For the next couple of weeks that Emily went back and forth between Camp Halfblood, Camp Jupiter and the avenger tower. When she went to Camp Jupiter that she learned that Jason went missing a couple of months ago. Emily hadn't been there for a couple of months so it wasn't a surprise to Emily that she didn't learn about that fact sooner. Emily would admit that in the first few years of being ambassador of Pluto, before becoming ambassador of Vesta, that she was worried of not being able to handle herself. But since than she learned she could handle herself when she was among the Romans, she proved from time to time that she wasn't own to mess with if they cross or angered her greatly. Emily could fight using the Legion fighting style or the greek style, the Romans seen her use both fighting styles before. A couple of times Lauren went with Emily to Camp Halfblood, but Steve and Bucky remained at the avenger tower.
Honestly the whole time that Steve and Bucky stayed at Camp Halfblood was about a week, included the few days that she was drifting in and out from overusing her powers during the war. Though when she went to Camp Jupiter that Phil came with her as ambassador of Ceres, he went there partly because of the ambassador but she knows of it was because he wanted to see Aubrey and he always let Aubrey know when he went there. During those couple of weeks that Aubrey was there taking a break from doing her music. Unlike in Camp Jupiter that Emily and Lauren stayed at the big house, instead of using the ambassador house or the cabins. One morning as Emily and Lauren entered the camp that she noticed a flying chariot above the camp. Not only that but it was heading towards the lake, Emily and Lauren went running towards the lake. As Emily and Lauren reached the lake that the naiads in the lake tossed the chariot and the five campers from the water. Emily knew three of the five demigod's as they got out of the water as the other demigod's came forward to help the five demigod's to dry off.
The two that Emily didn't know we're an Indian girl and an boy that has elf like features like a son of Hermes. One was Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, and the other one was Butch, son of Iris. The third demigod that Emily knows was a surprise, even though he was unaware of who she was really, the third demigod was Jason Grace. Emily glanced among the crowd around the lake and noticed Arabella among the crowd, Arabella been to Camp Jupiter and was one of two ambassadors of Pluto. The other one being Nico, Emily handed her title and role to Nico when their father told Nico about Camp Jupiter. That was when Emily took the title of ambassador of Vesta, for it was something she could do and she preferred Phil to keep ambassador of Ceres. Arabella looked over at Emily, Emily shook her head telling Arabella not to say or do anything for neither one knows of why Jason was here. Than Will, a son of Apollo, moved his way through the crowd and spoke out Annabeth.
"Annabeth, I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"
"Will, I'm sorry. I'll get it fixed, I promise." Emily didn't say anything as she watched Will scowled at the broken chariot before he sized up Jason and the other two demigods.
"These are the ones? Way older than thirteen. Why haven't they been claimed already?"
"Claimed?" The elf boy looked confused when he asked that question.
"Any sign of Percy?"
"No." Emily sighed when Annabeth said that, Emily learned about Percy the day it happened. Of which was three days ago, emily has a feeling that something bad happened to Percy. Seeing Jason here, didn't help for she has a feeling of where Percy might be or or his way there at any rate. There was no way of knowing for sure if he was there or not, plus he could be anywhere at the moment. Emily looked away from Arabella as a girl stepped forward, Emily groaned as the girl stepped forward. It was Drew, a daughter of Aphrodite, not that she that hated Aphrodite or anything, it was just that she can be annoying at times. However Aphrodite was more of a pain shortly after she learned about Emily being alive and tried to get her to be with another man. But it seems that her love magic never worked on Emily, it worked on the men all right but not on Emily. After fifty years Aphrodite gave up on that, funny enough that half of her children that Emily can handle. But the other she wanted to kill, if she does kill them the first one would be Drew at the moment.
