Hello readers!

Sorry for the slight delay- this week was our college 'spirit week' and I was voluntold to help out with a lot of the events so I didn't have much down time to actually write out the post. Leo's Logbook will be updated by Tuesday (delayed due to the same constraint) so look for that then!

Shoutouts to: bman6272000, BUHuba, and MelkorOne Who Arises in Might for joining the following!

Shoutouts to: bman6272000 and MelkorOne Who Arises in Might for enjoying this enough to favorite it!

Please enjoy the 4th installment and 2nd official chapter of When Cosmos Clash!
-Ardoa88

Chapter 2: A Slightly Bigger Problem

(Annabeth POV)

Eastern child bears the weight,

Western shall they rise,

A promise made, but never kept,

The sin of love's demise.

The web of fate, three tangled strands,

Golden is their light,

Severed by a death unbound,

A wrong changed to a right.

Gods and mortals, hear this well,

For if you choose to stand,

Fear not the broken rivers path,

Immortals or the dammed.

The fallen sun, the final verse,

A war that can't be won.

Rend in two, the sky, the earth,

Through chaos are undone.

Her eyes scanned the words for a third time, as if they would somehow magically reveal new information or understanding. They were mocking her, the black, hastily scribbled letters on the sheet of paper, taunting her for being unable to piece together this new puzzle. Annabeth read it aloud, hoping new insight would arise from the verbal incantation, but when nothing came to mind she looked up at the assembled group, meeting each of their eyes. Her gaze lingered on Rachel Dare, the redhead sitting in the back of the room, hunched in her chair. "That's what was prophesied? You're positive?"

Piper nodded. "Word for word. We made sure to write it down as soon as we could, but a prophecy isn't something you're likely to forget in a hurry."

Leo hummed at that, his eyes downcast and brows pinched as he fiddled with some gears.

Annabeth looked between the small group again, and this time they landed on the small dark shadow pressing himself as close to the back wall as physically possible. "And you said you… felt something? Just before?"

"I felt death." Nico clarified, his gaze holding hers steady. "A powerful death."

"Whose?" Clarisse's question was hard as she glared at the smaller boy. There was nothing especially malicious in the look, Annabeth knew, there was always an intensity with everything Clarisse did, but Nico still shifted uncomfortably under the attention now being directed his way by the others.

"If I knew, I'd tell you." He snapped back, glaring in turn. But there was something lingering in the response, an uncertainty that Annabeth was only just able to discern. She frowned slightly, making a mental note to talk to the Son of Hades later.

Clarisse's arms folded. "Like you told us about the Roman Camp?"

Nico ducked his head. The small demigod looked even smaller in the new baggy hoodie he was wearing, and it looked to Annabeth like he was trying to disappear into the shadows.

"Hey- lay off," Percy warned, leaning forward to rest one arm on the ping pong table. "That's all in the past, we have a slightly bigger problem to deal with."

Annabeth nodded to show her agreement, and silently squeezed her boyfriend's hand beneath the table. The two of them and Leo had arrived back at Camp Half-Blood only an hour ago: their prompt arrival mainly attributing to Sally Jackson's incredible skills when it came to navigating New York traffic.

There had been an air of unease settled over the campers within the unprotected borders, and even with the Ares kids patrolling the camp's perimeter and the Children of Demeter beginning to grow a thick hedge wall for temporary security, there was still the lingering sense that something was prowling just beyond the edge of the camp. Like they were all being watched.

Annabeth shuddered at the reminder, feeling Percy's hand squeeze hers back. She smiled at him gratefully, looking back at the Senior Council group. It felt smaller than normal, with only herself, Percy, Clarisse, Leo, Piper, Jason, Connor, Nico, and Clovis (who was currently asleep with his head pillowed on his arms). The remaining plastic lawn chairs stood vacant with the absence of the other cabin leaders and Chiron, the latter of whom was helping oversee the implementation of the camp's defenses.

"Then let's deal with it." Clarisse was saying. "It's a quest, so who's going- any volunteers?"

"I don't think this is a normal quest." Rachel spoke up again, her hands twisting together in her lap. "I… I can't really explain it, but it felt… unusual? Incomplete?" She shook her head. "Exclusive is close to the word I'm looking for. When I gave it, it felt like the Prophecy of Seven, it felt-"

"Big." Jason supplied. "It felt big- bigger than one group of people, one pantheon."

