THE QUEST FOR THE STAG

[halfbloodhillmods]

WHO: Chloe Saunders, Derek Souza, Gabriel Novak, and Leo Valdez
WHAT: The Quest for the Stag
WHERE: New York City, New York
WHEN: July 17-20, 2013
WHY: On July 17, the goddess Artemis arrives at camp and asks for an audience with Chiron at once.



It's not often that the Hunters of Artemis are sent into a panic, but today's one of those days.

Their goddess appears to them quite often, having shown herself just last month when a boy was bullying Hunter Arin Mistry. But today she's here at the camp once more, arriving with a group of her most experienced scouts, and she's without her faithful hunting companion, the Golden Stag.

Artemis had gone to Chiron immediately, explaining her situation. She'd left her tent one morning to bathe in a pond with her ladies in waiting, and upon her return, the stag went missing. She'd taken a group of scouting Hunters from the camp to go on a cross-country search for the animal to no avail, and now she called upon the more permanent campers for help.

The centaur brought the goddess herself into a meeting with Rachel Elizabeth Dare, who was finally done with all her exams and is staying at camp. Rachel issued this prophecy:

Heroes search for a goddess's sign
Sly, strong of heart, and quick of mind
Venture out into a brave new land
That's long forgotten, a journey unplanned
The halflings treasure they hold dear
Keep out until the coast is clear
The black elves' shining metal hoard
Hidden in plain sight behind a door

Based on the words of the prophecy, Chiron chose three of his campers who fit the description, Chloe Saunders, Gabriel Novak, and Leo Valdez. However, wherever Chloe goes, a werewolf isn't far behind...

Artemis has instructed Chiron to tell the heroes that should they be successful, a reward for each of them is personally in order.

The questers are expected to leave at noon on June 17 to allow them to get a head-start on their journey before anything else happens to change their fates, and must return with the Stag by noon on June 20 so Artemis can resume her godly duties in a timely fashion. They will be equipped with backpacks containing a small bedroll, two vials each of nectar (one-half of the vial will cure most wounds, a whole vial will cure fatal wounds) and one piece of ambrosia (one half will cure most wounds, a whole piece will cure a fatal wound), mortal first-aid equipment like bandages, matches, a length of rope, and three golden drachmas. They may take their weapons to aid them, as well as any special items they may have on their person at this time.

Good luck.

Comments

BREAKFAST, JUNE 17

[halfbloodhillmods]

[Say goodbye to the questing demigods, campers.]

[necromancies]

[Another quest, another prophecy. It sounds like the plot of some Lord of the Rings mini movie, with halflings and elves and...

Chloe really hopes they're not about to run into any dragons on this thing.

She's eating what looks like a strawberry poptart, breaking off tiny pieces to put into her mouth. Before sitting down, she probably sacrificed about ten of them to Pluto for good luck. Do children of the death god get good luck?]

[wokethedragon]

[It's hard to be around camp on a day where a quest is leaving, particularly if someone you consider yourself close to is one of the chosen heroes. There are so many preparations to be done if one fails - the burial shrouds made by the siblings, for one, are what Dany hates most. She already had to watch the Apollo children do it for Enjolras once, and now the Pluto children must do it again for Chloe, just as a safekeeping.

Worst of all, she's got to make one for Leo, and the thought hurts her more than anything.

Dany approaches Chloe at her table from behind after she's done eating breakfast, tapping her friend on the shoulder.]

Chloe?

[necromancies]

[Imagining Derek making a shroud for her would probably be the most hilarious and depressing thing in the whole world, honestly.

Chloe starts suddenly at the tapping on her shoulder, practically getting whiplash from how fast she turns. She relaxes a bit when she sees who it is.]

Hey, Dany!

[wokethedragon]

Chloe, hello!

[If asked, she'd be pressed to admit that she wasn't sure if either Derek had the ability to sew.

She rests a hand on Chloe's shoulder, a comfort of sorts.]

I...heard about your new appointment. May the lady Tyche be with you, I wish you all the luck in the world.

[necromancies]

[It'd be the worst looking shroud ever.

She gives a smile at the comforting touch, shrugging slightly.]

Thanks. I'm sure it'll be fine, though. After the trip to New Rome, everything should be a piece of cake after that. And all we have to do is find the stag of Artemis. [A frown, and then she lowers her voice.] Although, her asking us for help after she turned us all into animals... Just wow.

[wokethedragon]

You all did great work on that journey. I have the utmost faith that you'll return successful.

[The shrouds were just a precaution, anyway. It wasn't very often, in Dany's experience, that they'd ever had to use one before the Battle of Manhattan.

She has to hold in a laugh at that - sometimes things ring so true that they become a bit funny.]

The gods have been known to rescind their opinions of us when they need us most.

[necromancies]

[Chloe grins now. Actually, she's practically beaming. Compliments are nice.]

Yeah, we'll kick halfling butt. Whatever that means. I hope we're not about to run into hobbits and end up in New Zealand.

[She shakes her head a bit.] I've gotten that memo so loud and clear, you have no idea. But it'd be nice if they didn't just assume.

[wokethedragon]

Halflings? I...

[She covers her hand with her mouth, stifling a giggle.]

As much as it would be fantastic to see such things, I'm quite sure hobbits and the like don't truly exist. Even myths beget more myths, Chloe.

[necromancies]

[A wide grin stretches over her face.]

At this point, I'm keeping an open mind about things. You really never know when you're going to find something that you think isn't even real.

