Rachel wondered if she would ever fall asleep at this point.

The read head was lying in her bed, the time well past midnight, gazing intently at the ceiling, which just so happened to be decorated with a detailed drawing of what looked to be a very intense battle between two fire-breathing dragons.

Her focus, however, was not on the piece of art that she herself had produced, but on a conversation she had had with a certain black haired boy the week before. She knew she shouldn't dwell on it anymore, but honestly, how could she not. It's not every day that somebody becomes the host of the Oracle Of Delphi and speaks the second 'Great Prophecy' in seventy years.

Rachel wished she had stayed at Camp, or at least talked more with Apollo, who, although briefly explained the role she now played as the ancient spirit's host, left before she could ask the many questions that plagued her mind. Like, when would she give prophecies? Did she just spout them out left and right, or did someone who really needed one have to come to her personally to get it? For her sake, she hoped it was the latter, as she couldn't imagine her parents reaction if one night at dinner her eyes became an unnatural green and a mist of the same color was spewed from her mouth as she spoke about 'half-bloods' and 'Doors of Death'. They'd have Dr. Arkwright, her child therapist, on the phone before she could even finish.

And then there was school. Clarion Ladies Academy, the school she despised, while her father persisted it would turn her into the 'respectable young woman' she was supposed to be. It was highly doubtful that she would make any friends there, but she had already grudgingly promised her father that she would go next fall.

Not to mention the little 'family reunion' they would be hosting. The thought of it made Rachel look to her right, losing the long held staring match between her and the ceiling. Her gaze fell upon the extra bed that had hastily been set up the day before by one of the maids.

Her mother's second cousin, Molly, her husband, and all of her seven children, were spending the rest of the summer with the Dares. Unlucky for Rachel, one of those seven children happened to be a girl, and Mrs. Dare thought it a fantastic idea if the girls shared a room, since they were apparently close in age. Rachel couldn't disagree more. The family was coming all the way from Britain, which gave Rachel the sinking feel that Molly and her family would be equally, if not more, snobbish than her own dreadful family.

However, Rachel knew she was not just wary of how her new roommate would act, but also because of the dreams she'd been having lately. She knew they were coming from the spirit within her, and could only guess that they were glimpses of the future. Rachel, thankfully, had yet to recognize anyone in these dreams, but they were vivid. One night she might simply overhear a conversation between two people. And the next night... well, those dreams were the cause of her insomnia. She'd seen people hurt, tortured, and even killed. After those visions, she'd wake up in a cold sweat, tears of guilt streaming down her face. Guilt because she knew that although this hadn't happened yet, there was absolutely nothing she could do to prevent it. Rachel couldn't be sure if she was vocal during these nightmares, but was still frightened that Molly's daughter would hear her anguish.

Rachel looked at the clock and sighed when she saw it was three in the morning. She had to deal with those relatives tomorrow and knew she could use all the sleep she could get. She returned to lying flat on her back, and her eyes met the ceiling once again. She closed her eyes and waited patiently for sleep to take over.

As Rachel began to slip into unconsciousness, she couldn't help but pray to every god she knew that she would dream the normal, mortal dreams she had enjoyed before she met Percy Jackson.

Rachel couldn't help but groan out loud as she was awoken from her dreamless sleep by her mother's frantic shouts.

"RACHEL ELIZABETH DARE! The Weasley's will be here in under an hour! It's already two in the afternoon, you should be up by now," Mrs. Dare shrill voice filled the room as she pounded on Rachel's locked door," I expect you to be ready and downstairs in half an hour Rachel."

The pounding stopped and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief.

"And do dress nicely, please," Mrs. Dare added as an afterthought.

Rachel heard her mother's retreating footsteps as her heels clicked along the wood floors. She sighed and unenthusiastically got out of bed, knowing it wouldn't do her any good if she was late to meeting these 'Weasley's'.

She wondered if Mr. Weasley was like her father. Mr. Dare was an extremely wealthy business man who owned a company called Dare Enterprises. He made his fortune, which paid for the mansion Rachel lived in now, by buying land and turning it into malls and subdivisions. Rachel didn't exactly agree with his business, and felt especially guilty last year when she met the fading wildlife god, Pan. She knew her father played a big role in the Wild fading quicker, being a land developer.

