Chapter 20

                Hunter woke up to an all too familiar scene. Sunlight was shining on his face. He sat up with a groan and felt pain shoot up his back to a doorknob sized bump on the back of his head. He let out a quiet groan. “What happened?” He said quietly as his eyes adjusted to his current location. He was in a cell. The same cell he had dreamed about days earlier. He rubbed his eyes as he remembered back to his dream. “If I’m here, then that means..” He turned to see Marina sitting up against a wall and crying. He rushed over and sat down next to her. He put an arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. “What’s wrong? What happened?” He said. His mind was a little fuzzy about what happened.

                “It’s Kyle.” She said through sobs. “I don’t know what’s happening, but he’s been taken. By…By some….thing.” She said, finally wiping tears away. Hunter rubbed her arm gently.

                “It’s okay. I’m sure he’s fine.” He said quietly. They sat there for a moment before the sound of a door opening and then closing roused them from their spot on the ground. He heard something moving down the hall toward them. Hunter looked up to see one of the snake-like creatures open the door to his cell. It pointed a spear at the two of them. “Yeah. Yeah. Get that spear out of my face.” The two of them stood from their spot on the ground and followed the beast from the cell and down the hall. They were lead through several dark corridors to an arena. Hunter looked toward the door that the giant came out of in his dream. He looked ahead and saw the woman and the figure at her feet. “Kyle. That makes her Demeter.” He said quietly looking from Kyle to. “He probably went willingly. That’s what he’s so happy about. That…” He swallowed his anger and looked at Marina. She looked tired. Hunter couldn’t blame her.

                “Hunter! Step forward!” Demeter said clearly. Hunter complied and stepped forward. Just like in the dream his watch and his pendant appeared at his feet. He slipped them on and drew his knife.

                “Bring out the giant! Let’s get this over with!” He shouted in frustration. Demeter waited a moment before waving her hand and bringing out the giant. “Hey! Why do what she tells you?! She’s a god! The gods kill your kind all the time!” He said as he watched the giant squared off.

                “We go where the money is.” He said with a sharp-toothed grin. He watched as Demeter signaled the knife to begin. “Now, die, demigod!” He shouted as he charged. Hunter easily dodged.

                “Sorry. I’m just a mortal.” He said with a shrug before throwing his knife which flew through the air and caught the giant in the forehead. He watched as the beast turn to dust before walking over and grabbing his knife. “Come on, Kyle! Fight me yourself! Quit hiding behind your mama’s flunkies!”

                “Child. Go.” Demeter said with a sneer. Kyle looked up at her and then approached Hunter, turning his trowel into his scythe. “Oh, and Hunter? You must choose a new weapon.” She said with a defiant look on her face. She snapped her fingers and Hunter’s knife returned to pendant form. He looked around.

                “What so I have to fight him with my bow?! You want me to kill your son?!” He said summoning Kate. “Kyle. Why are you doing this?” He said finally looking at Kyle. He stepped forward. And looked at Hunter.

                “I’m sorry, man. I had no idea this was going to happen.” He said before looking back at Marina. “Tell her I’m sorry.” He said as Demeter signaled. Kyle raised his scythe and brought it down in an attack. Hunter reflexively rolled backwards and notched an arrow. He aimed it right at Kyle.

                “I’m not going to kill you, Kyle!” He said as he put away his arrow. He held his bow at his side. Kyle charged at him again and attacked. Hunter dodged under the attack and jabbed Kyle in the stomach. “Stop this! I’m not going to kill you!” Kyle swung at him again and Hunter took a step back to dodge it.  “Would you stop!? I’m not going to fight you!” He said as he transformed his bow back into a watch and stood there unarmed.

                “Come on, Kyle. She’s not going to let us go until one of us is dead. We all know you’re more of a hero than I am.” He said with a sigh. Hunter looked at him and cleared his throat.

                “We just want the bow! Give us the bow and we’ll be on our way!” He shouted to Demeter. “What are you even doing here?!”

                “NO! You were sent by Hades! You’re going to take my Persephone away from me! You want to hurt the groundhog! Kyle! Kill them!” Demeter said standing up and pointing angrily at Hunter and Marina. Kyle looked at Hunter and then Marina.

