Indigo Eyes

Chapter 133

Nico didn't return. Rather it was Hades himself who waved his hand and shadow-travelled them back inside camp boarders as they landed on Half-Blood Hill. And boy had they missed a lot.

Rachel had apparently stolen Blackjack and flown into camp, past Peleus and through the magic barrier only supposed to let half-bloods in. That was the first thing. The second thing was that Chiron had actually invited her here because of the Oracle.

It was a bit of a complicated story that Annabeth explained to her. Apparently, Luke's mother, May Castellan, had tried to host the Oracle's spirit before and because of a curse from Hades, the spirit of Delphi rejected her and drove her out of her mind. It was part of the reason why Luke ran away from home. And now, now Rachel had tried to host the Oracle's spirit.

Percy had damn near had a panic attack because it could drive her crazy or potentially kill her and he had no idea when Dionysus would return from Olympus after the council meeting or when Cress would get back from the Underworld.

Apollo had even made an appearance. He said that Rachel had the gift of prophecy but that it was also a curse and when Rachel accepted the risks, she made a pledge to Apollo as she accepted the spirit of Delphi.

And then Rachel was ok.

Rachel was the new Oracle.

And said new Oracle, had already spouted a new prophecy.

Eight half-bloods shall answer the call,

To storm or fire the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

The blood of the rare one will help her rise,

But her blood will also be her demise.

And all they could do was hope and pray that it would take seventy years to complete like the one about Percy.

She'd kissed Percy on the cheek in goodbye when Apollo insisted that she rest for a time. The kiss made him smile, but it wasn't anything like the ones Cressida gave him. It didn't make his heart flutter or his stomach roll. But what did were Rachel's parting words.

That the girl he couldn't stop thinking about was alive and well and she'd be returning soon, and that she was finally ready.

Though Cressida had said that despite whatever her emotional and mental state was, she wanted to be with him. And yeah, he wanted to be with her, but he was still apprehensive about the idea with the discovery that she hadn't completely dealt with Castor's passing before he went for a dip in the Styx.

But she was ready.

Oh, he couldn't wait for her return.

The rest of the day was as strange as the beginning. Campers trickled in from New York by car, pegasus and chariot. The wounded were cared for. The dead were given proper funeral rites at the campfire. Silena's shroud was hot pink but embroidered with an electric spear. The Ares and Aphrodite cabins both claimed her as a hero and lit the shroud together. No one mentioned the word spy. That secret burned to ashes as the designer perfume smoke drifted into the sky. Even Ethan Nakamura was given a shroud – black silk, with a logo of swords crossed under a set of scales. He really had made a difference in the end. He'd paid a bigger price than just his eye, but the minor gods would finally get the respect they deserve.

When dinner rolled around, Percy sat at his table alone, as he watched Juniper flying-tackle Grover as everyone cheered and the couple went down to the beach for a moonlit walk.