I'm immediately put off by how fast they agree. Yes. They.

Their excuses as to why they should be put on the quest, rather than Nico, came out so well rehearsed (even if they were poor excuses) that even I couldn't find it in myself to interrupt. Not because I respect them. No. Because they spoke as if they had swallowed ten gallons of caffeine, which wouldn't entirely surprise me. .

"He's a son of the Big Three."

"He smells like death."

"Zeus will blast him out of the sky faster than you could say - "

Thirteen year old, Nico di Angelo, looks affronted by their musings. Chiron decides to step in before they can continue any further, "That will be enough boys...We will send Katie to the Oracle, and then sort out plans accordingly."

"Why do I have to see the Oracle?" I shudder at the thought. The mummy always freaked me out.

Chiron doesn't answer, "She is staying at Clarion's-"

"Wait, she?" I ask, incredulously. "When did we start calling the mummy, she?"

"It appears," Chiron's expression hinted at amusement, "That not all campers have been informed."

"Informed of what?"

"We have a new Oracle," Nico pipes in, uninterestedly.

"What?"

My cheeks flush as I realize that I must have been the only who hadn't figured this out. Well, excuse me. I've never been on a quest before, unless you count the Titan War, which I don't.

"Yes," Chiron says, patiently. "Our new Oracle is Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She attends school at Clarion's Ladies Academy, as I was saying before," I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks, as I realize that I had been the one to interrupt him.

"But before you said...Send Katie to the Oracle," I quote, with raised eyebrows. "Can't we just Iris Message her?"

"Well Katherine," the voice is just as irritating as ever.

"Don't. Call. Me. Katherine." I hiss.

Travis Stoll leans against the wall, lazily. His smile informing me that he was amused. Terribly so. "Wouldn't you find it suspicious if you found your roommate talking to someone via mist, and, ah, you were mortal?"

"She has a roommate," I ignore his teasing, "Great. So what do we do?"

"Take a field trip," Connor Stoll, unofficially Travis' evil twin, suggests.

I say unofficially because:

A.) They're not technically twins.

B.) I can't decide who is eviler yet. But mark my words, I will.

"Or I could just shadow travel you there and back," Nico says, with an eye roll.

Shadow traveling? I don't quite like the sound of that. Darkness and a daughter of Demeter didn't mix well. Us children of Demeter loved sunlight. Loved it. Mostly because it's required for growing things, but still, the thought of 'shadow traveling' made me uneasy.

"Erm." Was all I could say.

Brain blast time. "Why can't Nico just get the prophecy? He's obviously familiar with this Shadow Traveling business...and..." I trail off, ignoring the looks I'm receiving. A glare from Nico, which is kinda intimidating, even though he's only thirteen. Incredulous looks from the Stolls. No doubt wondering why I would pass up an opportunity to be out of camp.

Chiron smiles, in a way that tells me his patience is withering slowly, "Shadow Traveling exhausts the user, and it would be wise to have someone there if something went...wrong."

"So why not let one of the Twin Terrors go," I protest, "They're experts at getting out of trouble!"

"Why thank you, Katie."

"Shut up, Stoll." My teeth clench together, and the back of my forehand itches to hit something, the way it always does when he's around. "That was not a compliment."

"But I took it as one."

I let out an exasperated sort of strangled sound, not quite a gasp, and not quite a sigh. "Fine. I'll go."

"Excellent," Chiron says, lightly, "Nico?"

The thirteen year old grips my wrist and hisses lowly, "Don't move."

We venture towards the most shadowy place in the Big House and darkness engulfs us.

I do the most predictable thing ever. I scream.

AN

Nico is probably going to be OOC for this chapter and the next. Mostly because...well, you'll see. I have my twisted reasons :)