Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, Percy Jackson is the property of Rick Riordan, and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is the property of Hirohiko Araki. All other references to any other works are property of their respective owners; I don't own this in any way. Please don't sue me.
Chapter 5: Answer that only leaves more questions
Madara was standing in the sword arena, staring at Rika, who had a determined look.
"Alright, my dear," Madara spoke, "your dance steps have significantly improved, but now let's take it up a notch." Madara dropped into his trademark stance while Rika adopted her own, then, wordlessly, they charged each other. Their fists collided, then Madara shifted in his weight, rotating while bringing his leg crashing into Rika's gut, who tried to block the blow, but the force was too much, and the power sent her crashing into the wall of the arena. Rika got to her feet, wiping blood from her mouth as she glared at her husband, while Madara stood there, his arms crossed. "Tsk tsk," Madara wagged his finger, "you forget one of the most important lessons I taught you, never try to block a blow from a foe with superior strength." Rika laughed a bit.
"True," Rika replied, "but," Rika vanished and reappeared in front of Madara, her fist drawn back, and because of her speed, Madara had no time to react as the fist collided with his face. In response, he tried to shift his weight to counter-attack only for his foot to connect with the air; Madara looked around using both his eyes and sensory talent and found nothing. "When it comes to speed, not even you can predict me." Rika's voice sounded right behind Madara; he spun around, trying to counter only for Rika to dance under his blow and counter with a kick of her own. Madara jumped back to gain distance. "What's the matter? can't keep up?" Rika giggled, then blurred in a display of speed, started darting around Madara, creating after images as she moved. Madara's eyes shifted from left to right as he tried to track her.
"Damn, she's just as fast as I remember."
"Am I moving too slow, Madara?" Rika's cocky voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Just say so; I can move a bit faster if you want." Rika's after images started blurring as her speed doubled. "Can't keep up?" Madara smiled a bit.
"You're not the only one who's learned a new trick." Madara chakra flared to life. "Susanoo." The old comfort of his ultimate defense materialized, wrapping around him like a second skin, and in a few moments, Madara was draped in his self-contained Susanoo. Rika's fist collided with the armor, and the echo of contact reverberated around the sword arena, but Madara didn't even flinch.
"Oh ho," Rika spoke right behind him, "that's some sturdy stuff."
"Self-contained full armor Susanoo, it gathers all the power of the full armored Susanoo and condenses is to the point where it's even stronger." Madara looked at Rika. "you've earned the title of Fastest Senju." Madara smiled behind his helmet, "but I am the Strongest Uchiha." Madara laughed a bit.
"Second strongest." a voice called out as a swirl of fire appeared in the arena, and Annabeth walked forward. "Percy is the strongest."
"True." Madara replied, "my little brother has surpassed me."
"So, what brings you here?" Rika asked.
"We need to talk in private." Madara nodded, understanding.
"Look into my eyes." Rika and Annabeth looked into Madara's eyes; Madara cast the genjutsu he used on Obito so long ago. Annabeth and Rika stood in the vast empty void looking at Madara. "So, what is it you wanted to talk about?'
"You were dead when this happened, so I don't expect you to remember this," Annabeth started, "but, after I got kidnapped by the Titan's forces, I used 'Guns and Roses' trying to get a message to camp. I learned how to fake being asleep so well that I could fool pretty much anyone and used it to determine the Titan's plans. During my efforts, I managed to find another group of demigods; I observed them for a while and saw something that confused me; they were all writing in Latin. I disregarded that information at the time, then after I got rescued, Percy asked Chiron if there was another group of demigods we could ask for help."
"What happened next?"
"When Percy asked that question, Chiron flinched, Percy noticed it, but we didn't talk about it until the night before The Battle of Manhattan."
"Where is this all going?' Rika asked, confused.
"We determined that there was a Roman camp with Roman Demigods." Rika's eyes widened.
"Jason, he refers to the Greek Gods by their Roman names."
"Exactly." Madara nodded, "you always were a quick study."
"So this camp, where could it be?"
"I'm not sure," Annabeth admitted, "while Guns and Roses' power allows me to see objects across space and time, I only recently gained the ability to view objects in real-time."
"Why not use it now?" Madara waved his hand, and a pool of water appeared; Annabeth nodded and walked over to it and placed her hands on the water's surface.
"Guns and Roses." the water rippled, and images started flashing on the screen; as the pictures flashed, Annabeth's face contorted in rage. "It's the same as before! Just a bunch of random images, something is blocking my sight!" Madara walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't let that stop you; this is your power. You command it, no one else." Annabeth smiled and then poured her chakra into her stand; the water rippled in response to her chakra, causing the images to stop rapidly changing. As the water settled down, the vision became more apparent and brought more into focus.
"San Francisco." The image shifted violently, and soon a picture of a giant face appeared in the bowl.
"You think you can gaze upon my territory and believe that I wouldn't notice?!" The Giant roared.
"You think you scare me?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow "because you don't."
"I am the bane of your mother, Athena; you should be afraid of me."
"I don't fear those whose only claim to fame is the bane of my mother." Annabeth flared her chakra. "I am Annabeth Chase, heir to Hamura Ōtsutsuki, Jinchurki of the Nibi; there is no force on earth that scares me." The Giant laughed.
"You will die by our hand eventually, little demigod, and when that day comes, I will enjoy the look of fear and despair that will adorn your face."
