They won the war, but at the same time, it really felt like they didn't. Percy watched as the Three Fates picked up Luke's body and carried it away. One of them briefly stopped to lock eyes with Percy and he witnessed his entire life flash before his eyes. She spoke in his mind, "It is done", before holding up a familiar snippet of blue yarn.
Before they could continue, Hermes stopped them. The messenger god was clad in white Greek robes, sandals and his winged helmet. He approached the white and green shroud, unwrapped it and planted a kiss on Luke's forehead. With a pang, Percy realised that May Castellan will spend the rest of her life baking cookies and making sandwiches for a son who would never come home.
The Great Prophecy echoed in his mind and it finally made sense to him, 'The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap.' The hero was Luke, and the cursed blade was Annabeth's knife. Cursed because Luke broke his promise and betrayed his friends. 'A single choice shall end his days.' Percy's choice to give Luke the knife, and to believe as Annabeth had, that he was still capable of setting things right. 'Olympus to preserve or raze.' By sacrificing himself, he had saved Olympus. Rachel and Harry were right. In the end, Luke was the hero, and Percy had made peace with that.
Percy also realised one thing, when Luke had descended into the River Styx, he would've had to focus on something important that would hold him to his mortal life. Otherwise he would've dissolved. He had pictured that scene Hestia showed Percy – of himself in the good old days with Thalia and Annabeth, when he promised that they would be a family. Hurting Annabeth in battle had shocked him into remembering that promise. It had allowed his mortal self's conscience to take over again, and defeat Kronos. His weak spot – his Achilles heel – had saved everyone all.
Just then, Annabeth stumbled, and the boys steadied her. Percy noticed that her arm was broken and locked eyes with Harry. The latter understood the message, brought out his wand and intoned, "Brachio Emendum!"
Annabeth bit back a wince as her broken bone popped back into place. As she smiled at him gratefully, he whispered, "Thank the Gods I got the incantation right. Back in my second year, we had this buffoon of a DADA professor. The only thing he had going for him was his looks and memory spells. During one of the Quidditch games, I think it was Slytherin against Ravenclaw, the Ravenclaw Seeker broke his arm, thanks to a brutal hit from a Bludger. The twit stepped in before Madam Pomfrey, and vanished the bones on the Seeker's arm. The incantation is 'Brackium Emendo'."
Her eyes widened at the story and then she growled, "If you dared screw up the pronunciation, I would have strangled you when my bones grew back."
A bit further away, Apollo noticed and made his way over, "Oh goodie! This makes my job easier! Don't worry about her, God of Medicine, at your service!"
He passed his hand over Annabeth's face and spoke an incantation. Immediately the bruises faded. Her cuts and scars disappeared. The girl relaxed, though she was still very wobbly. Apollo grinned, "She'll be fine in a few minutes. Just enough time for me to compose a poem about our victory: 'Apollo and his friends save Olympus.' Good, eh?"
Percy and Harry smiled wanly and the god went on his merry way. Over the next few hours, there was a flurry of activity. Zeus didn't even blink at Percy's request to light up the top of the Empire State Building. The gods set about repairing the throne room, which went surprisingly fast with twelve super-powerful beings at work.
The other surviving campers were also brought to the throne room, and also with them were the Weasleys, Sirius, Remus and Hermione. Bill, Charlie, Percy Weasley and the twins went about using their magic to repair the various destroyed buildings and temples. Harry personally repaired his mother's own temple. Mrs O'Leary had dug Chiron out of the rubble and rushed him off to camp, with Rachel accompanying them.
The di Angelo siblings were treated to a hero's welcome, along with their father, Hades. The god of the dead looked stunned when his relatives clapped him on the back. Then, Ares bellowed with a proud smirk, "There's my girl!"
Sure enough, Clarisse marched into the throne room, though she still shivered a little. The god of war ruffled her hair and pounded her on the back, calling her the best warrior he'd ever seen. "That drakon-slaying? THAT'S what I'm talking about!"
