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Rachel and Octavian stared at the little girl in front of them.
"She's what?" the augur asked in disbelief.
Behind the child, Frank fidgeted. "She's your, uh, apprentice," he repeated, rubbing the back of his neck.
Rachel gave him an incredulous look and then crouched down.
"Hey, sweetie," she said, smiling at the girl. "The adults need to talk for a minute. Why don't you take this teddy bear and go over there?" She pointed to the statue of Jupiter and handed her a bear from Octavian's belt.
The girl nodded and walked off.
Rachel stood back up and glared at Frank. "What do you mean, she's our apprentice? That girl can't be more than ten years old."
The praetor blushed. "Actually, she's seven."
Rachel stared.
"Why in the world would we want a seven year old apprentice?" Octavian demanded, taking over since Rachel was speechless. "Why do we need an apprentice, anyway?"
Frank sighed. "Look, one of Annabeth's older sisters found her in Michigan. She's an orphan; her parents died in a fire when she was three. And she's a legacy of Apollo on her dad's side. She has the gift of prophecy, however limited."
Rachel watched the little girl. She wasn't playing with the teddy, just sitting on the base of the statue, hugging the stuffed toy to her chest and staring up at the giant lightning bolt in Jupiter's hand. Her hair was platinum blonde, reaching her shoulders. She was dressed in drab clothing: a white long-sleeved shirt under a gray dress, a pair of gray knee-high socks, and black Mary Janes.
"This is ridiculous," Octavian complained. "I don't see why we need…."
The oracle left the two boys behind and made her way to the girl. Smiling gently, she knelt down.
"Hey there, sweetheart," she said softly. "My name is Rachel. What's yours?"
The girl hesitated before saying, "Cassidy."
"That's a pretty name. And how old are you?"
"Seven. How old are you?"
Rachel chuckled, pleasantly surprised at the girl's comeback. "Eighteen."
Cassidy tilted her head. "Aren't you too young to be married?"
The oracle choked on a laugh. "Pardon?"
Cassidy nodded to the boys. "The blond man."
Rachel shook her head quickly. "No, no, Octavian and I are not married, definitely not. No, we're just partners, colleagues. We work together."
The girl looked confused. "But Mara said the Cape Man was going to take me to my new foster parents."
"You what?"
Rachel turned to see the boys standing behind her. Frank was rubbing the back of his neck again, trying to avoid Octavian's glares.
"Why in the Jupiter would you -!"
"Octavian, go outside," Rachel ordered.
He gaped at her. "Excuse me?"
"Now."
His mouth opened and closed a few times before, with a huff, he stomped out of the temple.
"What?" the oracle asked, seeing Frank's look of incredulity.
"You're scary sometimes."
She smiled. "Thank you." Turning back to Cassidy, she added, "Don't mind Octavian, he's a grump. And Mara was right; we are kind of like your foster parents. You're going to live with us, now. You belong here."
~Seven Years Later…~
"Cassidy!"
The fourteen-year-old turned around, her waist-length hair whipping out behind her as she looked for whoever called her. To her dismay, it was the brown-haired boy from Chemistry. What was his name? Shay?
"Hi, Shay," she replied, hoping she was right.
Evidently she was because he smiled. "What's up?"
Confused – he'd called her name, after all – she shrugged. "Nothing, just waiting to be picked up. You?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. Hey, did you understand that lab today? It was murder. I have no idea how I'm going to finish this lab report; I don't even know what we did!"
Cassidy tilted her head – a little quirk Rachel said she'd always had. "We put a hard-boiled egg into a bottle using fire and air pressure."
"Oh. Yeah." He seemed to be struggling with something.
"I should go; my ride will be here soon." Cassidy turned.
"Maybe we could study together sometime!"
She froze and faced him again. "Together?"
Shay nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. We have a lot of the same classes, and I'm crap at World History. You seem to know what you're doing; maybe you could help me?"
Cassidy processed his words slowly, her mind whirling. Why did he want to study together? Did together mean alone, as in an empty room, just them? What was his ulterior motive?
Shay's face dropped at her silence. "Or not. It's fine if you don't want to, I understand. Well, see you Monday."
She should have just let him go.
"Wait!"
Why did I say that?
He turned back to her.
Before she could talk herself out of it, Cassidy pulled a note card from her binder and scribbled her number.
"Here," she said, holding it out. "I don't have a cell phone, but this is my home number. Don't call between the hours of five and nine unless otherwise told by me at a previous time."
He stared at the card before taking it. "Okay."
They heard a car horn. Turning, Cassidy saw a familiar Jeep Liberty sitting in the pick-up lane.
"That's my ride," she said to Shay. "Maybe we can find a time next weekend? We could go to the library after school."
Before he could reply, the honking came again.
Cassidy blew out an irritated breath. "She's so impatient."
"That your mom?" Shay asked.
