Alternate Timeline: Sequel to Tortured Hearts

Chapter 4

Posting a week early in honor of Nico's birthday cause he's definitely one of my favorite, if not my favorite, demigod.

Percy POV

     I slept restlessly that night and was up before breakfast, excitement coursing through my veins at maybe getting away from the camp that reminded me so much of Annabeth. It felt like hours before it was time for breakfast and even longer until lunch. When lunch finally came, I was buzzing with anticipation and could barely eat. I aggravated Piper with my constant tapping on the table, a nervous habit. Eventually, she shot me a glare and I stopped but my foot began to tap with nervous energy.

     When lunch finally ended, Piper and Annabeth both sighed loudly, I guess because they didn't have to sit through my relentless tapping anymore.

     We walked around camp, waiting for the gods to flash in outside camp borders. It was another hour before the gods showed up and when they did, everyone ran to Half-Blood Hill to greet them. After the formal bow from all of the campers, they parted to make way for the Olympians.

     The aforementioned gods went straight to the Big House, gathering in a space of land to the right of it. Hepheastus summoned what looked like a giant omega symbol and the gods began motioning and chanting around it. The thing began to glow and, after about half an hour, the noise and movement ceased.

     The gods turned around and Zeus began to speak.

"This is a portal to Camp Jupiter. We have debated on how to keep the two camps connected and have decided this option is better than combining both camps so we can have demigods on either side of the country. The two camps shall be connected from now on and the gods will travel to Camp Jupiter to make the same accommodations."

     The Olympians started walking towards the barrier once again but were stopped by shouts from a girl with a flaming head of hair.

"Wait! Stop!" Rachel said. All of the campers turned towards her along with the Olympians.

     She stopped running and tried to catch her breath while everyone looked at her expectantly.

"I got another prophecy," she said between breaths. The gods exchanged glances while murmurs ran through the group of demigods. I just prayed the fates weren't so cruel as to include me in this one.

     Once she had somewhat regained a steady breathing pattern, Rachel recited the prophecy.

"A god and three demigods shall travel east;

One shall be conquered while fighting the beast;

A past done differently, the god will remember;

To gain sight and reconcile by the end of September;

A fight to be won at the roots of the sunlight;

A union to be made, a wrong to be made right."

     A heavy silence enveloped the whole camp, each person trying to decipher what the prophecy meant. The gods eventually decided they needed to say something.

"With the arrival of this new development and the mention of a god embarking on this quest, we shall hold an Olympian Council meeting at which we expect to choose the members of this quest. Seeing as this quest involves a god, we shall also pick the most experienced of the campers to embark on such a journey," Zeus announced after chatting with the other gods.

     I rolled my eyes, knowing I'd have to go on yet another quest for the gods after Zeus sent a pointed look towards me at the mention of "experienced campers".

     After Zeus' announcement, all of the campers, including me, began to walk towards the dining pavilion for dinner, the commotion providing a perfect way to pass the time. I happily ate dinner, my stomach grumbling at the sight of food from my inability to eat at lunch.

     After an uneventful dinner, I opted out of evening festivities and went straight to bed. I lay in bed for hours, contemplating the prophecy and the meeting the gods scheduled for tomorrow. They asked that the seven and the respective cabin leaders of Camp Half-Blood be there along with the normal crowd present during such presentations. I longed for a new adventure but at the same time, I wished for a few more quiet days before I took the plunge back into the less than average life of a demigod.

     I stayed awake for at least 4 hours, thinking and feeling an itch in the back of my brain. It felt as though I was missing a huge piece of the puzzle but it wasn't like I forgot something, every thing in my mind was complete and there weren't moments where I had no memory. It was as if an important memory had been stolen and I needed to get it back. I tried to recall even a strand of what this missing memory could be but there was no trace.

     I eventually grew weary from my failing quest to retrieve the memory on my own and I fell asleep.

     That night I dreamed my friends were dead and the only thing keeping me from succumbing to the darkness was a single ray of sunlight, guiding me towards a patch of grass, more beautiful than the Earth could ever naturally produce. The sunlight materialized into a more human form and we sat on the grass, a picnic materializing as suddenly as the figure changed their likeness. We sat in silence, neither awkward nor comfortable but nevertheless, I felt more comfortable than I'd been in a long time. The dream continued in this manner until I woke up after what felt like minutes but was actually several hours.

     By the time I woke up, it was almost noon and I saw a note on my bedside table.

Didn't want to wake you just yet, you looked like you could use some good rest.
~Annabeth
P.S You still drool when you sleep.

     I smiled at the memory of our first conversation and set the note aside as I got ready for lunch and the meeting that would occur afterwards.

     I met Annabeth and the rest of the seven at lunch along with Nico and Will, as always, and we chatted about random things until the horn rang throughout the camp, signalling the end of lunch and the beginning of our trip to Olympus.

Please feel free to comment any mistakes and/or constructive criticism. Hope you guys have a fabulous day, month, year, etc.

~Emily