AMARA SHINE POV:

"You can do it, Big Bro," Hailey Agustine whispered in her older brother's ear. "Don't listen to Cora, she's not smart anyways!"

"Hey!" Cora interjected, offended. She stared right into Justin's soul. "Don't listen to your sister, pick your fate for Graces' sake! It's the fate of the whole magical world!"

"I can't choose!" Justin cried, pulling on his brown hair in distress. Mark and I watched intently, not missing a word. As Cora said 'It's the fate of the whole magical world!' and it was obviously very important.

"No one will judge your choice, Justin," Cora added as if trying to calm the son of Dionysus. Hailey raised her eyebrow.

"Nope, she's lying, I will judge if you don't choose wisely," Hailey warned, glaring at Justin. Her brother sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Must I-I choose?" he asked wearily.

"YES!" everyone screamed in his face. I was too invested in this plot to care if my throat became hoarse from screaming too much.

Justin grumbled sourly. "And you said no one would judge, Coral."

"I said no one would judge your choice. Very different things, Justin," Cora pointed out, grinning like an utter fool. Hailey slammed her hand on the desk.

"Choose now, Justin! It's the call of fate, pick or die!"

"Die?"

"Yes! Die!"

I looked at Hailey, Justin, then Cora, and back to Justin. I sat on the floor, next to Mark, watching on an upwards angle until my neck was sore from hanging.

Justin gulped. "Fine...I'll make a decision, a final one..."

"Then get on with it, Augustine!" Mark hollered loudly. I slapped him on the back to shut him up.

"I...I pick...Draco Malfoy."

Everyone loudly and dramatically gasped as if all the air in Cabin #11 was sucked out.

"YES!" Cora shouted from the top of her lungs. She punched the air, whooping.

"NO!" Hailey shrieked, slumping back in her wooden chair. She muttered and grumbled. "I am disgusted that I am related to you."

Cora and Justin high-fived while Hailey groaned, showing her disappointment. "I can not believe you would rather date Draco than Harry."

"Draco is just cooler, Lil' Sis, deal with it," Justin smirked smugly. Hailey scowled.

"You're just saying that because Tom Felton looks handsome!" she protested, livid. "And not to mention that Harry is a much better person than Malfoy!"

"Ah, but Harry is married to Ginny, remember?" Cora smiled foolishly. "But Draco Malfoy is a widow. It's not cheating, Hailey."

Hailey huffed, crossing her arms. The energy was so tense and chaotic between the trio but they still remained best friends. I wondered how they did it all. "But Harry is sweet and kind."

"But Draco's rich," Justin gave us a sly look, "very, very rich."

"Ew, Justin!" Hailey gagged, sticking out her tongue in retreat. "You are the biggest gold-digger ever! You and your One Direction fanboy butt!"

"One Direction is my child, don't you dare insult the best boyband ever!" Justin shot back, running his hand through his hair. Suddenly, the topic shifted from Harry Potter to One Direction songs.

I barely knew anything and Hailey had to explain (and spoil for that matter) the whale plot of Harry Potter to me and Mark. Saying it was confusing was an understatement. Apparently, there's a snobby rich kid called Draco Malfoy who is in Slytherin, AKA the Snakey House of Wizards.

Suddenly, Mark nudged me on the shoulder to make sure I was alive. I blinked and gave a shy smile at him in return. Hailey stood up, wearing an I'm-so-done-with-you-all look plastered on her face. "That's it, I'm disowning you as my brother. Ciao, people."

Just like that, she strolled out of the doors of Cabin #11. Justin and Cora wouldn't stop laughing like idiots. I gave them a questioning and puzzled glance.

"What the heck happened?"

"I-I said that," Justin stammered, his laughter getting the better of him. "I said that I ship Draco and Harry as a platonic couple."

"And Hailey just walked out!" Cora doubled over in giggles. "Oh my graces—what the Hades just happened?"

"She'll be back within ten minutes, don't worry," Justin assured us. I turned over to Mark as Cora and Justin started to nerd out about something.

"See? Isn't this fun?" I teased, punching Mark lightly on the back.

"I suppose for a bunch of idiots who seem unfazed by the call of war, they do look kind of fun," Mark admitted, his voice becoming more soft and quiet. I snorted.

"Look at you, goddess-killer, being all jolly."

Mark's joy seemed to falter. "Don't call me goddess-killer. I messed up, 'kay?"

I nodded quickly, chewing the inside of my cheeks. I should have never tried to make a joke like that, I scolded. Look at what you did, Amara. I wanted to mentally slap myself.

That was my problem, saying the wrong things at the wrong time. But I wanted him to feel pity, didn't I? That was the best kind of satisfaction, wasn't it? Basking in the errors of others? I didn't want to know as much as I thought I would. I shrugged and went back to staring at my unlaced shoes. I don't think I ever felt more stupid. "Sorry."

"Thanks. I'm sorry too," Mark said sheepishly. I grinned weakly.

"Look at us, being all sappy!"

"I am not sappy!" he huffed, crossing his arms. "I am merely...owning up to my mistakes."

"That's called being sappy, Mark."

——————✧◦✧——————

The day went by quickly, but so did the rumors. Everyone didn't seem to forget the whole 'Lucas is declaring war and we'll die!' thing so easily. And Chiron has been all cooped up in his little office with Jarvis and Elizabeth helping him. I also saw Eleos a few times, who also looked quite busy.

It was soon dinner when I found an empty table next to Mark. We weren't friends, as much as I would prefer, just allies. He was eating a soggy piece of toast with cream cheese messily spread on top. I shuddered at the thought of it.

"I can't eat this," Mark shoved his plate away. "It's going to make my stomach toss and turn all day."

"You're not feeling well?" I asked, playing with my salad. I hated salads, I only got them if there was extra tasty dressing that day. He did look extra pale and his eyes looked more sunken. "Is it the vial? OH MY GOD, IS IT POISON—"

"I can assure you it's not poison," Mark groaned, his head flopping on the wooden picnic table. "And if Persephone even did try to kill me, I'd be dead by now."

"Are we sure that the Evangel girl didn't spike that tiny potion?" I took a bite of a leafy part drowning in dressing. "She sounded like she'll hate your guts forever."

"Well, if she did try to hurt me, tell Evangel to try harder next time we meet," Mark smiled faintly. I frowned, setting down my fork. It was unusual for Mark to make a snarky comment while smiling sickly. Then it hit me.

"Oh dear God, you really are sick."

"I am just a bit ill, that's all."

I gasped. "And you used the word 'ill' instead of sick. That's it, you're coming to the doctor's office."

"Amara, stop, I'm okay," Mark said, grabbing his plate again. Then he started to nibble the side of his toast. I frowned again, knowing he was just eating to please me. Not wanting to cause him to feel worse, I made him stop eating.

Then, out of the blue, a certain chestnut-haired girl came and sat next to me. I looked at her with wide eyes. "Elizabeth?"

"Hi, I need somewhere to sit," she said, looking nervous. That's not a good sign. "Have you seen Thomas anywhere?"

"You mean the son of Hephaestus who makes bad cat puns every year at Christmas?" Mark asked groggily. Elizabeth picked up his pale and squeamish state but just nodded.

"Yeah, I think that's him," she laughed lightly. I smirked at the granddaughter of Athena.

"And why are you looking for Thomas?"

"You will delete that thought from your head," Elizabeth warned, glaring at me. I decided to choose the safer choice and shut up. I gulped down a forkful of salad before going back to my curious self.

"Where were you the whole day?"

"I also have a life here too, Amara," Elizabeth said stiffly. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Who knew that an immortal girl would be so sassy to me? "But to answer your question, I was busy studying ancient Greek scrolls and texts. Mainly in Latin but I'm not too picky about it."

"Wait, but why are you reading ancient books or whatever?" Mark asked. He stuck out his hand lamely, frowning. "Oh yeah, I'm Mark Callow by the way. I'm in Cabin #12 by the way, I'm usually in a dark corner where no one can see me. And it's sort of a pleasure to meet you."

Elizabeth shook his hand, nodding. "Pleasure to properly speak with you. And Chiron will explain later, he's coming up right now with a speech."

Then, out of nowhere, Chiron trotted upon a fake stage. I say fake since it's just some planks of plywood stapled together as a platform. He cleared his throat as the noise of the crowd faded. "Thank you, campers, if I could have your full intention."

The starry night grazed over us as dead silence fell over our heads. Chiron looked nervous but stood strong.

"As you know, Bunty Larsen, daughter of Priapus, spoke of how Lucas Granger wishes to lay war on Camp Unspeakable. I dearly wish I could say she's bluffing, but we received information that Lucas' plans are true," Chiron grimaced. No one said a thing, not even a gasp. "The attack last night was an ambush merely to distract us. In the Underworld, there was an escape. A large one in fact.

