Dinner was a rather lonely affair since I was the only person at the Poseidon table. I didn't have much of an appetite, so most of my food went into offerings to the gods as I went through them. Poseidon, Hades and Hermes were always my top three. Poseidon because he was my dad, Hades because I figured it was good to stay in his good graces, and Hermes because he'd done a lot to help me in the past, and also because he was Luke's father. I liked the guy, even if Luke didn't, so I always found something to give him. After dinner was the camp sing-along which at least here I didn't have to sit alone, sitting myself between Annabeth and Jason. Annabeth told me how she had taken Jason to see Clovis at the Hypnos cabin to try and unearth his memories but it hadn't worked since they weren't lost or suppressed, but rather stolen. Most likely by Hera herself. This still did not answer our questions or bring us any closer to finding Percy, but in my head, I was working with a theory but before I ran it past Annabeth, I wanted to talk to Chiron about it because if I was right, it had something to do with his promise on the River Styx he'd mentioned before. Considering how rattled he'd been earlier, Chiron sounded a lot more cheerful as he addressed us. "Very nice!" He complimented the song that we had just finished singing, though I admit I had only participated very half-heartedly. "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 s'mores, but first…"
"What about capture the flag?" One of the Ares kids yelled impatiently. I only knew this because who else would be so eager to ask about capture the flag? Plus I recognised their voice.
"Yes, I know the Ares cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games." Sighing heavily, Chiron shifted his weight from hoof to hoof as someone else shouted an amendment to kill people too. This part Chiron ignored. "However, until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?" But there had been no progress, meaning that there was still a giant bronze dragon running around somewhere in the woods. I'd heard that it had already done a whole load of damage and some people had been badly hurt, but none more so than Jake Mason who had tried to calm the dragon down only to be set on fire. When I'd learned that, I'd dragged him out of hiding in order to bring him to the beach where I had access to saltwater and asked the ocean to heal him, using my powers over the water to work on Jake. I couldn't do much because I myself was still healing, and using too much of my own energy and powers would threaten to rip me apart at the atoms, but I did manage to do enough so that when I unwrapped Jake's hands, they were far less raw and burned, with fresh skin beginning to grow and he could move them flexibly once again. It was a start and he'd got seriously choked up about it, but I warned him I could only do this little by little every few days, so it would take a long while before he was healed and even then I wasn't sure that I could completely cure him. He could have the scars for life because the water couldn't heal him the way it would heal me. His dad was the god of fire, after all. We kind of clashed.
All the same he had been grateful, and promised me anything I wanted in repayment so I just laughed and said I'd think about it, mentioning that maybe Siren could do with a few more alterations before I took her sailing around the world. To this Jake readily agreed before I had then grabbed the handles of his wheelchair and began the laborious process of pushing him back up the sandy beach onto more solid land. I had not exactly thought that part through. We managed, however, and by the time dinner was over his cabin mates were practically tripping over themselves that Jake was able to feed himself with his own hands once again. It was a good feeling. Anyway, back to the point of the dragon, it seemed like it was being a real nuisance, so I promised that if the Hephaestus cabin could trap it somewhere near a large body of water like the lake, or better yet the ocean, or even by a stream, I'd douse it with enough water to quench its flames so that they could finish it off and put an end to it. People weren't happy that they had to wait even longer before they could play capture the flag, and feeling bad for the Hephaestus cabin, I stood up. "Well if you guys want to go play in the woods and get set on fire or eaten by the dragon, then help yourselves if you think you're up to the challenge. Until then, shut your mouths and quit complaining. Cabin Nine are doing all that they can. I don't hear Ares's lot offering their help, or anyone else for that matter." That sent everyone into a quick silence as I had scowled at everyone before resuming my seat.
"Thank you, Lily." Chiron said to me before then turning his address to everyone else. "We will have to be patient. In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to discuss." Immediately someone said Percy's name and I wilted. I missed that little dork so much.
"I didn't find Percy." Annabeth announced after she had stood up from sitting next to me. "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. Chiron's talking about something different. A new quest."
