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Chapter Text

Harry didn’t want to be a half-blood. School was already a battle for him; his ADHD and dyslexia were relentless at making his life miserable. Information slipped from his mind faster than the speed of light, no matter how hard he tried to hold on to it. Making friends and playing nice was another uphill battle. In every school he attended, a student always seemed to have it out for him, throwing things or picking pointless fights. Harry was sick of it. He thought being a half-blood and meeting others like him would make things easier, but guess what? It didn’t. But let’s start with the day he found out. Let’s start at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids. 

“Watch it, Weasley!” bellowed Dudley Dursley, a big bully with a severe lack of parental love, who hurled his sandwich at one of Harry’s two friends, Ron Weasley.

Ron was a tall thirteen-year-old with messy ginger hair and freckles all over. Only a few months younger, Harry felt small by Ron’s towering presence. Ron had a fiery temper, especially towards bullies, whereas Harry tried to keep his anger in check (not that it meant anything). Harry also found Ron quite attractive—a thought that rarely crossed his mind unless the boy was beautiful, and Ron was.

Harry’s other friend, Buck, was a small boy with pale skin, blue hair, and a leg disability. Harry wasn’t sure what exactly was wrong—Buck never talked about it—but he always bragged about getting to skip P.E. Despite his size, Buck looked older than the rest of them. He had the most acne and a faint bit of stubble on his chin, yet his personality was distinctly childlike.

Harry was surprised he had made friends with both of them. But they shared a passion for Greek mythology which was one of the many things they had in common. Growing up, Harry’s mom had told him tales of heroes and titans, of dangerous and beautiful mythical creatures. The story of Perseus, the only hero to have a happy ending, intrigued him the most. How could so many demigods never get the lives they deserved? Harry wondered that often, never imagining that one day he’d struggle to get his own.

“You know what—” Ron began to stand, his temper flaring, but Buck quickly pulled him back into his chair.

“He’s not worth it,” Buck said. 

Ron muttered under his breath and instead flipped Dudley off. 

“Mr. Weasley!” Mr. Brunner, their Latin teacher, said while rolling past him in his wheelchair. “Last warning from me.”

“Yes, Mr. Brunner.” Ron sighed. 

Mr. Brunner, the only teacher Harry has ever liked in all the schools he’s been to, led the class through the Metropolitan Museum of Art which contained art of Greeks and Romans. Dudley Dursley and his goonies kept ripping pieces from the sandwiches that were in their bags and throwing them at the trio. Harry was so close to decking him, but he was on probation. If he even talked back, Ms. Carrow (his pre-algebra teacher) and Mr. Brunner would have to tell the head of the school and Harry would once again be kicked out.

Dudley was whispering behind Harry to his lackeys about the naked statues. He heard one of them laugh and he snapped his head back. “Shut up!” Harry hissed. 

The class fell silent and of course, Mr. Banner had been talking. 

“Something you’d like to say, Mr. Potter?” he asked. 

“No, sir,” Harry replied. He was as red as a tomato.

“Alright then.” And then he continued.

Harry glared at Dudley and so did Ron. Buck on the other hand just scurried forward, away from a girl in Dudley’s group who tried sticking gum in his hair. 

When lunch arrived, Harry, Ron, and Buck sat at the water fountain. Of course, Buck had an enchilada. He loves those. He must have saved it from a few days ago. Harry and Ron on the other hand were stuck with ham and cheese sandwiches that were now soggy. Harry picked at it, suddenly not interested. Ron on the other hand took an enormous bite. 

“Mr. Potter.” Mr. Brunner approached him. “I believe this is yours.” He held out a ring that was red and gold. 

“Um… no?” 

“No, it is,” he insisted. He dropped the ring in his lap. 

“Um, Mr. Brunner–”

“Enjoy your lunch, Harry.” And then he rolled away.

Harry picked up the ring and put it close to his eyes. Squinting, he read the word Astrapoulí: LightningScar. What a strange name, Harry thought. 

“Whoops.” Dudley dropped his chocolate milk on Harry. The glasses-wearing boy froze, completely stunned by the action. He mindlessly put the ring on and stood up, flicking his hands to get the liquid off. But in doing so, multiple sparks flew out of his fingertips and hit Dudley. Harry’s eyes went wide. It looked like Dudley glitched backward. He fell on his back with a loud oof. 

“Potter pushed me!” Dudley shouted. 

“I– I did not!” Harry said quickly. But it was too late. Ms. Carrow saw the whole thing and she’s never liked him.

“Come with me, Potter.”

“He didn’t do anything!” Ron said loudly. “Dudley is fine–”

“Quiet, Weasley. Potter. Follow me.”

“It’s fine,” Harry whispered to Ron. He followed Ms Carrow away from the crowd.

“I know who you are, Half-Blood.” 

Harry brought his hands to his ears. Her voice sounded as if it were booming in his head. He looked over and her lips weren’t moving. 

“You cannot hide any longer.”

“Ms. Carrow?” Harry whispered. She abruptly stopped and slowly turned around. As she did, her skin grew scales, her hair disappeared, and a set of wings enlarged. Harry stumbled backward, landing on the cold floor. 

“Where is it, Half-Blood?” She jumped on him. Harry could smell her horrid breath. “Where is it?”

Harry closed his eyes. Then, a sharp noise pierced through the air. Harry opened his eyes and saw a bronze-colored sword impale Ms. Carrow. She faded into dust and Harry’s mouth fell open.

“What the…”

“Harry!” Ron and Buck were now hovering over him. “Are you okay?”

“What happened to Ms. Carrow?”

His friends exchanged nervous looks. “Who?” said Buck.

“Ms. Carrow!” He quickly sat up. Coming over was Mr. Brunner who had a deep frown on his face. “Mr. Brunner, where’s Ms. Carrow?” 

“Who?”

“Our pre-algebra teacher! You guys!” He stood and looked around at the three people who weren’t believing him. 

“There’s no one named Ms. Carrow here, Harry. Are you feeling okay?”

Long story short, Harry was kicked out of the school. Typical. They kept telling him he needed to see a doctor because he insisted Ms. Carrow was real. Ron and Buck weren’t much help. They sat in the office with Harry and didn’t peep one word. All they did was nod or shake their heads. Harry thought they were friends! He thought they’d defend him but no. Also typical.

Harry was sitting outside the school, luggage next to him, and an annoyed frown on his face. What was his mom going to say? She had tried so hard to get him into this school. He disappointed her once again. 

When Harry arrived at his home, he stood in front of the door with his eyes closed and felt like he was carrying every stupid thing he’d done on his shoulders. From outside, he could hear the TV running which meant his step-father Snivilius (Severus Snape) was inside, probably smoking and watching the sports channel. Gods, Harry hated him. And the feeling was mutual. Snivilius detested Harry so passionately, it was like it was his career. Harry’s mom, Lily Potter, never gave Harry a good reason as to why she stayed with him. Lily was the sweetest person in the world and Snivilius was just a disgusting cockroach who would make Harry and Lily do everything around the house. He was lazy, gross, and a bum. But Harry knew better than to talk back to him. It would end in unfortunate events if he did so. 

After taking a deep breath, Harry unlocked the door and walked in.

“Heard you got kicked out of school,” Snape said the second Harry put one foot through the door. “Why am I not surprised?”

Harry bit his tongue and just nodded. 

“You can speak, can’t you?”  

“Yes.”

“Yes, sir. ”

“There’s no need to call me ‘Sir,’ Severus,” Harry shot back mindlessly

“Hey!” He sat up. Harry braced himself for whatever Snivilius was about to do. “Watch your tone or you’ll pay.”

“Yes, sir,” he mumbled. 

Harry walked down the hallway where he could see his mom sitting on the fire escape. Tons of people are surprised when they find out who Harry’s mom is. Lily was white with ginger hair (that always had a flower clip in) and freckles all over. Harry was brown with poor eyesight and black hair. The only thing they had in common was the color of their eyes: emerald green. He was proud to have that in common with her. 

He hated knowing that he looked like his father. He’s never met him, but if he did, he didn’t imagine a loving and caring man with glasses. He imagined him as a deadbeat who wasn't present in Harry’s life. A coward. He didn’t care that his mom never described him that way. Harry hated him. 

“Mom?” Harry climbed out the window and sat down next to her. Gray clouds covered the beautiful sky. Multiple thunder booms were heard and shocks of lightning lit parts of New York. But Harry didn’t mind. He loved the gloomy weather. “I’m sorry. But it wasn’t my fault.”

“Oh, Harry.” Lily wrapped her arm around him and pulled him close. “Don’t be sorry. I know it wasn’t your fault.”

“How can you know that?”

“I just do. They called saying you shoved Dudley to the ground and that you were denying it. I told them I believed my son and hung up the phone.”

Harry smiled a bit. He loved his mom so much. 

“Do you want to tell me what else is going on?” she asked. 

Harry glanced over at her. Her beautiful green eyes were staring at him with concern and care. 

“Sometimes…” Harry took a deep breath. “Sometimes I feel like there’s something wrong with me. That I don’t belong anywhere. ”

Lily unwrapped her arm and placed her hand in Harry’s. “You will find the place where you belong. You’ll find it, I promise.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because, Harry, you’re an amazing person.”

“Mom–”

“You’re funny–”

“Mom!”

“And so smart–”

“Okay!” Harry giggled. “Okay, I get it!”

She kissed his cheek. “I have a surprise for you,” she said. 

“I don’t think I deserve a surprise.”

“I beg to differ.” She then got up and entered the apartment. Harry followed, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his undershirt. “Severus?” she called out. 

“What are you doing?” Harry whispered with wide eyes. 

“What?” he shouted. 

“Harry and I are taking the car up to Montauk! I’ll have the car back Sunday morning!”

Dead silence from Snivilius before Harry heard footsteps. He appeared at the end of the hallway, with his black long hair that probably hadn’t been washed in months, and his ugly green slippers. 

“Excuse me? Since when are you going to Montauk?”

“I called to reserve the place near the airport as soon as I got off the phone with Harry’s old school.”

“And why exactly am I okay with this?”

“Because on my way home on Sunday, I’m gonna stop at D’Angelo’s and pick up sandwiches– which are your favorite.”

Snivilius looked back and forth between Harry and Lily. He had a look of disgust on his face, but his eyes were craving the sandwich. 

“Fine.” He then turned around and walked back to the living room. “You better not forget to hold the mayo!”

Lily rolled her eyes and sighed before looking at her son. “Pack your bags, Harry.”

“Mom–”

“Pack your bags.” She kissed his forehead and left for her room. 

When they got in the car, Harry put on the radio. A song by Rhianna came on and he immediately began humming the tune. He leaned back in the front seat and for half of the car ride, he stared at the window or chatted with his mom. As they passed different areas, there was one moment where Harry did a double take. He looked back and swore he saw a centaur galloping around cars. 

“What is it, Harry?” His mom asked. 

“Um, nothing…” he looked at the road ahead. “Nothing.”

Harry was worried about falling asleep, but he did anyway. His dreams always felt real– as if they already happened or were going to. Harry had a dream where a bolt of lightning struck his face and he had a permanent scar. Multiple times, he’s woken up and rushed to the bathroom to check the mirror. There have been dreams of random people he’s never seen before in hideous orange shirts with swords or bows. And then the worst dreams, that have only been happening recently. A voice, husk and rough, speaking to him as if he had a vendetta against Harry. 

Harry was standing at the airport in front of a plane, the rain pouring down from the sky. He looked around but fog engulfed him at a slow rate. 

“So weak. ”

Harry whipped his head around. A hooded figure, one that’s only been shown in very few fragments in his mind, had a lantern in his hand. 

“So fragile. Little hero…” The figure took one step, but Harry didn’t bat an eye. “Run while you still can.”

Harry jolted awake, his glasses in the mists of falling off. 

“We’re here,” Lily said softly,

Harry nodded and fixed his glasses.

When they entered, Lily unfolded one of the blankets they brought and wrapped it around Harry. The boy smiled and clung to it tightly.

“I’ll plate us some snacks. Why don’t you get into your PJs?”

Harry nodded and left for the bathroom with his bag. After changing, he stared at the mirror and began to wonder if he should tell his mom about his dreams. About how his “hallucinations” as people liked to call them are starting to feel more real. He wanted to tell her just how much of an outlier he felt in this world. Not just because of the crazy creatures and annoying dreams, but the invisible rope that tugs Harry towards girls, as well as boys. He’s known for a while, but there was always a hesitation because what would his mom say?

He dabbed his face with a washcloth and went to leave, only to have to turn back to grab his glasses from the counter. When he entered the kitchen, Lily was humming an ABBA song that Harry quickly recognized. 

Harry yelled the lyrics, very off-tune and with voice cracks. Lily laughed and sang back, her voice a lot prettier than Harry’s.

Lily adored music from all generations and Harry loved anything his mom loved. Never being allowed a phone, Harry had a record player in his room, and on his shelf were almost a hundred vinyls. Either David Bowie or Taylor Swift, Harry had a wide range and was always open to more. As the two of them sang, Harry’s voice making birds drop dead and Lilys’ bringing them back to life, she brought the plate of snacks to the table and they sat down. 

“Amazing singing, Harry,” Lily teased. 

“You too, Mom,” he said with a laugh. He looked down at his plate and grinned. His mom had picked out all the red starbursts from the bag. Next to it was red M&M’s and a red velvet cookie. Harry’s favorite color has always been red and he’s projected it through his food, his clothes, and even his backpacks. 

As they sat in comforting silence, Harry’s heart began to hammer. He knew he needed to tell his mom. He knew if he didn’t it’d eat him alive. 

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

“I need to talk to you.”

They slowly moved to the couch. Lily lit the fireplace and sat down across from Harry. His leg shook mindlessly. One of the many things Harry loved about his mom is that she never told him to stop shaking. She didn’t mind if it rattled the car or occasionally hit the table. Unlike kids at his past schools who’d glare at Harry or straight up tell him to stop. And not only kids. Teachers would always point it out too and it was infuriating. 

“Are you okay?” she asked. 

“I don’t…” Harry took a deep breath. “Sometimes, I feel like I’m crazy. I try to convince myself it’s just daydreaming, but I don’t think it is. It feels real. And then we were at the museum and–”

“You saw something,” she said gently. “Something that felt real to you, but no one else could see? What did she say to you?”

Harry looked at his mom with a puzzled expression. “How did you know?”

“Do you know why we come up here every year?”

“Because it’s near the septic tanks, so it’s cheap. Mom, how did you know?”

“We come to this place every year because this is the place I met your father.”

Harry’s eyes went wide. “My dad? Why are you mentioning him now?”

“A long time ago, I… met a man just outside the airport. He was devilishly handsome and from the outside he looked rough, but I knew there was more to him. He had these sparks in his eyes that could start up a storm. And I knew the moment I saw him he was no man. He was a god.”

“A god?” Harry’s eyes narrowed. “You fell in love with god? Like– Jesus?”

“No, not god. A god. Harry, the stories that I have told you about Greek gods and heroes and monsters, they are real.”

“What?” Harry’s leg stopped shaking. “That’s not– Mom–”

“And I’ve told you how gods and mortals would sometimes have children together, that was true–”

“Mom–”

“They’re called demigods.”

Harry stood up. “Mom, stop!”

“Also known as half-bloods. “

Harry froze. “That’s what the monster called me. How is that– What’s happening?”

“I know you’ve been having crazy nightmares and seeing these monsters for a while. And I know they’ve been getting worse these past two years. Harry, I understand you’re confused–”

“No! Mom, you’re lying! I’m not a god! I’m not these amazing things. I’m broken. ”

“Harry, no–” She quickly stood and went to hug him but he stepped back. 

“I’m broken and I’m afraid! I know I forever will be.”

“Harry–”

Multiple rough knocks at the door interrupt her. “Mrs. Potter?”

“Ron?” Harry shouted. 

“And Buck!”

“What are they doing here?” he asked his mom who was walking towards the door. She swung it open and the two boys hurried in.

“I thought you were coming in the morning!” Lily said. 

“Things, um, changed,” said Ron. “Hey, Harry.” He awkwardly waved. Harry glared at him, folding his arms in front of his chest. 

“We need to leave,” Buck said urgently. He moved forward and Harry’s eyes went wide. “Like, right now.”

“Buck–”

“We thought Harry had more time, but I’m afraid not.”

“Buck–”

“The important thing is not to panic–”

“Buck!”

“What?”

“What happened to your legs!?”

Harry was staring at a set of goat legs connected to his friend's body. 

“Oh.” Buck looked at Lily. “You didn’t tell him?”

“You’re early.”

“Heh, um…” Buck looked back at Harry whose mouth was wide open. “I’m a satyr. And your protector. I’ve been tasked–”

“Why don’t we talk about this in the car?” Ron suggested. “Before one– or all– of us gets killed.”

“K– killed?” Harry exclaimed. 

Harry was shoved into the passenger seat of the car without an explanation. He had to wait till they were on the road before he looked back at his friends and said, “Talk.”

“A monster is after you, Harry,” Ron explained. “We’re taking you to camp. You told him about camp, right?”

“I didn’t have time!” Lily said as she pushed on the gas even harder. 

“Camp Half-Blood is a sanctuary for demigods to figure out who they are and see things the Mist hides,” Ron said quickly.

“Mist? What's a mist?” Harry asked. 

“The mist,” replied Buck. “It’s a veil that hides the magical world from the human world. My legs– Everything related to Carrow– but it’s not meant to be able to hide things from me. I mean– it just doesn’t make sense.” 

“My head hurts,” Harry said.

“Trust me, when I found out I was a demigod, let alone my older two brothers were as well, I was freaked out,” Ron said.

“You have brothers?”

“Yep. Sadly,” he muttered. “And an aggressive little sister.”

“I always liked Ginny,” said Buck. 

“No, you fear her. There’s a difference.”

“Actually–”

“Boys!” Lily shouted. 

Harry looked past his two friends and couldn’t believe his eyes. “Is that the minotaur? ”

Ron looked back and swore. “He’s found us.”

A lot happened in one minute. The minotaur caught up to the four of them and was ramming the car from the side. Harry watched in horror as his mom battled to steer the wheel that had a minotaur horn stuck in it. Somehow, she managed to get out of it, but in doing so, the car veered off the road and landed in a small ditch. Harry remained shell-shocked as he hit his head on the dashboard, but not enough to knock him out. He looked over at his mom who was breathing heavily: a good sign. But her eyes were closed and Harry reached over and shook her. She jolted awake and swore which wasn’t a common occurrence. 

“Come on,” she whispered through the loud rain. 

Everyone managed to get out of the car, but Ron collapsed on the floor. Buck ran over to him and helped him up. 

“My leg is broken,” Ron whimpered. 

“Can’t you heal it?” Buck asked. 

“I don’t have the time, Buckbeak!”

“Buckbeak?” Harry repeated. 

“Yeah, that’s my full name!”

“Your full name is–”

“Not the time boys!” Lily said. 

“Right. Camp is just over that hill,” said Buck. The four of them begin walking, but a roar shakes them all. 

“Harry will be safe once we’re in there. I promise,” said Buck. 

“We all will be, won’t we?” Harry asked. Everyone went silent. “Mom?” Lily stood in front of her son and placed her hands on his arm. “Mom, you’re scaring me.”

“They track the smells of demigods.” She reached into Harry’s bag and grabbed one of his jackets. “I’ll distract him while the rest of you make it to camp.”

“Mom–”

“Listen to me, Harry. You are not broken. You are whole, okay? You are so loved. Harry, be safe. And be strong. I love you.” 

“Mom, no–”

“I’ll be okay.” She kissed his forehead. “I love you.” She then turned and ran towards the minotaur that had gotten closer. “HEY!”

Time slowed the moment the monster picked Lily by the waist. She looked at Harry, smiled, and disappeared into dust. 

“NO!” Harry screamed. Ron and Buck were tugging at Harry’s shoulders, begging him to come with them, but their shouting seemed muffled. On his hand, the ring Mr Brunner had given him began to vibrate against his finger. He looked down and a sword grew, fitting perfectly in his hand. It shined in the moonlight, a beautiful gold Harry thought. 

“HARRY, NO!” Ron screamed. 

Harry charged as did the minotaur. He dove to the side, swinging his sword aimlessly. He heard a howl of pain from the monster as he stumbled. Harry rolled on the ground and stood back up. He ran to it and sliced off one of his horns. The monster proceeded to backhand Harry who flew backwards, dropping his sword in the process. 

When he hit the ground, he coughed, trying to catch his breath. The two of them stared at each other, the intent to kill on both ends. The image of his mom dying yelled in his mind over and over again. He found his hands balled into his fist, an electric shock pulsing through his entire body. The minotaur roared; he raced to Harry, who let out an enormous scream. BOOM. CRACK. Thunder filled Harry’s ears. Multiple lightning bolts crashed into the minotaur, blasting him into dust. Another one hit right in front of Harry.

He flew back, hitting his head on a rock. Everything began to fade to black, the last thing he heard was his friends shouting for him.

Chapter Text

Harry’s eyes felt heavy as he opened them. He felt like there was a weight on his body like he couldn’t move anything besides his eyes. He looked to his side and saw a girl with dark skin and bushy hair leaning against a porch. He realized he wasn’t in a comfortable bed at home but instead a chair with a pillow behind his neck. 

The girl was quite blurry, but Harry could tell she was wearing a hideous orange shirt like the ones Harry had seen in his dreams– and her arms were crossed. 

“Wha…” Harry whispered. “Who are you?”

“And I thought Colin slept a lot.” 

“I…” 

Sleep took over him again. The next time he woke up, Ron sat beside him, picking at his nails. Harry didn’t say anything for a few minutes. Everything that had happened came flooding back to him and he let out a shaky breath, alerting Ron of his consciousness. 

“Harry?” he whispered. 

“It actually happened, didn’t it.” Ron didn’t say anything. “Didn’t it?”

“I’m so sorry.” 

Harry slowly sat up and pulsating pain banged in his head. He brought his hand up to it and jerked it away when he felt a sort of bump on it. He resumed feeling it and traced it as much as he could. It went in different directions, crossing over his eyebrow and down his eye. It went up his forehead and to his temple. He let out a broken sob. “Is that– is that a scar?”

“I tried everything I could to heal it and so did my siblings” Ron handed him a mirror along with his glasses. Harry put them on and then stared in complete horror. The scar was bright white and shaped like a lightning explosion, just like his dream.  “We all have scars though. It’s okay.”

“How…” He set the mirror down. “How was I able to do what I did?”

“I don’t know.” But something in Ron’s eyes said something different. “But I suggest not telling anyone about how you defeated the minotaur. It won’t really do well around here.”

“Because it’s not normal?” he asked bitterly

“Having abilities is normal, but yours… It's your first day. Just wait to tell people how powerful you are.”

“I don’t think I could do it again even if I wanted to anyway.”

Ron nodded. “I was able to collect the horn from the minotaur.”  He said it as if Harry should be happy about that. “Demigods train to fight a monster like that.  People will be–”

“I don’t care about the minotaur, Ron,” he said a bit too harshly. “I care about figuring out what’s real and what’s not!” 

“Harry…”

Harry took a deep breath and harshly removed the blanket off of him. He got up before staggering forward and catching himself on the railing of the porch. He looked up, the sun blinding him aggressively. A beautiful meadow filled with nothing but green came into view and he couldn’t deny it was pretty. 

“What are you trying to do?” Ron asked.

“If my father doesn’t want to find me, then I’ll find him.” He began walking towards the steps. Ron ran over and stopped him from leaving.

“Let me take you to Mr. D and Chiron first.”

“Who?”

“The runners of camps basically. Just— follow me, okay? They’ll explain more than what, um, your mom was able to.”

“Explain what? My mom— she was just—“ his voice cracked. “She was just trying to make me feel better. I’m not some demigod, Ron.”

Ron sighed. “How do you explain the minotaur?”

“Um…” 

“And Buck being a satyr?”

“Well—“

“And the lightning? You said it yourself you don’t think you’d be able to do it again. That means you believe it happened.”

“I just woke up!”

Ron rolled his eyes. “Let me take you to Mr. D and Chiron.”

“Chiron?” Harry has heard that name before. “As in the centaur who trained Heracles?” 

“Just— follow me.”

Harry suppressed a groan and followed Ron around the house. When they entered, Harry saw Buck pacing the room, muttering under his breath. A man with wavy black hair and a mustache with sunglasses on, was holding a coca-cola can while eaned back in a chair as if he were sleeping. There was another who was facing the other way in a wheelchair. He looked like he was reading a book.

“Buck?” Ron said. 

The satyr whipped his head around and exhaled in relief. “Oh man, I was worried Harry might never wake up.”

“Gee, thanks,” Harry said. 

“Is Mr. D asleep?” Ron asked. 

“Yes, but–”

“Excuse me!” Harry said loudly. 

“Harry!” Ron and Buck exclaimed. 

“Excuse me?” He walked over to the man. “Excuse me?”

Mr. D didn’t flinch at Harry’s calls. He slowly lifted his head and took off his glasses. “Who are you?”

“Harry Potter. I was wondering if you could point me toward my dad. I don’t know his name or what he looks like, but if you could give him a call and–”

“Let me stop you right there…” He leaned forward. “Son.”

Harry’s eyes went wide. “Dad?”

“Mr. D is not–”

“Sh, sh, sh.” He held his hand up to stop Ron from talking. “How, uh, are you Henry?”

“Harry.”

“Whatever. Why don’t you do me a favor real quick? And then we can discuss… us.”

“Okay…?”

“If you could fetch me a bottle of–”

“Mr. D.” The man in the wheelchair interrupted. Harry moved in front of him and gasped. 

“Mr. Brunner?”

“Hello, Harry.” He smiled. “And it’s Chiron.”

“You’re Chiron?”

“The one and only. Mr. D is prohibited from drinking alcohol. A punishment set by his father.”

“His father?” Harry asked.

“Zeus,” Mr. D replied with a nonchalant tone as if the name were as ordinary as any other.

Harry’s eyes widened in disbelief, his jaw dropping slightly. “Zeus?” he repeated, his voice rising in astonishment. “Your father is Zeus? That’s just—” He paused, struggling to find words. “That’s unbelievable!” A moment of realization struck him, and he narrowed his eyes in sudden comprehension. “Wait… Mr. D? Your name— it stands for Dionysus, doesn’t it?”

“You should really be careful saying their names, Harry,” Buck said quickly. “Names hold power.”

“This is insane!” Harry exclaimed. He shook his head as if trying to clear the confusion clouding his mind. “So you’re Dionysus,” he said, pointing at Mr. D with a mix of astonishment and skepticism. “Your father is Zeus. You’re Chiron, the centaur. And I’m supposedly a demigod?” His eyes widened with a growing sense of absurdity. “What’s next? Are you going to tell me I’m the reincarnation of Perseus?” 

He looked over at his two friends who were completely gobsmacked. Both of their mouths were wide open, ready to welcome flys. 

“What?” Harry asked. 

“Ignorant!” Mr. D shouted. “Completely–! Utterly–!”

“Mr. D,” Chiron said calmly. “Let me talk to hi–”

“No, let me,” Ron said softly. “Harry, come on.” He grabbed his arm and dragged Harry outside. “You’re, to say this kindly, insane.”

“I agree.” A girl's voice said from their left. Both boys jumped out of their skin.

“Gods, Hermione!” Ron exclaimed. “Did you hear everything?”

“I did.” She walked over.

“I’ve seen you before,” Harry said, realizing it now. “You were the girl standing in front of me.”

“Astute observation. How stupid are you?” She was blunt, that much was obvious. Harry now understood how people felt when he was. 

“Excuse me?”

“How could you not see that magic is real? You faced the minotaur and were able to conjure lightning.”

“How do you know that?”

Hermione looked at Ron who awkwardly chuckled. “I, uh, I tell Hermione everything,” Ron said. 

“Oh great.” Harry sighed. 

“Let me prove to you that it’s not just you,” Ron said. “Hermione, roll up your sleeve.” Hermione raised an eyebrow and hesitantly obliged. Exposed was a fresh cut with dried blood on it. 

“How did you know I had one?”

“How many times have I healed a cut done by Millicent around this time?” He grinned when Hermione rolled her eyes. “Just watch, Harry.”

Ron put his hand on Hermione’s arm and gently squeezed it. Harry watched, unamused, until Ron put his hand away. The cut was now completely gone. There was no trace of it as if it never existed. 

“How…?” Harry stepped forward and squinted his eyes. 

“My dad’s Apollo. I have special abilities, such as healing people. Magic is real, Harry. And what you did last night, it was real.”

Harry was starting to feel lightheaded. His mind raced with questions that seemed impossible to believe. Had his mom’s stories of gods and demigods been true? Was she being honest when she told him she fell for a god? And the visions that he deemed to be hallucinations, they were real, weren’t they? 

The previous night’s events flashed through his mind. He had managed to conjure lightning, something he couldn’t grasp. The jagged scar across his forehead seemed to pulse as a painful reminder of what should be impossible. Despite the evidence, a part of him, however, didn’t want to come to terms with it. He didn’t want to fully accept the reality that was setting in

“Let’s take a walk, Harry,” said Chiron. Harry looked behind him, and something inside him wanted to laugh. Chiron really was The Chiron. 

Okay, maybe this was real. 

Harry glanced over at Hermione, who had a stern look on her face as if to say, ‘Come on, dude. It’s freaking real.’

Harry sighed and followed Chiron, purposefully putting himself ahead of him. He looked around and saw a few people wearing bright orange shirts that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD on them. They all looked at Harry and began to whisper to each other. 

“So, where’s my father?” Harry asked, trying to ignore the stares. 

“Your father isn’t here, Harry.”

“But–”

“Demigods, when brought here, are not aware of who their godly parent is. Eventually– if lucky– they get claimed by them. It could take two days, two weeks, or in some cases, never.”

“I could never be claimed?” Harry asked. 

“That is correct.”

Now that made Harry’s blood boil. 

“This camp is meant to train you and send you off for quests. You learn to embrace the part of you that has been called crazy, unhelpable, different. Whether claimed or not, you will find a place here.”

“Lovely,” Harry muttered. 

“I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

While walking, Harry grew slightly anxious about the silence. “I, um, I lost the ring-sword thing.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“I actually–”

“Look at your hand, Harry.”

Harry looked down and gasped. “How?”

“It will always return to you unless you give it away.”

“That’s handy.”

Harry is welcomed with twelve cabins all lined up next to each other in a U shape, all of them built with different materials. There was one built from red brick that Harry thought was pretty cool, besides the ugly barbed wire on the top. Another one had beautiful plants growing all around it, even on the roof. But the one that caught Harry’s eyes was the largest one of them all with a bronze eagle symbol at the top. Two lightning bolts were engraved into the gigantic white doors. And immediately, Harry knew whose cabin it belonged to. An irresistible pull drew him toward it as if the building was calling to him. A tingle shot fiercely through his veins and his ring began to silently vibrate. Just as he took a step closer, Chiron’s firm hand reached out, halting him in his tracks.

“That is not where you’ll be staying.” He guided him to a regular-looking cabin that was slightly larger than the smaller ones. The symbol on the top was winged sandals and the Caduceus symbol. Entering, the cabin was packed. Harry had seen the inside of the others through the windows and most of them were completely empty. 

What was that about?

“Attention!” Chiron shouted. 

“No! No, no, no–” Harry muttered frantically. 

The whole cabin went silent. All eyes were on Harry. He suddenly felt like he was in a classroom with his pants off. 

“This is Harry Potter,” he announced. “I have faith you’ll give him a warm welcome.” And then Chiron left without another word. 

Harry wanted to shrink into a bug and be stepped on. Every single one of the campers was staring at him as if we were a celebrity. But he couldn’t tell if he was a good kind or a bad kind. 

“This is great,” Harry deadpanned. He was never known to keep his mouth shut. No one said anything which made Harry even more embarrassed. He awkwardly approached the sleeping bag where his bag was resting. He crouched to the floor and opened his bag.

His stomach dropped when he saw a bag filled with red M&M’s in it. He held it close to his chest and repeated the words I’m sorry, Mom in his mind. It was his fault she was gone. If he wasn’t in a cabin filled with people, Harry would have broken down into tears. 

“He’s the one who killed the minotaur,” a boy whispered to another. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He heard someone approach and he turned around. 

A boy who was older and taller than Harry with black hair, pale skin, and facial features that were sharp and defined was standing in front of him. He had a necklace with beads on it, which Harry realized everyone he’d seen had a necklace with one or more beads. His dark eyes were staring into Harry’s with intense emotions Harry couldn’t figure out. 

“Look, pick a fight with me tomorrow, okay?” Harry said, his voice filled with exhaustion. “I don’t feel like having one right now.”

The boy standing before him smiled lightly, a soft and almost apologetic expression on his face. “I don’t plan on fighting. I just wanted to say I’m really sorry. I heard what happened on the hill.”

Harry’s gaze shifted to the ground as he sighed. “I’m assuming everyone did.”

“Yeah… Losing someone is hard.” The boy extended his hand, his eyes filled with genuine sympathy. “I’m Tom.”

Harry hesitated for a moment before reluctantly reaching out to shake his hand. “Harry.”

“Nice scar,” came a voice from Harry's left, drawing his attention. He turned to see another boy approaching, taller than Tom with bright ginger hair and a face with freckles. His grin was unmistakable, a familiar mischievousness dancing in his eyes.

“You're Ron’s brother,” Harry said.

“Fred,” the boy introduced himself with a nod.

“And George!” chimed in another voice. Harry glanced to see an identical figure walking up. Everything was the same except Fred had a scar on his cheek, unlike George. 

“Ron has twin brothers?” 

“Who’s Ron?” Fred asked. 

“Oh.” Harry turned crimson. “Um, sorry–”

“I’m joking!” Fred chuckled. “Yes, sadly Ron is our little brother.”

“Sometimes I can’t believe it,” George added. “I mean, he’s not as good-looking as me.”

“Us,” Fred corrected. 

“No, just me.”

Harry wanted to say, ‘Actually, Ron is attractive’ but he refrained from embarrassing himself even more. Harry also recalled in the car, Ron mentioned having a sister. He couldn’t deny his curiosity, but he wanted to ask Ron instead. 

“Who’s cabin does this belong to?” Harry asked instead. He knew the answer, but he wasn’t ready to sit back on the floor and let his thoughts consume him. “

“Hermes,” Fred said. “George and I are head counselors too, so you’ll be answering to us if you do something stupid.”

“Alright…” That meant they and Ron shared the same mom. “So everyone in here is a child of Hermes?”

“You really shouldn’t say the gods' names,” Tom said. “It’s not just casual words to toss around.”

“Alright. So everyone in here is a child of– what do I say? God of Thieves?”

George shrugged.  “Up to you if you want to get in trouble or not. But, no. Some of us are children of Hermes but others–”

“You just said his name!”

George smiled. “He’s my father, you doofus! It’s different if it’s your parent. Anyways, a lot of us aren’t claimed. Tom here has been here for a while and still can’t figure out who his mom is.”

“Funny,” Tom deadpanned. “But, yes, that’s true.”

“Right, Chiron told me. And people are just okay with that?”

“There’s no other option,” Tom said. 

“Right…” The thought of that didn’t sit right with Harry. “Great.” He suppressed an eye roll.

“Would you like us to show you around?” Tom asked. 

“Maybe tomorrow? I just feel like resting some more.”

“No worries.” 

Harry sat on his sleeping bag, snacking on the M&M’s his mom had packed for him. It was a nice distraction from the thoughts that were running throughout his brain. As the sun set, providing a beautiful orange and pink aura before turning completely dark, the others began to file out. 

“You coming to dinner?” Tom asked, pausing at the doorway.

“Yeah, I’ll catch up with you guys,” Harry lied, forcing a smile. Tom nodded and joined the crowd, leaving Harry in the deepening silence of the cabin.

