The hunt is where I belong

Meeting

Jasmine POV

Dionysus called a council of cabin leaders as soon as the Oracle had been carried back to the attic. Somehow, Percy and Grover had gotten the honor. Zoë selected me and Bianca to go to the meeting with her.

The council was held around a Ping-Pong table in the rec room. Dionysus waved his hand and supplied snacks: Cheez Whiz, crackers, and several bottles of red wine. 

 Then Chiron reminded him that wine was against his restrictions and that most of the people present her underage. Dionysus sighed. With a snap of his fingers, the wine turned to Diet Coke. No one seemed enthused to drink that either.

Dionysus and Chiron (in wheelchair form) sat at one end of the table. Zoë, Bianca, and I took the other end. Thalia, Percy, and Grover lining the rest of the right side of the table. 

 Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers sat on the left. Somehow, all of the Ares kids had managed to get broken limbs during capture the flag, courtesy of Evelyn, Serena, and Melody. 

 The Ares kids were resting up in the infirmary.

Zoë started the meeting off on a positive note.

"This is pointless."

"Cheez Whiz!" the satyr exclaimed. He began scooping up crackers and Ping-Pong balls and spraying them with the topping.

"There is no time for talk," Zoë continued. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."

"And go where?" Chiron asked. I

 gave him a deadpanned look. "Did you even listen?"

"West!" Bianca exclaimed. "You heard the prophecy. Six shall go west to the goddess in chains. We shall take six Hunters and go."

"Yes," Zoë agreed. "Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her."

"You're missing something, as usual," Thalia said snarkily. "Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We're supposed to do this together."

"No!" Zoë said. "The Hunters do not need thy help."

"Good idea in theory." I snapped "But we will tear each other apart."

"Your," Thalia grumbled. "Nobody has said thy in, like, three hundred years, Zoë. Get with the times."

Zoë hesitated, like she was trying to form the word correctly.

"Yerr. We do not need yerr help."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Forget it."

I bit my lip trying not to laugh at Zoë's failed attempt to speak modern English.

"I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," Chiron said. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."

"Or do they?" Dionysus mused, swirling his Diet Coke under his nose like it had a fine bouquet. "Two shall be lost. One shall fall. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?"

"My point exactly!" I said. "But Two shall be lost doesn't really sound like death unlike One shall perish. We could lose two members but then see them at the end."

"But knowing demigod luck." Percy said "It may not be true."

"We're supposed to work together," Thalia said stubbornly. "I don't like it either, Zoë, but you know prophecies. You want to fight against one?"

Zoë grimaced and I glared at the table. 

Thalia had scored a point.

"We must not delay," Chiron warned. "Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice."

"Oh, joy," Dionysus muttered. "Another dull annual meeting."

"Artemis must be present at the solstice," Zoë said. "She has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against Kronos' minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations."

"Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?" Dionysus asked.

"Yes, Lord Dionysus."

I froze, Zoë was going to be in big trouble.

He nodded. "Just checking. You're right, of course. Carry on."

"I must agree with Zoë," Chiron said. "Artemis' presence at the winter council is critical. We have only a week to find her. And possibly even more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest."

"Four and two," Percy said.

Everyone looked at him.

"We're supposed to have six," Percy explained "Four hunters and two campers. That's more than fair."

Thalia and Zoë exchanged looks.

"Well," Thalia said. "It does make sense."

Zoë grunted.

"I would prefer to take all the Hunters. We will need strength of numbers."

"I really don't care you goes on the quest," I shrugged "As long as we get back Lady Artemis."

"You'll be retracing the goddess' path," Chiron reminded Zoë and I. "Moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. You will have to do the same. The prophecy was clear: The bane of Olympus shows the trail. What would your mistress say? 'Too many Hunters spoil the scent.' A small group is best."

Zoë picked up a Ping-Pong paddle and studied it like she was deciding who she wanted to whack first. "This monster – the bane of Olympus. I have hunted at Lady Artemis' side for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be."

Everyone looked at Dionysus, probably because he was the only (known) god present, and gods are supposed to know things. He was flipping through a wine magazine, but when everyone got silent, he glanced up.

"Well, don't look at me, I'm a young god, remember? I don't keep track of all those ancient monsters and dusty titans. They make for terrible party conversation. Ask the people older than me at this table."

"Who?" Thalia asked, confused.

"Chiron," Percy said turning to the Trainer of Heroes "Any good ideas?"

Chiron pursed his lips. "I have several ideas, none of them good. And none of them quite make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit this description. He was truly a bane of Olympus. Or the sea monster Keto. But if either of these were stirring, we would know it. They are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. Your father, Poseidon, would already have sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be more elusive. Perhaps even more powerful."

"That's some serious danger you're facing," Connor Stoll said. Astrid had asked me to blast him in the butt to make sure she wouldn't lose her bow. "It sounds like at least two of the six are going to die. Or what Jasmine said."

"Two shall be lost in the land without rain," Beckendorf said. Mia had hung out with her half sisters and I had met Beckendorf through her. "If I were you, I'd stay out of the desert."

There was a muttering of agreement.

"And the Titan's curse must one withstand," Silena, daughter of Aphrodite said. I had ran into her yesterday.  "What could that mean?"

Chrysa exchanged a nervous look with Zoë. They knew exactly what the Titan's curse was.

"One shall fall by a father's hand," the satyr said in between bites of Cheez Whiz and Ping-Pong balls. "How is that possible? Whose dad would kill them?"

There was heavy silence around the table. I glanced worriedly at Zoë, her father would.

"Percy's right," Silena said "Two campers should go."

I sensed an upcoming fight between Phoebe and Melody in the Artemis cabin, so Zoë had to send me away.

I just...

hope that I didn't lose more of my family.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.