Rachel Spreads the Knowledge

While for some guys, waking up between two beautiful girls capable of crushing your skull may be a fantasy (who am I to judge?), all I could think of when I woke up was Please get your elbow out of my liver!

Reyna still rested in front of me, clutching my body in her arms in an overheated embrace. Thalia lied on top of me, her arms bent at weird angles in an effort to hold me, but only managing to bruise my spleen. As much as I love waking up with multiple partners in my arms (did I really just say that?), I'll take a bed over a couch any day.

"Took you long enough."

I peeked up to see Bianca watching us with her arms crossed.

"Morning." I looked at the two warriors grabbing me. "Uh, I'd give you a hug, but—"

"Yeah, I got it."

Her attention turned to the window, to which she traced invisible pictures with her finger. Call me crazy, but I think I heard a pang of jealousy in her voice.

For a few minutes longer, I remained immobile. Only when Thalia stretched out with a throaty yawn did everyone stir. Thalia wasted no time kissing me; a lazy wave of static followed her across my chest.

"Morning, Kelp Head."

"Morning, Pinecone Face. I think it's safe to say we could all use a good mouth cleaning."

Reyna groaned, pulling her sandwiched arm from between Thalia and myself. "Speak for yourselves. Someone smells like a field of dead flowers after a thunderstorm."

After everyone got situated and ready, Eurytion entered the room with a massive yawn. "Haven't slept this late in years. Y'all want some breakfast before we head out?"

While I wasn't a fan of his vegetarian approach to cooking, my stomach rumbled at the thought of food.

"Only if I provide my kill as a food source."

All attention turned to Zoë standing at the doorway, whose arms looked as though she spent her night on the wrong side of a meat market.

"And where exactly did you get that kill?"

The former Hunter curled her lower lip. "A forest. Thirteen miles east of here. The buck was wild, not a ranch animal."

Eurytion heaved a sigh. "Alright. I can't complain. That's where I get the animals for my carnivores." He turned to the rest of us. "Venison sausage good for y'all?"

I turned to the smug Hunter with only one thought in mind. Gods bless you, Zoë.

While waiting for breakfast was an absolute nightmare, it gave me ample time to discuss things with the other girls. News of my dreams from the night before put every one of them on high alert. What confused me the most was learning that not a single one of them dreamt of anything. How that worked, I have no idea.

As the smell of grilled venison filtered through the air, I turned my attention towards Bianca, who still seemed peeved from the little scene on the couch. Though Thalia tried to remain at my side, a certain phoenix made himself far too much of an annoyance for her to stay successful.

"What do you want? Are you hungry?"

Cinder chirped excitedly and danced around at Thalia's feet. Before Thalia could make any further comment, I took my leave and settled myself next to Bianca, eager to figure out her recent envious development. She attempted to mask her feelings with apathy, but her fidgeting hindered any effort. Before too long, she buried her face in one hand while waving the other around.

"Zoë told me about last night."

If my surprise could show any clearer, I don't know how. "Why would she…?"

"If it helps, she said she really enjoyed it."

I turned to Zoë. Even though a smile was difficult to see on her, nothing could reap the image of her drunken stupor from my memory. On occasion, a slight tug at her lips presented itself, but never for more than a few seconds.

"Something's telling me you wish she kept it to herself." I turned back to Bianca.

She looked away, tugging at flakes of dead skin on her palm. "I guess you could say that."

I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look at it this way, when the time comes, you know I will try to make it enjoyable for you. If Zoë, of all people, enjoyed herself, you can too."

A small twitch in her lips proved my words fell on listening ears. "You have a point. Still…" She gazed towards the ceiling, lost in thought. "How should I expect it?" Her gaze returned to me. "Rough and fast? Slow and gentle?"

I rubbed her shoulder. She made no effort to remove my hand. "That depends on you. Again, I want to make sure you enjoy it as much as possible."

The grin pulling at her cheeks told me I gave her the exact answer she wanted to hear. Before I could say anymore, Eurytion announced that breakfast was ready.