"Exactly."

Annabeth rubbed a hand over her chin as the table dissolved into more questions. Normally she'd be the one jumping to ask every one of them and then some, but she kept her silence as her thoughts lingered on their recent outing to Brooklyn. Walt had said much the same thing after he'd… temporarily stopped breathing: speculating that the death of a god was something that had been felt throughout the cosmos, regardless of which pantheon they hailed from.

And now, having heard the newest prophecy, having read the words, she realized-

"It's not about us."

Despite the growing chatter, the room instantly hushed at her softly spoken words. All eyes were on Annabeth as she stared at the center of the ping pong table where the tray of cheese and crackers remained untouched.

"It's not about us." She repeated herself, fingers drumming along the side of her neck as her mind's eye flashed the faces of the Egyptian magicians. "Not just us, at any rate- Rachel is right, there's a bigger picture here that we're not seeing. Think about it- this isn't how prophecies are normally given out. You don't go on a quest because of a prophecy, you get a prophecy because you're going on a quest. You ask the oracle to guide your way."

Percy frowned, "Hold up- I don't remember ever asking for the Great Prophecy. Y'know, the 'preserve or raze' one?"

"And the Prophecy of Seven was the same way," Jason added, "It wasn't requested, it was just sort of… there."

Both were fair points, and Annabeth frowned at the flaw in her logic.

A light cough garnered everyone's attention as Rachel waved her hand at them all. "Hi- current Oracle of Delphi here, remember? I can try and explain how the whole 'looking into the future' thing works, if you all want, but- just a warning- it's not exactly… easy to describe. Words are hard, so as long as you save all questions until the end…" She trailed off, looking meaningfully at Annabeth and a few others.

Those seated at the table gave nods of agreement. Clarisse rolled her eyes but reclined in her lawn chair all the same, watching attentively. Clovis continued to drool onto the table, oblivious to it all.

Rachel blew out a short breath before beginning.

"So, yes, Annabeth, you are correct in that an Oracle can issue a prophecy if asked by a demigod embarking on a quest. They ask, and we- I look into the future and provide them with as much guidance as I can see, often in the form of a cryptic poem which no- I don't control, and I told you to save your questions until the end, Percy."

Next to her, Percy closed his mouth with a sheepish grin.

"You have Apollo to thank for that- he didn't want the future to be too easy to interpret." Rachel continued. "The other 'prophecies' are less…hmm. It's more like a vision. I can catch glimpses of the future- incomplete moments without context, but I'm unable to fully see how they connect until the question is asked."

"That still doesn't explain the great prophecies." Clarisse pointed out.

Rachel frowned at the interruption that wasn't technically a question. "It does, actually, you're just too stubborn to understand." Clarisse made a noise of protest but Rachel talked over her. "Someone did ask a question, for both the Great Prophecy and the Prophecy of Seven. The Great Prophecy was given over seventy years ago, to none other than Zues. One of his demigod children was going to war with two other demigods of the Big Three, and he wished to know the outcome." Rachel shrugged. "Needless to say he wasn't thrilled about what was foretold and thus began the Big Three's apparent abstinence from pursuing mortal women as mates. Not that doing so prevented the prophecy from eventually coming true, it only delayed the inevitable."

"It sounds gross when you say it like that." Percy muttered under his breath.

Annabeth elbowed him.

Rachel, either not hearing or not caring, continued, her eyes drifting to Jason. "And the Prophecy of Seven was originally asked by Hera- or, rather… Juno? That is her Roman equivalent, yes? Back before the fall of Ancient Rome, and again by Hera after the battle of Olympus against Kronos."

"How do you know all this?"

Rachel's face scrunched. "When I became the Oracle I sort of just… knew? Time is strange, it doesn't always flow linearly for those trying to read it. Let me just say, remembering things from before you were born is weird with a capital W."

"Like a psychic link?" Connor asked, raising a doubtful eyebrow.

Rachel made a so-so gesture with her hand. "Eh, not really? I can't outright talk to the previous Oracles, but sometimes I get senses of deja-vu, or odd dreams of places and people I've never met or seen." She grimaced. "Like I said, some of this can be hard to properly explain."

