The four friends were on their way out when Percy spotted Hermes in the courtyard. He was staring at an iris message in the courtyard.
Percy glanced at his friends. "Meet you at the elevator?"
"You sure?" Lilia asked, she looked at his expression and nodded knowing he was sure. "We'll see you in a minute."
Lilia, Annabeth and Grover walked to the elevator doors. Annabeth rested against the wall and coughed. Lilia looked at her friends, they were tired and beaten up still.
"You guys head down, I'll wait for Percy." She smiled.
"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked.
"Get some rest." She nodded.
They smiled gratefully and made their way down the elevator.
➳
As Percy made his way to the elevator he was stopped by Aphrodite.
"Percy Jackson." She said sweetly, her voice was soft and Percy found himself struggling to speak.
"Urm hello." He stumbled.
"You may be the first to ever turn down Immortality." She said with a knowing look. "Do you remember when I spoke to you two years ago?"
Percy thought back to the conversation they'd had, during the quest for Artemis.
"Yeah." He said quietly.
"I told you, that love would play bigger part in your life than you thought it would. That love is something to ground you."
He'd been confused when she'd told him that the first time, he was still confused now.
"Have you figured it out yet?" She smiled.
He found himself thinking about Lilia. How she'd kept him grounded when the world around them was chaos.
He blushed as he looked at her mother, the resemblance striking.
"Maybe?" He murmured.
"What do you see when you look at me Percy, what do I look like?" She laughed knowingly.
"Umm, I guess you look like Lilia." He blushed again. "But I suppose that makes sense, you are her mother."
"What if I told you, my appearance changes depending on what you love?" She almost smirked.
"Oh." Percy said, he'd never thought about it before, but she was right Lilia didn't look much like any of her siblings, other than her eyes.
"I'm confused. You don't mind?" Percy asked cautiously.
"Oh please Percy, I've been watching you two for years and I couldn't be more happy. Though that little stunt you pulled with that Rachel girl was not it." She said sternly.
"Right, yeah..." Percy frowned.
"Just think about it. She's waiting for you." Aphrodite smiled and wandered back to the Throne room.
➳
Percy thought about his conversation with Aphrodite a blushed. When he got to the elevator he found Lilia stood alone.
She looked up when she heard his footsteps and smiled. Before he could even reach her she made her way over and pulled him into a tight hug.
He was slightly stunned but wrapped his arms round her.
"What's this for?" He laughed softly.
"I thought I was going to lose you." She blushed slightly.
"As if I'd chose godly hood over you— and everyone else, obviously." He said scratching the back of his neck.
"Obviously." She laughed at him. "Why do you smell like roses?" She smirked.
"Um, I think your mom." He blushed.
Lilia raised an eyebrow and before she could ask what he said. "It's a long story."
"Come on bubble brain." She said grabbing his hand and dragging him into the elevator.
He wrapped his hand around hers and didn't let go the whole way down.
When they got into the lobby, they found Percy's mother and Paul arguing with the bald security guy, who'd returned to his post.
"'m telling you," his mom yelled, "we have to go up! My son-" Then she saw him and her eyes widened. "Percy!"
She hugged the breath right out of him.
"We saw the building lit up blue," she said. "But then you didn't come down. You went up hours ago!"
"She was getting a bit anxious," Paul said drily.
"I'm all right," Percy promised as Sally hugged Lilia. "Everything's okay now."
"Mr. Blofis," Lilia said, "that was wicked sword work."
Paul shrugged. "It seemed like the thing to do. But Percy, is this really .... I mean, this story about the six hundredth floor?"
"Olympus," he said. "Yeah."
Paul looked at the ceiling with a dreamy expression. "I'd like to see that."
"Paul," my mom chided. "It's not for mortals. Anyway, the important thing is we're safe. All of us."
Lilia was about to relax. Everything felt perfect. They were okay. Sally and Paul had survived. Olympus was saved.
But the life of a demigod is never so easy. Just then Nico ran in from the street, and his face told her something was wrong.
"It's Rachel," he said. "I just ran into her down on 32nd Street."
Lilia frowned. "What's she done this time?"
"It's where she's gone," Nico said. "I told her she would die if she tried, but she insisted. She just took
Honey and-"
"She took my pegasus?" Lilia demanded.
Nico nodded. "She's heading to Half-Blood Hill. She said she had to get to camp."
➳
Nobody steals her pegasus. Especially not Rachel.
"What was she thinking?" Annabeth said as they ran for the river.
The traffic was horrible. Everybody was out on the streets gawking at the war zone damage. Police sirens wailed on every block. There was no possibility of catching a cab, and the pegasi had flown away. So they ran, pushing through mobs of dazed mortals that clogged the sidewalks.
