Child of Zeus {Interactive Story} (PJO/HOO/TOA)

TEN: The Prophecy (Yay.)

I was still shaking and sobbing when we got to Chiron's office. Johnny was beside me, hugging me and telling me it was okay. I wanted to tell him that I was sorry for earlier, and leave out the part where he was, in fact, wrong. I wanted to thank him for the clothes, and looking out for me. Instead I focused on Chiron, towering above me looking anxious.

"When you were up there, before you screamed and let go, you said something about a voice in your head. What did it say?"

I hadn't said that. At least, I didn't think I had. But I realized now why Chiron was so desperate to know.

He thought I knew something about the Pithos.

I controlled my sobbing, wiping my eyes until I finally did calm enough to speak. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I-I don't think I heard something that will help."

"What did the voice say?" Chiron pressed.

So I told him; I wouldn't be accepted unless I saw the Pithos safely returned. Chiron's face was unreadable after he heard, then he closed his eyes.

"See it safely returned. How can you see it safely returned if there is no prophecy! How!" I knew it was rhetorical.

Johnny rubbed my back for a moment before speaking up.

"On the bright side, we're two steps closer to knowing who your godly parent is."

Chiron's eyes opened. Yes, I could see, for the sake of optimism he'd focus on this. I stared at his old, brown eyes for a moment, just looking. I wondered what he'd seen; how many countless times he'd felt this way; like there was no hope, like the world was ending. Surely it had to have happened before, at least once in his long lifetime. I wanted to tell him it would be alright. Rachel would give a prophecy any moment now. We'd get the Pithos back. I wanted to tell him that I still had hope, and that hope was all we needed.

I kept my mouth shut and listened to Johnny continue.

"For starters, you'll be claimed when we get Pandora's Pithos back - which will happen. We always get the job done, Chiron." But even Johnny looked unsure, unhopeful. "We also know that your parent is your father, and that it's not Poseidon. It could be Apollo, because your wounds healed a moment after I realized you got them. Though that could also just have been another god pulling a favour, because you weren't healed right after getting the scratch from the Vandari..."

"How do you know about that?" I asked, eager to change the subject of parenthood, and finally end with reclaiming Johnny as my friend. "The Poseidon thing."

"Eleo told me. She was the second demigod I brought to camp, the same year as Freddy. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Look, I'm sorry about yelling at you. I shouldn't have. I just felt like you were being a bit selfish, but I sort of understand now."

"I'm sorry too," I replied. Sorry that he thought I was being selfish, but I didn't say that. "Thank you for the clothes. Thank you for just now."

Chiron cleared his throat. "Y/N, you are to tell me should you hear or dream anything else surrounding the matter."

I nodded, then remembered the dream I had had the night before. No, surely that had nothing to do with this. We filed out of the Big House and then headed back to the climbing walls, where campers were still trying to keep their minds off of the problem.

~

It wasn't until dinner when my hope proved to be right.

Rachel and Terra sat and conversed with Chiron at the head table. Diana kept stealing glances at me like she, too, wanted to know about the voice I'd heard. Johnny actually sat with me and Freddy and Thomas, the latter of whom didn't press questions or bring up anything they found upsetting. So, we didn't talk.