Thankfully for all of the rest of Aphrodite that Emily didn't want to do that with, for she pitied them instead. With all of the children of Aphrodite that she got along with her sons and Silena the best, she wasn't sure why she got along with Aphrdoite's sons so well. But with Silena, Emily knows why, for Silena represent everything good about Aphrodite or the parts Emily found good. That love was one of the important things in life as well as the friends that one makes and the love that was shared with your lover, family and friends. Plus Silena was smart, not Athena smart, but smarter than most daughters of Aphrodite. Also Silena never talked every second about boys, crushes, fashion or love among other things. At first Silena didn't know that Rachel and Emily were the same person till the battle of the labyrinth. Silena was excited when she learned about Steve and Lauren as well as learning that Bucky was alive after Emily brought Bucky to have him meet some of her friends at camp. It was at a time like this that she wished Silena didn't die and lived instead. Emily remembers when she brought Bucky here that one time that she had to talk to Chiron for a few minutes while Bucky waited at the porch.
When Emily left the big house that drew was on the porch trying to flirt with Bucky but he didn't flirt back. Emily could tell he wanted to punch drew in the face, but after his memories returned that he only fought against another guy unless if he was forced to fight a woman. Before Drew tried to make a move on Bucky that Emily used shadow travel and punched drew in the face causing her to fall over the railing and onto the ground, there Emily used the grass to tie Drew down and made her swear on the river Styx to never ever flirt with Bucky or even go fifty feet of him ever again. It wasn't till after Emily kicked drew in the stomach and punched her in the fact again that drew swear that. After that, that Drew didn't eve go fifty feet from her, usually she would turn and run the other way when she sees Emily. Even if Bucky was with her, heck, Drew would do that no matter who was with Emily at the time. Lauren and Emily always got a good laugh out of it every time Drew does that. Emily was surprised that Drew hasn't noticed her and ran away from the lake.
"Well, I hope they're worth the trouble." The elf boy snorted when Drew said that, Emily smiled when he did that.
"Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?"
"No kidding. How about some answers before you start judging us—like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?"
"Jason, I promise we'll answer your questions. And Drew, all demigods are worth saving. But I'll admit, the trip didn't accomplish what I hoped."
"Hey, we didn't ask to be brought here." Drew sniffed when the girl had said that.
"And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?" The girl took a step forward, it looked like she was going to smack her but Annabeth spoke.
"Piper, stop." Piper, apparently was the girl's name, did what Annabeth said.
"We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome. We'll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they'll be claimed."
"Would somebody tell me what claimed means?" Suddenly there was gasps, Emily looked up to see a blazing holographic image over the one boy's head and it was a fiery hammer. Emily and Lauren remained where they were while everyone backed away, Emily was surprised to see that symbol over the boy's head. After Silena's boyfriend was killed on the boat that Hephaestus hadn't claimed nay children and there was a supposed curse on the cabin.
"That is claiming."
"What'd I do?" The boy backed towards the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. "Is my hair on fire?" The boy ducked but the symbol followed him, Emily and Lauren were close of laughing as the boy tried to get rid of the symbol.
"This can't be good. The curse... "
"Butch, shut up. Leo, you've just been claimed... "
"By a god. That's the symbol of Vulcan, isn't it?" Everyone looked at Jason when he said that, Emily smiled and shook her head. She wasn't surprised that Jason used the roman name, for he was a roman, even though he trends to be more of a greek.
"Jason, how did you know that?"
"I'm not sure." When Jason said that, that Emily raised an eyebrow, Jason noticed of what Emily did because he looked confused when he looked at her. Emily stared at Jason and used her hope to touched his mind, it took all of her will power not cry out in surprise. When she touched his mind that she only felt blankness but yet she felt the connection that Jason has to Camp Jupiter and New Rome. Emily pulled away as elvish boy, Leo spoke.
"Vulcan? I don't even LIKE Star Trek. What are you talking about?"
"Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and fire." The fiery hammer faded, but Leo, apparently that was his name, kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was following him.
"The god of what? Who?" Annabeth had turned to Will.
"Will, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine."
"Sure, Annabeth."
"What's Cabin Nine? And I'm not a Vulcan!"
"Come on, Mr. Spock, I'll explain everything." Will put a hand on Leo's shoulder and steered him off to the cabins, Emily and Lauren walked forward as Annabeth turned back to Jason.
