I figured I wanted to post this today because Fridays man… I always get a little bit jumpy on Fridays… weird like that… anyway, here ya go!

CHAPTER 4: WE PLAN A TRIP TO DREAMLAND

It had been a week, and Riley was starting to get worried that Zach was right. She was pulling herself up the climbing wall with ease, leaping across it like a monkey. At this point, the movements were almost robotic, and she could let her thoughts wander wherever she wanted (as long as she accepted that her clothes would be slightly charred). And right now, as irritating as it was, they'd fixed themselves on Zach. He was definitely not normal, that much she was sure of. Everything in Camp Half-Blood that should have completely freaked him out, just kind of surprised him. And even though he said he needed those weird glasses to see through the mist, he'd almost completely stopped wearing them now. She still needed to ask him about that.

But, even though he wasn't normal, he didn't exactly seem godly either. He hadn't shown any special powers yet, and he couldn't summon monsters without that weird Gameboy looking thing. Last time she asked him to try, he asked for 'the blood of a maiden pure of heart and unsullied of flesh'. She'd learnt to stop asking him weird questions.

He was horrible with a sword, his reflexes were pathetic, he was bad at Ancient Greek but could speak Latin, and the lava on the climbing wall completely repelled him from it. As Riley pulled herself to the top of the climbing wall to the cheers of her fellow campers, she couldn't help but wonder just who exactly he was if he wasn't a demigod. She clambered down to the bottom, swelling up with pride as she hadn't even gotten her shoes singed this time, then found Ash over by a tree, staring blankly into space.

Ash was always a bit of a mystery to her. Most people from the Apollo cabin were really charismatic and expressive. There was always their own personal party hovering around them. But Ash was… well, the only way to put it was weird. She liked to be by herself and just stare at things, and sometimes people, for uncomfortable periods of time. Sometimes she would have a notebook or a sketchpad and she would scribble things into it (how she could draw or write with her eyes closed was a mystery) but Riley had never actually seen what was in it. With all the weird stuff she said all the time, Riley wasn't actually sure if she wanted to see it.

"Can I help you?" Ash asked, before Riley had even said anything. "Your aura has been especially wild these last few days."

"What do you mean especially wild? Anyway, that's not what I'm here for. I just wanted to talk, that's all. You're always on your own, it's kind of hard to tell what you're thinking sometimes."

"I'm not exactly a people person. I just observe the infinite universe around me, occasionally commenting on it, and adding what little I can to the world."

"Or you're trying too hard to sound enlightened and you secretly just don't like people." For just a moment, Riley thought she saw her lip start to curl into a smile, but it disappeared almost instantly.

"I can't comment on that," she replied. "What I'm curious about is what's disturbing you, and I'm guessing it has to do with Zachariah." Riley shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Ash had this way of staring at people through her shut eyelids that made it feel like she was staring into your soul.

"I dunno… it's like, I'm getting a little worried about the guy."

"He's survived so far."

"Yeah, I know, but, it's been over a week and he's still unclaimed. It's really weird for a half-blood to go so long without being claimed, especially if they're over thirteen. I'm just wondering that maybe he isn't a demigod?"

"He can see more than most children of men."

"Sometimes, mortals can see through the mist. Just think of Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

"You said he was strong enough to fight a monster, maybe even on his own."

"Yeah, but he's still not that strong, and he uses a gun! Have you ever heard of a half-blood using a gun?"

"Still, we don't know who his father is, and apparently, neither does he."

"Loads of people have missing fathers, it happens. Look, I'm not saying that he's not special in some way, but I'm not really sure whether he's a demigod or not. He just seems too…."

"Ordinary? Well, he did keep saying that he's human. If you're really not sure, why don't you ask him yourself? And I mean, ask him everything, no jumping to conclusions. Who he is, what he does, why he can see through the mist… you might just learn something." Riley wasn't looking forward to the interrogation, but she nodded her head in approval anyway.

