "And I need your permission to lead a quest to find it. There's already been a prophecy and—"

"I know all about the prophecy. Sit down." Mr. D snapped his fingers and a chair appeared out of thin air. I nervously sat down.

"Your father was one of the stupidest demigods I ever had the privilege to meet. He was truly a spectacular idiot." He took a sip of diet coke and looked at me expectantly.

"Ummm, thank you?"

"You're not welcome," he said as he dealt what looked like another hand. "Your mother on the other hand…annoying little brat, that Annie Bell. Always so smart and clever," he huffed. "Occasionally your father didn't screw things up too badly, you know. But your mother was always fixing things for him."

"Ah yes, she likes to mention that," I informed him.

He snorted and seemed to find it amusing. "Haven't changed a bit then. Anyways, as I'm sure your father's told you, I do not like heroes."

I nodded. "He might have mentioned it…once or twice." More like three billion.

"Your father is a terrible influence, did you know? Always rushing off and risking everything to save his friends. I hope that's not your flaw." He slurped more of his diet coke. "As I was saying, for once, your father wasn't like a typical hero. Actually managed to save his friends and the world."

"Yeah." I twisted my hands together. "He did."

"You aren't really like your father. Or your mother. You're a lot less confident," Mr. D said matter-of-factly.

I didn't say anything.

"I'm going to allow you to go on this quest. Mostly because I would prefer not to have my existence being risked for the third time in the past twenty-five years." He snapped his fingers again and my chair dumped me out of my seat.

"I'd just like you to know, Ollie, that there is a chance that you might not fail. If your father could do it anybody should be able to." He waved his hand. "And consider this my parting gift. Trust me, you won't be having any dreams tonight."

With that he disappeared and I closed my eyes as he started to glow. All of sudden my brain was clear and I could barely remember what it felt like to worry. Through my meeting with Chiron I practically sleep walked. I didn't feel like myself.

But that night, for the first night since I had come to camp, I didn't have any dreams at all. Bad or otherwise. Just a peaceful night of much needed sleep.

So did you like it? How was the prophecy? And I promise I'll do my best to try to post every week again. :D R&R please!