They headed toward a newer wing of cabins.  As they walked, Jason felt uneasy as he felt like he was walking on enemy ground.  He felt Laurel gently squeeze his hand and sparks and warmth surged through his body. His whole tensed body relaxed on its own account. He smiled brightly at her, liking the feel of her hand in his. It felt like her hand was created just for him to hold, that's how perfect it felt. What bothered him slightly is why the touch felt so familiar to him. It's as if his heart knows the touch but his head threw it out the window.

Some cabins were fancy, but Cabin Fifteen was not as fancy, more simple. It looked like an old-fashioned prairie house with mud walls and a rush roof.  On the door hung a wreath of crimson flowers— red poppies, Jason thought, though he wasn't sure how he knew. 

"You think this is my parent's cabin?" he asked.

"Definitely not. I'd laugh in your face if it was though," Laurel smirked at Jason who, in return, poked her side making her let out a small laugh. 

Annabeth shook her head slightly at the two, "This is the cabin for Hypnos, the god of dreams." 

"Then why—" 

"You have forgotten everything," Laurel said, "If there's any god who can help us figure out memory loss, it's Hypnos." 

Inside, even though it was almost dinner time, three kids were sound asleep under piles of covers.  A warm fire crackled in the hearth. Above the mantel hung a tree branch, each twig dripping white liquid into a collection of tin bowls. Jason was tempted to catch a drop on his finger to see what it was, but Laurel tugged him back by the ear making him stumble. 

Soft violin music played from somewhere. The air smelled like fresh laundry. The cabin was so cosy and peaceful that Jason's eyelids started to feel heavy.  A nap sounded like a great idea. He was exhausted. There were plenty of empty beds, all with feather pillows and fresh sheets and fluffy quilts.  Laurel pinched his side hard making Jason flinch back. He realized his knees had been starting to buckle. 

"Cabin Fifteen does that to everyone," Annabeth warned. "If you ask me, this place is even more dangerous than the Ares cabin. At least with Ares, you can learn where the land mines are."

"Land mines?" he asked.

"Yup, I accidentally set one off last month," Laurel winced at the memory.

Annabeth walked up to the nearest snoring kid and shook his shoulder, "Clovis! Wake up!" 

The kid looked like a baby cow. He had a blond tuft of hair on a wedge-shaped head, with thick features and a thick neck. His body was stocky, but he had spindly little arms as if he'd never lifted anything heavier than a pillow. 

"Clovis!" Annabeth shook harder, and then Laurel finally picked up his arm and yanked him off onto the floor making the poor boy groan.

"Why are you so rough?" Clovis complained, sitting up and squinting.  He yawned hugely, and both Annabeth and Jason yawned too. Laurel just rolled her eyes.

"Who doesn't like it a little rough, right Beth?" Laurel said playfully throwing a wink towards her female companion, making Annabeth go red while Jason bit back a laugh and just settled for a smirk instead.

"Stop that!" Annabeth said, "Clovis, We need your help." 

"I was sleeping," Clovis complained, slowly getting back into his bunk.

"You're always sleeping." 

"Good night." 

Before he could pass out, Annabeth yanked his pillow off the bed. 

"That's not fair," Clovis complained meekly, "Give it back." 

"First help," Annabeth said. "Then sleep." 

Annabeth explained Jason's problem. Every once in a while she'd snap her fingers under Clovis's nose to keep him awake.  Clovis must have been really excited because when Annabeth was done, he didn't pass out. He actually stood and stretched, then blinked at Jason. 

"So you don't remember anything, huh?" 

"Just impressions," Jason said, "Feelings, like..." 

"Yes?" Clovis said.

"As if I know I shouldn't be here. At this camp. I'm in danger." 

"Hmm. Close your eyes." 

Jason glanced at Laurel, and she smiled reassuringly. She gave him a look that said, Just Do It.  Jason was afraid he'd end up snoring in one of the bunks forever, but he closed his eyes. His thoughts became murky as if he were sinking into a dark lake.  The next thing he knew, his eyes snapped open. He was sitting in a chair by the fire. Clovis and Annabeth knelt next to them. 

