Hi people! I am back once again, after, how many days now? I am SO sorry about that, but now that Halloween is over :'( I will have more time to write because I won't be sending out daily emails! Also, I got A LOT of candy, so I will actually have the energy to finish writing this story! Well, I'm sorry you didn't get it sooner, but here is the next chapter!
When the group of us walked back out of the Big House, Chiron greeted us by the front door. He explained the official stuff that we have to do to go on the quest. Also, Zack would only need two volunteers, and there were five of us total. Thalia said she didn't want to go if it meant that she could stay with the Hunt and that we had a chance to get our own quest. Have I ever mentioned that Thalia is totally amazing before? If not, I am now saying it, because Thalia is epic.
The next to drop out was Ella; she said that the Underworld had never appealed to her in any way, and that she couldn't stand to be near boys long enough to be on a journey with them. I don't think Zack liked hearing that, but he was just going to have to get over it and take it like a man. Ella had formally decided not to go on the quest, so that left Lauren, Zack, and me standing there.
"That was easy! Just like shopping at Staples!" I said like a complete idiot. I got a lot of weird looks from campers and Chiron, but a few campers started yelling "Wow, that's a low price!" I noticed they were all from the group of demigods that included Antonia, Margaret, Alexandria, Cristina, Ace, Donald, and James; but Taylor wasn't with them. Then I heard someone shout out "I KNOW!" and saw her walking over to join the group.
Surprisingly, they let her into the circle that they had formed almost subconsciously and started talking about inside jokes that must have been funny at the time if you were there. Although, I had said "That was easy" and not "That's a low price!" so they completely mixed the two commercials together. I don't know if you can do that.
Chiron still had a puzzled look on his face, which meant that he probably had never seen the ads, but explained the formalities of going on a quest anyway. Apparently, we had to get permission from Lady Artemis before either Lauren or I could go. We came up with a plan to make it seem like it was a spontaneous decision and like we didn't really want to go. I just hope it actually works!
After coming up with the finer details of the plan, Zack walked off to find some of his half-siblings. Lauren and I ran to catch up with Ella, and found her and Melody both practicing their archery skills. It was awesome to watch them shoot with such accuracy, but it was also slightly terrifying. Arrows were flying at extremely fast speeds, and hitting the direct center of the bull's-eye every single time.
A crowd had formed, so Lauren and I shoved our way up to the front. We saw Thalia firing arrows too, but she was practicing on a different target. Both Lauren and I grabbed a bow and some arrows and started practicing too. It only took a little less than a minute before everyone got bored of watching us be perfect, so they all left.
No sooner had the crowd dispersed, than Thalia came over and asked us how we planned on asking Lady Artemis if we could go on the quest. I explained the plan while the others all listened. After I finished, with a little help from Lauren, everyone agreed that it was the best plan that we could come up with in such a short amount of time; the quest party was to leave the next morning.
Since we had nothing better to do, we decided to head over to the Arts & Crafts cabin. I don't know if there's a god or goddess of art, but I'm guessing that they don't like me. I failed at drawing pictures and straight lines, so I cut out other peoples' pictures and colored them too. It was kind of like a coloring book explosion for me, but demigods that actually had artistic talent were having a blast. I must admit, it was pretty interesting to watch.
After hours of fun, it was finally time for dinner, and I was starving. I can't remember the last time I had gone that long without a snack, and I was starting to become a little snappish. Okay, so maybe I'm always a little snappish, but it's a lot worse when I'm hungry. The Hunt all walked in together again, and the campers were actually continuing their conversations. I guess the shock of seeing us at camp was wearing off a little bit.
Chiron said his announcements, which basically were congratulating the Hunters on our win in Capture the Flag, and welcoming a new son of Hephaestus to camp. After that, the plates filled with food, and everyone ate ravenously. It was like watching Ron Weasley eat at the Welcome Feast in Harry Potter, but worse because there were hundreds of us. All the campers and Hunters managed to sacrifice their food and eat together in the same room without any bloodshed at all, so I think we're making some progress there.
