Charmolypi

Chapter 32

Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trapdoor. Thea pulled the cord, allowing the door swing down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place. The warm air from above smelled like mildew and rotten wood and something else ... a smell Percy remembered from biology class. Reptiles. The smell of snakes.

"That's disgusting and creepy." A first year Hufflepuff was heard mumbling.

The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armor stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers saying ITHAKA, CIRCE'S ISLE, and LAND OF THE AMAZONS. One long table was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things-severed hairy claws, huge yellow eyes, various other parts of monsters. A dusty mounted trophy on the wall looked like a giant snake's head, but with horns and a full set of shark's teeth. The plaque read, HYDRA HEAD #1, WOODSTOCK, N.Y., 1969.

Sounds of disgust were heard from all across the hall. People were wondering why they would keep all of these things.

By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy. Not the typical wrapped-in-cloth kind, but a human female body shriveled to a husk. She wore a tie-dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, and her eyes were glassy white slits, as if the real eyes had been replaced by marbles; she'd been dead a very long time.

The sound of gagging echoed through the hall.

Looking at her sent chills up Percy's back. And that was before she sat up on her stool and opened her mouth. Percy was extremely alarmed, and when he looked to the side, he was met with the unbothered face of Thea. A green mist poured from the mummy's mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like twenty thousand snakes. Percy stumbled over himself trying to get to the trapdoor, but it slammed shut. Inside their heads, they heard a voice, slithering into one ear and coiling around their brains: "I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask."

"Phoebus Apollo?"

"Who's that?"

Thea was sure Percy wanted nothing more than to say no thanks and run for the hills, but he didn't. The girl understood his reaction, and it was very reasonable. The first-time people meet the Oracle, they tend to freak out and run away.

"What is my destiny?" Percy asked shakily. Thea raised her eyebrow at him, while he spared her a small glance. The Oracle turned her head toward Thea, who instinctively straightened.

"That's dramatic."

"How do I find my father's stolen bolt?" Thea asked confidently. The boy beside her looked so impressed by her confidence, it made her want to chuckle.

The mist swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of the pair and around the table with the pickled monster-part jars. Suddenly there were four men sitting around the table, playing cards. Their faces became clearer. Percy instantly recognized them, and Thea noticed.

Percy's fists clenched at his sides, when one of the men turned to face them. They started turning one by one, the oracle speaking through them. By the time the mist faded, they had received their prophecy.

You shall go west, and face the God who has turned

You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned

You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend

And you shall fail to save what matters the most, in the end.