Now completely alone, Harry’s mind raced with memories of his mom. Tears pooled in his eyes without permission, causing Harry to take his glasses off. He covered his face and quietly sobbed, taking advantage of the alone time. 

“Harry?” a familiar voice that always brought comfort to him called out from the door. Harry quickly composed himself and put his glasses back on. 

“Ron.”

“Do you want to be alone?” he asked. 

“It’s okay.”

Ron moved over to him, revealing two plates filled with food. He set one down in front of Harry. “I figured you wouldn’t be at dinner.”

“You didn’t have to,” Harry said even though his heart swelled with warmth. 

“Yeah, but I wanted to.” He then began to eat from his plate. “I’m assuming you’ve met my brothers.”

“Fred and George? Yeah, they’re… nice.”

Ron snorted. “Sure. And so is Ginny.”

“Is she really that bad?”

“Yes.” Then Ron quickly pondered. “No. She just has a tough exterior. Almost impossible to crack. Some have though. Dean, Seamus, Pansy… maybe even Blaise.” Ron shrugged. “Everyone else she keeps at a distance.”

“Even you?”

Ron hesitated. Harry wondered if he should have even asked. “I don’t know,” Ron finally said. “I can’t really tell.” Then he shrugged. “I want to say no, but I don’t really know.”

Harry nodded. “How’s Buck doing?”

“Not well. He’s really anxious.”

“Why?” 

“Well, collecting you was sort of his second chance. But he hasn’t met with the Council yet, so he’s not sure what his fate is.”

Harry frowned. “Second chance for what?”

“To become a licensed searcher. He wants to find Pan. No satyr has found him, but Buck dreams to be the one.”

“And why was this his second chance?”

“Well, he was the satyr who brought Hermione, Tom, and a girl named Luna here, but… monsters were attacking and Luna sacrificed herself to save her friends. Buckbeak blames himself for it. The Council was furious. But, he’s not sure how they’ll react to his mistakes this time around. He'll have to do a lot of convincing."

“His mistakes? But I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, but what happened to your mom…”

“Oh.” Harry understood now. “I don’t blame Buck.”

“I know you don’t, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel guilty.”

“Maybe I should go talk to him–” He made to stand, but Ron gently put his hand on his arm. The warmth transferred into Harrys' body was comforting. He wasn't sure if it was an Apollo child thing or a Ron thing, but it made Harry smile just a little bit. 

“Maybe tomorrow? Don’t stress yourself out even more today.” He pulled his hand away and picked up his fork again, not hesitating to return to his meal.

“I’m not stressed,” Harry protested. But in reality, he was.

“Right. And I’m not ginger.”

Harry grinned again and continued eating. The two boys chatted, the cabin filling with loud laughter. Harry felt relaxed for the first time since he arrived at camp. Ron had a way of making him feel at ease whenever they talked. When they finally finished their meals, Ron stood up and grabbed Harry’s plate, a dopey smile on his face. Harry didn’t want him to leave, but he knew his cabin mates would be back soon.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Ron asked.

“Yeah. Goodnight, Ron.”

“Night, Harry."

When Ron left, Harry settled into his sleeping bag. On the verge of falling asleep, he heard people returning. They weren’t quiet, which Harry wasn’t surprised by.

“He’ll never be claimed,” a boy said. “I saw it in his face. He doesn’t believe in the gods.”

“Did you when you arrived here, Theo?” Harry recognized Tom’s voice. “Give the kid a break.”

“Whatever,” the kid Theo muttered.

 Harry suppressed a sigh. His frustration at not being liked was already creeping in. But instead of jumping up and saying something to this Theo kid, Harry closed his eyes and fell asleep, welcoming his nightmares without a fight.

Chapter Text

“I know what you want.”

Harry looked up from the campfire he was staring at. Around him was absolutely nothing but flat land and dim lighting. The hooded figure from his nightmares was in the distance with the same lantern in his hands.

“You want justice,” he croaked. “I can give you that.” 

Harry slowly stood, the sand underneath him quietly falling back to their original place.

“Let me help you.”

Harry jolted awake, jerking to the side as if he were hit. From what he could see, the cabin was half empty. The remaining campers were shuffling out or barely getting up from bed. Surprisingly, no one paid any attention to Harry’s sudden movement.

“We all have them.” Tom’s voice dragged Harry to look right. He saw the older boy leaning against the bunk bed that was beside Harry. “The nightmares. It’s normal.”

“I wish they weren’t,” Harry muttered. 

“We all do.”

Harry nodded, finding comfort in not being the only one.

“Come on.” Tom beckoned to the door. “Breakfast.”

Already in his Camp Half-Blood shirt and set of jeans, Harry got up and followed Tom out. Two boys followed along. One who was on the taller side; a person of color with buzzed hair and a crooked nose. The other was only slightly taller than Harry. He was pale with fully brown hair and a mole on his cheek. He walked with a confidence that seemed so close to overpowering Toms’.

“We all sit at the table assigned to our cabin,” explained Tom as they walked. 

“Meaning, our table is filled with the most people,” the white one said. Harry recognized that voice. It was the boy from last night– Theo. Harry’s surprised he remembered that. 

“That’s kind of– ow. ” Harry stopped in his tracks and glared at the person who had just bumped into him. The girl turned around and had a nasty smirk on her face. With short black hair and a pug-shaped face, her smirk wasn’t intimidating. Two other girls were beside her. He’s seen the one on the right in the Hermes cabin. Claimed or not, she looked to be the moody type. The other one, Harry knew who she was. The ginger hair and curious look on her face reminded him of Ron. She was his sister, Ginny. 

“Watch it,” the girl snapped. 

“Your fault, not mine,” Harry protested. 

Mrs. Pug was not too happy about Harry’s attitude. She took a step forward and shoved Harry into Theo. 

“Do something then,” she taunted. 

Harry took a step forward, but Tom stepped between the both of them. 

“Pansy,” Tom warned. “Is this really necessary?”

Pansy glared at him and went to speak, but Ginny grabbed her arm. “He’s not worth it, Pans.” 

“Whatever,” she muttered before walking away with her friends

“Ignore her,” said Tom. 

“Pansy can be a bit moody,” Mr. No-Name said. “She won’t always be like that.”

Harry nodded and resumed walking with the three of them, not fully agreeing. Harry had an inclining feeling that even without knowing her, the two of them wouldn’t get along. 

Breakfast went by far too quickly, at least if you asked Harry. Ron had waved at him from the Apollo table, and Harry waved back awkwardly. Buck was nowhere in sight, which made Harry anxious. He really hoped his friend wasn’t in trouble.

Throughout the meal, a pair of eyes kept staring at Harry. It was the girl who had called him stupid. Hermione? Yeah, that was definitely her name. Who else would have a name like that? It felt like she was waiting for Harry to make a mistake, which he didn’t appreciate. He even tried slouching out of her view, but that didn’t work.

Harry was careful not to spill anything and embarrass himself.

The first activity of the day was swordsmanship practice. Of course, Harry wasn’t too thrilled—especially since he thought he might have to partner up with Pansy or even Ginny who Harry learned was an Ares kid and someone he shouldn’t mess with. 

But then Tom offered to be his partner. They found a wide, open area away from the other campers, and Harry was more than relieved. He didn’t want anyone to see how bad he was at this.

“You were able to defeat the Minotaur,” Tom said, handing Harry a wooden sword. Harry took it, wondering why he couldn’t just use the one from his ring. Then he realized the practice probably wasn’t meant to injure anyone seriously.

“This should be easy for you,” Tom added.

“I was angry then,” Harry said miserably. “I’m not angry now.”

“Then get angry.” Without waiting, Tom lunged forward, his wooden sword slicing the air. Harry yelped and blocked it. 

“Hey!”

“Embrace your anger, Harry,” asserted Tom. “People will tell you not to. That it’ll lead you down paths you can’t come back from. But I say… Anger fuels your power. It helps prove you’re strong enough to protect yourself and other people. It’ll keep you alive when it truly matters.”

“Right…” Harry said with a hint of uncertainty. His mom used to tell him that anger was never the right way to go. That if it were in the driver's seat, it’d only end in a car crash. But Tom had a point. Harry had slayed the Minotaur purely out of anger and frustration. He believed he wouldn’t have been able to do so without those emotions in charge. 

Slowly, Harry raised his sword– holding it awkwardly as he was not used to it. He fueled the minor anger in him. He knew if he thought of his mom and how his father was absent in his life (even now) Harry would have started crying. Instead, he focused on the years of bullying– of being called names– of feeling broken and unseen– and used it to practice. He was determined to get a hit on Tom, but the older moved with elegance– agility that Harry wished he had. 

By the end of it, Harry found himself slouching over, his hands on his knees and panting heavily. 

“Not bad, Potter.” Tom grinned. “Almost nicked me.”

“Yeah, right,” Harry grumbled. “I suck.”

“It’s your first time,” he pointed out. “Swordsmanship– it’s hard. But, trust me, every demigod started where you are. You’ll get there.”

“And if I don’t?” Harry stood up straight, ignoring the fact that he forgot to put deodorant on. “Will my chance of being claimed drop from 2% to 0?”

Tom chuckled lightly, his charming smile making Harry’s cheeks tint a light pink. 

“I don’t have an answer for that.” Tom suddenly looked irritated, but it was clear he was trying to mask it. His eyes sparked with hatred and Harry connected the dots. He wasn’t sure how long Tom had been here for, but with what Ron’s brothers said, it’s been a while. And he’s yet to be claimed. Harry couldn’t imagine how that must feel for him. 

“The Gods,” Tom continued. “They work in ways that none of us will ever understand. Sometimes you just have to do things to prove to yourself instead of them. Because we’ll never know if we matter to them or not.”

“And we’re supposed to be okay with that?” Harry asked gently. “How is that fair?”

Tom sighed. “With the Gods… nothing is fair.”

Harry nodded, biting the inside of his mouth to keep something he might regret later. 

“I don’t want to do this.” Harry looked down at the bow in his right hand, the arrow in his other. It felt out of place. And not just because Harry has never held one before. 

“Too bad,” Ron said. Harry glared at him and Ron grinned. “Come on! What if your dad is Apollo, hm? We’d get to be half-brothers!”

The thought made Harry sick. He doesn’t want to be half-brothers with Ron. That would ruin everything. Not that Harry liked Ron that way. It was just that finding your half-brother cute was just not okay,

“So, are you the best archer, Ron?” Harry asked, clearly trying to stall.

“Um.” Ron’s entire face turned red. “I don’t–”

“I’d say so,” a girl with brown hair and blonde streaks with glasses said a few steps away. She had her arrow knocked back, but she wasn’t even looking at the target. “He’s the only one of us who can heal and be accurate with shooting. He’s been here the longest too– and he might be Dad’s favorite,” she teased.

“I am not!” Ron said who was now completely flustered. 

“Oh really?” She let go of the arrow and Harry watched it hit the circle, dead in the middle, without even looking. “Then why are you the only one who has a bow that can never break?”

“He was taking pity on me!” Ron rolled his eyes, clearly wishing he was anywhere but here. “Anyways– ignore her!” He waved off the girl. She laughed and walked away to a smaller group of campers. “Harry, just do what I do.”

Harry wanted to ask why he had received a gift like that, but he figured Ron didn’t want to talk about it. Ron knocked back his arrow, took a deep breath, and let go. The arrow flew, landing smack dead on target.

“Just like that!” Ron smiled. It reminded Harry of the sun. 

“Just like that,” Harry echoed. He glanced back at Tom who had been standing behind them in silence. He gave Harry a reassuring nod.

“Alright…” Harry struggled to pull the arrow back and when he did, it shook violently. Harry’s eyes glanced around him and it caught Hermione’s.

“Why is she obsessed with me?” Harry complained. 

“Stop stalling!” Ron shouted. “Fire!”

The arrow flew in the opposite direction, whisking past a girl with bubblegum hair and an evil glare. 

“Watch it!” she snapped. 

“Sorry!” Harry shouted back, clearly embarrassed. “Should I try again?”

“No,” Tom and Ron said in unison. 

Harry huffed, slightly disappointed, but relieved he didn’t possess archery skills. He guessed it meant Apollo wasn’t his father. Thank the gods.

“What next?” Harry looked at his friends who were still stunned at how horrible he was with a bow and arrow. 

By dinner, Harry was exhausted. What was the point of climbing walls when Harry never planned on doing so?! He found himself devouring his meal— the hunger from being so active all day caught up with him.

“Come on.” Tom stood up with his plate that still had food on it. He put some on Harry’s plate which confused the boy

Harry frowned. “Come on, what?”

“Burnt offerings.” Blaise— the boy Harry hadn’t known the name of until a few hours ago— said. “To the Gods.”

“You’re joking.” Harry deadpanned.

“He’s not,” said Tom.

Harry followed the Hermes cabin to the fire in the middle and watched as campers scraped their food into it, saying a God's name before walking away.

Harry watched Tom, Blaise, and Theo do the same, except for saying a gods’ name. Which Harry realized was because they were all unclaimed.

Harry sighed and did the same thing. Please. Please notice me.

The bonfire was comforting. Harry sat next to Ron, his smile bright and contagious laugh practically infectious. He saw Tom on the other side, distant from everyone else aside from Blaise and Theo. The three of them were whispering about something that clearly looked important considering they all had deep frowns. 

And then Ron started singing. He and his siblings sang about the gods and Harry was blown away. Rons’ voice had always been captivating to Harry, but now it was like a necessity. 

Every time Harry would make eye contact with his friend, Ron would turn bright red and be on the verge of giggling. Harry had to look somewhere else the rest of the time so Ron wouldn’t get distracted. Once the singing was done, Harry was able to tease his friend. 

“Goodnight, Harry!” Ron called while walking to his cabin with his half-siblings. The bonfire had left Harry with a smile and a warm feeling in his heart. For once, he felt normal.

He didn’t just talk to Ron either. He met a boy named Colin who was a fast talker and had a passion for photography and Marvel. Who the heck was Star-Lord? His older brother Dennis was equally as kind but for some reason, they both seemed to nod off at random moments. The other would have to snap their fingers so they would wake up.  It had taken Harry a while to realize that was normal for them. 

He also talked to a girl named Cho Chang. Harry couldn’t deny how pretty she was. Her blue eyes twinkled every time she spoke and her voice was gentle and quiet. He hoped he’d get to talk to her again.

Walking back to Cabin 11, Harry parted from Tom and the others to use the bathroom. On his way, he ran into Ginny, her pug-faced friend Pansy Parkinson, Misses Miserable, and two boys who were big and muscular, both of whose arms were crossed.

“What do you want?” Harry grumbled. They hadn’t said two words and Harry was already irritated.

“I want you to admit you didn’t kill the minotaur. That Ron and Chiron were lying,” Pansy said fiercely. 

“But I did kill the minotaur. I have the scar to prove it!” He pointed to the explosion on his forehead that had gotten whiter throughout the day. “Or are you blind?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was drawn on,” Pansy snided.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Right, well, if you’re just going to insult me, I’ll be leaving—“ Harry went to walk away but Brooding Number 2 stepped in front of him. “Excuse me.”

“Get him, Goyal!” Pansy shouted.

That was Harry’s cue to run. Which he did. Harry was never a runner, but he figured from now on he was going to have to be. He jumped over logs and whisked past trees while Pansy shouted orders as if she were in battle. Harry had been surprised to learn Pansy was not an Ares kid, but a daughter of Aphrodite. She had the looks, but her temper was ruthless. Harry had known her for a day and he was sick of her.

“Is this really necessary, Pans?” Ginny shouted while running.

“Yes!” Pansy exclaimed. 

Harry groaned and found himself stopping behind Cabin 5’s table. He thought the others would be panting, like Mrs. Pug-Face, but they were in perfect shape like Harry who wasn’t tired at all from the running. 

“You’re getting it now,” Miss Miserable snarled. 

“Lovely,” Harry replied sarcastically.

The boy, who Harry put together was Goyal, approached Harry and grabbed him by the arm. Harry struggled; he tried pulling his arm away but the other was freakishly strong. Ares kid probably. As Goyal dragged him to the girls, Harry tried another option and tried shoving him away. A gust of wind whisked past Harry’s ear before his hand even came in contact with Goyal’s side.

“AHHH!” Goyal shouted while being raised to the air and practically thrown across one of the tables. Harry’s eyes went wide and he looked down at his hand felt cold and in shock. What the heck just happened?

“Ugh!” Pansy groaned. She was clearly not happy that her friend had just been thrown and humiliated. The remaining four went to advance on Harry so he did the only thing he could do. He pushed his hands forward as if he were moving a heavy box. It worked. The woosh sound came back and Pansy plus the other two went flying as well. Ginny was the only one who remained on her two feet as she wasn’t hit by the wind. 

“HA!” Harry exclaimed. 

Pansy was the first to get up with the help from Ginny. Her eyes were filled with rage and her Camp Half-Blood shirt had some leaves stuck to it. She then helped her girl friend up who looked ready to curse Harry out. 

“You’ll regret this,” Pansy snarled. “You understand?”

But she left with her friends who shot glares at Harry’s way. Now he was able to process what just happened. He looked down at his hands and traced every part of it to see if there was anything different. There wasn’t. He then looked around the mess hall to see if maybe there were really strong fans but there weren't. So, what the heck happened?

He heard footsteps crunching leaves from a short distance and Harry walked over. He found Hermione leaning against a tree with her arms crossed and either really impressed or really irritated. 

“You’re supposed to be in your cabin,” Hermione said. Irritated then. 

“Well.” Harry frowned. “ You’re not in your cabin.”
“Because I’ve come to tell you that you should be.” She stood up straighter. “You have no idea what just happened, do you?”

“Well– I mean– wait, you saw the whole thing?”

“Yes. And clearly, you still can’t figure out where you belong.”

“I belong in a bed,” Harry quipped. “So–”

“I want you on my team in capture the flag.”

Harry frowned. “What?”

