The Prophecy
Apparently, Chiron had announced a game of Capture the Flag between the Campers and the Hunters. It would take place during the evening. We were all sat at our tables in the dining pavilion for the evening meal. All of the demigods who had decided to remain at Camp for the year were sitting at the table corresponding to their godly parent. All of us Hunters were sitting at the table for Artemis. Zoe sat at the head of the table. We were all laughing and joking. Zoe remained mostly silent though. She did smile occasionally though.
The next day, I went to the archery range to practice my archery. Some of the Apollo kids were there too. I tried to ignore them to the best of my abilities. There weren't that many of them. I assumed that most of them had gone home for the year. Zoe had told me and Bianca that she had had a dream concerning Lady Artemis. According to her dream, Lady Artemis had been kidnapped. I got bullseye after bullseye. I grew bored and decided to move onto beating up some dummies. I could tell that some Campers were staring at me as I destroyed the training dummies. I ignored them
Zoe had explained the rules of Capture the Flag to me when I first joined the Hunt. Or at least, the rules of the Camp Half-Blood version of the game which involved deadly weapons. I knew that mortal Capture the Flag did not tend to involve deadly weapons such as swords and spears or even guns. The Campers were dressed in Greek armour. The Hunters were wearing our usual silver outfits. They really did get overly competitive didn't they? I could relate though. I had always liked a bit of competition.
The game started. I was on a team with Zoe. We were the team aiming to find the other flag. Bianca was guarding our flag. We crossed the creek and headed towards Zeus' Fist. Zeus' Fist was a pile of rocks that supposedly looked like a fist reaching out of the ground. To me, it looked like a giant pile of horse shit. I spotted the flag around the area and looked at Zoe. She nodded and gestured for me to get it. One of the other Hunters in our team distracted the Campers' guards and I managed to grab the flag. We turned around and raced back to our side of the creek. I could see Jackson approaching the creek so I ran faster. Zoe was right beside me. She was fending off attacks from the Campers. Jackson was heading towards me. I ran faster. I slammed into him as I raced across the creek, winning the game for the Hunters. "The Hunters win!" Chiron announced without pleasure. Then he muttered, "For the fifty-sixth time in a row." I smirked.
Thalia stormed towards Jackson, her shield on full show. The two of them started to fight each other. Thalia pushed him and a wave roared up from the river. Thankfully, Chiron stopped them before either one of them did something that they would regret. I spotted something approaching us all. It was shrouded in green mist. We all gasped. "This is impossible," Chiron said. He sounded nervous. "It...she has never left the attic. Never." And yet the withered mummy that held the Oracle shuffled forward until she stood in the centre of the group. Mist curled around our feet, turning the snow a sickly shade of green. None of us dared move. Then her voice hissed inside my head. Apparently everyone could hear it, because several clutched their hands over their ears. I am the spirit of Delphi, the voice said. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. The Oracle regarded Jackson with its cold, dead eyes. Then she turned unmistakably towards Zoe Nightshade. Approach Seeker, and ask.
Zoe swallowed. "What must I do to help my goddess?"
The Oracle's mouth opened, and green mist poured out. I saw the vague image of a mountain, and a girl standing at the barren peak. It was Lady Artemis, but she was wrapped in chains, fettered to the rocks. She was kneeling, her hands raised as if to fend off an attacker, and it looked like she was in pain. The Oracle spoke:
Six shall go west to the goddess in chains,
One shall be lost in the land without rain,
The bane of Olympus shows the trail,
Campers and Hunters combined prevail,
The Titan's curse must one withstand,
And one shall perish by a parent's hand.
Then, as we were watching, the Mist swirled and retreated like a green serpent into the mummy's mouth. The Oracle sat down on a rock and became as still as she must have been in the attic, as if she might sit by this creek for a hundred years.