This has been an idea in my head for some time, and I am extremely excited to be writing this. Prior to writing this, I knew very little about the Cthulhu Mythos. Honestly, I just thought it was cool as fuck. I had to do a lot of research to get things right. Don't worry if you don't know anything: Neither do the protagonists. I'd rather you not know anything, it's a bit more immersive.

I'm spending quite a bit of my free time writing this (which isn't much, I'm an Architecture student in college). Expect a chapter every 2-3 days.

Also, Prophecies are a pain in the ass to write.

A Terrible Dream

My name is Camden Winchester, and I am a demigod. My Father is Apollo (yes, the Greek god), and my mom is a professional shooter from San Antonio, Texas. You might think being half-god would be super cool, but trust me, it isn't. Be glad you are a mortal.

I'm sure you've all heard the sirens and seen the news reports on TV. Maybe you're one of the people evacuating the coastal cities. However, what's happening now is far from the beginning. This all started a year ago, and unfortunately for me, I happened to be at the center of it.

Allow me to begin by explaining that Demigods are often plagued by bad dreams. Not your kind of bad dreams, where you fail a math test or fall off a building or something. More "the end of the world" type dreams. And, unfortunately for us, they're normally real.

The dream began over a gloomy seaside town. I didn't recognize it, but it looked like a town somewhere in the New England Region. It was raining, and I could tell from the drainage in the streets it had been for some time. The vision changed to a dark room, illuminated by candlelight. A table stood at the center, with a world map laid on top of it. Jagged-bladed daggers were stuck into random points in the table. Two men stood across from one another, one, a tall, older bald man, the other, a short, slightly overweight man with almost fish-like features on his face: large, bulging eyes, wide lips, and some weird markings on his double chin that almost looked like gills. They had obviously been discussing something.

"The time has come, Abbot. The High Priest has appeared to me, on behalf of Lord Dagon. He requests that we resume our efforts. The stars are beginning to align, and He needs the power they hold. We need another one" the older man says.

"This is ridiculous. We've kept that girl in stasis for years! And now Father Dagon wants another? Do you not remember how many we lost?" The short one paces back and forth nervously. "If they had more restraint, and hadn't sent one of those hideous creatures, more than one might have-"

"Oh, Abbot. Have faith. Our benefactors have provided so much for us already. How could you be so disrespectful as to doubt them? He has already provided us with a means of achieving our goals.

"And how has he done that?"

"He has brought a visitor." The tall man looked directly at me, and it was then I noticed the man's most striking feature: His eyes were jet black, almost like some kind of Ooze.

The other man, Abbot, also looks at me. "Ah! A demigod, I suppose."

"Salutations, Demigod. He said, flashing a smile that might have been endearing if his eyes didn't look like they were boring into my Soul. "We require a…private audience with you. Come to the town of Briar Moor, in the beautiful state of Massachusetts. We will seek you out upon arrival."

"Indeed." Abbot said. "We have matters of Mutual benefit to discuss."

And with that, I woke in a pool of my own sweat

I went straight to the big house. There, Chiron and Dionysis sat at the round table, playing pinochle with a group of Satyrs.

"Carter," Dionysus said, looking up from his cards.

"Uh, it's Camden."

Mr. D has a habit of "forgetting" people's names. I think he does it intentionally to annoy us. He's a bit of an asshole.

"Yes, yes, one of Apollo's brats. Can't you see we are in the middle of something?"

"I had a strange dream. I need to talk to Chiron."

"And? Don't you brats have weird dreams all the time?"

"Demigod dreams have been relatively tame since the Triumvirate fell," Chiron said, putting down his cards. "If one of them sees fit to speak with me about it, then it could possibly be of importance."

Chiron "stood up" (meaning he converted his wheelchair into his real body) and put down his cards. "Come, Camden"

I followed Chiron up the stairs to his office.

"Tell me all about this dream" Chiron told Me

So I did.

"I don't recall any stories of anything resembling your dream, or any prophecies." Chiron said. "That invitation sounds like a trap. At the same time, it's clear something is happening in that Manor. You must consult the oracle."