"Hold out your arm." Jason held out his arm, his windbreaker was off after the dip in the lake. Emily could hear a small gasp from Lauren when she saw the tattoo on the inside of his right forearm. It was darkly etched and hard to miss, there was a dozen straight lines like a bar code, over that was an eagle with the letters SPQR. Emily knew what that tattoo was but Emily held her tongue back as Annabeth looked at it, "I've never seen marks like this. Where did you get them?" Jason shook his head before he spoke.
"I'm getting really tired of saying this, but I don't know." The other chapters pushed forward, all of them were trying to get a look at Jason's tattoo. Emily could tell that the marks bother the campers, Emily couldn't blame them really. Emily was close of touching her own for it felt her tattoo was going to burn but held back for no one knows about that, expect for Phil, Bucky, Chiron and Arabella.
"They look burned into your skin."
"They were." Jason winced as if his head was aching. "I mean … I think so. I don't remember." No one said anything, Emily was sure that Lauren was unsure of what to say or do, besides it was Percy and Annabeth that were more of the leaders of the camp not Emily and Lauren like it had been about seventy years ago.
"He needs to go straight to Chiron, Drew, would you... "
"Absolutely. This way, sweetie. I'll introduce you to our director. He's … an interesting guy." Emily rolled her eyes as Drew flashed Piper a smug look and started walking with Jason toward the big blue house on the hill. Before Drew could go to far down the trail to the house with Jason that Emily spoke up.
"Annabeth, I think it would be better if I take Jason to the house." All the campers looked surprised slightly when Emily said that, not only at but Piper looked happy when Emily said that.
"Emily, you heard what ..." Drew was throw back by the shadows and she fell into the grass causing her clothes to look less glamorous.
"Do you want a repeat of what happened a few months ago?" Emily looked over at Annabeth who has a small smile on her face before Emily looked back at Drew. "Don't you even say that Annabeth would stop me from doing that again. For you know she won't stop me. So beat it, unless if you want me to make sure your worst nightmares come true." Drew gave her a death glare, Emily gave her an even better death glare and Drew shrunk under it before getting to her feet and went running to the cabins. Emily nodded to Lauren and mouthed to go back to the avenger tower, Lauren nodded before she went to the hill. Emily walked over to Jason and put her hands on his shoulder and walked him towards to the house, as Emily did that the crowd began to disperse. For a few minutes neither one of them said anything but Jason spoke up first as they made their way to the house.
"Who are you?"
"Emily Barnes, daughter of Demeter." Jason stopped when Emily said that.
"That name, it sounds familiar."
"Emily is a rather common name and I am sure Barnes is common enough that I am not the only one with the name." Just as Emily said that, that Emily and Jason reached the big house. Emily only size that because Jason didn't seem to have any memories, even if he did that he would realize who she was. For every demigod knows who Captain America and Lieutenant USA were, that they were children of Demeter.
"Here we are! The Big House, camp headquarters." Emily could only began to guess of what was going on inside his head at the moment, for there must be a thousand of things. She was sure that Jason felt like he was not suppose to be here and in truth he wasn't suppose to be here. Than Jason spoke.
"I am not supposed to be here." Emily sighed when Jason said that, she squeezed his shoulders in a motherly fashion and she could tell it relaxed him some.
"Don't worry or be scared, Jason. I am here." Jason looked back at her, as he did so that he looked into her eyes and she could tell Jason started to relax as Emily poured the feeling of home into him and that he was not the only one out that was feeling the same way.
"Thanks."
"No problem, Jason." Jason was about ready to say something but than they heard the hooves and turned to look at the front porch. It was than that Chiron rounding the corner of the porch that Emily called out to Chiron, she has a feeling of how Chiron would react to Jason.
