The Hidden Follower

9.

Pandemonium broke out.

Delta saw Piper and Jason looking at each other. He mouthed carefully, You all right? She nodded and managed a smile, but then looked away. Delta figured it was the heartbreak side of Aphrodite coming in.

When the talking finally subsided, Rachel took another step toward the campers, and fifty-plus demigods—which was a lot— carefully leaned away from her, don't be underestimated by her skinny body, freckles, Rachel was more intimidating than all of them put together, You can tell by her red hair, Rachel always had it in a bun the tightest she could make it, in a ponytail, or cut up to right below her shoulders just in case monsters got in the camp or a war somehow broke out. She never got in trouble with her parents for cutting it though, her hair always grew back to its original length before the summer was over, with help from Lou Ellen.

Thinking of the girl Delta decided to look for her, see Lou Ellen thought it was a good idea to change where the Hecate cabin sat every night, she said it was because Hecate switched what side she was on every war, but Delta was pretty sure she just didn't like the cabin she sat with before(the Nike cabin). Tonight she just so happened to sit with the Hephaestus cabin, how Delta didn't notice her earlier, she had no idea but when looking over there she saw Leo again.

Delta saw Rachel preparing to speak up again and calmed herself in her seat knowing the voices would appear in her head while Rachel recited the prophecy.

"For those of you who have not heard it," Rachel said, "the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August. It goes like this:

"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall—"

The voices were louder than they were the last time they were heard in her head, they had been doing that lately, getting louder and louder every time they appeared until she couldn't even hear Peter if he were yelling next to her, then they stopped almost instantaneously.

       Jason shot to his feet. His eyes looked wild like he'd just been tasered.

Even Rachel seemed caught off guard which happened less than Delta stepped on land mines, which was once. "J-Jason?" she said. "What's—"

"Ut cum spiritu postrema sacramentum dejuremus," he chanted. "Et hostes ornamenta addent ad ianuam necem. "

   That pushed Delta over the edge, Jason speaking tripled the number of voices in her head, they turned deeper and louder.

An uneasy silence settled on the group. Delta could see from newer campers that didn't completely know Greek or campers that just didn't know enough Greek to understand we're trying to translate the lines. Delta knew what he said and she couldn't believe it, even in Jason's state of memory loss he could remember the prophecy of the seven her boyfriend so wanted to be a part of but knew he wouldn't be.

"You just ... finished the prophecy," Rachel stammered. "—An oath to keep with a final breath/And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. How did you—"

"I know those lines. " Jason winced and put his hands to his temples. "I don't know how, but I know that prophecy. "

Delta cursed herself, she was hoping to put off the prophecy as long as she could. Clearly, that idea was thrown into the trash when Delta went through his mind, her powers must not have completely covered his mind back up then she left his head.

"In Latin, no less," Drew called out. "Handsome and smart. "

There was some giggling from the Aphrodite cabin. Poor Piper, she'd have to deal with those losers soon. But Drew, Delta could see she was getting worse, you could hear it in her voice. Delta turned to the fire hoping she could at least catch a glimpse of Hestia with Elpis and the Pithos in it, but she couldn't. As for the campfire, it was burning a chaotic, nervous shade of green.

Jason sat down, looking embarrassed, but Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder and muttered something most likely telling him that they would talk about what he did later while thinking about how it could've connected to Percy.

Rachel Dare still looked a little shaken(again the first time Delta had seen her like that). She glanced back at Chiron for guidance, but the stubborn centaur who couldn't seem to help anyone when they actually needed it stood grim and silent as if he were watching a play he couldn't interrupt—a tragedy that ended with a lot of people dead at the end of it, that or he had given an oath not to tell, you know like half of the people or gods or whatever immoral being Delta knew of had given.

"Well," Rachel said, Delta could she the girl trying to regain the little composure she lost. "So, yeah, that's the Great Prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it's starting now. I can't give you proof. It's just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The seven demigods, whoever they are, have not been gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here tonight. Some are not here. "

Campers began to stir and mutter, looking at each other as if it's the end of the world(they be surprised to find out the answer), until a drowsy voice in the crowd called out, "I'm here! Oh ... were you calling roll?"

"Go back to sleep, Clovis," Jessica once again yelled into the crowd, and a lot of people laughed.

"Anyway," Rachel continued with a sigh, "we don't know what the Great Prophecy means. We don't know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the second Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad. "

"Or worse," Chiron murmured, Delta wondered if he knew whether or not he had a Irish whisper.

She didn't think he meant for everyone to overhear, but they did. The fire changed again this time to purple, the same color as the visions in Piper's head or (in a lighter tone) the same color as half the decorations in the Big House.

"What we do know," Rachel said, "is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods, has been taken. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Written: May 30, 2021
Published: May 30, 2021
Edited: _____ __,____