"So, I have been working on this for the past few months. It seems fine enough, not if we need a slight touch of color."

Lily and James stared at the extremely large ship designed by Remus and crafted by Dorcas. Large, bold letters spelled out the words: SOTÍRAS.

"Sotíras," Dorcas said proudly.

"The work is stunning, Dorcas," admired Chiron.

"And we are going to save the world on a ship called saviour?" James blinked. Dorcas grinned maniacally and nodded violently, her frizzy dark brown curls bobbing up and down.

"Holy Hades," Lily muttered, staring wide-eyed at the ship.

"It'll fly as well as sail!" Dorcas said gleefully, jumping up and down excitedly.

"This is very advanced work, Dorcas." Chiron smiled kindly and admiringly at her. "Your father would be proud."

"Um.." Dorcas shifted slightly, looking down at her feet. "He met me at the Athena Parthenos today. He also gave me some tips to make this better."

"Ah." Chiron nodded understandingly. "Lord Hephaestus has always assisted heroes with not a shred of regret. Make sure to send him a prayer before starting off."

"Does that mean she can come?" Lily asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Dorcas made this and knows how to control it, so yes, dear, she'll go," Chiron told them.

"Chiron," James said slowly, "do you think that I can take Sirius and Remus with me? Peter's father is not well and he is visiting him in NY, so..."

"Indeed." Chiron nodded. "Both are extremely skilled at quests. Though I am sure Marlene would not leave Sirius."

"And Alice won't abandon Marlene, and if she comes, then Frank comes," James sighed.

"And no one can stop Emmeline from joining Dorcas," Lily added.

"That would be..nine of us." Dorcas tilted her head. "Good. I made twelve rooms here, just in case we find some demigods along the way."

"Prophecy." All eyes turned to Chiron. "You must get a prophecy for the quest too. Lily and James, you should consult Delphi. Dorcas and I will inform everyone of the quests."

•••

Lily stared at the mummy, feeling strangely uncomfortable. Her hands fidgeted with her Camp t-shirt and she was biting her lips, shivering slightly. It was a rainy evening, so the cold could be natural, but it was August for God's sake.

"Delphi," James said, his hands holding a pen and a notebook. "We need a prophecy for a quest to defeat Ouranos."

Silence. Then green smoke started to pour from the Oracle's mouth and Lily took a step back, alarmed. Delphi opened her mouth and said in a monotonous voice:

"The saviour goes west,
To the land of lakes,
Where resides the king of the winds.
The Special Nine fight spirits of air,
And find the Twins' Lair."

James scribbled it down. He was about to put the pen aside, but Delphi started again:

"The daughter of sun faces her fears,
And recieves pearls promising safety.
The son of natures proves his worth,
And the Sotiras sails forth."

"And the goddess residing in the Mediterranean takes revenge,
The son of sky calms the storm,
The child of love must face her past,
And now comes the quest last."

The Sky rises from its ancient roots,
Where peace was once to be found.
Lightening strikes and snakes coil,
And the lord is lifted off the ground.
And just like Delphi told,
The son of sky and the daughter of wisdom shall save us all."

"This prophecy is strange," James muttered, staring down at the paper.

"The Sky rises from its ancient roots, doesn't sound so cheerful," Lily said, shaking her head. James wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kept the paper in front of them, so she could read as well. The first thing which Lily noticed? His handwriting had not changed. Still smooth, attractively messy but beautiful, and cursive.

"This is bad." Lily winced.

"Not as bad as "lightening drowns in water, chokes to oblivion'." James rolled his eyes.

"The fuck?" Lily snorted.

•••

There was nothing scarier than watching Emmeline Vance pelt arrows, Lily decided. The girl was sharp, quick and confident. She knew when to attack, and when to duck. Her eyesight was oddly wonderful. She could spot a bird flying far away from her, high in the air, and would easily declare the bird's name.

"Holy Hades!" Sirius shouted at the daughter of Apollo, looking impressed as hell as he watched his brother get defeated. "I'm so glad you aren't a healer or musician!"

"She sings wonderfully!" Ramona Marks, the young daughter of Apollo, yelled at him, sounding offended.

"Yep, but archery is better!" Emmeline shouted back, grinning.

"You guys aren't scared?" Lily asked suddenly, and sharply. She was leaning against a tree, watching the archery range. James was amusing himself by talking to some birds. As a son of Zeus, he could communicate with animals/insects which flew, which meant he could also talk to pegasi. Lucky bastard.

"Wait--really? You guys migrate from Africa?" James asked one of the birds, who was perched on his bicep. The bird made some reply, and James winced. "Birds can cuss, man."

"Scared of what? The quest?" Sirius asked her, pushing James aside so he could wrap an arm around Lily's shoulders. James looked slightly annoyed, and resorted to sitting at Lily's feet, still chatting with the birds.

"Yep," Lily said slowly.

"If you are scared, you'll always fail any quest." Emmeline hiked her quiver higher up her shoulder and smiled kindly at the redhead. "I lived here ever since I was eleven, I know this place's rules."

"You'll succeed," Regulus told them, slapping Sirius's shoulder playfully. "And if you don't, I'll personally make sure to kill you guys before Ouranos swallows us whole. Mike has some nice torture books in the Ares cabin."

Everyone edged away slightly from him, and the son of Ares laughed. "Just kidding, dude. You gotta save the world and then share your adventures with me over a cup of tea and crackers."

"By the way!" Emmeline turned to Lily. "Did you choose weapons for yourself?"

"I did," Lily said slowly. "It's a Gladius Sword."

"And where is it?" Regulus said eagerly. Ah, typical of kids of Ares to be interested in weapons.

Slowly, Lily reached inside her jeans pocket and prouduced a long, thin, dark and smooth piece of wood. She tapped a small wood button on it and it transformed into a long gladius sword.

"But isn't that sword of Roman origin?" Sirius said, eyes narrowed. He was a little pissed off at the Romans for stealing the Athena Parthenos years ago.

"Yeah." James nodded. His hands fiddled with his sword, Elafria. Well, not a sword exactly. More like a sword disguised as a pen, as in Percy Jackson's Riptide. Apparently, Zeus liked to "take tips" from that sword.

"So what?" Emmeline shrugged, waving her bow in front of them. "This thing is made from sacred woods from New Rome, Dad told me. Dad II is still very jealous."

Yes, you heard--or read--right. Emmeline Vance had two fathers. One being the god Apollo and the other was an archery coach, Oliver Vance. Oh yes, Emmeline had definitely got the best qualities from her parents.

Far away from them, they heard Chiron's call for dinner, and walked towards the dining pavillion. But all the while, Lily stared at the sky, and it seemed like it just stared back at her.

•••

anyone who's able to understand this prophecy is honoured by me. Take care and stay safe.

Love,
~Aurora♡