Following the closure of our breakfast, Eurytion gathered up a few of his limitless sacks and filled them with staggering quantities of raw materials. Lumber, stone, jars of mortar; nothing was left behind if he thought it held some use. Already sweating from the morning heat, the rest of us stood outside without a complaint.

By the time Eurytion returned to us, a trio of pegasi trotted before our merry band.

Yo, boss! Mission successful?

A smile crept at my face. "Yeah, you could say that. Say hi to Cinder."

He knickered in confusion. Say hi to… Holy horse feed! Where did you find a phoenix!?

Porkpie and Guido both shied away from our new friend, much to Cinder's evident dismay.

"Come on guys, he's not going to hurt you."

If that wasn't enough of a deterrent, try telling them a giant needed a ride.

Guido whinnied. You're kidding, right? You all have fun figuring out who's giving him a ride. I'm taking my rider to the island.

Hold up, Blackjack said. Who said the Roman girl was your rider?

Guido whinnied in laughter. She saved you, but I adopted her. Besides, you still have Lord Percy.

I know, but—

"Don't get greedy, Blackjack," I said. "Give your buddies a chance to carry some good pegasus riders."

Even though she didn't understand a word of the conversation, Reyna gave me a knowing smile and mounted Guido. Zoë and Bianca followed suit, each climbing on board Porkpie.

"Um, Percy." Thalia tugged at my sleeve. Despite the sweltering heat, she looked pale. "Could I… could I ride with you?"

I didn't even bat an eye. "Of course. Hop on."

When Thalia and I both saddled on Blackjack, she locked her arms around me in a shivering deathgrip. Though I could barely breathe, I still managed to keep a straight face. All attention turned towards the one person without a ride.

"Uhh, I don't think any of them can carry you. No offense."

Eurytion snorted. "Didn't expect them to. Y'all go ahead. I have a few favors with Hephaestus I can call in."

A sly smile crawled across my lips. "I have a better idea."

After letting out an ear splitting whistle, I waited for any sign of the receiver. Moments later, every shadow coating the area around a tree thickened into an inky cloud. From the darkness, my favorite pet emerged.

"Well, I'll be damned. You have a hellhound too?"

"Eurytion," I said, "meet Mrs. O'Leary."

My oversized pooch tackled me off of Blackjack in a mass of fur and slobber, nearly taking both my horse and Thalia with us. For a solid three minutes, I struggled to breathe as Mrs. O'Leary nearly crushed me under her weight. After calming her down and patting her head, I turned to Eurytion.

"She can carry you with no problems. We'll fly with Cinder, you can get ahead of us."

A gleam shone in his eye. "Can do. So, where is this island of yours?"

"Leave the location to me."

I whispered into Mrs. O'Leary's ear. Though I'm not sure how much she really understood, her excited spinning and barking (which may or may not have deafened everything within a mile radius) gave me the impression that she knew what to do. Eurytion climbed aboard, and after Mrs. O'Leary walked in circles while sniffing the ground, he and my megadog vanished into the shadows.

Minutes later, the rest of us soared through the clouds with Cinder following right behind. Through the whole ride, Thalia cursed to herself and squeezed until my ribs bruised over. Despite that, I couldn't help but find the irony of her fear both entertaining and somewhat cute. With all of the things I've fallen down, I couldn't help but find her phobia backwards. If anything, I should be the one who was afraid of heights.

Three cheers for Thalia for taking one for the team!

By the time Galínios came into view, a small mass of bodies gathered on the shoreline. Though I wasn't opposed to a welcoming party, this would be the first time I've seen one in the past few days.

Upon our arrival, Piper and Hazel greeted us, along with half of the nymphs. While I can say I found it endearing that they would meet us, their grave expressions told me much more than I wanted to know.

"What happened?"

In my immediate thoughts, I pictured Annabeth six feet under. After all, with her recent… incident, I couldn't help but think of the worst.

"We're not entirely sure," Hazel said.

"Where's Annabeth?"

"She's recovering," Piper said. "The nymphs have been taking very good care of her."

