Less than a week between updates! Yay! It's a long one, too, so hope you all like it!

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Anyways, enjoy!

Percy

We pull up to Half-Blood Tourism about three hours later, around 2am. I'm exhausted and my fingers are throbbing from gripping the wheel for so long. My eyesight blurs as I follow the GPS that I had thankfully stuck in here before all of this began down a small road, past a giant pine tree and up a bumpy hill before finally, a small white sign hanging from the side of the road greets me. The weak minivan lights can barely pick up the blue lettering, but I make out the word Half-Blood as I turn onto a gravel path and stop before what seems like an old, three-story farmhouse, a few cars parked in the miniscule parking lot.

Grover stirs in the passenger seat, where he had slept for the past hour or so, muttering about enchiladas the whole time. He lets out a yawn that almost reminds me of a bleat, stretching his arms wide above his head. "Man, are we here?"

I nod, feeling like my head is made out of lead. Grover and I had spent the first little bit of this journey talking, and, honestly, he seems like a pretty cool guy. If I had to pick a person to go on this messed-up 'quest' with, he would be in the top three. Annabeth, however… every time I think we may even be getting along for a little bit, she screws it up. I mean, granted, I wasn't ready with a genius plan either, but would it have killed her to at least ask Athena about some directions before we started?

Grover has now leaned back and is waking the girl in question up, shaking her shoulder lightly. Annabeth was the first one to pass out, and for a second I feel a twinge of annoyance at the fact that I got elected the sleepless chauffer while she got to curl up and nap for a while. It's quickly replaced by shame, however, when I think about how her day must have been. We may not be on the best of terms, but I can still sympathize with what she's going through. Of course, that's not saying my day has been a walk in the park either.

"Percy? Percy?" Annabeth and Grover are staring at me, and I realize that I'd been close to nodding off. Annabeth bites her lip, looking worried. "You can wait in the car if you want. I don't think we'll be that long." Her tone, although meaning to be sympathetic, almost comes off as condescending, and I scowl as I clamber out of the car.

"I'm fine," I mutter, walking up to the front porch of the house, gravel crunching underneath my feet. Ignoring Grover and Annabeth's protests behind me, I knock loudly on the door, only to realize my mistake a few seconds later. It's 2am. Obviously no one is up. With a sigh, I turn back towards my two unlikely companions. "We can sleep in the car, I guess. Tomorrow morning they'll most likely open up and then we can…" I trail off as the foyer light switches on from inside, bathing the front steps in yellow glow. The door swings open, revealing a man sitting in a wheelchair, a blanket thrown over his legs. I bite my lip, feeling ashamed at having made someone wake up. "Um, sorry. We'll come back tomorrow."

The man peers out in the gloom curiously, gazing at the three of us with a hint of a smile before shaking his head. "No sense in that. Come in, come in. Half-Blood Tourism is always here to help, no matter what the hour."

Annabeth steps up behind me, biting her bottom lip. "Are you sure? We don't want to be of any inconvenience. I apologize for my… friend knocking on your door- he can be a little bit of a seaweed brain sometimes." The nickname slips out of her lips easily, as if she didn't realize her words at first, but then her eyes widen and she looks away and flushes, much like I myself am doing. This travelling-together thing is bringing back a lot of past memories, for better or for worse.

The man smiles, looking as if he knows exactly what happened between Annabeth and I as he props the door open wider. "Nonsense. You all look exhausted. Come in, come in. I'm Chiron."

I glance at Grover, who shrugs. The three of us step into the front hallway, following Chiron as he wheels into what seems to be a big office, much like Mr. D's. This one, however, is neater, and seems to be mainly full of pictures of children posing in orange t-shirts, by a lake and a campfire and the strangest looking cabins I've ever seen. Grover sinks down into a chair, leaving Annabeth and I to share the couch. I shoot him a glare as Chiron begins to speak again.

"So, is this a high school roadtrip gone wrong? Separated from your tour group? Accidentally wandered upon here and needed a place to spend the night?" Chiron wheels himself behind his desk, folding his hands on top.

Annabeth sighs, fidgeting with her fingers. "Um, well, Percy, Grover and I are kind of on a… quest of sorts."

Chiron's eyebrows shoot upwards. "Are you three some kind of roleplayers?"

