A/N
So lately I have been really obsessed with the Game Of Thrones books by George R.R Martin and so I wanted to try writing this chapter in a similar way that he does, perspective wise that is. The kinda 3rd person perspective focusing on a specific character. Let me know what all of you think of the different way then the kinda wonky way I was doing.
So I have received a review that just reads "you should be ashamed." This review says it was left on chapter one, now I am confused. Is it in reference to the gender bending, the AU the story is taking place, or cause everyone died. I don't know…
Nico
Staggering out of the steaming school bus Nico Di Angelo would have fallen right into the water of the lake that it had crashed into, if he wasn't holding on to the satyr named Grover. After two or three steps, he promptly threw up right into the lake. Looking up he watched as the other passengers came walking out almost holding each other up, everyone dizzy after the terror ride that was the sun chariot, the only one walking straight was the Hunt's Lieutenant who walked out of the bus like she was off a city bus to go pick up food. She had an arm up stabilizing that other girl that went into the tent with the Goddess, Luke, and his twin sister Bianca. The hunt, he had just met them and he already hated all of them, they stole his sister from him. Nico shook his head and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind so he could focus on the large half horse half man that had walked up to the beach being followed by a bunch of kids ranging from younger than him to older.
Nico turned to see a centaur speaking to the demigods who had brought him here, overhearing them telling the centaur his sister's and his names. His voice full of amazement Nico spoke before he even thought about it. "Whoa, a centaur."
The ancient centaur let out a hearty chuckle towards the young demigod. "Yes, dear child, I am a centaur. My name is Chiron, I have been training young demigods for thousands of years, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to Camp Half-Blood. Here we will attempt to teach and guide you and other demigods like you."
Looking around the camp and the small group of people that were surrounding them. "What do you mean attempt?"
Chiron looked at him with a sad smile. "We will teach you the knowledge and skills needed to survive, but it is up to you whether or not you want to take the lessons to heart and fight against the titans. Who wants to destroy all gods and enslave any mortal, there have been some who were lost in their anger and were led astray by the promise of power from the Titans. But we shall get into that more in depth after you have settled in. Luke, Thalia, Cora. Where is Annabeth?" Nico glanced towards the three demigods to see them all just looking at the ground. Chiron simply nodded in understanding before nodding, "I understand, we shall speak more of this later. For now let's show young Nico around, I'll let the Hunters show Bianca around, I'm sure you all are ready to get to Cabin Eight." The two hunters who had gone into the tent with the goddess gave him a slight nod before whistling and walking off towards a mess of cabins clustered together.
As Nico walked around with the group that he arrived with plus Chiron, they showed him a climbing wall with lava flowing down it, then walked past an Amphitheater, a large area with rising tiers of stone benches that curve around the central stage. After that was a lake house before they crossed a river over a wooden bridge to where there was a small building that they used for arts and crafts by a volleyball court and a large, 4 story sky-blue house with a deck that wrapped around the outside. There was a large bronze eagle weathervane with wind chimes, the building was apparently just called the Big House. After that Chiron pointed off towards a large coliseum looking building that was the training arena, behind that he said was the armory, forge, and stable. The stable apparently housed pegasi. Eventually we were standing in front of twelve cabins in the shape of a large U, each one had a number above the door, Chiron said which cabin belonged to which children of a god or goddess.
Zeus' cabin was a large white marble building with large columns almost resembling a mausoleum, next to it was another marble building with slim columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. Slightly smaller than her husband's cabin but more graceful, with images of peacocks carved into the doors and walls, the number two cabin was apparently in honor for Hera who never had any Demigods due to her being the goddess of marriage. Those two cabins sat alone at the base of large U, due to the fact that they were the King and Queen of the Olympions.
Poseidon's cabin sat to the left, a long low rough gray building made from rough stones, with pieces of coral and seashells embedded into the walls and instead of the normal number it had a large bronze trident representing the number three. Across the area opposite was a light brown cabin covered in flowers and tomato plants growing on the walls and doorway, wildflowers and roses growing on the porch with a roof made covered with what appeared to be real grass on it.
