She'd just confirmed the prize money of the lottery ticket. It was a whopping one hundred and fifty thousand dollars! More than enough for a good wedding and whatnot. The lottery was to be drawn on christmas, but there was no doubt about it, Annabeth knew the ticket in her hand was the one that was going to win. 

Later, she met Will Solace on the way to the cafe. He was in town as his mother, Naomi Solace, a famous musician and songwriter, was performing at The Lyric Hall that evening.

Will was a good-natured boy who was mostly kind, peaceful, and gentle, representing all of Apollo's good characters. Annabeth had been envious of him when they were younger and had been year-round campers. He was one of the few year-round campers who had a good family. His mum just preferred him to have a stable home rather than live a nomadic life like her. She loved him and wanted to do what was best for him. She visited him nearly every month. Annabeth couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy—how many demigods could boast such care from their mortal parent?

"Chiron's been worried about you!" he admonished. "You were supposed to be at camp yesterday evening!"

He was twelve now, three years younger than her, but he'd was a strong voice at counselor discussions these days. She'd seriously come to respect him for the growth he'd had in the last few months. Will's maturity always seemed to catch her off guard, a reminder that even the youngest demigods didn't have the luxury of staying children for long.

Lee Fletcher's death last summer had been hard on him. Michael Yew and Will had to step up as the new counselor and deputy counselor of the Apollo cabin in the middle of a war. Most campers had dismissed him as just a medic, but Annabeth knew better.

He was one of the bravest combat medics she'd ever seen in action. His healing powers were the strongest the camp had seen in centuries. Chiron said he hadn't seen someone with such raw healing talent since Asclepius' time as a demigod. He had been a demigod son of Apollo who was made the god of medicine upon his death. Will had a long way to go, but even at twelve, he carried the weight of his heritage with quiet strength.

Annabeth told him as much as she could without giving away anything about Nemesis. When he asked her where she was going, she once again gave him half-truths, carefully omitting the parts she couldn't share. She wondered whether he could detect the lie in her tone, given that his godly parent, Apollo, was also the God of truth.

For a moment, Will's eyes lingered on her, thoughtful and perceptive. But then he let it go, his trust in her outweighing any doubts.

He made her promise to call Chiron as soon as possible and reminded her to go through the plans on all the quests Chiron had shared with her for the upcoming weeks.

Another task she was yet to crosscheck. Given that the titan war seemed inevitable by next August, all the campers had been going on quests to bring down monsters before they joined Kronos and sabotaged as much of Kronos plans as possible.

To make sure the plans were as fool-proof as possible, they had to be approved by all the Camp counsellors, no matter where they were. "I'll look into it today night. " She promised before parting ways. 

*****

"Hello, I hope I'm speaking to Mr. Blofis. I'm Annabeth Chase, a friend of Percy from Camp. Could you meet me at the cafe behind the school at four? I have something urgent to discuss with you. And please don't tell Percy or Sally!" she added, just before the voicemail ended.

Paul tried calling back, but the number seemed to belong to a payphone. He hadn't realized those still worked, given how everyone used smartphones these days. Glancing at the clock, he noted it was only twelve.

Paul knew who Annabeth was, even though they'd never met. Percy spoke of her often, always in glowing terms. She was one of his first and closest friends, someone who had been at his side during all his adventures—except last winter, when she'd been kidnapped and held captive. Sally was convinced they were more than friends, but both were too stubborn to admit it.

Their first attempt at something more had been a planned movie outing last summer, just the two of them. Unfortunately, the disaster at Goode High's orientation had derailed it indefinitely. And with Annabeth living in San Francisco, they only saw each other during school breaks.

Sure, they kept in touch through Iris messages, but Paul suspected it wasn't the same as seeing each other daily.

As the clock ticked on, Paul worked through grading papers, though his thoughts kept drifting to her call. What could be so urgent that she didn't want Percy or Sally to know? And why him? Frankly speaking, they didn't even know each other. 

*****

By ten minutes to four, Paul had finished his duties and donned his winter coat. The anticipation of finally meeting another demigod, a child of Athena at that, was too much to pass up. The café Annabeth mentioned was bustling with activity, a warm refuge from the biting cold outside. Since it was snack time anyway, he ordered a cappuccino and a plate of sandwiches.

Annabeth arrived just as the clock struck four. He recognized her instantly—not just from Percy's descriptions but by the way she carried herself. Her sharp, watchful gaze swept the café as she evaluated everyone inside. Satisfied, she approached.

"Hello there, I'm Paul Blofis," he said, standing to shake her hand.

"Annabeth Chase. Pleased to meet you!" she chirped, her grip firm.

Paul's first thought was how strikingly pretty she was, though she had a no-nonsense simplicity about her. She wore faded jeans and a gray fur-lined coat, with sturdy hiking boots. Her golden hair was tied up in a high bun, a pencil sticking out of it as if she'd forgotten it was there. The only adornments she wore were her bead necklace from camp and small owl-shaped earrings.

