Skeleton Flower

Chapter 2

The Lovers' Prophecy

Resentment will make the wheel of fate swing

A child of death and spring shall born where none shall be

With the magician's punishment chaos it will bring

And of the three kingdoms it shall be king

Rachel Elizabeth Dare maintained a serene expression after reciting the prophecy, as if she was relieved to get it off her chest. Her curly red hair was brushed and shiny, contrasting with her oversized, worn sweats and dirt-stained bare feet.

Nico couldn't remember the last time he had stepped into the Cave of the Oracle, in fact he thought he had never been to that place before, since every time he heard about a prophecy it was already in progress. But this time it was different, he was the main character of that story now, and he felt an enormous fear grip his heart when Rachel said the last words:

- It's The Lovers' Prophecy.

- What? - was the only thing Nico managed to say. His mind was in a whirl and he was on the verge of having an anxiety attack in that place. Nico had never been bothered by caves and dark places, but that one was making him nervous.

- I don't know, I just thought it appropriate to call it that - Rachel replied, throwing a not-so-subtle glance at Nico and Mina.

"A son of death and spring shall born where none shall be"

Nico gulped as he remembered the second verse. A child of death and spring… That meant...

All the tension in the place seemed to dissolve at the sound of Mina's laughter. The Persephone's daughter had been quiet the whole time, eating pomegranate seeds that she had grown with her own hands since she missed breakfast, but now her face looked stretched too thin with laughter.

Nico turned to look at Mina, wondering if she knew the importance of Rachel's prophecies, what she probably didn't.

Mina continued to laugh until the pomegranate fell from her hands, and she used her clean fingers to wipe away the small tears that had trickled out of her eyes.

- Was that all? - Mina asked looking directly at Rachel, who, like Nico, didn't know how to react to that situation.

- Yes - Rachel said, the torch flames and purple curtains making her freckles stand out. She looked at Nico as if asking "is she crazy?"

Mina got rid of the pillows and stomped out of the Cave of the Oracle, pushing aside the curtains like they were snakes in a jungle. Despite still being shocked by everything he'd heard, Nico followed her after making sure he had memorized the entire prophecy.

Mina was waiting for him outside, leaning against one of the outer walls of the cave, still wiping away her tears, but now her smile was completely gone.

- I don't like prophecies - Nico heard Mina whisper as he got closer - or strange dreams.

Nico wanted to comfort her somehow, but then Rachel's words came back to him and he took a step back, shoving his hands in his pockets as if any touch from him could create a bigger problem, like destroying the universe and everything we know.

- Do you know what an oracle is? – Nico asked, he needed to.

Mina simply nodded, she wasn't looking at him, but at the roof of the Big House that loomed in the distance, the only part of the house that was visible for them, where Chiron took Petros after dropping them off with Rachel. Mina seemed very interested in him, but Petros stopped her from touching his horse half every time she tried.

- I think they'll take a little longer - Nico said, knowing Mina wanted to go there.

- You're right - Mina said, but her voice sounded sorrowful, like a bird that used to fly high and is now trapped in a cage - let's eat something then.

The Dining Pavilion had so many empty tables now that it looked more like a failed restaurant than a children's camp. The Greek columns still framed the view of the sea, but the cloudy sky took away all the cozy feeling that this place could bring with the fire. Mina was still wearing a thick coat over green pants and seemed to be the only one feeling so cold in there.

Nico figured Mina already knew where she was supposed to sit, as she'd been living in the camp for a while, but she didn't seem to care about the rules, sitting next to Nico and picking up the first goblet she saw in front of her, which soon was filled with Diet Coke, which she downed in one gulp before refilling it.

Soon the table was piled high with grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, plus the finest quality barbecue served by dryads whose smiles seemed to fade as they approached Mina and Nico.

The satyrs and nymphs that accompanied Dionysus in the distance seemed to be whispering about them, and the god soon covered his face with a bowl of fresh strawberries as soon as he noticed Nico staring at him.

"They already know," Nico thought.

- I hate this - Mina said while shredding a piece of bread and stuffing it with meat and roasted vegetables - it's like the first week again.

Nico nodded silently and tried to imitate Mina, eating whatever was on the table. It was a lot easier eating at the camp, he had to admit, that is, easier when he wasn't the center of attention, but at least they didn't have to watch every corner of the place, looking for Cyclops or lurking monsters.