Hera was a little cold to Percy and Annabeth, but otherwise ignored them. Dionysus' head was still wrapped in a bandage. He sized up Percy and said, 'Well, Percy Jackson. I see my sons made it through, so I suppose you aren't completely inept. It's all thanks to my training, I suppose."
Percy could only reply, "Um, yes, sir."
Mr D nodded. "As thanks for my bravery, Zeus has cut my probation at that miserable camp in half. I now have only fifty years left instead of one hundred. Don't get so excited, Jackson. I still plan on making your life miserable."
Percy snarked, "Naturally."
Harry trudged over and re-joined the Hunters as they clustered around him. Mackenzie and Darla were curled up on either side of him and he had an arm around their shoulders, the cousins just hugging each other, glad that they were alive. Katie Bell had also draped herself over his shoulder in a half hug. Meanwhile, Grover whimpered from his spot next to Percy, "So many nature spirits dead… So many."
The son of Poseidon consoled him, "You did a great job, G-man. We will come back from this. We'll plant new trees, clean up the parks. Your friends will be reincarnated into a better world."
He sniffled dejectedly, "I – I suppose. But it was hard enough to rally them before. I'm still an outcast. I could barely get anyone to listen to me about Pan. Now will they ever listen to me again? I led them into a slaughter."
Percy shook his head, "They will listen. Because you care about them. You care about the wild more than anyone."
He smiled weakly, "Thanks, Percy. I hope… I hope you know I'm really proud to be your friend."
The boy just pat his arm, "Luke was right about one thing, G-man. You're the bravest satyr I ever met."
Just then, conch horns blew and the army of Poseidon marched in. Once they settled in, Tyson looked around and spotted Percy. He yelled his name and charged over with his arms wide open. Fortunately, he'd shrunk back to normal size, so his hug was like getting hit by a tractor, not the entire farm.
He jabbered excitedly, "I'm so happy you're not dead! We fought hard and we chained Typhon! It was fun!"
Behind him, fifty other armoured Cyclopes laughed and nodded and gave each other high-fives. One rumbled, "Tyson led us. He is brave!"
"Bravest of the Cyclopes!" another bellowed.
Tyson blushed. "Was nothing."
Percy hugged him, "It wasn't nothing! I'm proud of you, big guy!"
The conch horns blared again. On cue, the Cyclopes parted, and Poseidon strode into the throne room in his battle armour, his trident glowing in his hands. He came over, "Tyson! Well done, my son! And Percy? I forgive you for sitting on my throne. You have saved Olympus."
With that, he wrapped Percy in a big warm hug. Percy practically melted into the embrace and stammered, "Dad-"
However, he held up a finger, "Shush! No hero is above fear, Percy. And you have risen above every hero. Not even Hercules –"
However, he was interrupted by Zeus roaring out his name. He and the other gods had seated themselves and were waiting on Poseidon. Soon enough, Zeus began with a long speech. Somewhere along the way, Harry, Annabeth, Thalia, Ron, Hermione, and the other Weasleys had joined him and Grover.
Finally, it looked like Lord Zeus was winding up his speech. He boomed, "As for my brothers! We are thankful – 'erm, thankful for the aid of Hades."
The Lord of the Dead wore a smug look on his face, but Percy couldn't fault him for that. He had earned the right. He patted his children on the shoulders, and the di Angelo siblings looked happier than ever.
Zeus continued, "And, of course, we must… um… thank Poseidon."
Poseidon looked a little too innocent, "I'm sorry, brother. What was that?"
Zeus groused, "We must thank Poseidon. Without whom… it would've been difficult –"
Poseidon raised an eyebrow, "Difficult?"
Zeus growled, "Impossible… Impossible to defeat Typhon."
The gods murmured agreement and pounded their weapons in approval."
Harry whispered, "Oi Jackson, your dad's enjoying this."
Percy grinned back, stifling his snorts.
Finally, Zeus boomed, "Which leaves us, only the matter of thanking our young demigod heroes who defended Olympus so well."