"I'll try do that. I'm just getting a bad feeling about all of this, like he doesn't really belong… although, that makes sense if he's a mortal…." Riley set off towards her next activity, hastily remembering to thank Ash before she left. Even after giving her the reassurance though, Ash couldn't help but wonder whether there was something wrong with him too. Something about him that felt like demons….

Zachariah had had just about enough of sword practice. And now he was getting pounded by a guy who didn't even have a sword. Great.

He thrust and stabbed with the practice short sword he was using, but to no avail. Every swing he made was blocked and parried, frequently sending him off balance and tottering off as he tried to steady himself. He spun on his heel and made a savage swing at his opponent, but the blow did nothing, the blade bouncing off his enemy's shield. He shoved Zach back violently, slamming the shield into his face. Zach knew that if his enemy had a sword as well, he would have died in the next second, but as it stood his battlefield dance partner was just equipped with the shield. That was it. Zach was pretty sure if exhaustion didn't kill him, then getting the embarrassment of losing to a virtually unarmed guy would. He could feel the strength leaving his limbs, and he knew that the fight was over, so hey? Why not give it all or nothing? He put all his power behind the swing, slamming the sword down on his opponents head. He didn't even try to block it, sidestepping easily and slamming it into Zach's face again. Zach collapsed, spots swimming before his eyes, and it took him a few moments to realise that the edge of the shield was pressed against his neck.

"Dude, you suck," his opponent said.

"Shut up…." He helped him up onto his unsteady feet. To be honest, it wasn't even a fair fight. Sure, Zach was armed with a nice sword that gave him the clear reach advantage, but the guy he was facing was like twice his height with a mess of black hair and a long thin scar going across the bridge of his nose. His arms were also scarred, and he clearly didn't care seeing as he was wearing a Camp Half-Blood tank top and (as odd as it seemed) designer jeans. He was like a buffed out James Dean that got into a knife fight. And he was in the Aphrodite cabin. Zach wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't said so himself. Something told him they both didn't believe it.

"I want to give you some kind of advice, but I'm not even sure where to start…."

"I'll get better, I just need some practice, that's all!"

"I mean, your form sucks, your grip's like a little girl, you're leaving yourself open…."

"Wait, I thought you said you didn't know where to start?"

"All your movements are unnecessary, you're just plain weak, it's actually kind of embarrassing…."

"Okay, I get it!" Zach quickly stopped him before he could crush his spirits anymore. It was around then when he noticed a girl, around her early twenties, with frizzy red hair and freckles, approaching him from the opposite side of the arena. There was paint splattered across her orange Camp Half-Blood shirt, and for some reason he could imagine a smiling five year old version of her with a big gap in her teeth for a missing tooth. He could only hope that she hadn't just seen him get totally floored.

"So, how's practice going?" she asked. "Getting the hang of it yet?"

"None of the swords feel right and fighting Adam is like spraying a brick wall with a water pistol. So, yeah, I think I'm getting used to it by now."

"C'mon dude, you'll get there, don't worry about it." He shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Maybe you're just not cut out for the sword?" she suggested.

"Well, I keep a pistol under my pillow at night so that's a possibility."

"What?"

"Nothing – hey, maybe I'd be better off with a bow?"

"You nearly shot yourself in the foot," Adam interjected. "I don't think it's a good idea to let you anywhere near a quiver." He looked down at his toes in embarrassment.

"Yeah, maybe I'm not cut out for this stuff huh?"

"Oh suck it up," the girl said. "You get knocked out enough times and eventually you learn to dodge. Oh yeah, I don't think I introduced myself yet!" She flashed him a big toothy, and not at all toothless grin. "My name's Rachel Elizabeth Dare. I'm the camp oracle."

"An oracle? What, like a prophet or something? Well, my name's-"

"Zach, right? I already know a bit about you. You're the guy that Riley picked up. And you still haven't been assigned a cabin yet, have you? Are you sure you're a demigod? You can see through the mist, but you're not like me either, so that's not it, and you at least have some power, so who are you?"