"Come and try me!" the water exploded in a cloud of steam; Annabeth looked at Madara. "This is not good."
"I agree," Madara commented, "but they have already made the first mistake."
"So, what should we do?" Rika asked.
"For now, we should continue as if we know nothing." Annabeth replied, "let them think we'll play right into their hands."
"You have grown a lot," Madara nodded in approval, "learning how to make plans within plans, and I agree, so let's end this little planning meeting, and you go about your day; I'll give our new friends until tomorrow to introduce them to Madara Uchiha's, patent-pending, 'Boot camp from hell.'"
"Really? We're not even going to give them a day before putting them through that torture."
"Yep." Madara smiled, then the illusion around them shattered; as the world regained its focus, Madara looked at Rika and Annabeth. "I"m going to go on a walk; if you need anything, ask someone else." Madara turned on his heel, put his hand in his pockets, and then began walking away, humming a tune from his childhood. After walking for about 10 minutes, Madara stopped at Long Island Sound; he looked up at the sky with his Sharingan activated and a smile on his face. "Things are about to get very interesting around here."
(Switch Character)
Piper dreamed about her last day with her dad; they were on the beach near Big Sur, taking a break from surfing. The morning had been so perfect; Piper knew something had to go wrong soon-a rabid horde of paparazzi, or maybe a great white shark attack. No way her luck could hold. But so far, they'd had excellent waves, an overcast sky, and a mile of oceanfront entirely to themselves.
"I'm grateful that dad had found this out-of-the-way spot," Dream Piper's thoughts echoed over the memory. "rented a beachfront villa and the properties on either side and somehow managed to keep it secret. If he stayed there too long, photographers would find him, somehow they always do."
"Nice job out there, Pipes." Dad gave that smile he was famous for perfect teeth, dimpled chin, a twinkle in his dark eyes that always made grown women scream and ask him to sign their bodies in permanent marker.
"Seriously," Dream Piper's thoughts echoed again, "get a life." His close-cropped black hair gleamed with saltwater.
"You're getting better at hanging ten." Piper flushed with pride, though she suspected Dad was just acting kind. She still spent most of her time wiping out. It took unique talent to run over yourself with a surfboard; her dad was the natural surfer.
"Which made no sense since as he is a poor kid in Oklahoma, hundreds of miles from the ocean-but he was amazing on the curls." Piper would've given up surfing a long time ago, except it let her spend time with him. There weren't many ways she could do that.
"Sandwich?" Dad dug into the picnic basket his chef, Arno, had made. "Let's see: turkey pesto, crabcake wasabi-ah, a Piper special. Peanut butter and jelly." She took the sandwich, though her stomach was too upset to eat. She always asked for PB&J. Piper was vegetarian, for one thing. She had been ever since they'd driven past that slaughterhouse in Chino, and the smell had made her insides want to come outside. But it was more than that. PB&J was simple food like a regular kid would have for lunch. Sometimes she pretended her dad had made it for her, not a personal chef from France who liked to wrap the sandwich in gold leaf paper with a light-up sparkler instead of a toothpick.
"Couldn't anything be simple?" That's why Piper turned down the fancy clothes. "Dad always offered the designer shoes, trips to the salon, but I always turned it down, even going as far as to cut my hair with a pair of plastic Garfield safety scissors, deliberately making it uneven. I prefer to wear beat-up running shoes, jeans, a T-shirt, and my old Polartec jacket when we went snowboarding. I hate the snobby private schools' Dad thinks they were good for me." She kept getting herself kicked out. He kept finding more schools. Yesterday, she'd pulled her most unexpected heist yet-driving that "borrowed" BMW out of the dealership. She had to pull an even more ridiculous stunt each time because it took more and more to get Dad's attention, and now she regretted it. "Dad doesn't know yet; I meant to tell him that morning. Then he surprised me with this trip, and she couldn't ruin it. It was the first time they'd had a day together in what-three months?"
"What's wrong?" He passed her a soda.
"Dad, there's something-"
"Hold on, Pipes. That's a serious face. Ready for Any Three Questions?" They'd been playing that game for years-her, dad's way of staying connected in the shortest possible amount of time. They could ask each other any three questions. Nothing off-limits, and you had to answer honestly. The rest of the time, Dad promised to stay out of her business-which was easy since he was never around. Piper knew most kids would find a Q&A like this with their parents mortifying. But she looked forward to it. It was like surfing-not easy, but a way to feel like she had a father.
"The first question," she said. "Mom." Her dad shrugged with resignation.
"What do you want to know, Piper? I've already told you-she disappeared. I don't know why or where she went. After you were born, she simply left. I never heard from her again."
"Do you think she's still alive?" It wasn't a real question. "Dad was allowed to say he didn't know, but I want to hear how he'll answer." He stared at the waves.
"Your Grandpa Tom," he said at last, "he used to tell me that if you walked far enough toward the sunset, you'd come to Ghost Country, where you could talk to the dead. He said a long time ago, you could bring the dead back, but then humanity messed up. Well, it's a long story."
"Like the Land of the Dead for the Greeks," Piper remembered. "It was in the west, too. And Orpheus-he tried to bring his wife back." Dad nodded. A year before, he'd had his most significant role as an Ancient Greek king. Piper had helped him research the myths-all those old stories about people getting turned to stone and boiled in lakes of lava. They'd had a fun time reading together, and it made Piper's life seem not so bad. For a while, she'd felt closer to her dad, but like everything, it didn't last.
