RED and the Olympians

Let's Catch You Up, Shall We?

So far, Rachel was having a really bad day. Hades, make that a bad week. She began her week by sneaking out of camp with her pegasus, Blackjack, only to get caught by the camp director, Dionysus, the greek god of wine, madness, etc., etc. 

  You're probably confused. Rachel Elizabeth Dare, or as some of her friends like to call her, RED, is the only daughter of Poseidon. Back after World War II, the Big Three, that is Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, made a deal to not have anymore demigod kids. Well, surprise, surprise, that didn't last too long. Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus was born in 1988, and Rachel was born in 1992. There were two other children of the Big Three, Nico and Bianca di Angelo, son and daughter of Hades. Well, there were two children of Hades. Bianca had sacrificed herself in the junkyard of the gods a few hours ago to save Rachel. 

To sum up everything to the present, Rachel was yanked from her somewhat ordinary life and was thrown into the very chaotic life of a demigod, where she was told she most likely had the fate of the world resting on her shoulders the second she turned 16. Fun, right? Well, at least she was getting experience. When she was 12 she had to travel across the country and into the underworld to retrieve Zeus' master bolt, which was stolen by a son of Hermes named Luke Castellan, who was currently working to revive Kronos, king of the Titans. Just last year, Rachel had travelled to the sea of monsters with her best friend Annabeth to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Luke had poisoned the camp border, and the Golden Fleece was needed to keep the monsters out. At the end of the quest, Thalia Grace (who was previously the tree that created the camp border) was brought back to life.

Now, Rachel, along with Thalia, her friend Grover (who also happened to be a satyr, half human, half-goat), and the Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, Zoe Nightshade. The fifth member of their quest had been Bianca di Angelo, but she sacrificed herself to save the group.

Now that you're hopefully all caught up, Rachel was sitting in the pickup bed of an old tow struck while Thalia drove. The weather was relatively decent, but all Rachel could think about was losing Bianca (and breaking the promise she made to the younger child of Hades, Nico) and the fact that the remaining four of the quest were running for their lives from skeletal warriors. 

They drove for about two hours before the truck ran out of gas at the edge of a canyon. "That had pretty bad mileage, huh?" Rachel said in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. All she was met with was silence.

Looking out over the canyon, it wasn't anything impressive. All she could see in any direction was uninterrupted desert with a few barren mountains marking the horizon. In the depths of the canyon was a river, maybe fifty yards across at most. 

"There's a path," Grover said, pointing to a tiny, winding ledge. "We just need to go down it and make it to the river, and then Rachel could use her powers to get us downstream."

"Grover, that's a goat path. The rest of us aren't goats," Rachel said. 

"I think we'll be able to make it."

Rachel didn't doubt that, but looking over and seeing how pale Thalia had gotten, she didn't think the daughter of Zeus would make it down the ledge in one piece. "Let's just see if there's anything else further upstream. A walk won't kill us."

The four teenagers walked upstream for about half a mile before finding an easier slope to the water. At the bottom, there was a canoe rental, where Rachel left a handful of mortal money and a note that read I owe you 2 canoes. 

For the first time since the junkyard, Rachel heard Zoe speak up. "The rapids are too swift. We need to go upstream if we want to make any progress." She sounded horrible, like she had come down with the flu. Rachel wondered if being the Lieutenant of Artemis when Artemis was being held captive took a toll on you. 

"It's fine," Rachel said. "I'll take care of it. I'm pretty good with water."

Thalia paired up with Grover, and Rachel went with Zoe. Turns out, Rachel didn't need to worry about controlling the current, because as soon as the group got their canoes into the water a couple of naiads popped out. They made some sort of gurgling noise that may have been giggling. Rachel needed  to work on her understanding of naiads. Hey, we're heading upstream. Do you think you could help us?

The naiads nodded before diving back into the water. The canoes bolted upstream, with Grover falling into the canoe. Rachel and Thalia snorted at their satyr friend. 

Rachel and Zoe sat in silence until Rachel spoke. "What happened to Bianca wasn't your fault. I let her go, it should have been me."

Rachel hoped that Zoe would start yelling at her. She did get one of her hunters killed, and maybe if Zoe yelled at her it would shake her out of her depression. "No, I pushed her into going on the quest. She didn't want to go, but she was powerful. I wanted her to be the next lieutenant."

Rachel looked at her confused. "But you're the lieutenant. There can't be two, can there?'

Zoe fiddled with her bowstring. "Nothing lasts forever. I've been leading the Hunt for over two thousand years, and yet Artemis is in danger. I've failed my responsibilities as lieutenant. After this mission, someone else must take over."

"You can't possibly blame yourself for Artemis being captured. She wouldn't let you go with her."

"If I had just insisted more-"

Rachel didn't let her finish. "You think that if something was powerful enough to kidnap Artemis you would have been able to help?" The two fell back into a silence. 

Suddenly, shadows encompassed the two canoes, and the temperature dropped about twenty degrees. Rachel pulled out Riptide, a gift from her father before she went on her first quest. She saw Zoe look at the pen as a pained expression came across her face.

"You made this," Rachel stated. 

"Who told thee?"

"No one. I had a dream."

Zoe studied Rachel, and Rachel was sure that she was going to call her crazy, but Zoe just sighed. "It was a gift, but also a mistake." Rachel looked at her questioningly, and Zoe dodged her unasked question. "Do not make me say his name. I swore to never speak of it again."

"You make it sound like I know him."

"I am sure you do hero. Don't all young heroes want to be like him?"

She sounded so bitter, and Rachel looked down at her sword. 

Deciding to change the topic, Rachel spoke. "Your mother was a water goddess?"

"Yes, the goddess Pleione. She had five daughters, my sisters and I. We were known as the Hesperides."

Rachel knew about the Hesperides. "The girls that guard the tree at the edge of the west? With the golden apples and the dragon? Weren't there only four sisters?"

"Yes," Zoe sighed. "There are only four sisters now. I was exiled, erased from history as if I never existed."

"Why?"

She pointed to the pen Rachel was holding. "I betrayed my family and helped a hero." She stared down at the water. "All for nothing. He never mentioned me. After his failed attack on Ladon, I told him how to steal the apples, how to trick my father. I never received any credit."

Gurgle, gurgle, Rachel heard the naiad speak in her mind. The canoes began to slow. Rachel looked up and her jaw dropped. In front of them was a dam the size of a football stadium.