I turned to the group of nymphs. To no surprise, Palírroia stood among them. Along with her were Rose and Ashe. Given how little I saw of the latter, I couldn't help but find myself surprised by her presence. However, it wasn't the time to acknowledge our recent lack of time together.

"Thank you, all of you. We'll have a visitor who is going to build us some stables. Hazel, could you go see if he needs any help? I'm sure your powers over the gems will be invaluable."

She tilted her head in confusion. "I can do that, of course. But my powers over it aren't what they used to be."

"Every bit helps. Finding him shouldn't be too hard. Just look for an eight foot tall man riding a ten foot tall dog."

With no further discussion needed, Hazel nodded and left. My attention turned to Piper. The Hunters, Reyna, and I all stood ready for the bad news.

"What is it this time? Did Khione break out?"

"No, it's nothing like that. It's just…" She fidgeted with her pockets. "Percy, I think this is more for you to know. From what I know, this may be more personal for you."

My fists clenched as perspiration dotted my forehead. "Alright." I turned to my recent party of ranch explorers and the nymphs. "You guys go ahead and do what you want. I'll see you at dinner."

Without waiting for their input, I took my leave and followed Piper into the house.

"What's with the bird?"

I glanced over to find her still looking at the ground.

"That's Cinder. He's a phoenix who we recently adopted. Or rather, he adopted us."

Before she could offer any further commentary, I grabbed her shoulders and hauled her around an isolated corner.

"What happened?"

"It… it's Rachel."

A chill went down my spine. After she and I spent some time together, I left her to sleep in.

"What about her?"

She looked away. "We're not sure. She was fine until dinner. Then she started screaming out of nowhere that she had a migraine and ran to her room. We've tried getting her out, but she refuses to open the door. My charmspeak won't work. Neither did Hazel's Mist control. We couldn't even unlock her room with any of the keys."

In a long forgotten parcel of memory, the fluttering dream of May Castellan popped into my head; the very day she elected to bear the curse of the Oracle. One moment she was fine. The next…

"Of course it's when you leave me in charge that things go haywire." Piper folded her arms against her body and attempted to shrink away.

I grabbed her chin and tilted her head up so her eyes looked into mine. "Listen to me, this is not your fault. If this is what I think it is, I should never have left."

Her cheeks flared, but she made no effort to pull away. "I… I think I know what's going on, but I'm not sure. After all, it's only happened one—"

CRASH!

Piper and I both shot our attention to the sudden noise. One look at each other and nothing more needed to be said. I squeezed her hand and rushed towards Rachel's room.

As I arrived, a familiar sour smell filled my nostrils. The rancid odor of snakes permeated the area until my eyes burned.

Why is the Oracle of Delphi so obsessed with snakes? Apollo, we need to talk about your obsession…

"Rachel?"

CRASH!

A decrepit groan reverberated through the door. The smell grew stronger as a green mist crawled from under the entryway.

I banged on the door, but to no avail. When I could bear the thought of the Oracle hurting Rachel no longer, I went for broke and stepped away from the door. A moment later, my heel drove into the door, right next to the accursed lock.

When in doubt, kick it.

With my heel planted on the ground and my body leaning forward, it took a grand total of five kicks before the door gave in and swung into the room. How no one else heard me and came running is anyone's guess. With everyone aware of Rachel's current state, I would have imagined people swarming the hallway by this point.

Not a second later, I bolted into the room and scanned the area for Rachel. All around, signs of a struggle were apparent. Overturned chairs and feathers covered the floor. Across the walls, black and purple paint coated the once beautiful mural. Oh, and there was the green mist clinging to the floor.

When my gaze landed on Rachel, a moment of terror locked me in place. She lay in the fetal position, convulsing on the ground as mist spewed from her mouth. Her eyes glowed a vile green. Around her body, the mist thickened and coiled around her like a python constricting its prey.

A second later, the terror vanished and was replaced by a sense of rage and urgency. If that Oracle hurt my Rachel, no amount of intervention by Apollo would save her.

"Red?"