"So the great prophecies are questions asked by the gods?" Annabeth clarified, trying to get them back on track.

Rachel shrugged. "That's what it would seem. The Oracle was made to be the liaison between the gods and mortals, but they- we? I ultimately serve the gods: so if a god asks, I answer. Regardless of where I am. The strange thing about this one was- usually, the Oracle can get a sense of which god is requesting a prophecy, but this time there was just… nothing." Rachel reached up with a hand to rub her forehead. "It's unnatural."

The table fell silent, each one of them slipping into their own thoughts for a few minutes, the quiet only broken by the occasional snore from Clovis. Annabeth met Percy's gaze, the two of them having an unspoken conversation that went something like this:

Annabeth: Raises an eyebrow. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Percy: "That's highly unlikely." Frowns. "What are you thinking."

Annabeth: "I'm thinking that if this prophecy is affecting us, it's probably affecting Camp Jupiter as well.

Percy: Nods. "Probably."

Not that there was any way to confirm her theory at present. With the failing of the camps borders, Annabeth didn't dare to use her cell phone to try and contact Hazel or Frank: doing so would only encourage any nearby monsters to try their hand in attacking the camp.

Clarisse was the first to break the silence. "So we're supposed to just sit here and do nothing?"

"Not nothing." Jason said, shaking his head. "We need to try and find out what caused the magical barrier to disappear."

"Well, the best person to ask would be Lou Ellen, but…" Connor's voice trailed off with a knowing shrug. "Whatever happened seems to have affected all of the Children of Hecate."

"Speaking of- are they okay?" Percy interjected. "They seemed a bit… out of it when we stopped by the infirmary earlier."

That they had. Annabeth's own memory flashing back to the sight of the medical tent, each cot occupied by a child of the goddess of magic. They hadn't been unconscious, the majority of them either sitting up or laying down, staring off into nothing. It had sent a tingle down her spine, to see them all in that trace-like state; and when she'd tried to talk to Lou Ellen the girl had seemed to look though her instead of at her, the Head counselor blinking in incomprehension.

"Will says that they're all physically fine aside from some light bruises when some of them collapsed." Nico reported quietly. "But they're all spaced out, Will says it's like every one of them it stuck in a temporary state of shock."

"When does he think they'll snap out of it?"

Nico shrugged, glancing at Percy before answering his question. "Will doesn't know. For all intents and purposes, this is permanent."

"So the person who would have the answer is essentially stuck in a waking coma." Clarisse summarized with a growl of frustration. "What a nice coincidence."

"I don't think it is, actually." Annabeth spoke, looking at the daughter of war. "The barrier around camp is a solid form of the Mist- Lou Ellen explained it to me once- it's some kind of condensed, powerful magic. The Children of Hecate are more highly attuned to magic than anyone else it's only logical that something strong enough to break the magic around the camp could have a rippling effect on them as well. It affected Nico too, though I suspect that has to do more with his paternal connection to the underworld."

Leo, still fiddling with his machine, piped up "Then if we can't ask them can we ask Chiron? Isn't he like, a thousand years old or something? Maybe he would know."

That… was actually a solid idea. Annabeth was surprised (and a tad annoyed) that she hadn't thought about it herself.

"I'll go ask." She said, standing and looking once more at the assembled group. "In the meantime, Connor, Piper, see if you can help Clarisse set up a rotating guard of the camp's perimeter. Jason, Percy, we need defenses for the air and the waterfront. The Argo III can act as an aerial base of operations for now, let's get those who are familiar with riding pegasus in the air. Leo- any side projects you may have in that Bunker of yours, now is the time to show them off."

Leo nodded with a satisfied, impish grin. Annabeth turned back to the Oracle of Delphi. "Rachel will be with me, we'll try to figure this thing out. Meet back here in three hours and hopefully by then we'll have a clearer picture of what's going on."

There was a chorus of agreement around the table, and a particularly loud snort from Clovis, as the meeting adjourned. Percy leaned over to brush his lips against Annabeth's cheek, whispering "You're hot when you're in charge," before winking with a wide grin and weaving his way out of the room with the others.

Annabeth made to follow but a small figure stepped into her path. She blinked down at Nico, asking a silent question to which he answered, "Can I have a word?"