"I'm exactly who I've been saying I am. I'm a demon hunter. Period." She shrugged her shoulders as if she wasn't convinced.

"I'll find out one day. But until then, make yourself-" she abruptly cut herself off, clutching her head in agony as she collapsed to one knee, her whole body trembling. With at least some idea of concern, Zach and Adam began approaching her, but she held up her hand, stopping them in their tracks. "Ah great, just when I…."

"Hey, what's happening?" Zach asked.

"She's probably getting a prophecy," Adam said. "But that's pretty weird, they're not normally this random." Adam didn't look too concerned, as if this had happened before, but instead gently led her to a seat by the side of the amphitheatre. "Don't forget a word she says, just in case." Zach nodded his head, striving to commit the next few minutes to memory, but it was kind of hard to do when she stood straight up, her spine stiff as an ironing board, and started speaking like she'd swallowed three people's voice boxes.

"Beneath the earth, beyond light skies

The grasp of graves do yield to cries

The tools of death and Ragnarok

And burned Megiddo's lightning shock

They sing, but wait, beware the hands

That hold these tools, imposing trance

For steel and quill may win the fight

But traitor's fall to dawning light"

As soon as she was done speaking, her whole body went limp, crumpling in on itself.

"Hey, take it easy," Adam said, fanning her exhausted looking face.

"Um, what was that?" Zach asked, trying his best not to let the tremble in his voice show.

"That was a prophecy," he said. "They happen from time to time, and normally quests come after, but this one was something else."

"That's not good is it?" Adam looked him seriously in the eyes, and for some reason he looked a lot scarier than he did when he was trying to decapitate him with a shield.

"We have to go and see Chiron."

It took them about two seconds to get kicked out of the big house once they brought the prophecy to them. Rachel Elizabeth Dare stayed inside with Chiron to discuss the prophecy while Zach and Adam sat by the front porch, trying to think of something other than the apocalyptic message they'd just received. Zach was content to just look like he was in deep thought to avoid having to say anything when he noticed Adam clutching a tiny pink stuffed animal in his hands. It was small enough to fit in his palm like a key holder, but there was no way he could take the pink bunny ears poking out the top of its head seriously.

"Um, Adam?"

"Yo."

"Where'd you get that… the teddy? Where'd you get the teddy?"

"This?" He held it up, shaking it by its ears so it danced like a puppet with tangled strings. "I didn't get it anywhere. I made it."

"Really?" Maybe he had sounded just a bit too surprised there because Adam glared at him.

"Yeah… what're you trying to say? You don't believe I could make something like this? Huh?!"

"No! No, nothing like that!"

"So what do you think I do in my free time, eh? Fix car engines or something?" Zach wasn't sure why he was getting so worked up, but Adam was now standing up, and he really didn't need the guy to remind him how much bigger he was than Zach. Just when he thought things were going to get violent, Chiron and Dionysus emerged from the Big House. Chiron eyed Zach somewhat apprehensively.

"We need to talk." From the wary look Chiron was giving him, he felt somewhat compelled to follow him into the Big House. He took a seat by a table opposite Dionysus. Rachel Elizabeth Dare was stood by the stairs, looking much healthier than she did when they met in the amphitheatre, and Chiron had fitted his equestrian lower half into his weird magical wheelchair.

"I'm assuming you already know about the prophecy," Chiron said.

"I do now," Zach replied, not sure what kind of tone to take with them. The tension in the air was obvious: they could probably cut through it with a butter knife if they wanted to. All of Zach's hunter's instincts were kicking in at once. His left hand was resting gently on his jean pocket where the summoning tool was, and his eyes were scanning the room for anything he could use as a weapon if the going got tough.

