Then I remembered where I was supposed to be going. "Where's Hecate's headquarters?" Then she led me towards the headquarters. We went three blocks ahead (big place, I know) and turned left. You couldn't miss the building. It was the biggest one around and when we went inside we had to wait in a line because there were so many people.
While we were waiting, Sophia and I had a little chat. "So, what happened in the interrogation room?" I told her all that happened, from talking to Chiron, how the food and drinks were enchanted, the glowing flower and assigning me to a pharmacy or something.
"Okay, Chiron thinks you're the one who follows the path of the gods. This place hasn't had one of those for a long time. Trust me, I know. I've been here for seven years. I was shocked, "Hold on seven years? Why so long? Isn't this just a high school?" But she shook my thoughts away, "Never mind, anyway explain more about this plant of yours. It had a white flower and black roots and it just came out of nowhere?"
"Pretty much, yeah. So what?"
"Hmm." She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but when she got it she looked amazed. "What Chiron didn't tell you was that he thinks you're an immortal. Because he did say things about the path of the gods after being amazed. So in conclusion you're a god. But that's impossible! Where's your mark?" She looked around as expecting for me to make a diamond and hand it out to her.
Just then we realized that we were next in line. There was a woman in the desk who lead us towards another room. "Is that Hecate?" Sophia tried to keep in her laugh whispering back, "Oh yeah, she kind of looks like Angelina Jolie right? Of course not, why would you think that?" I decided to keep quiet because I had a feeling that if I said anything further I would look pretty much...stupid.
Right then she stopped dead in her tracks, "You have to go by your own by now." She gestured to encourage me further. I went straight ahead for the place to dissolve in mist and then it went away, showing a more dark place. Right here, I felt stronger, braver. But most of all it felt like home.
I saw a person clad in black robes walked towards me. "Hello Eugene, remember me?" When I looked into her eyes I saw what I never had before. Family. "Aunt Hecate, is that you? Where are we?"
The goddess guffawed deeply. "You remember me but you don't even recognize your birthplace. How sweet of you dear." I looked around unbelieving, then I knew. This was home.
"I took you here so we can talk privately. Do remember Hades and your mother Metis? Of course you do know. But I came to tell you about the prophecy. Long ago, Zeus was told that Metis would bear a son more powerful that him. So he swallowed Metis, so the story goes right?" She paused for a kind of confirmation from me.
I nodded so she would go ahead. "Well before that, Hades fell in love with her and had you," pointing at me. "He hid you in the underworld so that Zeus couldn't find you. But Zeus came one day to retrieve his daughter Persephone. So Hades sent Hermes to put you in the mortal world in guise of a human. So I must warn you not to tell anybody because Zeus might hear of the news and destroy you."
I thought about it for a while and it turned out this whole story was very enthusiastic. Me dying, keeping a secret or risk getting destroyed. Very enthusiastic.
"The only one you can trust now is your niece."
"Wait a minute, don't you think I'm too old to be an uncle." But hearing the story, I realized it must have been three thousand years old. Thinking that, I realized stupid I sounded because I could be a thousand times great-grandfather by now. "Exactly," Hecate said. Do you know how creepy it is for people to read your mind?
Then I asked the question I should have been asking. "What niece?"
"By Zeus, Metis bore Athena. That binder girl is of high-ranking and well-disciplined. Remember I also came to see you by school matters. Understand that I assign you a quest to retrieve what was once yours and rejoin us. Please tell Chiron of this but not of your parentage. Here, take this scroll to him but do not open it. He will recognize my essence in this script. You will only be allowed two companions. Sophia must go with you and Chiron knows which one of his immature mentors will be acting as your chaperone. Go and by the way tell him that I assigned you to master the arts of ψυκηαγογιεν (necromancy). I know it was considered as one of the forbidden arts by the members of the jury but tell them you are an exception. Good luck, you need it!"
The mist came around again and enveloped the Underworld. When it was clear, I was back to her "headquarters" and walked forward to Sophia. We walked toward the long green field in the center of school. Seeing no one was around I told her everything that had happened and all that Hecate said. She only seemed mortified by one thing.
"Niece, huh? Well, first things first. Let's take this scroll to Chiron, 'Uncle'" she smirked.