Chapter Title: Jason Has A Cool Coin And Aphrodite Strikes Again!
Sherman was never the type to be frustrated at campfire, he'll admit.. unless of course it's some bullshit about the gods, or just some bullshit in the ongoing Jackson — Reynolds rivalry between Percy and Colton. These days though, were a very different story and for good reason.
Sherman honestly, if you asked him, blamed Beckendorf for the current situation, even though he wouldn't so much as even admit that to Beckendorf's face. Not in the less because he would probably have to endure a dressing down by Colton if he did. So Sherman would keep his own mouth shut on this. But he was dead certain it was Beckendorf's fault.
Exactly what Sherman thought was Beckendorf's fault was rather simple. Since he had left, things had gone wrong for Cabin 10, and the extent of that problem had manifested itself in the fact that since the Bronze Dragon had gone haywire and settled in the area that they usually used for Capture The Flag, they couldn't do Capture The Flag for now, which ticked Sherman, Clarisse, and their siblings off. Colton had been formulating a plan in his head about how to resolve the situation, but he had vanished before he could complete his plan.
It was frustrating, to say the least. But at least he had Miranda. They had grown even closer together since the Battle of Manhattan and while Sherman wouldn't exactly quite admit that he was in love with her, at the very least - he knew that his feelings towards the girl from the Demeter Cabin definitely went beyond friend-level, or best friend level for that matter.
Plus, there was campfire coming up in a few minutes' time as he and his siblings headed toward the camp area, joined by Clarisse and to Sherman and his siblings' surprise, Austin M. and Caeli. The fact that Austin and Caeli had decided to come back to help out as soon as they had heard about the disappearances was definitely a warm boost to the morale of the Ares Cabin, and probably to camp as well. Either way, the night was still young and hopefully, they might hear some good news about if they would be able to play Capture the Flag soon.
- — - — - — -
The whole campfire idea freaked Piper out. It made her think of that huge purple bonfire in the dreams, and her father tied to a stake. It made her feel very uneasy about it all, as she definitely did not want to be near something that reminded her of.. that.
What she got instead was almost as terrifying: a sing-along. The amphitheater steps were carved into the side of a hill, facing a stone-lined fire pit. Sixty or seventy, maybe eighty — Piper wasn't sure — kids filled the rows, clustered into groups under various banners.
Piper spotted Jason in the front next to Annabeth. Leo was nearby, sitting with a bunch of burly-looking campers under a steel gray banner emblazoned with a hammer. She also could Bryce, Alyssa, and Clara sitting nearby close to Jason, while Kayla was chatting with some other people near the top. Standing in front of the fire, half a dozen campers with guitars and strange, old-fashioned harps—lyres?—were jumping around, leading a song about pieces of armor, something about how their grandma got dressed for war. Everybody was singing with them and making gestures for the pieces of armor and joking around. It was quite possibly the weirdest thing Piper had ever seen—one of those campfire songs that would've been completely embarrassing in daylight; but in the dark, with everybody participating, it was kind of corny and fun. As the energy level got higher, the flames did too, turning from red to orange to gold.
Sherman, meanwhile, just watched Piper walk up to it all. He had to admit, she definitely reminded him a bit of Percy to be honest. While she wasn't exactly as clueless as Percy had been, she definitely seemed to have those same eyes of being thrust into a world you didn't understand that he had when Percy had first shown up at camp all those years ago. Of course, both of them paled in comparison to Colton's eyes when he had first shown up at camp. Wide eyed to the limit of human eyebrow extension, terrified, blinking rapidly.. it was even a miracle that Clarisse turned him into the brutal, powerful juggernaut that he was when Percy first came to camp.
Finally the song ended with a lot of rowdy applause. A guy on a horse trotted up. At least in the flickering light, Piper thought it was a guy on a horse. Then she realized it was a centaur—his bottom half a white stallion, his top half a middle-aged guy with curly hair and a trimmed beard. He brandished a spear impaled with toasted marshmallows.