"This is serious, all right," Clovis was saying. 

"What happened?" Jason said. "How long—" 

"Just a few minutes," Laurel said. "But it was tense. You almost dissolved." 

Jason hoped she didn't mean literally, but her expression was solemn. 

"Usually," Clovis said, "memories are lost for a good reason. They sink under the surface like dreams, and with good sleep, I can bring them back. But this..." 

"Lethe?" Annabeth asked. 

"No," Clovis said, "Not even Lethe." 

"Lethe?" Jason asked. 

Laurel furrowed her eyebrows in a thinking manner which made her look incredibly cute to Jason, "The River Lethe in the Underworld. It dissolves all your memories, it can wipe your mind clean permanently," She pointed towards the branch with milk-like drops, "That's the branch of a poplar tree from the Underworld, dipped into the Lethe. It's the symbol of the God, Hypnos."

Annabeth nodded, "Laurel and Percy went there once. He told me it was powerful enough to wipe the mind of a Titan." 

Jason was suddenly glad Laurel tugged him away from the branch, "But... that's not my problem?" 

"No," Clovis agreed, "Your mind wasn't wiped, and your memories weren't buried. They've been stolen." 

The fire crackled. Drops of Lethe water plinked into the tin cups on the mantel. One of the other Hypnos campers muttered in his sleep— something about a rubber duck monster. 

"Stolen," Jason said, "How?" 

"A god," Clovis said. "Only a god would have that kind of power." 

"We know that," said Jason, "It was Juno. But how did she do it, and why?" 

Clovis scratched his neck, "Juno?" 

"He means Hera," Annabeth said, "For some reason, Jason likes the Roman names." 

"Hmm," Clovis said. 

"What?" Jason asked, "Does that mean something?" 

"Hmm," Clovis said again, and this time Jason realized he was snoring.

"Clovis!" he yelled. 

"What? What?" His eyes fluttered open, "We were talking about pillows, right? No, gods. I remember. Greek and Roman. Sure, it could be important." 

"But they're the same gods," Annabeth said. "Just different names." 

"Not really actually," Laurel said. 

Jason sat forward, now very much awake, "What do you mean, not really Laurel?" 

"Well..." Laurel still had a bored expression on her face, "Some gods are only Roman. Like Janus, Pompona, or Bellona. But even the major Greek gods—it's not just their names that changed when they moved to Rome. Their appearances changed. Their attributes changed. They even had slightly different personalities." 

"But..." Annabeth faltered. "Okay, so maybe people saw them differently through the centuries. That doesn't change who they are." 

"Sure it does," Clovis began to nod off, and Jason snapped his fingers under his nose. 

"Coming, Mother!" he yelled, "I mean... Yeah, I'm awake. So, um, personalities. Laurel's right. The gods change to reflect their host cultures. You know that, Annabeth.  I mean, these days, Zeus likes tailored suits, reality television, and that Chinese food place on East Twenty-Eighth Street, right?  It was the same in Roman times, and the gods were Roman almost as long as they were Greek. It was a big empire, lasting for centuries. So of course their Roman aspects are still a big part of their character." 

"Makes sense," Jason said. Annabeth shook her head, mystified.

"But how do you know all this, Clovis, Laurel?"

"Something happened a few years back and it made me want to do some research on Roman Mythology," Laurel said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Oh, I spend a lot of time dreaming. I see the gods there all the time—always shifting forms. Dreams are fluid, you know. You can be in different places at once, always changing identities. It's a lot like being a god, actually.  Recently, I dreamed I was watching a Michael Jackson concert, and then I was onstage with Michael Jackson, and we were singing this duet, and I could not remember the words for 'The Girl Is Mine.' Oh, man, it was so embarrassing, I—"

Laurel started laughing at the story, making Jason look at her with a twinkle in his eyes. Her laugh sounded familiar. 

"Clovis," Annabeth interrupted. "Back to Rome?" 

"Right, Rome," Clovis said. "So we call the gods by their Greek names because that's their original form. But saying their Roman aspects are exactly the same—that's not true. In Rome, they became more warlike. They didn't mingle with mortals as much. They were harsher, more powerful—the gods of an empire." 

