riley doesn't want to say the last line

i went up the rickety stairs to the attic.

dust flew, and there were cobwebs in every corner. i sneezed as some of the dust made its way to my nose. i looked ahead, and there it was. 

the oracle of delphi.

except, there was something else there too. not physically, but it was some sort of pull in my heart, making me walk away from the oracle and towards a hidden trunk. i raised an eyebrow, i'd never even noticed it before.

i pulled it out from it's corner and brushed the dust off. 'r.b. 1961'. there was some other writing on it, but it was too faded to read. i almost opened it when something fell behind me, knocking me out of my trance-like-state.

i picked up a pink and white marble off the floor, and placed it on the shelf. why someone wanted to keep a marble was beyond me.

remembering why i was here, i went towards the oracle, and stood. pursing my lips, i thought, now what? the oracle seemed dead, like a mummy (which it was). it's glassy eyes stared ahead.

"i am the spririt of delphi. speaker of the prophecies of phoebus apollo, slayer of the mighty python." it's raspy voice sounded, making it's way through my skull. green smoke wisped around, pooling at the mummy's feet. "seeker, approach and ask."

"um," i began, "how do i find daedalus' workshop?" 

i cringed. i wasn't sure what exactly i should ask, so i just went with my gut. the oracle responded to the question. it tilted it's head to look at me and i almost jumped out of my skin.

it opened it's mouth and the green smoke curled around me, changing the scene. i blinked, and suddenly i was in the past. i was racing an unclaimed camper up the lava wall. he beat me, and it was the only time i ever lost. the unclaimed camper looked unbothered as he stood to the side.

i had been whining to luke while he laughed, and for a second it sounded like him. then he stopped, and the smile fell off his face. younger me froze, and both of our eyes turned glassy. luke turned towards (real) me and green smoke curled out of his mouth. the raspy voice of the oracle sounded.

"you shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze, 
the dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise.

you shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand,
the child of athena's final stand.

earth's rage shall separate them from all,
the traitor will help the crown, and take the fall.

destroy with a hero's final breath,
and lose a love to worse than death."

the smoke curled away, and i was left alone in the attic once again. 

the prophecy was stuck in my brain. 'child of athena's final stand'. i didn't want annabeth on the quest if it would be her final stand.

'to lose a love to worse than death'. what's that supposed to mean? who's gonna be lost in a way that's worse than death. what does it mean by 'worse than death'? 

i stood the in the attic trying to process the information, but i couldn't take the stare of the oracle any longer. i dashed to the attic door. it creaked open.

i went down and stood at the bottom of the stairs. i decided i needed to talk to annabeth before i recounted the prophecy.

i walked into the arena.

"my dear," chiron said to me, "you made it."

i met percy's eyes. the last line really scared me, and i had no idea what it meant. there were a lot of possibilities for 'worse than death', and all of them were frightening. 

"i got the prophecy. i will lead the quest to daedalus' workshop." i announced. i tried to sound confident, but i was sure silena could sense my fear and worry. she looked at me skeptically and i couldn't meet her gaze.

"what did the prophecy say, my dear?" chiron asked me.

i turned and met annabeth's stormy eyes. she looked at me worried. i turned back to chiron, "can i have a word with annabeth first?"

chiron looked unsure, but his eyes softened, "of course."

i took annabeth's arm and led her away.

"what's wrong?" she asked.

"you can't go on the quest," i told her.

she furrowed her brows, "what? we're two peas in a pod, remember? if your leading this, i'm coming." she said sternly.

i shook my head. "no, you don't understand. the prophecy—"

i froze.

she looked at me, "what'd it say?"

i pursed my lips and looked down, "one of the lines. child of athena's final stand."

she was silent for a moment, "i don't care. i'm coming. besides, i'm not the only child of athena."

"so? this could be about you. and if you come on this quest and it's your final stand, i'll never forgive myself," i muttered.

