Beginning Notes

Okay, so here's a pre-warning. Next week Friday my test week starts, so I won't be able to update anything then, and I don't think I'll be able to update the next few days, because I need to study. *sigh*. But after that I finally have a week of holidays, so... that's nice. Anyways, oc's belong to sketchywolf, and the rest to Rick Riordan.

Cassandra

Cassandra just woke up screaming. She had had a nightmare about lightning striking, and setting the whole world on fire. Everyone dying. Everyone she loves: Max, her dad, Percy, all the animals.

'Cassie, what's wrong?' Max asks. He's rubbing his eyes, like she just woke him up. Which she probably did.

'Nightmares,' she says.

'C'mere.'

She crawls onto his mattress, and he puts his arms around her.

'It's okay, they're just nightmares, they're not real,' he says.

She finds his words very comforting, even though she has a strange feeling that the dream was real.

When she looks outside, she can see the beginning of the sun rising.

'I'm going to go for a walk,' she says, getting up.

Max nods, and lies down again. He probably wants some more sleep.

The air is fresh, and when Cassandra takes a deep breath through her nose, she almost instantly feels awake.

She walks through the forest for a bit until the sun is almost completely visible on the horizon.

'It's the boy's fault!' she suddenly hears.

There must be something wrong. Who else would be walking in the forest at this time of day?

'Well, you know, he can't help it that he was born, you know?' another voice says.

'Who's there?' Cassandra asks. 'Reveal yourself!'

Even though her voice sounded loud and clear, she's quivering, hoping that it's not a monster.

'Why, it's just us, dear,' comes the answer.

'Where are you?'

'Up in the tree darling.'

Cassandra looked up, and there were an owl and a squirrel sitting it the tree. Looking down at her. She frowned.

'Don't look so confused dear, we know you can hear us,' the squirrel says.

'But... I don't... I- I mean, animals...' Cassandra stutters.

'Don't speak? Ha! Those petty humans. Thinking we don't speak. They just don't understand us. See, you can. And you can communicate with us,' the owl explains.

'Okay, so I'm not hallucinating?'

'Nope,'

'But what were you talking about?'

Of course Cassandra wants to know. Maybe talking to the animals could get her information. On what she didn't know, but information was usually good.

'You see, Athena has been ranting on how Poseidon broke his oath, and now Olympus is a mess. Zeus is angry at Poseidon, Poseidon is angry at Zeus, Ares is just angry, and apparently Hades just confirmed that his helmet was stolen. Which he blamed on Zeus, because Zeus blamed him for a lot of things, but he said that it was Poseidon's son, who stole the master bolt, which I totally agree with-

'Wait, wait, wait. Could you maybe talk slower?' Cassandra says, cutting off the owl's story.

'Hon, owls don't talk. And I can't 'talk slower', this normal speed,' the owl complained.

'Okay, fine, squirrel, would you please tell me what's going on. But slower.'

'Of course darling. So Olympus is all over the place, because everyone is blaming each other for stealing and breaking oaths. But the biggest problem, at the moment, is Zeus's master bolt. Apparently it is missing, and nobody knows who stole it. But since Poseidon just claimed his son, the rumour,' the squirrel says, eyeing the owl, 'is that either he, or his son stole it.'

Cassandra nods. So something is wrong with Zeus, god of lightning, and king of Olympus. Maybe that was what her dream was about. Zeus unleashing his anger because his master bolt was stolen.

'How do you know all this?' she asks surprised.

The squirrel and the owl look at each other.

'George and Martha,' they both say.

'And Athena,' the owl adds.

'Who and... Okay, you know what? Never mind. Thanks, guys.'

'No problem dear.'

She then walks back to camp hoping that Chiron can do something with this information.

...

Cassandra decides to not tell Chiron immediately, but to wait a little, and maybe get more information.

But by the time it's almost afternoon, her gut is telling her to go; to not wait any longer. And she can never ignore her gut feelings, so she decides to go to the Big House.

'Um, Chiron?' she asks.

He's talking to some other strange dude, who is sitting at a desk drinking Coke.

'Um, sorry to disturb you, but I have some information,' she tries again, walking up to the two men.

'Ah, Cassandra. Yes, what is it?' Chiron asks.

'Wait, another newbie? Isn't that other one, the Big Three kid enough?' the other man complains.

'D, stop it,' Chiron tells the man. 'Yes, you had news?' he says, turning back to Cassandra.

'So, there's something going on, on Olympus. Zeus's master bolt is missing.'

Chiron looks at her sternly. Even the other man is now listening.

'How do you know this?' Chiron asks her gently.

'Well, I was walking in the forest, and then an owl and a squirrel, they started talking, it was pretty weird, but okay. They said that everyone on Olympus was blaming each other and that Zeus had lost his master bolt,' she explains.

'You talked to animals?' the other man asks, arching his eyebrows. 'Are you sure you don't have goat legs?'

'She ignored him and continued: 'And I've been having these bad dreams, well, it was only one, but I think it was about Zeus's wrath, and-'

'Cassandra, I think you need to join Percy in the attic, we just sent him there to get his prophecy for the quest,' Chiron says.

