ᵖᵉʳᶜʸ ⁻ ʷᵉ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵃ ⁿᵉʷ ᵉⁿᵉᵐʸ ᶠᵒʳ ᶜʰʳⁱˢᵗᵐᵃˢ
˚ ✦ . . ˚ . . ✦ ˚ . ★⋆.
BEFORE PERCY LEFT OLYMPUS, he decided to make a few calls. It wasn't easy, but he finally found a quiet fountain in a corner garden. He had asked Menodora to come with him, and with a plate full of food and self-serving goblets, Percy and Menodora sent an Iris-message to Percy's brother, Tyson, under the sea.
"Hi, Percy!" Tyson exclaimed happily, waving hello with a burning sword, littering fire all over the place. "Oh. Hi, pretty girl with the funny eye-drawing!"
Percy had never had the heart to ask Menodora about the Horus Eye tattoo under her eye. He was afraid she might snap at him and wave it off, but she didn't snap at Tyson, or wave it off. Instead she laughed warmly and explained the importance of the Horus Eye in Egyptian culture, throwing in so many Arabic sounding words that both Percy and Tyson regarded her, dumbstruck.
"In English please," Percy said.
"I was given the tattoo as a gift from Apollo. That's all you really need to know."
"Oh, so you are friends with the sun god!" Tyson said.
Percy and Menodora used that as a starting point to tell him about their adventures, and Bessie—Tyson wanted to hear every detail about the cute baby cow serpent—and they assured him that Annabeth was safe. Finally Percy got around to explaining how the shield he'd made Percy last summer had been damaged in the manticore attack.
"Yay!" Tyson said. "That means it was good! It saved your lives!"
"It sure did, big guy," Percy said. "But now it's ruined."
"Not ruined!" Tyson promised. "I will visit and fix it next summer."
The idea picked Percy up instantly. He hadn't realized how much he had missed having Tyson around.
"Seriously?" Percy asked. "They'll let you take time off?"
"Yes! I have made two thousand seven hundred and forty-one magic swords," Tyson said proudly, showing Menodora and Percy his newest blade "The boss says 'good work'! He will let me take the whole summer off. I will visit camp!"
They talked for a while about war preparations and their dad's fight with the old sea gods, and all the cool things they could do together next summer, but then Tyson's boss started yelling at him and he had to get back to work.
"Your brother is cool," Menodora admitted, chewing on a strawberry flavoured pastry.
Percy nodded in agreement as he dug out his last golden drachma and made one more Iris-message. "You wanna call anyone?"
He had masked his actual question with some innocent words. What he really wanted to know is if she wanted to talk to Nico yet, see how he was holding up with the news of Bianca's death. She opened her mouth and instead of filling it with words, she filled it with more cake and shook her head.
"Sally Jackson," Percy decided. "Upper East Side, Manhattan."
"I'll let you and your mom talk," Menodora said. Percy was about to protest, but Menodora was already up and going, the wind gently playing with her hair as she disappeared in the crowd.
The mist shimmered, and there was Percy's mom at their kitchen table, laughing and holding hands with her friend Mr. Blowfish.
Percy felt so embarrassed, he was about to wave his hand through the mist and cut the connection, but before he could, his mom saw him.
Her eyes got wide. She let go of Mr. Blowfish's hand real quick. "Oh, Paul! You know what? I left my writing journal in the living room. Would you mind getting it for me?"
"Sure, Sally. No problem."
Mr. Blowfish left the room, and instantly his mom leaned toward the Iris-message. "Percy! Are you all right?"
"I'm, uh, fine. How's that writing seminar going?"
She pursed her lips. "It's fine. But that's not important. Tell me what's happened!"
Percy filled her in as quickly as he could. She sighed with relief when she heard that Annabeth was safe.
"I knew you could do it!" she said. "I'm so proud."
"Yeah, well, I'd better let you get back to your homework."
He must've come over as distant, because his mom started doing that thing where she tried to make Percy understand the situation.
"Percy, I... Paul and I—"
"Mom, are you happy?"
The question seemed to take her by surprise. She thought for a moment. "Yes. I really am, Percy. Being around him makes me happy."
