The Champion of Artemis

Chapter Five: A Quest For Five

Percy Jackson

I was angry.

I'd always acted like I couldn't care less about what my father did to me and my birth mother, but I was heated. It's as if having someone to finally put the blame on just made the anger roll off of me in waves.

The news got around camp quickly. Everyone was talking about me and I learned that I now needed to have an important chat with Chiron and Mr. D.

I was summoned to the Big House and Zoe accompanied me, afraid that Dionysus might smite me or something. Chiron was anxiously waiting on the porch and Dionysus groaned when we entered.

"Why did it have to be the one camper that knew how to play pinochle." He mumbled. Zoe and I ignored him and took a seat at the table. Chiron sighed.

"Now that we know you are a child of the big three…" He began. "There are certain things we need to discuss with you." I spared a glance at Zoe who smiled reassuringly. I nodded. "You mentioned that Lady Artemis sent you to camp to…"

"She just told us that we should be here, representing the Hunters while things were going down on Olympus." Zoe stated. Chiron nodded.

"Well those things." Dionysus said. "Would be an escalating conflict between Perseus' father and Zeus. Specifically, over the theft of Zeus' master bolt."

"Zeus thinks that Poseidon stole his lightning bolt?" I questioned.

"And seeing as Poseidon just claimed Percy, Zeus thinks he has it." Zoe concluded.

"That's correct. And, because of this, you must accept a quest from the oracle and clear your name." Chiron explained. "We're lucky that we have a demigod with your level of training and power to lead this quest." My mind was racing.

"What will I have to do?" I asked.

"The overwhelming evidence supports that Hades is in possession of the bolt and is framing you." Dionysus said. "If Poseidon and Zeus are fighting, he'll have a straight shot at the thrown. He knows that you're the only one who can stop the fighting, so he's been throwing all the creatures of the night at you. Ergo, the minotaur and the hellhound. So, long story short, you're going on a nice cross-country trip to the Underworld."

"That's suicide." Zoe said angrily. Something occurred to me.

"The hellhound attacked Zoe though." I said. "It wasn't after me, I just got in the way."

"And, if Ms. Nightshade had been killed?"

"I would've went after Hades."

"And challenged a god, brilliant. Hades is smart. He knows how to really hurt you. If he kills Zoe or one of your little friends, you'll fly off the handle and your quest to the Underworld won't be an act of diplomacy." I rose from my seat and Zoe and Chiron followed.

"I don't know how I'll be able to convince Hades to hand over the bolt, but I accept the quest." I stated. Mr. D sighed.

"You had a good run kid." He said. "Good luck out there." And, with that, he disappeared.

"Seek the consul of the Oracle, Percy." Chiron told me. "You must receive the prophecy." Zoe nervously lead me from the porch and up to the attack. I opened the green door and gave Zoe a reassuring smile before entering the room. I paid no attention to the meaningless items riddling the floor and made my way right to the Oracle.

I didn't want this quest. I didn't want to help Poseidon. I just wanted to join the Hunters of Artemis and stay with my family forever. But, here I am, accepting a suicide mission to retrieve a greedy god's item of power to stop him from fighting the father I care nothing for. Not to mention, retrieving said item from the Lord of darkness. Just great.

The Oracle's mummified body became animated and its mouth opened wide. Green smoke began filling the room and I could hear the prophecy in my head.

You shall go west, and face the god who has turned

You shall find what was stolen and see it safely returned

You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend

And fail to save what matters most in the end

Zoe was waiting for me on the other side of the door. I recited the prophecy to her and she paled.

"That doesn't sound good." She stated. "But, then again, these things usually have double meanings."

"Guess we'll find out." I replied. We reported the prophecy to Chiron who looked uneasy.

"Alright then." He said. "In terms of quest members, the prophecy doesn't state a specific number. However, three is a sacred number and I would strongly urge you to only take two additional quest members. And, as you may already know, Annabeth will play a role in this quest." As if rehearsed, Annabeth materialized beside me and flashed me a smile.

"Well, that's going to be a problem." A new voice said. Phoebe and Chelsea appeared on the porch. "Because we're not letting Percy and Annabeth leave without us." Chelsea finished. Chiron looked uneasy.

"Four quest members would not be very wise." He said sternly.

"How about five." Zoe said and flung an arm around my shoulder. "Percy, Phoebe, Chelsea, Annabeth, and I. The quest is good as complete." I smiled. Chiron relaxed slightly.

"I would feel much better with three quest members but, it this is what you want, then the five of you shall leave immediately. Your journey will be dangerous. Just remember you've been warned about how sacred numbers can be with prophecy." I was a little bit nervous. Chiron was right. Bringing five members on this quest wasn't explicitly forbidden but it wasn't smart. But, I also knew they would never let me leave without them. They were all looking at me, as if expecting me to give a command. It was weird. This was usually Zoe's department.

"Pack your bags." I said. "Let's get this over with."