"Very nice! And a special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, camp activities director, and I'm happy you have all arrived here alive and with most of your limbs attached. In a moment, I promise we'll get to the s'mores, but first—"
Piper's attention was turned elsewhere.
"What about capture the flag?" Benjamin yelled. Grumbling broke out amongst his siblings now, while Piper noticed that the shout and grumbling had came from some kids in armor, sitting under a red banner with the emblem of a boar's head. She noticed two new people up there with them that she hadn't seen before, as well as two other new people down where Leo was. From the looks of it, they have been here before for what she could see.
"Yes," Chiron said. "I know the Ares cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games."
"And kill people!" Ellis Wakefield shouted.
"However," Chiron said, "until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?"
He turned to Leo's group. Leo winked at Piper and shot her with a finger gun. The girl next to him, Nyssa, stood uncomfortably. Close by, while Silena chatted up with some of his younger siblings, Beckendorf was just deep in thought about something. Sherman, nor Piper, could really tell what was on his mind. Nyssa wore an army jacket a lot like Leo's, with her hair covered in a red bandanna. "We're working on it."
More grumbling ensued. Sherman in particular just groaned in frustration. There goes the chance of playing Capture The Flag tonight.. again. "How long has this been going on?" Austin asked him.
"The whole mess with Cabin Nine started after Beckendorf left for college with Silena.." Sherman explained, turning to him. "..the Bronze Dragon thingy didn't start taking up the woods where we play Capture The Flag until like Halloween."
"Oh.." Austin muttered in response.
"How, Nyssa?" Mark demanded.
"Really hard," Nyssa replied simply. She sat down to a lot of yelling and complaining, which caused the fire to sputter chaotically. Chiron stamped his hoof against the fire pit stones—bang, bang, bang—and the campers fell silent. Bryce honestly found it remarkable really.
"We will have to be patient," Chiron said. "In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to discuss."
"Percy? Luke? Michael? Colton?" someone asked. The fire dimmed even further, but Piper didn't need the mood flames to even be able to sense the crowd's anxiety. The extent of the effect of their disappearances on the others was definitely evident right now.
Chiron gestured to Annabeth. She took a deep breath and stood.
"I didn't find Percy, Luke, Colton, or Michael," she announced. Her voice caught a little when she said both Percy and Luke's names. Sherman's heart sunk a little at hearing that she didn't find his missing brother. "They were not at the Grand Canyon like I thought. But we're not giving up. We've got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis —everyone's out looking. We will find him. Chiron's talking about something different. A new quest."
"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" a girl called out.
Sherman didn't even need to think a good hard amount to know exactly who it was. The voice had come from a group in back, sitting under a rose-colored banner with a dove emblem. They'd been chatting among themselves and not paying much attention until their leader stood up: Drew. Of course, Sherman thought, it had to be her.
The fact that one of the newcomers, Clara.. he thought that was her name, simply just muttered, "Oh god not this bitch again.." a bit silently when Drew stood up but to the point where a few others could still hear her definitely made Sherman chuckle a bit in laughter. He definitely liked her, that was for sure.
Everyone else, except Sherman, Kayla, Clara, Alyssa, Bryce, and Piper looked surprised. Apparently, at least to Piper, it seemed like Drew didn't address the crowd very often.
"Drew?" Annabeth said. "What do you mean?"
"Well, come on. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to even notice." Drew spread her hands like the truth was obvious. Piper wasn't really sure whether the second sentence was simply sarcasm, exaggeration, or just pure frustration. It seemed like a combination of the three.
"Olympus is closed.." Drew continued. "Percy, Colton, Luke, and Michael have disappeared. Hera sends you a vision and you come back with six demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?"
Piper whispered to Rachel, "What's she talking about—the Great Prophecy?"
Then she realized everyone else was looking at Rachel, too. Even Sherman had to admit that even though he wasn't a big fan of Drew, the head counselor of the Aphrodite Cabin wasn't all that dumb either. She had a knack for sensing when something big was happening, and it was on display once more here.