"She'll never get through the defenses," Lilia said. "Peleus will eat her."
"We've got to hurry." Percy glanced at Nico. "I don't suppose you could conjure up some skeleton horses."
He wheezed as he ran. "So tired ..... couldn't summon a dog bone."
Finally they scrambled over the embankment to the shore, and Percy let out a loud whistle.
Three wake lines appeared in the gray water, and a pod of hippocampi broke the surface. They whinnied unhappily, shaking the river muck from their manes. They were beautiful creatures, with multicolored fish tails, and the heads and forelegs of white stallions. The hippocampus in front was much bigger than the others— a ride fit for a Cyclops.
"Rainbow!" Percy called. "How's it going, buddy?"
He neighed a complaint.
"Yeah, I'm sorry," Percy said. "But it's an emergency. We need to get to camp."
He snorted.
"Tyson?" Percy said. "Tyson is fine! I'm sorry he's not here. He's a big general now in the Cyclops army."
"NEEEEIGGGGH!"
"Yeah, I'm sure he'll still bring you apples. Now, about that ride ..."
In no time, Annabeth, Nico, Lilia and Percy were zipping up the East River faster than Jet Skis. They sped under the Throgs Neck Bridge and headed for Long Island Sound.
It seemed like forever until they saw the beach at camp. They thanked the hippocampi and waded ashore, only to find Argus waiting for them. He stood in the sand with his arms crossed, his hundred eyes glaring at them.
"Is she here?" Percy asked.
He nodded grimly.
"Is everything okay?" Annabeth said.
Argus shook his head.
They followed him up the trail. It was surreal being back at camp, because everything looked so peaceful: no burning buildings, no wounded fighters. The cabins were bright in the sunshine, and the fields glittered with dew. But the place was mostly empty.
Up at the Big House, something was definitely wrong. Green light was shooting out all the windows. Mist- the magical kind-swirled around the yard.
Chiron lay on a horse-size stretcher by the volleyball pit, a bunch of satyrs standing around him. Honey cantered nervously nearby.
Rachel Elizabeth Dare stood at the bottom of the porch steps. Her arms were raised like she was waiting for someone inside the house to throw her a ball.
"What's she doing?" Lilia demanded. "How did she get past the barriers?"
"She flew," one of the satyrs said, looking accusingly at Honey. "Right past the dragon, right through the magic boundaries."
"Rachel!" Percy called, but the satyrs stopped him when he tried to go any closer.
"Percy, don't," Chiron warned. He winced as he tried to move. His left arm was in a sling, his two back legs were in splints, and his head was wrapped in bandages. "You can't interrupt."
"I thought you explained things to her!"
"I did. And I invited her here."
They stared at him in disbelief. "You said you'd never let anyone try again! You said—"
"I know what I said, Percy. But I was wrong. Rachel had a vision about the curse of Hades. She believes it may be lifted now. She convinced me she deserves a chance."
"And if the curse isn't lifted? If Hades hasn't gotten to that yet, she'll go crazy!" The Mist swirled around Rachel. She shivered like she was going into shock.
"Hey!" He shouted. "Stop!"
Percy ran toward her, ignoring the satyrs. He got within ten feet and hit something like an invisible beach ball. He bounced back and landed in the grass.
Rachel opened her eyes and turned. She looked like she was sleepwalking-like she could see him, but only in a dream.
"It's all right." Her voice sounded far away. "This is why I've come."
"You'll be destroyed!"
She shook her head. "This is where I belong, Percy. I finally understand why."
The house rumbled. The door flew open and green light poured out. Mist curled into a hundred smoky serpents, slithering up the porch columns, curling around the house.
Then the Oracle appeared in the doorway. The withered mummy shuffled forward in her rainbow dress. She looked even worse than usual, which is saying a lot. Her hair was falling out in clumps. Her leathery skin was cracking like the seat of a worn-out bus. Her glassy eyes stared blankly into space, but I got the creepiest feeling she was being drawn straight toward Rachel.
Rachel held out her arms. She didn't look scared.
"You've waited too long," Rachel said. "But I'm here now."
The sun blazed more brightly. A man appeared above the porch, floating in the air—a blond dude in a white toga, with sunglasses and a cocky smile.
"Apollo," Lilia said.
He winked at her but held up his finger to his lips.
"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," he said. "You have the gift of prophecy. But it is also a curse. Are you sure you want this?"
Rachel nodded. "It's my destiny."
"Do you accept the risks?"
"I do."
"Then proceed," the god said.
Rachel closed her eyes. "I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo, God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past. I accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, Speaker of Riddles, Seer of Fate."
