AN: Hello, hello! For those of you who know me, I'm back after a few weeks' break! For those of you who don't know me, hi! This is the second book in my Elizabeth Jackson series. There will be a total of five. If you want to read this story, you really should go back and read the first one. It's called Elizabeth Jackson and the Stolen Goddess. So go check that out, then come back. I mean, you don't have to, but it'll be important for understanding what's going on here.

Okay, so if you're still reading this Author's Note, firstly: congrats on sticking through me rambling! Just a couple of announcements real quick. I will be trying to do updates every Tuesday and Friday, but I may have to alter that schedule depending on classes and homework and so forth, but I'll be sure to let you guys know should my update schedule change.

Next, please ask me questions about the story! I love answering questions, and I address them in the Author's Note at the beginning of the next chapter I post. So ask away! Now, if the answer to any particular question is spoiler-y, then I'll just tell you you'll have to wait and see. But no harm in asking.

Here's that full summary I promised.
Full Summary: (Book 2 of 5) Elizabeth Jackson has had a pretty quiet year, but all that will change as she returns for her second summer at Camp Half-Blood. Her enemy from last summer, Gaius, is becoming active again. Alex de Marco, the annoying Head Counselor from the Zeus Cabin, has been taken captive by a woman called Marina, an associate of Gaius's, and Augustus Grace is chosen to lead the rescue mission. Elizabeth starts having dreams about Gaius's past, courtesy of her grandmother, Athena. On top of all of it, Elizabeth also has to worry about the supposed battle that she and Gaius are fated to have. It looks like Elizabeth's second summer at camp will be even crazier than her first…

Alright, that pretty much sums up everything I have to say here. Enjoy the first chapter of Elizabeth Jackson and the Missing Prophecy! DFTBA!

Disclaimer for story: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Heroes of Olympus, or any other associated property. I also do not own Greco-Roman Mythology, as that is in the public domain.

Disclaimer for cover: Original artwork is by Viria, recolored by me.

Rating: T for violence and some mild suggestive themes

Elizabeth Jackson and the Missing Prophecy

Chapter 1: I Spend Quality Time with Luke Castellan

My dream started off in a subway station. I'm pretty sure it was the one closest to my family's apartment building, but I wasn't entirely sure. The strange thing was the station was completely empty. Well, I say completely. There was one other person there. I recognized her. The intense grey eyes gave her away. It was a trait my mother had inherited and, in turn, so had I. But why Athena was sending me a dream message, in an empty subway station, nonetheless, I didn't know. It had been almost a year since I'd spoken to my grandmother

Wait a minute? Athena? Isn't she a Greek goddess? Yes she is. See, my parents are demigods. If you didn't know that, here's the quick version: My name is Elizabeth Jackson and I am the daughter of two of the most famous demigods who ever lived. All caught up?

Anyway, I bowed to my grandmother. "My lady," I said respectfully, "to what do I owe the honor of this dream message?" I felt a twinge of annoyance, though. Couldn't wait to talk to me until I was actually awake? I thought. But I didn't say anything about it. See, last summer, Athena had told me that my "fatal flaw" was impulsivity, especially impulsivity fueled by anger (or annoyance). I wanted to show her that I'd been working on controlling it, even though I actually hadn't. Whoops.

"As my granddaughter, you will understand how powerful knowledge is," Athena said. "That is why I have come tonight. My father, Zeus, has forbidden discussion of any kind on the matter that you brought to our attention last summer, but I believe that it is important for you to understand your enemy."

"You're being rebellious?" I asked, surprised. "That's pretty sick… er… cool, grandmother."

Athena raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, your enemy is becoming active once again."

So that's what this was about. "You came to warn me about Gaius?" I asked.

Last summer I had come up against a guy called Gaius. He'd kidnapped the goddess Persephone and almost started a war between Hades and Demeter. It turned out that he hadn't particularly cared about starting said war, but rather he was just interested in testing me. See, apparently he and I were fated to battle someday, but no one besides him seemed to know much, if anything, about this supposed smack-down. Even the gods seemed to be in the dark. Well, most of them. Hestia had told me something that made me think she had some idea what was coming.

Oh yeah, one last tiny detail about Gaius. He just so happened to be the son of Kronos. Thought I should mention that.

The thing was, since I'd met him last summer, he'd been mysteriously quiet, at least as far as me and my friends at Camp could tell. Nothing major had happened since Hecate disappeared at the end of last summer.

