The Nightshadow Alliance

Chapter 5 || The third great prophecy! Yay (not)!

Rachel collapsed to the ground. Then she stood up straight and her eyes glowed serpent green.

When she spoke, her voice sounded tripled:

From salty depths, a trident's call,

War drums beat, Olympus may fall.

Three sons unite, at time's sight,

Sun's fiery bow, against night's might.

Laurel crowns, Spartan shields, and shades untold,

Darkness wanes, a new age shall unfold.

The silence was deafening. Until:

'Well, that's just great. Lovely! Marvellous! Another prophecy! Another way the fates doom us to death. Don't you guys love it?'

Nobody could agree more with the son of Poseidon. They'd just been issued the third great prophecy.

'A counsellors meeting! Everyone else is dismissed,' Chiron said.

There were mutters from many of the campers. Some were surprised, and some were shocked. The counsellors filed into the Big House.

'I'm afraid I have some news children. The prophecy makes it all the more urgent to tell me this to you all.'

'What is it Chiron?' Pollux asked.

Chiron was about to reply when a rainbow formed in front of them.

Reyna appeared, along with Frank, bloody and bruised.

'Chiron. There's been an attack at camp. A surprise one.'

Chiron frowned, the twinkle in his eyes diminished greatly. His face was grave.

'This is bad. How many casualties?'

'Ten,' Frank said, 'and fifteen injured. The Romans never liked the sea, and the attackers decided to take advantage of that. Keto led the force and she decimated us. Reyna and I were able to send her back, at least for some time.'

'Keto?' Annabeth asked, 'As in Keto, mother of monsters?'

Percy nodded. 'Coach Hedge, Frank and I met her in Atlanta – you remember that mess? Her and her brother, Phorcys-' he shivered '-not the friendliest duo.'

'The force seemed like a teaser, just a taste of their power. It was like they were mocking the camp,' Reyna said, 'What reason would they have to attack us? And under whose orders? They didn't seem the type to launch an attack randomly. They couldn't have been under Keto, because most of the force wasn't sea-borne.'

Chiron looked thoughtful.

'Reyna, a prophecy has been issued. Perhaps this is all related.'

'A prophecy?' A new, familiar voice came.

'Yes, Jason. An absolutely lovely one, which talks about rainbows and unicorns.' Percy said, 'Isn't it awesome? The third great prophecy!'

'If you're done, could we hear the prophecy first so we can judge it?'

Chiron retold the prophecy, going into detail about what he thought about it, and some predictions he had.

'Not a very happy prophecy, is it?' Jason said.

Percy grumbled. 'When have prophecies ever been happy, bro?'

'If you two punks are done with your little heart-to-heart, can we actually discuss the prophecy?' Clarisse said.

'Right. But before we discuss the prophecy, you all deserve to know; that Olympus has been closed again. Mr. D has once again been recalled to Olympus, and temporarily relieved from his duties.' Chiron paused to look each person in the eye. 'Which makes it all the more important we stay on guard and keep good terms with each other. These are all signs of an incoming war. Remember, a house divided among itself cannot stand.'

'I have a feeling this prophecy will, unfortunately, not some hundred years later, but rather be fulfilled in our short painful lives,' Nico said. 'The first line probably refers to someone from the sea, most likely a child of Poseidon.'

'Sorry, Percy, looks like things are kinda down the drain for you,' Leo said.

Percy, who was banging his head against the table looked up at the Latino boy to glare, and continued trying to bash his face in.

'The second line makes it clear that a war is coming, and Olympus is at stake here. Again. I'm getting the second Titan war vibes here. Olympus to preserve or raze, anyone?' Connor said.

'The third line is harder, since the first part could refer to practically any three guys. They could be the sons of any god or goddess, or it could refer to some legacies. The second part has something to do with time.' Reyna said.

'There are so many candidates for this line, how are we supposed to know who the right one is?' Lou Ellen asked.

'Prophecies don't really make sense until they happen. I'm sure the three people who "unite at time's sight" will find out at some point. There's no point in trying to figure things out so early, we need to wait for the jigsaw pieces to fall into place themselves,' Annabeth said.

'I don't really have much idea for the next line, but Sun and Night are probably metaphors for two people on opposing sides of the war,' Will said.

'There must be plenty of deities related to night, and many relating to the sun too. The sun could stand for Apollo or one of his kids, because he drives the sun chariot, and his main weapon is a bow. The Apollo campers are good at archery,' Thalia said.

'We don't know who's on which side. The sun doesn't necessarily have to be on our side. Are there people missing from the camps? Anyone suspicious who might be a traitor?' Hazel, who had come with Jason said.

Piper put her head in her hands. 'This is so annoying! And so difficult! Why must the fates put prophecy upon prophecy on us?'

Percy, who'd been oddly silent through the meeting, spoke up. 'I agree with Piper. You know what? Let's sleep on this and just relax. We can tackle the prophecy tomorrow, with a clear mind. It doesn't help to stress over a petty poem so much. It'll just hurt our brains and drive us mad.'

'I second that,' Butch said.

'Very well. We shall discuss the rest of the prophecy tomorrow. Reyna, Frank, Jason, you all should tend to the camp, renew their spirits. Don't tell anyone about the prophecy. We can't leave either camp undefended, and Iris messages may stop working, so we need to establish a connection. And remember, keep an eye out for anyone whose loyalties may not lay with the gods.'

'Goodbye Chiron. Let's hope the fates have some mercy on us this time.' Jason said before swiping through the rainbow.

Chiron turned to the counsellors. 'It may not be best to share the recent developments with the rest of the campers. It wouldn't be wise to cause a panic through camp. Goodnight everyone.'

''Night, Chiron,' everybody said, leaving the Big House one by one.

Chiron sighed. He wasn't sure if either camp could handle so many back-to-back wars.