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Chapter Text

Calytrix "Cali" Potter, aged twelve, strolled down the sidewalk of Privet Drive, dragging her enchanted trunk in one hand and holding her enchanted messenger bag in the other. Her white sneakers were scuffed, while her black jeans, pink t-shirt, and white denim jacket were all fairly new, as she had made sure to purchase them with her own money.

Hedwig hooted in her cage, and Cali stopped, looking at the owl. "It's only noon. You really want to get out and not just nap?" she asked, emerald green eyes sparkling with humor.

Another hoot and an imperious look from the majestic snowy owl.

"As Her Owlness commands." Cali chuckled, quickly opening up the cage. Hedwig hopped onto her arm, affectionally nipping her ear and bringing a wing around her head, as if to hug her. The snowy owl's gorgeous white feathers contrasted against her raven locks, which were tucked back into a single braid.

She stroked the owl's feathers. "Have fun." she murmured and Hedwig hooted again before flying away.

Cali watched until she couldn't see her snowy owl, before glancing in the direction of Number 4, Privet drive. She scowled fiercely before walking away again.

She had been in the Dursley household for less than an hour before leaving, fully intending on going to Diagon Alley to get to Longbottom Manor, to meet up with her good friend and godbrother, Neville Longbottom.

You see, Cali Potter wasn't like most other twelve year olds. She was a witch, and up until she was eleven, she hadn't even known. Her despicable relatives, the Dursley family, had tried to get rid of her magic, but given that she had destroyed the room under the stairs, which she had been forced to sleep in, when she was six, and got her Hogwarts letter at eleven, it obviously hadn't worked.

When she had gotten her letter, she had immediately confronted the Dursley's over it. After a tense discussion, she got them to take her to Diagon Alley so she could get what she needed for Hogwarts. after pointing out by attending the school, they would get rid of her for the entire school year.

At the magical bank of Gringotts, she had been told about the First Wizarding War, her family's death, and other information. She had gotten the heir ring for the House of Potter, as with her father, Lord James Potter, dead, she was not the Heiress of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Potter. The ring was beautiful, silver and platinum woven together to make the band with a well cut diamond on it, that had turned into an emerald once she had put it on.

She absentmindedly twisted the ring, which sat on her right middle finger.

After getting some magical money to buy her school supplies, she had run (literally) into Neville Longbottom, who turned out to be her godbrother. She had taken his invitation to spend the rest of the summer at Longbottom manor with him and his grandmother, the formidable but kind Augusta Longbottom. She had also met Susan Bones and Ron Weasley during that summer, and the four had become close friends.

Rounding out the friendship group was Hermione Granger, an intelligent muggle-born witch, and Padma Patil, both whom she shared a dorm with in Ravenclaw Tower.

Her first year at Hogwarts had been peaceful up until she and her group of friends had to get through the obstacles to the Sorcerer's Stones, where Cali had to fight off and kill Voldemort, who wasn't dead apparently, and Quirrel, his servant and her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Yeah, that was fun.

Second Year had been even more of a ride, with a monster running around paralyzing the muggle-born students and a DADA professor who she had to get a restraining order on. She had then sued him when he hadn't obeyed it.

Cali had then gone to the Chamber of Secrets, as her status as a Parseltongue, able to talk to snakes, let her into the chamber. She, Ron, Neville, and Susan (as Padma had gotten paralyzed alongside Hermione) had then had to rescue the possessed Ginny Weasley, with Neville getting injured in the process.

So Cali had used the Conjunctivitis Curse on the Basilisk's eyes, then she had used the Bombardment spell to drop several layers of earth and stone onto the Basilisk, killing it. She had then used one of the fatally venomous coated Basilisk fangs to get permanently get rid of the creepy diary (oddly enough, it screamed as she stabbed it with the flag), and got healed by Fawkes the Phoenix.

It had left behind an odd ring— a simple band of metal with a snake eye-like gemstone on the top. It also turned into a knife made out of a Basilisk fang, venom and all, if she pushed the gem, but she had yet to inform anyone outside Stonefang, the Potter family account manager, who had been present when she had first discovered it.

After all of that, she had used a simple but unchallengeably war spoil claiming ritual on the Basilisk corpse for herself with Stonefang as her witness, went back to the upper part of Hogwarts, gave her report to the Aurors, and then slept for two days straight. She had finished up the school year, and come back to the hated Privet drive for a single hour before heading out for Diagon Alley.

A simple garden snake slithered out of a garden onto the pavement, stopping before her. "Sssspeaker," the snake hissed. "Behind you!"

Cali spun around to see a massive boar charing her from behind. It was thirty feet tall, with canoe sized tusks and it was moving very fast.

Oh shit. she thought blankly before running as fast as she could, jumping into the street seconds before it smashed into where she had previously been. She scramble to her feet, hands and knees raw from where skin had been scraped.

She fumbled for her wand: Cedar wood, Thunderbird feather core, 11 ¾ inches.

Ollivander had called it interesting, since it had rejected all witches and wizards before her, given the unique combination of Elder wood and Thunderbird feather, but it had served her well for almost two years now. As if on cue, the wand began vibrating as the feather sensed danger.

She pointed her wand at the street. "Bomborda Maxima!" she bellowed.

Gravel and stone went flying, but it barely slowed the beast down. She narrowly dodged it, but she screamed in pain as its tusk slashed her abdomen. Cali trust a hand in its direction when it moved to charge at her, and some great force, her magic, threw it back. She frantically activated the Basilisk fang ring, stumbling on her feet.

The boar was on its feet by the time she nearly reached it. She groaned, blood bumbling from her lips as it charged again. As it got closer she yelled "Arresto Momentum!"

The beast slowed down and she lunged, driving the dagger into its eye. The boar let out a pained screech before collapsing into golden dust.

Cali was left standing on shaking legs on the street. She numbly switched the knife back into its ring form before stumbling for her trunk.

But the moment she touched it, her insides twisted and with a loud bang, she felt herself being thrusted somewhere at the speed of light.

Cali fell to her knees when she hit the forest floor, gasping out in pain as she curled around herself. Blood spilled out from between her fingers and mouth as she weakly coughed.

She could smell strawberries... so she defiantly wasn't in Privet Drive anymore.

But where was she now?

"Chiron, there's another one!" she heard someone, a male voice with an accent, distantly yell. A blonde figure was approaching her.

She threw out her hand, telekinetically pushing away. There was a yell and thud but she didn't hear any more.

The blood loss caught up to her and everything went black.

Chapter Text

Cali's dreams were incredibly weird.

There was the golden eagle and white horse fighting in what looked to be a death match, a dark voice edging them on. She could vaguely see a boy her age with black hair watching as well.

She had woken up once. She could vaguely recall lying on a bed, a boy with blonde hair and the darkest eyes she had ever seen carefully spoon feeding her something. She let out a noise but he made a soothing noise. "Hey, you're okay." he said, his voice accented.

"She's awake?" another, feminine voice asked. A girl with curly blonde hair and sharp, stormy grey eyes appeared overhead. "What's going to happen on the Summer Solstice?"

"Annabeth!" the other boy hissed.

"What?" the girl asked. "We need to know what will happen!" she turned back to Cali. "What got stolen? What's happening? There's only a few weeks left!"

"Fuck off." Cali snapped in Parseltongue before drifting back into oblivion.

So when she woke up again for good, she quickly sat up. She then grunted, feeling pain spike in her abdomen. She cautiously lifted the white shirt she was in to see that her abdomen was heavily bandaged, all the white bandages tightly wound to make sure no blood would get through.

Madam Pomfrey would approve. she thought dryly. She looked around, hissing in pain anytime she moved her abdomen too hard.

There was nothing weird, and the room resembled a private room in a hospital... not that she had ever been to one, but it was the closest thing she could compare it to. Cali could see, through the window, strawberry fields and a hill with a single pine tree.

The ravenette spotted her messenger bag and wand on the nightstand, with a tall glass filled with what looked like apple juice and a straw and paper parasol stuck into a cherry. Cali's gut told her it was safe... and she trusted her gut.

She reached out, grimacing at the ache in her hands but she picked up the drink. She took a sip and perked up: it tasted like butterscotch custard and she drank the rest of the drink. Feeling much better (perhaps that was a potion?), she got up, putting the drink back and collected her messenger bag and wand. She spotted her trunk at the foot of her bed and sighed in relief.

That had cost 75 galleons, a bit pricey but it was a very good trunk, made out of mahogany, with it being enchanted with the Anti-Alohomora Charm and the trunk keyed to her magical signature and blood. Inside, the trunk had a modified version of the Undetectable Extension Charm- three different layers, each one holding different things (her clothes, her family's Invisibility Cloak, books, school supplies, and other items), immune to fire, wouldn't let water in, and wouldn't rot.

It was a very good trunk.

She opened up her trunk, placing her messenger bag (which was also enchanted with the regular version of the Undetectable Extension Charm) and collected clothes to change into, just some pants and a white t-shirt. She switched into those clothes and slid on her scuffed sneakers.

All settled, Cali tucked her wand into the pocket of her pants, sealed the trunk, and headed out, opting to leave her trunk.

She headed outside to see a lot more now, such as a beach and the crashing waves of the ocean. Small cabins out in the distance, but more prominent Ancient Greek style buildings dotted the area, with several teenagers and satyrs occupying a sand pit to play some kind of sport.

Closer to her, she could see that she as on some kind of porch, with a lounge table and chairs. Two of which were occupied, one by a portly man with curly dark hair that looked almost purple, watery blue-purple eyes, and a red nose. He wore khaki shorts and a loud, tiger print Hawaiian shirt.

But mainly, Cali could feel the sheer power rolling off of him. She eyed him warily.

"Ah, you've woken up!" the other man said. He was sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a tweed jacket, thinning brown hair, and a scruffy beard. All giving off the vibe of a coffee addicted Muggle university professor.

"Where am I?" she asked bluntly. She spotted two more people, a girl with curly blonde hair and boy with straight blonde hair, chatting together quietly. Both of them now focused on her. The girl had grey eyes, and the boy had solid black eyes. Both looked to be around her age.

She tilted her head recognizing them.

"Mr.Brunner!" another voice cried out and she turned her head around to see two more boys, one with black hair and bright green eyes and the other with curly hair, brown eyes, and goat legs- up, a Satyr, join them.

"Well, this makes things easier." the blond boy mumbled.

"Please, both of you sit." the man, Mr.Brunner apparently, said. He gestured to the portly man sitting next to them. "Percy, Calytrix Potter, this is Mr.D. Our activities director."

"Just call me Cali." she said. "You are?"

"Chiron." the elder fellow said as the green eyed boy and his companion drew close. "Cali, please meet Percy Jackson," he gestured to the green eyed boy, "Grover Underwood," he introduced the Satyr "And Jake Morgan and Annabeth Chase."

The boy, Jake, waved in greeting while the girl, Annabeth, was critically studying her and Percy, as if they were puzzle pieces she was trying to figure out.

"Pleasure to meet you." she said. "Now, again, where am I?"

"You're in Camp Half-Blood, in America." the man in the wheelchair said. "Sit, sit! I'll explain as we..."

Chiron trailed off, eyes going wide as he looked at something above her head. She glanced up to see a large, holographic blue lightning bolt, with a smaller hologram of a pink dove below it.

She yelled as a pink aura suddenly engulfed her. She could feel something in her head faintly scream before the aura faded and she instantly picked up the change in her appearance.

Cali now wore a sleeveless, emerald green dress that fell halfway down her calves, with gold lace up sandals on her feet. Her black hair was now in an intricate braided crown with another braid running down her back. Elegant gold bracelets now adorned her wrists. And she didn't have to look in the mirror to see that she was wearing makeup.

Honestly she was twelve... who the hell had put make up on her?!

She was then aware of everyone but Mr.D and Chiron, who had bowed his head, were now kneeling. All the kids nearby were gawking her like she was some rare animal in the circus, uncomfortably like how everyone had looked at her during her first year at Hogwarts... and still sort of did.

"All hail Calytrix Potter, daughter of Zeus, God of the sky, thunder, lightning, kingship, honor and justice, King of the Gods, Lord of the Sky, and King of Olympus! Legacy of Aphrodite, Goddess of beauty, love, desire, passion, pleasure, and fertility!" Chiron yelled.

What. was all Cali could think.

Chapter Text

"I'm sorry, but what the hell is going on!?!" Cali shouted. The wind stirred up and she could vaguely hear thunder boom in the distance, could see storm clouds gather out of the corner of her eye. Her magic thrummed up and out, and the table began levitating.

"Cali," Chiron's voice cut through. "Please, calm down. Your powers are tied to your emotional state and you're losing control."

She nodder jerkily, clenching her jaw tightly as she forced herself to calm down. The wind calmed down while the table was set back down. She could see dark clouds scatter.

"What. Is. Going. On?" she hissed through clenched teeth.

Chiron gestured to Jake and Annabeth. "Annabeth, please get Cabin One ready. Jake, tell Cabin Eleven to prepare for a new member." Jake nodded, fading into the shadows with a quick nod to her.

"Sure." Annabeth chirped, giving Cali a bright smile before running off.

"Percy, Cali, please sit." Chiron said.

Cali sat down, as did Percy, who was gawking at her.

"You said I was a daughter of Zeus." Cali said. She pointed to Mr.D "And you're just radiating power."

Mr.D. looked up and examined her. "Hmm, you are far smarter than most of my mortal half siblings. But yes, I'm a god."

"Dionysus, right?" she further asked.

"Yes, little sister." he toasted her with a Diet Coke can. "Welcome to the family, little sister. Just don't expect me to be happy about it."

"You're taking this far better than I expected." Chiron told her.

She automatically reached for her pocket to draw her wand, but instead felt it in the pocket of her dress. She pulled it out. "I'm a witch. I got over the whole 'secret hidden world' thing a while ago."

"I'm sorry," Percy burst out. "But what? You're apparently a god," he pointed to Dionysus "And you're a witch?!"

Mr.D looked up, eyes burning with purple fire. "Do you want me to prove to you?"

"No." Cali blurted out. She had seen Alice and Frank Longbottom, how to people full of life and brightness had been reduced after being driven to insanity. To the point where not even the best of mind magic could repair their minds, restore their sanity.

Percy didn't deserve that.

Wait, isn't Dionsyus the god of madness and insanity? Maybe he can heal them. she thought to herself but placed that thought aside for now.

"No he doesn't, Lord Dionysus." she repeated.

"Because you asked so nicely, I won't." the god said. "And just call me Mr.D, all the brats here do."

Percy turned to her, looking a bit pale. As if he had gotten the hint. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." she said before looking at Chiron. "Now, can we please have some sort of explanation?"

The Trainer of Heroes nodded as he stood up, revealing his real body. She let out an impressed whistle upon realizing the sheer power and cleverness of the illusion. "Yes. I'll show you the camp as I explain."

Chiron gave them the grand tour of the camp as he explained to them the hidden world of Greek mythology and legends.

Given that gods were immortal, they were still alive and kicking. Just hiding from the masses of mortals who didn't believe they were real as they did thousands of years ago in Ancient Greece. And as Olympus moved with the flame of the West, and was currently in America. Specifically, floating above the Empire State Building. The Mist was a barrier that kept mortals from seeing their world.

Something Cali made a mental note to see if she could hopefully learn to manipulate.

Chiron showed her and Percy the strawberry, the armory, the Pegasi stables, the canoeing lake, the archery range, the amphitheater, and the outdoing dinning pavilion.

"What do we do when it rains?" Percy asked.

The centaur gave Percy an odd look. "Well, we still have to eat, don't we?"

Cali probed her magic, feeling a sort of barrier over the camp. "There's some kind of enchantment over it, or the entire camp, that keeps out the bad weather." she stated.

"Oh." Percy said. "Magic can do that."

She pulled out her wand again, letting some blue sparks fall out of it. "Magic can do a lot of good and horrible stuff. Controlling the weather, transfiguration, curses, mental magic, healing magic, control someone's mind, manipulate the elements, necromancy—"

"I get the point." Percy hastily said.

"And that's just Wizarding magic" Chiron said mildly. "I wonder how you'll do with the children of Hecate... they could teach you a bit."

He trotted up to twelve cabins, nestled near the woods and by the lake.

"You'll be staying in Cabin One, Cali." Chiron said.

"Zeus Cabin." Cali muttered, looking up at cabin.

It honestly didn't look like a cabin.

Made out of heavy white marble with columns at the front, with polished bronze doors that had several lightning bolts etched into them.

She walked towards it, but right before she entered the cabin, she paused and looked back at Chiron and Percy.

"So, if I'm Zeus's daughter... is James Potter not my father?" she asked, her voice wobbling. Cali treasured the photo album that Augusta Longbottom had given to her during the Christmas of her first year of Hogwarts.

Chiron shook his head. "No, you are James Potter's daughter. And Lily Potters daughter. Your conception is akin to Theseus's own. Two fathers, one mother. Both James and Zeus are your father."

"Oh." she said, and promptly decided to never ever think about how she had been conceived again outside of the general strokes of it. "And how did you now my name?"

Chiron snapped his fingers. "When I saw your wand after your arrival, I reached out to Albus. He was more than relieved to know where you landed, and told me everything."

She nodded. "That makes since... is Headmaster Dumbldore a demigod?"

"Dumbldore is a son of Athena and Legacy of Hecate. Got the best of both."

"Who's Dumbledore?" Percy asked.

"The Headmaster of Hogwarts. It's a boarding school for magic." Cali explained.

Percy just nodded. He was doing surprisingly well at accepting all the new things thrown his way. He honestly deserved an award, in Cali's opinion.

"Well, your things should be in Cabin One, Cali. I do believe it should be updated a bit." Chiron. "Come, Percy. I'll show you Cabin Eleven."

Cali watched them go before entering Cabin One. It was all white, with several small statues of eagles and one large statue of Zeus that seemed to be glaring at everything. A silver door lead to a bathroom after she looked inside it, but it was the larger, bronze door caught her eye.

She opened the door, and took in the full on bedroom before her.

A queen sized canopy bed with blue and white sheets and blue drapes, with a nightstand to the right with a small lamp. Her trunk was at the foot of her bed. An elaborate desk and a plush chair was at the wall opposite of the bed, with empty bookshelves lining each side of the desk. A closest was on the wall left to the bed. A chandelier lit the room, and the walls were a soothing blue color.

A loud hoot echoed through the room and she focused on Hedwig, who was primly seated on a golden perch.

"Hedwig!" Cali cried, relieved. The snowy owl flew over and perched on her shoulder, nipping at her ear affectionally.

She stroked her owl's feathers. "It's been a long day, Hedwig." she murmured.

Chapter Text

After Cali pet Hedwig, she switched out of the clothes Aphrodite (at least, she believed it was Aphrodite) had put her in. While she did enjoy wearing dresses and skirts and more girly stuff, a dress in a summer camp wasn't the most practical thing to wear. The sandals she would keep though.

Luckily, the closest had been supplied with a multitude of clothes that were all her size with various colors... and some of those clothes had definitely been in her trunk. And shoes, there was dozens of shoes of all kinds, from Ancient Greek style sands to sneakers to boots to heels (why heels? She was twelve!).

Cali selected one of the orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD t shirts, some blue shorts, and sneakers. A quick peek into the bathroom, stocked with towels and other hygiene products, confirmed that she was wearing make up, but only some lip gloss and golden eye shadow. Both of which she removed.

The Potter witch was far too young for make up.

After that, she stocked some of the bookshelves with the books in her trunk.

There was a knock on the cabin door, and Cali opened it to see Jake on the other side. He looked like he had just dried off but his hair still looked damp.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

Jake just sighed. "I'll tell you later."

She had a gut feeling that it had something to do with Percy. She just gave him a It was Percy wasn't it? look. Jake just sighed again and nodded.

"Chiron sent me to get you for dinner." the boy explained. "And to explain the rules in the dining pavilion."

She quirked her brow at the last it but nodded, following Jake to the pavilion. He told her about the sacrifices and the table arrangement. About the enchanted dishes that sounded awfully like

"Which Cabin are you part of?" she asked.

"I sleep in the Big House." the blond told her.

Cali then noticed the shadows clinging to him. "Are you Hades son?"

Jake paused but shook his head. "No, but close enough. And don't directly use a God's name, names have power."

Those words reminded her of most wizards referring to Voldemort as 'You-Know-Who' and 'He-Who-Most-Not-Be-Named' instead of just calling him by his name. Calling him those aliases just generated even more fear around a wizard who hadn't even been able to conquer England before being defeated.

A deep seated pang of bitterness bubbled up inside of her. But not before he took my parents. she thought sadly.

"Who's you're Godly parent, then?" she asked.

Jake let out a breath. "Erebus."

She blinked before nodding. "That's cool."

Jake looked a bit stunned before grinning shyly. "Yeah."

Cali was pointedly aware of the stares as she sat at the Zeus table and ordered her dinner form the plate and cup before her: steak and kidney pie with some grapes and apples, and green tea. And then the murmurs as she walked up to the campfire in the middle.

She tossed in her apples and muttered "For Zeus."

She caught a whiff of the smell, and it wasn't of burned food. The smell was ozone, roses, cinnamon, and a hundred other things that all blended together beautifully.

On a sudden impulse, she sacrificed a chunk of her steak and loudly said. "For Hera."

Please don't kill me, I'm sorry for existing but blame Zeus for not keeping it in his pants. she prayed.

The wind stirred gently around her, and she hoped the Queen of the Gods was satisfied.

The rest of the campers looked shocked as she walked back to her table. Even Mr.D seemed stunned.

"Did you just sacrifice something for Hera?" Jake asked, looking faintly amused.

"I mean, I do want to try and be on her good side so she doesn't kill me." Cali dryly stated.

Jake cackled and Cali laughed too, the tension building up in her finally loosening.

Maybe she could have a home here.

Chapter Text

The next week at Camp Half-Blood had proved to be interesting.

Cali had been given a training schedule by Chiron after breakfast of her first morning there. She was pleased to find it to be very detailed and efficiency oriented.

After breakfast, Cali had a quick cabin inspection. Maybe it was Hermione's neat freak tendencies that had rubbed off her and the rest of her friends (Ron especially had become much more neater and cleaner within a month of being Hermione's friend), but Cali had become very neat when it came to her room.

Next was learning Ancient Greek and Greek myths from Jake and Annabeth, who was also tutoring Percy. That was from 9:00 to 10:00. Cali, having had to learn to read Latin at Hogwarts, had been able to get the ropes of the language. She had also given a few tips to Percy, who had been able to improve after that. The myths part was the other half of the lesson that she found enjoyable.

After Ancient Greek and Myths lessons, Cali had lessons from Chiron on how to control her powers. The powers of lightning manipulation, air manipulation, electricity manipulation, and weather manipulation. All powers she had inherited from Zeus. That ran from 10:00 to 11:30.

After that, from 11:30 to 12:30, were magic lessons form the children of Hecate. While Wizarding magic and Mystiokinesis, the magic of Ancient Greece, were similar, they were still subtly different. So she learned how to manipulate the Mist and use Mystiokinesis.

After lunch, which was 12:30 to 1:30, Cali could choose between archery, spear and javelin lessons, sword lessons, hand to hand combat, Monster fighting lessons, or knife and dagger lessons. She usually went with the sword lessons, sometimes attending the archery class. All of those classes went from 1:30 to 3:30.

After that, there were the options of basketball, swimming, track, climbing the Lava Wall, Pegasi riding, football (or soccer, as it was called in America. Weird), canoe racing, volleyball, or arts and crafts. When it ended at 5:10, it was free time, which had elected to use to practice her wizarding magic.

It turned out the Trace didn't work on her, as Chiron had informed her. Which was something Cali had been very pleased to learn about.

When free time ended at 6:30, it was time for dinner, which lasted until 7:30. From there, one had to do cabin cleaning, laundry, and other tidying up chores.

All of which Cali used her magic to do.

Sometimes Dobby (who had become her personal House elf after she freed him from Malfoy. The House-Elf had insisted on it.) would come around and insist on doing the cleaning, or to just visit. He would leave and report back to Misty, the elder House Elf back at Potter Estate.

Cali had also written letters to her friends, explaining where she was and her visit. She hadn't revealed the mythological world to them, but had made sure the letters were clear that she was safe.

After dinner, it was time for the campfire sing alongs, which lasted another ninety minutes. After that, it was time to go to one's cabin and get ready for lights out at ten.

"You're good at this." Chiron said after she summoned and dispersed a medium sized tornado, then a hurricane, and finally a thunderstorm. "Most of your half siblings took to electricity, air, or lightning quicker over the power of weather control."

She shrugged. "Everyone's unique, right?"

"Indeed." Chiron said, stroking his chin. "May I ask how how your time here at the camp is going so far?"

"The beauty magic wore off." Cali responded. She had gone to the Aphrodite Cabin with questions and got reassured by Silena, the fourteen year old head counselor, that it was part of the claiming process: Aphrodite's blessing would enhance the already gorgeous features of her children and legacies for a few days before wearing off.

"Hera hasn't killed me yet, so that's a plus." she replied. Cali had taken to sacrificing a second portion of her food to Hera alongside Zeus in the two days since arriving at camp.

"I'm sure Hera is... pleased with this." Chiron said carefully. "I must admit, you are the first demigod of Zeus that's sacrificed offerings to Hera."

Cali blinked, surprise filling her body. "The other's haven't? They should've, maybe it's pleasing Hera that I'm respecting her."

Chiron shrugged. "They were more concerned about surviving monsters."

"But not Hera?" Cali said. Even before she had learned about the mythological world, she knew enough about Greek mythology to know about Hera's... attitude, towards Zeus's bastards.

The witch didn't want to die, so trying to appease Hera through offerings was something she had first done on impulse, and was now part of her routine during meals.

"Monsters, in their opinion, where a more present threat." the Trainer of Heroes explained.

She thought about it and nodded. "Fair enough."

Cali found herself hanging out with Jake later that day as they headed to the amphitheater for sword fighting lessons. After noticing him glance at her out of the corner of his eye again, she decided to confront him.

"You and Annabeth have been acting odd around me. The head counselor of Cabin 11 too." she bluntly stated. "What's wrong with it?"

Jake stopped in his tracks before motioning her to follow. "This way."

He began leading her to the hill that had the single, lone pine three on it. It was the size of a Christmas tree, around the size of the one Hogwarts would boast during the Christmas season as decoration.

