When I woke up Chiron and Percy were waiting for me. "So what do we do now? It would be too dangerous for me and Percy to leave camp," Chiron waved his tail nervously, "Let's go to the big house to discuss this."

When we got to the big house, Mr. D was waiting there for us, Chiron and I bowed and Percy followed our example. "Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrities."

We waited.

"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to bow tow to you mortal, just because old Barnacle Beard is your father,"

A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.

Dionysus looked at me, "The same thing applies to you too," he went back to his game, "Well this could get rather interesting," Dionysus said.

Chiron seemed to be really interested in his pinochle cards, while Grover was just cowering in fear by the railing.

"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in. I grinned as Chiron said that.

"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"And as for him, I can't do anything, he is in the hands of the fates now." Mr. D said. "But if I could, then I would turn him into a mole rat, so he can dig his way back to his father. That is, without saying, if he is your real father." I clutched my fists, and gritted through my teeth, "He is my real father, I know that for sure."

He looked at me, like he wanted to blast me for talking back. "Mr. D" Chiron warned.

"Oh, all right, " Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

Dionysus turned to me, "I can't do anything to you, and trust me if I could I would. But what Chiron has to say that Peter Johnson, you must listen to what he tells him," I looked at Chiron and Percy, then I looked at Dionysus, his lips weren't moving at all when he was talking to me. "And whatever he tells him, you'll have to follow him," my eyes widened, that sounded really close to what my father has told me.

Dionysus picked up a playing card on the table, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass. He snapped his fingers.

The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiled at us, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, Wyatt, please. And Grover." We all did.

Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use. And I don't think he will ever get use to them.

"Tell me Percy," Chiron said. "What did you make of the hellhound?" Right away I noticed he didn't ask me too.

Percy shudder. "It scared me,"

"If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."

"You'll meet worse Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done…With what?" Percy sounded a little scared now.

"Why, with your quest of course." Chiron said, and then he leaned toward him, "That is if you'll accept it."

Percy glanced at Grover who by the way was crossing his fingers, and then he looked at me, I just nodded encouragingly.

Percy looked back at Chiron, "Um…Sir, you haven't told me what it is yet."

Chiron grimaced, "Well, you see Percy that is the hardest part, the details."

Thunder rolled across the valley. The storm clouds now had reached the edge of the beach. Even from here, I could tell that sky and the sea were boiling together.

"Zeus and Poseidon, they're fighting over something aren't they?" Percy looked out to the sea, I twitched, "How- I stopped myself, no one noticed I was going to say something. "Something valuable, something that was stolen, right?" Percy said.

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks, Chiron sat forward in his chair, "How did you know that?" Percy's face was a little shade of red now, "Ever since Christmas, the weathers been weird, kind of like the sea and the sky are fighting. And then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And ... I've also been having these dreams."

Grover perked up, "I knew it!"

"Hush satyr," Chiron ordered.

"But it's his quest!" Grover's eyes now bright with excitement, "It must be!"