I looked at the aura, she had to be lying my "dead" father wouldn't just leave a giant quest for his daughter who he in fact has never met! I laughed, but the air in my lungs was held tightly against my rib cage making my laugh sound dry and sick.
"Your crazy that's not how things work! Ok um, 'Hey Penelope um we've never met you have to go risk your life trying to find this God forsaken place in the middle of no where!'" I screamed, "Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?"
"Don't be deranged about the situation young goddess, you will wait till the daughter of the sea is placed on the land." I thoughts immediately went to Pearl, could she be a daughter of Poseidon?
"Ok so who goes on this "quest" with me?"
"The oracle will answer all questions, ask and you will receive."
"Right, cause that's how it always is." I said my voice was edged with heavy sarcasm. I stormed away from the clearing leaving the aura to float and look like the world wouldn't end if I didn't do something. I came out of the forest and saw the pink sunset starting and I had to find out about this oracle. So I went to the first person I could think of. Rodney.
"Hey Rodney, I was wondering who is this oracle?"
"She's upstairs in the attic." He chewed on a apple core.
"Ok in what attic?"
"Big House sister, can't miss it."
"Ok?" I walked to the big farm house placed in the middle of camp. I opened the door and went up several flights of steps, and began to get anxiety in my chest. What is she thought I was a fool for not knowing my own prophecy. I found the attic and saw numerous things laying in it claws, eyeballs, a scarf of Aphrodite, and a wooden stool with a shriveled old woman. I had to clamp over my mouth to hold back a scream, what the hell is that! I screamed in my head, the oracle had black hair that clung to it, her mouth hung open with dried mummified teeth inside. She had black eyes that stared blankly at the world.
"Um hello Oracle." I said my voice shaking. A smelly toxic looking green gas came out of her mouth and a raspy voice that seemed to overlap with another one and said,
"The light of a flame shows the faces.
The throne of a god lay empty.
The lightening storms with anger.
The one shall find the place of the god."
I slowly stopped shaking. The light of a flame, maybe at a campfire? Did they have campfires at Camp Half Blood? I would have to check. I ran down the stairs and found Rodney where I had left him only now he had a log in his mouth and looked more like a beaver then a satyr.
"Rodney, do you guys have campfires?"
"Teth."
"Huh?"
"Teth!"
"Yes?"
He nodded his head.
"Does everyone go?"
Another nod.
"Is there going to be one tonight?"
A shake of the head.
"Your positive?"
"Donly ohn Thuesdays."
"Oh ok thanks beaver boy." He narrowed his eyes but I could just see a little bit of a smile in them. I walked away since nothing was going on I figured I go see what Ryanna was doing I still hadn't really met her. I found her by the beach she was staring at the distant skyline, her eyes blank. She looked forlorn, a bronze sword lay in the sand a name was engraved in it, Rena. Rena that was her sister's name, I felt a strike of sadness for her. I didn't want to interrupt but it was to late she had hearing like a rabbit.
"What do you want?" I turned to see her looking at me she had beautiful crystal clear blue eyes. But they were blood shot purple hung under them.
"I hadn't formally introduced myself."
"Well go ahead."
"I'm Penelope Rondervin, I'm a daughter of Pan."
"Excuse me Pan?"
"Yeah, ya know goat god, fat, natury?"
"Grover Underwood talks nonstop about him."
"Grover Underwood? Will told me about him."
"Nice satyr, I like him best out of all of them."
"Well Ryanna I'm sorry about your sister, I don't know how it feels." She glared at me her eyes were right on me when she said,
"You have no idea, what I saw." She turned back, and looked back at the sky. I walked away leaving her with her thoughts. It must feel horrible for Ryanna feeling a aching hole in her chest for her sister, and for her other siblings. I wanted to know what the Titan War had caused but I knew I would never understand. I saw the sun just slipping behind the Empire State building. The ferry was gone now, for some reason it was just gone. The pink sky was the only remainder of light. Camp Half Blood still near empty with no campers or the centaur, Chiron, I kept thinking about the demigods my age who were coming, would I finally have friends, or be the presumed freak as I always was considered time would tell…
I awoke when the first strands of yellow were just coming out of the sun. I quickly got dressed and ran outside of the satyrs tent to see Rodney talking to another satyr he had curly brown hair and little horns sticking out of his hair, he looked to be about my age maybe a little younger. I slipped behind a tree and "overheard" their conversation.
