The campfire crackled in the darkness, its flames casting long shadows across the faces of the gathered campers. Ikenna sat apart from the group, his electric-blue eyes fixed on the glowing embers. Around him, the usual hum of laughter and chatter felt distant, like background noise in a dream.
The Oracle's prophecy looped in his mind. A tempest brews where lightning dares defy. To rise above, the son must face the wrath of gods. The words gnawed at him, their meaning just out of reach.
"You look like you're about to punch a tree," Percy said, sitting down beside him.
Ikenna glanced at him, smirking faintly. "Thought about it. But then I'd just have to apologize to the dryads."
Percy chuckled. "Fair. So, what's going on in that stormy head of yours?"
Ikenna hesitated. He wasn't used to opening up, especially not about something this heavy. But Percy had a way of making you feel like you weren't alone, like he'd been where you were standing and had survived it.
"Do these prophecies ever make sense to you?" Ikenna asked finally.
"Never," Percy said, grinning. "At least, not until it's too late to do anything about them."
"Great," Ikenna muttered. "Super helpful."
Percy leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Look, I get it. The whole 'wrath of gods' thing sounds bad. But you're not alone in this, okay? Whatever's coming, we'll figure it out."
Ikenna nodded, though the knot in his chest didn't loosen.
The next morning, Ikenna was up before the sun. The camp was quiet, the cabins bathed in the soft blue light of dawn. He walked to the edge of the forest, his hands in his hoodie pockets, his mind restless.
"Couldn't sleep either?"
Ikenna turned to see Marcus approaching, his hammer slung over his shoulder. The son of Hephaestus looked as tired as Ikenna felt.
"Yeah," Ikenna admitted. "You?"
Marcus shrugged. "Chiron's been talking about 'the signs' all week. Said something about unusual activity around Olympus. Makes it hard to relax, you know?"
Ikenna frowned. "Unusual activity?"
"Monsters acting weird, storms where there shouldn't be storms. Stuff like that." Marcus paused, his eyes narrowing. "You think it's connected to your prophecy?"
"Probably," Ikenna said, his voice tinged with frustration. "But that doesn't help me figure out what it means."
"Well, standing around isn't gonna help either," Marcus said, nodding toward the training grounds. "Let's spar. Maybe hitting something will clear your head."
The clash of metal on metal rang out across the training grounds as Ikenna and Marcus traded blows. Ikenna's dagger gleamed in the morning light, his movements quick and precise. Marcus, with his massive hammer, was slower but powerful, each swing forcing Ikenna to stay on his toes.
"You're getting better," Marcus said, grinning as he blocked one of Ikenna's strikes.
"Yeah, well, I've had a lot of practice lately," Ikenna replied, dodging a heavy swing and countering with a burst of lightning.
The electricity crackled against Marcus's armor, making him stumble back.
"Okay, not fair," Marcus said, shaking his arm to dispel the lingering shock. "You're cheating with your powers."
"Hey, you're the one with a magic hammer," Ikenna shot back, smirking.
They both laughed, the tension easing for a moment. But as they reset for another round, a sharp gust of wind swept through the training grounds, carrying with it the faint sound of whispers.
Ikenna froze, his eyes darting to the tree line. "Did you hear that?"
Marcus lowered his hammer, his expression serious. "Yeah. What was it?"
The wind picked up again, stronger this time, swirling around them like a mini-tornado. Leaves and dust whipped through the air, and the whispers grew louder, though the words were impossible to make out.
"Get back!" Ikenna shouted, instinctively raising his hands.
A figure emerged from the trees, its form shrouded in swirling mist and lightning. It was a storm spirit, but larger and more menacing than any Ikenna had seen before. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and its voice boomed like thunder.
"Son of Zeus," it hissed, its gaze locking onto Ikenna. "You cannot escape your fate."
"Yeah, well, I can sure try!" Ikenna shouted, stepping in front of Marcus and summoning a bolt of lightning to his hands.
The spirit lunged, its body crackling with electricity. Ikenna met it head-on, their powers colliding in a blinding flash of light. The force of the impact sent him skidding backward, but he quickly regained his footing, his adrenaline surging.
"Marcus, get help!" Ikenna shouted, dodging another attack.
Marcus hesitated, clearly torn, but a second spirit materialized from the mist, forcing him to engage.
"Great," Ikenna muttered, his eyes narrowing as the first spirit circled him.
The battle was intense, the air thick with electricity and the ground scorched with every strike. Ikenna fought with everything he had, his movements fueled by instinct and raw power. But the spirit was relentless, its attacks growing more precise with each passing moment.
"You are unworthy," it hissed, its voice cutting through the chaos. "The storm will consume you."
Ikenna gritted his teeth, summoning a surge of energy from deep within. "Not today," he growled, releasing a powerful bolt of lightning that struck the spirit square in the chest.
The spirit let out a deafening roar as it dissolved into the wind, its form scattering like ash.
Breathing heavily, Ikenna turned to see Marcus finish off the second spirit with a devastating swing of his hammer.
"You okay?" Marcus asked, jogging over to him.
"Yeah," Ikenna said, though his hands were still trembling from the fight.
As the dust settled, the whispers faded, leaving an eerie silence in their wake.
"What the heck was that?" Marcus asked.
Ikenna shook his head. "I don't know. But I think... I think they're just the beginning."
Back at the Big House, Chiron listened intently as Ikenna and Marcus recounted the attack. His expression grew darker with every word.
"This confirms my fears," Chiron said when they finished. "The storm spirit's appearance was no accident. Something is drawing them here, and it's tied to you, Ikenna."
Ikenna clenched his fists. "So what do we do?"
"For now, we prepare," Chiron said. "And we wait for the prophecy to reveal its true meaning."
As Ikenna left the Big House, he couldn't shake the feeling that time was running out. The storm was coming, and he was at its center.
But for the first time, he wasn't just scared—he was ready.