"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" I internally groaned when I heard Drew's voice. The fact that Drew had spoken at all was unexpected because I don't think the Aphrodite kids had ever spoken up at a camp sing-along or meeting unless it was to sing solo. Annabeth asked Drew what she meant, making Drew all but sneer down at Annabeth like she were the dumb one and Drew had all the answers. "Well, come on. Olympus is closed. Percy's 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?" From there I sensed everybody shift their attention onto Rachel, who until now had been standing with Piper next to her who was thankfully now awake and seemingly alright. "Well? You're the Oracle. Has it started or not?" After a few moments, I heard Rachel's footsteps shift.
"Yes. The Great Prophecy has begun." I think there would have been less of a reaction if that bronze dragon had suddenly descended upon us and roasted us all to cinders. Everybody started to panic, some even began to cry. Voices rose up high and I could feel the heat of the campfire climb as it roasted my face as I sat quietly. Already? Are you serious? We couldn't even get half a freaking year of peace and quiet before all this started up again. When it fell quiet again, Rachel spoke once more. "For those of you who have not heard it, the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this:
'Seven half-bloods shall answer the call.
To storm or fire the world must fall…'
The rush of movement beside me caught my attention and my head naturally turned towards Jason because he had been the one sitting next to me until he began to rattle off the final two lines in perfect Latin which to the others was completely astonishing, but to me I'd learned enough about Jason that I wasn't even surprised. Sure. Why not throw this into the mix? It'll just give me more to chat about with Chiron later. "You just…finished the prophecy." Rachel sounded absolutely floored, barely able to get the words out form her shock. "An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.' How did you…?"
"I know those lines. I don't know how, but I know that prophecy." Jason breathed, hardly able to believe it himself.
"In Latin, no less. Handsome and smart." Drew announced rather boldly, causing the girls in her cabin to all giggle in agreement.
"Get your hormones under control Drew. If you don't have anything valuable to contribute, then keep your mouth shut." Having the kind of pull around camp that allowed me to basically tell anyone I wanted to shut up and they'd listen to me was rather satisfying. Drew didn't even dare to retort back at me as Rachel nervously picked up where she had left off, Jason slowly siting down next to me so I gave him a nudge of my shoulder to whisper to him that everything was alright and to just listen for now.
"Well…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. It's just a feeling. And, like Drew 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." To this another stir rippled through the listeners, Clovis suddenly calling out that he was present before sleepily asking if they were doing roll call. This at least lightning the mood a little. "Anyway, 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." Several of us glared at Chiron's bitter murmur, because it was poorly timed. Rachel promptly continued.
"What we do know, 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." Apparently, a lot of shocking things were being revealed tonight, and this wasn't even the last one yet. After Rachel had recounted everything that they had learned, including the two messages that had been delivered to both Piper and Jason because of Hera, and after Rachel had determined that it was Jason who was meant to lead this quest, Chiron then asked Jason for a demonstration of his abilities after someone shouted that he was yet to be claimed. Out of curiosity I switched my eyes to vision mode, everything growing brighter and clearer until I could see everything around me. Jason stood and walked forwards a little, though he seemed tense and unsure of himself. After a moment he flipped a gold coin into the air and next thing we knew, he was holding a long lance with a spear, also seemingly made from gold.
"Hey! That's like my Amaryllis!" I noted with excitement, because as Annabeth correctly recalled, the last weapon we'd seen Jason have was a sword.
"Um, it came up tails, I think. Same coin, long-range weapon form." I grinned because it was the first time I had seen anyone else with a weapon with similar capabilities to mine. Someone shouted that it was even better than Clarisse's electric spear, which was actually called Maimer but everyone named it Lamer behind her back. "Electric." Jason suddenly muttered, as if an idea had suddenly struck him. "Back away." I was glad that we all took his advice, because next thing we knew, thunder rumbled through the sky and the campfire blew up because it had been hit by a lightning bolt. My arms had jumped to cover my eyes to shield them from the light though the sound almost deafened me. The smell of ash and taste of static lingered in the air, causing me to gag and roll my tongue against it as I started to dust myself off, naturally rising to my feet as Jason meekly apologised.
"A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."
"Jupiter. I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky." Of all the things that had been discussed so far, this seemed to be the one that had people arguing and in greater confusion than anything else. Even Annabeth lifted her arms up to quieten everyone down as she shouted.
"Hold it! How can he be the son of Zeus? The Big Three…their pact not to have mortal kids…how could we not have known about him sooner?"
"Come on Annabeth, all three of them pretty much got around that pact. Two of them outright betrayed their word, and Hades managed to find a loophole. This isn't exactly unprecedented, is it?" I reasoned with her as I gestured to myself and then Jason.