"Do you think I'm lying, Grover?" Grover, the satyr that had met Pan, everyone must have returned, or at least some.
"No but I don't believe that Pan would leave something this important behind, and besides he would have given me some hint of a child left behind."
"Grover, um I'm Penelope." I said my voice squeaked out. He turned around and studied me.
"Do you believe me now?" Rodney said, "She killed that karpa, with no trouble."
"Ok so she's a half blood, but that still doesn't make her the daughter of Pan."
"Do you want proof?" I asked, I scooped up a patch of dead grass and sat it in my hand, I felt a energy radiate through me and come to my palm, it reached like stems and tickled the plant's roots. The small little mound started to perk up soon becoming a lush little piece of grass and little clover flowers came up.
"Ok so she could be a child of Demeter."
"My mother's a human."
"She can't be the daughter! She must be lying." Grover stomped his hoof, and began to walk away, anger boiled in my blood, no one told me I was lying. No one.
"Grover Underwood." A voice rippled out of me a voice that sounded like mine but had an edge in it. Grover stopped dead in his tracks. And turned and looked at me, his mouth fell open.
"Penelope, your glowing." He said shakily.
"Green?"
"Y-Yes." His eyes widened and he stared at me for what seemed to be eternity. "You are Pan's child." He bowed to me, something I was still getting used to.
"I told you."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be, you have a stubborn little thing inside you, it's alright." I swished my hair behind my back and walked with Rodney to the big house this would be interesting to meet this Chiron. I walked in and found a room that said: Chiron's Office, I knocked and a clatter of hooves sounded behind the door. Chiron himself opened the door, like the other people I met dark circles hung under his eyes. But yet the old centaur smiled,
"Nice to meet you, I'm Chiron."
"Nice to meet you as well, I'm Penelope Rondervin."
"Pan's child?"
"Yes."
"Well don't just stand there come in, come in." Rodney followed me as I walked in, and big surprise there was eating a tin can. I sat down in a big lumpy chair and glanced and saw thousands maybe millions of books, that extended all the way to the tallest ceiling. Chiron slunk down into a wheel chair.
"Rodney tells me you killed a monster all by yourself." He looked at me, I turned and glared at Rodney.
"No Rodney helped, I just killed the thing."
"I see, Penelope have you ever handled a celestial bronze falcata?"
"No, what's that?"
"This," He went over to one of the shelves of books and pulled a curved blade with the sparkling bronze I kept seeing. It was beautiful, and dangerous at the same time.
"This is gorgeous thank you." I exclaimed.
"You are very welcomed, I'd been meaning to give it to the Athena cabin but I think you need it more."
"Chiron I need to talk to you about something." I turned and saw the voice came from a boy my age, he had sea green eyes and black hair. Our eyes met he smiled and then turned back to Chiron. What I found unnerving was his eyes were exactly like the strange girl Pearl's. But he was cute, and I couldn't help but stare at him while he slipped he spoke to Chiron.
"Percy she's ready for the job I assure you."
"But I can't stand to lose her, like…like Luke's mom…"
"Percy, that won't happen." But I sensed uncertainty in his voice. Percy gave a nod and turned walked out of the office and slammed the door behind him. What was that about? I wondered, I kept picturing Percy's smile and his eyes…
"You'll have to excuse him." I blinked and came back to Chiron sitting in front of me.
"Oh of course." I smiled a small one, my mind some where else.
"Now my dear I know you have a quest ahead of you."
"Yes," I turned and glared angrily at Rodney.