"Chiron! This is Jason." Jason backed up so fast that he was close of tripping, if he was any faster or Emily wasn't behind than he would have fell. It was clear that Jason didn't expect to see Chiron, Chiron was wearing his World's best Centaur on and he has a quiver and bow strapped to his back. When Chiron looked at Jason that he started to smile but than the color drained from his face like Emily expected it would be. Than Chiron looked at Emily with a look that said, don't tell me of who I think he is, Emily merely nodded. Chiron looked back at Jason, Emily could see his eyes flared up like a cornered animal.
"You … You should be dead." Than Chiron ordered Jason to go inside the house, usually Chiron invited the campers in but considering that Jason was a roman without memories, Emily couldn't blame him. Emily followed Jason up since Chiron ordered her to go inside as well, Emily figured of why that was. Chiron knows that she was aware of the other camp and that she was the ambassador of Pluto till Hades decided to let Nico be the ambassador of Pluto as well. So Emily become the Ambassador of Vesta by choice, the Romans wanted to reform the Vestal Virgins and have Emily as the leader. By that point, Emily was married to Bucky and was no longer a virgin, she told them that can't happen and told them that she expected one of her siblings to take the mantle of ambassador from her one day that it would be shared with another sibling. If that happened that she would become the ambassador of Vesta, of which they were fine with after a while.
Chiron trotted over to the empty wheelchair on the porch and he slipped his quiver and bow off. Than Chiron backed into the chair of which opened up like normal, Chiron gingerly stepped into it with his back legs. Emily was still unsure of that that chair works but she always thought of the beeping of a truck when she watched Chiron back up into the wheelchair. A few times when it was just her and Chiron talking and he backs up into the chair that Emily would made the sound of which amused Chiron. When his lower half disappeared that the chair folded up, popping out a set of fake legs covered in a blanket. So that Chiron looked a normal guy in a wheelchair and no one would take notice of him expect to notice he was in a wheelchair.
"Follow me. We have lemonade." As they entered the living room that Emily shook her head, Emily has been in here since Dionysus left. She has no idea of why he decided to leave this place like he did, for the living room looked like it was swallowed by a rain forest. Grapevines curved up the walls and across the ceiling, of which was like the Demeter cabin but they didn't have grape vines nor was it on the roof. It was strawberry vines. There was leather couches facing a stone fireplace with a crackling fire and in one corner was an old style PAC-MAN arcade game. There was an assortment of masks around the room, some were from Greek theater, others were mardi grass masks and many more. Some of the grapevines grew through the mouths of the masks and a couple have grapes for eyeballs. Above the fireplace was a leopard's head that was named Seymour, Seymour snarled at Jason. Jason jumped back when Seymour did that.
"Now, Seymour, Jason is a friend. Behave yourself."
"That thing is alive!" Emily leaned to Jason before she spoke.
"Seymour does that with everyone when they first enter this house. It was annoying in the first few days when he was here. But he only snarls now when there is a new camper that enters the house." As Emily spoke that Chiron was rummaged though the side pocket of his wheelchair and brought out a package of sausages and threw one to the leopard of who snapped it up and licked his lips.
"You must excuse the décor. All this was a parting gift from our old director before he was recalled to Mount Olympus. He thought it would help us to remember him. Mr. D has a strange sense of humor."
"Mr. D, Dionysus?"
"Mmm hmm." Chiron poured lemonade, Emily notice that his hands were trembling a little. "As for Seymour, well, Mr. D liberated him from a Long Island garage sale. The leopard is Mr. D's sacred animal, you see, and Mr. D was appalled that someone would stuff such a noble creature. He decided to grant it life, on the assumption that life as a mounted head was better than no life at all. I must say it's a kinder fate than Seymour's previous owner got." Seymour bared his ranges before sniffing the air as if he was hunting for more sausages.
"If he's only a head, where does the food go when he eats?"
"Better not to ask. Please, sit." Emily took the lemonade from Chiron, Emily was nervous, scared and worried of how this would turn out. Chiron sat back in his wheelchair and tried for a smile but failed, for it was clear that the smile was forced. The warmth, love and concern were not present at the moment, instead, his eyes looked deep and dark as wells.