"So he's about to do something?" I asked. "That's why you're here? You found out what he's up to?"

"No, that is not something that I am at liberty to share with you."

"Not at liberty to share with me?" I asked incredulously. "Then what's the point of you interrupting my sleep if you're not going to tell me anything?!"

"Watch your tongue," Athena said calmly, but sternly.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"I can only do so much without my father realizing what I am up to," Athena explained. "Zeus has forbidden discussion about, or attention paid to, the matter of Gaius. He has never been good about learning from his mistakes. Just like the last time Kronos rose, and the last time Gaea rose, he believes that by ignoring Gaius the threat will go away. If you knew too much about what the son of Kronos is up to, then my father will know that someone told you. And as there are very few Olympians predisposed to help you right now, it would narrow down his choices dramatically."

"Zeus is being stupid," I complained.

"Calling the Lord of the Sky stupid is unwise," Athena admonished. "However, I do feel that the choices he's made in regards to this matter have not been pertinent." I remained silent. I knew I'd said too much already. I had already jeopardized any help that my grandmother was going to give me. "Now if you would allow me to get a word in edgewise, I can tell you why I am here."

"I'm sorry, once again, grandmother," I said.

Athena nodded. "After you brought the son of Kronos to our attention, I did some… digging, as you mortals would say. I was unable to recover the full story of his past, but I was able to learn quite a bit about it."

"Whoa, hang on," I said. "You found out about his past?"

"He knows a considerable amount about you," Athena replied. "It is time you learned about him and his past. If you understand his past, you can understand him."

"And then I can stop him."

"Yes, that is the hope. If what he said is true – the two of you are destined to fight someday – then learning more about him may give you the advantage you need."

"You weren't able to find out about the prophecy he claims he and I are in?" I asked, disheartened. I'd thought for sure that would be part of the whole "learning about his past" thing.

"No," Athena said with a frown. "Apollo may know, but if he does, he is being tight lipped about it. Quite unlike him…"

At that moment a train pulled up to the station. The destination readout said San Francisco. The New York City subway definitely did not go that far. I turned to Athena. "I get on the train?"

"The choice is yours," she said. "If you would like to learn about Gaius's past, or at least what I was able to discover, then board the train. From then on, you will have recurring dreams about his past until you have viewed everything I was able to uncover. Or, you could leave the station, and return to the dream you were having before."

"Dream I was having before…?" I wondered. Then I blushed as I remembered it. Augustus Grace had been in it. And for some reason he had been shirtless. I decided that I didn't want to deal with the implications of that dream. Besides, Athena was right. Learning more about Gaius could be the key to stopping him.

I boarded the train.

There was a flash of light and suddenly I was standing outside of a house that I recognized. It was Grandpa Chase's house. I was standing with a figure. I gave a start, at first thinking that I was standing next to Gaius. The young man standing next to me looked almost identical to Gaius. He had the same sandy blond hair, the same body type, everything. But there was a thin scar under his left eye, which meant that this wasn't Gaius. This was his father, Kronos. Or was it Luke Castellan? His eyes were not gold; rather, they were a very pleasant shade of blue. I wasn't really sure how the whole "Luke hosting Kronos" thing worked, but I was pretty sure that blue eyes meant that it was Luke before hosting the titan lord.

Anyway, Luke/Kronos was standing outside of Grandpa Chase's house holding up a white flag. He was unarmed. He looked exceptionally pale, and the look on his face betrayed nervousness, maybe even fear. Definitely not Kronos yet, then. Kronos would not have had that look on his face.

Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he stepped forward. He took the path all the way up to the front door and, after a moment's hesitation, knocked. A teenage girl answered the door after a few seconds. I recognized her immediately as my mom. In the dream, she looked my age: fourteen. We looked so alike, it was as if I was staring into a mirror, except for a few changes. My hair was black rather than blonde, her skin tanner than mine.

Upon seeing who had knocked, a crazy mixture of emotions chased each other across Mom's face: shock, anger, betrayal, fear, curiosity, and something else. What was that? Longing? Or something a bit stronger? I'd never considered that Mom had ever had romantic feelings for anyone other than my dad, but from the look on her face, I had no doubt that she had once loved Luke Castellan.

"Luke," Mom said, her voice strangled. "What are you doing here?" And then suddenly, there was a knife in her hands. She brandished it at him. "What are you doing here?" she repeated, more forcefully.