"As you might remember from our Greek history lessons, there was an event called the Trojan War. Most of the Greek army died even when Troy lost. Lucas has taken the reborn army from the Underworld and seems to want to lead them to war again."

Reborn army? What did that mean? I had a sick feeling that either way, it wasn't going to be pretty. Everyone seemed to be confused by that part too.

"By reborn army, I mean the original Greek army that fought against the Trojans. Most of them were reborn into the new lives but we have reason to suspect that they were all soldiers at some point."

"But what does Lucas have to offer them, other than freedom?" someone questioned. Others murmured in agreement.

"There was their great leader, Agamemnon," Chiron sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked fairly dismayed. "Agamemnon...he is more interested in the gain of war rather than the negatives. The King of Mycenae was also freed and managed to convince the army to join forces with Lucas."

Words and glances were exchanged and I looked over to Elizabeth. "No way. Not possible, Elizabeth. Tell me Chiron's bluffing."

Elizabeth grimaced, looking sad. "He's not, that's the truth, Amara."

"Of course...just our luck..." Mark grumbled, getting intense déjà vu from last night. "We couldn't have stayed a second later there and waited for Lucas."

I widened my eyes. "Oh my gosh—you mean they were already in the Underworld when we were there?!"

"What are you two talking about?" Elizabeth asked, skeptical. Mark dismissed her and refocused his attention on me.

"And if we had stayed longer, we could have seen or stopped them. Or the very least warned Chiron about it," Mark groaned, looking paler than ever. "Why, Fates, why?"

Chiron started to speak again before Elizabeth could pester us any longer. "This call of war is real, I assure you. Lucas may be young but his alliances are strong and will grow. Do not underestimate him, please.

"However, we do have a plan. Shortly after the gods decided to cut off connections with mortals, each Olympian also decided to have something called a Blessed Weapon. They do not have to be a weapon, they can also be an object."

Blessed Weapon? That made me curious, an annoying trait of mine. I looked over to Elizabeth again, knowing she would have the answer. "Is that what you were researching all day?"

She nodded. "Yes, I was reading old and vague texts about it. There is barely any record of them, and the only knowledge of the Blessed Weapons is it being orally passed down by nymphs and satyrs."

Chiron continued, "I have reason to believe through careful research that the Spear of Athena and Sword of Ares can lead us into victory."

The loud commotion could be heard miles away as campers started to get excited and scared. The Spear of Athena must be some kind of spear blessed by the goddess of wisdom to ensure that user has their warfare wits. Then I had the weird image of a spear that was like lecturing its wielder about battle strategies.

I stifled a stupid laugh which pretty much wasn't appropriate for a time like this. Then I thought of the Sword of Ares. It has to help us for the upcoming war, it has to. The Sword of Ares must have war-like-heightening senses or something.

"The difficult part is," Chiron's voice snapped me back into reality, "we do not have an exact location or either weapon."

The commotion died the second Chiron said that. I couldn't blame them that much. How the heck can anyone find two powerful weapons of war if even the wisest centaur in the world doesn't know? Even Elizabeth said that the slightest mention of these Blessed Weapons was from mythical nature creatures.

Chiron also looked stressed out, his plaid vest still unbuttoned. He was rubbing the back of his neck, trying to find some comfort. The dead silence was devouring me, and so was the utter feeling of uncertainty. Suddenly, a screeching voice came out of nowhere that made me and several others jump.

"STOP THE WEDDING—I mean stop the feast!" Pythia's cranky voice hollered. All heads turned to the old Oracle of Delphi. She was panting, breathless from running all the way from Cabin #3 to the Feasting Hall I assume. But Pythia wasn't alone. Eleos stood to Pythia's left, and Eleos' gray dress was scuffed. To Pythia's right, there was Thomas, son of Hephaestus. He couldn't walk properly and needed crutches to support him, which he crafted himself. I could see Elizabeth smile instantly when Thomas grinned at her from the corner of my eye. Just get a room already, I rolled my eyes mentally.

"I-I..." Eleos exhaled an exhausted gasp of air. "There's been a forgotten prophecy!"

I choked on my own breath for a second and blinked blankly. A forgotten prophecy? I glanced at Elizabeth who looked utterly shocked. Pythia waddled up to the platform, ignoring all the surprised faces around her. She exchanged hushed words with Chiron and soon spoke to all of us. "Dear Camp Unspeakable, I am Pythia, a retired oracle who—okay, I can't do this," Pythia's voice became raspy again. "I had a prophecy about eleven years ago, where I went into a frenzied state, speaking of the Blessed Weapons."