Of course, his business also meant that he was barely home and, in turn, never really spent much time with Rachel. They sometimes went on family holiday's, like this summer, they went to St. Thomas for two weeks, but even that went terribly wrong as she was forced to go back to New York to tell Percy he wasn't the hero mentioned in the Great Prophecy. Rachel knew, although not very proud of it, that she could count the good memories she shared with her father on her fingers. Though the two were never really together, whatever time they did manage was usually spent with Mr. Dare complaining about something Rachel did or said or wore, resulting in an argument she knew she could never win. No doubt, she knew her dad loved her, and always wanted what was best for her, but, unfortunately, that wasn't always what she needed.

Occasionally, he would try to make it up to her, usually with his money. For example, when Rachel was six, she remembered the unfortunate fate of her hamster, Curly, who died suddenly one day while Rachel was playing with him. She had run to her father, sobbing as she had tried to tell the traumatizing tale. Mr. Dare's response, with full support from Mrs. Dare, was to pay a therapist, Dr. Arkwright, to come speak to Rachel. Looking back on it now, Rachel thought it was a bit over the top to pay someone to talk to her about such a small problem, but apparently, Mr. Dare disagreed, as he now consulted the doctor for every problem with Rachel he couldn't deal with. Perhaps he thought it was helping her, but to Rachel, sessions with Dr. Arkwright were just as fun as one of her arguments with Mr. Dare.

She drew the conclusion that if Mr. Weasley was anything like her father, maybe she wouldn't dislike his kids much after all.

Rachel's thoughts were interrupted as she realized that she had to be downstairs in fifteen minutes. She hurried to her closet, keeping in mind that her mother was not just politely asking that she dress nicely. It was an order she could, unfortunately, have no objection to.

She wished she could just throw on a pair of her paint- splattered jeans and a comfy T-shirt, but she also knew that her mother would just about explode if she met the Weasley's dressed like that.

"First impressions are very hard to change, so get it right the first time," she would always tell Rachel.

Rachel could argue that she was spending the rest of the summer with this family, so it would, in fact, not be very hard to change her impression on them. I'm not looking for an argument, though, she thought as she grudgingly pulled out a green sundress her mother had given her. It was simple and the fabric looked soft enough, so she would at least be comfortable.

She slipped the dress on and decided to leave her frizzy red hair down, staying barefoot, because if there was one thing Rachel absolutely refused to wear, it was heels.

"RACHEL!"

Said girl jumped and looked at the clock, only to find that she was supposed to be downstairs five minutes ago.

Rachel cursed softly and ran out her door, hoping the Weasley's hadn't arrived yet. Her mother would be furious with her if she were late.

It took her longer than she liked to get from her room on the third floor to the sitting room on the first and her eyes widened immensely at who she could only guess were the Weasley's. She could only see their backs, as they were facing away from her, but she could tell she already liked them.

Mr. Weasley was a tall man who was wearing a suit not quite as fancy as her fathers, as Mrs. Weasley, a plump woman in a multi- colored dress Rachel would actually wear, stood beside him.

Then there were the children. The oldest, Rachel could only assume, since he was the tallest, had long hair that was pulled back in a ponytail and what she thought was a fang dangling from his ear. The one next to him was a few inches shorter and Rachel could make out a tattoo of a dragon on the back of his left arm that reminded her of the drawing on her ceiling. There were four more boys standing next to him, but nothing really stood out to Rachel about them, besides the fact that two seemed to be the exact same height. She wondered vaguely if they could be twins. Then there was the daughter, the one Rachel would be rooming with. She was the youngest by the looks of it and Rachel couldn't help but grin when she saw her clothing choice, jeans and a hoodie. They were all dressed like that, and Rachel wondered for a moment if maybe she had been wrong.

What really stood out to her though, and made her freeze was the fact that on top of every head in the family was a mane of thick, flaming red hair, just like hers.

