The Mark of Athena,Heroes of Olympus, Book 3

Percy IX


It didn't take a daughter of Athena to know what this "meeting" would be about. Percy and Annabeth had joked around on the way, but Percy wondered if the meeting could be what determined the Greek's fate. Of course, Octavian couldn't really touch Percy without getting a whole lot of negative feedback from the Romans, but would the Romans really care about the Greeks?

"Weapons?" Julia asked, holding the bowl out to Annabeth.

"Left mine on the boat," Annabeth replied. Percy dug out his pen and put it in the bowl, wondering how long it would take for his pen to reappear in his pocket.

Annabeth had seemed surprised that it was only about seven o' clock in the morning, seeing as the forum was already starting to get busy.

"I think they're trying to figure out what we're doing for war games tonight," Frank said, walking up beside them.

"War games?" Annabeth seemed puzzled.

"Yeah. We have them pretty much all the time, but I think they were trying to get us used to you guys before we start killing each other." Frank shrugged.

"Okaaay?" Annabeth shook her head and entered the senate house.

"Ah, yes, Miss Destroy-Rome has arrived." Octavian smiled at Annabeth.

"Excuse me, I will not destroy Rome on purpose until you have deemed yourself worthy of it!" Annabeth grinned at Octavian's flabbergasted expression while Percy tried not to laugh.

"Ah, and Praetorian Percy. Will you be so kind as to sit down?"

"Sure, whatever." Percy sat down beside Frank and Annabeth. "Oh, yeah. Didn't I tell you? I'm not Praetor anymore. Jason is. I gave the title back to him because I don't really think I need to lead two camps."

Octavian seemed unable to close his mouth while Jason smirked. The other members of the senate seemed mildly amused.

"Anyway. Why did you call for this meeting, Octavian?" Reyna was the only one who did not have trouble keeping a serious face.

"I believe that because it says Athena, not Minerva, the daughter of wisdom the prophecy refers to must be Greek. Keeping in mind that there is only one daughter of Athena on that boat, it won't be too hard to figure out what to do now." Octavian looked pointedly at Percy, Annabeth, and Frank's direction. Annabeth paled, most likely remembering what Octavian's solution to the problem had been.

"Octavian, as you know, there is no way to stop a prophecy. Even if you did kill me..." Annabeth looked like she was deciding whether or not to continue. "Even if you did kill me, you would only be postponing what could happen in the prophecy."

"Besides," Leo said, rising to Annabeth's defense. He ignored the astonished stares from Piper and Annabeth, "that might not be what the prophecy is talking about. You'd have killed her for nothing."

Annabeth muttered something like, "I don't need your help, Leo." It was too quiet for anyone but Percy to hear.

Octavian huffed. "Better safe than sorry."

"Octavian, did you hear her the other day?" Percy asked. "We need this alliance, and killing her would make that alliance a whole lot more difficult."

"Did you hear me? This is a war! Wars have casualties!" Octavian protested.

"But this one is unnecessary!" said Frank.

"I am so glad that they have taken away all the weapons," Percy mumbled.

"If we were sure about the whole mark of Athena thing, I would willingly consent to your plan in a second!" Annabeth cut Percy off before he could protest. "But we're not. These prophecies have double meanings. Do you really think it would be that clear?"

"In my visions it always has been!" snarled Octavian. Before Percy could speak a word in Annabeth's defense, she was talking again.

"This isn't one of your visions! This is a prophecy! Not something you get out of a pile of fluff!" Annabeth's voice had risen an octave. Percy sighed, knowing there was no stopping her now.

"What's the difference?"

"Octavian, I have heard many prophecies, but I'm going to use one as an example." Annabeth looked towards Percy, asking very clearly with her eyes if she could. Percy shrugged. It didn't bother him any more.

"This is the last great prophecy. The one that talked about Percy." Annabeth began to recite the prophecy.

"A half blood of the eldest gods

Shall reach sixteen against all odds

And see the world in endless sleep

The hero's soul cursed blade shall reap

A single choice will end his days

Olympus to preserve or raise."

"See, you can avoid a prophecy!" shouted Octavian. "Percy survived."

"Nice to know you think I'm a hero," muttered Percy. Frank bit his lip to keep from laughing.

"You've just proved my point. However, I just want to know what everyone else is thinking before I explain it."

"Well, endless sleep can only mean death, right?" asked one senator.

"And the heroes soul cursed blade shall reap? Wouldn't that be Kronos's scythe?" commented Leo. Annabeth shrugged with a smile.

"And the first and last lines prove it's talking about Percy!" yelled Octavian.

"Uh, right here," Percy said. "Soul and all."

"First lines, self explanatory. The endless sleep thing? Morpheus put the entire island of Manhattan to sleep before the invasion. The hero's soul? They're not talking about Percy. They were talking about Luke, the guy who hosted Kronos."

"How could he be a hero?" asked Frank.

"Luke killed himself to kill Kronos. Percy handed him my knife, which pretty much symbolized his broken promise that we would always be a family-"

"Who's we?" asked Reyna. Percy jumped. He had almost forgotten she was here.

"Me, him, and Thalia. Anyway, Percy chose to give Luke the knife. A single choice shall end his days. He saved Olympus. This was nothing like we were thinking. We were all ready to destroy this blade. None of us even thought about it being my knife-we all thought it was Kronos's scythe! This same thing could happen in this prophecy. We all think it's me, but it could be some other daughter of Athena."

"Unlikely," coughed Octavian. Annabeth glared at him.

"You want to take the logical meaning? Fine. But I don't. Anyone else? Your thoughts?" When it was silent, Annabeth smiled. "Adjourned!" Annabeth walked out.

"Can she do that?" Travis asked.

"She did, didn't she?" Reyna said with respect in her eyes.

"That filthy graecus!" roared Octavian.

"Not that far away yet!" called Annabeth. Half the room cracked up as Octavian turned tomato-red.

"You will be sorry," Octavian muttered. "I swear it on the river Styx."