I told Chiron of the prophecies, and he rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Well," he said, "I guess you're going into the underworld to find out what's wrong. You have to hurry, though. The average temperature is rising by 2 degrees a day. In a month, we'll all boil up- get rid of the heat by then." He handed me a sack of gold coins and cash. "You may need this."
"I need to take two people." I said, "That's what the Oracle told me."
"Very well, then, pick two people."
"I pick… Orion Roma," I said. The crowd clapped and he jogged up to stand next to me. Thanks he mouthed. "I also want Will Solace to accompany me." He pranced foreword aswell and clapped his brother on the back playfully. I figured if I had 2 stellar archers on my team, I wouldn't have to get close enough to an enemy to fight them. We made small talk after the crowd had dissipated, and then I retired to my cabin. When I got there, my mother was sitting on the hearth, reading a book. "Mom!" I said, running up to her and giving her a hug. She hugged me back.
"I heard about your quest, Zenia. I'm very proud of you." She said. Her words were like being wrapped in a cozy blanket.
"Thanks, mom. I'm kind of scared, though… the Oracle said that someone would call me by name in the underworld, but I don't know anyone who has died."
She shook her head and put down her book. "Even if you do not know him, Zenia, he knows you well." I lifted an eyebrow.
"What? What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Never mind that. I'm happy you got picked to go, though." She smiled. It's hard not to be happy when she's smiling in the room.
"But why me? I'm no good at sword fighting or archery or anything!"
She thought for a minute or two, and then looked into the fire. She stared at it intently. "You weren't meant to do something that requires brawn, like sword fighting, or flashy, like archery. Tell me, have you tried hand-to-hand combat?" She asked.
"No…" I replied honestly.
"Reach into the flames." She instructed. I was fearful, but I did it anyway. The fire did not hurt my hand, but instead it felt like waves of warmth coming from the embers. I found something sharp and pulled it out. It was a set of 2 knives. The blade and hilt were made of celestial bronze, and the hilt had designs of flames, designed with garnet. "They will always return to you. Press the back of each knife." I did as she said. They disappeared, and a charm bracelet appeared on my wrist. There were two charms on it: a flame and a log cabin. "Just press the charm and it'll turn into a knife." I wanted to thank her, but she was already gone. I fell asleep in no time.
I woke up the next morning to a knock at my door. It was Orion and Will, coming to summon me. We were to leave this morning, in about an hour. I got dressed quickly, wearing sweat shorts and a tee shirt. (Which was extremely strange for a Manhattan winter. I took the sack of money and gold to the ceremony where we leave. Chiron gave Orion a bag of nectar and ambrosia. "Use it wisely." He advised. There was a crowd of people gathered, ready to watch us leave. They were bickering on how we should get to the underworld. Percy Jackson thought we should shadow-travel. Nico di Angelo was mad he didn't get to go, and he said that he could open up a path to the underworld right here. Annabeth Chase said we should go the long way, just like she had to. Grover Underwood said it was too dangerous and we shouldn't go at all.
We finally agreed to ride the hellhound. Her name was Mrs. O'Leary. She seemed to take a liking to me right away, but she was skittish about Orion and Will. I eventually convinced her to go, though. Annabeth Chase gave us a big rubber ball and wished us good luck. We waved goodbye as Mrs. O'Leary bounded off into the darkness.