Rise of Erebos: Search of the Hidden

Chapter 3: Mothers are the worst at their job...at least mine is

If you thought camp was some sort of dream, then add amazing food and a great dining pavilion and BAM, you've got heaven.
I sat at the Hermes table since I still hadn't been claimed yet (hurry up, mom!). Everyone greeted me, but afterwards, I kept to myself. I didn't know these people, and Connor Stoll and his friends were too busy planning out an elaborate prank to pull on Ember Wallace.
Nymphs flew around, handing out goblets that somehow could fill itself with whatever drink you desired. They also handed out plates filled with amazing food, such as burgers, fruits, cheese, cupcakes, and BBQ.
After living on the streets for four years and eating dumpster food, a feast like this was like absolute heaven for someone like me. I had my goblet fill itself with (get this) chocolate milk, a drink I hadn't had in years. I stuffed myself with so many cupcakes, BBQ, and burgers that I felt like I was about to explode like that volcano in Pompeii.
Unfortunately for me though, we had to dump half a portion of our leftovers in the campfire in front of the pavilion. Amethyst told me it was tradition, but honestly, the only tradition I wanted to follow was eat-and-drink-as-much-as-you-want.
But as much as I was enjoying my heavenly meal, I also worried about if I was going to be claimed and about my sister. Heh, Marianne would've snarfed down all the food before the nymphs could even hand it out. But thinking about my sister made me feel sad, so I instead wondered about who my godly parent was.
Whoever it was, they had a lot of talking to do. My first questions would be: Where were you?, What were you doing?, and how dare you?!
Amethyst told me that we were supposed to do something on our schedules, but because of me arriving at camp, they pulled the campfire sing-a-long right after dinner. I didn't understand a word of this.
The campers began gathering around the campfire as dinner ended. We started singing tunes, with the Apollo cabin leading us. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, but I still couldn't stop thinking about who my mom was and when she'd claim me.
I wasn't the only one anxious about when I'd be claimed though. Amethyst was tapping her feet nervously and kept glancing at me before I just decided to say something. "What is it?"
"It's nothing, really. But usually, gods claim their children around this time. B-but it's really nothing to worry about. Sometimes they take a long time to answer," She said.
"Nice to know my mom gives a crap about me," I muttered. The singing started quieting down as Chiron approached the campfire.
"Hello, all. Tomorrow we will have a Capture the Flag game in the forest area, and whatever team wins the prize will receive a beach day for their entire team, so be prepared and get a good night's rest," he announced.
Everyone began cheering, with a couple of groans as well, mainly in the Hermes cabin.
"Oh come on. Last time we played, Apollo cabin just shot us the entire time and our own team ran into my traps," complained one Hermes member.
"Oh, cool it, Connor. You're just mad your banana slip prank didn't fool a single person except for Liam. Nice slide, bro," Kai said, pointing towards one of the other Hermes members.
"Yes! I love Capture the Flag!" an Ares member blurted.
"That was random," Kai muttered.
"Um, hold on. What in the world is Capture the Flag?" I asked. The entire group fell silent, people just staring at my face like I was Shakira playing in a football game.
Suddenly, everyone exploded in laughter, as if I had just performed some hilarious stand-up comedy routine. I found myself fake-laughing like I completely understood my joke.
"But seriously, what is Capture the Flag?"
Everyone stared at me like they did earlier but their stare was more like a never-speak-again-or-I-will-end-you kind of look. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have said anything, because that was quite embarrassing.
"You're telling me you've never heard of Capture the Flag?" a girl from Demeter's cabin asked, dumbfounded.
"HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE? HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW WHAT CAPTURE THE FLAG IS?" shouted an Ares camper, stamping his feet on the ground aggressively.
"Alright, quiet down, Haden. Rose is new here, so you can't expect her to automatically know what the game is. Rose, the premise is simple. You will Capture the Flag with the help of your team and return it to your base," Chiron explained.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Who knew someone could explain a game without yelling at me?" I said very passive-aggressively.