[clearasil]

[ Natalie paces alongside her table, chewing on the rope of her necklace nervously. She's hardly eaten and is likely to crawl back into bed after this. Sure, the stag has gone missing but she's pretty sure they're bound to open yet another can of worms, just like everyone else has on their past excursions, official quests or not.

She puts her hands in the pockets of her cropped sweatshirt, fiddling with its contents, wondering if she should offer some advice to someone. What advice would she even give? Besides. Leo's the only one who hasn't been on a quest yet. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo's not really interested in breakfast right now, so instead he's sitting at the Hephaestus table fiddling with... something. There's a lot of wires and nuts and bolts and bits, and he looks very into it... moreso than usual, as if he is deliberately focusing on his project and nothing else.

And he is, because this stupid quest kind of annoys him. So Artemis lost her precious deer. Big deal. She can just turn one of the campers into a new one. His frown deepens as he tries to connect a few wires, twisting them together. Gods. One minute they're turning you into animals, the next they're begging for your help and making you go on a potentially life-threatening quest for them when you have your own problems to deal with.

He's not sure he's feeling too helpful this morning. ]

[clearasil]

Boo.

[ Despite her hesitation, she eventually decides to pay him a visit. She won't be much help but she could at least offer moral support of some sort.

She shuffles towards the table and claps a hand on Leo's shoulder, smiling in her usual serious manner, just a quirk of her lips. ] You haven't touched the oatmeal.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo starts and looks up at her in surprise, having failed to hear her approach. Must have really been in the zone. He gives the oatmeal a dubious glance and shrugs. ]

You're right. Can't let mush this good go to waste.

[ He tries a small spoonful, and... nope, still not hungry. Shaking his head, he pushes the bowl away and looks at her with a vaguely apologetic expression. Eating is something he should be doing and he knows it, but it's just not happening. ]

Another offering to the gods, I guess.

[clearasil]

Don't worry about it. [ She doesn't push. After all, she's used to other people pushing food at her, all good intentions. Instead of sitting, Natalie rests her knee on the bench next to him ]

So, uh. [ She rubs the back of her neck, fishing around in the pocket of her sweater, rolling the stone around in her palm until it's warm. ]

I got you a present.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ He's started gathering up the mechanical paraphernalia, shoving it all into the pockets of his tool belt indiscriminately. It's not like he has much time to work on it, anyway. He'll just have to drop this off by the cabin before they leave.

He raises an eyebrow at Natalie's announcement. A present? Nobody ever gets Leo things. That's not how his life works. ]

You know my birthday's not for a few months.

[clearasil]

[ Natalie pulls out a a stone with a symbol she etched herself quickly. It's rough but clear enough and hopefully powerful enough to be of some help. ]

It's for protection. Like, to help keep you concealed, especially when you need it most.

[ She rubs the back of her neck sheepishly. ] It should work.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ He smiles. ]

What're you so nervous about? I'm the one going on the quest.

[ Taking the stone, Leo turns it over in his hands and brushes his thumb over the engraving. The engraving isn't the best, and its meaning is beyond him, but it is what it is. If Natalie says it'll work, it probably will. ]

Got my tool belt. Got a magic rock. I'm all set for this quest! Thanks, Nat.

[angeliaforos]

[Gabriel's about to head back to the Iris cabin to grab some stuff for the quest when he sees his fellow counselor pacing, chewing on her necklace.

Well, that can't be tasty.

Still, he strolls over to her, raising an eyebrow.]

You doing okay, Nat?

[clearasil]

[ She pauses her pacing to spin around, dropping the rope from her mouth and shoving her hands into her sweatshirt again. Why is it that she's always cold in the morning?

She doesn't even pretend to smile. ]

I'm totally okay. I'm just, you know, anxious for you guys, like I am for every quest we've had so far.

[angeliaforos]

Seriously, don't sweat it.

[He shrugs, putting a hand on her back, trying to be reassuring.]

Look, I know this is a big deal, right? I mean, I've never been asked purposefully by a god or whatever to go get back their...gold...hunting animal...

[What did Artemis even need the stag for, anyway?]

But what I'm trying to get at is we've got pretty damn capable people going. We'll be in and out in no time, trust me.

[clearasil]

[ She has a thing to give Leo when she sees him before they all depart. That may help if she's done it correctly. ]

I know, dude. You should know how I get about these things.

[ She did try to keep the personal drama to herself, but she always radiates anxiety that people tend to notice whether she likes it or not. ]

[angeliaforos]

And I do! Which is exactly why I'm trying to explain this to you.

[The girl's tense from head to toe, and Gabriel doesn't have to have a hand on her back to know. You can see that it's written all over her - from her walk to her posture.]

Look, I know it's hard to shake that sort of shit. But you really gotta believe me.

[clearasil]

Sure. And you'll - watch out for each other.

[ The Romans could think whatever about the Greeks' organization but demigods would still work together when the situation called for it. She at least had that much confidence in everyone else's abilities. She's still thinking too hard to even notice he has a hand on her back. ]

[angeliaforos]

Of course I will, Nat! I've got their backs, Greek or Roman.

[Despite the differentiation between the camps and the aspects of the gods, it doesn't matter much to Gabriel. They're all in this world together, so they've all gotta make it out alive. Plus, he thinks he'd be thrilled to meet a son of Arcus. He kind of wonders what his mom's Roman aspect would be like.

He holds two fingers up in the air, closing his eyes.]

Scout's honor, Troop Leader Natalie.

[Well, Chuck did think it was a Boy Scout camp, after all.]