"You're kidding. It's been two days?"

"Don't excite yourself child. You've only just woken; you may not have recovered completely," Chiron replied. On the contrary, Rachel felt perfectly fine. Her sleep had been dreamless, and the pounding in her head had subsided for now. She felt strong and well-rested, though extremely shocked that she had been asleep for so long.

"You wouldn't wake up, no matter what we did. We even risked giving you some Ambrosia, but that didn't work too," Will Solace told her. There was a hint of annoyance in his voice, and it was no great mystery as to why. He looked more sleep - deprived than anyone Rachel had ever seen. A crown of shaggy blonde hair covered Will's head, and he looked like he was trying to keep his eyes open with extreme difficulty.

"Do you remember what happened, Rachel?" Chiron asked her seriously.

She furrowed her brow in concentration. The ordeal had taken a toll on her, leaving her memories slightly fuzzy. "I remember arriving at Half-Blood Hill with Hazel," she said. She was certain of that much at least. "And something was calling me, not a voice exactly- it was a gut feeling, I guess. In any case, I felt drawn to Camp; I could feel that something important was going to happen. So I went on ahead, and walked through the borders---" Her mind went blank suddenly. "---And I passed out."

Will's face was a mask of confusion, but Chiron looked like he had expected as much. "You don't remember anything about the Prophecy?"

Right. That happened. Reality came crashing back, and Rachel's heart began hammering furiously. A cloud of despair engulfed her, leaving her panic-stricken. "Oh no. What have I done?!" She hid her face in her hands.

Chrion put a comforting hand on her shoulder. With the body of a stallion, he took up almost as much space in the room as the bed she was lying on. "Don't be too hard on yourself; it will only make things worse. Besides, you have a visitor. You woke up thanks to his blessing," the centaur said. "He grew tired of waiting and went off to talk to Mr. D, but he'll want to speak to you about this." Then he turned to Will. "Would you please go and tell your father that Rachel's awake? Tell him to come here right away. You may return to your cabin after that."

Will nodded and set off. Apollo's here? Rachel thought curiously. She was grateful that he had helped rouse her, but the fact that the situation was serious enough to capture a God's attention, was far from reassuring.

They didn't have to wait too long. Minutes later, a knock sounded on the door, and a handsome young man entered the room, flashing a blinding smile. Apollo looked like an upgraded version of Will Solace. His short, honey-colored hair bore a striking semblance to gold, and his eyes shone like the sun itself. He was no doubt a skilled warrior, but for once he carried no weapon. "How are you feeling Rachel?" he asked, not unkindly.

"I'm fine, thank you for your help," she replied. "I didn't think---"

"HOW COULD YOU BE SO CARELESS?" he roared at her suddenly, his smile replaced by a livid scowl. "Once wasn't enough, was it? You've once again pronounced a prophecy that may doom us all!" The room shook with Apollo's fury, and his voice was so loud that Rachel had a feeling it could be heard all the way till Half-Blood Hill.

Rachel had always thought of Apollo as amiable and easygoing. Never once had she seen him so outraged. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..." She spluttered, making an effort to apologize, but she was so nervous that the words wouldn't come out.

With that, some of the fire in Apollo's eyes died, and he plopped down on a chair, sighing heavily. After a long and painful moment, he looked at her, his eyes brimming with pity. "I do sound like father, don't I?" he said with distaste. I guess you do, thought Rachel, though she didn't voice her opinions.

"Forgive me Rachel; I know you are not to blame. Oracles predict the future, and warn us about morrows not yet made. Prophecies do not cause events to take place, they foretell such events," he spoke in a grim voice. "But not everyone understands that, Zeus most of all."

"What-What are you saying?"

"I believe, you have uttered the next Great Prophecy. No trifling prophecy would have taken such a toll on you. Understandably, we are all in grave danger."

"We can't be certain about that though, can we?" Chiron asked.

"Perhaps not," agreed Apollo. "Prophecies are not fulfilled in just a matter of days or months. You would remember it took seventy years for the first Great Prophecy to come true. We must be very careful even then. In any case, the figure in your visions isn't the only thing you have to worry about, Rachel."

When she looked at him questioningly, Apollo gave her a sympathetic look. "Zeus does not understand the working of prophecies, nor does he wish to do so. As usual, father wants someone to blame. He has directed his fury at me, for I am the God of Prophecies, but... he blames you too."

"Me?" Rachel asked, the revelation acting as a slap to the face "But the spirit of the Oracle will protect me, won't it?" she asked Apollo.

"I wouldn't count on it. Don't forget, Zeus is the King of the Gods; he has powers greater than any other Olympian. And even the spirit of the Oracle can't protect you completely – it didn't prevent Hades from cursing the mortal girl who was Oracle before you."

She knew that Apollo was right. She had a distinct memory of the maiden who had been the Oracle previously, although when she had first seen her, the Oracle had been anything but young and beautiful. Perhaps she had once been pretty, but she had been reduced to a withered skeleton when Rachel had come across her. Her face had been gaunt, and her eyes dull and listless. The Oracle had been reed thin, and only little white wisps had remained where her hair had once been. She had been dead a long time, but a curse the God Hades had inflicted on her, had barred the spirit of the Oracle from leaving her body.