"Then it's cool. Seriously. Don't worry about me."
The funny thing was, he meant it. Considering the quest he'd just had, maybe he should have been worried for his mom. Percy had seen just how mean people could be to each other, like Hercules was to Zoë Nightshade, like Theos was to Menodora, and like Luke was to Thalia. He had met Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, in person, and her powers had scared him worse than Ares. But seeing his mother laughing and smiling, after all the years she'd suffered with Percy's nasty ex-stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, Percy couldn't help feeling happy for her, because she had finally found the mortal love she deserved.
"You promise not to call him Mr. Blowfish?" she asked.
Percy shrugged. "Well, maybe not to his face, anyway."
"Sally?" Mr. Blofis called from their living room. "You need the green binder or the red one?"
"I'd better go," she told Percy. "See you for Christmas?"
"Are you putting blue candy in my stocking?"
She smiled. "If you're not too old for that."
"I'm never too old for candy."
"I'll see you then."
She waved her hand across the mist. Her image disappeared, and Percy thought to himself that Thalia had been right so many days ago at Westover Hall: Percy's mom really was pretty cool.
Compared to Mount Olympus, Manhattan was quiet. Friday before Christmas, but it was early in the morning, and hardly anyone was on Fifth Avenue. Argus, the many-eyed security chief, picked up Annabeth, Menodora, Grover, and Percy at the Empire State Building and ferried them back to camp through a light snowstorm. The Long Island Expressway was almost deserted.
As they trudged back up Half-Blood Hill to the pine tree where the Golden Fleece glittered, Percy half expected to see Thalia there, waiting for them. But she wasn't. She was long gone with Artemis and the rest of the Hunters, off on their next adventure.
Chiron greeted them at the Big House with hot chocolate and toasted cheese sandwiches. Grover went off with his satyr friends to spread the word about their strange encounter with the magic of Pan. Within an hour, the satyrs were all running around agitated, asking where the nearest espresso bar was.
Annabeth, Menodora and Percy sat with Chiron and some of the other senior campers—Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers. Even Clarisse from the Ares cabin was there, back from her secretive scouting mission. Percy knew she must've had a difficult quest, because she didn't even try to pulverize him. She had a new scar on her chin, and her dirty blond hair had been cut short and ragged, like someone had attacked it with a pair of safety scissors.
"I got news," she mumbled uneasily. "Bad news."
"I'll fill you in later," Chiron said with forced cheerfulness. "The important thing is you have prevailed. And you two saved Annabeth!"
Annabeth smiled at Menodora and Percy gratefully. With a proud grin, Menodora nonchalantly held up the side of her fist, and Percy smiled as he bumped her fist. They made a pretty good team.
For some strange reason, Percy found himself thinking about Hoover Dam, and the odd mortal girl he'd run into there, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Percy didn't know why, but her annoying comments kept coming back to him. Do you always kill people when they blow their nose? Percy was only alive because so many people had helped him, even a random mortal girl like that. Percy would never even explain to her who he was.
"Luke is alive," Percy said. "Annabeth was right."
Annabeth sat up. "How do you know?"
Percy tried not to feel annoyed by her interest. He told her what his dad had said about the Princess Andromeda.
"Well." Annabeth shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "If the final battle does come when Percy is sixteen, at least we have two more years to figure something out."
Percy had a feeling that when she said "figure something out," she meant "get Luke to change his ways," which annoyed Percy even more.
Chiron's expression was gloomy. Sitting by the fire in his wheelchair, he looked really old. Like... he was really old, but he usually didn't look it.
"Two years may seem like a long time," he said. "But it is the blink of an eye. I still hope you are not the child of the prophecy, Percy. But if you are, then the second Titan war is almost upon us. Kronos's first strike will be here."
"How do you know?" Percy asked. "Why would he care about camp?"
"Because the gods use heroes as their tools," Chiron said simply. "Destroy the tools, and the gods will be crippled. Luke's forces will come here. Mortal, demigod, monstrous... We must be prepared. Clarisse's news may give us a clue as to how they will attack, but—"
There was a knock on the door, and Nico di Angelo came huffing into the parlor, his cheeks bright red from the cold.
