(I gave up on finding memes that relate to what happens in this chapter.)
"Well, how are we supposed to get rid of this mess?" Annabeth asked.
"Just use scourgify?" I suggested. Annabeth scanned the mess for another moment, then nodded.
"That should do it." She decided, brandishing her wand at the two large, limp monsters. They disappeared. Next, she pointed her wand at the clawed, torn, blood-stained, and smoldering floor.
"Reparo." It cleansed itself of the grime and gore, pieces reknitting into the floorwork where they should've been, the last of the rising smoke dissipating. McGonagall took care of the window.
"Reparo," she echoed, surprisingly easily shaking free of Piper's charmspeak, and the sharp shards of glass scattered on the ground flew up- avoiding any students- fitting in different spots and mending with the segments around them until the gleaming, multi-colored stained-glass image of a graceful bird was whole and unblemished once more. I looked back at the students, who were still silent and petrified under Piper's charmspeak. Only their eyes moved, wide and darting between us.
"Should we wipe their memories?" I asked Annabeth. The students' eyes grew even larger to the size of tennis balls. Their hands twitched as if they desperately desired to move or run. I was sure that, without Piper's immensely capable charmspeak holding them back, they would've been rising in protest- or fear.
Annabeth hesitated for a second, then settled on "No, there isn't really a point anymore."
I shrugged and headed back to my table, devouring the last of my dessert. I had no idea what it was, and it looked weird, but it looked good. Annabeth walked over to my side as I stood up, finished. We headed out the huge double doors as Piper let the poor wizards free of her charmspeak. Needless to say, it was chaos.
"Hecate! HECATE. HECATE!" I yelled repeatedly. Annabeth just put her head in her hands and sighed, probably tired of my idiocy.
"She's not going to-"
Suddenly, Hecate materialized in a flash of raw golden light that blinded my eyes. I blinked rapidly, stumbling back, trying to get the feeling of hot, rough sandpaper off my eyelids. Annabeth looked up in surprise.
"Yes?" Hecate asked. I could see she was clearly irritated. Her eyes were narrowed, her fists furiously furled, and dark flowing robes rumpled as if she had just rolled out of bed. On the wrong side. And hit her head. Hard.
"Oh... um..." I took a step back fearfully, my eyes watering to combat the aftershock of Hecate turning into a human Sun. Hazel intervened, saving me the embarrassment.
"Are you alright?"
Hecate's eyes softened, her fingers unfolding tiredly. "Athena is missing."
"What?"
"Oh my gods!"
"Mom?!" Annabeth cried, standing up. Hecate sighed.
"Yes. I hate to admit this, but Athena keeps us together. Much like Zeus, we cannot function without her. Riddle is pulling us apart from the inside, targeting the base of our family." Hecate paused. "Needless to say, Ares is absolutely delighted for the time being. However, even he will understand the consequences in a matter of time." There was silence. There seemed to be an awful lot of that lately.
"Gods," Annabeth muttered dejectedly and put her head in her hands. I walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder in a feeble attempt to comfort her. She just needed us to be there.
"Why did you call me?" Hecate returned to the reason why she arrived in the first place. Hazel took a deep breath and stepped forward. She looked back at Frank, who offered an encouraging nod, before turning to face Hecate with all the confidence she could muster.
"We need a prophecy."
Hecate surveyed us solemnly. "I expected this would happen." She paused, for suspense. I mentally groaned. The gods just loved to revel in their power.
"Well?" Thalia demanded. Hecate glared at her. I silently thanked her.
"I will bring Ms. Dare over after consulting Apollo." She vanished in a flash of light.
We waited. And waited. For a long time. Which isn't so easy when you're an ADHD demigod anticipating a prophecy that's about to dictate your future. We trained for a while, but that didn't last long because it always ended up with Reyna, Annabeth, and I having defeated or incapacitated everyone else and locked in an endless battle with each other.