Rachel's eyes looked scary in the firelight. Piper was afraid she might clench up and start channeling a freaky peacock goddess again, but instead she stepped forward calmly and addressed the camp.
"Yes," she said. "The Great Prophecy has begun."
As could have been expected, pandemonium broke out in the crowd as soon as the words left Rachel's mouth. Of course, to Sherman, Kayla, Clarisse, and those who had been close to Colton, it wasn't all that surprising. They all had suspected that the Great Prophecy had started the minute Colton, Luke, Michael, and Percy disappeared. Now, they had confirmation.
Piper caught Jason's eye. He mouthed, You all right? She nodded and managed a smile, but then looked away. It was too painful seeing him and not being with him.
"Great prophecy.. seriously?" Bryce said aloud. "What the fuck even is this?"
When the talking finally subsided, Rachel took another step toward the audience, and seventy or eighty-plus demigods leaned away from her, as if one skinny redheaded mortal was more intimidating than all of them put together.
"For those of you who have not heard it," Rachel said, "the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this: Eleven half bloods shall answer the call, drawing many with them on a journey beyond all. Through heaven and hell —.."
Jason shot to his feet. His eyes looked wild, like he'd just been tasered. Similar expressions seemed evident in the eyes of Bryce, Alyssa, and Clara, even though the three also had confusion in their eyes too as they stayed seated and looked on confused at Jason.
Even Rachel seemed caught off guard. "J-Jason?" she said. "What's—"
"multi ibunt. Reginae vires reserant cum maxime opus... Tela timores in ira sua cedet. Exoritur amor ut alium incidat auxilium.. Et tormenta in caenum portabunt experimentum. Contra multos stabit ipse et exercitus eius. Inter ipsum et futurum postulat.. Tres sunt usurarii ad vindictam pertinentes" Jason chanted. "Duae pantheones in turrim inferni colliduntur., et regis monstri furor ad omnes salvandos edebat. Jusjurandum servare supremum. Hostesque arma ad fores mortis ferre."
An uneasy silence settled on the group. Piper could see from their faces that several of them were trying to translate the lines. She could tell it was Latin, but she wasn't sure why her hopefully future boyfriend was suddenly chanting like a Catholic priest. Sherman honestly found it remarkable to be honest. He had never seen anything like it before.
"You just ... finished the prophecy," Rachel stammered, saying the rest of the prophecy in English. "—An oath to keep with a final breath/And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. How did you—"
"I know those lines." Jason winced and put his hands to his temples. "I don't know how, but I know that prophecy."
"We all do.." Bryce added, and Alyssa and Clara simply nodded.
"In Latin, no less," Drew called out. "Handsome and smart."
Bryce, Alyssa, and Clara all groaned, because they all knew that last part was directed towards Jason.
There was some giggling from the Aphrodite cabin. God, what a bunch of losers, Piper thought. But it didn't do much to break the tension. The campfire was burning a chaotic, nervous shade of green.
Sherman couldn't help but nod in approval at the way Piper's face looked, even though Piper didn't notice at all. He would admit, Colton felt the exact same way — except it was aimed especially at Drew, rather than the cabin as a whole.
Jason sat down, looking embarrassed, but Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder and muttered something reassuring. Piper felt a pang of jealousy. It should have been her next to him, comforting him.
Kayla noticed the jealousy on Piper's face from where she was sitting and she could tell that it was genuine. Nothing more needed to be even said from Piper's mouth to convey it.
Rachel Dare still looked a little shaken. She glanced back at Chiron for guidance, but the centaur stood grim and silent, as if he were watching a play he couldn't interrupt—a tragedy that ended with a lot of people dead onstage.
"Well," Rachel said, trying to regain her composure. "So, yeah, that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it's starting now. I can't give you proof. It's just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The eleven demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here."
