Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trap-door.
I pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place.
There was an awful stench so I held my breath and climbed.
The attic was filled with Greek hero junk. I wonder why they kept all this stuff? They must be war prizes just like my minotaur, should that be in here too? I gazed around and looked towards the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy. She'd been dead a long, long time. To be honest with you, she was scary and vile. I think I found the source of the smell as well as what was the non-living thing in the attic that Chiron and I argued over on my first day here at camp!
A green mist poured from the mummy's mouth, it came closer and closer towards me so I stumbled over myself trying to get to the trap-door, but it slammed shut. This is just like that haunted house mom and I visited when I was younger! Inside my head, I heard a voice, slithering into one ear and coiling around my brain: I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.
I wanted to say, No thanks, wrong door, just looking for the bathroom. But I forced myself to take a deep breath. Ally wouldn't be proud of you, neither would mom or dad, if you ran away like a coward. Stand your ground!
It's presence wasn't evil, it felt like the aura emitting from the Three Fates I'd seen knitting the yarn outside the highway fruit stand: ancient, powerful, and definitely not human. But not particularly interested in killing me, either. That's good! At least I'm not gonna die!
I got up the courage to ask, "What is my destiny?"
The green ominous mist swirled around to form the men that I hated most in my life. My fists clenched, though I knew this poker party couldn't be real. It was an illusion, made out of mist.
You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.
You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.
You shall know the truth, about the daughter of the sea.
You shall see the sparks of true love, to be.
You shall he betrayed by one who calls you a friend.
And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.
I was stunned by the course that future will take and so I didn't react when the figures dissolved into dust so I missed my chance to get my reply when I cried, "Wait! What do you mean? What friend? What will I fail to save?"
The mummy reverted back to what she like before I disturbed her and everything seemed normal.
I got the feeling that I could stand here until I had cobwebs, too, and I wouldn't learn anything else. My audience with the Oracle was over. So left and returned downstairs to face the half-animal creatures who I know as my best friend and mentor…
"Well?" Chiron asked me. He wasted no time in asking me what was to come…
I slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen."
Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!" It's really not, buddy! Questions swarmed my brain as I floundered to thin of a reply.
"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important." He has been alive for along time so he knows that something is wrong…
My ears were still tingling from the scaly voice. "She… she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."
"I knew it," Grover said. No you didn't buddy. You thought Mr. D was gonna kill me half an hour ago!
Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?" He's suspicious. Uh oh…
I didn't want to tell him.
What friend would betray me? I didn't have that many.
And the last line - I would fail to save what mattered most. What kind of Oracle would send me on a quest and tell me, Oh, by the way, you'll fail.
How could I confess that? Maybe I should reveal to him the calmer parts.
"The Oracle also said uhhh… knowing the truth, about the daughter of the sea, so I'm gonna find out something about my sister and then it said that I would see the sparks of true love, to be. So that's okay, I think. Uuuuummmm… But other than that… No," I said. "That's about it."
He studied my face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."
I got the feeling he knew I was holding back something bad, and he was trying to make me feel better.
"Okay," I said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"
Chiron gave me hints so I could make the conclusion myself, but in the end I thought, "Hades."
Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility." Is he really the only possibility? What would he gain from a war between his brothers? Wouldn't that mean there would be more death and therefore more people would be in his kingdom? Are there any other deities out there who would benefit from the war? I kept these ideas to myself though, I didn't want to question Chiron, he was the one who knew the gods the most between the two of us.
A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?" Ewwww Grover! Eat with your mouth shut! Didn't your mama goat teach you manners?
It went on for a while: Grover and Chiron debating back and forth about why the Lord of the Underworld wanted to kill me. If it were somebody else, it would be funny because they're talking about me as if I wasn't here but you know… I am here so it is a bit (very) rude!
"Great," I muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me." Two out of the twelve Olympians - that sounds bad! Two out of the hundreds of gods out there; that sounds a tiny bit better…
But the two half animals ignored me and carried on with their own argument…
A strange fire burned in my stomach. The weirdest thing was: it wasn't fear. It was anticipation. The desire for revenge. Hades had tried to kill me three times so far, with the Fury, the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It was his fault my mother had disappeared in a flash of light. Now he was trying to frame me and my dad for a theft we hadn't committed. If he committed the crime in first place, a voice reminded me at the back of my head. I thought it was Allie at first but I realised she was still on Olympus so she probably can't communicate from that far…
I was ready to take him on. Well, as much as you can take on one of the most eldest Olympians… Okay I'm not ready for this… To be fair who would be ready for this?
Besides, if my mother was in the Underworld…
Whoa, boy, said the small part of my brain that was still sane. You're a kid. Hades is a god. There's that voice again! Maybe it is Ally! Could it be? Nah…
Grover was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips. Uhhhh… Grover! You don't know where they have been! Put them down Grover! Bad Gro- whoa! He's a goat; not a dog! I really need to pay attention!