"My mom, Jessica Morgan, was twenty five when she met my dad while studying bioengineering in graduate school at UC Berkley. They were together for five years, and she was twenty seven when she had me. Erebus had to leave when I was two, but he made an effort to visit." Jake told her. "We lived in Santa Monica. When I was five, my mom took in a demigod who had run away from home. Her name was Thalia Grace, and she was a daughter of Zeus like you."

Cali's breath caught in her throat.

She had a sister?

"But... why isn't Thalia here?" she asked helplessly.

The son of Erebus swallowed thickly. "Because... she died. Thalia stayed with us for three months before monsters attacked our house. My mom went down making sure Thalia and I could run. Erebus gave us some money and supplies that got us to New Orleans. That's where we met Luke Castellan, a son of Hermes. He had ran away from his home as well. He's the head counselor of Cabin 11 during the summer now, since he's at NYU as a psychology major."

"And?"

"We met Annabeth two years later, when I was seven. Luke, Thalia, and I... we just escaped this house of monsters. She was seven too, she ran away from her home a few months earlier. Thalia and Luke took her in. We were all together for a few months when we ran into Grover." the blond told her.

"Percy's friend." Cali recalled. He seemed nice the few times she had interacted with him, but also very nervous and guilty.

"He was a satyr assigned to bring Thalia back to Camp Half-Blood. Demigods, we have a scent that attracts monsters to use like moths to light. The Demeter's kids have it stronger than average, since their mom is a daughter of Kronos. But Children of the Big Three, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus? The scent is stronger. It brings in the older monsters." Jake explained. "That boar you fought? It was the Erymanthian Boar, the one Heracles killed."

"Fantastic. I'm a beacon for monsters to try and kill." she snarked. A question popped up in her mind. "What about your scent?" she asked. "You're the son of Erebus. Primordial of darkness and shadows."

"It's stronger, but according to my dad, it also scares off all but the dumbest or strongest monsters given it's like my dad. Who monsters are scared shitless of." Jake explained. "Anyways, Thalia refused to leave Luke, Annabeth, or I. So Grover took us all and began bringing us to Camp Half-Blood."

"Couldn't you just do that thing with your shadows?" she asked. She had seen Jake teleport around the camp grounds through his shadows.

"I was seven and not as well trained. My range back then was ten feet." Jake said. "So I couldn't. I wish I could've."

He went quiet again, staring off into the distance. Cali reached out and squeezed his hand for support, and Jake squeezed back.

She could tell this part was deeply traumatic for Jake. And glancing at the pine three, feeling it's power and magic... she had an inkling, a strong one, of what had happened.

"You got caught by monsters." she quietly said.

"Yeah. You see, after world war two, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, they all took an oath. No more demigods." Jake said.

"But Zeus broke it, clearly." she said. She existed, Thalia had existed.

He nodded, looking a little quiet before speaking again. "Yeah. Zeus had an affair with Thalia's mom, this eighties scarlet in Hollywood. She wasn't a good mother, since Thalia bailed when she was ten after... an event. When Hades learned about Thalia, he unleashed all of his worst monsters after her. That's why Grover was sent to find Thalia, and get her to camp. This place, Camp Half-Blood, it's a neutral point for godly politics and grudges." Jake confirmed. "And the Kindly Ones were leading the army chasing us."

Jake turned paler then normal, so pale it made his dark, depthless black eyes seem even darker. Shadows twined around his wrists, his body, as if to comfort him. "And they found us. Thalia... Thalia was tired of running. She had Luke grab Annabeth and me and run while she held off the army to buy us time."

Cali's words felt like bricks on her tongue as she spoke. "And she died."

The blond shook his head, placing a hand on the bark of the pine tree. Tears were pouring down his face. "Thalia... Thalia almost died. As she was dying, Zeus took pity on her. Turned her into a pine tree, to preserve her soul and life force. To make sure she didn't wind up in the Underworld."

The witch sent a pulse of her magic to the barrier around the camp. The barrier's protection magic was near identical to the one the tree was giving off.

Because the tree was the anchor point, the center, of it all.

"Thalia... Thalia's life force made this barrier." she said. Her own tears were now running down her cheeks.

Jake let out a mangled, grieving noise, and fell to his knees, his sobs wracking his body. Cali knelt next to him and pulled him into a tight hug as she began crying in full force too.

Both of them grieving for Thalia, their sister, by blood and by choice.

Chapter Text

After Jake told her about Thalia, Cali had become much closer to the son of Erebus. She had also become better friends with Annabeth and Grover, making it clear to the latter that she did not blame him for Thalia.

"You don't?" Grover repeated, looking a little shock. "But I failed—"

Cali cut him off. "Thalia made her choice, and she went down fighting. But you got Luke, Annabeth, and Jake to safety like she wanted you too, even if she didn't tell you directly. So thank you, for saving them."

Grover still looked a little stunned.

"I don't blame you for Thalia's death, Grover." she repeated. "I don't. I blame the monsters that killed her, not you. Her death isn't your fault."

He hugged her suddenly, and she hugged him back. And somehow, someway, she knew her actions had helped him take a step, however small, to forgiving himself.

But with Luke Castellan, well, there was just something about the son of Hermes that just set off all the red flags in her head when Jake and Annabeth introduced her to him.

"Hi Cali." Luke said with a charming grin on his face as he extended his hand. "I'm Luke, Head Counselor for the Hermes Cabin."

Cali subtlety tensed up, every instinct going off in her body. There was something she couldn't identify that set off all of the red flags in her head.

But she kept a polite smile on her face and shook his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Luke. Jake and Annabeth talk highly about you."

Luke gave a flashing grin to Annabeth and Jake. The former blushed while the latter just nodded. "That's good to hear. So, how do you like camp?"

"It's good." she answered. She had engaged in small talk before excusing herself to her lessons with Chiron, unable to shake off the bad feeling that had engulfed her and feeling a pair of calculating eyes watching her retreat.

Luke reminded her of the phantom-memory of Tom Riddle, something that had unnerved her greatly. So while Cali was polite, she kept him at an arms length, trusting her instincts.

She and Percy had also remained close friends, as he was one of the few people in camp who didn't treat her like some kind of super child, to be the best of whatever she did. Judging her every move, whispers hounding her feet. And there was something about him that had her being drawn to him, as if he was a fellow kindred spirit.

It was just like her first year of Hogwarts again, where they praised her for surviving where her parents had died. And she hated it so much, which was why she appreciated Percy's laid back attitude when she and him hung out.

The Aphrodite cabin treated her similarly. She had become close with Silena, who helped her identify the few powers she had gotten from Aphrodite. It wasn't much, just an innate fluency for French (which, given the language was called the language of love, made a lot of sense) and a strong knack for fashion. But she still enjoyed spending time with the Aphrodite Cabin when she could.

The Demeter Cabin, a cabin full of cousins, was similar. The witch sometimes spent afternoons helping them tend to and pick strawberries.

Cali had an entire family here in Camp Half-Blood, and she wasn't going to waste it.

Friday arrived with a strong air of excitement for the Capture the Flag game.

Cali had aligned with the Athena Cabin, the leaders of the Blue Team, who had also forged alliances with the Hermes Cabin and the Apollo Cabin. Ares had aligned with the rest of the cabins: Demeter, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, and Dionysus.

Jake, who didn't have a cabin, had allied with Athena as well.

She grinned in excitement when Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. "Heroes!" the Trainer of Heroes announced and listed off the rules, all of which seemed fair and understandable.

As soon as the equipment appeared on the tables, Cali quickly suited up, making her choices from the selections before her.

She donned a cuirass made out celestial bronze, but she quickly used her magic to make it as light as leather. She then donned vambraces, greaves, and pauldrons, all of which was given the same charm as the cuirass. She ditched a helmet for a blue leather bandana, which doubled to keep the strands of her solid black hair, which was tied back in a crowd braid, out of her eyes.

For weapons, Cali selected a xiphos sword made from Celestial bronze, sheathing over her shoulder. She had left her ring in her cabin at Chiron's request, given that the knife could very much kill a camper with as little as a scratch. She also had her wand, in a holder strapped to her inner right forearm, and her invisibility cloak tucked securely in a pocket of her shorts. She strapped a spare dagger, made of Celestial bronze, to her right thigh.

After getting suited up, she spotted Percy, who was holding a caduceus marked shield the size of a very large sign, and he looked like he could barely hold it. He also had a large helmet, which had a plume of blue horsehair on the top to signify his team. The Ares cabin and their allies, being the red team, had red plumes.

She jogged over to him and casted a spell to lighten his shield.

"Thank you." Percy said, giving her a grin.

"Anytime." she assured him.

"Blue team, forward!" Annabeth yelled. In response, the team cheered and shook their swords, following the blonde down the southern end of the woods as the red team yelled taunts at them.

Jake joined them, decked in Ancient Greek style armor, but it was made out of black material instead of bronze. He had a Xiphos sword strapped to his waist, made of the same black material. "Hey guys." the son of Erebus greeted.

"What's all of that?" Percy asked, gesturing to his armor and sword as the group marched down the path.

Jake glanced down at it. "This? It's all Stygian Iron. The only demigods able to use are children of the Underworld deities... or darkness associated ones."

"Impressive." Cali offered.

Annabeth dropped back to join them. "Jake, you're with Luke. Cali, you're guarding the flag."

"And me?" Percy asked but was ignored.

Cali frowned at that. "What about Percy?"

Annabeth blinked but turned to Percy. "You're on guard duty at the creek."

"I can stay with him." Cali offered. "I can set up some magical traps and then join him."

Percy looked relieved at her offer.

The daughter of Athena looked hesitant but nodded. "Okay."

"I'll see you at the creek." Cali promised Percy before turning to Jake and Annabeth. "Good luck!"

With that, Cali headed to where some of the Apollo and Hermes cabin members were setting up the flags. "Annabeth sent me here to set up some traps."

Lee Fletcher whistled. "Nice! What do you have in mind?"

Cali just smirked. "Just watch."

The daughter of Zeus brought out her wand and began casting spells. First was the Caterwauling Charm, which would be triggered by the arrival of any member of the Red Team. Next was the Stickfast Charm, which would magical stick the Red Teams shoes to the ground. A conch horn sounded and she began to hurry.

Finally, after figuring out how to rig it, she implemented the Full Body-Bind Curse would be triggered to paralyze them after the Stickfast Charm did its work.

"I got to go, I'm on guard duty at the creek with Percy." she told the others.

"Stay safe and good luck!" Theodore Allen, a nineteen year old son of Hecate, told her. He had black hair and mismatched eyes, one blue and one green, with tanned skin and a scar on his face, from his nose to his left cheekbone that didn't harm his handsomeness at all.

She shot him a thumbs up as she ran into the woods. "Thank you!" she called over her shoulder. Cali quickly navigated her way through the woods, heading for the creek. She arrived in time to see Percy emerge from the creek and begin to fight off several members of the Ares Cabin.

The witch drew her wand and aimed. "Petrificus Totalus!" she bellowed.

Her aim was true and the spell hit one of the Ares children, causing them to fall to the ground. A son of Ares turned to her, spear raised.

"Expelliarmus!" she yelled and the spear went flying. "Locomotor Mortis!"

The Leg-Locker Curse immediately caused his legs to collapse out from under him.

By then, Percy had finished fighting off the rest of the group.

"Thank you." Percy panted, clutching his sword.

"Anytime." she assured him.

There was several loud cheers and the shadows in the clearing thrummed. Out emerged Jake and Luke, with Luke holding the flag and sprinting for the creek. More blue members were covering for them as the Hephaestus cabin members gave chase.

She looked a Percy, who nodded. Cali sprinted over, throwing out the Full-Body Bind Curse at the Hephaestus members, who scattered to dodge it. She did hit one.

Luke crossed the creek, causing the flag to become silver with a caduceus on it. Cheers broke out from the Blue Team members, who heisted Luke on their shoulders.

The emerald-eyed witch flexed her magic and dispelled the spells she had laid. She headed for Jake, who was off to the side under a shadowy tree.

"You don't like the spotlight?" she asked.

"Nope." the blond responded. He glanced at the recovering demigods she had cursed. "Nice work with the spells."

"Thank you." she said with a grin. "Nice work with your shadows."

"It's Shadow Traveling." Jake informed her. "I got to practice it with multiple people, and for the sake of the game Chiron says I can't just shadow travel to grab the flag and then back. Then it's no fun."

She laughed softly. "That's fair."

Jake suddenly tensed, the shadows twirling around him. "Get down!" he yelled and tackled her to the ground.

A rhino sized, black furred monster with a set of glowing red eyes and massive fangs burst from the shadow of the tree. It leaped over them and Annabeth, before making contact with Percy. The thing's claws ripped through Percy's chest plate and sunk into his chest.

"Percy!" Cali screamed, shoving Jake off of her and sent out a blast of wind, throwing the monster off of the green eyed boy, and scrambled to her feet. The monster turned to her, fangs bared. Jake got to his feet pointed his sword, the black material, Stygian Iron, glowing ominously like a dark star.

The monster hesitated when it saw Jake's sword, and that was the fatal mistake.

Jake teleported through the shadows to get the drop on the monster, driving his sword into the things neck. It exploded into golden dust, but it was all absorbed by the sword.

A silence fell before noise burst out from everyone. Annabeth was yelling that the monster was a hellhound from the Underworld and wasn't supposed to get through the wards, Chiron said that someone had summoned it, and Clarisse was shouting that it had been Percy of all people who had summoned it. And Cali was frozen, unable to speak.

The son of Erebus turned to Percy. "Are you okay?"

That triggered Cali, who sprinted over to Percy, who was bleeding. She summoned her wand to her hand and began casting the few healing spells she knew.

Annabeth got Percy to his feet. "Percy, get in the water."

"I'm fine." Percy insisted.

"You aren't!" Cali snapped.

Annabeth got Percy to his feet. When the boy nearly fell Jake caught him. "Chiron, watch this." Annabeth said and got Percy into the creek.

As if on cue, the cuts began to heal until there was nothing left. The closest thing she could compare it to was when Fawkes had healed her with his tears.

A soft glow caught her eye and she froze at hologram of a trident hovering about Percy.

Jake saw it as well."Oh Gods." the black eyed boy hissed.

Percy tried to apologize but Chiron cut him off.

"It is determined." the Trainer of Heroes announced, getting to a knee. Everyone but Cali bowed to Percy. "Your father has claimed you."

"My father?" Percy repeated, looking stunned as he gazed up at the holographic trident.

"You're my cousin." Cali said, and despite everything a bit of hope bloomed in her chest. She already liked Percy... maybe it was the ichor between them that pulled her to him like it pulled Percy to her. Not romantically, but an innate, subconscious tug between them.

"Hail Perseus Jackson," Chiron declared. "Son of Poseidon, Earthsaker, Stormbringer, God of the sea, storms, earthquakes, droughts, floods and horses, King of Atlantis, Lord of the Seas."

Chapter Text

The morning after the Capture the Flag game, Chiron moved Percy to Cabin Three, or the Poseidon Cabin.

Cali had shown up soon after, with a trunk she was levitating at her side. The son of the sea let her in with a confused look on his face.

"What are you doing..." Percy trailed off as she placed the trunk at the end of the bunk he had claimed and opened it, revealing a large amount of clothes.

"The Aphrodite Cabin had some spare clothes, and I asked if you could have them. They agreed." she explained. She pulled a book out of her messenger bag. "This is a book about water magic. You can control water, so I think you can do some water magic."

Percy looked touched as he took the book. "Thank you."

She just smiled. "You're my cousin, which means your family. I'm happy to help."

"I thought our dads were rivals." Percy pointed out.

"But we aren't our parents." she reminded him. "They might be rivals but we can be friends."

He smiled at that. "Yeah. And we are already friends."

She grinned to. "We are. And friends stick together."

That was the basis of the firm friendship that solidified between the two for the next few days. With most of the campers avoiding Percy like the plague, Cali kept him company. Jake, Grover, Silena, and Katie Gardener did as well. Annabeth was in the middle, only interacting with Percy for his Ancient Greek lessons.

Cali firmly believed that Annabeth was avoiding Percy only because of the rivalry between Athena and Poseidon.

Which was stupid as hell. Annabeth wasn't Athena, nor was Percy Poseidon. They could be friends, if Annabeth could get her head of the sand and see logic.

With Percy now claimed, Chiron had begun training him alongside Cali in his godly powers. Percy was studious and determined as he practiced his powers under Chiron's watchful gaze, quickly picking up how to manipulate water, in addition to creating small hurricanes and telepathically communicating with marine creatures.

Luke kept up his training of Percy in swordsmanship. Cali attended the same lessons, if only because she didn't trust Luke to be alone with Percy. Jake joined them as well.

A week went by with the cousins hanging out and training together, until they got summoned to the Big House one morning.

Cali shot up straight, summoning her wand to her hand as she looked around her room. Her magic spread over the room, checking it for anyone who could've gotten in.

The dream she had just had... of a two men, Poseidon and Zeus, fighting over something. Of a dark voice urging them to come down to somewhere.

There was a loud knock on the door that made her flinch, but she got to her feet and headed for the door. When she opened it, Grover and Percy, both wearing PJ's, stood before her. "Mr.D wants to see you and Percy." the satyr informed her.

She peered at the forming storm clouds and thrust her power out to dispel them. "Let me put something warm on. And shoes." she said. All she was wearing at the moments was a white tank top and lilac pajama bottoms.

Cali ducked back into her room, grabbed an oversized black hoodie and some sandals, casting warming charms on her clothing as she returned to Grover and Percy. "Okay, let's go." she said.

The trio walked to the Big House. While Grover and Percy discussed the weather, Cali was quiet. She thought over her dream and how tense Chiron and Mr.D had been. She deduced that something as happening between Zeus and Poseidon.

And she and Percy were going to get caught in the middle of it.

There was a tap on her shoulder, and the witch dragged herself out of her thoughts. She looked to see Percy at her side, giving her a nervous but supportive smile.

She smiled back, taking his hand and squeezing it encouragingly. He squeezed back and together, they walked up to the Big House.

After Mr.D's threats and comments, before teleporting away, Chiron sat them down and explained the entire situation to them.

Zeus's Master Bolt had been stolen on the Winter Solstice meeting. He had blamed Poseidon, who had denied the theft and demanded an apology, while Zeus had demanded his Master Bolt back. With neither god backing down, war was on the horizon.

And Percy's claiming by Poseidon had confirmed in Zeus's eyes that he was the thief.

"Ah yes, of course!" Cali snarked as she looked up from her pinochle cards. "Blame the twelve year old who was only introduced to this world when he was attacked by the Minotaur, and has never been to this camp before! Of course he is the thief!"

Percy gestured wildly in her direction. "Thank you!"

Chiron had to quickly explain that Zeus didn't care at this point. Percy's birth, a violation of the oath, was also the proverbial last straw.

Never mind the fact that Thalia and Cali had been sired before Percy. Cali's birthday was on July 31st, and Percy's was on August 16th. Thalia had been at least six or seven years older than both of them when the two had been born.

Pot meet kettle.

Chiron quickly explained that Zeus wanted his Master Bolt returned by the Summer Solstice. And Percy had been assigned a quest to fetch it from the thief. Percy was sent up to get his prophecy, and Chiron turned to her.

She just knew what was going to happen, it was written all over Chiron's face. "Let me guess. Zeus has given me my own personal quest to also go get the Bolt." she deadpanned.

The Trainer of Heroes gave her an apologetic smile. "I tried to talk him out of it, but Zeus was... insistent. 'My daughter will succeed where Poseidon's brat will fail.' where his direct words."

Cali wanted to bash her face into the table. But Augusta Longbottom had given her too much etiquette training for her to succumb to such levels.

"Translation: Zeus doesn't want to be shown up by his brother's son." she snarked. "How encouraging and loving he is."

There was an offended boom of thunder.

She gave the clouds a flat look. "Am I wrong?" she yelled. And there was no response.

The ravenette returned her focus to Chiron. "I'll work with Percy's group. Strength in numbers, and more people working to find it. And no prophecy for me?"

Chiron slid over a piece of paper. "From Apollo."

She picked up the piece of her paper and read the... dear Hera, what was this offense to poetry?

Lost bolt of lightning,
To be found in the west,
By the Summer Solstice

"This is a horrible Haiku." she said in disbelief, looking at Chiron. "Isn't Apollo the God of Poetry?"

"He is." Chiron confirmed but Percy came back down before she could further badger Chiron on how the god of Poetry was a horrible poet.

Percy told them about his prophecy, and she, Chiron, Grover, and Percy discussed what it could mean. And who the thief could be.

Who was... Hades?

"Really?" Cali asked. "Hades is the thief? Isn't that too obvious and far to cliche? Sure he's the God of the Underworld but that doesn't make him automatically evil. He's one of the most decent gods in the myths. He's hardly ever cheated on Persephone, their marriage is stable—"

"Didn't he kidnap her?" Percy cut in.

"But Zeus ordered it. And maybe Demeter was biased when she spread the myth." Cali pointed out. "Also, Hades has never broken deals with heroes who go down into the underworld. Orpheus fucked up on his own fault, not because of Hades, and Theseus and Pirithous were going to kidnap his wife. So yeah, they deserved to be fused to chairs by snakes. Also, a war just makes more work for him, doesn't it?"

"He is one to hold grudges." Chiron reminded her. "He had a Fury watch over Percy. And Hellhounds are from the Fields of Punishment, and he had his agent summon it from the inside of the camp. He wants the two of you dead before either of you can rescue the Bolt.

"And I think grudges are my Fatal Flaw." Cali muttered, thinking of her deep seated loathing of the Dursleys and Riddle. "And anyone can summon a Hellhound with the right ritual."

"The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility." Chiron insisted.

"Your bias against him is making him the only possibility in your eyes." the emerald-eyed witch snapped back. "By that logic Erebus stole the Bolt!"

Jake then emerged from the shadows. "For the record, Erebus didn't."

"I know, but-" she gestured at Chiron.

The Trainer of Heroes was quiet. "I suppose you are right. But it is a chance, and it must be investigated."

She gritted her teeth but nodded.

Percy cleared his throat. "Cali, we can just go down to the Underworld and ask. We'll be polite about it, and leave if he doesn't have it."

"Fine." she grumbled. "Who are you going to take?"

Percy turned to Grover, who agreed to come.

"I'll go with you." Jake offered.

The daughter of the sky smiled at him. "I would like that. And Katie could come too, if she wants."

Katie appeared from the inside of a tree. "I'll go!"

"Thank you." Cali said with a smile.

The son of the sea drummed his fingers on the table. "And for my last choice..."

Annabeth then appeared, taking off a baseball cap that had obviously made her invisible. He nodded. "Someone else to hold the braincell." he snarked.

The blonde just rolled her eyes, but Cali caught the hint of affection in the action. "Like I would let you leave with out me."

"We have six now." Grover said, looking optimistic. "Just like Hestia, Zeus, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera, and... the Lord of the Underworld. So with six members, we'll have good luck."

I really hope you're right on that. Cali thought.

"You are correct, Grover." Chiron said, standing up. "I will arrange for six bus tickets. You all pack what you need. The quest begins now."

Chapter Text

Cali rushed back to the Zeus Cabin to collect what she needed. She dumped out the contents of her enchanted messenger back before refilling it with what she deemed was necessary for a quest.

She packed spare changes of clothes, healing potions she had brewed, mortal and wizard money, long lasting food, the enchanted tent she had purchased on a whim last summer, and a few spell books, one of which was a book Theodore Allen had given her. She conjured three water bottles and then muttered "Aguamenti!".

A gentle stream of freshwater emerged from her wand and filled the first water bottle, then the second, and then the third. She placed all three into the messenger bag, thankful of her foresight to place the Undetectable Extendable Charm on it.

The ravenette then realized she was still dressed in her pajamas, and quickly got changed into proper clothing: a light pink t-shirt, black jeans, white and purple high-tops, and her white denim jacket. She braided her long black hair into a French braid and placed her wand holder on the inside of her right forearm, and then placed her wand there, securely strapping it in. She also grabbed the snake-eye ring and slid it onto her index finger.

Cali glanced around the room one more time before leaving the cabin, spotting Percy emerge from the Poseidon cabin. She strolled over to him. "You ready?" she asked.

"No." Percy said. "I'm scared we'll fail."

"We'll make mistakes," she said. "But we'll work together and we'll win."

Katie joined them, wearing practical denim shorts and a green tank top with a black jacket over that, boots on her feet and her hair in a simple braid. "Hey cuz." Percy greeted.

The daughter of Demeter smiled shyly. "Cousin?"

"You're family." Cali said. "Demeter is Zeus and Poseidon's older sister, after all."

That just made the brunette beam.

The questers assembled at Half-Blood Hill, pouring over their supplies. They had about two hundred American dollars (which Cali stored in her bag) twenty golden drachmas for immortal contact, and some nectar and ambrosia, with the stern warning to not overdose and use the food of the gods carefully.

Annabeth was bringing her magical Yankees cap, enchanted to make the wearer invisible. It was a twelfth birthday gift from her mother, according to the blonde. She also had a book about classical architecture written in Ancient Greek to read when she got bored, a water bottle, spare clothes, and a long bronze knife.

Grover had donned his fake feet and pants to pass as human, a green rasta cap to hide his horns, reed pipes from his father, and a bright orange backpack full of apples and scrap metal to eat.

Katie had brought a Celestial Bronze scythe, which could be hidden as a simple bracelet when not in use. She had a backpack full of supplies as well: long last food, a water bottle, clothes, a first aid kit, and a map of the United States highways, road system, and train tracks.

Percy had packed the spare clothes Cali had given him, food, water, and other basic supplies. Not the book of water magic, though, as he told her that he didn't want to lose it.

Jake had his Stygian Iron sword, though when he wasn't using it, he stored it in the shadows, as shadows functioned like a pocket dimension of unlimited space for him. Only he, Nyx, and Erebus could access this shadowy pocket dimension. He also had a bag of supplies for the quest: food, clothes, a water bottle, and such.

Chiron introduced them to Argus, the head of camp security who would drive them to the city. The Trainer of Heroes gave them their bus tickets.

The sound of someone running up the hill caught her attention, and Cali turned to see Luke Castellan racing up the hill, a pair of basketball shoes in his hand.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."