“You heard me. Goodnight, Harry.”

Harry watched her walk back to the cabins. 

He was going to be forced to play, wasn’t he?

Chapter Text

Capture the flag was happening in five minutes and Harry could only think about how ridiculous he looked wearing the helmet with fuzzy blue stuff on top of it.

“Do I have to wear this?” Harry asked Tom and Ron. 

“Yes,” both boys said in unison. 

“Don’t think much about it,” Fred said while he walked past with his twin George and their half-brother Lee Jordan.

“But I look stupid,” Harry complained. 

“Good thing you don’t have a mirror then,” George said with a smirk.

Harry sighed and looked at Ron. He had his helmet tucked under his arm and his bow and arrows behind him. He flashed a bright smile when they made eye contact.

“Do we have a captain?” Harry asked his friends.

“Hermione,” Tom said. “She’s the head councilor in her cabin and quite possibly the strongest camper here.” 

“You’re not?” Harry asked, surprised.

Tom chuckled. “No. Hermione has led our team to three straight wins. She knows what she’s doing.”

“She was there when Ginny and her goons chased after me.”

“Goons?” Ron asked.

“Uh, those two And the girls.” Harry pointed to the two boys standing behind Ginny who was talking to Pansy. The other girl that was there was named Millicent. She was amongst the unclaimed which contributed to her sadness. 

“Oh, that’s Crabbe and Goyal,” Ron said. “Ginny’s half-brothers.”

“That makes sense,” Harry muttered. “So…  why is Hermione stalking me?”

“Hermione isn’t stalking you,” said Tom who was amused at the idea. “She’s seeing if you’re the one she’s been waiting for.”

“Waiting for what?”

“A quest Chiron’s been promising her for years. One day, a demigod would arrive who was fated to go on this quest that even Chiron couldn’t prevent. I’m confident she thinks it's you.”

“I’m not special.”

“I beg to differ.”

Harry blushed a deep red and looked away to avoid embarrassment. 

And then the conch shell blared through the woods. 

“Heroes!” Chiron announced. “It’s time. The game begins. The first team to retrieve the opposing flag and return it across the river shall be the victor! I trust the rules will be respected!”

“Alright.” Hermiones’ voice had Harry turning on his heels to face her. She had the same uniform, same ugly helmet, but she had a cap with an otter stitched on hooked to her belt. What’d she need that for? Was she bothered by the freaking sun? “We have twenty minutes before it’s game on.” She looked at Tom. “You  know what you’re doing?”

“Always,” he replied confidently.

“I don’t,” Harry muttered under his breath. He knew Hermione heard but chose to ignore it.

“We’re winning, okay?” She looked between Ron and Tom. Harry felt a pang of irritation that she wasn’t looking at him. “I’ll see you guys on the other side.”

Both boys gave a firm nod and walked away with their assigned groups. Harry went to follow Tom, But Hermione lightly grabbed his arm. 

“Not you, Sparky. You’re with me.”

“Sparky–?” Harry frowned. And then it clicked in. “Oh. Because of my lightning scar. Ha! Clever. Very funny,” he said sarcastically. 

“Thank you.” She smirked. “Come on. I need to show you your position.”

Harry bit his tongue to refrain from arguing or complaining. Maybe he could injure himself to get out of this game. Or maybe run and hide behind a bush? Both options seemed plausible but he had a feeling Hermione would still make him play with a broken arm or drag him out of the bushes. So, Harry followed. 

They walked in silence. Hermione being used to the armor walked easily but Harry felt like he had a force pulling him down with each step. He eventually fell behind, but surprisingly, Hermione didn’t seem to mind. She occasionally glanced behind her to make sure Harry was still there. And he was. 

“You know,” Harry started. “I can’t tell if you hate me. Tom says you don’t and so does Ron, but I think you do.” He waited for Hermione to deny it, but she didn’t. “Could you set your hatred aside for today? I need my dad to notice me and not in a bad way. I can’t get embarrassed. Mainly for him but also because I want to save the rest of my pride.”

Hermione stopped and turned around, her expression completely blank. “I don’t hate you,” she said and Harry was surprised that he could tell she wasn’t lying. “And you  need to stop hating yourself.”

“Wha–”

The conch shell boomed from a distance. 

“Game on.” She unclasped her hat and put it on. 

Harrys’ eyes went wide. “What the-?” He poked his finger forward and hit, what he believed to be Hermione’s forehead. “You’re still there!?”

“Gift from my mom,” Hermione said while taking it off. “Nice isn’t it?” Harry remained stunned in silence. “You’ll do great.”

“Do what great!?”

She smiled. “See you, Harry.” And then she disappeared. Literally. 

Harry groaned. Now what?

Harry aimlessly roamed the forest. He kicked rocks and swatted bugs. He picked flowers and put them in his hair in memory of his mom. She used to put daisies and lilies in her and Harry’s hair every time they went to the park. Harry would leave them in until they fell out; sometimes it’d be seconds but other times it’d be hours. This time, it stayed in for only a few minutes.

He twisted his ring and let his sword expand in his hand so he could swing it and practice with an invisible partner. He got bored and eventually parked himself on the ground with his shield cast away— his helmet long gone (he “accidentally” left it under some bushes)— and started picking at the grass.

It’s not long till Harry hears footsteps crunching on leaves and snapping twigs. He sat up, picked up his shield, and gripped his sword tighter. 

He rolled his eyes at the sight of Pansy and her posse.

“Flag’s not here,” Harry said. 

“Yeah, but revenge is more fun,” Ginny smiled sweetly and hit her spear on the ground for what Harry thought was a dramatic effect, but it was to have the top crackle with sparks. 

“I didn’t even do anything to you!”

“You messed with my friends, Harry,” she said. “It’s payback time.”  

Beside her, Pansy twirled her sword which was pink at the handle, and smirked. Millicent had her spatha and was flexing her fingers around the handle. 

Crabbe and Goyal, who (along with Ginny), didn’t have shields, stood behind the two girls in the same fighting stance, clearly waiting for orders. 

“Oh, you mean about the incident at the mess hall?” Harry nodded solemnly. “I accept your apology. You don’t have to—“

“You talk a lot for someone new,” Ginny grumbled. “I don’t like that.”

“Do you even like anything?” Harry countered.

“I like a lot of things. Can I show you?”

Of course, that wasn’t a real question. It was just Ginny’s way of starting the fight. She approached Harry without hesitation and swung her spear so hard that it rattled Harry’s shield when it made contact.

Harry stumbled with each attempt of hers to injure. The others circled and watched as Harry was electrocuted straight in the chest and fell backward. But the strike of shock wasn’t what had Harry falling on his butt but instead the force he was surprised Ginny had. 

He was surprised Ginny was taking the lead when Pansy was the one who hated Harry. He figured with Ginny being an Ares kid, her need to be in charge during fights was overpowering. 

He hated having his butt kicked by Ginny. Not because she was a girl. But because she was two years younger he knew she’d brag to the entire camp for embarrassing him. 

“Ow!” Harry complained before rushing to his feet. “No maiming is like the one rule!” 

“I’m not going to kill you,” Ginny said with an attitude. “I’m just playing the game.” 

Another strike, but this time from Pansy. Harry was able to block her attack but from his right side, Goyal slashed his arm with his sword. 

Harry gasped, his eyes widening as he felt blood slide down his arm and stain his Camp Half-Blood shirt. He was so screwed.  Crabbe attacked and Harry was barely able to block. Ginny’s spear hit Harry’s chest directly again but he stayed standing.

“Admit you’re a fraud,” Pansy demanded from beside him.

Harry’s eyes scanned the group that was prepared to beat Harry up. So, of course, Harry ran. He heard all of them follow and he just knew he was running to save even more embarrassment. 

He dodged trees and jumped over bushes but in reality, he had no idea where he was going. He found himself near the water but on a mini cliff where, if he fell, he wouldn’t die but it’d hurt more than a slash in the arm. Well, maybe. 

Pansy swung her sword and Harry blocked the attack but it was only a distraction for Millicent to knick his leg. He fell on one knee and rolled to the side quickly but awkwardly.

There was a block for each attack. He managed to knock Crabbe off the cliff; Goyal was not happy because he became more aggressive now that his half-brother was huffing and puffing on the rocks on the beach. But, with sudden strength and agility, Harry was able to get Goyal, Millicent, and Pansy. Harry had ripped Pansy’s sword out of her hand and tossed it off the cliff. He heard Crabbe shout ‘Hey’ and if Harry wasn’t fighting to stay upright against Ginny, he would have cackled. Goyal seemed to be too stunned at being defeated to continue, which Harry was grateful for.

Ginny thrusted her spear forward and Harry caught it in between the straps of his shield.

A sudden feeling of strength coursed through Harry and he yanked her and she staggered forward. She tried pulling her spear out but Harry had turned so harshly that he threw Ginny to the side and her spear snapped in half. She rolled on the floor a lot more gracefully than Harry had and she sat on her knees.

The other half of her spear was in her hands and she stared down, clearly mourning her broken weapon. She let out the most gut-wrenching scream. Harry felt it deep in his core and he truly felt bad.

She threw it aside and began approaching him with fire in her eyes, clearly prepared to fight without it. But then the conshell played through the woods and below the cliff and running on the beach was Tom with the flag and the rest of their team celebrating. 

Ginny glared at Harry. “You’ll pay,” she whispered harshly.

She helped Millicent to her feet and they stormed down the cliff to the others.

Harry let out a heavy breath and dropped his shield. He looked down at his half of Ginny’s spear and he guessed her dad Ares had given it to her. He walked towards the edge of the cliff and saw Ron waving at him before giving him a thumbs up.

Harry smiled and returned the thumbs up. 

“Not bad, Harry.”

A familiar voice had Harry turning around, completely stunned at the realization. “Were you there the whole time?!”

Hermione appeared by taking off her hat. She wore a gentle smile and her eyes were bouncing around all his wounds. “That was excellent.”

“Why didn’t you help me—?” 

“Did you really need my help?” she asked, clearly trying to prove a point.

Harry huffed. “It would’ve been nice!”

“Look, Harry…” Hermione approached him, her expression softening. She stopped right in front of him but before she went to speak she froze and looked behind Harry with a puzzled expression. Harry turned to follow her train of sight but there wasn’t anything interesting happening besides the celebration. 

And then the next thing Harry knew, he was shoved off the mini cliff.

“AH!” Harry put his hands in front of him to brace for impact but he never hit the rocks. His face, along with his entire body, was hovering over the ground. “What…” he gasped.

He looked around and saw the entire camp staring at him with wide eyes. Somehow, he was able to move himself so he was standing- no floating upright. A cold breeze in the hot sun felt like it was circling him. He could feel some of his hair move from the wind that was not there before. 

He looked down and slowly and gently he was somehow set on the ground. He spun around and looked up at Hermione who had a wide smirk on her face.

“I- what just happened?”  he shouted up at her. 

“Look up!” she shouted back. 

“I am!”

“Look up even more, Harry!”

Harry frowned and practically threw his head back to stare up. His eyes widened when he saw a lightning bolt hovering above him. He stumbled back but it seemed to follow him. 

“What is that!?” 

“It’s your dad, Harry!” Ron came running up to him. He didn’t look surprised but it was clear he was worried. “He’s claimed you!”

“All hail Harry Potter!” Chiron came trotting through the crowd. “Son of Zeus, Lord of the Sky, King of the Gods!”

“What!?”

The next day, Harry found himself in the Big House with Chiron and Mr. D. He wished Ron or Buck was with him, maybe even Tom, but they were forced to stay away. Harry had slept in Cabin 1 and it had been awful. He had to bring a sleeping bag from Cabin 11 and place it in the very corner where he curled into himself and forced himself to sleep through the night, even with the nightmares of the same cloaked man who was convinced he could help Harry. It was getting annoying for him. It truly was. 

 Now, Harry stood in front of Chiron and Mr. D and he was completely stunned with the information he was just told. 

Chiron moved around the table and stood beside Mr. D who had his arms crossed and glasses off, giving off the clear annoyance of Harry’s lack of words. 

“A war?” Harry finally repeated. “Is it about to break out? Because someone stole Posiden’s trident?”

“The symbol of his power, Harry,” Chiron replied patiently. “And he believes you stole it.”

“I stole it?!” he exclaimed. “I just found out I was a demigod like last week! Why does he think-”

“Because you are a forbidden child!” Mr. D snapped. 

Harry paused. “A what?”

“Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades have made an oath that has been broken,” Chiron explained. “They swore to never bear children after World War Ⅱ. But, as you can see, it was ignored… You are alone among your brethren. You are the only demigod who is the child of Zeus.”

“Oh…” Harry frowned. He didn’t like that. How was he still an outlier amongst demigods? How was he still different? “And now you want me to go on a quest to find Poseidon’s trident?”

“Your father needs you, Harry,” Chiron continued. “You are our only hope to stop this ridiculous war that is coming.” He took a step forward. “Will you accept the quest?”

Harry kept his expression blank. He needed more information. He couldn’t agree without knowing anything. But also— was he even going to say yes? 

“Do you know who actually stole it?” Harry asked. “That would, um, be helpful to know before I go and agree.”

“There is one brother among the three who hates the most… Zeus and Poseidon have had disagreements, but they have kept quiet with each other for centuries. Until now. The brother who resides in the Underworld stirred up this feud, and it needs to be stopped.”

“Hades,” Harry said, his eyes going wide. He noticed the look Chiron and Mr. D exchanged, and it quickly clicked for Harry. “I would have to go to the Underworld, wouldn’t I?”

“Yes,” Chiron agreed.

Oh gods. Harry had been surprised before. Once his mom got him a red bike for his birthday. Another time, he got a C- on a history test when he thought he’d get an F. But this was a whole other level. He felt his heart drop down to his stomach and then come back up to pound against his chest like a boombox on full volume.

“No,” Harry choked out. “Absolutely not.”

“You have been claimed by Zeus!” Chiron’s voice had never been more defiant. “This is his will!”

“Zeus has never been there for me. And now he wants me to do him a favor? How is that fair?”

“You are his son!” Mr. D shouted. “How can you not see that since you are a forbidden child, when you bring Poseidon’s trident back to him, it’ll be the perfect peace offering!”

“And if I say no?”

“You’d be a fool.”

Okay. Hermione having a hat that makes her invisible is just completely unfair. She was standing near the front door, clasping her hat onto her jeans.

“You have to go, Harry,” she said.

“It’s suicide,” he snapped.

“It’s what comes with being a demigod.”

“I don’t—“ Harry stopped himself from saying something stupid. He shook his head, trying to think of anything that would make him feel better, but all he could think of was he’d be able to distract himself from thinking of his mom.

Before he opened his mouth to ask more questions, Ron and Buck came running in.

“Are you going on the quest?” Buck rushed out.

“How do you know—“

“Being claimed by Zeus now isn’t a coincidence,” Buck explained. “Have you gone to the oracle?”

“I still haven’t agreed,” Harry replied awkwardly.

“Harry, you have to go,” Ron said gently. “I know it’s probably a lot, but it’s needed…”

Harry sighed and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. This was stressful. Very stressful. He looked at Ron and even though he was blurry, Harry could tell he had faith in him. 

“Okay,” Harry muttered and put his glasses back on. He looked at Chiron and suppressed any noise of annoyance. “I accept the quest.”

“You’ll have to seek the counsel of the Oracle.”

“And where is that?” 

“Hi?” Harry squeaked

A shriveled old female was sitting on a chair with beads for necklaces and a skirt that had soot all over it. She looked ancient and her eyes were completely white. Harry felt like she was suffering even though she wasn’t moving. He wondered what happened to her.

“Um, hello?” Harry said louder. 

The lady twitched and slowly sat up. Harry wanted to run out and tell someone else to listen to this lady who was now exerting green mist from her mouth.

I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python.

Oh great. Why do things keep talking in Harry’s brain? 

Approach, seeker, and ask. 

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped forward. “What is my destiny?”

And then the worst thing happened. The green mist swirled and formed Snivellus and his group of friends who were ugly and unmannered. The one named Mulciber glared at Harry from his seat. His brooding scowl made Harry furious. He’s always wanted to deck him. And everyone else who was playing poker at the old table. 

You shall go west, and face the god who has turned. 

The other named Avery said You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned. 

Well, that sounded good, right? Harry would succeed. 

You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, said the third guy that Harry didn’t know the name of. 

And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end, Snape finished before the mist disappeared completely. 

That wasn’t promising. That wasn’t reassuring at all. This just made Harry even more stressed. And he couldn’t back down now. 

With a heavy sigh, Harry went back downstairs where Ron, Buck, and surprisingly Hermione were waiting with Chiron and Mr. D. His two friends looked anxious; Buck was chewing a Sprite can (something Harry had gotten used to seeing now) and Ron was picking at his fingernails which was also common for him. Hermione was calm and collected. She was the only one standing and the only one who was attentive when Harry walked in. 

“What did the oracle say?” Hermione asked and approached him.  Ron and Buck jumped out of their seats and did the same. 

“She said I would retrieve what was stolen and then go west and face a god who has turned.”

“Is that all?” Chiron pressed. 

“Yes,” Harry answered quickly. He didn’t want anyone to know he’d fail. He didn’t want to pre-disappoint more people because– and maybe this was selfish– because he wouldn’t be able to bear the embarrassment. “That’s all.”

“Now you must choose who you want to accompany you on this quest,” Chiron said with a grin. 

“Ron,” Harry said easily. He looked over at his friend whose eyes went wide. It was clear the Son of Apollo didn’t believe he was going to be asked. “If– If he wants to.”

“Do I want to? Of course, I do!” Ron exclaimed. He high-fived his friend. “That means I have to pack! Okay, I’ll be in my cabin!” Ron rushed off, muttering to himself about what to bring. 

Harry couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“Now you need another,” Chiron added. 

Harry looked at Buck who immediately shook his head. “I’m sorry, Harry, but I’ve been tasked to do something on my own by The Council.”

