A single, sharp clap broke through the oppressive stillness. Annabeth looked up, startled, to find Nemesis standing before her. The goddess had taken the form of Drew Tanaka, the one girl in camp she couldn't stand. The resemblance was uncanny—the smirk, the overly polished stance—but the mocking glint in her eyes was all Nemesis.

"Well done, Annabeth," Nemesis drawled, her tone dripping with amusement. "I knew you had it in you."

Annabeth's grip tightened on the dagger, her knuckles white. She took a steadying breath before speaking, her voice measured. "That vision... you knew it would happen, didn't you?" Nemesis's smirk deepened as she folded her arms. "Consider it a glimpse of what could be. A warning—or perhaps an opportunity. The future, child, is not always set in stone, no matter what the prophecy says. The choices you and your friends make will decide whether that vision becomes reality."

She paused, tilting her head. "But that's a discussion for another day. For now, let's focus on your little accomplishment—single-handedly bringing down a lair of Basilisks and Lamia. Not bad."

With a flick of her wrist, a fortune cookie materialized and floated toward Annabeth."A token of gratitude," Nemesis said smoothly. "Use it wisely. It will grant you any wish—except anything related to the prophecy. So don't waste it."

Annabeth frowned, suspicion flaring in her chest. "What's the catch? What misfortune comes with it?"

Nemesis gave a slow, satisfied nod. "Good. You're learning." She rolled her eyes at Annabeth's unrelenting stare. "Fine. If you must know, a broken ankle. Cobwebs, an untimely stumble, and snap—it'll catch you off guard."Annabeth blinked. "That's it? A broken ankle for any wish I want?" "Yes," Nemesis replied, her tone deliberately casual.

"When will it happen?" Annabeth pressed, still wary. "After the Titan War," Nemesis replied. "Will my friends be there to help me?" "Yes. Now, enough of this interrogation." Nemesis waved a hand dismissively. "One last thing: the cookie has an expiration date. It will be useless by mid-day tomorrow. Use it quickly."

Before Annabeth could respond, Nemesis snapped her fingers and vanished. The factory fell silent once more, dust settling around Annabeth as she stared at the cookie in her hand. The weight of her choices pressed down on her, heavier than the dagger she still clutched. And she still had no idea how she was going to get back to New York.

******

It took Annabeth the rest of the evening to work out that she was on North Brother Island, an abandoned, off-limits island. That meant no food or transport, she thought dejectedly.

She sorted through her supplies, most of which were damaged, and came up with a half-filled bottle of water. All of her food was gone, except for ambrosia. She ate half a piece to heal her wounds and saved the rest for emergencies.

She thought of calling Percy or maybe Chiron to get her out of there, but thought better of it. For some reason, she didn't want to share the details of her small quest with them. And also, maybe the fact that she didn't want to hear about how foolish it was to trade anything with the goddess of revenge—especially not for a fortune cookie.

She wandered through the abandoned houses and came across a dusty quilt and shredded pillows. She secured the door as best as she could before lying down. She thought of all the things she could ask for from the fortune cookie.

She was half-tempted to break it open right then and there and eat the cookie, wish be damned. She thought of finding a way to get off the island, but knew that she could do it herself in the morning.

She allowed herself to think of Luke for the first time in weeks. Of his stark blue eyes turning gold. She wished she could use the cookie to bring him back, but somehow knew it wouldn't work. He was too close to the prophecy now, hosting Kronos himself. A lone tear slipped from her eye, which she quickly wiped away, even though no one was there to see. Luke was a lost cause, she reminded herself for the nth time, no matter what her treacherous heart said.

She thought of how she'd been overwhelmed with guilt for not telling Percy what was in store for him in the great prophecy, of how she wanted him to enjoy the next few months. Could she somehow use the cookie that way? To make the next few months meaningful for Percy?

