warrior ( RACHEL ELIZABETH DARE. )

o. PROLOGUE

WARRIOR!
( prologue )

   IT WAS JUST after the Titan War. The demigods of Camp Half Blood were trickling in from the city, some by car, others by pegasus. The Ares cabin led the pack on their chariot, streaking across the sky. They held their heads high, trying not to think of all the lives lost, and of unmentionable things they have seen in the past 24 hours.

   Ingrid Reid flew the chariot, as most of her siblings had taken this time to finally relax, and think about the events of the day. At her side stood her twin brother, Casey, who despite standing, kept drifting to sleep. Every once in a while, Ingrid would have to nudge his side to keep him conscious, as well as so he wouldn't fall out of the chariot.

   Normally, Clarisse LaRue, senior counselor of the Ares cabin would be holding the reigns, not Ingrid. But with so many difficult deaths that Clarisse had experienced, Ingrid offered to fly the chariot. The small girl quickly glanced back at her other siblings, seeing them all huddled around Clarisse. Her heart creaked, feeling incredibly sorrowful for the girl. Everyone knew that Clarisse was tough, but sometimes forgot that she had a heart as well.

   After what seemed like hours, Camp Half Blood came into view. Ingrid quickly scanned the area for a place to land, before finally settling onto the greens next to the canoe lake. "Hang on everyone, I haven't practiced landing much in this thing." She said, hopefully loud enough for her siblings to hear. Despite her worries, she landed the chariot with ease. She let out a sigh of relief, and turned to Casey, nudging him once again to keep him awake for what she was going to say.

   "You need some sleep. Go get some rest, I can make sure everyone is okay," She said. Before Casey could protest, she wrapped an arm around his shoulder, immediately feeling his weight shift onto hers as he closed his eyes again. Ingrid chuckled softly as she made her way out of the chariot and to the Ares cabin. When she entered the cabin, she felt herself relax immensely, finally feeling safe yet again. She gently placed her twin onto his bunk, before flopping onto her own.

   She wasn't tired, at least not as much as Casey. But that past 24 hours was physically, and mentally draining. She took a look around the familiar space, feeling right at home. When going into the war, she didn't think she'd come back, but she was grateful that she did. Surprisingly, she didn't even have any major injuries, only a few gashes that were already tended to. She didn't need to get them redone, but she had told Casey she'd check on everyone else anyways.

That being said, she decided to visit the infirmary to make sure her siblings were okay. Despite being known as the strongest demigods at camp, even they got injuries sometimes. On her walk, she passed the basketball courts, where her siblings had started a small pickup game with a few other campers. Sherman Yang noticed her first, and waved her over.

"Ing! You're on my team." He grinned. Ingrid sighed, glancing at the infirmary. She looked back at Sherman who was waiting for her, and decided a quick pickup game wouldn't hurt. Reluctantly, she wrapped her flannel around her waist and jogged over to join.

  Once she got onto the court, the game started back up again. Ingrid stole the ball from the other team, dribbling down the court. She sidestepped a camper, spinning as she went around them. As she approached the end of the court, she took her chance and threw the ball towards the hoop, it effortlessly sailing in. Ingrid stopped to catch her breath, smiling to herself. She turned around, ready to keep going, but something else caught her eye.

   In the distance was a girl with long, red curls, rocking silently in one of the chairs on the patio of the Big House. She was faced towards the courts, but was looking down, as if deep in thought. Ingrid knew practically everyone at camp, but had never once seen her before.

   "Hey, Ing! Nice shot, but are you gonna keep playing or what?" yelled Sherman, and Ingrid nodded, making her way over to the boy. She took the ball, dribbling a few times, before holding the ball in her hands.

   "Do you know who that girl is? The one with the red hair?" She asked, motioning towards where she was sitting. Sherman looked over at her, squinting to get a better look.

   "No, I don't think so, but I overheard Annabeth and Will talking about her in the infirmary earlier. I think her name is Rachel." He said, and soon, the other campers joined the conversation.

   "I heard that she's a spy for Kronos," Someone said.

   "I heard that she was Percy's girlfriend or something. Annabeth has talked about her a few times." An Athena kid said.

   "I heard that she threw a hairbrush at Kronos in the Labyrinth last year. Totally badass." Sherman exclaimed.

   "I heard that she's the new Oracle," Another person said. At that, a few people laughed. "It's true! All the nymphs were gossiping about it earlier. Apollo was even here to declare it!"

Ingrid glanced at the girl again, now noticing that she was staring right at them. Ingrid's eyes widened, realizing that she probably heard them. To answer her thoughts, the girl stood up, leaning against the railing of the Big House.

"No, I am not a spy. No, I am not Percy's girlfriend. Yes, I threw a blue plastic hairbrush at the Titan Lord. Yes, I am the new Oracle," The girl called out, making all of the demigods freeze. "Hi everyone. I'm Rachel, mortal girl turned Oracle of Delphi. I know, it's weird, but then again, your parents are gods and goddesses, so I think we're kinda in the same boat."

A smile pulled at the corner of Ingrid's lips as she looked over at her fellow campers. Their faces were as red as the girl's hair, and their eyes as big as craters on the moon.

"Glad we cleared the air. Nice meeting all of you." She said with a sarcastic smile. At that, she turned on her heel and walked back into the Big House, her head held high.

There was a pause of silence as the demigods basked in what they just witnessed. That silence was soon broken when Ingrid let out a laugh, almost doubling over because of it. The other demigods soon joined, despite the sheepish looks on their faces.

"That girl is crazy," Sherman said, bouncing the forgotten basketball a few times. "I like her."

"She might be crazy," Ingrid said, glancing back at the empty chair where she sat. "But that just proves that she's a warrior."