"So, Jason, would you mind telling me—ah—where you're from?"
"I wish I knew." Jason told Chiron the whole story or what Jason could tell him. The only thing Chiron did was nod, when Jason finished that he sipped his lemonade.
"I see. And you must have questions for me."
"Only one. What did you mean when you said that I should be dead?" It seem that the old Chiron was coming back a little bit, for Chiron studied him with concern as if he expected Jason to burst into flames. However he already saw Emily do that and she was sure he didn't want to see that happen again. Chiron looked at Emily before looking back at Jason.
"My boy, do you know what those marks on your arm mean? The color of your shirt? Do you remember anything?" Jason looked at the tattoo on his forearm.
"No. Nothing."
"Do you know where you are? Do you understand what this place is, and who I am?"
"You're Chiron the centaur, I'm guessing you're the same one from the old stories, who used to train the Greek heroes like Heracles. This is a camp for demigods, children of the Olympian gods."
"So you believe those gods still exist?"
"Yes, I mean, I don't think we should worship them or sacrifice chickens to them or anything, but they're still around because they're a powerful part of civilization. They move from country to country as the center of power shifts—like they moved from Ancient Greece to Rome." Than Chiron spoke but this time he spoke in Latin.
"I couldn't have said it better. So you already know the gods are real. You have already been claimed, haven't you?"
"Maybe, I'm not really sure." Seymour snarled when Jason spoke in Latin, it seemed at that moment that Jason seem to realized what happen.
"Quis erat—" Emily smiled lightly as Jason faltered and made an effort to speak in English. "What was that?"
"You know Latin. Most demigods recognize a few phrases, of course. It's in their blood, but not as much as Ancient Greek. None can speak Latin fluently without practice." It seem that Chiron was relaxing some for Chiron was starting to act more like himself than he was when he first saw Jason. "I taught your namesake, you know, the original Jason. He had a hard path. I've seen many heroes come and go. Occasionally, they have happy endings. Mostly, they don't. It breaks my heart, like losing a child each time one of my pupils dies. But you—you are not like any pupil I've ever taught. Your presence here could be a disaster."
"Thanks, You must be an inspiring teacher."
"Jason." He looked over at Emily when she said that. "He is right, that you are different and you being here could be disastrous."
"I am sorry, my boy. But it's true. I had hoped that after Percy's success—"
"Percy Jackson, you mean. Annabeth's boyfriend, the one who's missing."
"I hoped that after he succeeded in the Titan War and saved Mount Olympus, we might have some peace. I might be able to enjoy one final triumph, a happy ending, and perhaps retire quietly. I should have known better. The last chapter approaches, just as it did before. The worst is yet to come."
"Ohh-kay. So—last chapter, happened before, worst yet to come. Sounds fun, but can we go back to the part where I'm supposed to be dead? I don't like that part."
"I'm afraid I can't explain, my boy. I swore on the River Styx and on all things sacred that I would never … But you're here, in violation of the same oath. That too, should not be possible. I don't understand. Who would've done such a thing? Who—"
Seymour started to howl but his mouth froze half open, the arcade game stopped beeping. Than the fire stopped crackling and it's flames hardening like the flames were red glass. Emily looked around and got up from the couch, it seemed like everything was frozen expect for herself and Jason. This worrying, Emily was sure that this was one of the god's doing but which one she was unsure of.
"Chiron? What's going—" It seems Jason expected Chiron not to be frozen as well. But Chiron was frozen as well and Jason jumped off the couch. Jason looked at Emily with worry. "Emily, what's going on?"
"I wish I knew." Before Jason could say anything that a voice spoke.
'Jason.' Emily backed away as dark mist boiled out of Seymour's mouth. As the mist boiled out that Jason pulled out the golden coin and flipped the coin so it changed into a sword. Emily grasp the poppy and it changed into her sword, the same poppy she got from her mother when she was claimed. The mist took the form of a woman in black robes, her face was hooded but her eyes glowed in the darkness. Over her shoulders she wore a goatskin cloak, Emily knew who it was, it was Hera, but in this case it was really Juno. 'Would you attack your patron? Lower your sword.'
