╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

ELECTRIC LOVE

CHAPTER THREE
[ N A T A L I A ]

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

NATALIA SAT AT the Artemis table by herself when the campfire conch horn blew. She stood up smiling and walked behind the Apollo Cabin as they made their way to the center. Natalia sat down next to Annabeth in the front, and Jason sat down next to her.

"Welcome to your first campfire," Natalia smiled at him, him returning one. "Where the Apollo Cabin normally sings silly songs with their lyres."

"I guess you're close with them," Jason said. "With Di— I mean, Artemis and Apollo being twins."

Natalia nodded, a smile on her face. "Yeah, we're really close. Since I don't have any siblings, they've nominated themselves as my honorary brothers and sisters."

The song suddenly ended, and rowdy applause rang through the amphitheater. Natalia sent a subtle wink to Will Solace, who waved at her in return.

Chiron trotted up, a spear impaled with toasted marshmallows in his hand. "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?" someone from Ares' Cabin yelled.

"Yes," Chiron said. "I know the Ares Cabin is anxious to return to the woods for our regular games."

"And kill people!" one of them shouted.

"However, until the dragon is brought under control, that won't be possible. Cabin Nine, anything to report on that?"

He turned to the group where Leo was sitting. Natalia saw him wink at Piper and sent her finger guns. Nyssa, Leo's sister, stood up next to him uncomfortably.

"We're working on it."

"How, Nyssa?" An Ares kid demanded.

"Really hard."

She sat down, which caused a lot of yelling. The fire sputtered chaotically, and Chiron stamped his hoof against the rocks with a bang, bang, bang, making everyone fall silent.

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

"Percy?" someone asked, and the flames dimmed.

Chiron gestured to Natalia and Annabeth, who stood up.

"We didn't find Percy," Annabeth said, her voice catching on his name.

Natalia decided to finish for her because it looked like she was about to break down. "We originally thought he was at the Grand Canyon, but he wasn't. However, we have multiple search parties. Grover, Tyson, Nico, and my mother's Hunters are out looking. We won't give up, and we will find him. However, Chiron isn't talking about Percy. There's a new quest."

"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" a girl's voice called.

Natalia turned around and rolled her eyes. Before, the Aphrodite Cabin had been talking amongst themselves until Drew stood up.

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

"Well, come on." Drew spread her hands like the truth was obvious. "Olympus is closed. Percy's disappeared. Hera sends you a vision and you come back with three new Demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?"

Her attention then turned to Rachel. "Well, you're the Oracle. Has it started or not?"

Rachel stood up and stepped forward slowly. "Yes. The Great Prophecy has begun."

Pandemonium broke out.

Natalia's eyes widened and she began to feel her hands shake. She squeezed her eyes shut and began to take deep, trembling breaths.

Jason looked over at her worryingly. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, her eyes slowly opening. "The last Great Prophecy . . . it wasn't good, Jason. It just ended not too long ago, and I thought that this one would start later."

He went to respond, but Rachel took another step forwards. "For those of you who have not heard it, the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this: Eight Half-Bloods shall answer the call. A final decision determines if to storm or fire, the world must fall—"

Jason suddenly stood up, his eyes wide. Natalia looked at him in confusion.

Rachel did too. "J-Jason? What—"

"Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus," he chanted. "Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem."

"What the fuck?" Natalia whispered to herself. "Why is he speaking in Latin?"

"You just . . . finished the Prophecy," Rachel stammered. "—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 winced and put his hands to his temples. "I don't know how, but I know that Prophecy."

"In Latin, no less," Drew called out. "Handsome and smart."

The Aphrodite Cabin began to giggle, and Natalia merely rolled her eyes. She tugged on Jason's hand a little bit, and he looked down at her curiously.

"Why don't you sit down, huh?" she said quietly.

He obeyed. She went to pull away her hand, but he merely held onto it tighter. Natalia raised an eyebrow at him with a small smile, and his face flushed a light shade of pink.

"It's okay, Jason," she said. "You felt compelled to do it. I know how you feel. Don't worry about it."

Natalia looked up and saw that Piper was staring at them intently. She stood up straighter and let go of Jason's hand, clearing her throat awkwardly. He glanced at her curiously, but didn't question it. She couldn't deny, though, that she missed the feel of his hand in hers.

Rachel still looked uneasy, but she continued. "Well, 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 eight Demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here."

The crowd began to mutter until someone yelled, "I'm here! Oh . . . were you calling roll?"

"Go back to sleep, Clovis," someone yelled, and the campers laughed.

