Lost

Wind stirred. Waves crested and rolled. The earth rumbled. Something was coming. They knew it. However, not even the all-seeing sun could tell just what awaited them. In the murky dungeon. Sat at a roaring bonfire. Resting in the midnight woods. Read from the ancient passages. Recited by the God of Prophecies. Whispered to nobody but the one speaking it. It came. The first warning. It was not a grand spectacle of disaster like the Giants had been. Nor the conniving subtlety and buildup of the Titans. No, it was a murmur; a prophecy thought to be in the far-distant future. After all, hadn't they endured enough? Hadn't they served and more? Did they not deserve rest?

Choices made through every time

A single soul do they bind

His world ablaze and power sure

The other souls, to him are lured

Connected by his fatal flaw

A single choice to chase his fall

No, they had, did, not. The campers sat silent, the bonfire; once roaring above the trees, now muted and pale as Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Oracle of Camp Half Blood, recited yet another prophecy. A Great Prophecy. Eyes turned to a single camper, who sat once comfortably by his girlfriend of three years. Now, he felt sweat run down the back of his neck, the silence deafening.

Chiron stood with unease, mirrored, though much better hidden, by Mr D., who sat beside him to oversee the campfire singing that had occurred moments before. The old centaur prayed to every god he could think of. Spare them, he pleaded. Please, let it be anybody else. The gods, however, remained quiet; unable or unwilling to relieve the mentor of heroes of his fears. It didn't take long for the silence to break.

"Uh," Perseus Jackson, Chiron's pride and joy of a student, was eloquent with his words as always. "So, who wants to volunteer for this one?" He spoke with an anxiousness that was palpable, but the light humor in his words helped break the tension around the bonfire. Small sounds of laughter and tittering came from the other campers as those close to the Oracle had moved to assist her, keeping her vertigo from forcing her into collapsing.

"It appears that a new Great Prophecy has been spoken," Chiron picked up the slack, receiving a grateful smile from his student. "We shall call this bonfire to an early dismissal. You all have an hour's free time before returning to your cabins. Please do be punctual, I would hate to have any of the harpies find you breaking curfew." The campers, now alleviated of some of their concerns, took their time to peter out from the amphitheater. Some of the elder campers, including Percy and his girlfriend, Annabeth, remained behind.

It was happening again, thought the blonde daughter of Athena. It was happening again, and there was nothing they could do about it. What would it be this time? Chaos? Nyx, again? Some other vague threat to the Olympians that they'd conveniently forgotten about? Annabeth's mind raced through the possibilities. It had to be a man. The prophecy specified that. Something about binding them together. Who was them? What about the line about the fatal flaw? Did that confirm it had to be a demigod? Would this be Luke 2.0? Please don't let it be Luke 2.0.

A hand gripping her shoulder brought Annabeth from her thoughts. She didn't even have to look to know it was Percy. She did anyways, though. She enjoyed seeing him, for any reason. There was a comforting smile on his face, though it didn't reach his eyes. Of course, he had to be worried as well.

"It'll be fine, Wise Girl," she would never admit how much her heart fluttered whenever he called her that. Sure, it was something Clarisse had called her at first to try and insult her, but somehow it had become his. Theirs. "Maybe we'll luck out, right? There's no way the Fates would be cruel enough to shove us into another prophecy, right?"

"Well, you know, three is a sacred number, Seaweed Brain," she retorted. It was in jest, but she didn't miss how his smile twitched and his eyes hardened at the suggestion. "I mean, I'm sure it'll be someone else this time." She decided to instead reassure him. "We can sit back, relax, and watch the world set itself on fire without us. How's that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan worthy of Annabeth," Percy replied, chuckling afterwards.

"Way to make it sound peachy," another voice spoke from the side; a young man named Leo approached them when he'd spoken. "I come back from Texas for the summer for another prophecy and you two about to bail? C'mon, I barely survived the last one!"

"Pretty sure you didn't," Percy added, helpfully, earning himself a punch on the shoulder from his girlfriend. "Ow!"

"Please, like even death could keep down Leo McBad-Boy-Supreme! Uh, no offense Thanatos?" No response, as expected. "Still though, you sure you don't want to, I dunno, like train the others? Just in case?"

"I'd only been at camp for a few weeks when I went on my first quest," Percy spoke before Annabeth could. "I think I turned out pretty alright."

"Alright being a head full of kelp," the daughter of Athena added. "Though… I do think it's best we keep our hands clean of this one. I know it's selfish, but I really don't want to be dragged into another prophecy. If I can do anything to avoid it, then so be it."

"Even though we'll probably get mixed in, anyway," Percy said, his tone bitter and low.

"Even then," Annabeth agreed. Leo looked between the two of them. Ever since completing the quest to defeat Gaea and put her back to sleep, the two of them had been far more bitter. Specifically after coming back from escaping the big T. Something about them always seemed off. As much as the two of them were pretty much the biggest heroes Olympus had ever seen, something about them just seemed to repel anyone who didn't already know them personally.