"Like the dark side of the gods?" Annabeth asked. 

"I wouldn't say that," Clovis said, "They stood for discipline, honour, and strength—" 

"Good things, then," Jason said. For some reason, he felt the need to speak up for the Roman gods, though wasn't sure why it mattered to him, "I mean, discipline is important, right? That's what made Rome last so long." 

Clovis gave him a curious look, "That's true. But the Roman gods weren't very friendly. For instance, my dad, Hypnos... didn't do much except sleep in Greek times.  In Roman times, they called him Somnus. He liked killing people who didn't stay alert at their jobs. If they nodded off at the wrong time, boom—they never woke up. He killed the helmsman of Aeneas when they were sailing from Troy." 

"Nice guy," Annabeth said, "But I still don't understand what it has to do with Jason."

Clovis snapped up. "Neither do I, but if Hera took your memory, she's the only one who can give it back. And if I had to meet the queen of the gods, I'd hope she was more in a Hera mood than a Juno mood. Can I go back to sleep now?"    

Annabeth tossed a pillow at his head and he went out like a light, face first in the fabric.    

"Won't he suffocate?" Jason asked in concern.

They went over to the door to head out, "He'll be just fine."   

Annabeth cut in, "But I am beginning to think that you are in serious trouble."

"Hey Beth, I'm gonna go back to my cabin. I'm gonna take a nap. I still feel a bit drained from earlier," Laurel said, immediately turning on her heel and not waiting for a response.

••••••••••

When Laurel woke up, she looked at the time and realised she missed dinner. Laurel got up to wash her face and walked out to the bonfire to sit beside Will who threw an arm around her while also handing her a plate of chicken nuggets.

They just finished all the campfire songs.

"Here, eat this. I don't like dealing with a grumpy, hungry Commander of a sister."

Laurel's eyes sparkled when they landed on the plate in her hands and she immediately started eating.

Laurel looked around while eating her nuggets and spotted Jason in the front row next to Annabeth. Leo was nearby, sitting with a bunch of burly-looking campers under a steel-grey banner emblazoned with a hammer.

Chiron trotted up clapping, "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?" Finn from Ares cabin yelled out.

Grumbling broke out among some kids in armour, sitting under a red banner with the emblem of a boar's head. 

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

"And kill people!" Kenny shouted beside his brother, Finn. 

Jason was slightly unnerved by this, was this how they normally act?

He looked around to see about fifty demigods around the fire. When he saw Laurel, his vision tunnelled. She still looked radiant even when you can still see signs of fatigue in her eyes and posture. She definitely looked adorable eating her nuggets.

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

He turned to Leo's group. Leo winked at Laurel and shot her with a finger gun. Laurel just wore a blank expression on her face while chewing another nugget.

The girl next to Leo stood uncomfortably. She wore an army jacket a lot like Leo's, with her hair covered in a red bandanna, "We're working on it."

More grumbling erupted from the crowd. Mainly from Laurel and the Ares cabin.

"How, Nyssa?" John demanded. 

"Really hard,"  Nyssa said. 

Nyssa sat down to a lot of yelling and complaining, which caused the fire to sputter chaotically. Chiron stamped his hoof against the fire pit stones— bang, bang, bang —and the campers fell silent. 

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

"Percy?" Katie from the Demeter cabin asked in a hopeful tone.

The fire dimmed even further, but Laurel didn't need the mood flames to sense the crowd's anxiety. 

Chiron gestured to Laurel and Annabeth to come to stand. Laurel popped her last nugget into her mouth before Will took the plate back like a good big brother.

Annabeth took a deep breath and stood. "We didn't find Percy," she announced. Her voice caught a little when she said his name.

Laurel decided to take over for Annabeth, "He wasn't at the Grand Canyon like we thought. But we're not giving up either. We've got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis— everyone's out looking. We will find him. Chiron's talking about something different. A new quest." 

"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" someone called out. 

Everyone turned. The voice had come from a group in the back, sitting under a rose-coloured banner with a dove emblem. They'd been chatting among themselves and not paying much attention until Drew. Everyone was surprised. Drew didn't address the crowd very often. 