But it was her eyes that struck him most—stormy gray, sharp with intelligence and tinged with a heaviness that didn't belong on someone her age.

 "Would you like to order something, Ms. Chase? Please feel free—it's tea time anyway." Paul said as his sandwiches arrived.

"Thank you sir. But I'll pass. And please, call me Annabeth." she replied, settling into her chair.

Paul had experience counseling students and began with small talk, asking about her studies and interests to help her relax. After a few minutes, Annabeth shifted the conversation as she took a sip of water.

"Percy called the other day. Congratulations on the engagement," she began. "Thank you, dear," Paul replied, smiling. "When do you plan to have the wedding?"

"Oh, nothing's set in stone yet. Sally's always dreamed of a winter wedding, but with winter already here, it'll likely be next year. We're in no rush." Annabeth nodded, then hesitated. Her gaze dropped to her coffee. "What do you know of Percy's father?" Paul studied her carefully. The question would have been off-putting in any other setting, but Paul knew of the circumstances. "I know about his godly parentage, if that's what you mean. And you're a daughter of Athena, right?"

Annabeth smiled faintly. "That's right. It must all seem strange—monsters, swords, gods..." "Strange, yes. But I'm learning," Paul admitted.

Annabeth grew quiet, swirling the water in her hand absently. When she finally spoke, her voice was low, almost a whisper. "Can you promise me you won't talk about this conversation to anyone—not Sally, and especially not Percy. Not for a year at least."

Paul frowned. "A year? That's a big ask, Annabeth." Her gray eyes locked onto his, desperation clear in her eyes. "Please. I wouldn't ask if it weren't absolutely necessary. The fate of the world depends on it."

Paul exhaled sharply. Usually, when teenagers throw words like that around, he would just dismiss them as excaturation. But Paul now knows of Annabeth's situation. He now knew of the world of God's and monsters she meddled in. "Alright. I'll keep your confidence."

Annabeth visibly relaxed and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her coat. "Percy... He might not survive the summer," she said softly, sliding the paper across the table.

Paul stared at her in disbelief, then unfolded the note. It was a small piece of paper that had been crumpled and straightened so many times that the writing was hardly legible:

An oldest child of the Big Three,Against all odds shall reach sixteen.And see the world in endless sleep,Hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap.A choice shall end his days,for Olympus to preserve or raze.

Each line sent a chill down Paul's spine.

"After World War II , the big three gods swore not to have children because of this prophecy. Their next child was prophecied to jeopardize the existence of gods and the world as we know of it. No demigod is supposed to know this prophecy yet, especially Percy," Annabeth explained. "But I had overheard it years ago. And it—it keeps playing in my mind all the time. Percy is the oldest child of the Big Three right now. He has been the oldest child for quite some time now. He will be the child of the prophecy when he turns sixteen next August."

Her voice cracked, tears welling up. "If the choice comes... everyone who knows him knows what he'll do." Paul felt a cold weight settle in his chest. He wanted to argue, to demand answers, but the quiet anguish in Annabeth's face silenced him. It was true. In the short time he'd known Percy, he knew what he'd do if the fate of the world depended on him. He'd do the right thing, the noble thing. Even if it meant sacrificing himself.

"I wouldn't have come if Sally wasn't ready," Annabeth continued, her voice steadying. "Percy deserves to see her happy, to know she'll have someone by her side no matter what. It would mean everything to him to see you two marry."

The silence that followed was thick, broken only by the hum of the café. "Sally doesn't know about this prophecy, does she?" Paul finally asked. "No. Not fully," Annabeth replied. "If she did, she'd never let him go. No sane mother would let her child march off to imminent death." 

Paul clenched his fists."And Percy—doesn't he have the right to know about this?"

Annabeth's calm cracked. "Do you think I want this?" she snapped, standing abruptly. Her voice trembled with raw emotion. "Do you think I want to see him march to his death? He's been there for me when no one else was. Believe me when I say this, if I could take his place,I would. But I can't! Nor can I tell him about the prophecy without angering the gods."

"Prophecies have a mysterious way of working, know them too soon and one may start misinterpreting it, which usually leads to disastrous consequences. Know of them too late, and things may have already gone out of hand, which once again leads to disasterous concequences. The gods have decided to tell him the prophecy when they deem it fit." She concluded. 

Her anger then gave way to exhaustion. But just as the silence deepened, Paul noticed that Annabeth's shoulders slumped slightly. She seemed to be holding herself together by sheer willpower, but her face was pale , her breath a little shallow.

*****

Words : 1923

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A/N: Hello guys! Hope you liked the story so far. Vote the chapters if you like the stories! This is supposed to be a short story, so maybe around 6-7 more updates. They will be soon. I really don't know what else to say. Any queries, please feel free to ask, comment, etc.

Happy reading!