He and Artemis looked at each other, before calling Thalia and Harry forward. He promised to help them fill up the Hunter's ranks. Then Artemis stepped forward and stopped in front of a kneeling Harry. She gently placed a finger under his chin and raised his head to look at her silver eyes. Artemis spoke, "My son… My first-born… You have made me proud, both as a son and as a Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. All those Hunters who perished in my service will never be forgotten. They will achieve Elysium, I am sure."
She glared pointedly at Hades.
He shrugged, "Probably."
Artemis glared at him some more.
The God of the Underworld grumbled "Okay fine. I'll streamline their application process."
Then she straightened up, "I have one more piece of business with my son. This should have been done the last time, when you were made my Lieutenant, but I felt that this was a more fitting time. By the power vested in me as the Goddess of the Hunt and the Leader of the Hunters. I hereby grant my son, Harry James Potter, eternal youth! Like his sisters, after his 18th birthday, he too shall remain eternally youthful, until the day he perishes in combat!"
Harry's head snapped up in surprise, and his mother simply smiled at him. With the others, Hermione and the Weasleys' jaws dropped, just as Artemis spoke an incantation and Harry's body was surrounded by a white glow. When it died down, he inspected his body, but didn't feel any different. He turned back to his mother and the council, and bowed, "I am truly honoured. I vow to serve my role to the best of my ability, and with pride and honour."
He stepped back and re-joined his friends, only for Annabeth, Mackenzie, Bianca, Ginny and Hermione to hug him. Ron, his brothers and Percy Jackson, all gave him high fives. Finally, Thalia and the Hunters cheered and tackled him in a group hug. Then the Hunters all stood by Artemis' side.
Zeus then called out, "Tyson, son of Poseidon!"
A nervous Tyson tottered over and stood in front of the council. Zeus announced, "Tyson, for your bravery in the war, and for leading the Cyclopes, you are appointed a general in the armies of Olympus. You shall henceforth lead your brethren into war whenever required by the gods. And you shall have a new… um… what kind of weapon would you like? A sword? An axe?'
Tyson proudly brandished his broken club, "Stick!"
Caught a little flatfooted, Zeus decreed, "Very well! We will grant you a new, er, stick. The best stick that may be found."
The Cyclops cheered and his brethren whooped alongside him, pounding him on the back as he re-joined them.
Dionysus called out, "Grover Underwood of the satyrs!"
Grover trotted forward nervously.
Dionysus irritably chided, "Oh, stop chewing your shirt! Honestly, I'm not going to blast you. For your bravery and sacrifice, blah, blah, blah, and since we have an unfortunate vacancy, the gods have seen fit to name you a member of the Council of Cloven Elders."
Grover collapsed on the spot. Dionysus sighed, "Oh, wonderful. Well, when he wakes up, someone tell him that he will no longer be an outcast, and that all satyrs, naiads and other spirits of nature will henceforth treat him as a Lord of the Wild, with all rights, privileges, and honours, blah, blah, blah. Now, please, drag him off before he wakes up and starts grovelling."
Athena stepped forward and called out, "Annabeth Chase, my own daughter!"
Annabeth squeezed Percy's arm, walked forward and knelt. Athena smiled, "You, my daughter, have exceeded all expectations. You have used your wits, your strength and your courage to defend this city, and our seat of power. It has come to our attention that Olympus is… well, trashed. The Titan lord did much damage that will have to be repaired. We could rebuild it by magic, of course, and make it just as it was. But the gods feel that the city could be improved. We will take this as an opportunity. And you, my daughter, will design these improvements."
This time, it was Annabeth's turn to be shocked, "My lady?"
Athena smiled at her daughter, "You are an architect, are you not? You have studied the techniques of Daedalus himself. Who better to redesign Olympus, and make it a monument that will last for another aeon?"
Annabeth babbled, "You mean… I can design whatever I want?"
The goddess smiled, "As your heart desires. Make us a city for the ages."
Apollo interjected, "As long as you have plenty of statues of me."