"There are a lot of similarities between Greek and Cherokee," Dad agreed. "Wonder what your grandpa would think if he saw us now, sitting at the end of the western land. He'd probably think we're ghosts."
"So you're saying you believe those stories? You think Mom is dead?" His eyes watered, and Piper saw the sadness behind them. She figured that's why women were so attracted to him. On the surface, he seemed confident and rugged, but his eyes held so much sadness. Women wanted to find out why. They tried to comfort him, and they never could. Dad told Piper it was a Cherokee thing-they all had that darkness inside them from generations of pain and suffering. But Piper thought it was more than that.
"I don't believe the stories," he said. "They're fun to tell, but if I believed in Ghost Country, or animal spirits, or Greek gods … I don't think I could sleep at night. I'd always be looking for somebody to blame."
"Somebody to blame for Grandpa Tom dying of lung cancer," Piper thought, "before Dad got famous and had the money to help. Someone to blame for Mom, the only woman he'd ever loved, abandoning him without even a good-bye note and leaving him with a newborn girl when he wasn't ready for that level of responsibility. To curse for his success, and yet he is still miserable."
"I don't know if she's alive," he said. "But I do think she might as well be in Ghost Country, Piper. There's no getting her back. If I believed otherwise, I don't think I could stand that, either." Behind them, a car door opened. Piper turned, and her heart sank. Jane was marching toward them in her business suit, wobbling over the sand in her high heels, her PDA in hand. The look on her face was partly annoyed, partly triumphant, and Piper knew she'd been in touch with the police.
"Please fall," Piper prayed. "If there's any animal spirit or Greek god that can help, make Jane take a header. I'm not asking for permanent damage; just knock her out for the rest of the day, please?" But Jane kept advancing. "Dad," Piper said quickly. "Something happened yesterday…" But he'd seen Jane, too. He was already reconstructing his business face. Jane wouldn't be here if this weren't serious. A studio head called-a project fell through-or Piper had messed up again.
"We'll get back to that, Pipes," he promised. "I'd better see what Jane wants. You know how she is."
"Yes-" Piper knew. Dad trudged across the sand to meet her. Piper couldn't hear them talking, but she didn't need to. Piper was good at reading faces. Jane gave him the facts about the stolen car, occasionally pointing at Piper like she was a disgusting pet that had whizzed on the carpet. Dad's energy and enthusiasm drained away. He gestured for Jane to wait. Then he walked back to Piper. She couldn't stand that look in his eyes-like she'd betrayed his trust.
"You told me you would try, Piper," he said.
"Dad, I hate that school. I can't do it. I wanted to tell you about the BMW, but-"
"They've expelled you," he said. "A car, Piper? You're sixteen next year. I would buy you any car you want. How could you-"
"You mean Jane would buy me a car?" Piper demanded. She couldn't help it. The anger just welled up and spilled out of her, and her hair responded, forming nine tails that waved; for reasons she didn't understand, her hair would always do that when she was angry. "Dad, just listen for once. Don't make me wait for you to ask your stupid three questions. I want to go to a regular school. I want you to take me to parent-child night, not Jane. Or homeschool me! I learned so much when we read about Greece together. We could do that all the time! We could-"
"Don't make this about me," her dad cut her off. "I do the best I can, Piper. We've had this conversation."
"No," she thought. "You've cut off this conversation for years." Her dad sighed.
"Jane's talked to the police and brokered a deal. The dealership won't press charges, but you have to agree to go to a Nevada boarding school. They specialize in problems in kids with tough issues."
"Is that what I am." Her voice trembled. "A problem."
"Piper … you said you'd try. You let me down. I don't know what else to do."
"Do anything," she said. "But do it yourself! Don't let Jane handle it for you. You can't just send me away." Dad looked down at the picnic basket. His sandwich sat uneaten on a piece of gold leaf paper. They'd planned for a whole afternoon in the surf, which Jane's arrival ruined. Piper couldn't believe he'd given in to Jane's wishes. Not this time. Not on something as huge as a boarding school.
"Go see her," Dad said. "She's got the details."
"Dad …" He looked away, gazing at the ocean as if he could see to Ghost Country. Piper promised herself she wouldn't cry. She headed up the beach toward Jane, who smiled coldly and held up a plane ticket. As usual, she'd already arranged everything. Piper was just another problem of the day that Jane could now check off her list; Piper's dream changed. She stood on a mountaintop at night, city lights glimmering below. In front of her, a bonfire blazed. Purplish flames seemed to cast more shadows than light, but the heat was so intense, her clothes steamed.
"This is your second warning," a voice rumbled, so powerful it shook the earth. Piper had heard that voice before in her dreams. She'd tried to convince herself it wasn't as scary as she remembered, but it was worse. Behind the bonfire, a giant face loomed out of the darkness. It seemed to float above the flames, but Piper knew below that head was an enormous body. The crude features were similar to that of chiseled rock. The face hardly seemed alive, except for its piercing white eyes, like raw diamonds, and the horrible frame of dreadlocks, braided with human bones. It smiled, and Piper shivered. "You'll do what as I command," the giant said. "You'll go on the quest. Do our bidding, and you may walk away alive. Otherwise-" He gestured to one side of the fire. Piper's father was hanging unconscious, tied to a stake. She tried to cry out. She wanted to call her dad and demand the giant let him go, but her voice wouldn't work. "I'll be watching," the giant said. "Serve me, and you both live. You have the word of Enceladus. Fail me, well, I've slept for millennia, young demigod. I am famished. Fail, and I'll eat well." The giant roared with laughter. The earth trembled. A crevice opened at Piper's feet, and she tumbled into darkness. She woke feeling like an Irish step-dancing troupe had trampled her. Her chest hurt, and she could barely breathe.
