THE RISE OF THE VETERES

A NEW QUEST, HELL, AND ROMANCE

"Hello, Father."

As Nick told me, Kronos was waiting in my dreams. It's nice that he speaks to me more now. Before, I was lucky to hold a conversation with him. It was like winning the lottery.

"I'm glad to see how joyful you've been as of late. You've been taking good care of Helen as well."

"Of course I have. But enough of me. You seem quite happy yourself."

"Why, yes. Things have been proceeding smoothly as of late. However, how you perform on your next task might ruin everything."

"Is the quest that important?"

"Yes."

It was seven in the morning or the usual wake-up time. After showering and getting dressed, I headed outside for a stroll. On the weekdays, training started around this time. And it lasted until noon. But it was a Saturday, and like in school, we got a day off. But most of the kids wake up early. By nine, nearly all of them should be up and about.

I thought about the quest. My job was to find and infiltrate Dedalus's laboratory. That was supposedly at the center of the labyrinth. The goal was to meet the man himself. We had made a deal with him for weapons and a special item.

But that was only one part. After that, I would have to find Mei. She was already assigned to take an army and capture Hephaestus, so she would march towards Mt. Saint Helens at the same time I departed. Elena and I were also to help her acquire something important. Our trump card, so it would seem. Mei would tell me once I reached her. What could it be?

Chiron had called an assembly. He would pick the leaders of the four groups that would descend into the maze. I thought about Amy and Moon. Would they be going along with me? Nick couldn't control them, and I bet they'd love to monitor me. They were dangerous. Better if I kept a distance - a couple of miles at least.

I caught Elena and Helen, and the three of us walked into room 400, the new boardroom. All three hundred demigods were in attendance and seated in chairs. Chiron sat at the head of the table, hands folded. To his right was Nick, and to his left...she lived here?

Chiron coughed. "Just recently, Zeus has given his permission to allow a quest. As such, I will now announce the four heroes who will lead us." Then, he did something unusual.

Chiron looked at us, his eyes sad. In fact, he didn't hold eye contact with us. They dropped down slightly, peering at the floor. He seemed to be ashamed as well.

"But before that, I want to commend you all. Last year, the Titan Lord had almost razed DGH. Many of you had lost your brother, your sister, your closest friends...and all I could do was pray to the gods, their response which was too late. Please, I hope you can forgive this old, useless horse. I am shocked you've managed to push forward despite the tragedy of that day, and I hope that no matter what, you will not quit."

Chiron bowed, and nobody said anything. No "it's not your fault, Chiron," or "we'll get Kronos next time!" Everyone was aware that Chiron was blameless. The guilt...the burden was with me, and only me. I wanted to blurt it out loud and have everyone hate me - if getting revenge and protecting Helen weren't more important.

Chiron continued. "Now, I will announce my four choices. I hope that you will return to us safe and sound."

"The four will be Anatasia, Carissa, Selene, and Yiannis. Each of you can pick two others to accompany you if you so choose. There is an entrance to the labyrinth in the Underworld, and Hades has offered to send you off. That will happen in two weeks. Until then, I will make sure all of you are absolutely prepared to overcome what may come your way. I will replace any of you who fail the training regimen. Best of luck."