"This makes things easier. There's a particular problem with this prophecy, and it may have something to do with you. Oracles are always important figures in myths. They can see more than most people do, possess powers that even some gods lack. They can see into the future and hear the words of the fates. Here at Camp Half-Blood, the spirit of the oracle of old, Delphi, finds a clear sighted mortal host, and picks them to be the next oracle. That mortal receives visions from the gods through that spirit."

"Okay, so they're not prophets, more like mediums of sorts, right? I can dig that."

"And that's where the problem is," Rachel said. "This prophecy was different. I didn't receive this prophecy from Delphi, or not through the usual route."

"So what, another number is calling you instead?"

"Yeah, pretty much. My prophecies come from Apollo himself, but that's not where this one came from."

"So somebody intercepted your visions. It's a fake. Just ignore it then, it doesn't concern you guys then, right?"

"You can't just intercept a vision, not to the oracle at least. I would have noticed. Imagine that you're daydreaming, right? Even when you're daydreaming, you're not going to confuse it for reality. They're two different things. If somebody just planted a memory or some words in my head, Delphi's spirit would have rejected it. Since it didn't, that means it's real." Zach still wasn't sure about what the general idea was, but the antagonism in the air was enough to push him away from the table.

"Hold on, then what's the problem? You just have to do what you normally do. Announce it at camp, pick out a few heroes and send them on their way. What do I have to do with this? I don't even have a godly parent as far as I can tell!"

"This whole situation might just revolve around you," Chiron spoke up. "Beneath the earth, beyond light skies/ The grasp of graves do yield to cries. This probably refers to the underworld being open, letting creatures and spirits be pulled out at will, but we haven't heard of anything like that happening since The Prophecy of Seven. That is, until we saw your device." Zach held up his summoning tool questioningly. "It can summon monsters, demons and the likes, correct? Many such creatures only exist in the depths of Tartarus. There are always devil summoners like yourself who can give rise to them and command them at will, but they always go through extensive rituals to do it, and their activity is normally noticed, if not by the ones who rule there, then by me. You, however… you're different. Your summoning program goes completely under the radar."

"That's why you said that it was impossible," Zach said. "You can… you can feel demons being pulled from the underworld?" Chiron brushed the comment aside as if it was normal.

"The tools of death and Ragnarok. This is where the problem gets even worse. Our oracle normally only tells prophecies relating to Greek or Roman myth."

"But Ragnarok is the final battle from Norse myth."

"While Megiddo is a town from Biblical times, and has been destroyed and had the blood of kings spilled on it. Frequently. You're starting to get how bad this is, right?" Zach flashed him a nervous smile.

"Maybe just a little. Can I go home now?"

"Prophecies don't lie, and this one is no exception. The only problem is that we've never encountered one like this before. This is cross cultural, with wording we don't see a lot, and it just so happens to arrive a week after you show up, and refer to a weapon that only you can use. This is dangerous, and we can barely make any sense out of it." Zach was really getting edgy now, and kept wishing he was allowed to carry his guns with him everywhere. Rachel Elizabeth Dare had to have noticed seeing as she was the calmest person in the room, and was about to place a reassuring hand on Zach's shoulder, then thought twice about it after seeing the overwhelmed look in his eyes.

"Take it easy, nobody's getting hurt," she said. "We just need to clarify a few things."

"Like what?"

"Like who you are for a start. And everything you know about that demon summoning tool."

It might as well have been any other campfire session when Chiron stepped forward, marshmallow impaled spear in hand and their resident oracle close in tow. Riley was still in mid-conversation with Ash as everybody went quiet.