"Drew?" Annabeth said, "What do you mean?" 

"Well, come on," Drew spread her hands like the truth was obvious, "Olympus is closed. Percy disappeared. Hera sends you and Rel 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?" 

Everyone else looked at Rachel. 

"Well?" Drew called down. "You're the oracle. Has it started or not?" 

Rachel's eyes looked scary in the firelight. She made eye contact with Laurel who gave her a grim nod. With the confirmation, she stepped forward calmly and addressed the camp, "Yes," she said, "The Great Prophecy has begun." 

Pandemonium broke out. Laurel's eyes filled with unwanted tears. The last Great Prophecy had taken so much from her. Lee, Michael, Luke, Silena... 

When the talking finally subsided, Rachel took another step toward the audience, and fifty-plus demigods leaned away from her as if one skinny redheaded mortal was more intimidating than all of them put together. 

"For those of you who have not heard it," Rachel said, "the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this: 

"Eight half-bloods shall answer the call,

To storm or fire the world must fall—" 

Jason shot to his feet. His eyes looked wild like he'd just been tasered. Rachel also seemed to be caught off guard. 

"J-Jason?" she said, "What's—" 

"Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus,

Duo juramentum ut ad extremum spiritum"

An uneasy silence settled on the group. She could tell it was Latin and she also knew the language.

"Seems like you just finished the prophecy," Laurel said cooly despite how she was feeling internally,

"—An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."

Rachel still looked uneasy, "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. Perfect for little Rel!" There was some giggling from the Aphrodite cabin. 

"Drew, stop," Laurel called back with a stern face, "Now's not the time for unneeded matchmaking."

Everyone let out a small laugh but it didn't do much to break the tension surrounding the campfire. The campfire was burning a chaotic, nervous shade of green. 

Jason sat down, looking embarrassed, but Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder to give him some comfort to ease his embarrassment.

Rachel still looked a little shaken. She glanced back at Chiron for guidance, but the centaur stood grim and silent.

"Well," Rachel said, trying to regain her composure, "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 any 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 campers began to stir and mutter, looking at each other nervously, until a drowsy voice in the crowd called out, "I'm here! Oh... were you calling roll?" 

"Go back to sleep, Clovis," Laurel yelled to try and ease the tension, and a lot of people laughed nervously. 

"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.  Maybe he didn't mean for everyone to overhear, but they did. The campfire immediately turned dark purple. 

"What we do know," Rachel said after shooting the centaur a pointed look, "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." 

Shocked silence.

Then fifty demigods started talking at once.  Chiron pounded his hoof again, but Rachel still had to wait before she could get back their attention. She told them about  Annabeth and Laurel's visions and the incident on the Grand Canyon skywalk—how Gleeson Hedge had sacrificed himself when the storm spirits attacked, and the spirits had warned it was only the beginning. They apparently served some great mistress who would destroy all demigods. Then Rachel told them about Piper passing out in Hera's cabin.

Laurel let a small smile take on her face when she looked at the Aphrodite cabin and she noticed Drew in the back row, pantomiming a faint, and her friends giggling. 

Finally, Rachel told them about Jason's vision in the living room of the Big House. 

"Jason," Rachel said, "Um... do you remember your last name?" 

He looked self-conscious, but he shook his head. 

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

Rachel paused as if giving Jason a chance to protest his destiny. Everyone's eyes were on him; there was so much pressure, yet he looked brave and determined. He 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." 

The way he said it, stirring sounded absolutely sinister —like it should be a first-degree felony, so dramatic Laurel rolled her eyes.

"Okay," Annabeth said, glaring at the centaur. "Thank you, Mr Happy. Whatever's going on, I agree with Rachel. Jason has been chosen to lead this quest, so—" 

"Why hasn't he been claimed?" Kenny yelled out, "If he's so important—"

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

At first, Jason didn't seem to understand. He stepped forward nervously, his regal features like a Roman statue. He glanced at Laurel, and she just stared at him intently with her arms crossed over her chest. He then looked over to Piper and she mimicked flipping a coin. Jason reached into his pocket. His coin flashed in the air, and when he caught it in his hand, he was holding a lance— a rod of gold about seven feet long, with a spear tip at one end.

