It's All Relative

Chapter 1

Rachel wondered if she would ever fall asleep at this point.

The read head was lying in her bed, the time well past midnight, gazing intently at the ceiling, which just so happened to be decorated with a detailed drawing of what looked to be a very intense battle between two fire-breathing dragons.

Her focus, however, was not on the piece of art that she herself had produced, but on a conversation she had had with a certain black haired boy the week before. She knew she shouldn't dwell on it anymore, but honestly, how could she not. It's not every day that somebody becomes the host of the Oracle Of Delphi and speaks the second 'Great Prophecy' in seventy years.

Rachel wished she had stayed at Camp, or at least talked more with Apollo, who, although briefly explained the role she now played as the ancient spirit's host, left before she could ask the many questions that plagued her mind. Like, when would she give prophecies? Did she just spout them out left and right, or did someone who really needed one have to come to her personally to get it? For her sake, she hoped it was the latter, as she couldn't imagine her parents reaction if one night at dinner her eyes became an unnatural green and a mist of the same color was spewed from her mouth as she spoke about 'half-bloods' and 'Doors of Death'. They'd have Dr. Arkwright, her child therapist, on the phone before she could even finish.

And then there was school. Clarion Ladies Academy, the school she despised, while her father persisted it would turn her into the 'respectable young woman' she was supposed to be. It was highly doubtful that she would make any friends there, but she had already grudgingly promised her father that she would go next fall.

Not to mention the little 'family reunion' they would be hosting. The thought of it made Rachel look to her right, losing the long held staring match between her and the ceiling. Her gaze fell upon the extra bed that had hastily been set up the day before by one of the maids.

Her mother's second cousin, Molly, her husband, and all of her seven children, were spending the rest of the summer with the Dares. Unlucky for Rachel, one of those seven children happened to be a girl, and Mrs. Dare thought it a fantastic idea if the girls shared a room, since they were apparently close in age. Rachel couldn't disagree more. The family was coming all the way from Britain, which gave Rachel the sinking feel that Molly and her family would be equally, if not more, snobbish than her own dreadful family.

However, Rachel knew she was not just wary of how her new roommate would act, but also because of the dreams she'd been having lately. She knew they were coming from the spirit within her, and could only guess that they were glimpses of the future. Rachel, thankfully, had yet to recognize anyone in these dreams, but they were vivid. One night she might simply overhear a conversation between two people. And the next night... well, those dreams were the cause of her insomnia. She'd seen people hurt, tortured, and even killed. After those visions, she'd wake up in a cold sweat, tears of guilt streaming down her face. Guilt because she knew that although this hadn't happened yet, there was absolutely nothing she could do to prevent it. Rachel couldn't be sure if she was vocal during these nightmares, but was still frightened that Molly's daughter would hear her anguish.

Rachel looked at the clock and sighed when she saw it was three in the morning. She had to deal with those relatives tomorrow and knew she could use all the sleep she could get. She returned to lying flat on her back, and her eyes met the ceiling once again. She closed her eyes and waited patiently for sleep to take over.

As Rachel began to slip into unconsciousness, she couldn't help but pray to every god she knew that she would dream the normal, mortal dreams she had enjoyed before she met Percy Jackson.