"Anyway," Rachel continued, "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 murmured.

Everyone overhead, and the campfire turned dark purple.

"What we do know," Rachel said, "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."

After a few minutes of nervous talking, Rachel told the whole incident of what happened at the Grand Canyon. She then told them about Piper fainting (Natalia wanted to punch Drew as she imitated it), Jason's vision, and Natalia's dream.

"Jason, um . . . do you remember your last name?" Rachel asked.

He shook his head.

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

She paused, and Jason set his jaw and nodded. "I agree."

"You must save Hera to prevent a great evil," Rachel continued. "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 spoke 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."

Natalia glared at him. "Thank you, Captain Sunshine, for those kind words of reassurance. Anyways, Rachel's right. Jason is the leader of this quest."

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

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

The blonde looked over at Natalia again, and she nodded her head. He stepped forward nervously. Jason looked over at Piper, who mimicked flipping a coin. He took the gold coin out of his pocket and flipped it, it suddenly turning into a lance. The crowd gasped.

Natalia stuttered. "I-I thought you had a sword."

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

"Dude, I want one!" an Ares kid yelled.

"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" another one yelled.

"Electric," Jason murmured. "Back away."

Natalia, Annabeth, and Rachel got the message. Jason raised his javelin, and thunder boomed across the sky. Lightning touched the top of the spear and hit the campfire. Smoke and ash fell everywhere, and all of the campers sat frozen in shock.

Jason lowered his weapon. "Um . . . sorry."

Chiron grimaced as he brushed coals from his beard. "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is."

"Jupiter," Jason said. "I mean Zeus. Lord of the sky."

Of course, Natalia thought. Who else would be Jason's dad?

Natalia raised her hand, her thoughts swirling everywhere. "It makes sense, but how can he be Zeus' son? What about the Big Three's pact not to have children? And why didn't we know about him?"

Chiron was silent, and Natalia got the feeling he knew. And it wasn't good.

"The important thing," Rachel said, "is that Jason's here now. He has a quest to fulfill, which means he will need his own Prophecy."

She closed her eyes and swooned. Two campers ran up and grabbed her while the third grabbed a bronze three-legged stool. They placed her on it, and green mist started swirling around Rachel's feet. She opened her glowing eyes, and a raspy voice began to speak.

"Child of Lightning, beware the Earth,
The Giant's revenge the eight shall birth.
Daughter of the hunt shall bend moonlight,
When all goes wrong to make things right.
The forge and the dove shall break the cage,
And death unleash through Hera's rage."

At the end, Rachel collapsed, and the two kids caught her, setting her in the corner.

"Is that normal?" Piper asked, her voice ringing through the silence. "I mean . . . does she spew green smoke a lot?"

"Gods, you're dense!" Drew sneered. "She just issued a Prophecy — Jason's Prophecy to save Hera! Why don't you just—"

"Drew," Annabeth snapped. "Piper asked a fair question. Something about that Prophecy definitely isn't normal. If breaking Hera's cage unleashes her rage and causes a bunch of death . . . why would we free her? It might be a trap, or — or maybe Hera will turn on her rescuers. She's never been kind to heroes."

Jason stood up again. "I don't have much choice. Hera took my memory. I need it back. Besides, we can't just not help the queen of the heavens if she's in trouble."

Nyssa stood. "Maybe. But you should listen to Annabeth. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her own son — our dad — down a mountain just because he was ugly."

"Real ugly," snickered someone from Aphrodite.

"Shut up!" Nyssa growled. "Anyway, we've also got to think — why beware the Earth? And what's the Giants' revenge? What are we dealing with here that's powerful enough to kidnap the queen of the heavens?"

Annabeth, Natalia, and Chiron all looked each other, having a silent exchange.

Natalia: Giant's revenge? Are you kidding me? Tell me it's not what I'm thinking.

Chiron: Don't speak of it here. Don't scare them.

Annabeth: You're kidding me! We can't be that unlucky.

Natalia: Haha, yes we can, Anna. Honestly, when are we ever lucky?

Chiron: Later, child. If you told them everything, they would be too terrified to proceed.

Annabeth took a deep breath. "It's Jason's quest, so it's Jason's choice. Obviously, he's the child of lightning. According to tradition, he may choose any two companions. But this time, it says he needs three."

Travis Stoll yelled, "Well, you, obviously, Annabeth. You've got the most experience."

"No, Travis. Every time I've tried, she's deceived me, or it's come back to bite me later. Forget it. No way. Secondly, I'm leaving first thing in the morning to find Percy with Nat."