"I was forced to flee Olympus to escape Zeus' wrath," Apollo told her. "You must leave Camp Half-Blood as well. We need to go someplace where Zeus cannot find us."

Rachel stared at him for a long time, not willing to believe. Gods, what have I gotten myself into? I messed up again. "Is there no other way? Do we have to go into hiding?" she asked finally.

Chiron and Apollo shared a look, before the latter chuckled. "You don't know my father like I do. He has always been quick-tempered and stubborn. Nobody can calm him when he's angry, not even Hera. Our best hope is to hide until Zeus' ire lessens, and then beg for forgiveness."

"He speaks truly, Rachel; this is the only way. You must leave Camp Half-Blood," Chiron counseled.

Rachel felt like her entire world was falling apart. Another Great Prophecy, a seething Zeus wanting to punish her - things had never felt bleaker. Why couldn't all this simply be a dream? And why did her life have to be so complicated?

"Okay, I'll come with you," she said after a long moment, taking a deep breath. "But where will we go? Is there someplace where even Zeus cannot find us?"

"I can use my powers to shield us from him, but it won't be easy. We will travel to Delphi. The place has changed a lot over the years, but it is sacred to me still, and my powers are far stronger there. We shall be safe there."

That was where the Oracle resided in the ancient times, Rachel recalled. That's why she was called the Oracle of Delphi. "When are we leaving?" she asked, screaming on the inside. Ever since the visions had started, everything had just gone from bad to worse. It was as if fate had decided that Rachel's life was too normal for its liking, and so it had turned the whole enchilada upside – down to spice things up.

"As soon as we can," said Apollo. "In fact, now would be great."

"I believe we should wait for a final check-up, in case Rachel needs some more time to get better," Chiron spoke up before Rachel could respond. "Shall we ask Will to come in?"

Apollo grinned. "As talented as my son is, I don't think Rachel will need his help. You're speaking to the God of Medicine and Healing, Chiron! If my blessing didn't cure Rachel already, there's nothing that will."

Rachel had half a mind to tell him that she felt terrible, and capture his reaction on camera, but she wasn't going to lie. Her improved health had been the one thing that had brought her relief in the last hour. All her fatigue, light-headedness, and pain had dissolved due to Apollo's blessing, and she was thankful for it. "Yes, I feel alright," she assured them.

Apollo had never looked more proud. "I expect a nice, long ballad in return," he replied. When he saw the look on Rachel's face, he burst into laughter. Even Chiron smiled. His mood changes so quickly, she thought. Only minutes ago he was shouting, then he looked miserable enough to jump off a cliff, and now he's giggling. She wished humor could come to her just as easily in such a bleak situation.

"Anyway, you should get ready, Rachel. That is the only bag you brought with you, I believe?" Chiron pointed towards the far end of the room where her bag lay on the floor, its vivid colors mocking the dismal grey walls of the room. "You will find your things just the way you brought them to Camp - they have been left untouched."

Wait, have I been wearing the same clothes for two days? she realized suddenly. True, she definitely needed to clean up.

***

After a change of clothes, and the intake of as many sandwiches and fries she could stomach, Rachel was ready to say farewell. It didn't take too long; she didn't have many friends at Camp after all. Most of the campers thought of her as rather odd, and some were even scared of her. Besides, Camp Half-Blood was relatively empty now – many demigods like Percy, Jason, and Annabeth, had returned to school or university to resume their studies, after the Giant War.

Rachel sent an Iris message to Percy and Annabeth, who were studying in New Rome, to tell them about her departure. Both of them consoled her that things would work out, though they seemed more bothered by the fact that she was going to have to put up with Apollo's haikus, than the news that Zeus wanted to punish her. She informed the Camp Director, the God Dionysus (whom everyone called Mr. D) about her departure, and his reply was exactly what she had expected. "Yes, very well," he told her, in a bored voice. "Off you go, Rochelle."

  She didn't even bother to correct him.

Chrion, Nico, Hazel, Will and a few of her other friends came to see her off, though no one but Chiron knew where Apollo and she were bound. She got a lot of sullen looks from the Apollo campers, which was saddening because they were usually the nicest to her. She knew the reason behind their demeanor – the demigods wanted to take her place and spend time with their father. It was understandable though, since they barely ever met him.

The sun was setting by the time Rachel and Apollo gathered outside the Amphitheatre, ready to disappear. The sun tossed fiery streaks of light, bathing the sky in hues of red and orange. Apollo stood watching the sunset with a satisfied expression. "Our prayers are with you," Chiron told them. "Stay safe."

"Good luck," Nico called out, while Hazel nodded vigorously.

"Alright then," Apollo smiled, then he looked at Rachel. "I should warn you, for the next few seconds you might feel green about the gills."

Great, something else to dread, she thought, though she replied that she was ready. Apollo nodded, and then his body began to glow with a striking aura. The air around them thrummed with power, and for a second the sun blazed brighter.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare glanced at her friends, at the great stone Amphitheatre and at the cabins in the distance one last time, knowing that she would not be coming home for a long while. Finally, Apollo waved his hand, and something tugged her so hard that it knocked the wind out of her. Then she dissolved, vanishing into the unknown...