It was late - almost curfew - when I got to talk with Chiron.
He waited for me, patiently, outside of the tables and firelight.
"Luke." He said my name with a troubled, furrowed expression and I started to get serious. This was it. The celebration was over. The quest was starting now. "I fear this quest comes too early."
I felt the bottom of my stomach drop out. I wish I could describe what I felt right then. Anger? Fear? Disappointment? Maybe all of that and a bunch of other stuff.
It had to have shown on his face, because he knelt, horse legs folding under him, and his hand gripped my shoulder warmly.
"Perhaps I speak incorrectly. You are, after all, the best swordsman I've trained in some long, long time." Maybe it was just kind words, but it cheered me up. Hey. I'm easy.
"You're worried." I pointed out, anyway.
"Indeed." Chiron exhaled, and then as if answering his own question, nodded to himself. "Luke, the quest you've been asked to undertake is no small affair. You cannot take this lightly."
"So," I steeled myself. "What is it?"
"You've been requested to fetch one of the Golden Apples from the garden of the Hesperides."
Somewhere off to the left and behind me, I heard a small gasp... By the flick of Chiron's eyes and a lash of his tail, I could tell he had too. Neither of us turned, though.
"One of the Labors of Hercules," I said. I couldn't tell if I felt awe or nervousness but I think both emotions tried to fight it out in my stomach. No small affair, he'd said. He wasn't kidding.
The hero of all heroes... even he hadn't managed to complete it without trickery.
I swallowed hard, and went to protest. "But-"
The centaur lifted a hand, asking for silence.
"Don't think his quest shall be yours. Challenges are what they are because they are a trial for the hero undertaking them." Chiron studied me carefully. "You will find yourself tested, Luke, and you must decide based on what's in your heart. If you stay true, you will not fail.
Here." He took a box from one of his pockets. It started out the size of a dice, and seemed to expand as he pulled it free, until it was a rectangle bigger than my head. Magic is freaky. It never really stops weirding me out. "Your father wanted you to have this."
For a long moment, I didn't move. It was like there was a tornado in my ears, all noise and destruction.
My dad.
I hadn't talked to him since that day. Hadn't ever seen him before, and hadn't seen him after. I thought it would be better if I never, ever saw him again, too.
But here.. was a gift from him. Him personally. He wasn't here. But it was still SOMETHING. More than I'd ever gotten before.. and a quest. I will see that you get a quest soon. You will get a chance to be a great hero before...
I didn't know how to feel. Or, ... really, I guess I was feeling everything at once. I was getting buried under all of it. I don't know what I looked like, but it couldn't have been cool.
A little numb, I reached out and took the box. It was surprisingly light.
Chiron stood, his height towering over mine. "Come," he said. "You will need to consult the Oracle."
I looked down at the box in my clenched hands and then back up at him.
"Can... Can I have a minute?"
He glanced back to the shadows behind me, and if I didn't know any better I'd swear he smiled. "Certainly. Do not be long."
"I wont." I agreed, and watched him cantor towards the Big House. Once I felt that I was out of even the sharp hearing of a centaur, I raised my voice. "Annabeth."
I caught half of a curse, "mmortales!" And couldn't help but smile. She strode out, chin lifted and expression defiant, just daring me to comment.
"Hey now. What's with the language?"
"You use worse." She pointed out. It wasn't an accusation as a statement of fact, the way she said it.
"Who? Me?" I still reached over and ruffled her hair, and she squawked in protest. All pride and I'M TOO BIG FOR THIS. UNHAND ME PATRONIZING KNAVE. I did it every chance I could. "Couldn't be."
She squinted up at me. She'd grown a lot in the last year or so... I realized right then. But she was still a munchkin. "You're covered in gravy." She accused.
I couldn't help but laugh. "And you are suspiciously clean."
She fidgeted. "It was silly. I was not going to join in something like that."
"That's a shame. We might have won with you guys on our side." It was cheap, but it worked. She turned red and looked at the ground, half abashed, and half totally full of pride. It took her off offense and solidly into defense. With a normal nine year old, that'd be bullying. But this one? It's self defense of my pride. She's a quick one.
"At least you know that." She folded her arms over her chest, chin up. There's only a beat and I see her taking a deep breath. "You need to take me with you."
"Annabeth..."