“That’s okay,” Harry assured with a smile. But that meant he had to pick someone else. He took a quick glance at Hermione who had her arms crossed and a stern look. He recalled what Tom had told him about how Hermione had been waiting for a quest for years. Maybe this was the one for her. 

“Okay,” Harry sighed. “You’re smart.”

“I’m more than smart.”

“Alright, Brainiac, we don’t want your head to implode,” Harry teased, which was uncommon for him to do with Hermione. 

“At least I have stuff up there, Sparky,” Hermione smirked and walked out of the Big House to– probably– pack. 

Harry gasped, but he was more amused and stunned than hurt at the cheeky remark Hermione shot back. 

This quest was going to be filled with insults banter and disagreements. 

This should be lovely. 

While walking to Cabin 1, Buckbeak stopped him. “There was more to the Prophecy, wasn’t there?”

Harry’s eyes went wide. “How did you–”

“I can feel the secrecy, Harry.” He offered a comforting smile. “What did it say?”

Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses. “It said I’d be betrayed by one who calls me friend… I figured if I brought Ron and you, the Prophecy wouldn’t come true. But now that Hermione is coming instead of you… she’s going to betray me, isn’t she?”

“Hmmm, I don’t know, Harry. Prophecies are really tricky. And Hermione, she’s… really different.”

“What do you mean?”

“Her intentions are always good, but she sometimes lacks sympathy. Look, don’t tell anyone I told you this, but before she came to camp, Hermione had never really received sympathy from her stepmom. Sympathy or any belief of her nightmares. And her dad just sort of let her be that way to Hermione. It’s sad, but now Hermione thinks people should just get over things easily.”

“Oh.” Harry wasn’t sure what to say. He couldn’t imagine not having comfort from a parent. Lily had always been there for Harry. When he’d get a cold or get into an argument with Snape. Even when Harry needed to be picked up from school because he got into another fight, she was always there. But now she wasn’t… 

“Just, don’t hate Hermione for being blunt and maybe emotionless. She doesn’t know how else to react.”

Harry nodded and said his goodbyes to Buck before he set off on his way to pack.

Chapter Text

“You're lucky your father is the God of the Skies,” Ron said while stuffing his bag with clothes. 

Harry was standing in the doorway of Apollo Cabin, watching his friend pack in the most disorganized way. “We can take a plane to Los Angeles instead of a bus. You think Chiron will give us enough money for first class?”

Harry snorted. “Will we even have enough for three tickets?”

“Fred and George stole us an extra 250 dollars from the camp’s store.” He pulled out the cash from his pocket to show and then stuffed it in his bag. “Only nice thing they’ve done for me in years .” He finished stuffing a toothbrush in the side pocket and closed his bag. “Ready!”

“Ron, your packing is horrendous,” Harry noted with a teasing smile.

“Thank you!” He chuckled. “Okay, do you think Hermione is ready?” 

Harry nodded. “She’s probably with Chiron.” 

Ron grabbed his bow, his arrows, and his pocket belt that contained ambrosia and Disney bandaids. 

“Let’s go find her.”

On their way to the Big House, they’re stopped by Tom who was holding a necklace in his hand.

“Hey! Glad I caught you guys before you left.” He held out the necklace for Harry to take which he did. He looked down at it and saw it was a circle-ish shaped locket with a key beautifully engraved in it. 

“What’s this for?” Harry asked, trying to hide his blush. 

“I got it on a quest,” he explained. “I wasn’t sure what it did but I realized it helps influence The Mist.”

“No way!” Ron exclaimed. “Can I see it?” 

Harry gave the locket to Ron who started to admire it.

“I hope it’s useful,” Tom said with his classic charming smile. He explained to them how it was used; a simple swipe of a thumb over the open locket will influence that magic that shields the mortals from monsters and reality of it all. 

Harry and Ron thanked Tom before parting ways. Ron tried giving Harry the locket back, but Harry shook his head.

“You wear it. Necklaces don’t look good on me.”

“Awesome!” Ron exclaimed and put it on.

They made it to the top of the hill where the creek that streamed for the border of Camp Half-Blood was. Harry had learned that the girl named Luna who had saved Tom and Hermione was turned by her father Poseidon into the creek. Demigods place rocks and people from the Hephaestus cabin have made small structures that looked like they were meant for a fish tank but instead to encapsulate the way Tom and Hermione have described Luna. 

Hermione was kneeling on the ground and fixing one of the lily pads that had been floating away. She was muttering under her breath, probably telling Luna about the quest she was about to endure. Harry wanted to say something comforting but all he made was an awkward noise. Hermione looked up and rolled her eyes while standing. 

“Finally ready?” She looked between the two boys. 

“Did the store give you the drachmas?” Ron asked. 

“Cedric gave me 25 instead of 20,” Hermione said. “And he gave me one hundred and fifty mortal dollars.”

“Awesome! Now we have 400!” Ron exclaimed.

“Fred and George stole the rest, I’m assuming.”

Ron grinned as an answer. 

“So, how do we get to the airport?” Harry asked while fixing his glasses that were starting to fall off. “Don’t tell me we’re walking.”

They walked until they could get a taxi to the city. The ride was silent but Harry figured Ron and Hermione could hear his mind racing. Every nervous thought felt like a shock of electricity in his hands. He was getting antsy being cooped up in the car. His leg shook so hard that when it accidentally hit Ron, he electrocuted him. Ron jolted awake and hit his head on the car roof. Harry stammered multiple apologies and Ron laughed before falling back asleep.

When the second hour was approaching, Harry finally asked Hermione a question that had been in his mind all day. 

“Did you know I was a forbidden child?” 

Hermione looked over at him, her expression unreadable, but her tone was surprisingly gentle. “I had my guess… with what Ron told me about the minotaur and what happened with Ginny. It was clear but I knew better than to say anything.” 

“Your friend Luna… she was a forbidden child too, right?”

Hermione stiffened beside him. “Yes. Why?”

“They attract more monsters, don’t they?” Harry asked but he knew the answer. 

“Yes. And with Hades after you, it’s going to be even worse for us.”

Harry nodded. The taxi faded into silence but one of Harry’s insecurities slipped out of his mouth. “What if I mess up?” 

“Demigods mess up,” Hermione replied without a second thought. “It’s in our blood.”

“You’re saying you’ve messed up?” Harry looked over at her and smirked. 

She rolled her eyes, but not unkindly. She had a ghost of a grin on her lips and it made Harry amused. “I will not be answering that.”

Harry laughed which woke Ron up. “What? What’s funny?” he said quickly. 

“You were drooling in your sleep,” Harry teased.

“Aw, man!” Ron wiped his mouth. “Are we close?” He looked out the window and immediately his entire demeanor changed. His expression turned bitter but his nail-picking habit surfaced. Maybe it was because of the obvious. “Oh. We’re here.” 

“Not to be Captain Obvious, but, um, we’re not at the airport,” Harry said.

Harry had realized that about thirty minutes ago, but Hermione hadn’t said anything so Harry thought to keep his mouth shut. But now Ron was confirming their destination was correct so it left Harry confused.

“You didn’t tell him?” Ron looked over at Hermione who looked surprised.

“I figured you did.”

“Tell me what?” 

“Harry, how did you think we’d get our plane tickets?”

“Well…“ Harry huffed. “Which adult is going to buy our tickets?”

“My mom,” Ron said before getting out of the car and slamming the door shut.

“Shouldn’t we go in with him?” Harry looked at Hermione who shook her head. 

Harry then followed Hermione out of the taxi that sped off the moment the door shut. 

“Ron and his half-siblings are year-rounders at camp like me for a reason.”  Hermione sighed. “That’s all I say.”

Harry frowned. Ron’s never mentioned his mom before. He figured with how upbeat Ron was, along with Fred and George, they had a decent home life. It was surprising to know Ron probably hadn’t been here in years.

“Are you a year rounder?” Harry asked. 

Hermione stiffened once more. Harry hated when she did that, he hated he made her react negatively. “Why are you asking?”

“Um, just trying to get to know you,” he answered quickly. With what Buck told him, the assumption seemed spot on, but he shouldn’t assume. “I mean, we’re on a quest that has us at high stakes. Shouldn’t I know more about you?”

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she shifted in her seat. “Yes, I’m a year-rounder. My dad and step-mom aren’t really… supportive. I left because they didn’t love me.”

Harry frowned. “They didn’t love you? Or they didn’t understand you the way you wanted them to?” he blurted out without a second thought. 

Hermiones' eyes went wide. Her surprise was as equal as Harry’s. They stared at each other, silence filling the already quiet street. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Hermione seethed after a few moments, her jaw clenched and hands in fists. 

“I’m–I’m sorry, I was just– I believe whatever you’re saying. But sometimes, like, miscommunication happens.” Harry shrugged helplessly. “My mom was very keen on communication. It’s quite annoying sometimes.”

“Can we move on? Like, now. Thank you.” Hermione folded her arms across her chest and huffed. 

Harry nodded awkwardly and parked his butt on the cement sidewalk while they waited for Ron.  

After about twenty minutes, Ron came storming out, muttering curse words until he approached the other two.

“We have to print them out at the library. Let’s go.”

Ron moved around them and started walking down the street. Harry glanced at Hermione who shot him a look that said: don’t say anything. And Harry listened.

When they entered the library, they ran to the computer where Ron logged into his Mom’s email and hurried to print the tickets out. 

One thing Harry learned was that demigods can’t use technology because it attracts monsters. It made sense now why his mom kept those things from him and, honestly, Harry never cared. It wasn’t like he had friends to keep in touch with. 

“I’ll be back,” Hermione whispered. And before Harry could object, she put her cap on and disappeared. Great. Harry guessed she wasn’t going to the bathroom. 

Ron pulled up Harry and Hermione’s tickets and pressed print, but then his hand hovered over the mouse before he scrolled to his own. 

“Harry, could you go grab the tickets?” Ron asked quickly. 

“You haven’t printed yours out,” Harry said. 

“Yes, I did. Just go get it.”

“But–” 

“Harry,” Ron said tightly. “Just get the tickets. Please.”

Harry sighed and listened. He grabbed their tickets, folded them, and put them in his pocket. He watched the printer, waiting for Ron’s ticket. What was so secretive about Ron’s ticket? So many ideas and questions flooded Harry’s mind but none of them made any real sense. Was it his age? Do plane tickets have people's heights on them? Or did Ron not want Harry to see his legal name: Ronald? 

The printer made its noise and Ron dashed to it like he had when they were at school and he wanted to be first in the lunch line. He snatched the piece of paper before folding it aggressively and stuffing it in his pocket. 

“Okay, ready!” Ron announced to Harry. 

“Ron, what’s on your ticket?” 

“Nothing!” he replied hastily. “Can we just move on?”

“Ron–”

“Harry, shut up!” Ron snapped. 

Harry’s eyes went at the sudden hostility. Ron had never been angry with him before; he had only been like that with Dudley and his friends. And once with Cormac McLaggen, Son of Aphrodite, who was crossing Hermione's boundaries. Ron had almost decked him. If it wasn’t for Padma Patil and Seamus Finnigan, who held him back. Harry believed Cormac would have had a bloody nose and no Apollo kid to heal him. 

“You know you’re really meant to be quiet in a library.”

The two of them turned around. 

“Mrs. Carrow?” Harry and Ron said in unison. 

“Dim you both are.” Mrs. Carrows' entire body transformed just like she did on the field trip. Her real name was Alecto, Harry had found out. One of three furies that are after Harry on Hades' orders. Hermione had told him about them in the taxi and Harry remembered saying ‘Oh great. Just what I needed. The Kindly Ones on my butt.’

“You’re coming with me, Half-Blood.” Her wings expanded and she was prepared to grasp Harry by the neck but Ron tugged him to the side, causing Harry to spin away. His sword, LightningScar, expanded in his hand, but Ron was quicker to his weapon. He had pulled out an arrow from his quiver and stabbed it directly in Alecto’s chest. 

Hermione then appeared beside them, her dagger drawn and ears perked for danger. “We need to go. Her sister isn’t far,” Hermione said. 

“We’ll follow you,” Ron put his arrow back in its home, but he took his bow off his shoulder and held it instead. 

“No, you know the area better,” Hermione said. “We’ll follow you.”

The trio hurried out of the library. No heads were turned at the three kids who were carrying weapons and checking their six every other second. Harry heard wings flapping from above and it was getting closer which he wasn’t thrilled about. 

“We're going to have to fight her!” Ron knocked back an arrow but he stumbled on a rock which caused him to miss. Ron swore and focused on running instead. 

“Let Harry fight her!” Hermione shouted.

“Why just me?” Harry demanded. 

“For practice!” Hermione grabbed Ron by the arm and tugged him into an alley between two stores they were running by.

It was Harry’s turn to swear. Why must Hermione do this to him? It was like she wanted Harry to embarrass himself. 

Quickly, he turned to face The Fury who had swooped down to grab him. Instead, she caught Harry’s wrist the moment he swung his sword. 

“You’re coming with me!” she hissed. 

“Am not!” Harry let go of his sword, caught it with his left hand, and slashed her side. A neat trick Tom had taught him in their hours of training. 

Ron and Hermione stepped out of the alleyway and jogged up to Harry who glared at the Daughter of Athena. 

“You’re alive, aren’t you?” She gave him a pat on the back. “Do you have my ticket?”

“Yeah. Here.” Harry shoved it into her hand. “And Ron should have his, but I wouldn’t know.”

They both glared at him. 

Harry shrugged. 

“Come on.” Hermione shook her head. “We’ll cut through the park, but we have to be careful and quick. Our flight leaves in an hour and a half.”

With Harry’s obvious snide, the trio fell quiet. Harry was on the verge of snatching Ron's plane ticket from his pocket and reading it himself. But whatever was on it, clearly wasn’t meant for Harry’s eyes. 

Whatever it was, it must be horrible. What else could it be?

While walking through the park, all of them were on high alert. Especially Harry who was growing paranoid. He could feel eyes on him but he couldn’t figure out from where. 

“Hey, that looks like Buckbeak.”

Ron’s words drew Harry out of his paranoia. To the left was a statue, clearly of a satyr. Ron was right, it did look like Buck, but older. Ron began to trace it, but Harry had noticed something he hadn’t. Stone circles making a path led behind the statue and through a groove. 

He started following it as if there were a tug guiding him. Through the trees, statues of park rangers and people who looked on the verge of screaming were standing on both sides as if they were being presented. But who put them there for show?

“Harry, no–” Hermione had caught up to him. “You haven’t heard?”

“No?” Harry mumbled as he continued to walk.

“Harry!” She grasped his arm. “It’s a modern myth. This path leads to death. But no one knows why or how.”

“Aunty Em’s garden,” Ron said from behind. “Did you both miss the sign behind the satyr?”

Harry’s ‘yes’ overlapped with Hermiones’ ‘maybe.’

“A Daughter of Athena misses something?” A female voice, husk and beautiful, said from ahead. “Well, mortals do say there’s a first for everything.”

The trio had drawn their weapons. Ron was cautious and aimed his bow behind them in case of an ambush. Hermione stepped forward with her dagger held in front of her. Harry was left in the middle, guarding their left and right. 

“Who’s there?” Harry asked loudly. 

“Have you not figured it out yet?” That’s okay… I’ll give you a few moments.”

The 3 demigods all glanced at each other. Harry was trying to think of creatures from the Underworld who might be after Harry as well. Ron’s cogs were turning but the lightbulb above Hermione finally went off. 

“Look down!”

Ron listened, but Harry was confused. “Why?”

“Harry, please!” Hermione snapped with worry. Only because of her tone, Harry looked down. 

“Well done,” the voice said. The sound of heels hitting the stones filled his ears. She was getting closer. “Hello, Demigods. I’m Medusa.”

Standing in a gazebo, staring down in fear of being turned into a statue, was something Harry hadn’t anticipated for today. Medusa was sitting at a small table, pouring what Harry assumed was cold tea. 

“You’ve all fallen silent,” Medusa noted. “Not really common for demigods.”

“Uhm, Ma’am? Miss? Medusa?” Ron’s voice squeaked as he spoke. “Is there a reason you invited us for tea?”

“You’re on a quest,” she claimed. “I’ve invited you in here because I saw a fury fly in search of you 3. I figured I’d keep you out of her sight for a moment.”

“You’re offering us help?” Hermione speculated.

“You think I’d hold a grudge simply because you are a daughter of Athena?” She tapped her spoon in her cup. “We are not our parents.”

“But sometimes we are what people say,” Hermione replied with her words holding a grudge. 

“You’re loyal to your mother. But it may come to your surprise that I am not a monster.”

“Then what are you?” Harry asked.

“A survivor.”

Silence filled the gazebo. Harry’s heart raced as each silent moment increased. The situation was heavy in the small space. Something was about to happen and he wasn’t sure how to prepare. 

Medusa stood from her seat and Harry tensed as she slowly walked over to Hermione. 

“Close your eyes!” Hermione ordered. Again, Ron listened but Harry remained staring directly at the floor. His ring vibrated against his index finger as if asking to be twisted. Almost. Just not yet. 

From what Harry could tell, Medusa had raised her hand and brought it up to Hermiones’ face to get her to look at her. 

“Do you really trust the Son of Zeus?” Medusa whispered. “Or shall you continue to keep the truth from him?”

“Let go of my face,” Hermione whispered fiercely. 

“What is she talking about?” Harry asked.

“The Pride of Athena… are you proud?”

Harry could hear Hermione’s breath turn shaky. His ring vibrated harder. 

“But you have chosen to be like her. And I don’t appreciate that… Open your eyes, Miss Granger. Open them.”

Harry didn’t need anything else to do something very uncalculated. LightingScar expanded in his hand and he closed his eyes while he moved behind Medusa and cut off her head. 

When the head toppled over, Hermione gripped the sides of Harrys’ face to stop him from looking directly at it. 

“That was stupid!” Hemione scolded. 

“I just saved your life!” Harry snapped. 

“And you could have lost yours in the process!”

“Alright!” Ron stepped in between them. “Without looking down, what do we do with her head?”