"Um, sure. Rachel, go on ahead, I'll catch up in a moment."

Rachel flashed her a thumbs up before vanishing through the doorway, leaving the two of them alone in the Big House. The only noise was the sound of footsteps retreating down the hallway, Nico fidgeting in the emptiness as if unsure how to proceed. Annabeth waited for a long minute, and it quickly became clear that he had no idea how to start whatever conversation he wanted to have.

"What's-"

"You're hiding something." Nico blurted.

Annabeth's mouth snapped shut. Straight to the point, then. She arched an eyebrow in return, pointing first to herself and then to him. "Pot. Kettle. You know more than you let on about the death you felt." Her tone matched his own, stating it bluntly, as a fact as opposed to a question.

"I-" Nico hesitated, uncertainty crossing his face. "It's more of a guess. A feeling."

"Of?"

Another pause. "Well if… if something happened to a god, what would happen to their children?"

Annabeth didn't know. Presumably nothing- the gods and their children were entirely separate entities as far as Annabeth was concerned. Nico didn't seen to think so, and he continued speaking before she could try to put together where the Son of Hades was leading with his question.

"When Hera was being absorbed by Gaea, her Roman counterpart, Juno was affected by it- which makes sense because they are literally the same being in different, closely related forms." Nico twisted his hands in the edge of his hoodie as he spoke. "And, maybe it's a stretch, but it can't be a coincidence that the magic around the camp falls, and then every child of magic is bedridden with some kind of ailment that Will has never even heard of before? It just doesn't seem to add up unless…"

A god is dead.

Walt's eerie proclamation echoed in her head as Annabeth stared at the young man who had basically worked his way to the exact same conclusion. It went against her nature to entertain that line of thinking: post hoc ergo propter hoc. It was a logical fallacy. One she refused to base conclusions off of without further evidence.

Despite her misgivings, this time, she found herself worrying that Nico was right.

Annabeth took a breath in through her nose, exhaling slowly. "You may be onto something. When Percy, Leo and I were in Brooklyn, one of the m- one of the people we were meeting with said much the same thing right before we got Piper's call."

Nico was giving her a strange look. "The same 'm-people' who you disappeared for the better part of a week and a half with a few months ago?"

Annabeth blinked. "You noticed that?"

The Son of Hades almost looked offended. "Yes, I noticed. Half the camp noticed, you weren't exactly sneaky when you blasted off in Leo's new ship at mach seven."

Oh. Right. "It wasn't our most covert departure."

Nico snorted a soft laugh at that but quickly returned to the crux of the matter. "Where did you all go?"

"We… met some people. Things happened and- look, it's a long story."

"When isn't it?"

Annabeth couldn't hold back a huff at that. He wasn't wrong. But she was still hesitant to tell the other campers about the existence of magicians and an Egyptian Pantheon: even for demigods, that concept was a bit of a stretch (Annabeth herself had taken a few long days and sleepless nights to come to terms with it herself).

Nico was studying her closely. "What are you trying to hide?"

Annabeth hesitated for only a moment longer, then she took a deep breath. "I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you."

"Annabeth, I've been trapped in a hotel outside of time, raised an army of the dead to fight a titan, been gifted my own personal zombie chauffeur as a birthday present, turned into a dandelion by my step-mother, and traveled across the world via shadows with a giant statue strapped to my back. I very much doubt that anything you say will be unbelievable." Nico said, listing off his experiences like they were a grocery checklist.

Annabeth just blinked. It never failed to surprise her how much the Son of Hades had been through, she still saw him as the scared, nervous kid who had first arrived at the camp all those years ago. But Nico had proven himself a capable demigod, and moreso, a good friend- even with the debacle between the two camps, he'd still done everything he could to help them. His heart was in the right place.

"Promise that this stays between us. For now, at any rate. I'm still… still trying to decide how to tell the others."

Nico's nod was solemn. Serious. "I swear it."

Annabeth took a breath, prayed to all the gods she wasn't making the wrong choice and…

And she told him.

She spoke for the better part of five minutes, explaining the skeleton of their adventures with the Kanes, keeping to the facts and making the details only vague enough to prevent the story from being cluttered. Nico listened with rapt attention, saying nothing. Nothing aloud, that is. Every so often his expression would change, small twitches that belied his true thoughts. When she reached the most recent part- about their weekend getaway to the Brooklyn House and what Walt had said, Nico's face looked a bit green, eyes widening at the words Walt had uttered.

