(Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, but I do own Michael, Jennifer, Clayton, and Nathan.)

December 15

Annabeth's POV

I, Annabeth Chase, just punched Michael in the face. And I'll admit that it felt good to hit someone again after that one school Percy had when he was in seventh grade. Michael gaped me while holding his bloody nose.

"My architectural facts aren't annoying!" I told him, "Maybe you just need to use more brains than brawns!"

"Annabeth," Clarisse said, "It's good that you punched him, but it looks like you just used more brawns over brains. All Athena children should know that."

"He was asking for it," I reminded her, storming off to the Athena table. She was absolutely right, but I didn't regret it. Clarisse reluctantly sat back down and ignored the moans from Michael. As for me, I stabbed my fork into the salad and twisted it like I had no care whatsoever.

"I couldn't have done that myself. I would never have the confidence to actually break up with someone," Jennifer eyed me, "Looks like someone beat me to it."

"You're welcome," I muttered.

"Hey, it's not your fault. None of it is."

"You're lucky that the dance is called off. If Chiron reinstates it, then I don't know what would happen," I said, taking a bite of my salad.

"Hakuna matata, I'll—"

I cut her off, "We don't speak Swahili, Jennifer."

"Okay, fine. I'll find someone and get to know him," she said, but that didn't exactly reassure me. Then I just realized all the people in the dinner pavilion were staring at me.

"What?" I asked them. Then they went back to their conversations.

Percy's POV

The evening past quickly, even after what Annabeth did to the meanest kid in Camp Half-Blood. Silena Beauregard already started to gossip about it when we'd reached the campfire. She glared at me suspiciously and started a subject that I didn't catch the name for. I only caught the words "sleeping pills". But all conversation stopped when Clayton, one of the Apollo kids, brought out a game board.

"Who wants to play the Ouija board?" he asked. (He pronounced it like wee-jah.) Everyone gasped.

"What in the world gave you the idea to bring that thing in camp?" Beckendorf asked warily.

"I just thought we should know our futures," Clayton said.

"Chiron says it's not good to know our futures—," I started, but he cut me off.

"Do you want to play or not?"

People looked at me and started shaking their heads saying: No, don't do it! Even if it's the last thing you do in life!

"Uh... no thanks," I said.

"Anyone else?"

No one answered. Clayton opened the game box and took out a rectangular board with letters of the English alphabet, numbers zero to nine, and the words Yes, No, and Good Bye on it. Two images on the top corners of the Ouija board looked like the sun and the other was a moon crescent with a star.

Clayton chanted in Ancient Greek and hurled the board into the bonfire. The flames suddenly burst into purple colors until an image of the game board appeared. Everyone seemed to be holding their breaths.

"Legend says that the Ouija board can read true thoughts, emotions, and even the future," Clayton explained while taking out a wooden planchette, "Apollo created it in China a few years after he was assigned the Oracle of Delphi."

He hurled the planchette towards the enflamed board and as soon as it hit, it was stuck like glue.

"Who's first?" Clayton asked. No one answered. I didn't want that thing to read my mind. Jennifer raised her hand.

"Ask a question and it'll answer," Clayton said.

"Who will be my next friend?" she asked the game.

The flames of the bonfire died down as the planchette started to move on its own. It slowly ended up on the letter N and then moved to B.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jennifer asked Clayton.

"They're initials," he said, "Who's next?"

Jennifer muttered something about Clayton being so vague that he's harder to understand than the Oracle.

Jason stood, "Will I succeed with the water jug?"

The planchette moved to the word Yes. He smiled and sat back down. I didn't know what he was talking about but I guess it was good.

Nathan darted his head towards several people and swallowed, "Who—who is my mom?"

Everyone waited for the Ouija board to make its move. Suddenly, the flames grew to as tall as a California Redwood, one of the tallest trees in the world. Clayton chanted in Ancient Greek and the board flew back into his hands including the wood planchette. The flames were getting taller by the second. Everyone started to panic.

"Do something, Percy!" Annabeth yelled at me. I tried concentrated on the currents whipping themselves against the shores of Camp Half-Blood, but people were screaming and running all over the place.

Then Nathan let loose a scream that would've traveled for miles, "SHUT—UP!"

Everyone suddenly stopped and turned with confused faces towards him. That really shut them up. I concentrated again. This time, a wave roared in my ears, followed by a sharp tug in my guy, and the fire was doused like someone just dumped a hundred gallons of water on it. I was starting feeling like I was going to pass out.

Annabeth's POV

What the heck just happened? Before I could say that out loud, Percy doubled over and I ran over to keep him from falling.

"I'm okay..." he faintly said. The conch horn abruptly sounded.

"No you're not," I told him. Nathan walked over to us while the rest of the campers filed out, avoiding contact with him.

"Hey," he said, "Sorry—I, um... didn't except that to happen back there."

"I knew that Ouija board was possessed!" I said, carrying Percy by the shoulder to the cabin area.

"Want me to help?" Nathan asked.

"Sure. Let's get this Seaweed Brain to bed."

Then I could swear that Percy cracked a smile.

For some strange reason, my mind cannot process imagery very good at the moment because I had a dream last night and it scared the crap out of me. It was about me dying and being reborn and named "Jeremy Hives" or something and I was living in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Then my dream self asked "How do I remember all this?" because all memories of past life started flooding in my mind and that's the part where I abruptly woke up. I'm just having a crappy day today.