AN: Hi Guys! (Sorry, I forgot to put this on the first chapter) Thanks for the support and views so far!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the PJO/HOO characters or themes.
WARNING: BOO SPOILERS
Chiron's light hung from a frayed, rough rope held in his hand over the girl's face, as it swung back in forth. The girl blinked, squinting in the bright light. Her face was sprayed with freckles, like the seafoam on the shore had turned brown and she was standing too close. Her skin was slightly lighter than Percy's, but still looked like Apollo himself had kissed her. Her hair, however, was different from Percy's. It was a light auburn, like somebody had stepped on Katie Gardner's strawberries on the wet sand. Percy put her down and she stabled herself, wobbling back and forth on the loose, sandy dirt. Her red, sandy hair billowed an inch above her belly button, slightly scrunched and wavy from the salty air. She was fairly shorter than everyone, and even though she was farther up the hill than Percy, she was shorter than him.
As they glanced back at the campfire, the flames were swirling over ten feet high in a bright green hue, slightly more joyful than Greek fire. Leo's name floated into their ears on the shimmering gold embers and carried back out in a silvery smoke, as if Artemis's eyes had evaporated into the air.
"What's your name, young lady?" Chiron finally asked.
"Um…I…" She stuttered. Everyone's eyes pierced through her skin like hot orange needles. It almost felt like her blood was pouring down her arm. She had a moment of realization, and reached to the inside of her shirt and pulled a tag out from the left side.
"Sarah Marea Jackson" she said, almost robotically. Percy's eyes went wide, then squinted into confusion. His eyes jumped from Annabeth, to Jason, to Chiron and back to Annabeth. All Jason had to offer him was a smirk, then a clueless shrug. Annabeth gave him a reassuring look, and a confused smile.
"Well, it is a common last name." Jason joked, looking to Percy.
"What do you mean?" Sarah questioned Jason's humor.
"Oh, just ignore him, you'll get used to Jason soon. Anyways, how exactly did you get here?" Piper gently asked her.
"Well… all I remember is I was scuba diving off Hawaii…and then I found this, this thing, I cant exactly remember what-but I touched it and blacked out, and woke up just two minutes ago." Sarah said, confused at her own words, in disbelief of what happened to herself.
"Do you remember who your mom is?" Percy questioned, now speaking in a softer tone.
"No, I went to a boarding school in Long Beach, but my older cousin took care of me over the summer. I don't remember a thing about her, or my dad. I was never told anything about them… not where they were, or why they couldn't take care of me." She said, defensively. They finally let the subject go, and they walked back up to the campfire, and sat down in the front row, without a word. The fire subsided, and seceded back to a saddening gray. As the fire extinguished itself with a sizzle, like frying bacon, Chiron motioned for Annabeth, Nico, Jason and Sarah to come with him. They began to stride up a hill, and finally came to a looming cave, like the maw of a sleeping lion, awaiting new prey. Annabeth led the way, her arm protectively over Sarah's shoulder, with Jason and Nico trailing in behind. In the corner sat a dark shadow like figure with a puff of red frizz spilling over the top. It turned toward them, and started talking to Annabeth.
"What is it?" She asked Annabeth, cocking her head to one side.
"I think it might be the prophecy, Rachel." She responded with confidence. "His, prophecy." Annabeth says, putting emphasis on his.
Rachel rummaged around the room in piles of rolled up paper, with some sort of scrawled writing and feathery paint images along the border.
"So you really think so? Who is it?" Rachel asked Annabeth. She put both hands on Sarah's shoulders and gently moved her forward towards Rachel.
"Really?" Rachel beamed, surprised at Annabeth's actions, and began studying Sarah's face.
"Uh, what was the whole prophecy again, Rachel?" Jason blurted, zoned out for the previous conversation.
Rachel picked up a cleaner, brighter looking piece of paper that wasn't old and withered like old skin, and began to read.
After the arrival from the sea,
Open the cliffs, from the beast you flee,
From the eldest Gods, two sons and a daughter,
To avenge his land, prevent the slaughter,
Savior of flames, princess of the sea,
Sister of the king, return to me.
"I think I know who the princess of the sea is." Nico muttered under his breath, not looking up.
"Yeah, so do I. It's Amphitrite, she's one of the oceanids- a daughter of Oceanus, the first king of the sea." Annabeth suggested.
"Bu- " Nico jerked his head towards Annabeth.
"So do I. We should get together a counselor meeting with Chiron, and let Percy and Hazel know about the quest." Jason said, motioning with his arms.
"Wait, why can't Thalia go?" Annabeth turned to Jason, a quizzical look on her face.
"Uh…" Jason mumbled, rubbing his chin.
"I Iris-Messaged her last week about this quest when we found out, and she said she was busy tracking some twenty foot tall silver deer and wouldn't be back for a month." Nico said dryly, rolling his eyes to Jason.
"Sorry, but it looks like you and Percy are gonna have to take Hazel." Nico said, suddenly interested with the sleeve of his faded aviator jacket. "And besides, quests aren't really my type of thing."
"And neither am I!" they heard Percy shout from the campfire below a few seconds after Nico had spoken.
"PERCY ITS BEEN MONTHS LET IT GO!" Nico screamed back at him.
"So anyway Rachel…" Annabeth discussed possibilities of the quest for hours it seemed, the remaining three people stiffly standing their eyes darting back and forth from one another, like a pendulum on an old clock.
Jason then motioned with his neck to Sarah to leave. They walked down the hill in silence, like the sky above them, nothing but a twinkling constellation of a huntress that seemed to wink down at them.
"Okay, I have no idea what's going on, or why I'm here, but who is that guy Annabeth mentioned to Rachel, who the prophecy was about?"
"Well," Jason winced and looked down. "A few months ago, this war ended. There was a prophecy saying that seven half bloods would contribute to its completion. They were Annabeth, Percy, Me, my girlfriend, Piper, Frank, Hazel, and a son of Hephaestus, named Leo."