Sylvia tried to talk to Clarisse about the quest and when they'd be able to find Chris, but Dionysus called a council of cabin counselors to talk about the prophecy, and their conversation was cut short.

Sylvia still had Lux in her arms. "Hey, Austin? Kayla? Will? Can you guys take them for me?"

Finn walked up. "Here, I can."

"Thanks." Sylvia smiled at faer as fae took the child of Apollo from her arms.

"No problem. By the way, do you know what that flash thing was?"

"I...have a few suspicions," Sylvia said. "But that ability is more rare than even Hephaestus kids having control over fire..."

Fawkes? Is it what I think it is? Does Lux have photokinesis?

No answer.

Fawkes?

Oh, my apollogies (~) ;) ( ~), I was trying to contact Lord Apollo to see if I could tell you the answer. Yes, they have photokinesis.

Sylvia looked at Lux in Finn's arms in awe. "Fawkes says...Fawkes said I was right. Gods, that's so rare."

"What is it?" Finn asked.

"I'll tell Lux first, and then see if they are okay with me telling others," Sylvia said apologetically.

"Oh! That makes sense." Finn smiled at Sylvia. "Anyways, you should probably catch up with the other counselors." Fae gestured toward the crowd with faer head. They were getting pretty far away, having almost completely disappeared under the cover of the trees.

"Oh, yeah, since Lee isn't here and...well..." She trailed off, glancing at where the Oracle was sitting earlier. Grover and Percy were struggling to carry it, having been elected to carry it back to the attic. "Well, see you later?"

"Yep."

Sylvia ran in the direction of the cabin counselors' retreating figures.

* * *

Sylvia sighed in annoyance beside Thalia. For whatever reason, the two people who resented Percy Jackson the most at the moment were the ones who were told to grab him for the counselor meeting.

They tromped up the stairs. They had an unspoken agreement that they weren't going to talk to Percy, so they looked at Grover.

"Tell Percy to get his ass downstairs," Thalia said.

"Why?" Percy asked.

"Did he say something?" Sylvia asked Grover.

You two are being very immature right now, Fawkes chided.

I don't really care, Fawkes, Sylvia snapped. He stuck his nose where it didn't belong---into my business.

"Um, he asked why." Grover glanced at Fawkes. Sylvia wondered if he could understand when they talked to each other.

No, he can't. He can only understand if I actually make a sound. Right now, we're communicating through our minds. Nature spirits and satyrs just speak the languages animals do. They don't speak in our minds.

That makes sense, Sylvia admitted.

"Dionysus is calling a council of cabin leaders," Thalia said.

"Unfortunately, that includes Jackasson," Sylvia added.

* * *

The council was held around a Ping-Pong table in the rec room. Mr. D waved his hand and supplied snacks: Cheez Whiz, crackers, and several bottles of red wine. Then Chiron reminded him that wine was against is restrictions, and most of the campers were underage. Dionysus sighed. With a snap of his fingers the wine turned to Diet Coke. Nobody really drank that either.

Mr D and Chiron (in wheelchair form) sat at one end of the table. Zoe and Bianca di Angelo (who had kind of become Zoe's personal assistant) took the other end. Thalia, Grover, Sylvia, and Percy sat along the right, and the other head counselors--Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Malcolm Pace (who hadn't participated in Capture the Flag for whatever reason, which was a shame because he probably would've been able to come up with a good enough strategy to at least get them close to winning), and the Stoll brothers--sat on the left. The Ares kids were supposed to send a respresentative, too, but Sherman and Alan both got broken limbs (accidentally) during capture the flag, courtesy of the Hunters, and Clarisse was trying to reach her and Sylvia's mom again.

Zoe started the meeting off on a positive note. "This is pointless."

"Cheez Whiz!" Grover gasped. He began scooping up crackers and putting Ping-Pong balls in the middle, like a sandwich, and spraying them with topping.

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

And just ignore the prophecy, Sylvia thought. Great idea.