"I hope that you're all comfortable and enjoying the moment. We've all got to be thankful for the peace and blessings that we have, especially considering all of the battles that we've experienced, and still have to experience. So while we've got good food and fine company, we enjoy it!" There was a cheer of agreement spreading across the campers, a few people from the Apollo cabin clashing their marshmallow sticks together in a toast. "Of course, nothing lasts forever, and it's the same with peace. Sooner or later, trouble's going to get stirred up, or stir itself up." Riley could feel a bubbling pit of nervous energy welling up inside her, like somebody had caught a swarm of butterflies and attached them to feather dusters in her gut. Not the most pleasant feeling, but she couldn't resist it. She was trying not to get her hopes up, but she couldn't help it. It was the same pattern that she'd heard from the old campers like Annabeth. It could only be one thing….

"It's finally time," Rachel said. "It's time for the next prophecy." The chaos was evident, with a whole range of reactions. A lot of the younger campers all began whispering excitedly to each other, or even breaking into cheers, but even with all of her excitement, Riley couldn't help but notice the stony expressions on most of the older campers, like this was something they had been afraid of for a long time. Rachel looked at Chiron for reassurance, but he simply nodded his head. "Okay guys, I'll read out the prophecy." With each word that she said, Riley was starting to understand the scared expressions on the others' faces, but that didn't cut down on her mood in the slightest. It was just working her up more and more. This was what Ash liked to call "the blood of Ares" boiling through her veins, but Riley couldn't care less. This was a mission, this was a call to arms. This was… this was….

"What exactly does that mean?" Adam asked from amongst the Aphrodite cabin. He was one of the few people who looked like he was actually paying attention out of them.

"I've got an idea," Zach spoke up. Riley hadn't even noticed him until he stood up. "The tools of death and Ragnarok, and burned Megiddo's lightning shock. These are weapons, and some pretty nasty ones at that. We're talking end times nasty. Somebody's trafficking some heavy duty paranormal tools around the country, probably around the world. And it's started with this." He held up his summoning device. After first arriving and half scaring them all to death, Zach made it a point not to use his powers, but here in plain sight he opened up the device. "Telekhine, Nekomata." Two flashes of light sparked up by his side, Nekomata sound asleep while the Telekhine smiled at everybody in front of him. Some people screamed. Others jumped to their feet in alarm. Some of them even drew weapons, though where from was a mystery that they clearly weren't sharing any time soon. Before a single arrow had been loosed, Reika was standing in front of them, arms outstretched.

"Wait, they won't hurt us, these ones are friendly!" she screamed. She looked back over her shoulder in concern and said something Riley didn't quite catch, but she was guessing she didn't really believe herself either.

"Relax, they won't hurt you," Zach assured them.

"Yeah, it's too early for that anyway," Nekomata said as she briefly awoke, licking the back of her hand, paw, whatever it was and stroking her hair with it. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm taking a cat nap." She went back to sleep before Zach called them both back with a sigh.

"This weapon, the Megiddo Circuit, lets me summon and control monsters at will," he said. "It got left behind by my Mom before she disappeared. She's mortal, but she hunts monsters. She's been doing this since before I was even born, and while I was growing up she kept on going. And then she disappeared." He paused for a moment, as if he was trying to get his breath back, but everybody was still edgy after the monsters, and not a lot of them were really paying attention anymore. "Before she left, she gave me this, the Megiddo circuit. It lets me summon monsters and control them, without having to go through complex rituals. This thing shouldn't even exist, let alone be useable for a human. But here it is. And here I am, summoning monsters, the only person who can use it. That prophecy is talking about my weapon."

Riley was certain that he wasn't winning any popularity contests. She couldn't even make out what anybody was saying above the din, but they were probably along the lines of exile and execution. Even Chiron was struggling to get things under control. Zach looked genuinely surprised at everybody's hostility.

"What? Is it something I said?"

"You're scaring them you moron," Reika said, just loud enough for Riley to hear. Chiron finally got everybody to listen again, but the fire was flashing between green and purple. Not friendly looking colours.