Annabeth blushed at Luke's presence, and Cali shot her a teasing grin. Katie, she saw, had the done it as well, which made the daughter of Athena glare at both of them.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke said. "And I thought you could use these."

He handed over the shoes and then activated them, revealing that the shoes were enchanted to let the user fly. Percy handed them to Grover, as he couldn't go in the air without getting killed by Zeus, but Cali couldn't help but feel wisps of dark magic on the shoes.

She hoped it was just nothing, though.

Luke hugged Jake and Annabeth before bidding good luck to the rest of them. He tried to ruffle Jake's hair, but the younger blonde shadow traveled away before he could do so.

"You're hyperventilating." Percy told Annabeth as Luke went down the hill back to camp.

"Am not." Annabeth huffed and walked to the van. Grover followed the blonde as did Jake, shooting Percy an apologetic look as he went after his adoptive sister.

"Katie, Percy, Cali," Chiron called. "A word, quickly."

The Trainer of heroes warned them of the monsters that would surely come after the three grandchildren of Kronos. To be careful.

Then he handed over the weapons.

Katie already had her scythe, which was a birthday gift from Demeter apparently, but neither Cali or Percy had weapons. Or, well, Cali had her wand and Basilisk fang dagger, but she was far more comfortable with swords.

But Chiron had been given weapons to hand over to the two of them.

A Celestial Bronze sword for Percy, forged under the sea by Poseidon and enchanted to hide as a pen when not in use. Also spelled to return to Percy's pocket so he could never lose it. It was named Anaklusmos, or Riptide.

And for Cali, a platinum chained necklace with an eagle pendant that turned into a—

She gaped at the two sided Xiphos sword before her. It was made out of a shimmering stormy gray steel and silver, around three feet long, with the handle made of the same shimmering grey steel. Pale blue etchings like lightning bolts decorated the sword, with thunderclouds engraved into the handle below the leather. The blade was a foot and a half long, the handle made up the rest.

"Ah, I recognize that sword." Chiron said. "Made of sky steel and silver, forged by your brother Hephaestus, that is Thýella."

Her mind instinctively translated the Greek word. "Tempest." she muttered. "Hephaestus made this?"

"Oh yes, many millennia ago when he returned to Olympus after claiming his throne." Chiron told her. "Because of the Sky Steel, you can channel and direct your lightning through that sword, and you're magic through it. The Selenite Silver means you can kill werewolves and other were-creatures."

She couldn't help but silently thank both Hephaestus and Zeus for the weapon as she tested out the weapon, giving it a few swings before returning it into its hidden form. She muttered a spell to make sure it would return to her as Riptide did for Percy.

Chiron then warned the three of them about how to use the weapons. Percy and Katie's Celestial Bronze weapons could only hurt mortals, but the silver in Tempest could do some light damage to mortals.

"I can use the Mist to hide us." Cali confidently stated.

"There are some mortals who can see through the Mist, so be careful anyways." Chiron still warned. "I wish you had more training before this, and I wish you the greatest of luck on your journey."

"Thank you." Percy said.

Cali nodded. "Thank you sir."

"Thank you, Chiron." Katie added.

And the group of six left in the van, away from the safety of Camp Half-Blood and into the dangers of the world of myths and monsters.

Chapter Text

As Argus drove them away from Camp Half-Blood and into the city, the questers all made light conversation together from their scattered spots in the van.

Cali had, after a ferocious duel of rock paper scissors, had won the right to the passenger seat. Katie was sitting right behind her in the right window seat, with Annabeth next to her and Percy next to Annabeth. Jake and Grover sat in the back row of the van.

The ravenette and Katie were discussing the fastest routes to LA, their destination, when Cali went quiet upon hearing Annabeth's reason for the daughter of wisdom and Percy to not get along was because their parents were rivals.

"That's bullshit." Cali said, twisting in her seat. "By that logic Percy and I should be bitter enemies because of his dad and Zeus."

Annabeth opened her mouth but Jake leaned over his seat. "Annabeth, we aren't our parents." the blond said. "Outside of the powers and traits we get from them, we don't have to be just like our parents."

"Besides, Athena and Poseidon worked together to make the chariot." Percy pointed out. "And Poseidon and Zeus worked together in the titan war."

"The Titanomachy." Cali told her cousin.

He waved a hand in her direction as if to say exactly what I meant. Her lips twitched into an involuntary but bright smile at the action.

"And we need to work together to solve this quest." Katie pointed out. "We can't let our parents past influence what we do now, since we must recover the Master Bolt."

"What you all said." Grover added.

Annabeth looked torn before nodding hesitantly. "If you guys say so."

"We do say it." Cali firmly said.

Argus dropped them off at the bus terminal, and the questers hurried into the terminal, with Cali manipulating the Mist to make sure no one would question why a group of preteens with no adult in sight were alone in a bus terminal.

They got on their bus, but Cali kept her bag with her while Jake stored every else's bags in his shadows.

"Do you not remember what Thalia and Luke told us?" Jake pointed out to Annabeth, who paled and nodded.

"Never put your bag somewhere where you can't get it." Annabeth recalled.

"Smart words." Cali cheerfully stated as she clambered onto the bus and wove her way through the aisle and into her seat. Jake sat down next to her and Katie next to him. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover sat in the row behind them.

Within minutes of the bus pulling out, the questers happily chatting with each other. Jake, Katie, Percy, and Grover were playing some kind of American muggle game with an apple, while Annabeth and Cali were engrossed in a discussion on Ancient Greek history.

The jovial mood died when three old ladies in crumpled dresses and shapeless, different colored hats boarded the bus. They looked like demonic triplets in Cali's opinion.

"Oh shit." Jake hissed. "We need to go now."

Katie must have seen Cali's confused look. "The Kindly Ones." Katie told her.

She remembered what Jake had told her about Thalia, and that the Kindly Ones had been leading the charge to kill her sister. A deep, dark anger immediately took root in her heart.

"Jake," Annabeth hissed. "Can you shadow-travel us out?"

"I think so." Jake whispered. "But we all need to be holding hands and I can't get us that far."

"Just get us off the bus." Percy whispered. "We can run from there."

Cali grabbed Jake's left hand and snapped her fingers with her free hand. She began to manipulate the Mist, targeting everyone's perception of the group. To the mortals and the three Kindly Ones, the group was still joking around and laughing.

The minds of the Kindly Ones resisted her. They were sensing what she was doing.

"Go." she could hear Katie hiss. "Go, go, go!"

With one final stab of the Mist, she enforced what she wanted the mortals and the three monsters to see.

Shadows swallowed her up in the next moment, and she was gone.

The group reappeared in a forest. Cali reflexively let go of Jake, shuddering at the awful feeling of shadow-traveling as it wore off.

Jake fell to his knees, retching. She pulled out her wand and conjured a handkerchief for him as he finished.

"I can't do that again for a while." he rasped, wiping the vomit form his mouth.

"Dude, that was awesome." Percy praised. "You saved our asses."

Jake just gave a thumbs up. Cali helped him to his feet, Annabeth also aiding her in making sure that the son of Erebus got to his feet. He leaned on her as Annabeth let go, still obviously shaky from pushing himself to hard.

"You good?" she asked, offering him an ambrosia square. He took it, eagerly and quickly downing the food of the gods.

"Exhausted, that was the first time I shadow traveled a group that large off of a moving vehicle." he rasped. "I can do that on myself, but I don't use it that much."

"And you're still training to shadow travel?" Katie asked.

"I'm teaching myself." Jake corrected. "Chiron hasn't trained enough children of Hades, who can also shadow travel, to give me decent advise on how to do it. Dad gave me a book but he can't train me himself due to the Ancient Laws."

"Huh," Percy said. "Isn't Erebus a primordial? Doesn't that mean he's stronger than Zeus."

"Exactly why he hide Mom and I for as long as he could." Jake replied.

In that moment, the two boys seemed to exchange a look of understanding.

"Let's move," Grover said. "Get some more distance from the Kindly Ones."

"Very wise words." Percy agreed. "Let's go."

They hiked for several hours and made it several miles, with Jake recovering enough to be able to walk on his own, before finding a low, weird building with a bright neon light. Cali squinted at the sign, thankful that she didn't have dyslexia but the neon lights were truly obnoxious.

"What does it say?" Percy wondered.

"Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium." Cali and Grover said at the same time.

"Thank you." Jake said.

Katie took a step toward it. "It looks open."

Percy was already crossing the street.

But Cali's magic hissed at the building, twirling and swirling. Reacting to the odd, devious, magic that surrounded the building. Akin to the aura that the diary of Tom Riddle had given off. She stared blankly at the building.

Grover turned to her. "This is a trap."

She nodded in agreement. "Most definitely."

"And they aren't listening to us!" he quietly shrieked.

"Which means we have the brain cell." Cali said. "This is when I'm glad the I'm a Ravenclaw."

She whistled loudly to get the other questers attention. Katie, Annabeth, and Percy were at the door, but Jake, standing several feet away, looked hesitant.

Either he was sensing the odd energy too, or it was his street-survival honed instincts that were screaming at him.

The witch was going to be on the latter.

"It's a trap!" she yelled. "Let's go!"

Too late, the owner had already opened the door.

"I told you this was a trap. Grover and I called this!" Cali growled out through gritted teeth. Resolutely not looking at the snakes tugging at her shoe laces and the green blood leaking around both her and Percy's shoes.

"I'm sorry." Percy groaned.

Annabeth hurried over with several bags. "Okay, don't look down."

Cali glared at the other girl. "What the hell do you think we are doing?"

She quickly regretted her words. "Sorry."

"No, no." Katie said from where Jake was patching up the deep, jagged cuts on her leg that Medusa's brass claws had made. "You and Grover have the right because you called it, and we didn't listen."

"Which means the next time Grover sense that something is off," Cali gestured to Grover. "We listen to Grover and leave."

"Deal." Annabeth said, standing up with the triple wrapped head of Medusa. "Now, what do we do with this?"

Cali pointed her wand at the green blood. "Scourgify."

The daughter of Zeus was pleased to see that the spell worked on the monster blood.

When she looked up, she saw that Percy was grinning like a madman. "I have an idea."

After sending the head of Medusa to Olympus (with a signed letter from her and Percy), the questers headed out of the building to find a campsite.

"This should work." Katie said, looking around the clearing. "Now, our sleeping bags—"

Cali had already pulled her enchanted tent from her bag. "Don't worry about sleeping bags, I have this."

She waved the enchanted tent proudly before setting it down. It sprang to life in an instant, the rich navy folds of the tent moving into position.

"We can't all fit in there." Annabeth pointed out.

"In a normal tent, we wouldn't." Cali agreed. "But this is a magical tent. I got it last time I was at Diagon Alley, it was off for 60% and I splurged. It was a whim but now I'm glad I got it."

She entered the tent, dropping her bag on the living room table and heading for the kitchen to start cooking. She had learned to cook at the Dursleys, but it was a useful skill she had kept cultivating.

Shocked gasps indicated the rest of the group had entered the tent and she muffled a smile.

Magic was a truly magnificent thing.

Chapter Text

Cali knew she was that she was dreaming.

She stood in front of a large, dark pit. A pit so dark that she just knew was bottomless. Gray mist covered the area, and whispering spirits, the spirits of the dead, were trying to pull her back from the pit.

From the stronger force trying to pull her into the pit.

"The little witch." an amused sounding voice spoke. "A magic user. You're young but strong... you could do."

The voice was old, dark, and truly ancient. And it felt so cold, like a glacier was forming around her just from speaking.

"They have mislead you from the truth, girl." the voice continued. "If you help me, I will give you what you want."

"There's nothing you can give me." she said.

"But what about your parents?" the voice told her.

Cali's heart felt like it stop. "No." she said. "They died for me, and I'm not stupid to mess with life and death."

Augusta Longbottom had told her only fools messed with the balance between life and death, and those who did suffered fates worse than death.

"I'm going to see them again when I pass on." she continued.

The voice became sharper, cold, hungrier. "Help me rise girl! Bring me the Master Bolt, and strike a blow against the gods!"

"Wake!" the spirits of the dead cried. "Wake!"

And Cali woke up.

She shot up straight in her bed, gasping loudly. She kicked off the sheets of her bed and stumbled through the door, somehow making her way into the kitchen.

Pure muscle memory guided her in making chamomile tea.

Grover entered the tent, holding a pink poodle in his arms. He stopped when he saw her, and from the look on his face Cali knew she must look horrible.

"Morning." she greeted. "Want some tea?"

"Sure." Grover said, setting the poodle down. "This is Gladiola, our ticket to the west."

"We still have money." Cali pointed out.

"Yeah, but this way we can save the money." the satyr told her. He then explained Gladiola's situation: a runaway dog from a rich family, who were offering three hundred dollars for his return.

The poodle didn't want to go back, but was willing to do it for Grover.

Cali was deeply impressed. "Smart move, Grover."

Grover beamed. "Thank you!"

After the rest of the questers woke up, and everyone got ready, they headed into the city. Grover returned Gladiola to his family, got the money, and the group then bought tickets at the Amtrak station.

Percy grabbed her hand as they got on the train, tugging her away. "Did you have a dream about a pit and a voice?"

Her blood went cold. "I did. What did it offer you?"

"It offered me my mom back, in exchange for the bolt." Percy said.

"I think it's lying." she said. "And if it wants the Bolt... then I think we found whoever got the thief to snatch the bolt."

"A puppet and a puppet master." the son of the sea said.

She blinked but nodded at the comparison. "Essentially. The puppet master wants the Bolt, so the puppet must have hidden it somewhere. And it wants us to find it."

Percy nodded. "We should tell the others."

"Absolutely." the emerald eyed witch agreed, and made a beeline to her friends. She cast privacy spells to make sure no Muggle would overhear them.

"Guys, we need to have a group meeting." Cali declared.

Chapter Text

"So, you and Percy both dreamed about some voice in a pit offering you your loved ones back if you gave them the Master Bolt?" Katie summarized.

Cali nodded. "Essentially."

"It could be, our, um, Friend Downstairs." Grover suggested.

"He usually appears on a throne." Jake disagreed.

"And if he already has the Bolt, like Chiron suspects, then why would he want us to bring it to him?" Percy pointed out.

Annabeth let out a frustrated sigh. "So, from this dream, we can potentially eliminate Hades as a suspect. But we still need to go the Underworld to check if he has the Bolt."

"I still believe that he isn't the thief." Cali said firmly.

"We know." Katie reassured, squeezing her hand. "But we still have to check."

Jake checked the tickets he was holding. "We got a few days until the Amtrak reaches Denver, which is as far as the tickets we got with money we got from returning Gladiola. Then we need to get some other method to LA."

Thanks what the group had dubbed the Medusa Incident, they had found out that the Underworld was located in LA.

So having to fight and kill Medusa proved useful, but Cali was still salty over the fact that she and Grover had been warned despite the two of them sensing that something was wrong.

"Thankfully, we still have the rest of the money the camp gave us." Cali said. Then she remembered something that made her grin. "And if I can find a wizarding bank, I can exchange some of my Galleons for Muggle money."

"Galleons?" Percy wondered.

"Muggle?" Katie asked.

Cali quickly explained the finer points of the magical world to the group.

"Well, we have a back up plan." Jake said, looking pleased.

"If there's another dream, we'll tell you guys." Cali promised. Percy nodded in agreement.

The group settled in for a long ride to Denver.

After two days of traveling, the Amtrak made a stop at St.Louis, and Annabeth immediately spotted the St.Louis Arch.

"I want to do that." the blonde said wistfully, staring at the St.Louis Arch.

"Be an architect?" Cali asked.

The daughter of Athena blinked and beamed. "Yeah. I want to make something immortal."

"Sitting around all day? I don't think you would be good at that." Percy said.

Annabeth's cheeks flushed. "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."

Jake scowled at Annabeth. "That was rude."

The blonde winced and nodded, turning to Percy. "Sorry." she said sincerely.

Percy just sighed. "Look, don't you remember what we talked about in the truck ride with Argus? We aren't our parents, we can work together. Also, I honestly don't know if I can make an earthquake."

Katie hurriedly cut in. "Let's not jinx ourselves into you making an earthquake when we aren't in a very populated city."

Grover nodded. "I second that motion."

"I third that motion." Cali threw in. "So, Annabeth want's to be an architect. What do you want to be, Percy?"

Percy looked thoughtful. "I don't really know. Something outdoors."

"Marine biology?" Grover suggested.

The son of the sea grinned. "That sounds fun." he looked around. "What about you guys?"

"I want to be a psychologist. I've seen how therapy has benefited my dad, who's a staff sergeant in the Army. He's a paratrooper." Katie said proudly.

Jake hummed, looking thoughtful. "I don't know really. I've been thinking about enlisting in the Marines." he looked at Percy. "Maybe you should give the Navy a shot."

They all looked at her.

"Honestly, being a Curse-Breaker sounds really cool." she admitted. "But I also have an entire fortune from my parents. Both wizard and muggle money."

The Potter family had set up a muggle bank account through Gringotts a few centuries ago, and with several wise investments it had been building up a massive amount of money.

"Really?" Grover asked. "How much do you have?"

"I can spend millions every day and my sixth great =-grandchildren wouldn't need to work a day in their lives while also spending millions every day."

Katie whistled, impressed. "You should go into finances."

"Maybe I will." the emerald eyed witch agreed.

As Annabeth wanted to do some sightseeing, the group got in line for the Gateway Arch. Snacks were purchased for both immediate consumption and storing away for the long term.

And of course, given their luck, Percy, Cali, Jake, and Katie all got attacked by a monster.

Echnida and the Chimera.

Cali dodged the Chimera's fire breath and pointed her wand. "Bombarda Maxima! Osculum glacies!"

The ensuing explosion threw back the beast. Then the ice spell did its work, causing a massive amount of iron hard ice to form around its mouth, and cripple the fire breath. At that moment, Katie swiped with her scythe, chopping off the tail.

"Nice shot!" she yelled.

The daughter of Demeter beamed. "Thank you!"

Unfortunately, this cost Katie time to dodge the Chimera, and she was thrown into the wall.

Rage flooded Cali's body. Scowling, she pulled out Tempest, gripping the sword in one hand and her wand in the other, pointing both at the Chimera.

"Die, you fucked up freak!" she roared.

"Jake, take Katie and go!" Percy yelled for where he was dueling the Chimera.

The son of shadows looked torn.

"Go!" Cali barked.

"Don't do anything stupid!" Jake barked and he grabbed Katie, shadow traveling away.

Knowing her friend was safe, Cali returned her attention to the Chimera, which had lunged for her.

She wrapped the air around her into a solid wall, letting the Chimera crash onto it.

Cali swung her sword, landing a hit. She called on the lightning in her veins and channeled it through Tempest.

The lightning smashed into the Chimera, causing it to roar in pain. She capitalized on its distraction to behead it with her sword.

The Chimera exploded into golden dust, but left behind a large claw.

A trophy.

She gingerly picked it up and placed it in her bag. Then she looked around to see a panting Percy, who had obviously defeated Echidna.

"Let's go." Cali said, glancing around. The elevator was busted but...

"You can survive jumping into water no matter the height, right?" she asked, remembering Chiron's training of Percy as she looked out the window to the river below.

"Yeah, why?" Percy asked. He then followed her gaze. He gave her a disbelieving look.

"It's faster than the elevator." the daughter of Zeus pointed out. "You jump, let me work the Mist. I'll catch up to you guys."

"You have five minutes, and then I'm sending Jake." Percy warned.

"Deal."

Percy hugged her. Stunned, she was frozen for a second but then she hugged him back tightly.

"Be safe." her cousin instructed her, and jumped into the river.

Cali smiled at that. The happiness stuck with her as she manipulated the Mist to ensure that the mortals forgot everything.

Jake appeared next to her, straight from her shadow. "You ready to blow this joint?"

"Absolutely." Cali agreed.

He took her hand, and the shadows engulfed them both.

Chapter Text

The Amtrak arrived in Denver the next day, on July 14th.

Which left the group with seven days to complete the quest.

"We should contact Chiron." Annabeth said. "We need some advice from an actual adult."

"Absolutely." Percy agreed. "But how do we contact him?"

"We IM him." Katie said matter of factly, looking around the streets of Denver.

Cali scrunched up her nose in confusion. "What?"

After attempting to IM Chiron, getting Luke instead, and the conversation with Luke, the group found a diner to get some food.

The questers found a booth that gave them a good view of the diner, and was also close to the exit. All around them, families were having dinner, eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas.

Cali murmured a spell so no one would question why several preteens were sitting alone with no adult.

"Good move." Grover murmured, shooting her a smile.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was most likely minutes, the waitress came over. She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"

"We would like to order." Annabeth said politely.

"Can you pay for it?"

Percy looked at her and she nodded minutely. The group still had over a hundred dollars in cash. "Yes."

Suddenly, there was a rumble that shook the building. Cali peered out the window, a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had just pulled up outside.

And the driver was giving off so much power that she knew immediately that the rider was a god.

"That's a god." she hissed in Ancient Greek.

The deity entered the diner, arid winds blowing into the building as the door opened. At once, all the mortals stood up but with a wave of a hand, they sat back down. The waitress blinked. "Do you kids have something to pay for it?" she asked, as if her brain had been rewinded.

"It's on me." the god declared as he summoned a chair and sat himself down at the end of the table. Blocking any escape attempt.

Cali could feel something brush up against her Occlumency shields (which Augusta Longbottom had taught her). "Don't get into my mind." she said.

A bark of laughter erupted from the god. "Well, aren't you a feisty one." the man said, leaning forward. She knew instinctively that behind his sunglasses, there wasn't eyes, but fire. "Tell me, little sister, do you know who I am?"

She stared at him, refusing to back down. "You're Ares, the God of War."

"You're Clarisse's dad." Percy pointed out.

"I am." Ares said, leaning back in his chair. He studied Percy. "You must be old Seaweed's kid. I need you two to do a favor for me."

"We're already on a quest." Jake snapped, moving his body as if trying to block her from Ares's sight.

Given Ares reputation, she felt slightly comforted by this.

The fire behind Ares's eyes flared. "The only reason I can't touch you, little shadow, is because of your father. But don't think it won't get you that far—"

At once, every shadow in the diner flared and twisted. Several merged together to form a massive shadow, which coiled around Ares's neck like a living noose. Cali could see the flash of fear that painted Ares's face.

While Ares was an immortal, a son of Zeus and a member of the Olympians, Erebus was a primordial. Erebus had been alive for millions of years, before even the first Twelve Titans had been born.

What was Ares next to Erebus?

Nothing.

And the primordial was obviously willing to throw hands for his son.

The war god coughed. "I didn't mean it, Lord Erebus. I won't do it next time."

There won't be a next time. a strong, deep baritone voice hissed out from the shadows. She could see the figure of a very tall man standing in the darkness, eyes of pure shadow glaring murderously at Ares.

Then the man, Erebus, was gone, and the shadows slithered back into their place.

"What do you want us to do? We already need to find the Master Bolt." Percy told Ares.

Ares barred his teeth. "I need you to get my shield from an abandoned water park. I was there on a date with my girlfriend."

"Can't you do it yourself?" Cali asked. "You're a god."

"Not this time." Ares said. "And you might be Daddy's new favorite, but you're still a demigod."

She scowled. "I don't want to be his favorite."

"He gave you Temptest, a weapon from his own treasury. Last time he did something like that, it was for Athena." Ares said.

Katie pinched her thigh, which made her shut up. "We'll do it, Lord Ares."

"Good. I'll arrange for transportation to Vegas if you are successful." Ares said.

And with that, the group now had a side quest to complete.

Chapter Text

After breaking into the water park with a simple Alohomora, the questers entered the abandoned place to find the shield.

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy deadpanned. "I'd hate to see what she looks like."

"I mean," Cali said, waving an arm around. "They would need to sneak around here to not get caught in a trap."

Percy blinked. "Oh right. Hephaestus."

"And be more respectful, Percy." Annabeth warned. "Gods, especially Ares and Aphrodite, are temperamental. They would take offense to what you said."

The son of the sea frowned a bit but thankfully nodded. "Fine."

The group continued to wander around. The quiet of the defunct water park grated on Cali's nerves and she gripped her wand in her hand.

"It's way to quiet." Katie said, looking around. "I can't sense anything through the earth, so I would bet there's some kind of trap at wherever the shield is."

Percy glanced at Jake. "Can you get the shield with your shadows."

Jaken odded. "I can do that."

Cali made a noise of agreement. "And I can come with you to sense out any magic and hopefully break or stall the trap."

"Deal." Annabeth said, a serious look on her face as though she was planning an entire war strategy on how to best get the shield and get out. "Let's keep the plan simple: Jake and Cali get the shield, we get out, and get back to Ares. Then we ditch Denver."

"That's a wonderful plan. I agree full heartedly." Percy declared as he smiled at Annabeth.

Cali exchanged a look with Katie at Annabeth's blush and Percy's complete oblivion to it. And both barely held in their giggles.

"This is it." Grover said, peering up at the ride before them, decorated with mirrors and cupid statues. The sign above read: THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE

"Wow, no wonder Hephaestus found them here." Percy snarked.

The daughter of the sky cackled. "I mean, who could possibly find the goddess of love here? Surely not this Cupid themed amusement ride!"

"With a sign that says it's a tunnel of love ride!" Grover mocked.

Jake laughed. "How was it that Hephaestus found Aphrodite and Ares here?"

Katie giggled. "I mean, how could he have? Was it that obvious?"

As one, the group turned to look at Annabeth. Who looked torn between laughing and staring at them in horror.

"Let's just get the shield." the blonde pleaded. "Make fun of Aphrodite and Ares's taste later."

"There!" Grover said, pointing his finger down. "I can see it!"

Ares's shield lay in a two seater boat. It was at the very bottom of the pool, behind the fence.

"Good catch." Cali praised. She raised her wand. "Accio!"

Unfortunately, the Summoning Charm didn't work.

Katie patted her back. "Nice try. What spell was that?"

"The Summoning Charm. I learned it last summer." she said and gestured down to the shield. "I was hoping it would work and we could do it the easy way."

"We're demigods." Jake said matter of factly, handing his bag to Percy and scrambling down the pool. "Things are never easy for us!"

"You just had to jinx us!" Percy cried.

Jake froze. "Oh shit!"

