First off, I just to apologize to everybody who's read this. It's taken far too long to correct this chapter with all the exams and homework. I'm very very sorry. As soon as I correct the whole chapter 10 I'll post it to compensate for the two missed weeks. I hope you enjoy this chapter fulled with energy.

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"Gabriel, are you okay?" asked Luna. "Everything will be fine, I promise. I'll be here. Right in the corner of the room."

I regained my senses: the five plus those others that my demigod blood gives me, and I silently smiled, nodded, and stepped forward. Chiron galloped behind me and when I was standing where Luna had been, he asked, "Are you ready?" I just nodded and he continued giving instructions. "I'll let this faucet open; the window over the end of the room will let enough light to create a rainbow. Then throw this coin while saying the words 'Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering.' You have to do all this while thinking about your parents. All understood?" I nodded once more and he passed me the coin.

He did his part of the job and now was my turn. The rainbow was right in front of me, and I promise you that I had never thought I would watch a rainbow with fear, but here I was petrified of tossing a coin at a this reflection of light. All that went on in my head was how my parents must really be worried sick about me. So I threw the coin. The image took some time to become clear and actually made sounds of a call, which Chiron found weird. After a minute my parents were on the image. "Hi son! How is camp? We had been expecting your call? Have you met new friends?" said my mother. I was stricken by confusion. They knew about camp and that I were here? Before I said anything, they just made things even weirder with their next words. "Its so amazing you found that camp of ancient Greek arts. Your father doesn't even remember how much it cost because of how cheap it was. It's already been near a week there. Have things gone out well?"

I didn't know what was wrong so I looked at Chiron and he whispered, "I have an idea." He stepped in front of me with his huge body and all my father said was,

"Oh you must be a member of the staff at camp. Thank you for taking the trouble of taking care of our boy even when you are the one in the wheel chair and he is the one full of youth."

"Not a problem, I have more energy than you could imagine. Your boy was quite the surprise I assure you. By the way, is the signal okay for you there? Here it's a bit messy."

"Its fine. Skype is working marvelous, which is the only weird thing about it, actually."

"Hmmm, I see. Very well, I'm glad. I'll let you with Gabriel now."

My parents believed I was in a normal camp and I didn't know why or how but it made me very glad. My parents didn't have to worry about anything. I just told them a few things we did at camp (skipping the deadly ones of course) and afterwards I promised to write or text them from time to time and said goodbye.

When we were done, Chiron closed the valve to the faucet and made the message end. "What was that?" I asked. "Why do they believe all those distorted truths?"

"It's the mist. It's the cloak that fools mortals in believing nothing is out of normal, but this looks like a direct use of the mist. This is work of Hecate..." He looked very upset and looked back to the faucet. He changed his expression, turned towards us and then said, "Okay you two, you've had a big deal of relaxation I hope you are better, but now it's time to go to work." We nodded and turned around. Just before we were about to go out, I met Argus in the worst way possible: right eye to eyes. I was surprised by the irregular... dude coming back into the big house, from wherever he was. My reaction was to swing my arms to form distance between us but I ended up hitting one of his eyes. He didn't like it at all. I was afraid of becoming dead meat but Chiron calmed it... sorry, him...

Chiron turned and said to me, "Gabriel let me introduce you to Argus. He is camp guardian and when you go on a quest he'll give you a ride to wherever you can begin your quest."

"Nice to meet you..." I said. "Sorry for hitting your eye."

He nodded and went directly to the infirmary.

"Oh yeah, he also helps with the injured and sick. He took care of you Gabriel. While we were talking when you woke up in the night he was preparing some medicine for you to sleep well. That's how I did that "magic trick" I love to make people think I'm also a Jedi if you know what I mean, hahahaha."

That managed to make Luna and I laugh a bit. We went out of The Big House and Chiron excused himself before entering back to the house. Luna and I were left alone so I asked her. "Do you have to train with weapons like me now?"

"Yes, but I begin with archery. You?"

"Mmmmm, too bad. I begin with sword skills."

"And what do you have later?"

"Unarmed combat."

"Nope, seems we are separated in the activities. Then I'll see you at 5 on our free time. I mean, if you want to..."

"I'll meet you at the tree okay?"