- How long does a prophecy last? - Mina asked, she was already on her second sandwich and sometimes still turned her face looking for Petros.

- We don't know, things just happen... I think Percy or Annabeth could help us, but they're not here.

"And I don't know if I want to talk to anyone else about this," Nico thought, wishing more than anything that his sister Hazel was there.

- You mean it doesn't have an expiration date?

- It's a prophecy, not a yogurt - Nico replied, sounding harsh to Mina's ears.

Mina put down her sandwich, she was sitting facing Nico on purpose to avoid the gazes of the other campers.

- You don't have to act that way.

- Like what? - Nico replied.

She approached him and Nico automatically stopped breathing.

- Like this - she pointed at him and let out a long sigh - this prophecy is bullshit, all of it is... I don't want to be part of the gods' game, that's why I'm ignoring my mother since we left, you should do the same.

- It's easy when your mother can't leave the Underworld.

- I know - Mina smiled a little, the cold breeze outside made her hair unable to dry - but let's not talk about the prophecy anymore, the more we think about it soon will become something real, not to mention that...

They looked at each other for a second.

- It's weird! - Mina and Nico said at the same time, finally dispelling the unease that had been hanging over them since leaving the oracle.

- Everyone is looking at us like we're going to do something evil or romantic at any moment.

- I know! - Nico whispered - As if the children of the underworld reproduce differently or something.

They grimaced in disgust and Mina shook her head quickly, as if trying to get rid of a horrible image that came to her mind.

- As if we could pull children from the roots of the ground – the girl said - which we can't do, no one ever could, nor with pain, tears or milk.

She was thoughtful for a few seconds and the fun moment soon came to an end.

Nico thought Mina would hold his hands, but the girl looked hesitant, and then gave up, perhaps because of the audience listening to every word that came out of their mouths and every gesture of affection. He also wanted to ask Mina about the meaning of her words, but he hesitated too and missed his best chance.

Mina then held out her hands, causing a fresh red pomegranate to appear. She cut the fruit and handed half to Nico.

- Eat - said Mina.

- What? - Nico looked confused, he didn't like pomegranates and Persephone's daughter knew that very well.

- Eat, it will be our secret. From now on we will no longer think about the prophecy, nor about the gods' plans, we'll just be Nico and Mina, like when we were traveling.

The son of Hades didn't like pomegranates, or anything to do with Persephone, but this came from Mina, and it was basically a statement of trust, and she looked at him full of expectation and hope, so he took two seeds and ate them.

- Excellent! - Mina said with a smile, she also took two pomegranate seeds and ate them quickly - I'm going after Petros, I think he's taking too long, and I didn't have a good dream last night.

- What? - Nico grabbed Mina by the wrist before she could leave, not caring what others would think - But I thought you had finally rested.

- And I did - Mina said, she wasn't lying - but I don't think I was sleeping soundly because I wanted to.

Another cold breeze caught them, making Mina shiver.

- I'd better go now, I'll see you in the cabin later - she said before leaving the pavilion and throwing what's left of the pomegranate into the bonfire

- I would be careful if I were you - a familiar voice reached him, making Nico turn around and face the oracle.

- Rachel Elizabeth Dare? - Nico said - What are you doing here? Don't you have to stay in your cave all the time?

- What? Of course not - Rachel replied. She had changed her sweatshirt for clean pants and was holding a tray with food - I was hungry, but I decided to stop for a while to warn you about what's coming.

- You already told me about the prophecy - Nico rolled his eyes - it doesn't get any worse than that.

- I just thought that maybe the girl didn't get it right - Rachel said. She might seem like a normal girl at times, but in reality, Nico always thought this thing about seeing the future was the most dangerous ability anyone could have - but you got it, didn't you, Nico?

Nico didn't answer, but he could hear his father screaming in his mind, full of joy.

First full of disappointment, now joyful and zealous. Nico didn't know which version of his father was worse.

- The gods must already be arguing about you two - Rachel said, she remained standing, respecting the rules of the pavilion.

Nico remained seated, enjoying the warmth of the fire as he ate more pomegranate seeds.

...


And those were the two chapters! I didn't write any more after that and I remember that I started this sequel without having a concrete plan of what I was doing, but I thought you would like to read it, so I posted it.

Thank you to everyone who is still reading Le Underworld.

I really want to get back to writing, but I still don't have the motivation to do so.

Anyway, read, write, have fun with your ideas!

See you all any day.