"Yeah, who knew Capture the Flag was all about capturing a flag," a camper muttered. I laughed, biting back a response. There were a little too many colorful words in there.
"Funny, Quince. Chiron, is there anything else you wanted to say?" said a girl with frizzy orange hair. She had sparkling green eyes and had freckles splattered across her face. She was wearing a white sweater covered with splashes of paint and jeans with doodle drawings plastered on it.
"Thank you, Rachel. However, I think that's all I have to say. Usually Dionysus will say something but he's out at some party with the satyrs," Chiron continued.
"As per usual," Kai muttered, getting a laugh out of a couple of campers.
"Okay, if no one else has any questions or comments, it's time to head back to your cabins," Chiron said.
But before anyone could head back to their cabins and start making plans for Capture the Flag, Rachel began speaking, getting the attention of all the campers. But it wasn't her voice. It was the voice of an older woman, raspy and ancient. Her eyes looked possessed like a ghost had just taken over her body. Green mist began shrouding her body, giving her an eerie glow.
"THE CHAINED GOD'S MAGIC WILL START A WAR," the voice boomed. The campers began whispering, concerned looks on their faces.
"CAMP HALF-BLOOD'S A TARGET, ALONG WITH THE MASKS OF FOUR."
"THE GOD OF WAR SHALL LEAD THE WAY, SIX DEMIGODS SHALL KEEP THE ATTACK AWAY. THE FORGOTTEN KING RISES." Rachel's body dropped to the ground, not covered in green mist anymore.
A group of campers picked her up and rushed to the Big House, most likely to the infirmary. The campers began whispering among themselves, trying to figure out what had just happened.
"Is it too late to say Rachel had something to say?" said one of the campers, clearly referencing Chiron's last comment. However, everyone seemed to ignore the comment and continued talking.
I, personally, had no idea what had just happened. Whatever Rachel had just done, it was freaking everybody out, including me. From real gods and a centaur man to some random girl being possessed by some spirit, this was truly one of the most horrifying things I had just witnessed.
"Okay everybody, back to your cabins. Rest up for tomorrow and be prepared for the game," commanded one of the Athena members, probably Malcolm Pace, the temporary head counselor. Thanks to Amethyst, I had a bunch of random people's names stuck in my head. Yay.
"So, are we gonna talk about the elephant in the room?" Connor asked.
"Shut up, Connor," the campers groaned in unison.
As we began leaving the pavilion, I went to quickly find Amethyst. She was helping stack up plates within the pavilion, helping the rest of the nymphs and dryads.
"Hey Amethyst, you got a second?"
She nodded and gave her stack of plates to a dryad next to her.
"What happened with Rachel? That was kind of freaky," I asked.
Amethyst shrugged. "It happens every once in a while. She holds the spirit of the Oracle of Delphi within her, so sometimes she'll start saying random prophecies and will get possessed."
"Prophecies?"
"They're like poems that talk about events in the future. They usually imply bad events that start a quest, where demigods are sent to stop some great evil," she explained.
"Interesting. Do we know which six demigods?"
Amethyst twirled a strand of her hair. "No idea. Usually, Chiron will pick someone to lead a quest. Whoever it is, they get to pick two other people or more to go with them."
I nodded. I hoped to Zeus that I wasn't picked for whatever quest we might go on. I definitely wasn't ready to go on a random adventure. I had no idea who my mom was, what my powers were, or how to use them. Not to mention that I had just arrived at camp like two hours ago.
"Ok, thanks Amethyst. It's nice to know what's actually going on for once," I said.
Amethyst nodded and together we went to the cabins. Behind me, I heard a couple of campers who were still outside heading towards the cabins with us, along with Kai and Chiron.
Suddenly, my vision became clouded. My body was shrouded in a purple mist. Around me, I heard concerned murmurs and shocked gasps from campers going to the cabins.
My body was being picked up by a group of people when I heard Amethyst say something.
"Guys, stop. She's not being enveloped by some evil force. I think Rose just got claimed!" she said.
"By who?" Kai asked.
"She's being clouded in Mist, meaning...that she must be a daughter of Hecate!"