After dinner, everyone went to the campfire and sing-along again. The Apollo kids were once again in charge, and everyone was lining up for their chance to sing karaoke. Everyone that sang last night sang again tonight, but with different songs. It sounded pretty good, and at the end, everyone that played Don't Stop Believing last night played a medley of creepy songs that would sound very cool in a darkened theater. (We played the song in band last year, and it's called Music for a Darkened Theater [Darkened Theater for short] and it sounded so cool! It involved the Spider Man credits song, Beetlejuice,This is Halloween, and a song from Superman I think!)
When that was done, all the campers headed back to the cabins except for Zack. He walked over to the Hunters and Lady Artemis with a very scared look on his face. It was time to put our plan into action!
"Um, Lady Artemis, I, uh, kind of need two hunters to go on my quest with me . . ." Zack trailed off at the end after talking very quickly. He's a better actor than I would have thought, he sounded terrified that no one would go with him or that Lady Artemis was going to incinerate him. Well, maybe she still would.
"Are there any hunters willing to go? Or, at least, would be okay with going?" The way Lady Artemis phrased it, it sounded like she was daring us to go. I really don't know why it would have been so bad to go on a quest, even if it was with guy like Zack.
"I'll go." From the silence after this short statement, I felt like taking it back; but I really did want to go on a quest, so I held my ground. Plus, I knew that we had already decided who was going and who wasn't.
"You're volunteering to go on a quest with a BOY?" It's not like I said that I was going to marry him or anything, I don't see what the big deal was. I want to go on a quest, is there anything wrong with that?
"I'm volunteering to go on a quest and see the Underworld. I really want to know what it looks like." Everyone was staring at me like I just said that I wanted to jump from an airplane without a parachute! Is it really that weird to want to see where people go when they die?
"I'll go too, if Nicole is going." Lauren is a terrific actress apparently, because she sounds like this was a spur of the moment decision for her.
"No one should have to go on this quest if they don't want to, but personally, I find it interesting to see the Underworld. Maybe I'll see Cerberus! That would be amazing!" Again, everyone stared at me like I was insane, but I really didn't care.
"You actually want to see Cerberus and the Underworld? Do you have a death wish or are you certifiably insane; or most likely, both?" This time it was Zack who was questioning my sanity; which I don't understand at all. It's his quest, and he was the one to ask us if we would go on a quest with him! What the Hades is wrong with this kid?
"I do not have a death wish, and do you want me to come with you on your stupid quest or not? Because I could totally back out now and you can go try to find your sister by yourself!" That got him to stop doubting me and my common sense. I could tell that he actually did want Lauren and me to go on his quest, but he was just to flipping proud to admit that he was scared to go alone.
"So, Nicole, Zack, and I are all going on this quest to the Underworld to figure out what happened to Taelor. Is that all?" This was stated so bluntly that I had no doubt that it was Lauren saying it. Also, it was sort of part of the plan to make it sound like it was a tough choice for us to make.
"Okay, but if there is anything between one of you and . . . him then I will personally incinerate all three of you! Now go get ready for your big trip to Hades's realm." Lady Artemis made her point and then disappeared back to where her cabin was. Lauren and I decided it was best to leave her to herself for a little bit before we got our stuff.
We were going to the Underworld! Our plan actually worked! Thalia and Ella both came over to us and remarked on our amazing acting skills. Lauren blushed, Zack looked embarrassed, and I just smiled. I was in one of our school plays before I found out I was a half-blood. We said good-bye to Zack then, and we split off on our different paths.
Alexandria was waiting for Zack at the front door of the Demeter cabin, and the other Hunters were already inside Cabin #8. The night was dark and still, so all of us filled back to our respective cabins before the Harpies ate us while Lady Artemis guided her moon chariot through the sky.
Okay, lame ending, I know, but I couldn't think of anything else. I'm sorry! I also think that my creative writing in Language Arts class is decreasing the quality of my writing. It's where my teacher reads the beginning of a story and we have to write the ending in only about four minutes. I'm so used to writing the main points and leaving out the details so that I can fit everything in; and I'm sorry that it's really obvious! Anyway, please review! Seriously, please review, even if you don't like this story!
~monkeypicklez