Sherman honestly didn't know exactly who those eleven were. But amongst the camp, they were certain of who at least four of them would most likely be. Percy, Annabeth, Colton, and Kayla. The latter two were obvious since the great prophecy specifically and directly referred and mentioned them in it, but something about it made it obvious that Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase would most likely also be involved too. The part that confused him was just "drawing their friends on a journey beyond all." How many friends? He wondered.
The campers began to stir and mutter, looking at each other nervously, until a drowsy voice in the crowd called out, "I'm here! Oh ... were you calling roll?"
"Go back to sleep, Clovis," someone yelled, and a lot of people laughed.
"Anyway," Rachel continued, "we don't know what the Great Prophecy means. We don't know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess — or to be accurate, we already know the second Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad."
Chiron didn't say anything to say, neither did anyone else. Except for Leo and Piper, they all knew what she meant. Colton's warning — for the non-newcomers — hung over all of them like a dark cloud.
The campfire immediately turned dark purple, the same color as Piper's dream.
"What we do know," Rachel said, "is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken."
Shocked silence. Then eighty plus demigods all started talking at once.
Chiron pounded his hoof again, but Rachel still had to wait before she could get back their attention.
She told them about the incident on the Grand Canyon skywalk—how Gleeson Hedge had sacrificed himself when the storm spirits attacked, and the spirits had warned it was only the beginning. They apparently served some great mistress who would destroy all demigods.
"As if.." Sherman muttered. "Not when we have Colton and Kayla as the Monster King and Queen."
Then Rachel told them about Piper passing out in Hera's cabin. Piper tried to keep a calm expression, even when she noticed Drew in the back row, pantomiming a faint, and her friends giggling. Then, Drew screamed and acted like she was having a seizure, causing everyone to look on in alarm. As she was screaming, a voice called out over the crowd, making the newcomers freeze up in fear.
"Alas my dear Drew, I do believe now is not the time for such mockery of potential allies."
Kayla's eyes lit up with recognition, for she knew exactly who it was.
Piper turned back towards where Annabeth and Chiron were, towards where the voice had come from, and she could hardly believe her own eyes.
Hovering in the air above both of them was a figure in armor — flaming armor, that was. Piper didn't even have the slightest clue how this was all even possible.
"My apologies for the dramatics, my dear Chiron.." the figure said to the centaur. Chiron simply nodded.
"As to the new faces in the crowd tonight.." the figure continued. "..greetings. I am Cháris, the herald of fire and one of the Monster King and Queen's heralds and trusted advisors. I am also one that does not take kindly to people joking around at a time like this."
Drew had by now stopped writhing in pain and simply glared at Cháris. "What's it to you?" she mocked.
"Do you wish for more pain?" Cháris simply asked. Drew shuddered.
"No.." she said back. Piper couldn't believe her eyes at what was happening. Jason, Alyssa, Bryce, and Clara all just trembled at the sight of Cháris.
"Then I advise you to keep your mouth shut.." Cháris said, lowering themself down to the ground. Even though flames flew off of their armor from time to time, they were controlling it very very well as no fires broke out around them. "Ms. Dare, please continue now that I have gotten that.. distraction taken care of."
Rachel simply nodded. "Indeed I will.. thanks.." she said before clearing her throat. "Where was I..? Oh right."
Rachel now told them about Jason's vision in the living room of the Big House. The message Hera had delivered there was so similar that Piper got a chill. The only difference: Hera had warned Piper not to betray her: Bow to his will, and their king shall rise, dooming us all. Hera knew about the giant's threat. But if that was true, why hadn't she warned Jason, and exposed Piper as an enemy agent?
"So uh.. Jason, Bryce, Clara, and Alyssa.." Rachel said. "Do you all remember your last names?"
"Not at the moment, no.." Bryce simply said back.
"Very well.. we'll simply call you all by those names.." Rachel responded. "However, I think it's clear that Hera herself has issued you all a quest, especially to you Jason."
Rachel paused, as if giving Jason a chance to protest his destiny. Everyone's eyes were on him; there was so much pressure, Piper thought she would've buckled in his position. Yet he looked brave and determined. He set his jaw and nodded. "I agree."
Bryce clapped, Clara gave a thumbs up at him, and Alyssa simply smiled.
"You must save Hera to prevent a great evil," Rachel continued. "Some sort of king from rising. Probably that replacement one that Colton mentioned. For reasons we don't yet understand though, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now."
Piper and Leo were confused. Replacement King? What? Those thoughts ran through their heads now.
"That's the council day of the gods," Annabeth said. "If the gods don't already know Hera's gone, they will definitely notice her absence by then. They'll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That's what they usually do."
"Yeah, most likely.." called out Kayla from the back.
"The winter solstice," Chiron spoke up, "is also the time of greatest darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things ... stir."
Alyssa especially trembled in anxiety at that last part. The way he said it, stirring sounded absolutely sinister—like it should be a first-degree felony, not something you did to cookie dough.
"Okay," Annabeth said, glaring at the centaur. "Thank you, Captain Sunshine. Whatever's going on, I agree with Rachel. Jason has been chosen to lead this quest, so—"
"Why hasn't he been claimed?" Benjamin exclaimed, and Sherman would admit, he did have a point. It seemed unnatural that they would just hand off a quest to someone they hadn't seemed claimed yet. "If he's so important—"
"He has been claimed," Chiron announced. "Well, all of them have. Long ago. Jason, Bryce, Clara, Alyssa. One at a time please, give them a demonstration."
At first, Jason didn't seem to understand. He stepped forward nervously, but Piper couldn't help thinking how amazing he looked with his blond hair glowing in the firelight, his regal features like a Roman statue's. He glanced at Piper, and she nodded encouragingly. She mimicked flipping a coin.
Jason reached into his pocket. His coin flashed in the air, and when he caught it in his hand, he was holding a lance—a rod of gold about seven feet long, with a spear tip at one end.
The other demigods gasped. Rachel and Annabeth stepped back to avoid the point, which looked sharp as an ice pick.
"Wasn't that ..." Annabeth hesitated. "I thought you had a sword."
"Um, it came up tails, I think," Jason said. "Same coin, long-range weapon form."
"Dude, I want one!" Sherman yelled. He had to admit, that was cool as hell.
"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" Benjamin agreed, and Clarisse let out a series of frustrated noises at that. Austin just chuckled, only furthering Clarisse's frustration.
"Electric," Jason murmured, like that was a good idea. "Back away."
Annabeth and Rachel got the message. Jason raised his javelin, and thunder broke open the sky. Every hair on Piper's arms stood straight up. Lightning arced down through the golden spear point and hit the campfire with the force of an artillery shell.
When the smoke cleared, and the ringing in Piper's ears subsided, the entire camp sat frozen in shock, half blind, covered in ashes, staring at the place where the fire had been. Cinders rained down everywhere. A burning log had impaled itself a few inches from the sleeping kid Clovis, who hadn't even stirred.
Jason lowered his lance. "Um ... sorry."
Chiron brushed some burning coals out of his beard. He grimaced as if his worst fears had been confirmed. "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."
"Jupiter," Jason said. "I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky."
Piper couldn't help smiling. It made perfect sense. The most powerful god, the father of all the greatest heroes in the ancient myths—no one else could possibly be Jason's dad.
Apparently, the rest of the camp wasn't so sure. Everything broke into chaos, with dozens of people asking questions until Annabeth raised her arms.
"Hold it!" she said. "How can he be the son of Zeus? The Big Three ... their pact not to have mortal kids ... how could we not have known about him sooner?"
Chiron didn't answer, but Piper got the feeling he knew. And the truth was not good.
Bryce, Alyssa, and Clara now all stared at each other, wondering who should go next. "I'll do it.." Clara said at last and stood. She pulled out the pencil with what seemed like a small lever on it from her pocket, and flicked the lever. Just like back at the Big House, the object transformed from a pencil into a long spear. As it did so, a red holographic boar appeared over Clara's head. Clara looked up, noticing the red light illuminating and stared proudly at the symbol.