Cabin five was a crudely painted red building with barbed wire on the roof and a large boar's head over the door, the Ares' cabin. Opposite to that was the number six cabin of Athena, a simple gray building with white curtains and an owl over the door.
Apollo's solid gold cabin number seven was glowing brightly under the sun and sat opposite to his twin sister's all silver building with silver curtains and carvings of wild animals, mostly a stag, along the outside. Artemis, like Hera, doesn't have children of her own; the only people that use her cabin are the Hunters. His sister was in there right now.
Hephaestus' cabin was number nine and to call it a cabin was a bit of a stretch, it was more like a small factory, brick walls with smoke stacks like forges and gears around the entrance. Its opposing cabin was cabin number ten, Aphrodite, a wooden cabin with a blue roof, pillars, and a checkerboard deck with steps and gray walls. It of course had a bright pink door and flowers planted by the window.
The final two cabins were the Hermes' number 11 and Dionysus' number 12. The Hermes cabin was painted brown, though the pain was peeling, with a symbol of a staff with two serpents entwined around it. He could see that the path in front of it was heavily worn like there were more people going in and out of the cabin than any of the other cabins combined. According to Chiron Hermes' cabin doesn't just house children of Hermes but any demigod that either hasn't claimed or probably wouldn't be. Hearing that there were some kids that were just never acknowledged by their parents made Nico have an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Dionysus' cabin was a simple building with the only notable feature being the grapevines that covered the outside. When they were done explaining which cabins were which it was already late in the afternoon, demigods and hunters were exiting the cabins and heading towards the large dining pavilion off to the side of the cabins. Nico was directed to follow a set of twin children of Hermes to where the Hermes cabin ate all their meals while Luke, Thalia, and Cora all went up to the large table at the front that according to the stoll twins, Connor and Travis Stoll, was Dionysus and his twin sons Castor and Pollux. But today the three demigods joined the god of wine along with Chiron at table number 12, probably discussing what happened when they went to get him and his sister. As Nico sat down at the Hermes table 11 after the twins told him about sacrificing part of his meal to the gods, usually the parent of the demigod, so he sacrificed part of his chicken to whoever his father was praying to be claimed soon, he wondered if he would be claimed or would he be forced to live his life wondering why his father didn't care.
As Nico ate he overheard Travis and Connor talking to some other demigods about some game that was going to happen tomorrow, he didn't say anything cause he figured he could bring it up with Luke after dinner. Dinner passed by quickly and uneventfully, soon after he found himself out by the campfire with Luke, Thalia, and Cora.
"Hey, Luke, what is this game that is happening tomorrow? I heard Connor and Travis talking about it." Nico said, looking towards the older boy.
"The game is capture the flag, we usually have a capture the flag game between the Hunters and the Campers anytime the Hunt comes to camp for whatever reason." Luke spoke to him in a flat voice, his scar on his face being illuminated by the fire in front of him. "The Hunters have won every time we have played though, the last one was a few years before Cora came to camp."
"This is going to be great, I want to take a crack at that lieutenant and that friend of hers." Thalia's voice came out almost in an animalistic growl at the prospect of a fight with the Hunt.
"Well I have bad news for you Thalia, the Hunts Lieutenant is not allowed to participate in any capture the flag game. I heard that Lady Artemis made an agreement with Chiron and because of that no campers have ever actually seen her fight in person. The rumor is that if she played it wouldn't be fair cause she's just that good. The counselor before me said he had seen her sparring with Artemis one day, but no one had ever proved it. She just stands with Chiron and watches over all the Hunters to make sure they don't go overboard, not that she does anything when they do." Luke said while looking over his shoulders almost as to make sure no Hunter was near enough to hear him, Nico could only think about what kind of reputation the Lieutenant of the Hunt must have to make a demigod like Luke seem hesitant to be overheard speaking about her by someone who would tell her that he was. Luke the one who willingly charged head first into a monster that seemed terrifying to Nico just a few short hours ago.
"I say she is just a coward, hiding away from combat so people don't realize just how weak she actually is. You saw her saw in Maine, just a bow, no dagger, no sword. Probably doesn't want to worry about someone getting close to her." Thalia spoke confidently, unafraid of what Luke was weary about.
