Will POV
I-I can't believe it.
Ever since Thalia said that Nikki agreed to becoming a hunter... I can't even explain how I'm feeling... it's like watching your whole world fall apart around you. Yes, I am one of those people who start envisioning their wedding day and photo shopping what our children will look like after the one-week anniversary but... I know Nikki's the one. I know she's the only person I'll ever love like this.
I've been trying to put on this, I'm confident and totally not having a mental break down facade but... I don't know. How am I supposed to get her to forgive me? To give me an other chance? To be with me again? Piper's right, Nikki doesn't give second chances! I know she's lost too many people to be able to cope with any more pain and my whole drugging her and breaking her heart didn't help with that but I just wanted her to be happy.
Who am I kidding, I don't even deserve to look at her after what I did. I promised myself I would protect her, that would not let an other thing hurt her and it turns out I should have been protecting her from me. She could have died because of me. I just added on to her nightmares. Maybe being a huntress will make her happy again. She'll be spending quality time with her cousin, while being immortal and fighting monsters, not having to worry about prophecies or anything else. I guess that would make her happy again but... what about me?
"WILLIAM SHIRLEY SOLACE!!" Someone shouted, and I was broken from my thoughts to see Nikki glaring me looking annoyed.
"What?" I asked knowing I probably missed a lot since we were now in Rachel's cave. Nikki visibly face palmed, then sighed and walked over to an over turned sofa, flipped it and plopped down.
I looked around. I had never been in the cave before but from what I heard it was supposed to be pretty cozy with paintings of prophecies on the walls. But now it looked... dead.
All the furniture was either broken or sprawled on the ground. The prophecies looked like they had been attacked with white-out, and worst of all was the Oracle of Delphi herself. Me and Rachel were never really close, but I had seen her and had small conversations with her before. She had sparkling bright green eyes, freckles every wear, frizzy curly red hair, giant shining smile, and normal clothes covered in paint. And now...
Her eyes had become a dull green, the sparkle was gone, her freckles had fades to watermarks, her hair straightened, oiled, and put in a tight bun at the back of her head, her smile had vanished completely, and she wore a grey frock dress which was paint-free. All in all, it was horrifying.
But again I was brought out of my thought by loud snickering coming from behind me. I turned around to see Clarisse and Thalia with big sneers on their face and Annabeth and Piper trying to hold back their laughter.
"What?" I asked again, getting annoyed.
"Shirley? Wow Solace such a great middle name." Clarisse snicker sarcastically, I felt my face turn red.
"Very macho." Piper added, and with that they all broke out in laughter.
"Nikki! You said you wouldn't tell anyone!" I whined, blushing furiously now. A small smirk fell on Nikki's lips.
"Woops, must have slipped my mind." She said innocently. "Plus you weren't listening so..."
"I like that name. It's very pretty. My little niece's name is Shirley." An airy voice said.
"Luna, what are you doing here?" I asked as nicely and loudly as I could over the thunderous laughter coming from the other girls.
"I came to talk to Rachel." Luna replied simply.
"Yeah, since she has the gift a prophecy too we've been exchanging notes since the oracle hasn't been working." Rachel filled in, in a sad voice. Hearing her talk and seeing her like this made me feel really bad, like I wanted to go punch that stupid father of hers for making her go to that fancy lady school.
It had been a couple months since the oracle stopped working, we assumed it was because of Apollo getting in trouble with Zeus. But now we didn't have any prophecies which meant no quests.
"I know Rachel but let's just try again. We need one since Nicole has been issued a quest by two gods which is quite an important task." Chiron told her.
"Yeah, babysitting a little kid is such an important task isn't it." Nikki muttered, I chuckled a little.
"I mean you can try but I highly doubt anything's gonna happen." Rachel said grimly. I smiled, it was common knowledge for any demigod that by saying something like that the fates liked to break the laws of nature, which is why we try not to jinx ourselves. Though this was a good jinx.
"Okay Nicole..." Chiron urged. Nikki got up with a groan just as Rachel lazily sat back on her Oracle stool thing.
"Oh great Oracle of Delphi, I have come to ask you for guidance in my quest in protecting the prophecy child and aiding him in destroying Moldyvort." Nikki chanted in a monotone.
The was a pretty long silence.
"See nothing. I told y-" Rachel started but then she doubled over then sat up as straight as a board her eyes glowing a serpent green.
I guess the Oracle was back.
Nikki POV
No. No. No. No. Please no. I don't want a prophecy!
I really just wanted Rachel to go back to normal now and say "SIKE SUCKERS!" but alas her mouth opened and her voice echoed around the cave.
