Jay pulls me into a large amphitheater, with seats rising in the hillside and a fire in the center. We sit with the other Hermes kids, (now including Piper, from earlier) and I notice a blonde boy sitting with Annabeth and... WAIT. Is that a centaur?

Jay laughs at my expression. "Sorry, forgot to warn you. That's Chiron, the... well, he's kind of everything here. Be glad Mr. D isn't here, he normally greets all the newcomers. With a bad attitude."

"What's Mr. D?" I ask faintly. "Another mythical animal?"

Jay snorts. "Nah. Dionysus, god of wine. Got in trouble for chasing after some nymph, so he's sentenced to serve like fifty more years here. He hates us."

People continue to file in, until the seats are so packed together my shoulders are squished. "What's claiming like?" I ask Jay nervously.

He looks down at me. "Not like whatever you're thinking. Normally it's just a floating sign above your head, but occasionally it'll be an act, something the god does. Like with Aphrodite kids, it's normally a full-on makeover. Or... Posiedon, it's a floating green trident above your head. Hades, the one time he claimed that kid Nico, kind of... Nico split that big gash into the floor of the dining pavilion."

My heart stops.

"But I think he used to claim people by a smoky black symbol above their heads." Jay says thoughtfully. "It was either a bident or a skull. I can't remember."

"What about Athena?" I ask, the first goddess that pops into my head.

"Owl."

"Apollo?"

"Um... a lyre, I think."

"What about---"

"Stop." Jay orders. "Seriously. Calm down. Believe me, when you get claimed, Chiron will announce it, and then you'll know which god you're the child of. No need to worry."

"Yeah." I mumble. Except I already know.

The Apollo cabin, I'm assuming, since they're musically inclined, lead us in a sing along that I notice most of the campers are actually jumping around, singing along enthusiastically. Sera has her eyes closed, her brother in a chokehold, both of the shouting in cracking voices.

The flames in the center seem to correlate with the camper's moods. Right now, it's a blazing golden, and it's searing my face even from this far back.

After the song ends, Chiron the centaur trots up to the crowd. "Very nice! And a special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, camp activities director, and I'm happy you have all arrived here alive and with most of your limbs attached. In a moment, I promise we'll get to the s'mores, but first—"

"What about capture the flag?" Sera yells. Grumbling breaks out among the kids around her, the Ares cabin.

"Yes," the centaur sighs. "I know the Ares cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games."

"And kill people!" Someone else shouts, followed by cheers from Ares cabin.

"However," Chiron continues, as if no one had spoken, "until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?" He turns hopefully to a cabin seated underneath a gray banner with a hammer. Hephaestus?

A burly girl with a bandana stands up, looking flustered. "We're working on it."

The entire amphitheater starts to complain.

"How, Nyssa?" Sera demands. She seems to be the spokesperson for the Ares cabin.

"Really hard." Nyssa promises. She sits down, ignoring the sudden outburst of shouts and grumbles. Chiron does nothing for a few minutes, but then the fire sparks dangerously, and Chiron stamps one of his hooves. Everyone falls silent.

"We will have to be patient," Chiron said. "In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to discuss."

"Percy?" someone asks. I look over and see everyone's eyes on Kalia. The fire dims quickly, like it's been doused in water.

After a few moments of silence, Chiron gestures to Annabeth. She nods and stands to her feet.

"I didn't find Percy," she announces. Her voice catches a little when she says his name. Sera had mentioned something about Annabeth and Percy being connected...

"He wasn't at the Grand Canyon like I thought." Annabeth explains. "But we're not giving up. We've got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis—everyone's out looking. We will find him. Chiron's talking about something different. A new quest."

"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" a girl calls out.

Everyone turns to look. Jay looks completely floored by who spoke. The voice had come from a group in back, sitting under a rose-colored banner with a dove emblem. Endora is there, and Evie, so I assume they're Aphrodite. They'd been chatting among themselves and not paying much attention until their leader stood up: A girl with long, dark hair and an overdose in makeup. Even people in her group looked surprised, Endora in particular. Apparently this girl doesn't get involved often.

"Drew?" Annabeth asks. "What do you mean?"

"Well, come on." Drew spreads her hands like duh. "Olympus is closed. Percy's disappeared. Hera sends you a vision and you come back with three---no, four, counting newbie over there---" She gestures to me, "new demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?"

Great Prophecy? Sera mentioned something about that. About a new one... maybe I'll finally hear it now.

Everyone directs their gaze over to a girl with flaming red hair and green eyes. "Well?" Drew demands. "You're the Oracle. Has it started or not?"

The girl steps forward with an air of calm. "Yes. The Great Prophecy has begun."

Jay's jaw falls in shock. The entire amphitheater starts screaming over one another, but I just shrink in my seat and wait for it to be over. It takes a lot longer, and multiple hoof-stomps, but the crowd eventually quiet down.

Redhead takes another step forward, sending kids flinching backward. Who is this girl? She looks normal enough. Slightly freaky.

"For those of you who have not heard it," Redhead says, her eyes on me in particular, like she could tell I was curious, "the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this:

"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—"

Suddenly, a blond boy shoots to his feet. His eyes are wild, open so wide I can see the clear blue from here.

Redhead instantly stops talking, looking shocked. "J-Jason?" she said. "What's—"

"Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus," Jason chants, his eyes glazed over. "Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem."

The room falls deadly silent. Jay mutters under his breath, trying to translate them, but I'm surprised by the fact that I understood him perfectly: An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

How in the world do I know what that means? I don't even know what language he was speaking!

"You just ... finished the prophecy," Redhead stammers, looking taken aback. " —An oath to keep with a final breath/And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. How did you—"

"I know those lines." Jason interrupts, wincing and putting his hands to his forehead. "I don't know how, but I know that prophecy."

"In Latin, no less," Aphrodite girl---Drew---calls out. "Handsome and smart."

A few Aphrodite cabiners giggle. I roll my eyes. Jason sits down, looking embarrassed, and Annabeth puts a hand on his shoulders. I hear a noise of disapproval behind me, and look to see Piper watching them.

Redhead, looking shaken, looks to Chiron, and he nods. "Well," Redhead says, trying to regain her composure. "So, yeah, that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it's starting now. I can't give you proof. It's just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The seven demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here."

Seven... that's not a lot. How in the world are seven demigods supposed to make a difference?

The campers began to stir and mutter, looking at each other nervously, until a sudden drowsy voice in the crowd called out, "I'm here! Oh ... were you calling roll?"

"Go back to sleep, Clovis," Endora yells, and a lot of people laugh. Maira in particular is cracking up.

"Anyway," Redhead continues, as if nothing had happened, "we don't know what the Great Prophecy means. We don't know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the second Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad."

"Or worse." Chiron mutters loudly. The fire instantly turns silky purple.

"What we do know," Redhead presses on, glaring at Chiron, "is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken."

Kalia shoots to her feet. "Hera! That's who it was!"

The crowd titters a bit, looking at her.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asks, standing as well.

"I saw something last night." Kalia explains. "In the cabin, as if it were right in front of me. An earthen dome of sorts, someone calling for... a named person... inside. But I was driven away before I could get a better glimpse."

"A named someone?" A new girl demands, Aphrodite cabin again. This girl has long, brown hair and brown eyes, a bluebird necklace around her neck. "Did you hear the name?"

Kalia's gaze swoops over to the girl. "Yes."

"And?"
"And?"

"Who was it!?" The girl yells.

Kalia folds her arms, sitting down again. "That's his business. I've already seen he will be going on this Quest, Audrey. I have not seen the outcome."

Audrey flings her hands into the air in disgust, sitting back down again. After everyone finally calms down again from this outburst, trying to convince Kalia to tell them, Redhead clears her throat. She goes on to explain how the three new demigods (other than myself) arrived, and I have to say that their day may have sucked a little more than mine. But when she moves on to my story, the crowd erupts.