"Yikes." a voice sounded off to Piper's left, who looked around for who spoke. Eventually, her vision cleared enough, and she saw a poster of a cartoon satyr who looked disturbingly like Coach Hedge with a thermometer sticking out of his mouth. The caption read: Don't let sickness get your goat!
"Where-" Piper's voice died when she saw the guy at the door. He looked like a typical California surfer, buff and tan, blond hair, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. What shocked Piper was that he had hundreds of blue eyes all over his body; the thought of so many yes made Piper sympathetic for the guy.
"That's Argus," Rachel said, "our head of security. He's just keeping an eye on things, so to speak." Argus nodded. The eye on his chin winked.
"Where-?" Piper tried again, but she felt like she was talking through a mouthful of cotton.
"You're in the Big House," Rachel said. "Camp offices. We brought you here when you collapsed."
"You grabbed me," Piper remembered. "Hera's voice-"
"I'm so sorry about that," Rachel said. "Believe me; it was not my idea to get possessed. Silena healed you with some nectar-"
"Nectar?"
"The drink of the gods. In small amounts, it heals demigods, if it doesn't-ah-burn you to ashes."
"Oh. Fun." Rachel sat forward.
"Do you remember your vision?" Piper had a moment of dread, thinking she meant the dream about the giant. Then she realized Rachel was talking about what happened in Hera's cabin.
"Something's wrong with the goddess," Piper replied. "She told me to free her like she's trapped. She mentioned the earth swallowing us, and a fiery one, and something about the solstice." In the corner, Argus made a rumbling sound in his chest. His eyes all fluttered at once.
"Hera created Argus," Rachel explained. "He's easily upset when it comes to her safety. We're trying to keep him from crying because last time that happened, well, it caused quite a flood." Argus sniffled. He grabbed a fistful of Kleenex from the bedside table and started dabbing eyes all over his body.
"So …" Piper tried not to stare as Argus wiped the tears from his elbows. "What's happened to Hera?"
"We're not sure," Rachel said. "Annabeth and Jason were here for you, by the way. Jason didn't want to leave you, but Annabeth had an idea-something that might restore his memories."
"That's … that's great."
"Jason had been here for me? I wish I'd been conscious of that. But if he got his memories back, would that be a good thing? I'm still holding out hope that we do know each other. I don't want their relationship to be just a trick of the Mist. Get over yourself; if I am going to save my dad, it won't matter whether Jason likes me or not; he will hate me. Everyone here will." Piper looked at the Katana on the table next to her and wished she had guidance. "Maybe that Madara guy can help me."
"And what am I?" That female voice who spoke to her earlier replied, "Chopped liver?"
"Who are you?!" Piper demanded again.
"All in good time, Ms. Mclean, all in good time."
"DON'T YOU GO BLOWING ME OFF LIKE MY DAD!" The voice didn't respond to that, and Piper growled a bit.
"Don't worry." Rachel squeezed her arm. "Jason seems like a good guy. He had a vision, too, a lot like yours. Whatever's happening with Hera, your destiny will become clear after these events." Rachel smiled like this was good news, but Piper's spirits plunged even further. She'd thought that this quest-whatever it was-would involve nameless people. Now Rachel was telling her: 'Good news! Not only is your dad being held ransom by a cannibal giant, but you also get to betray the guy you like! How awesome is that?' Piper tried to choke back her sobs. "Hey," Rachel said. "No need to cry. You'll figure it out." Piper wiped her eyes, trying to get control of herself,
"This isn't like me; I'm supposed to be tough, a hardened car thief, the scourge of L.A. private schools, and yet here I am, crying like a baby." Piper took a breath to steady herself. "How can you know what I'm facing?" Rachel shrugged.
"I know it's a hard choice, and your options aren't great. As I said, I get hunches sometimes, but you're going to learn who your mother is at the campfire. I'm almost sure. When you know who your godly parent is, things might be clearer."
"Clearer," Piper thought. "Not necessarily better." Piper then felt something hit her in the back of the head. "WHAT THE FUCK!?"
"Language, young lady!" That other voice scolded her, "and that slap upside the head was for getting depressed, as I always told my husband, 'If you're depressed about something, get your ass off the couch and do something about it.' worked wonders." Piper sat up in bed. Her forehead ached like someone had driven a spike between her eyes. There's no getting your mother back, her dad had told her. But, tonight, her mom might claim her. For the first time, Piper wasn't sure she wanted that.
"I hope it's Athena." She looked up, afraid Rachel might make fun of her, but the oracle just smiled.
"Piper, I don't blame you. Truthfully? I think Annabeth is hoping that too. You guys are a lot alike." The comparison made Piper feel even guiltier.
"Another hunch? You don't know anything about me."
"You'd be surprised."
"You're just saying that because you're an oracle, aren't you? You're supposed to sound all mysterious." Rachel laughed.