"remember when you joined me in listening to the sirens. why? because you weren't gonna let me do it alone." she pointed a finger at me. "well, i'm not letting you do this alone. and you're not gonna change my mind."

i sighed. "well then, i think i have a prophecy to recount."

annabeth and i walked into the arena side by side.

chiron scraped a hoof on the dirt floor. "what did the prophecy say exactly, my dear? the wording is important." 

i looked at percy. he nodded, to reassure me.

i nodded back and took a deep breath. "i, ah... well, it said, you shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze..."  

they waited for me to continue.

"the dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise." 

grover perked up. "the lost one! that must mean pan! that's great!" 

"with the dead and the traitor," percy added. "not so great." 

"and?" chiron asked. "what is the rest?"

"you shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand," i looked down, "the child of athena's final stand." 

everyone looked around uncomfortably. annabeth was a child of athena, and if it was about her, it didn't sound too good. 

"hey... we shouldn't jump to conclusions," silena said. "annabeth isn't the only child of athena, right?" 

"but who's this ghost king?" beckendorf asked. 

no one answered. they didn't have one.

"continue," chiron waved me on.

"earth's rage shall separate them all," i played with my fingers, "the traitor will help the crown, and take the fall."

"why would a traitor help?" beckendorf looked around.

"maybe they realize they're wrong," silena suggested weakly.

"and the crown? like is that symbolic or literal?" travis wondered aloud.

"but separate from all..." connor rubbed his chin. "that doesn't sound good."

"are there more lines?" chiron pressed. "the prophecy does not sound complete." 

i hesitated. "i don't remember exactly." 

chiron raised an eyebrow, and several campers exchanged glances. i was a smart person. it's how i got into the fast-track program at m.i.t. at such a young age. it was unlikely that i'd forget something as big as a prophecy that a bunch of lives depend on.

"something about... destroy with a hero's final breath." 

"and?" chiron asked. 

i couldn't say the last line. it was too confusing. i stood up. "look, the point is, i have to go in. i'll find the workshop and stop luke. and... i need help." 

i turned to percy. "will you come?" 

he didn't even hesitate, "i'm in."

i smiled, thankful that he agreed so readily. it made the whole idea of the labyrinth a little easier. we were stuck there together once, we could do it again.

i turned to annabeth.

"you don't even have to ask," she said. 

i sighed in relief.

i looked at grover, "you too, goat-boy? the wild god is waiting." 

grover seemed to forget how much he hated the underground. the line about the "lost one" had completely energized him. "i'll pack extra recyclables for snacks!" 

"and tyson," i said. "i'm gonna need you too." 

"yay! blow-things-up time!" tyson clapped so hard he woke up mrs. o'leary, who was dozing in the corner. 

"wait, riley," chiron said. "this goes against the ancient laws. a hero is allowed only two companions." 

"i need them all," i insisted. "chiron, it's important." 

"riley." chiron flicked his tail nervously. "consider well. you would be breaking the ancient laws, and there are always consequences. last winter, six went on a quest to save artemis. only three came back to camp. think on that. three is a sacred number. there are three fates, three furies, three olympian sons of kronos. it is a good strong number that stands against many dangers. five... this is risky." 

i nodded taking a deep breath. "i know. but we have to. we did it before. please. i just know i need them. all of them." 

chiron didn't like it, but he didn't argue further. he knew i wasn't going to change my mind. 

chiron sighed. "very well. let us adjourn. the members of the quest must prepare themselves. tomorrow at dawn, we send you into the labyrinth."  

i stood in the aphrodite cabin. 

there was a table propped against one of the walls. a bunch of maps, and blueprints were scattered around it. i scratched my head examining them. 

aurora kicked all the campers out a while ago, and she left after a little while too. she knew i liked being alone sometimes, and she respected that (at select moments). 

"alright, J. pull up the labyrinth," i told my a.i.

"hologram coming up," J.A.R.V.I.S. responded immediately.

all around me, the entire cabin turned into a (safer) holographic version of the labyrinth run by J.A.R.V.I.S. since the labyrinth had a mind of it's own, and so did J.A.R.V.I.S., i got him to move parts of the holograph around according to research and his own thoughts.

i scanned my eyes over the hologram that was all around the room. i began tapping different phrases in morse code. 'happy sniffs dad's underwear', was a reoccurring one. it was a stress reliever.

i pulled out a scroll and began examining it. there were so many different tales on what happened to daedalus, and the labyrinth. it was making my brain hurt. the last line of the prophecy didn't make things any more clear. 

i pinched the bridge of my nose when a voice made me jump.