                “I’m sorry.” He said before charging at Hunter. Hunter dodged and charged at Demeter He notched an arrow and took aim. He felt a small tug and then a sharp pain around his legs. His bow fell from his hands as he dropped to the ground. He looked at his feet to see thorny brambles and plants wrapping around his legs, slowly making their way up to his head. He could feel warm blood pouring from his legs.

                “Kyle! What are you doing!? Don’t do this!” He shouted as the plants pinned his hands to the ground.

Chapter 19

It wasn’t a long flight to Punxsutawney. They landed in a small clearing in the woods about a mile walk from the town. After they landed, Hunter slid off Ulysses and drew his bow. “Stay here.” He said quietly as he cautiously walked into the woods. If there was anything he had learned it was to be cautious about unfamiliarity. He stood in the woods with his bow at the ready and listened. It was quiet. Almost silent. Hunter finally walked back to the horses. “Okay. Let’s get going.” He said with a nod toward the woods. As they walked through the woods, they were quiet. It could have been nerves. It could have been an effort to be aware of their surroundings. Either way, it was silent. In the distance they could hear the faint sound of music. As they got closer and closer the music got louder. After about 15 minutes, they broke from the woods to see a Groundhog day celebration in full motion.

                “This seems really dangerous.” Kyle said quietly, with a chuckle. “I wonder if that cotton candy over there is secretly a monster. Maybe that little kid in a stroller. He’s some kind of monstrous beast.” Marina slapped his arm.

                “Would you be quiet?” She said with a smile. Kyle nudged her and chuckled Hunter rolled his eyes and kept focused. He glanced around subtly. Nothing out of the ordinary, really. People laughing. Music playing.

“It doesn’t look so bad here, guys. Let’s just relax a little.” Kyle said with a shrug as he walked over to a cotton candy booth. He bought a cotton candy and walked back. He shared some with Marina and looked around the fair. “There’s a ride. Let’s go.” He said as he grabbed Marina by the hand and led her over.

“Kyle. I have a bad feeling. Let’s stay focused.” Hunter said glancing around nervously.

“You always have a bad feeling. I, however, have a good one.” He said with a chuckle. “This is my quest. I order you to have fun.” Hunter rolled his eyes and watched the two of them walk off. He sighed and looked around again.

“There is something wrong about this place.” He said quietly. He gulped and froze for a second when he saw a cop staring at them. There was something odd about him though. He was in his uniform, but his face was obscured by a scarf. Everything except his eyes. Hunter shook his head and played it off.

                “It’s probably nothing.” He said quietly to himself. He reached up and rubbed his pendant gently. He moved closer and closer to the crowd and kept his eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. He glanced around to see a few more cops looking right at them, their faces again obscured. The sight gave Hunter shivers.  “We’re a few kids. I look nervous. This is normal.” Hunter convinced himself. Hunter continued to walk feeling more and more nervous. He was at the edge of the crowd and he turned around to see several cops walking toward them. “Guys. We need to get into the crowd. NOW!” He said before shoving Kyle and Marina into the crowd.

                “Hunter, what’s going on?!” Marina asked frantically. Hunter shook his head and looked back briefly to see the cops pushing through the crowd toward them.

                “HALF-BLOODSSSS…” One of them hissed as the scarf was ripped away revealing a snake-like beast in the uniform. Hunter’s eyes widened.

                “Run!” He shouted as the crowd broke into a panic. Hunter whipped around and fired an arrow into the first beasts head. It exploded into a cloud of dust. More came, though. From all over. Beasts that were in disguise as tourists, policeman, and fair workers. The regular people dispersed as Hunter felt a sharp pain in his leg. He looked down to see a large gash on his calf. He looked up to see one of the creatures notching another arrow. He quickly fired one of his own. He turned to see Marina and Kyle engaged in a fight with more of the beasts. Hunter drew his knife, but was overwhelmed. He hacked and slashed as best he could, but was finally knocked out by the hilt of a sword to the back of his head.