Luke held up his white flag. "Truce," he croaked. He sounded awful, yet his voice was remarkably like Gaius's. "I just want to talk for five minutes."

The teenaged version of my mom scowled. But there was something besides just normal anger. There was also hurt. A very deep hurt. She had definitely loved Luke. "About what?"

"Please," Luke said, his voice full of fear and desperation. "Please, Annabeth. I can't – I can't do it. Kronos – he's going to use me to take over the world."

"He's already doing that," Mom said harshly.

Luke shook his head pathetically. "No, this is different. He's going to use me like a stepping stone. Kronos is going to use me to become even more powerful. Please, I can't – I can't do it. I just want to run away, like in the old days. Come with me." Luke truly did look terrified about what Kronos had planned for him. This must've happened not too long before he began hosting Kronos. He knew what was coming, but Mom didn't.

I could see a hopeful look cross her face briefly, but it vanished quickly. "How can I possibly trust you? After all the times you've lied to me? After all the betrayal?" Mom's voice broke, but she continued, her voice getting louder and louder. Tears were in her eyes, but she was holding them back. "After all the harm you've done? After you left me to hold up the sky all on my own?" She pointed to a streak of grey in her hair that I hadn't noticed initially. "Forget it, Luke. I'm not going with you."

"Annabeth –"

"Leave, Luke!"

Luke's nostrils flared, and he lost his temper. "Well you might as well fight me now, because this is the last chance you'll get! Go ahead! You've got that knife! Just go ahead a kill me! You're killing me now, anyway! Go on!"

Mom closed her eyes like she couldn't bear the sight of him. Quietly, she said, "Leave."

Luke scowled. He turned on his heel and stormed down the sidewalk. At the edge of the yard, he turned and yelled back at her, "I thought you were my friend! My last true friend! I guess I was wrong." The words hit my mom like punches. She gripped the doorframe for support. She was really crying now, but she managed to close the door.

Luke didn't even wait for the door to close all the way. He had already turned around, and began striding down the street. I looked at the doorway my mother had disappeared behind, then looked after Luke. I sighed. Already, this dream had emotionally exhausted me, but obviously there was still something important for me to see. Otherwise, the dream would have ended. I followed after Luke.

He walked aimlessly through the streets of San Francisco, muttering angrily under his breath and kicking at a stone. He'd dropped the white flag in a trash can.

I was just beginning to wonder if my legs could get sore from too much walking in a dream, when a heavenly smell (yes, I can smell in dreams) reached my nostrils. And trust me, I know heavenly. I've been on Mount Olympus. Luke obviously smelled it, too. He gripped his stomach, and his stomach growled so loudly that even I heard it. He turned towards the source of the smell. It was a café. He stood there uncertainly, made like he was going to keep going, then changed his mind, and walked inside.

Sure enough, this place was the source of the smell: it got stronger when Luke and I entered. He stood in line to place his order. Meanwhile, I felt like I was being tortured. I was in an amazing smelling café, and I couldn't order anything to eat or drink because I wasn't really there. It was so unfair.

Finally it was Luke's turn. He placed his order, and the cashier gave him a number.

Luke went and sat at one of the unoccupied tables, a sour expression on his face. After a couple of minutes, a pretty waitress came over. She had full, dark hair and sun-kissed skin. Her eyes were soft brown and inviting. When she set Luke's food in front of him, her smile was brilliant.

Then she noticed the morose look on Luke's face. "Is something wrong with your order, sir?"

Luke shook his head. "No, everything seems fine." He smiled weakly, but the waitress wasn't fooled. She could clearly tell that something was wrong with him. Now, most waitresses would have just walked away and gone on with their day without a second thought. But there was something about this woman. She didn't seem willing to just let it go. Or maybe there was something about Luke; even upset, I could tell that he had a certain magnetic charm.

"Well if something is bothering you, you should talk to someone about it," the waitress said in a bossy voice. "Everyone should have a friend to talk to."

Luke stared at her, perplexed. But then he said bitterly, "I don't have any friends."

"Well you'll just have to talk to me about whatever is bothering you, then," the waitress said matter-of-factly.

Luke's eyebrows shot up. "But you don't even know me. Why would you offer that?"

"I already told: everyone needs someone to talk to," she replied.

"So, what? You're just asking me to share my personal problems with you right now?"