Hermione unclasped her hat and closed her eyes; she knelt and searched for Medusas’ head before placing it on there. “We have to get rid of it.”

“We could send it to Olympus,” Ron joked. 

That perked Harry’s interest. However, was that the best idea? Would his father appreciate such an outrageous action? What about Athena and Poseidon, the two who were intertwined with Medusas’ story? Harry didn’t exactly want to piss off Hermione’s mom and one of the two gods that wanted Harry dead. 

“We’ll send it to my house,” Harry said. “Where do we get a box?”

“There’s a post office at the airport,” Ron suggested. 

“Perfect! Um…” Harry crouched down and awkwardly picked up the invisible head. “Got it.” Secretly, he hoped Snivillius would open it and see it.

“Oh gods,” Hermione muttered but she knew she wouldn’t be able to change his mind. “Well, come on then. We’re already running behind!”

Harry clutched Medusa’s head close to his chest and they resumed their journey to the airport. Medusa’s words lingered in his mind. What was Hermione keeping from him? What truth wasn’t known?

“Hermione, what was Medusa talking about?” Harry asked. She remained silent, pretending she hadn’t heard. “What truth?” When she didn’t stop walking, Harry grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him. “Hermione?”

She sighed, shaking her head before looking him directly into his eyes. “Your mom is still alive.”

“What?” Harry and even Ron said in unison. “What do you mean she’s still alive?” Harry demanded. 

“Hades has her in the underworld. I overheard Chiron and Mr. D talking about it.”

Harry roughly let go of her arm. “And you kept this from me, why?”

“Because your head needs to stay on track for our quest!”

“Hermione,” Ron said aghast. 

“This quest needs to be completed or a war breaks out. I couldn’t let it interfere.”

“Hermione, she’s my mom! How could you?” Harry snapped in disbelief. “Gods, Buck was right. You can be emotionless.”

Hermione’s eyes went wide. “Excuse me?”

“He told me your sympathy was completely gone! And I thought maybe he was wrong because everyone feels it at some point, but you, really don’t, do you?”

“You don’t know anything about me, Harry!” she shouted. “Whatever Buck told you, he doesn’t fully understand!”

“No, but I think I understand what the prophecy meant.” Harry scoffed. “I knew it! I knew it! You’d be the one to betray me!” He shook his head and continued walking.

“What?” Hermione stopped him. “You didn’t mention that at Camp.”

“You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend,” Harry echoed the Prophecy. “I thought maybe you wouldn’t, but now… it was right.”

“I kept it from you because I wanted you to stay focused. If there were a chance to save your mom and stop the war, of course, I would have told you. But I assumed there wasn’t a way! You can’t negotiate with a god! Let alone a god of the Big 3!”

“Okay!” Ron stepped between them once again. He looked at Hermione and shot her a look, clearly telling her to calm down. He then looked at Harry and gave him a look saying ‘she’s trying her best.’ “Our flight leaves in–” He looked down at his watch. “45 minutes. I say we walk in silence because, Harry, I’m not sure if you noticed, but sparks are shooting out of your fingers.”

Harry looked down and saw that it was true. He wiped his hands on his shirt and muttered a quick apology. 

“It’s going to be tense. There’s going to be disagreements, but we have to do this quest.” Ron’s eyes danced between Harry and Hermione. “And Harry, I’ll help you figure out a way to get your mom, okay? We’ll get her back and retrieve the Trident.”

 “Okay,” Harry mumbled. He glanced at Hermione who had her arms folded and a conflicted look plastered on her face. But they continued to the airport in silence. 

When they made it to the post office located inside, they walked in and asked for a medium size box. The lady looked at them funny but gave it to them anyway. They put Medusa’s head in and Harry took off Hermione’s cap and gave it to her. 

After slapping stamps on it, and writing ‘For Severus,’ they shipped it off, and then their rushed journey through the airport began.

Chapter Text

Ron called the window seat, and Harry, even though still angry at Hermione, let her take the aisle. She had, after all, guided them through the airport and gotten them there on time before they closed the gates. 

As they went over the in case of emergencies segment, Hermione sighed and tapped Harry on the shoulder. He looked at her and frowned. It looked like she had tears in her eyes, but when she blinked, they were gone. 

“I don't apologize,” she began. ¨Because I’ve never received one that was sincere… But I…” She inhaled sharply. But maybe there is a way… I’m not sure how yet, but I’ll help you and Ron…”

Harry cracked a light smile. “How hard was it for you to say that you were wrong?”

Hermione glared. “Shut up, I wasn't wrong. I just came to realize later that that was an option,” she muttered. “But I’ll help.”

“Thanks, Hermione.” He knocked his shoulder against her. It was her turn to crack a small smile, and Harry thought it suited her. 

The plane eventually departed; Hermione was able to pull out a book she brought with her and began reading. Ron, on the other hand, was still trying to get comfortable in his seat.

“Do we get free pretzels?” Ron grumbled. He was angry he couldn’t stretch his legs out. 

“Ron, you have snacks in your bag,” said Hermione. 

With the necklace Tom had given Harry (who gave it to Ron), they were able to use The Mist to hide their food and their weapons from their bags. Going through security, Harry was glad the machine couldn’t detect sweating and heart palpitations. When their bags went through the x-ray, one of them had pulled out Harry’s ring, looked at it, and then put it back in the tray. 

“I thought I was going to throw up,” Ron had said when they walked away. 

Harry had, in his mouth, but he had chosen not to say that. 

“I don’t want to get in trouble, though,” Ron said.

“Just say you bought it at one of the stores,” Harry suggested. 

“Smart!” He grabbed his bag and pulled out a bag of chips that were now most likely crushed from the weight Ron had put on it with his feet. 

Harry put the tray down in front of him and rested his head on it to try and take a nap. He hadn’t slept well the night before, considering he was worried about the quest. He hadn’t really processed that he and his friends would be going to the Underworld. Could anyone prepare for such a thing?

And aside from the unbelievable path ahead of him, the thought of his Mom still being alive added to the confidence he had been lacking. With Lily still out there, that meant Harry hadn’t totally messed up. Lily being captured by Hades still left Harry with a guilty conscience, but he must have done something right for him not to kill her immediately, right? 

Right. Harry refused to believe otherwise. 

Ron ate his bag of chips and fell asleep immediately. Hermione was nose deep in her book, and Harry had pulled out his Walkman and headphones, put in the mix tape his mom had packed in his bag, and let himself fall asleep.

Music sometimes helped him with his nightmares. It tended to make them more bearable, and he wouldn’t wake up crying or breathing heavily. The number of times he’s thanked his mom for the idea was uncountable. She really was awesome. 

But instead of waking up to the plane landing, Hermione was shaking him awake.

“What? What?” Harry frantically took off his headphones. 

“We have a problem!” Ron rushed out before Hermione could finish her sentence. “Look!” He pointed out the window, and Harry gasped. 

“Ron, use the necklace,” Hermione ordered while unbuckling her seatbelt. Harry stuffed his Walkman in his bag and followed suit. Ron pulled out the locket from underneath his shirt and opened it; he brushed his thumb over the inside a few times, activating the magic Tom had explained to the boys. 

“That should have done it for the mortals,” Ron said quickly. “But how are we meant to fight on a plane?”

“We’ll have to open the Emergency Exit door. Ron, you’ll have to use your arrows.” Hermione led the group down the aisle. “Harry, if that doesn’t work, you’ll have to summon lightning.”

“I–”

CRASH. 

Fury Number 3 came smashing through the door. Hermione, who had been in front, was slammed against the other Emergency Exit. She yelled out a curse while both boys shouted her name. The Fury grabbed her arm and tossed her to the opened door; Harry watched in horror as Hermione scrambled to grab onto something while half her body hung from the plane. 

“HARRY!” Hermione screamed. 

“Oh gods!” Harry twisted his ring, and LightingScar appeared in his hand. Behind him, Ron was trying to balance himself from the turbulence only known to them. But Harry felt stronger as everything was being sucked out of the plane while the Mortals were still doing their normal things. The winds circled him, lifting him into the air. 

Okay. Harry could fight in a plane while floating. And he needed to do it quickly because Hermione was struggling to hold on to the seatbelt that was starting to rip off the seat that, luckily, didn’t have a Mortal in it. 

He hadn’t figured out how to control his flying. When he had been training with Tom, they tried it a few times, but it was proven difficult because Tom never had experience with such magic before. But he had learned to move forward and attack. 

The Fury seemed surprised at the ability Harry was gifted with because she hadn’t seen the sword coming. Watching her dissolve to dust would have been satisfying if it weren’t for Hermione’s scream fading out. 

The belt had ripped off. 

Hermione was falling. 

“HERMIONE!” Ron’s wretched sob was heartbreaking 

Harry was left petrified. 

What was he meant to do? Ron was on the verge of a panic attack, and Harry seemed to be going crazy with ideas that all were dangerous but one finally clicked. It was risky, completely putting out a chance of all three of them dying instead of one.

“Ron, get on my back!” Harry demanded. 

“Wh–what?”

“Now!”

Ron, even though confused, listened. His mind was filled with determination, his heart was filled with lightening. With the strength of being a Demigod and being the son of Zeus, Harry carried Ron on his back as he jumped out of the plane. Everything in the past week had been close to unimaginable. What was so wrong with adding more to the chaos?

The winds weren't affecting him. He could hear perfectly fine instead of hearing the whoosh a typical person would get in their ears. His glasses had fallen off- everything was blurry as he searched for his friend. When he found her drifting father below, Harry realized she wasn't screaming. Her body soared limp, and Harry knew she had accepted her fate. 

Not an option.

“ARE WE CLOSE TO HERMIONE?” Ron shouted. 

“Yes!” he lied. 

He forced the winds to guide him faster. The altitude made it easier to push him forward. They were falling at a rapid pace, but it only made Harry stronger. As they grew closer to the Daughter of Athena, Harry squinted and realized her eyes were closed. 

"Hermione!" he cried. 

Hermione yelped. "Holy Hera!" she screamed as her hair tangled in her mouth. "What are you doing!?"

“Saving your life!” He reached his hand out. “Give me your hand!”

The moment they grabbed hands, Harry pulled Hermione close to him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and locked them behind Ron, who screamed, "I'M GLAD YOU'RE ALIVE, HERMIONE."

As the flew closer to the ground, Harry grew anxious. He closed his eyes and started focusing on the fresh air circling him. his body radiated with desperation. Somehow, he managed to do what should been the impossible and slowed down. 

The look in Hermione’s eyes was filled with admiration as they slowed. At least he believes so. He couldn't tell without his glasses. “You jumped out of a plane for me,” she awed. 

“We,” Ron muttered, but only Harry heard. 

“I couldn’t let you die.” Harry smiled. 

“You’re an idiot, Sparky.”

“A simple thank you would be awesome, Brainiac.”

When Harry’s feet landed on the ground, Ron jumped off his back and rushed to the side to throw up. Hermione unhooked her legs and let out a sigh of relief. Harry could see her entire body trembling. She really thought she was going to die, didn't she?

“Never again,” Ron muttered as he walked back to the other two. “Never again, do you hear me?”

“Your hair looks like a beehive, Ron,” Harry teased. 

“So does Hermiones!” He deflected quickly while fixing his hair. Hermione glared but started to fix her own already bushy hair. “Can we just sit down for a minute?” Ron asked. “And– and think about what our plan is and where we are.”

“Utah,” Harry answered. “The winds smell of salt because we’re near the Great Salt Lake. And also… what?” Hermione and Ron were looking at each other with a strange look. 

Ron tore his eyes away from her. “How do you know that?” 

Harry frowned. “You guys can’t tell?”

“How wind smells?”

Harry paused to think. He hadn’t fully realized until now that he only knew which state they were in because the wind smelled and felt different here. Was this one of the strange gifts that came with being a Son of Zeus?

“Do you know what town we’re in?” Ron asked. 

Harry shook his head. He was about to say something sarcastic when he heard a motorcycle approach from behind. He wouldn’t have paid any mind to it– they were on the side of a street where a few cars had already passed by, but the person on the motorcycle had pulled over beside them. 

The man turned his bike off and looked at the three demigods through his sunglasses. Harry instinctively moved in front of his friends. 

“Relax, Kid.” The man said. “I’m only returning something I found.”

He held out glasses. Harry’s glasses. 

“How did–”

“Don’t ask stupid questions.” He took his glasses off and tilted his head. “Your Ginny’s… brother.” He was looking at Ron. 

“Uh, yeah…?” Ron was clearly trying to place the pieces together. Harry saw the moment the realization hit him because he smacked his hands together.  “You’re Ares! I remember seeing you once when I was younger…”

“Ten points to Apollo’s kid,” The god said. He then looked at Harry, who was still shocked that he was standing in front of Ginny’s dad. He was not ginger like Harry imagined. “So you’re Dad’s forbidden child. I heard you broke Ginny’s spear.”

“Word spreads fast, doesn’t it?” Harry replied mindlessly. 

“Clearly.” Ares deadpanned. He then looked Harry up and down and grinned. “Has anyone told you you look nothing like Dad?”

“What?” Harry exclaimed. That didn’t make sense. “How?”

“Dad loves to change his look. When he met your mom, he was going through a phase… but he typically sticks to white now.”

Harry scoffed, surprised Ares was blunt and rude. “Right. Well. Thanks for my glasses.” He put them on. “But we have to get going.”

“Yeah, to look for Poseidon’s trident that you supposedly stole. I know.”

“How did you–”

“Dad’s been going crazy. And when he’s like that, he rambles to his children. What did you expect?”

“Right, well, we’re leaving to go get it. Bye now.”

Harry turned on his heels, but Ares gripped his arm to stop him. He winced at the strength, but somehow, he was able to rip it out of his grasp. 

“I’m offering help, brother. You need to get to the Underworld, and let’s face it, you still have no idea how to get there. I can help you.”  He put his glasses back on. “There’s a Denny’s down the road. Meet me there if you want help. Bye.”

When he rode off, Harry looked at Ron (who was glaring at Ares as he left) and Hermione, who was deep in thought.

“I don’t trust him,” Ron said.

“I don’t like him,” Harry said mindlessly. 

“We should see what he wants.” Hermione sighed. “Because, sadly, he’s right. We don’t know where in Los Angeles the Underworld resides. Maybe he does.”

Entering Denny’s, Ron’s stomach growled, which made Harry giggle quietly. He was hungry, too, but he figured Ares wouldn’t buy them anything. 

They found him sitting in the corner, watching something on his phone. He shouted something, causing multiple people in the diner to jump, and then he finally looked up and beckoned the demigods over. 

“Must be hard that you guys can’t use phones.” Ares set his phone down and took a bite of his French toast. Ron took the window seat again, and Harry was now squished in the middle once again.  “What do you even do?”

“I walk dogs,” Harry answered. “And listen to music.”

“Boring.” Ares moved his plate that contained eggs and bacon towards the three of them. “You’re all twigs. Eat.”

Harry and Hermione glanced at each other, but Ron inhaled the food without a second thought. 

“The war is going to break out whether or not you retrieve Poseidon’s trident,” Ares said. 

“No, the Prophecy said–”

“Whatever the Oracle said,” Ares cut Harry off. “I’d bet 100 drachmas that Chiron twisted them to give you three hope. But you guys don’t care, do you? You’re still going to go retrieve the trident and bring it to Poseidon and hope no war comes out of it.”

“Telling us that what we’re doing is pointless won’t stop us,” Harry expressed annoyingly. 

“Harry,” Hermione hissed. 

“It’s alright,” Ares dismissed her. “Attitude and arrogance is welcomed with me.” He leaned forward, folding his hands in front of him. “But I want you to know, you won’t win with words when you’re around me.”

Harry suppressed an eye roll. 

“I can get you to the underworld, ” Ares explained. 

“Okay. Tell us then.” 

Ares’s smirk reminded Harry a lot of Ginny’s. Yep. Definitely related. “You demigods want things without having to do much, don’t you?”

“That would be nice, yeah,” Harry muttered. 

“Not gonna happen.” Ares took a bite of his eggs. “You want help? You earn it.”

“I can’t play ‘I’m Ginny’s brother’ card, can’t I?” Ron sighed. 

Ares ignored him. “I’ll hook you guys up with a ride to Vegas. My shields at the Lotus Casino.”

“Did you gamble it away?”  Harry received a kick from Hermione.

“Your sharp tongue won’t get you far, brother. ” Ares's brooding expression made it hard for Harry to take him seriously. It looked like he was trying to be intimidating. 

“Why would we go to Vegas when we need to head to Los Angeles?” Harry asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Because if you do, I can hook you up with direct access to the Underworld. Go and retrieve my shield, and I’ll get you to where you need to go. I’ll meet you outside of it if you retrieve it. Or don’t. I don’t care. ” 

He flashed an ugly smile and resumed eating as if they weren’t even there. The trio all looked at each other, reading off the others' looks. Harry could see Hermione wouldn’t leave room for an argument about not going. He guessed it’d be pretty hard to decline a god’s demand to do a chore for them. 

Ron’s leg was shaking underneath the table, and Harry discreetly pressed his hand against his arm to comfort him. Ron’s lips twitched into a smile; he was grateful for such a small comfort.

Harry sighed and looked at the god across from him. He was going to regret doing this, wasn’t he?

Chapter Text

The road stretched on ahead, and the dull hum of the tires on the asphalt was the only sound as Harry, Ron, and Hermione traveled west. The sun was setting, or at least Harry assumed was doing so. 

Ares had stuck them in the back of a pickup truck without the driver knowing. Ron had complained that there was nowhere comfortable to sit, and in return, Ares shut the store with a snap of his fingers. 

The inside was hot and carried the scent of dust, which would bother Harry if it weren’t for the bigger things to worry about. 

“I still don’t get it,” Ron muttered, shifting against a box he had opened and found nothing useful in. “Why can’t Ares just tell us where the Underworld is? It’s so annoying!”

“And why can’t Ares get his own shield?” Harry added. “It’s obviously a trap.”

“Then we’ll have to be on high alert,” Hermione said. 

