How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"It's destiny, cupcakes!" Hedge insisted. "I'm meant to protect you. What's the quest?" (31.78)
Hedge is deluding himself here—he's not really part of the prophecies. He's just a hanger-on. At the same time, though, everything in the book is meant to happen in some sense—it's all been planned out and plotted. There really is a force behind everything, somebody has made sure that the foreshadowing is right and that the prophecies come true. Hedge is as much a part of the plot as anyone else, so even though he isn't directly connected to the prophecies, he is following a predetermined path (set by the author).
Quote #5
"Why are we here?"
Leo sniffed. "That's what I asked him."
Jason gazed into the storm as if watching for something. "That glittery wind trail we saw yesterday? It was still in the sky, though it had faded a lot. I followed it until I couldn't see it anymore. Then—honestly I'm not sure. I just felt like this was the right place to stop." (33.29-31)
When the book isn't quite sure how to get the heroes from point A to point B, it often throws in mystical feelings like Jason gets here. It's as if the heroes get brief communications from the author himself—a mystical force more powerful than all those gods and giants.
Quote #6
Now Aeolus had returned the picture. Leo knew that meant his destiny was getting close; but the journey was as frustrating as this stupid mountain. Every time Leo thought they'd reached the summit, it turned out to be just another ridge with an even higher one behind it. (41.32)
The description of destiny here is also a description of the book, which is structured as one encounter after another, each one more difficult than the last.