chapter nine

─── if i legally change my name to single, would that be odd?

          𝔖o, everyone hated me.

The next morning, after the unfortunate incident with the hellhound, Chiron moved me to Three with all of my one bag. But, there was plenty of room for my Minotayr horn, my one set of spare clothes, and my toiletry bag.

However, my cabin did look kind of sad.

I didn't have to share with anyone. I could sit at my own dinner table (so I looked like a loner), pick all my own activities (double loner) and call 'lights out' whenever I felt like it (god, I am such a loner).

Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but I got the feeling they were all talking about it behind my back. There were no scars, but sometimes, I could still feel its claws. It was unnerving.

Eleven began to get kind of nervous about having sword fighting lessons with me, so Luke had told me that it might be an idea to have sword training as a one-on-one thing.

"You're going to need all the training you can get," he promised, as he walked with me towards where I had Greek. "You know, being the daughter of the Sea God and all."

Annabeth had taken over teaching me Greek in the mornings, because Malcolm had kind of freaked with me cause of my dad. Every time I said something to Annabeth, she had huffed and scrunched her nose. I still wasn't entirely sure whether she liked me or not, but maybe this was progress?

After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest...Poseidon?...Got to make a plan"

I knew somebody at camp resented me, because that night I came into my cabin and found a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page. The article took me almost an hour to read, because I kept having to walk away and cuss loudly, before going back to read.

GIRL AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT BY EILEEN SMYTHE

Sally Jackson and daughter, Andromeda, are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.

Mother and daughter had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.

Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepdaughter, Andromeda Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.

Police would not say whether the daughter is a suspect in her mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Andromeda. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline.

The phone number was circled in black marker.

I wadded up the paper and threw it away, then flopped down in my bunk bed in the middle of my empty cabin.

"Lights out," I growled to myself, burying my head in the pillow once more. Things could not get worse.

Turns out, they could because I had my worst dream yet.

Yippee for me.

I was trying to stop a fight from happening, but the more I tried, the more I struggled to reach them. The ground shook from the storm. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep it turned my blood to ice.

Come down, little heroine, the voice crooned. Come down!

The earth beneath me disappeared, opening up a crevice straight down to the centre of the earth. My feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me.

I woke up, sure I was falling, clutching at my chest in a panic.

I was still in bed in Three but it wasn't morning just yet. Sitting up, I ran a hand across my face, before leaving my cabin and heading towards the beach. The waves soothed me, even if it did look like a storm was rolling in.

"What are you doing, Sleeping Beauty?" I turned as Luke came to slump down next to me, a tired grin on his face. "It's barely morning."

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing. Just think it's odd." Luke muttered. "They're looking for you, you know."

"What?" How long had I been down here?

"Mr. D wants to see you."

"Why?"

"He wants to speak with you," Luke replied, watching the waves with me. "So you should probably go and talk to him. Never known him to be patient."

"Great. Do you want to come with me?" Luke looked back at me. "I'm not sure how it's going to go. Might need some emotional support so I don't have my fifth consecutive existential crisis."

"We can't have that." Luke stood up once more, before pulling me to my feet and leading me back towards the Big House. "Don't need to have the pretty girl worrying."

I'd been expecting this summons for a while, ever since I was declared a daughter of Poseidon. I was waiting for a punishment, I guess.

Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in our direction.

"Well this is pathetic fallacy at its finest," Luke laughed at my comment, shaking his head in amusement.

"It won't rain unless we want it to. Bad weather always passes around us," I still was not convinced because this storm looked bad.

Everybody was trying their best to go about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm, waiting for it to hit, or go round them.

Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke in his free hand. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheel-chair. They were playing against invisible opponents--two sets of cards hovering in the air.

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity."

I waited.

"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to bow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.

Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover, who I'd only just noticed, cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth. Luke was the only one who stood tall by my side, his stance unfaltering.

"I wished to turn your molecules in flames." Dionysus muttered nonchalantly. "But it's supposedly abuse of children.

"Spontaneous combustion is abuse, Mr. D," Chiron put in as I nodded. No need for me to go up in flames.

"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "Kid wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

"Mr. D—" Chiron warned. Mr. D chuckled, shaking his head.

"There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I've got an emergency conference. And Andromeda Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic security pass.

He snapped his fingers.

The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiled at me, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Andromeda, please. Grover, and Luke, too."

We did.

Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.

"Tell me, Andromeda," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

My chest ached and I sighed. I didn't want to think about it, and I knew that Chiron expected me to be all good, but I really wasn't.

"I'm just glad that you shot it before it turned me into a fireside rug," was the only thing I managed to get out.

"You'll meet worse, Andromeda. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done...with what?" I asked. Luke froze.

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

"You can't just spring this on her, Chiron," The centaur shot Luke a look, warning him to be quiet. I glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers.

"Um, sir, don't mean to be unobservant or anything," I said, "you haven't told me what it is yet."

Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.

"Poseidon and Zeus," I said. "They're fighting over something valuable...something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks, as Luke sighed and shook his head, turning so I could only see the left side of his face.

Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

I blushed, licking my lips. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I've also been having these dreams."

"I knew it," Grover said.

"Hush," Chiron ordered.

"But it is her quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"

"This is madness," Luke hissed in response. "You can't be serious! She's only just got here."

"Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his beard. "Nevertheless, Andromeda, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

I laughed nervously, not liking where this was going. "A what?"

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Well, shit," Chiron didn't even bother to chastise me for swearing.

"Zeus' master bolt," Chiron shook his head. "It's the symbol of his power. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's missing?"

"Stolen," Chiron said.

"By who?"

"By whom," Chiron corrected, I huffed. Sorry, oh grammar police. "By you."

Right, I was pretty sure that I hadn't done that recently. Unless I'd been sleeping.

"That's the fear that Zeus holds." Chiron held his hand up. "During the last council of the gods, there was an argument between Zeus and Poseidon. It wasn't a nice, or good one so they had a break to cool off. When they returned, the master bolt was gone, taken from the meeting room. Zeus was fuming. No god can taken another's symbol of power, so Zeus was sure that a human had taken it."

"I was busy failing maths class—"

"Patience." Chiron warned. "Zeus had good reason to be suspicious. Poseidon has some influence over the makers of the lightning bolt, as the forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean. He believes that the bolt is being made into illegal copies. He didn't have a suspect, until you turned up. You're a human, and Poseidon claimed you at a time that was inappropriate. You could have easily snuck in."

"I've never been to their little conference place in New York. This is stupid!"

Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us, as Luke had thought. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.

"Er, Romy...?" Grover said. "Let's not insult the gods."

"Zeus is paranoid." Chiron sighed. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam...." He looked at me as if he actually expected me to remember question thirty-eight. That was a long time ago.

I mean, I wouldn't say I'd never stolen anything in my life (again, no speaking of that incident) but I'd definitely never stolen some whackjob's 'master bolt'.

"Something about a golden net?" I guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods...they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"

Good for them.

"Correct," Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt and took offence to that. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war."

"But I'm just kind of useless!"

"Romy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother claims a mortal child at the same time this is all going down, what would you think?"

"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon—my dad—he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"

Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. Your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Andromeda?"

"I can have a guess."

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself–"

"There's no need to explain. I get it." I finally snapped. "I get that this is a big deal, but you don't need to try and scare me."

"Chiron..." Luke stopped, but Chiron continued.

"Andromeda Jackson, heed my words, you would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath." Everything went silent, as the rain started. It turned torrential in a second, causing others to rush for cover. I stood still, smatters of rain hitting my skin.

"This is brilliant." I hissed. "First, my mother gets killed. Then, I find out that I'm a demigod and I wasn't supposed to be born! And finally, I'm getting punished for something not my fault! Where's the stupid bolt then? I'll go get it and deliver it."

The other's expressions were varying stages of grim.

"I believe I know." Chiron muttered. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago...well, some of the lines make sense to me now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

"Brilliant." Luke turned to look at me, shaking his head.

"You don't have to do this."

"She's the only one who can," Chiron glared at Luke, until he sat back again. "You agree then?"

I looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly, and at Luke, whose head was still in his hands.

"Fine," I said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Andromeda Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trap-door.

I pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place. The warm air from above smelled like mildew and rotten wood.

I held my breath and climbed.

The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armour stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers of other places. One long table was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things. A dusty mounted trophy on the wall looked like a giant snake's head, but with horns and a full set of shark's teeth. The plaque read, HYDRA HEAD #1, WOODSTOCK, N.Y., 1969.

By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy. It was shrivelled to a husk, covered in a shawl, with eyes that had been replaced by marbles. Everything in my gut said to run, chills racing up and down my back as I tried not to be sick.

The Oracle sat up, green mist pouring from its mouth, coiling over the floor and around my feet in thick tendrils. I backed up, but the trap door slammed behind me.

The tendrils reached me, curling around my ear as I froze, listening to the voice.

I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.

"What's my destiny?" My voice trembled.

The mist swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of me and around the table with the pickled monster-part jars. Suddenly there were four men sitting around the table, playing cards. Their faces became clearer. It was Smelly Gabe and his buddies.

Gabe turned toward me and spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle: You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.

His buddy on the right looked up and said in the same voice: You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.

The guy on the left threw in two poker chips, then said: You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend.

Finally, Eddie, our building supervisor, delivered the worst line of all: And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.

The mist disappeared into the mummy's mouth, as it slumped back over. The attic was silent again, abandoned, nothing but a room full of mementos as I took a deep gulping breath, rushing out of there.

"Well?" Chiron's voice had me jumping, as I stumbled to the table, still pale and shaky.

I slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "It said I would retrieve what was stolen."

Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."

My ears were still tingling from the mist. "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."

"I knew it," Grover said, looking happy. But, I found Luke standing on the side of the porch, his arms folded and anger clear on his face. His scar twitched every now and then.

Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

I didn't want to tell him.

What friend would betray me? I didn't have that many in the first place.

And the last line—I would fail to save what mattered most. What kind of Oracle would send me on a quest and tell me, 'Oh, by the way, have fun losing!'

How could I confess that?

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

He studied my face. "Very well, Andromeda. 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 events come to pass."

I got the feeling he knew I was holding back something bad, and he was trying to make me feel better.

"Okay," I said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Which god is it?"

"If Zeus is blaming Poseidon, then it only makes sense for this to go full circle and someone else is also being blamed."

"Sibling rivalry." I guessed. "Hades."

Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is, as you can imagine, also not pleased at this accusation."

A scrap of aluminium dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"

"A Fury kept an eye on you. Zeus takes that as Hades and Poseidon were working together. He knows that they always got along better than he and the others did." Chiron shook his head. "Hades lives on the West Coast of the United States. Apparently the weather there is better for his wife's gardens."

"This is madness," Luke muttered, cracking all of the knuckles in his hand.

"Hades doesn't like heroes." Grover protested. "Everyone knows that."

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Someone is trying very hard to either frame Hades and Poseidon, or Zeus."

"My day keeps getting better and better."

"Andromeda must go to the Underworld, to visit Hades. We have to prove that none of the other gods hold the Master Bolt."

"Chiron, that's suicide," Luke replied, shaking his head. "No one goes to the Underworld for the hell of it."

Grover was trembling at the thought. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.

The poor guy needed to complete a quest with me so he could get his searcher's licence, but how could I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said I was destined to fail? Luke was right, this was suicide.

"Look, we can already prove that it wasn't another god. Why do we need to do this? We can just tell Zeus that I didn't do it."

"Zeus is the god of justice. He will want full proof that the bolt is not with either of them or he will not call off the war. This is a serious, serious matter."

"I love being a detective."

"It's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."

I chewed on my lip at the statement, before looking over at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's daughter all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said...I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

I got the feeling there was a lot he wasn't telling me about his prophecy, but I decided I couldn't worry about that right now. After all, I was holding back information too.

"So let me get this straight," I said. "I'm supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check," Chiron said.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Check."

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

"That's about right."

I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts, his hands trembling.

"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked weakly.

"You don't have to go," I told him. "I can't ask that of you."

"Oh..." He shifted his hooves. "No...You saved my life, Romy. If...if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."

I felt so relieved I wanted to cry, though I didn't think that would be very heroic. Grover was the only friend I'd ever had for longer than a few months. I was scared that I would be facing this alone.

"You never could do." I turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."

"Hades is located in the west, in California. He moved there soon after the conference centre opened up."

"Where in California?"

Chiron looked surprised. "The entrance to Hades' home is on the Big Sur, around the wildlife for Persephone."

"Oh," I said. "Naturally. Brilliant. Let's buy some plane tickets and head off then..."

"No!" Grover shrieked. "Romy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

I shook my head, feeling embarrassed. My mom had never taken me anywhere by plane. She'd always said we didn't have the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash, which I mean kind of gives planes the big no-no sign.

"Andromeda, think," Chiron said. "You are the daughter of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed as if to say 'absolutely'.

"Okay," I said, determined not to look at the storm. "So, I'll travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron said. "Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."

"Gee," I said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

The air shimmered behind Chiron.

Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket, as Luke's face turned dark, standing taller.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, Seaweed Brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."

"No." Luke stood in front of Chiron. "You want to send Andromeda, a daughter of Poseidon with no quest experience, with Annabeth, who also has no experience, with Grover to the Underworld? No offence man."

"None taken," Grover replied, as Annabeth huffed.

"I'm going!" Luke shot her a glare.

"We'll talk about this later," Annabeth growled, her arms crossed as they seemed to have a silent conversation. "Chiron, that's asking for all of them to get killed!"

"Luke, it's been decided," Chiron turned around, but Luke followed, his glare dark.

"No," I watched him argue with Chiron, wondering what got into his head that made him think this was gonna be a good idea.

"The Oracle has spoken, Luke,"

"Fine, then I'm going with them to stop them all from getting killed." Luke had so much faith in us. Annabeth was vibrating with anger, and I watched Chiron and Luke have a stare down, before the man relented.

"This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own." Luke relaxed, though he still looked annoyed. "I think you should all get packing."

∘☽༓☾∘

Hiya,

So, Luke is going on the quest with them, which you know, is gonna be fun :) Andi and Luke are a lot of fun together, and Andi is just fun generally. Grover and Annabeth are gonna have fun third and fourth wheeling on this quest lmao.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx