Annabeth couldn't sleep after waking up from a nightmare. No matter how they started, they 

always ended with the great prophecy.

Always a girl with a rebel streak, Annabeth had snuck into the attic, after making sure Mr D was not in the Big House that night. Seven-year old her had wanted to get a prophecy for herself. She wanted to bring back Thalia, make Luke happy again and unite her parents and thought a quest to be the answer to all her problems. She got more than she'd bargained for that night. Instead of ignoring her as it did for the others, the oracle had chosen to show her the great prophecy. 

She was never the same again.

Chiron had found her the next morning, curled around herself, shivering and turning blue from the cold. Mr D had been furious with her impertinence and threatened to turn her into a dolphin, at which she'd promptly burst into tears.

Chiron then reminded Mr D of the fact that the oracle had chosen to reveal the prophecy to her own its own. It must be the destiny's will that she know of the prophecy, no matter her age, he concluded. The problem was resolved only after she'd promised upon the River Styx to not reveal the prophecy to anyone until the time was right.

It had been eight years since then, and Chiron's words couldn't have been truer. She and Thalia were closer than sisters, and she'd nearly started the prophecy last year before joining the Hunters of Artemis. Percy was her best friend, and almost everyone was certain that he would be the child of the prophecy. Luke, her first crush and only family a long time, had joined the Titans, having let Kronos take over his body. Her mother, Athena suspected her to have an important hand in the prophecy, even though she wasn't sure on how.

Yet, even after all this, she'd never had she had a stronger urge to break that promise to Chiron all those years ago. It all began with a simple iris message.

Percy had called her yesterday. His mid-term tests were to end in two days, that is, tomorrow. He was to meet her up at camp after Christmas. They were going through the plans about the quests and that had to be undertaken before the New Year when Sally had joined in on their conversation. Annabeth quickly noticed the engagement ring, congratulating her.

Percy's eyes lit up at this. He went into a long winded explanation about how his soon to be step-father had proposed his mother and how they'd in turn introduced him to their world of Greek mythology. It was a rather funny and endearing tale. "So, when will the wedding be?" She'd asked Sally casually when Percy had gone to bring himself some snacks.

"Ever since I was a child, I'd always wanted a winter wedding. But since we're already amidst one, I think we'll wait this one out. We both want to have a small celebration for all our friends and colleges and plan on saving up a decent amount until next year." She'd explained. Then, shifting for a lighter tone, she made her promise to be there for the wedding and suggested that she be there with Percy when that happened. Annabeth had blushingly laughed it off at first, but later realised what the timing would imply.

Percy was fifteen now. The great prophecy would be over by next September. If she was interpreting it right, there was a high chance that Percy may not be there for his mother's wedding next winter.

Of course, prophecies always had multiple meanings, and it was always bad to assume things at surface value, but for the life of her, she couldn't find an alternate explanation for the phrases 'hero's soul cursed blade shall reap' and 'a choice shall end his days' no matter how much she 

tried thinking optimistically.

How was she supposed to look Percy in the eye, when she knew what might be coming for him? Of course, all demigods knew that a huge war was looming in the horizon. Kronos had risen once more and his host of monsters grew bigger by the day. But everyone had some hope to make it to the other side of intact. Did Percy have the same chance?

If he was truly the child of the prophecy, didn't he have a right to know that his days were numbered? To have a chance to make the most of his time?

This thought had been eating her up ever since Percy chose to bear the weight of the prophecy in his attempt to protect Nico, without knowing what was in store for him.

Annabeth got up abruptly then, glancing at the clock. It was nearly four in the morning. She needed to talk with someone, to make sense of the guilt that was weighing her down. Annabeth Iris-messaged Chiron. It was nearly seven in New York. As expected, Chiron was already up-and ready, reading a book with his morning coffee.

His eyes shone in surprise for a moment before growing worried. "My dear Annabeth! Are you alright? What time is it there? You should be fast asleep now!" He admonished. "Couldn't sleep? What's gotten you worried?" he asked, genuine worry in his tone.

Annabeth's heart swelled up at this. In many ways, Chiron had been more of a father to her than her own father. He was the one who'd seen her grow. He was the one who'd comforted her, been her cheerleader when she'd had no one. "When will the time be right, Chiron?" She asked, her voice still raspy from lack of use.

Chiron understood what she was getting to instantly. "Oh, Annabeth! Alas, I have no say in the matter. The gods will have to deem it fit to reveal the prophecy. Only then can he know..." He repeated for the nth time. But she was having none of it this time.

"How the hell am I supposed to look him in the eye, knowing that I may have to see the light leave his eyes soon enough? Doesn't he have the right to know that he may never see his mother in a white dress, never have a chance to give her hand to Paul? Shouldn't he have a say in how he spends the last few months of his life? His sixteenth birthday is less than a year away, Chiron! It nearly certain that he is the child of the prophecy!" She concluded, her voice cracking at the end. She let the tears flow this time.