I snort quickly to hold back a laugh. Everyone's gaze swivels towards me, Annabeth glaring, the other two looking merely curious. "Sorry, sorry. No, we're not. Annabeth's mom came to talk to her- I guess you could say yesterday. She told Annabeth that the fate of the world depends on the three of us, and that we need to follow something called the Mark of Athena and find out it's secret. The coin, er, spoke to us and told us that we needed to come here." I slink down on the couch, realizing how insane I sound. Chiron probably thinks we're all high or something.

However, to my surprise, Chiron seems to look at us with a much higher regard now, straightening up in his wheelchair. "You're them," He whispers, gaping at us as if he could hardly believe his eyes.

"Um, what?" Grover looks at Chiron in surprise. "Sorry, do you mind clarifying who exactly 'them' are?"

"Sorry, my dear child, sorry," Chiron clears his throat. "You three are the beginning of the prophecy. The first of the saviors of Olympus," I'm starting to reconsider who's high in this room. "You must go and talk to the Oracle. She will be able to explain this much better than I. The Great Prophecy."

Annabeth glances around, looking as bewildered as I felt. "But it's almost 3am, and Percy still hasn't slept… and what do you mean, an Oracle? Like, someone who can tell the future? And a prophecy? I liked the roleplaying theory much better!" At any other time, I would be flattered thanks to her concern for me, but right now I'm too busy trying to make sense of Chiron's words. The man has wheeled away from his desk now, ushering us out into the main hallway with more than a little force.

"Go up those stairs, children, until you reach the attic," Chiron's voice has dropped to a whisper. "Trust me. This is all in your best interests to finding the secret to the Mark."

With that, he wheels himself back into the office, letting the door click shut behind him. I turn towards Annabeth and Grover, who still stand at the bottom of the stairs looking worried. "What could be the worst that could happen?" I begin to ascend the staircase, the wooden steps creaking underneath my feet.

"You never ask that, Percy," Grover grumbles, as he and Annabeth begin to follow me up, his crutches banging noisily against the wood. I roll my eyes and ignore him, finally reaching the top landing. There's a trapdoor above my head, a rope hanging down from it. With a jump, I manage to reach it, and a rope ladder flies down from the open hole, almost smacking me in the face as I careen backwards into Annabeth to avoid getting pushed.

She squeaks, pushing me off with flaming cheeks. "Sorry," I mutter sheepishly, stepping forward to peer up into the gloom. It looks dark, and for a second I wonder if all of this could just be a trap.

Grover comes over to stand beside me, taking one look at the fraying rope before adamantly shaking his head no. "Nope, not doing that. There's no way I'm getting up, and even less of a chance I'm going to get back down."

I sigh, placing my right foot on the bottom rung of the ladder. It holds, so carefully, I place my other foot on next to it. "Looks like it's just me and Annabeth, then." With a sigh, I begin to climb up, finally emerging into the darkness. Within seconds, Annabeth is beside me, clicking the light from her phone on to illuminate the dusty room, piles of long-forgotten clothing and belongings draped over every surface. It looks like something straight out of a horror movie.

There's a click behind us, and Annabeth and I whirl around to see a candle flicker on, and then another, and another. We cautiously walk towards them, more flames illuminating our path the farther we walk. Finally, we reach the corner of the attic, roped off by a thick white sheet. In the dim candlelight, I can barely make out a human figure sitting on a stool on the other side.

"Um, hi?" Annabeth approaches the sheet, looking nervous. "Chiron sent us up here to talk to you. I heard there was a prophecy about us?"

There's no response from the other side of the sheet, save for a faint twitch of a hand. I sigh, stepping forward to stand beside Annabeth. "Look. We're trying to find the secret to the Mark of Athena. Apparently that makes us special for some weird reason I don't know. But Chiron says that we're the first of the 'Great Prophecy', whatever that is, so can you please just explain your spiritual crap to us before we decide to leave"

"Percy!" Annabeth hisses, whacking me on the arm, but to her chagrin, my comment seems to work. The figure swivels around to face us, and although I still can't see her eyes through the sheet, I'm beginning to feel like she's staring straight into my soul.

"The heroes have arisen," The voice is feminine, soft and brittle, and sends chills up my spine. "Wisdom's daughter and the son of the sea. Sworn enemies, although not for long," The woman cackles, sounding like she's hacking up a lung. "Oh, what the Fates have planned… you are only the first, children. Only the first of them all."

