Warriors of Wisdom

Chapter Eight

The teams met at the dining pavilion. At the head table where Chiron usually stands were several laurel wreaths. Zach had told me that the winning team was awarded with them. Chiron put it on my head, which was just about as uncomfortable as wearing a hat made out of pine needles (which it was). Then we all sat at our tables as Chiron made dinner announcements.
   
"Well, that was an incredible game of capture the flag!" The campers cheered. "Now, before we begin dinner, does anyone have anything to say?"
   
Somebody from the Ares table raised his hand.
   
"Yes, Marcus?" Chiron said.
   
"Callisto can shapeshift!" Everyone was silent. They all turned towards where I was sitting. Some of them were whispering to each other. I hated being stared at.
   
"Is this true?" Chiron asked.
   
"Yes, Chiron," I started nervously, "I can shapeshift."

Some people gasped. Some people were still whispering to each other. A child of Athena with two powers? They probably thought that I was a freak. According to my siblings, there was never a child of Athena with powers like I have. All they could do was be smart (no offense guys).

"Silence!" Chiron yelled to get everyone's attention. "Now, as I reread the Odyssey, Athena showed a great display of powers. One of them included screaming or shouting that caused the enemy to think of their deepest fear. That is the one power we already know that Callisto has. It also stated that Athena could shapeshift into any animal. We now know that Callisto possesses this as well."

"Now, some of you may have noticed that one of our campers is missing," Everyone looked around until they saw our table with Asher missing. They gasped. "We all know that if a camper goes missing, we must try our best to bring them back here safely, otherwise it can lead to painful death. I know that this has not happened in awhile, but I am issuing a quest!" Everyone went back to talking to the person next to them. I'm guessing quests weren't very common here. Hopefully that meant that not a lot of dangerous stuff happened.

"I know you may be wondering about a few things." They were wondering about a lot of things. Their questions just seemed to blur together. Who's going on the quest? Where'd you get a prophecy if there's no oracle? Can I just stay at camp?

"Everyone!" Chiron raised his hands for everybody's attention. "Now, I know we do not have an oracle at the moment, so I have personally contacted Apollo earlier," I glanced over at the Apollo table. The only people who were sitting there were Ariana, the one that nursed me back to health on my first day at camp, and Hayden. They both seemed nervous. Probably because they weren't used to their dad giving prophecies to people. Chiron took out a notepad and began to read what was on it:

The child of Athena shall reach the west
And wade through the river of cursed and blessed
You will find what you seek where the enemy lies
And if all fails, the night shall rise
   
It reminded me of when we learned poetry in our english class. I hate poetry. Everyone muttered to everyone around them, maybe trying to figure out what those lines meant.
   
Chiron cleared his throat. "Before we try to interpret these lines, we must figure out who will go on this quest. Camp rules specifically state that only three can go on a quest. I have decided that the leader of this quest will be: Callisto Gates!" Nobody seemed that surprised. I'm the one who was having these visions, and the prophecy said something about a child of Athena. "Callisto!" Chiron announced. "You may pick two more companions to join you on your quest."
   
"Hmm," there weren't that many campers to choose from. "My first choice is Jordan."
   
"No," Chiron and Jordan said in unison.
   
"What?" I complained, "Why?"
   
"Too many children from the same parent can increase their scent," Jordan said, "which will just attract even more monsters."
   
"Oh," I looked around. I didn't know that many more people that I wanted to bring on this quest with me. "I don't know who I want to bring."
   
Chiron nodded. "Okay. Is there anybody who would like to volunteer?" Nobody volunteered. Maybe it was because that prophecy had shaken them up. Maybe it was because they've had bad experiences with quests. Or maybe they were just lazy. Finally, somebody stood up. I recognized him immediately.
   
"I'll go Chiron," Hayden Warren said confidently. Even though Hayden was pretty annoying during capture the flag, I didn't know anyone else better to bring with me on this quest.
   
"Thank you, Hayden. Anyone else?" Chiron asked. More silence. After a few more minutes of possible consideration, another guy stood up.
   
Thank you Alex," Chiron said gratefully. He turned to me. "Callisto, this is Alex Holland, son of Aphrodite. He is very good with a sword, so he will be very helpful on your quest. In the morning, you will three will go on your way. But for now, everybody enjoy your dinner!" Everyone cheered and started chowing down their food. I glanced over to my siblings, who looked as nervous as I was for my journey ahead.