Ethereal

X

"It's the Great Prophecy, isn't it?" A girl called out.

Everyone turned. The voice had come from a group in the back, sitting under a rose-colored banner with a dove emblem. They'd been chatting among themselves and not paying much attention until their leader stood up: Drew.

Alessandra made a face at the girl, already tired of the crap that's going to come out of her gloss coated lips. Piper nudged her with a quiet snicker.

She saw how everyone looked surprised. She assumed Drew didn't really address the crowd very often. Alessandra thought Drew should stop addressing the crowd. It was better for her brain cells that way.

"Drew?" Annabeth said. "What do you mean?"

"Well, come on." Drew spreads her hands like the truth was obvious. Alessandra rolled her eyes at the annoying attitude. "Olympus is closed. Percy disappeared. Hera sends you a vision, and you come back with four new demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started, right?"

Piper leaned around Alessandra to whisper to Rachel, "What's she talking about–the Great Prophecy?"

Alessandra glanced around and noticed everyone was curious too. They were all looking at Rachel, too.

"Well?" Drew called down. "You're the oracle. Has it started or not?"

Rachel's eyes looked creepy in the firelight. Alessandra was worried she'd clench up and start channeling a freaky, peacock goddess again, but she stepped forward calmly and addressed the camp.

"Yes," She said. "The Great Prophecy has begun."

Pandemonium broke out.

Alessandra caught Jason's eye. He mouthed, you all right? She nodded and managed a smile but then looked away. Her heart raced just looking at him, but now wasn't the time to crush. She had more important matters to think about than her feelings right now.

When the talking finally subsided, Rachel took another step toward the audience, and fifty-plus demigods leaned away from her, as if one skinny redhead mortal was more intimidating than all of them put together.

"For those of you who have not heard it," Rachel said, " the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August, and it goes like this:

"Eight half- bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire, the world must fall–"

Alessandra blinked when Jason shot to his feet. His eyes looked wild, like he'd just been tasered.

Even Rachel seemed caught off guard. "J-Jason?" She stammered. "What's–"

"Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus," he chanted, Alessandra blinked. She understood him perfectly. "Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem."

An uneasy silence settled over the group. Alessandra could tell from their faces that several of them were trying to translate the lines, it seemed she was one of the few to understand. Which was strange because she was sure she never learned Latin.

"An oath to keep with a final breath. And foes bear arms to the doors of death." Alessandra translated for all of them to understand, everyone suddenly turned to her with wide eyes, she blinked. "What?"

"You...you know Latin?" Annabeth asked. "How?"

"And how do you know the prophecy, Jason?" Rachel asked.

Drew casted a glare in Alessandra's direction before giggling at Jason. "And in Latin, no less. Handsome and smart."

"First of all, don't be weird." Alessandra glared at Drew, lips curling in disgust as she gave her a once over before turning to Annabeth. "Second, I'm not sure. I just knew what he said. It translated itself in my head."