Thank you for the reviews! You people are so amazing!
So we now know Penelope's last name...And if you read on,
you will find out some more interesting stuff about her...*wink wink*
Hope you enjoy, I don't own PJO/HoO!

Chapter forty-four: Revelation
~Penelope's POV~

Penelope's mind was reeling. What had Circe just called her? Penelope Rider? Was that her last name? She couldn't even form an answer, she was so shocked. Circe seemed to pick up on this and
smiled another coldish smile. "I assume from your shocked expression you never knew your last name? Well, they probably didn't deem it important enough for you to use."
Pen had no idea what Circe was talking about. After another minute of simply staring, she finally managed to bring out a complete sentence "What else do you know about me?"
The sorceress gave a little laugh. Her whole demeanour, cold and a bit arrogant, reminded Pen of somebody. Chloe, she realised, only that her half-sister was much more humane.
Circe contemplated Penelope before answering. "I thought you would come, even if the pirate scum didn't capture you."
Penelope had now recovered enough to look into Circe's eyes. They were dark and mysterious, like a pair of bottomless pits. A feeling inside her told her not to take this situation too lightly. Like she was going to do that anyway.
"Please, Circe." Penelope said, with more certainty"I need to know who I am."
This seemed to amuse the witch, who chuckled and returned to the coffee table. "You want to know who you are, Penelope, do you? Well, that is very ambitious. Let me start by explaining what I know. Sit down." She motioned for Pen to sit down, who did, so they were now eye to eye.
Circe, after another moment of contemplation said "You are the crown of our mother's creation. You're the supposed masterpiece." There was no jealousy or bitterness in her tone, only a cold pity.
"I should be telling you nothing, really. But the shadows told me someone should, at least, help you a little" Circe paused, but Penelope didn't interrupt.
The sorceress continued, pouring herself a cup of purple tea from a tea pot which had appeared out of nowhere.
"The reason you exist..." Circe whispered, and Penelope's heartbeat picked up. Was this finally the moment she had been waiting for ever since arriving at the shore of Camp Half-Blood? Did she really want to find out? With baited breath, she listened to what Circe said next.
"Thousands of years ago, the ancient oracle issued two great prophecies, both playing a vital part in
the history of our world, and both at least partly concerning the same demigod. The first one told of
the choice he would make at the age of sixteen, deciding the fate of Olympus for the first time."
Penelope had a feeling she knew which demigod Circe was talking about, yet she kept quiet, listening.
"The second prophecy spoke of the great quest of the seven, one of them being that demigod, which would lead the heroes on a journey to save the world from the earth itself. And all deemed they would succeed, until a third prophecy was spoken. This prophecy was issued by a son of Apollo, and told of a curse, a curse powerful enough to change the course of the world."
Circe stopped talking, and Penelope sat still for a moment, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, Pen said "And what did the prophecy say exactly?"
But the witch shook her head. "I will not speak it. And I will not have it read here, in my palace.
Take this, and read it, if you get the chance."
Silver flames suddenly erupted on the coffee table, dying after only a second and leaving a black scroll behind. Penelope stretched her hand out towards it. It was ice cold, and when she tried to
unravel it, it wouldn't move.
"You can not read it here" Circe explained calmly. Penelope cautiously put the scroll in her bag.
"Know this, sister" the sorceress spoke again, and suddenly her voice was as hard and cold as granite. "All three prophecies concern the same demigod. You know him, you call him your friend." "Percy." Penelope whispered, and an inexplicable fear gripped her. Circe's eyes glinted.
"Yes" she hissed "Perseus Jackson. I have had the pleasure of meeting him before you know. He
and his faithful friend Annabeth Chase destroyed my last home, let a band of pirates lose on my
family."
The fear was paralysing, and Penelope couldn't move an inch.
The aura of the woman in front of her seemed to pulse with power, dark purple smoke gathering around her feet.
"And you see" she continued, as quiet as a snake "I have never forgiven Percy Jackson. So I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to return to his side. I will not have the little brat saved."
What? Was Percy in danger? Pen's mind was reeling as she tried to brake through the body-freeze
spell Circe was obviously casting. It took immense will-power, but she managed to speak.
"Why would you kill me?"
Circe laughedand pointed at Penelope's neck. "Such a beautiful necklace. A symbol, no doubt, of the alliance between our mother and...him. That is the reason you may not live, Penelope Rider.
No one can give it but yourself. But I can still kill you."
The sorceress sprang to her feet, and Penelope strained against her bounds.
Come on she thought I can fight this.
Her legs twitched, and she felt her arms lift an inch or so. Circe had taken out a wicked looking
dagger, turning it lovingly in her hands.
"What's that?" Penelope spat at her, nodding at the dagger.
"This? Oh, this is-" but the moment that Circe's attention wasn't focused on her was all Penelope needed. She jumped up and threw herself at Circe, knocking her to the ground.
Quickly she snatched up her bag and sprinted to the door.
"Curse you!" Circe cried from behind her, and instinctively, Penelope ducked. The dagger whizzed
over her head, and lodged itself in the door.
"Bye!" Penelope cried and crashed through into the hallway, running faster than she'd ever run in her life. There was no time to think about what had just happened, no time to make a plan.
All she could do was sprint out into the entrance hall, praying that no creature would attack her, that the door wouldn't be locked.
The hall seemed empty, but already she could hear Circe's shrieks of "Stop her!" echoing all around the mansion.
Penelope ran to the door, grabbed the handle and found it locked. No, no no! Concentrating with all her might, she summoned her purple and blue flames, willing them to flow into the door and melt
the locks completely.
To her surprise, the door caught fire instantly, and she was able to kick it open and run outside.
Without thinking about which way to go, Penelope ran down the street, knocking over a merchant and a middle-aged lady, but not daring to stop.
Her heart raced in her throat, as she tore through the streets of Rome, as far away from her half-sister as possible.
By a random chance, she came to the piazza from where she'd started her journey and here she allowed herself to stop and catch her breath.
Okay, she thought, taking deep steadying gulps of air. Circe just tried to kill you, because of something concerning Percy and some weird prophecy. The prophecy!
Fumbling, she brought out the black scroll and was now able to unroll it.
The parchment was black inside as well, and on it was a text written in celestial bronze coloured ink.
To keep the greatest hero of all
from reaching the power to make the world fall
the fates shall withdraw it when facing death
and thus bring forth his final breath
Without the spirit resting nigh'
the hero's sacrifice will make the hero die
Penelope sucked in a sharp breath. What did the prophecy mean? It spoke of the death of a hero,
and Circe had said all the prophecies concerned Percy. Could this mean Percy would die? No, that seemed to terrible to imagine. But what did it have to do with her? She felt like she was looking at a huge puzzle, and there was only one piece missing to complete the picture, but that piece was vital. Yet no matter how much she thought, she couldn't make sense of it. The prophecy in itself was awful enough though.
Penelope pocketed the scroll again and turned to walk back to the Argo II and inform the others of what she had learned. But before she had taken two steps, a sharp pain flared around her neck, making her gasp.
Confused, Penelope grabbed her throat, and found that her necklace was glowing, painfully hot to the touch. A moment later it had stopped again, and left Penelope with a feeling of dread.
Without knowing how she knew, Penelope realised what this meant.
Somebody was in terrible danger, and she had to go help.

Uh-oh, trouble ahead. Can you figure out what the prophecy means and what Penelope's role is in this?
You'll find out soon, so keep your eyes open for the next update!