"I doubt that, Thalia, we all saw the way she commanded the entire Hunt and even spoke against Artemis. If she was just a coward why would she be in the Hunt, let alone the Lieutenant." Cora spoke in a soft and soothing voice that didn't fit her young appearance. She surprised Nico, she appeared to be younger than he was and yet she went with the older demigods to Maine all the same, and the way she fought was not what you would expect from her.
"Wait, so Luke, I know you're the son of Hermes and councilor of the Hermes cabin, but what about you two, who are your parents?" Nico asked them hesitantly, hoping to not anger or offend them with the question.
"Well Thalia here is the daughter of Zeus and of course is the councilor for the Zeus cabin due to there being no other children of Zeus at the point, and Cora is a daughter of Poseidon and councilor for the same reason, though she isn't the only child of Poseidon, there was another one but he…" Luke trailed off at the end of his sentence almost like he was afraid of speaking too much and didn't realize where the sentence was going until it was to late.
"He betrayed the camp for Kronos, he turned his back on me and the gods for power. He was my twin brother, older than me by mere minutes but that didn't matter to him and doesn't matter to me, when I fight him I am going to cut out his heart from his body myself and crush it into paste." Cora had spoken with such vehement anger it startled him, she still sat to his left like she had before but she was starting to shake with anger, her seagreen eyes seemed to glow in the darkness and in the darkness of the setting sun he could hear thunder start booming overhead. The waves on the beach not far from them seemed to get louder as they splashed against the shore, light rain had slowly started, just a few drops but seemed to promise more on the way. It was then that Nico realized that all of that was being caused by Cora's anger, her rage manifesting in the powers she got from her father and in the back of his mind he could remember reading something about Poseidon being the earthshaker and stormbringer. But before the storm that was rising could actually blossom Thalia had reached over past him to place a hand on Cora's thigh startling her out of the anger induced haze, and the rain and weather had calmed down.
Standing up Cora mumbled something in terms of thanks and said she was going to go for a swim before heading off towards the lake. Nico looked back towards her as she walked, even in the darkness he could still see the way she was running her hands through her hair and the slight glow to her eyes were still there as she looked around aimlessly.
"Sorry about her, she still hasn't really gotten past what her brother did, Cora and her twin brother Alex came to camp not long after they turned 10 and not long after is when Poseidon claimed them both. It wasn't until 2 years ago that it all changed, during a trip to Olympus that a demigod named Ethan stole Zues' Master Bolt for the Titan King Kronos. Believing Cora and Alex was behind it they were blamed, so she, Annabeth, and Grover all went on a quest and recovered it, afterwards Alex asked Cora to join him and Ethan and when she refused he tried to kill her. Then last year he came back and poisoned Thalia's tree and so Cora and Annabeth had sneak out to go on a secret quest to save the tree and get Grover who was captured by Polyphemus while Clarisse, a daughter of Ares, was sent on a real quest to find the Golden Fleece to save it. Together they managed both and the Golden Fleece turned Thalia from a tree back into an annoying demigod." At that Thalia slapped Luke on the back of his head.
"And because of that, her brother is a touchy subject that is a fast way to start a fucking hurricane dumbass." After that they all sat there just enjoying the nice weather and the campfire, they explained more about the camp and why it was such a big deal about the children of the big three and the prophecy that followed them and that to avoid it the Gods swore to never have children, even though they still did. While they were there they saw Chiron walking through camp with a tall man next to him, the man was taller then Chiron, Nico couldn't see his face due to the hood on his robes. His robes were pitch black with a design he couldn't see from the distance. Luke had said that it looked like the God of the Underworld, Hades, and that it was time to head to bed, he then took him back to the Hermes cabin to get some sleep, he got a bed that was a little to close the bunks next to him due to how cluttered with the unclaimed demigods. His mind was still on the fact that the God of the Underworld was in the camp speaking to Chiron, and why he appeared the same day that he arrived, according to Luke no one hardly saw Hades as he stayed in the Underworld most of the time. His mind was running a mile a minute, eventually he rose out of bed slowly, glancing around to make sure everyone else was asleep he realized he had been laying there for a while. Slowly he walked out of the cabin, making sure not to make any noise as he made his way around all the cabins heading for the lake. He quickly ducked behind the wall of Cabin 12, to hide from the approaching footsteps that were coming from one of the other cabins.