Finally, Frank suggested we just go to lunch. After all, it didn't look like Hecate was going to make an appearance any time soon. Trudging down the stairways (making sure to avoid that trick step) every small noise made us jump. Peeves was making all the chandeliers rattle and the torches flicker, which had me really freaked out before I turned quickly and saw his ghostly form dissipating and realized it was him causing it.
However, he'd ceased his tricks when he noticed Nico. His gaping mouth as he froze, caught in the act- now that was something to remember.
As we pushed open the double doors to the Great Hall, Hermione watched our every move like Hogwarts' toothpick-thin, vulture-like librarian. I never would've visited Hogwarts' library if Annabeth hadn't dragged me along a few days ago when we'd been bored and looking for something to do. I would've opted to take a dip in the lake, but oh well.
Hermione's feet tapped the floor in a repeated pattern as if she was suddenly hyperactive. Honestly, I was just glad that the trio had finally learned to stop stalking us or demanding answers. It had been really irritating last week.
Suddenly, Rachel materialized, looking disoriented and engulfed in splotches of colorful paint. Her thick paintbrush clattered to the floor as she stumbled, perplexed.
"Oh, really?" I yelled to the sky. "We've been waiting all morning for you, Hecate, and you decide to give us a prophecy exactly when we're surrounded by people?" I gestured wildly to the bewildered horde of wizards seated in the stuffy hall.
"She's going to give you a prophecy?" A Slytherin boy snorted. His friends laughed along with him, though a bit nervously. I guess we really were a little scary, considering all the things that had happened lately. Rachel made an ohh sound, realizing what was happening.
"You need a prophecy?"
"Yep. Apollo's going to let the Oracle free right about now."
"Alright." She paused, then looked around. "These are the wizards?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?" I was relieved that Annabeth didn't have to explain the situation for the third time today.
"Apollo told me. So I'd understand why he was temporarily shutting off the Oracle. Will I have to stay here? Apollo said I'd need to be protected or something."
"Yeah."
"Okay," Annabeth interrupted, "Leo, Frank, get behind Rachel. You'll need to catch her." She paused, then yelled to the sky, "Whenever Hecate thinks would be a good time!"
"Maybe we have to ask for it? For our first few prophecies, we had to ask her."
"Yeah, but after that, she just started spewing them without a question," Annabeth replied dubiously. "Besides, we only asked questions to the mummy. Rachel just... does it." Rachel looked slightly uncomfortable with us talking about her as if she wasn't there. Then Annabeth shrugged. "Worth a shot."
"The question might be how Hecate knows to release the Oracle," Reyna added.
I walked forward, facing Rachel. Getting down a knee- it just felt right- I asked, "How do we defeat Tom Riddle?"
Rachel doubled over, clutching her stomach like she was about to puke. I jumped, startled, then retreated backwards next to Annabeth. Then she stood rigid, spine straightening, unfolding like a crumpled piece of paper, and her eyes glowedserpent green.When she spoke, her voice sounded tripled; a sound I was well used to by now. Some students screamed, but Piper quickly shushed them in time for us to catch the first line of the prophecy.
"A soul lives on past death,
To extend the time 'till its final breath.
The pantheons together prevail
If the tie between stag and undead fail.
The heroes' victory lies in the shadow of the returned
To be caught in flame and brutally burned."
Rachel collapsed. Frank and Leo tried to seize her before she fell to the floor, but failed and winced as her head hit with a thud. With their help, she stood, leaning on Frank, and exhaled, expelling the last of the Oracle's viridescent viper essence from her lungs. She frowned expectantly.
"Well? What did I say?"
(Thank you so much to @Doha_Madani for making this possible! I couldn't have written the prophecy without her help with planning the plot of the book and how they defeat MoldyVoldy in the end.
So sorry the chapter is so incredibly short! I just wanted to get something out, and this was all I could write so far (I'm visiting New York for the next two days). Currently experiencing a writer's block. I'll be back!)