Children of the Lost Ruler- Ghost Goddesses Book One

Zeusy Actually Does Something...Just Not In A Good Way

Laraline POV

So much for a peaceful day at camp.  I’d literally just woken up, walking out of the Eris Cabin with Lavender.  We jogged up to the pavilion.  It was lunchtime.  “Hey Lara, hey Lav!”  Indus, Lav’s boyfriend, greeted.  I smiled, sitting down at my respective table.  I decided on a monte cristo, and began to eat, ignoring everyone around me.  Rookie mistake number one.  I’d only gotten in about five bites before two people appeared before me.  Apparently, the people around me could only see Zeus, but that wasn’t exactly surprising.  I knew what the girl was doing, and it was actually really smart.  If I hadn’t made myself a public presence, I’d be doing the same thing.  I set my sandwich down, greeting the king of the gods with a bright smile.  “How are you today, my dear overlord?”
   
He rolled his eyes at me.  “Shut it.  I have a prophecy to deliver, and a job for you to do.”
   
My turn for an eye roll.  “Of course you do.”
   
Ignoring my response, he turned to the camp.  “Demigods!  I am here to deliver a special prophecy.”  I tuned him out until he started going on about a missing god.  Perfect.!I thought. Just what I needed to start my Monday!  “...Laraline Niobe will have to come with me.”
   
I seriously started to regret coming to eat.  I stood, walking back to my cabin, blocking out the questions from the other campers.  That got significantly harder when some of the veterans started asking, following me back to my Cabin.  I didn’t care how many times they may or may not’ve saved the world.  I slammed the door in their faces.
        
Throwing random junk into a bag, I stopped when I got to weapons.  This was significantly harder for me, because I was my own weapon.  But I could never have too much protection.  I grabbed my stygian iron .22 pistol, and my silver tipped cat o nine tails.  I shoved my compact of throwing stars (along with a disguised sword) in my back pocket.  If monsters tried to mess with me, they’d have hell to pay.  Which is exactly what I wanted.  I dressed myself in light wash jean shorts and my All Time Low shirt, throwing my blue-toned raven coloured hair into a high ponytail.
   
As soon as I had everything situated, Lavender slammed the door open.  “You can’t seriously be leaving!” she cried, obviously upset.
   
I just laughed.  “Of course I’m leaving, Lav.  I’d take any chance to leave this place.  Overlord-dictated or not.”
   
“But what about me?  What about Indus?  About Preston?”
   
I threw a pillow at her.  “I swear, you’re a secret Aphrodite kid.  I’ll leave, and in two days, it’ll be like I never existed to you and Indus.”
   
“Didn’t answer my last question, Laraline.” Didn't object to my last statement, Lavender.
   
“Preston Kilnan is a self-obsessed Apollo kid, just like his dad.  Now move, I’m leaving.”
   
She looked hurt by my words, but it didn’t bother me much.  All she cared about was camp gossip and her boyfriend.  It was really hard to believe that she was a legacy of Eris.
   
I walked back to the dining pavilion to where Zeus was standing, waiting impatiently.  “This better be important, Lord Zeusy.  I really don’t want my Monday to be more of a dumpster fire than necessary.”
   
He grumbled at the nickname, but said nothing else about it.  “The two of you need to get acquainted.”
   
The other girl didn’t even look up.  I decided to make the first move.  I extended my hand in greeting.  “Laraline.”
   
“Melaena,” she returned, seemingly disinterested.
   
I smiled.  That was a start.  “Hey, Zeusy?” I asked, turning back to the overlord.
   
“What?”
   
“What do you want with us?”
   
“I have an assignment for the two of you.”
   
“Oh?”
   
“To you, it’s Hades.  To her,” he said, nodding to Melaena, “It’s Pluto.  But for both of you, it means that the god of the Underworld has gone missing.”
   
I shrugged.  “Seems like a problem for an Olympian to deal with.”
   
His eyes sparked dangerously with my comment, but he didn’t respond.  “The two of you will work together to replace him until he’s found.”
   
Without giving us any time to object, he vanished, and the two of us were in what I assumed to be Hades' throne room.  I turned to my companion.  “This is the part where things get confusing.”