I AM OFFERED A QUEST

Chiron asked me to come to the meeting room. He said he wants to discuss something important.

There was a short man(shorter than me) with elfish features lounging about on one of the couches. Chiron was pretty strict when it came to rules. He would have shouted at someone for that. Why wasn't he yelling at the man?

The man walked up to me. He was literally in his pajamas. I heard Chiron punished someone for doing that by making them clean all the rooms on the third floor for three weeks. Chiron wasn't the type to show favoritism, either. Was he Chiron's boss or something? Then I remembered Olympus was right above me, and that this 'boss' must be some god."

"Yes, boy, I am a god. It's rude to address one as a short man," the short man said.

"Sorry about that, sir. It's just that I don't know your name."

"I am Dionysus. You would be wise to remember that." So it seems that he was able to read my mind. I'll have to keep that in mind if I don't want to die. "Yiannis, have a seat. We need to talk," Chiron said. Dionysus nodded. "Yes. This puny boy is supposed to be our savior? He's not much." I was going to say the same to him, but I bit my lip. "Give him some time. He just got here," Chiron said.

"Yes, and dear father Zeus has decided to start a war with Poseidon. Do you seriously believe this boy will survive that, much less save Olympus?" Chiron nodded. "A prophecy that was spoken by the Oracle always comes to pass. This boy has a chance to prove himself and stop a war from breaking out." Dionysus snickered. "You're betting too much on the child. But I suppose a bit of hope is better than none. I have work to do in Olympus, so I'll leave you to take care of the kid." He snapped his fingers, and his body dissolved into the air.

"The god of partying sure has a big mouth," I said. "Don't you think? I saw a flicker of a smile pass Chiron's lips. "Perhaps. But I would suggest keeping the thought to yourself if you don't want to incur Dionysus's wrath." I nodded. "I'll do that. More importantly, what's this quest he mentioned? Something about stopping a war Zeus is starting?"

"Yes. Julien told you some of the details. Zeus's master bolt, Poseidon's trident, and Hades's helm have all gone missing. Zeus claims Poseidon is trying to become the king of the gods, while Poseidons says Zeus is framing him. I hoped Athena or Hera would make them stop, but it's too late for that. If either Zeus or Poseidon doesn't receive their weapon along with an apology, they will declare war." That reminded me of something. "Are they causing those 'inexplicable' storms around the country?"

"Yes, Yiannis. A weather reporter last night said the sky and the sea looked like they were fighting. Ironically, he does not even know how true his statement is." I nodded. "How much time do we have until the war starts?"

"Around three weeks. Quite a lot, actually. I can at least train you for a week."

"Train me for what?"

"For your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

"If I don't want the world to be a pile of rubble, I don't have a choice, do I? Chiron nodded. "Yes. A war between the two most powerful gods would destroy all of civilization, to say the least. That would be bad." If he considered that to be just "bad", I didn't want to know what his "horrible" or "grave" might be. So far, though, everything had gone the way Kronos said it would. Chiron had offered me a quest. The only deviation was Dionysus, but he didn't stick around for long. "So, what now?" I asked. "Do I start training, or what?"

"You will begin training today, but first, you need to consult the Oracle."

"The what?"

"The Oracle. Do you remember asking why a particular room was locked? I nodded. "Yeah. Room 13. If I remember correctly, the Oracle is Apollo's prophet or something, right?"

"More or less." He threw a key at me, and I caught it. "I'm guessing this key allows me to enter room 13?"

"Yes, but be careful. The Oracle's prophecies have driven some demigods insane," Chiron warned. With that happy note, I went my way up to room 13. I hoped the Oracle would care about my sanity.

I put the key in the keyhole, and the door creaked open. There were no lights, save some wisps of green mist, which emitted a little light. As soon as I entered the room, the door slammed shut, and I was locked in. The mist, now swirling around, got bigger and bigger until it formed the image of a young red-haired woman. There was no emotion on her face, and her green eyes pierced through me. "I am the Oracle of Delphi. Approach seeker, and ask." Her voice unsettled me. It sounded so similar to Kronos's that I thought he was in the room. I cleared my throat. "I would like to ask about my quest."

The mist swirled again, and now I saw six men in black suits sitting at a round table. Each took one turn speaking and only said a single line as if they were reading a poem.

"You will go southwest to find what was stolen,

See it returned and lose something important,

You will face the god you have deceived,

who will turn into a willing chess piece,

And you will come back home,

To find in who you once called a friend a foe."

I reached out towards the men as they began to dissolve. "Wait! What will I lose? Which friend will be my foe?" But there was no response. The mist vanished, and the door opened again.

Chiron studied me. "You look pale, Yiannis." I nodded. "I now understand why those prophecies drive people insane. They're frightening."

"Could you tell me what the Oracle said, boy? The exact lines? I told him everything that happened in room 13, leaving out the lines about the god I deceived and chess pieces. I knew the god I had tricked was Ares, and I didn't need Chiron to figure that out on his own somehow. It was just two lines, and he probably wouldn't have figured out anything, but better safe than sorry. I sat down on a couch as Chiron took in what I said. "According to the lines, it seems you will be able to bring back the stolen weapons and stop this war, thank the gods. We will need to watch out for this 'friend' who will become a foe. However, to me, the prophecy sounds incomplete. Yiannis, was that really all the Oracle told you?" I nodded. "Yeah, that's about it." Chiron didn't look convinced. I'm pretty sure he could tell I was hiding something. But he just sighed. "Very well. You'll be sent off on your quest about a week from now. As mentioned before, I will be training you personally. I'll also try to give you as much information as possible. Do you have any questions you would like to ask?"