The other demigods gasped.

Rachel and Annabeth stepped back to avoid the point, which looked sharp as an icepick. 

"Wasn't that..." Annabeth hesitated, "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!" yelled somebody from Ares's cabin. 

"Better than Clarisse's electric spear, Lamer!" one of his brothers agreed. 

"Electric," Jason murmured like that was a good idea.

"Back away."  Annabeth and Rachel got the message. Laurel stayed in her spot. Jason raised his javelin, and thunder broke open the sky.

Every hair on Laurel's arms stood straight up.

Lightning arced down through the golden spear point and hit the campfire with the force of an artillery shell. When the smoke cleared, and the ringing in Laurel's ears subsided, the entire camp sat frozen in shock, half-blind, covered in ashes, staring at the place where the fire had been. Cinders rained down everywhere.

Laurel wasn't touched in the slightest; she surprisingly still looked as clean as ever.

A burning log had impaled itself a few inches from the sleeping kid Clovis, who hadn't even stirred. 

Jason lowered his lance, "Um... sorry." 

Chiron brushed some burning coals out of his beard. He grimaced as if his worst fears had been confirmed, "A little overkill, perhaps, but you've made your point. And I believe we know who your father is." 

"Jupiter," Jason and Laurel said. Which made everyone look at her. Laurel didn't know why she said that, it seemed to just roll off her tongue like butter.

Jason cleared his throat to correct himself to Greek, "I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky." 

Everything broke into chaos, with dozens of people asking questions until Annabeth raised her arms. 

"Hold it!" she said, "How can he be the son of Zeus? The Big Three... their pact not to have mortal kids... how could we not have known about him sooner?" 

"Their pact was shit Annabeth, we all know this," Laurel said while rolling her eyes.

Chiron didn't answer, but Laurel got the feeling he knew. She herself had a good clue where Jason might've been all this time and the truth was not good. 

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

She closed her eyes and swooned. Someone from Hermes' cabin rushed forward and caught her. Another from the Nemesis cabin ran to the side of the amphitheatre and grabbed a bronze three-legged stool like they'd been trained for this duty. They eased Rachel onto the stool in front of the ruined hearth. Without the fire, the night was dark, but green mist started swirling around Rachel's feet. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing. Emerald smoke issued from her mouth. The voice that came out was raspy and ancient—the sound a snake would make if it could talk: 

"Child of lightning, beware the earth,

The giants' revenge the eight shall birth,

The forge and dove shall break the cage,

The death unleashed through Hera's rage,

Shall be undone by the Angel of Light." 

On the last word, Rachel collapsed, but her helpers were waiting to catch her. They carried her away from the hearth and laid her in the corner to rest. 

"Is that normal?" Piper asked. Everyone looked at her, "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. It's her first day. Besides, 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 rose, "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." 

"I would much rather leave her in the fucking cage," Laurel retorted back. 

Nyssa stood up, "She's right, you know. You should listen to Laurel and 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?" 

Laurel, Annabeth and Chiron had a silent exchange. 

Annabeth: The giants' revenge... no, it can't be.

Laurel: The titans, now this?

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

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

Laurel: Hoe, when have we ever been lucky?

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

Annabeth took a deep breath. "It's Jason's quest," she announced, "so it's Jason's choice. Obviously, he's the child of lightning. According to tradition, he may choose any two companions." 

"This one calls out for four!" Someone called out. 

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

"No, Travis," Annabeth said. "First off, 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." 

"It's connected," Piper blurted out, "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, "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 is the symbol of Vul —Hephaestus." 

Under the Cabin Nine banner, Nyssa's shoulders slumped, as she'd just been given a heavy anvil to carry, "If you have to beware the earth," she said, "you should avoid travelling overland. You'll need air transport. The flying chariot is broken and the pegasi, we're using them to search for Percy. But maybe the Hephaestus cabin can help figure out something else to help. With Jake incapacitated, I'm a senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest."

She didn't sound enthusiastic. 

Then Leo stood up. He'd been so quiet, Laurel had almost forgotten he was there, which was totally not like Leo. 

