Child of the Moon

Rachel Is The New Oracle?

The rest of the day was as strange as the beginning.  Long story short, Rachel became the new oracle.  I know, it's weird.  Campers trickled in from New York by car, pegasus, and chariot.  The wounded were cared for.  The dead were given proper funeral rites at the campfire.  Silena was forgiven, since she'd done the right thing in the end.  Even Ethan Nakamura was given a shroud.  Black silk with a logo of swords crossed under a set of scales.  As his shroud went up in flames, I hoped Ethan knew he had made a difference in the end.  He'd paid a lot more than an eye, but the minor gods would finally get the respect they deserved.  Dinner at the pavilion was low key.  Mostly.

Juniper: Grover!

She gave her boyfriend a flying tackle hug, making everybody cheer.  They went down to the beach to take a moonlit walk, and I was happy for them.  Mrs. O'Leary and Luna romped around happily, eating everybody's table scraps.  Nico sat at the head table, and nobody seemed to think this was out of place.  Everybody was patting Nico on the back, complimenting him on his fighting.  Even the Ares kids seemed to think he was pretty cool.  Hey, show up with an army of undead warriors to save the day, and suddenly you're everybody's best friend.  Slowly, the dinner crowd trickled away.  Some went to the campfire for a sing along.  Others went to bed.  I sat with Annabeth and Percy, and watched the moonlight glisten on the Long Island Sound.  We could see Grover and Juniper at the beach, holding hands and talking.  It was peaceful.

Calypso: Hey.

She slid next to Percy on the bench.

Calypso: Happy birthday.

She was holding a huge misshapen cupcake with blue icing.

Percy: What?

YN: It's August 18th.  Your birthday, right?

He looked stunned.  It probably hadn't even occurred to him that he had turned sixteen this morning.  The same morning I'd made the choice to give Luke the knife.  The prophecy had come true right on schedule, and none of us had even thought about the fact that it was his birthday.

Calypso: Make a wish.

Percy: Did you bake this yourself?

Calypso: YN and Tyson helped.

Percy: That explains why it looks like a brick.

YN: HEY!

Annabeth started laughing and I playfully punched her in the arm.  Percy thought for a second, then blew out the candle.  We cut it into fourths and shared, eating with our fingers.  Annabeth sat next to me, and we watched the ocean.  Crickets and monsters were making noise in the woods, but otherwise it was quiet.  I grabbed Annabeth's hand, standing up.

YN: Let's give the happy couple some privacy.

Calypso and Percy glared at me as we walked away, laughing.  I picked Annabeth up bridal style, and she squeaked as I sprinted off towards Half-Blood Hill.  We made it up to Thalia's tree, and laid down in the grass, staring up at the moon.

Annabeth: I love you, YN LN.

YN: And I love you, Annabeth Chase.