She's under a lot of stress right now, Fawkes pointed out. Give her a break.

"And go where?" Chiron asked.

"West!" Bianca said. Sylvia was amazed at how different she looked after just a few days with the Hunters. Her dark hair was braided like Zoe's now, so you could actually see her face. She had a splash of freckles across her nose, and her dark eyes looked exactly like Nico's, just slightly older and more careworn. She looked like she'd been working out, and her skin glowed faintly, like the other Hunters, as if she'd been taking showers in liquid moonlight. Sylvia wondered if she'd look that good if she joined the Hunt. "You heard the prophecy. Seven shall go west to the goddess in chains. We can get seven hunters and go."

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

"You're missing something, as usual," Thalia said. "The Oracle talked to Sylvia, too. That prophecy is for both of you, meaning you both lead the quest. Also, it said Campers and Hunters combined prevail."

"I will concede to Sylvia joining," Zoe said, "but the Hunters don't need anyone else's help, except for maybe..." she trailed off, apparently lost in thought.

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

"Or do they?" Mr. D mused, swirling his Diet Coke. "One shall be lost. One shall be perish. Light blinds. Music deafens. One threatens. Sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?"

"Mr. D," Chiron sighed, "with all due respect, whose side are you on?"

Dionysus raised his eyebrows. "Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful."

"I, for one, think we should bring more campers than just myself," Sylvia said. "And, since I'm supposed to help lead this quest, I'm pretty sure I should get a say in things like this."

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

Zoe grimaced, but Sylvia could tell she got their 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 meeting," Zoe said. On Sylvia's shoulder, Fawkes nodded in agreement. "She has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against Kronos's minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations."

Another year of time that we may not have, Fawkes said to Sylvia.

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

"Yes, Lord Dionysus."

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

"I must agree with Zoe," said Chiron. "Artemis's presence at the winter council is critical. We have only a week to find her. And, if the camp needs to also go into war, Annabeth is definitely our best strategist. And possibly more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest."

"Four and three," Malcolm said. Everyone looked at him. "We're supposed to have seven. Four Hunters, three campers. That's more than fair."

Sylvia, Thalia, and Zoe exchanged looks.

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

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

"You'll be retracing the goddess's path," Chiron reminded her. "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."

Zoe tilted her head in thought. "This monster--the bane of Olympus. I have hunted at Lady Artemis's side for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be."

Everyone looked at Dionysus, since he was the only 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."

I am older than Lord Dionysus, yet I do not know what this could be, Fawkes admitted.

Perfect, Sylvia thought.

"Chiron," Sylvia said, "you don't have any ideas about the monster?"

Said centaur pursed his lips. "I have several ideas, none of them good. I fear this monster may be more elusive than ones like Typhon or Keto, because Poseidon would have already sounded the alarm. It may even be more powerful."

"That's some serious danger you're facing," Connor Stoll said. "It sounds like at least two of the seven are going to die, and maybe some get blinded or become deaf? And one's supposed to unwind, whatever that means."

"Unwinding could mean a lot of things," Malcolm pointed out. "It could mean figuratively, which is the most likely option, but it could also mean literally, somehow."

"One shall be lost in the land without rain," Beckendorf said. "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 said. "What could that mean?"

Chiron and Zoe exchanged a nervous look, for whatever reason.

"One shall perish by a parent's hand," Grover said in between bites of Cheez Whiz and Ping-Pong balls. "How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?"

Mine, Sylvia realized with a shudder. She'd kill me for five bucks. Hades, she'd kill me for fun. Is this why she suddenly appeared again? Am I gonna get murdered?

I'll protect you, Fawkes promised. No matter what, I'm going on this quest with you, by the way. I was sent down from Olympus to you for a reason.

There was a heavy silence around the table.

"There will be deaths," Chiron decided. "That much we know."

"Oh, goody!" Dionysus said.

Everyone looked at him. He glanced up "innocently" from the pages of Wine Connoisseur magazine. "Ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. Don't mind me."