Aphrodite chimed in, "And me!"
Ares also cut in, "Hey, and me! Big statues with huge wicked swords and –"
Athena half-snapped, "All right! She gets the point. Rise, my daughter – official architect of Olympus."
As if in a trance, she practically floated back, where Harry and Percy gave her high fives.
Then, Poseidon boomed, "Percy Jackson!"
In an instant, all talking died down. The room was silent except for the crackle of the hearth fire. Everyone's eyes were on him – all the gods, the demigods, the Cyclopes, the spirits. He walked into the middle of the throne room. Hestia smiled at him reassuringly. She was in the form of a girl now, and she seemed happy and content to be sitting by her fire again. Her smile gave him courage to keep walking.
Percy knelt in front of Zeus and then knelt at his father's feet.
'Rise, my son,' Poseidon said.
He stood, shakily. Poseidon continued, "A great hero must be rewarded. Is there anyone here who would deny that my son is deserving?"
For a painful minute, no one spoke, and the Zeus picked up the announcement. He declared, "The council agrees. Percy Jackson, you will have one gift from the gods."
The boy hesitated. "Any gift?"
Zeus nodded grimly, "I know what you will ask. The greatest gift of all. Yes, if you want it, it shall be yours. The gods have not bestowed this gift on a mortal hero in many centuries, but Perseus Jackson – if you wish it, you shall be made a god. Immortal. Undying. You shall serve as your father's lieutenant for all time."
Percy gaped, "Um… a god?"
Zeus rolled his eyes, "A dim-witted god, apparently. But yes. With the consensus of the entire council, I can make you immortal. Then I will have to put up with you forever."
A fair number of gods voiced their approval, but Percy was not paying attention to them. His eyes were on Annabeth, her face was pale. Looking at her, he cast his mind back to almost two years ago, when he thought that she was going to be a Hunter. Percy thought about it, long and hard, he could avoid death altogether. It sounded too good to refuse. Then some more thoughts flooded his minds. He pictured Annabeth, Thalia, Harry, Mackenzie, Beckendorf, Silena, Michael Yew, Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum, the Stoll brothers and so many more. Then he thought about Ethan Nakamura and Luke, and he knew what he had to do.
He locked eyes with Harry, who appeared to guess what he was thinking. The now eternally youthful demigod gave him a single nod, as understanding passed between them. Percy hesitantly spoke, "My lord? I'm honoured by this… But I have to decline. I've got a lot of life left to live. I'd hate to peak in my sophomore year."
Several gods were glaring at him, but his eyes were on Annabeth. From terrified, she looked like she was about to cry tears of joy. Percy continued, "I do want a gift, though. Do you promise to grant my wish?"
Zeus thought about it, "If it is within our power."
Percy knew he had them, "It is, and it's not even difficult. But I need your promise on the River Styx."
Dionysus burst out, "What! You don't trust us?"
"I do, but I would really prefer a solemn oath, just in case."
Hades eyed him, "Clever…"
Zeus growled, "Very well! In the name of the council, we swear by the River Styx to grant your reasonable request as long as it is within our power."
Percy smiled, "From now on, I want you all to properly recognise the children of the gods. All the children of all the gods."
After a beat of silence, Poseidon slowly spoke, "Percy? What exactly are you suggesting?"
Percy obliged him, "Kronos couldn't have risen if it hadn't been for a lot of demigods who felt abandoned by their parents. They felt angry, resentful and unloved, and they had a good reason."
Before Zeus could lose his temper and blast him to smithereens, Percy quickly clarified, "No more undetermined children. I want you to promise to claim your children – all your demigod children – by the time they turn thirteen. They won't be left out in the world on their own at the mercy of monsters. I want them claimed and brought to camp so they can be trained right, and survive."