"knock, kno... woah."

i turned around. the holographic labyrinth was still up. 

"bring it down, J." i told J.A.R.V.I.S.

he complied, and the hologram shut off.

"hey," i muttered to percy standing in the doorway. "didn't hear you." 

"you okay?" 

i looked down at the scrolls in my hand and on my table. "just trying to do some research. daedalus' labyrinth is so huge. none of the stories agree about anything. the maps just lead from nowhere to nowhere." 

"we'll figure it out," he promised. 

i looked up at him. my side bangs had come out of my bun and fell in my face. i brushed them back. "i've wanted to lead a quest since i was eight. it's why we train. it's why we do all of this," i said to him. 

"you're going to do awesome." 

i looked at percy gratefully, then the last line of the prophecy came to my brain. i frowned. it could mean percy, or annabeth, or tyson, or grover... and i wasn't sure i could handle that. 

"i'm worried, percy." i admitted. "maybe i shouldn't have asked you to do this. or annabeth or tyson or grover." 

"hey, we're your friends. we wouldn't miss it." 

"but..." i froze.  

"what is it?" percy asked. "the prophecy?" 

"i'm sure it's fine. they usually have double-meanings anyways," i said quietly. 

"what was the last line?" 

i shook my head lightly. i didn't want to think about it. blinking back tears, i put my arms out. sometimes, i needed to be alone. sometimes, i needed a hug. 

percy obliged, stepping into my arms. he stood a little taller, but we only had an inch or so of a height difference. 

percy wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "hey, it's... it's okay." he patted my back.

i sniffled. i would've laughed at how awkward he was acting but i was too scared. i was aware of how he smelt like the sea. he always did. he was warm, and comfortable. i buried my head in his shoulder, hoping, if only for a little bit, i could find some comfort.

 i couldn't stop shaking. 'worse than death'. 'lose a love'. 'child of athena's final stand'. the words of the prophecy rattled around in my skull like a pinball machine.

"chiron might be right," i muttered. "i'm breaking the rules. but i don't know what else to do. i need you four. it just feels right." 

"then don't worry about it," percy told me. "we've had plenty of problems before, and we solved them." 

"this is different. i don't want anything happening to — to any of you." i buried my head a little closer to him.

someone cleared their throat behind percy. 

it was tracy. 

she stood in the doorway pursing her lips (no doubt to suppress her squealing).

"um, sorry," she said in a slightly high pitched voice. "archery practice is starting, riley. chiron said to come find you." 

percy stepped away, "we were just looking at maps," he said stupidly. 

i shook my head lightly.

tracy nodded slowly, holding back a smile. "okay." 

"trace, tell chiron i'll be right there," i told her.

she smiled, gave me a thumbs-up and ran out of the cabin.

i rubbed the tears away from my eyes. "you go ahead, perce. i'd better get ready for archery." 

percy nodded a little. he didn't leave yet.

"riley?" he said. "about your prophecy. the line about a hero's last breath—" 

"you're wondering which hero? i don't know." 

"no. something else. i was thinking the last line usually rhymes with the one before it. was it something about — did it end in the word death?" 

i looked down at the scrolls. sometimes, it was easy to forget that percy was actually really good at piecing things together. he didn't always know facts, but he knew how to put all the stuff he knew together and make observations. he didn't even realize it most of the time.

i sighed lightly, "you'd better go, percy. get ready for the quest. i'll — i'll see you in the morning." 

my dreams were confusing.

after another hour of trial with my flashing eyes, we finally called light's out. of course, tracy told aurora about what happened in the cabin. she bugged me for a long time, but i flipped her off. 

i dreamed of the stark expo.

i don't know why, because there hasn't been an expo for over thirty years. it was where brilliant minds from all around the world came together. they had a chance to showcase their talents in front of the part as part of the expo.

over the speakers someone spoke, "welcome to the modern marvels pavilion and the world of tomorrow. a greater world. a better world."

the on stage announcer introduced my grandfather, "ladies and gentlemen, mr. howard stark!"

my grandfather came out, and kissed the announcer. i scrunched my face up. that was gross. 

this expo was a long time ago. like a really long time ago. i knew because my grandfather, howard stark, still looked pretty young — in his twenties, probably. this was even before my dad was born.