"Sort of," she replied. When he looked confused, she added, "You do know I'm an orphan, right? I thought the whole ninth grade knew."
Realization bloomed in his eyes. "Oh, yeah! I remember. So, your foster mom?"
Cassidy nodded. "Rachel. I've been living with her since I was seven; she's never given up on me."
"She sounds great."
The legacy nodded. "She is."
Shay's eyes widened. He seemed to be looking behind Cassidy.
"I'm glad you're talking to someone other than Melantha, Cassie, but we need to go."
Cassidy turned around slowly to face the Oracle of Delphi. "Rachel. I was just –"
"We don't have time; traffic is terrible and we need to get back before Tavi."
Cassie's eyes widened. "But he's not supposed to be back until Sunday!"
Rachel sighed. "He finished early; apparently the problem wasn't nearly as big as it seemed. He'll be back from California by four."
Cassidy hesitated, then said, "I'll be right there."
Rachel gave her a stern look before going back to the car.
The legacy of Apollo sighed. "I should go; if Octavian gets home and I'm not there he'll be unbearable. He didn't want me to go to public school, anyway. I can't let him think it's keeping me from my responsibilities."
"Okay," Shay said. "I'll, um… I'll call you, tonight. Or tomorrow, actually, just in case your dad gets it first. Will he be home?"
"Foster dad," she corrected. "And no, on weekends Rachel drags him out for some 'fun'. They're not together but she still wears the pants in their friendship."
"Then I'll call you tomorrow."
Cassie smiled. "I'll be waiting." With that, she turned around and jogged to the Jeep.
After she buckled in, she glanced up to see Rachel's disapproving look. "What?"
The oracle's eyes were sad as she looked at the girl who'd become like a daughter to her. "It won't go anywhere, Cassie. It can't. You know what your future is."
Cassidy stared straight ahead. "It's just studying, Rachel. It's something friends do."
"I know what studying is, I was in high school." The redhead sighed and shifted into drive. "And since I was in high school, I know what it's like to think you feel something for someone –"
"How would you? I've never even seen you so much as falter around anyone. When did you ever have a crush?"
Rachel was quiet. "Winter Break of eight grade, I met a boy at Hoover Dam. He was being chased by these assassin-type things. I blew my nose behind him and he almost killed me. I helped him get away. Half a year later, I saw him at my high school orientation. We ended up getting trapped by a couple cheerleaders. He killed one and escaped out a hole in the wall. The next time I saw him, I led him and some others through deadly tunnels underground. After that we became good friends, and at the end of the next summer, I kissed him."
She sighed. "I thought I liked him as more than a friend. But really, it was just his world that was luring me in."
Cassie wrinkled her forehead in confusion. "His world?"
Rachel smiled. "The boy was Percy Jackson, the Percy Jackson. The creatures I saved him from were monsters; the cheerleaders were empousi; the tunnels were part of the Labyrinth. And it's because I met him that I became the Oracle of Delphi. If I'd never met him, I wouldn't be here now. You'd be stuck with Octavian."
They both shuddered.
"But that's you, Rach. It's not like that. I don't think I feel something; I hardly know him. But… would it be so bad? I know my future, but is it so bad to want something normal?"
Rachel smiled sadly. "You have a destiny, Cassie. The fate of two camps rests on your shoulders, however heavy that fate may be. You're not just a legacy of Apollo; you're fated to become the next augur and the next Oracle of Delphi. You must remain a virgin; you know this. You always have."
"Being a virgin has nothing to do with dating! What if I find someone, someone I really like and who likes me? Yeah, maybe I'll never have children of my own, but that doesn't mean I can't adopt. I mean, look at you, you don't have kids but you're still a mother. And dating? I'm not a Hunter of Artemis, I'm not sworn off men. I can still get married."
"Cassie –"
"Out of all the rules you've set, all the things Lord Apollo has told me, nothing has ever been said about dating. Ever." She choked on a sob. "I just want to have something normal."
Rachel placed one hand on the teen's shoulder. "I know, sweetheart. I know."
They had pulled up to the base of Half-Blood Hill, but neither of them made a move to get out. Instead, Rachel put a hand under the legacy's chin and nudged it so the girl looked at her.
"You're young, Cassidy, and you're absolutely beautiful. Any boy would be lucky to have you for himself." She wiped a tear away. "We'll talk to Apollo, ask him about loopholes. You were right; I am a mother. I'm your mother, and I will never let you suffer when there's something I can do. Now, let's see that pretty smile."
Cassidy sniffled and managed to press her lips into a semblance of a smile.
"There you are, Bright Eyes." She cleared her throat. "We'd better go; Octavian will be back any time now."
Cassidy wiped the remaining tears from her pale cheeks and picked up her book bag. Before she got out of the Jeep, Rachel grabbed her wrist.
"We'll figure it all out, Cassidy. I promise."
And for the first time Rachel could remember, there was a spark of hope in the bright, slightly unnerving, vibrant violet eyes.