Chapter 61

"How are you?" I asked. "How's the job?"

Her eye lit up. "Love the job! Look!" He picked up the hot sword blade with his bare hands. "I made this!"

"That's really cool." I admired it, an 8-branch sword was really difficult to make.

"This puppy, is named. Ignis, forged from the essense of a high class Fire spirit" She grinned. "It was a comission by this minor fire god, thinks he's all that."

"I see, hey is Hepestus there?"

Taylor's nodded as she left the frame as I heard her calling to Hephestus. She soon returned with the forge god behind her.

"What can i do for you?" Hephestus asked. I step back letting him see Morningstar on the wall. "What in Hades, Boy! What did you do to the poor blade!"

I recounted everything that happened as Hephestus nodded his head and muttered some things. "Any chance you can fix the sword?"

"Fix it!? I am the one who forged it in the first place! That blade was suposed to last a long time, though I guess with your way of fighting I will need to upgrade it to suit you better."

"Wait reall?" I asked surprised. "What do I need to do in return?"

"Just think of it as thanks for letting me take Taylor and train her. Now the sword won't be ready for a long while, I will need some materials to forge the new blade.

"Oh speaking of, you can use this." I replied as I removed Gungnir from my ring causing Hephestus eyes to shot up wide as he looked at it hungerly. "If you can melt this down and reuse it on Morningstar I will be greatful. And if you end up with leftover materials you can use them for other projects."

"My, kid. Do you know what that spear is? That will be enough materials to upgrade your sword and some!" He laughed as Morningstar and Gungnir vanished and reappeared in his hands. "Taylor, major comisson came in!"

"Yes, Sir!" Taylor replied as she took the weapons and headed off somewhere.

"You said it won't be ready for a while?"

"A year at least kid, I hope you have a backup sword you can use." Hephestus replied as the vision shimmered and faded. I was alone again in my cabin. That left me down to only Gram, Riptide, my Recurve bow, and Draupnir.

The food was excellent as usual. You can't go wrong with barbecue, pizza, and never-empty soda goblets. The torches and braziers kept the outdoor pavilion warm, but we all had to sit with our cabin mates, some stupid rule that Dionysus inforced cause he haded us mingling in different tables. 

Though of course... it irked him that I ignored his rules as I had Bianica, Nico and Thalia at my table. The only table that really seemed to be having a good time was the Artemis table and mine. The Hunters drank and ate and laughed like one big happy family. Zoe sat at the head like she was the mama. She didn't laugh as much as the others, but she did smile from time to time. Her silver lieutenant's band glittered in the dark braids of her hair. I thought she looked a lot nicer when she smiled.

Bianca was trying to get Nico to eat his food and Thalia was playing footsie with me.. meaning who could kick the other harder.

"It is unfair when you wear steel-toed boots, you know?" I mused as she landed another kick to my shin.

"Learn to suck, Jackson." Thalia replied as I kicked her agian. "Wow I think I might have actually felt that one."

"Why do-"

"Guy's can you just eat?" Bianica asked glaring at us as she kicked both of us. 

When we'd finished eating, Chiron made the customary toast to the gods and formally welcomed the Hunters of Artemis. The clapping was pretty halfhearted. Then he announced the "good will" capture-the-flag game for tomorrow night, which got a lot better reception.

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The next morning after breakfast, Grover and I sat in the meadow watching the satyrs chase the wood nymphs through the snow. The nymphs had promised to kiss the satyrs if they got caught, but they hardly ever did. Usually the nymph would let the satyr get up a full head of steam, then she'd turn into a snow-covered tree and the poor satyr would slam into it headfirst and get a pile of snow dumped on him.

When I told Grover of my dream the night before, he started twirling his finger in his shaggy leg fur.

"A cave ceiling collapsed on her?" he asked.

"Yeah. What the heck does that mean?"

Grover shook his head. "I don't know. But after what Zoe dreamed—"

"Whoa. What do you mean? Zoe had a dream like that?"

"I… I don't know, exactly. About three in the morning she came to the Big House and demanded to talk to Chiron. She looked really panicked."

"Wait, how do you know this?"

Grover blushed. "I was sort of camped outside the Artemis cabin."

"What for?"

"Just to be, you know, near them."

"You're a stalker with hooves." I sighed. "Man, just stop before you regret it. It's really creepy."

"I am not! Anyway, I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the whole thing. She got real upset when Argus wouldn't let her in. It was kind of a dangerous scene.

I tried to imagine that. Argus was the head of security for camp—a big blond dude with eyes all over his body. He rarely showed himself unless something serious was going on. I wouldn't want to place bets on a fight between him and Zoe Nightshade.

"What did she say?" I asked.

Grover grimaced. "Well, she starts talking really old-fashioned when she gets upset, so it was kind of hard to understand. But something about Artemis being in trouble and needing the Hunters. And then she called Argus a boil-brained lout… I think that's a bad thing. And then he called her— a well, finally Chiron came out in his pajamas and his horse tail in curlers and—"

"He wears curlers in his tail?"

Grover covered his mouth.

"Sorry," I said. "Go on."

"Well, Zoe said she needed permission to leave camp immediately. Chiron refused. He reminded Zoe that the Hunters were supposed to stay here until they received orders from Artemis. And she said…" Grover gulped. "She said 'How are we to get orders from Artemis if Artemis is lost?'"

"Guess we will be getting a quest soon." I replied.

"How do you know that?" Grover asked confused.

"Dude, Annabeth was taken and now Artemis. So obviously there will be a quest issued even if Chiron doesn't want it." I stood up whipping the grass from my pants. "And I will be on that quest no matter what."

Over in the frozen meadow, a satyr skidded on his hooves as he chased after a redheaded tree nymph. She giggled and held out her arms as he ran toward her. Pop! She turned into a Scotch pine and he kissed the trunk at top speed.