Hiya!

Chapter 11!

This chapter was so fun to write! GAH.

A dis-to the-claimer: All talking bits and people in the story belong to the Double R, yo.

When I walked into the cabin, an extremely bitter cold washed over me.

Something was terribly wrong with this cabin.

I think I got a bit light-headed. My dream flickered in my mind's eye, and I knew that this cabin and my dream were connected somehow.

I mean, I knew that Hera sent me the dream, but something strong was here.

Percy was connected to this cabin.

I heard chanting and I looked around. I suddenly saw a black figure behind the statue of Hera.

"Rachel?" I gasped.

She turned and dropped her shawl, revealing her curly red hair.

"Hey!" She ran towards me, almost tackling me in a hug. The statue of Hera seemed to stare disapprovingly. "I'm so sorry! I came as fast as I could!"

"It's okay…um, Rachel? Have you heard anything about Percy?"

"I haven't. I've been searching the oracle's spirit, trying to see if she'll give me any hints, but nothing yet."

I sighed.

I remembered Piper. "I'm being rude," I apologized. "Rachel, this is Piper, one of the half-bloods we rescued today. Piper, this is Rachel Elizabeth Dare, our oracle."

"The friend who lives in the cave," Piper said.

Rachel grinned. "That's me."

"So you're the oracle?" Piper asked. "You can tell the future?"

"More like the future mugs me from time to time," Rachel said. "I speak prophecies. The oracle's spirit kind of hijacks me every once in a while and speaks important stuff that doesn't make any sense to anybody. But yeah, the prophecies tell the future."

Piper looked uncomfortable. "Oh. That's cool."

Rachel laughed. "Don't worry. Everybody finds it a little creepy. Even me. But usually I'm harmless."

"You're a demigod?" Piper asked.

"Nope, just mortal."

"Then what are you…" Piper waved her hand around the room.

I'd been thinking the same thing.

Rachel frowned and looked at me. "Just a hunch. Something about this cabin and Percy's disappearance. They're connected somehow. I've learned to follow my hunches, especially the last month, since the gods went silent."

"Went silent?" Piper asked.

Rachel frowned at me. "You haven't told her yet?"

"I was getting to that," I said. "Piper, for the last month…well, it's normal for the gods not to talk to their children very much, but usually we can count on some messages now and then. Some of us can even visit Olympus. I spent practically all semester at the Empire State Building."

"Excuse me?"

"The entrance to Mount Olympus these days."

"Oh," Piper said. "Sure, why not?"

"Annabeth was redesigning Olympus after it was damaged in the Titan War," Rachel explained. "She's an amazing architect. You should see the salad bar—"

"Anyway," I cut in, "starting about a month ago, Olympus fell silent. The entrance closed, and no one could get in. Nobody knows why. It's like the gods have sealed themselves off. Even my mom won't answer my prayers, and our camp director, Dionysus, was recalled."

A/N: Sorry, I hate it when I have to interrupt, but yes, I realize that in Chapter 2 Mr. D is there. That was my fault, I forgot about all that silent gods stuff. Now I'm back on track, and he is not here. He never was!

You may resume.

"Your camp director was the god of…wine?"

"Yeah, it's a—"

"Long story," Piper guessed. Right. Go on."

"That's it, really," I said. "Demigods still get claimed, but nothing else. No messages. No visits. No sign the gods are even listening. It's like something has happened—something really bad. Then Percy disappeared."

"And Jason showed up on our field trip," Piper supplied. "With no memory."

"Who's Jason?" Rachel asked.

"My boy—my friend," Piper said, almost bitterly. "But Annabeth, you said Hera sent you a dream vision."

"Right. The first communication from a god in a month, and it's Hera, the least helpful goddess, and she contacts me, her least favorite demigod. She tells me I'll find out what happened to Percy if I go to the Grand Canyon skywalk and look for a guy with one shoe. Instead, I find you guys, and the guy with one shoe is Jason. It doesn't make sense."

"Something bad is happening," Rachel said, nodding.

Piper suddenly looked nervous. "Guys, I—I need to—"

All of a sudden, Rachel's body stiffened. Her eyes began to glow with a green light.

Crap.

She grabbed Piper by the shoulders and she started to shake her. Piper's face turned to complete shock, and she tried to wriggle away.

Free me, she rasped, her voice harsh and not her own. Free me, Piper McLean, or the earth shall swallow us. It must be by the solstice.

I jumped forward, shoving my arms between Rachel's, trying to break her hold, but Rachel was holding fast.

Suddenly, Piper went slack in Rachel's grasp. Her face was sheet-white, and her eyes slowly rolled into the back of her head. Her mouth gaped open and Rachel released her.

Piper collapsed to the marble ground with a thud.

Oooh! Chills!

Anyway, I won't be able to add another chapter today like I have been the past couple of days.

So, you get to handle a small-ish cliffhanger!

(Although, you kinda know what happens next)

I will (hopefully) update tomorrow.

Hopefully. Most likely.

We'll see!

I think that's enough A/N and parenthesis for one day.

Please send me a review! They're like candy to me!