"i love you, howard!" i heard a woman yell in the crowd.

i wasn't surprised. the amount of times i've heard women express their undying love for my father was absolutely insane. of course, his father got woman swooning too. ugh, gross. 

my grandfather looked to the crowd, "ladies and gentlemen, what if i told you that in just a few short years, your automobile won't even have to touch the ground at all."

there were gasps heard from the crowd. the female helpers took the wheels off of the bright red car that was on the stage.

"yes. thanks, mandy." he said to one of the females. he looked back to the crowd, "with stark robotic reversion technology, you'll be able to do just that."

he turned a knob, and flipped a switch. slowly, the car began hovering in the air. it stayed like that for a few second before it began throwing sparks, and malfunctioned. the car fell to the floor.

"i did say a few years, didn't i?" my grandfather joked. 

the crowd cheered, and laughed.

my dream rippled and changed.

this time i was watching a recording. i couldn't tell which stark expo this was, i could only see the recording. everything else was blurry.

on the screen was my grandfather, howard stark. he was much older in this video. my dad must've been really young when this was filmed. 

"everything is achievable through technology." my grandfather began, "better living, robust health, and for the first time in human history, the possibility of world peace. so, from all of us here at stark industries, i would like to personally introduce you to the city of the future. technology holds infinite possibilities for mankind, and will one day rid society of all its ills. soon technology will affect the way you live your life every day. no more tedious work, leaving more time for leisure activities and enjoying the sweet life. the stark expo. welcome."

i woke with a start.

i pinched the bridge of my nose. why was i dreaming of the stark expo? could it have something to do with the prophecy? my eyes widened. could the love i'm supposed to lose to 'worse than death' be my dad?

no, no, no. i shook my head, and prayed. he's already been through so much in those three months of captivity. and then almost dying because of obadiah. he can't go through anything else, i pleaded desperately. i found myself tapping my foot 'over here' in morse code.

i prayed until some light started to seep through the windows. my eyes adjusted quickly, and i got out of bed.

dawn was approaching and i had a quest to get ready for.

i double-checked my pack.

snacks, nectar, ambrosia, bedroll, rope, clothes, socks, my bracelet with the J.A.R.V.I.S. chip installed, flashlight, batteries, lots of batteries.

"did you bring something to pass the time while on watch?" aurora asked me.

"i love how you think we actually have free time during a quest," i told her. "most of our time's taken up just trying to stay alive."

she shrugged, "better to be safe than sorry."

"fair enough," i said pulling out a copy of a book, "the hobbit."

"is it any good?"

"so good! did you know it came out in 1937?"

"i don't like books," she muttered, walking back towards theo.

i looked up and noticed percy and tyson making their way over. percy had dark bags under his eyes. (they were worse than my dad's) he looked sick and pale.

i frowned at percy, "percy, you look terrible." i told him bluntly.

"he killed the water fountain last night," tyson told me.

"what?! why? what'd it do to you?"

"hey guys," annabeth walked over. "percy, you look horrible."

"i said the same thing," i muttered, "and apparently he killed the water fountain last night."

before annabeth could comment, chiron trotted over. "well, it appears you are ready!"

he didn't try to sound excited, or even hopeful. i could tell he wasn't excited about this quest. quintus and mrs. o'leary stood off to the side with some of the campers who came to see us off. 

it didn't make me feel better, though. there was too much activity. a couple of tents had been set up by the rocks for defense. beckendorf and his siblings were working on traps and other stuff to keep the enemy occupied.

lydia de la cruz, sophia poy, pollux and castor  —the dinosysus kids — were also there. they were helping the hephaestus cabin set up the traps. for some reason, the dionysus cabin was freakishly good at hiding things in plain sight. silena stood at the edge of the clearing, helping lydia and sophia, but also there to see me off for the quest.

