The Gathering

Chapter Four

"...Please don't kill us" Ava said.

"Don't be ridiculous, were not going to kill you" Hanna said. "But, as it seems, we're in need of your services and you four would be perfect for the task... If you're up for it, of course"

"We're listening" I said. It would be a good experience for us to all go on a quest, especially if it would put us in Hanna's favor.

"You might want to take a seat, this could be a little shocking" Zoe said warily.

Well that doesn't sound good.

"A couple weeks ago we were in the Cleveland area and we heard a baby crying. Intrigued, we went and investigated the sound. We found a baby lying in a crib" Zoe told.

Is this going where I think it's going...

"There was a note inside that explained who the baby was... It was a demigod... A child of Athena" Zoe continued.

"What?! That's not possible" Danny exclaimed, eyes growing three times their regular size.

"That's what we thought too, but maybe they're coming back now and this was meant as a warning for us to prepare" Zoe said.

"Which is why we need you four" Hanna said.

Okay, I'm having second thoughts about this whole quest thing.

"We need you to go and organize the cabins so that we can be fully unified to win the fight against this foe and be prepared for whatever god or goddess will try to overthrow them in their weakened state, as there undeniably will be" Hanna said.

"And you want us to do ALL of that?" James asked doubtingly.

"Yes, but we understand if you need time with your decision... Just come to it by the end of dinner. Until then, go" Zoe said.

We walked to McDonalds in silence. We were too surprised and overwhelmed to speak. Did they really want us to lead such an important mission? They know how the last mission of this caliber worked out, and not much was going to change that, I thought. But this baby... it was a game changer. maybe this would be the changing factor to unify us successfully.

"Guys, I think we should do it" I said as we sat down to eat. I couldnt belive i was saying it, but someonehad to and maybe, just maybe, we would be able to.

"Yea me too" Ava said in agreement.

"I'll speak for me and James. Were reluctant, but if you both think we can all do it, then by the gods, we'll be able to" Danny said with a grin.

"I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore" James said.

"Until then, let's enjoy what could very well be our last meal" Ava said jokingly serious. With this quest, you never know what could happen. 

We sat down by Naomi to try and talk with her about this baby, once we were all satisfied with our meal.

"So, Naomi... Anything... Strange... Happen lately?" Ava asked mysteriously.

"She's trying to ask you about the baby you found in Cleveland" James said flatly, with a slight smile on his face. 

"Oh come on, why'd you have to ruin all the fun? But yea, that's what we wanted to know about" Ava said.

"But how would you... Wait, that means you guys are the ones..." Naomi said realizing what we were possibly about to embark on.

Quests of this caliber were not on Naomi's best side. Before the gods left, Naomi's boyfriend Paul was her whole world, but as he was a son of Dionysus, he didnt make it any longer than the rest of his siblings. When Naomi got the news, we were the first to know so us helping her through it was what made us so close today.

"It's okay Naomi, were all going to make it out of this okay" Danny said, obviously having read her mind.

"I know you will, you guys are the strongest bunch of any camp. it's just the thought that scares me. I couldnt bear to lose you guys and you never know what camps could hold grudges" Naomi said.

"Who's to say you won't see us along the way? Maybe we'll cross paths and we can catch up on each other's adventures like we always do. Or maybe we'll get captured by some Hades kids and youll be our knight in shining armor" I said, trying to cheer her up.

"Hehe that would be quite fun" Naomi said with a laugh, showing her pearl white teeth.

"Whaddya say we go get some chocolate and then go report back to Zoe" I suggested. Everyone loved the idea so we headed off to Malley's where James and I kept a little stash for special occasions. The warm pink and green decorations greeted us warmly and comforted us as the five of us sat around a table to eat.

Once we had our fill, we talked about all the times we had shared together in this tiny little camp. The time the Sphinx attacked and completely destroyed the statue of a president named Abraham Lincoln. Then there was the time when Medusa came, hell bent on revenge, knowing that since Athena was gone we were her best bet at revenge, and we were much less powerful. None of us talked about the zombies though. No story with them was ever fun or entertaining.

When we noticed the sun getting close to the horizon, signaled by the purples and pinks that penetrated the window and showed on the goudn before us. With a shared look between all of us, we got up and headed over to Zoe's tent.

"Hello, so have you come to a decision? Wait, what are you doing here Naomi?" Zoe asked, as we pulled back the tent flap to enter.

"We decided to help you. Naomi just wanted to walk with us here so that we could say our goodbyes" I explained.

"Good. Go prepare your bags and come back at nightfall and we will further discuss the plan" Zoe said.

"What should I do?" Naomi asked.

"I'm sorry, but you need to go now. They need to be by themselves and prepare for the long journey ahead" Zoe said.

"Okay, I understand" Naomi said, with tears forming in her eyes.

"It'll be okay, none of us are dying on you" Ava said encouragingly, although i could see the doubt in her gray eyes.

"Thank you for everything. I'll never forget you" Naomi said forlornly.

"You act as if we'll never see each other again. I'm sure we'll cross paths somewhere along the way" Danny said optimistically.

"I'm just going to go. I'll see you guys soon" Naomi said, rushing out of the tent.

"Well you guys should be off. The sun is setting, and you need to pack your things" Zoe advised.