"It makes no sense, how did we both have a dream about Lady Artemis being in trouble, and that was all you dreamt." Nico didn't recognize the voice but he knew two things, they were Hunters and he couldn't be found so he stayed as still as possible. He slowly peaked around the corner to see if he could catch a glimpse of them but he set his hand right down on some leaves making a crunch sound. He threw himself towards the wall of the cabin and crouched down as low as he could go, trying to sink into the darkness of the wall. He watched, completely terrified as Zoè and the Lieutenant, Persephone each came creeping around both sides of the cabin, one on each side of him. Persephone was looking right at him, but it was almost like she couldn't see him.
"Did you see anyone?" Persephone was looking around, searching for who made the noise.
"No, it must have been an animal. Anyways yeah that was the entire dream, after I heard Artemis scream I woke up. Why was your dream different?" As Zoè spoke they slowly started walking back in the direction they were heading, Nico knew he should head back but he was curious.
"I heard the same thing, but then the dream changed, everything was dark. Like all the light had gone out in the world, I could hear the sound of weapons clash together. It sounded like a sword against something else, I heard the sound of someone getting stabbed and then I saw bright sea-green eyes and short black hair. Then I woke up, we need to speak to Chiron, the Hunt must leave immediately." Persephone seemed really troubled as she spoke, Nico listened as they got further away until he couldn't understand what they were saying, walking softly he returned back to his bunk with more questions then he had answers.
When Nico finally fell asleep he felt like he only slept for a few minutes before Luke was shaking him awake for breakfast, he went to sit in the same spot as he did a day ago. He froze though at the sight of most of the people in the hall staring at him. Looking at them he realized they were staring at the space directly above him, slowly he looked up and saw it. A pitch black symbol of a three headed wolf slowly rotating above his head. He looked at Chiron to see him in a slight bow with a smile on his face, he glanced at the camp to see everyone kneeling towards him and towards table eight where he saw the same symbol over his sister's head as she stood next to the table.
"Wait, is this?" Nico's voice trailed off towards the end of the sentence. He knew what it was, he and his sister had just been claimed, and from the way everyone reacted he knew it wasn't a good sign.
Hades, God of the Underworld and the dead. He was a child of the big three, just like Cora and Thalia, he was subject to the prophecy they hung over their heads. Except unlike Cora he didn't get the satisfaction of being the youngest of the three, he was in the middle. He felt a small hand grab his and he looked over into the sea-green eyes of Cora, as she started pulling his hand he followed a little numb. She led him over towards Table three and sat him down before taking a seat next to him.
"I thought you couldn't sit at any table but your own?" Nico mumbled in a voice that even he could barely recognize.
"My father spoke to me last night, said that something was going to happen today, and when I knew that it was up to me to welcome them to his table. I didn't understand it until now, but I do, unlike his brothers Posideon has never tried to kill a child of his brothers. He will allow you to sit with me whenever you want. I know all too well what it feels like to be claimed by one of the big three, except unlike you I at least had my cabin to stay in, you will still have to stay in the Hermes cabin." Cora had a slightly sad look on her face, but she still had a slight smile on her face. "Don't worry too much about it, you will adjust. After breakfast Luke and I planned to give you a little sword lesson before the game today."
True to her word Luke was waiting for them in the arena, wearing leather armor and swinging a sword around him. When he walked up to Luke, he was sent to a small shed over in the corner of the stands around the arena to get a sword that felt comfortable in his hand. Opening the door he was staring at small piles of swords and daggers, bows lined the walls and shields laid against the bottom of the walls. He walked over to the swords picking them up one by one and giving each one a sloppy swing, each one was celestial bronze and the grips were either loose or the wrong size for his hands. Despite most of them being greek design, he kept having the instinct to use both hands no matter what. He found a sword that was similar to what Luke was using and was about to leave when something caught his eye. Long and slender the blade was, with and handle longer than the others but shorter than a two handed sword. What had caught his attention though was the color, pitch black with twisting whirls of red throughout the blade and handle, a slight curved crossguard sat at the base of the blade. Even better was the blade felt just about perfect in his hands and would probably fit better when he got older. So he took the sword and returned to Luke.