Cali just laughed softly and began scrambling down the pool, and made it to the bottom with Jake. She kept her wand out while shadows pulsed around Jake, as if he was getting ready to shadow-travel them out at a moment's notice.

The emerald eyed witch flared her magic, trying to sense anything as they got into the boat. She couldn't pick up anything, but she did see a sparkly pink scarf that just radiated love magic.

Jake looked dazed and she snapped her fingers in front of his face. He blinked and shot her a confused look.

"Love magic." she said and picked up the scarf gingerly and immediately placed it in her enchanted messenger bag. "I'll give it to Silena when we get back from camp."

"Smart choice." the son of shadows agreed and picked up the shield.

The moment he touched the shield, something snapped and the cupid statues were firing their bows. But not at the two semi-divine children, but at each other. Forming a net around them, trapping them in the boat.

"Hephaestus must be getting a little repetitive." Cali snarled. "It's a trap!"

Jake grabbed her wrist and attempted to shadow-travel them out. But it failed.

A voice began to drone, something about live TV. Wildly looking around, she could see hundreds of cameras aiming at her and Jake.

Metal spiders appeared and Cali heard Annabeth scream.

"PERCY!" Jake roared, dropping the shield. "WATER! NOW!"

"ON IT!" Percy bellowed and suddenly, water was bursting from the pipes and swept them away.

The usual fighting was going on in the Olympian throne room, and Hera was plotting on how to escape the throne room without getting noticed.

"You son has yet to return my Master Bolt." Zeus snapped form his throne.

"My son and your daughter are trying to get your bolt! But you keep sending monsters that stall them, and Ares has now given them a side quest!" Poseidon snarled, gripping his trident.

That got Hera to stop plotting and think about the newest demigod her husband had sired.

At first, she had been enraged. Had Thalia and Jason not been enough? Had Zeus must sire a third child as well, this time with a wizard couple as the other parents?

But Calytrix Potter's offerings had surprised her. The little remark the witch had given during the first offering had made her chuckle a bit. Anger and rage had left her a bit, and she had become intrigued.

Personality wise, Calytrix Potter was nothing like Zeus. The differences, mentally and emotionally, were so much it had surprised Hera.

But that wasn't all.

The girl craved a family, that was what Hera had been able to immediately sense through her domains. Had begun building a small found family with her friends, and if the familial strings that had formed between her and her fellow questers, it was about to expand.

The mortal... relatives didn't count. Calytrix's unrelenting hatred was enough to indicate that, (And Hera suspected the girl's Fatal Flaw would be Grudges. How ironic, given the animosity between Zeus and Hades) and Hera had quietly used her influence to get social services onto the Dursley family.

"Oh!" Apollo exclaimed and Hera turned her head to look at the sun god. "Hephaestus, you didn't get Ares or Aphrodite... oh shit, you got little sis and Erebus's kid."

Hephaestus's eyebrows shot up. With a snap of his fingers TV screens appeared in the throne room, and came to life. Showing two demigods, Calytrix Potter and Jake Morgan, fighting to escape the boat they were trapped on.

Lightning blasted the screen, destroying a majority of the net that trapped the two. Swift slashes of a Stygian Iron sword destroyed the rest of the net.

"-Need to jump!" Jake yelled.

"I'm not that good with flying!" Calytrix yelled back.

"I trust you! They others will be able catch us!"

Her husband's youngest daughter looked frightened, but a sudden calm painted her face. Emerald eyes alight with determination. "Okay! Once we get close enough to the exit!"

"Deal!"

Hera watched the screen, her fingers gripping the armrests of her throne. Out of the corner of her eye she could see how tense Zeus looked, and noticed how quiet the throne room had become.

After several seconds Calytrix grabbed Erebus's son around the waist and launched them out of the boat through the air. They crossed the fence and nearly crashed if Katie Gardener, Demeter's daughter, and Perseus Jackson had not caught them with two large hands made of earth and water.

The hands let go of the two demigods and they fell to their feet, but were quickly helped up by their fellow questers.

"Show's over!" Calytrix yelled. "Thank you! Good night!"

The screen cut to black before the girl could visibly give them a rude hand gesture.

Hera laughed softly, leaning back in her throne.

"Sister?" Poseidon asked her cautiously.

The Queen of Olympus waved a hand. "Nothing, nothing."

"Hera." Zeus growled, visibly tense. "If you—"

"Oh, please," Hera drawled. "Why would I go after this one? Calytrix Potter... she's very interesting. Very polite young girl, from what I've gathered from her offerings to me. Not like you any way possible... though I guess she just got your positive traits. No matter how small they are."

She got up from her throne. "At least my niece and nephew are doing something," she glared at her husband and Poseidon. "Unlike you two."

Hera strode for the door of the throne room, but paused before she opened it. "And tell Ares when he gets back, to come to my temple. I need to remind him to not interfere with a war-preventing quest."

And with that, Hera teleported to her temple.

Calytrix Potter...

This girl was going to go somewhere. And Hera was to interested to go about her usual revenge schemes.

And taking interest in the girl seemed to give Zeus an immortal heart attack.

Hera hummed to herself as she stroked one of her peacocks. "What did Hades say about revenge in the Middle Ages?" she mused aloud.

Oh yes.

Revenge was a dish best served cold.

Chapter Text

As the group made their way back to the parking lot of the diner, Cali had a sudden idea.

"Can I have the shield?" she asked.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want it?"

She whispered her plan in his ear, and a sharp grin broke out over his face. "Oh yeah. Yes. Here."

Annabeth and Katie turned on them as Cali gripped the shield, suspicion painted all over their faces. "What are you doing?" Annabeth asked.

"Just having some fun." Cali crooned. Spotting Ares, she promptly chucked the shield at him, twisting the air to speed up the shield.

Unfortunately, Ares still caught the shield in one hand. "Nice try." Ares drawled, a hint of a smile on his face. As if he found what she did funny. "But I've been living with Hermes for too many millennia to not expect that."

"Dammit." Cali pouted.

Annabeth looked like she was going to have a heart attack. So for the sake of the blonde's blood pressure, Cali promised to not cause any more antics. She glanced at Percy, who also looked concern for Annabeth.

No more antics for now. she wordlessly proposed with a quirk of an eyebrow.

I agree. Percy affirmed with a blink.

Jake raised his eyebrows at them. You guys suck at having wordless conversations.

The war god tucked his shield away. "Thank you brats, for getting me my shield."

"Now the transportation?" Katie asked.

Ares waved his hand at a track. "That truck goes straight for Vegas. Good luck, brats."

He then tossed Percy a backpack. "And some supplies."

Cali was instantly suspicious of the bag. There was no way Ares could be that nice.

A look at Grover and Annabeth told her that they suspected the same.

"Thanks." the witch said half heartedly.

Ares just grunted. "Your welcome."

Cali woke from her dream with Thalia, then back in the pit with Percy, with a gasp.

The truck came to a sudden halt, and there was muffled voices coming closer to the back of the van (which she suspected belonged to animal smugglers) where she and her fellow questers where camped out.

"Hide!" Annabeth hissed, putting on her invisibility cap and vanishing.

Quickly, Cali summoned her invisibility cloak and threw it over Katie, Grover, and Percy, rendering the three invisible. Jake then snatched her hand and pulled her into the shadows.

"Thank you." she murmured, trying to find Jake in the mess of darkness. Only his grip on her hand indicated where she had to look to find the blond boy.

"Shhh." Jake hushed her.

Oh right.

After listening to the smugglers, she nudged Jake. He glanced at her and she motioned for them to get outside.

"I have an idea." she told him.

"What's the idea?" Jake asked her.

Cali grinned. "If we make some noise outside, we can lure the two out. Then we stun them and report them anonymously to the police."

A smirk bloomed on the blond's face. "I like it. Let's do it."

With a blink of an eye, the two were standing outside the van. Cali began banging on the outside of the van while Jake watched for the two smugglers.

Clearly the two smugglers weren't the brightest of the bunch, and within seconds both men had come outside, cursing out the other.

The son of Erebus reacted with impeccable timing, swiftly teleporting through the shadows behind them to knock them out with the butt of his sword. The two smugglers collapsed to the ground.

"Nice." she said with a whistle, strolling over to join him. She pulled out her wand and used a memory charm to warp their memories of what had happened.

"When they wake up, they'll think they smacked into each other. And they'll only wake up when the police find them and..." she added a small prank jinx that made the victim feel tipsy. "They'll confess what they are."

Jake roared with laugher and she laughed with him.

Chapter Text

The questers were very, deeply, utterly screwed.

After losing five days to the time warping Lotus Hotel & Casino, the questers were packed into two taxis that were currently speeding to Santa Monica.

Cali explained her dream of the pit to Katie and Jake behind a privacy charm to the driver wouldn't hear them.

"I really don't think the thief is Hades." Katie said. "This... voice in the pit. It must be something inside the pit, something that was cast down by the Gods."

Jake nodded grimly. "And now it's waking up."

Her hands formed fists in her lap. "Then who can it be?"

The group spent several minutes discussing who the voice in the pit could be, before drifting off into a tense silence.

The taxi drivers dropped them off at the beach in Santa Monica. Jake looked around longingly, and Cali quickly remembered that he was from Santa Monica, and the last time had been here was seven years ago, when his mother had died and he and Thalia had begun living on the streets.

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Do you want to visit your old house?"

"No." Jake said flatly. "To many memories."

"Okay." she said simply, watching as Percy entered the ocean. "Is your mom's grave nearby?"

She near immediately curses herself. Did Jessica Morgan even have a grave?

The blond boy blinked slowly before nodding. "Y-Yeah. Chiron was able to track down her grave but... I-I've never visited it."

"You want to go alone or with company."

Jake shifted his feet. "I would honestly prefer company."

Cali nodded and looked at Katie, Grover, and Annabeth. "Guys, Jake wants to visit his mother's grave, and he would like some company."

The four froze but Katie stepped forward. "I'll come."

"Grover and I will stay here to wait for Percy." Annabeth said, flashing her adoptive brother a comforting look.

And with that, after linking hands, Jake shadow traveled them away.

The graveyard was dotted with a multitude of trees, casting shadows in the otherwise sunlit area.

"Mom's grave is this way." Jake murmured, leading the way.

Cali reached out to squeeze his hand in comfort, and he squeezed back. With Katie at his other side, the blond lead the way through the graves.

Eventually, as they got closer, she let go and stepped back to give Jake some privacy. He nodded at her and walked even further before stopping in front of a single grave.

The daughter of Zeus looked away to give Jake some privacy, and saw Katie do the same.

"I can't imagine losing my dad." Katie murmured. "I love him so much."

Cali nodded. "I can't even remember my mortal parents."

Katie gave her a wide eyed look. "Really?"

"Yeah. I was one when they were murdered." she explained. She touched her lightning scar. "It's how I got this. The Killing Curse that murdered them, when Voldemort, the one who was after me, tried to use it on me, it didn't work. It killed him and I have this scar."

And everyone praises me for it, when I just want my parents back. she thought bitterly.

The daughter of Demeter squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry for that."

Cali instantly knew that Katie really, sincerely, meant it. "Thank you."

After a while, the two girls joined Jake, who was brushing away some tears.

Cali looked at the gravestone. It simply read: JESSICA MORGAN. DAUGHTER, SISTER, MOTHER, ENGINEER, with her date of birth and date of death below it. And below that, was a single sentence: It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.

"What does it mean?" the emerald eyed witch asked.

"Not living your life effectively, fulfilled, and with no purpose. Not pursuing your dreams." Jake murmured. "Yeah, this is definitely something mom would want on her grave."

Cali looked around, seeing the flowers and small tokens left on the other graves. But there was nothing for Jessica Morgan.

Katie seemed to be thinking the same thing. "What were her favorite flowers?"

Jake looked startled. "She really loved marigolds and amaryllises, our house was full of them."

With a bright grin, Katie waved her hand and a bushel of marigolds and amaryllises suddenly grew from the earth, and wrapped themselves around the gravestone. Cali pulled out her wand and conjured the symbol of bioengineering. She then placed it on the gravestone.

"Now they know she was a bioengineer." she said softly.

That made the son of Erebus beam as he pulled them into a hug. "Thank you."

"You're our friend." Cali said simply.

"Of course we would do this." Katie added.

The group got back to the beach in time for Percy to emerge from the water, with six pearls for the questers.

"There's got to be a price." Annabeth insisted.

"What if Poseidon just wants his son to have an escape route from the Underworld, which is notoriously hard to escape from, and succeed?" Katie snarked.

"I mean, why else would he want to sabotage a gift directly for his son?" Cali deadpanned.

Annabeth looked to be deep in thought. "Yeah, you two are right. The pearls aren't a trap."

"Holy shit," Jake blurted out. "Did you just admit you are wrong? Are you sick? Is the apocalypse coming?"

"I can admit I'm wrong about something!" Annabeth protested.

"Oh, so you'll admit that the—"

Jake never got to finish his sentence, as Annabeth tacked him to the ground and the two fair haired demigods began to wrestle.

Grover cleared his throat. "Guys, we need to go."

"Yeah, DOA Recording Studios, here we come." Percy added.

It took the group ages to find DOA recording studies, wandering around Hollywood for hours.

They had stumbled onto a creepy ass store that set off every red flag in Cali's brain. More so when the owner appeared, wreathed in the Mist.

So the daughter of thunder had no hesitation in bring out her Basilisk fang knife and Tempest and driving both through his stomach, so deep and far Tempest came out the other side.

The owner made a croaking sound and exploded into golden dust.

"Well, my instincts were right." Cali said mildly, putting her weapons away. Percy, Annabeth, and Katie were giving her wide eyed looks.

Grover made a strangled, bleated goat noise.

"Damn, not even Grover picked up on that?" Jake whistled, looking deeply impressed. "Well, that guy was a monster. I bet he might have something related to DOA's location."

And with that, Jake strode into the store who's owner Cali had just ruthlessly impaled.

Grover found the bright orange flier that gave them DOA's address.

And so the six questers headed straight for the Underworld.

Chapter Text

After bluffing their way into the Underworld and crossing the River Styx, the questers had a new problem to face:

Cerberus.

"He's a Rottweiler." Percy said with the air of someone commenting on their dinner.

"Wow, really, that's all you can say?" Katie snarked.

"I mean, I always thought Cerberus was a doberman." Cali admitted without shame.

Annabeth rubbed her temples. "You two really are related."

"You say it like it's a bad thing." Percy pointed out.

"Guys, we need a plan." Grover said.

Cali pulled out her wand and conjured a harp and violin. With a flick of her wand, she cast the Autonomous Instrument Spell, causing the two to start playing on their own.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth hissed.

"Shhh," Cali said, watching Cerberus intently. The middle head yawned, and the two other heads followed. In minutes, the three headed dog was flopping onto the ground and in seconds, was fast asleep.

Jake gawked at the sheer audacity of what she had done. "How do you know that?" the blond boy demanded.

"I learned that at Hogwarts." the emerald eyed witch explained patiently, adding a cello to the mix. "It was in my first year, and I was bored so I read up on a magi-zoology book. It mentioned that three headed dogs will fall asleep if you play music for it."

"That makes sense," Annabeth admitted. "Orpheus got into the underworld because of his music. I just thought it was because his music was that beautiful."

"We need to put this in the manual." Katie muttered.

Percy quickly pushed them along. "We'll do that later."

The Fields of Asphodel was a place Cali never wanted to end up in when she died.

But Elysium...

"My parents are in there." Cali muttered, gazing down at the valley where heroes went when they died. "They have to be down there."

The ravenette desperately wanted to buck the plan and try and see them.

But Percy grabbed her wrist and squeezed it tightly. "You'll see them again."

Annabeth had taken Jake's wrist, and the witch guessed that he must've thought that his mother, was down there, that Jessica Morgan must've reached Elysium.

"I can't remember them." she said, her voice wobbling. "I just want to see them, just once."

Percy hugged her, wordlessly letting her sob in his arms.

After her small break down, the group continued to Hades palace.

They had almost reached it when Grover's shoes sprouted wings and began dragging him away, towards a darker section of the Underworld.

"Hey!" Percy yelled, chasing after the satyr. "Give him back!"

Cali reached out with her magic, snatching hold of Grover midair and holding him in place. But a dark force yanked on Grover, trying to drag him down.

"His shoes!" Katie yelled. "We need to get off Grover's shoes."

Grover let out a bleated noise of fear. "Cali! Don't let go!"

"I won't!" the daughter of the sky yelled. She wrapped her magic tighter against the darker magic trying to drag Grover away. "I won't let go!"

Jake shadow traveled to Grover and yanked off the right sneaker. Katie reached the satyr next and with her scythe, neatly cut off the other shoe. Both shoes immediately sped off for where they had been trying to drag Grover.

Annabeth and Percy caught the satyr as Cali let him go and he fell. Cali put her hands on her knees as she panted, gasping for breath.

"What in the name of Poseidon was that?" Katie asked, scythe still out as she looked around wildly.

"No idea," Jake said. "But we're too close to Tartarus for comfort. So let's go."

Percy and Annabeth got Grover to his feet, while Jake helped her stand up straight. Her magic shook as it fluttered around her, trying to shake off the dark magic it had just fought.

"Time for Hades." Cali muttered, gazing up at the palace.

Of course, the thief wasn't Hades.

Cali would've shouted that she had been right if it was for the sudden realization that it had been Ares who had planted the Master Bolt onto Percy.

"Lord Hades," Cali said, stepping forward. "The thief isn't Percy. I can assure you that he is also not the taker of your Helm of Darkness. Ares gave us that backpack, and I'm willing to bet that he is part of the thievery."

Hades brow quirk. "So you say?"

"I swear on the River Styx." the daughter of thunder swore.

There was a boom of thunder, and a shudder of power.

"...I see." Hades drawled. "Well, then I offer you this, Perseus Jackson: Go confront Ares, who I can sense is Above on the beach. Get me my helm back. Your cousin will stay here with me until you succeed. If you do, I will give back both her and your mother."

"No!" Percy said. "Cali comes with us."

"Percy." Cali snarled. "Do as he says. Go kick Ares's ass."

Jake stepped forward. "I'll stay here with her."

"No, you go as well." Hades ordered. "If you stay here, I have to deal with your father coming for my head. And as much as I respect Lord Erebus, I'm not willingly to deal with him ready to raze the underworld into ashes."

"Then may I stay?" Katie asked.

Hades looked very exasperated... yet at the same time, fond. "You three are just like your parents." he told her, Katie, and Percy. "If sibling loyalty had actually held true." the King of the Underworld added bitterly.

Cali didn't blame him for sounding so bitter.

"Go." she ordered again.

Jake looked furious as he stared at her, Percy looked deeply upset, and both Annabeth and Grover looked sick.

Katie smiled. "We'll be fine."

And with that, Jake reluctantly shadow traveled himself, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover out of the Underworld.

Hades gave her and Katie a nice set of apartments. Soon after, the Furies appeared.

"You were right, little demigod." the leader, Alecto, stated. "Now come, Lord Hades wishes for you to return his Helm."

It took only a few seconds for Hades plan to click into place in her mind. Cali was very sure that Hades was doing this to troll Zeus. And she was more amused than anything.

"Katie's coming too, right?" the emerald eyed witch asked.

"Lord Hades has no wish to further anger Lady Persephone or Lady Demeter." Alecto assured them.

"Good." Cali said and let the Fury teleport her and Katie out of the underworld.

The aftermath of the beach was messy, but it didn't stop Annabeth from tackling both her and Katie into a tight, bone crushing hug the moment the blonde spotted them.

"Your Helm of Darkness, Lord Hades." Cali said, placing the Helm of Darkness at the foot of Hades's throne.

At her back, Jake lurked in the shadows. Ready to get them out at any moment.

The son of Erebus had refused to leave her side again, and had insisted on accompanying her back into the Underworld. Something the rest of the questers had all insisted on.

"Thank you, both of you." Hades said with a smile as he picked up his helm, and shrunk down from being ten feet tall to just over six feet. "And in thanks..."

Hades waved his hand, and three ghosts entered the throne room.

Cali's breath hitched when she saw that two of the ghosts was a man with messy black hair and hazel eyes and a woman with flowing, dark red hair and emerald green eyes identical to hers.

"Mum, Dad." she whispered.

"Oh Cali," her mother said with a smile. "You've come so far."

"And we're so proud of you." her father added.

After getting an hour to talk with her mortal parents, Cali had to say goodbye to them.

"But this isn't a permanent goodbye." James said. "We're waiting in Elysium for you."

"We'll always be here with you." Lily added, a ghosty hand over over Cali's heart. "Now you go, and you live."

"Live bravely, live brightly, Cali. Don't leave behind regrets like we did." James told her.

"I love you." Cali choked out, tears running down her face as she made an aborted move to touch her parents.

But her parents were ghosts, and she couldn't touch them.

"We love you too, baby." Lily gently, softly, informed her.

James and Lily faded away, returning to Elysium.

Cali stood frozen for several seconds, before moving to the next room to find Jake, standing alone. Also tear stricken.

"Come on," she said gently, resting a hand on his shoulder. "We need to meet up with the others."

"Olympus is at the top of the Empire State Building." Jake mumbled, taking her hand.

Shadows swarmed them, and in an instant, they were gone.

Cali and Jake reappeared in an alley outside the Empire State Building. They quickly hurried to the entrance of the building, where they saw a dirty and tired looking Percy.

"Percy!" the emerald eyed witch shouted, rushing to her cousin and began checking him over for any serious injuries. "Are you okay?"

The son of the sea just stared at her, his eyes wide. Then he pulled her into a tight one armed hug.

And she hugged him back.

"I'll see you guys at camp." Jake promised.

"Grover, Annabeth, and Katie should be there already." Percy said. "Tell them Cali and I are okay."

Jake nodded. "I will."

And he ducked into a corner, and vanished into the shadows.

The cousins got the key to Olympus, and entered the elevator. Cali drew her wand and cast cleaning spells on Percy, who let out a pleased sigh as he was magically cleaned up.

"Best. Cousin. Ever." he told her. "You're my favorite."

"You're my favorite too." Cali told him.

The elevator carried them up, up, up, until it suddenly stopped and the doors opened.

And standing before Cali and Percy's eyes, was Olympus.

Chapter Text

Olympus as beautiful, so beautiful that not even Cali could help but gawk at it, all her self control gone.

"Wow." Percy breathed and Cali could only nod in agreement.

Wow indeed. she thought.

"Come on." Cali said, stepping forward onto the thin stone walkway. "Let's get this over with."

The two preteens made their way through the breath taking mountain palace, staring around at Olympus. It was like an Ancient Greek city, but one for gods. The festive mood indicated that everyone knew that the impending war wasn't going to happen. And several inhabitants, from dryads to satyrs to minor gods and goddesses, all stopped to stare at the two demigods.

Cali and Percy walked through the main road to the large palace at the very top. It looked exactly like Hades palace in the underworld, just in the colors white and silver. And she quickly realized that Hades missed his family, and built his own Olympus in the underworld. Because even though he had been cast aside for something that wasn't his fault, he still loved his family.

And she couldn't help but understand his bitterness a bit more.

The two demigods stopped in front of the throne room.

"Here goes nothing." Percy said.

"Hopefully they won't kill us." Cali said offhandedly.

Percy waved a hand. "You're Zeus's kid. You'll be fine."

"I wish I wasn't his kid." Cali scowled. "It's more trouble than it's worth."

"Don't say that in front of him." Percy warned.

She shot him a teasing smile. "Now you're sounding like Annabeth."

"You say it like it's a bad thing." Percy shot back, but both of them were grinning at each other.

But the smiles faded as they looked at the doors again.

"Together." Cali said and they both pushed open the doors of the throne room.

And stepped inside.

Inside, there was only twelve thrones, arranged in an inverted U with a massive hearth in the very middle.

Out of the twelve thrones, only two were occupied.

Cali stepped towards Zeus's throne, which tugged at her attention, and Percy went for Poseidon, both of them kneeling. But while Percy had no problems giving a tiny smile to Poseidon (who smiled back), Cali refused to look at Zeus, only staring at the floor as she greeted the King of the Gods.

"Lord Zeus." she said, cordial but cold. And even though she could feel him staring at her, she refused to look up.

She couldn't wait to get out of the throne room, and preferably never meet Zeus again.

"Lord Poseidon." she greeted, nodding to Poseidon.

"Father." Percy greeted.

"Should you not address the master of this house first, boy?" Zeus asked, finally looking away from her.

Poseidon spoke. "Peace, brother. The boy doers to his father. It is only right."

"You claim this child you sired against our sacred oath?" Zeus passed.

The daughter of the sky coughed.

Loudly.

Just a casual reminder that she did very much exist.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Percy shaking with silent laughter.

"Now, should we let them speak?" Poseidon drawled, breaking through the sudden silence. "Let the two tell us their tale."

"Very well." Zeus said. "I shall listen, and then make up my mind on whether or not to cast this boy from Olympus."

If he did that, then Cali was going to take the Master Bolt and throw it into the dark depths of the Mariana Trench.

"Perseus," Poseidon said. "Look at me. Tell Lord Zeus your tale."

"Calytrix," Zeus added. A hint of softness in his voice that made Cali want to scream. "I wish to hear from your as well."

So she and Percy told Zeus and Poseidon what had happened on their quest, just as it happened. After Percy told them about his fight with Ares and flying back to New York City, Cali filled the two gods on her brief stay in the Underworld and returning the Helm of Darkness, but omitted her and Jake briefly reuniting with the ghosts of Lily, James, and Jessica.

That was private, and she refused to tell them that. Maybe she would fill in Percy later on, but she wasn't comfortable telling to gods about the ghostly meeting.

Soon, Percy took out the Master Bolt and laid it at Zeus's feet.

The King of the Gods summoned it to his hands. "I sense that you both tell the truth. But for Ares to do something like this... it is most unlikely."

She looked at Percy. Should we tell them about our dreams? she wordlessly asked.

We should. Percy silently agreed. You can do it.

Cali scowled. Why me?

Because I have a strong inclination that I would say something wrong. And you're the polite one.

....I hate you. she half heartedly declared.

No you don't.

Giving him one final scowl, she cleared her throat. "Lord Zeus? Lord Poseidon?"

"Yes, Calytrix?" Zeus asked.

"Percy and I have been experiencing some... odd dreams." she said. And began going into in-depth detail of the dreams and Percy had been getting over their quest.

