DEVOTION, percy jackson

Tallulah Is In A Prophecy

Tallulah had started to get bored. Percy was taking forever to talk with the oracle. She was curious to hear the prophecy. She was conflicted though. Percy was a child of the Big Three. Of course, he was going to do big things. He was destined to. 

Tallulah's questions didn't revolve around if he could manage to pull off this quest and the ones he inevitably would have in the future. It was whether he could do it without being scared by the traumas and burdens that come along with being a demigod. Her concern was that he would get it the worst out of anyone involved, and that scared her for him.

"Well?" Chiron asked as Percy entered the room. Percy looked tired. He sat down in the chair next to Tallulah. He said in a calm and quiet tone, "She said I would retrieve what was stolen." Grover sat up, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can, while Tallulah stared Percy dead in the face with anticipation in her eyes. "That's great!" Grover said. Tallulah sat quietly still looking at Percy. She knew there had to be more.

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important." Percy sighed before he continued. " She said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned. Through the Daughter of the Earth, the sea shall discover his worth."

Tallulah froze in her chair. Daughter of the Earth? Did she get herself involved in a quest?

"I knew it," Grover said. Chiron didn't look satisfied and neither did Tallulah. "Anything else?" "No," Percy said. "That's about it." Tallulah narrowed her eyes in a suspicious manner. Percy may have fooled the other two, but she could tell he was lying. She was going to ask him about it later.

"Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass." Chiron said. "Okay," Percy said anxiously. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?" "Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"

"Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy guessed. Tallulah nodded her head in agreement. This seemed to give him more confidence in his answers. "Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

Tallulah immediately thought about the voice from her and Percy's dream. The two connected eyes nervously. "Hades." Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility." A thought had come to Tallulah. Percy wants his mom back, and this quest was taking them right to her.

A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth as he said that. Something still didn't sit right with "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?" "A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades." "Yes, but—but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon..."

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."

"Great," Percy mumbled. "That's two major gods who want to kill me." Tallulah scooted towards him to try to comfort him. "But a quest to..." Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year." Tallulah smiled. "Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted.