Disclaimer: I only own the plot and my OCs. Anything you recognize as not mine belongs to Rick Riordan, Greco-Roman mythology, and/or their otherwise respective owners.

Author's Notes: I'm very satisfied with this chapter. I liked where the changes went in this. Hopefully, y'all will too! ;)

Until next week,

~TGWSI/Selene Borealis

~The Finding Home Saga~

~Finding Home~

~Chapter 10: I Go Hunting For Quest-Mates~

"Well?" Chiron asked me when I walked back outside.

Shakily, I sat down. The words the Oracle had told me kept echoing in my brain, along with the unsettling features of Luke's blank face with those misty green eyes. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen," I said.

Katie gave me an encouraging smile. "That's great," she said soothingly.

Chiron, though, wasn't satisfied. "What did the Oracle say exactly?" he pressed. "This is important."

My ears were still tingling from the reptilian voice. "She...she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"And?" Chiron questioned, his face rapt with attention.

I didn't want to tell him.

I mean, come on. There weren't that many people I considered to be a friend, much less more than one. And the fact that I would supposedly fail to save what mattered most sounded a lot like I would also fail the quest in some shape or form, regardless of how I would apparently be able to do exactly what I was supposed to.

"No," I said with finality. "That's it."

He studied my face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until the events have come to pass."

"Okay," I said quickly, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Of that, I am not certain," Chiron replied with a frown. I resisted the urge to groan. Great. "Because of the Fury that had come after you – yes, that was what Mrs. Dodds was," the last part, he hurriedly added when I stared at him in shock, because I knew what a Fury was and just how bad they could be, "I would've thought the prime suspect was Hades, but his symbol of power has been stolen as well. But that does not rule out the possibility this god is somehow connected to the underworld."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Various gods either live in or are connected to the Underworld, Percy," he reminded me. "Like Nemesis, Hecate, and Eris. One of them may have found a minion, ready to cause chaos or even outright war – Eris especially has been known to pull 'tricks' like these in the past.

"Regardless of who is at fault, however," he continued, cutting me off just when I was about to ask him how the Trojan War was just a 'trick,' "I do think you must go to the Underworld to reveal the truth."

A strange fire burned in my stomach then, at his words. The weirdest thing was: it wasn't fear. It was apprehension. I mean, going to the Underworld was something only a handful of heroes came back but from, but I knew Chiron was right. And I also knew that, if my mother was dead – if she really had died when her body had vanished, she would be there. Somewhere.

"Okay," I said, before letting out a loose breath. "And just where do I need to go to get to the Underworld? Besides west, I mean."

"The entrance to the Underworld is located in Los Angeles," Chiron said. "In a recording studio called DOA – an acronym for Dead On Arrival."

Huh, I thought. So the god of the Underworld is a fan of puns.

"Anything else I need to know?"

He nodded. "Two more things. First, that you must travel by land to get to Los Angeles. As a child of Poseidon, it would not be...wise of you to ever get on a plane again, to say the least. Especially now, with the current climate. And second, two companions may accompany you on your quest."

Instantly, I turned to look at Katie. "You up for another trip out of here?" I asked.

She gave me a wicked grin. "Of course, Percy. It's just like I told you: we're step-siblings. And step-siblings look out for each other."

Chiron smiled. "Well, I must say, I expected that. But before you decide on your next companion, Percy, you must know that someone has volunteered for the job."

I gaped at him. "Who? Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

From behind him, the air shimmered and Annabeth appeared, stuffing what looked to be a Yankees' baseball cap into her back pocket as she stared daggers at me with her stormy grey eyes.

Instantly, my stomach twisted. "Oh, no," I protested. "You are not going on a quest with me."

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, Seaweed Brain," she said, and my stomach twisted again. Did she really think I was going to be anymore willing to go on a quest with her, now that she'd just called me a name? To my face? "And while my mother may hate your father, if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up. Besides, do you have anyone else in mind?"

As a matter of fact, I did.

Several of them, in fact.

I headed over to the amphitheater first, where I knew Cabin Eleven would be attending Ancient Greek lessons. My insides kept on twisting as I did, although this time it was not with dislike. Well, not exactly. I didn't dislike Ethan, Alabaster, or Chris, even though they'd all pretty much dumped me the second I'd gotten claimed. I was used to people dumping me the second I became inconvenient for them. It was how things went. Them, the kids at school, my dad – because yeah, I was still angry at him. After all, he was a god, and all this time, he had let Gabe r –

But, that wasn't the point. The point was, I didn't hate Ethan, Alabaster, and Chris, or Travis and Connor. Sure, I was angry at them, and yeah, they also weren't my first choices for my other quest-mate, just the ones I thought were most likely to accept my offer, but I didn't hate them.