She acted all tough to the outer world, but in front of Chiron, she always seemed to reduce into the seven-year old child he'd consoled when she'd lost Thalia. "You don't have to sit around and do nothing... You just shouldn't tell him the prophecy." Chiron suggested.

Annabeth frowned, "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, confusion clear in her voice. It didn't happen often, Annabeth not understanding something. She took great pride in being Wisdom's daughter. Chiron chuckled at this. "You are supposed to leave for New York today, isn't it?" "Yeah, in five hours." "We'll talk more when we meet." He suggested, before wiping his hands through the message, disconnecting the call.

Annabeth laid back in bed once more, trying to catch a bit of sleep before heading to New York. Her mind was buzzing with more questions than answers when compared to when she'd started off.

But along with that, there was also a small gleam of hope that there was still something she could do to help and maybe even Percy, and that thought calmed her enough that she finally drifted into a fitful sleep.

*****

The day to leave for Camp Half-blood was usually a quiet affair in the Chase household. Annabeth wore her usual Camp Half-blood T-shirt and jeans and tied her hair in a pony. She then packed her backpack with the bare essentials. When you're a travelling demigod and could be attacked anytime, you learn the hard way to travel light.

Her father greeted her as she came down for breakfast. He and her stepmom were done with their breakfasts while her brothers were still playing with theirs. The rest of her family planned to visit her step-grandparent's house in Virginia while she went to came for Christmas. "Do you have to go now? You could have stayed at least until Christmas." Her stepmom chastised as she filled her plate.

No, thank you, though Annabeth. Her step-grandparents had a family tradition of hosting an enormous Christmas party every year, where all of her extended family got together. Sadly, none of them had a good impression of her. It ranged from being a problematic, ungrateful brat to her stpmom and her dad to being mentally unstable, given that they knew of her ADHD and dyslexia diagnosis. She didn't have the slightest inclination to be scrutinized and judged by a hundred strangers during holidays.

Thankfully, her dad answered for her. "You know how things are these days. She's needed at camp." He reminded her.

Also the fact that she'd nearly destroyed their garden three years ago. When she'd first come back home when she was twelve, her stepmom knew of her godly heritage this time, but she didn't actually believe it. And given that Annabeth had no cool powers like control over water, she had no way of proving her heritage, until she'd been attacked by a bunch 

of ghouls at the Christmas party.

She didn't think she was much welcome there after that incident, no matter what her step-mom said. "Alright then. Iris message us when you get there." she concluded pressing her lips into a thin line, handing her her lunch. Her brothers attacked her with hugs and kissed as she got to the front door, which she accepted laughing. "Stay safe. Take care of yourself." her step-mom said again, worry evident in her eyes. She quickly gave Annabeth a hug after smiling weakly.

Annabeth wished she could come up with witty response, even if it was just in her head, on how awkward and embarrassing it was. But instead, she kind of felt nice that her stepmom did care for her, even if she was not the best in expressing it.

Her farewell with her dad was a bit more elaborate. He pulled out a small necklace from his pocket. "When I and Athena had been together, I had gifted her a necklace just like this one. I had spent my entire month's paycheck to buy her that. She'd looked beautiful in it. She'd been touched, she admitted, but not happy with his reckless expenditure, she'd hated chastised her. Those were her exact words." He chuckled softly, lost in memory of simpler times.

Her father continued. "When I was searching for a gift for your stepmom, I found this. Given how much you resemble her, I thought..." he hesitated, not sure how to end his sad love  monologue.

Annabeth didn't know how to respond to this. There was a time in her life, early childhood to be more specific, when Annabeth had thought that she could reunite her parents and have a happy little family of her own, like all the other kids in her class.

That was long before she got to know of her godly heritage. It had been a bitter pill to swallow, but she knew that both of her parents had happily moved on, maybe even for the better. It was times like these that reignited the hope that her father might still loved her mother. 

 But she didn't dare ask him about it, maybe because she didn't want to know. Some secrets were best left untouched. The answer to this question alone held a lot of concequences. How fare would it be for her stepmom, who'd faithfully been on his side all these years? How fare would the anwer be to her step-brothers, who had the lovely little family she'd always dreamed of as a kid?

Her relationship with her father was rocky at best, but it had improved in the last two years. She did love him, no matter the strain between them. So, Annabeth went ahead and gave her father an intense hug. He seemed surprised at first, for she rarely initiated physical displays of affection with him, but he was quick to reciprocate.

"Anyway, the rest of your Christmas presents should arrive at Camp Half-blood by Christmas. You should leave now. Your flight leaves in an hour." he reminded her, lightly patting her back. She herself had picked out gifts for her family and sent them in mail to Virginia yesterday, though she hadn't informed them yet, thinking it would be nice change of pace to surprise them.

With the last of her goodbyes done , Annabeth quickly entered the airport.

*****

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A/N: Vote and comment guys! What do you think of the story so far? What do you like about it? Any doubts, speculations, theories? Feel free to comment it! Lets see how close to the actual story you'll be. Next chapter coming soon!

Until then, happy reading!