The Unclaimed

Chapter 16: A conversation on Olympus

Just a heads up everyone, this chapter has a different point of view than most of the others. Hope you enjoy!
"She deserves to be claimed." Chiron was pacing in front of all the gods; the only one who was missing was Artemis. "I thought we were past the old days where you left children unclaimed." Thunder was heard from outside. All of the gods had cold and confused expressions on their faces.
"Chiron, what makes you think you have the right to summon a meeting here at Olympus and scold us?" Zeus asked angrily. The other gods shared uneasy looks with one another. They all knew how Zeus got when his authority was tested.
"Lord Zeus I do not wish to question your power," Chiron said cautiously. "It is just that I have seen this girl go through so much these past two years. Do not get me wrong all of you have done an incredible job in claiming all of your other children, but she has still remained in the Hermes cabin. At first this was a blessing for her, she stayed close to her half-brother, but remaining unclaimed has caused her so much misery. This past week she has reached her breaking point; she fled camp and joined the Hunt." A shocked looked appeared on all of the gods and goddesses faces; which annoyed Chiron because he was hoping Jessica's father would react differently from the other gods.
"What do you mean by she fled?" Athena asked. "How was a demigod, especially one as clearly special as Jessica, able to get out of the camp without you realizing it?" Chiron refused to let his focus waver as a result of Athena's intense language and tone.
"I forbade her from leaving the camp on her own," Chiron said truthfully. "She's smart, if I didn't know that her mother was a mortal I would say she was your daughter, and she found a loophole. She ran off into the woods, we found some of her arrows the next day, and my best assumption is that she was found by one of the hunters. By crossing camp boundaries with the hunter, she never broke any of my rules." Even though Chiron was mad at Jessica for leaving, he was still impressed by her wit and he did understand why she left. He had seen the broken look on her face when Michael didn't remember her; he was able to tell that she was at her braking point. Judging from Athena's facial expression, she was impressed by Jessica's tactics as well. Out of nowhere, Aphrodite started to sob. "Umm my lady, are you alright?" Chiron asked softly, a little scared to hear her response. Aphrodite crying had a history of never ending well; the worried looks on the faces of the other gods told Chiron they agreed with his logic.
"Why did she have to join the Hunt," she cried out. "She never even got a chance to date. Her potential dating future was so bright." All the gods rolled their eyes, in rather hidden fashions, at what she said. It took all of Chiron's self-control to maintain his calm and respectful exterior.
"Really Aphrodite," Athena said impatiently. "We have a unaccounted for demigod who left camp grounds without permission and has technically become immortal by joining the Hunt. Not to mention she is the first demigod in ages to have gotten Artemis's blessing and she probably very mad at all of us for the fact that she hasn't been claimed. But you still think this is an appropriate time to whine about the fact that she is no longer able to date?"Aphrodite just waved her hand around, dismissing everything Athena said.
"Just because you do not understand the power of love does not mean you should dismiss it so quickly." Athena crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows as she listened to Aphrodite. "It was so unfair for Artemis to invite her into the Hunt when she knows that Jessica has not gotten a fair chance at dating yet. She just robbed her of so much life experience. Quest or no quest, it's so unfair." Aphrodite pulled out a small pink hanky and dabbed her eyes. Before Athena could respond, Chiron intervened.
"Speaking of the quest," he said to get the conversation back on track. "Please tell me who her father is. She's going to know in a matter off days anyways, what would be the harm of telling me now." Chiron pleaded with the gods. He had never before felt so desperate to know a demigods parent. All the gods looked at each other; no one wanted to be the one to break the bad news to him.
"The Oracle has spoken," Apollo said seriously. For once he was not joking. "She, and everyone else, will find out who her dad is at the end of the quest. Announcing who her father is before she completes the quest will interfere with her success. I am sorry Chiron but this discussion is over."