He was smiling, but he looked around anxiously. "Hey! Menodora, you're back! Where's... where's my sister?"
Dead silence. Menodora studied her shoes, unable to meet Nico's eyes. Percy stared at Chiron. Percy couldn't believe nobody had told him yet. And then Percy realized why. They'd been waiting for Menodora and Percy to appear, to tell Nico in person.
That was the last thing Percy wanted to do, and by the looks of it, the feeling was reciprocated by Menodora. But they owed it to Bianca.
"Hey, Nico." Menodora got up from her chair and gave Nico her cup of hot chocolate. "Let's take a walk, okay? We need to talk."
Percy wanted to stay in his seat and slump away, but Menodora kicked his shin, indicating he had to come. Percy got out of his comfortable chair and joined the walk.
Nico took the news in silence and didn't even take a sip from his hot coco, which somehow made it worse. Menodora kept talking, trying to explain how it had happened, how Bianca had sacrificed herself to save the quest. But Percy felt like they were only making things worse.
"She wanted you to have this." Percy brought out the little god figurine Bianca had found in the junkyard. Nico held it in his palm and stared at it like he was trying to figure out if that was really the thing that had resulted in the death of his sister. Then he realized what really was the cause. Nico looked up at Percy and Menodora with anger a ten year-old had no business feeling.
They were standing at the dining pavilion, just where the three had last spoken before Percy and Menodora went on the quest. The wind was bitter cold, even with the camp's magical weather protection. Snow fell lightly against the marble steps. Percy figured outside the camp borders, there must be a blizzard happening.
"You promised you would protect her," Nico said.
He might as well have stabbed Percy with a rusty dagger.
It would've hurt less than reminding him of his promise.
"Nico," Percy said. "I tried. But Bianca gave herself up to save the rest of us. We told her not to. But she—"
He glared at Percy, his eyes rimmed with red. He closed his small fist around the god statue.
"I shouldn't have trusted you." His voice broke. "You lied to me. My nightmares were right!"
"Wait. What nightmares?" Menodora said.
He flung the god statue to the ground, followed by the hot chocolate. Amidst the mess of steaming ice and broken clay, the figurine clattered across the icy marble. Nico turned to Menodora. "I hate you!" He brought his fist to her stomach, the surprise attack making Menodora stumble backwards. "Percy, he—he's just—agh! I can expect it from him." Ouch, Percy thought. "But you, Menodora? I expected you to keep true to your word! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"
And with every hateful statement, Nico hit Menodora in her stomach, and Menodora didn't show the slightest resistance to his attacks. "Nico, I didn't want for it to happen this way—"
"It should've been you! You should've died! At least my real sister would still be here!"
Menodora didn't seem hurt by his words. Percy supposed because his words were so painfully and obviously driving by anger and grief, and because Menodora Delune thought the same exact thing; it should've been anyone else but Bianca, preferably her.
"She might be alive," Percy said desperately, but even Menodora shook her head. "I don't know for sure—"
"She's dead." Nico closed his eyes. His whole body trembled with rage. "I should've known it earlier. She's in the Fields of Asphodel, standing before the judges right now, being evaluated. I can feel it."
"What do you mean, you can feel it?"
Before he could answer, Percy heard a new sound behind him. A hissing, clattering noise Menodora and he recognized all too well.
Percy drew his sword and Menodora readied Nekromantis as Nico gasped. They whirled and found themselves facing four skeleton warriors. They grinned fleshless grins and advanced with swords drawn. Percy wasn't sure how they'd made it inside the camp, but it didn't matter. They'd never get help in time.
"It's him, isn't it? The one who wants us dead?"
Menodora nodded, not tearing her gaze from the skeleton warriors. Percy was sure they were completely doomed.
"You're trying to kill me!" Nico screamed. "You brought these... these things?"
"No! I mean, yes, they followed us, but no! Nico, run! They can't be destroyed."
"I don't trust you!"
The first skeleton charged. Percy knocked aside its blade, but the other three kept coming. The second one came from behind, and Menodora sliced it in half, but immediately it began to knit back together. Percy knocked another's head off but it just kept fighting.
