The following message took place during a dream:
Dear Atalanta,
The dream is a little hazy, making it somewhat difficult for her to see Apollo, but even through the haziness of the dream, she can make the vague outlines of hospital beds behind him. “Atalanta! I don’t have much time, so I need you to listen carefully! I’ve done something bad that I need your help to fix. The Caribbean Islands - there’s a plague, and it’s my fault. I’m trying to stop it, but I need the original laurel branches; I blessed them many millennia ago and hold the pure healing properties I need to make things right. Talk with Alexander and get me those branches, Atalanta!”
-Apollo
- Who is leading the quest?
- Atalanta Ayteria, daughter of Apollo, is leading the quest. Originally, it was a quest to retrieve the first laurel branches from the first Olympics, as it has medicinal properties that Apollo needs to stop a plague he believes to have accidentally cast in the Caribbean.
- Who else is going on the quest?
- Elijah Huntington III, child of Plutus (Miggy)
- Noah Azid, child of Poseidon (Time)
- Jake Robson, child of Eros (Xax)
- Who is sending them on the quest?
- Apollo sends Atalanta, but Alexander encourages her to get a prophecy, which is where she realizes she may need more than just one more other person. So in theory, both Apollo and Alexander did.
- Did they receive a prophecy?
- Yes, when told about the dream, he sent Atalanta to the Oracle of Delphi, who gave her a grim prophecy.
- Of romancers and healers, polyglots and water masters,
The mother transmogrifies the saving roots
Be all or leave all in the race against the brutes
Of covetousness and grudges, distrust and mistrust
Wretched yet heavenly comes the hand of lust
Here comes mischief marking it unjust
Nike runs amok with its crown of victories
Yet heavy lies the mind of their valedictories
- Of romancers and healers, polyglots and water masters,
- Is there a general idea to the quest?
- They need to retrieve the original laurel branches to create a potion powerful enough to cure Apollo’s new, accidental plague, but the quest evolves into a race against time to save the dying laurel tree that is Daphne, Apollo’s first love.
- What monsters will they encounter?
- Two Cyclopes (Olympia)
- Two Karkinos (Thessaly)
- An army of Myrmekes and a Pit Scorpion (Groves of Dodona)
- Demigods (Delos)
- What is the endgame?
- When they arrive at Delos, the place where all of Apollo’s misfortunes began, the demigods are meant to discover Hera, Oizys and Eros are behind all this trickery, conspiring in an effort to get Apollo cast back down to the mortal world. Oizys was the one to curse the Carribean islands in hopes of killing them all and framing Apollo for it, with the help of Hera and Eros who continue to resent Apollo for being born and mocking him respectively all those years ago. Oizys' involvement was only because she abhors Apollo's domains, as they're the polar opposites of her own. Her curse specifically rendered Apollo - and by extension his son Asclepius - useless, as they weren't the ones to cast it and couldn't be lifted without Oizys.
- What locations will the quest include?
- Camp Half-Blood (departure)
- It could potentially be the most important part of the quest. They weren’t supposed to receive a prophecy, but Alexander had been unsettled, suspecting there was more to it than meets the eye, so he sent Atalanta, who lo and behold, received a prophecy. Here, they decipher the quest and map out where they need to go.
- Olympia, Greece
- There, they need to find the laurel branches awarded to the first victors of the very first Olympics; however, the branches are dead, which they shouldn’t be given they have the blessing of Apollo as laurel is his holy tree following the altercation between him and Eros regarding Daphne. When they’re attacked by two cyclopes in the vicinity, it occurs to them Daphne - in her tree form - must be dying if this is what's happening to the branches.
- Thessaly, Greece
- In the riverside where Apollo fell in love with Daphne that fateful day lies the dying laurel tree Gaea had turned her into. At first, the campers will suspect it’s the reawakening of the Titans. It’s an idea that is restrengthened when they are attacked by two karkinos, which narrowly costs some of them their lives; however, one of the monsters lets it slip that the dark times of Apollo’s reign based on infidelity, lies, arrogance and pompousness are over. Realizing they meant Apollo only, and not the gods, they begin to realize it’s personal rather than general.
- Grove of Dodona, Myrmeke's Lair, Camp Half-Blood
- Knowing that Daphne is dying, they need to find something - anything - that will help heal her. Thus, they set out to find the Arrow of Dodona, which they come to find deep within the Myrmeke’s Lair. However, there are many protective layers in order to reach it, all set up by Apollo. They need to fight the myrmekes and find the arrow, which is protected closely by a pit scorpion. The arrow sends them to Delos, citing they needed to go to the place where it all began.
- Delos, Greece
- Here, they discover Hera, Oizys and Eros are behind the entire debacle. Hera has the Curse of Delos, which is the ingredient they need in order for Apollo to create the Physician’s Cure and heal Daphne. The gods don’t take them seriously until Apollo arrives, with Hermes and Artemis to provide backup in spite of not usually becoming involved in Apollo’s affairs, seeing as Leto, who had already reformed following canonical events, was still there. They don’t seek to avoid an escalation in conflict, and engage with Apollo, Artemis and Hermes.
- They fight and come out victorious, but they’re led to believe they’re too late and Hera escapes with the daisy; however, they’re wrong, as she left it in the care of the leading demigod, her child. When Atalanta goes for the daisy, Hera harms her in an effort to stop her, briefly killing her. The gods leave when they’re smitten by lightning, knowing it’s Zeus calling; it’s truly now up to the demigods to fly back out to Daphne and attempt to save her before both Daphne and Atalanta die, which they succeed in doing.
- Olympus
- With the laurel branches now restored, they make their merry way to Olympus to hand them to Apollo, but it turns out he can’t really tend to them since Zeus has called the council to convene and discuss the gods’ shortcomings. They leave the branches in Apollo’s temple before returning to camp. Comedic relief, mostly.
- Camp Half-Blood (return)
- Camp Half-Blood (departure)
Comments[]
This is a really great quest claim! There are two questions that I have to ask is. The first being: how is the disease not curable otherwise? Surely Apollo on his own, Asclepius on his own or the both of them combined can reverse it? It seems unlikely that the two gods who preside over healing and medicine are unable to sort out this disease on their own and thus need to enlist in the help of campers. Can you elaborate on the disease itself? Has Oizys or even Hera and/or Eros cursed it further so Apollo and Asclepius are rendered useless? The second question - or more so a clarification - is regarding the laurel branches. Are they going to be using all of them? Or just a couple?
If you get these answered and sorted out, I see no reason why it can't be approved!
rip open a pixie stick with your teeth and empty it into my gaping ass!!! love u mom Oli
- The disease is absolutely curable! The problem lies in Apollo not knowing how he caused it (largely because he didn't), but he's hoping with the branches, it's something he can cure nonetheless. So it isn't a matter of figuring out how, it's a matter of getting the ingredients he needs while simultaneously trying to ensure he doesn't accidentally cause another Black Plague by accident; however, if it simplifies matters, I can absolutely specify they're rendered useless due to Oizys' involvement (I'd hoped it'd be insinuated within the claim, but I'll add it explicitly!). And regarding the branches, it's not all of them! Just enough to create a cure he can replicate and distribute equally among the millions that live in the Caribbean! All in all, maybe enough for half a wreath? A bit more?
FILOKSENIA
- Thanks! Yeah, with a quest you need to just mention things just to make sure its all straight forward. A quest claim might imply something, but there's nothing that says you'll do it unless its written out clearly xD
- That being said, its good to go!
rip open a pixie stick with your teeth and empty it into my gaping ass!!! love u mom Oli