I really enjoy writing this, and you hope you like reading it as much. Enjoy!

The faces of the head counselors were serious and afraid as they settled on Chiron. Alex wondered whether their expressions were the same every time a prophecy was issued. Or they had all picked up on Chiron's mood. The way the leader's face was telltale.

Or if this one was enough to sow seeds of unease in all of them.

She didn't know where a 'guest' was supposed to sit, so she squeezed herself between Percy and Malcolm. The green-eyed- demigod's face was passive, and the son of Athena looked a little wary, so she settled for studying the campers till the meeting started.

As she absentmindedly bounced a ping-pong ball on the table, Alex wondered how these meetings worked.

The girl from Hecate, the one who had been levitating at breakfast, was apparently named Lou Ellen. Sherman Yang for Ares cabin, Mitchell for the goddess of love (apparently Piper McLean and her subordinate Drew Tanaka were at their parents' place), and Will Solace and Nico di Angelo for Apollo and Hades respectively. Adonis Lane was there too, for the singleton Eros (currently non-existent) cabin. Cameron Gray for Morpheus, Butch for Iris, Holly and Laurel Victor for Nike, Paolo Montes for Hebe, and Ciara Burrows for Nemesis.

Wow. That was a lot of names. Adding Percy Jackson and Malcolm Pace, Alex decided that there were about twenty cabins. More would definitely be needed.

Chiron wrung his hands as he looked at Percy and her, then at the table. "The prophecy Rachel has issued is quite…disturbing. The Oracle was believed to be unusable due to the war with the Romans, as Iris Messages were, but it is apparently not so. The cave at Delphi is being…held hostage….by Apollo's old enemy, the monster Python. But it appears that the destiny can be unfolded only by a demigod working with him." He stopped and sighed, and murmured, "I hate how these things work."

Alex believed that the demigods couldn't have agreed more.

"But back to the prophecy," Rachel said, leaning onto the table. "It obviously involves Percy and Alex."

The old centaur winced.

"Yes. But most of the prophecy has not yet been translated, so I believe that we must wait a month or so to see how things turn out." He spoke carefully.

And yet his placating voice was in vain as a chorus of voices broke out in protest all around the table.

"But Chiron!"

"That's not how-"

"-these things work-"

"-we cannot wait-"

"The prophecy is obviously-"

"-dangerous-"

"Stop." Surprisingly, it was Malcolm who had spoken. He stood up and spread his hands in a calm down gesture. Perhaps it was unusual for a student to come to the defense of his teacher. "It is best that we hear Chiron out. Only after that can we come to a conclusion ourselves."

Holly Victor glared at him. "That's against the ancient laws, son of Athena."

Malcolm returned her glare effectively with one of his own. "Not all of us are three thousand years old, Victor."

Percy held up his hands, and Alex noticed that he had gone white around the mouth. "It's better to not fight amongst ourselves."

Alex felt his fear; it was palpable on his face. She wondered what it was all about, when the camp's Oracle's words came to her and her mind went numb.

It obviously involves Percy and Alex.

Of course.

She felt betrayal coursing through her as she looked at the ping-pong balls on the table.

Chiron chose that crucial moment to speak. "Alex and Percy must decide their company in this quest. It is dangerous, I can assure- I mean, tell you, and they must have at least a month's time before they leave for their perilous adventure. The gods must be with them."

The gods.

That was the last straw for the daughter of Poseidon.

Alex got up, fury burning through her, and all the voices stopped.

She looked at the centaur, her fists clenched tightly together. "I see with what courtesy even a new camper is treated here." She growled, feeling a strange cold, pressurized feeling spreading through her. As if she only had a part of the control over her voice. "By sending them on one of their precious quests."

Percy drew in a sharp breath next to her.

"Αυτό είναι το πώς αντιμετωπίζει μια ουράνια;" She hissed, her tone mocking and questioning. "I am amazed."

Chiron looked at her in utter shock.

She turned sharply and walked out of the room.

Line Break

Adonis's red and onyx gaze followed Alex as she stormed out of the room. Chiron still sat stiff and white-faced at the head, for reasons not even the son of Eros could decipher. For all he knew, all kinds of quests- or prophecies, granted-were dangerous, but this one seemed especially sinister and ancient by the sound of it.

