EPIC: A Demigod's Tale by Frodo Baggins

Chapter 3

About half an hour later, all the leaders of each mansion were gathered around a ping-pong table. Chiron, the leader of the demigods, was present there as well. Frodo was staring drowsily at a grandfather clock placed on one side of the room. The pendulum swung back and forth, back and forth, so mesmerizing. It made Frodo think of sleep, and how peaceful and serene nighttime dreams were. Frodo knew that this meeting was urgent, but a five-minute nap couldn't hurt....

"Mr. Frodo, please don't drop off to sleep," Samwise said, shaking him back awake. 

Frodo blinked blearily at Sam. "Wha....? Oh. Right. The meeting."

Luke, the leader of the Hecate cabin, leaned back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. "What is the meaning of this meeting?"

"Yeah," said Rosie, the leader of the Zeus cabin. "No offense, but it's kind of late and we were kind of in the middle of a party. Couldn't this have waited until the morning?"

"Urggh," muttered Frodo, still half-asleep.

Merri and Pippin, the co-leaders of the Hermes cabin, climbed onto the ping-pong table. "What Frodo needs is a rousing song to wake him up," Merri said. And together the two of them began to dance and sing:

Hey! Ho! To the bottle I go.
To heal my heart and drown my woe.
Rain may fall and wind may blow,
But there still be many miles to go.

Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain,
And the stream that falls from hill to plain.
Better than rain or rippling brook...

"Is a mug of beer inside this Took!" Pippin finished, and then the two of them roared with laughter and clinked together mugs filled with beer. Some of the liquid splashed out and onto Sam. He scowled, but at least Frodo did seem slightly more awake then before. 

"That's cute," said Luke. "But can we get back to the purpose of this meeting, please?"

Chiron cleared his throat. "Yes, Frodo, you all have our attention now."

Merri and Pippin continued sipping their beer and also munched on crackers covered with Cheese-Wiz. They randomly threw ping-pong balls at other leaders throughout the meeting when no one was looking their way.

Frodo stood up, hoping that would make him less drowsy. "I, um, that is to say, Gandalf thought I should lead a quest, so that's why I called this meeting."

Murmurs broke out around the table. Someone yelped as a ping-pong ball hit them.

"Why did Gandalf want you to go on a quest?" asked the leader of the Athena mansion, Annabeth.

"Are you sure he wanted you to go on the quest?" called Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, leader of Ares mansion. "Or did he want someone more capable?"

"Wait just a minute," Sam interjected, shooting an angry look toward Lobelia. "Frodo would do just fine on a quest."

Percy, leader of Poseidon mansion, spoke, "Why don't we focus on why Gandalf even wanted a quest first?"

Frodo pulled the Ring from his pocket. "It's about this ring. Gandalf says that it possesses great and evil powers, and that it must be destroyed. He's gone to talk to the head of the wizard's order; meanwhile he wanted me to lead a quest to Bree, where I will meet him at the Prancing Pony."

Lobelia looked unimpressed. "That's not a real quest. You're not even destroying the ring, you're just going to be an errand boy. Even Frodo probably couldn't mess this up."

Rosie looked thoughtful. "Who else would accompany Frodo on his quest?"

Sam spoke, blushing in Rosie's presence. "I'll go. Gandalf asked me to watch over 'im."