"Wait, what?" Annabeth looks confused, which doesn't happen very often. "How do you know all this? Who are you?" She lifts a hand as if to lift the sheet, but I bat her arm away. When she turns to give me an inquisitive look, I shrug.

"Something tells me she doesn't like you much," I grin a little, leaning back against a stack of dusty boxes. "But obviously she's fallen for my stellar looks, and amazing charm."

"Oh, shut up, Percy!" Annabeth is frustrated, I can tell. She begins to pace back and forth, turning her back away from the figure behind the sheet, who has fallen still yet again. "There must be some logic to her words. Maybe a code? Maybe it's a code associated with the Mark, and the coin translates it?"

"Or maybe," I interject, looking towards the sheet. There's odd smoke billowing out from underneath it, almost green in colour. "Maybe you should turn around and just let her speak. It looks like she's been planning this dramatic presentation for a while."

Annabeth whirls back around, her mouth open, but upon seeing the green smoke she abruptly shuts it, inching closer towards me. Her arm brushes against mine for a split second, and I stiffen, even that simple gesture sending tingles through my body. We stand there, the two of us, the smoke swirling around, before finally the figure behind the sheet rises and turns to face us, everything but her outline still concealed. I can see her face lengthen as her jaw opens, before she begins to speak yet again.

"A few to begin, far more to end, the three will gain both foes and friends. From blue to gold, they leave the ground, a terrible fate awaits them at touchdown. Intentions are wrong, the truth's far worse, wisdom will chose who will be first. Never alone, but without the guidance of a mother, two will make a terrible blunder. All must rise, together as one, to defeat the master, when all else is done." The Oracle's voice lilts up and down as she speaks, the words sounding like she'd recited them a thousand times before.

Annabeth jerks back as if slapped. "Was that… was that the Great Prophecy?"

Almost imperceptibly, the figure nods, the green smoke beginning to dissipate. "Yes, child. You are the Saviors of Olympus, come at last."

"I don't understand," I should probably be pissing myself in terror right now, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins disguises that at the moment. "What does this have to do with the Mark of Athena? And why are we saviors?"

The Oracle laughs her high-pitched cackle again. "You shall see, my dear boy. But before I leave this spirit, allow me to present you with some advice. Find the girl named Ella in Portland, Oregon. She will have all the answers you need."

"Oregon?" Annabeth furrows her brow. "That's a two day drive!"

"It will take you much longer than two days, saviors," The woman behind the sheet sits back down, and ceases movement yet again. Clearly, that's all we're getting out of her. I turn around, expecting Annabeth to be already moving back down the stairs, but instead she's staring at the white sheet with a determined expression. Before I can stop her, she darts forwards, grabbing the sheet and pulling it back to reveal the Oracle.

Well, what's left of the Oracle.

Annabeth screams, as do I, backing away from the figure as fast as we can. Behind the sheet lies a skeleton, bandages trailing off her arms and an ornate dress covering her figure. Her skull is bare, mouth a gaping hole. A spider crawls out of the left eyehole, only causing Annabeth to scream louder. I remember her intense fear of spiders from when we were kids, and a primitive instinct causes me to wrap my arms around her shaking form as we both gape at the figure that we could have sworn spoke to us a moment ago.

"May… maybe it's a hallucination," Annabeth's struggling to think logically. I nod, knowing nothing else would make any sense. Even on a crazy trip like this, skeleton's don't come to life and spew life-changing prophecies. "Yeah, it's all in our minds, that's all." She sounds like she's trying to talk herself into her theory.

The Oracle, who had sat still up until this point, now raises one bony hand at us and waves her fingers almost mockingly, as if taking delight in our terror. Annabeth screams even louder, grabbing the first object she sees- a rusted knife- and pointing it at the pile of bones in front of us. I try to keep my grip around her waist, but I'm shaking so hard myself that it's hard to restrain her. The Oracle looks right towards me and grins, her actual skull molding before my very eyes into a grotesque smile.

I'm not sure if it's the intense fear I'm feeling or lack of sleep or just the plain bizarreness of this whole situation, but at that moment, my knees buckle out from underneath me and I fall, my head hitting the floor hard.

My vision goes black, and I could swear Annabeth's screams get louder as I trail off into a blissful sleep.