I pulled her up and hugged her shivering form. She groaned in agony as the lights in her eyes grew brighter. Beads of perspiration dotted her ever paling skin. Gray formed on the ends of her hair as the color seemed to sap away through the roots. Ever louder did her groaning get as her convulsions grew more intense.

And then she went still.

Not ten seconds later, she let out a bone rattling scream. The hissing of a thousand serpents coiled into my brain as her body twisted into unnatural shapes.

I attempted to hold her, keep her from hurting herself. Yet, with every minute of struggling, the severity of her thrashing increased. In my desperation, I failed to notice the chorus of hissing voices in my head.

Locked away in this maiden's soul! Free us! Break the seal of her voice and lift us to salvation! Free us!

"The seal of her voice," I repeated.

As wrong as it felt, I went for the only option I could deduce from their words. In my desperate attempt to help her, I drove my lips against her in an animalistic fury. The rancid odor of snakes grew stronger as the green mist traveled from her mouth to mine. In my head, the haunting voice of the oracle spoke.

Serenity falls to the waves of lust,

And beneath its waters shall its master be thrust,

Once lovers, now tyrants, by a rivalry, strained

By dragging tides and tempests through trials of pain,

To rise or fall, shall the master's will yearn,

Or watch the coming of serenity to burn,

By embers ablaze will the mark hold true,

And the lord will fall by his lover's virtue.

Before I could process her words, everything went silent. Rachel stopped shivering as her color returned to her body. The mist dissipated. At long last, everything seemed normal, minus the still destroyed room.

Seconds turned to minutes as I waited for Rachel to wake up. Out of a gnawing fear that she wouldn't, I laid her in bed and held her hand.

An all too beautiful sound rang out as she gasped for air, launching herself forward before I caught her. Wild eyes met my own as a new type of mist clouded her vision. Not a moment later, she rushed forward to hug me as she sobbed into my shirt.

"Shhh," I whispered, "I'm here. You're safe."

In the back of my mind, the festering thoughts of rage boiled and simmered. Even after everything we've been through; all of the wars, all of the pain, all of the misery; we still couldn't escape it. Even on an island locked away from the world, in a paradise to indulge in an eternity of pleasures, we were still given another gods damned prophecy.

A/N - Not to worry, everyone; I'm still alive. Not quite back at one hundred percent (I'd estimate high seventies to low eighties), but I'm more or less back in the groove of things. On that note, I hope my writing quality didn't deteriorate with the near month that's passed.

So, what were your thoughts on the chapter? Honestly, this chapter got postponed by the Texas visit, so the timing may seem a little weird, but it's the best I could do without mixing around everything else. I know that since we're around the halfway point a prophecy seems weird, but it was intended to show up much earlier.

With all of the time that's passed, I hope I can get a good question in here... Hmm... Okay, got it. If you could use a song lyric to describe this story, what would it be, what song is it from, and who is it by? In my case, I'd pick "In the meadow of sinful thoughts, every flower's a perfect one" from She is my Sin by Nightwish. I don't think I need to explain why. Hehe. So what's your pick?

On the note of questions, I regret my last one. I watched every recommendation, and then proceeded to fall into an anime rabbit hole. I found it a lot like Fan Fiction, most of them wind up discontinued. My need for completion was not happy.

Speaking of completion, in an effort to get my "spark" back, I started rereading this story from the beginning. Honestly, I found myself a little disappointed with it. There's so much I could add, so I intend to do so. Even the disclaimer is outdated. As such, from this point forward, my updates will be biweekly with every other week updating a new chapter from the beginning. The content and story won't change a bit, but structure and small inclusions are what I seek to make changes with. Yes, this also includes my less than popular chapter with Annabeth. But the way I see it, this kind of work lets me take a break from overworking myself while still making progress with the story. Hopefully, you guys don't have too big of an issue with it.

Well, I'm in a rush, so I've got to get to work. Leave your reviews and comments to let me know what you think. It's been nearly a month, so I expect to hear a lot of "What took you so long!?" Busy life, my friends, busy life. As always this is Ronin signing off.