Memories

Chapter 3- The Oracle

I walked out into my room with my dishevelled black hair wet and my jeans sitting low on my hips. The shower had managed to heal the majority of the cuts and had made me feel better immediately. Annabeth was sitting patiently on my bed, the sheets once again white and spotless, staring blankly at my wall.

I delicately sat beside her and said, "Annabeth, what's wrong."

She turned her gaze so that her eyes met mine. "What's happened to us, Percy? We were heroes and now we're... we're broken. When I was twelve and I was waiting for you to appear at camp, I wanted a quest so badly and now look where it's got me. The campers, they look up to us but how are we supposed to lead an army- or a camp- when we can barely even sleep at night? I'm scared all of the time, Percy."

"I'm scared too," I took her hand in mine and clasped it tightly. Ever since we were twelve, Annabeth had clasped on to my hand if she was frightened and I had secretly loved it when she did so. For the both of us, it was an act of comfort and solidarity- a secret oath between us that we wouldn't leave each other.

"Let me take a look at your back," Annabeth told me.

I swung my legs off the bed and slid open a drawer from which I plucked a metal box. I sat cross-legged on the bed with my scarred back to Annabeth and handed her the tin. She opened the box to reveal a couple of different salves that I had always used to help clean the wounds. Annabeth passed me a cube of ambrosia before she got to work on my back.

"Have you always cleaned these wounds by yourself?" She inquired and I simply nodded in reply. "We need to find a way to sever your tie from Tartarus. We'll need to head to Olympus later and speak to-"

"No!" I cut her off immediately. "Olympus can't know about this."

"Percy, they may be our only chance," Annabeth reasoned. "I mean, we could speak to Rachel first and see if she can give us any guidance, but if not we'll have to turn to the Olympians."

"I'm not going to speak to the council." I shook my head. "We can speak to individual gods, but I don't want everybody to know about this- especially not Poseidon."

"Okay, Percy. I won't make you speak to the Olympian council."

I sigh in relief.

"I might speak to my mother, see if she has any input," Annabeth suggested. "Only if that's okay with you, that is."

"Thank you, Annabeth," I told her. "For helping me, that is."

"Of course, Seaweed Brain," I could practically hear her roll her eyes. "That's my job."

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On our way to meet Athena on Olympus, we stopped at the cave of Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the camp's oracle, in the hopes that she could supply us with information.

Usually when you think of a cave, you picture a dark, grey, gloomy space with flickering shadows and a tendency to parrot the sound of your footsteps back to you. Rachel's cave was the complete opposite of that. Inside the cave was an apartment in which Rachel could live, decorated with posh furniture, curtesy of Apollo, and ornaments. The walls were covered in Rachel's paintings, a mural that mapped out Rachel's character. The art was of New York, Camp Half-Blood, Rachel's family and friends- all sorts of small sketches and large splashes of colour. If I hadn't have just walked through the cave's ominous and eerie entrance, I would have guessed that we were in some posh apartment in Manhattan.

"Rachel," Annabeth called out. "You here?"

In response, a frizzy-haired, paint-splattered girl appeared near the mouth of the cave. "Percy! Annabeth! Come in."

Rachel gave both of us a tight hug and squinted at me curiously when I noticeably winced. Annabeth and I sat down on the sofa, hands laced tightly together, and Rachel perched on the edge of a tattered armchair. If not for the seriousness of the situation, I might have joked about the scene looking like a therapy session.

"Rachel, we need to talk to you about... about Tartarus," began Annabeth slowly. As I stayed silent, she launched into an explanation about my branding and the torture-filled dreams. "You're the oracle, Rachel. Do you know of anything we can do?"

"I'm sorry, Annabeth, it seems the fates have deserted me," apologised Rachel sincerely. "Percy, you really didn't tell anybody about what was happening? How stupid can you really be?"

I glared at the floor intensely, "I didn't want anybody to get involved and be hurt because of me."

"I have been involved since you collapsed in front on me at Half-Blood hill all those years ago, Seaweed Brain. You spent the next few days quite happily drooling," Annabeth jokes, prodding me in the ribs. I smiled at her gratefully and jabbed her back in response.

"I can speak to Apollo," Rachel ignored us and ran her paint-streaked hands through her red hair, "see if he knows anything."

"Thank you Rachel," I stood and began to stretch my back out, ignoring the burning beneath my skin. "We're going to speak to Athena. Hopefully, she can shed some light-"

I cut off as Rachel slumped forward and dived forward to catch her before she fell to the floor.

"Rachel!" Annabeth began to move closer to me so that she could help me haul Rachel back into her seat but before she could reach us, green smoke filed from Rachel's mouth.

"A prophecy," Annabeth stated.

'Three shall delve into the mind of the sea

To discover the secrets hidden in he.

To fight the place they once escaped,

The heroes mind to reshape.

To sever a bond between hero and foe;

A deciding hand of cards to throw.

The hero to choose between love and life

And all shall end in sacrifice.'

Rachel collapsed into my arms and I swung her up onto my shoulder. Annabeth followed me into Rachel's room as I lay her down on the bed and said to me, "Percy, that didn't sound good."

"When do they ever?" I muttered in response.

"I mean it, Percy," Annabeth rolled her eyes. "'All shall end in sacrifice.' I know you, Perce, and you'd sacrifice yourself for anyone."

"Prophecies often have double meanings, Annabeth," I comforted her and shrugged as Rachel began to stir.

Annabeth muttered the lines of the prophecy on repeat, undoubtedly trying to figure them out- which we both knew was pointless. I turned to check on Rachel and found her green eyes peering at me, "Percy? What happened?"

"You spouted another prophecy," I informed her. "You okay?"

"Swell." She didn't hesitate to jump onto her feet. She only staggered a few steps and shrugged off the hand I was keeping on her shoulder.

"Percy, you and Rachel head to Chiron and tell him about the prophecy," Annabeth instructed us. "I'll go fetch Nico."

A/N

Hey, hey, hey, little demigods!

Hope y'all enjoyed the little chappie- the plot is actually starting to come to play a little now!

Remember to vote or whatever else you do!

Oh, and let me know if you notice any typos or gramatical errors! Ta!

For now, I'm signing out!