"Yeah," she said while leaving to the archery training.

I had to go straight ahead to pick my first weapon at the armory. When I got there, I saw all kinds of swords. Long, short, wide, thin, any measurement, any form, whether it was with curves, butcher razors, medieval, mid eastern looking-like. I didn't know what kind of weapon should I choose. Then I saw a door behind some of the cabinets and piles of thrown weapons. It looked brand new and had a warning sign. Something; however, felt strange about it. It felt as if I should be in there. I had to go in there; every muscle in my body told me so and I couldn't fight it. I grabbed the handle, which seemed to try to stop me from turning it, but other forces around me began to circle around my arm like snakes towards the handle. With the two powers clashing, the armory began to and I could hear moans; I could hear the dead, pleading for mercy and screams of despair and anger coming from everywhere. Before I knew it, I had turned the handle. I opened the door and just before going in the other room, I could catch a glimpse of Chiron's terrified look screaming my name. He was yelling, "NO! Don't open it!" While he hit a force field that created itself at the entrance of the armory. Even if he told me not to, I couldn't stop. Other forces were acting through me and dragged me into the dark room.

Everything went quiet, and I could barely see anything so I unconsciously began to look for a switch or something I could use to see. I managed to find a switch at my right hand side, which I turned on and illuminated parts of the room. I could see swords and knifes conserved on glass boxes on top of pedestals, as in a museum. There weren't many but I could feel the thousands of voices kept inside of them, making these few weapons feel like an army worth of arms. Each weapon was surrounded by different auras and powers to be feared, but I wasn't interested in them. A very specific weapon inside this room was attracting my body. It was a sword at the very end of the storehouse of diabolic weapons. It was short and had a little curve at the beginning of it, which opened into a wide leaf-like form at its end. The sword was held in its place by the hilt. It was being retrained with an iron restraint that was tightly stuck in the pedestal. As I got closer, the end of the sword began to budge, it moved from side to side in an attempt to get free. I got close and it even began to knock into the glass. I stopped for a second and so did the sword, which was now laying on the glass box's front part. I doubted for a second but the power was to strong so I made one last big step towards the sword and it also did a final strong swing to break the glass.

Once free form it's glass surroundings, I could hear a voice right in my ear.

"LET OUR HUNT BEGIN," said the voice as it let out a laugh full of hatred.

When it stopped, my hand instantly grabbed the weapon's retrained hilt and the iron melted into a green liquid. Now the weapon was on my hand and Greek fire started to emerge from my hand. It felt as if my anger, fear, happiness, sadness; all my feelings, were being used as a fuel. The more I got scared the more fire emerged and darker it turned. The fire began to climb up my arm covering it entirely and expanding to my entire body. The fire wasn't burning me but I could feel it wasn't good either.

A familiar voice came out from the fire speeding through my head, "CALM DOWN YOU FOOLISH BOY! IF YOU USE TOO MUCH OF YOUR ENERGY HE'LL TAKE POSSESSION OF YOU. HE CAN'T OBTAIN MY BLESSING OR POSEIDON'S, GOT IT? NOW, CALM DOWN BEFORE YOU CALL FORTH YOUR TRUE POWERS."

"I don't know how to!" I yelled.

"YOU WEREN'T A SIMPLE MORTAL THEN, AND YOU ARE THREE TIMES MORE POWERFUL NOW. I SAVED YOU FOR A GOOD REASON. NOW, TAKE THAT SWORD WITH A FIRM GRIP AND MAKE HIM SEE WHO HE'S MESSED WITH."

"What do you mean by then?"

There was no response.

"Ugh. Fine!" I yelled.

I took further grip of the sword and used the same feelings that were fueling the fire to suppress it. I wasn't about to let a cursed sword toy with me and if it was a spirit using my feelings to get what he wanted he would have to figure out what to do when my hatred towards it was used with the sole purpose of imprisoning him. With a lot of struggle, the fire was all sucked back into my hand.

