[A/N] Here is chapter 9 I hope you like it.

[DISCLAIMER]I don't own PJO and I never will.

"What kind of friendly wager?" Thalia asked Nico seriously, a look of triumph flashed across his face.

"Well what do you want if you win?" he asked her smirking, he knew she was afraid of heights, this would be a piece of cake. The intenseness of her thinking process was obvious on her face, this was way too easy. Everyone would be awake at camp by now.

"I don't know." she said looking at him for suggestions and he couldn't help but smirk "What do you want?" she asked, he gulped.

"Well, uhh.." he seemed to be wasting time, she smirked at him. "How about if I win, you uh-" he was blushing slightly "k-"

"There you guys are!" came Annabeth's voice from behind them and interrupting him, Percy was next to her. Nico looked thankful to be interrupted. Thalia grinned broadly and rushed toward Annabeth to hug her. Nico followed slower smirking the whole way.

"Hey." Percy said pleasantly when they were closer Nico nodded back. Thalia and Annabeth began to gush excitedly.

"Have you talked to Chiron yet?" Percy asked getting straight to the point, the girls continued to yap animatedly.

"Yeah he went to Olympus to discuss it with the Gods," he told him "but he said Zues decreed no children of the big-three could seek a prophecy." he sounded frustrated.

"Oh great. Why can't it ever be simple?" Percy asked, he sounded exasperated. Annabeth and Thalia seemed to calm down.

"Why can't what ever be simple?" Annabeth asked, Thalia looked at them also curious.

"Zues decreed no prophecies for children of the big-three." Percy said sounding more exasperated, Thalia nodded.

"Did Zues know about the dreams then?" Annabeth asked, trying to catch up with the situation.

"No but Chiron has gone to tell him, but he's still not back." Nico answered, Thalia nodded her head in agreement. Annabeth didn't look happy with the situation.

"What are you guys doing at the climbing wall?" Percy asked eyeing Nico and stealthily smirking at him.

"Long story." Thalia said before Nico could even attempt an answer, he nodded along with her. Annabeth looked curious, Percy shrugged his shoulders.

"Can we go get some breakfast?" Percy complained "We just got here and Annabeth wouldn't let me go get any until we found you two." Annabeth rolled her eyes, Thalia laughed, and Nico snorted.

"Let's go then." Annabeth said. They turned to head toward the dining pavilion. On the way they told them about finding the kid in the woods and about the snake, but didn't explain why they were out there.

"What was his name?" Annabeth asked, Thalia and Nico looked at each other, neither had bothered to ask.

"No idea." Thalia said as Nico shrugged his shoulders. The big house had just come in sight, Mr. D was sitting on the porch. They continued toward the dining pavilion.

"Tammy! Nick! Get over here!" Mr. D yelled. Nico's jaw clenched.

"I think he wants you two." Percy said turning toward them trying to hide a smile. Nico and Thalia glared at him, causing Percy to turn away from them grab Annabeth's hand and walk briskly toward the dining pavilion.

"Guess we may as well go tell him what happened." Thalia said though sounding like she found the idea thoroughly unpleasant.

"Tell him I'll be there in a second." Nico said, he turned and started jogging towards his cabin before she could say anything. She began towards the porch. Mr. D looked mad that not only had Nico not come to him but that he had so obviously run in the other direction.

"Where's he running off too?" Mr. D asked her as she got closer, he sounded frustrated. She shrugged her shoulders.

"He said he'd be right here." she said hoping it would calm him down. It didn't.

"Why did he run off then?" he asked her rather loudly. She shrugged her shoulders again. The door to the big house opened and Nico stepped out the snakes head and skin in his hand. Thalia and Mr. D both looked at him clearly surprised. He smirked at them. Mr. D's look of surprise turned into a scowl.

"What's up Mr. D?" Nico asked conversationally, Thalia looked confused now but Mr. D was still scowling.

"You know what's up!" he yelled furiously "Who in Hades is that kid and where did you find him?"

"We don't actually know who he is." Thalia informed Mr. D while Nico nodded along letting her tell the story "We were lost in the forest and we found him so we decided to bring him back to camp." she said talking quickly.

"Where at in the forest?" Mr. D asked skeptically raiseing an eyebrow. Thalia looked at Nico for help with this question.

"If we knew that we wouldn't of been lost." Nico pointed out sarcastically, "But we were attacked by this." Nico said cutting off his angry retort and sitting the snake's head and skin on the table. Mr. D looked back and forth between the snake's head and Nico and Thalia.

"A python," Mr. D said flabbergastedly "a ball python." Thalia exchanged worried glances with Nico. Mr. D picked up the skin and started to unroll it, the more he unrolled the paler his face got.

"The forest is magically connected to other forests," Mr. D said ominously "you were probably at an interconnecting zone when you ran into this guy."

"I didn't think python's got so big." Nico said indicating the unrolled length of snake skin.

"They don't, unless.." he trailed off, he seemed to be in deep thought "That's all I need from you two, I'll send a satyr to find you when Chiron gets back." and he shooed them away. As they walked toward the dining pavilion Nico turned and saw him pick up the snake's head and skin and go inside the big house. They saw Percy and Annabeth leaving the dining pavilion and headed toward them.

"Everything go all right?" Percy asked as they got closer, beating Annabeth to it only slightly.

"Yeah, just great." Thalia said rolling her eyes, Nico looked pensive.

"The snake was a python." Nico muttered to himself, there was something about that, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"They snake was a python?" Annabeth asked him, he looked at her confused then realized he'd said it out loud, and nodded. "How big was it?" she continued her question's.

"At least 13 feet." Thalia said confidently, Percy whistled, Annabeth seemed to be going over facts in her head.

"What kind of python exactly?" she asked, looking back and forth between Nico and Thalia. Percy looked unsure of what she was leading up to.

"Mr. D said it was a ball python," Nico supplied "and yes we know they shouldn't get that big." just barely beating Annabeth to saying it.

"What are getting at?" Percy asked her hoping to cut through the excess information she was probably brimming with, she let out a breath and started.

"Don't you see?" she asked them, they all shook their heads "The Python was killed by Apollo, at Delphi." Nico's eyes widened. "And none of the children of the big-three are allowed to seek a quest." all three of them were listening to her intently. "The Python was the source of prophecy's, before Apollo killed it and the job fell to him." they seemed to know where she was headed.

"It couldn't of all been chance?" Percy asked hopefully, Annabeth shook her head.

"From what I know the Python Apollo killed was the source of all the pythons and maybe even snakes in the world," she sounded completely sure of what she was saying "and the Ball Python a.k.a. royal python is it's closest surviving relative." she finished.

"Well what does it mean then?" Percy asked her, Nico was very obviously deep in thought.

"I can't be certain but," she stated matter-of-factly"I think Nico needs to talk to Rachel as soon as possible."

Did you like it? Leave me a review then. Quest should be in the next couple chapters, I hope. Suggestions welcome. Review!