End of the Line

#13 - Crew Meeting

Just being on the ship was bringing back a whole whirlwind of memories.

The walls were still covered in paintings of Camp Half-Blood, and Percy's heart ached in longing to return to his old home. But he knew it would be a long time before he ever saw it in person – if he ever did.

"You look exhausted," Leo noted as Percy took a seat at the table. He slid one of the magic plates cross to Percy.

Percy quietly asked for a cheeseburger, and he dug into it as soon as it appeared.

"So, we need to decide where we're going next," Jason said seriously, pacing about the room. His hands were clasped together and his brow furrowed in worry. "According to Leo, we're currently in the peaceful Fokia, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Tartarus finds us, so we need to get a move on."

"The prophecy's already began," Hazel pointed out. "'To the village at the core, five must go. Face their past and fight new foes.'"

Piper nodded in agreement. "We went to Agatha, found our 'past' – the Battle of the Dead – and fought 'new foes' – Tartarus and the warriors."

She slid a piece of paper over to Percy, with what he assumed was the prophecy written on it.

To the village at the core, five must go,
Face their past and fight new foes.
The key to the sky lies with the day,
the blade to raise with memory.
Power attained with singing praise,
one side will crumble, one side will raze.

"What's up with the whole 'sky' thing?" Percy asked.

Jason sighed. "No idea. That's what we're trying to figure out."

"The prophecy makes no sense," Leo protested. "We're at a dead end."

"All prophecies are like this," Piper insisted. "We just need to think. 'Sky', 'memory', 'day'. Something connects it all."

"Abstract nouns?" Leo said blandly.

"Maybe we should wait till Annabeth wakes up," Frank said at last. "That might help–"

"Wait," Percy said suddenly. The word 'memory' had triggered something in his mind, nagging at an old memory. He recalled writing a book on the Greek Gods for a New York publisher, the countless hours of research and spellchecks. "'Memory'. What if it refers to Memory? Like, with a capital 'M'." He glanced at his friends. "The Titan? Wasn't she the Titan of memory?"

Jason snapped his fingers. "Mnesmosyne!"

Leo held up a hand. "Now hold on a second–"

But Percy was on a roll. "And that means that 'sky' must be Ouranos, and 'day' is–"

"Hemera," Jason finished with a grin.

"Okay," Leo interrupted. "Explain for us lesser beings, please?"

Jason gestures impatiently. "Ouranos was the primordial of the sky – Gaia's first husband. Until their son Kronos castrated him and chopped him into a million pieces."

Frank winced. "Ouch."

"What does he have to do with this?" Piper asked in confusion. "The key to Ouranos?"

"To his power," Percy realised. "The fifth line of the prophecy. 'Power attained with singing praise.' It's something about the power of Ouranos."

"And singing praise?" Piper asked.

"A spell," Hazel replied. "Hecate used to chant her spells through hymns and songs. It just means a spell to unlock Ouranos' power."