I do not own anything.

CHAPTER V

I Get A Quest (By Somewhat Accident)

For the next few weeks, I've trained, eaten actual decent meals, and just gotten better (count out camp orientation, the bullying from Clarisse, and ignorance from Mr. D). The first week of training, I'm pretty sure that I spend most of my time running and hiding, mostly because of the Aphrodite cabin. I've visited each cabin, and when I visited the Hermes cabin, I'm pretty sure Travis and Connor were planning to send a camper flying across camp in a giant catapult. I guess it does count as transportation. They planned on blending it into the ground.

Visiting the Aphrodite cabin was a big mistake. Once they spotted me, they all gasped.

"Why is she such a mess? She needs a makeover!" one girl said.

"I agree!" said another. They continued to chat about wanting to give me a makeover, and Annabeth barely got me out. All they managed to clean me up and do my hair. Then Connor Stoll had the idea to take a photo of that. I got my revenge, with some help from his brother Travis. We had a girl from Demeter give him some mayo-filled doughnuts. It was pretty funny to see the look on his face.

Today, Percy and I went to archery. Percy totally sucks at it. I'm not saying that I don't suck at it, I'm just saying that Percy sucks at it more. I at least hit the target board, and DIDN'T hit a camper. Percy's just lucky that Ares kid didn't pulverize him...yet.

I walk around in the strawberry fields. I just think about what I'm going to do. I don't just want to train all summer long, that's a giver. Maybe I could find out who my mother is, or who that one boy was. Percy told me that he went to the Oracle in the attic, so maybe I could go to her. I could sneak in while everyone else is training. Or I could just do it right now.

I sprint to the Big House and walk inside. I peek around and see that no one is here. I start to walk upstairs when I hear people talking, their voices behind me. I sprint up and pull the trap door. It creaks loudly as I pull it. I sprint inside, my heart pounding a million miles per hour. I quickly slam it shut and dive into some useless junk.

Light seeps in as the door opens. A guy I don't recognize looks in, but shrugs it off.

"Whoever it was, they're not there..." Their voices fade and I wait a minute until I come out. I walk over to the hippie-looking mummy and just stare at it in horror. It looks over a thousand years old to me. I don't even know how it could last so long without crumbling to dust. I then ask my question.

"Who is my mother?

At first, nothing happened. I was about to leave when her eyes turned green and her mouth opened, green mist coming out.

Seek out the goddess of great mirth,
One's lost to find the truth of birth,

The seeker driven into crazed,
Thy true powers only grazed,

Lost into the forbidden lands,
Returns to do his final stand.

What does that even mean? What does mirth mean? What true powers? A million other questions go on as I step out of the attic, and there wait Chiron, Percy, and Annabeth.

"What were you doing in there?" Annabeth asks. I jump, surprised at her tone. It sounded somewhat motherly.

"Asking her a question. I want to find out who my mother is," I say.

"What was the prophecy?" Chiron asks.

"It was really weird. It started with Seek out the goddess off great mirth, one's lost to find the truth of birth, which make no sense to me. What does mirth mean?"

"It means happiness and amusement. That would be the goddess Komodia. The other part about one being lost, I really don't like the sound of that..." Annabeth says. She gives me a look that says for me to continue.

"The seeker driven into crazed, Thy true powers only grazed,"

"What in the name of Hades does that mean?" Percy asks with a stupid expression.

"Come on, Seaweed Brain! It's not that hard to figure out," Annabeth says, her eyes getting ever stormier. "It means-" Annabeth didn't get to finish, because Charles Beckendorf came running in.

"Chiron! The stables are on fire again!" he says. He's cover is ashes and a layer of sweat gleams on his skin. Chiron sighs.

"We shall discuss this later," he says, going off with Beckendorf. I turn my attention back to Annabeth and Percy.

"Now what?" I ask them. They exchange glances.

"Say the rest of the prophecy."

"The last part is Lost into the forbidden lands, returns to do his final stand." I look at them both. Percy still has the stupid expression on his face, and Annabeth's eye brows are scrunched up like she's thinking really hard, which she probably is. "So, what happens now?"

"We prepare you for your quest. You get to pick two companions."