"Where did you get that sword?" Luke looked surprised to see the weapon he held in hand. He reached out a hand to have Nico hand him the blade and so he did.
"It was in the shed under some of the other swords, why have you never seen it before?" Nico was surprised, he had figured that Luke had seen every sword in the shed over the years he had been at camp.
"No, I have never seen this before. This is not your normal demigod sword, we traditionally use Greek blades like a xiphos and we use celestial bronze. This is stygian iron, it is mined and forged in the Underworld and cooled in river Styx, they say any blade made from it can destroy the essence of the being, be it monster or demigod, it can even harm mortals. Whereas celestial bronze will just pass through mortals leaving them unharmed. They also say since it's cooled in the Styx it is just as indestructible as Heracles was. Be Careful with this, it is a dangerous blade, one that you will not be using during Capture The Flag. Remember never wield this blade against someone you don't want to kill. Also if you care to know the type of sword is called a bastard sword or a hand and a half sword." Luke handed the sword back to Nico carefully. When Nico grabbed the sword, he wondered how he was going to get a sheath like Luke had to carry it, when suddenly the sword shrunk down to a black necklace that was made from braided leather with a small sword charm on what looked like a quick release connecting it to the necklace. He put it on and the charm rested right about the center of his collar bone. Reaching up he yanked on the charm and suddenly the sword was in his hand again, this time he noticed the circle on the pommel of the handle resembling the necklace, flipping the blade hilt up in hand he raised the pommel to the necklace where the charm was and then the sword was gone and the charm was back.
Luke was only able to teach him the basics, how to block, strike, and disarm his opponent before a horn sounded throughout camp signaling to gather for the game. Nico thought about telling Luke about what had happened the night before with the Hunters but figured it would be best not to, worried he'd get in trouble for being out so late. Everyone gathered around the area just outside the forest Campers on one side Hunters on the other.
Chiron's hoof thundered on the pavilion floor. "Heroes!" he called. "You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team— Camp Half-Blood—shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis—red team—shall take the east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!"
Nico was about to ask Luke how someone got any magic items when Thalia called out, "Blue team! Follow me!"
Ever cheered and followed her into the forest, Nico stayed close to Luke as they all walked through the woods. Nico watched as Thalia climbed a cluster of boulders in the middle of a clearing that resembled a fist sticking out of the ground, Nico was startled when Luke leaned over and whispered in his ear that the boulders were called Zeus's fist, because they look like one. Thalia planted the flag on top of the twenty foot tall structure, allowing the flag to be clearly visible and was farther than 10 feet from where any guards were, even if they stood at the base of the fist, which was inline with the rules that Luke had told him previously.
When Thalia and Luke gave everyone their orders, Nico found out he was standing guard with the Stoll twins and a son of Hephestus named Beckendorf. So when everyone went off at the sound of a hunting horn Nico and the others decided when to stand to keep a watch, Nico was the furthest from the flag, even though he was the least trained at least if they snuck up the better fighters wouldn't be the ones caught off guard and actually be able to protect the flag.
Flashes of cloth could be seen from the clearing, campers and hunters going multiple directions through the trees. Nico stayed watching the trees in front of him, both eager and nervous at the same time, Nico hoped that only a few people would come and not half the hunt cause then they wouldn't last long. Nico barely heard the rustling coming from his left and when he looked he saw Zoè, the girl from last night, and another hunter, larger than Zoè but a red-head, burst from the tree line going straight for the Stolls and Beckendorf. If he had a second to think, he probably would have found it weird that they left him alone, knowing that he could attack from behind. Before he could take a single step towards them he felt a familiar weight slam into him from behind, he was able to glance over just in time to see the familiar brown hair, olive skin, and black eyes of his twin sister before she spun while holding him, and using strength she definitely didn't have before she joined the Hunt. Nico hit the ground hard and all the air in his lungs left in an instant, he tried to put his hands on the ground to push off, but Bianca had wrapped her arms and legs around his body, pinning his arms to his sides. Nico cursed when he heard her giggling laughter sound right in his ear. After a minute or two he heard the sounds of the fight going on behind them stop, and moments later Bianca let him go, still laughing as she laid on the ground next to him.
