Percy thought the choices for the quest would be easy, and solved immediately.

"The prophecy is clear, it said 'Campers and Hunters combined prevail'. So, Zoe, you're obviously going to want to come. Choose another Hunter." Bianca said.

"Of course. I will never give up the chance to save mine goddess. Especially with the General as our enemy." Zoe Nightshade spat out the name 'General' like it was a curse. "I nominate Annabeth, Phoebe, Naomi and Josephine."

Turns out someone disagreed.

Bianca's usually quiet cheery demeanor fell. She was starting to remind Percy of Mrs. Dodds when she stopped smiling. Being the daughter of Hades, Percy wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.

"Who's the General, since you seem to know him? Also no." Bianca spoke firmly and the room seemed to get colder all of a sudden. "I'm the leader of this quest, Zoe. Choose one. From the camp's side I choose, Percy."

Percy sighed, as he was glad that he would be able save Thalia.

"Joy." Dionysus sighed and rolled his eyes. "Jameson gets to be an annoying hero again." He never stopped calling Percy, 'Jameson' ever since that Fate game came out. Saying 'it's his name now' with a laugh.

"I'm going to save my friend." Percy said back.

Bianca looked at Dionysus once, to see if he would say anything important, but he didn't so she ignored him.

"You would have me and my Hunters suffer the presence of a boy? And one? Phoebe is our best tracker, and Annabeth has the potential to be one of our best Huntress, and her wisdom is needed. Naomi—"

"Anyone here at camp side is good at tracking?" Bianca just went over Zoe as she looked around the Big House meeting room. Zoe did a very good impression of a fish, at the audacity of Bianca.

"Oh! Me! Me! I know woodland magic, I know the tracker's song and I have good senses." Grover beamed with a large smile. "Anything to save Artemis."

"A satyr?" Zoe wrinkled her face in disgust.

"Grover is the best tracker in camp." Annabeth added, to which Percy couldn't help but smile. Annabeth almost seemed like she was going to smile back, before her face fell to a neutral look, at Zoe looking back at her.

"Welcome aboard." Bianca smiled.

"I want to go." Nico piped up.

""No."" Bianca said and Zoe shouted.

Sudden the room was colder and scarier as Bianca gave Zoe a fixed glare.

It felt like the Underworld was calling us down, even Zoe shuddered under Bianca's stare. Then as soon as the feelings came, they passed, almost seeming like they weren't real. That everyone all imagined it.

"Nico, no." Bianca said gently, as she placed a hand on her brother's shoulder. "This quest is too dangerous. There will likely be way too much fighting, and too many monsters if we're going to be rescuing a goddess."

"I can fight, and what? You won't be in danger?" Nico said in a quieter voice upon noticing everyone's eyes on him.

"Yes, but you spend most of your training playing with Shadow, or using dad to skip studying." She said with a knowing look, and Nico looked down blushing and chuckling bashfully. "I'm gonna be fine. I'm not alone after all and if worst comes to worst I'll call for help."

"Oh, right! Mr. Bullman." Nico nodded. "Wait! Take Shadow with you."

"Mister what?" Annabeth asked.

"A bodyguard my dad hired to protect us last year." Bianca said.

"And what? He's still on the payroll to protect you?" Percy asked.

"Something like that." Bianca said with a small smile.

For some reason Silena furrowed her eyebrows, before her eyes widened in surprise, before covering her mouth. Although her smile could be seen behind her hand.

"Are you sure?" Bianca asked Nico. "You're okay without Shadow for a few days?"

"Yep! He'll be able to help you travel fast and all that." Nico nodded.

"Okay." Bianca smiled back.

Percy thought having a monster on their side would be neat for a change. Percy then remembered his brother Tyson technically was actually a monster, and was on his side in his last quest and helped him out.

You know what? More monsters helping us out would be pretty neat for a change. Percy thought.

"Enough with the distractions." Zoe spoke, standing up and almost slamming her fist on the table. "Returning to the important matter at hand, you'd have me choose only one of my hunters, and then suffer the presence of not one, but two boys?!"

"First, they're Annabeth's friends, so they can work well together. Second," Bianca had her hands on the table, stood up and leaned forward staring harshly at Zoe. "Do you want to save your goddess or do you want to be comfortable?" Bianca spat out and Zoe's face turned red like she was about to shout back. "Grover has his tracking and magic. Percy is a Child of the Great Prophecy, meaning we can throw him at danger and he won't die."

"Wait, what?" I looked Bianca completely thrown off.