Chapter 18

                When Hunter woke up it was morning. Sunlight was streaming in from the windows of the cabin and shining on his face. Today was going to be a long day. He took a deep breath and sat up before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He didn’t have any dreams that night. It was odd how soundly he slept. He sat up groggily and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “This is just another quest. It’s just another quest.” He said quietly. He stood up out of bed and took a deep breath. Setting his bag on his bed he unzipped it and made sure he had everything. He wondered why he was so nervous. This quest seemed more significant. “The fate of the world….” He said quietly before getting dressed and stepping out of his cabin. He looked around the camp. It was quiet. It was times like this that he missed. There was always something in Olympus. It was always some hunt or some party or some something that kept him busy. He never had a time to breathe. Now that it was actually quiet, he had to leave on a quest. He had to go risk his life to save the world again. He sighed as he walked into the mess hall. He had a couple of hours before they were leaving, but he was anxious to leave. He just wanted to be away from here. Even if that meant that he would be off fighting something. He wanted to be gone. He got in line and started to fill his tray.

                “Hey, Hunter.” Hunter turned from his spot in line to see Marina behind him. He swallowed his nerves and waved.

                “Hey, Marina.” He said quietly. “I’ll talk to you in a second.” He said before leaving and sitting down at the Artemis table. He held his cup in his hand. He felt no motivation to think of something creative to challenge his cup with. “Orange juice.” He said simply as Marina joined him at the table. He took a sip and looked at her drearily. “How’d you sleep?”

                “Not bad.” She said with a shrug. “I was a little beat up from falling off my Pegasus one too many times yesterday, but overall I slept pretty well.” She said before looking at him a little concernedly. “Are you okay? You seem bothered by something.” Hunter shook his head.

                “Yeah, yeah.” He said, clearing his throat. “I’m fine. Just uh…nervous.” He lied. He honestly wasn’t sure why this was bothering him so much. Maybe it was the dreams he’d been having. Something felt off. “So did you finally get the Pegasus riding down?” He asked, trying to change the subject.

                “Yeah, well enough.” She said with a shrug. “I had no idea that Kyle was so talented on a Pegasus. He said that it was his first time, but he could have fooled me.” She said with a chuckle. Hunter nodded.

                “I was surprised. I thought you would be the one who was good on the winged horse.” He said with a nod. “No offense.” Marina looked at him and smiled.

                “None taken. I was surprised too.” She said as she finished her food. “I wonder where Kyle is. We leave in an hour. Knowing Kyle, he isn’t even close to being packed up.”

                “I am packed up, as a matter of fact.” Kyle said, as he joined the table. “Good morning, Hunter. Good morning, Marina.” He said with a nod and a kiss respectively. Hunter eyed him suspiciously.

                “You’re surprisingly calm. You do remember that we’re leaving for a quest in an hour, right?” Hunter said with a raised eyebrow.

                “Of course I do. I’m just…okay with it. I feel good about this.” He said with a nod. “Things are going to go perfectly.” He said with a happy sigh and a smile on his face. Marina turned his face toward hers.

                “Are you okay? You didn’t get into Addie’s stash, did you?” She said with narrowed eyes. Kyle chuckled.

                “No, of course not. I’m just…okay with this.” He said with a smile before taking a bite of egg. Hunter shook his head.

                “Well, whatever. I need to go take care of something. I’ll meet you guys there.” Hunter said as he stood up from the table and excused himself. He walked out of the mess hall and to the Artemis Cabin. He walked over to the fountain in the corner and tossed a drachma in. “Philippa Simon. Philippa Simon’s quarters. Mount Olympus.” He said quietly. The mist glowed for a few moments. “No one is there. Wait. Of course no one is there. She’s missing.” He said quietly before leaning his head on the wall by the fountain. “I wish I could talk to her.” He said quietly. He always talked to her when something was bothering him. She always made it clear that she was there for him. The one time that he absolutely needed to talk to her…She’s gone. He took a deep breath and grabbed his bag off his bed. He slung it over his shoulder and made his way out of the cabin. He arrived at the stables early and walked Ulysses out. He patted him on the nose as he fed him a sugar cube. “Let’s get this show on the road, huh, buddy?” He said quietly. After a few minutes of sorting through things and waiting impatiently, Marina and Kyle showed up hand In hand.

                “You guys ready?” Kyle asked with a deep breath. Marina and Hunter nodded. The three of them mounted their Pegasi and took off toward Pennsylvania.

Chapter 17

                “Alright. Odd names, but it doesn’t really matter, I suppose.” Hunter said quietly as he hopped onto Ulysses’ back. “Alright, mount up and we’ll get started.” Marina and Kyle mounted their Pegasi and took a few practice steps.

                “My mom takes me horseback riding all the time. I think I know what I’m doing.” Marina said with a sigh. Hunter shrugged.

