Escaping the cave was no simple or easy endeavor. Ryker clawed his way to the surface and broke through the hardened dirt with a loud growl. To the camper who had been walking directly where Ryker broke through the earth it must have seemed like Gaea had returned. He went squealing back into camp and Ryker was forced to drag himself out of the earth with no assistance. He collapsed onto his back and focused on regaining his breath. The sun has set and the moon had begun its takeover of the night sky. An owl hooted in the sky and Ryker felt something land on his legs. He sat up and looked into the large glowing eyes of a spotted owl. Hello.

Ryker rubbed his eyes with his dirt stained his hands, certain that he had heard things. He had 'spoken' with animals before but he had never gotten a true word from them. Did you just speak?

Did you? The owl shot back, ruffling his feathers. Put out your arm and get to your feet. Your mother told me to keep an eye on you, so that is what I intend to do.

Bit bossy for a bird, aren't you? But Ryker did as he was told and soon he was standing. The owl walked up his arm and perched comfortably on his shoulder. Ryker winced as his talons dug through the thin camp T-shirt and into his shoulder. So my mother sent you?

That is what I just said. The owl reminded him. Ah, you have company.

"Ryker!" Piper called as she ran up to him with Jason and an unfamiliar dark haired boy with eyes as blue as the sea. "What happened to you? What's with the bird?"

I am an owl. The bird said, outraged. And I have a name!

Ryker blinked and glanced at the owl. Do you?

It might be a bit hard for you to say in this tongue. The owl admitted. Why don't you give me a name?

"His name is Silver." Ryker said, noting the way that some of the feathers on his wings seemed to reflect silver in the moonlight. "He's a gift… from my mother."

"Oh, you met her then?" Jason nodded as if he had expected. "When Thalia said that you were swallowed by the earth we figured that you were either dragged down to Tartarus or your godly parent was saying hello."

"Tartarus… isn't that the place monsters go?" Ryker asked uncertainly.

"Yeah." The dark haired boy nodded, stepping forward. He extended a hand in greeting. "Percy Jackson."

Ryker shook the proffered hand. "Ryker…. Just Ryker." He frowned as he considered Jason's words. "You act like being dragged down to Tartarus happens a lot."

"Not really." Piper said cheerfully. "Besides, we were reasonably certain that it was your godly parent."

"So who is it?" Jason asked eagerly. "Piper and I have a bet see…"

"I think that your mother is Demeter." She offered. "Jason thinks that your parent is-."

"Cybele." Ryker said. "My mother is Cybele."

The three blinked in unison and exchanged uncertain glances. "…Huh." Percy said after a moment. "Guess we have to build a new cabin after all. And here I thought all the gods were accounted for."

"What are you talking about?" Ryker asked.

Idiot. Silver pecked at his head and Ryker winced. You are the only living child of your mother. I bet they haven't even-.

"Cybele…" Piper murmured, closing her eyes. "The Goddess of Mountains, Wild Animals, The Forest, and Caverns. She has a Roman aspect too. Magna Mater I believe."

"Actually come to think of it, I have heard of her." Jason said snapping his fingers. "Romans brought her back as a last ditch effort to win the second Punic war. It worked too, they won. I've never heard of her having any children though."

"Because there has not been a child of Cybele in close to two centuries." Chiron told them as he walked up to their gathering. "I never would have guessed that you would be a child of her, Ryker."

"Did you just insult me?" Ryker asked suspiciously.

Chiron smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. I was merely stating how surprised I am. A child of Cybele has always brought good fortune to the camp. Your sisters were among some of my favorite campers."

"Wish I could have met them." Ryker glared at the owl when it pecked at his head again. "Will you stop?" He demanded of Silver.

No. The owl began to preen his feathers. I'm hungry. I'm going hunting. I'll be back.

"Don't hurry." Ryker growled. Silver spread his wings and flew away as quiet as the night. Ryker saw the looks the others were giving him and scowled. "I can talk to animals, alright?"

Only Chiron seemed to be unsurprised by this. "Of course." He nodded. "Your sisters were able to as well. They would always have an escort by some wild animal or another."

Ryker groaned and shook his head. He wasn't sure how many more wild animals he could handle if they were as much of a pain as Silver was turning into. "Great." He muttered. "So what now?"

"Now I suppose that we should eat." Chiron told him.