"Well heed the warning Penelope, the monsters out there are worse then that blasted karpa you faced at your school."
"Of course sir." I nodded.
"Now have you decided who will go with you?"
"No I'm still deciding."
"Well there haven't been a lot of options I will say." He smiled but it was guarded with sadness. I nodded and returned the smile.
"Thank you sir, I appreciate it." I rose to leave, but I remembered my falcata, but it was already harnessed on my pants. How in the world did that happen? I looked to Chiron but he held his hands up and winked. I shrugged and walked to the doors, but then thought of Pearl.
"Chiron, before I leave a girl came up on the beach said her name was Pearl, she uh wanted to talk to you."
A reminded expression came on his face and he smiled like people do at happy memories.
"Ah yes Pearl, thank you I've been expecting her."
"Sure." I stepped out and sighed, Rodney had stayed in there. Well time to meet some new people. For the rest of the day I finally had a kind of normal day. I met some people, but a lot of them were solemn no laughs were really shared or jokes, just a polite hi. It kind of made me disgusted with the Stoll brothers so playful while everyone was depressed. Finally evening came and a campfire was planned. All the kids came and I was appalled at the horrible excuse of singing we did. Nearing the end of the campfire I got antsy what if the faces weren't shown. But then it happened what I had been waiting for. A green smoke twisted around the fire and a figure stood there a ghostly version, of a girl she stood in the flames.
Everyone gasped and someone screamed, she pointed at the boy, Percy. He rose and looked at me for some reason, like I knew what was going on. She then pointed at another girl her sea green eyes were luminous in the fires light. A gasp hit the crowd again, no one obviously knew they were related. The girl paused and took one last breath, then a raspy word sent the crowd into a screaming fit.
"You." It sounded like a snake if they talked, she was looking at Phoenix. Great, thanks fire sprit. She turned back into the fire and the crowd was silent, Chiron got up in front of us.
"Well that was interesting, will Percy, Pearl, Penelope, and Phoenix come and see me after the fire." He trotted off into the forest, the flames turned to a blue and it died finally. Everyone retreated. Guess the saying shows over, really did come in this situation. I went back to the Big House and went to Chiron's office.
"Well that was pleasant."
"It wasn't it, all of us together again."
"Huh? Chiron that's not what I-"
"Chiron what was that! Who is she! Who is she!" Percy ran in his eyes crazed.
"Percy-"
"Who the heck is this guy! He looks exactly like me." Pearl came in her eyes widened just like his. They stared at each other and then took one step back their movements mirrored.
"Oh crap." Percy muttered.
"You better not be talking about me." Pearl said her eyebrows were raised and a look came on her face.
"Actually I am."
"Oh really? Well lets see how you like this." She raised the water out of the fish tank and threw it at him. She laughed.
"You shouldn't have done that." He growled, and I was scared what might happen next.
"Both of you stop now!" Chiron silenced them. Phoenix sat in a chair his face amused and some what cocky. I groaned. Percy glared at me.
"Who is this chick?"
"Well Pearl, Percy I'm sure you know now is your sister, she's part nyrad. This one right here," He prodded me in the back, "Is Penelope, daughter of Pan." He shadow crossed his face.
"So I have to go on a quest after I just saw my friend's die, my uncle offered me a position on the council, after I just joined with Annabeth, after I just pretty much risked my life, do you want me to keep going Chiron?"
"Shut up, you could at least be a little nicer, you jerk!" Pearl screeched.
"You know what stay out of my business I didn't see you fighting in the war." He snapped.
"Um, no I was down under the ocean with Tyson, being a good older sister, unlike you"
"Stop talking you sound like my mother when she's in one of her nagging moods."
"Good, I'm glad I annoy you."
"Again will both of you stop." Chiron said, he rolled his eyes and patted my back, as if to apologize.
"Your going on this quest whether you like it or not." Percy glared at Pearl she gave it right back at him. This was going to be a long summer…