The Dark Prophecy
“I’m glad you’re still here,” I said.
He had no face to read, but his posture seemed sad and resigned.
“You know what happened at the Cave of Trophonius,” I guessed. “You know he is gone.”
He bowed in acknowledgement.
“Your brother asked me to tell you he loves you,” I said. “He is sorry about your fate.
“I want to apologize, too. When you died, I did not listen to Trophonius’s prayer to save you. I felt you two deserved to face the consequences of that robbery. But this…this has been a very long punishment. Perhaps too long.”
The ghost did not respond. His form flickered as if the ethereal wind was strengthening, pulling him away.
“If you wish,” I said, “when I attain my godhood again, I will personally visit the Underworld. I will petition Hades to let your soul pass on to Elysium.”
Agamethus offered me his 8 Ball.
“Ah.” I took the sphere and shook it one last time. “What is your wish, Agamethus?”
The answer floated up through the water, a dense block of words on the small white die face: I WILL GO WHERE I MUST. I WILL FIND TROPHONIUS. TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER, AS MY BROTHER AND I COULD NOT.
He released his grip on the windowsill. The wind took him, and Agamethus dissolved into motes in the sunlight.
The sun had risen by the time I joined Meg McCaffrey on the roof of the Waystation.
She wore the green dress Sally Jackson had given her, as well as her yellow leggings, now mended and clean. All the mud and guano had been scrubbed from her high-tops. On either side of her face, rainbow-colored pipe cleaners twisted through her hair—no doubt a parting fashion gift from Georgina.
“How do you feel?” I asked.
Meg crossed her arms and stared at Hemithea’s tomato patch. “Yeah. Okay.”
By which I think she meant: I just went insane and spewed prophecies and almost died. How are you asking me this question and expecting me not to punch you?
“So…what is your plan?” I asked. “Why the roof? If we are seeking the Labyrinth, shouldn’t we be on the ground floor?”
“We need a satyr.”
“Yes, but…” I looked around. I saw no goat men growing in any of Emmie’s planting beds. “How do you intend—?”
“Shhh.”
She crouched next to the tomato plants and pressed her hand against the dirt. The soil rumbled and began to heave upward. For a moment, I feared a new karpos might burst forth with glowing red eyes and a vocabulary that consisted entirely of Tomatoes!
Instead, the plants parted. The dirt rolled away, revealing the form of a young man sleeping on his side. He looked about seventeen, perhaps younger. He wore a black collarless jacket over a green shirt, and jeans much too baggy for his legs. Over his curly hair flopped a red knit cap. A scruffy goatee clung to his chin. At the tops of his sneakers, his ankles were covered in thick brown fur. Either this young man enjoyed shag-carpet socks, or he was a satyr passing for human.
He looked vaguely familiar. Then I noticed what he cradled in his arms—a white paper food bag from Enchiladas del Rey. Ah, yes. The satyr who enjoyed enchiladas. It had been a few years, but I remembered him now.
I turned to Meg in amazement. “This is one of the more important satyrs, a Lord of the Wild, in fact. How did you find him?”
She shrugged. “I just searched for the right satyr. Guess that’s him.”
The satyr woke with a start. “I didn’t eat them!” he yelped. “I was just…” He blinked and sat up, a stream of potting soil trickling from his cap. “Wait…this isn’t Palm Springs. Where am I?”
I smiled. “Hello, Grover Underwood. I am Apollo. This is Meg. And you, my lucky friend, have been summoned to lead us through the Labyrinth.”
Aegis a shield used by Thalia Grace that has a fear-inducing image of Medusa on its front; it turns into a silver bracelet when she isn’t using it
Aethiopian Bull a giant, aggressive African bull whose red hide is impervious to all metal weapons
Agamethus son of King Erginus; half brother of Trophonius, who decapitated him to avoid discovery after their raid on King Hyrieus’s treasury
Amazon a member of a tribe of warrior women
amphitheater an oval or circular open-air space used for performances or sporting events, with spectator seating built in a semicircle around the stage
amphora ceramic jar used to hold wine
Ares the Greek god of war; the son of Zeus and Hera, and half brother to Athena
Artemis the Greek goddess of the hunt and the moon; the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Apollo
Asclepius the god of medicine; son of Apollo; his temple was the healing center of ancient Greece
Athena the Greek goddess of wisdom
Athenian of the city of Athens, Greece
Atlas a Titan; father of Calypso and Zoë Nightshade; he was condemned to hold up the sky for eternity after the war between the Titans and the Olympians; he tried unsuccessfully to trick Hercules into taking his place forever, but Hercules tricked him in return
blemmyae a tribe of headless people with faces in their chests
Britomartis the Greek goddess of hunting and fishing nets; her sacred animal is the griffin
Bruttia Crispina a Roman Empress from 178 to 191 CE; she was married to future Roman Emperor Commodus when she was sixteen years old; after ten years of marriage, she was banished to Capri for adultery and later killed
Byzantium an ancient Greek colony that later became Constantinople (now Istanbul)
caduceus the traditional symbol of Hermes, featuring two snakes winding around an often winged staff
Calliope the muse of epic poetry; mother of several sons, including Orpheus
Calypso the goddess nymph of the mythical island of Ogygia; a daughter of the Titan Atlas; she detained the hero Odysseus for many years
Camp Half-Blood the training ground for Greek demigods, located in Long Island, New York
Camp Jupiter the training ground for Roman demigods, located between the Oakland Hills and the Berkeley Hills, in California
Carthaginian Serpent a 120-foot snake that emerged from the River Bagrada in North Africa to confront Roman General Marcus Atilius Regulus and his troops during the First Punic War
Cave of Trophonius a deep chasm, home to the Oracle of Trophonius
centaur a race of creatures that is half-human, half-horse
centicore (see also yale) a fierce yak-like creature with large horns that can swivel in any direction
Chiron a centaur; the camp activities director at Camp Half-Blood
chiton a Greek garment; a sleeveless piece of linen or wool secured at the shoulders by brooches and at the waist by a belt
Cloacina goddess of the Roman sewer system
Colosseum an elliptical amphitheater in the center of Rome, Italy, capable of seating fifty thousand spectators; used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles; also called the Flavian Amphitheater
Colossus Neronis (Colossus of Nero) a gigantic bronze statue of the Emperor Nero; was later transformed into the sun god with the addition of a sunray crown
Commodus Lucius Aurelius Commodus was the son of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius; he became co-emperor when he was sixteen and emperor at eighteen, when his father died; he ruled from 177 to 192 CE and was megalomaniacal and corrupt; he considered himself the New Hercules and enjoyed killing animals and fighting gladiators at the Colosseum