"What he means, is that his use of it is a signal of the prophecy," Chiron said. "It's still too early to tell exactly what's going to happen, but we do know the line about opening up worlds relates to the Megiddo circuit, and we can only take a guess at the next few weapons. Laevateinn, when talking about Ragnarok, and the Master Bolt, to do with Megiddo's lightning shock. Laevateinn is the sword of Surt, the Norse ruler of Muspelheim, and obviously, the Master Bolt is Zeus's personal symbol of power."

"Hold on a second, that doesn't sound right," someone called out behind Riley. She turned around to see a big bulky looking girl in camouflage pants and a skull t-shirt towering over her. Clarisse, the head of the Ares cabin, was glaring at Chiron as if she wanted to start a fight. Then again, she always wanted to start a fight. Everybody in the Ares cabin wanted a fight. "Did you say Surt? A Norse god?"

"Yes, that's right."

"And that prophecy says Ragnarok. This is like, stuff to do with Vikings. In case you haven't noticed, we're all Greek demigods. Greek. This isn't our specialty."

"That's true, it's not. But it's his." Zach waved at them, still self-conscious of how little trust everybody had of him, then pulled out a dusty looking journal from his back pocket. "She didn't just leave me with the Megiddo circuit, she also left behind her journal, full of everything she'd been hunting for the last few months. It's also got parts of that prophecy inside it. And details of what some of it means. In this case, it's to do with those weapons. They've gone missing." Like it was contrasting with the uproar just a moment ago, there was deadly silence, the flames turning navy blue. "Well, not the Master Bolt. Laevateinn. And it seems there was a lot that it missed out too. Huge numbers of powerful weapons, armour, and amulets from all over the world have disappeared, and they're being trafficked in huge numbers. We're not just talking the normal illegal dealings done by hunters… done by heroes, we're talking major arms deals, Cold War level stuff, but not with nukes, with magic. And if we don't do anything, the Master Bolt is next."

"Okay, that's pretty bad," Clarisse said. "So what are we meant to do?"

"Something that doesn't happen a lot," Chiron said. "Stopping the problem before it even starts. We need to observe the weapons deals for ourselves. If so many weapons and items are being transferred, then somebody is preparing them for something. We can't let that go unchecked." A large, slightly disturbing smile stretched across Clarisse's face, and Riley was pretty sure the same one was spreading across the whole Ares cabin, herself included.

"So it's a quest! It's been a while! It's finally time to win glory for Camp Half-Blood!" An infectious cheer spread across the camp, and it took a while before it finally died down to a reasonable level.

"Who goes all depends on the prophecy," Chiron said. "By default, Zachariah has to go. As hard as it is to admit it, he probably knows the most about quests like these thanks to his background. The other two though…."

"I'm picking my partners," Zach said. "I'm not sure how many of you want to tag team with me anyway-"

"I volunteer Riley," Clarisse blurted out. She nearly fell out of her seat, staring up at her incredulously. The Ares cabin broke into activity, and it looked like people were going to start hurling fists, but there was no way anybody was going to challenge Clarisse. Riley stared up at her questioningly, but Clarisse only smiled, winking at her. "It's not like we need her here anyway. Besides, she could use the exercise, build up a bit of muscle on her bones." Sure enough, there was grumbling, but nobody openly disagreed. Zach just shrugged his shoulders, so she could only guess that he was fine with it, but nobody asked her if she was fine. Which she was, but that wasn't the point."

"Hey wait a second, don't leave me out of this too!" Reika yelled. "Quill may win the fight! What if it's talking about me? I'm from the Hermes cabin, god of messengers. Quills, pens, and emails are all used to send messages, so maybe it's me?" Chiron didn't look so sure about the reasoning, but Zach just shrugged his shoulders.

"No problem. Pack up your gear then, we're heading out tomorrow."

"Wait, what? Already?" Riley asked. "We just found out about it. Where are we even going?"

"Highway 375, Nevada."

"Highway 375? Umm… you don't mean…." Zach turned his back to them, smiling as he looked back at her through the corner of his eye.

"That's right. We're going to Paradise Ranch, Area 51."