"Exactly. The important thing," Rachel agreed, "is that Jason's here now. He has a quest to fulfil, which means he will need his own prophecy." Now all of us paid a great deal of attention to Rachel, for we knew what was coming next. Three of the Apollo kids ran to help Rachel so that she wouldn't fall, two of them supporting her whilst the other went to grab the three legged stool so that she could provide Jason with the prophecy he needed to help him on his quest. Her eyes were soon aglow and a dark green mist started to spiral out from her mouth and around her feet, her voice changing to the one that embodied the spirit of Delphi as the prophecy was given.
'Child of lightning, beware the earth
The giants' revenge the seven shall birth,
The forge and dove shall break the cage,
And death unleash through Hera's rage.'
Rachel then immediately collapsed, because giving prophecies really took it out of her but the Apollo kids were there to help her, taking her away so that she could rest in peace for a little while, though Piper broke the silence without meaning to. "Is that normal?" She must have then realised that she'd spoken out when no one else was talking, because then she blushed rather deeply. "I mean…does she spew green smoke a lot?" Getting to my feet, I called out just as Drew started to speak, probably with the intent of insulting Piper.
"Shut up Drew, or you'll find tadpoles in your bed again!" She hastily clamped her mouth shut as I swung a glare around at her. "And yes, that does sometimes happen to Rachel when she's giving a prophecy. Don't worry, she'll be alright in a while." Taking the place next to Piper to stand beside her, Annabeth then began to think aloud.
"Something about that prophecy definitely isn't normal. If breaking Hera's cage unleashes her rage and causes a bunch of death…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."
"But maybe it'll be different with Jason." I reasoned as I folded my arms. "He is Hera's chosen champion, it wouldn't be beneficial to kill the hero who's meant to help you. Maybe the death she'll unleash won't be directed at her rescuers but those that imprisoned her. You know how prophecies work, Annabeth. The meaning is only clear after they've come to pass. Right now, there are numerous ways this could be interpreted. I think we shouldn't read too deeply into it, and let Jason decide what he wants to do." Now I looked at Jason, who had been listening intently to all that had been said. "Jason?" Prompting him, his striking eyes turned towards mine. Steadily he rose to his feet.
"I don't have much choice. Hera took my memory. I need it back. Besides, we can't just not help the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble." To this Nyssa from the Hephaestus cabin stood up and warned Jason that he should listen to Annabeth because Hera was known to be vengeful, reminding everyone that she had thrown her own son, their dad, off a mountain because he was ugly. Although someone from the Aphrodite cabin pointed out that Hephaestus was real ugly, Nyssa just barked at them to shut up before listing all the other things we needed to be concerned about, such as why Jason needed to beware the earth, the giants' revenge and what were they dealing with that was powerful enough to kidnap and imprison the queen of the heavens. Excellent points, but now people were trying to figure out who should go with Jason. One person shouted that Annabeth should go because she had the most experience, another said me because I was the most powerful.
"No, Travis. 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."
"It's connected," Piper suddenly spoke up, making me look at her in surprise. "You know that's true, don't you? This whole business, your boyfriend's disappearance – it's all connected." To this Drew demanded Piper to explain how, so I glowered up at her once again.
"You may be right, Piper." Annabeth responded warmly, coming to Piper's aid when she failed to come up with an explanation. "If this is connected, I'll find out from the other end – by searching for Percy. As I said, I'm not about to rush off and 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." Someone then shouted what about me.
"Same here. I'm not meant to go, though thanks for saying I'm the most powerful person here, very flattering, but not entirely true." I grinned in the general direction of the person who'd said so. "I'm also going to head back out to look for that dunderhead little brother of mine, which means that two other people need to go with Jason. If you were listening to the prophecy properly, then you'd know that they've already been chosen. The forge and the dove shall break the cage. I'd bet anything the cage refers to Hera's prison, so if it's going to be done right, then we need to follow the advice of our Oracle. One child of Hephaestus, and one child of Aphrodite." My eyes then zeroed in on Leo, who had before now been claimed by Hephaestus. "Jason, I don't think it was a coincidence you were placed on that bus this morning, of all the places you could have been dumped. One was a son of Hephaestus, and I'll bet anything Piper is a child of the goddess Aphrodite. Coincidence, or intentional?" I reasoned as everyone listened closely to my words. A while ago, I might have found it really disconcerting to have so many people staring at me, but after having lead armies, fought titans and done a whole bunch of crazy things, it really didn't faze me anymore. A murmur of agreement started to rise after my reasoning.