"What were you even thinking! This isn't safe at all! Chiron knew the answer to that, so why didn't you just ask him? There is no way my little sister is going on a quest!" Percy shouts, grabbing Annabeth by her shirt. That was a bad move. She grabs his wrist and flips him over her shoulder.

"Calm down Percy," she says. "We can go on the quest with her if you li-"

"No," I cut in. "This is my quest, and it say that one will be lost, one with be driven crazed, and one will have a final stand. I'm not risking you guys or anyone else at camp. I'm going alone." They both stare at me, and then explode with the cons of doing that.

"I know what I'm doing, and no one is going to stop me!" I yell at them. They both look at me once more as I stomp out of the Big House, across the strawberry fields, and to my cabin. There isn't anyone here who can tell me otherwise.

"Fauna, you can't just go off on this quest alone," Chiron says to me. It's just after dinner, and everyone is at the campfire singing like demigods who have nothing to loose.

"Yes I can, Chiron. I can handle myself. I'm almost twelve," I say to him. My birthday is just forty-two days away, August 1st. A month and a half, and this quest might help time fly by."

Chiron sighed, shaking his head. Then he looked up at me. "Take one with you, at the minimum. I'll send Danny with you."

"Danny? Who's that?"

"A camper whose in need of a quest, for other reasons. He is a son of Apollo."

"Okay, but if he slows me down, I'm taking him down Fauna-Style."

I was given a blue back pack by Chiron. I put in it two sets of clothes, a flashlight, a thermos of nectar, a bag ambrosia, a compass that was given to me by a friend of mine from Hephaestus cabin, some drachma, a sleeping bag, some food and water, some cash, some rope, a slingshot with plenty of ammo (rocks and marbles), a knife, some other things, and a spy glass. Everything I will ever need...I just feel comfortable with all these things, okay?

I put it on, just to test it, and it's surprisingly light. Must be enchanted. I take it off again and set it down by my bed.

Percy is already fast asleep, and drooling. Annabeth was right, he does drool when he sleeps. I lay down in my bed and pull the covers tightly over my head. Then I fall into a slumber.

I was looking at myself with a guy that had curly black hair and wild eyes. This was the boy from my past!

We were sitting sit by side in the woods, laughing. I looked a few years older, and my eyes looked red from crying. Older me lay her head on his shoulder, in a friendly I-can't-stop-laughing-so-I'm-using-you-for-support kind of way.

"Man, Leo," I said, "I don't think anyone could pull a prank like that. I think the Stolls might have competition." So his name was Leo...

"Thanks," he managed out, still laughing. Once he caught his breath, his face turned sad. "I can't believe I found you again."

"Me neither." Older me looked down, her head still on his shoulder. "Tell me what really happened that night. I want to hear the pure truth," Fauna 2 blurted out. Leo sucked in a deep breath.

"Okay. The truth is, Gaea came that night. She said she couldn't destroy me because the Fates wouldn't allow it, but she said she could break me. She locked my mom in the shop, and I didn't know what to do. She just came nearer, and then my hands caught fire, and then everything else.

A tear rolled down his face, and Fauna 2 wiped it away.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'm back, and everything is going to be okay."

I woke with a start, my heart pounding. There was something different about older me. Not how he features were, but what she was wearing. It was a necklace that I've seen before, but I don't know how or where. I just felt like I've seen it.

I take a shower and change into an orange t-shirt, jeans, a warm but light jacket, and combat boots, from the Ares cabin. Don't ask how I even got them. I tied my hair back into a high ponytail. I walk out of the cabin with the blue backpack slung over my shoulder.

I go to the Big House and see Chiron waiting with a boy with blond hair and brown eyes. He has an orange pack slung over his shoulder. I'll say he was good looking for the Aphrodite girls, but romance is overrated. Plus, I made a long-term bet with Travis Stoll that Percy and Phaedra would have their first kiss before me, which is going to happen no matter what.

"Hey," the guy said. "I'm Danny."

"Fauna. If you drag me behind, I'll gut you like a fish. Now come on," I said, not looking back, "We're going to Olympia, Washington. A happy little town." Annabeth told me last night where the goddess is.

Danny and I said last goodbyes, and I got the feeling that I wouldn't come back the same.