"Run, Nico!" Menodora yelled. "Get help!"
"No!" He pressed his hands to his ears.
The two of them couldn't fight four at once, not if they wouldn't die. Back to back, they slashed, whirled, blocked, jabbed, but the skeletons just kept narrowing the circle. It was only a matter of seconds before they overpowered Menodora and Percy. Menodora grumbled something under her breath about a Janice and where she was when you needed her. Percy could really use this Janice now.
"No!" Nico shouted louder. "Go away!"
The ground rumbled beneath Percy. The skeletons froze. Menodora pulled Percy out of the way just as a crack opened at the feet of the four warriors. The ground ripped apart like a snapping mouth.
Flames erupted from the fissure, and the earth swallowed the skeletons in one loud CRUNCH!
Silence.
In the place where the skeletons had stood, a twenty-foot-long scar wove across the marble floor of the pavilion. Otherwise there was no sign of the warriors.
One could make the ground spit out the dead, and the other could make the earth swallow them. Great, Percy thought.
Awestruck, Percy looked to Nico. "How did you—"
"Go away!" he yelled. "I hate you! I wish you were dead too!"
The ground didn't swallow them up, but Nico ran down the steps, heading toward the woods. They started to follow, but Menodora slipped on the hot chocolate and Percy slipped too, falling to the icy steps. As he got up, he noticed what he had slipped on.
Percy picked up the god statue Bianca had retrieved from the junkyard for Nico. The only statue he didn't have, she'd said. A last gift from his sister.
Percy stared at it with dread, because now he understood why the face looked familiar. He'd seen it before.
It was a statue of Hades, Lord of the Dead.
Annabeth and Grover helped them search the woods for hours, but there was no sign of Nico di Angelo.
It was quite ironic. What both him and Menodora had given to Nico as a gesture of comfort had kept them away from him, allowing him to run away.
"We have to tell Chiron," Annabeth said, out of breath.
"No," Percy said.
Annabeth and Grover both stared at him.
"Um," Grover said nervously, "what do you mean... no?"
Percy was still trying to figure out why he's said that, but the words spilled out of him. "We can't let anyone know. I don't think anyone realizes that Nico is a—"
"A son of Hades," Menodora said.
"How could you know for sure?" Grover asked, forcing himself not to see the truth. Maybe out of personal fear, or out of fear of what would happen to Nico di Angelo if anyone found out.
"Because, Hades told me himself. Ever since he put me in the Lotus, he visited from time to time. The last time he did, he told me he had a request, which was for me to make sure his children were safe. I never knew what he meant by that. I thought he meant the place itself since he built it."
"Hades built the Lotus Casino?"
"Not the point, Percy!" Annabeth said. "Do you have any idea how serious this is? Even Hades broke the oath. This is horrible!"
"I don't think so," Percy said. "I don't think Hades broke the oath."
"What?"
"He's their dad," Percy said, "but Bianca and Nico have been out of commission for a long time, since even before World War II."
"Right!" Grover said, and he told Annabeth about the conversations they'd had with Bianca on the quest. "She and Nico were stuck there for decades. They were born before the oath was made."
Percy and Menodora nodded.
"But how did you guys get out?" Annabeth protested, turning to Menodora.
"Someone showed me the way out. I don't really remember who, or why, but he got us out. We lived on the streets for a few months before this lawyer came to get us and drove us to Westover Hall. Maybe it's part of this Great Stirring thing. I don't think Nico understands who he is yet. But we can't go telling anyone. Not even Chiron. The Olympians already hate Hades, imagine if they find out about Nico..."
"It might start them fighting among each other again," Annabeth said. "That's the last thing we need."
Grover looked worried. "But you can't hide things from the gods. Not forever."
"He doesn't need forever," Menodora said. "Just two years. Until Percy's sixteen, right? Before the world falls apart and he saves it. Or not."
Annabeth paled. "Why would you want Percy to be the child of prophecy? Do you even know what it contains?"
"She does, Annabeth," Percy said. "Menodora's right. I choose the prophecy. It will be about me."
