---

Routine, routine, routine. That's all camp had become. With Nyssa still in the Infirmary, I had nobody. I did my classes, took free time, and talked with sapling Liam. Today I finally decided to visit Nyssa.

She was sitting on a cot in the Infirmary, a little pale with quite a few bandages all over her. "Hey," I start. "Hey." I grab a nearby chair and straddle it, studying her face. "So... how are you?" "Fine. Except this headache is killer." Danielle looks up from her work and nonchalantly says "You had a concussion, Nyssa. That's normal." Nyssa gently rubs a bandaged burn, languidly shifting to get more comfortable. "Sure." We sit in silence for a minute. "I don't really remember what happened," she says, "All I remember is that you were there." I smile at that. "Yeah, I don't know how any of that happened, but there was a lot of smoke, fire, and apparently kerosene. Once I reached the steps I blacked out too." "Do you need anything? Maybe some parts to fiddle with?" That revealed a genuine smile from her. "Nah. I'll be okay." "Would you mind looking into something for me?" "What?" I dig in my pocket for a piece of paper. "Here." I hand it to her and watch her as she reads it. "Who's Valerie?" "I don't know. I thought you might." "No idea..." I leave her to ponder over the name and the other info on the paper, and go to talk to Danielle for a moment. "Hey Danielle, how's Nyssa really?" "Well, besides the multiple third degree burns, concussion, and a few bruises, fine." "She seems a little... off." Danielle sighs and puts down a jar with a small amount of red liquid in it. "She's depressed. She's determined to put all the blame on herself for what happened. Sometimes she just stares at nothing for hours. I'm worried." She picks up the jar and puts it in a cupboard. "I know you're talking about me," calls Nyssa from her cot, "I'm fine. Seriously." I put a hand on one of Danielle's shoulders and say "Let me know if she needs anything." I say goodbye to them both and walk towards my cabin.

---

"Haley, may I have a word with you?" says Chiron as he trots up to me in full centaur form. "Uh, sure." He motions for me to follow him. Besides the glares from campers and their hushed whispers, nothing was said until we reached the stable. We stop at the pasture fence, and I sit atop a fence post, eye-to-eye with the large centaur. "Haley, have you had any dreams since you've been here?" "Uh, yeah." "Were they vivid, where you could feel, hear, and see everything clearly?" "Yeah." "Tell me about them." I told him about my only dream so far at camp, and surprisingly I could recall the entire thing. About the Underworld, Hades, Persephone and her screaming my mother's name. "Interesting... most interesting..." Chiron strokes his beard as if in deep thought. "Come." "Now where to?" "The Oracle. you need a quest."

We climb a hill, and atop it there's a cave. As we enter it, Chiron calls out "Rachel?" A redheaded girl pops up from behind a easy chair. "Oh, hi! What's up Chiron?" "Rachel, this is Haley." "So you're Hera's daughter! I've been meaning to stop by and say hi." I put out my hand and she gives it a firm pump. "Rachel, Haley needs a quest." "A quest, huh? Been awhile since anyone went on one..." She sits down on a leather couch, and I take a seat across from her. "Okay, so I don't know if anyone's told you what being the Oracle of Delphi means, have they?" I shake my head no. "Okay, so basically what happens to me is that I act possessed, my eyes grow huge and I spew green smoke." I must have looked mortified because both Chiron and Rachel laugh. "It's normal, I swear on the river Styx! You just ask for a quest prophecy, and I'll give you one. It's that simple." "Okay..." "You ready then?" "Yeah." I look at Chiron and he gives me a small smile of encouragement, then I look back at Rachel. "I need a quest prophecy."

Notes

Sorry for the long wait on the chapter! I was stranded without my laptop at my Grandmother's for a few days due to Thanksgiving. Anyhow I'll be trying to crank out a chapter or two a week. :)