A Diamond In The Rough

Chapter 3

Percy's POV

After I left Evangeline's room, I clocked out. I whistled for Blackjack, my mind racing. What was I supposed to do? "On my way, boss," Blackjack thought to me. He would be a few minutes; he was staying nearby. I had to get her to camp as soon as possible so she could be claimed. We need to find out who she is. She's powerful; we already knew that. She can completely resist the Mist, and Grover could smell her from the highway. We've never found someone her age out on their own before, thanks to the pact I made with the gods. They were to deliver their kids to us by the time they turned 13. Blackjack landed in front of me; I hastily corrected the Mist to make him into a taxi. He's a jet-black pegasus I liberated from his enslavement to Luke Castilian. Blackjack shudders as I think Luke's name. "To Camp Half-Blood," I told him, climbing onto his back. "You got it, boss," he thought at me. Before I could blink, we were in the air. I love to fly, but being a Son of Poseidon, I didn't have many opportunities to be in the sky. I love looking out at the skyline and the ocean swells. I relaxed as I enjoyed the view. Then my brain started up. I couldn't figure out how she could resist the Mist. Particularly when it is directed right at her from a foot away. I struggle with this for 10-ish minutes before giving up. I was just going in circles anyway. I concluded I should move on before I get a migraine. I need to have an idea of who her parent is before speaking with Chiron anyways. If Grover could smell her from the highway five miles out, it had to be one of the big three. Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades. She has a quick temper, but so do all three of them. She hasn't displayed any powers; she seems like a regular teenager.

"Almost there, Boss! Prepare for landing," Blackjack thought to me. I clung to his neck, knowing even his smooth landings were rough. "I ain't that bad," he grumbled.

"Truth hurts, buddy," I replied, laughing. After a considerably smoother landing than I had expected, I dismounted and gave him sugar cubes from the stables where we landed. "Thanks, Blackjack"

"No problem, boss," he replied, munching happily. While I walk to the Big House, I look around at how much camp has changed. All the new cabins have finished construction. Minor gods are popping in all the time to thank me and to say hello to their kids. We have almost triple the number of campers since I first time I came here. I notice the light shining out of a cave and decide to make a pit stop. As I push the beaded curtains out of my way, I see a girl with frizzy red hair painting the cave walls. She's dancing as she does it with headphones on. I sneak up behind her and jab her in the side. She shrieks and tears off her headphones.

"Percy! I hate you!" She yells at me. I can't stop laughing. She glares at me until I can compose myself.

"Nice to see you too, Rachel," I say. She harrumphs and goes back to painting. "I see you're finally repainting." Her walls had previously been decorated with images from her prophetic dreams. She had tried to paint over them when Python cut her off from the spirit of Delphi.

"I'm worried, Percy," she said, turning to face me. "I can't get that line of the prophecy out of my head. 'Chaos is waking' Who is Chaos? And my dreams are no help. All I can see is fire and fighting. Nothing clear or distinct, just... Chaos." She looked on the verge of tears. "And that thing Apollo said. It's just a part of it. When will we get the second one? Will it be too late?" I pull her into a hug and try to comfort her.

"It's okay, Rachael. We'll work with what we have and get it when we get it, okay? This might not even happen for a hundred years. That one about me took fifty years to come true," I said with a smile.

"Yeah, you're right," she said, but anyone could see that she didn't mean it.

"I have to talk to Chiron, but we'll catch up later," I said, walking away. She nods, but her face is pinched with worry. I remember the day she uttered the prophecy. She had just come back for the summer from Clarion Ladies Academy. She had been going to see Chiron tell him about her strange dreams. The moment he asked her about them, her eyes started to glow, and green smoke appeared. When she spoke, it was like three Rachels were talking.