Zeus frowned. "So, you believe Hades is behind this?"

"No, Hades has no reason to do this." Cali immediately corrected. "The voice in the pit was older and darker. Something that was cast down woke up, and it was trying to get the bolt. It enlisted the help of a servant to steal the bolt, and when the servant got caught by Ares, the thing in the pit persuaded Ares to help it with the promise of a war between gods that would destroy the planet."

Poseidon and Zeus had a rapid discussion in Ancient Greek, and while she couldn't keep up with most of it, Cali was able to understand a single word: Father.

Kronos. she thought and horror seized her.

In a truly Percy like move, she spoke before thinking it through. "Your father is waking up." she said.

"No." Zeus growled. "He was cut into a thousand pieces! There is no way he would recover from that."

Cali did not back down, finally looking up at Zeus. "But there's no one else who would orchestrate all of this!"

"ENOUGH!" Zeus roared and she shut her mouth with an audible click, looking back down at the floor, frustration welling up inside of her.

Was Zeus that bullheaded that he was going to ignore the signs?

Yes, yes he is. she thought bitterly.

The emerald eyed witch listened to the rest of the conversation but refused to speak. Zeus pulled some dramatic speech of needing to purify the Master Bolt, praising her and Percy (but mostly her and was tempted to throw something at him), banning Percy from ever flying on a plane, and more stuff about not liking what Percy's arrival meant for the future of Olympus.

All while ignoring what her arrival into the tangled mess of a family that was the Olympians meant.

Zeus eventually teleported out to "cleanse" the Master Bolt, and Cali quickly left the throne room almost immediately so Percy and Poseidon could have a private talk.

Only once she stepped outside, away from the aura of her father's throne, did it feel like she could breath again.

Cali slumped down behind one of the pillars, pulling her knees to her chest and trying to remember how to breath as she furiously got rid of the few tears in her eyes.

Fuck him. she thought angrily. All that drama he insisted on about finding out who the thief is, and once he gets an inkling of who might be the actual mastermind behind the mess, he just wants to ignore it and pretend it doesn't want to exist!

"He was disappointing wasn't he?" an elegant, beautiful queenly voice said and Cali looked in the direction of the voice.

The voice belonged to one of the most beautiful women Cali had ever seen.

The woman had midnight black hair pulled into an elegant braid down her back, impossibly soft dark brown eyes that glowed with power, and a Mediterranean complexion that was untouched by any source of acne or blemish. She wore a golden crown that was beautiful in its simplicity, and a pearlescent white gown in the style that queens in Ancient Greece might've worn, with a short golden cape. Two large peacocks flanked her, and with the sheer amount of power coming off of her...

"Lady Hera." Cali stammered, trying to get to her feet but Hera waved her hand. "Please, don't. Indulge me, will you? I've been looking forward to you arrival here to finally meet you."

Hera gracefully sat down next to her, her body positioned in a way to shield her from the stares of passing nymphs, satyrs, and other residents of Olympus.

After all, one of Zeus's demigods and the Queen of Olympus, chatting together? Who wouldn't be curious. the Potter Heiress thought.

"You're a very curious demigod." Hera said. "Especially for one of my husband's demigods."

"Blame Zeus for not keeping it in the pants." Cali complained. "That's what I said when I gave my offerings."

Hera chuckled. "For once, I might. And I was curious on why you gave me offerings."

"I didn't want to die." Cali admitted. "Your a bit... infamous, in the legends."

The Queen of the Gods didn't bother to deny it. "And I was angry over discovering you existed until you caught my attention. And that got me curious about you, since you're utterly nothing like Zeus."

That made Cali smile a bit. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"Please do." Hera said. "Your many half siblings can get... repetitive, in their personalities."

"But I'm nothing like them." the emerald eyed witch said, referencing what Hera said earlier.

"Thinking things through, not being a fan of my husband's favor, a lack of pridefulness, actually giving respect instead of just doing it through the skin of your teeth, no interest in power, and able to work with others without insisting on being in charge, those are traits you have that different you from your half-siblings." Hera said. "Your childhood and experiences shaped you."

"And don't worry." Hera continued. "I made sure that your... mortal relatives got arrested by the police and social services."

Cali's eyes went wide. "Thank you, Lady Hera."

Eventually, Cali and Percy had to leave, returning back to earth.

The son of the sea and the daughter of the sky casually talked about their respective chats until falling into a comfortable silence.

Despite their rivalry of their fathers, their quest had given them something very important: friendship.

And hell would freeze over before betraying each other.

Chapter Text

When Cali and Percy got back to Camp Half-Blood, several things happened:

One: They wore laurel wreaths to the celebration feast thrown in the six questers honor. Given that they were the first heroes to return successfully since Luke, the questers were treated like they were superstars.

Two, as per camp tradition, they burned the funeral shrouds made in their absence.

Katie's shroud was made by the Demeter Cabin, and it was gorgeous: a beautiful spring green color with a golden cornstalk in the middle, with smaller plants, also made of golden thread, embroidering the sides.

Annabeth's shroud was made by the Athena Cabin, and beautiful in its own right. The shroud was made of grey silk and decorated with owls.

Cali couldn't help but think it was a shame to burn both, but unlike Percy, didn't voice it.

Jake, Cali, and Percy fell into the category of not having anyone to make their own shrouds. Percy and Cali because of the lack of of cabin mates, and Jake because he had no cabin.

So the other campers hade ben the ones to make their funeral shrouds.

Jake's shroud had been made by the Hephaestus Cabin, and was made of pitch black silk with a single silver sword in the center.

It had been the Aphrodite Cabin who had made Cali's shroud, which touched the young witch. The shroud was beautiful (of course it was, the Aphrodite cabin would not have done anything less): shimmering sky blue silk with a silver lightning bolt and black wand crossed in the center, the wand shooting out silver sparks, with silver doves on the sides.

Percy's shroud... Cali couldn't help the laughter that escaped her when she saw it. The Ares Cabin had pulled no punches in telling Percy exactly what they thought of him via the shroud.

Her cousin had looked more than happy to burn his shroud.

The celebratory party had lasted until one in the morning, when Chiron put his foot down and sent them all to bed.

Cali had fallen asleep high on laughter and happiness, so joyful she felt like she could float away.

On Fourth of July, the six questers all went to the beach front fireworks celebration.

And to send off Grover.

Several hugs, inside jokes, and reassurances that Grover had everything he needed, the satyr set off.

"He's finally doing his dream." Katie lamented.

Cali nodded. "Since he found Percy and Thalia, I wouldn't be surprised if he's the one who will find Pan."

"Oh he will." Percy said with such certainty that Cali believed him.

The next day, Cali was summoned to the Big House.

She immediately knew who the tall, winged dark skinned god was.

"Lord Thanatos." she said with a bow to the God of Death.

The god nodded and turned to Mr.D. "You're right. She is more polite than the rest."

Cali chose to take that as a compliment.

"Yes, yes." Mr.D said. "Now, get on with your business, Thanatos."

Thanatos hummed. "I am sure you know of Tom Marvolo Riddle, Calytrix Potter."

"I somehow defeated him as a baby and killed his diary thing last school year, so yes." she confirmed.

Those words made Thanatos smile. "Yes, I was quite pleased to finally figure out how that irritating little soul escaped my grasp. Horcruxes. The fool made many, and now two are gone."

Cali paused. "Two?"

"The diary, and the one in your scar. Aphrodite destroyed it when she claimed you."

Her brain froze. "What."

Thanatos waved a hand. "Moving on, there four remaining Horcruxes: The Peverell Ring, Slytherin's Locket, Helga Hufflepuff's cup, and Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem. Until those are destroyed, the annoying brat known as Lord Voldemort cannot die."

"And you want me to destroy them." Cali said.

"Yes." Thanatos said bluntly. "Lord Hades and I will be most pleased if you do so. We haven't had such an annoying soul since Sisyphus and I have no intentions on letting this one escape."

"I'll do it." Cali agreed.

Thanatos nodded, looking pleased. "As I expected you to do."

He pulled out a black cell phone. "I'm not one of those air heads who live up on Olympus. I don't believe in cryptic prophecies to tell you how to figure out where the locations of the Horcruxes are. This phone, along with other apps you can add, has a list of the Horcruxes and where Riddle hid them. You can add your own password."

"Demigods can't you technology." Cali pointed out as she gingerly accepted the phone. Annabeth had filled her in on why demigods couldn't use technology, since using it essentially sent up a flare for monsters.

"Demigods can't you mortal technology." Thanatos corrected.

Cali blinked. "Huh." she said. Better tell the Hephaestus Cabin that. she thought to herself.

"I'll start today." she promised.

Thanatos nodded, looking pleased. "Very well."

After filling in the Hephaestus Cabin on that demigods couldn't use mortal technology (and thus accidentally kickstarting a miniature technological revolution), Cali filled in Katie, Annabeth, Jake, and Percy on the situation.

Of course, the four insisted on accompanying her to the first Horcrux: the Peverell Ring.

The emerald eyed witch flared her magic, letting it wash over the run down shack. She found and disable the protective enchantments with ease. "Okay, there's some serious dark magic inside." she announced.

"What kind?" Jake asked, summoning his Stygian Iron Sword.

"Undead, I think." she replied.

"Lovely." Annabeth muttered. "Well, let's go this over with."

Cali nodded and triggered the undead warriors, who burst from the cabin.

Percy, Annabeth, Katie, and Jake met the undead half way, easily cutting them down with their divine weapons.

Cali applauded as she followed them. "Thank you."

"No problem." Katie chirped, leaning on her scythe.

Her magic once again checked out the cabin, but she found nothing. She entered the cabin to see a massive snake made of dark energy curled around where she assumed the ring was hidden. The snake lunged but she dodged, rolling on the ground. The snake hissed, destroying the front wall of the cabin, and lunged at her again.

Luckily, she had a spell ready.

"Purificatio Solis." Cali cast, pointing her wand.

Golden light erupted from her wand and smashed into the snake. It screamed and exploded into thousands of pieces.

"Nice one!" Percy called.

"Thank you!" Cali responded, giving a short bow.

Jake chucked as he stepped inside, his black eyes zeroing in onto something.

The Peverell ring.

"Found it." he said.

She held up a hand. "Don't touch it yet."

The daughter of the sky levitated the ring to her, but didn't touch it. She brought out Tempest from its hidden form, and brought her sword down hard onto the ring.

The ring gave a scream, just like the diary, and a single line cracked down the middle of the stone. A surge of dark magic spilled out and vanished.

"It's gone." she said and cast the purification spell again. More dark magic vanished from the ring.

Safe to put on, she slid the ring onto her finger. A trophy of sorts.

"We're done here." she announced. "Let's go."

Several days later, as her return to Hogwarts loomed every closer, Cali opted to go meet up with her wizarding friends at Diagon Alley.

For all she loved Camp Half-Blood, the magical world still held a special place in her heart and she couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts.

Chapter Text

"Cali!" several voices yelled.

Cali was barely able to brace herself for the massive group hug that ensued the moment her friends saw her in Diagon Alley.

She let out a noise that was half wheeze, half laugh. "Guys, I love you, but I can't breath."

"We missed you." Neville said, giving her one final hug before the friend group departed.

"So," Susan Bones said. "How was America?"

The ravenette thought back through her entire summer. "It was exciting."

The group of friends began to meander through Diagon Alley, briefly stopping to purchase some ice cream.

"Did you do any sightseeing?" Ron Weasley asked.

"Not a lot." she admitted. "But maybe we can all go over there together once we're old enough."

"That would be amazing." Hermione Granger said. "There's so many historical spots that have deep magical roots."

Padma nodded. "Though we may need to be careful if we go to New York City. Remember Newt Scamander's trip there?"

Cali laughed. "As long as we don't have a suitcase full of magical creatures and a powerful Dark wizard masquerading as a high ranking MACUSA Auror, I think we'll be fine."

"Fair point." Susan chirped.

Laughing, chatting, and enjoying each other's company, the group got their school supplies: potions ingredients, new school robes, quills and parchment, and finally, new school books for their electives.

Cali, who had chosen Arthimancy, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures, was looking forward to the new classes.

"Professor Kettleburn retired last year, right?" Neville asked as the group got closer to Flourish & Blotts.

"He did. Lost to many of his limbs." Ron confirmed.

"Who's his replacement, then?" Hermione wondered.

"Professor Wilhelmina Grubby-Plank." Susan responded. "A family friend of mine is on the school board, and they recommended her. Apparently, Dumbledore was already going to chose her because of her skills."

"And she's assigned Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them as the book for the class." Ron said, looking at the list. "Smart. Newt Scamander's found 75% of all known magical creatures that we know of today. And he's always updating or printing new volumes."

He looked up to see their confused stares. "My brother Charlie is his biggest fan." the redhead explained.

"Ah." Susan said. "How's the dragons going?"

"He got to see a dragon hatching." Ron said. "Couldn't stop gushing about it in Egypt."

"Lucky." Hermione said. "Dragon hatchings are rare, and it's very rare for a human to witness it."

Ron nodded. "Yup."

The emerald eyed witch silently enjoyed listening to her friends, basking in the final warm days of summer.

As she got back from Diagon Alley via the Floo Network, Jake was there to greet her, pale faced and tense, as she emerged from the emerald flames.

"Jake?" she asked, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"It's Percy." Jake told her, and every fiber in Cali's body went cold. "The nymphs found him in the woods, poisoned and half dead."

"Who?" she asked, ready to destroy whoever hurt her cousin.

It had been Luke.

Luke had fallen in with Kronos, had stolen both the Master Bolt and the Helm of Darkness, had almost triggered a war that would've destroyed the world, and then poisoned Percy after trying to recruit him and then leaving Percy to die while he vanished to join Kronos.

"I can believe it." Cali said once Percy was finished telling his tale. "I... I always got this bad feeling when I was around him, and he just kept setting off all these red flags. But I didn't know what was wrong, so I didn't say anything and that almost got you killed."

"Cali." Percy said. "It's not your fault."

"It's Luke's." Jake snarled, looking furious. Shadows swirled around him, as if sensing his anger.

That was easier to accept than believe, but the ravenette did her best to believe it.

But in the end, there was nothing that any of them could do at the moment.

Summer came to an end.

And after saying her goodbye to Annabeth, Jake, Percy, Katie, Silena, and the rest of her friends at Camp Half-Blood, Cali packed her enchanted trunk, got Hedwig into her cage, and went through the fireplace in the Big House, and stepped out at Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

"Hogwarts, here I come." Cali murmured, her emerald eyes bright.

Chapter Text

Cali quickly found her friends on the train station.

Since they were all a bit early, the group mingled on the platform.

"Hogsmeade here we come!" Neville and Ron cheered.

"I want to check out the Shrieking Shack." Hermione said thoughtfully. "Apparently, it's the most haunted place in Britain."

The ravenette sighed, remembering how Chiron had been unable to sign her permission slip. He wasn't her legal guardian, and there was no way Zeus would sign it, so it meant she couldn't go to Hogsmeade.

"You guys will bring me the good stuff, right?" she asked.

Padma looked confused before realization dawned on her face. "You couldn't get your permission slip signed?"

"No. None of my American relatives are my legal guardian, so they couldn't sign." she explained.

"You could sneak out." Ron suggested.

"Ron! Cali shouldn't, not with—" Hermione suddenly stopped, looking at her nervously.

"You guys know that I will most definitely find out what's going on, right?" she said dryly.

Susan nodded. "She's right. Here, Auntie Amelia can tell you."

Cali followed Susan to where Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was keeping an eye on them. And after listening to Susan, Amelia pulled her into a quiet corner of Platform Nine and Three Quarters to explain everything to Cali.

To say that she was stunned was an understatement.

Cali followed her friends onto the train, ignoring the stares of the First Years. The group attempted to find an empty compartment but all of them expect the final one was empty... and even that one had a single occupant.

The occupant was a man, young, maybe in his early thirties, with light brown hair flecked with grey and his face full of lines. His robes weren't the highest quality and he was sleeping.

"Who's he?" Neville murmured.

"Professor R.J. Lupin." Hermione instantly responded.

Padma's eyebrows shot up. "How did you know that?"

Hermione pointed to the man's suitcase. "It's on his case."

The brightest witch of the year was correct.

"Well, it's the best we can do." Ron said and carefully entered the compartment, putting his trunk away. The rest followed.

The Potter Heiress cleared her throat. "I need to tell you guys something."

And she told her group of friends everything that Amelia Bones had told her.

"You need to stay in the castle." was the first thing out of Neville's mouth. "You're strong, Cali, but you can't risk it."

"I'm not going to go look for a mass murderer who wants to kill me, Neville." she huffed. "I'm not that stupid."

"The Chamber of Secrets." Padma pointed out.

"Someone needed to rescue Ginny and everyone was running out of time!" she protested.

"Okay, fair point." Padma conceded.

"Well, the guards should catch him soon." Susan said soothingly.

"I'm more worried about the guards." Hermione said quietly.

The rest of the train ride continued in peace, until the train suddenly came to a halt.

Yells and shouts filled the train as luggage went flying and students where thrown out of their seats.

"The train can't have broken down." Susan groaned, picking herself up from where she had been tossed to the floor. "It's been enchanted to never break down."

"Which means someone stopped it." Cali pointed out, drawing her wand. Neville, Hermione, Susan, Padma, and Neville also pulled out their own wands.

"It's not like things can't get worse." Ron spoke.

Just then the lights to go out and darkness took hold of the compartment, of the entire train.

Hermione made a terrified yet exasperated noise. "RON!"

"I'm sorry!" Ron wailed. "The universe hates me!"

Ginny found them seconds later and was ushered into the compartment by her brother.

"Lumos!" the emerald eyed witch enchanted, and light appeared at the end of her wand. Padma, Ron, Hermione, Susan, and Neville also cast the spell and light appeared at the ends of their wands.

She then realized light was coming from a different source: Professor Lupin was standing, silver flames in one hand and his wand in the other. He was tense.

"Everyone, do not leave the compartment unless absolutely needed." he instructed. "If I'm right about who came aboard..." he trailed off, grim faced.

As if on cue, the door slide open.

"You're right Ron." Cali heard Neville snark as a cloaked figure stood in the doorway the compartment. "The universe does hate us."

But Cali wasn't listening.

All she could feel was a sudden cold enveloping her entire body, hear a women screaming in the back of her head.

Something tugged at her chest, her heart, trying to drag something out.

No. Cali thought, her fingers twitching as her wand dropped to the floor. No...

The daughter of the sky summoned the lightning in her veins and let it loose onto whatever was trying to kill her.

And then she finally blacked out.

Cali was brought back to reality by someone slapping her face.

"Ow." she wined, forcing her eyes to open. "Uncalled for."

"Sorry." Ron responded. He and Padma helped her to her feet.

The Potter heiress sat down. "What happened?"

In hushed, strained tones, her friends began to fill her in on what happened.

As they got to the end of the tale, a loud crack got everyone to jump. But it was just Professor Lupin breaking a large slab of chocolate into multiple little pieces.

"You killed the Dementor." Professor Lupin spoke from where he stood, distributing the chocolate. "Lightning burst out your hands and destroyed the Dementor."

"Huh." was all Cali could say, taking her piece of chocolate.

"The chocolate should help you feel better." Professor Lupin explained. "I must speak with the conductor of the train."

Silence filled the compartment. And she couldn't stand it.

"Well, let's hope that this is my one big impossible feat of the year, and the rest of the year will be blissfully quiet." Cali joked.

Her friends and Ginny burst into laughter, and the train began to move again.

Taking them straight too Hogwarts.

Chapter Text

The moment Cali stepped foot out of the train, dressed in her Hogwarts robes, she could hear the whispers that followed her.

And she knew it was because she had, somehow, killed the Dementor.

A fourth year Hufflepuff pointed in her direction. "Did you hear! Potter killed a Dementor!"

"I heard she used lightning to kill it!" a sixth year Ravenclaw gossiped.

"Come on," Hermione snapped, guiding her away and to the carriages that took the older students to Hogwarts while the first years rowed across the lake. The carriages where pulled by Thestrals, skeletal winged horses that could only be seen by those who had witnessed death.

And since Cali had witnessed her mother die, she could see Thestrals. She knew that Neville could see them to, given he had witnessed his grandfather die when he was eight.

The carriage Hermione picked wasn't empty. Inside was a young girl with dirty blonde hair and large eyes, reading what looked to be a magazine upside down.

"Hello." the girl said, peering over the top of the magazine. "You're Calytrix Potter."

"I prefer Cali." the demigod corrected. She wracked her brain for the younger girl's name. "And you're Luna Lovegood, right?"

"Yes." the girl, Luna, said in a dreamy voice.

The other carriages began to move and Cali quickly entered the carriage, sitting across from Luna. Susan, Hermione, Ron, and Neville also hurried into the carriage, which began to move.

Cali rested her head on Ron's shoulder, feeling tired already of the whispers, the rumors, the gossip.

But a large part of her heart was still excited for her new school year.

After a brief chat over what had happened on the train with her Head of House, Professor Filius Flitwick, Cali went down to the feast in time for the sorting ceremony. She strode into the Great Hall, doing her best to ignore the stares and the whispers from the other students.

All of them gossiping about the Dementor she killed.

Like I need any more fame. she thought irritably. And the next time Hogwarts turns its back on me, I'll bet that they'll use this incident on how I'm a Dark Witch.

Padma and Hermione waved her over. "We saved you a seat." Padma said.

"Thank you." the emerald eyed witch said with a grin, sitting down in-between Hermione and Padma.

"No problem." Hermione assured her with a smile.

Soon, the Sorting Ceremony began and Cali cheered for the new Ravenclaws.

After the Sorting Ceremony, there was the feast and the new teaching posts announcements.

Remus Lupin was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and for the new Care of Magical Creatures professor, it was Wilhelmina Grubby-Plank, just like Susan had informed her, but Hagrid was serving as her assistant professor. She had cheered for Hagrid, who got to do his dream job in a way.

So when she fell asleep that night in her dorm in the Ravenclaw Tower, Cali couldn't help but feel like she was finally home.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Cali got changed into her school robes, her dark hair pulled into a neat braid, and headed down to the Great Hall with Padma and Hermione. Like the years before, new school year schedules were being passed out, and the three witches all received their schedules, and began to compare them.

"We all have Arthimancy first thing this morning." Padma said, looking at the new schedule.

"I have it too!" Susan chirped, sliding into place next to Padma. Neville and Ron also joined them, Neville sitting next to Cali and Ron taking the spot next to Hermione.

Given that the friend group was scattered across three different houses, they had begun sitting with each other during meals in a rotative schedule. This had been encouraged by Dumbledore, so now it was common for inter-house friendships to sit with each other at meals.

"And we all have Ancient Runes together after lunch." Ron said with a grin.

Cali grinned at the redhead. "We also got Care of Magical Creatures together as well today as well."

"Shame we don't have DADA together." Neville added softly.

"Well, I have Professor Lupin first. Right after Care of Magical Creatures, actually." Susan said, looking at her schedule. "I'll report back during lunch."

"Thank you." Padma said.

"Fascinating." Cali said with a grin, and glanced at Hermione. "I'm really glad we convinced you to not sign up for all the electives."

"If I had, then I would probably lose my mind." Hermione admitted. "Maybe I can look up some Divination on my own."

"As a heads up," Padma warned. "You can learn methods of seeing the future, but you have to be a born True Seer to fully grasp the class."

Cali glanced at Luna, who looked a little lost. "Luna, you can sit with us." she offered.

Luna gave her a dreamy smile as she glided over. "Thank you, Cali. The storm inside of you seems more peaceful."

She froze.

How did Luna know she was a demigod?

Deciding to figure out later, she just nodded. "Thank you, Luna."

All of her friends gave her confused looks but she waved them off.

Arthimancy turned out to be a hard but fascinating and Cali was excited to learn more.

Care of Magical Creatures involved Hippogriffs and it was incredibly awkward when they all bowed to her. Luckily it was just dismissed by her friends as her "Potter Luck" finally being on her side.

But she knew it was because the Hippogriffs had bowed to her because she was Zeus's daughter.

Runes was a fun class and another class she was glad to have signed up for.

But Cali was very aware of the fact that her new phone had alerted her to the presence of another Horcrux.

For Ravenclaw's Diadem was hidden in the Room of Requirement.

"Tom, really, you didn't put up any enchantments to protect this?" Cali muttered as she looked at the diadem. It was stupidly easy to locate the diadem with a simple tracking spell the children of Hecate had taught her, and she had approached the diadem under the assumption that there was some kind of protective enchants around it.

But there was none.

The emerald eyed witch rubbed her temples. "On the plus side, you're making this easier for me."

Cali pulled out Tempest and plucked the diadem from the statue. She placed it on the ground and then brought down her sword.

The diadem gave a horrible scream, the soul shard wailing as it died, before giving out and succumbing to death.

"Now, what to do with you?" she wondered, poking the diadem with her sword.

All the gossip wheel could talk about the next day was the sudden reappearance of Ravenclaw's Diadem. It had suddenly appeared in Professor Dumbledore's study, and all the portraits of the previous headmasters and headmistresses confirmed that it had just appeared out of no where.

In reality, Cali had gone to the Headmaster with the Diadem, which was now no longer a Horcrux, to ask what to do with it. Dumbledore had told her the password to his office so she could just drop it off under her invisibility cloak.

Dumbledore announced it would be placed next to the Sword of Gryffindor in his office, to be kept safe from thievery and the prevent students from trying to use it to cheat at their schoolwork.

Cali was just glad that one less Horcrux existed, and Tom Riddle was another step closer to death.

Chapter Text

If it wasn't for the Dementors, and the distant but looming threat of Sirius Black, Cali would've considered this to be the most normal year she ever had.

And when she took into consideration the previous two years, that was saying someone.

"But you're not normal." Padma told her. "You're Cali Potter. When have you ever been normal?"

"I hate it when you're right." she grumbled.

"It is the closest thing we've gotten to a normal year." Susan pointed out.

"Yeah, nothing's happened so far!" Neville cheerfully agreed.

"Just wait until Halloween." Ron said forebodingly. "Something always happens on Halloween."

"You're not wrong on that." Cali said, acknowledging Ron's point.

Something always happened on Halloween.

And she was wary of what was to come.