"Why are you saying that?" Annabeth cried. "You want to be responsible for the whole world?"
It was the last thing Percy wanted, but he didn't say that. He knew he had to step up and claim it.
"I can't let Nico be in any more danger," Percy said. "I owe that much to his sister. I... let them both down. I'm not going to let that poor kid suffer any more."
"The poor kid who hates you and wants to see you dead," Grover reminded Percy.
"Maybe we can find him," Menodora said desperately, and Percy suddenly realized that Menodora had lost the two people who had served as her sole family for so long. "We can convince him it's okay, hide him someplace safe."
Annabeth shivered. "If Luke gets hold of him—"
"Luke won't," Mendora snapped. "If he gets his hands on Nico, I'll personally make sure that he dies properly."
˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗
Percy wasn't sure Chiron believed the story Annabeth, Menodora and he told him. Chiron could tell there was something being held back about Nico's disappearance, but in the end, he accepted it. Unfortunately, Nico wasn't the first half-blood to disappear.
"So young," Chiron sighed, his hands on the rail of the front porch. "Alas, I hope he was eaten by monsters. Much better than being recruited into the Titans' army."
That idea made Percy really uneasy. He almost changed his mind about telling Chiron, but he didn't.
"You really think the first attack will be here?" Percy asked.
Chiron stared at the snow falling on the hills. Percy could see smoke from the dragon guardian at the pine tree, the glitter of the distant Fleece.
"It will not be until summer, at least," Chiron said. "This winter will be hard... the hardest for many centuries. It's best that you go home to the city, Percy; try to keep your mind on school. And rest. You will need rest."
Percy looked at Annabeth. "What about you?"
Her cheeks flushed. "I'm going to try San Francisco after all. Maybe I can keep an eye on Mount Tam, make sure the Titans don't try anything else."
"You'll send an Iris-message if anything goes wrong?"
She nodded. "But I think Chiron's right. It won't be until the summer. Luke will need time to regain his strength."
Percy didn't like the idea of waiting. Then again, next August he would be turning fifteen. So close to sixteen he didn't want to think about it.
"All right," Percy said. "Just take care of yourself. And no crazy stunts in the Sopwith Camel."
She smiled tentatively. "Deal."
"What about you?" Annabeth asked, turning to Menodora who seemed to be lost in her head.
"Hmm?" She looked up with wide eyes. "Me? Oh, I don't know. I think I'll go looking for Nico."
"Menodora," Chiron said wearily. "Nico will only appear when the time is right. Forcing it will only worsen things. Nico needs time to adjust to the situation he's been thrown into."
Menodora frowned angrily. "I really don't care about right timing. And either way, I don't have anywhere else to go. It's either camp or looking for Nico."
"I'd say you could stay at camp, but... it would be best if you get a taste of this new world you've found yourself in. Compared to Ra's Army, you'd get bored here." Chiron laughed softly as he watched down on camp.
Percy didn't like the idea of her leaving. Where would she stay? She'd be miserable in a foster home, being the odd kid out in a group of odd kids. Then, there was Wilderness School, but Percy thought better not to think of it. Menodora needed a real home, a place where she could actually enjoy todays America. At least the enjoyable aspects of it.
"You could stay with me," he blurted out.
"What?"
"Yeah!" Percy said as he realized what he had said. "My mom would love to have you over. I have an extra mattress where you can sleep on! And we could go to school together, and you'll love my mom's cooking, and—"
"Okay, okay," Menodora chuckled. "That would be nice. But only if your mother is okay with it."
"She totally would," Percy said with a sheepish smile. The thought of Menodora staying with him the entire semester almost made him want the vacation to be over.
"Good job," Annabeth whispered in Percy's ear.
"Well, now that that's settled, we can discuss—" Chiron was interrupted by Grover, who stumbled out of the Big House, tripping over tin cans. His face was haggard and pale, like he'd seen a specter.
"He spoke!" Grover cried.
"Calm down, my young satyr," Chiron said, frowning. "What is the matter?"
"I... I was playing music in the parlor," he stammered, "and drinking coffee. Lots and lots of coffee! And he spoke in my mind!"