Lilia didn't know where she was getting the words, but they flowed out of her as the Mist thickened. A green column of smoke, like a huge python, uncoiled from the mummy's mouth and slithered down the stairs, curling affectionately around Rachel's feet. The Oracle's mummy crumbled, falling away until it was nothing but a pile of dust in an old tie-dyed dress. Mist enveloped Rachel in a column.
For a moment they couldn't see her at all. Then the smoke cleared. Rachel collapsed and curled into the fetal position.
Annabeth, Nico, Percy and Lilia rushed forward, but Apollo said, "Stop! This is the most delicate part."
"What's going on?" Percy demanded. "What do you mean?"
Apollo studied Rachel with concern. "Either the spirit takes hold, or it doesn't."
"And if it doesn't?" Lilia asked.
"Five syllables," Apollo said, counting them on his fingers. "That would be real bad."
Despite Apollo's warning, Percy ran forward and knelt over Rachel. The smell of the attic was gone. The Mist sank into the ground and the green light faded. But Rachel was still pale. She was barely breathing.
Then her eyes fluttered open. She focused on him with difficulty. "Percy."
"Are you okay?"
She tried to sit up. "Ow." She pressed her hands to her temples.
"Rachel," Nico said, "your life aura almost faded completely. I could see you dying."
"I'm all right," she murmured. "Please, help me up. The visions they're a little disorienting."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Percy asked.
Apollo drifted down from the porch. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the new Oracle of Delphi."
"You're kidding," Annabeth said.
Rachel managed a weak smile. "It's a little surprising to me too, but this is my fate. I saw it when I was in New York. I know why I was born with true sight. I was meant to become the Oracle."
"You mean you can tell the future now?" Percy asked.
"Not all the time," she said. "But there are visions, images, words in my mind. When someone asks me a question, I... Oh no—"
"It's starting," Apollo announced.
Rachel doubled over like someone had punched her. Then she stood up straight and her eyes glowed serpent green.
When she spoke, her voice sounded tripled like three Rachels were talking at once:
"Eight half-bloods shall answer the call.
To storm or fire, the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath, And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."
At the last word, Rachel collapsed. Nico and Percy caught her and helped her to the porch. Her skin was feverish.
"I'm all right," she said, her voice returning to normal.
"What was that?" Lilia asked.
She shook her head, confused. "What was what?"
"I believe," Apollo said, "that we just heard the next Great Prophecy."
"What does it mean?" Percy demanded.
Rachel frowned. "I don't even remember what I said."
"No," Apollo mused. "The spirit will only speak through you occasionally. The rest of the time, our Rachel will be much as she's always been. There's no point in grilling her, even if she has just issued the next big prediction for the future of the world."
"What?" Percy said. "But—"
"Percy," Apollo said, "I wouldn't worry too much. The last Great Prophecy about you took almost seventy years to complete. This one may not even happen in your lifetime."
Lilia thought about the lines Rachel had spoken in that creepy voice: about storm and fire and the Doors of Death.
"Maybe," Percy said, "but it didn't sound so good."
"No," said Apollo cheerfully. "It certainly didn't. She's going to make a wonderful Oracle!"
It was hard to drop the subject, but Apollo insisted that Rachel needed to rest, and she did look pretty disoriented.
"I'm sorry, Percy," she said. "Back on Olympus, I didn't explain everything to you, but the calling frightened me. I didn't think you'd understand."
"I still don't," he admitted. "But I guess I'm happy for you."
Rachel smiled. "Happy probably isn't the right word. Seeing the future isn't going to be easy, but it's my destiny. I only hope my family..." She didn't finish her thought.
"Will you still go to Clarion Academy?" He asked.
"I made a promise to my father. I guess I'll try to be a normal kid during the school year, but—"
"But right now you need sleep," Apollo scolded.
"Chiron, I don't think the attic is the proper place for our new Oracle, do you?"
"No, indeed." Chiron looked a lot better now that Apollo had worked some medical magic on him.
"Rachel may use a guest room in the Big House for now, until we give the matter more thought."
"I'm thinking a cave in the hills," Apollo mused.
"With torches and a big purple curtain over the entrance ... really mysterious. But inside, a totally decked-out pad with a game room and one of those home theater systems."
Chiron cleared his throat loudly.
"What?" Apollo demanded.
Rachel kissed Percy on the cheek. "Good-bye, Percy," she whispered. "And I don't have to see the future to tell you what to do now, do I?" Her eyes seemed more piercing than before.
He blushed. "No."
"Good," she said. Then she turned and followed Apollo into the Big House.
Lilia and Annabeth exchanged glances.
➳
The rest of the day was as strange as the beginning. Campers trickled in from New York by car, pegasus, and chariot. The wounded were cared for. The dead were given proper funeral rites at the campfire.
