Chapter 13, Act I - The First Quest.

Percy was alienated again, like in the first timeline. He wasn't supposed to exist, and now everyone knew that. But this time, thanks to my changes, he wasn't completely alone. He had me, Annabeth, and Grover. And since he had me, he had the other children of Hecate, and a few children of Athena, thanks to Annabeth.

We still helped him, trained with him, and just hung out with him. It stayed like that for about a month, before the quest was finally issued. It was May 30th. I was using my photokinesis to make myself effectively invisible. I'm aware Chiron and Dionysus knew myself and Annabeth were both here, eavesdropping. They just didn't care enough to dismiss us.

It wasn't long before the god of wine left for Olympus, for a meeting, and as such, Percy was sent to the mummified Oracle in our attic. I turned visible to speak with Chiron. "I hope you know I intend to observe them on this quest. Annabeth, I also know you're there. But Lady Hestia assigned me to protect Percy, two years ago. I do not intend to participate in the quest, but I will save him in a pinch, and I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me for vanishing with our trio here." I told him.

Grover nodded. He already knew this. I'd told him and Chiron this already, but I wanted Chiron to know this extended to quests. Chiron nodded. "I expected as much. Good luck, child." I turned my photokinesis back on again, and I stepped back, for Percy to come down the stairs, pale, shaky, his breathing fast-paced.

"Well?" Chiron asked him, as he sat back down. I activated Serenity Inducement, to help keep Percy on track. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen." He said blankly, staring at the table.

Grover leaned forward, nibbling on a Diet Coke can. "That's great!" He flashed a smile at him. "What did the Oracle say exactly? This is important." Chiron insisted. "She... said that four should go west, and face some god who turned. We would retrieve what was stolen, and see it safely returned." Percy gulped.

"I knew it!" Grover said. I frowned. Four? That's unusual. Chiron's thoughts seemed to mirror mine. "Are you certain she said four?" He asked, a frown adorning his face, his eyes darkening. Percy nodded. "Anything else?" Chiron asked.

"No," Percy lied. "That's about it."

"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." Chiron assured him. I think we all knew Percy had been withholding information about the prophecy. The System, of course, supplied me with the original prophecy, but if the number of questers changed, more than that could change.

"Okay. So who's this god in the west? Where do I go?" Percy asked anxiously. I wanted to step forward. This whole exchange builds Percy's preconceptions of Hades, and it hurts Percy's relationship with the god of the dead. If Percy could just gain his favor, much could change, and could even be avoided.

"If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?" Chiron asked. "Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy guessed. I revealed myself. "Percy's on the right track. Chiron, however, isn't. Chiron, you can't be suggesting Hades. He has never directly opposed Olympus." I protested. Percy was bewildered at my sudden appearance, but stayed quiet.

"Ah, yet he harbors a grudge. He's been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago. His kingdom would grow powerful with so many deaths. He despises his brothers for forcing him into the pact that restrained them from having any more children, which both of them have now broken." Chiron tried correcting me.

"Chiron, I mean no disrespect, but the Underworld, like all kingdoms, has expenses, and needs to have room for expansion. Eons of dead, all piled into Erebos. He doesn't have the room. Even as the god of riches, he doesn't have enough to expand. He'd ultimately grow weaker from that amount of deaths in such a short time. The dead wouldn't fit in the Underworld unless he had been planning this for decades, to provide him enough space." I tried reasoning.

"And Hades isn't the only god in the west. He's supposed to go face a god who turned in the west. They don't even have to reside in the west. Consider, who else stands to gain from essentially godly nuclear warfare? Gods of war, or maybe even Titans, or things even older than that." I said, my voice rising.

"A Fury came after Percy. The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility. A hellhound got into the forest." Chiron denied. "Chiron, I once again mean no disrespect, but don't be blinded by prejudice against your own half-brother. Is he bitter? Yes. Does he wish them weakened, or faded? No. I believe it may be the best course of action to move towards the Underworld, but I do not encourage this belief that Hades is definitively behind this." I ranted. Chiron's eyes drilled into my head, and I sighed. I raised my hands in surrender.

"Fine. But don't teach the boy blind suspicion. I insist you teach him to look at the facts." I said passionately. I went silent after that. Grover looked shocked at my open questioning of the old horse, and Percy was just looking on in bewilderment. It was probably too much for him to soak in all at once.

Their conversation went on, and I waited patiently for the end. "So, I'll travel overland." Percy gulped, glancing anxiously at the sky. "That's right. It's unusual, but the Oracle said three companions may accompany you. Grover is one. I believe one of the remaining two have already offered their help." Chiron said.

"Gee," Percy wondered aloud sarcastically. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

Annabeth shimmered into existence, and I snorted. "Dramatic." I muttered. "I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain. 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." She declared.

"If you say so." Percy commented. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?" Her cheeks flushed, but she responded. "Do you want my help or not?" She asked, annoyed. "That's three, then. But who's the fourth?" Percy asked. He looked at me hopefully. I glanced at him, and sighed.

"I didn't want to be a part of this, but considering the prophecy, I have reason to believe I should take part in this." I decided.

"A quartet, then. That'll work." Percy said approvingly. "Excellent." Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you're on your own."

The storm increased in intensity, lightning flashing, thunder clapping loudly.

"You four need to get packing." Chiron said worriedly, looking up at the sky. "You have until the summer solstice, June twenty-first."

I rushed off to the Hermes cabin, and pulled Luke aside. "Luke, I'm being dragged along on Percy's quest. I'm supposed to try and keep him alive, and that's my only goal. I'm going to keep interference to a minimal, alright?" I promised him. I knew things would work out in the favor of Percy and his allies, anyways. It always did.

The Fates smiled on him, and they unfortunately gave him some of their toughest battles.

Luke nodded grimly. "Fine by me. I still haven't decided whether to accept the truce or not, and the Crooked One is considering. We'll see how the quest goes, then we might have an answer." He said.

"They shouldn't take long to pack. I know you have your gift for Percy. And before you ask, I can sense magic like that from miles away." I lied to him. I wasn't lying when I said I could detect the magic. I just had meta knowledge.

He gave me an intrigued glance, and grabbed a shoe box from his cot, and we rushed to Half-Blood Hill, where the camp's Golden Trio was waiting, alongside Chiron and Argus.

While Luke was telling Percy about the magic shoes, I shared a glance with Chiron. He knew something was wrong with this quest. He sure didn't show it earlier. I pulled Chiron aside.

"Your presence altered the number of questers, did it not?" He asked. I nodded. "It was supposed to just be Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. Me being a part of the quest means things may be worse than I thought." I confessed.

Chiron hesitated, then spoke. "Your mother visited, and so did Hestia. They had told me to give you these when you went on your first quest." He passed me two books, and I sent an observe at them.

The book from Hecate was supposed to teach something I thought was exclusive to children of Hades and Pluto. Shadow travel. I grinned, and put the book in my inventory. The next, from Hestia, was a book detailing how to use a small blessing from her to summon home cooked meals for my questmates.

I put it in my inventory, and elected to have the System give the powers to me as I read them on the ride to the bus station, since the skill books, I learned, are literally skill books. I could press a button, and immediately learn the skills. However, I wanted to pass the time.

I joined Annabeth and Argus in the white SUV, and I opened the book on summoning food.