Soon enough, the third years had their first DADA lesson with Professor Lupin. The rumor mill of Hogwarts (which was already a thing of legends) had confirmed that the man was competent and a very good teacher, so the third years were eager to see first hand how good the new teacher was.

Cali peered curiously at the rattling wardrobe. Professor Lupin had bought them to the staff room for a practical lesson, and she was curious to see how it would go.

Professor Lupin stood in front of the wardrobe. "Can anyone tell me what is inside?"

Hermione raised her and and was called on. "It's a Boggart, a shapeshifter that takes the form of whatever we fear the most."

Lupin nodded with a smile. "Well said, Hermione! Now, what is our advantage? Miss Potter?"

She blinked but cleared her throat. "Well, there's so many of us that it will be confused. It won't know what form to take."

"An excellent answer." Lupin said. "Now, the incantation to the Boggart Banishing Spell is 'Riddikulus', but at it's core, the spell requires laughter to properly function. Now, imagine your worst fear... and how to make them hilarious."

Cali closed her eyes, thinking of her worst fear.

The Dementor. she realized.

But the demigod didn't have any time to think it over, because Professor Lupin started the lesson and her classmates began going up against he Boggart.

As she got closer to the front of the line, Cali felt a bit excited, gripping her wand in her hand. But it fell when Professor Lupin suddenly got in front of her and took the boggart before she could get to the front and have her turn.

Which left her in confusion as she left the classroom.

But she would not have time to ponder that for long.

Chapter Text

Halloween crept up on Cali, and she didn't realize it was Halloween until the day had arrived.

And, she remembered. It's also the first Hogsmeade visit.

She poked her head out of sheets to see Hermione and Padma bundling up to protect themselves against the cold. "Good luck not getting frostbite!" she said, even as she reached out with her godly powers to make weather more pleasant.

Even if she couldn't go, Cali wanted her friends to have a nice time.

"Thank you." Hermione said. "You'll see us off?"

"I would, but my bed is more comfortable." she said. "But have a nice time."

"We'll bring you back many sweets." Padma promised.

And soon enough, two of her best friends left the dorm.

Cali slept in for another few hours before getting out of bed to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The Great Hall was most empty except for the teachers, the younger students, and a handful of seventh years getting ready for their N.E.W.T.S.'s

"Good morning, Luna." she greeted, sitting down next to the younger Ravenclaw.

Luna looked up from her magazine, smiling dreamily. "Hello Cali."

She then noticed that the younger girl's shoes were missing. "Did you lose your shoes."

"The Nargles stole them." Luna told her. "Or at least, they had some students help them."

Cali scowled before smothering it. "Well, I can have a talk with the Nargles for you."

Ten minutes later and a handful of jinxes later, she got all of Luna's stolen belongings and returned them to the delighted Lovegood girl.

After spending some time with Luna in the library, Cali found herself heading up the staircase to see Hedwig in the library.

"Calytrix?" she heard a voice asked, and she turned around to see Professor Lupin. "Where are your friends?"

"Hogsmeade." she replied.

The demigoddess found herself accepting the teacher's invitation to tea, peering curiously at the grindylow in the tank.

"Why didn't you let me fight the Boggart?" she asked him bluntly.

Professor Lupin looked startled. "Well, I thought that the boggart would take the shape of Lord Voldemort."

"That was a good guess." Cali admitted. "But I thought of the Dementors."

"Fearing fear itself." Lupin said. "That's a good choice, Cali."

Their conversation ended soon after Professor Snape dropped off a potion for Lupin, and she returned to the Ravenclaw common room.

Cali was almost convinced that this Halloween would be normal... if it wasn't for Professor Flitwick suddenly sending them to the Great Hall.

Where she heard the whispers that Sirius Black had broken into the castle, and had attacked the Fat Lady in an attempt to get into the Gryffindor common room.

Chapter Text

Cali got little sleep that night. And the little she did was filled with a very odd dream.

She was standing on Half-Blood Hill.

But the tree was gone. And in place of the tree was a girl with choppy black hair and vivid lightning blue eyes.

Thalia, Cali knew instantly.

"What are you waiting for, little sister?" Thalia asked. "I need some help to be free."

"You're dead." Cali corrected softly. "You can't come back."

"I can if you're strong enough." Thalia said, stepping closer. It just made Cali take a step back. "If you're bold enough."

"If I'm stupid enough to go against the cycle of life and death." the witch pointed out.

Thalia didn't give up. "Anyone can do it. You can do it."

Cali shook her head. "Only the stupid people do it. I'm sorry, Thalia, but I won't."

Her sister's face screwed up in rage, but that was when the dream ended.

She woke up with a gasp, her heart racing and trembling in her sleeping bag.

I need to talk to Percy. she thought.

It was very hard to find the time to talk to Percy, given that all the teachers seemed convinced that if she was alone for a mere second, Sirius Black would burst into the castle and murder her.

So it took her a week and using the Invisibility Cloak to slip into the Room of Requirement. The room gave her a soft stream of water, allowing her to cast a simple spell to make a rainbow and toss a golden dramacha into it.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering." Cali said. "Show me Percy Jackson."

The mist rippled to show her a cosy looking apartment in New York City, where Percy and Jake were hanging out over what looked like to be mythology books.

"Hey boys." she greeted.

Both heads snapped in her direction.

"Cali!" Jake said with a bright grin, black eyes glittering like dark stars. The demigoddess couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Sup cousin." Percy greeted, his grin fading when he noticed her serious expression. "What's wrong?"

She explained her dream to them. By the end, Percy was frowning and Jake was visibly frightened.

"I'll tell Chiron. If Thalia's tree is in danger, that means the barrier is in danger as well." Jake said, stepping up and vanishing into Percy's shadow.

The Iris message began to fracture. "Stay safe!" Percy shouted.

"You too!" she called, and the message faded away.

Please don't die. she prayed quietly. Percy was family, and she couldn't bear to lose him.

Chapter Text

Cali, while playing to sport for fun and recreationally, had never been a hard core Quidditch fanatic. Oh she liked flying, and enjoyed the feeling of racing through the air on her broom. And she did have a favorite Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies.

But she was not a die hard Quidditch Fanatic of the likes of Oliver Wood to agree to play in a massive storm.

"Ron, I want you to know that the only reason that I am here is for you." she told her friends while casting the Umbrella charm overhead to prevent the heavy sheets of rain from hitting her.

"That's okay." Ron said, also casting the Umbrella charm with his new wand. "I'm only here because I need to show Fred and George my support. I just hope Nathan gets the snitch soon."

Susan, Hermione, Padma, and Neville where also casting the Umbrella charm, just like the dozens of other Hogwarts students who had come to attend the match.

Just like every year at the start of the Quidditch season for Hogwarts, it was Gryffindor verses Slytherin. Both teams looked stoic as they emerged from their opposite locker rooms.

The Gryffindor team was composed of Oliver Wood, the Captain and Keeper, Chasers Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell, Beaters Fred and George Weasley, and the Seeker Nathan Taylor. All of them could easily go pro.

The Slytherin team was composed of Captain Athena Fawley, who was a Chaser alongside Tracey Davis and Adrian Puecy, Beaters Lucian Bole and Miles Avery, Keeper Eris Shafiq, and the Seeker Draco Malfoy.

The two teams rivalries were legendary, and Cali couldn't wait for the match to be played and finished so the rising tensions and minor scuffles that had consumed the castle in the week leading up to the match would end.

Cali watched the game as it began, with both Malfoy and Taylor hunting for the Snitch in the steadily worsening storm. She reached with her divine power to make the storm dissipate, and the clouds began to break and the rain lessened.

Watching the game with one eye and breaking up the storm with the others, she didn't realize until it was too late that the Dementors, previously camouflaged in the dark storm clouds, had descended onto the field.

"Not Calytrix, not Calytrix, please not Cali!"

"Stand aside you silly girl... stand aside now!"

"Not Cali, please, not, take me instead—"

There was a scream and then bright grin light, a green the color of her eyes, burning against her retinas—

Cali came back to reality with a gasp, sitting up straight as she placed a hand over her racing her heart.

"You're okay!" Neville sobbed, throwing his arms around her in a tight hug. Cali returned it fiercely, leaning into her godbrother's comforting presence. Ron, Hermione, Susan, and Padma all joined in the hug.

"What happened?" she asked, feeling the pounding headache recede.

Her friends told her the story: How the Dementors had attacked the Quidditch Cup, causing everyone to relieve their worst memories. She hadn't been the only student to pass out from the sudden Dementor exposure.

"Who won?" she asked.

Susan and Hermioen both squawked but Ron, Padma, and Neville burst into nervous laughter.

"Nathan caught the Snitch." Ron said, looking proud. "So Slytherin lost."

Because she was Ron's friend (and because Draco Malfoy was annoying) she was slightly biased and agreed with him. "That's good at least." she dryly quipped.

Another round of laughter erupted from her friends, and Cali laughed too.

Laughing even against the darkness.

Chapter Text

When Draco attempted to mock her for passing out, she promptly hexed him to speak only the language of Goblins for a week when the teachers weren't looking.

Luckily for her, Penelope Clearwater, the Head Girl and a fellow Ravenclaw, was willing to look the other way.

At the next DADA lesson, Cali was surprised when Professor Lupin asked her to stay behind.

Padma, Susan, and Hermione shot her concerned looks.

"Wait outside for me." she murmured so softly only they could hear.

"Okay." Susan said, fingering with her hazel wood and unicorn hair core wand as she eyed Lupin with a slight hint of suspicion.

The three girls filed out of the classroom with the rest of their year mates, and Cali turned to Professor Lupin. "Yes, Professor Lupin?"

"I was hoping to ask how you are doing, since you passed out at the Quidditch game." Lupin explained.

Cali shrugged. "Other than hearing my mom pleading for my life, I'm fine."

Lupin looked startled and his hand flexed. "I see. I... I didn't know you remembered that... that night."

"I don't." she admitted. "But even though I can remember it, I still witnessed it. The Dementors just forced it back to the front of my mind."

She suddenly remembered what her friends had told her on the train. "You made the Dementor on the train leave."

Lupin nodded. "I did."

"What spell was that?" she asked him. "Can you teach me?"

"The Patronus Charm is a very complex spell, Calytrix." Lupin said. "I'm not sure if a witch your age can successfully preform it."

"Well, you never know unless you try." Cali pointed out.

A light grin formed on the professor's face. "You're correct, Calytrix. I can teach you the Patronus Charm, though let's wait until after the Yule holidays. I've chosen a terrible time to fall ill."

"He's teaching you the spell to make Dementors go away?" Ron repeated as the friends headed for the Great Hall.

"Yup." Cali confirmed.

"That's brilliant!" Neville said before suddenly looking thoughtful. "Do you think he can teach us?"

"Nev's right." Padma agreed. "I would love to know how to protect myself from Dementors."

"So would I." Hermione agree.

"And me." Ron added.

"I would love to know how to use the Patronus Charm as well." Susan threw in.

She paused, thinking it over with a nod. "Well, there's no harming in asking."

Pleased, the friends continued on their way to the Great Hall.

And Cali couldn't help but think of her next Horcrux hunt: Hufflepuff's cup.

Time to go to Gringotts. the demigoddess thought to herself.

Chapter Text

One weekend before the Christmas holidays, Cali strolled up the steps of Gringotts, bowing the guards at the front door.

It is always wise to bow to the goblins, she thought to herself. They run Gringotts, after all.

"Hello." she said to the goblin at the open counter. "I need to speak to the account manager of the Lestrange vault."

The goblin looked confused. "...Are you sure, Heiress Potter?"

"It is a matter of great urgency." she said. "Very serious."

The goblin nodded, picking up that this was a very serious matter.

I'm hopefully getting rid of a Horcrux today, so it is a very serious matter. Cali thought.

"I see." the goblin said. "Very well. Please follow me."

Cali did as the goblin asked, following him to a large office, and the goblin hurried out, no doubt to collect the Lestrange account manager. She stood waiting until the goblin returned, accompanied by a second goblin.

"Thank you." she told the first goblin, bowing to him. A look of surprise colored his face, but he gave her a bow before hurrying back out.

The second goblin, the Lestrange account manager, gave her a calculating look as she bowed to him as well. "I was told you wished to meet with me, Heiress Potter." he said as he hurried to sit behind his desk. "I am Account Rognar."

She nodded. "I do. I was tipped off about the presence of a Horcrux located in the Lestrange Vault."

A look of complete and utter horror spread over Rognar's face. "A-A Hocrux is in the Lestrange Vault? Are you sure?"

Cali nodded. "I am very sure." she held up the cellphone. "My source is very sure, and has sent me to eliminate it."

Ragnor picked up what she meant. "Well then, Heiress Potter, Gringott's shall assist you in your endeavor. We goblins despise Horcruxes, and we will be most pleased to see you dispose of this Horcrux."

She smiled. "Thank you."

After that meeting, Ragnor personally escorted her to the Lestrange Vault. Cali then used her control over the wind to levitate and bring the small golden cup to her and placed it on the ground. She then brought out Tempest, and drove her sword through it.

The soul shard gave a scream and the cup gained a massive crack running down the center.

But the Horcrux was gone.

"I thank you for your assistance, Ragnor." Cali said, carefully picking up the cup and tucking it into her jacket pocket.

"Gringott's will always assist in the destruction of any Horcruxes on its ground." Ragnor said, utterly seriously. "Is there any more here that we should know of?"

"No." she assured him. "Now, is there any way I can take the Floo system here straight back to Hogwarts?"

"Yes." Ragnor informed her.

Five minutes later, she was once again thanking Ragnor for his aid before stepping into the emerald flames, shouting "Ravenclaw common room."

Seconds later, she was emerging from the fireplace, throwing out her hands to stop herself from crashing face first into the carpet.

Several Ravenclaws had suffered hits to their reputation by landing face first into the carpet because they weren't careful when using the Floo System. And once done, no one let them forget it.

Cali looked at her now soot ridden clothes and scowled. "I don't care how useful it is, I hate the Floo system!"

That got several chuckles from the handful of seventh and fifth years studying for their respective O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s in the peace and quiet of the common room.

"I agree." Penelope Clearwater dryly said. "Apparition is uncomfortable only for a second and if you do it correctly, you don't have to clean yourself back up."

That got the Head Girl a round of agreements from the seventh years.

With that, she headed up to her dorm and the private bathroom that was attached to it, like all Ravenclaw dorms. As she showered, she ran through the Horcruxes that had been destroyed.

The ring, the cup, the diadem, myself, and the diary. Cali thought, the realization quickly dawning on her. This just leaves Slytherin's locket.

And once I get rid of the locket... this means I can kill Riddle.

Chapter Text

Christmas rolled around, and Cali opted to go to Camp Half-Blood for the two weeks. Her friends had easily accepted her half-truth of visiting American relatives of her mother.

Lily Potter was a legacy of Aphrodite, after all.

As she emerged from the fireplace of the Big House, she was greeted by Chiron and Mr.D. "Ah, you're back." the God of Wine said blandly. "Well, don't expect me to be pleased about it."

"Thank you, Mr.D." she said dryly.

"Welcome back to Camp Half-Blood, Cali." Chiron greeted her. "I'm pleased to see that you're safe."

"So am I." Cali said. "How has Camp been?"

"A few campers have... left." Chiron said darkly. "But only three so far, and we've been fortifying the camp for an attack."

Anger flared in Cali at the idea of traitors, but she just nodded. "I see. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Chiron replied. "And I believe that Jake will be very pleased to see you. He's been lonely."

The Potter witch tried in vein to ignore the surge of butterflies in her stomach at Chiron's words as she headed out of the Big House. Jake just misses me as a friend. she told herself.

Suddenly, someone hugged her tightly. "You're here!" an achingly familiar voice said right in her ear, causing her too blush furiously.

Ah, I have a crush on Jake. she realized.

"Y-Yeah." she stammered. "I'm here."

Christmas break at Camp Half-Blood was fun. She kept up her sword training with Jake and practicing her divine powers, but she also enjoyed the snowball fights, Christmas carols, and delicious hot coca. She visited Percy and his mother (Sally Jackson was an absolute goddess), and did a quick day trip with the other campers into NYC to do her Christmas shopping.

So when Christmas Day rolled around, she was so incredibly happy, especially since Mr.D had agreed to her request to heal Alice and Frank Longbottom. The large stack of gifts at the foot of her bed improved her mood even further.

Cali got a copy of Les Misérables from Hermione, a book on Greek myths from Annabeth, a pretty emerald bracelet from Padma, an enchanted wand holster from Susan, a book on Arthimancy from Ron, a book on classic wizard myths from Neville, an emerald green scarf and box of blue chocolate chip cookies from Percy, a magical jewelry box from Silena, and a pair of pearl stud earrings from Jake.

The sight of so many gifts, the reminder of how loved she was, filled her heart with joy.

In order to get Slytherin's Locket, Cali had to get into 12 Grimmuald Place to destroy it.

So Cali and Jake took a portkey to London, and Jake slipped into the house with his shadows to snatch the locket. And then they took the same portkey back to Camp Half-Blood. From there, the daughter of lightning drove Tempest through the locket, killing the Horcrux.

"Thank you for helping." she told Jake.

"I'm happy to help." Jake told her with a stupidly charming grin.

She was spared of making a fool of herself in front of her crush when her phone buzzed. It was Thanatos.

Thanatos: I just killed Riddle. Thank you for your aid, Miss Potter.

"What's that?" Jake asked.

"Thanatos killed Riddle." she muttered. "Some part of me wanted to kill him personally... but another part of me is glad that Thanatos did it himself."

Jake just hummed. "Do you think you could've killed Riddle?"

"Maybe." she sighed.

"That's okay." Jake said. "But now he's dead, and you can start living."

Cali smiled at him. "You're right. I can."

Chapter Text

Once the holidays ended, Cali returned to Hogwarts.

And began her Dementor lessons with Professor Lupin. Her friends had wanted to join, but Cali had been the only one able to make it to the lessons.

"In order to fully use a Patronus Charm," Lupin explained. "You must concentrate on a single happy memory, which will power the spell. The patronus, if it takes a corporeal form, will be unique to you."

The Boggart in the packing case rumbled ominously.

"Now think of your most happy memory." Lupin urged.

Cali closed her eyes and rifled through her memories. What was her most happy memory...

The summer in-between first and second year, she decided. When her friends had thrown Cali her first ever birthday party.

"Ready?" Lupin asked after a few minutes.

She nodded, gripping her wand tightly in her hand.

"One," Lupin said as he kneeled next to the case. "Two..." he flipped open one of the handles.

"Three!"

The boggart emerged and took the shape of a Dementor.

"Expecto Patronum!" Cali bellowed, focusing on her happy memory and channeling her magic through her wand.

The sounds off her mother's voice echoed through her head, but she forced herself not to dwell on that.

"Expecto Patronum!" she yelled again, and a faint spray of silver mist emerged.

"Lily, take Cali and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off —"

Cali screamed and the lightning in her veins burst out and smashed into the boggart-dementor.

She fell to her hands and knees, silently crying.

After explaining to Professor Lupin what had happened, she headed back to the Ravenclaw tower with a chunk of the best Honeyduke's chocolate in her hand.

I can't believe I killed the boggart, she thought. That was the same reaction I had on the train. And if I do that again then—

Cali stopped in her tracks. "No." she told herself. "They're dead, and nothing can bring them back. There's no point in torturing myself. I need to protect myself."

Slightly more confident, the Ravenclaw witch continued back to the common room.

By the time the Ravenclaw-Slytherin game rolled around, Cali could produce an incorporeal patronus. She was disappointed at not pulling off a full corporeal patronus, but Lupin assured her that it was okay.

At the game, Cali was relieved to see that it was completely sunny, and that there was no dementors in sight. She cheered for her house's Quidditch team as the game played, and screamed in delight when Cho caught the snitch, and Ravenclaw won by 190-70.

Now Ravenclaw would be facing down Gryffindor in the Quidditch final.

So the Potter Heiress, high on the euphoria, partied with her house that night and went to bed laughing and smile. A new happy memory tucked away close to her heart.

Her happiness shattered later that night, when she woke up to Professor Flitwick announcing that Sirius Black had broken into the castle again, and had attacked Ron Weasley.

That was when Cali first deemed Sirius Black a threat.

Chapter Text

Cali started doing her research on Sirius Black. Digging into the history books and the news articles about the man, even reaching out to the goblins for more information.

What she found made her blood boil with rage.

Sirius Black had been the best friend of James Potter, her father. Had been the best man at the wedding of her parents. Had been named her godfather by her parents.

And the man had just turned around and sold them out to Voldemort. He had been her family's Secret-Keeper for the Fidelius Charm placed onto Potter Cottage, when her parents needed the absolute security the ancient soul-charm would provide.

Not a week later, Black had informed Riddle where Potter Cottage was. He was the reason her parents had died, robbing Cali of any sort of normal childhood she could've gotten.

Thunderstorms raged for a week straight before Cali finally calmed down.

Cali carefully rearranged the broken down components of a Lumos spell on her desk. Sunlight lit up the Arthimancy classroom, and she raised her hand.

Professor Vector strode over. "Did you finish, Miss Potter?"

"I did." she confirmed, letting the teacher examine her work.

The teacher smiled. "Well done, Miss Potter. Ten points to Ravenclaw."

After being strictly theory based from the start of the school year to Christmas, Professor Vector was now walking them through the basic components of how spells were made, and then requiring them to each select a first or second year spell and reverse-engineer the components. A major project that would make up a large chunk of their final grade.

And now, after a solid month of research, Cali had finally done it. Only Hermione had beaten her, and it was by two days.

Professor Vector walked away back to her desk, and Cali began putting away her work, glancing at her classmates. Out of the dozen Arthimancy students, seven were Ravenclaws. And two other students had dropped the class on their first day.

There was a reason Arthimancy was the most difficult elective in Hogwarts.

But the students who had made it this far showed their dedication to the craft and their sheer willpower.

The Quidditch finals rolled around, and after a brutal three hour match, Gryffindor won by a hair's breath. Ravenclaw had taken the loss in grace, and had hosted a small party to celebrate getting as far as they did and the hard effort the Quidditch Team had given.

Then exams rolled around, and like every year for Cali, all hell broke loose.

Chapter Text

"We," Cali snarled as she narrowly dodged another branch of the Whomping Willow. "Should've never come here!"

"Even to visit Hagrid?" Susan called, yelping as she was almost hit.

"Yes!" Cali barked. She knew she would regret saying those words later, but right now she was too stressed to think about it.

As it was the final day of exams, she and her friends had gone down to visit Hagrid. In his hut, they had found Scabbers, Ron's lost pet rat. And as the group made their way back to Hogwarts, Scabbers had fled Ron to run away when Crookshanks had appeared. Causing the Weasley boy to give chase.

And the others to chase after Ron.

Then a giant black dog had shown up, knocked over Cali, and kidnapped Ron.

"Nev!" Padma yelled. "How do we get past a Whomping Willow?"

"We need," Neville panted as Susan helped him narrowly dodge a swipe from one of the Whomping Willow's branches. "To touch that knot! It will make it freeze!"

"One problem!" Cali yelled. "We can't get close enough!"

"Crookshanks!" Hermione gasped, and Cali turned around to see Crookshanks nimbly slither through the branches and touch the knot. The violent tree froze, as if it was carved from marble.

"If your cat doesn't have some Kneazle blood, then I'll eat my socks." Susan declared.

Cali waved that away. "We can worry about that later."

"We need to get too Ron." Padma declared, and then ran to the tunnel and slid inside it. Cali mildly wondered how she wasn't a Gryffindor with such a bold move.

But given that Padma had a small crush on Ron (which Cali suspected to be mutual), then it made sense.

And the daughter of the sky followed Padma down the tunnel and into were it lead.

The tunnel, it seemed, lead to the Shrieking Shack.

"Wands out." Cali muttered, taking the lead as she gripped her cedar and thunderbird feather. It wasn't giving off any warning of danger, but that didn't mean she let her guard down.

Cali followed the footprints up to a room, where she raised a hand and summoned the lightning in her veins. She let it smash into the door, causing a cry of relief to be heard from one end and a yelp of surprise.

Black. she knew instantly.

And Cali charged into the room, wand out as she spun around trying to find Black. But a yell of "Expelliarmus" from Black caused her wand— and the others, who had followed her into the room— to go flying.

"Calytrix." Black croaked. "All of you, please, just listen—"

"You betrayed my parents!" she seethed, and she distantly heard storm clouds form outside. "Why the hell should I listen to you!"

Anger blinded her to physically attack Black, and given that she was in much better shape and health than the starved criminal, it was easy to pin him to the floor. But Black gave a fight, and elbowed her in the face hard enough for her to stop strangling him and he used that to throw her off of him.

"No," Black hissed, scrambling to his feet. "I've waited to long—"

There were to large bangs and the sound of two people running upstairs.

"UP HERE!" Susan screamed. "SIRIUS BLACK! HE'S UP HERE!"

Severus Snape and Remus Lupin burst into the room.

Snape threw a curse at Black, but Lupin yelled "Protego!", forming a shield in front of Black that made the curse bounce off of him.

What. Cali thought in shock.

Hermione let out an enraged scream. "HOW COULD YOU!"

"Miss Granger—"

"NO! YOU'VE BEEN HELPING BLACK! YOU'RE A WEREWOLF!" Hermione screamed.

Snape looked mildly pleased that someone had done his assignment... and figured out what it meant, Cali realized.

"Listen!" Lupin snapped.

"Why should we?" Snape asked coldly.

"I wasn't the Secret Keeper." Black croaked. "I thought it was to obvious. I convinced James and Lily to switch it to Pettigrew."

He pointed a skeletal finger at Scabbers, who was fighting furiously in Ron's hands. "And there he is."

Lupin peered at Scabbers. "He's missing a toe. All that was left of Peter was his finger."

The emerald eyed witch inhaled sharply, her eyes darting between Scabbers and Black.

"Scabbers probably got into a fight with another rat!" Ron protested.

Even Snape looked hesitantly thoughtful.

The rat began fighting even harder.

"Ron," she said softly. "Scabbers wouldn't be trying to fight as hard as he is right now if he was just a normal rat."

Her words struck something inside Ron, because he looked at Scabbers with a new light. And the rat began fighting even harder.

"Animagus transformations don't leave any magical trace." Hermione muttered.

"They don't." Susan agreed faintly. "My aunt Katherine was a fox animagus, and whenever she turned there wasn't any magical trace to be detected."