Apollo tried to interject, but Percy spoke over him, "First and foremost, let's start with Hades. His children should not be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico and Bianca have proven that. No unclaimed demigods will be crammed into the Hermes cabin any more, wondering who their parents are. They'll have their own cabins, for all the gods. And no more pact of the Big Three. That didn't work anyway. You've got to stop trying to get rid of powerful demigods. We're going to train them and accept them instead. All children of the gods will be welcome and treated with respect. Then we have all the minor gods, Nemesis, Hecate, Morpheus, Janus, Hebe. We were actually very fortunate to have Lady Hecate on our side, but all the children of the minor gods also deserve to have their own cabins at Camp Half-Blood. Calypso and the other peaceful Titan-kind should be pardoned, too. That is my wish."
Poseidon said, "Percy, this is too much. You presume much."
Percy wasn't backing down, "I hold you to your oath. All of you."
To his great surprise, the first person to stand up and defend him was Athena. She declared, "The boy is correct. We have been unwise to ignore our children. It proved a strategic weakness in this war and almost caused our destruction. Percy Jackson – I have had my doubts about you, but perhaps I was mistaken. I move that we accept the boy's plan."
Zeus grumbled a little before Hermes called for a vote. One by one, all the gods raised their hands and the deed was done. Before he could walk back to his friends, Poseidon called out, "Honour Guard!"
Immediately the Cyclopes came forward and made two lines from the thrones to the door – an aisle for him to walk through. They came to attention. Tyson cheered, "All hail, Perseus Jackson. Hero of Olympus… and my big brother!"
Before they could dismiss the council, Hecate stepped up, "My Lord? I wish to make a request?"
Zeus acknowledged, "Hecate… We are truly grateful for your help in the battle against Typhon. As a token of our gratitude, we shall hear you out, and if it is within reason, we shall grant it."
She nodded, "My lord? I am sure that you are aware of the existence of the Wizarding World. I created it, centuries ago because I wished to have my own sect of followers."
Zeus nodded, "We are aware. What of it?"
Hecate continued, "Unfortunately, I have since neglected this world, and things have been on a decline. Within the last half a century, there have arisen two separate dark lords, who all had delusions of grandeur. Their silver tongues even sowed seeds of discord and bigotry among the magical communities. While those dark lords have been defeated, it has come at the cost of a significant portion of the magical population. Having spent the last few years in the Wizarding world, I noticed that there are many who deem themselves as 'Pureblood' witches and wizards and they look down on others who are not 'pure of blood.' Now, I wish to discourage this line of thinking, because blood status does not determine how much magic someone possesses in their body. I would like to rule over the Magical world, as I am the Goddess of Magic."
Hermione and the Weasleys eyes widened in shock. Even Harry, Mackenzie Katie, Penelope and Bianca were pretty stunned. Zeus consulted with the other gods for a few minutes, then he boomed, "The council has agreed to grant your request, on one condition. In accordance with Percy Jackson's wish, you must also be present whenever the Council meets, along with the other minor gods and goddesses, as well as claim your demigod children."
Hecate bowed, "I find that condition reasonable and acceptable, my lord."
She then shrank down to a normal height and approached the gathered magicals. She spoke to Bill, who was the eldest present, "If I want this to work, who should I approach?"
Percy Weasley stroked his chin, "Well… I would suggest talking to Professor Dumbledore. He is the Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump in the ICW. If you approached the ICW alone, they would not have believed you, which could potentially anger you. Dumbledore is highly respected in the Wizarding community, so he could help you. Since I work in the Ministry, I could take you to Dumbledore."
She nodded, "Thank you. I shall go speak to him at once. But before that… Mr. Potter, come with me please? It is time we fixed the mess in the city."
The two of them stood on the edge of the throne room, overlooking the city, and she took out her wand. Incanting her spell, she erected a familiar giant bubble and practically froze time. Then Harry pointed his wand and chanted, "Somnus Mortalus!"
Then once the residents of the entire city in the bubble, fell asleep, he pointed his wand again, "Omnus Reparo!"
In an instant, fires were put out, fire hydrants stopped spraying water, and everything repaired itself. When he was done, Hecate fired another spell, waking up all the mortals. Then Harry finished off everything with one last spell. He concentrated on the memories of the past few days, and then cast a Mass Obliviate spell.