When she was done there was once again silence, a pregnant air as she waited for the younger demigod to speak.

And when he finally did, he only said one thing: "Okay."

Annabeth waited for more but when it became clear that was all, her eyebrows raised. "Okay? That it?"

"Yeah." Nico shrugged. "I didn't think you needed me to say it but: I believe you. Is that better?"

"No- no I, that's not-" Annabeth rubbed her forehead. "I thought you would have follow up questions, is all."

Nico pursed his lips. "No. I think I understand now. You think this new prophecy has something to do with the magicians too. That's what you meant when you said it's not about us."

"That death- even if it really was the death of a god- resonated with Walt. It would be foolish not to consider the connection. Right now, though, the protection of the camp takes priority. I'm not sure if there's much we can do about the prophecy right now."

Nico absently twisted the skull ring on his finger, mulling it over. "Maybe not, but I can start looking for answers. When the death happened, the spirits of the underworld they- they went crazy." He explained, a small shiver raking his slim frame. "It was complete chaos for a moment. Like they were all searching for something to drag back down with them to the depths I don't- I don't know what my dad did to reign them in, but the dead wanted…" Nico shook his head. "I need to talk with him. Whatever is going on, we don't need to add the fear of an undead uprising to the mix."

Annabeth regarded him carefully. The younger demigod looked simultaneously determined and nauseous at the thought of descending back into the Lord of the Dead's domain. "Are you sure you don't want to take some backup? I know Will would be happy to go with you."

"He's needed here." Nico said, waving a dismissive hand. "And I'm… I can be more useful elsewhere."

Annabeth highly doubted Will would agree to the sentiment. "I would advise you at least swing by the medical tent and tell him where you're headed. If he comes back to find you magically missing I can't imagine he'd be happy about it."

Nico nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'll make sure we're both on the same page before I disappear. But it's the last page in a book titled 'The End of the World, Attempt Number Seven'- honestly, I would not complain if we stopped experiencing apocalypses in our lifetime."

Annabeth couldn't agree more. As they parted ways- Nico heading for the infirmary and Annabeth towards the camps' perimeter- she couldn't help but call back over her shoulder, "Just be careful, Nico!"

That earned her a bitter laugh. "I'm always careful- it's everything around me that tends to fall apart."

"Oh, and Nico?"

"Hm?"

Annabeth smiled at him. "I like the new jacket."

Nico rolled his eyes, a faint blush creeping up his neck. "Whatever." He muttered, raising a hand in farewell as he stalked off towards the medical tent. Annabeth watched him go until his dark figure began to blend in with the night.

It was hard to think that after everything- getting the call from Piper, rushing back to camp, learning of the new prophecy- it was still the same night. Well, day. The last time Annabeth had looked at a clock it was well past midnight. At the reminder her body seemed to slump, suddenly feeling as tired as she probably was from this all-nighter. One hand scrubbed the sleep from her eyes as she took a steadying breath. Everyone had been pulling an all-nighter at this point. This wasn't her first time nor- she deduced- would it be her last.

A burst of determination straightened her spin and Annabeth turned, moving onto the next task at hand: One thing at a time.

It wasn't hard to find Chiron: the centaur stood heads above even the tallest demigod in Camp Half-Blood, and even at night his silhouette was distinct. Rachel was already there, summarizing the meeting to the attentive trainer.

"Quite the predicament indeed," Chiron muttered, attention shifting to watch Annabeth approach. "Ah, Miss Chase, glad to have you back safely."

"Glad the camp is still in one piece, I left for one weekend and suddenly the world may be ending."

Chiron chuckled, though the lines on his face were still grim as he regarded them. "Miss Dare has informed me of your analysis of the situation. As for any advice I can provide, I'm afraid I am just as much in the dark about this as you are. Ever since Hecate helped Zeus erect the protective barrier it has never fallen- even when Luke poisoned Thalia's Pine, it held out for a admirable length." The centaur looked out over the hill, where the tops of the pine tree could be seen branching above the other trees.