And 'sinister' and 'ancient' together for demigods meant, 'shit, we're screwed.'

Percy Jackson looked back at his raven-haired half-sister, and when he turned back, his face betrayed more concern and worry than the son of Poseidon might've liked.

"What did that mean?" Marcus, the Roman demigod, asked. "That was Greek, right? I speak Latin, not that."

"It was Greek," Chiron whispered, his voice hoarse and a little amazed. "Just a really ancient version, one of magic. Some of you might get the gist of it."

Cameron Gray from Morpheus frowned. "I've heard bits of that before…"

Lou Ellen nodded in consent. "So have I."

The white-haired son of the god of desire turned to Percy, sensing his anxiety and anger at the non-mention of his sister. "Someone should go after her. I mean, from what I've heard, she is sort of new too."

Percy parted his lips to respond, but the son of Athena beat him to it. "I'll go." Said Malcolm, as he stood up. "I'll talk to her."

The green-eyed demigod nest to him shot him a grateful look as Adonis leaned back in his chair, trying to grasp the meaning of Alex's words.

Line Break

Alex sat by the lake, the happenings of the past hour still clinging to her brain, rushing through her thoughts like an icy tide.

The moon sat in its rightful place in the sky, on its throne of stars. The meeting had taken long, though to her, it seemed like the blink of an eye. She wanted nothing more than to sit and think, to clear her mind and make sense of what she herself had spoken. It seemed trivial, but the words had rushed out of her mouth before she knew it, like she was possessed. And yet, she did not even know what she'd said.

And what better place to sit than at the coast?

She found the place oddly comforting; perhaps it came with being a daughter of the sea god. Her father had not visited her often, and even then she knew it was the god's own way of protecting her, offering her comfort through his domain.

But she had been lied to.

Her trainer had clearly told her it was going to be an in-and-out job. But now she was wrapped up in this quest. No matter how she felt about it, she would have to execute it along with her brother.

Her brother.

She had not liked Percy much, admittedly, wondering how Poseidon could have two children. Then she had been told the truth, and she'd been like oh.

She knew of his quests, and of his friends' quests; it had been part of the 'course'. Though she knew everything since Zeus's master bolt had been stolen to the Prophecy of Seven, she did not know any of their back stories. The Romans had been mild surprise; she had sort of suspected that.

"You okay?"

She turned her head at the sound of the Athena head counselor's voice. He had walked up to her silently, and now his eyes asked permission to sit. She shrugged a little; indicating that she was okay/he could sit.

He sat.

"That was some serious language you used back there. Everyone's wondering what you meant." He spoke suggestively, implying that he, too, was curious.

She sighed and looked at the horizon, hugging her knees. "I'm not sure about what I said."

He nodded, his gray eyes turned towards the horizon as well. "Why were you so…disturbed?"

Alex remained silent.

Malcolm got the cue and changed the subject. After a beat of silence, his sudden question caught her off-guard. "Who was your mom?"

She hesitated, wondering what to say. "A great person. Multilingual, trained well in all kinds of weapons and martial arts. She passed that on to me."

"I meant your real mother, not your stepmother."

She drew in a sharp breath, and turned her eyes to his face, finding his gray eyes trained on hers. "What do you mean?"

"I got it in a dream."

She felt a blush creeping onto her face under the intensity of his gaze. Admittedly, the son of Athena was quite fine-looking. "I was told that you could be trusted."

He nodded, his eyes never leaving her face. "I can."

"Then what did I say? Back…there?"

He hesitated, yet his eyes still held hers. "I didn't get it completely. But..."

She raised her eyebrows.

"You said, 'Is this your behavior with one of heaven?'"

She swallowed back he taste of bile in her mouth. "Oh gods."

He nodded a little. "Yeah."

They sat in tense silence for a moment.

Malcolm broke it. "So what's your story?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"You know, your past."

Alex looked into his eyes once again, to find the beautiful gray irises filled with hope and trust and faith.

She took a deep breath, and told him everything.

The full meaning of the Greek words Alex spoke will be revealed later; they are crucial to the quest.