"You need me!" she insisted. More than that, I knew she wanted to go too simply to go. To get out. We've talked about it before. "This is a huge one! Nothing's ever been this big yet."
She was right. The sort of danger this one was... it wasn't to find Aphrodite's hairbrush, stop a rampaging automation, or take down a lizardman who offended Ares' name... This was the sort of quest that only happened in wars or as punishment... It was Great Quest material. And .. maybe I did need her, looking back. But I think, right then, I made the right choice. I couldn't lose Thalia AND her. I'd lose what sanity I have left.
"You heard Chiron." I said, keeping my voice as gentle as I could. "Even I'm not old enough for this one."
"Age has nothing to do with it," she answered, stubbornly. Her grey eyes flashed like steel and I knew, right then, I was in for a fight if I didn't do something.
"You're right.. but I need something more important from you."
Annabeth leveled a suspicious look. Any imposing aura she might have mustered was broken by a badly timed sniffle.
"I need a plan," I told her. I was honest about this. "I haven't paid that much attention to history classes, and I know you have. Hercules fooled Atlas into doing it for him, but that trick isn't gonna work twice, right?"
She nodded, attention narrowed on the task. I could practically see thoughts racing behind her eyes. "It wont..." She frowned, twisting her hands. "But maybe..."
"I'll rely on you." I said, and she brightened, despite all of her fear... Hades Below... Despite all of mine. She had something she could DO to help me... and I was sure that it would.
She started to run off and stopped, scowling at me.
"I want you to promise you'll come back."
"I will."
"Swear it."
I hesitated, my throat dry. She looked like she wanted going to cry again. Or maybe like she hadn't actually stopped. Like she was being brave despite it.
"I swear on the River Styx that..." I hesitated again. A fate worse than death wasn't something I wanted to look forward to. You shouldn't make promises unless you knew you could keep them. "I will do everything in my power to come back to Camp."
"No matter what," she added.
"No matter what," I agreed.
She gave me a long look and then smiled. "I trust you. If anyone can do it, it's you." And ran off into the woods, back towards her cabin and monstrous fort of books.
As for me, I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and walked towards the Big House.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I GIVE THE INVISIBLE GIRL A NOOGIE
He waited for me, patiently, outside of the tables and firelight.
"Luke." He said my name with a troubled, furrowed expression and I started to get serious. This was it. The celebration was over. The quest was starting now. "I fear this quest comes too early."
I felt the bottom of my stomach drop out. I wish I could describe what I felt right then. Anger? Fear? Disappointment? Maybe all of that and a bunch of other stuff.
It had to have shown on his face, because he knelt, horse legs folding under him, and his hand gripped my shoulder warmly.
"Perhaps I speak incorrectly. You are, after all, the best swordsman I've trained in some long, long time." Maybe it was just kind words, but it cheered me up. Hey. I'm easy.
"You're worried." I pointed out, anyway.
"Indeed." Chiron exhaled, and then as if answering his own question, nodded to himself. "Luke, the quest you've been asked to undertake is no small affair. You cannot take this lightly."
"So," I steeled myself. "What is it?"
"You've been requested to fetch one of the Golden Apples from the garden of the Hesperides."
Somewhere off to the left and behind me, I heard a small gasp... By the flick of Chiron's eyes and a lash of his tail, I could tell he had too. Neither of us turned, though.
"One of the Labors of Hercules," I said. I couldn't tell if I felt awe or nervousness but I think both emotions tried to fight it out in my stomach. No small affair, he'd said. He wasn't kidding.
The hero of all heroes... even he hadn't managed to complete it without trickery.
I swallowed hard, and went to protest. "But-"
The centaur lifted a hand, asking for silence.
"Don't think his quest shall be yours. Challenges are what they are because they are a trial for the hero undertaking them." Chiron studied me carefully. "You will find yourself tested, Luke, and you must decide based on what's in your heart. If you stay true, you will not fail.
Here." He took a box from one of his pockets. It started out the size of a dice, and seemed to expand as he pulled it free, until it was a rectangle bigger than my head. Magic is freaky. It never really stops weirding me out. "Your father wanted you to have this."
For a long moment, I didn't move. It was like there was a tornado in my ears, all noise and destruction.
My dad.
