Warriors of Wisdom

Chapter Nine

It was a quiet, dreamless night, which I tried to think of as a good omen, and that Asher was okay. It was hard to think positive, especially with the journey I had ahead of me. In the morning, my brothers and sister woke me up at the crack of dawn.

"Hey," Sean said, "we packed a bag for your trip. It's got everything: extra clothes, water, mortal money, drachmas, which by the way, are the currency of the gods, ambrosia, nectar--"

"Wait," I interrupted, "What's nectar and ambrosia?"

They chuckled. "No one's told you about nectar and ambrosia?" Sean asked. "Well, it's the food and drink of the gods. But don't consume to much, or it will literally burn right through you. Only use it in emergencies." He handed me the bag. I felt so grateful that I had great siblings like them.

"Thanks guys. You're the best."

"Hold on," Jordan smiled, "There's one more thing." She whispered something in Zach's ear and he rushed over towards the bookshelf. He snuck behind it and pulled something out that was long and silver. He came back over and handed it to me.

"No demigod can go out on a quest without a proper weapon," Jordan started to say, "So we asked the Hephaestus cabin to make this for you. It's a genuine celestial bronze sword." The sword was probably one of the most magnificent things I had ever seen. The blade was so polished that I could see my reflection in it. The first thing I noticed was the carved drawing in the center of the handle. It was an owl, the same one that appeared when I was claimed, the same one above the door of Cabin 6, and the same one that was basically all over my cabin. The symbol of my mother. The handle and hilt were engraved with some Greek letters too: λεπίδα σοφίας.

"Those letters," Zach said, "they stand for blade of wisdom. The correct term is lepída sofías."

"And one more thing about the sword: the Hephaestus cabin built it so that you can carry it around with you. All you have to do is run your finger on the owl, say lepída sofías, and voila! Magic sword! Now, you're the only one who can use it, which means that even if they take your sword away from you in battle, it will on,y stay in its ring form and won't turn into a sword. That way, you're the only one of can wield it." I slipped the ring on my finger, which surprisingly for perfectly and comfortably.

Jordan coughed. "Now, you should get ready. We don't want to keep Alex and Hayden waiting for their leader of the quest!" Being called "leader of the quest" was a little scary. I didn't really know how I was supposed to lead Alex and Hayden on this quest, but I was going to try.

I went to the bathroom and got ready with a clean camp shirt, a jacket and jeans. They brought me outside, where the rest of the camp was gathering, probably here to say farewell to us. I thought that was very considerate of them. As I walked by, people said nice things like, "Good luck!" and "Bring Asher back safely!" and "I hope you don't die!" Alex was standing in front of a pink building near our cabin, most likely the Aphrodite cabin, where a few of his siblings helped him get ready for the trip (all they did was fix his outfit instead of actually giving him real supplies. I figured I might have to lend over a few of mine). Hayden was in front of a building on the other side of the clearing, probably the Apollo cabin. Ariana gave him a backpack full of things for the quest as she said goodbye to her brother. Alex and Hayden met me at the Big House, where the rest of the camp gathered to watch our departure. Chiron walked out with a notepad. He handed it to me.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It's the prophecy," he started, "and a few interpretations. Hayden helped me yesterday." Hayden grinned, clearly proud of his work. "Well, I give you three my best. Would anybody like to say anything to these three before they depart?" Nobody answered. "Alright then. Please wait while your ride arrives."

"Our ride?" I asked.

"You'll see," Alex said. He pointed towards Long Island Sound. I couldn't see anything at first, but after a few seconds, the creatures became clearer. I was able to make out three horses, with giant wings coming out of either side of their bodies. I recognized him immediately as pegasi. They landed in front of us and whinnied to show their excitement to transport a bunch of demigods. My siblings came up to me and wished me luck. Jordan hugged me, and I have never been more thankful to have a sister.

"Good luck out there, Callisto. Hopefully Mom will help you along the way." I hoped so too.

After the boys said their final farewells, we climbed our steeds and rode across Long Island Sound.