The Oracle is a Woman named Rachel Elizabeth Dare. I think she's some oil tycoon or something's daughter. She's a bit strange. She paints a lot, and is involved with all sorts of mortal advocacy groups (don't ask me which ones). She can tell the future, but only through prophecies, which are normally confusing and vague.

As I walked to her cave, my friend Harley from the Hephestus cabin ran up to me, holding my rifle I had given to him for some minor repairs after an Ares camper, angry about the bruise I gave him during capture the flag, threw it into the lake. The rifle was my signature weapon. It was a US Army issue (as of the Cold War) M14 rifle, my Grandfathers, with a steampunk-looking scope Harley made and a celestial bronze bayonet for close range.

"Hey, man! I fixed the zero, and added a second laser! It's super bright! I tried to make it powerful enough to cut through celestial bronze, but It kept exploding. Check it out!" He pressed a button on the scope, and a bright beam shot off into the forest. I heard some kind of commotion in the forest, probably a dryad Harley had just blinded.

Harley is a fairly short teenage year boy from the Hephaestus cabin. Like most of the Hephaestus campers, he has large muscles and callused hands. Harley has a…reputation around camp, to say the least. When he was younger, he used to make these crazy obstacle courses in the labyrinth that he would somehow force all the other campers to run. He stopped after an incident with the Grove of Dodona, but he still makes crazy, over-the-top, contraptions for whoever asks, usually with unintended consequences. He's slightly crazy, and I love him for it.

"I gotta consult the oracle. I had a weird ass dream"

"-bout what?" He asks, cocking his head inquisitively.

"I don't know. There was a bald guy, and a fish man, and they wanted to meet with me."

He looked confused, which was understandable. I hadn't exactly explained it very well.

"Sorry dude, I gotta go. I'll explain later" I said.

"Ok then! Do you want me to try to get the laser to cut through steel in the meantime? Or maybe a death ray?" He asks.

"Uh, no thanks. Would you mind leaving it with Kayla?"

Kayla is the Apollo Cabin's counselor. She's pretty cool.

"Sure!" He runs off.

I soon arrived at Rachel's cave. You'd expect an oracle's cave to be full of strange mists and crystal balls, but in reality, it was more like a lounge area where Rachel worked on various things while she stayed at camp.

"Hi." She says, looking up from the painting she was working on. "Need something?"

I had never actually spoken to her before, and she was actually kinda cute, which I was not expecting.

I told her all about my dream, and my meeting with Chiron.

"Look at this painting," she says. "Is this the town from your dreams?" She motions toward the painting she was working on.

I looked. It was.

"Yeah, it is. How do you-"

"I had dreams, same as you. I never saw those men, though, and I could never place the location, either. You said it was called Briar Moor?"

"Yes"

She pulls out her phone, then types something.

"Wikipedia is empty" She keeps swiping on her phone. "There's a town called Briar Moor in Massachusetts. I can't find much more than that."

"Any…uh…prophecies?" I asked.

"Nothing ye-" Rachel stiffens, going into some kind of stupor. She opens her mouth, and an otherworldly voice speaks,

Three shall go to the town of perpetual rain

To the house where morality has no reign

Campers bear witness to Praetor's bane

Retrieve the fallen in Virtue's Name

Combined Half-blood and Shield prevail

Wicked efforts of man and Scaled ones fail

And thus humanity obtain reprise

But fail to stop the Sleeping God's rise

With the word "rise", Rachel collapses onto a couch. Her eyes flickered open a moment later.

"Well, that does it." Rachel stands up. "Did you memorize it?"

Normally I'm not very good at memorizing things, that is, unless it's poetry, which the prophecy was. Thanks, Dad.

"I got it"

"Tell me." She says.

So I did.

"Follow me." She walked to the edge of her cave. "We need to talk to Chiron."

We arrived at the Big house as the sun began to rise. Chiron was standing outside. He had obviously been waiting for us.

"I issued a prophecy." Rachel motioned toward me. "Go on, tell him."

I recited it from memory.

Chiron's expressions darkened. "I was hoping we would have more time. It seems a quest is in order."

"More time? Do you know-"

"There hasn't been a quest since the Oracles were restored by your father. It's been peaceful." I could tell he was leaving something out, but I figured pressing wouldn't get me anywhere.

"What now?" I asked.

"There will be a quest, and you will lead it." He said.