The poor guy needed to complete a quest with me so he could get his searcher's license, whatever that was, but how could I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said I was destined to fail? This was suicide. plus the poor guy looks like he's about to collapse! I don't think he could handle it that well!
I ended their argument by speaking directly to Chiron.
"Look, if we know it's Hades," I told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads." They're just as powerful as Hades, right, so if he is the thief, they'll be able to tag team and take their older brother down - right? For some reason, I don't think they'll be able to work together long enough for that to happen!
As my thoughts progressed, I accidentally missed what Chiron said next. When I realised this, I tuned back into the real world.
"-other ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"
"You're saying I'm being used." My dad was using me? I've only known about the guy for a couple of days and he's already using me! Please don't be like Gabe. Please. Please!
"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."
My dad needs me. Probably just as much as I need mom. And now that I've met Ally, just as much as I need her too…
Emotions rolled around inside me like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. A kaleidoscope. Wouldn't it be cool if you had kaleidoscope eyes? You eye colour would always be changing so it wouldn't be boring! Anyway… I didn't know whether to feel resentful or grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored me for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed me. No. A voice whispered in morning. That definitely wasn't Allie. That sounded too masculine…
I looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?" I wonder if he knew before I suspected it? He probably didn't know before Ally though, it seemed that whatever secret anyone had, she knew. My parentage, Clarisse's feelings etc. Speaking of knowing my parentage, I need to ask her all those questions that I forgot to ask her a couple of days ago.
I know. Don't yell at me for not asking me. I just found out I had a sister! I wanted to spend as much time as I could with her because I felt like this wasn't permanent…
"I had my suspicions. As I said… I've spoken to the Oracle, too." When though?
I got the feeling there was a lot he wasn't telling me about his prophecy, but I decided I couldn't worry about that right now. After all, I was holding back information too. Probably not as vital as what he's keeping but we are all entitled to secrets…
"So let me get this straight," I said. "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."
"Check," Chiron said. You say that as if it's one of the most easiest things to do!
"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."
"Check." A weapon which can blow me to smithereens! Which in actual fact is in the hands of one of the eldest Olympian gods!
"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."
"That's about right." Geez. Is this what all first year campers do? Pressure much!
I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.
The two of us discussed over whether he would join me or not for a couple of moments, before we concluded that he would be going with me.
He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If… if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."
I spent a few moments basking in the fact that I wouldn't have to go to the Underworld by myself…
"All the way, G-man." I turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."
"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America." Of course it is…
"Where?" Do you really think I'd know where it is? Hello! Just found out about this world a couple of days ago! Give me a break…
Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."
"Oh," Of course that is the most obvious place, I thought to myself sarcastically. I paused, maybe it is a bit obvious seeing as Los Angeles is Sin City after all! So I said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane-"
"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"
I shook my head, feeling embarrassed. I forgot about that… My mom had never taken me anywhere by plane. She'd always said we didn't have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash. Seriously? I can't even get the luxury if travelling on a plane at least once in my life? Looks like I'm forever gonna be planted don the ground…
"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."
Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed. Thank you Lord Zeus for proving the point that you cannot be trusted!
"Okay," I said, determined not to look at the storm. "So, I'll travel overland." But how exactly are we gonna get there? We can't walk, it would be too far… Bus? Train?
"That's right," Chiron said. "Two companions may accompany you other than Grover. Grover is one out of the three companions. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."
"Gee," I said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"
Annabeth where are you and that cap of yours? I looked around in search for a hint of another presence being there
Gotcha!
The air shimmered behind Chiron.
Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket. Found ya…
"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up." Isn't she kind? Doesn't this girl run out of harsh things to say to me? I know she doesn't like me but must she really bully me so much? A little more violent acts and she'll be just like Clarisse.
"If you do say so yourself," I said. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?" The nickname suits her, where did it come from?
Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?"
The truth was, I did. I needed all the help I could get. All I needed was the last person in our companionship. I knew the perfect person for the job.
Just as that thought flashed through my head, the air shimmered again and a the smell of the sea invaded my senses.
There. Standing with her eyes shut and her hand on her sword which rested on her hip, was my sister.
"You gonna join me on this quest sis?" I casually asked her.
She shook herself to regain her bearings and finally her gaze settled on me as a smirk slowly rest don her face, "I wouldn't miss this for the world little fry!"
I returned her smirk as I said to no one in particular, "A quartet, that'll work."
"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."
"Don't worry little fry, princess, goat-boat and Chiron, I've wondered around all of America. I know where to go afterwards…"
So we're taking the bus then. And after that it's up to Allie!
Lightning flashed. Zeus really needs to calm down. We're getting his bolt for him, all he needs to do is wait and watch! It's not that difficult… Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.
"No time to waste," Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."
And with that our meeting adjourned and we left to get ready or the quest which change my life all over again…