Silena's shroud was hot pink, but embroidered with an electric spear. The Ares and Aphrodite cabins both claimed her as a hero, and lit the shroud together. No one mentioned the word spy. That secret burned to ashes as the designer perfume smoke drifted into the sky.
Even Ethan Nakamura was given a shroud black silk with a logo of swords crossed under a set of scales. As his shroud went up in flames, Lilia hoped Ethan knew he had made a difference in the end. He'd paid a lot more than an eye, but the minor gods would finally get the respect they deserved.
Dinner at the pavilion was low-key. The only highlight was Juniper the tree nymph, who screamed, "Grover!" and gave her boyfriend a flying tackle hug, making everybody cheer. They went down to the beach to take a moonlit walk, and she was happy for them, though the scene reminded her of Silena and Beckendorf, which made her sad.
Mrs. O'Leary romped around happily, eating everybody's table scraps. Nico sat at the main table with Chiron and Mr. D, and nobody seemed to think this was out of place. Everybody was patting Nico on the back, complimenting him on his fighting. Even the Ares kids seemed to think he was pretty cool. Hey, show up with an army of undead warriors to save the day, and suddenly you're everybody's best friend.
Slowly, the dinner crowd trickled away. Some went to the campfire for a sing-along. Others went to bed. Percy sat at the Poseidon table by himself and watched the moonlight on Long Island Sound.
"Hey." Lilia slid next to him on the bench. "Happy birthday." She was holding a huge cupcake with blue icing.
He stared at her. "What?"
"It's August 18th," she said. "Your birthday, right?"
He was stunned. It hadn't even occurred to him, but she was right. He had turned sixteen this morning. The prophecy had come true right on schedule, and he hadn't even thought about the fact that it was my birthday.
"Make a wish," she said.
"Did you bake this yourself?" He asked.
"Annabeth and Tyson helped."
"That explains why it looks like a chocolate brick," he said. "With extra blue cement."
"It does not!" She laughed.
He thought for a second, then blew out the candle.
They cut it in half and shared, eating with their fingers. Lilia sat next to Percy, and they watched the ocean. Crickets and monsters were making noise in the woods, but otherwise it was quiet.
"You saved the world," she said.
"We saved the world."
"And Rachel is the new Oracle, which means she won't be dating anybody."
"You don't sound disappointed," he noticed.
Lilia shrugged. "Oh, I don't care."
"Uh-huh."
She raised an eyebrow. "You got something to say to me, bubble Brain?"
"You'd probably kick my butt."
"You know I'd kick your butt."
He brushed the cake off his hands. "When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable... Nico said I had to concentrate on one thing that kept me anchored to the world, that made me want to stay mortal."
Lilia kept her eyes on the horizon. "Yeah?"
"Then up on Olympus," he said, "when they wanted to make me a god and stuff, I kept thinking.—"
"Oh, you so wanted to."
"Well, maybe a little. But I didn't, because I thought—I didn't want things to stay the same for eternity, because things could always get better. And I was thinking..."
"Anyone in particular?" Lilia asked, her voice soft.
He looked over and saw that she was trying not to smile.
"You're laughing at me," he complained.
"I am not!"
"You are so not making this easy."
Then she laughed for real, and she put her hands around my neck. "I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, bubble Brain. Get used to it."
She leant in and kissed him. She had the feeling her brain was melting right through her body.
She could've stayed that way forever, except a voice behind them growled, "Well, it's about time!"
Suddenly the pavilion was filled with torchlight and campers. Clarisse led the way as the eavesdroppers charged and hoisted them both onto their shoulders.
"Oh, come on!" He complained. "Is there no privacy?"
"The lovebirds need to cool off!" Celia said with glee.
"The canoe lake!" Connor Stoll shouted.
With a huge cheer, they carried them down the hill, but they kept them close enough to hold hands.
Lilia was laughing, and Percy couldn't help laughing too, even though his face was completely red.
They held hands right up to the moment they dumped them in the water.
Afterward, he had the last laugh. He made an air bubble at the bottom of the lake. Their friends kept waiting for them to come up, but hey—when you're the son of Poseidon, you don't have to hurry.
And it was pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time.
➳
AN:
Happy Easter guys!!! I'm back already, hope you didn't miss me too much 😜.
THEY KISSED!!!! YAYYAAYYAYAAYAYYYYTT
I stayed very true to the scene in the actual books cause I love it so much, but I'm so happy my cuties are finally together and I can actually write them as a couple now yayyyy!
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter because honestly it's one of my favourites!!!
Love you all and hopefully I'll get the next chapter out soon! X
🤍