"Who are you? How did you—"
'Our time is limited, Jason. My prison grows stronger by the hour. It took me a full month to gather enough energy to work even the smallest magic through its bonds. I've managed to bring you here, but now I have little time left, and even less power. This may be the last time I can speak to you.' Jason didn't bother to lower his sword, neither did Emily but Juno hadn't address Emily.
"You're in prison? Look, I don't know you, and you're not my patron."
'You know me, I have known you since your birth.'
"I don't remember. I don't remember anything."
'No, you don't. That also was necessary. Long ago, your father gave me your life as a gift to placate my anger. He named you Jason, after my favorite mortal. You belong to me.'
"Whoa, I don't belong to anyone."
'Now is the time to pay your debt, Find my prison. Free me, or their king will rise from the earth, and I will be destroyed. You will never retrieve your memory.'
"Is that a threat? You took my memories?"
'You have until sunset on the solstice, Jason. Four short days. Do not fail me.' Than Juno turned to Emily. 'Emily Barnes, you have an important role to play.'
"In the prophecy of the eight, right?" Juno nodded when Emily said that. "I am not one of the eight, I know that much."
'Very true, Emily. But you meet all of eight but one.'
"Point being?"
'You are the hope that helps in their quest, you need to help them and protect them like you always have with all demigod's in the last seventy years. You are among the six that will help and protect the eight as much as you can. But once all eight are together that you and the other five must help them, but that would still be some time away.' Emily was about ready to say something but Juno dissolved and the mist curled into Seymour's mouth. Than everything unfroze.
"—would dare to bring you here?"
"Probably the lady in the mist." Chiron looked up at Jason and Emily in surprise.
"Weren't you two just sitting … why do you have a sword drawn?"
"I hate to tell you this, but I think your leopard just ate a goddess." Jason and Emily told him about Juno, Emily brought up that that it was Hera and what she told her while Jason said everything else.
"Oh, dear. That does explain a lot."
"Then why don't you explain a lot to me? Please." Before Chiron could say anything that footsteps were reverberated and the front door opened. Annabeth and Rachel burst in dragging Piper between them and Piper was unconscious.
"What happened? What's wrong with her?"
"Hera's cabin. Vision. Bad."
"I think …I think I may have killed her." Emily focus on Piper before she spoke.
"No, Rachel. You didn't kill her."
After they managed to settle down that Jason helped Rachel put Piper on the couch. While Annabeth had rushed down the hall to get a med kit. Piper was still breathing but she didn't wake up, it was like the Helicarrier all over again of where Phil went into that coma and woke up a week later.
"We've got to heal her. There's a way, right?" Emily knelt down besides Piper as Chiron put his hand on her forehead and grimaced.
"Her mind is in a fragile state. Rachel, what happened?" Emily put her hands over Piper, Emily could feel the state of mind that Piper was in, so Emily had allowed hope enter her and used to help calm Piper down since it seem like everything in Piper was racing. But there was nothing else Emily could do, even with everything she could do that there limits and things she can't do.
"I wish I knew. As soon as I got to camp, I had a premonition about Hera's cabin. I went inside. Annabeth and Piper came in while I was there. We talked, and then—I just blanked out. Annabeth said I spoke in a different voice." As Rachel spoke that Jason looked at her and Emily leaned to him and whispered.
"What I did should help her but what I did wasn't healing. I can heal people yes but I can't heal her from the state she is in." Jason nodded when Emily said that.
"A prophecy?"
"No. The spirit of Delphi comes from within. I know how that feels. This was like long distance, a power trying to speak through me." Annabeth ran in with a leather pouch and knelt next to Piper.
"Chiron, what happened back there—I've never seen anything like it. I've heard Rachel's prophecy voice. This was different. She sounded like an older woman. She grabbed Piper's shoulders and told her—"
"To free her from a prison?" Annabeth stared at Jason when he said that.
