Chapter 20 - The Prophesy Has Changed

(Care to drop a review. I still have no officio rating.)

After Percy was basically alienated and he only had Annabeth and Kurayami's group for company. Clarise still looked like she would break his neck and he rather right her than be alone. He and Kurayami's group were called to Mr. D and Chiron.

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity and his hero. The tamer of hellhounds and all." With sarcasm all to obvious. "Come closer," Mr. D said.. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father." A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.

However Dionysus cared little what his uncle thought. Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth. "If I had my way I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron explained. "Nonsense," Dionysus said. "He be dead before he knew what happened Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

But he gave one more choice. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And you four go with him. Got enough trouble thinking you four are kids of the big three."

Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass. He snapped his fingers. The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiled at the group of 5 but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, please. You 5 should here this as well." Kurayami and his group sat down as well. The hellhound was being kept watch by Tyrant, so he was left behind.

"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?" He looked at Kurayami who was training it for a pet, but it didn't change what happened. "It scared me," he said. "If Kurayami hadn't caught it I'd be dead." nodded, but he sighed. "You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

Percy was confused. "Done…with what?" Chrion explained. "Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?" Percy knew not to accept something with out knowing. "Um, sir," I said, "you haven't told me what it is yet." Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details." Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as they could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.

"Poseidon and Zeus," I said. "They're fighting over the Master Bolt right?" Chiron looked shocked, but looked over to Kurayami. "How did you know that?" Kurayami explained a bit. "Azazel is a peace wanting guy. He keeps his eye out for war brewing as he wants to avoid them at all cost. The Greeks were stirring, so he sent us here to help."

Percy also explained his point of view. also been having these dreams." Grover felt his time to shine was here." I knew it," "Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered as it was not confirmed. Grover however was adamant. "But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!" "Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard.

"Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. over the theft of the master bolt. It's a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

Kurayami clapped. "That's good and all, but don't let the other gods here you saying all lightning comes from it. You know who will not take kindly to his authority being called less than. Even Gunginir is a weapon equal in power to it."

Chrion sighed, but nodded. "That is all propaganda by the Greek gods, so their children respect them. That thing still packs enough power to level entire cites and countries if the owner desired." Percy the real question. "By who?" Chiron looked at Percy. "By you." Percy mouth went slack jawed.

"At least"—Chiron held up a hand—"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense:' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon." Percy heard that and said.

"They act like children." The sky ripped with lightning and Chiron looked at Percy with a warning look. "It may be so, but do not disrespect the gods or you may be killed." Chrion spoke again. " Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly—that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

Percy knew he didn't do it. "But I didn't—" Chiron raised his hands. "Patience and listen, child," Chiron explained. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning."

Esdeath spoke up. "Some of the best forge masters are under the domain of Poseidon which gives him great influence over what is made." Chrion nodded. "He believes that Poseidon is arming his army to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus."

Percy knew he didn't. "But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!" Everyone glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around the camp, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over the valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid. Kurayami looked at him and smirked. "Seems you got balls of steel."

"Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggested. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before." He looked at Percy as if he actually expected him to remember. Chiron was waiting for an answer.

"Something about a golden net?" I guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods…they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?" Chiron nodded. "Correct," Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along—the proverbial last straw."

Percy still didn't accept he was responsible. "But I didn't do anything. Poseidon—my dad—he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?" Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that."

" As such Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down."

" The only way is the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?" He guessed. "Bad?" Kurayami explained. "If something goes wrong it won't just be the Greeks. You will drag in all Pantheons and it will be Ragnarock, Armageddon, Doomsday all in one."

" The world turned into a battleground so big it will make the World War 2 look like a water-balloon fight." Chiron looked at Percy with pity. "And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

Percy smashed his fist on the table. "So I have to find the stupid bolt, and return it to Zeus." Chiron scoffed. "What better peace offering, than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?" Raynare asked the important question. "If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?" Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago…well, some of the lines make sense to me, now."

" You must seek the counsel of the Oracle before I can say more go upstairs,

Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more." Percy went up the stairs into the attic. He reached a green trapdoor and pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place. The warm air from above smelled like mildew and rotten wood and snakes. Percy entered the attic and saw it was filled with Greek hero junk: armor stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather steamer trunks One long table was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things, severed hairy claws, huge yellow eyes, various other parts of monsters.

Sitting on a wooden tripod stool by the window was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy. Not the wrapped-in-cloth kind, but a human female body shriveled to a husk. She wore a headband over long black hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, and her eyes were glassy white slits as if the real eyes had been replaced by marbles.

Looking at her sent chills through his back and that was before she sat up on her stool and opened her mouth. A green mist poured from the mummy's mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like thousands snakes. Percy nearly ran out, but the trapdoor closed on him. Inside his head, he heard a voice, slithering into one ear and coiling around his brain.

"I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask." He just wanted to run, but he had to know. The green mist was scary but its presence didn't feel evil. It felt more like the Three Fates he saw knitting the yarn outside the highway fruit stand: ancient, powerful, and definitely not human.

He got the courage to ask, "What is my destiny?" The mist swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of him and around the table with the pickled monster-part jars. Suddenly there were four men sitting around the table, playing cards. Their faces became clearer. It was Smelly Gabe and his buddies.

Gabe turned toward me and spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle "You shall go west, and face the god who has turned."His buddy on the right looked up and said in the same voice "You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned." The guy on the left threw in two poker chips, then said "You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend."Finally, Eddie, our building super, delivered one that calmed him down. "One you know shall be your greatest ally." The mist retreated, coiling into a huge green serpent and slithering back into the mouth of the mummy. "Wait! What do you mean? What

friend?" The tail of the mist snake disappeared into the mummy's mouth. and the ordinance with the Oracle was ove