Sound slowly came back, and I could hear Chiron trying to budge the door open while yelling to me to get out of there. I didn't know what had just happened and was pretty confused so I walked slowly between the evil weapons, afraid they might try anything else, until I arrive to the door. This time, just as if it were a normal handle, I opened the door and found Chiron sweating and scared of what I might have done/become or who knows what the other weapons could have done to me. He just looked at me without saying anything, so I spoke instead. "I swear I don't know what just happened. I was looking for a sword and then this mysterious force—"

He regained composure and interrupted with a worried tone, "Don't worry child, don't worry. Don't go into details now. Just tell me. What happened in there and what did you take out?"

I looked at my hand and the sword was gone. There was something else in its place. I slowly extended my hand and opened it to find a necklace with a sigil with wolves on it. The wolf in the middle showed its fangs in position to attack in any moment, the other two wolves at each side where howling as to begin a hunt. "This—" I said. "This thing was a sword, it was as if it had full control over me, and attracted me towards it. When I freed it, a voice told me a hunt was now taking place, and I was part of it."

Chiron looked broken hearted. "It can't be... The mark of Acamas?" He swallowed in nervousness and then said, "Come with me," he said. We walked toward the arena. When we went in, there were several campers practicing their sword skills between themselves and practice dummies made of straw. "Campers, everybody back off for a second. Everybody come behind me." They did, and once they were all behind Chiron, with a soft voice full of sadness, he asked me, "Would you mind invoking the sword? Think about how it looks like, and then say the word "Kynígi    "

"Hunt?" I asked

"Yes, hunt."

I looked at the necklace in my hand and slowly did as he asked. I firmly grabbed it and yelled, "Kynígi!" Immediately, the sword emerged from the sigil and a green dead light emerged from it. Chiron didn't dare to come close, but he spoke from a distance. "It's just as I feared. Actaeon's Xiphos, It chose you, but for what reason?" He was very upset to what was going on but then he said, "Gabriel, say Sfagméno. It will unsheathe the sword."

I don't know why, but I understood the words. I wish I didn't because it made me uneasy to know that to invoke my sword I have to say hunt, and to unsheathe it, I had to say butchered... I turned my sword back into its necklace form and put it around my neck. The campers were now twice as scared of me as before, but Chiron stepped in. "Everybody go back to your training, all of you know strange things are bound to happen from time to time. It's inevitable and Gabriel's case is no different." Now, I had to speak with you, Gabriel but things are moving fast for you so I'll need you to train without delay from now on until the oracle comes back. I've already spoken to her and she already knows about you. She's seen that you are bound to receive a prophecy by this time next week. Now, who of you campers is going to help him with his training? Of course he'll use a training Xiphos not the real one."

Everybody stood still without saying a word. After a moment of silence one of the campers came forward. It was a guy with a semi-afro hair that was round by the sides but didn't stay up. He was shirt-less and the only things covering his chest where leather protections like the ones you see in the movies about Vikings. He carried a long sword in his back and his pants where hippy-baggy style, with various light colors on it. He looked much older than the rest; he must already be way past 18 years old. His muscles were no child's play. If I was going to train with this guy, a short guy with a short sword to a big guy and a big sword, I would definitely end up in the infirmary, but what could I say? I didn't know, so I stayed silent.

Chiron seemed pleased and said, "Fine, Orias, You'll take care of his training. Be sure to teach him everything you know, alright?"

"Yes Chiron," answered Orias. "Very well newbie, nice to meet you. We have a lot to work on. Since you are small and so is your sword you'll have an advantage over enemies like me who are bigger than you, which by the way are almost all of them, so let us begin to help you exploit that advantage okay? Let's begin by a stance. You look like you have just enough arm strength to use the "Posta di fenestra" (Widow guard). I know you don't know what it is; let me just go from the beginning."

For three hours I had to do and repeat a thousand sword stances and moves against a dummy first and then at him (yes I had to miss unarmed fighting). He said it would only get worse because next time came the shield. My arms couldn't hold the sword any longer as it was. I didn't want to hold another thing next time. "Hey newbie," Orias yelled before I left. "Drink just a sip of this before you go." He threw a flask of leather at me that carried a strange liquid that wasn't coke but tasted as coke. Immediately, my arms felt totally ready for another three hours. It was an amazing taste and an amazing feeling.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Nectar, a drink of the gods. Be sure not to drink a lot or you might blow in flames okay? Keep the flask as a welcome gift. Be sure not to give any to simple mortals; they do die instantly."