"It's me," he said. His cabinmates stirred. Several tried to pull him back to his seat, but Leo resisted, "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 studied him for a moment. Laurel was sure he was going to tell Leo no. Then he smiled, "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." 

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

"Oh, absolutely!" Drew was on her feet and flashing Jason a smile, "I'm a child of Aphrodite. Everybody knows that. I am totally in." 

"I would approve of Drew going. I helped train her. She's pretty decent for a child of Aphrodite," Laurel said.

Piper's hands clenched. She stepped forward, "No." 

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

Piper took another step forward, "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. But you need charm on your side. I can be very persuasive. I could help a lot." 

The campers started murmuring about how Drew was pretty persuasive. Laurel could see Drew winning them over. Even Chiron was scratching his beard, like Drew's participation suddenly made sense to him. 

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

"No!" Piper's voice sounded weird in Laurel's ears— more insistent, richer in tone, "I'm supposed to go." 

Then the weirdest thing happened. Everyone started nodding, muttering that hmm, Piper's point of view made sense too.  Drew looked around, incredulous. Even some of her own campers were nodding. 

"Get over it!" Drew snapped at the crowd, "What can Piper do?" 

Piper tried to respond, but she couldn't, "Well," Drew said smugly, "I guess that settles it." 

Suddenly there was a collective gasp. Everyone stared at Piper. There was a reddish glow around her.

"What?" she demanded. She looked above her, then she looked down and yelped.

She was adorned in a beautiful white sleeveless gown that went down to her ankles, with a V-neck. Delicate gold armbands circled her biceps. An intricate necklace of amber, coral, and gold flowers glittered on her chest, and her hair was perfect: lush and long and chocolate brown, braided with gold ribbons down one side so it fell across her shoulder. She even wore makeup—subtle touches that made her lips cherry red and brought out all the different colours in her eyes. 

"Oh, god," she said. "What's happened?"  A stunned Annabeth pointed at Piper's dagger, which was now oiled and gleaming, hanging at her side on a golden cord. She unsheathed Katoptris. 

"You go beauty queen!" Leo shouted.

Laurel snorted at the comment, "Well, I guess I was right about your mom. Drew time to greet your new sister." 

Drew's face was full of horror and revulsion, "No!" she cried, "Not possible!" 

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

Chiron the centaur folded his front legs and bowed to her, and all the campers followed his example. 

"Hail, Piper McLean," Chiron announced gravely as if he were speaking at her funeral, "Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love."

After a few moments, they all sit down in their regular spots except for Chiron, Annabeth, Laurel, and Jason who remain standing. Piper sat back down beside Rachel and tried to cover her face with her new hair.

"Now," Annabeth started, "we need to discuss the Angel of Light."

There was a thoughtful moment of silence.

"Oh Fuck."

Everyone turned to the person who spoke up.

Laurel.

"I think it's you, Laurel," Jason said, "You have wings made from Light that resemble an Angel."

Laurel released another sigh, "For fucksakes."

"Child, the prophecy states you go. Maybe to undo death itself," Chiron said to the reluctant girl.

"Ah fuck it," Laurel said finally giving in and realizing she needs to save Hera even if she doesn't like her.

"Laurel... I know we were going to look for Percy but— they need you. Travis is right— you and I have the most experience and knowledge here," Annabeth said, "Jason I'm not sure about but the other two aren't trained, Jason can't protect them by himself. They might die. They need the Commander."

Piper felt a bit offended that everyone thought that she and Leo would die on this quest without Laurel. She wants to meet this so-called Commander.

Jason heard many things about Laurel during his short time here. She was a major part of the victory of the Titan war apparently. He also heard that she is an amazing warrior— ruthless to her opponents. After seeing her fight off the venti earlier like it was nothing, he definitely believes that. There's also something about her that feels so familiar to him but he can't put his finger on it. He feels this bond with her like he's known her before. The attraction, the familiarity, the hidden chemistry between them. Something is definitely going on. He needs to get to know her better to figure this out.

"Fine," Laurel said begrudgingly, "Valdez make sure that ride fits four people."

Then she turned to walk out of the amphitheatre not looking back.