"Mr.Weasley." Snape drawled. "Please, give Lupin your rat. He and I will preform a rather harmless spell to see if Black's claim is correct."

Ron hesitantly handed over the rat. Scabbers was now furiously fighting in Snape's hand, and Cali thought it was incredibly suspicious.

Snape and Lupin cast the spell, and suddenly Scabbers turned into a man.

Peter Pettigrew.

Neville hit him with a Full Body-Bind Curse to the face.

"Ten points too Gryffindor." Lupin praised, and then glanced out the window.

Cali did too, and saw the rising full moon.

"Run." Lupin said. "I've taken my potion, but all of you need to run."

Lupin conjured a stretcher for Ron, who's leg was broken, and she and Padma helped get Ron onto the stretcher. Cali waved her wand to take control of the stretcher, helping guide it out of the room. Snape, on the other hand, transformed the still petrified Peter back into his rat form, conjured a jar, and placed the rat into the jar and sealed it tightly, and then casted a dozen spells onto the jar.

The group hurried out of the room, heading for the tunnel. Halfway through the tunnel, horrible noises echoed and screams of pain sounded off.

Cali offered Black, no, Sirius, her hand when she saw the pained look on his face. He took it with a squeeze.

"I'm sorry for the stress I've caused you all." Sirius told them.

"You could at least register as an Animagus so Dumbledore can modify the wards." Snape muttered.

Sirius nodded. "I will." he promised before looking at her.

"And Cali, I don't know if you know this, but—"

"You're my godfather." she said.

Sirius nodded. "I am. And I was wondering if you would like to live with me, once I get my name cleared."

Cali smiled instantly. "I would love to live with you."

Chapter Text

As the group approached Hogwarts, Susan gasped in horror. "The Dementors!"

Cursing, Sirius immediately transformed into a large black dog.

"So that's how you got past them." Cali said. Sirius barked in confirmation and the group kept going.

The Dementors swooped down but Snape raised his wand and casted the Patronus Charm. A doe came from Snape's wand, driving back the Dementors and letting the group keep moving forward.

Cali raised her wand, thinking about meeting Neville in Diagon Alley, Susan over the summer, and befriending Padma, Hermione, and Ron over the trip to Hogwarts in her first year. She thought about July 4th at Camp Half-Blood, and the happiness she had felt with being with Percy, Jake, Annabeth, Katie, and the rest of the demigods.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" she yelled, pointing her wand at the Dementors and channeling all of her happiest thoughts into the spell.

A massive silver bird shot forth from her wand, charging down the Dementors and making them back away.

"Nice one!" Ron applauded.

Snape didn't pause. "Into the castle! Now!"

Cali, still casting the Patronus Charm, did as the Potions master ordered, hurrying into the castle after her friends did. Looking up at her patronus once last time before it faded away, she realized what it was.

A thunderbird.

The aftermath was quite spectacular, in Cali's opinion.

Once Peter had been presented to Dumbledore with the entire story, he went on a warpath to get Sirius's name cleared. Fudge tried to protest but the evidence was too much to deny, and Amelia Bones was on the case to get Sirius a proper trial. Her godfather wouldn't be held in a holding cell at the ministry, but in a private room in Hogwarts, so Madam Pomfrey and a small army of healers could attend to him.

Susan, Cali, Neville, Padma, Ron, and Hermione all got a hundred House-Points each, placing Ravenclaw in the lead for the House Cup for the second time in a row (Hufflepuff had won during her first year) before Madam Pomfrey fussed over all of them. Ron's leg was repaired to perfection, and the scratches and bruises from the Whomping Willow were healed in an instant.

Given that exams were completed, Cali spent the free time she had with Sirius. During the final Hogsmeade trip, her friends all promised to bring back many sweets for both her and Sirius.

Lupin was still the DADA teacher, and he visited toon frequently. But he had been assigned to help supervise the Hogsmeade trip, so he had to go to the village to keep an eye on the students.

"Cali." Sirius said quietly. "Did Gringotts tell you about your parents... penchant for having partners during the months before you were conceived?"

Oh.

Oh.

Sirius knew.

"No." Cali said, but then let lightning race around her fingers. "But I found out when I got attacked by the Erymanthian Boar and killed it. And then he claimed me at camp."

Her godfather huffed. "Yeah, that sounds like him. I have no idea what James and Lily saw in him."

"Neither do I." she admitted, and tilted her head curiously. "How do you know?"

"Wixen can see through the Mist." Sirius told her. "And my family's patron is Hades, so I grew up knowing about the Greek world. If you want to go to Camp Half-Blood this summer—"

"I want to stay with you." she blurted out. "I can stay with Neville during the trial and write back to Camp about what's going on. They'll understand."

Sirius's eyes softened. "Are you sure?"

"You're my family too." Cali said firmly. "I want to stay with you."

Chapter Text

The school year ended with Ravenclaw winning the House Cup, and Cali rode the Hogwarts Express back to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters with her friends.

Frank Longbottom, now restored to full sanity with his wife thanks to Mr.D, had already written back before the End-of-Term feast confirming that shows more than happy to take in Cali for the duration of Sirius's trial, and Cali wrote an additional letter to Camp Half-Blood to let Chiron know what was going on.

She was mildly sure that Mr.D wouldn't care if she didn't show up at Camp for the summer, but she wanted to let Jake, Annabeth, Percy, and Katie know that she wasn't dead and safe.

So for the ravenette, the end of the year made her feel incredibly giddy with excitement as she and Neville were Apparated to Longbottom Manor by Alice, who had embraced both her son and Cali in a tight hug when she saw them.

Seeing Neville's cheer joy as he hugged his mother, made her hope that she and Sirius could reach this level of familial love.

Cali was confident that they would.

Hedwig returned three days after she had departed for Camp Half-Blood, with a very long letter attached to her.

"Thank you." she told Hedwig as she took the letter, scratching her feathers just the way the snowy owl liked it. A pleased hoot came from Hedwig, who affectionately nipped her on the fingers before fluttering into her cage to drink some water and rest.

Cali opened the letter, quickly reading the contents of the letter.

Hey Cali,

So, learning that the serial killer going after your cousin is actually innocent and the rat (why are rats pets in your world? Aren't there dragons?) that was the actual bad guy isn't something that must be told in person, not over letter.

I mean, Jake nearly had a heart attack when Annabeth read out loud that a serial killer had been after you for almost an entire year. Fell off the bunk bed and everything, it took Annabeth, Katie, and I thirty minutes to persuade him to not immediately shadow-travel to you.

Next time, just tell us in person.

(I don't think Jake's blood pressure can survive if you do this to us again)

On the other hand, I'm really happy that your godfather is getting a trial, and hopefully he becomes your guardian! That he knows is a bonus, you don't have to hide it from him at least. I'm glad he's supportive, and I agree with what he said: I have no idea what your mom and dad saw in Zeus.

Seriously, I'm concerned for their tastes in partners.

Who picks Zeus of all people? Guy has a horrible track record.

I mean, there are so many better gods to have a fling with.

And in homage to not forgetting what I wrote above: there's something V E R Y important that you need to know, and it's something that must be told in person. So try and sneak over to camp here when you get the chance.

Love,

Percy.

The emerald-eyed witch laughed softly at Percy's snark and she was touched at his joy for her. And the little tidbit about Jake made her heart flutter.

Dear Gods, I need to get this crush under control. she mused softly. It's not like he's interested in me anyways.

And Cali wondered what was so important that she needed to get to camp as soon as possible.

Chapter Text

It took Cali a while to find some available time to get to Camp Half-Blood.

For one, Sirius's trial was now in full swing, and while she wasn't allowed to attend, she paid attention through Frank Longbottom's reports and through the Daily Prophet.

The trial seemed to be going in Sirius's favor, and by the end of the first week of the summer holidays, Sirius was exonerated on all charges and received finical compensation for twelve years spent in Azkaban.

Cali had learned this when Sirius had been brought to Longbottom Manor by Frank Longbottom, and she promptly jumped into her godfather's open arms.

Sirius was free.

Sirius was free.

After Sirius got the paperwork to be her legal guardian, they moved into 12 Grimmuald Place.

"Wow." the demigoddess said, unable to not be impressed by the house, as run down as it was.

Sirius hummed. "Yeah." he said. "But we'll need to work hard to clean it up."

She nodded in agreement. "I also need to get to camp for something. But I'll go once we're done cleaning up here."

And with that, they spent the next several days cleaning up the house with the assistance of Kreacher. She treated the House-Elf kindly in all of her interactions with him, and that got Kreacher to respect her.

Cali also told off Sirius for disrespecting the House-Elf, and she noted that Sirius spent a few days thinking deeply before becoming more gentle with the House-Elf.

By the third week of July, 12 Grimmuald Place was fully restored to its former magnificence, and Cali used the Floo Network to head to Camp Half-Blood.

"Cali." Chiron greeted her with a smile as she emerged from the fireplace. "It's good to see you again."

"Hello Chiron." she said cheerfully, using a spell to get rid of the remaining dust. "Sorry it took me so long to get here."

"It's fine." Chiron assured her.

She nodded. "Now, what's so important I need to be told in person?"

Chiron sighed. "Told... more like shown. I'll let Jake handle this."

The centaur looked at the shadow of the doorframe. "You can come out now."

Jake suddenly emerged from the shadows, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Cali's heart skipped a beat as she took him in— Jake had grown, having lost more of his baby fat and gaining more muscles.

Pull yourself together, Calytrix.

"Why where you hiding form me?" she asked dryly, walking over to join him.

"I wasn't hiding." he protested as he lead her out of the Big House.

She gave him a flat, disbelieving look and he wilted. "Okay, I was a bit nervous."

"Should I be concerned? Am I scaring you off?" she asked, even as she panicked on the inside of the idea of losing Jake.

"No!" Jake yelled, causing her to jump slightly. "No, I'm not scared of you."

"Good to know." she murmured, looking up to the sky for a moment as a tidal wave of relief engulfed her. "Now, what do I need to know?"

"It's Thalia." Jake said, dark eyes flashing. "She's back."

Chapter Text

"What." Cali said flatly.

In her defense, it was the only thing she could say as her brain processed what Jake said.

It's Thalia. She's back.

"How—" the emerald-eyed witch stopped and shook her head. "Tell me from the top... and I have a strong feeling that Percy is involved in this."

Jake laughed. "You're dead right on that."

So he told her about everything that she had missed: Thalia's tree being poisoned by Luke (further moving the traitor to the very top of her shit-list), Annabeth getting Percy and Tyson the Friendly Cyclops, Percy's dreams about Grover being in danger, Tantalus replacing Chiron, Clarisse getting a prophecy and leaving camp to get the Golden Fleece, Annabeth, Jake, Katie, Tyson, and Percy sneaking out to also try and fetch the fleece, the incident on the Princess Andromeda, the Sea of Monsters adventure, rescuing Grover and grabbing the Golden Fleece, sending Clarisse ahead and getting captured by Luke, Percy dueling Luke and tricking him into confessing over IM to camp about his crimes, Chiron rescuing them with the Party Ponies, the group's return to camp, and then Thalia's reemergence from her tree.

"Wow." Cali said. "I go to school and miss all the drama."

"You had a mass murder after you." Jake shot back.

"Sirius wasn't really after me. I explained that in the letter." she pointed out.

"Yes, because a letter was obviously the best way to tell your friends that a mass murder was after you but no he wasn't actually a mass murderer." Jake snarked.

She wanted to fire something back, but he did have a point...

"Are you two done?" a voice drawled, and Cali looked in the direction of the voice.

The owner of the voice was a girl, with choppy black hair and fair skin with a set of vivid lightning blue eyes.

Eyes like Zeus's eyes.

Jake perked up but looked tentative. "Thalia," he said, gesturing to Cali. "Meet your sister, Cali."

Thalia looked her up and down, frowning as if she expected something else.

"Nice to meet you. Don't expect me to be buddy-buddy just because we're half-sisters." the other girl said shortly before walking away.

Cali's eyebrows raised. "Hera treated me kinder than that."

Hell, even Mr.D. had been politer than Thalia.

The son of Erebus made a frustrated noise, running his hand through his golden blonde hair. His black eyes were filled with sadness. "Just... just give her some time. And let me talk to her."

"She's acting like my very existence is a personal offense to her." the Potter Heiress said bluntly.

"It's complicated." Jake murmured.

"We're demigods, or in your cause, a demi-primordial." Cali drawled. "When are our lives not complicated?"

Chapter Text

The situation between Cali and Thalia remained tense.

Cali tried to approach Thalia and be friendly, only for the other girl to refuse every attempt. Thalia would pretend she didn't hear her at best or just walk away.

And it did piss off the emerald-eyed witch, because Thalia was treating her horribly for absolutely no reason.

So she was glad when her birthday rolled around, and she was able to go back to 12 Grimmuald Place and celebrate her birthday with her friends and family.

Grimmuald Place looked much more different compared to when Sirius and Cali had moved in. Now refurbished to its former glory, the walls were now a rich shade of blue, the portrait of Walburga had been burned and replaced with a beautiful portrait of the sea, and a majority of the dark artifacts had been moved to the Black family vault in Gringotts.

Remus had also moved in, restarting his old relationship with Sirius. Cali was delighted that the two were back together again and happy.

Cali had invited Ron, Padma, Hermione, Neville, and Susan from Hogwarts in addition to Katie, Grover, Percy, Jake, and Annabeth from camp to her party, and it was in full swing.

Gifts had been opened, the cake had been cut and demolished, and now everyone was mingling and enjoying the party.

Percy and Ron had immediately hit it off, while Annabeth and Hermione had bonded over their shared intellectual interests, and Katie and Neville were excitedly talking about magical plants in another corner. Padma and Susan got along well with Grover, which had surprised her at first.

Sirius squeezed her shoulder from behind. "Happy birthday, Cali."

"Thank you." she said with a smile.

"Now, I don't know if you're a Quidditch fan like James," Sirius murmured. "But if you are, I can get tickets to the Quidditch World Cup."

A smile immediately formed on her face. "I would love that. Can my friends come?"

"Of course." Sirius told her.

There was a small crash, and Sirius hurried away to help solve whatever had happened.

Annabeth and Jake joined her, the two looking slightly nervous.

The daughter of the sky instantly guessed what the two were going to talk about.

"Can we talk about Thalia tomorrow?" she pleaded. "It's my birthday."

Annabeth looked relieved. "Okay." she said and glanced in the direction of Percy and Ron. "I'm going to make sure those two don't burn down your house." the blonde declared and vanished.

"Happy birthday." Jake told her, causing her to fight the blush on her cheeks.

"Thanks." she squeaked out.

"And I'm sorry for Thalia." the blond said. "Her past has been difficult but that isn't an excuse for how she's been treating you."

"Do you know why she's been treating me horribly?" she asked.

Jake pursed his lips. "It's really private, and I can't tell you that."

Cali frowned, staring at him. "She lost someone, didn't she?"

The son of shadows nodded. "She did."

"I've lost a lot of people to," Cali pointed out. "And I'm not treating everyone I meet incredibly disrespectfully."

While Cali knew her Fatal Flaw was grudges, and she needed to not have one against Thalia, she couldn't help it.

A few days later, while at camp, Cali found herself practicing her magic.

"Regina Flamma." the legacy of Aphrodite cast, pointing her wand in the sky. A massive burst of blue-violet flames appeared, going a hundred feat before she canceled the spell.

Sirius's birthday gift for her had been a spell book filled with old, ancient elemental spells. Given the looming war against Kronos, Cali was maxing excellent use of the expansive beach at Camp Half-Blood to practice out a few of them.

"Coelestis Sagittae."

Around two hundred arrows formed from the air and launched themselves into the sea. She winced and sent a prayer of apology to Poseidon.

Sorry about that Lord Poseidon, I didn't mean it.

The water formed a thumb's up in response, and Cali couldn't help but smile at that.

Cali conjured a dummy and pointed her wand at it.

Time to practice a spell or two from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Four.

"Incarcerous." she cast, causing ropes to appear and ensure the dummy. With another wave of her wand, she vanished both.

She flipped to another page of her spell book. "Lamentationes Tonitrui."

A massive storm of lightning crashed around her and Cali hastily canceled the spell.

With a flick of her wand she cast blue sparks into the sky. The agreed upon signal to Chiron when she had told him what she would be doing to signal that she was okay.

"How impressive." a voice drawled.

Cali turned to see Thalia standing a few feet away, looking very unimpressed.

"You think you're so high and mighty you can't fight properly?" Thalia sneered.

The ravenette rolled her eyes. "I find that magic makes a battle more effective. And everyone knows how to fight with weapons, but not many know how to fight against a trained magician."

"Right." Thalia said with a roll of her eyes.

Something snapped inside Cali's mind.

"What did I do to you?" she snarled. "Ever since we've met you've treated me like my very existence is a personal offense to you and in generally been very disrespectful to me. I understand that you lost someone, but so have I."

An odd expression bubbled on Thalia's face before it vanished. "Like a pampered witch princess like you has ever known loss."

"My parents were murdered when I was one. Whenever I get around Dementors, magical creatures that force you to relive your worst memories, I hear my father telling my mother to take me and run from the dark wizard who came to kill me. I hear my mother begging for him to spare me, and I hear her scream as he kills her." she snarled. "I was left with her sister and husband who loath magic and treated me horribly for the first ten years of my life because they wanted to stamp out my magic. They would deny me food and force me to do all the chores and if I dared to complain I would be punished."

Thalia looked horrified. "I-I didn't know that."

Cali looked at her horribly. "And yet you had no problem in not bothering to get to know me when I tried. You just assumed I was always well off and had no problems in treating me like shit. Because of course I asked to be Zeus's child, and to be some kind of insult to you."

The other girl looked down. "...I would say I'm sorry, but I know you'll reject it."

"I would." the Potter Heiress said frostily.

Thalia looked up, opening her mouth a few times but no sound came out. Then she spoke. "I had a brother. His name was Jason. I was eight years older than him, and since my mom was drunk all the time I practically raised him. One day, when he was two and I was eight, my mom took us on a picnic and told me to go get the picnic basket she left in the car. When I got back, Jason was gone and my mom said she gave him to Hera in order to spare herself. I ran away soon after that."

The older daughter of Zeus kept going. "Then when I woke up, I was told I had a new sibling. And... and I didn't want that. I wanted Jason, not you. And like you said, I had no problem in making my assumptions about you and treating you horribly."

Cali stared at Thalia, feeling a bit sympathetic to her half-sister, but still hurt for how terribly she had been treated.

"I can't forgive you yet." she said finally. "But I hope I can, one day."

Chapter Text

The two days before the Quidditch World Cup final started, Cali's friend group all gathered in 12 Grimmuald Place for dinner.

"Who do you think will win the cup?" Susan wondered after she swallowed her sip of French onion soup.

"Definitely Ireland." Cali said, sipping some tea. "They've got an amazing team and really good Chasers."

"But Bulgaria has Viktor Krum." Ron pointed out. "And he's the best Seeker ever."

"Krum's one good player." Neville said. "But Ireland has seven good players."

The chatter continued for some time until Remus sent them all to bed while Ron returned to the Burrow and Neville went back to Longbottom Manor.

At 8 in the morning, the teenagers were Side-Along Apparated to the deserted moor were the Quidditch World Cup final was being held by Sirius and Remus. From there, the two adults lead the way to where their tent was and set it up.

After that, the Hogwarts students set off into the crowd to explore. Hermione spotted Neville with his parents, and he joined them happily and the group continued to search for Ron.

"Ron!" Cali yelled over the noise of the crowd, spotting the redhead sitting with his family. She strode over, grinning brightly.

The redhead looked over, saw her and the rest of their friends, and sprung up to jog over. "Hey guys! I didn't know you were here yet."

"We just got here." Padma explained, blushing shyly. "And we thought we would find you and have a look around."

"Let me ask dad." Ron said, hurrying back over to where his family was. He said something to Arthur Weasley, who nodded and Ron returned to the group.

Only a very out of shape Ministry official followed him, eyes fixed on Cali.

Oh no. Cali thought, withholding a groan.

"Calytrix Potter!" the man exclaimed. "Well, I never thought you would be here. I'm Ludo Bagman."

"I'm here with my godfather." she said, side stepping Bagman's attempt to grab her arm.

"Well, yes, I'm glad he's now free." Bagman said carelessly. "Say, would you like to make a bet."

"No." Cali said.

Susan stepped in-between Cali and Bagman. "And we're leaving now."

And with that, Susan linked her arm with Cali and the group walked away.

Dusk fell and the excitement of the thousands of witches and wizards grew, the energy in the crowd so strong and palpable that Cali felt like she could touch it. The ministry had stopped trying to enforce the 'don't do magic' rule and had bowed to the inevitable: magic was now being used freely, green and red sparks shot into the sky every five seconds, magnified voices sang the national anthems of Ireland and Bulgaria, and more.

Salesmen were also popping up every few feet, either carrying trays or pushing carts full of merchandise, all fighting to have the best spots, the most customers. Green and red rosettes were being sold, shamrock decorated green hats, Bulgarian red scarves, collectible figures of the fourteen players, magical flags of both nations, and more fascinating things.

Cali purchased an Ireland rosette and flag, along with a pair of Omnioculars. Earlier that night, Padma had gleefully painted the left side of her face in Ireland green paint, with more shamrocks curling around her right eye.

Padma, Susan, Hermione, and Neville were all supporting Ireland. Sirius and Remus were also rooting for the Irish, while Ron was done the middle: he had both a shamrock hat and Ireland rosette, but also a small figure of Viktor Krum.

The Weasleys joined them all on the walk up to the Top Box. The stadium throughly impressed Cali, and the sheer thrill that filled the stadium made her dizzy.

"Top seats!" Sirius roared as the group entered and took the seats in the front row.

After several minutes of waiting and greeting the important foreign officials who had come to the Top Box (the Irish Minister of Magic looked thrilled that she was supporting his team), the game began.

And it was single handedly the most amazing game Cali had ever seen. Even when Ireland won despite Krum grabbing the Snitch, she couldn't help but join the crowd by screaming in support for the Bulgarian seeker.

Chapter Text

A week after the Quidditch World Cup, the new school year started. Which meant on September 1st, Cali, Sirius, and Remus traveled to King's Cross Station to get reach Platform Nine and Three Quarters, in order for her to board the Hogwarts Express.

Sirius was visibly excited for her new school year, but Cali was quick to pick up on the fact that her godfather was a bit sad that she was leaving 12 Grimmuald Place. Cali was sad to leave it as well, but she took comfort in the fact that both she and Remus would be easily accessible.

"Are you sure you have everything?" Sirius asked her as he drove through the busy streets of London.

"Sirius." Remus chided softly. "Cali packed everything last night, and I helped her make sure she did not miss anything."

"Don't worry, I do have everything." Cali said, her lips twitching into a smile at how clear Sirius and Remus cared for her.

Why is it that I've gotten more paternal love from my godfather and honorary uncle than my still living sire? the ravenette thought for one brief, bitter moment before she shoved it away. If Zeus didn't want to care for her then fine, but at least she had Sirius and Remus.

She also had Hera, against all the odds. She was convinced that the Queen of the Gods had something to do with how fast and smooth Sirius's trial had gone, and she had sacrificed several well made culinary dishes to the goddess as thanks.

Lady Hera, I don't know for sure if you did anything to help Sirius's trial, but thank you. she once again prayed.

"Here we are!" Sirius said, pulling into King's Cross Station. He got out and vanished to find her a trolley while Remus helped her unload both Hedwig and her trunk from the car.

Cali bit down a laugh when she saw Sirius return with a trolley... and a very smitten looking young women who obviously worked at the station. Sirius was laughing and smiling as he said something.

Remus frowned slightly, his eyes flashing amber. He strolled forward. "There you are, darling." he said, kissing Sirius on the cheek.

The Potter witch had to cast a Silencing Charm on herself as she burst into silent giggles. Wow, who knew that werewolves are so territorial of their partners?

The worker looked flustered and scurried away. Cali's fit of laughter died down and she got her trunk onto the trolley, and then placed Hedwig, still in her cage, onto the trunk after. Sirius cast a mild spell to prevent people from noticing Hedwig.

"Don't ask." was all her godfather said when she shot him a curious look.

Remus just smirked, and Cali really wanted to know what had happened. She made a mental note to corner Remus later at Hogwarts to ask what had happened.

Platform Nine and Three Quarters was just like it always was: bustling with families and the air filled with the sound of owls, cats, and other animals that would be brought to Hogwarts with their human companions.

"Last chance to just fly the way there, girl." she told Hedwig.

Hedwig just hooted, giving her a look. As if I will. If I do, then something bad will happen to you.

"Fair enough." the emerald-eyed witch said, bowing to her snowy owl's wisdom.

She found Susan and Padma in a compartment and placed her luggage in the rack and Hedwig into the traveling space for pets. Ron, Neville, and Hermione found them soon enough, and the group dangled out of the windows to talk to their families.

"I wish I could go back this year." Charlie Weasley said with a wistful grin. "There's a lot happening... maybe I'll be able to see it."

Ron's eyes widened than narrowed. "What's happening?"

"Can't tell you yet." Bill Weasley said with a smirk.

"Remus, what's going on?" Cali asked Remus.

"I can't say that yet." Remus told her with a cheeky grin.

The trains began to move. "Traitor!" the legacy of Aphrodite yelled with a fond grin as the Hogwarts Express began moving away.

Away from Platform Nine and Three Quarters, and to Hogwarts.

To brand new school year.

Cali was stunned when Dumbledore announced that the Triwizard Tournament would be happening at Hogwarts.

"You'll finally get a normal year!" Padma hissed. "The attention won't be on you."

The daughter of Zeus grinned. "Finally."

Finally, Cali would have a normal school year.

Chapter Text

The month spent waiting for October 31st to arrive was one spent with anticipation and focus.

Cali and her fellow fourth-years were facing a new rise on schoolwork and homework. All the classes were now emphasizing how close O.W.L.'s where, and thus the need to get ready. Leading to the course work ramping up now toughness.

But classes were still enjoyable, still exhilarating and fun.

And the knowledge that she was safe, that this year would be normal, that she would be out of the spotlight, made Cali even more happy.

When October 31st arrived, classes were let out early. The entire school assembled on the front lawn to greet the incoming students.