She fell asleep thinking of the vision the sirens had shown her: a world recreated where her parents were together and happy. A world where Thalia never sacrificed herself to save them, a world where Luke never had the urge to avenge her, and a world where she could happily be with Percy—a world where the great prophecy did not loom over her life like it did now.

*****

Annabeth woke up early the next day to get a head start. She hiked for an hour before finding the shore. Finding the shore had been easy, but crossing the river got slightly tricky without getting noticed.

She was a relatively good swimmer, but didn't think she could swim uninterrupted for a mile, especially with the water nearly freezing, and considering she hadn't eaten anything solid for nearly a day and had been wounded yesterday. 

After poking around for some time, she found a piece of plywood that would stay afloat when she lay down on it. She found two more pieces of wood and fashioned them into makeshift oars. The plywood might topple if she sat on it, but if she lay down without moving around too much, she believed she could make it to the other side without catching hypothermia.

*****

Annabeth made it to the other side of the river fairly intact. Thankfully, she hadn't been spotted by anyone, nor had she accidentally toppled into the river. She quickly found a public restroom in a park to change her clothes and clean up. It was eleven when she finally sat down peacefully. She only had an hour to make her wish.

Annabeth had half a mind not to make the wish at all. Would the trade of her cobweb-entangled leg still hold if she didn't use the cookie? Or would it happen regardless? If that was the case, wasn't using the cookie a better option? She wished Nemesis hadn't been so cryptic, though she knew it was the god's very nature to confuse demigods like her.

She deliberated on her wish before settling on her original one. There must have been a reason Nemesis appeared to her, of all people, within twelve hours of her desperate plea—one unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She knew she couldn't use the wish to alter or tamper with the prophecy, so it had to be something tame and mundane...

She brought out the cookie and started. "I wish for Percy and all my loved ones to have a fulfilled life for the next seven months." Not happy, not safe—she knew those words wouldn't work for demigods, especially with war looming over them. But fulfilled... that could work. She hoped.

The cookie glowed golden for a moment before breaking apart. Inside was a rolled-up piece of parchment. Annabeth took it out with shaking fingers and unrolled it to find... a lottery ticket.

Her first reaction was outrage. All that worry, all that hard work fighting basilisks and Lamia... for this? Annabeth felt like shredding it to bits and scattering it to the wind. Then she remembered a comment Percy's mom, Sally, had made during an Iris-message that day. Sally always wanted a winter wedding, she'd said. The only reason she wasn't having one this winter was because they didn't have the money to pull it off. If this lottery ticket could help with the finances... would they agree to have the wedding sooner? A number of possibilities ran through her head.

But first, how was she supposed to give them the lottery ticket? She couldn't go to Sally—or even Percy, for that matter. She didn't want to explain how or why she'd made the wish, and she certainly couldn't reveal the Great Prophecy to either of them. That left her with only one person: Percy's soon-to-be stepfather, Paul Blofis. She'd never officially met the guy, but she'd only heard good things about him so far. And given that he now knew about the whole godly business, there was no harm in approaching him, was there?

It took her some time to find Goode High School's contact number, but after that, it was quite easy. She asked an old lady for some spare change, which she begrudgingly gave her. Annabeth then called the school and asked the receptionist to leave a voicemail on her behalf, inviting Paul to meet her at a café she'd seen last summer when she and Percy were supposed to go to a movie together. As usual, things didn't go as planned that day. He'd blown up the school gym and had come out with a new friend that day.It was usually the case whenever Percy was involved.

Think positive,Annabeth, she reminded herself, hoping to sound confident as the line connected. "Hello, I hope I'm speaking to Mr. Blofis. I am Annabeth Chase, a friend of Percy's from Camp. Could you meet me at the café behind the school at four? I have something urgent to discuss with you. And please don't tell Percy or Sally!" She called out before disconnecting.

It was nearly two by then. With no money to buy herself something to eat or to afford a cab ride, Annabeth set out for the café on foot, hoping to arrive on time.

*****

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