Chapter Nine: Tara. The Future Probably Needs A Breath Mint

Here's Chapter Nine of Heroes: The New Level!

The Future Probably Needs A Breath Mint
"So, another Big Three kid, right when we find out about something that freaks out even Chiron," Leo summarized. "This is something big."

Big Three kid? I mouthed to Nico.

Half-bloods whose dad is Hades, Poseidon, or Zeus, he told me.

"Yeah," Percy agreed, then avoided looking at Annabeth when he added "We should talk to the Oracle about it."

A furious twitch crossed Annabeth's face for a split second. "Nico, did the griffin say anything?"

Nico nodded. "Apart from the Merge it smelled two powerful demigods - me and Tara. But it said I was way less powerful and she was important to the Merge."

Annabeth shot a glance at Percy. "So Tara should be the one who sees the Oracle. Nobody else." Then she looked at me. "Nico and I will show you where she is."

Nico and Annabeth showed me to the Big House in the middle of the camp. We went up to the attic, where a redheaded girl around Annabeth's age sat there.

"Hey, Rachel," Nico said politely. "This is the new camper, my sister, Tara."

"Nice to meet you, Rachel," I said. Annabeth and Nico backed away, leaving Rachel and I alone. "I don't suppose you know anything about the Merge?"

Suddenly Rachel's eyes started glowing as she hovered a couple inches off the ground. Nasty green smoke billowed from her mouth as her voice tripled in the words,

"The power of eight shall merge into one,

The gods will fade should the Merge be done

Strength is formed by the power of eight

When the ninth who will lead them escapes from his fate

The deadliest creatures shall merge for the fight

As eight crossroads, in death, unite!"

Rachel's special effects came to an abrupt halt as she recovered. "Did you get all that, 'cause I still don't know how to get a prophecy done twice."

"Yeah, I got it. I'm new here, so... am I supposed to tell Nico and Annabeth and Percy and Chiron and everyone what you said?"

"Yep, and then Chiron will tell you the rest of what you need to do."

I went outside, where the other campers were waiting for my response. I recited the prophecy that Rachel gave me.

"The power of eight," Annabeth analyzed. "That seems to imply that the quest is supposed to have eight demigods in it."

"But not necessarily," Nico said. "It could mean eight enemies, like Kronos, Gaea, Enceladus, Atlas, Hyperion, Polyphemus, Thorn, and Khione. We should probably stick to three, just in case."

"So," Chiron turned to me. "Three demigods. Tara, you will lead this quest. Choose two of the other campers to participate with you."

I glanced around, but my answer was quick. "Nico and Annabeth."

"I'm in," Annabeth said. Nico showed his approval with a small nod.

"Alright, the three of you will be going to Camp Jupiter. The Greek and Roman camps have merged before - it should be easy to convince them to join with us in combating the Merge. Annabeth, you have been to Camp Jupiter before, so you can navigate," Chiron explained. "Be careful - the deadliest creatures shall merge for the fight does not sound remotely promising."

"Good luck," Percy said solemnly.

"You got it, Seaweed Brain," Nico said. When everyone else looked at him, he shrugged. "What? So Annabeth's the only one who can call him that?"

"Yes!" more than half the camp shouted.

"Fine. Whatever."

We left the camp's borders and started walking westward. "So where's Camp Jupiter?" I asked.

"San Francisco," Annabeth said.

"No, really." When she didn't respond, my eyes widened. "Seriously? We're going to walk from New York to San Francisco?"

"Not the whole way," Nico assured. "When we see monsters, we run on the way."

Additive Words
Whoa! Is Annabeth still jealous of Rachel? That might cause some issues... Plus, they have a new quest! And Percy's not going! The Big Three kids who are going though are both Hades kids - talk about rare for heroes. So, eight are going to come together, according to the prophecy, be it eight heroes or eight enemies, and "the ninth who will lead them must escape from his fate". And every couplet in the prophecy had the word "eight" in it, so from now on, let it be called the Prophecy of Eight. Oh, can't forget the awkward moment of Nico using Annabeth's nickname for Percy. For the record, Percy was one of the campers shouting "Yes!" So we understand why Tara chose Nico - her brother, nice guy, killed a griffin in seconds - but Annabeth? Took some guts. As for their quest itself, they're headed for Camp Jupiter. Will Eddie be there when they arrive? And which camp is Jason in by the way? That's unrelated, but still!

So... uh, the links. Right.

Heroes: The New Level

(Chapter Ten is not ready yet. Sorry.)

Chapter One: Tara. Some Weird Kid Fights Something