"Don't be giving away my secrets, Piper. And don't worry. Things will work out-just maybe not the way you plan."
"That's not making me feel better." Somewhere in the distance, a conch horn blew. Argus grumbled and opened the door.
"Dinner?" Piper guessed.
"You slept through it," Rachel said. "Time for the campfire. Let's go find out who you are." The whole idea of a campfire freaked Piper out; it made her think of that enormous purple bonfire in the dreams and her father tied to a stake. What she got instead was almost as terrifying: a sing-along. The amphitheater steps were carved into the side of a hill, facing a stone-lined fire pit. Seventy or eighty kids filled the rows, clustered into groups under various banners. Piper spotted Jason in the front next to Annabeth. Leo was nearby, sitting with a bunch of burly-looking campers under a steel-gray banner emblazoned with a hammer. Standing in front of the fire, half a dozen campers with guitars and strange, old-fashioned harps-lyres?-were jumping around, leading a song about pieces of armor, something about how their grandma got dressed for war. Everybody was singing with them and making gestures for the details of armor and joking around. It was quite possibly the weirdest thing Piper had ever seen-one of those campfire songs that would've been utterly embarrassing in daylight, in the dark, with everybody participating, it was kind of corny and fun. As the energy level got higher, the flames did too, turning from red to orange to gold. Finally, the song ended with a lot of rowdy applause. A guy on a horse trotted up. At least in the flickering light, Piper thought it was a guy on a horse. Then she realized it was a centaur-his bottom half a white stallion, his top half a middle-aged guy with curly hair and a trimmed beard; he brandished a spear impaled with toasted marshmallows. Madara held a marshmallow in his hand, and it soon started glowing orange then burst into flames; the flame wasn't bright, hot, or massive, but Piper got the sense that he did that a lot; he then put it on the gram cracker with chocolate and took a bite a smile on his face.
"Very nice! And a special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, camp activities director, and I'm happy you have all arrived here alive and with most of your limbs attached. In a moment, I promise we'll get to the smores, but first-"
"What about capture the flag?" somebody yelled. Grumbling broke out among some kids in armor, sitting under a red banner with the emblem of a boar's head.
"If you interrupt Chiron one more time, Anthony." Madara started as an evil smile slowly dawning on his face. "You'll be my new sparring partner, and I just came up with a few new techniques I've been dying to try out." in the glow of the fire, his face looked like he was evil incarnate. Anthony's voice squeaked in terror as he sat up straight on his log, his jaw firmly shut, and it was clear he was afraid to open his mouth.
"Please stop threatening my campers, Madara." Chiron sighed. "As for your question, Anthony, I know the Ares cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games."
"And kill people!" one of them shouted.
"Shall we dance?" Madara asked, and everyone, except Piper and Jason, flinched.
"However," Chiron said, "until we deal with the dragon problem, that won't be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?" Chiron turned to Leo's group, and Leo winked at Piper and shot her with a finger gun. The girl next to him stood uncomfortably. She wore an army jacket a lot like Leo's, with her hair covered in a red scarf.
"We're working on it." the girl replied, which caused more grumbling.
"How, Nyssa?" an Ares kid demanded.
"You deal with a dragon that has a laser cannon and get back to me!" Nyssa countered then sat down to a lot of yelling and complaining, which caused the fire to sputter chaotically. A pressure began to fill the air, and Piper gripped the seat of her log as sweat started to roll down her face. She looked over at Madara, who was digging dirt out of his fingers with a Kunai. He looked up and saw Piper looking at him. He shook his head and pointed his thumb at Rika, who had a visible purple glow around her.
"Now that you are all silent," Rika's voice was emotionless, and, for the first time, Piper realized that Rika could be just as scary as Madara when she wanted to. "We will have to be patient," Rika looked at the Ares.
"In the meantime," Chiron added, "we have more pressing matters to discuss."
"Percy?" Someone asked; the fire dimmed significantly, but Piper didn't need the flame to sense the crowd's anxiety. Chiron gestured to Annabeth, who took a deep breath as she stood up.
"I didn't find Percy," she announced, and her voice caught up a little when she said his name. "He wasn't at the Grand Canyon like I thought. But we're not giving up. We've got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis, everyone's out looking. We will find him," her face slowly started looking angrier and angrier, "and when I find a certain Goddess who I know caused this, I will-!"
"Annabeth." Madara snapped in an emotionless tone shutting her up. "Control your temper."
"Yesh," A girl said in the crowd, "someone's a little frustrated, maybe you should-" the wave of terrifying pressure filled the air again as Annabeth's eyes bulged as she looked at the girl who spoke whose face was white as a sheet. "S-sorry b-bad joke."
"Yeah," Madara laughed a bit, "maybe you should avoid making those jokes around someone who could kill you with a touch." Leo gulped and looked over at Madara with sweat on his face.
"Y-you're kidding?" Leo stuttered, "Right?" Madara looked at Leo with a smile on his face.
"You tell me." Leo's face paled a bit.
"It's the great prophecy, isn't it?" a new voice called out; everyone turned. The question had come from a group in back, sitting under a rose-colored banner with a dove emblem. They'd been chatting among themselves and not paying much attention until their leader stood up: Silena.
"Let's not jump to any conclusions yet, Silena, but it's a theory."
"Oh come on," Silena countered, "Olympus is closed. Percy has disappeared. Hera sends you a vision, and you come back with three new demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?"
