"This is pointless."
"And the meeting starts with an oh-so-positive note from Miss Lieutenant," Triton announced, to his sisters' amusement. "The resident satyr pay it no heed and instead focuses on the snack."
"There is no time for talk," The Lieutenant continued. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."
"And go where?" Chiron asked.
"West!" Another hunter replied. "You heard the prophecy. 'Five shall go west to the goddess in chains.' We can get five hunters and go."
"Yes. Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her."
"Would you believe the arrogance of the huntress, everyone?" Rhode waved her hand at her in 'can you believe it' gesture.
"You're missing something, as usual," Thalia said. "Opposing forces combined prevail. We're supposed to do this together."
"Can someone define the Opposing Forces to me?" Kymopoleia ask. "Because there are lot of things that fell into that category."
"No! The Hunters do not need thy help."
"I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," Chiron said. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."
"That's one definition of Opposing Forces." Benthesikyme pointed out. "They are both affiliate with the Gods of Olympus, but Huntress of Artemis are exclusively served their goddess and practically immortal unless things happens. Campers are mortal and has no clear allegiance to certain God or Goddess… even their godly parent. They are, currently, at odds."
"I think they're closer to Two Sides of the Same Coin that opposing forces." Triton threw his opinion.
"Or do they?" Dionysus mused, swirling his Diet Coke under his nose like it had a fine bouquet. "One shall perish. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?"
"Mr D," Chiron sighed, "with all due respect, whose side are you on?"
Dionysus raised his eyebrows. "Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful."
Kymopoleia rolled her eyes. "Proposal to give old Dionysus a laxative-laced wine?"
"Aye."
"We're supposed to work together," Thalia said stubbornly. "I don't like it either, Zoë, but you know prophecies. You want to fight against one?"
The Lieutenant—Zoë grimaced, but Thalia had scored a point.
"We must not delay," Chiron warned. "Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice."
"Oh, joy," Dionysus muttered. "Another dull annual meeting."
"Who was it who bitched about being banished from Olympus last decade, I wonder?" Triton ask snidely.
"Artemis must be present at the solstice," Zoë said. "She has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against Kronos's minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations."
"Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?" Dionysus asked.
"Yes, Lord Dionysus."
"She's arrogant, but she got the right mindset. I give her that."
"Why Zeus is not God of Denial? He did good job of that."
"Maybe because he seemingly took over Koalemos' duty?"
"Ah. That would explains it."
"I must agree with Zoë," said Chiron. "Artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. We have only a week to find her. And possibly even more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest."
"Three and two," Percy speak up. Drawing attention of the whole room. "We're supposed to have five. Three Hunters, two from Camp Half-Blood. or Three Campers, and Two Hunters. Either way works."
"Atta boy." Triton wishes he can ruffle Percy's hair.
"Well," Thalia said. "It does make sense."
Zoë grunted. "I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We will need the strength of numbers."
"You'll be retracing the goddess's path," Chiron reminded her. "Moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. You will have to do the same. The prophecy was clear: The bane of Olympus shows the trail. What would your mistress say? "Too many Hunters spoil the scent." A small group is best."
"That and Hunters have the same powerset and weapon." Kymopoleia picks her nail. "They get boring and predictable after a while. Demigods, on the other hand, is a creature of chaos with diverse power and each has different weapons. A small group of demigods are more capable of laying waste than an entire group of hunters."
Zoë picked up a ping-pong paddle. "This monster – the bane of Olympus. I have hunted at Lady Artemis's side for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be."
"Sister." At once, Triton, Kymopoleia, and Benthesikyme turned to Rhode. "Got any idea?"
"Why me?" Rhode pointed to herself.
"You're the eldest." Answered Triton.
"You're married to Helios. A Titan." Start Kymopoleia.
"Surely your late husband mention a thing or two about game-changer monster." Finished Benthesikyme.
Rhode twitched at her siblings' words, but sighed.
"I'm not sure. There are lots of dangerous monster. Typhon is out, though, since we all would know if he's free." They all nod at that. Even though they never see it by their own eyes, they all know that Typhon is not subtle. At all.
"Anything else?"
"Uh… well." Rhode think hard. "Taur… taur something. Cow something."
"Cow?" Triton blinked. "Like Hera's Cow?"
Benthesikyme scoffed. "Nah. If we're talk about magical cow, it had to be Apollo's Sacred Cow."
"Oh please. Twins or not Apollo will never forgive Artemis if his cow get hurt." Kymopoleia hit her stupid brother and sister. "Rhode said Taur. Maybe like centaur, but replace the horse part with cow part."
"I don't know alright?" Rhode threw up her hands. "It has been long time!"