                “Go ahead, then.” He said motioning for her to try on her own. Marina gave him a defiant smile before taking a deep breath and kicking the horse gently. Jimmy took a few steps forward. She smiled as she kicked again and the horse went into a trot.

                “See? I told you.” She said with a chuckle. Hunter blinked a few times.

                “You know that we’re FLYING there, right?” He said with a raised eyebrow. “So, go ahead and fly.” Marina glanced at Hunter and then looked at Kyle for a second before looking back to Jimmy. She took a deep breath before pulling back on the mane of the horse. With a quick whinny it took off into the air. Marina screamed as Jimmy swished through the sky.

                “LET ME DOWN! GO DOWN!” She yelled as Hunter and Kyle laughed. The horse finally gave into her demands and landed on the ground gently. She immediately slid off the horse laid down on her back. “Do we have to fly? I don’t want to fly. I could go without flying.” She said quietly, her hair a mess.

                “You just need to get used to it.” Hunter said between laughs. He turned to Kyle. “Alright. Your turn.” He said nodding toward Petunia. Kyle sighed and leaned forward to whisper into his flying horse’s ear. After a brief moment, Petunia let out a snort and stamped her feet. Kyle pulled on the horse’s mane gently. It flapped its wings twice and floated in the air, slowly flapping. Kyle patted her on the neck and pulled her mane again and took off into the sky. Hunter watched with a raised eyebrow and a smile as Kyle flew gracefully through the air. “He’s a natural!” Hunter said with a laugh.

                “He’s going awful fast, isn’t he?” Marina said nervously, still lying on the ground. “Don’t let him get hurt, Hunter.” She said, being overly concerned. Hunter rolled his eyes and went back to watching Kyle deftly zoom through the air before coming down to a soft landing right next to Marina.

                “That…was awesome.” He said with a grin. He glanced down at Marina and smiled. He slid down off Petunia and helped Marina up. She stood on shaky legs and threw her arms around him.

                “I don’t like flying. Can I fly on Petunia with you? Please? Jimmy is mean to me.” She said, glancing briefly at her Pegasus who let out a derisive snort.

                “Marina, you should probably have your own Pegasus for this. It’s up to Kyle, though. It’s his quest.” Hunter said with a shrug. Kyle looked at Marina and sighed.

                “Hunter is probably right. Sorry, babe.” He said, kissing her gently. She pouted slightly. “It’ll be okay, though. I’ll teach you. It’ll be fun.” He said with a grin. She glanced over at Jimmy who stamped his feet. “Come on. It’ll be fun.” He said, shaking her slightly. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

                “Fine, but be nice.” She said kissing him on the chin. Kyle laughed and clapped his hands together.

                “Wonderful! Let’s get started.” He said, mounting back up on Petunia. Hunter patted Ulysses on the neck.

                “How about we call it quits for today? What do you think, bud?” He whispered into the horse’s ear. Ulysses seemed to nod and let out a happy whinny. “Good.” He turned to Kyle and Marina. “I’m going to go pack and get ready. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bright and early.” He said with a nod. He slid off Ulysses and led him back into the stables. With a wave, he said goodbye to Kyle and Marina and walked back to his cabin. He grabbed his bag and set it on his bed. He grabbed a couple of shirts and tossed them in his bag. He grabbed a pair of jeans out of his closet, but something caught his eye. Something that had fallen out of the pocket of his jeans. He bent down and picked it up. His heart dropped at the sight of it. It was Orion’s dog tag. He sighed as a small tear welled up in his eye. He wiped it away and promptly shoved it in his pocket. Shaking away the unhappy thoughts, he went back to packing. A few bandages, a canteen of water, some socks later he was done. He set his bag back on the ground and sat on his bed. He didn’t realize until now how lonely his cabin was. He was the only one in it. It felt homier when Orion was there, but he was gone now. He was alone again. He sighed and fell back on his bed. In a few moments, he was asleep.

Chapter 16

“Uh..I…” Kyle stammered before Marina snatched the paper out of his hand.

                “Zeus’ son. That’s Hercules, right? Hercules’ bow?” She said, staring at the paper. “Who used his bow after he did?”

                “Philoctetes.” Kyle said still staring forward. Marina furrowed her brow and looked at him. “The satyr in the Disney movie. Philoctetes.” He said quietly.