When he was done, he staggered and swayed before Ron rushed in and steadied him, "You okay mate?"
Harry wheezed, "Yeah… That just took a lot out of me. Was already running on empty, thanks to the battle."
As he half dragged his best friend over to Hermione and his siblings, Ron suddenly snorted, "Harry? I just had a thought… You-Know-Who spent all his life chasing after immortality, and the irony is that you're effectively immortal."
Harry also snorted and they shared grins. Then he asked, "So what happened to all the monsters and enemy demigods?"
Hermione overheard and fielded that one, "After the gods defeated Typhon, they destroyed all the gathered monsters. As for the demigods, they were all captured, and they will be tried. Oh, and by the way, all the statues are back in their proper places. Your mass Obliviate did the trick so that the mortals won't suspect that this place was a warzone."
As they reached the elevator to head back down, Percy Jackson joined them. He said, "I just spoke to Hermes, before Harry wiped their memories, the mortals chalked it up as a freak series of storms."
Harry coughed and asked, "How's Hermes holding up?"
Percy shrugged, "Honestly? I don't know. Luke was his son, so he was pretty devastated. The thing is, he knew of Luke's fate, but he couldn't stop it. That's the thing about prophecies, the more you try and mess with it, the worse things will get. He also said that the other Titans are in hiding. Prometheus is now trying to worm his way back into the gods' favour. Krios has fled, Oceanus slipped away when it was apparent that Kronos lost."
Harry nodded, "That's swell! Bloody hell! I don't know about you, but I need a long arse kip."
Bill called out, "You guys are welcome to rest up by The Burrow. We'd love to have you."
No one argued, and Molly Weasley was more than happy to host everyone. True to his promise, Harry trudged straight up to Ron's room and passed out on his bed.
Over the next few days, everyone returned to Camp Half-Blood. There were funerals, way too many funerals. Harry and his Hunters were forced to bury six more girls, alongside Sophie and Deborah. They were his sisters, Erica, Maureen, Charlotte 'Lottie', Danielle, Cora and Isobel. Even Drew Tanaka was given a funeral. Silena managed to convince everyone that, she may have been a traitor, but she deserved some respect in death.
Ethan Nakamura was given a shroud – black silk, with a logo of swords crossed under a set of scales. As his shroud went up in flames, Percy sincerely hoped Ethan knew he had made a difference in the end. He'd paid a lot more than an eye, but the minor gods would finally get the respect they deserved.
Grover was also happily reunited with his girlfriend, Juniper. Fleur also tackled Bill with a hug and kiss. Harry saw some looks from Ginny and spoke to her privately. He told her, "Listen, what's your problem with Fleur?"
Ginny replied petulantly, "She seems really snobby and she'll take him away."
Harry snapped, "Look, I've known Fleur for most of my life. Heck, she baby-sat me when I was little. She seems stand-offish because it's a defence mechanism for her. Since she's a Veela, true relationships a horribly difficult for her. Also, they're just dating for now. Marriage is pretty darn far away, but think of it this way, you're not losing a brother, but you're gaining a sister. Well, you get two sisters, because there's Gabrielle, her younger sister. Also, from what I heard, Bill saved her life during the battle. Since then, she's been smitten with him."
Ginny finally got the message, and since then, treated Fleur much better. Meanwhile, Nico and Bianca made a lot of new friends among the campers. Since they were children of Hades, people used to tread on eggshells around them, but turning up with a literal army of undead skyrocketed them up the coolness ladder.
In an interesting turn of events, Beckendorf and Silena approached Harry. Turns out, they wanted to take a break from all the fighting and live their lives as normal people. After much thought, Harry came up with an idea. He spoke to Sirius, who confirmed that the Potter family used to own several properties around the United Kingdom, all of which were protected with wards. Beckendorf and Silena could rent out one of the properties and live there to their heart's content. Though they did promise to return to Camp occasionally, and lend a hand in times of crisis. It made sense because the wards would keep out monsters and the couple would be safe.
