Plapper: Hey guys. I don't own Percy Jackson. Yes surprise, after four chapters I still don't own him… Well here goes nothing.
I barely had time to dodge as Riptide came crashing down on me. Man Percy was fast! I didn't even get the chance to try and attack him before I was flat on my back with his blade at my throat. He grinned down at me and my heart fluttered a little bit. Shut up! I told it, but as usual it didn't listen. "Not bad! You're getting better."
I scoffed at that. We both knew that it wasn't true. I sucked at this whole twin blades thing! I was getting really frustrated. I had known, just known, that those blades were meant for me. They'd felt so right, they still did, but I couldn't use them at all. I was good a sword fighting, not as good as Percy, but good, but with these I felt as helpless as a child.
"No I'm not and you know it."
He looked at me with an unsure expression, obviously thinking about what to say next,but I didn't give him the chance. I tapped the blade to my wrists where they instantly wrapped themselves around my wrists turning into bracelets. Cool huh? I'd discovered the trick by accident, but I loved it. Plus they looked really cool. One was dark Stygnian Iron, the other pure silver and they fit my wrists perfectly. Not too loose and not to tight, as if they'd been made for me. Too bad I couldn't fight with them.
I sighed again. I didn't have an ounce of talent for this.
I turned around just in time to see Percy making out with Annabeth and my frown deepend. For some reason Annabeth and I didn't really get along. It was odd, because she was exactly the kind of girl I usually admired. Smart, strong, confident and with a witty attitude, yet somehow she made my head hurt.
"Hi Annabeth" I waved, feeling very self-concious of the fake smile plastered on my face. She smiled and waved back. She liked me just fine, which made me feel even worse for not liking her.
"Rachel is here", she said to Percy.
"Really?"
She nodded. "You should go say hi to her. She's not staying long… Chiron's talking to her right now, but after that I'm sure she'd love to see you."
I looked back and forth betweent he two of them and finally spoke up. " Who's Rachel?" I'd heard the name before, but I'd never payed attention… Yeah I was weird like that, but when Percy cared, I suddenly did too. Annabeth gave me a weird look, but answered anway.
"Rachel is our Oracle. She's the one who prophecied the last big prophecy, the one about Gaia."
Both their faces fell at Gaia's name and the memory. I'd heard bits and peaces from Nico, but he didn't like talking about it and I didn't ask. It had already been four years and still all that had been a part of it were deeply scarred.
"Cool", I said, trying to lighten the mood, but I didn't really succeed.
Percy smiled, shaking off whatever had been on his mind and turned to me. "You should meet her. She's cool."
I smiled and nodded. Why not? I'd never met an oracle before after all.
Rachel Elizabeth Dare, actually was pretty cool. I saw her scribbled jeans and immediately liked her. I'd like anyone who drew on their pants, ok maybe not Annabeth, but everyone else. Hmm… maybe even Annabeth.. maybe that was the problem. Next time she annoyed me I'd ask her to scribble on her pants and see if that helped.
Rachel held out her hand to me and I shook off my thoughts of attacking Annabeth with a sharpie and shook it. Suddenly Rachel was stock still, her eyes rolled back in her head and green smoke started coming out of her mouth. I tried to pull away but her gripp was iron hard. Ok maybe she wasn't so cool after all. I was freaking out when she finally spoke with a voice that made me shiver to the bones.
"A ray of light from Darkness born
To unveil a world forlorn
An heir to nations gone and lost
Reclaims the throne with final cost
A choice be made with fading breath
To bring to Gods an oath of death"
The smoke recoiled and Rachel stood there blinking and looking confused. I was frozen in place, incapable of moving, the words replaying in my head. A ray of light from darkness born. I shuddered again. Rachel let go of my hand and it fell to my side.
"What happened?" Her voice was unsure, confused and she looked around at the three of us, but I couldn't answer. I didn't even know what had happened.
Annabeth gave me an odd look, then put an arm round Rachel's shoulders. "You spoke a prophecy.. A pretty dark one too…Are you alright?" Rachel nodded.
No one asked me if I was alright. Everyone was focusing on Rachel. I slowly backed away, suddenly feeling like the world was closing in around me. That prophecy was about me, I knew it, I felt it in my bones, and that was not good. I turned around and ran.