                “That movie couldn’t be more inaccurate.” Hunter said shaking his head.

                “No, no, no. The satyr was named after Philoctetes. He was some warrior a long time ago. Hercules gave him his bow.” Marina looked at him. “Why do you always looked surprised when I know something? I know things.”

                “Of course you do, sweetie.” Marina said before kissing him on the cheek. Chiron cleared his throat. “Oh, right. Sorry.” She said quietly.

                “So, what is named after Philoctetes?” Hunter asked, trying to think of something. “Who’s a famous Phil?”

                “Phil Hartman. No, wait. He’s dead.” Kyle said quietly.

                “He wasn’t a demigod, either.” Mr. D interjected.

                “Dr. Phil. You know that talk show host guy?” Marina suggested.

                “He’s DEFINITELY not a demigod.” Mr. D said with a chuckle, taking a sip of Diet Coke.

                “Children. What do you know of Persephone?” Chiron asked taking a step forward.

                “She’s my sister.” Kyle said with a shrug. “Uh…Goddess of springtime, flowers, and youth or something.”

                “And….” Chiron said, trying to coax an answer.

                “Well, and she’s the queen of the underworld, but what does that have to do with anything?” Hunter said, a little curious with Chiron’s ambiguity.

                “She was abducted by Hades and brought to the underworld. However, Demeter wasn’t exactly happy about this. As a compromise, she spends Spring and Summer with her mother and Winter and Fall in the Underworld with Hades.” He explained. Hunter nodded.

                “Yeah. We know this. What’s the point?” He said calmly.

                “Well, how do they decide when it’s Spring? It was a battle between Demeter and Hades for centuries.” Chiron said in his typically calm voice. “They finally reached an agreement a few hundred years ago. Every year on February 2^nd the date on which she will return is decided.”

                “February 2^nd?” Hunter said with a furrow in his brow. “That’s Groundhog Day.”  Chiron nodded.

                “Every year the groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania decides when Persephone can rejoin her mother.” Chiron said with a nod.

                “Punxsutawney? That’s…Oh! Groundhog Day? With Bill Murray!” Kyle said, snapping his fingers. “The Groundhog’s name is Punxsutawney-“ He stopped short when he realized it. “Phil…” He said quietly.

                “I would look there first.” Chiron said with a nod. Hunter took a step forward.

                “Okay. When do we leave?” He said calmly. “I figure we’ll take Pegasi.”

                “Demeter hides him away every other day of the year. The only year when the groundhog is accessible is on Groundhog Day.” Chiron said quietly. “That’s tomorrow. I would leave then. Bright and early.” Hunter could tell Kyle was trying to contain himself, but he wasn’t doing a very good job.

                “Thanks, Chiron.” Hunter said with a nod. “Let’s get going. We’ll need to pack and you guys need to pick a Pegasus.” The three of them walked out of the Big house and stood near the door. “Alright. Follow me.” He said as he lead them toward the Pegasus stables.

                “This seems too easy.” Kyle said. “I mean, we have to take out a groundhog? That’s just ridiculous.”

                “I’m sure there’s more to it than that.” Hunter said. He glanced at Kyle and the image of him squaring off with him in his dream flashed in his mind. When they arrived at the stables, Hunter walked Ulysses out and patted him on the neck. Marina and Kyle stared. “Go on in. Pick out a friend.” he said teasingly. Marina and Kyle gave him a look before heading in and picking out their pegasi. Marina led a dark grey Pegasus out.

                “This is Jimmy.” She said with a grin as she patted him behind his ear. The horse let out a happy whinny and nuzzled her with his nose. 20 minutes later, Kyle led out a light brown horse.

                “Her name is Petunia.” He said patting her on the neck.

Chapter 15

                Kyle’s mind was racing. He stepped out of the Arts and Crafts shelter slowly. He thought that maybe, if he walked slowly enough they would give the prophecy to someone else. “They seriously asked for me? I don’t do anything. There is nothing special about me. I’m a child of Demeter. I’m not a male Hunter. I’m not a child of Poseidon, Zeus, or Hades. People like me aren’t given prophecies.” He said desperately. Marina took his hand and kissed him on the cheek.

                “Who says? You’re good with those plants.” She said with a grin. “And you took Hunter out with your scythe. That’s something.” Hunter fell into stride next to them.