'Quest?'

'No time to explain, just go!'

Cassandra does as he says, and goes to the attic.

When she gets there, Percy is standing in front of a weird mummified lady, wearing a tie-dyed dress.

Percy looks behind him, when Cassandra walks towards him, making a floorboard creak.

'Cassie?'

'Chiron sent me. He said I had to join you in getting the prophecy for the quest,' she explains.

'You know about it?'

'Not quite, Chiron said I didn't have time to ask questions but to come up here and...' She doesn't finish her sentence, for there is green smoke billowing around them.

She looked at Percy, and saw him take a deep breath.

He stepped forward and asked the mummy-lady: 'What is my destiny?'

...

When Cassandra and Percy came back from the attic with the creepy mummy-lady, they went straight to Chiron to tell him the prophecy.

'And?' he asks.

Cassandra looks at Percy, and he starts with the first line:

'You shall go west, and face the god who's turned.'

Cassandra then recites the second line, Percy the third and Cassandra the last again, until the prophecy is complete:

You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.

You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.

And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.

'What does it mean?' Cassandra asks.

'I don't know. But that is the whole point of prophecies,' Chiron says. 'Sometimes they have double meanings. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass.'

'Okay. But where do we go? Who is this god in the west?' Percy asks.

'Zeus and Poseidon are fighting right?' Cassandra asks.

'Yes.'

'So that means the third would try to take advantage of this, to overtake them. The third brother, the god in the west. It's Hades.'

'So, now what?' Percy asks. 'We go to Hades and ask him if he by any chance stole the master bolt. As if that's going to end well. Why can't we just tell Zeus, so he can go get it himself, since Hades just tried to kill me three times in the past few days.'

'Hades tried to kill you?' Cassandra asks.

Percy nods. 'He sent his minions after me.'

Chiron sighed. 'Percy, knowing and suspecting are different things. Besides, the gods can only cross each other's territory on invitation. Heroes, on the other hand, can go wherever they want.'

'So that's what we do? Go to the Underworld and confront Hades?' Cassandra asks, wondering how that was even possible without dying.

'Yes. But you will need help, and a satyr to guide you.'

...

When Percy and Cassandra left the Big House, a boy was waiting outside for them.

'And?' he asks Percy.

'We were assigned a quest,' Percy explains.

'We?'

Cassandra steps forward a little. 'Yeah. I got sent too.'

'Okay, but-'

'Grover, it doesn't matter, we have until the summer solstice and I need all the help I can get, so I'm glad I don't have to lead this quest alone,' Percy says.

Cassandra smiles. Even though she's new, and has no clue what is going on, Percy appreciates her help. It makes her feel less of an outsider.

'C'mon Percy, we need to find a satyr to guide us,' she says.

'I think we already found him. Grover, will you help us on our quest to find Zeus's stolen master bolt?'

Grover seems a little uncomfortable, but he says: 'Of course I'll help you.'

'You sure?' Cassandra asks. She doesn't want to drag anyone into doing things they don't want to do.

Grover nods. 'Yeah I'm sure. I'm your best friend after all,' he says, the last part to Percy.

Cassandra goes to pack up her stuff- which is barely anything, just some spare camp shirts and some food and water- and goes back to the Big House.

'Chiron?'

'Yes Cassandra,' he says. Chiron is now walking around in his centaur form, which is quite a shock for Cassandra, since she's never seen him in anything else besides the wheelchair.

She notices that she's staring in awe, and shakes her head lightly, hoping it will get her focus back.

'You told us we needed help, right?'

'Why yes, I did.'

'I can't leave Max. Is it possible for him to help me and Percy on the quest?'

Chiron thinks about it. 'But three is the usual number for a quest,' he says.

'Isn't that for a usual quest? Assigned to one person?' She has to try it, even if she has no clue about 'usual quests'. She can't leave her brother behind. Never.

'Yes, that is quite right. I think you might need some more help with this quest. Go get your brother.'

She does as she's told.

When she finds Max, she tells him everything as quickly as possible, and he immediately gets his stuff as well.

Then they go up to Half-blood Hill, to meet up with Percy and Grover, and leave for the quest.

...

Chiron is waiting there too.

'I have some good news, someone has offered their assistance to this quest,' he says.

Annabeth comes forward.

Percy sighs, and Cassandra rolls her eyes.

'Well, do you want my help or not?' Annabeth asks.

'Yes, fine! Now let's not waste any more time, and get going. We have a deadline!' Cassandra says.

'Good luck,' Chiron says. Just before he is about to turn away, his expression turns shocked.

'Oh, my gods,' says Grover.

'But... that's not possible...' Annabeth says.

'What's going on?' Max asks confused. He sounds scared.

Cassandra was wondering the exact same thing, for she saw what the others were looking at; A symbol was glowing above his head, and as it appeared, above hers too.

It was a silver moon, the symbol of Artemis.

End Notes

Dun dun duuuuuun! Okay, so they're being claimed. That's cool. Go check out my awesome beta lovelylittlelion on AO3, and I guess I'll see y'all in the next chapter. Byeee :)