*This came from a prompt sent to me on . Still closed to new prompts, but just catching up on my backlog. Also, no spoilers, but the I read the sample chapters for Chalice of the Gods and I'm really happy with what I've read so far and super excited to read the rest : )
Annabeth was curled up on a couch in the Big House rec room, reading a book, when the storm hit. A clap of thunder made her jump and she lifted her head to look out the window as another flash of lightning lit the sky beyond Thalia's pine tree. She felt the usual pang in her chest when she saw the tree. Which also reminded her why she was in the Big House. Hiding out wasn't the phrase she would have used, but it was probably true. She'd been hoping to hang out with Luke this evening, but after dinner, he'd simply patted her on the shoulder, then walked off with Silena Beauregard, leaving Annabeth alone by the corner of the dining pavilion. So she'd come to the Big House to see if Chiron and Mr. D needed a fourth for pinochle. But they didn't. They'd already recruited a satyr and a dryad. Finally, Annabeth had simply grabbed a book that she hadn't yet read from the rec room's lending library, plopped down on the couch, and curled up, somewhat unenthusiastically, to read.
The thunder and lightning continued, but, as usual, no rain fell on the protected valley. It was actually starting to feel like a cozy evening, even as the weather grew worse, thunder crashing and then roaring dully. When Annabeth got up to make herself a cup of cocoa, however, movement outside caught her eye. Annabeth leaned closer to the window, her cheek pressed against the glass. The next flash of lightning illuminated several figures, silhouetting them on Half-Blood Hill, just on the other side of Thalia's tree.
"Chiron!" Annabeth yelled, running back into the dining room where he was playing pinochle. "Chiron, I think a new camper is arriving!"
A few minutes later, she darted onto the Big House porch with Chiron right behind her. The rain had stopped, but the wind was still blowing hard, whipping Annabeth's hair into her face. She impatiently brushed her hair back from her eyes as two figures came stumbling onto the porch.
It was a dark-haired boy, about her age, and he was supporting a satyr. Annabeth stifled a gasp. It was Grover. The boy was dragging him along, but Annabeth could hear the satyr groaning and muttering about food, so he'd probably be okay.
Before Chiron or Annabeth could reach them, the boy collapsed, safely ensconced beyond the protective barrier of Thalia's tree.
Chiron and Annabeth hurried to his side. Annabeth's heart thumped as she realized how much he looked like Thalia, with his dark hair and a faint aura of power hovering around him, even as he slumped to the ground.
"He's the one. He must be." The words escaped from her before she'd even had time to think.
"Silence, Annabeth," Chiron said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."
As she nodded and helped Chiron haul the two unconscious boys up and sling them over his horse back to carry into the Big House, Annabeth couldn't stop her thoughts from racing. Another child of the Big Three? Maybe a son of Zeus? The prophecy had to be about him. If so, did that mean it was finally time for her quest?
Fresh determination gripped her as she followed Chiron into the Big House. She desperately wanted to believe that this boy was the camper she'd been waiting for. So she sat beside his bed, obediently spooning ambrosia into his mouth like Chiron had instructed. According to Grover, once he'd come to, this boy had killed the Minotaur. Allegedly, Annabeth reminded herself, watching in dismay as the boy drooled in his sleep. Wrinkling her nose, she fed him more ambrosia. She shouldn't get her hopes up. But she couldn't help it. When this boy woke up, if he was offered a quest, she would make sure and find a way to be a part of it. She'd waited long enough. It was time to seize her own destiny.