Yet, when I finally got over to the amphitheater and saw how they were laughing at some stupid joke with their teachers, a couple of the Athena kids, I couldn't help but freeze. It was like – I don't know, it was like this picture-perfect scene of how summer camps were actually supposed to work. Y'know, the "make new friends, but keep the old" bullshit regular kids listened to while at a regular summer camp, having been sent there by their regular parents.

Inside my mind, the Oracle seemed to laugh at me. I could hear her hissing, rasping voice. "You will be betrayed by one who you call more than a friend, and you will fail to save what matters most, in the end."

I wanted to scream.

"Hey, Percy. What's up?"

Now, I did scream. Or, at least, I would've, had I not clamped my hand to my mouth at the last second as I spun around. Luke was standing behind – well, now in front of me, a curious look in his eyes and a grin twitching at his lips as he stared down at me. "Sorry," he apologized, although he didn't actually sound all that remorseful. "Did I scare you?"

Damn sons of Hermes and their stupid stealth skills.

"You did that on purpose," I accused, scowling.

"I did," he agreed. Yep. No remorse, whatsoever. His smile lessened a bit then, his expression becoming a touch concerned. "Are you alright, Percy? Chiron told me the gods are making you go on a quest. Do you need some advice?"

"Uh...yeah," I said. I looked from him over to where Ethan, Alabaster, and Chris were sitting, and then back at him again. My stomach abruptly stopped twisting and started to feel like it had a bunch of butterflies in it instead. I took in a deep breath. "Actually, no. I just...I was wondering if youwantedtogowithmeonmyquest?"

The words came out of my mouth fast, way too fast. I watched as Luke blinked and tilted his head. "Repeat that again, please?"

My cheeks suddenly began to burn something awful. I shook my head. "No, um, just forget I said anything," I said quickly, and moved to walk past him.

Before I could, Luke's hand gently reached out and grabbed my arm. Despite my earlier promises to myself, I flinched, and immediately, he let go, saying, "Wait – shit, Percy. Just wait."

Nervously, I turned back around to face him. He was looking at me, his eyebrows furrowed, as if he was trying to figure me out. "What did you just say?"

"I..." I began, before I closed my eyes. I couldn't say the words again with them open, watching whatever reaction would come across his face. "I just, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me on my quest?"

"You want me to go on your quest?" he repeated, his voice soft.

"Uh, yeah," I confessed, opening my eyes. The expression on his face made me want to press on, because it was both gentle and curious, and so I did. "Annabeth volunteered to come with me, but I...I don't really want her to. She hasn't been particularly nice to me since the day I got here. And I was thinking about letting Ethan, Alabaster, or Chris come with me, but...they haven't really been nice to me either, lately. So I just thought...maybe you would like to come?" And I really, really like you and I think you might like me too, but I don't think I can admit to it out loud because –

Luke smiled as he shoved his hands into his shorts' pockets. But it wasn't a smile of acceptance. I could already tell. My eyes stung at the thought. "Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't want them on your quest," he said. "But, to be honest, Percy, I'm not so sure if I would be a better candidate."

Yep. My heart sank.

"What? Why?"

His face twitched around his scar. "Let's just say that I messed up things for everybody else. Two years ago, I went on a quest to the Garden of the Hesperides, but...things ended badly. Since then, Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests. Until now, although I'm not sure if he's allowing this one so much as accepting he has no choice but to allow it. But even if he doesn't have a choice with allowing it, he does have a choice about who can go on it."

"And...you don't think he'd let you go on it?" I guessed.

Luke nodded. "Yeah. Don't get me wrong, Percy, I'd love to go with you on your quest. But I've already screwed up a quest once. I don't think Chiron would want me to do it again."

To be honest, I wasn't sure if I believed him. Obviously, I hadn't known Chiron as long as he had, but it didn't seem like he would do that. But, I also wasn't going to press the issue. "No" means "no," after all. I knew that better than anyone else.

"Okay," I said, my voice trembling. "Okay. But do you...I don't know...do you have any..."

"Recommendations for people?" he supplied.

I nodded.

His grin returned, full-force. "As a matter of fact, I do."

And that was how I wound up standing in front of Cabin Ten a few minutes later, with Luke standing just behind me.

Now, I don't know if anybody has ever told you what Cabin Ten looks like. The outside, admittedly, doesn't look like much – it kind of looks like Cabin Three, but the walls are grey and it has a painted roof and a blue-and-white checkerboard deck. The door is also mulberry-colored and, with Luke's encouragement, I knocked on it nervously.