"Malcolm is right," Silena Beauregard said. "Three campers should go."

"Oh, I see," Zoe said sarcastically. "And I suppose you wish to volunteer?"

Silena blushed. "I'm not going anywhere with the Hunters. Don't look at me!"

"A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at," Zoe scoffed. "What would thy mother say?"

Silena started to get out of her chair, but the Stoll brothers pulled her back.

"Stop it," Beckendorf siad. He was a big guy with a bigger voice. When he talked, people tended to listen. "Let's start with the Hunters. Which three of you will go?"

Zoe stood. "I shall go, of course, and I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker."

"The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?" Travis Stoll asked cautiously.

Zoe nodded.

"The one who put arrows in my helmet?" Connor added.

"Yes," Zoe snapped. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," Travis said. "Just that we have a T-shirt for her from the camp store."

He held up a big silver T-shirt that said Artemis the moon goddess, fall hunting tour 2002, with a huge list of national parks and stuff underneath. "It's a collector's item. She was admiring it. You wanna give it to her?"

Sylvia knew the Stolls were up to something. They always were. But she decided to stay silent. Zoe didn't know them as well as she did. She just sighed and took the T-shirt. "As I was saying, I will take Phoebe. I wish Bianca to go, too, and I will decide the last hunter after we choose the campers."

Bianca looked stunned. "Me? But...I'm so new. I wouldn't be any good."

"You will do fine," Zoe insisted. "There is no better way to prove thyself."

"Yourself," Thalia said. "No one has said thy in like, three hundred years, Zoe."

"Yerr," Zoe said. "Yerrself."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Technically, 'thyself' is still grammatically correct," Malcolm pointed out, causing many people to roll their eyes.

Bianca opened and closed her mouth. Sylvia felt kind of sorry for her. Going on a quest at such a young age was probably very scary.

"If you don't want to go, you don't have to," she offered, making Zoe frown at her.

"No, I want to," Bianca said. Sylvia nodded. She couldn't really do anything if both Zoe and her wanted her to go.

"And for campers?" Chiron asked.

"Me, obviously," Sylvia said, looking at everyone else in the room. "Who here wants to go? That'd make this much easier."

"Me!" Grover stood up so fast he bumped the Ping-Pong table. "Anything to help Annabeth and Artemis!"

Zoe wrinkled her nose. "I think not, satyr. You are not even a half-blood."

Sylvia frowned at her co-quest leader. "I think he should go, actually. Plus, he is a camper. And he's got satyr's senses and woodland magic, I believe. Can you play a tracker's song yet, Grover?"

"Absolutely!"

Zoe wavered. "Very well. And the other camper?"

"I'll go." Thalia stood and looked around, daring anyone to question her. Sylvia just nodded in assent.

"And...I am aware we agreed on having four hunters, but I think Sylvia's sibling, the one with green streaks in their hair, should also go," Zoe said.

"Wait, what?" Sylvia asked. "Absolutely not. Lux just got to camp. They haven't even gotten to use the archery range more than once yet!"

"The prophecy says light blinds while music deafens. Light is Lux, if I am not mistaken. That bright flash earlier was a power I have not seen in hundreds of years: photokinesis. They need to go. Music may also be them, or it may be you, since you are both children of Apollo."

A few campers gasped at the mention of photokinesis. Most just looked confused.

"Lux doesn't even have control over it yet!" Sylvia protested. "They don't even know they have it!"

"I think Zoe is right," Chiron admitted. "That looked a lot like photokinesis earlier. And Lux got claimed as soon as they entered the camp. That rarely ever happens."

"It happened for me," Sylvia pointed out.

"But your sister, Clarisse, took a month before she got claimed, and she is the strongest child of Ares I know. Usually, unless the camper is extremely important or powerful or already knows who they're the child of, their godly parent will take a while to claim them."

"I'm not extremely important, though," said Sylvia. "I was even less important then. I was just a lost eight-year-old."

"You did have that music thing happen to you twice, though," Thalia reminded her.