                “I guess we can say you beat me. Sure.” Hunter said with chuckle. “I wouldn’t worry about it. We don’t even know what it is, yet. They could be saying that you need to clean the cabin better.” He said with a nod trying to come up with excuses. “Maybe you have to leave camp forever.”

                “What the…” Kyle said, looking at Hunter with a shrug. He shook his head as he continued his walk toward the Big house. “You said that there was a prophecy. You didn’t get it, but they had you find me. That sounds like I’m getting a prophecy.” He said with a sigh. He studied the ground ahead of him. He was really dreading his meeting with Chiron and the rest of them. He sighed with a tinge of worry.

                “We’re going to be right there with you the whole time.” Marina said with a grin. Kyle looked at her and forced a small smile. He couldn’t express how happy he was to have her with him

                “Thanks. It really-“ He started, but was interrupted by a volleyball hitting him in the chest. He looked over to see Vera and Rory walking over.

                “Sorry about that.” Rory said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. “It got away from Vera.” He said teasingly. Vera smiled at him before slugging him in the arm. She looked at the ball on the ground and with a wave of her hand it flew off the ground and she grabbed it out of the air.

                “Rory just hit it too hard.” She said with a smirk before turning back to the three. “Would you like to join us?” She said pleasantly. Kyle took a step forward and grabbed the ball out of Vera’s hands.

                “Yes! I would LOVE to.” He said as he took another step toward the volleyball pit. Hunter and Marina grabbed him and dragged him away. He tossed the ball back to Vera. “You guys are no fun.” He said to them with a sigh. Marina kissed his cheek.

                “Deal with it.” She said with a grin as she grabbed Kyle by the hand and dragged him away. Vera and Rory waved goodbye as they turned back to the volleyball pit. Kyle glanced back at them for a second.

                “Are they dating, yet?” He asked before glancing from Hunter to Marina and back.

                “Not a chance. They’re about as clueless as a pirate with two eyepatches.” Hunter said with a chuckle.  Marina shook her head as Kyle bust out laughing. He laughed all the way to the door to the Big house. Kyle stood right in front of the door and took a deep breath. He grabbed the handle and swung the door open.

                “Mr. Julius. So glad you could join us.” Chiron said with a calm smile. Mr. D leaned back in his chair and put a foot up on the table.

                “It’s about time you got here, Kevin.” He said before materializing a Diet Coke onto the table. “Geez, Harold. Did you have to hire a P.I.?” He said derisively before taking a sip of his soda.

                “It’s Hunter.”

                “I’m Kyle.” The two of them corrected.

                “That you are.” Rachel said taking a step forward. “I think I’ve got something for you.” She said as she leisurely leaned on a chair. Kyle looked at her plainly.

                “So, how does this work? Do you just kind of…blegh.” He said motioning vomiting. Rachel shrugged.

                “Beats me. It’s no always the most cons-“ She threw her head back and her eyes glowed green.

Listen well, half-mortals, for the fate of the world is nigh,
Its path will be chosen upon the mountain high
2 items will be required, for success in this task
One must be taken, but for the other you must ask.

The weapon of Zeus' greatest son, that staunch never-loser,
will be found with the famed namesake of his bow's second user
The obstacles will be deceiving, and the enemies well-cloaked
but be wary, and be careful, or your chances will be choked

The favor of a god or goddess is the second item for this task,
and in battle or in contest, Ares or Nyke you would ask.
Ask neither war nor victory for success in your quest, but look to the face,
that helped Melanion win his heart's race.

If the items of favor and power have been found,
they must be used to keep the sky bound.
For should the sky come free, and seek the earth,
it would end all happiness, joy, and mirth.

The one that would weaken Atlas' might,
and doom the world to that great plight,
must be brought to heel by that thing
which is more cherished than the power of any king.

          

                  Her body relaxed and she swayed, but caught herself before she fell down. “Phew.” She said as she pulled out a chair and sat down. “I feel like I got hit by a semi.” She said, breathing heavily. “Well, there you go. Now…quest.” She said with a chuckle before leaning back in her chair. Kyle stood in shock.

                “Here you go.” Chiron said as he handed Kyle a piece of paper that he had quickly written the prophecy down on. Kyle looked at it with wide eyes and an open mouth.