Neither of her parents shared her rare hair color, as her mother was brunette and her father was blonde, and always made a point to remind her of the unusual head of hair she had compared to them.

Not to mention that they both had brown eyes and she had somehow gotten a startling green.

It was then that her mother spotted her, smiling a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Ah, Rachel, you've finally decided to join us."

Nine heads instantly turned toward the girl as she strode past them towards her mother and father. Finally seeing their faces, Rachel knew she had been quick to judge.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had a genuine look of happiness Rachel assumed only disappeared at the worst of times and Mrs. Weasley had a caring look in her eyes that Rachel's mother always seemed to be missing. She saw that the two boys of the same height were in fact twins, and seeing the mischievous glint the two pairs of eyes held, was immediately reminded of the Stoll brothers back at camp.

They all looked a bit shocked as they saw Rachel, no doubt because of her hair, but smiled nonetheless.

"Molly," Mrs. Dare said addressing Mrs. Weasley," This is my daughter, Rachel."

Rachel was taken aback as the woman rushed forward and hugged her. The twins snickered at the shocked that was written on the girl's face. She eventually grinned and hugged back as Mrs. Weasley said,

"Oh, Rachel dear, it's so nice to finally meet you!"

"Same to you, Mrs. Weasley," Rachel said politely.

"Oh, no dear, just call me Molly," Rachel nodded, smiling as they broke away from each other. She already loved this woman.

"Let me introduce you," Molly gestured to her family that still stood in a long line.

"This," she began, pointing at Mr. Weasley, "is my husband, Arthur."

Mr. Weasley came forward and shook Rachel's hand as his wife continued.

"This is my oldest son, Bill," The guy with the long hair and fang earring gave a small wave to Rachel.

"And that's Charlie," that was the one with the dragon tattoo.

"Percy," Rachel stopped smiling when she heard the name, and immediately thought of her green eyed friend. This boy looked nothing like the Percy Rachel knew though. He was few inches taller than the twins, and wore horned rimmed glasses. Rachel collected herself and started smiling again, unnoticed by the adults, however, the Weasley children eyed her strangely.

"Fred and George," she said and the twins smiled identically and waved simultaneously. It kind of scared Rachel in a sort of funny way.

"Ron," she pointed to a boy that look about the same age as Rachel with a freckled complexion. He had blue eyes, a long nose, and was very tall and lanky, with big hands and big feet. His stature was similar to those of Bill and Percy, rather than Charlie, Fred and George, who were a bit stockier.

"And finally, my daughter, Ginny."

Rachel gave Ginny a smile, which she returned confidently, and she knew instantly they'd get along. She reminded Rachel of Annabeth in the sense that she didn't take anything from anyone.

Rachel tore her eyes away from Ginny as her father's voice rang through the room,

"Now that we all know each other, why don't we go to the dining room and sit down for dinner."

"Oh, that sounds lovely," Mrs. Weasley responded, still beaming.

The only one who looked excited as they made their way through the overly large house was Mr. Weasley. Rachel notice how his eyes lit up like those of a child in a candy store. He looked as if he wanted to touch everything they passed and kept muttering excitedly to his wife.

The Weasley children, however, looked appalled, staring at the expensive furniture, high ceilings and polished wood floors. Rachel could have sworn she heard Ron gasp when the extremely long dining table came into view, and a small voice at the back of Rachel's mind suggested that the Weasley's were in fact the complete opposite of what she'd imagined. Maybe they weren't wealthy at all.

The china plates and silverware had already been set out when the Weasley's and Dare's sat down. Mr. Dare took his usual seat at the head of the table and Rachel's mom sat to the left of him. Rachel sat two seats away from her father. She'd rather have a Weasley on each side of her than sit next to her father. Percy sat on the right side of Mr. Dare and Ginny took the spot between him and Rachel. Mrs. Weasley sat next to Rachel's mother and Bill sat next to her and straight across from Rachel. Fred sat on the other side of Rachel and George took the seat next to his twin as Mr. Weasley sat next to Bill, Ron reluctantly taking the seat at the end.

They sat in silence for a few moments, settling into their seats as the employees of the Dare household served the two families dinner. Again, Rachel was surprised as she observed the Weasley's astonishment, as if they had never been served like this before.