"It's connected," Piper blurted out, not sure how she got the courage. "You know that's true, don't you? This whole business, your boyfriend's disappearance — it's all connected."

"How?" demanded Drew. "If you're so smart, how?"

Piper tried to form an answer, but she couldn't.

Annabeth saved her, since Natalia was too lost in her thoughts about the Prophecy. "You may be right, Piper. If this is connected, I'll find out from the other end — by searching for Percy. As I said, I'm not about to rush off to rescue Hera, even if her disappearance sets the rest of the Olympians fighting again. But there's another reason I can't go. The Prophecy says otherwise."

"It says who I pick," Jason agreed. "The forge and dove shall break the cage. The forge is the symbol of Vul— Hephaestus."

Nyssa's shoulders slumped. "If you have to beware the Earth, you should avoid traveling overland. You'll need air transport. The flying chariot's broken, and the Pegasi, we're using them to search for Percy. But maybe Hephaestus Cabin can help figure out something else to help. With Jake incapacitated, I'm senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest."

Leo then stood up. His siblings tried to pull him down, but he resisted. "It's me. No, it's me. I know it is. I've got an idea for the transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!"

Jason was silent for a moment before smiling. "We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you're in."

"Yes!" Leo pumped his fist.

"It'll be dangerous," Nyssa warned him. "Hardship, monsters, terrible suffering. Possibly none of you will come back alive."

"Oh." Suddenly Leo didn't look so excited. Then he remembered everyone was watching. "I mean . . . Oh, cool! Suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this."

"You need two more quest members," Annabeth announced.

Natalia stood up, and everyone looked at her. "Daughter of the hunt. Considering I'm the only one, it's me." She then turned to Annabeth. "I'm sorry, Anna. I know I promised to search for Percy with you . . ."

"It's okay, Nat," the blonde responded. "You've been chosen."

Jason gave her a reassuring smile. She sent one back, and then looked back at Annabeth.

Annabeth nodded. "Then, Jason, you only need to choose the third quest member. The dove—"

"Oh, absolutely!" Drew yelled, standing up. "The dove is Aphrodite. Everybody knows that. I am totally yours."

Natalia rolled her eyes. She would rather be attacked by the Ares kids then have Drew go on this quest.

Piper stepped forwards, her fists clenched. "No."

Drew rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Dumpster girl. Back off."

"I had the vision of Hera; not you. I have to do this."

"Anyone can have a vision," Drew said. "You were just at the right place at the right time." She turned to Jason. "Look, fighting is all fine, I suppose. And people who build things . . ." She looked at Leo in disdain. "Well, I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty." Her gaze then settled on Natalia, who raised an eyebrow. "And I guess the Prophecy says she has to come along. But you need charm on your side. I can be very persuasive. I could help a lot."

The campers around starting murmuring about how Drew was persuasive. Natalia looked at everyone incredulously; what was wrong with everyone?

"Well . . ." Annabeth said. "Given the wording of the Prophecy—"

"No!" Piper's voice rang, sounding more rich in tone. "I'm supposed to go."

Everyone then started nodding, agreeing that Piper's point of view made sense. Drew looked at everyone with a confused expression.

"Get over it!" Drew snapped. "What can Piper do?"

The amphitheater was silent.

"Well, I guess that settles it," Drew said smugly.

Suddenly, everyone gasped. Natalia's eyes widened, and she took a step forwards, staring at Piper.

"What?" Piper demanded.

Piper was wearing a white sleeveless dress with a low v-neck. Gold armbands circled her biceps, and a delicate necklace of amber, coral, and gold flowers hung around her neck. Her hair was lush and beautiful, braided in a gold ribbon. Subtle makeup brushed across her features, and her lips were a soft cherry red.

"Oh, God," she said. "What's happened?"

Annabeth pointed to a dagger hanging by her side by a golden cord. Piper took out the oiled knife (Natalia immediately recognizing it as Katoptris) and stared at her reflection.

"Woah . . ." Natalia whispered.

"Beautiful," Jason said, and Natalia was too stunned to feel the pang of jealously in her chest. "Piper, you . . . you're a knockout."

"No!" Drew cried, her face holding a look of revulsion. "Not possible!"

"This isn't me," Piper protested. "I— don't understand."

Chiron folded his front legs and bowed, all of the campers following him. "Hail, Piper McLean. Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, Goddess of love."

★彡

NATALIA AND JASON MAKE ME SOFT OKAY BYE