The Missing Gods

Chapter Three - Rachel Turns Green Again

Regaining my thoughts, I pushed through the crowd of staring demigods and headed toward Rachel's cave. Chiron called out to me, but no one could have stopped me except Annabeth, who was at my side as if she could read my mind. I would get that quest. I would save my dad (and Zeus and Hades I guess). There was nothing that could stand in the way of trying to find my dad and save the Olympian world... again.

I started breathing faster and faster, and I guess I squeezed Annabeth's hand too hard because she winced and pulled me to a stop.

"Percy..." Annabeth said, placing her hands on either side of my face and looking into my eyes. "I need you to breathe with me, okay?"

I stared back unblinkingly into her grey eyes, trying to lose myself in them for the millionth time, but my thoughts kept returning to my dad. I sucked in a deep breath and put my hands over hers, holding her close to me before I was ready to resume walking. She touched her forehead to mine and we stayed like this for an eternity, breathing in the scent of each other and feeling our pulses beat to the same rhythm.

"Okay, I'm ready," I said after a few minutes, both dreading and anticipating what another quest would do to us after everything we've already been through. Annabeth softly caressed my cheek and then replaced her hand in mine with a quick reassuring smile as we continued on towards Rachel's cave.

I know I'm just a random demigod, but I used to expect the Oracle's cave to be more mystic. Maybe some more crystal balls and tie-dye tapestries? I suggested it to Rachel once and she just threw a paintbrush at me, so maybe interior decorating isn't really her thing. We stepped into the cave and saw a much more modern scene; Rachel was standing up at the far wall and staring at a spot on her most recent mural of the Summer of '06 Dryad and Naiad Festival (and if anyone asks, Grover didn't really dye his hooves and horns green for a week, that's just a rumor). As we approached her, her thumb darted out and smudged an image of the wood nymph Arethusa and Leneus the Satyr dancing around a river of wine and head banging to flute music.

"Rachel?" Annabeth prompted, avidly looking anywhere but at the scantily-clad image of Aphrodite's left butt cheek painted on the cave wall next to her face.

Rachel whipped around and squinted at us, before turning and staring at the mural again.

"I know why you're here," she said. "Apollo warned me you'd come."

"Then you already know what I'm going to ask," I replied.

Rachel turned around slowly, gazing at Annabeth before turning to study me. I felt a slight shiver as her aura started to take on a greenish hue and her eyes clouded over.

Wisdom and waves will combine all alone,

To seek the items left on the throne,

You will fly to the farthest reaches of Earth,

And find the one from whom they were birthed.

The planets will shift as you fail together,

To come home alive, while one dies forever.

Rachel blinked a few times and then stared at us in shock.

"One dies forever...?" Annabeth started saying as I cut her off with a scared look.

"Listen, Rachel," I pleaded, "please don't repeat this to anyone. Tell Chiron what you want, but don't tell him the prophecy. Tell him Annabeth and I are going on a short vacation to Tahiti, I don't care." She nodded at my words, probably not trusting herself to speak, and hugged each of us before wishing us good luck.

"Please don't die," Rachel said. "I don't have many friends left to spare."

With that we left the cave, trying not to show any of the emotions that were broiling under the surface.

"Wisdom and waves, huh?" Annabeth smirked.

"I guess we're finally getting the couple's quest of death we always dreamed about, honey," I halfheartedly joked. Annabeth smiled and then put her Yankees cap on, disappearing from my side, as I headed toward my cabin to get ready for the planets shifting or whatever.