"Eleven years ago?" Elizabeth asked, raising her eyebrow. She was skeptical, she always was.

"Yes," Pythia replied, annoyed that she had to repeat herself. "I was revisiting my old home, chastised that it was nothing but a tourist site now. When I had the prophecy, I could barely remember it. I woke up to see Apollo, the god of prophecy, standing right next to me.

"He told me I was a loyal servant and I rest, though, I would never lose my abilities. Blah, blah, a bunch of nonsense that I forgot. He was there to help me record the prophecy so I would remember," Pythia said, closing her eyes as if trying to remember better. "It was on the March 2nd, exactly, Apollo told me it would be important."

I froze instantly. March 2nd was my birthday which I took no pride in. My mom never celebrated my birthday, she claimed it was the day her life got messed up. Of course, she never said that out of the blue—but you get the truth out of people when they're drunk. I felt my breath tighten and my stomach got queasy. I could barely hear the voices around me and instead the ringing of my ears. I started repeatedly scratching my palms to stop myself from thinking. The ringing kept going in and out, and I could feel myself melting and sinking further into the ground. But one nagging voice stood out from the fading noises.

Just come home.

I wanted to come home, I really did. But the sensation of panic jolted through my veins and I stood perfectly in place. I hoped no one was looking at me. What if I'm scared to go home? I thought, anxious. No, I'm Amara Shine, I can't be scared. But the voices kept coming at me like a beast that traps you.

She doesn't love you. My mom loves me, she has to. You're a weak, pathetic girl. I'm strong and not weak. Stop lying to yourself.

My stomach twisted into knots and I felt smaller than ever. Suddenly, an arm grabbed me. "Amara!"

I blinked. "Huh?"

"You zoned out," Mark said, worried. He looked as if he knew that feeling, that beast, too. I nodded and stopped scratching my palms. I looked around, realizing that half the crowd was gone.

"Where is everyone?" I asked, puzzled. Elizabeth looked at me like a concerned mom.

"They left, and everyone finished up dinner early," she said, standing up. We rose with her since there was no point in eating anymore. "Pythia spoke out about the prophecy, we are going now."

I blinked, utterly stunned. "Wait, w-what?"

"The prophecy spoke of us, all your friends, Amara," Mark explained stiffly. "Chiron was going to hand-pick the demi-gods selected to find the Spear of Athena and Sword of Ares."

"So a quest?"

"Yes," Mark replied, nodding. "But Pythia stopped him, telling him that fate has selected for him and Camp Unspeakable."

"That means me, Mark Callow, Thomas, the Augustine siblings, Cora, Jarvis Reins, Leah Smith, you, and...erm...Betty."

I nearly choked when I heard her name. Betty Whitlock? No. Just no! Why the actual heck would the fates choose Betty, my long-time bully? Daughter of Zeus and biggest ego ever? That's Betty Whitlock, and I could care less about her. "But what about Hannah? Isn't she my friend too?"

"Hannah was not mentioned," Mark told me, as we started walking back to our cabins. "Sorry, Amara."

"Wait, so what's going on?" I questioned, suddenly panicked. "Someone answer me!"

"We're all going back to our cabins to pack our bags," Elizabeth said before adding, "I suggest you pack light and carry two weapons on you. We're going to meet Chiron at his office after."

I rubbed my eyes, tired. I was exhausted for no reason and just wanted to lie down. But I knew there was no time for relaxing, we had to find the Blessed Weapons of Athena and Ares, while the camp prepares to go to war with Lucas. This can't be happening, I thought angrily. Apollo, my freaking father, is doing this to me, isn't he? What is he trying to do? Torture me? Well, good news for Apollo, it's working!

We soon arrived at our cabins. Mark and Elizabeth entered Cabin #12 while I went to #11. I found Thomas packing a backpack, Cora already finished, and Leah was zipping a duffel bag. The daughter of Aphrodite wore her bright pink jacket adored by cute stickers that stood out like her unusually dyed blond hair.

"Hey, guys," I said lamely. Leah looked up and smiled warmly at me.

"Hello to you too, Amara. You better get started with packing. There's a backpack on the floor for you over there."

I nodded and strolled over to my backpack and my drawer in the big wardrobe. I opened my drawer and grabbed a fistful of clothing. I stuffed it in the tiny backpack and an extra pair of glasses. "Okay, I'm good."

"You just picked up random stuff and threw it in?" Cora asked, skeptical. I shrugged earnestly. I zipped the backpack up and threw it onto my back.

"Yeah, pretty much. So...can someone fill me in with details?"

"Weren't you listening?" Cora stifled a giggle and Thomas loudly gasped. He looked as if I ran over his non-existence cat.

"That's my job—not listening!"

Leah snorted, her duffel bag over her shoulder. "I think it's no contest, Thomas. And to answer your question, Amara, Chiron barely gave us any details. But he should give us more information later."

"I mean, that is that one detail..." Cora's voice trailed off. Lean shot her a deadly glare, almost as deadly as the time she punched Cora in the nose for me (I heard rumours). I raised my eyebrows. "What detail?"

"Nothing important," Leah added quickly. "And we better go now. Thomas, hurry up."

"Finished," the son of Hephaestus declared, "and now bow in my presence of my finish-ness."

I wanted to roll my eyes but debated if finish-ness was an actual word. Leah scowled, walking towards the door. "Nevermind that, we don't have time to bow in your so-called finish-ness!"

So it IS a word, I thought as we descended from Cabin #11 and back into the dafty of Chiron's hallway. It was the evening, almost nightfall, so the hallway gave off an eerie effect. I twisted the knob of the office's door and swung it wide open. We already found everyone there for us.

Chiron, whose vest was finally buttoned, stood next to the lovely Eleos as per usual. Pythia was also there, moody. The Augustine twins were rapidly arguing about something and that had me worried. Elizabeth with her odd, but sleek chestnut hairstyle. Mark had his hands stuffed in his typical black hoodie, standing alone in the corner. His face slightly lit up when he realized I was there. Jarvis Rein, Leah's boyfriend, looked slightly concerned. He was never this concerned, and that started to make me panic. Then I saw Betty Whitlock, daughter of Zeus. Father like daughter if you count their same black hair and stupidity.

But then I noticed Hannah Hayes was there, with a bag packed and her new bow and arrow. My heart faltered when I remembered her classic bow split in half and had to be replaced with a slightly less quality one.

"Hi, Amara," Hannah smiled thinly when I realized I was staring. I blushed and shrank back. "I'm coming too, I guess."

Thomas' jaw dropped to his knees and crutches. "Wait, what? I mean—it's great that you're here but the prophecy spoke of ten demi-gods only, not eleven. Even I know not to mess with prophecies, Oracle Lady, help explain please."

Pythia sighed, exhausted. "I am Pythia, not Oracle Lady, young boy."

"Still not answering Thomas' question," Betty pointed out. Pythia and Hannah exchanged glances, strange glances. They were hiding something, a secret that I intended to find out...

"Hannah is coming to assist the journey for the Spear of Athena, she and Eleos are driving the five demi-gods there before coming back to camp," Chiron said stiffly. Oh. So he was also on the secret, then Eleos must be too.

"We're separating for the quests?" Leah asked, surprised. Eleos nodded, stepping forward.

"Five will go for the Spear of Athena—which Hannah and I will assist with—while the other five shall go for the Sword of Ares," Eleos said before adding, "But we're all gathered here today for the actual prophecy's hearing before deciding. Pythia, if you may, please recite the prophecy."

The Oracle of Delphi nodded, clearing her throat. She went into a blank trance and started to recite the forgotten prophecy.

"Ten demi-gods must obtain the Blessed Weapons,

Sword of War lies in the House of Reins,

The Great Healer's domain,

The fire's sparks are where the weapon beholds,

A ocean apart with Crooked Horses

The Spear of Wisdom within a maze,

For memories come with a haze,

Alas, only nine will come back to fight for another day,"

Pythia finished and looked somewhat tired. She rubbed the back of her neck and frowned. "That's all, ladies and gents', and if you excuse me, I'm going back to bed."

"Stay, Pythia," Chiron ordered before the old lady could waddle out. Pythia cursed under her breath. "We know ten demi-gods are going, five for each weapon, but what's the House of Reins?"

"Perhaps horse reins?" Thomas suggested as we settled in Chiron's messy office. "So maybe a stable?"

"But hiding a powerful sword in a horse stable doesn't sound like an Ares-thing to do, does it?" Mark countered, finally uttering a single word. Suddenly, Jarvis raised his hand.

"This might sound...odd...but what if they're speaking not of horse reins but Reins. Like my family—Gianna Reins and my sister, Lupé Reins," Jarvis said, looking uncomfortable. Everyone except Leah, Chiron, and Eleos looked shocked.

