This chapter is dedicated to Rachael torie b for getting closest to the correct answer in response to the question at the end of the last chapter.
If anybody is looking for a story to read, TheVaultBlocker has a great story called SYOC: The Quest for the Ancients which features a character by yours truly.
And I know the prophecy is ridiculously long. I'm sorry about that haha
The Amphitheater was packed with campers all uncomfortably seated on the stone benches in their cabin's designated section. Even if the sing-a-long hadn't been mandatory, the whole camp would have still probably attended. Everyone wanted answers. The demigods hadn't seen the sun in days and now that the earth had started shaking, people were all but demanding the reason.
The fire burned a bright, almost yellow color and roared tall as the voices of all the campers came together in song. The Apollo Cabin had just finished leading the other half-bloods in a rendition of 'You're a Grand Old Camp' and were starting a round of a camp favorite, 'On Top of Olympus'.
"On top of Olympus
Way up in the air,
There are many gods,
And they each have a chair
In a big 'ol throne room,
Where they argue and bicker
And don't do much else,
But give us brothers and sisters."
The tune went on for many verses and every demigod at camp knew each word by heart. It was the favorite song and it was performed at every campfire despite Chiron constantly trying to discourage the campers from singing it, he claimed it insulted the Gods, but nobody listened. The song came to an end in uproarious laughter and applause. When the noise died down, Chiron stood up. The murmuring and joking came to an abrupt end, and, perhaps for the first time ever, every single camper was quiet.
"I really appreciate you all being here for this announcement." The Centaur said solemnly, looking around. The once tall and bright bonfire now barely reached a height of five feet and was a pale orange color as the campers held their breath. Chiron continued, "As many of you have noticed, there has been some strange weather lately. The God's are upset, two of them more distraught than the rest. Zeus has been in a state of anger for a while now, as you can tell from the weather." He said, gesturing to the cloud covered night sky. "He has had something stolen from him. He has accused Hades of thievery. Hades also claims to have had an item stolen and believes it to be by the hands of Zeus. He, too, is infuriated, leading to the violent tremors earlier." He let out a deep sigh. "They are threatening war."
A worried murmur went out amongst the younger campers, but the older half-bloods merely rolled their eyes. They knew that the Gods threatened war every couple of years or so, it usually fizzled out over time. Occasionally, whichever item was 'stolen' was found to have actually been misplaced all along.
"Normally I would not consider this a big deal, as many of you all know. However, there has been a prophecy." Said Chiron grimly. That got everyone's attention. Prophecies were few and far between now a days. A decade or so ago, in the time of Percy Jackson and Jason Grace, they seemed to come every year, and people began to think that was normal. But since the whole thing with the Roman camp was resolved ten years prior, there had only been three prophecies, and they hadn't ended well.
"Ms. Robertson, could you please enlighten us." Chiron said, looking to his left. The Oracle, a thirteen year old girl by the name of Jane Robertson, got up from her seat with the Apollo Cabin and walked to stand next to the centaur in the center of the Amphitheater.
"It came to me this morning." She said softly. She looked terrified. She probably was, it was the first prophecy she had ever spoken; the first time the Oracle of Delphi had ever borrowed her body. She tucked her straight blonde hair behind her ear.
"The original blade taken shall be,
Each a part from two of three.
A girl of light and boy of dark,
One of thunder and one of smarts,
The last recruit is one of the heart.
A new formed group together start
A quest, but heed, for the lover is first,
And the dreamer will bring the best and worst.
The last task shall be the truest test.
One stands alone to save the rest,
And only together shall they prevail,
To stand as one or surely fail.
If defeat is the end, all beware,
Destruction is certain by earth and air."
Jane eerily recited the words in a soft, monotonous voice. When she was finished, she quickly returned to her spot with the Apollo cabin.
"We haven't been told what was stolen, but-"Chiron started before being cut off.
"I want to take part in the quest." Said Katie who had stood up at the words 'girl of light'. "I mean, I fit the description, light comes from the sun." Before Chiron could answer, another voice rang out.