"Fear not," He continued, "Camp Half-Blood wasn't always protected by a magical forcefield, our defenses will be adequate enough to ward away the occasional stray monster."

"But for how long?" Annabeth asked, looking out over the mess of campers still hurrying about. "How much time do we have until bigger enemies try to test our strength?"

Chiron shook his head, the stoic expression crumpling into uncertainty. "I cannot say. It is an inevitability, as you predict. Camp Half-Blood was indeed originally founded to foster the growth of heroes to combat the dark forces threatening to kill them, and for the past decade and a half we have been blessed with the god's protection. Spoiled, even, with the peace." The centaur flicked his tail. "Now our training is about to be tested. We will endure as long as necessary until the border can be reestablished."

"How, exactly, do we reestablish a magic border?" Rachel asked. "I don't suppose we can just call up Zues or Hecate and ask them to kindly try turning it off and back on again to reboot the magic?"

"I'm afraid not. No, with the Children of Hecate incapacitated for the foreseeable future, I believe it would be best to seek outside counsel." Chiron hesitated, glancing at Annabeth.

She frowned at the look, not understanding the look of regret on her mentors face. "Did you have someone in mind?"

"The one with the most knowledge for this sort of thing would be the sorceress, Circe."

Oh fun.

"I don't like that idea. I think that is a very bad idea."

"I knew you would oppose it."

"Chiron, she turned Percy into a guinea pig last time!" Annabeth shouted, gesturing with a hand. "We barely escaped in one piece. You want us to go seek her out and ask for her help? She's more likely to- to turn us into toads on the spot or something!"

To his credit, Chiron didn't seem to like his idea any more than Annabeth did. He held one hand out in front of him, curling his fingers through the air slowly. "I may not be a creature of magic, but I can still feel the change in the air. Whatever is going on is surely affecting her as it has the Children of Hecate. We may not be friends, but Circle might have her own personal interest in resolving this issue."

Annabeth was seriously starting to hate everyone's use of logic. Because again, Chiron wasn't wrong she just… didn't want to agree with his plan.

"The best we can do is try. Do you know where we can find Circe?" Rachel spoke up, and Annabeth started, having forgotten the Oracle was there.

Chiron sighed heavily. "I do not. Though I can reach out to others. Perhaps they will know of the sorceresses whereabouts."

"In the meantime we'll get a group together?" Rachel said, looking at Annabeth as if asking her approval.

Annabeth bit back a groan. "Yeah, we can get a group together. Percy is going to like this even less than I do."

"Well, he doesn't necessarily have to go. Wouldn't want him to get turned into a guinea pig again." Rachel smirked.

"Yeah, well I-" Annabeth stopped as she felt her pocket growing warm. A hand slipped into the fold of the fabric, clenching around the object that was radiating the heat. "-I actually just remembered something that Leo might be able to make to strengthen our defenses. Rachel, I'll meet you back at the Big House in a bit, okay?"

Annabeth didn't wait for a verbal answer, turning on her heel and waling as fast as she could without outright running towards the woods. In the time it took her to cross the distance to the treeline her left side felt like it was inside of an oven, and she ripped out the item as soon as she was hidden by the trees.

The amulet Walt had given her before they'd parted ways (an idea from Carter when the Kane had remembered the demigod's aversion to cell phone use) was glowing a bright orange from the heat. Holding it from the waxed chord, Annabeth spoke the activation word and hoped it would work.

"Tasalam."

The stone's glow faded as sound replaced the light. "Annabeth? Hello? Can you hear me?"

That wasn't Walt's voice.

"Carter?"

"Oh thank gods it worked! Are you-" Carter's words were drowned out by the sound of something falling. "Sa-per! Shit- one sec-"

Annabeth's heartbeat ratcheted up a notch as the clanging of metal on metal resonated through the stone. "Carter what's going on?" She didn't really need him to answer that, it was clear they were in the middle of some kind of fight. "What happened?"

There was one final clang and then Carter's voice returned, panting breaths interrupting his normal speech pattern. "Did you guys make it back okay? To that, that camp or whatever?"

"Y-yes, we're fine. What is going on over there?"

"We're being attacked by giant metal frogs."

Annabeth's next question died on her lips. Her brain struggling to understand the series of words in the order they were delivered and failing. "...What?"