"What's she talking about-the Great Prophecy?" Piper whispered to Rachel; then, she realized everyone else was looking at Rachel, too.
"Well?" Silena called down. "You're the oracle. Has it started or not?" Rachel's eyes looked scary in the firelight. Piper was afraid she might clench up and start channeling a freaky peacock goddess again, but she stepped forward calmly and addressed the camp.
"Yes," she said. "The Great Prophecy has begun." Pandemonium broke out. Piper caught Jason's eye. He mouthed,
'You all right?' She nodded and managed a smile but then looked away. It was too painful seeing him and not being with him. Power filled the air again, and all the campers immediately quieted down and stopped moving. This time it was two different signatures; Piper looked at Madara and Rika, both outlined in power; Madara's was a silver-blue while Rika's was purple.
"Be quiet," Madara spoke, his voice wasn't loud, but everyone didn't dare make a sound.
"Sit down," Rika added, and everyone did as she commanded, then Rika turned her attention to Rachel. "Now, my dear," Rika smiled warmly at Rachel, "go ahead and recite the prophecy for us."
"For those of you who have not heard it," Rachel started, "the Great Prophecy was my first prediction; it arrived. in August and went like this:" Rachel cleared her throat,
"Seven half-bloods to answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall;"
Jason jumped to his feet as if someone stabbed him, and even Rachel was confused by this.
"J-Jason?" Rachel questioned, "What's-"
"Ut cum spiritu postrema Sacramentum dejuremus," Jason chanted. "Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem." An uneasy silence settled on the group. Piper could see from their faces that several of them were trying to translate the lines. She could tell it was Latin, but she wasn't sure why her hopefully future boyfriend was suddenly chanting like a Catholic priest.
"You just … finished the prophecy," Rachel stammered. "-An oath to keep with a final breath/And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. How did you-"
"I know those lines." Jason winced and put his hands to his temples. "I don't know how, but I know that prophecy."
"In Latin no less," A girl from the Aphrodite cabin spoke, "Smart and Cute, a killer combo." There was some giggling from the Aphrodite cabin.
"God, what a bunch of losers," Piper thought. But it didn't do much to break the tension. The campfire was burning a chaotic, nervous shade of green. Jason sat down, looking embarrassed, but Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder and muttered something reassuring. Piper felt a pang of jealousy. It should have been her next to him, comforting him. Rachel Dare still looked a little shaken. She glanced back at Chiron for guidance, but the centaur stood grim and silent as if he were watching a play he couldn't interrupt-a tragedy that ended with a lot of people dead on stage. Rachel then turned to Madara, who just shrugged, then went back to cleaning his fingers.
"Well," Rachel said, trying to regain her composure. "So, yeah, that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it's starting now; I can't give you proof as it's just a feeling. And like Silena said, some weird stuff is happening. The seven demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here." The campers began to stir and mutter, looking at each other nervously until a tired voice in the crowd called out,
"I'm here! Oh, were you calling roll?"
"Go back to sleep, Clovis," someone yelled, and a lot of people laughed.
"Anyway," Rachel continued, "we don't know what the Great Prophecy means. We don't know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the second Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad."
"Or worse," Chiron murmured. Maybe he didn't mean everyone to overhear, but they did. The campfire immediately turned dark purple, the same color as Piper's dream.
"What we do know," Rachel said, "is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken." There was silence; then, eighty demigods started talking at once. It was utterly impossible to make out a single voice, and this continued for a few minutes, then Chiron pounded his hoof against the brazier, silencing everyone. Rachel told them about the Grand Canyon skywalk incident-how Gleeson Hedge had sacrificed himself when the storm spirits attacked, and the spirits had warned it was only the beginning. They served some great mistress who would destroy all demigods. Then Rachel explained about Piper passing out in Hera's cabin. Piper tried to keep a calm expression, but inside, the thoughts of everything freaked her out, especially the voice in her head who scolded her. Finally, Rachel told them about Jason's vision in the living room of the Big House. The message Hera had delivered there was so similar that Piper got a chill. The only difference: Hera had warned Piper not to betray her: 'Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all.'
"Hera knew about the giant's threat." Piper thought as she looked at her feet. "But if that was true, why hadn't she warned Jason and exposed me as an enemy agent?"
"Jason," Rachel said. "Um … do you remember your last name?" He looked self-conscious, but he shook his head. "We'll just call you Jason, then," Rachel said. "It's clear Hera herself has issued you a quest." Rachel paused as if giving Jason a chance to protest his destiny. Everyone's eyes were on him; there was so much pressure, Piper thought she would've buckled in his position. Yet, he looked brave and determined.
"I agree," Jason replied Rachel as he set his jaw and nodded. "But something tells me this won't be easy."
"You must save Hera to prevent a great evil," Rachel continued. "Some sort of king from rising. For reasons we don't yet understand, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now."
"That's the council day of the gods," Annabeth said. "If the gods don't already know Hera's gone, they will notice her absence by then. They'll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That's what they usually do."
"The winter solstice," Chiron spoke up, "is also the time of greatest darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things stir." The way he said it, stirring sounded sinister-like; it should be a first-degree felony, not something you did to cookie dough.
