I have three things to say about this chapter regarding my prophecy: hint, hint, and, let me see. hint(sorry if this is immature, but it does have a lovely and large foreshadow don't you think?)

Chapter 12

Annabeth

"Hypnos," Annabeth returned his greeting with a respectful bow. She had never figured out how one could bow in a dream, but had decided long ago that she had enough headaches without adding that one to it. "How are you communicating with me? I thought that Zeus . . ."

"Had closed the doors of Olympus ex cetera, ex cetera, ex cetera," Hypnos stated in a knowing, bored, and tired voice. "Yes, well. He can't keep me from doing my job and I told him as much." The man yawned. "Mortals need dreams. If they don't have them and the world goes over to Eris, then we're all in trouble." The god shuddered and continued, "Now, you need to stay where you are."

"Oh, cause I am having so much trouble with that," Annabeth said in a voice filled with sarcasm.

Once again the god yawned, "It's vitally important that you do so. If you don't Hera's plan will fail." yawning once more he looked at Annabeth. "I will be here if you ever need help or just a listening ear. I am always here, just say my name." The vision started to fade

"Why?" Annabeth called, "Why are you helping me?"

"Because, daughter of Athena, you will once again play a role in all of our fates. I would like to live the next couple of millennia with a nice comfortable bed to sleep on and," he yawned, "some warm milk nearby." Hypnos fell on the bed as Annabeth came to consciousness.

Annabeth woke up, but kept her eyes closed, deciding not to alert Gaea that she was awake. She knew when the woman did know she was up, she was in for pain. That wasn't desirable.

Feeling her surroundings, Annabeth could tell something was different about them. Mud no longer coated her feet, legs, hips, and hands. Instead it was something hard and rough that confined her. Her hands had somehow clenched into fist. She tried to open them only to come across something hard and wooden. Suddenly, Annabeth knew what Gaea was doing.

Stay where you are my butt, Annabeth thought to Hypnos. As if escape were possible. Speaking of which, if I'm part of the Prophecy why doesn't she just kill me?

A voice drifted into her head, as if on a breeze. That voice was Hypnos's soft lazy voice, All in good time dear. The next time you sleep.

It took all of the control in the world for Annabeth not to scream at the sleep god, but instead she focused on her surroundings once more.

There was some scraping, the sound of a hose turning on, and the flip of a coin. Gaea muttered something. Then a voice greeted, "Hello mistress. How is it that I may serve you today?"The voice was genderless, soft and inviting.

Gaea didn't mutter now. She spoke out clearly, "News from the Roman camp?"

"The prophet made a prophecy," the voice said. "They will leave, I'm sure as, soon as they find an entrance. I will of course help the boy, but I need your help to make it work."

"And what might that help be?"

"A certain . . . structure was greatly damaged almost two years back. It is well within your capabilities to, how shall we say, fix it."

A few moments passed as if some other communication took place."How do you know they will need such a passageway? Particularly one as unstable as that?"

"Why, my dear mother," the voice, full of assurance, stated, "the girl's prophecy mentioned them needing a clear sighted mortal." Annabeth had to bite her tongue to keep from gasping. She now knew how Percy was coming for her and did not like it one tiny bit.

"Ahhhh," the Great Mother sighed. "Well, I can fix something up for our little heroes. That way, even if they rescue the girl, I have a back-up plan to get rid of them." That was why Annabeth did not like the sound of this. She did not want her boyfriend roaming pretty much in the middle of Gaea's realm. That was not good, not good at all. "Any other news," Gaea asked her informant.

"None mam," it replied. "If you'll excuse me I have duties to handle," and with that, the voice was gone and the hose soon after silenced. A few moments passed until there was a rustling as if Gaea moved.

All of a sudden a white hot burst of pain shot through Annabeth, forcing her to open her eyes. Every part of her was on fire. Every part of her burning to ash. Briefly she wondered if this was what it was like to jump in the river Styx. If so, she wondered how Percy and Luke had made it. It was all she could do to just not scream in pain, but she would not give the Earth woman, a source of much more pain than this, the satisfaction. Finally, the pain receded.

Annabeth gasped for several minutes, trying to get out the air she hadn't let out screaming and bring clean air in all at the same time. When she was finally done with that, the girl looked up at Gaea.

The Great Mother looked as she had before: black hair, dirt body, the whole I-am-an-Earth-goddess-all-shall-bow-before-me shebang. Only this time when Annabeth saw her, a blood red glow came off the woman only as it did when Annabeth hated someone to her very core. The phrase "If looks could kill . . ." ran through Annabeth's head, completely disregarding the fact that Gaea was immortal.

"Well my dear," Gaea stated in that false motherly tone again. " You do make a lovely Oak tree. I realize now you're only half of one, but in a few days," she shrugged her shoulders, "I had to give your boyfriend a dealine. Otherwise he'd take his time coming here, wouldn't he? Now," once more Gaea paused,"we'll see if we can get the help of your friend Daedalus, or someone almost as clever as him, then make you . . . pretty for the camera," coming from Gaea's lips the word sounded like worse torture was in store, "and make a little presentation for our dear Percy to watch in his sleep, shall we?"