"You have a sister?!" Cora exclaimed, swallowing a laugh.

"Yes," Jarvis replied stiffly. "But this must be it, I swear! House of Reins, it's not even my mom's house! Ares gifted it to my mother, Gianna, when she was nineteen. The Sword of Ares is there, Chiron, I'm sure of it."

Chiron thought about it, his expression was unreadable. "Are you sure? Ares, the god of war, hiding his Blessed Weapon at a home of a nineteen-year-old mom doesn't seem likely."

Jarvis suddenly became determined and clenched his fists in a way that made Leah grasp his arm. "My mom is a very strong woman and I think Ares would trust her enough. The Sword of Ares is Wytheville, my home."

"Very well," Chiron nodded, agreeing. "For the quest of the Sword of Ares, Jarvis is going. Anyone else?"

Leah raised her hand and Chiron nodded approvingly. I nudged Mark and he grumbled. "I and Amara would like to go too if that's okay."

"That would be fine," Eleos said, smiling. "Four people, one more to go."

"I'll go," Betty Whitlock offered, shooting me a dirty look. "And that's five."

Ugh, I thought, someone just kill her already. I pushed up my glasses and glared at Betty in return. "So, how about the Spear of Athena? Elizabeth, Thomas, the Augustine twins, and Cora?"

"Hannah and I will be driving them to the coast of Hampstead," Eleos added, nervously glancing at Hannah. "Sorry, Jarvis, I know it's a long drive to Wytheville. But I have to deliver them to Hampstead first for...uhm...things."

Justin, who had been arguing with his sister, paused and held up his hand. Pythia rolled her eyes. "What do you want now, boy? Good gods—I just want to sleep for heaven's sake."

"We know the location of the Spear of Wisdom now?" he asked. Elizabeth, the super smart one, nodded.

"We suspect it's in the cave of the virgin forest of Fraktos Paranesti," the granddaughter of Athena explained, "I once visited it when I was still in the Hunt."

Elizabeth looked faint as if the mere thought of her 'past life' with the virgin hunters of Artemis hurt her brain. Elizabeth was once the loyal hunter of the Hunt, under her true name, Eusebia. But after a friendship with a centaur named Robin, she soon found out about his true intentions. They were very bad ones, so Artemis kicked Eusbia out, but Elizabeth got to keep her immortality.

Elizabeth continued, "There were rumours that Athena built some sort of labyrinth. Knowing my grandmother, she would want to test us before letting us discover her Blessed Weapon."

"Wait, isn't the virgin forest in Paranesti, Greece? As in literally an ocean away?!" Hailey blurted, stunned. "What are we going to do? Swim there?"

Elizabeth tapped her fingers on her cheek as if thinking. "No, no, of course not. The prophecy spoke of Crooked Horses, AKA kampos and hippos. In other words, I believe we have to ride Hippokampoi or the Hippocampus."

I scratched my head, puzzled. "What the heck are Hippocampus?"

"They are fish-tailed horses of the sea," she replied, and looked at Cora, "and Cora's going to summon the Hippocampus."

The daughter of Poseidon looked shocked and suddenly got afraid. She clutched the straps of her backpack as if trying to strangle it to death. "No, no! No! I-I can't! I'll kill someone, I don't trust myself! I'm not doing it!"

Hailey and Justin scooted closer to Cora and the son of Dionysus placed his hand on the panicked Cora's shoulder. "It'll be fine, you can do it, Coral."

"I can't and won't!" she protested, her eyes becoming glassy. "I'll end up h-hurting someone and...I just can't."

"We have to, please, Cora," Hailey pleaded, giving the daughter of Poseidon her very best puppy eyes. Cora hesitated but nodded. Hailey gave Coral a big squeeze of a hug, smiling ear to ear. "Thank you!"

Chiron looked at Eleos before looking back at all of us. "You may go now, Eleos will escort you to the highway of Maple Hill. Jarvis, you and your group will have to depart the bus once on the highway. Hannah and Eleos will take it from there."

"We're taking the bus?" Thomas grinned wildly. "Sweet!"

Mark muttered something in my ear. "Ick, I can't stand these people any longer."

"You'll have to get used to it, Callow," I laughed heartily as the discussion died down. It was a call of fate but there was something everyone wanted to forget—one of us would have to die and it was a true gamble. To trade one life for a chance to save dozens more.