"Uh... thanks," I responded looking at the bottle and wondering, "So even what heals you can kill you. Nice to know." Then, I went to where I was to meet Luna. When I got there I found her with the girl. I was a bit sad since I hoped to have time alone but time with Luna, even if accompanied, was better than no time with Luna, so I went closer.

"Hi," I called from a distance.

"Hi," answered Luna. "How was your day?"

"Very long story, wouldn't even know where to begin with, actually. What about you?"

"Not much. First archery, which I sucked at, and then javelin throwing, which isn't something my arms were made for. I could barely throw it 10 meters away."

"Hey you made lots of progress with the bow though," interrupted the girl Luna knew. "Hello by the way. My name is Camilla. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Luna told me you knew each other back in Colombia."

"Yes, I lived there for a while and did some acting for fun. We met at the national theater in the classes they offered for children. I was just accompanying Luna while you got here. I'll leave you two now. See you later Luna, and I'll see you around another time Gabriel, take care of her will you?" I nodded several times, and she left.

"So, where do I begin," I said. "Okay let's start from the moment I walk into the armory to pick a sword."

I told Luna, with extreme detail, everything that happened to me. She just sat by my side listening closely to my story. When I was done she just said a single phrase. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Thank you."

"It's okay. Like I said, it's my turn to help. Besides... I know it's not even half as bad but... I need your help with something," she said with shyness on her tone.

"Sure, what's wrong?"

"There is this girl who I met in archery.  Her name is Maya Lewis, She's Daughter of Aphrodite. She stole my bracelet when I took it off to practice. I don't want to go to Chiron and be known as the new girl who is weak enough to face her troubles. I know I'm not the strongest but to be known as the weakest... I don't like it. I; however, heard how terrified she was of you. I hate all those idiots who don't bother in knowing you. To fear you is like fearing a butterfly. You are cute and understanding, and yet they—"

I interrupted with a huge smile, "It's okay. I don't care, really. I have you and that's more than I've had in many years if I'm completely sincere."

"What do you mean? Didn't you have a group of friends in our school back home?" She said with a concerning face.

"Well, yes, but they weren't what you could call close friends. I never really visited anyone's house while they did plans all the time. I wasn't invited to parties either. I was pretty much alone since third grade when I changed to my second school. So, you are the closest person to me. I appreciate you a whole lot too. As long as I know you trust in me, I can face the others little by little. So, what were you going to ask me?"

She just stood there smiling back at me. Even if she was mostly looking at the ground, I could see she was happy for hearing me say that. She then continued the conversation with a smile a bit different. It was a mischievous smile. She said, "I was thinking that maybe you could try asking her for it. Since she was scared of you she might give it to you and at the same time realize, even if it is just a bit, that you aren't that bad and would stop speaking so much crap about you. I really don't want to sound as if I was using you I really aren't I just—"

I interrupted her once again with a smile in my face this time. "Well I'm very pacifist and always try to do things in a civilized way but... You know what? If she screwed with you let's screw with the bitch."

She laughed and then said, "There's no need for that kind of language but..." She fell silent for a second before saying the same words she said when we got here in the very same way. "Thank you..."

"No problem. So, where is her?"

"Down at the beach, I believe. What are you going to do to her?"

"I don't know yet. My powers seem very unstable. Few experiences I've had with it have proven so." I looked down at my brand new cursed sword, wolf looking necklace.

"So that's the sword?" She extended her hand to touch it but I quickly grabbed her by the arm to stop her from coming close to it. She looked confused at me.

"I can't risk it hurting you. If you ever got hurt because of me I don't know what I—" I grabbed the amulet and strongly pressed it. "I wouldn't forgive myself. After all, I—" as I was speaking, white flames began to emerge with a warm, heartwarming aura.

"Didn't you say the flames were dark green and black?" She asked.

"They were..."

"Well... They are connected to your feelings aren't they? What does white mean? What are you feeling?"

"I... Don't know."

A leaf fell above my head and I heard a whisper of a girl inside my head, "I do know. Hehe" I violently shook my head and Luna was left confused.

"Don't mind me. Let's go after this Lewis girl."