As they were left alone, each member at the table began to fill their plates with the food in front of them. The silence was broken by Mr. Dare when he addressed Mr. Weasley,

"So, Arthur, Olivia," he indicated to Mrs. Dare," has told me that you work for the Prime Minister?"

Rachel looked up curiously at Mr. Weasley, who smiled excitedly at her father, while his children exchanged knowing looks, making Rachel feel uneasy.

"Indeed I do, Walter. Nothing interesting though, just have a job in the Misuse of Historical Artifacts Office," Mr. Weasley said and Rachel's nose scrunched up in confusion. She had never heard of that, not that she knew much about British government.

"Very nice, very nice. And what about you Bill," Mr. Dare inquired.

Bill looked, Rachel noticed, far less excited than his father had to answer Mr. Dare's question.

"I work for a large banking company."

This answer, although very vague to Rachel, seemed to suffice for Mr. Dare as his eyes traveled to Charlie who, taking the hint, answered the unspoken question.

"I train and study exotic animals out in Romania."

Rachel looked at him and grinned, that was a profession she would be interested in. Mr. Dare didn't hide his shock,

"Well that must be interesting."

Charlie smirked knowingly and nodded, "Very."

Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Dare had begun to converse quietly about things unknown to Rachel.

"And I suppose you've just graduated, Percy? A bit too early for a job, eh?" Mr. Dare continued his interrogation of the older children.

Rachel heard George's barely audible groan which was followed by Fred whispering, "Did he really have to ask?"

"Actually, Mr. Dare," Percy said before she could figure out what the twins meant," I've got a job at the Ministry myself. Got it just after graduating."

Rachel thought Percy's tone was a bit pompous, but she supposed he had the right to show off if he of a government job without having to go to college.

Mr. Dare's eyebrows shot up on his forehead, clearly impressed as he eyed Percy with a new look, "Very impressive. You must have had high marks in school to pull that off. Speaking of, what school do your children attend?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. She knew her father only asked so that he could boast about Rachel going to Clarion.

"Ah, yes, they go to a very secluded boarding school in Scotland. You've probably never heard of it. It's called Hogwarts."

Rachel choked on the water she was sipping, and started coughing, but composed herself when her father gave her a sharp look.

"Ah, not to worry Walter, it does have quite a strange name, but it is quite the respectable school," he said politely, throwing an understanding smile at Rachel, who returned it, still a bit embarrassed at her outburst.

But really, she thought, what respectable school had the name Hogwarts? Its sounds like a skin disease.

Mr. Dare seemed to be thinking the same thing, but smiled and continued the conversation nonetheless.

" Very nice, very nice. Well, Rachel here," Rachel internally groaned as the inevitable topic came up," will be going to Clarion Ladies Academy this fall, a very prestigious private school Olivia went to herself."

"Is that right," Mr. Weasley asked cheerfully.

"Unfortunately," Rachel whispered to herself as Mr. Weasley and her father went on to converse about the school.

"I think it's safe to assume that you're not quite as excited as your father to be going to that school."

Rachel's head shot up to the source of the voice, only to discover Ginny smirking slightly at her. Rachel grinned and nodded slightly, "You could say that."

"So you're the one I'm rooming with then?"

Rachel nodded.

"Well you don't seem too bad," she said.

Rachel eyebrows rose at Ginny's comment and she gave her a look, "I'm not too bad?"

She giggled, "Sorry, that came out wrong. I just meant... well when I first saw your...house, if you could even call it that, I...," she seemed to be struggling to find the right words, "Let's just say I've met more than a few people that use the wealth that they have to act superior to those who lack it."

Rachel smiled understandingly, looking calm. On the inside, however, she was jumping for joy, screaming with relief. She had most definitely been wrong about the Weasley's being as pompous as her own family. She would not be rooming with a snobbish girl with an upturned nose and an annoying, posh English accent. No, Ginny was someone she could get along with. She had an air of confidence, a sense of humor and was able to sum up what Rachel hated about her family.

Maybe this summer wouldn't be too bad.