"I also volunteer for the quest. My father is involved with this and it makes sense that the 'boy of dark' part is about me since I am the only son of Hades at camp." The sound came from the opposite side of the stadium. Aaron stood looking determined.
"I'm going too, then." Announced Owen, standing up. "It's my father who had something stolen from him, and I believe I am the 'One of thunder'." He scanned the crowd, as if daring someone to contradict him.
Chiron was about to say something, probably against the idea of these two specific people traveling to Gods knows where together, but he was cut off once again.
"I'll go!" Eleven year old Chelsea Ronaldo, daughter of Nike, was still seated, but had her hand raised above her head. Chiron gave the girl a small smile.
"I'm sorry Chelsea, but after a quest a couple of years ago resulted in a massive Hurricane, the rule is only campers who are fifteen years or older are allowed to participate in a quest." Chelsea lowered her hand at Chiron's words, looking crestfallen.
"How about me then?" Sky questioned, looking directly at the centaur. "I'm 'of smarts'. And with so many impulsive, 'act now, think later', people joining this quest, they're going to need someone to be the voice of reason." Chiron nodded at this. He then looked at the Aphrodite cabin for the last volunteer. Most of the girl's squirmed uncomfortably in their seats and the boys stared at the ground probably, for the first time in their lives, wishing everyone wasn't staring at them.
"Obviously the prophecy is talking about me." Chuck said, rolling her eyes. Chiron actually let out a small chuckle at her words.
"I guess that is settled. Everyone, lights out is in 15 minutes. As for the five volunteers, meet me at the big house after breakfast tomorrow."
(16 Minutes Later)
Demigod dreams sucked and being the child of Apollo, the god of prophecies, Katie had more 'demigod dreams' than most other half-bloods. They really were the worst thing about being a demigod. Maybe even worse than the whole getting attacked by monsters in public thing because in that scenario, at least you could fight back. Unlike in dreams where there was really nothing that you could do.
Katie was standing in a large room. How she knew it was a room, she wasn't sure, since all around her was darkness. She strained her eyes, trying to make out what was in front of her. She could sense the presence of something powerful not far off. Suddenly there was an urgent pulling on her arm. She looked to find Aaron trying to tug her away from the darkness-cloaked figure. Aaron's shirt was ripped and red with blood, Katie noticed. He also wasn't looking at her, behind him, Sky and Chuck, each with weapons drawn, were, like Aaron, staring up at the ceiling.
Katie followed their gaze. Above her head, about fourteen feet in the air, was Owen. His limbs hung limply and he looked as if he were being held up by a cord tied to his stomach. But there was no cord. He was floating.
He was also glowing.
It was a beautiful sight in the most terrifying of ways. His body was radiating a gold light; it looked warm, as if it were sunlight. But it wasn't sunlight. It buzzed, like concentrated energy, and Katie, two stories below him, could feel it vibrating in her bones.
The tugging on her arm grew more urgent. Aaron was now looking at her, his eyes pleading. She had never seen him like this before. Scared.
She glanced back up at Owen. Katie couldn't see his face, but she could hear his screams of pain. No mortal could hold that much energy, not for long anyway. She knew she should run, that her friends should run.
But Owen was her friend, too.
He needed her help, but how could she get to him. She tried to tell Sky, Chuck, and Aaron to go without her. Tried to tell them that she would get Owen and meet up with them.
But her voice wouldn't work. And even if it had, she knew, knew in her soul, that she could never save him.
Make a choice, half blood. One or all, Katherine. One or all.
The thing in the shadows spoke in her head. She looked at her friends standing next to her. Aaron looked like he wanted nothing more than to be far away from there. There were dark bags under his eyes and he was fidgeting more than Katie had ever seen, his fingers twitching nervously. Chuck stared at her best friend floating far above her head, very un-Chuck-like tears silently running down her face. And lastly Katie looked at Sky, who's clear and calculating, albeit worry filled, eyes clearly knew the most logical choice and knew what it would mean.
All the while Owen's screams of agony pierced her ears.
Katie felt the hot tears gather in her eyes. How could she possibly choose? She needed more time. She needed to save everyone. She needed to.
