The volgende morning, a counselor meeting is called. Technically, I shouldn't be allowed, but with us being new and all, Will managed to get permission. Rose is the only demigod of the freshly built Circe cabin, therefore making her an automatic counselor. Once we sit around the Ping-Pong table, I notice a stunningly pretty blonde volgende to Chiron, with eyes that flicker between red and black, like brand moving through ashes. Her light-colored hair reaches her waist, and her skin pale and her lips naturally red...all I can do is stare.
She looks up and catches my gaze. She rolls her eyes, and leans back in her chair, propping a pair of clunky canvas sneakers on the table. Arms crossed, her face remains down, as if having an angry staring contest with the zipper of her red jacket.
Chiron clears his throat and starts to talk. "As u know, the- Connor! Travis! Stop playing hot potato with the Greek brand supply."
"Aw, come on, Chiron, this is the championship!" complains Connor Stoll.
"Put it down."
"Fine," he moans, tossing the brand jar into a drawer and slamming it shut.
"As I was saying," Chiron says, "A group of demigods called the Kronos Revenge League- the ones who chased Kendall here- have arisen. Since our goal in the war was to injure, but not kill, there are hundreds. At least a thousand. Since killing them is immoral and will only anger the demigods that live, we have to try to reason with them."
A chill runs down my spine. The KRL were the ones who chased me to camp from Manhattan. The ones who stalked me back home pagina in Boston. The ones who murdered my mother. And I was expected to reason with them without tearing them limb from limb? Nightmares still haunted me about my mother. My happy dreams were about finding the murderer and punching them in the face.
I must've made some sort of face, because Rose touched my wrist and whispered "Kendall? u okay?"
"M'fine," I mutter.
"Kronos and his army had two headquarters in the war," continues Chiron. "One was the United Nations building, and the other was the lair of Medusa-"
"Auntie Em's Garden Gnome Emporium," finishes Percy.
"Exactly," Chiron says. "The KRL headquarters are most likely to be there. We'll spleet, split the demigods going on this...er, diplomatic quest into two. Percy and Annabeth will lead with a white flag of truce to Auntie Em's, while Will and Clarisse will take one to the UN building. Take as many of Aphrodite's children with u as u can- their charmspeak powers will be tremendously important. Drew, it's your job to convince them."
A glamorous-looking girl grins sinisterly. "Like that'll take any effort."
Chiron raises an eyebrow at the girl, who must be Drew, but doesn't scold her. "And in the case of Kate Delia here-"
"It's KD," the blonde says flatly.
"Of KD," Chiron corrects himself. "She'll take Mrs. O' Leary-"
"Mrs. O' Leary?" I say, bewildered.
"The hellhound we keep here," explains Annabeth. "She's tame."
"Any meer interruptions?" says Chiron sarcastically. Everyone laughs.
"Keep talking and you'll find out along the way," Travis Stoll says cheerfully, and everyone laughs some more.
"KD needs to be part of both quests," Chiron explains. "Nico will go with her and Mrs. O' Leary and assist with shadow-traveling."
"But why does KD need to go if she's new here? We usually don't send campers on quests the first dag they're here," says a redheaded Kate Winslet lookalike from the Hecate cabin. She drums her fingers on the table, and multicolored sparks fly from her fingertips with every contact made.
"The Oracle has made a prophecy," antwoorden Chiron. "A daughter of Hestia plays a vital role in stopping Kronos' followers, and KD is the only known daughter."
"She is my only daughter," says a small girl quietly. The girl is dressed entirely in a dull brown, and looks about eight. I hadn't noticed her before. She was sitting in between a buff Ares kid and an overly tall half-brother of mine, but that wasn't why she seemed so invisible. With a shock I realized she was the goddess Hestia. This girl tends the campfire every night, and I'd sat around that same campfire not knowing there was an ex-Olympian in our midst. Some of the other campers look surprised too, which seems unusual. The counselors- other than Rose, of course-have been here for years. Shouldn't they know a goddess lives among them?
"The last demigod child I had was a son in the seventeenth century. Kate Delia-"- KD shoots Hestia an angry look-"-is my only child alive as of now."
"Kate Delia is my only child alive as of now," KD mimicks. "If I'm your only daughter, why not treat me right? Why not let me kom bij the Hunters like I want? Like Artemis wants? You're keeping me from my future!" With that, she shoves back her chair and stomps out. For such a pretty girl, her personality is not getting five stars right now.
Chiron sighs. "She's not in the best of moods right now. Hopefully she'll come around...meeting adjourned."