He set off back down the path and the campers followed after him. "So what was your mother like?" Percy inquired. "By the way, my dad is Poseidon. God of the Sea."

"Daughter of Aphrodite." Piper did not seem at all pleased by her parentage.

"She was… mother-like?" Ryker shrugged. "I don't know. She basically said hello, told me who she was, and then left. I spent the last couple hours trying to get out of the damn hole she trapped me in."

"She trapped you in a hole?" Jason barked out a laugh and shook his head. "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh. The gods have a very odd way of showing their kids love."

"Isn't that the truth?" Piper asked glumly. "If you ever see my mother, run. She will make your love life turn into Hades."

"Noted." Ryker said carefully. "Yeah, she trapped me in a hole. I guess she wanted me to use my powers to get out, but I couldn't figure out how. I've never used any earth magic."

"It takes some getting used to." Percy said sagely. "It took me awhile to get used to all the different powers being the son of Poseidon came with. It's pretty easy to use now though. Practice and fulfilling prophecies make perfect."

An odd looking bird flapped down and perched on a stack of shields as they passed. "Speaking of Prophecies…" Piper said warily, glaring at the bird. "Hello Ella."

"Shields are not a good place for harpies to sit." She informed them. She spied Ryker and tilted her head to one side.

"When the gate swings open,

A son of the Earth will arise,

And fix what has been broken,

He will build the new ties.

Foes- Last bit gone. Gone With The Wind. Four hundred eighteen thousand fifty-three words."

The harpy shuffled her feet and then flew off leaving the demigods to slowly turn and gaze at Ryker. Even Chiron seemed stunned by what Ella had just said. Ryker heavily considered making a beeline for the forest and running until his legs gave out beneath him, which would have been a considerable distance. "If I'm not mistaken…" Chiron said at length, "We just heard a prophecy."

"Why do I feel like I am not going to like this?" Ryker wondered.

"I've heard her say that one before actually." Jason admitted. "I thought that she must have been talking about Demeter. But I guess…."

They all looked pointedly at Ryker. Percy walked forward and clapped him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry." He told him. "There's no guarantee that the prophecy is even about you. The gods would have to issue you a quest for that to be official. They haven't given out a quest to anyone for almost two weeks. You should be fine."

"Why do I feel like you are lying to me?" Ryker wondered.

"Probably because I am." Percy admitted. "You pretty much fit the bill for that prophecy. Other than that, I don't know. I don't even know what gate you opened or how you fix it."

"I didn't do a damn thing." Ryker said loudly, drawing the attention of every person in the dining hall. He hunched his shoulders and at that precise moment Silver returned. The owl landed on Ryker's shoulder with a dead mouse clutched in his beak. An odd sound went off above Ryker's head and when he glanced up he saw an odd symbol hovering in the air right above him.

Hm. Not bad. Silver said as he chowed down on the mouse.

Can you not? Ryker demanded as the symbol blazed bright and then faded into nothingness. We are kind of being seen by everyone right now.

Your point? Silver finished off the mouse with a flourish and readjusted his position on Ryker's shoulder.

"Ryker, son of Cybele." Chiron announced clearly. The tables shuddered and seemed to shift as a new one rose out of the ground. The meal hall exploded into applause and Ryker felt his face flush crimson.

"Son of Cybele, eh?" Mr. D asked, striding through the aisles. "I guess I don't have much of a choice other than to forgive you for your… insolence earlier."

"Man, what a relief." Ryker said miserably, not at all happy about being the center of attention.

"The Gods have chosen to issue a quest." Mr. D announced loudly. The meal hall went dead silent and Ryker felt the apprehension as clearly as Silver's talons on his shoulder.

"Son of a…" He groaned when Mr. D fixed a look on him.

"You, Ryker, will go to Camp Jupiter and meet with their leadership. You will travel alone. The prophecy only specified you after all. None of that 'seven half-bloods will answer the call' nonsense."

"Now you are screwed." Percy whispered.

Piper giggled nervously and Jason looked as though he wanted nothing more than to find Emma and pluck her. "What if I say no?" Ryker asked curiously.

"Some heroes have said no." Mr. D said fairly. "But in the end prophecies can not be ignored. You will fulfill it one way or another. I don't truly care either way, but if I was you I would spare yourself the aggravation. You will leave immediately. Is there anything you need?"

"Yeah." Ryker said gloomily. "A different godly parent."