And then, Owen exploded in a blaze of golden fire and Katie awoke with a start.
(The Meeting)
"You're late." Pointed out Aaron as Katie entered the Big House meeting room. She looked at him with eyes like daggers, letting out a breath that said 'I am trying very hard to contain my urge to jam a sharp object into your throat'.
"No offense, but you look awful." Pointed out Chuck, who probably never in her entire life had that sentence used to describe her.
"Yeah, well, I didn't get much sleep last night." Katie mumbled in response, gripping her mug of coffee so tightly that her knuckles were white. She walked quickly across the room, avoided looking at Owen, and sat down next to Sky, resting her head on her friend's shoulder.
"So, now that we're all here, let's get started." Chiron instructed, standing in the front of the room. "I have my suspicions about the first two lines of the prophecy. 'The original blade' is in reference to the Harpe." At Chiron's words, Sky gasped, but Owen spoke up first.
"That's what Perseus, the original one, used to cut off Medusa's head, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but before that it's what Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades used to kill Kronos." Sky informed everyone in the room.
"It was also the blade which Kronos used to castrate Ouranus." Chiron spoke as if he were giving a lecture on history and not as if he had just told the group of teenagers that the first blade, the one that could not only kill titans, but harm the sky itself, had gone missing and that they were responsible for bringing it back.
"Are you kidding me?!" Exclaimed Katie. "Do you know how dangerous it's going to be to have that with us!? Every monster in a fifty mile radius is going to be able to find us no matter where we are!"
"Kitty Roberts, please calm down." Said Mr. D, who had been quietly sulking in the corner until now. "There is no need for raised voices."
"It's Katie Rogers."
"And she has a right to be freaked out. We all do!" Added Sky.
"See, now you've got Skip all worked up." Mr. D sighed. Sky gave him an 'are you serious with that name' look.
"As for the 'each a part from two of three' line," Said Chiron, trying to redirect the conversation back toward its goal. "My belief of the meaning only reinforces the idea of the stolen Harpe. After the Big Three used the blade to cast their father into Tartarus, they broke it into two parts. Zeus was given the sword end and Hades took the sickled end."
"Wait, so was Poseidon alright with not getting a piece?" Asked Chuck.
"Not quite, Charles." Said Mr. D, who was not looking at Chuck but was instead staring at his hands. Chiron elaborated for the benefit of all those involved.
"Well, no, but as the most- uhh- level headed of the three, he understood demanding a part of the blade would mean certain war."
"But, since they each have half of the full weapon, what if Zeus and Hades started working together and turned on Poseidon?" Aaron questioned, leaning forward in his chair to rest his elbows on the ping pong table that they were all seated around.
"Ha!" Scoffed Mr. D. "Zeus and Hades working together?! That's a good one, Arnold Martin! And they say Hades' kids have no sense of humor." The god said, shaking his head.
"It is unlikely, besides, while broken the pieces are just a regular sword and sickle. It is only when they are reformed into one weapon that it is truly dangerous. For that to happen, all three gods must be present and willing. So, the other two would need Poseidon even though he doesn't have a part of the Harpe."
"What is with the last couple of lines? The part about one standing alone to save everyone else? Well, that's all well and good, but then they very next line says that the only way to win is to stand together." Owen asked, fist hitting the table.
"To me it sounds like someone is going to die." Said Aaron matter-of-factly. Katie let out a small squeak.
"Prophecies often have many interpretations, but only one true meaning. I'm sad to say that you may not discover the true context until you are experiencing the foretold events." Said Chiron, looking genuinely sympathetic.
"Well, we better figure it out because according to the last two lines, if we don't get this stuff back in time, the whole world is going to go to Hell… Literally." Chuck stated, raising one eyebrow and looking at her quest mates. "By the way, when exactly is 'back in time'? How long do we have?"
"Zeus has said that if the blade has not been returned to him in a week and a half, he will declare war." Chiron said gravely.
"Great so we have ten days." Said Chuck optimistically. "Not ideal, but not as bad as it could be." It was painfully obvious that she was forcing her sunny outlook. Everybody looked incredibly worried. Deadlines were never good. It always added pressure on an already stressful situation.