"So I'm with Mars — I mean, the Ares Cabin. Awesome.." she muttered.
Sherman, Clarisse, Austin M. and their siblings all whooped, cheered, hollered, clapped or just simply smiled at Clara, happy that they now had a new sibling. She probably wouldn't fill Colton's shoes, but it didn't matter.
Bryce now stood up. He reached into his pocket and just like before, despite all logic, he pulled a long sword out of it. Everyone gasped at the sight. "How.. how the..?" Annabeth gasped, confused beyond belief.
Now, a glowing Caduceus appeared over Bryce's head, signifying his godly parent. "Well, well.." Chiron muttered. "This is a surprise to be sure."
"Makes sense.." Leo muttered, having been brought up to speed on the symbols of the Gods by Beckendorf. "Bryce always did seem to pick locks so well, better than I could anyway."
Alyssa trembled in anxiety and nervousness a little now, but she shrugged it off after a few moments. She reluctantly stood up, being the last to go and like back at the Big House, simply flicked her hair. Right out of it came her yellow headband and it transformed from a headband into a knife instantly that she caught in her hand. As she did so, a dove appeared above her head.
"Somehow.. I figured that she was a child of Aphrodite.." Kayla remarked. "She just gave off that type of aura about her."
Drew and Piper both were simply stunned at it all. Alyssa now sat back down, feeling better about herself now that she knew who her godly parent was now.
"The important thing to remember here though
," Rachel continued, "is that Jason's here now. He has a quest to fulfill, which means he will need his own prophecy."
She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers rushed forward and caught her. A third ran to the side of the amphitheater and grabbed a bronze three-legged stool, like they'd been trained for this duty. Kayla rolled her eyes partly out of boredom, partly out of recognition. Here we go, she thought. Prophecy time. They eased Rachel onto the stool in front of the ruined hearth. Without the fire, the night was dark, but green mist started swirling around Rachel's feet. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing. Sherman knew it now too that it was time for a prophecy. Emerald smoke now spewed from Rachel's mouth. The voice that came out was raspy and ancient—the sound a snake would make if it could talk:
"Child of lightning, beware the earth. The giants' revenge the eleven shall birth. The first dove shines a light to the clue, while the thief is made a believer. War guards her friends to the end, and her efforts will pay off at the very end. The forge and second dove shall break the cage, And death unleash through Hera's rage."
On the last word, Rachel collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her away from the hearth and laid her in the corner to rest.
"Is that normal?" Piper asked. Then she realized she'd spoken into the silence, and everyone was looking at her. "She isn't wrong really in asking that question.." Clara spoke up, focusing everyone's eyes onto her and then by extension, onto Bryce and Alyssa who had similar looks in their eyes. Jason did too, but he hadn't spoken up. "I mean... does she spew green smoke a lot?"
"Gods, you all are so dense!" Drew sneered. "She just issued a prophecy—Jason's prophecy to save Hera! Why don't you all just—"
"Drew," Annabeth snapped. "Piper and Clara both asked a fair question. Something about that prophecy definitely isn't normal. If breaking Hera's cage unleashes her rage and causes a bunch of death ... why would we free her? It might be a trap, or—or maybe Hera will turn on her rescuers. She's never been kind to heroes."
Jason rose. "I don't really think we have much choice here. Hera took our memories. We need them back. Besides, we can't just not help the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble."
Nyssa now stood up too. "Maybe. But you should listen to Annabeth. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her own son—our dad—down a mountain just because he was ugly."
"Real ugly," snickered someone from Aphrodite. Before Nyssa could respond, Cháris spoke up. "Do you wish to suffer pain like your leader, little one?" he asked. No response came.
"That's what I thought.. Nyssa, continue please."