"If you have to beware the earth, you should avoid travelling overland. You'll need air transport." This I nodded in agreement to as Nyssa spoke up again. Air was their best bet, since Jason was a son of Zeus, it would be his domain and they could travel far faster than going by land or sea. "The flying chariot's broken, and the pegasi, we're using them to search for Percy. But maybe Hephaestus cabin can help figure out something else to help. With Jake incapacitated, I'm senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest."
"It's me." Leo rose to his feet steadily and confidently, making me smile to him. I had a feeling it would have been him that was meant to go, though I wasn't sure why. The gods never did anything without reason, and Hera had chosen to put Jason on that bus where two half-bloods happened to be sitting. It couldn't be coincidence. "No, it's me. I know it is." Leo insisted even as his new brothers and sisters tried to pull him back down. "I've got an idea for the transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!" Now everyone looked expectantly at Jason who was studying Leo closely before he then smiled handsomely.
"We started this together, Leo. Seems only right that you come along. You find us a ride, you're in." Although Leo was initially eager, Nyssa warned him of the kind of things he might face out there and he very quickly wilted, but in the end tried to remain sounding upbeat as he assured everyone that he was up for the challenge. That left only the final member of the quest. Annabeth began to say to Jason that the dove represented Aphrodite, but of course Drew butt herself in.
"Oh, absolutely! The dove is Aphrodite. Everybody knows that. I am totally yours." Part of me thought that maybe Drew going on this quest wouldn't be such a bad idea. I'd love to think of her breaking her nails and getting chased by monsters, but sadly it would also mean that she would probably get killed pretty quickly.
"You'll be dead within the first six hours Drew. Plus, you can't bring your hairdryer with you." She scowled at me but the mention of her being unable to bring her hairdryer seemed to be a serious problem as she wavered in her resolve for a few moments, but then Piper stepped forwards and denied Drew the chance to join Jason.
"Oh please, Dumpster girl. Back off."
"I had the vision of Hera, not you. I have to do this." Piper argued though Drew continued to hold her ground, and even began to speak with such a tone that I felt a slight reverberation in the air. If I hadn't immediately guarded myself against it, I might have also started to be persuaded by Drew's charm-speaking, a gift that she possessed because she was a daughter of Aphrodite. I'd overheard one of her siblings talking about it a while ago.
"Anyone can have a vision, you were just at the right place at the right time." Drew announced before then turning that sickening smile onto Jason, and quite honestly I felt sorry for the poor guy because it appeared Drew was adamant to lock her claws into him. More so than ever now that he was the son of Zeus, because that made him a prize. "Look, fighting is all fine, I suppose, and people who build things…well, I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty. But you need charm on your side. I can be very persuasive. I could help a lot." Under my breath, I muttered next to Piper.
"Yeah, the charm of a boar's backside." At this she flashed me a grin, and I had a feeling that Piper and I were going to be very good friends. She then turned back to everyone else who was starting to murmur in agreement, shouting that she was supposed to go. There was some more arguing by Drew, however just as it seemed to be settled that she was the one who was meant to go with Jason and Leo, a sign came and Piper was finally claimed by her mother. Stepping back in order to look at Piper fully, I gave a light laugh. "Oh I so totally called it. Am I a genius or what?" I crowed as Piper suddenly looked like she could easily be the most beautiful girl at camp. She was literally shining and her clothes had transformed into a beautiful shimmering gown, her hair now long and wave with all of her features now delicately highlighted so that everything seemed to draw your attention without being able to look away. Piper was confused, drawing out her dagger at Annabeth's direction to look at her own refection.
"Beautiful." Jason suddenly said in a mystified tone that caused Piper to blush as he just stared at her. "Piper, you…you're a knockout." Unable to help myself, I grinned because it was just the cutest darn thing I had seen in a long while. The moment was made all the better because now Drew was horrified, and it became clear who the real third member of Jason's quest should be. Chiron came forwards, and proclaimed before everyone who Piper was.
"Hail, Piper McLean. Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love."