"Sorry, Leo, didn't mean to exclude you," Percy turned his attention back to the son of Hephaestus, earning himself an exaggerated roll of the eyes. "Though if it's all the same to you, I think I might turn in for the night. There's been enough excitement, don't you think?"

"Yeah, yeah, you two go mack on each other's faces, I can take the hint," Leo smirked as he spoke, enjoying that even while they were like this, he could still bring a smile to their faces. "Try not to give Mrs. Blofis any grandkids too soon, ya hear?"

"Oh, shut it, Hothead," Annabeth shot back, doing her best to hide the blushing of her cheeks while Percy too her hand and led them back to his cabin. They'd been staying in Cabin Three for two years. Something that had been a necessity after the war with Gaea had at some point just become the norm; so much so that even Chiron hardly ever brought it up unless he was particularly irritated that day.

It was a slow walk back to the cabin, with Percy hand-in-hand with his girlfriend. Girlfriend. It was something he still came to grips with every now and again. He would die for her. He almost did. He would kill for her. Whoa there, his brain shot back at him. Let's not go down that trail of thinking, buster. Yeah, his brain was right. Some things were better left in the sub- sub- ah, what was the word? In the back of his head. Close enough.

"To save a friend, you would sacrifice the world." The words of Athena came back to him. His fatal flaw. Back then, he hadn't really known why personal loyalty could be a bad thing. Didn't everyone want to be a loyal friend? That all came to a head when he'd jumped into Tartarus with Annabeth. She had fallen. He had jumped. She never had a choice. He did. He would never regret it. He finally understood, though. Why loyalty could be dangerous. It was the first time he'd ever known so clearly how his fatal flaw could get him, or worse, those around him, killed.

"You're doing it again," Annabeth's voice drew him from his thoughts. He looked to her, and she had a look of concern on her face. He didn't have the courage to tell her that it made her look cute. The way she bit her lip on her left side; not hard, but just enough that it was noticeable. The scrunch of her eyes. The way they seemed to darken with worry. Over him. "I can see the smoke pouring out of your ears, Seaweed Brain. Any more thinking and we'll have nori."

"Nori?"

"It's a kind of roasted seaweed that's edible," she replied immediately. "It's actually pretty good. Maybe we should get some, sometime?" Her eyes were expectant.

"Sounds great," he told her. It really did.

"So, penny for your thoughts?" Ah, yes, there it was. The curiosity was back.

"Just thinking about us," he told her. "Nothing bad. Just… feelings, and stuff. Ya know?"

"Yeah," her voice trailed off just slightly. Anybody else would miss it. "Do you think- Wait, who is that?" Percy blinked at her sudden change in topic, but quickly glanced at where her eyes were looking towards. They had traveled a fair bit of distance, and had reached the cabins area. Standing in front of Cabin Three, however, were a pair of figures that were facing the door. Both wore dark cloaks, but the smaller of the two figures had one that seemed torn and tattered. As the couple approached them, they turned to face the new arrivals.

Immediately, Percy and Annabeth were on guard. Riptide was already in his hands, and the drakon bone sword gifted rom Damasen was drawn not long after by Annabeth. "Who are you?" Percy demanded, his bright green eyes meeting a second set. "What the Hades are you trying to pull?" The shorter figure pulled down their hood after a brief moment to look around. Assured that nobody else was in sight, they revealed their face to them both completely. Grey, faded eyes met theirs. Honey blonde hair was faded, torn, cut short into a pixie cut. Her one California tan had faded to a more pale complexion. Her eyes were sunken and hollow, and her face was gaunt. It was obvious to Percy that she hadn't slept properly or eaten in a long time.

"Percy," her voice, normally a delightful sound to his ears, was instead strained and scratchy. "You're different, here."

"Different? Wait, no," Percy shook his head, keeping himself from getting distracted. "Just who are you? Why are you in front of my cabin? And who's he?"

"I thought it would be obvious, Seaweed Brain," the woman, and she was a woman who had to be in her early twenties, chided him. It was so similar it was scary. "It's me, Annabeth. Well, maybe not yours, since she's right there, but- Oh, this is so complicated. Would you just show them already?" Her last comment was to her companion, the taller individual. Letting out a brief chuckle, the man obeyed and removed his own hood.

"Always so demanding, Wise Girl," the larger individual spoke with a light tone; one Percy missed about himself. His eyes widened at who he saw, though.

When he had been thirteen, he'd once stumbled onto Circe's island with Annabeth during a quest. During his brief stay, the witch had shown him a perfect version of himself. Tall. Muscular. Handsome. He had asked her to make him look like the reflection. The illusion. Standing before him was just that.

The man shared his messy hair, his green eyes, and even that oh-so charming smirk on his face. His reached his eyes. In fact, the man looking back at him didn't seem to have a care in the world. He also radiated power. Godly power. Power that Percy had turned down for the woman beside him. He heard Annabeth, his Annabeth, gasp. He couldn't blame her.

Surely in his mid-twenties, his perfect reflection stared back at him with a lopsided grin that he had long since lost to all but the most pleasant of experiences. "Allow me to introduce myself," the man spoke. "I am Perseus Jackson, though my friends call me Percy. I'm the God of Tides, Beaches, and Hope."