"Who?" Annabeth demanded.
"Pan!" Grover wailed. "The Lord of the Wild himself. I heard him! I have to... I have to find a suitcase."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Percy said. "What did he say?"
Grover stared at Percy. "Just three words. He said, 'I await you.'"
˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗
Percy had more trouble falling asleep than the usual insomnia. Nico was out there, all alone, completely lost both in his head and outside of it. Percy remembered how he had done when he had encountered his first monster, the Minotaur. The thing was, he hadn't been alone. He had Grover and his mom. On his own, Percy would've been wherever Hades wanted him to be in the Underworld.
Just as Percy adjusted his sleeping position for the fifth time that minute, someone knocked at the door.
With heavy legs he dragged himself out of bed and over to the door. Revealed behind it stood Menodora Delune. She seemed to have carried her blanket across the cabin grounds to keep herself warm, yet Percy suspected that wasn't the reason. The thick white fabric hugged her loosely, and her hair was packed in a bonnet that Percy recognised as Annabeth's. For someone who was full on glowing not too long ago, the shadows covered her face like a stormy cloud.
"Annabeth gave you her bonnet," he said without much thinking.
"Yeah," Menodora said, her voice weak from the crying she must've done. As she looked up, she allowed the light to fall on her face. Her eyes and lips were red and puffy, as if she had cried herself dry. "She said it would prevent my hair from tangling, and with her braids in she said she didn't really need it."
"Are you okay? You wanna come inside?"
Menodora shook her head. "Come with me. Please."
Without second thought, Percy went to get his shoes and a sweater and walked out of the cabin. In complete silence, Menodora led Percy to the Big House. On their way there, Percy couldn't help but notice Menodora's head who kept turning in every direction, as if she were looking for something. Or someone.
"You want to go inside?" Percy asked as they came to a halt at the porch of the Big House. "Chiron and Mr. D are in there—"
"I don't care, Percy," Menodora said. "Please."
Silently, they sneaked through the Big House, all the way up to the attic.
They opened the trapdoor, and when Percy stuck his head in the attic, he could feel the obvious difference of temperature between the attic and the rest of the house, as if the attic wasn't really part of the Big House and it's quotidian activities. It was reserved for all the unwanted stuff that carried bad memories, like a foster home.
But not to Menodora and Percy. To them it had somehow become more than that. Percy knew that somehow, this had unofficially been officialised as their secret spot. And to the Oracle too, if you will.
Amidst the shadows, metal creations, and the organised chaos, the Oracle was seated on her three-legged stool.
She was positioned as if she had been patiently awaiting their arrival for decades. Percy did not recall placing her that way.
"Why here?" He asked as he helped her into the room.
"Because," Menodora said, "it's the only place where it's just us."
"And the Oracle," Percy reminded her.
"She won't wake," Menodora said nonchalantly. "I hope."
Menodora trudged over to the spot where Percy had found her after she had received her prophecy, the darkest corner of the four. Percy followed and Menodora held open her blanket, inviting him to sit with her, binding the two of them with her soft blanket,
"Why did you bring me here, Menodora?"
"I... don't know," she admitted, playing with a broken knife that once belonged to a demigod. "I just needed to clear my head, and never in a million years would I come up here alone. I didn't want to be outside either, because it would just make me think of Nico all over again. And my cabin too. Whenever I turn around, I see his empty bed."
"Listen, we'll find Nico. I'm sure of it. Like Chiron said, he'll turn up eventually."
"What if he doesn't, Percy? What if—" She let out a shaky breath. "What if he's part of that stupid prophecy like Bianca and Zoë were? What if the Oracle didn't show me everything? I can't—I don't know how to handle this, Percy. How do you do it? Knowing the entire world depends on you? You make it seem so easy."
Percy swallowed hard. It was anything but easy. "I guess it's different for me. My prophecy isn't reality yet. I mean, it will be, but it doesn't really feel like it. You, on the other hand, are in the middle of your prophecy."