“Typical demigod things, isn’t it?” Harry wasn’t really asking. He knew the awful answer.

The rest of the journey continued in a blur of quiet tension. With the obvious hours that went by, Harry couldn’t shake the feeling that the world around him was beginning to shift as they drove through Nevada. It was subtle at first, but the longer they drove, the more the feeling grew. 

Everything felt... off.

It wasn’t just the oddness of their quest– retrieving a stolen trident from the Underworld, jumping out of a plane, and now going to a casino to retrieve something so simple yet too difficult for Ares to do. But it was as though the very fabric of reality was beginning to bend, just a little bit, around the edges.

“Harry,” Hermione said, her voice suddenly soft, as though she were unsure of herself. “Do you feel that? It’s like... something’s wrong with the world. It’s almost as if... everything is shifting.”

Harry didn’t say anything at first. He stood up on one of the boxes to peek his head out of one of the holes at the top so he could make sense of it all. The colors of the sky were changing, the shadows stretching unnaturally long. The air felt thicker, heavier, like it was pressing against him from all sides.

“I don’t know what it is,” he said, his voice low. “But I feel it too. It’s like we’re walking through a dream…”

Ron, who had been unusually quiet, looked between them. “Everything feels… messed up…”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed. “And we’re not even at the casino yet. I don’t know how much we can trust anything from here on out.”

They drove in silence for a while longer, each of them lost in their thoughts. It was like the road itself was pulling them forward, no matter how much they resisted. The world was beginning to feel like it was bending, distorting, and they couldn’t stop it.

After driving through the oppressive heat of the desert, Harry, Ron, and Hermione finally reached the glittering skyline of Las Vegas. 

“Well, this is it,” Ron said, while standing on the same box Harry had. 

His voice was a mixture of awe and wariness. “Las Vegas. I’ve heard stories, but nothing like this.”

Harry joined him and squinted at the glowing lights and massive billboards. “We’re not here for the views,” he said, trying to focus on the task at hand. “We need to get to the Lotus Casino. It’s where we’ll find what we need.”

Hermione shifted uneasily. “I don’t know if I like the sound of this. It’s too... flashy. Too distracting.”

“I’m with you,” Ron muttered. “But we don’t really have a choice, do we?”

As they made their way through the city, the noise grew louder, the air more suffocating. The streets were packed with tourists, gamblers, and performers. The Lotus Hotel and Casino rose above the chaos, a massive building that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy. It beckoned them forward, its glittering exterior impossible to ignore.

“I don’t know about you, but I could use a break,” Ron said, rubbing his eyes. The exhaustion of the journey was starting to settle in, but the allure of the casino was overwhelming.

“Let’s just keep it together,” Hermione warned. “We’re here for a reason. Don’t let yourself get distracted.”

They entered the hotel and were immediately hit with the heavy scent of perfume and the sound of jingling slot machines. The casino floor stretched out before them, full of flashing lights and colorful decorations. People everywhere—some playing cards, some at the roulette tables, others just lounging in luxurious chairs, sipping drinks and chatting.

Harry watched a boy around his age run up to a girl with bright pink hair, holding a bunch of tickets in his hands. “Ha, I got it!” he exclaimed.

But the girl's voice died in Harry’s ears as that strange pull in the pit of his stomach, a magnetic force that made it harder to focus on what was really important, returned. 

"Do you feel that?" Hermione whispered, her voice tight with concern.

"Yeah," Ron said, his voice distant. "It's like... the place is calling to me. It’s hard to think straight."

They walked deeper into the casino, the lights and sounds becoming more intense, more overwhelming. It didn’t take long before their surroundings began to blur. Time lost its meaning. There was no sense of urgency. All around them, people were smiling and laughing, playing games, winning

"Why don’t we stay here a bit longer?" Ron asked, his voice uncharacteristically relaxed, almost dreamlike. "I could get used to this."

“Yeah, it’s not so bad," Hermione murmured, staring vacantly at a slot machine. "Everything feels so... nice here."

But Harry’s instincts were on edge. He had been raised to trust his gut, and right now, it was screaming at him that something was wrong.

“I don’t think this is right,” Harry said, his voice growing firmer. “We need to remember why we’re here.”

“Relax, Harry,” Ron said, giving him a lazy grin. "We deserve a break, right? Look at this place—it’s like paradise.”

They could use a little break, Harry thought. His mind became blurred, forgetting anything outside of the hotel. What's a couple of hours anyway? They deserved it after running from monsters all day.

Besides, Harry couldn't help but notice how Ron's freckles sparkled in this light; he could look at him forever with his smile and his eyes. What's the point of leaving if he has everything he needs here? 

Harry wandered around the same with Ron and Hermione just aimlessly, but for a second Harry got this bulging feeling that quickly faded when he was offered a lotus flower.

Wasn’t that a bad thing? Harry thought in the back of his mind. He could have sworn he read somewhere or was told that those had been dangerous amongst the Greek world. But they were constantly shoved in his face as he played games of all kinds throughout the casino, so it grew challenging to avoid them. 

He bounced from game to game, enjoying the tension easing from his shoulders. He doesn’t recall ever having this much fun, feeling like there was nothing in the world to worry about. It was always bullies and homework and Snivillius; it was never Harry being a normal boy. 

This is what he finally deserved. 

But eventually, Harry lost his friends in the crowd, which picked at his anxiety. Now that he was alone, no longer having fun with Ron and Hermione, he seemed to have received a shock of awareness. The strong aura of the pleasure the Lotus Hotel and Casino provided seemed to fade away, and the reality of what needed to be done returned to him. 

He needed to find Ron and Hermione, and he needed to get them out of there. Harry raced around before he found Ron playing air hockey with a stranger. 

Harry grabbed his friend's arm and yanked him away. 

“We can’t stay here,” Harry said, his voice rising. "We’ve got to break out of this." 

Ron looked confused. “Break out? What are you talking about?”

“The enchantments,” Harry said, his face paling. “This place... It’s making us lose track of our quest!”

Ron seemed to have snapped out of the spell like Harry had.

“Come on,” Harry said, his voice filled with urgency. “We need to find Hermione.” He grabbed Ron's hand, pulling him through the crowded areas. 

They finally found the curly-haired girl in a more secluded part of the hotel, playing chess with a stranger. She was in deep thought, Harry almost didn’t want to pull her out of it. 

“You can let go of my hand now, Harry.” 

For a second, Harry forgot he was holding Ron’s hand and how much comfort came from it, but he did immediately let g,o and his face turned red. 

“‘Mione!” Ron hissed, tapping her shoulder aggressively.

“What? What? I’m winning!” She dismissed Ron as if he weren’t her best friend. 

Harry rolled his eyes and pulled her to her feet. She went to protest, but something must have clicked because her eyes went wide and her body practically popped with how straight she stood. 

“What happened?”

Suddenly, the soft glow of the casino dimmed, the air around them felt heavier, and everything began to slow. The voices faded, replaced by the sound of Harry’s heartbeat pounding in his ears.

“We have to leave now,” Harry insisted. His voice was steady, but his pulse raced with urgency. “We’re not staying.” 

“No, wait-” began Hermione, “We need to retrieve Ares' shield. We haven’t done so yet.”

Harry swore under his breath.  

“Hermione's right,” Ron said while nodding. “We can't leave without it. Otherwise, this would have just been a complete waste of our time.” 

Harry nodded in agreement, but was still uneasy about staying; he knew nothing good would come from this other than Ares' shield.  

Their destination was clear: the back of the casino. It was a prize they couldn’t afford to leave behind if they wanted to finish their quest and return the stolen trident to Poseidon. 

But as they made their way through the labyrinthine corridors of the casino, the atmosphere shifted once more. The glitzy decorations, the soothing music, the distractions—everything faded into the background as they moved closer to the back rooms. The sounds of the casino dimmed, replaced by a heavy silence that made Harry’s skin crawl. Something felt off.

"Stay alert," Hermione muttered to her friends.

Harry nodded, his brows furrowed in concentration. "I don’t like this. We’re too close. I can feel it in the air."

Ron, ever the one to crack a joke in tense situations, tried to lighten the mood. "Well, if we make it out of here, I think we deserve a week's worth of sleep. This place is worse than I imagined."

But before they could move any further, the door to the back room creaked open, and a low, menacing laugh echoed from within. Elephant-like footsteps stomped on the floor with creaks following. It sounded like heavy machines.

Harry froze. His instincts kicked into overdrive.

"Did you hear that?" Ron whispered, his voice tight.

Hermione stepped forward, her dagger raised. "Something’s guarding it, which is probably the reason why Ares didn’t want to do this himself.”

“But he’s a god!” Harry exclaimed quietly.  

“Then we're dealing with another.” Hermione signaled for the boys to follow her, which they did. 

The door creaked when Hermione slowly pushed it open.  The air shimmered with magic, and Harry’s heart raced as he recognized the unmistakable signs of a confrontation.

The figures stepped forward, revealing themselves in the dim light of the room. Each one was clad in dark armor, their eyes gleaming with an unnatural light. But Harry quickly realized they weren’t exactly real. 

"Thought you could waltz in here and take Ares’ shield without facing the consequences?" one of them sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. He was clearly the leader, his presence commanding the room.

“Hephaestus made you, didn’t he?” It was never a question with Hermione. She always knew, and Harry couldn’t deny the admiration he felt towards her. Her being the Daughter of Athena really made sense. 

“Clever girl,” the machine on the right snarled. “But are you clever enough to turn around and leave?”

“We need the shield, C3PO!” Harry twisted his ring, and LightningScar expanded in his hand. 

“What the heck is a C3PO?” Ron muttered. 

“A Star Wars thing,” Harry explained quickly. “I read some of the comics.”

“Star Wars? What’s that?”

Harry looked back at Ron with a frown. “You don’t know what Star Wars is?”

“Well, no–”

“Guys!” Hermione shouted. “Now is not the time! Come on!”

Harry snapped back to reality when Hermione started running towards the three machines on her own. The two boys realized the confrontation was about to turn physical, so they jumped into action. 

Hermione took one of the left, grunting with each attack she contributed. The sharp determination in her eyes could cut through glass, but her fighting partner moved with elegance, even though it looked about a thousand years old. 

Ron had knocked back his arrows and let them soar through the air, aiming perfectly into the cogs behind the back of his knees, causing Machine Number 2 to drop to the ground, shouting words in Greek while Ron yelled witty insults in return. 

The leader had blocked Harry’s first attack. And the second and third. Harry was growing irritated– his hair stood up on his arms as electrostatic charge coursed through his body. The leader could notice Harry’s desperation to cut off his head because he let out a scornful laugh. 

Their swords were pushed up against each other, Harry’s breath heavy, but his strength never wavering. 

The machine’s voice was sharp and nasty. “Getting tired?”

“I’m just getting started,” Harry retorted. 

Just then, the door to the room burst open, and a figure appeared-tall and agile with a glint of mischief in his eyes. Harry faltered, his curiosity ruining his concentration. The machine was able to slice Harry’s side, getting a painful groan out of the Son of Zeus.

"Well, looks like you’ve gotten yourself into quite the mess, haven’t you?" The mystery man said with a smirk, his golden winged sandals glowing brightly as he stepped into the room. 

“Oh, I’m fine, thanks!” Harry grumbled while he was forced to counter another attack from Machine Number 1. Blood stained his shirt, but somehow the power in him kept him standing on his feet. 

Then, with a snap of his fingers, the man created a whirlwind of wind and light that swept the machine in front of Harry and slammed hard against the wall, breaking in half. Hermione’s machine head was decapitated, and Ron's machine had an arrow stuck directly in its chest, which Harry assumed was where his lifeline was. 

Harry felt embarrassed that he needed the assistance of the mystery man. He was a forbidden child; he had the guilt of being so far behind in fighting. He should be ahead of the game, up there with other demigods. But he knew he was being irrational since he hadn't been aware of his heritage for long.

“Thank yo–?” Before Harry could pretend to be grateful and not confused at who this man was, Ron practically slammed his hand over Harry’s mouth. 

“You want a thank you?” Ron looked at the man, his eyes glistening with a fire Harry had never seen before. “Too bad you’re not getting one. Not from us, anyways.” Ron then pressed his hand against Harry’s side and began to heal it; the feeling felt euphoric, but then he felt stupid when Ron slapped two Disney bandaids on the healed wounds as a ‘just in case.’ 

“Ron, now let's not get too irrational.” The man said to get Ron to calm down. He must have also noticed how red Ron’s face had gotten.  “I did just save your friends' lives.”

Ron scoffed. “The machines were already dead by the time you walked in.” He moved past the man, who looked furious at Ron’s truth. Harry was starting to grow anxious. Clearly, this was no mortal because of the power asserted mere seconds ago. But what made Harry keep glancing at Hermione, trying to get her to start talking, because he knew who Ron was. 

Ron grabbed Ares' shield that was mounted on the wall while muttering curses in Greek. But when he tried to come back to his friends, the man gripped Ron’s arm the same way Ares had with Harry. 

“I know you don’t like me, but at least have the decency to show me respect." His voice rose with defiance. “I am still a god.”

The switch flipped in Harry’s mind. “You’re Hermes.” 

The god let go of Ron and gave a firm nod while turning to face Harry. “Ares is waiting outside for you three.”

“We know,” Ron replied through gritted teeth. When Ron left the room without waiting for the other two, Harry looked at Hermione, who wore a heavy look. 

“The clocks are ticking, Demigods,” Hermes tapped his imaginary watch and then disappeared completely. 

“I’m confused,” Harry said to Hermione. “Why does Ron have beef with the God of Thieves?”

“It’s not my place to say,” Hermione sighed. “But he’s the twins' dad, remember? And they’re all year-rounders… It’s complicated. Ron’s mom—“ She shook her head, catching herself. “I can’t tell you.”

Harry huffed, accepting that this was another thing he wouldn’t get to know about, just like Ron’s plane ticket. 

Harry and Hermione met Ron outside. The Son of Apollo was giving Ares his shield when Harry jogged up to him and stopped him. 

“First, you’ll tell us how to get to L.A.” Harry looked Ares dead in the eyes. The god was furious at Harry’s lack of respect. He stepped forward, but Harry stood his ground. He thought Ares was about to disintegrate him when Hermione pulled Harry back and grabbed the shield from Ron. 

“Lord Ares, thank you.” Hermione handed him his shield. “The plane tickets will be helpful.”

“You punks are a handful.” He pulled out three pieces of paper and handed them to Ron instead of Harry, who had put his hand out to receive them. “Also, Dad sends gifts.” He tossed the backpack that was slung on his back directly into Harry’s stomach. 

“Ow,” Harry groaned irritably. 

“Eggs to get you out of the Underworld are in there,” Ares explained. “Throw it on the ground and you’ll be sent to the Empire State building.”

“Eggs?” Harry repeated. “That will teleport us?”

“You catch on quick,” Ares replied sarcastically. “The Underworld is located under the Hollywood Hills. Don’t mess up.”

He hopped on his motorcycle and left the demigods standing in front of the casino. 

Harry hadn’t realized how exhausted he felt walking out of the building, and it wasn’t because of the fight they had just been in. The euphoria of entering and playing the games had been replaced with a heaviness of confusion. Something about the day seemed wrong. The air felt heavier than it had when they had arrived. He could smell the winds up above fighting the water in the clouds that wanted to cause a storm. 

It hadn’t been like that before they walked in. 

“Something's off,” Harry said to his friends. 

“I feel it too,” Ron admitted. “How long were we in there for?”

“Only a few hours…?” Harry lacked confidence in his words. 

“Excuse me!” Hermione said nicely to a passing mortal. “Could you tell me what the date is?”

The mortal looked at Hemrione funny but answered anyway. “June twentieth.”

“WHAT!?” Harry shouted.

They were in the Casino for five days. 

They only had one day left till the Summer Solstice. 

Chapter Text

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood at the entrance to the Underworld, located beneath the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles. The flight had been quiet. No furies to ruin it. No other flying creatures disturbed their silence of anxiety. The cab drive had been equally as quiet but had grown tense with fear of something going wrong. 

They had come all this way to confront Hades, who stole the Poseidon trident, an artifact of unbelievable power.  Things could go wrong— the god could retaliate, and that’d be the end for the trio. 

“We get the trident,” Hermione said, adjusting her grip on her dagger. “And ask about Harry's mom.”

“You think Hades will just hand them over?” Harry asked with false hope.

“In our dreams,” Ron muttered. Harry glanced over at him, looking at how his normally bright red hair was now more auburn and dark. 

The passageway presented itself as an invitation for the three of them to enter. Harry had spent the whole plane ride listening to David Bowie on his Walkman. The song was soothing him, keeping him from electrocuting Hermione, who was in the middle of him and Ron. He needed to do this, to prove to himself he wasn’t a failure. He could block whatever was being thrown at him. His determination was in the driver's seat, anger right beside it to take over and fuel his strength, just like Tom had suggested. 

He could do this. 

The stairs leading to the land of the dead faded down into darkness. The trio said goodbye to the warm sunset and pink sky fading into orange and descended down to begin their journey through the depths of the unknown.  

Harry felt his heart in his stomach. Each creak of the stairs and distant howls of unseen creatures echoed aggressively in the darkness. It contrasted sharply with the bright, lively world above, showing the secrets of the reality of the world mortals were not aware of. 

The air smelled of death. The cold breeze circled Harry, who was unaffected by the breeze, unlike Hermione, who he saw shiver beside him. 

When light faded into view from a door that was half opened, Harry stepped forward with LightningScar in front of him. Ron seemed to be breathing heavier than normal, which was starting to concern Harry. Not only because Ron was being loud, but because Harry was worried he was about to have a panic attack. 

“Ron, here.” Hermione pulled out of her pocket a yellow ball with a smile on it. “Focus on that.”

Ron nodded, which wasn’t reassuring, but Harry knew they needed to continue forward. He opened the door, letting it creak on its own. Expecting the horrors of the Underworld, Harry stopped dead in his tracks when an enormous lobby filled with unusually quiet people came into focus. Harry’s eyes danced around them, and when he stopped on one, fascinated by how he looked, he realized they were transparent.