Chapter 14

As he walked in, he found Chiron, Mr. D, and Rachel all gathered around the table. They immediately looked up at him in surprise. Chiron stood up straight and took a few steps toward him.

                “Hunter. How can we help you?” He said in his typically calm voice. Hunter looked at him plainly. He had no idea how to answer that question. He stared at him and then around the room a few times before sighing.

                “You don’t need me here?” He said with mild disbelief. Why would Hestia say that he needed to go to the Big house if they didn’t need him. Chiron looked at him and thought for a second.

                “Not that I’m aware of.” He said before glancing back at Mr. D and Rachel who both shrugged. “Did you need something?” He said raising an eyebrow. Hunter shrugged.

                “I guess not.” He said with a shrug. He stood there for a second and rocked on his heels. “I guess, I’ll be going, then.” He said as he turned toward the door.

                “Oh, wait.” Chiron said quickly. “There is something you could do for us.” Hunter turned around and looked at Chiron with hopeful eyes. Was he excited to go on another quest? “Could you track down Mr. Julius for us? We need to talk to him.” He said with a small smile. Hunter raised an eyebrow.

                “Uh…yeah. Sure.” He said with a sigh. He excused himself and walked out of the Big house. “Why would they need Kyle? Kyle is…Kyle is Kyle. He doesn’t get prophecies. I get prophecies.” He said as he walked toward the Demeter cabin. “I guess, I’ll just start here.” He said as he climbed the couple of steps leading to the cabin and opened the door. As he walked in, his jaw dropped. “Umm…Will?” He said with a tone of mild surprise. Will sat up in a flash and wiped his face. A blond girl with a surprised face sat up next to him. A grin spread across Hunter’s face as he looked between the two of them. “Will.” He said with a chuckle.

                “Hi, Hunter.” He said quietly. “You’ve met Penny.” He said, studying the ground. Penny gave Hunter an awkward wave. Hunter couldn’t stop smiling.

                “Hi, Penny. I was just wondering if you knew where Kyle was. I see that you’re…” He said as he looked at Will who was still bright red. “preoccupied.” He finished with a smile. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Thanks, Penny. Will. We’ll talk.” He said before giving them a wave and leaving the cabin. He closed the door behind himself and climbed down the steps. He chuckled to himself before walking to the arena. He glanced around to see Phoebe and Addie sparring. He approached them. “Hey, have either of you seen Kyle? Probably attached to Marina by the hand?” He said with a raised eyebrow. They stopped sparring and looked at him.

                “He was in the mess hall earlier.” Addie said as she twirled her sword once or twice. “They left in a hurry though.”

                “They probably don’t want to be bothered, Hunter.” Phoebe said with a smirk. She changed her knife to a sword and then a spear and then back to a knife. “If I had to guess they’re either in the forges or Arts and Crafts. I’d put money on arts and crafts, though.” She said with a nod.

                “Thanks. I’ll head to the forges.” He said with a chuckle as he turned to head out of the arena.  Phoebe walked up and punched him in the arm.

                “Two drachmas says they’re in A and C.” She said as she stuck out a hand. Hunter raised an eyebrow and shook it.

                “Deal. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” He said with a nod before turning and exiting the arena. As he left he turned and headed to the forges. It was empty. He headdesked before looking up at the sky. “I need to stop losing money.” He said quietly as he turned and walked toward Arts & Crafts. “I still could be right. They might not be here. I mean I haven’t chec- dang it.” He said as he entered and spotted Kyle and Marina molding something into what appears to be a vase. He walked up to them. “Hi, guys.” He said calmly. They looked up and smiled brightly.

                “Hi, Hunter.” They said in unison. “We’re making vases.” They also said in unison. They looked at each other and laughed.

                “That was creepy.” Hunter said, looking at the two of them oddly. “Anyway, why I’m here.” He said clearing his throat. “They need to see you in the Big house.”

                “Me?” Marina said with a surprised look on her face. “Why me? What did I do?” She asked frantically.

                “Marina, calm down. I was talking to Kyle.”

                “Me? Are you sure they meant me Kyle?” He asked as he wiped his hands on a nearby towel.

                “You’re the only ‘Julius’ in the camp, so…yeah.” Hunter said with a shrug. “Come on. Best not to keep them waiting.” Kyle nodded and stood up.

                “I really don’t want to go on a quest.” He said with a chuckle.