I ran and and ran, not paying attention to the world around me. It was a blurr, it was surreal, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that I could escape, escape the panic in my chest, the fear in my heart, the doom above my head, but no matter how fast I ran, how much my legs hurt, how much my lungs ached I knew that it wasn't enough. I couldn't outrun this.
I finally broke down at Zeus fist, gasping for air, tears streaming down my face. I wondered at the strong reaction this prophecy had brought out in me. Maybe it wasn't about me… maybe it was about someone else, but then again… A ray of light from Darkness born… Kyra. It meant ray of light. It meant dark. I was a child of darkness.
I heard them call for me out in the woods. I heard Annabeth, I heard Percy and I heard Chiron, but I didn't answer. I didn't move. I couldn't. My body felt heavy, my mind tired. Rachel had touched me and the prophecy had come out. What more proof did I need?
The longing in my chest was back as well, the longing that hadn't left me since I'd dreamt of the city of silver. It had faded over time, made me think that it wasn't there anymore, but now it was burning through me hot and fierce enough to bring tears to my eyes.
I sunk down to the ground, my back against Zeus's fist, my head on my arms. I don't know how long I stayed there like that, but after a while I heard footsteps and a figure sat down beside me. I knew without looking that it was Nico. He didn't say anything and so we sat there in silence.
The world was dark when I raised my head. "Wanna tell me what happened?" He asked, but I was sure he already knew. I'd freaked out. I'd run into the woods like a crazy person. As if being the child of darkness wasn't curse enough.. Now I was the child of darkness that ran and hid. Great.
"It's about me."
"What is?"
"The prophecy."
He gave me a long look then turned to look at the stars shining through the trees.
"Are you sure?" I nodded.
He didn't question this. He didn't ask me why I was sure, he just accepted it. I rested my head against his shoulder and he put his arm around me. We sat there like that until it was late, then we got up and silently walked back to camp. About half way there I took his hand and he gave me a questioning look. I shook my head and he smiled and squeezed my hand, not saying anything. I felt a little better.
When we arrived at my cabin he gave me a quick kiss on the forhead before disappearing into the shadows, literally.
I went inside and sunk onto my bed, not bothering to take off my clothes. That was the second time I dreamt of the Lost City.
I was back in the square, but this time I wasn't alone. There were people all around me, laughing singing. Children were chasing eachother, venders were selling their goods and all the way the regal lady in the fountain smiled down on us.
I looked around to see jugglers, musicians and magicians, all showing their tallents and then my eyes fell upon a group of beautiful people. Two men and one woman. There was regal beauty about them, something otherworldy that made you look at them. They were talking to eachother, laughing and the more I watched them, the more it seemed as if they were glowing from within. They seemed to be filled with a warm light that seemed to reach out towards me and engulf me. I wanted them to see me, I wanted to be a part of them. Longing filled my soul, but they walked right past me.
As disappointment flodded through me, I realized that no one here seemed to notice me. I was an invisible observer and so I decided to follow the group. The men were both tall, with shoulder long blonde hair, braided to stay out of their faces and the woman had waist long almost white hair that fell down her back in elaborate curls. They moved with grace, almost floating and the people around them moved away as they came through.
The people weren't afraid of them though; they smiled at them, waved at them and even exchanged a couple of quick greetings. All in all everyone seemed to be incredibly happy, increadibly peacefull.
I followed them through the winding, beautiful roads of the Silver City, mesmerized by the beauty around me. This palce seemed to be too good to be true. Again the longing stirred up in my chest. I wanted this place to be real. I wanted to be a part of it, a part of the ancient magic that seemd to be coursing through the very air.
The group stopped abruptly and I almost bumped into one of them. Could I even bump into them? I didn't want to find out and so I stepped around them to see what had made them stop. We were at a main road and there were lots of people linging either side of it.
I quickly saw why. There was a huge chariot, made of gold and silver and radiating in light coming down the street. It was an acient chariot, the kind the greeks used and I began to notice the other greek features all around me. The clothing was slightly greek, the shoes even the buildings, although none in the traditional sense.
On the Chariot were a man and a woman. He was tall, with a white beard and white hair and a silver crown on his head. He too seemed to glow from within. His eyes seemed kind as he waved at the crowd. The woman was incredibly beautiful. Her hair was dark and had been pilled up on her haid in a beautiful tower with curls falling down to frame her face. There were silver diamonds glittering in her hair and she was wearing a beautiful white dress. A wedding dress. I was whitnessing a royal wedding.