"How did you know that?" Chiron made a three fingered gesture over his heart.
"Jason, Emily, tell them. Annabeth, the medicine bag, please." Chiron trickled drops from a medicine vial into Piper's mouth while Jason and Emily explained what happen with Hera. When they were done no one spoke of which wasn't a big surprise for Emily since things like this happen rarely.
"So does this happen often? Supernatural phone calls from convicts demanding you bust them out of jail?"
"Your patron. Not your godly parent?"
"No, she said patron. She also said my dad had given her my life."
"I've never of heard anything like that before. You said the storm spirit on the skywalk—he claimed to be working for some mistress who was giving him orders, right? Could it be this woman you saw, messing with your mind?"
"I don't think so, If she were my enemy, why would she be asking for my help? She's imprisoned. She's worried about some enemy getting more powerful. Something about a king rising from the earth on the solstice... " Annabeth turned to Chiron.
"Not Kronos. Please tell me it's not that." Chiron looked miserable and Emily couldn't blame him, with everything that happened that day. Chiron held Piper's wrist checking her pulse. It was a while before he spoke.
"It is not Kronos. That threat is ended. But …"
"But what?" Chiron closed the medicine bag.
"Piper needs rest. We should discuss this later." Emily wasn't surprise that he changed the subject and refused to talk about what was happening.
"Or now. Sir, Mr. Chiron, you told me the greatest threat was coming. The last chapter. You can't possibly mean something worse than an army of Titans, right?"
"Oh, dear. The woman was Hera. Of course. Her cabin, her voice. She showed herself to Jason at the same moment."
"Hera? She took you over? She did this to Piper?"
"I think Rachel's right. The woman did seem like a goddess. And she wore this—this goatskin cloak. That's a symbol of Juno, isn't it?"
"It is? I've never heard that."
"Of Juno, Hera's Roman aspect, in her most warlike state. The goatskin cloak was a symbol of the Roman soldier."
"So Hera is imprisoned? Who could do that to the queen of the gods?" Annabeth crossed her arms.
"Well, whoever they are, maybe we should thank them. If they can shut up Hera..."
"Annabeth, she is still one of the Olympians. In many ways, she is the glue that holds the gods' family together. If she truly has been imprisoned and is in danger of destruction, this could shake the foundations of the world. It could unravel the stability of Olympus, which is never great even in the best of times. And if Hera has asked Jason for help..."
"Fine. Well, we know Titans can capture a god, right? Atlas captured Artemis a few years ago. And in the old stories, the gods captured each other in traps all the time. But something worse than a Titan … ?"
"Hera said she'd been trying to break through her prison bonds for a month."
"Which is how long Olympus has been closed. So the gods must know something bad is going on."
"But why use her energy to send me here? She wiped my memory, plopped me into the Wilderness School field trip, and sent you a dream vision to come pick me up. Why am I so important? Why not just send up an emergency flare to the other gods—let them know where she is so they bust her out?"
"The gods need heroes to do their will down here on earth. That's right, isn't it? Their fates are always intertwined with demigods."
"That's true, but Jason's got a point. Why him? Why take his memory?"
"And Piper's involved somehow. Hera sent her the same message—Free me. And, Annabeth, this must have something to do with Percy's disappearing." Annabeth looked at Chiron.
"Why are you so quiet, Chiron? What is it we're facing?" Emily looked at Chiron, he looked like he aged ten years.
"My dear, in this, I cannot help you. I am so sorry."
"You've never … you've never kept information from me. Even the last great prophecy..."
"I will be in my office. I need some time to think before dinner. Rachel, will you watch the girl? Call Argus to bring her to the infirmary, if you'd like. And Annabeth, you should speak with Jason. Tell him about ... about the Greek and Roman gods."
"But …" Chiron turned his wheelchair and rolled towards the hallway but he stopped for a moment and than he looked at Emily.
"Emily, I want you to come with me. You know what we are going to talk about." Emily got up from she was sitting before she could move any more that Annabeth spoke.
