The Raven's Call {Percy Jackson based}

Chapter 16- A Bird Determines my Future

{Alivia's POV} 

I was fairly annoyed that I was interrupted from my reading, but I decided to greet the newcomers anyway.

"Oh my god, are you reading The Fault in Our Stars? I feel so sorry for you." The girl who'd been dubbed Sofie said to me. I suddenly liked her.

"I've actually read it before, but I wanted to read it again." I was hoping to start a full on bookworm discussion, but Millie interrupted.

"So, who are your godly parents? Do you know yet?"

"Well, we're Greek demigods, here for a tour. My dad's Poseidon." Georgina sat herself down on the spare bed.

"My mother's Athena. How about you guys?" Sofie asked as she climbed up to the top bunk.

"Well, I haven't been claimed, but because I apparently 'shadow travelled', I'm probably a daughter of Pluto," Millie said. I felt slightly ashamed that I hadn't been claimed yet, and didn't really want to tell them that. I kept quiet, hoping that they wouldn't ask. Millie already knew I wasn't claimed, and I hoped she wouldn't tell them. Sofie looked over at me, and I felt dread in my stomach. Fortunately, she seemed to figure out that I didn't want to say, and quickly looked away.

A bell broke the silence, and I swiftly jumped up, thankful for the excuse.

"What's that for?" Georgina asked, looking slightly alarmed.

"Get ready for the best food of your lives."

The hall was already packed with people and loud noises, which never ceased to make me feel anxious. Reyna was staring with hatred in her eyes at someone in our small group, but I couldn't quite tell who. I hoped it wasn't me. I was sure that every eye was watching and judging me, but at the same time I knew that it was just my mind playing tricks on me. I hated it.

"Are you okay?" Millie asked me.

"Yeah, just... Reyna looks angry at one of us." I replied, trying to hide how I truly felt. I'd gotten quite good at it.

"Oh, sorry guys. It's me she's annoyed at." Sofie joined in. How did she piss off Reyna that much?

"Can we just join any table? Because that one's free." Georgina pointed to a small marble table in the corner of the room, which was accompanied by five couches. "Ah, triclinium. Three couches. Also, it's marble. Did you know that the Parthenon is the largest building made entirely of marble?" I had a feeling that Sofie was going to be telling us facts all evening.

I sat down next to Georgina, opposite from Millie. A nymph arrived next to our table, two platters of bread and ham in her hands. Plates appeared in front of us, and she offered the food around. I was about to take a piece of bread when a huge red bird thing ran into the hall, screeching. Standing in the center of the pavilion, it sank to its knees, chanting,

"The group of four must stand to seek,

All with Roman and Greek,

The call of the raven will reveal,

To the floor as they kneel,

Deception dances in their path ,

And they will be left with the aftermath ,

At the hall of heroes the healthy must fall,

The traitor left on their own from it all."

Once the creature had finished its strange speech, it lifted a finger and pointed directly to the table I was sitting at. Everyone turned to face, which must have been humiliating for Georgina, seeing as her mouth was full of bread. I was also embarrassed, but not for any particular reason. The creature, which I now recognised as a harpy, ran back out, leaving the entire hall whispering and staring at us. Surely the prophecy couldn't be about us. Definitely not about me, anyway. Before any of us could say anything, Reyna left her table and approached ours.

"It seems that you are all involved in this prophecy. Meet me behind the 4th Cohort after the war games," Reyna span around on her heel and waltzed back to the front of the pavilion. I suddenly got a weird vision of Reyna doing the waltz with the weird, red bird. I covered my mouth to stop myself from laughing out loud.