[2] 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 ― l.valdez ✓

008.

suddenly, cherry watched as jason shot to his feet, his eyes wild, like he'd just been tasered. even rachel was caught of as she began to stutter his name.

"ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus," he chanted, "et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem."

there he is with the latin again, cherry thought to herself as the rest of the demigods around her turned uneasy.

"in latin, no less," drew called out, breaking the tension in the highest and most fakest voice cherry had ever heard her use (which was to say, drew tanaka was up to something), "handsome and smart."

there was some shrill laughter from the aphrodite cabin to which she saw barbie hitting her siblings lightly, hissing the words, "shut up!"

cherry watched nervously as the campfire burned a violent shade of green. jason looked down, clerly embarrassed as rachel glanced at chiron for guidance. but chiron, for once, stood grim and silent, as if he wasn't able to interrupt.

"well," rachel spoke, trying to regain her composure, "so... yeah, that's the great prophecy. we hoped it might not happen for years, but i fear it's starting now. i can't exactly give you proof. but... it's just a feeling. and like drew said earlier on, some weird stuff is happening. the nine demigods, whoever they are, have not gathered yet. i feel as if some of them are here tonight, but the others... i'm not so sure."

the campers began to stir and mutter, looking to each other. but all cherry could think about was the same words hades had said her. will of the prophecy. this... this had to do with the great prophecy, right? it had to! how else would she be alive. an accidental death that was never meant to happen, because she was part of something big... this had to be it. it-

"go back to sleep clovis!" laughed on of the campers, giggles from the rest of them soon following.

"anyway," rachel continued, "we don't know what the great prophecy means. we don't know what challenge the demigods will face. but since the first great prophecy predicted the titan war, we can guess the second great prophecy will predict something just as bad."

"or worse," chiron murmured.

maybe he didn't mean to say that out loud, but everybody heard him, and there was muttering amongst them all. lia, the younger siblings cherry had just met today clutched onto cherry fearfully, whimpering slightly as cherry stroked her hair, trying to sooth her.

"what we do know," rachel spoke, "is that the first phase has begun. a major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken."

shocked silence. but that only lasted for about half a second before all of them began to talk at once. questions spouted out from every direction, none of them paying attention one more. chiron pounded his hoof again, but rachel still had to wait before she could get back their attention. she told them about the incident on the grand canyon skywalk- how gleeson hedge had sacrificed himself when the storm spirits attacked, and how the spirits had warned it was only the beginning. rachel nodded to cherry, before adding about cherry's revival must be something to do with it all. then, she continued, talking about piper passing out in the hera cabin. and finally, rachel told them about jason's vision in the living room of the big house.

"jason," rachel said, "um... do you remember your last name?"

he looked self-conscious, and all cherry wanted to do was give him a hug, but he shook his head, "we'll just call you jason, then. but... it's clear hera herself has issued you a quest."

there was silence for a few moments, as if rachel was letting jason deny this. but he didn't. suddenly, his self-conscious demeanor changed. he stood up straighter, his gaze firm as he spoke, "i agree."