"Okay," Annabeth said, glaring at the centaur. "Thank you, Captain Sunshine. Whatever's going on, I agree with Rachel. Jason is guaranteed to lead this quest, so-"
"Why hasn't he been claimed?" somebody yelled from the Ares cabin. "If he's so important-"
"He got claimed a long time ago," Chiron announced. "Jason, give them a demonstration." At first, Jason didn't seem to understand. He stepped forward nervously, but Piper couldn't help thinking how amazing he looked with his blond hair glowing in the firelight, his regal features like a Roman statue's. He glanced at Piper, and she nodded encouragingly. She mimicked, flipping a coin. Jason reached into his pocket. His coin flashed in the air, and when he caught it in his hand, he was holding a lance-a rod of gold about seven feet long, with a spear tip at one end. The other demigods gasped. Rachel and Annabeth stepped back to avoid the point, which looked sharp as an ice pick.
"Wasn't that …" Annabeth hesitated. "I thought you had a sword."
"Um, it came up tails, I think," Jason said. "Same coin, long-range weapon form."
"Dude, I want one!" yelled somebody from Ares cabin.
"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" one of his brothers agreed.
"Electric," Jason murmured like that was a good idea. "Back away." Annabeth and Rachel got the message. Jason raised his spear, and thunder broke open the sky. Every hair on Piper's arms stood straight up. Lightning arced down through the golden spear point and hit the campfire with the force of an artillery shell. When the smoke cleared, and the ringing in Piper's ears subsided, the entire camp sat frozen in shock, half-blind, covered in ashes, staring at the place where the fire had been. Cinders rained down everywhere. A burning log had impaled itself a few inches from the sleeping kid Clovis, who hadn't even stirred. Jason lowered his lance. "Um … sorry." Chiron brushed some burning coals out of his beard. He grimaced as if somebody confirmed his worst fears.
"A little overkill, perhaps," Madara laughed. "but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."
"Jupiter," Jason said. "I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky." Piper couldn't help smiling.
"It made perfect sense." Piper thought."The most powerful god, the father of all the greatest heroes in the ancient myths-no one else, could be Jason's dad." Piper's joy died quickly; apparently, the rest of the camp wasn't so sure. Everything broke into chaos, with dozens of people asking questions until Annabeth raised her arms.
"Hold it!" she said. "How can Jason be the son of Zeus? The Big Three, their pact not to have mortal kids, how could we not have known about him sooner?" Chiron didn't answer, but Piper got the feeling he knew, and the truth was not good.
"The important thing," Rachel said, "is that Jason's here now. He has a quest to fulfill, which means he will need a prophecy." She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers rushed forward and caught her, while a third ran to the side of the arena and grabbed a bronze three-legged stool. They eased Rachel onto the seat in front of the ruined hearth. The night was dark without the fire, but the green mist started swirling around Rachel's feet. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing as emerald smoke issued from her mouth.
"Child of lightning, beware the earth,
The Giants' revenge the seven shall birth,
The Forge and Dove break the cage,
And Death unleashed through Hera's rage.
On the last word, Rachel collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her away from the hearth and laid her in the corner to rest.
"Is that normal?" Piper asked. Then she realized she'd spoken into the silence, and everyone was looking at her. "I mean… does she spew green smoke a lot?"
"She just spoke a prophecy," Rika replied, "This is what happens when the Oracle channels the power of Delphi."
"But something, something about that prophecy isn't normal." Annabeth spoke, "If breaking Hera's cage unleashes her rage and causes many deaths, why would we free her? It might be a trap, or-or maybe Hera will turn on her rescuers. She's never been kind to heroes." Jason rose.
"I don't have much choice. Hera took my memory. I need it back. Besides, we can't just ignore the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble." A girl from Hephaestus cabin stood up-Nyssa.
"Maybe. But you should listen to Annabeth. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her son-our dad-down a mountain just because he was ugly."
"Real ugly," snickered someone from Aphrodite.
"Shut up!" Nyssa growled. "Anyway, we've also got to think -why beware the earth? And what's the giants' revenge? What are we dealing with here that's powerful enough to kidnap the queen of the heavens?" No one answered, but Piper noticed Chiron and Annabeth talking in rapid-fire Russian.
"Mest' giganta, net, etogo ne mozhet byt." Annabeth's voice was quiet but anxious. (The Giants' revenge, no, it can't be.)
"Ne govori ob etom zdes' Ne pugayte ikh." (Don't speak of it here, don't scare them.) Chiron replied just as quietly.
"Ty shutish'! Nam ne mozhet tak ne povezti!" (You're kidding me; we can't be that unlucky!)
"Pozzhe, ditya. Yesli vy im vse rasskazhete, oni budut slishkom napugany, chtoby prodolzhit'." (Later, child. If you told them everything, they would be too terrified to proceed.)
"My shinobi, kak oni mogut byt' slishkom napugany?" (We are Shinobi; how would they be too terrified?)
"Dazhe Madara ne mozhet ubit' giganta v odinochku." (Not even Madara can take down a giant by himself.) Annabeth took a deep breath.
"It's Jason's quest," Annabeth announced, "so it's Jason's choice; obviously, he's the child of lightning. According to tradition, he may choose any two companions." Someone from the Hermes cabin yelled,
"Well, you, obviously, Annabeth. You've got the most experience."
"No, Travis," Annabeth said. "First off, I'm not helping Hera. Every time I've tried, she's deceived me, or it's come back to bite me later. Forget it. No way. Secondly, I'm leaving first thing in the morning to find Percy. I have some new information that I can act upon; that's why I can't go."
