𝓟𝓻𝓪𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓪 - (𝓟.𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷)

06.

vol ii
➵ chapter six ➵

Mr. D aptly decides to call a council of cabin leaders to discuss the prophecy.
It's held around a Ping-Pong table in the rec room. The god waves his hand and supplies snacks: Cheez Whiz, crackers, and several bottles of red wine.

Then Chiron reminds him that wine is against his restrictions, and that most in the room are underage.
Mr. D sighs. With a snap of his fingers, the wine turns into Diet Coke. Nobody drinks that either.

Mr. D and Chiron sit at one end of the table.
Zoe and Bianca di Angelo take the other end.
Thalia, Grover, and Percy sit along the right, joined by Lee and Helia.
The other councillors—Beckendorf, Silena, and the Stoll brothers—sit on the left.

Ares misses a representative, all having received broken limbs during the capture the flag, courtesy of the Hunters.
They're resting up in the infirmary, treated by the remaining Apollo siblings.
Zoe starts the meeting off on a positive note. "This is pointless."

"Cheez Whiz!" Grover gasps. He begins scooping up crackers and Ping-Pong balls and spraying them with topping.

"There is no time for talk," Zoe continues. "Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately."
"And go where?" Chiron asks.
"West!" Bianca says. "You heard the prophecy. Six shall go west to the goddess in chains. We can get six hunters and go."
"Yes," Zoe agrees. "Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her."

"You're missing something, as usual," Thalia sneakily replies. "Campers and Hunters combined prevail. We're supposed to do this together."
"No!" Zoe says. "The Hunters do not need thy help."
"Your," Thalia grumbles. "Nobody has said thy in, like, three hundred years, Zoe. Get with the times."
Zoe hesitates, like she's trying to form the word correctly. " Yerrr. We do not need yerrr help."
Thalia rolls her eyes. "Forget it."

"I fear the prophecy says you do need our help," Chiron says. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate."
"Or do they?" Mr. D muses, swirling his Diet Coke under his nose like it has a fine bouquet. "One shall be lost. One shall perish. That sounds rather nasty, doesn't it? What if you fail because you try to cooperate?"

"Mr. D," Chiron sighs, "with all due respect, whose side are you on?"
Dionysus raises his eyebrows. "Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful."

Chiron desperately looks towards Helia. She understands his signals.
"Zoe," she starts softly, "please. We need to work together on this. You understand that better than anyone. We can't fight against prophecies."
Zoe grimaces, but it's obvious Helia has swayed her.

"We must not delay," Chiron warns. "Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice."
"Oh, joy," Dionysus mutters. "Another dull annual meeting."

"Artemis must be present at the solstice," Zoe says. "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."

"Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?" Dionysus asks.
"Yes, Lord Dionysus."
Mr. D nods. "Just checking. You're right, of course. Carry on."

"I must agree with Zoe," says Chiron. "Artemis's 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."