"Why talk to her?" Emily walked over to Annabeth and put her hands on Annabeth's shoulders.
"That is because I know what is happening or know more than what you know."
"What is happening?"
"Annabeth, you can't know, not now. But you will know soon enough. But I need to ask you something." Annabeth looked surprise but she nodded telling Emily to go on. "I am no oracle." She looked over at Rachel as she said that before looking back at Annabeth. "But I have over sixty years of reading and learning of all the stories of every myths of the gods there is as well as do my duties. I had over seventy years worth of training counting my time in camp for ten years. Due to my godly parents that I am able to know certain things that is happening above or below the world. Due to the things I heard that I need you to promise me that as the prophecy of the eight is being played out not to cause any trouble or at least do your best. Provided that you are still alive at that point in time." Emily figured it would be better if Rachel reveals that the prophecy of the eight was playing out now, that it would revealed that night.
"What are you talking about?"
"I can't say now, but you will learn soon enough and I expect you will know after this quest to save Hera ends."
"I promise that I will try not to cause trouble." Emily took her hands off from Annabeth's shoulders and spoke softly.
"I know you are confused and lost with everything that is happening. I am sorry that I can't tell you any more than what I said already. For I can't say anything till the time is right for you to know." Emily followed Chiron down the hallway and to his office, once he were inside that Chiron closed the door and Emily sat down in a chair. Chiron turned the wheelchair around and looked at Emily.
"I assume you meet Jason before?"
"I have, he is the son of Jupiter and one of the praetor of the twelfth legion." Chiron sighed and rubbed his beard thoughtfully.
"Why would Hera being Jason here without his memories?" Emily closed her eyes and thought to Camp Jupiter, she remembers that the prophecy of the eight was in the floor of the temple of Jupiter.
"I believe that the prophecy of the eight concerns both Roman and Greek demigods. That if either camps try to pick eight from their own camps that they would fail even the eight is among the eight they picked." Emily opened her eyes and looked at Chiron of who paled as she looked at him and looked another ten years older. "I believe that it will take the combine efforts of both camps to face this threat."
"I am afraid you are right. This could mean another war between the demigods."
"I know, this is a gamble." Neither one said anything, they both sat there. After a few minutes that Chiron spoke.
"Emily, aren't you an ambassador over there."
"I was the ambassador of Pluto till I handed it to Nico by my father's request. But I took the title of ambassador of Vesta than the Romans wanted me to be the leader of the Vestal Virgins and reform it since it was lost long time ago. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't do that. I haven't be a virigin since I was twenty two a few months short of twenty three, but there is no way I was going to take a vow to remain a virgin or a maiden for the rest of my life. There was only one if that was going happen." Chiron smiled slightly and he became ten years younger.
"You know your place in Camp Jupiter can help with bringing the two camps together. But do they know that you are Emily Barnes or Rachel Blackthrone."
"Only Rachel Blackthrone. I i trend to keep it that way, even if the Greeks are aware that I am also Emily barnes."
"Do you know what it means to be Vesta's ambassador?"
"I do, she wanted me to her her ambassador while I was Pluto's ambassador but that would be too much for me, even after getting use to what I do. I knew one day I would give my title of ambassador of Pluto to one of my half siblings and when that happen at I would those on the title of Ambassador of Vesta. I knew when I did that, that I would also become the protector of the roman state and the home, in a sense. I have to admit that when I gave it to Nico that I had a feeling that I would need the title I carry now. I believe that because of this prophecy is the reason."
"I believe you are with what Hera said, as work as judging of what you did in World War II and what you have done since." Neither one said anything for a few minutes, after those few minutes that Emily spoke up.
"Chiron, is there anything else you want to talk about?"
"Do me a favor and watch over Jason and look out for Percy at Camp Jupiter. As well as to keep me updated of what is happening at Camp Jupiter for the next few months."
"All right, I will do that, however I can't say I will town you even time I come here. But when something or someone important comes along that I will tell you or let you know." Chiron nodded, Emily got up and left Chiron's office.