"It would be better if it were like a month or something." Said Aaron under his breath.
"Yeah, you know what? It would be better if you would take your unhelpful comments and shove them up your-" Started Chuck.
"The first thing we need is a place to start." Interjected Sky, always the voice of reason.
"I mean, the prophecy specifically stated that 'the lover is first'. So where is Aphrodite at this time of the year?" Asked Aaron. "I mean I can tell you were her daughters are, but-"
"Enough, Mr. Merton." Interrupted Chiron. Aaron just shrugged.
"It doesn't even matter. The prophecy isn't talking about her anyway. Aphrodite wouldn't want a war. They're not glamorous and she has no interest in such depressing situations." Said Chuck, a little edge to her voice.
"Then who is the lover?" Asked Katie, still nursing her mug of coffee.
"Eros?" Suggested Sky. Chiron gave a thoughtful nod.
"Fine, but that still doesn't tell us where we need to go." Pointed out Owen.
"Well, Oliver, where would one look for a god of love? In the City of Love of course!" Said Mr. D, surprisingly helpful.
"I guess we're going to New Orleans." Said Sky.
(Page Break)
Chiron had instructed the five half-bloods to return to their cabin and pack for the quest. Chuck and Sky each headed back to their respective cabins. Owen headed down to the lake stating there was something he had to do if he wasn't going to be back for a while. He left smiling to himself and muttering something about naiads.
Aaron started to walk away as well.
"Wait, Aaron, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something." Said Katie. "So the other night-"
"Wait, this isn't about feelings and stuff because I don't do that."
"Umm- gross. I was just going to ask that you not tell anybody. If you do, I will actually kill you." Katie said. Aaron stared at her for a moment.
"Yeah, whatever." He then turned away, probably left to go harass some poor girl.
"What happened the other night?" Said a voice from behind Katie, causing her to jump. She turned around and found herself face to face with Arthur. All the sudden the back of her neck felt really hot.
"Umm- I was going to tell you. It's really not a huge deal bu-" She started saying, but was cut off.
"Well, clearly it is a big deal since you asked him not to talk about it. What happened, Katie?"
"It was just- I was really drunk and I think I thought he was you and we kind of kissed and I'm so sorry, Arthur, truly I am." She said all in one breath.
"You what?! Katie how could you be so stupid?"
"I'm not stu-"
"How could you do that to me?! I'm your boyfriend!"
"Well, you're not technically my boyfr-"
"And you weren't going to tell me. You know you weren't, or you would have already."
"I was! I prom-"
"And with him?! He's such an ass! He pulls this shit all the time with girls, too. I mean you've even seen him do it! You're just another dumb girl to him, Katie, don't you understand? Just another name on his list. I can't believe you were so stupid, I know you were drunk, but still and worst of all you probably just let him, didn't you? Besid-"
"Hey!" She cut him off, hands balled into fists. "First of all, I'm not stupid or dumb, so stop saying that. And second of all, I didn't let him do anything, I am the one who kissed him." She wasn't sure if that last part was a lie or not, but Arthur had struck a chord and she got a great deal of satisfaction from seeing the look on his face.
"We're over." He spat at her before storming off.
"We were never even under or whatever." She called after him angrily. Katie heard the screen door of the Big House open.
"What was all that yelling?" Asked Chiron, looking at the teenage girl with concern. She looked at him through tearless, red rimmed eyes.
"It was nothing." She sighed.
"Well, you better hurry and get packed then. You will be leaving in a couple of hours. And remember, casual clothes are to be worn only, no camp shirts." He told her. Katie nodded at his words and set off back to her cabin.
So I know it's been forever since I updated and I'm sorry! But as a treat for being such amazingly awesome readers, I created a polyvore collection of the casual outfits of the five main questers. It can be found on my profile :D. I know it was a boring chapter, but I had to get the prophecy and planning out of the way so the actual quest could start. Also if you don't have a character in the five halfbloods on the quest don't worry. There will be flashbacks, iris messages, and maybe a couple of 'back at camp' chapters. So don't worry :)