"It's connected," Piper blurted out, not sure how she got the courage. "You know that's true, don't you? This whole business, your boyfriend's disappearance-it's all connected."
"How," Madara asked, raising an eyebrow. "Explain your reasoning." Piper blushed a bit and couldn't meet Madara's eyes.
"I-I don't know."
"Don't think I'm criticizing you." Madara's voice was compassionate, "but sometimes, you should keep silent and act upon information once you have had time to think about it."
"She's most likely right," Annabeth spoke up, "even in the shinobi world, there is no such thing as coincidences."
"Too true," The voice spoke in Piper's head.
"I'll find out from the other end-by searching for Percy. As I said, I'm not about to rush off to rescue Hera, even if her disappearance sets the rest of the Olympians fighting again. But there's another reason I can't go. The prophecy says otherwise."
"It says who I pick," Jason agreed. "The forge and dove shall break the cage. The forge is the symbol of Vul-Hephaestus." Under the Cabin Nine banner, Nyssa's shoulders slumped, as if she was carrying a heavy anvil to carry.
"If you have to beware of the earth," Nyssa said, "you should avoid traveling overland. You'll need air transport." Piper was about to call out that Jason could fly. But then she thought better of it. That was for Jason to tell them, and he wasn't volunteering the information. Maybe he figured he'd freaked them out enough for one night. "The flying chariot broke," Nyssa continued, "and the pegasi, we're using them to search for Percy. But maybe the Hephaestus cabin can help figure out something else to help. With Jake incapacitated and Beckendorf indisposed." Although it was dark, it was clear Beckendorf was blushing. "I'm a senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest." She didn't sound enthusiastic. Then Leo stood up. He'd been so quiet; Piper had almost forgotten he was there, which was not like Leo.
"It's me," he said, his cabinmates stirred. Several tried to pull him back to his seat, but Leo resisted. "No, it's me. I know it is. I've got an idea for the transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!" Jason studied him for a moment. Piper was sure he was going to tell Leo no. Then he smiled.
"We started this together, Leo; seems only right, you come along. You find us a ride; you're in."
"Yes!" Leo pumped his fist.
"It'll be dangerous," Nyssa warned him. "Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive."
"Oh." Suddenly Leo didn't look so excited. Then he remembered everyone was watching. "I mean,… Oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this." Annabeth nodded.
"Then, Jason, you only need to choose the third quest member, the Dove."
"If it's the dove," Silena spoke as she stood up, "then I have to go." Everyone was nodding.
"Hang on," Piper protested, "this vision came to me."
"I know, Piper." Silena looked over at her, and it was clear she was sympathetic to Piper's desire. "But one of the rules of our camp is that every squad must have a medic ninja with them. Many in the Apollo cabin are certified Medical ninja; I'm the only one in the Aphrodite cabin that holds the title of a medical ninja."
"Why is that a rule?" Piper asked.
"With a medical ninja on a squad, we save lives while on the battlefield or when on quests when Ambrosia or Nectar is unavailable."
"Well," Annabeth started, "given the wording of the prophecy."
"No!" Piper's voice sounded strange in her ears-more insistent, richer in tone. "I'm supposed to go." Then the weirdest thing happened. Everyone started nodding, muttering that 'hmm, Piper's point of view, made sense too.' Annabeth looked at Piper.
"Piper, I understand you want to go, but the medical ninja on a quest is necessary."
"Then teach me how to be a medical ninja." Annabeth sighed.
"Unfortunately, there is no way to teach you in the time we have."
"Then, just the basics?"
"We could teach her." Madara commented, 'but even if we do, that still raises the problem of 'the hammer and Dove break the cage.' The prophecy is clear, a child of Hephestus and Aphrodite must accompany Jason, and unfortunately-" A collective gasp cut off Madara as everyone stared at Piper as she'd just exploded. She wondered what she'd done wrong. Then she realized there was a reddish glow around her.
"What?" she demanded. She looked above her, but there was no burning symbol like the one that appeared over Leo. Then she looked down and yelped. "What in the world am I wearing? I hate dresses, and I don't own a dress." Piper is now in a beautiful white sleeveless gown that went down to her ankles, with a V-neck so low it was embarrassing. Delicate gold armbands circled her biceps. An intricate necklace of amber, coral, and gold flowers glittered on her chest. "Oh, god," she said. "What's happened?" Rika smiled, then formed a single hand sign, and a mirror of ice took shape in the air. Piper stared at her reflection; her hair was perfect: lush and long and chocolate brown, but there were streaks of red in her hair, braided with gold ribbons down one side, so it fell across her shoulder. She even wore makeup, better than Piper would ever know how to do herself, subtle touches that made her lips cherry red, and brought out all the different colors in her eyes. The sound of a thud brought everyone's attention away from Piper; everyone turned to see that Jason had fallen off his log. He was now lying on the ground; his nose was bleeding, and he had a goofy smile on his face.
"I think he likes how you look," Annabeth spoke, breaking the tension and silence.
"This isn't me," Piper protested. "I don't understand." Chiron, the centaur, folded his front legs and bowed to her, and all the campers followed his example.
"Hail, Piper McLean," Chiron announced; his voice was grave as if he were speaking at her funeral. "Daughter of Aphrodite, the Lady of the Doves, Goddess of love."