the ares cabin were sharpening spears to scare the enemy. ruelle (everyone calls her lea) fay was leading them since clarisse was nursing chris. she sent a quick nod in our direction. 

cynthia rogers and lou ellen — the hecate kids — were using their magic to amp up some of the hephaestus kid's bombs. anyone nearby when they blew up would turn into a potato patch. they waved to us as we walked by.

will, vera, and amora andrews ran past us, supplying the rest of the apollo cabin with arrows and bows. amora ran back, shuffling through some supplies. when she found a pack of ambrosia, she held it up triumphantly, then put it down really quickly when she realized some people were looking. she shuffled past our quest group, gave a quick wave, and continued on, not making too much eye contact.  

andromeda lune — her older half-sister — took the ambrosia from amora and gave her a nod of approval. andromeda passed it on to madison parker who took the ambrosia and began sorting it in little bags with her sister aurora roberts (everyone calls her rory. that way we don't get mixed up).

andromeda whispered something to amora, causing her to smile, and kick her foot against the dirt before she ran back to vera and will. andromeda flashed a peace sign towards me, and i grinned, showing her one also.

aurora woke up early to see me off. theo, cayden, and a few of my other siblings were standing with her.

"hey, uh, chiron could i ask you for a favor while i'm gone?" percy asked him.

"of course, my boy."

percy nodded at us, "be right back guys."

i pursed my lips, but didn't say anything. i watched as percy and chiron went out of earshot. i turned back to tyson, "what do you mean 'he killed the water fountain'?" i asked him.

"don't know. saw percy in the morning sitting against broken water fountain," he shrugged.

annabeth and i shared concerned looks. she turned to tyson, "how long was he sitting there for?"

tyson shrugged. "middle of the night," he guessed.

i nodded. i snuck a glance at him. he was talking to chiron about something. i turned back to the group. 

"what's wrong with you?" annabeth nudged me.

"huh — what? oh, nothing, really," i shrugged. "i mean, i'm just worried about percy. he doesn't look too great."

annabeth pursed her lips, "there's something else." she noted.

i sighed, "it's, ah, look. it's nothing-nothing important. just some dreams that bothered me." i waved it off.

"you know you can talk to me, right?"

"i know." i nodded.

grover joined us by the rocks. 

"juniper finally stopped fussing over you?" i joked.

he smiled, "yeah. she's going crazy over this."

"y'all are so cute. it makes my heart happy," i gushed.

grover blushed a little. annabeth laughed at him.

"shut up. you like percy," grover accused.

my mouth fell open. "who told you?" i asked accusingly.

grover put his hands up and stepped back. "everyone knows. wait, so you realized it, and you didn't tell me," he sounded hurt.

i shrugged, "first of all, you already knew. second of all, how does everyone know?"

"you still could've told me," he muttered kicking the dirt.

i looked towards percy. he was still talking with chiron. "i'm gonna check what's taking so long." 

i trudged over to chiron and percy. "percy, you ready?" i asked.

he nodded. i noticed he looked towards quintus, who raised a hand in farewell.

"take care," chiron told us. "and good hunting." 

"you too," percy said. 

together, we walked over to the rocks, where tyson, annabeth and grover were waiting.

i looked at the crack between the two largest boulders. the crack that was going to swallow us whole in a few seconds.

"well," grover said nervously, "good-bye sunshine." 

"hello rocks," tyson agreed. 

and together, the five of us descended into darkness.

REY WRITES !

if anyone gets that 'happy sniffs dad's underwear'
 reference, i will love you forever!

lydia de la cruz credits - Captain_Marvel_06
lea fay credits - bruothovaa
cynthia rogers credits - actuallyjackie
amora andrews credits - 1800-NIALLS-CH0NCE
andromeda lyra lune credits - rip0scotts0taco
rory roberts credits - -LouEllenBlackstone-
madison parker credits - diannaviva
sophia poy credits - NotInspirational 

any thoughts on the trunk in the attic ?

thanks for reading !!