Son of the Lost god

8: Thank the birds

Jacob felt lonely in the cabin. Even though he had friends with him, he still felt lonely. He opened his eyes and stared at the darkness that loomed above him. He guessed it was around five or six in the morning.
He slowly got up and left cabin 11. He walked into the woods until he came to the lake where he fought side by side with Percy. He climbed the nearest tree to the top.
The cold, morning breeze hit his face as he sat on a thick branch at the top of the tree. He stared at the lake as the sun rose above the water. A bird landed on his shoulder, hopped down his arm, and laid in his cupped hands. He smiled.
The bird rested there as he stroked its soft feathers.
"Hello little bird. How are the eggs?" Jacob whispered. How he knew this little bird was a mom, he didn't know. This bird was a blue jay. The bird looked up at him with her big brown eyes. She looked as if she were smiling at him. He smiled back.
      "You're feeling lonely, aren't you?" a voice ask. He realized that it was the bird. Must be a power of mine, he thought.
      "Yes, quite. Although I have friends, i feel like they don't- i don't even know. I feel like they think i'm weird because i'm different. I'm the son of a supposed "dead" god," Jacob replied. He felt stupid confessing to a bird, but somehow he felt like a burden was lifted off of his shoulder.
     The blue jay snuggled against his hand, her soft feathers brushing against his skin. The bird closed her eyes and started to sing softly. Her voice was like an angels. The words made Jacob's eyelids feel heavy. As he drifted into sleep, he slipped off the branch. The bird stopped singing, and flew away.
      Jacob fell. He fell from the top of a pine tree to his death. Only it wasn't his death. During his fall, he was caught. Not caught by a human, but by a flock of birds. These birds were blue jays, just like the mom bird that talked to Jacob. She had gotten them.
      The birds swarmed around Jacob and grabbed at him with their claws. He stopped falling just in time, too. His feet lightly brushed the ground as the birds set him on the ground. He stood there, brushing himself off, as the birds stood in front of him.  
      "Thank you for saving my life," he said to the birds. They all "smiled," and nodded.
      "Any time my lord," the mom bird said, coming up front.
     "A special thanks to you. Say, what's your name?"
     "My name is Chloe. You are Jacob Froushwits, son of Pan, are you not?" Chloe asked.
     "What a pretty name. And yes, i am Jacob Froushwits,"
      "Thank you. Any time you are falling and need help, call my name. Chloe Josephine is my full name,"
      Jacob laughed. "I will let you know if i ever fall again. Once again, thank you. How can i ever repay you, Chloe?" Jacob asked earnestly.
      "A little bird feed for me and my family will do," she laughed. All the birds behind her laughed, too. The birds suddenly stopped laughing and flew away. All except Chloe.
      "Behind you, Jacob," she said and flew off.
      "Thank you!" he yelled after her. She stopped, turned, and winked. She then continued. He turned around to see Matthew standing there.
      "How long have you been standing there?" Jacob asked.
      "Umm, not long. Were you talking to those birds?" Matthew asked.
       "Yes. In fact, they saved my life. Anyway, what are you doing?"
      "Well, i went to the Hermes cabin and didn't see you there, so i checked here. Seems like something you would do," Matthew teased. He was right, too.
      "When are we leaving for the quest?"
      "Today i think. The question is, where are we going?" Matthew pointed out. Jacob hadn't thought of that. His brows curved in frustration. Chiron would know, he thought.
      "Let's ask Chiron," Jacob said, walking back to the cabins.
      "Ok," Matthew said, joining him. They walked back to the greek Ω, omega shaped cabins. One was currently in the making.
They got to the Big House in no time. It looked like a farmhouse to Jacob. They knocked on the door, and almost immediately Dionysus answered the door. He rolled his eyed.
      "What do you kids want? I'll turn you both into chipmunks if this isn't worth it," Dionysus threatened.
      "We need to speak to Chiron," Jacob replied. Dionysus sighed and called for Chiron. Soon, the centaur came trotting up to them. Dionysus vanished into thin air.
      "Hello Jacob, Matthew. What brings you here? I suppose it is something about the quest?" Chiron asked.
      "Yes, sir. We have a question," Matthew said.
      "Come in, come in. We have much to discuss," he waved them in and led them to a cozy living room. A fireplace sat between two soft, cushioned couches. They took a seat while Chiron stood proud in front of them.
      "Tell me your question," he smiled.
      "Well, first we want to know where we're going," Matthew proposed.
        "Think through the prophecy. Is there any lines that stand out on where you are to go?" Matthew and Jacob thought on this for a while. Eventually, Jacob struck am idea.
        "The prophecy talks about oranges doesn't it? Could it be in Florida or something? That's where most of the oranges are produced," Jacob said. Chiron's ancient eyes sparked.
       "It's very possible," Chiron said. Matthew nodded his head in agreement.
      "Let's say it is Florida. Where would we go in Florida?" Matthew questioned. Suddenly, the door burst open.
      "I know where we have to go," a voice said. They turned around to see Rose standing in the doorway with Clarisse at her side.
      "How'd you do that?" Matthew gushed.
      "Lots of research overnight that's what," Clarisse responded flatly. They came over with a map and pointed to Miami, Florida.
       "I researched old text books, and turns out that there's an entrance to the Underworld there. Who knew, right?" Rose said quietly.
     "Where'd you find that out?" Chiron asked them quickly. Everyone stared at Chiron in shock. He was the least likely person to not know something. Especially an entrance to the Underworld.
      "What?"
      "Oh nothing. Except for the fact that you don't know something that you should!" Clarisse cried. She seemed distraught about something, but it could've been Jacob's imagination. If a centaur could blush, Chiron certainly would've.
      "Well, to Miami we go!" Matthew stood up and marched out like a soldier heading to war. Everyone else followed behind, not knowing what would come of them.