Nico sat up to look who won and just saw Beckendorf and the Stolls sprawled out on the ground and the flag gone, he looked towards the east side of the river in time to see Zoè running away with the flag but Luke and Thalia was running right at her, the Hunt's flag in Luke's hands. They made it about five feet from the boundary when an arrow exploded at Thalia's feet and let loose a cloud of yellow smoke directly into her face, she started cursing and coughing as the smell of sulfur spread out through the area, even making Nico want to gag.
"No fair!" Thalia gasped. "Fart arrows are unsportsmanlike!"
As Luke ran towards the safety of their side of the creek, arrows still whizzing past him, he made a last, desperate leap towards the boundary, but Zoè was a hair quicker than him, slamming into him mid air she landed on her side of the boundary line and he slammed down in the water next to her, never quite reaching the border.
"The Hunters win!" Chiron announced without pleasure. Then he muttered, "For the fifty-sixth time in a row."
Nico and Bianca had gotten to their feet by that time and were just watching as the Hunt celebrated, then Bianca ran over to join in. Nico saw Stoll brothers rising to their feet unsteady, like they had taken a nasty hit to the head, he couldn't figure out which one was the one with two arrows sticking out the top of his helmet like antlers. Him and his fellow demigods went over to the rest of the group to check on everyone, when everyone froze.
Follow the eyes of everyone, Nico looked towards where the big house was on the outside of the forest, he watched as what he could only describe as a mummy shuffled its way forward until she was in the middle of a large semi-circle of demi-gods, hunters, and one lone centaur. The mummy looked withered and decrepit, barely being held together, a sickening green mist coming off it like mist off a lake in the cool morning breeze, turning the snow to a sickening shade of green.
"This is impossible," Chiron said. The ancient centaur sounded so nervous it made Nico uncomfortable. "It… she has never left the attic. Never."
No one moved a muscle, just staring at the mummy, before Nico heard a voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Apparently everyone could hear it, because several clutched their hands over the ears.
I am the spirit of Delphi, the voice said. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python.
The Oracle regarded everyone with its cold, dead eyes. Then she turned unmistakably toward Zoe. Approach, Seeker, and ask.
Zoe visibly swallowed. "What must I do to help my goddess?"
The Oracle's mouth opened, and green mist poured out. A vague image of a mountain, and a girl standing at the barren peak, Artemis. Yet she was wrapped in celestial bronze chains, secured tightly around her ankles connected to the ground. Kneeling, she had her hands raised like she was holding up something far heavier than could manage, and she appeared to be in pain. The silence was broken when the mummy spoke.
Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,
One shall be lost in the land without rain,
The bane of Olympus shows the trail,
Campers and Hunters combined prevail,
The lost princess must make her stand,
Or one shall perish by a parent's hand.
With everyone watching, the mist swirled and retreated like a great green serpent back into the mouth of the mummy before it sat down on a rock, becoming completely still like it hadn't been moving just moments prior.
Everyone had forgotten the game that was just played and fun they had, instead everyone just started heading back to their cabins, except the Stoll twins, they were elected to carry the mummy back to where it came from, to their dismay. As Nico went to head towards the Hermes cabin, Luke grabbed his arm and gave him a look that said follow. So Nico along with 11 others and Chiron all went to the Big House. When Nico had finally gotten in he saw a large Ping-Pong table with chairs arranged in similar patterns as the cabins, he realized this must be how the counselor met to discuss things that happened around camp when needed. He looked around seeing Cora, Thalia, Luke, Beckendorf, Zoè and Persephone, on the right side you had Cora then an empty seat, probably due to the amount of Ares campers who were in the med bay or resting in their cabin.