"What music thing?" Chiron asked.

"Doesn't matter. I'll explain later." Sylvia waved the question away. "We're getting off topic. Lux is not going!"

"You're outvoted," Bianca said, giving her an apologetic look. "I think everyone else on the quest who knows they're on it agrees with Zoe."

Sylvia turned her head to look at Grover and gave him an expectant look. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it at her glare. Finally, after fiddling with a Ping-Pong ball for a bit, he spoke. "I agree with Zoe."

Sylvia closed her eyes for a moment. She muttered a few not-so-nice words in French under her breath, targetted towards goat hooves and regal faces. Silena gasped, being the only one able to understand what she said. The daughter of Aphrodite didn't say anything about it, though.

"Y'know what, I'll ask them if they want to go. If they say no, we're taking someone else with no further arguments." Sylvia looked around the room, silently daring anyone to challenge her. No one did.

They're going to feel obligated to join the quest, Fawkes pointed out.

I know. But I can try to stop them, at least.

"Whoa, wait a sec," Percy said suddenly. Sylvia narrowed her eyes at him. "I want to go too."

"Yeah, no," Sylvia said immediately. "I'd rather Lux go than you, for sure."

"Oh," Grover said, suddenly aware of the 'problem'. "Whoa, yeah, I forgot! Percy has to go. I didn't mean...I'll stay. Percy should go in my place."

"What does Jackson have to offer to us? You have your tracking song," Sylvia reminded him. "He has nothing. He can't go."

"He cannot," Zoe agreed. "He is a boy. I won't have the Hunters travelling with a boy."

"You travelled here with me," Percy reminded her.

"That was a short-term emergency, and it was ordered by the goddess. I will not go across the country and fight dangers in the company of a boy."

"What about Grover?" Percy demanded.

"He's less annoying," Sylvia replied. "Give up, Jackson. You've already hijacked one of the quests I've been on. You're not doing it again."

Zoe nodded. "Grover does not count. He's a satyr. He is not technically a boy."

"Hey!" Grover protested.

"Goat boy, do you want to be on this quest or not?" Sylvia demanded. "Better question: do you want to save Annabeth or not?"

"I have to go," Percy said. "I need to be on this quest. Plus, La Rue doesn't want Lux on this quest, so I can go instead."

Sylvia shook her head. "As I've already said, I'd rather Lux go than you. Did you hear me? Or do you have fish guts in your ears?"

"Why?" Zoe asked him, ignoring Sylvia. "Because of thy friend Annabeth?"

"Partly," Percy admitted. "I also just feel like I'm supposed to go, though!"

That rhymed, Sylvia noticed.

Is this really the time? demanded Fawkes.

 It's not my fault I'm the daughter of Apollo and notice these things! 

"No," Zoe said flatly. "I insist upon this. I will take a satyr if I must, but not a male hero."

Chiron sighed. "This quest is for Zoe and Sylvia to lead. They should be the ones to approve their companions."

Sylvia muttered a few things about her sibling under her breath in French, mostly saying if she said that about Lux, he would've said no.

Percy sat down to a few sympathetic looks and maybe a triumphant one--totally not from Sylvia. He sat there as Chiron concluded the council.

"So be it," the centaur said. "Thalia, Grover, and Lux if they say yes will accompany Sylvia, Zoe, Bianca, and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods"---he glanced at Dionysus---"present company included, we hope--be with you."

I wrote this all in a van while trying not to get carsick 0-0. My phone (the thing I was using to see the original TTC book) kept on sliding down and it was really annoying.

Then when I finally got home I forgot to publish it. 

But yeah here it is.

QOTD: If you could choose your death, and it couldn't just be dying peacefully in your sleep, what would it be?

A: Falling from a really high height. I'm too scared to ever go skydiving, but the idea always seemed really fun, so if I was guaranteed to die as soon as I hit the ground, I'd def choose this.

If not, one of the Seven complimenting me also works.

Anyways, see y'all later!

-Eevee