Not creepy at all, right? Harry thought.  

The trio walked to the security guard's podium, which was obnoxiously tall. A man with chocolate-colored skin, with blonde hair done in small braids and glasses that were green around the rim, stood at the top. He wasn’t even paying attention to them. 

“Excuse me?” Harry said, his sword fading back into his ring. “Excuse me—” he squinted his eyes, “—is your name Chiron!?”

“Do I look like a centaur, boy?” The man said while leaning forward, setting down a book he had in his hands. He was grinning, clearly amused at the idea. 

“No?”

“Sir.”

“Sir,” Harry grumbled. 

“Atta boy! It’s pronounced Charon. Charon. Not Chiron, alright? And it’s going to be Mr. Charon, okay?” He gave a thumbs-up to show he was still being friendly. “Now, what can I do for you, little dead ones?”

“We want to go to the underworld,” Hermione said. “Uh, please.”

Mr. Charon looked surprised. “Straightforward. I appreciate that, Miss. So, then, how did you guys die?”

“Drowned,” Ron blurted out. Harry snorted, and Hermione nodded to make it believable. “In the ocean.”

“All three of you?” He raised an eyebrow. “At the same time?”

Harry shrugged. “We don’t know how to swim.” For Harry, that was actually true. 

Mr. Charon seemed to accept the answer because he continued, “You’ll need coins, which I’m assuming you don’t have because of how young you three are. Typically for adults, I’d be able to- oh. ” Harry had placed a drachma down on the podium, and now Mr. Charon was transfixed on it. “A real drachma. Oh my days…”

They were so close. So. Freaking. Close. 

But then, Mr. Charon leaned forward some more, his eyes practically burning Harry through the shades he was wearing. “Dyslexic, are you?”

Harry shook his head quickly. “No! Just very dead.” He placed a few more drachmas in front of him. 

“I should’ve known better. Godlings, you three are. Who would go in the ocean if they can’t swim?” He shook his head. “Leave now, while you can.”

He reached for the drachmas, but Harry snatched them away. He needed to be brave. “No service, no tip, Mr. Charon.”

Mr. Charon's growl came from the back of his throat, was more intimidating than Harry would like to admit. 

“We had more to offer, too!” Harry put his bag in front of him and pulled out the drachma Cedric Diggory had given them before leaving for the quest. “But if you want to be difficult…”

Mr. Charon made a small squeaking noise. “You think I can just be persuaded with… with coins?” His tone wavered. 

“I bet you deserve these, too,” Harry continued. “Probably underpaid, aren’t you?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” he scoffed. “I haven’t had a pay raise in three thousand years. It’s ridiculous!”

“Then you should definitely take this!” He held the bag of drachmas out again. “I’ll mention a pay raise while I’m talking to Hades, too. I swear it.”

He sighed. “The boat’s almost full, anyway. I might as well add you three and be off.” He stood, scooped up our money, and said, “Come along.”

The boat ride to the shoreline of the Underworld was depressing. Harry, Ron, and Hermione remained standing next to spirits who were all quiet, which inclined the demigods to be quiet as well. The River Styx left a heavy presence on Harry; it was unbelievably mesmerizing, but was a constant reminder that the dead were all around him. The horrific howling of an unknown creature rumbled Harry’s insides. He visibly swayed with fear, hoping it would eventually fade away. 

Mr. Charon dropped them off and bid them farewell and good luck, which wasn’t helping Harry’s confidence. 

“That was smart what you did,” Ron said quietly. Harry felt uneasy, but Ron looked it. “Good thinking, Harry.”

“Thanks, Ron.” He offered a tired smile.

 They got closer to the gates. The howling had not faded but instead grew louder as if there was a speaker right up against Harry’s ears. Then, about fifty feet in front of them, the green mist shimmered. Standing just where the path split into three lanes was an enormous, shadowy monster. He hadn’t seen it before because it was half transparent, like the dead. Until it moved, it blended with whatever was behind it. Only its eyes and teeth looked solid. 

From the shadows emerged Cerberus, the three-headed dog. Each head snarled, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and the dog’s growls echoed on for miles. With his fiery red eyes and dark fur, Cerberus looked like a nightmare made flesh, and he was now blocking their only way forward.

Hermione stepped forward, her knife clenched tightly in her hand. "We can't just force our way past him," she whispered, looking at the massive creature with a mix of awe and fear. "He’ll tear us apart."

Ron gulped nervously. "Then what do we do?"

Harry’s eyes darted around, searching for a way to outsmart the beast. But Cerberus wasn’t moving. He stood still, growling, as if daring them to try and pass.

Hermione, however, had an idea. "Give me your toy, Ron.”

“But…”

“I know. But please.”

Ron gave her the ball.

Without needing to overthink, Hermione threw the ball as hard as she could. 

At the sight of the ball, Cerberus's three heads immediately perked up, and all three sets of eyes followed it as it bounced across the ground. The massive dogs’ growling stopped as he bounded after the ball, each head fighting for a turn to catch it.

"Now!" Hermione whispered urgently.

Without waiting another second, the trio dashed past the distracted Cerberus, moving as quickly and quietly as they could. They slipped past just as Cerberus caught the ball in his middle mouth, completely oblivious to their escape.

They were in the clear, and yet Harry thought his heart would jump out. 

“That was too close,” Ron muttered.

Hermione sighed. “Come on. We still have a long journey ahead.”

Hades Palace came into view, and Harry noticed Ron was starting to grow uncomfortable. He was itching his skin and constantly looking around as if he were about to be attacked. 

Harry frowned and decided to give in to his worries and ask. “Ron, what’s wrong?”

“The Underworld has no sun,” Ron explained quietly. “It’s hard for an Apollo kid to be here.”

“Then why did you agree to come?” Harry questioned, his admiration obvious on his face. 

“Because you asked.” Ron smiled softly. “And I knew I could–” Ron choked on his words. His entire body stilled aside from his hands that went straight to his neck, where Tom's locket wrapped itself around it and dragged him to the ground. "I can't— help!"

Harry rushed to his side, falling to the ground to try and grasp Ron before he was consumed by the darkness nearby. The determination of the locket seemed to be more violent than Harry for when he grasped Ron's free arm, he was being dragged with it. Ron was turning purple while Harry was shouting at Hermione, who was chasing after them. His demigod strength was weak compared to the magic; Harry was starting to accept his fate with Ron. 

Hermione fell to her knees and stabbed her dagger directly into the locket that had opened on its own. Ron heaved aggressively while the locket loosened. It gave Harry a chance to unwrap it from his neck and toss it aside. 

“What—just—happened? “ Ron panted heavily, rubbing his neck.

“Are you alright?” Harry’s worry was laced in his words. 

“Why was it dragging me there?” Ron’s voice croaked as he spoke. he had tears in his blue eyes; he looked ready to have a breakdown. “Why?”

“Dragging you where?”

“Tartarus,” Hermione answered, her voice cold. “Oh Gods…”

Harry shivered. “Why was it pulling Ron into there of all places?”

Hermione hesitated. Her eyes glistened in the dim light of the Underworld, but she didn’t let her mask fall. “We don’t have time to figure it out. We have to get to Hades.” She slid her agger back in her holster. “Are you okay, Ron?"

The Son of Apollo nodded while his lips quivered. 

"Then, come on." She took She took off in a run, signalling for the boys to follow, which they did. 

They entered the Palace, passing through dark, ancient corridors. The air grew heavier with each step, thick with the scent of decay. Harry’s fingers instinctively twitched, feeling the familiar power of his storm magic surging inside him as they approached the throne room of Hades.

Inside, the dark lord of the Underworld sat on his obsidian throne, his eyes glowing faintly with a malevolent light. His sharp gaze fixed on them as they entered, and Harry felt a chill run down his spine.

"I’ve been waiting for you," Hades said, his voice a low rumble. "And finally, you have arrived. No games, godling. Hand over my helm.”

The trio all looked at each other. “Your what?” Harry asked.

“Don’t play the fool, Harry Potter!” Hades shouted. 

“But I’m not?” Harry exclaimed quickly. “Sir. Um. Uncle. Starting a war would not be good… so, I think you should just hand over the trident and we can leave with no bad blood, right?”

“You dare accuse me of theft when it’s you who has stolen? Completely unbelievable!” 

“Harry hasn’t stolen your helm!” Ron declared. When Hades' eyes landed on Ron, the Son of Apollo looked down in fear and muttered, “Sir.”

“He’s telling the truth, Uncle,” Harry stated. “So, enough lying and give me the trident. And my mom!” he paused. “And Charon, a pay raise!”

Hades rolled his eyes, pushing himself off his throne. “I could have you under my will in a matter of seconds. I’ll stop death and have your skeleton lead the army that will win.” He took a step forward. “Your comments and divergence from admitting the truth are childish. So enough of this! Hand over my helm and the trident you have come to threaten me with now!”

“I don’t have-!” A heavy weight in the bag Ares had given him suddenly pulled him down. “What…” Slowly, Harry pulled the bag in front of him and opened it. Inside, a beautiful golden trident that shimmered even in the lack of lighting. “That’s not possible-” 

“Give them to me, now!” Hades roared. 

Harry completely ignored Hades and turned to his friends, who were struck with confusion as well. “Guys, I don’t know what to do,” Harry said worriedly. 

“The tridents here?” Ron looked terrified. 

“We’ve been played.” Without a second thought, he pulled out the eggs Ares said were from his dad and gave each of his friends. “On my mark, use it, okay?”

“Harry, but your mom-” Hermione began. 

“On my mark,” he repeated before lifting his head high and looking directly at Hades. 

“Well?”

“We didn’t steal your Helm,” Harry said. “But I know who did. Send your furies to the Empire State Building, we’ll get it back to you, and when we do, you’ll bring my mom back home. Do you understand?”

“You dare-”

“Now!”

The light of the portal grew brighter and brighter, swallowing them whole when they slammed the eggs on the floor. It felt like they were falling through an endless tunnel, their feet leaving the ground as the Underworld seemed to vanish around them.

With a final rush of energy, the trio tumbled into a vast, open space— or open. An old alleyway in New York. They had made it out. The Underworld was gone, and they were back in the mortal world.

Harry gasped for breath, his heart still pounding as he looked around, taking in the dark blue sky. The familiar scent of the earth filled his lungs, and for a moment, he couldn’t believe they were free.

"I can’t believe it!" Ron exclaimed irritably. He even kicked a trash bin. “It was Ares, wasn’t it?” Ron looked at Harry and Hermione. 

“Yes,” they both answered in unison, and Harry continued. “We have to get the Helm back from him to get my mom back.”

“And how are we going to find Ares?” Ron questioned dreadfully.

“He’ll find us.”

As they stepped into the crowded streets of New York, the towering skyline loomed in the distance, with the Empire State Building's iconic silhouette standing proudly in the distance. He could go and return the trident now and forget his mom. He knew she would want him to do the right thing, but was that what Harry really wanted to do?

“I can see you thinking, Harry,” Hermione said from beside him. “We’re getting your mom back, okay?”

Harry cracked a light smile. But before he could mention his gratitude, a roar of a motorbike came fading in from down the street. Ares. Ready to settle the dispute, Harry had been dreading since he found the trident in his bag. 

“Well, well,” Ares drawled, his voice dripping with mockery. He tossed his helmet and glasses to the side and stood proudly with his sword. “You three made it out alive. Shocker.”

Ron stepped forward, his expression hard, but a hint of fear in his eyes. “You set us up.”

Hermione, ever the strategist, stood tall beside Ron, her eyes sharp. “You have Hades' Helm and you took Poseidon's trident!”

Ares laughed, a deep, booming sound that reverberated through the street. “The gods are weak. The world needs change, and the Titans will rise again. You think you can stop that?” He took a step toward them, his eyes narrowing. “You’re nothing but children. You don’t understand the game you're playing.”

Harry was the last one to step forward, but the first one to draw his weapon. “Titans?” he echoed. “They’re behind this?”

Ares scowled. “Walk away, Harry Potter. You have no idea what affairs you're meddling in.”

“He’s coming to you, into your dreams, isn’t he?” Harry stepped forward, his right hand gripping LightningScar, but the other tingling with electricity. He could see out of the corner of his eyes the sparks dancing between fingers. “Do gods dream?”

With a fierce growl, Ares snapped his fingers, and the ground trembled beneath them. Waves of dark energy surged from his hands, each one more powerful than the last. The sky above them darkened, clouds swirling ominously. 

Mortals around them had been staring with their phones out, clearly intrigued by the scene the two of them were causing. It wouldn't have been a problem until Ares pulled out his sword, and everyone scattered with screams. Harry frowned as a mortal yelled something about a gun, which erupted into horrible chaos. If that's what the Mortals see, what did they believe would happen?

Harry charged forward, LightningScar shimmering under the clouds that were rumbling with sudden thunder. Ares scoffed, more amused than anything. Harry's first strike was weak compared to the God of War. Ares swung aside and slashed his sword, receiving a painful howl from Harry, who rolled to the ground and rose back to his feet. Police sirens faded into earshot; Harry was running out of time. 

Harry had noticed that Ron and Hermione were being escorted roughly by the police officers, who believed they were helping. Their weapons were fading in and out because of the Mist. Harry knew the officers were convinced they weren't with him. As he stumbled back from a blow from Ares, they were getting into position with their weapons drawn. 

"Lower your gun, Harry Potter!" one shouted. How did they know his name?

Ares groaned, swept his hand, and a wall of red flame rolled across the patrol cars. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. Roars of shouting and terrified cries rattled Harry's insides. He needed this fight to be over. Not just for him, but for the confused Mortals who probably saw Harry as a psycho child. 

With the thunder rumbling up above, Harry's body felt on fire. Ares must've found it amusing, for he laughed at Harry's weak attempt to use the weather to his advantage and trust that his father was helping him. Instead, Harry was welcomed with a heavy kick to the stomach, sending him tumbling to the ground. 

Harry was on his hands and knees; he spat out blood that had pooled in his mouth. Without having to look up and stare Ares in the eyes, the god had chosen to stand right in front of him.

“Give up the trident, kid.” Ares snarled. 

He refused to lose to an arrogant god who believed he was above Harry only because of his title. The clouds were now a dark grey; the thunder boomed in his ears, in his heart. He shook his head with defiance. He didn't need his dad's help. He hadn't been there all his life; he wouldn't need to be here now either. The anger inside of him, he swore to Tom he'd use, roared to life. The electricity in his hands that once tickled now felt on fire, sparking a startled smile across his face. 

He needed to see his mom. He needed to end the war before it started.

With a guttural scream, Harry raised LightningScar high into the air and thrust it forward. Lightning crackled along the blade, swirling around it before striking out, a blinding bolt slamming into Ares’ chest. The god staggered, disoriented by the blow. He fell on his back, a growl escaping him, sounding animal-like. He moved to his stomach to stand, but Harry had seized the moment and scrambled to his feet; he drove the blade into Ares' heel, the golden blood of gods oozing out as if he had popped a stress toy. 

“You... have made yourself an enemy, Potter, ”Ares seethed. “You have no idea what you’ve done.” His body began to glow.

“Harry, look away!” Hermione shouted from where she was standing

Harry needn't be told twice. He knew that if he'd looked, he’d have faced his true, immortal form and been disintegrated.

A loud clatter, indicating Ares’ disappearance, had Harry looking back. It was Hades' Helm. 

As Harry stepped forward to grab it, A Fury that Harry recognized as Alecto had stopped him. Her snarl was prompted on her face, and her anger at being killed days ago seemed to linger in the heavy air.

“No hard feelings?” Harry asked hesitantly.

Alecto made an animal-like noise. “I’d still watch your back, Hero. You’ve made other enemies.” She then spread her wings and took to the sky, holding the Helm close to her chest.

Before Harry could take a breather, Ron and Hermione were running to him. Hermione grabbed his wrist and forced him to break out into a run. Behind them, officers bellowed out demands to each other, clearly looking for Harry Potter. Harry, who had no recollection of ever encountering one, was demanding answers from his friends. 

"Apparently, you were on the news not long ago!" Ron panted. "Something about your step-dad's car and your mom being dead.

"What the-"

Hermione pulled him into an alleyway so the trio could take a break. They were all so tired that much was obvious. Harry could see it in Hermine's eyes and Ron's deflated body. Harry felt the same way. And the open wounds on him weren't helping.

"Ron..." he said weakly, realizing the pain was turning unbearable. With a quick hand touch, Ron healed his cut as best as his abilities would allow him. The tiredness was heavy, meaning his magic was weak 

“That was stupid,” Hermione said.

Harry couldn’t help but chuckle. “I know.”

“Going up against Ares, I mean—“ She shook her head. “What were you thinking? You could’ve been killed!”

“But I wasn’t.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “We must get the trident back.”

“I’ll go,” Harry said with no room to argue. Well, at least he thought so. Both Ron and Hermione opened their mouths to speak, but Harry cut them off. “I have to face Poseidon on my own. And if he still decides to kill me, I’d rather you both not be there.”

“Harry—“ 

“Ron,” Harry said firmly. “I have to do this on my own.”

 When the two other demigods finally realized Harry wasn’t going to budge, Ron sighed, and Hermione did the most unexpected thing. 

She hugged Harry.

“Don’t say anything stupid to them, okay?” 

Startled, Harry hugged back awkwardly and nodded. “I can’t promise anything,” he tried to jest, but Hermione smacked him in the arm. “Fine!”

When she pulled away, she offered a small smile. “We’ll see you at camp.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Good luck, mate.” Ron and Harry fist-bumped instead. 

Watching his friends walk away made Harry envious that he wasn’t going with them. But he knew it would be best if he were the only one to return the stolen trident. He had no idea how Posiden would react, but he knew he didn’t want his friends to see. 

With a deep breath, he took a detour to avoid the police and marched to the Empire State Building where he walked in with fake confidence he had learned to place as mask over the past week.