Summary

Three amazing series. Many well-loved characters. Numerous fans, one fandom. This story is my attempt at what may have happened after the battle that happens at the conclusion of the Giant War. Given that this story was written well ahead of the Trials of Apollo, it will be inconsistent with that plotline.Being a demigod has never been easy. Read ahead at your own risk.

It was cold. That was the first thing that struck her as odd. Not long since the Giant War, the sky had always been shadowed, like the sun was either lost or hiding. Rumour had spread that Apollo had lost his position among the gods, and with it, his immortality. Reyna could only hope that it remained just that- a rumour. She held no love for the god of the sun, but she knew that if ever the rumour was true, the consequences could be catastrophic. Ever had the two camps relied on prophecies to guide their actions. If Apollo was indeed lost to them, it would mean grave things indeed.

With Aurum and Argentum loyally flanking her sides as she sat in the principia, Reyna pondered for long if she was perhaps looking for a storm where there was none. It had been cold and gloomy ever since, even at times when it would have been bright and sunny, but somehow, it felt out of the ordinary. Somehow, the biting chill of the winds filled her with a sense of dread- a premonition of something to come. Had she been any other, she would have dismissed it as paranoia, but premonition meant everything when one lived the life of a demigod. It meant the faint line between life and death.

She did not want to fight another battle. She had lost enough people already, and it would be a while before she felt the thrill of battle yet again. Seeing Jason often at her camp had been hard on her. It was one thing to know that the one she loved was lost to another. It was entirely different having to watch them enjoy that which she was cursed never to find for herself. Even working to mend the camp had not been too easy. She still had to learn to work with Frank, and it would take time to build enough trust between them. Trust gained not merely from the knowledge of the other's past actions, but gained from interacting with one another.

She also wondered about Rachel, and the Sibylline books that she and Ella,the harpy, had been working on. Over time, she had come to see Rachel as a friend who did not pose a threat to the place she now called home. Her doubts that Rachel could manipulate the Romans like Octavian had had long been laid to rest, and she wondered if Rachel felt the same promotion that she did. If she didn't, then perhaps, it wouldn't be a matter of much concern, but if she did, then she knew they were all but clueless about what should be done.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. As she called for the person to enter, she didn't know if she should be worried or glad to know who had called on her. It was Rachel, and the neutral expression on her face gave away nothing. The small smile on her face hardly reached her eyes, which shone with worry. Even as she shut the door behind her, Reyna knew then that it was not something meant for all to hear. Rachel hadn't simply come to meet a friend. She had come here with a purpose. She had not come to her as Rachel Elizabeth Dare, but as Rachel, the host of the Oracle of Delphi.

"Hello, Rachel! I didn't quite expect to see you. What brings you here today, for I can see it wasn't simply to talk of trivial matters?"

"Well, for one, I didn't expect to find myself here either but I thought I should let you know it first, before anybody else. In a way, you could say it concerns you."

"And what may that be?"

"I think it'd be better if we both get ourselves seated. As much as I hate to say this, it may not be something you'd like to hear."

Reyna moved to take a seat. It wasn't like she feared what she could hear, but if Rachel thought it was something bad, then a bit of caution wouldn't be amiss.

"So what is all this about? I don't suppose we have a prophecy on our hands again?"

"Not really, no. I suppose it may seem unusual to you, but over the past few days, I've been seeing phrases again. Not really on dreams or visions, but something of the sort."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"It didn't seem to be of much significance, until yesterday, when it mentioned you quite literally."

"Thank you Rachel. I'll see what I can do about it."

Reyna pondered on that for a while. She took the small sheet that Rachel had left for her. On it were a few lines written in Rachel's hand, widely spaced from each other. Rachel was right. Read individually, they didn't seem to make much sense to her with the exception of a single line. Perhaps, she wasn't reading it in the right order.

She set the note apart for a while. Foremost on her mind, was making sure that no word got out of this new development. Romans found their strength in order and discipline. Fear would only cause havoc, and such tidings were bound to strike fear into those who were still recovering from the brutalities of war. She wouldn't tell Frank either. Not yet. If it was something that concerned her, she would decide if she would share it.

With such thoughts on her mind, she looked back at the note once more, trying her best to decipher it by putting it together in various ways. As she continued with her self-appointed task, she wondered how the other camp was doing. Percy and Annabeth had just left for their camp once more. They had been at New Rome for a while to study. She wondered how Nico was doing, and hoped to see him once more. The few days on the quest that she had journeyed with him had shown her that he was much more than he seemed. Maybe he would be able to tell her if the other camp was faring any better.

A few moments later, she looked back at the latest attempt she had made, reading the lines, horror struck.