The Untold Story of Annabeth Chase

Chapter 28

The next week was full-blown honeymoon phase. Everything about camp made me smile. I remembered how much I had missed the little things, like the magic plates and glasses, or when the Apollo campers would walk around camp singing songs. Sometimes, they would even take requests, and Skye and I had a good time choosing the hardest possible songs for them to sing. They always nailed it, though.

I spent most of my free time catching up with everyone, finding out what I had missed. Chiron, the satyrs, the campers, even the harpies never seemed to run out of stories about the last few months.

Even though I was glad to be back, camp wasn't without its own set of problems. I had only been gone three months, but I still felt so detached from the rest of the camp. As much as I tried to deny it, my time with the mortals had changed me. I found myself getting startled every time an arrow whistled past my head when I walked by the archery range, or a child of Aphrodite would spontaneously change her hair color. I was afraid of the tiniest monsters I came across in the forest, and it still felt awkward to burn an offering to the gods at each meal. I had asked Grace if I could do that at home, but there hadn't been a real fireplace, only a gas one protected by a sheet of glass. Also, I could tell she wasn't thrilled about me honoring my inhuman roots, so I had prayed extra hard each night instead.

Isaac, thank the gods, wasn't a year-rounder, so I didn't have any extra stress there, but Aaron was more than happy to pick up his weight. He had gotten a small quest while I was gone, and he couldn't stop bragging about it. I hadn't heard too much about it, because he hadn't been completely successful. The rules were that no information was shared about a failed quest without the thumbs-up from the questor, and clearly Aaron had been too proud to admit to his failures. The day I finally snapped and said all of this to him, he got right in my face and snarled, "yeah, well, I'd like to see you do better. The only times you were ever out there on your own, you either whined like a little baby and came right back, or you weren't quick enough to keep your friend from dying."

I stared at him in shock. No one, not even Isaac, teased me about Thalia. The whole camp knew that she was off-limits. Aaron smirked. I knew this was the reaction he had hoped for, but I was too mad to care. "Fine, then," I retorted. "Maybe I will do better."

I stomped off with Aaron laughing after me.

After lunch, I marched straight to the Big House. Chiron was sitting on the porch in his magic wheelchair, playing cards with Mr. D.

"Chiron," I huffed. "Can I speak with you?"
Chiron looked startled at my assertiveness. "Of course, child."
"Excuse me,' Mr. D raised a hand sarcastically. "We're in the middle of a game here."

Chiron looked back and forth between us, as if gauging my expression versus Mr. D's power. "I'm sure this will only take a minute, my Lord," he said after a long pause. "We can continue when I get back."

He wheeled himself inside the Big House and motioned for me to follow.

I took a seat in his office, fidgeting nervously.
Chiron adjusted his chair and leaned towards me, smiling. "Now, what is it you needed to ask me about?"
My heart pounded, but I managed not to lose my adrenaline. "I would like a quest."

Chiron was quiet for a long time before he said carefully, "It's not that I don't know you can handle it, but I'm not sure if-"
'I can make it out there! I've done it before," I protested, trying not to sound too desperate. This was already going badly.

"I know you can," Chiron said gently."But..."
"But what?" I cried impatiently.

"I can't tell you much," Chiron said tentatively. "But there is a prophecy. I am certain that you will be granted a quest someday, however a specific hero will be the one to journey with you. And I am afraid that hero has not joined us here yet. Only when he arrives will you be ready for a quest."