He didn't struggle, but simply slid his arm out of her hand. "What are you doing?"
She leaned against a nearby tree. "I want to know why you want to go on this quest with me, and you'd better hurry: I think Chiron would be forced to pick Clarisse if the real winner doesn't show."
He let out a huge sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking irritated and defeated. "Because you have the blessing of the Styx River on you,"
"The blessing?" She hissed. She didn't know if she should be insulted or laugh.
"I know some most Athena children find it a curse, but I don't. Because I need it, I need that blessing to be able to find someone whose been taken away to a very, very bad place." He sounded desperate and tired; his voice a whisper that turned harsher and harsher with each word. He was looming over her, his face inches from hers. She saw his blue eyes filled with despair and instantly wanted to help him, no matter what the request was.
But she pressured on. "And how am I supposed to help?"
"You know where it is. You could take me there; you could…teach me how to survive it." He was pleading her, begging her in a way that she knew bruised his ego. Eirene began to study his face, his blue eyes that were accented with long blonde eyelashes…the curve of his lips, the lining of his jaw…his cheekbones that had the sign of a faint scar. She touched it, feeling a shockwave throughout her body.
"One more question," She whispered. "Who is this person?"
He held her gaze. "Someone I love."
With a sigh and an incline of her head, she walked ahead of him towards the pavilion. She couldn't say no to his request, to his chance at saving someone he loved. Of course, she could simply give him the 'blessing' he desired, but felt it would be an abuse to her power. It was true that the river had been dried up, but with her still alive and breathing on this earth it had slowly began to re-fill itself. What Zeus hadn't realized when he created her was that she was the vessel for the river; all it needed was a host with a beating heart to bring it back to life. It would live until the day she grew old and died, and then Zeus would choose another to bear the curse of the Styx River.
They arrived and gathered around the bonfire, all of the campers already seated. Chiron turned and smiled when he saw her, giving a curious but brief glance at Andrew.
"And the guest of honour arrives. Come, Eirene, sit amongst your fellow campers."
She did as she was told, scooting next to Travis when Andrew sat next to Annabeth, along the other Athena campers. Chiron stomped his hoof to get everyone's attention, then began speaking.
"Hello fellow gods, satyrs, nymphs and demigods alike. Although it is not normal behavior for me to call a bonfire this early, it's because I have an announcement," He cleared his throat. "A summer ago, we received a camper. He played with us, ate with us, and gained our trust. And then he left, never to be seen again. Recently, we have become curious as to how he even came in contact with our camp. He was never issued a satyr, and never claimed. And then we discovered the truth: That he was never a demigod, but just a mortal."
There were a few murmurs going on through the crowd, some speculating who it was. Eirene looked up at the Stoll brothers, who gave her a knowing look.
"His name was Dennis Walker."
A wave of gasps and exclaims of shock rattled the crowd. Chiron waited patiently for them to get quiet again.
"We do not know how he stumbled upon this camp or why he would suddenly leave, but nevertheless it is dangerous for a mortal to be walking out there with the secrets of our gods," He cleared his throat, turning to now face Eirene. "Today, there was a battle. And today, there was a winner. That winner will be the one to lead the quest for Dennis's capture and return. Eirene, please stand."
Sheepishly, she got to her feet.
"Having only been here for a day, this unclaimed camper has managed to single handedly defeat one of our best fighters and claimed the role of leader on this quest. Please show her your respects." There was applause, but very brief. "And now, Eirene shall decide who will accompany her on the quest."
Instantly she looked at Andrew, who nodded at her. "If it's okay, I'll choose Andrew to accompany me."
Chiron nodded, accepting. "And your second…?"
Heather shot up, arms crossed. Chiron looked her way, surprised. "Heather Knightly, you volunteer?"
She shook her head. "No, but I do volunteer Damien." She paused to let the confused faces settle before continuing. "Think about it, Damien is our strongest and rarest asset, with him out there on the field finding Dennis will be a breeze."
Damien stood up, a cocky grin plastered on his face. "While I am flattered that you would volunteer me, I must refuse it on the grounds that I would miss you too much."
She didn't waver. "Dennis just maybe more of a threat than we thought of him, we need someone with the power of the elements on this quest. Damien just happens to have two."
"And may I remind Chiron that the last time I tried to use both at the same time I nearly called upon the oceans to bring the entire camp down to Hades?"
Heather glared at him from the corner of her eye. "Then Don't. Use. Them. Both."
He flashed the devilish grin of his. "You of all people should know I'm a risk taker."
"Enough!" Dionysus shouted, his voice echoing. "I will have both of you on dung cleaning duty for a month if you don't shut your traps and sit down. This is a serious matter."
They both sunk down to the ground in shame, Annabeth began talking to Heather in which Eirene assumed to be a scolding, but wasn't quite sure. She turned back to Chiron, shrugging. She didn't know who else she wanted to take on the quest with her. She didn't know many people and the only obvious option for a friend companion was Sam, which Eirene was the most reluctant to choose. It's not like she wouldn't want the girl with her on the quest, it was just that she had become protective of Sam in the short time that she'd known her. She felt like taking the young one along would cause distraction from the real objective: Locating Dennis. Eirene feels she would feel the need to protect Sam instead; which in hindsight was ironic seeing as how they had met when Sam had saved her life.
"I see. Then I will choose the other camper." Chiron grunted. "Then will Connor Stoll step forward?"
The shock was as prominent on his face as his brother, but he stood up anyways.
"Me?" He asked with a finger pointed at himself. Chiron smiled and nodded.
"Yes. You have been long overdue for a quest, and I think this particular one will do you good. You were friend with Dennis, were you not?"
"Yeah but—" Connor looked down at Travis, who also looked bewildered. Eirene felt it was at the idea of his brother going on a quest without him.
"There are no 'buts'. You will accompany Eirene on this quest, and that's final."
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