"Thanks.. anyways, you have to remember what Colton said that time. Giants' revenge — Gaea is most likely making moves right now. He knew this was coming — he, Kayla, and Kelli did.. we shouldn't act like this is surprising."
No one responded to that, but Piper noticed Annabeth and Chiron having a silent exchange. She couldn't really hear what was said. But she could read the rather terrified expression on Annabeth's face, and the concerned one on Chiron's.
Piper knew it was crazy to think she could read their expressions so well—two people she barely knew. But she was absolutely positive she understood them, and it scared the jujubes out of her.
Annabeth took a deep breath. "It's Jason's quest," she announced, "so it's Jason's choice. Obviously, he's the child of lightning. According to tradition, he may choose any five companions — since this quest calls for six demigods, rather than three."
Travis now yelled, "Well, you, obviously, Annabeth. You've got the most experience."
"No, Travis," Annabeth said. "First off, I'm not helping Hera. Every time I've tried, she's deceived me, or it's come back to bite me later. Forget it. No way. Secondly, I'm leaving first thing in the morning to find the guys, along with Kayla and Thalia."
The name Thalia sounded familiar to Jason, he just didn't really know where exactly. It did make him remember something though. His last name was Grace.
"It's connected," Piper blurted out, not sure how she got the courage. "You know that's true, don't you? This whole business, the disappearances of your boyfriends—it's all connected." Kayla just nodded, like Piper had just hit the mail on the head.
"How?" demanded Drew. "If you're so smart, how?"
Piper tried to form an answer, but she couldn't.
Annabeth saved her, beating Clara to the punch in responding. "You may be right, Piper. If this is connected, I'll find out from the other end—by searching for the guys. As I said, I'm not about to rush off to rescue Hera, even if her disappearance sets the rest of the Olympians fighting again. But there's another reason I can't go. The prophecy says otherwise."
"Exactly.." Austin M. said aloud.
"It says who I pick," Jason agreed. "Obviously, Mars — I mean Ares is War, so I go with Clara. Thief, I believe, is Hermes, so that means Bryce obviously. Definitely Alyssa for the first dove. Now.. it said that the forge and second dove shall break the cage. The forge is the symbol of Vul—Hephaestus."
Under the Cabin Nine banner, Nyssa's shoulders slumped, like she'd just been given a heavy anvil to carry. "If you have to beware the earth," she said, "you should avoid traveling overland. You'll need air transport."
Something inside Bryce just said to him, she's not the one. It has to be Leo.
Piper was about to call out that Jason could fly. But then she thought better of it. That was for Jason to tell them, and he wasn't volunteering the information. Maybe he figured he'd freaked them out enough for one night.
"The flying chariot's broken," Nyssa continued, "and the pegasi, we're using them to search for Percy. But maybe Hephaestus cabin can help figure out something else to help. With Jake incapacitated, I'm senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest."
She didn't sound enthusiastic.
Then Leo stood up. He'd been so quiet, Piper had almost forgotten he was there, which was totally not like Leo.
"It's me," he said.
His cabinmates stirred. Several tried to pull him back to his seat, but Leo resisted.
"No, it's me. I know it is. I've got an idea for the transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!"
Jason studied him for a moment. Piper was sure he was going to tell Leo no. Then he smiled. "We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you're in."
"Yes!" Leo pumped his fist.
"It'll be dangerous," Nyssa warned him. "Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive."
"Oh." Suddenly Leo didn't look so excited. Then he remembered everyone was watching. "I mean ... Oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this."
"Is he.. for real?" Austin M. simply asked Beckendorf, who was sitting nearby.
"Unfortunately.. yes.. this kid is definitely a little bit crazy.." Beckendorf replied back.
Annabeth nodded. "Then, Jason, you only need to choose the last quest member now. The second dove—"
"Oh, absolutely!" Drew was on her feet and flashing Jason a smile. "The dove is Aphrodite. Everybody knows that. I am totally yours."
Piper's hands clenched. She stepped forward. "No."
Drew rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Dumpster girl. Back off."