"Oh no, not now," the waitress said. "I'm working right now. But I get out of work at nine this evening."

"So you just expect me to show up at nine and tell you about all of my problems?" Luke asked incredulously. Then he added, with a touch of humor, "What if you're just going to mug me or something?"

The waitress giggled. "I promise I won't mug you. But I'm pretty sure you could overpower me if I tried to, so I don't think you really have to worry. And you don't have to show up. If you aren't here at nine, then I'll know you don't want to talk to me; I'll get the message. But you really should show."

She abruptly turned on her heel and began walking away. Luke looked completely bewildered. "Wait!" he called after her. "I didn't get your name!"

The waitress half turned and smiled coyly back at him. "Show up tonight and maybe you'll find out." And then she went back to work, serving other tables. Luke sat there, a blank look on his face. I had a sneaking suspicion that he would show up when the waitress got out of work, but I really didn't want to wait around with him.

No sooner had the thought occurred to me than the dream changed. Suddenly, I was outside the café. It was dark out now. Luke was leaning against the side of the building. He still looked down, but far less agitated than he had been earlier.

There was a dinging sound as the door to the café opened. The waitress walked outside, a thin jacket over her uniform. When she spotted Luke, she smiled that brilliant smile she'd given him before. "You showed up!"

Luke pushed himself off the wall and approached her. "I honestly wasn't entirely sure that I would. But you're right. I do need someone to talk to." He held out his hand. "I'm Luke."

The waitress raised an eyebrow, but shook his hand nonetheless. "Got a last name, Luke?" she inquired.

Luke shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "I really don't like my last name much. Reminds me of my mother."

The waitress frowned. "Did something happen to her?"

"Yeah," Luke said shortly, but he didn't elaborate. I had seen his mother in a dream before, and could definitely verify that "something had happened to her." She was absolutely insane, making sandwiches and burnt cookies for a son that would never come home and randomly raving about her son's fate. I recalled with a pang that in the same dream where I'd first come into contact with Ms. Castellan, I'd also seen Gaius murder her when it became evident that she didn't have the information that he'd been trying to get out of her. At the time I hadn't even realized the worst of it; Gaius had killed his own grandmother.

"Anyway," Luke said, forcing a grin, "I've been wondering all day: what's your name?"

The waitress smirked. "The mystery of it really got you, didn't it? I don't know if I should tell you. You might just bolt if I do. When the mystery is solved, what guarantee do I have that you'll stick around?"

"I swear on the River Styx that I won't just run off if you tell me your name," Luke said quickly.

The waitress laughed. "What does that mean?"

An oops look flashed across Luke's face, but he recovered quickly. "It's the most serious promise someone can make where I'm from."

The waitress shrugged. "Good enough, then. My name is Erin. And unlike you, I do have a last name: Cross."

"Erin Cross?"

Erin beamed at him. "We're already off to such a great start!" Luke almost chuckled but he caught himself and stifled it. Erin seemed to notice. "It's okay to laugh, you know. You don't have to be so pouty all the time."

"If you knew what was going on with me, you'd understand why I'm like this…"

"Then tell me," Erin said. "That's the whole point of this little date." It took only a split second for Erin to realize her slip up, and she blushed furiously. "I mean, uh…"

This time, Luke really did laugh. I noticed the slightest bit of pink tinge his pale cheeks. "So it's a date, huh?"

Erin cleared her throat. "You knew what I meant. And what happened to being all pouty?"

Luke smiled wryly. "You know, for some reason, you make me feel less 'pouty.' Which is crazy, considering that I just met you."

"I have that effect on people," Erin said dryly. She grabbed his hand and started dragging him along. "Let's go for a walk. I always find walks are good for sharing your feelings."

My eyes opened up. I was back in my room. I flicked on my bedside lamp. It was still night. I checked the time on my phone and discovered it was after two in the morning.

I leaned back against my headboard and let out a puff of air. I turned the dream over in my head. There was a lot to unpack in there, and my conversation with Athena indicated that I would have more dreams in a similar vein. I wanted to figure out that one before I had another, but it would take time to sift through all of the new information that I had. One thing from the dream was completely clear, though. After all, why bother showing me Luke meeting Erin Cross if she wasn't important? And I had a very distinct feeling that I knew what was important about her. I had just met Gaius's mother.

AN: I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and I'll see you guys again on Friday with Chapter 2!