"That's some serious danger you're facing. It sounds like at least one is going to die." One of Hermes' son stated.
"And the Titan's curse must one withstand," Silena said. "What could that mean?"
"Which Titan has curse?"
"Promotheus. Atlas. Calypso. Uh, if we want to get into semantic, technically our paternal grandfather also got cursed by our great grandfather."
"…Heart eaten out by eagle, shouldering the weight of sky, Eternal Loneliness with hope dangling before eyes just for it to be yank out of reach, and destined to be cut into tiny puzzle by your own offspring. Nothing pleasant."
"It's curse. What do you expect, brother dearest?"
"One shall perish by a parent's hand," The Satyr said in between bites of Cheez Whiz and ping-pong balls. "How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?"
There was a heavy silence round the table.
"Not Dad." The Sea siblings wished they could reassure their little brother.
"Dad won't kill you, brother." Rhode shook her head. "If anything, he would be devastated if you die."
"Right?" Benthesikyme drawled. "Out of countless mortal child, this one is special enough that Fates seemingly allow us to bend the Ancient Law."
"I would protect Percy, all things considered."
"Wow brother, you're deep."
"Shut it, Kym."
"There will be deaths," Chiron decided. "That much we know."
"Oh, goody!" Dionysus said.
The son of Hephaestus had to stop a fight between the Hunter and the Daughter of Aphrodite before it could even start. "Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will go?"
Zoë stood. "I shall go, of course, and I will take Naomi and Phoebe. They are our best trackers."
The four siblings watch with curiosity as the Hermes' sons ask some questions, and hold up a shirt that promotes Artemis.
Benthesikyme sniffed the shirt.
"Centaur's Blood." She said.
Kymopoleia nodded. "Ah. Grudge then." She was almost impressed at the casual malice.
"And for campers?" Chiron asked.
"Me!" The Satyr stood up so fast he bumped the ping-pong table. He brushed cracker crumbs and ping-pong ball scraps off his lap. "Anything to help Artemis!"
Rhode sighed. Satyr and their obsession with Artemis.
Zoë wrinkled her nose. "I think not, satyr. You are not even a half-blood."
"But he is a camper," Thalia said. "And he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic. Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?"
"Absolutely!"
Triton snickered. "Either he does improve by the life-or-death situation he has been in, or he lies."
"Very well," Zoë said. "And the second camper?"
"I'll go." Thalia stood and looked around, daring anyone to question her.
Nobody does. Not even Percy, who just nodded.
Huh?!
"Best of luck, then."
The four siblings look at Percy, then at each other.
First time their mortal half-sibling did not chase after glory.
Once the meeting adjourned, Chiron ask Percy to stay behind.
"Are you alright, my boy?"
Percy blinked. "Yeah, why do you ask?" He paused. "Is it about me being not part of the team? Chiron. I mean it. I don't mind. I've been going into two dangerous quests—well, the second one is my fault—in two summers in a row, so I don't mind taking a break. I've got Bianca and Nico to look after—I swear that if Nico asks the hunters too many questions, they'll start using him as target practice—and I got some arrangement to make with the Hermes Cabin. It'll take time to smoothen things."
Huh.
That was…
…something.
"That's very kind of you." Chiron mused. "To be honest with you, Thalia would not have been my first choice to go on this quest. She's too impetuous. She acts without thinking. She is too sure of herself."
"In other words, Zeus, but female and not a gallivanting whore." Summed Kymopoleia, to her siblings' laugh.
"And nowhere near as dumb as him. Or so deep in denial." Snickers Rhode.
The children of the sea have no love for the King of the Sky.
They would agree to fight the enemy of Olympus… because it's their enemy too. But for Zeus specifically? Only if their parents order them and they will do it with great pain and complaints.
"What about me? Am I your choice?" Percy ask Chiron.
"…not quite. You're similar to Thalia. Both of you are powerful Demigods. There are some differences. Though if we're talking about opposing forces… you and Thalia count as one. Seeing your fathers had been at odds with each other. The Sea and the Sky."
The sea siblings snorted.
"Dad is tempted to turn Zeus into shish-kebab."
"Don't diss kebab."
"My bad."
"Well. It's late. Best for you to go back to your cabin. I believe your… charges… are worried."
"Who was it who hold him back, in the first place?" Commented Benthesikyme.
(They are not surprised that when one of the huntresses fell ill the next day, courtesy of the Hermes's Child's revenge, Percy is the replacement member. Chiron did say he and Thalia can be counted as Opposing Forces.
And with the Head Hunter looking like she's swallowing needles, he's an antithesis to someone else as well.)
