Annabeth Chase and Things Are Getting Intense

Chapter Forty Five

"Rachel?" Annabeth exclaimed.

Harry looked her over. "Who're you?"

Rachel was clearly not a Hogwarts student. She was wearing her usual ratty jeans with random drawings on the knees and hems, because she doodled on them when she was bored or just when she felt like it. She had on a T-shirt with a picture of Bob Ross in sunglasses, and her curly red hair was a mess.

"You're not a Weasley, are you?" Ron said, eyeing Rachel's vivid hair.

"Not the time," Rachel said. She didn't look good. She was pale and sweaty, and she was clutching her stomach like she was about to throw up. Annabeth had a bad feeling that her friend was about to vomit green smoke. "Empty classroom," Rachel said, fixing a look on Annabeth. "Now."

"Hold on a second," Harry said. "You don't even go here! Who are you?"

"I'll explain later," Annabeth said, moving towards Rachel. She was about to run to the nearest empty classroom when Rachel spoke again.

"Them too," she said, closing her eyes for a moment, maybe to fight back the spirit of Delphi before it could possess her and spill a prophecy to the entire school. "They also need to hear this. Quickly!"

"Who—" Hermione started.

"Come on!" Annabeth interrupted. She didn't need the whole school knowing about whatever was about to happen. You never knew who you could trust in these halls.

Looking bewildered, Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed Annabeth as she led Rachel through the halls, checking every door they passed for an empty room. They passed a few students who gave Rachel weird looks, but Annabeth didn't stop for them.

After a minute or so Rachel stopped following Annabeth and went in her own direction. Silencing Ron before he could protest, Annabeth changed course and followed the oracle. Wherever Rachel was going, the spirit of Delphi was leading her. And wherever that was, it was probably where they needed to be.

Finally Rachel pushed open a door and entered the empty classroom beyond it. No sooner than the door had shut did the Pythia give her prophecy.

There were various noises of shock from the three mortals as Rachel closed her eyes and exhaled green vapor that poured out of her mouth and pooled on the ground around her feet, which lifted just slightly off the floor so she was on her tippy toes as her arms extended outwards. Her eyes opened, glowing green, looking but not seeing what was in front of her. Her hair floated around her like she was underwater, and when she spoke, it was in the dry, rasping voice of the Oracle of Delphi.

The chosen and his chosen along with Athena's pride

Shall travel round to reach their goal, three objects they must find

The fourth was with them all along, through death must it be freed

The virtue of these questers must outmatch the Lord's own greed

The fifth one must be wrested from the side to which it's pressed

It all ends in a battle that will lead to countless death

With the end of the prophecy, Rachel collapsed. Annabeth just managed to catch her and sit her down in a desk chair before she could hit the floor. It would take a second or two for her to regain consciousness.

"What," Ron said, staring pale faced at the spot where Rachel had been standing with his mouth hanging open. "The ruddy hell. Was that."

"A prophecy," Hermione muttered. "That was a prophecy, wasn't it? It sounded just like what we heard in the Department of Mysteries, when the shelves smashed."