"Giant- Sadie on your left!"

Sadie's shout echoed through the amulet as she cast a spell, an explosion following shortly after. In the background, someone yelled "Freeaaaaakkkkkkk!" More thuds followed and Carter grunted as his sword clashed again with something metallic.

"The barriers around the Brooklyn House started deteriorating after you left," Carter hastily explained when there was a lull in the fighting, his words exiting in a rush. "As did the seals within it and- Ha-wi!- we thought you guys might have been caught up in it."

"No we're fine, we're back at camp- Carter, when you say deteriorate-"

"They fell." There was another grunt on his end. "All at once. Whatever Walt felt is, is spreading- rippling out to the rest of the world. If it can break the protective seals here then I don't want to think about what it might be doing- aarrgh!"

"Carter? Carter!" Annabeth's heart had jumped to her throat now at the shout and the following lack of the Kane's presence. She listened for a sign of him but he must've dropped the amulet on his end, the sounds of the battle now muted; like she was listening through a brick wall.

Her hands clenched and unclenched at her side, wanting to help but understanding that there was nothing she could do from here. It lasted for the longest minute of her life but then there was the shifting of rocks and rubble and she heard him gasping. "We have to, we- sorry, I- gods that one hurt… Ow…"

"Are you okay?"

A beat passed where Carter just breathed heavily. "These things hit like a truck." He eventually muttered. "I'm- I'm okay, but we're taking a beating. The Brooklyn House isn't safe anymore. We have to evacuate to- to somewhere. I think Amos had a safehouse built not too far from here in- in Queens, uh… Woodhaven, I think. Not sure how safe it is right now but it's our best option."

"Okay, what- do you need backup?" They had their own problems to deal with here but she couldn't in good conscience just leave them if they needed the help.

"No we- Drowah!- we'll be fine. I'll contact you when we get there. It sounds like you learned something too."

"Yeah, but it can wait until you're all safe."

"On that we agree." Annabeth could hear the breathy smile in his voice. "Carter! Let's go!" And that was Sadie's, shouting from the distance.

"Coming!" Carter called back. Then, to Annabeth, "we'll talk soon."

The amulet's glow faded, leaving behind a perfectly unassuming dark onyx stone that dangled from the hemp chord around her fingers. Annabeth stared at it in the glow of the moonlight that filtered through the canopy.

It was all too much at once. The barrier had fallen, a prophecy had been issued, the Kanes were under attack, and a god was possibly, quite likely dead- not that they knew which one but Annabeth had the sinking suspicion that Nico's guess was right- and there was nothing Annabeth could do about any of it. The world was crumbling around her and all Annabeth could do was stand on the side and watch.

She closed her eyes.

No. That was the pessimism talking. She wasn't powerless, wasn't helpless.

She was Annabeth Chase. Daughter of Athena.

Savior of Olympus, Head Counselor of Cabin Six, Hero who returned the Athena Parthenos. She faced both her fears and the unknown countless times and succeeded in coming out on top. She didn't just give up when things seemed to be out of her control. And if she had to save the world a thousand times over from the forces that sought to destroy it, she would do it.

She breathed in the wooded scent of the pines, exhaling with a sigh and opening her eyes.

It was time to go to work.

Annabeth: Why is everyone suddenly so smart?

Percy: Maybe you're just getting stupider?
Annabeth: *has a panic attack*
Percy: I was KIDDING!
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Fin! Thanks for reading!

So I took some liberties with how the prophecies are distributed in the Riordanverse- not that they're ever properly explained in cannon (unless they're explained in the Trials of Apollo, which they very well might be?) so I modified it to fit my own narrative because, y'know, fanfiction :P

Final Things:

First to bhut: Finally people are starting to be on the same page, yes! Nico is no stranger to pain, nor is Rachel but yes, they were certainly not happy about the events that unfolded. Thanks for the review! I hope you enjoyed the aftermath :D

Finally, to wrileywhiz: I- thank you! I was honestly really nervous about how the prophecy would sound. I spent so many days overseas writing and rewriting it so that it would sound properly prophetic. I'm so glad it came out alright! Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts! Have a great rest of the day :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful end of their weekend and a great start to the next week! And as always feel free to leave thoguhts and critiques down below.

See you at the end of April!

-Ardoa88