"The Kindly Ones?" Someone new---Apollo cabin---demands, pointing their finger at me. "The last person that they came after---"

"Yes, we know." Redhead says tiredly.

"Sit down, Chad!" Carlos yells from the Athena cabin. Chad glares in his direction but sits down grumpily.

Redhead continues, telling Piper and Jason's visions in the Hera cabin and the Big House. Luckily I'm out of the woods, because nothing particularly weird happened to me after the hags. Drew can be seen acting out fainting, while Endora grimaces her way.

Finally Redhead hesitates. "Jason.... Um ... do you remember your last name?"

Looking somber, he shakes his head.

"We'll just call you Jason, then," Redhead decides. "It's clear Hera herself has issued you a quest."

Jason, to my surprise, doesn't argue. He just nods. "I agree."

On a whim, I look over at Kalia. Just as I thought, she doesn't look surprised.

"You must save Hera to prevent a great evil," Redhead continues. "Some sort of king from rising. For reasons we don't yet understand, it must happen by the winter solstice, only four days from now."

"That's the council day of the gods," Annabeth said. "If the gods don't already know Hera's gone, they will definitely notice her absence by then. They'll probably break out fighting, accusing each other of taking her. That's what they usually do."

"The winter solstice," Chiron speaks up, "is also the time of greatest darkness. The gods gather that day, as mortals always have, because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things ... stir."

Somehow, that kind stirring doesn't sound as good when you put that word with the words "cake batter".

"Okay," Annabeth says, glaring at the centaur. "Thank you, Captain Sunshine. Whatever's going on, I agree with Rachel. Jason has been chosen to lead this quest, so—"

"Why hasn't he been claimed?" somebody yells from the Ares cabin. "If he's so important—"

"He has been claimed," Chiron announced. "Long ago. Jason, give them a demonstration."

At first, Jason doesn't seem to understand. Then something seemed to dawn on him, and he stepped forward, reaching into his pocket. A golden coin flashes in the air, and when he catches it in his hand, in the coin's place is a lance—a rod of gold the same color as the coin, about seven feet long, with a spear tip at one end.

The other demigods gasped. You'd think they were used to seeing things turn into weapons, being at a camp for the half-gods.

Redhead (Rachel, I guess) and Annabeth step back to avoid the point, which looked sharp enough to cut bone.

"Wasn't that ..." Annabeth hesitates. "I thought you had a sword."

"Um, it came up tails, I think," Jason says uncertainly. "Same coin, long-range weapon form."

"Dude, I want one!" someone from Ares cabin yells.

"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" another boy agrees.

"Electric," Jason murmurs, eyes to the sky. "Back away." He orders Rachel and Annabeth.

Like he's a skunk, they back away quickly. Jason raises the spear in the air, and I suddenly feel my heart stop, knowing that what he's about to do isn't good.

I was right.

Thunder shakes the world, and a bolt of lightning streaks from the sky, hitting the campfire in an explosion of light that flares to the point of blindness and deafness. My ears ringing, I blink black spots out of my eyes to see the decimated remains of the fireplace. The entire demigod population here is covered in ash, looking completely and utterly shaken.

Jason lowers his spear. "Um... sorry."

Looking tired, Chiron brushes some ash off of himself. "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."

"Jupiter," Jason says automatically. "I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky."

My stomach rolls. I'm not the only one! Well, the only one who's kid of the supposed "Big Three".

But still!!

I'm not the only one.

____________________________________

Woot-woot! posting again! My schedule's finally freed up a bit, now that I'm done with this show. I'm kinda gonna miss it, honestly... but I do enjoy getting sleep. 

I'm super excited---TWO WEEKS LEFT AND THEN I'M OUTTA SCHOOL!!! WHOOP! Of course, I still have to deal with finals and all that... but that's next week's problem. 

Anway---hope you guys enjoyed this. I loved writing exact lines and stuff from the actual book---it made my life so much easier, just adding things in. YAY!