OK, this chapter is made mainly to clear things up, so don't expect much action, sorry. Luckily, you finally get to know who or what 'it' is. And I promise I'll make more action next chapter.

P.S.: I made up the prophecy of time, so don't go looking for it in any Mythology books. It won't be there(unless I'm missing something).

Chapter 4

Prophecy of Time

Cronus looked at the water, then turned back to Charon.

"It doesn't matter," Cronus said, "I have many secret hideouts, one of which is located high on a mountain. I can stay there until the heroes are dead, which will be long before the water even touches the foot of the mountain. Then I simply send the water back, and it will go with the water."

"You know it will not be that easy, Cronus," Charon said.

Cronus did know this, but didn't want to let his fear show. He summoned a scythe and walked towards Charon.

"I have a question for you, Charon," he said, brandishing his deadly weapon.

"Don't tell me... It's about the prophecy, isn't it?" Charon took a step back.

"Yes, tell me where it is."

"Prophecies are spoken, Cronus."

"You know as well as I do that there is a written version of the prophesy of time," Cronus sounded annoyed.

"I do not know what you are talking about!" Charon lied.

"Then I guess I wont be needing you anymore," Cronus said menacingly. He raised his scythe and red mist began to swirl around it. A bolt of red lightning flew out of the scythe and, with an electric-zapping sound, it hit Charon. Charon groaned and fell to the ground.

"Just be glad you're immortal, Charon," Cronus said. He opened a portal and walked through it, leaving Charon staggering around as if his legs were made of rubber.

Athena sat on her cabin's bed. She sighed and swatted a tiny spider crawling along the wall. She always had hated spiders, no matter how harmless. Mostly because of Arachne.

She heard a knock on her door and stood up. She walked to the door and opened it. Archie stood there, worry written on his face.

"Athena, I need to talk to you about something," he said.

"What about?" Athena asked.

"About this it thing," Archie answered. "I think it's about time you told me more about it."

"Well, let's start with its name. Magno Draco. That's Latin for 'The Great Serpent'."

"Latin?" Archie asked, "Isn't that from Rome? Why doesn't it have a Greek name?"

"Because," Athena replied, "the prophecy of time was made in Rome."

"The prophecy what!" Archie asked, a look of confusion overtaking the worry on his face.

"Come into my cabin," Athena sighed.

"The Prophecy of time was predicted by a great Oracle, and was so important that it was written down. Many copies of it were destroyed in a fire, I have the only surviving copy." Athena was back sitting on her bed, while Archie sat on a comfortable wooden chair a few feet in front of Athena.

"And I'm sure Cronus would like to get his hands on it," Athena continued. She opened a drawer in her dresser and pulled out a scroll of yellow parchment. "Here it is. The prophecy of time. I'm sure you'd like to know why it's named that."

Archie nodded, and so Athena continued.

"It was made so it told the present, the near future, and the distant future, A.K.A. right now."

"O.K., that makes some sense," Archie said.

"Good," Athena said, "now, it said that a serpent much greater than any seen before was sleeping in a cave under the Styx. That was the present." She looked at Archie to make sure he understood. When he nodded, she continued: "Then it said that the slayer of Pales would defeat it, but not kill it, just send it sinking to the bottom. The slayer of Pales is me. That was the near future. Then the-"

"Wait a second," Archie interrupted, "who is Pales?"

"Um..." Athena seemed embarrassed, "No one important."

Archie shrugged, pretending to not care, but inside he really wanted to find out.

"Anyway," Athena said, "the distant future was that the serpent would awaken once again. And would stop at nothing to get a certain teenager of invincible descent."

"Me?" Archie asked timidly.

"Yes, you. And it also said that nobody, not even the one who had awakened it, would be safe. Cronus awakened it."

"Why does it want me so much?"

"Because. One day, it had been swimming through the Styx when it saw Thetis dunking Achilles in the Styx. It shot up from the depths to claim its victim, but was too late. So it got so angry that it decided to get revenge on one of his descendants, a special one with powers. And it can recognize you easily."

"O.K.," Archie said, shaking from fear, "this could be bad."

Archie heard a scream, a loud crash, and Jay yelling out orders. He looked out the door, and experienced terror as he had never felt before.

Well, there you go. Sorry it took so long. And don't worry, if you don't already know, you'll know who Pales (pronounced pal-ase) is in the next chapter. I wonder if anyone does know (other than me!)...