"He is also a child of one of the Big Three. He's strong. We need all the power and skill," Bianca nodded at Annabeth. "We can get to ensure our success. Because saving Artemis and Thalia is all that matters, is it not?" Bianca said firmly, her eyes locking with Zoe in an intense battle of will.

"Oooh, spicy." Mr. D commented childishly from the side.

After a while Zoe finally sighed, and relaxed her shoulders.

"Yes, saving Lady Artemis and a maiden is all that matters." Zoe said and Bianca stood back straight, her shoulders relaxed. "However," Zoe looked at both Percy and Grover. "If they slow us down, I'm leaving them behind."

Without waiting for another word Zoe and the rest of the Hunters with her left to cabin eight to rest for the night, and prepare for tomorrow. Annabeth gave her friends an apologetic look and left with her Hunter sisters.

Chiron dismissed everyone, and the campers left the Big House.

Percy wanted to chase after Annabeth to check on her, but Bianca grabbed his arm.

"Tomorrow." She told him and let go.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Percy sighed and nodded. "Hey," he suddenly remembered. "You said as 'a Child of the Great Prophecy' I can be thrown in danger and end up fine, but the prophecy only needs one kid to fulfill it. What about you?"
"I'm not sure if I or Nico qualify." Bianca shook her head.

"Why?" He asked confused.

"Percy, I was born in 1930, well before the Great Prophecy was made." Bianca said casually.

"Wait, what?" Percy felt stumbled. "How? That would make you like," he thought for a moment. "70 years old."

"Seventy seven technically, but no. My dad put me and Nico in the Lotus Casino for safety, and we've been there ever since, till last year."

"...Holy shit."

"Yeah, it's been an adjustment." Bianca chuckled.

"Why did Hades do that?" Percy was stumped on why would Hades do that. Maybe he didn't want his children to die? But then he's the God of the Dead, so why would that matter? He can just see them everyday if they're dead. As morbid as that was to think.

"Because Zeus tried to have us killed, just to be on the safe side." Bianca said and left, leaving Percy just shocked at this sudden revelation.

"Where were thee?" Zoe said sharply as Percy jogged to the meeting point before they headed off.

"Sorry, sorry. The hippocampi wanted help with something. A cow thing was stuck in a net." Percy quickly apologized.

"This is why I didn't want boys on this quest. They don't take anything seriously." Zoe cover her face with her hand.

"Hey, that was important. Bessie could have been injured." Percy protested.

Before Zoe could reply, Annabeth perked up.

"Hippocampi are water horses. Percy, did a cow fall in the water?" Annabeth seriously questioned, making Zoe looked at her surprised.

"No. It was a cow from the front and like a snake from the waist down. It was swimming and got stuck in a fishing net." Percy described what his morning was like.

"Thou just happened to find the Ophiotaurus by mere chance, and helped it out of a fishing net? Does thou thinks we are foolish—" Zoe began to rant.

"Yeah, that tracks." Annabeth nodded.

"What?" Zoe looked at Annabeth in disbelief.

"Percy is son of the Sea God, so of course the water creatures would come to him if they need help. And prophecy says the 'Bane of Olympus shall show the trail', so we need to follow Ophiotaurus to know where to go." Annabeth explained.

"What does Bessie has to do with all of this?" Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Bessie—I can't believe you call it 'Bessie'—is the Ophiotaurus, called the Bane of Olympus because whoever killed and sacrificed its entrails would gain the power to destroy Olympus."

"What!?" Percy shouted. "That's horrible! Who would do that?"

"Power hungry tyrants, of course." Zoe gritted her teeth.

"But Bessie is too cute! It can't destroy the world." Percy argued. For some reason any fight in Zoe was thrown out as she just looked at Percy in disbelief. "How could she even grant that kind of power?"

"Because there's power in killing innocence." As soon as Zoe said that, she frowned before looking at Percy, then looked away in deep thought.

"Percy, can you call the Ophiotaurus, I mean Bessie back to the beach?" Annabeth asked.

"I..." Percy was about to say 'no'. That Bessie likely had long since swam away, yet right then he felt like he could. "Yeah, yeah, I think so." He nodded.

"Then let's go get the sea cow!" Bianca said cheerfully.

All too soon the five questers were standing at the beach, with Bessie—who according to Grover was a 'he'—who was mooing and playing in the water, while letting Percy pet it.

"..." Bianca looked at Zoe Nightshade and said nothing.

"..." Zoe looked back frowning and said nothing.

"..."

"..."

Zoe looked back at Percy playing with the Ophiotaurus with Annabeth joining in petting it, and Grover translating what it was saying.

"...The boy has a use." Zoe begrudgingly admitted.

The Quest was off to a great start.

AN: A bit short because I'm hungry and need to eat lunch.