The Apollo counselor was a boy a little older than him that looked like a clone of his father, then Beckendorf and Luke, across from Luke was one of Dionysus's twins, then a pretty girl sat across from Beckendorf, Silena, that he recognized as the girl who was checking up on his after the game. Then Zoè sat in the Artemis chair with Persephone standing next to her. Then a boy with blonde hair and gray eyes sat next to a blonde girl that he had seen in the strawberry fields. Thalia sat at the end of the table closest to him and on the other end was Chiron who was kneeling down and Dionysus who he recognized from dinner the night before.
"Nico, why did you come with us? I'm sorry but this is for counselors only." Chiron had spoken so suddenly that Nico was startled out of his stupor.
Before he could answer Luke had spoken for him. "I told him to come, he is the only demigod child of Hades in camp. And as the only Camper born of Hades, it is his birth-rite to be a counselor for the Hades cabin."
"Hades doesn't have a cabin Luke, he sleeps in your cabin." Chiron had responded sternly but not angry.
"His father is still a member of the Big Three, it is important that Hades is represented at camp lest we incur his wrath on all of us whenever someone leaves, and it seems as though a quest has been issued." Luke spoke confidently, showing how he believed he had logic and the moral high ground in this short lived argument.
"It is fine Chiron, if Lucy wants little Nicky to stay, then let him stay, lest to stay on his father's good side. And I'm already tired of this conversation." The moment the God had spoken the argument had ended Chiron gestured over to the chair in the corner and Nico pulled it over to Thalia's right, in between her and Cora, unknowingly putting all the children of the Big Three in the same spot.
Zoe started the meeting off on a positive note. "This is pointless." Zoe continued. "There is no time for talk, our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."
"And go where?" Chiron asked.
"West!" Zoè said. "We all heard the prophecy. Five shall go west to the goddess in chains. We can get five hunters and go. Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her."
"You're missing something, as usual," Thalia said. "Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We're supposed to do this together."
"No!" Zoe said. "The Hunters do not need your help."
"I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," Chiron said. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."
"Or do they?" Dionysys mused, swirling his Diet Coke under his nose like it had a fine bouquet. "One shall be lost. One shall perish. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?"
"Dionysys," Chiron sighed, "with all due respect, whose side are you on?"
Dionysus raised his eyebrows. "Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful."
"We're supposed to work together," Thalia said stubbornly. "I don't like it either, Zoe, but you know prophecies. Do you really want to fight against one?"
Zoe grimaced, but anyone could tell 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."
"Artemis must be present at the solstice," Zoe 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."
Dionysys merely nodded. "Just checking. You're right, of course. Carry on."
"I must agree with Zoe," 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," everyone looked at Luke the moment he spoke. "We're supposed to have five, three campers, two hunters. We have the greater numbers, we can spare someone if the worst comes, it's more than fair." Thalia and Zoè exchanged looks before nodding.
"Well," Thalia said. "You have to admit, it does make sense."
Zoè grunted. "I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We will need 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."
Zoe picked up a Ping-Pong paddle and studied it like she was deciding who she wanted to whack first. "This monster—the bane of Olympus. We have hunted at Lady Artemis's side for many years, yet we have no idea what this beast might be."
Everybody looked at Dionysus, I guess because he was the only god present and gods are supposed to know things. He was flipping through a wine magazine, but when everyone got silent he glanced up, "Well, don't look at me. I'm a young god, remember? I don't keep track of all those ancient monsters and dusty titans. They make for terrible party conversation. Chiron, do you have any idea what it could be"
Chiron pursed his lips. "I have several ideas, none of them good. And none of them quite make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit this description. He was truly a bane of Olympus. Or the sea monster Keto. But if either of these were stirring, we would know it. They are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. Poseidon would already have sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be more elusive. Perhaps even more powerful."
"That's some serious danger you're facing," Connor Stoll said as he and his brother came down the stairs that led to the attic. "It sounds like at least two of the five are going to die."
"One shall be lost in the land without rain" Beckendorf said. "If I were you, I'd stay out of the desert." There was a muttering of agreement.