Menodora bit her lip as she silently considered something. "I know you told me not to, but I can't bear this alone anymore. I need to tell somebody, I..." She rubbed her face. Perhaps to wipe the fear of her face, but instead she looked even more tired, as if she was sweating fatigue. "I can't figure it out. I just can't. And if I can't figure it out, how can I stop it?"
"Okay," Percy said. "Tell me. Tell me about the prophecy. Do you remember it word for word?"
Menodora nodded with distant eyes that must've been wandering around in her mind. She began to speak in a hesitant tone.
"Although born of divine union, the mortal child's company is scarce,
The moon remains aligned with the fate of the stars.
Following the ancestor's famous quest,
shall put the old enemy to the test.
As loved ones cease to answer the call,
The voice is to be answered by the most vengeful Of all."
It was so vague that Percy started to understand why images were needed to add to the weight of the whole thing. Percy had a suspicion something was missing, but he couldn't place his finger on what it was.
"Born of divine union..." Percy repeated under his breath. "That's you."
"And that's as far as I got," Menodora sighed. "If it wasn't for what the Oracle showed me..."
"Do you think you could tell me what images the Oracle showed with each line?"
Menodora nodded, as if she had been awaiting the question. "The first line was me as a child. Then, it didn't exactly show it, but, I felt it."
"What did you feel?"
"Death. When it said, following the ancestor's quest, I felt the blade go right through me." She brought her hand to her stomach as if speaking the words had made it reality.
"Okay, so you gotta wear armor at all times," Percy said, adding a bit of humor to lighten the mood.
It didn't drown the worry, but at least it did half the job. Menodora chuckled lightly. She took off Annabeth's bonnet and started to nervously fidget with it.
"Then, when it said, the old enemy shall be put to the test, I saw a face. Well, only the eyes. They took so many different forms at once, it was complete chaos. But there was order in one thing, whatever it was, it wants to bring chaos to the entire world."
"Kronos," Percy breathed. The description wasn't very fitting, but it was the only being Percy could think of that would want chaos all over the world.
"You think?" Menodora seemed hesitant, as if there was more to it, but she kept it to herself. "Yeah, it has to be."
"Okay, so you're going to make things difficult for Kronos," Percy decided. "That's good."
"I don't know..." Menodora said, her words muffled by the thumb in her mouth. She had abandoned the bonnet, finding it had no use to relieve her nerves, so she tried tearing her nails off as a distraction. "I hope so."
"The last line is what worries me the most, though," Percy said. "Loved ones cease to answer the call, the most vengeful one will be the one to answer the voice."
"And that's where I'm completely lost," Menodora said. "That's when I saw all those deaths. Bianca, Zoë, myself again, Aspen, Ethan... and people I don't even know."
"You saw Aspen and Ethan?" Percy said, concern lacing his eyebrows closer to one another.
Menodora nodded, afraid that speaking it out loud would confirm the obvious truth.
"The words of a prophecy are tricky, so the visions must be too. Maybe they were there when someone else died. It can mean a hundred things, Menodora. Just like the blade, maybe you were feeling someone else's death. We'll figure it out in time, yeah?"
Menodora nodded. She sighed loudly, burying her face in her palms. "I miss Nico so much. I miss all of them so much, Percy."
Percy took her hand and gently pulled it away from her face. "I know. But we'll get through it together."
"Together," Menodora repeated as she laid her head on his shoulder as support. "I'm so eternally grateful for you, Percy. You're so nice to me, and why you are is completely beyond me."
"Real friends don't need reasons to be there for each other," Percy said. "They just are."
Too tired to speak, Menodora hummed in agreement. As the weight of her head on his shoulder grew heavier, his heart felt lighter. He was glad Menodora felt comfortable enough to confide in him. He was glad Menodora found such comfort in his presence that she was willing to spend the night next to the creepy Oracle with him.
Percy was glad about a lot of things, and definitely about the fact that the nightmares and the suffocating thoughts decided to let him enjoy his little moment with Menodora tonight.
And for once, he was glad that all those times he wished Death would come for him, it didn't, because otherwise he would've never found himself in Westover Hall. He would've never found himself falling asleep to the soporific sound of Menodora and his their synchronised heartbeats, hopefully yearning to be one.