A few days later, Percy Jackson celebrated his 16th birthday. There was a bit of an argument between Molly Weasley and Sally Jackson on preparing for the dinner party. In the end, they compromised and worked together to bake a blue cake and blue-coloured food.
Some days later, there was a bit of a commotion because Rachel Flooed to Camp for some reason. Hours later, she came back, though Percy and Annabeth were half-dragging her. Shortly afterwards, Chiron also Flooed in. He had been healing nicely, thanks to Apollo and Madam Pomfrey's efforts.
Rachel meekly said, "Hey guys… I have news. I am officially the host of the Oracle of Delphi."
Hermione tilted her head curiously, "Oracle of Delphi?"
Annabeth explained, "Think of the Oracle as someone who can see the future. They usually deliver prophecies, and those prophecies are taken very seriously. Now, Rachel is the host of the Oracle."
Molly Weasley smiled, "That's wonderful, Rachel dear! Now come! You must be hungry! You are awfully too thin for your age!"
Fred then perked up from his seat, "So you can see the future, eh? So tell us, Rae-Rae, what lies in our future? Will we be rich?"
George added his two cents, "Will Weasley's Wizard Wheezes succeed?"
Fred continued bombarding her, "Will I finally woo the lovely miss Angelina Johnson after years-"
He was cut off by Ginny bopping him on the head with her fork, "Oi! Stop it, you two!"
Rachel gave them the stink-eye, "It doesn't work that way, you twits! I just get a lot of visions! They're really quite disorienting, I wouldn't recommend it. Trust me, if you don't have the Sight or are not a Clear-Sighted mortal, the spirit will drive you mad."
Percy Jackson shivered, still remembering his encounter with May Castellan. Rachel reassured everyone, "It's a little surprising to me, too, but this is my fate. I saw it when I was in New York. I know why I was born with true sight. I was meant to become the Oracle."
Hermione eagerly pressed, "You mean you can tell the future now?"
Rachel replied, "Not all the time. But there are visions, images, words in my mind. When someone asks me a question, I… oh no –"
Chiron immediately was on alert, "It's starting!"
Rachel doubled over, as if someone had punched her. Then she stood up straight and her eyes glowed serpent green. When she spoke, her voice sounded tripled – like three Rachels were talking at once.
She chanted,
"Ten shall answer the call
To storm or fire, the world must fall
An oath to keep with a final breath
And three worlds bear arms to the Doors of Death."
As soon as she finished speaking, she keel over forwards and almost fell face-first into her salad. Luckily, Annabeth and Ron caught her from either side. Everyone in the room was stunned and no one spoke for a long time. Then a new voice broke the silence, "I believe that we just heard the next Great Prophecy."
Apollo had suddenly appeared in the room. Molly and Arthur were a little startled, but Bill was able to explain that this was Apollo. Percy Jackson spoke up, "So, what does it mean?"
Rachel had recovered and screwed up her face in thought, "I'm sorry, I don't even remember what I said."
Apollo mused, "The spirit will only speak through you occasionally. The rest of the time, our Rachel will be much as she's always been. There's no point in grilling her, even if she has just issued the next big prediction for the future of the world... Oh I wouldn't worry too much. The last Great Prophecy took almost fifty years to complete. This one may not even happen in your lifetime."
Harry snorted, "With respect, Lord Apollo. I sure hope we're that lucky. As the saying goes, hope for the best, prepare for the worst."
Apollo grinned at him, "Indeed, my favourite little nephew!"
Harry playfully rolled his eyes, "I'm your only nephew."
The god shrugged good-naturedly, "Doesn't make it any less true. Anyway… I've got to run! The sun won't drive itself! Toodles!"
After he left, the Burrow was so silent, it felt like a ghost town. Finally Chiron wheeled towards the fireplace, "Come miss Rachel, I believe it is time we bid our farewells. To all of you, good luck for the coming school year!"