A few moments later, Drew opened the door. She looked pretty unimpressed when she saw us, although she was pretty much the master of the look, so I didn't take too much offense with it. "Luke, Percy," she greeted us, with a tone that matched her facial expression. "What do you want?"

"Can we see Silena?" Luke asked her.

Drew rolled her eyes, before she turned to look behind her. "Silly," she called out. "Your new project is here to see you!"

All of the sudden, there was a very loud thud that came from inside the cabin, along with a shriek which sounded like it belonged to Mitchell. A few seconds later, Silena appeared just behind Drew, with a huge smile on her face that immediately made me more nervous than I already was. "Luke! Percy!" she exclaimed. "Please come in! I can tell we have much to discuss!"

We walked inside without much further ado, only for me to stumble in shock at both the smell of heavy perfume and the interior of the cabin. Because, all around me, from the walls to the carpets to the beds, everything was pink. Sure, there were different shades of it – the walls were a pastel pink, the carpet was hot pink, and the beds each had a unique shade to them – but that didn't detract from the fact that it all looked...not gaudy, per se, but certainly flamboyant and ostentatious. Like an American Girl dollhouse come to life.

Silena led us over to a tea table on one side of the cabin, before making us sit down and pouring us both tea from a pot which kind of looked like the one from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. "So," she said excitedly, without any prompting. "I have to ask, what made you two finally decide to confess to each other? Because I've been waiting for you to do it forever now and I was starting to think you weren't going to!"

I blinked. "Confess to what, exactly?"

She stared at me in response for several long, uncomfortable moments, before she threw her hands up in the air and groaned. "You haven't confessed, have you? Μὰ θεούς! I've felt it spilling all out of both of you for two weeks now and you're just sitting here, telling me that you're not together? How can both of you be so dense?"

Luke shifted uncomfortably and said warningly, "Silena."

"Don't 'Silena' me!" she huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, Luke, which means that I can sense love, all kinds of it. And I know for a fact that you love Percy just as much as he loves you! And the fact that you haven't addressed that is – is – "

"Scandalous?" Mitchell suddenly interjected from the other side of the cabin, where he was sitting on his opera mauve-colored bunk.

Silena nodded, agreeing. "Yes! Scandalous!"

"Look," Luke said, and I couldn't help but notice that there was a pink tinge to his cheeks – was he blushing? "I'm sure we can get into this later, but we don't have time for it now. Percy needs your help."

Silena frowned and turned to me. "My help with what? What could you possibly need my help with that isn't about your feelings for one another?"

I didn't answer immediately – because holy fuck, my head was spinning. I mean, on the one hand, apparently Luke liked me. He actually liked me back; he didn't just hang out with me or say funny things for the sake of it. And that was great. I wanted him to like me. But on the other hand, I knew I wasn't exactly the greatest catch in the world. Even discarding all the stuff about me that was apparently demigod-related, like the ADHD and dyslexia, I was will –

But I couldn't think about all of that. Not right now. I had a quest to go on, and I told Silena as much.

She scoffed. "You want me to go on a quest? I'm sorry, Percy, but that's just something that children of Aphrodite don't do!"

"You mean most children of Aphrodite," Luke interjected, a bittersweet look on his face.

Silena deflated at his words, her shoulders slumping. "Yes, you're right," she said. "But you also know my point still stands, Luke. Besides, who would – who would watch out for Drew, Laurel, Mitchell, and Lacy? And who would take care of the Pegasi? Or – or..."

"Silly," Drew said as she walked over, with Laurel right behind her. "You know I'm the same age as you are. I can watch over the cabin. I'm not incapable of it."

"And I can take care of the pegasi," Laurel added. She wasn't that much younger than Silena, Drew, and I, I didn't think. Maybe a year or two. "You should go on this quest, Silly. Gods know how much you were telling me the other day that us kids of Aphrodite don't get enough recognition around here. Going on this quest is the way that you can get us it."

"And it sounds so awesome!" Lacy squealed. She was the youngest of the children of Aphrodite, at about only the age of ten or so. "Come on, Silena! You gotta do it!"

Silena stared at her three half-sisters unfathomably, as well as Mitchell, who as I turned to look at him saw was giving her an equally encouraging look, before she sighed. "Oh, alright!" she said. "But only if the two of you," here, she pointed at me and Luke, "agree to talk about your feelings for each other as soon as we get back! Because I'm sick and tired of you two circling around each other without doing anything about it, and I'm not going to die just so you can get out of it!"

Luke opened his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it. "Deal," I said quickly, and strangely, I found that I actually meant it. Talking about my feelings with Luke probably would help. Maybe. Possibly. I was hopeful, at least. "Now, come on. We have to go tell Chiron that you're coming with me."

Word Count: 3,031

Next Chapter Title: We Blow Up A Bus