"The daughter of Hades is sent to face
A formidable foe and severe risk
In Hecate's domain, a magical place
The Angel must do this with extreme brisk
Her ray of sun will only appear, when
The threat of this year removes it's cover
There will be three challenges she must win
To save this new world and every other
Her first love has broke Thanatos' laws
He's become the most evil of his race
And for this he must pay, he leads the cause
The ghost needs to eliminate someday
She stands between the world and destruction
The world's fate rests on her one deduction."
Then she fell collapsed onto Luna. I turned around to see Will looking like he just heard my death warrant and started swaying, I caught him before he fell and set him down on the couch. I asked him what was wrong but he didn't reply. Everyone was silent, looking horrified. But i didn't get why. I mean, sure it worse than one of Apollo's haikus but it wasn't that back. (*Sigh* Don't lie Nikki, it was that bad. This is why I don't right poems)
Then someone finally spoke up.
"Wow. You're dead." Said a voice from the entrance of the cave. I turned to see Apollo standing there. Yes, Apollo, god of the sun, medicine, poetry, music, and who know's what else. My heart started pounding extremely fast like it always did in a gods presence and I fell to one knee and looked at the ground.
"L-Lord Apollo. It's an honor having you here but um... what does that mean?" I asked knowing it was probably not a good sign when the god of prophecy says you're dead.
"Oh I see what your father means about feeling guilty. Please get up I don't like this feeling." Apollo squirmed, I stood to face him. "You know you an just do a quick bow or something, right? Not kneel before us like were about to hit you or some- Ohhh. So, that's how Good Ol' Hades let's out his anger, huh?" Apollo asked sympathetically. I didn't meet his eyes. And he sighed.
"Well, to answer your question do you know what that was?" He questioned, changing subject which I was glad for.
"Um... a prophecy?" I replied not really knowing what to say. Apollo raised an eyebrow.
"No it was... a... sonnet..." He whispered dramatically. It was my turn to raise an eyebrow.
"And..."
"And?! And sonnets are the worse types of prophecies! They basically are there to tell you to accept your imminent doom. " Apollo explained tiredly.
"Oh." I said. I honestly really didn't care at the moment but from everyone's looks that was the wrong thing to say.
"OH?! Nikki I'm not letting you go! As your older cousin I forbid you from going on this quest!" Thalia announced.
"Yeah! I can't protect you from a prophecy!! So you can't go!" Clarisse added.
"Heroes, listen, she can't not go on this quest. Whatever awaits her on this quest is better than disobeying the gods." Chiron told them reasonably but even he seemed unsure.
"Y-You know what. Let's just figure this out. We can work this out. Like-Like an equation." Annabeth muttered to no one in particular. then she grabbed a notepad from her back pocket and a pencil and started writing.
"So let's work this out. The first stanza:
The daughter of Hades is sent to face
A formidable foe and severe risk
In Hecate's domain, a magical place
The Angel must do this with extreme brisk
Basically means that Nikki is going to have to go to this Wizarding world and face Moldavort, and she must do what Hecate told her to do quickly. Then the second stanza:
Her ray of sun will only appear, when
The threat of this year removes it's cover
There will be three challenges she must win
To save this new world and every other
Means... Well I'm guessing her ray of sunshine is Solace. Which means he's going to but only when the real threat is revealed. And it says the threat of this year so maybe that also means this is only the prophecy for this year too... The threat seems to be three challenges, and she has to win these challenges to succeed in her quest. Then the third stanza:
Her first love has broke Thanatos' laws
He's become the most evil of his race
And for this he must pay, he leads the cause
The ghost needs to eliminate someday
Well... does that mean Will is evil? Nikki's going to have kill him? What?" Annabeth started working it out, out loud but when she said this I was honestly confused too. This said that Will has broken the laws of Death? He's the most evil demigod? No that can't be right... then what else could it mean.
"Nikki what does that mean? Even if Solace is a pain in the butt and isn't good enough for you, I don't think he's a villain... Right Solace?" Annabeth asked, more confidently than before which I assume was because she went into her logical mode. Will looked up from the couch, his face pale , and his eyes wide in shock.
"Huh?" He said hoarsely, looking like he was about to cry.
"She asked if you're evil idiot!" Clarisse shot at him in rage. I knew whenever she felt any sad emotion she would redirect her energy to being mad, hence her destroying a drakon in pure rage from loosing Silena.
"I don't think I am..." He muttered, then looked at me. His eyes looked so sad as though I he was looking at my corpse, I guess this was pretty bad.
"Well then Nikki... who would this be talking about?" Annabeth questioned. At first I had no idea but then it hit me like a brick.
"No... it couldn't mean... not him... no..." I whispered to myself, taking a couple steps back. I started shaking, I knew what was about to happen. "No! Not this again... please-" But it was no use. I was pulled into my memories.
My memories of the orphanage.