Chapter 2
Charis
❝Beware, Charis Grace❞

GIBBERISH. That was all there was; Gibberish in a cloud of darkness. Charis could not see who was speaking, and he could just barely hear them. But it wasn't because they were quiet. Over a hundred voices were speaking at once, all saying different things in different volumes. Some were a mere whisper, others a scream. He could only pick out bits and pieces to an even bigger puzzle. It was chaos.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of torture, the screams quieted down, and Charis was able to listen to the people talking better.

"What did you hear in the woods?" This sounded like Chiron speaking.

Go into the woods. The voice was unrecognizable.

No, stay away from it. Another argued.

It's the trees. A girl whispered.

"Follow the voices," A woman spoke. "Find the gates."

"We will have to warn the others to stay away from the forest." A unknown voice said. It was definitely a teenage boy speaking here. Charis could tell by the way his voice cracked. "I have a feeling this has something to do with Delphi."

THERE WAS ONCE A GOD NAMED APOLLO.

Help him, a voice shouted from somewhere in the dark, only just slightly heard over the scream of prophecy. No, an inner part of Charis wanted to scream too.

WHO PLUNGED INTO A CAVE BLUE AND HOLLOW. UPON A THREE-SEATER, A BRONZE FIRE-EATER, WAS FORCED DEATH AND MADNESS TO SWALLOW.

"No. Ellis. Got to find him. Miranda, my girl." Sherman Yang.

The Grove of Dodona.

"The prophecy," a young girl's voice spoke. "Did you understand it, Apollo?"

Apollo sounded hesitant. "...Some of it. Look, Meg, we need to talk to Rachel and—"

"There's no more we!" Meg's voice was harsh. "Do what you need to do. That's my final order."

His voice shook, his own surprise overtaking him. "M-Meg, you can't! You claimed my service."

"I release you," She was cold.

"You can't possibly believe in Nero now!" He argued.

Nero is the beast.

"And the six demigods?" It was Apollo again. This sounded like a different conversation than the one before, as now he was the one who's tone was filled of rage. "Did you use them, too, Nero?"

Nero is the beast.

"Of course," Nero answered, as if Apollo had just asked him if the sky was blue.

Ellis. Miranda. Cecil. Austin. Kayla. Paulie. Matias.

"GO ON A QUEST TO FIND AND ASSIST THE ONE CALLED LESTER PAPADOPOULOS," the Fates spoke in unison. "GO TO THE FOREST AND LISTEN TO THE GROVE'S CHORUS, BUT BEWARE OF THE SPY, CHARIS, OR ELSE ALL SHALL END IN THE GROVE'S PERISH."

Unfortunately for Charis, this wasn't just a prophecy. It was a direct order from his three aunts.

•

And that was how Charis had found himself carrying a barely conscious Lester Papadopoulos through the woods toward Camp Half-Blood with a young demigod at his heels, demanding answers he would honestly rather avoid answering. Unfortunately, it didn't look like he was gonna get rid of her any time soon.

"Are you deaf or something?" The girl he identified as Meg McCaffrey finally said after a minute of Charis's silence. The only sound was of twigs snapping under their feet and Lester's consistent giggling in the background. The response she got was just Charis walking a little bit faster than before.

Meg's hand hovered over her sword. "Hey! I asked you a question—"

Charis stopped walking and turned around so quickly Meg jumped back, her eyes wide.

"And I thought I made it perfectly clear who I was, Meg McCaffrey," Charis snapped. He did not have the time or the patience for this. "I'm you're only hope at finding Camp Half-Blood and saving Lester/Apollo, so unless you'd like to be left in the dust, I want nothing but pure silence."

Meg was silent. Charis continued to walk but then Meg ran up beside him. "You're friends with Apollo?! Since when does he have friends?"

Before he even knew what he was doing, a scoff left his lips and he harshly spat out, "I'd sooner give my soul away to Hades."

Meg looked surprised at the amount of anger and pure hatred in his voice. "Jeez, what did he do to you?"

Charis sent her a brief sideways glare in her direction at her tone before shifting Lester over his shoulder a bit as he was beginning to slide off. He avoided answering her question. The sight of a familiar mark on a tree caused by a sword made him swallow harshly. They were closer now. "Let's just say, I've been assigned against my will to be his protector until he becomes a god again, which makes me the number one person you can trust right now. Now shut up, and let me enjoy the silence."

For once, Meg obeyed and settled for kicking stones along the forest path to cure her boredom. They never spoke again the whole way until they found camp and came face to face with a dozen teenagers gapping at the daughter of Demeter (not that anyone knew at that point), the son of doom, and the boy that was much more than a regular mortal thrown over his shoulder like he was an accessory.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, Meg McCaffrey."

—

If you hadn't noticed, Charis kind of has an attitude problem. I still love him though! Don't judge him too harshly, he's been through a lot. He has a good reason for being rude to Meg. He already knows she will betray Apollo and him as a result, and she is loyal to the Emperor Nero. His anxiety is also acting up. Camp Half-Blood isn't exactly his happy place, and Apollo is the last person he'd want to help, but unfortunately, he knows better than anyone that you cannot escape your fate once it is prophesied.

Sorry I haven't updated in about a month, I've missed writing for this story. First I was preoccupied with school, then I had to sort out my passport (I'M SO EXCITED TO GO TO THE UK) and then I sort of lost inspiration for a bit and worked on other stories.

If you guys love Supernatural or Doctor Who, I have two new separate stories. Please go check them out!

The supernatural fic, based around season 9, is called Tick Tock. It's about a very old being called Time, and she is the mother of a lot of familiar angels, including the archangels (except Gabriel), Balthazar, and Castiel. It has a very cool plot (not done by me). I highly suggest you check it out! The prologue is already published.

The Doctor Who one is called Myths and Legends and it is a Fifteenth Doctor story, although I think I'll start off with 11 or 10, but the main oc will only be romantically involved with the newest Doctor in honour of the new Doctor Who series. I think Ncuti is seriously turning out to be one of my favourites. I've loved the episodes so far! The mystery of who Ruby's parents are and who Susan Twist is, is driving me crazy. I'm desperate for more. I do think one out of the many fan theories I've heard is true. I think the Trickster is gonna be brought back but I don't think he's Ruby's dad. I think he's messing with her for a reason I'm not sure of yet, but that's just what I think. Who knows.

This chapter is unedited.