"You can go fuck all the way off, Barbie.." Clara hissed savagely. "It's Piper — it has to be Piper, so fucking beat it."
"I had the vision of Hera; not you. I have to do this."
"Anyone can have a vision," Drew said. "You were just at the right place at the right time." She turned to Jason. "Look, fighting is all fine, I suppose. And people who build things ..." She looked at Leo in disdain. "Well, I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty. But you need charm on your side. I can be very persuasive. I could help a lot."
The campers started murmuring about how Drew was pretty persuasive, much to Bryce's and Clara's fury and Alyssa's dismay. Piper could see Drew winning them over. Even Chiron was scratching his beard, like Drew's participation suddenly made sense to him.
"Well ..." Annabeth said. "Given the wording of the prophecy—"
"No!" Piper's own voice sounded strange in her ears—more insistent, richer in tone. "I'm supposed to go."
Then the weirdest thing happened. Everyone started nodding, muttering that hmm, Piper's point of view made sense too. Drew looked around, incredulous. Even some of her own campers were nodding. Bryce was smiling a bit now.
"Get over it!" Drew snapped at the crowd. "What can Piper do?"
Piper tried to respond, but her confidence started to wane. What could she offer? She wasn't a fighter, or a planner, or a fixer. She had no skills except getting into trouble and occasionally convincing people to do stupid things.
Plus, she was a liar. She needed to go on this quest for reasons that went way beyond Jason—and if she did go, she'd end up betraying everyone there. She heard that voice from the dream: Do our bidding, and you may walk away alive. How could she make a choice like that—between helping her father and helping Jason?
"Well," Drew said smugly, "I guess that settles it."
Suddenly there was a collective gasp. Everyone stared at Piper like she'd just exploded. She wondered what she'd done wrong. Even Bryce, Clara, and Alyssa were staring at her in pure amazement. Then she realized there was a reddish glow around her.
"What?" Piper asked.
She looked above her, but there was no burning symbol like the one that appeared over Leo. Then she looked down and yelped.
Her clothes ... what in the world was she wearing? She despised dresses. She didn't own a dress. But now she was adorned in a beautiful white sleeveless gown that went down to her ankles, with a V-neck so low it was totally embarrassing. Delicate gold armbands circled her biceps. An intricate necklace of amber, coral, and gold flowers glittered on her chest, and her hair ...
"Oh, god," she said. "What's happened?"
A stunned Annabeth pointed at Piper's dagger, which was now oiled and gleaming, hanging at her side on a golden cord. Piper didn't want to draw it. She was afraid of what she would see. But her curiosity won out. She unsheathed Katoptris and stared at her reflection in the polished metal blade. Her hair was perfect: lush and long and chocolate brown, braided with gold ribbons down one side so it fell across her shoulder. She even wore makeup, better than Piper would ever know how to do herself—subtle touches that made her lips cherry red and brought out all the different colors in her eyes.
She was...she was...
"Beautiful," Jason exclaimed. "Piper, you ... you're a knockout." Alyssa had the absolute brightest smile on her face, Bryce was simply whooping and clapping like a madman in excitement, and Clara simply gave Piper a thumbs up.
Kayla just sighed. Figured she was one of Aphrodite's kids too, she thought to herself. Even so, she had a small smile on her face.
Sherman was just shocked. There was just no fucking way.
Under different circumstances, this would've been the happiest moment of Piper life. But now mostly everyone was staring at her like she was a freak. Drew's face was full of horror and revulsion. "No!" she cried. "Not possible!"
"This isn't me," Piper protested. "I—don't understand."
Chiron the centaur folded his front legs and bowed to her, and all the campers followed his example.
"Hail, Piper McLean," Chiron announced gravely, as if he were speaking at her funeral. "Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love."
Sherman just thought to himself as he bowed. Somehow, I don't think Drew is going to be head counselor of the Aphrodite Cabin for much longer. He had no way of knowing how close to the truth he really was with that single though of his.