I hadn't talked to him since that day. Hadn't ever seen him before, and hadn't seen him after. I thought it would be better if I never, ever saw him again, too.
But here.. was a gift from him. Him personally. He wasn't here. But it was still SOMETHING. More than I'd ever gotten before.. and a quest. I will see that you get a quest soon. You will get a chance to be a great hero before...
I didn't know how to feel. Or, ... really, I guess I was feeling everything at once. I was getting buried under all of it. I don't know what I looked like, but it couldn't have been cool.
A little numb, I reached out and took the box. It was surprisingly light.
Chiron stood, his height towering over mine. "Come," he said. "You will need to consult the Oracle."
I looked down at the box in my clenched hands and then back up at him.
"Can... Can I have a minute?"
He glanced back to the shadows behind me, and if I didn't know any better I'd swear he smiled. "Certainly. Do not be long."
"I wont." I agreed, and watched him cantor towards the Big House. Once I felt that I was out of even the sharp hearing of a centaur, I raised my voice. "Annabeth."
I caught half of a curse, "mmortales!" And couldn't help but smile. She strode out, chin lifted and expression defiant, just daring me to comment.
"Hey now. What's with the language?"
"You use worse." She pointed out. It wasn't an accusation as a statement of fact, the way she said it.
"Who? Me?" I still reached over and ruffled her hair, and she squawked in protest. All pride and I'M TOO BIG FOR THIS. UNHAND ME PATRONIZING KNAVE. I did it every chance I could. "Couldn't be."
She squinted up at me. She'd grown a lot in the last year or so... I realized right then. But she was still a munchkin. "You're covered in gravy." She accused.
I couldn't help but laugh. "And you are suspiciously clean."
She fidgeted. "It was silly. I was not going to join in something like that."
"That's a shame. We might have won with you guys on our side." It was cheap, but it worked. She turned red and looked at the ground, half abashed, and half totally full of pride. It took her off offense and solidly into defense. With a normal nine year old, that'd be bullying. But this one? It's self defense of my pride. She's a quick one.
"At least you know that." She folded her arms over her chest, chin up. There's only a beat and I see her taking a deep breath. "You need to take me with you."
"Annabeth..."
"You need me!" she insisted. More than that, I knew she wanted to go too simply to go. To get out. We've talked about it before. "This is a huge one! Nothing's ever been this big yet."
She was right. The sort of danger this one was... it wasn't to find Aphrodite's hairbrush, stop a rampaging automation, or take down a lizardman who offended Ares' name... This was the sort of quest that only happened in wars or as punishment... It was Great Quest material. And .. maybe I did need her, looking back. But I think, right then, I made the right choice. I couldn't lose Thalia AND her. I'd lose what sanity I have left.
"You heard Chiron." I said, keeping my voice as gentle as I could. "Even I'm not old enough for this one."
"Age has nothing to do with it," she answered, stubbornly. Her grey eyes flashed like steel and I knew, right then, I was in for a fight if I didn't do something.
"You're right.. but I need something more important from you."
Annabeth leveled a suspicious look. Any imposing aura she might have mustered was broken by a badly timed sniffle.
"I need a plan," I told her. I was honest about this. "I haven't paid that much attention to history classes, and I know you have. Hercules fooled Atlas into doing it for him, but that trick isn't gonna work twice, right?"
She nodded, attention narrowed on the task. I could practically see thoughts racing behind her eyes. "It wont..." She frowned, twisting her hands. "But maybe..."
"I'll rely on you." I said, and she brightened, despite all of her fear... Hades Below... Despite all of mine. She had something she could DO to help me... and I was sure that it would.
She started to run off and stopped, scowling at me.
"I want you to promise you'll come back."
"I will."
"Swear it."
I hesitated, my throat dry. She looked like she wanted going to cry again. Or maybe like she hadn't actually stopped. Like she was being brave despite it.
"I swear on the River Styx that..." I hesitated again. A fate worse than death wasn't something I wanted to look forward to. You shouldn't make promises unless you knew you could keep them. "I will do everything in my power to come back to Camp."
"No matter what," she added.
"No matter what," I agreed.
She gave me a long look and then smiled. "I trust you. If anyone can do it, it's you." And ran off into the woods, back towards her cabin and monstrous fort of books.
As for me, I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and walked towards the Big House.
I wish I had that kind of confidence in me.