"Um, who stole the weapons?" Chiron smirked. "That's the million-dollar question. If I had the answer, you wouldn't be assigned to find them in the first place. But I'm happy to offer my thoughts on who I think is responsible."

"Do that, then. Who do you think took the weapons?"

"I think Hades took the bolt." That surprised me. "Why? Isn't Hades innocent here? His son is supposed to be the one who saves Olympus."

"Please don't be offended, Yiannis. But Hades is known to be cunning and greedy. Hades has hated the Underworld and wished for a place on Olympus. He could have used you to avert suspicion from him."

"Sure, but I asked someone about it, and they said Hades hasn't been at Olympus for a decade. I don't see how he could have stolen the weapons if he wasn't there." Chiron shook his head. "No, Yiannis. The gods themselves cannot steal each other's items nor visits another's territory unless explicitly invited. Heroes are exempt from such laws. Hades could have asked or coerced a demigod to steal the weapons."

"Sure, but Hades's helm has gone missing too. I don't get why Hades would have someone take his own weapon."

"Yes, but as I said before, Hades is quite cunning. Perhaps he plans to frame Zeus or Poseidon somehow." That sounded like wishful thinking. I got the feeling Chiron doubted it was Hades but couldn't find anyone else to pin the blame on, or couldn't think of anyone else who would stand to gain from stealing the weapons. Either way, it bodes well for me. Everything has been going the way I wanted.

"So you think Hades has some plan to dethrone his brothers?" Chiron nodded. "While I can't definitively say this, there is a strong chance. Of course, I can be wrong. But we should still go under the assumption that Hades stole the weapons, just in case."

"So I start off investigating my own father. But the Underworld is like, way down there. How exactly do I get there?" Julien came into the room. "There are three routes you could take. One is the door of Orpheus. He created a door by singing his way into the Underworld. If one sings the same song he sang, a passageway to the Underworld opens up."

"I lack in singing talent," I said. "What's the other way?"

"The Mississippi River." I tilted my head quizically. "How so?"

"The Mississippi River is basically the modern-day Acheron river. Charon ferried dead souls back into the realm of the living through this river." Chiron nodded. "He doesn't do it that often, but it's our best bet. The only other way to get to the Underworld would be death, and I think you would prefer to avoid that route." I nodded. "I would like to avoid it very much. But I don't get it; how could someone steal the weapons of the most powerful gods and get away with it? How blind do they have to be to not notice that?"

Chiron and Julien looked nervously at the sky as lightning crackled down. "I already told you not to insult the gods so explicitly, child," Chiron said. "Even if you have a point," Julien added. "The gods did screw up big time, and we have to clean up their mess as always. So Yiannis, have you decided on what to do?"

"Yeah. I'm going to get the weapons back. I forgot to ask this, but how many people can go with me?"

"Three," Chiron answered. "You can take no more than three people with you."

"So far, it looks like only Julien is coming with me. I have a feeling I won't be able to get anyone else. Nobody wants to visit the Underworld."

"No, Yiannis. In fact, two other people are willing to go with you." I looked at Chiron. "Who else would want to investigate the lord of the dead?" Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around and saw Vittoria. "I've been waiting for a long time to go on a quest. Now that you're here, Yiannis, I finally have the chance to see the outside world again." Knowing her, she was probably in the room the whole time, invisible to me. "Sure. You're not going to throw me under the bus again, I hope?" Vittoria blushed. "I told you I planned to help you back there. But you already had the situation under control, and you caught me too." I looked around the room. Chiron said two more people besides Julien were willing to go with me, but only Vittoria showed up. "Chiron, you told me two more people want to go with me. Where's the other one?"

"Over here." My jaw went slack. "Helen? You want to go?" My little sister nodded. "We promised that we would always be together. There's no point in staying here if you're somewhere else."

"You could die, Helen!"

"You could too! That's why I'm going with you. I can help you!" I pressed my lips together. I didn't want to say that Helen would be a burden because she was crippled. I felt ashamed the thought had even crossed my mind. But still, Ares was out to kill the child of Hades. Bringing Helen with me would put her life in danger. If Ares found out that Helen was my sister, there's no telling what could happen. But I can't tell her that, either.

"Helen, please reconsider. I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

"I don't want my big brother to die for my sake, either. You made a promise to me, Yiannis." I eyed Julien, and he nodded as if he understood what I was asking for. "Helen, Yiannis just wants what's best for you. Please think it over."

"I did think it over, and I've made up my mind. I love my big brother more than anything, and I'm staying with him, no matter what." I blushed. Behind me, Vittoria giggled. "What are you laughing at?"

"This must be so embarrassing for you." That made me blush more. "Shut up," I grumbled. Vittoria smiled at me. "Your little sister's adorable, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do." I sighed. "If you really want to go with me, Helen, I suppose I can't stop you." Helen's face broke into a wide smile. "Really? I can?" I smiled back at her. "Yeah. I made a promise to you, didn't I?" My little sister hugged me. "Thank you, Yiannis! I won't let you down!"

Chiron rubbed his chin. "We have four people here, however. One of you must stay behind. Yiannis, who do you want to accompany you?"

"I want all of them to go with me, Chiron. But I know I can't take more than three. I'll make my choice on the day before we leave. That will give everyone here time to change their minds if they have second thoughts."

"That's a good idea, Yiannis." Chiron clapped his hands. "Then today's meeting has been adjourned! In a week, three of you will be sent to find the weapons. Let us pray to the gods that you will succeed and come back alive."

Oh, I'll succeed, all right, I thought. If Ares does what I told him to, I'll be a big step closer to destroying Olympus. I just have to keep Helen safe.