The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy

Chapter Two

(A/N: I suck at the haikus because I'm not funny, so sorry that they sound stupid :P)
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The Grove spats stuff out
Prophecies won't stop coming
Festus spews fire
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I would've thought Rachel would have spilled the news down lightly and in a non-worrisome way of what she heard at the Grove, but I was definitely wrong. That is the exact opposite of what she did.
    "Now that the Grove is able to give out prophecies and details of the future, the trees won't stop spatting stuff out!"Rachel said with no ease, unintentionally making all of us more eager and scared to know what she heard at the  Grove of Dodona.
"My dear, what exactly did you hear the trees say?"Chiron demanded gently, being as curious as the rest of us."Is it something to worry about?"
    At Chiron's question, Rachel's green eyes met his, and for once they seemed to not carry happiness and joy like they usually did. It was obvious that there was more to what the Grove said because I had never seen Rachel in such a state. Sure, I hadn't actually seen her in sixth months prior to my unfortunate situation of becoming a human, but her current phase was something I would have not expected to ever see from her. Not even during the time of Gaea's rising had she been like this.
    "You know the prophecy? The one that was given to Apollo?"Rachel said as her eyes drifted to mine briefly as she nudged at me, then returned her attention back to Chiron."I don't think that was all of it."
    Before given the chance to respond, Leo's reaction stopped the conversation between the two momentarily. He held his hands out and motioned them as to say stop. Calypso sat next to him and despite everything that was going on, I could see her dark almond eyes focused on his at every second he did something. She was deeply in love with him, and that's why I felt even guiltier because if anything happened to Leo on this quest. . .
    I immediately diminished the thought because surely if I continued to think about it, more and more speculations, theories, and thoughts would begin to stir in my mind and I would only feel even guiltier and scared. Lost in my own thoughts for a few seconds, I reconnected to reality and continued to listen to Leo.
    "What do you mean 'you don't think that was all of it'?"Leo asked with a shocked and confused look on his face. Typical Leo, I thought to myself."Please don't tell me the tress or groves or whatever, confirmed that Festus would always spew fire at random times and wouldn't be able to be fixed of that. Or that I wouldn't be able to accomplish a new Leo feature on him I had in mind? Or a new Valdezinator—"
"Leo..."Calypso interrupted him gently, then reached for his hand and laced her fingers around his.
"I'm just saying! What if my totally awesome future inventions are jeopardized because those silly singing trees or—"
Chiron politely cleared his throat to catch their attention and their "bickering" then stopped, now leaving Chiron to speak once again.
"Perhaps we should focus on the present, Mr.Valdez?"Chiron suggested, although it was not a request for approval because he then faced Rachel once more and began to speak."You were saying, Rachel?"
    "The trees whispered more verses to me. It seemed to add more to the prophecy."Rachel murmured in response to Chiron, then her eyes trailed off of his and met mine because she knew I had something to say about that.
"But the prophecy, the limerick, can't have more to it."I insisted, because it was true. Not only did the extra verses violate the rule of a limerick having only five lines, but also because that's not the way prophecies worked. "Prophecies work in a specific way, there can't be more to it."
"I know,"Rachel continued."That's why I think there's a reason Nero wanted the Grove of Dodona to be destroyed. It's the eldest oracle, so I think it's more powerful than it seems."
"Wait, hold up,"Leo interrupted, giving off the impression that he was confused."I thought you guys said he wanted to destroy it because he couldn't control it?"
"It is. But I think the other reason is because it has the ability to tell us how to end him...for good."Rachel finished, which left us all surprised."If the Grove could tell us how to stop Nero, then that probably was why he wanted it set ablaze.
"What were the extra verses the trees told you?"Calypso asked softly.
    Appearing to be hesitant on whether or not to share what the Grove said with us, Rachel took a deep breath and began to recite the verses slowly, giving us time to process each word and line completely.
    "The power of magic shall interfere,
The future's plans will be unclear.
In the end what you desire to find will not be your biggest worry,
But instead another force that will rise out of fury.
Your quest can take either of two paths,
Or shall conquer both and feel the Huntress's wrath.
Loss of hated and loved ones you will see,
This will be the beginning of the Dark Prophecy." Rachel finished, her voice beginning to falter as she got closer to ending the verses.
    For an intense few seconds, no one said anything. As my eyes skimmed to everyone else for brief moments, I saw how they all reacted and the intake of the verses kept them silent. Despite there being more worse verses that Rachel spoke, the only one that spun in my head was the one about the Huntress's wrath. The reason being was because the Huntress could only refer to one person: my sister, Artemis.
    "Or shall conquer both and feel the Huntress's wrath."I recited, finally breaking the brief silence that had arose between the five of us. I then looked up and faced everyone, my eyes switching from one to the other."Artemis would dare bring harm to us? My wicked sister, that's unbelievable."
    At first I had been hoping that I would encounter her on this quest, but not like this. Yes, perhaps I did annoy her to extreme lengths in the past(It wasn't my fault her deer accidentally turned into dinner once!) but I was only trying to be brother-friendly! Now I guess she was happy that I was a mortal because now maybe I would be the dinner, not the deer!
    "Are you sure that verse refers to Artemis?"Calypso asked, waiting for reassurance."What if it's someone else? Maybe on of her hunters?"
    "Although I hope it isn't, I believe so."I responded, not being happy about it."But I don't understand why she would do that. What wrath will we feel?"
    "But the verse before that says your quest can take either of two paths."Rachel continued, trying to restore confidence in me."Then it says or in the next verse. So maybe you'll be alright as long you don't go offending your sister in any way?"
    When Rachel's final words rang in my ears, my confidence was slightly restored because she was right. As long as I didn't do anything to offend my sister, we wouldn't have to feel her wrath. Unfortunately, Leo being Leo, ruined the moment of chances for me. After he finished his words, my confidence was drained and I returned to my previous state.
    "But it says we can take one of two paths. What if we can't choose one and we for some reason have to say something really offensive about Artemis to save our lives and she hears us and—"
    "Leo..."Calypso cut him off, laughing slightly at his comment but tried to keep a straight face.
    "I'm just saying! It's possible we might have to do something similar to that!"Leo admitted."Remember whenever we were in Albania? That monstrous looking eagle or whatever. To let us escape we had to say that Aphrodite was a very—"
    "Okay!"Calypso cut him off again, this time not laughing."I get it, there's many possibilities that can happen, but once again, they can be slim. And don't ever mention Albania again, especially that particular day!"Calypso shifted uncomfortably in her seat and then faced Chiron, now asking him a question.
    "Chiron, what do you think? Not only about this, but the other verses. Do you have any idea what they mean or what we'll be expecting?"
Whenever his named was mentioned, Chiron raised an eyebrow since he was lost in his own thoughts, but quickly remembered what Calypso said.
"Although Leo may potentially be right,"Chiron said, looking at Leo then back to Calypso."Rachel is also right. Also, Apollo, the verse is possibly being misinterpreted. Many quests in the past have had deadly verses but in the end, it was nothing to worry about it. Perhaps it's not being interpreted in the right way, and Artemis won't make you 'feel her wrath.' But that is not the biggest worry I have. However, what I am worried about is the final verse: This will be the beginning of the Dark Prophecy. All of those verses seem quite controversial and if that's just the beginning, then I fear what is to come will be far worse than anything."