"And the Titan's curse must one withstand," Silena said. "What could that mean?"
Chiron and Zoe exchange a nervous look, but whatever they were thinking, they didn't share it.
"One shall perish by a parent's hand," Cora added in. "How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?"
There was heavy silence around the table.
At the same time all three children of the Big Three shared a look between them, prophecy hung over their head, one of them would save the world or destroy everything, and even worse is the fact that there was one more child of the Big Three that had already gone over to the Titans side.
"There will be deaths," Chiron decided. "That much we know."
"Oh, goody!" Dionysus said. Everyone looked at him. He glanced up innocently from the pages of Wine Connoisseur magazine. "Ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. Don't mind me."
"Luke is right," Silena Beauregard said. "Three campers should go."
"Oh, I see," Zoe said sarcastically. "And I suppose you wish to volunteer?"
Silena blushed. "I'm not going anywhere with the Hunters. Don't look at me!"
"A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at," Zoe scoffed. "What would your mother say?"
Silena simply blushed harder, staring anywhere but the eyes of the room watching.
"Stop it," Beckendorf said, cutting off the argument that was brewing. "Let's start with the Hunters. Which two of you will go?"
Zoè stood. "I shall go, of course, and I will take Persephone with me."
Everyone had completely forgotten the Lieutenant was in the room, now leaning against the wall silently as if in thought.
"Sephy?" Zoè had barely even whispered but it caught the girl's attention. "You're coming with me right?"
"No, I'm not" Persephone's words surprised everyone. It made perfect sense since that the Lieutenant would go with them.
"What?" Zoè's voice had gotten even quieter, clearly she had expected it as well.
"You will take Phoebe, I must go on a solo hunt. The beast Artemis was tracking is still out there, someone will need to deal with it while you save Artemis." Again everyone was surprised. Artemis, a Goddess, specifically the Goddess of the Hunt had gone after this monster alone and was captured what chance would a partially immortal Huntress have. "I also have questions that I need answers for and will need to travel alone if I am to remain unnoticed."
"Persephone no, Artemis said no more solo hunts." Zoè tried to argue, she opened her mouth to say something else but was cut off.
"Artemis is not here right now, I am the Lieutenant and it is up to me to take the responsibility. I have already told Phoebe to get ready in case she needs to go on the quest, and I won't be completely alone. Petus is waiting out in the woods outside camp, I need only call."
The way Zoè backed down made it clear to everyone Persephone's mind would not be changed.
Chiron simply sighed, "Alright, what campers will go with you?"
At the same time Thalia and Luke both stood up. "I will go." They smiled at each other.
"Oh, no. I am not traveling with you or with a bo…" Zoè had been speaking when she was cut off.
"They are the two best fighters that the campers have, take them, they will give you the best chance to save our lady." Persephone had cut Zoè off with a stern voice, and Zoè had simply nodded begrudgingly. "Who will be the third camper?"
This time it was Luke who spoke. "What about Grover, he's got a satyr's senses and woodland magic, and I believe he can even play a tracker's song. Plus he would do anything to help Lady Artemis." Zoè surprisingly didn't make a comment and simply just nodded.
"So be it," Chiron spoke as he concluded the council. "Thalia, Luke, and Grover will accompany Zoe and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods''—he glanced at Dionysus—"present company included, we hope—be with you. Now everyone heads to dinner. It's already late, so I'm going straight to sleep."
At dinner Nico was seated next to Cora while eating, unlike the previous night, barely anyone in the pavilion was talking. The words of the prophecy hung over everyone like a dark cloud, five people were leaving tomorrow and possibly three will return. Nico would be lying if he said he was worried about the possibility of one of the hunters not returning, he still held anger towards them for taking his sister away, but Luke and Thalia had become his friends already and he worried for their sake. Eventually everyone got done eating and went to their cabins to sleep, and in the morning Nico, Bianca, and Cora stood with Chiron as the questers left on in the van, Persephone rode with them till boundary before getting out and doing something, few seconds later a large cat ran out of the woods before the two went off into the woods together.