Oracle of Delphi

Up until the end of The Last Olympian, the Oracle was a skeletal, mummy-like creature that resided in the attic of the Big House at Camp Half-Blood. The oracle used to belong to Rome.

History


Demigods living at the camp would visit her hoping to receive prophecies, using so they would go on quests in order to become heroes. In The Titan's Curse, the Oracle leaves the attic for the first time to deliver a prophecy to Zoë, a Hunter of Artemis, telling her how she may rescue her mistress. Many prophecies have been spoken from the Oracle, probably many that won't be remembered.

The nature of the Oracle is finally revealed in The Last Olympian. The spirit of the Oracle once resided within young maidens, imbuing them with the ability to foretell the future. The powers could only be bestowed upon mortals with true sight, also known as the ability to see through the Mist. The spirit should have passed to another after the death of the previous Oracle, but the last mortal to host the Oracle's spirit was cursed by Hades after the Great Prophecy was recited, as it had led to the death of Maria di Angelo, mother of Bianca and Nico di Angelo. Hades cursed the spirit to never be able to move to another human host, not even when the old host died, until the children of Hades, and himself, were accepted by the gods and Camp Half-Blood. Hades hoped that the spirit of the Oracle would vanish as the host would crumble to dust and eventually nothing.

May Castellan, mother of Luke, tried to be the new host, without knowing of the curse. Trying to channel the power of the Oracle under Hades' curse shattered her mind, causing Luke to run away from home and live on the streets. She continued to have broken visions of her son's impending doom long after the incident.

After the events of the second war with the Titans, Hades reconciled with his family and lifted the curse, allowing the next Oracle to be chosen at last. The spirit was therefore passed to Rachel Elizabeth Dare. The new home for the Oracle of Delphi is in a cave on the side of a hill.

There may be another oracle at the Roman Camp Half-Blood, seeing as Jason could finish the Great Prophecy in Latin.



The Last Olympian
In the Last Olympian, Rachel became the new oracle, saying the following words:

''I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo,''

''God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past.''

I 'accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, Speaker of Riddles,

Seer of Fate.

After this is the 'delicate part', whether the spirit of Delphi will take hold or not.