When I open my eyes again, I'm on a beach.

It's clearly a dream, even though everything feels so real. The sun shines on my face, my skin heating up instantaneously from the warmth. The sand that I'm currently sitting on scratches the back of my legs, getting in between my toes. Birds fly overhead, and a light breeze ruffles the otherwise serene landscape.

I'm not sure where I am- somewhere fairly south. There's no one else around for miles, although vacant tourist shops and playgrounds litter the beach. I stand up, brushing sand off of my swim trunks, and turn around to get a full view of my surroundings.

I jerk back in surprise as the rear end of a statue greets me. From the back, it looks like any famous figure, but as I walk around I realize that it's a statue of Neptune, God of the Sea. I remember my mom telling me stories about him when I was younger, plus, it says the name on the handy plaque in front of it. With a grin, I begin to walk away to explore. I'm not sure why I'm here, but the beach is one of my favourite places on Earth and I'm not about to let an opportunity like this, even if it's just in a dream, pass me by.

"So, I hear you like the ocean," I turn to see a figure leaning against the Neptune statue, dressed in shorts and a Hawaiian print shirt. His green eyes scan over the statue, lips tugging upward at the ends as if remembering a funny joke. "I had hoped you would. I mean, you couldn't have gotten all your genes from Sally."

I stare at him in shock, barely able to contain my shock. "Dad?" I've never actually seen my real dad- he left my mom before I was born. However, one day when I was around seven, I was looking for where my mother had hidden my Christmas presents and I came across an old photo shoved underneath her bed, one that showed her and a man standing on this very same boardwalk. She had been laughing, holding hands with the same man that now stood in front of me now… Anger begins to replace my shock. "So now you show up in my freaking dream. Nice. Can't even visit your own son in real life." I know this is all in my head, but trust me, I have a lot of pent-up anger directed at the man in front of me, and I'm going to get it out even if this is just a figment of my imagination.

"Percy, please," My father steps away from the statue of Neptune, hands held out in front of him as if attempting to placate me. "I know you're angry at me right now, but I need you to trust me. I can help you on your quest."

I laugh bitterly. "Then where was this 'help' when Gabe beat my mom? Where was this 'help' when we were penniless? You aren't my Dad. You've never been in my life, and the closest thing I have to a father right now is Paul, who, I might add, if doing a much better job at the role than you ever would. I can handle this quest alone. Annabeth knows what she's doing."

My father winces, but I'm not sure what part of my statement he's reacting to. "Percy, just hear me out. Annabeth is leading you astray. The quest is all wrong."

"Why do you care?" I mutter, kicking at the sand by my feet. "If I die, it's just less weight on your conscience. Annabeth is smart, and I'm going to help her find the secret to the Mark of Athena. You don't need to get involved in any of this.

With a sigh, my father runs his hand along the base of the statue. "You know, Percy, after all that girl put you through, I would have hoped you would have more common sense about this whole ordeal. But clearly, both you and her are still as infatuated with one another as you were before-"

"Don't you dare mention that," I stalk towards the man, hands in my pockets. "I hate her, alright? And she hates me. We're just doing this because otherwise, the world will end. We're the Heroes of Olympus, after all."

My father chuckles, but there is no mirth in his voice. "Oh, I see. That's why. Alright, son, you keep on believing that. But if you want real family- people who won't betray you or leave you, who will love you unconditionally- go to Virginia Beach. Find this statue. All the answers will be there."

With that, he abruptly disappears, leaving nothing more behind than a faint sea breeze.

Yeah, a ridiculous amount of stuff happened in this chapter. Hope you all liked my portrayal of Chiron, Poseidon, and the Oracle- they were all so fun to write! We'll be introducing a couple new characters next chapter, as well as some information on Annabeth's backstory, so stay tuned for that!

There may be a bit of a delay between this update and the next because my aunt is getting a really big surgery tomorrow and depending on how it goes, I probably won't be around much. Plus, my math teacher's a bitch that's assigning us piles of homework no one understands, so I have that to deal with too. I'll let you guys know on Tumblr and on the 'News' section at the top of my profile what's going on!

Hope you all enjoyed the Olympics! Canada owned at hockey, let me tell you. And also curling, which I don't get at all, but still...

Thanks for reading,

-Jace ;)