After what seemed like hours, Cali sensed something in the sky and looked up. Her eyes widened when she saw something large approaching Hogwarts. "There!" she called, pointing to the flying thing that was coming closer.

"Ooooh!" several students went.

"It's a house!" a Gryffindor first-year shouted.

"No, a carriage!" a Hufflepuff fifth-year declared.

The Hufflepuff was right: it was a carriage, a very big one, and it was pulled by several winged massive horses, that all glanced her in direction. She sent a wisp of her godly powers at them: don't bow.

A boy hopped down to open the door, and a woman that was easily as tall, if not taller, emerged from the carriage.

"Madam Maxime." Dumbledore greeted.

"Dumbledore." the woman, Headmistress Maxime, greeted, in lightly accented English. Dumbledore kissed her hand when it was offered.

"I hope your journey was well." Dumbledore said. "Please, feel free to go inside. The Great Hall is open with food for you and your students, and plenty warm."

Curiously, Cali glanced in the direction of the two dozen or so Beauxbatons students who had come. Wearing pale blue uniforms that she guessed were made out of silk, they shivered in the harsh Scottish cold.

"We will." Madam Maxime agreed, and lead her grateful looking students into the castle. Small waves and smiles were given to the French students by several Hogwarts students, which the boys and girls from Beauxbatons returned.

"They look like." Padma whispered. "I hope we'll get to know them more."

"Definitely." Hermione agreed. "I can't wait to compare our classes and how they're taught."

"Just that, Hermione?" Cali asked teasingly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "And to make friends."

The Durmstrang students arrived by an enchanted ship, and with them came the famous Viktor Krum.

Cali winced when she saw how several girls and boys acted at this revelation. She felt a stab of sympathy for Krum, being famous wasn't fun. At least at Hogwarts, with her friends, Cali could experience peace and quiet. She hoped that he got the same at Durmstrang.

Returning to the Great Hall, the Potter witch saw that the Beauxbatons students had decided to sit at the Ravenclaw table while the Durmstrang students had split up between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables. Several of the Beauxbatons students apprehensive at the food that had appeared. Cali, Hermione, and Padma all sat down together near some students their age.

"Hello." Cali greeted in French. Her intuitive knowledge of the language came from her Aphrodite inheritance, and now it was paying off in her being able to help out the visiting students.

Several students looked startled.

"You speak French." an older looking girl with silvery blonde hair and large blue eyes said.

Cali ignored Padma and Hermione's curious looks. "I do. Do you need any help?"

A boy leaned forward. "What kinds of British food would you recommend to try?"

"I would recommend the steak and kidney pie, the Beef Wellington, roasted chicken, fish and chips, and shepherds pie." she said. "What meals would you recommend?"

The demigoddess was keenly aware of the several foreign dishes that were served tonight. And she was curious enough to want to try out a few.<

The older girl smile as her fellow students began to try out the dishes Cali had recommended. French broke out amongst the Ravenclaw students, who either knew French or had cast a Translation spell. "In my opinion, the best dishes are French onion soup, Steak tartare, Ratatouille, Canard à l'orange, Chicken Marengo, and Moules Marinières."

She helpfully pointed out the dishes as she listed them off.

"Thank you." Cali said.

"You're welcome." the older girl said. "I'm Fleur Delacour. What is your name?"

She braced herself as she gave her name. "Calytrix Potter."

As if on cue, every Beauxbatons students who heard her gasped, blatantly staring at her.

Fully used to it, she continued. "But please, call me Cali. I only get called Calytrix when I get in trouble, which is very rarely."

Fleur blinked once, twice, before casually asking. "What recreational books would you recommend to try out?"

Cali gave Fleur a thankful smile. "I would recommend Jane Eyre, Little Women, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, all of Jane Austens' works, and Moby Dick. Also, anything written by William Shakespeare."

Dinner continued, full of conversations and delightful discussions, until the Goblet of Fire was revealed and everyone was sent back to their beds.

With the building blocks of international friendships having been laid.

The next day, Cali waited with the rest of the students as the Champions for the Triwizard Tournament were selected.<

Fleur was chosen for Beauxbatons, and Cali clapped in support for the older girl. In the day she had gotten to know Fleur, the quarter-veela had proven to be kind, funny, intelligent, and quick-witted.

Viktor Krum was selected for Durmstrang, and everyone, not just the Durmstrang students, screamed in support for the Bulgarian seeker.

And finally, for Hogwarts, Cedric Diggory was the one picked by the Goblet of Fire to be the Hogwarts Champion. The Hufflepuff table went insane with cheers and shouts of delight. Well deserved, in the ravenette's opinion, given how underestimated and looked down on the house of badgers were.

The First Task rolled around on November 24th, and Cali came with the rest of the students to see the trial.

Impressive." Hermione noted, looking at a complicated looking obstacle course, which held several magical plants. "I bet there's loads of enchantments, traps, and maybe some magical creatures lying gin wait."

"And," Ron said as he pointed to the end of the obstacle course: three large golden eggs, each placed on a pedestal. One for each champion. "I bet they'll have to get those. If those aren't important for the Second Task, I'll eat doxy eggs."

"No one's going to take that bet." Padma said.

The champions came out from the tent, and the assembled students all began shouting support, waving flags and banners.

Lee Jordan was doing the commenting, and he was doing it perfectly. "Champions! You must get through the obstacle course and take on of the eggs! First to the end gets five extra points as well!"

His announcement just heightened the anticipation by a titanic level.

"On your mark.... get set... GO!" Lee yelled.

Fleur and Viktor were off. But Cedric raised his wand and yelled "ACCIO NIMBUS TWO THOUSAND!"

Thirty seconds went by but then, Cedric's broom came to him, and he hopped on.

"He's flying over the obstacle course! That's some damn good thinking!" Lee yelled.

Cedric got to the end in forty five seconds, landed, and took a golden egg.

Everyone Hufflepuff in the stand went nuts, cheering and yelling their pride to the heavens. All the Hogwarts students followed: Cedric was popular in all the houses for his kindness, athletics, intelligence, and good looks.

Fleur and Viktor were now racing for second place. Fleur suddenly stopped and turned on the spot.

Apparating straight to the finish line. She took her egg with a confident smile.

Noise exploded from the Beauxbatons corner. And when Viktor used runes to give himself enhanced speed to finish in third, the Durmstrang students raised a cacophony of cheers.

The judges did their scoring: Cedric came in first, with 46 points, with Fleur in second place for 42 and Viktor in last with 39.

"That was amazing." the daughter of thunder whispered.

"Yeah." Neville agreed.

The Yule Ball was announced the next day, and Cali felt the eyes on her back by lunch. After the champions, she was the next most desired date to the ball. Her friends found it slightly hilarious over the amount of suitors the Potter Heiress had to fight off.

So even though Cali had a bad gut feeling when Percy called her about helping Grover pick up two new demigods in Maine, she took the excuse to escape for a few days.

Chapter Text

"I have a bad feeling about this." Jake said sa the group approached Westover Hall. His shadows curled around him, mirroring how tense the blond was.

Cali squeezed his hand in an attempt to comfort him. "We'll be quick. In and out."

"Hopefully." Percy said. "Things never go our way."

She rolled her eyes. "You can try and be optimistic."

"I'm just being realistic." he said dryly.

"Which is ruining the morale." Cali shot back.

"Guys." Katie said loudly, stopping the verbal sparring before it could become a battle. "We're almost there."

Percy nudged her. "Which means it's time for our favorite witch to work her magic."

"I'm the only witch you know." she pointed out.

"You're still my favorite." he said cheerfully.

"And the best." Annabeth added.

Thalia cleared her throat. "I can help you with the Mist."

Cali looked at Thalia carefully before nodding. "Yeah, that would be helpful. Thanks."

It was easy to use the Mist on the teacher who found them, and the group of demigods quickly entered the room where the party was being held. Jake angels his head to the dance floor. "Care for a dance?"

Butterflies erupted in the Potter witch's stomach. "Sure." she said, taking Jake's hand as they headed to the dance floor.

The dance was fun, but it didn't last long. As Jake went to find Thalia, she saw Percy leave the room.

And she followed.

Cali sent another blast of lightning at the Manticore, making it roar and let go of Bianca and Nico. She pointed her wand as she got closer. "Iram Solis!" she cast.

A massive inferno of golden flames erupted from her wand, making the Manticore scream in pain. She ran closer, ignoring Jake's furious cries.

If she got close enough, she could kill it.

Annabeth seemed to be on the same wave length, jumping onto the back of the Manticore, raising her knife. But the Manticore bucked, causing the knife to fall. Cali ned the wind to launch herself onto the Manticore's back, tossing Annabeth Tempest.

She had her wand. The ravenette would be fine.

The Manticore began backing up to the cliff edge, causing her and Annabeth to cling to its back to not fall off.

He's going to jump. Cali realized.

"Sorry." she told Annabeth and pointed her wand at Annabeth. "Depulso!

The daughter of Athena was sent flying into the snow, landing safely next to Katie. Silver arrows came into view, a few hitting the Manticore. But he didn't vanish.

"CALI!" Percy roared. "JUMP!"

She couldn't, there wasn't enough time to do anything but toss her wand into the snow. To make sure that the Titans wouldn't get ahold of her wand.

The Manticore leaped from the cliff edge, and Cali fell with him to the sea below them.

The sea. she thought. Poseidon.

Lord Poseidon, please. she prayed.

"CALI!" Jake screamed.

Everything went black.

Cali cursed Luke as he rolled out from under the sky and Atlas forced her to take his place.

"You are going to rue all of this, Castellan." she snarled as she held up the sky. Her muscles began to scream under the weight of the sky, but she refused to give up. To let it crush her.

"No I won't." Castellan sneered, walking away.

She glanced up through her eyelashes at the sky. An idea bloomed in her head.

Lady Hera, Lord Zeus. she prayed. Help me. Please. I'm in Othrys.

The daughter of lighting prayed that they heard her. Hoped that someone was coming after her.

Because hoping and praying was all she could do now.

A surge of strength flooded her, and Cali grinned.

Someone had heard her.

The sound of battle got Cali to open her eyes, and she looked up. Jake was there, cutting off the chains on her wrists.

"You came." she rasped, sitting up. Her heart almost burst with warmth and love.

I'm in love with you. she realized.

"Of course I did." Jake said.

Katie knelt down next to her, a first aid kit in her hands. "Of thank Demeter, you're okay." she said, applying healing salves to Cali's raw skin, bruises, and cuts. She handed Cali a healing potion, which she drank in a single swig. The magic immediately felt her feel better. Next, Katie forced her to eat some ambrosia, which helped Cali feel even more healthier.

She got to her feet, swaying on her feet a bit. Jake steadied her, and Katie handed her both her wand and Tempest, which was in its hidden form. She put on the necklace but gripped her wand.

Her gaze found the battle that was ensuing. "We need to help them."

"Got any long ranged attacks?" Katie asked.

Cali, for the first time in days, grinned. "I do."

With those words, the Ravenclaw witch pointed her wand in the direction of Castellan, who was fighting Thalia, who was crying as she fought him. The two combatants were fighting on a cliff's edge, both of them evenly matched. Thalia was yelling something at Castellan.

"Coelestis Sagittae!" she yelled, and dozens of golden arrows erupted from her wand. They flew to Luke, hitting him in his shoulders, arms, legs.

"I told you that you would rue this, Castellan!" she yelled.

The traitorous son of Hermes would've cursed her if Jake hadn't shadow-traveled right behind him and stab him in the back, the edge of his sword appearing in Castellan's stomach.

She saw Katie run back to help Artemis but Cali kept watching Thalia, Jake, and Castellan.

"Jake!" Thalia screamed, looking slightly shocked.

The son of Erebus merely spat on Castellan's face and threw him over the edge of the cliff.

Cali looked away to turn to the other half to the battle. Katie and Annabeth were tending to a limp figure while Percy was rolling out from under the sky (when in the name of Merlin did he take the sky!?) as Artemis forced Atlas to go back under the sky. The titan screamed in rage as he was once again imprisoned under the sky.

She stumbled over to Percy, helping her cousin to his feet.

When the son of the sea god recognized it was her helping him to his feet, he instantly pulled her into a tight hug. She hugged him back, leaning into Percy's solid, steady warmth.

"You came." she said.

"Of course I did." Percy told her. "I'll always come for you."

Her heart warmed. "So will I."

Her relief at being rescued was dampened with the death of Zoe Nightshade, a Hunter of Artemis who had come to rescue Artemis. And died for it, as the prophecy the Oracle had issued had foretold.

Artemis placed Zoe into the sky, and Cali silently mourned the brave Hunter she wished she had gotten the chance to know.

"I'm glad you're alive, sister." Artemis said, and Cali startled at being addressed by the moon goddess.

"I'm glad to be alive as well." she murmured. Not trying to pull away from how Jake was gripping her hand, how Annabeth was on her other side and Katie was right behind her, with Percy on Jake's other side.

The five demigods, safe together.

Artemis took them to Olympus, and that was when Cali felt the effects of the potions in her system start to die down. By the time they got to the throne room, she was leaning heavily on Jake to not fall over.

"The sky affected your soul's link to your body." Artemis murmured. "Mortals are not meant to hold the sky. And because you were holding it longer than Perseus Jackson here, so it's affecting you more."

"Fantastic." the ravenette said wearily, almost tripping over her feet. She instantly tightened her hold on Jake's shoulders, and his grip on her waist also tightened. She gave him a thankful smile, which he returned with a faint blush.

The group entered the throne room. Artemis took her seat on her throne, but Cali cleared her throat.

"Can I sit down please?" she asked. "Because my legs are about to give out."

"You really should." a golden haired, blue eyed god said. Apollo. she guessed.

"All of you may sit down." Hera said calmly.

Cali saw Thalia go to sit down next to Zeus's throne, but she turned Jake in the direction of Hera's throne. The son of Erebus helped her to Hera's throne, and she gratefully sat down, resting her back against Hera's throne. A wisp of Hera's divine power made her feel less exhausted.

Jake sat down next to her, and she was glad he didn't leave her as she laced her fingers with his.

She ignored the blatant shock that came off everyone else, closing her eyes as she rested her head on Jake's shoulder and began listening to the winter solstice meeting.

The five demigods were invited to the winter solstice party. Cali found a couch tucked away in a quiet corner of the party and sank down onto the fluffy cushions.

Apollo was instantly on her, muttering to himself as he patched her up. He ended with impromptu doctor's visit with a stern warning to take it easy and not to push herself.

Hera joined her seconds after Apollo left.

"I am very glad that you are alive, Calytrix." the Queen of the Gods said.

"So am I." Cali said. "Did you hear my prayer?"

"Zeus and I both did." Hera confirmed. "I was relieved when I got it. That it meant you were alive."

"Thank you." the legacy of Love murmured. "For helping me."

"Anytime you need my help, Calytrix, I will be there." Hera promised, gently hugging her. "I have little intention on seeing you die young."

Is this was a mother is like? Cali thought, hugging Hera back.

Because I think this is.

Jake found her soon after Hera left to 'talk' with Zeus.

"Hey." he said, handing her a fruity looking drink.

"Hey." she said back. "Where's everyone else?"

"Well, the campers just showed up, so Katie's with her half-siblings. Percy and Annabeth are dancing together."

The emerald-eyed witch smirked. "Finally."

A sudden thought bloomed in her head and she spoke before her brain could process it. "Speaking of dancing, there's a ball being thrown at my school. Will you be my date to the ball?"

Jake froze, his black eyes wide. "You want me to be your date?"

"I trust you." she said simply. "And you make me feel safe."

He rolled his shoulders. "Just that?" he asked, his black eyes locking with her emerald.

Feeling as bold as a Gryffindor, she didn't look away. "And I'm in love with you, Jake."

Jake's eyes went wide, and she almost fled before he grabbed her wrist. His black eyes were soft. "I love you too, Calytrix."

And when they kissed, it was the happiest moment in her life.

Chapter Text

As soon as Cali stepped foot into her dorm room in Ravenclaw Tower, she was instantly pounced on by Hermione and Padma.

"Where have you been?" Hermione demanded as she hugged Cali.

Padma also hugged her. "We've been so worried! You haven't contacted us in days!"

"I'm sorry about that." Cali said with a grimace. "Let's just say that a lot of shit went down, and that meant I couldn't contact you."

Hedwig hooted and fluttered over from her perch to land on Cali's shoulder. She began to stroke her snowy owl's feathers as she sat down on her bed.

"So, what have I missed?" she asked Padma and Hermione.

"Ron asked me to the Yule Ball." Padma said with a soft smile and blush. "Oh, and Viktor Krum asked out Hermione."

"Congradulations!" the ravenette told both of her dorm mates with a bright smile.

"Thank you." Hermione said, blushing softly. "And speaking of dates, at least two dozen boys have been asking where you've been because they want to take you to the Yule Ball."

Cali smirked. "Too late for them. I have a date and a boyfriend now."

"WHAT!?!" Padma yelled. "You do?! Tell us the details!"

She raised her hands in a mock surrender motion. "His name is Jake Morgan, he's our age, and he's very handsome. I met him through my American relatives."

Padma looked very serious. "We have so much shopping to do, ladies. Only the finest dresses on the market will do for the two of you."

On the day of the Yule Ball, Cali found herself locked in her dorm with Padma and Hermione as the three girls got ready for the ball.

Cali looked in the mirror again and blinked, just barely recognizing the girl in the full body mirror Padma had conjured.

Gone was her usual Hogwarts uniform, now she was dressed in an A-line one shoulder scarlet red dress, her sleek black hair done in a half up half down bun, and gold eyeshadow was applied to above her eyes, with a coating of clear lipgloss applied to her lips. Her jewelry consisted of ruby drop earrings and an elegantly silver necklace with a ruby pendant.

"I look like a Gryffindor princess." she dryly remarked.

Hermione joined her. "A very pretty Gryffindor princess."

"You look great too." she said softly, grinning at the brunette.

Hermione was in a gorgeous mermaid style pink dress, her normally bushy hair sleeked down and done into an elegant French twist. She had on rose quartz stud earrings and matching rose quartz and silver rings. She had both pink eyeshadow and pink lipstick.

Padma joined them, beaming. "We're all like princesses out of a fairytale!"

The Indian witch was dressed in a navy blue and gold lehenga choli, with a gold Kundan jewelry, with the typical makeup worn with a lehenga choli, her hair elegantly done. The effect made sure that she was devastatingly beautiful.

"Come on!" Padma giddily said. "Let's go!"

The three witches exited their dorm room, and as they descended the stairs, Cali was aware about how almost everyone stared at them. They left the common room and at the bottom of the stairs, she saw Viktor Krum, Ron, and Jake waiting for them.

Viktor Krum was in a set of dashing red robes paired with a fur cape. His entire face lit up when he saw Hermione, who also beamed when she saw Viktor, looking ethereally happy. On the spot, Cali sent a prayer to Aphrodite, asking for the goddess to make the couple happy.

A gentle breeze stirred her earrings, and she knew the love goddess had heard her prayer. Thank you. she prayed to Aphrodite.

Padma joined Ron, who wore a set of dark blue-gold dress robes that formed a natural duo with Padma's lehenga choli. The redhead kissed Padma on the hand, and Cali knew that the couple would be happy together.

And finally, there was Jake.

The Potter witch's heart nearly stopped when she saw him in a tuxedo made out of rich black material cut to his lean yet muscular frame, with a red tie matching her dress. His golden blonde hair was artfully tousled, and his tan skin seemed to glow in the light.

Jake grinned when he saw her, strolling over to her, shadows curling around his tuxedo. "You look great."

"So do you." the daughter of thunder said, her heart pounding. She took his offered hand, their arms linking.

He tilted his head to the Great Hall. "Shall we?"

Cali beamed. "We shall."

Cali laughed as Jake twirled her around, lifting her briefly into the air in a spin before placing her back down on the ground. "You're such a flirt." she giggled.

"I do have the most lovely girlfriend." Jake said with a charming grin.

They danced for a bit more before sitting down at an empty table. Soon, her friends joined her: Susan and her date Justin Finch-Fletchly, Neville and Luna Lovegood, Ron and Padma, Hermione and Viktor. A few other students from Durmstrang joined them, and a lively discussion sprung up about magic.

"Dare I ask why I keep getting death glares?" Jake asked halfway through.

"Because you're dating Calytrix Potter." Ron said dryly. "Aka one of the most desirable witches in Hogwarts."

"And the reason why I chose Jake, they're all probably wondering, is because he loves me for me." Cali added.

"That is why I fell in love with Hermione." Viktor revealed softly with a shy smile, causing Hermione to blush and smile.

"I'm rooting for the two of you, by the way." Neville added.

"So am I. You deserve a good girlfriend, Viktor." one of the Durmstrang students, a Finnish wizard by the name of Väinö Järvinen, who was also one of Viktor's best friends, added.

Almost all of the other Durmstrang students, in addition to Cali, Jake, Padma, Susan, Justin, and Neville added their agreements.

"Thank you, all of you." Hermione said while Viktor beamed.

Later, as the ball wound down, Cali slipped out into the enchanted gardens with Jake.

"Tonight was lovely." the emerald-eyed witch said wistfully. "I wish it didn't have to end."

Jake kissed her chastely on the lips. "So do I."

But it did, and as the sun rose and the Yule Ball finally ended, Jake vanished into the shadows while Cali, now alone, reentered the ball room.

She wasn't alone for long: Susan pulled her to the dance floor and out the doors. Apparently, the Durmstrang students had seized control of their ship and were now throwing a student-only party.

The Potter Heiress joined in on the festivities, and found herself laughing and dancing with the rest of her friends. She didn't think about the new Titan war, or about her brief imprisonment at Othrys, or anything else.

She thought only about her friends and the music and how alive she felt.

And it was one of the best nights of her life.

Chapter Text

A few months (and many dates with Jake) later, the second Task arrived.

"They better get her out if Krum doesn't get to her." Neville stated, looking at the hovering, enchanted screens that cycled between the champions and the hostages beneath the lake.

Cali nodded. "They better."

"Percy told me before hand that the mer agreed to bring up any hostage that wasn't rescued." Ron informed them. "And Dumbledore will never let anything happen to the hostages on his watch."

His words got a murmur of approval from the friend group, and their attention returned to the screens that showed them flashes of a still, slumbering Hermione far below the surface of the Black Lake.

Fleur Delacour got to her hostage, her younger sister it seemed, and quickly swam away. Cedric and Viktor arrived at roughly the same time, worked together to help free their hostages, and both swam away.

Two minutes later, Fleur surfaced with her younger sister. Cedric and Viktor mutually tied as they emerged within seconds of each other. All of the hostages woke up once they were brought back to the surface, and Cali sighed in relief when she saw that Hermione seemed perfectly unharmed.

Fleur earned 48 points for using both the Bubble-Head Charm and water magic, in addition for coming in first place, while Cedric got 44 for using the Bubblehead Charm, and Krum got 43 for his partial Human Transfiguration.

Which placed Fleur and Cedric in first place, both of them possessing 90 points, while Viktor came in second with 82 points.

Once again, the Durmstrang students threw a party on their ship for all students thirteen and up to attend, and Cali attended the party with her friends. While the Potter witch had to confirm to many people that she and Jake were in a long distance relationship, she did accept some dance offers.

"This is going to be fun." Cali murmured with a grin as she stepped into the Beauxbatons Carriage. Once she was inside, she couldn't help but look around in awe. The Beauxbatons Carriage had been thoroughly enchanted so while it appeared as a carriage on the outside, it was essentially a five story high palace on the inside.

Fleur, with several other Beauxbaton students, were hosting a miniature Duelling competition. Seven students would compete for each school, and only three dozen students were invited to personally attend. Enchanted screens would be in the Great Hall for the rest of the student population of Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons.

"I'm so glad we're here." Susan said with a grin. "Come on! Let's go!" Ron declared.

Smiling, Cali rolled her friends to the duelling ring.

"Welcome!" Lee Jordan announced from the announcer's booth. "To the Inter-School Duelling Competition! The rules are simple: No killing, no maiming or seriously injury, and first blood, getting your opponent out of the ring, or immobilization is how you need to win! Also, no spells that are illegal in Europe."

"Boring!" a Durmstrang student yelled.

"Anyways!" Lee said. "For our first round, we have the one and only.... CALYTRIX POTTTTTTTTER!"

Rolling her eyes at Lee's over the top dramatics, Cali walked to the ring, cheered on by her friends and the attending Hogwarts students.

"Her opponent: The vivacious and lovely Jeanne De la Roche!"

A tall, brown hair and blue eyed Beauxbaton witch joined her in the ring. The two girls bowed and walked three paces from each other.

"AND BEGIN!" Lee declared.

Cali spun round, her reflexes faster than her opponent's. "Canticum Serenitatis!"

Jeanne's eyes glazed over, and she stood still.

"Expelliarmus! Petrificus Totalus!" the emerald-eyed witch rapidly cast.

Her opponent's wand went flying out of her hand, and then she hit the ground.

"FIRST ROUND GOES TO CALYTRIX POTTER!" Lee yelled as Cali's supporters screamed in delight.

Neville won his first duel against a fifth-year Durmstrang witch, but Susan lost to a Durmstrang wizard. Cho Chang trounced a Beauxbatons wizard while a Hufflepuff sixth-year beat a Durmstrang witch. Fred Weasley beat his Beauxbaton's opponent, but Alicia Spinnet lost to a Durmstrang witch.

In the end, Cali was in the final round against Väinö Järvinen.

"Good luck." Väinö told her.

"You'll definitely need it." she cheekily told him, getting Väinö to snicker.

And then the duel began.

Väinö shot the Full-Body Bind curse at her, which she blocked with a Shield Charm. She unleashed the Gale's Revenge but he used an earth-spell to not get blown out of the ring, and shot a volley of arrows at her. She parried it with another wind spell, and fired "Expelliarmus!" at Väinö.

The Finnish wizard's wand went flying, but he unleashed a blast of flames at her with only his hands.

"Amplexus Pruinae!" the Potter Heiress yelled, canceling the fire. "Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!"

All three Stunning Spells hit him and he fell down. Cali hurried to his side to make sure he was breathing, but the 6'6 Durmstrang student was just out cold.

"CALYTIX POTTER IS THE WINNER!" Lee screamed.

That night, yet another party was thrown in the Beauxbatons Carriage. And Cali was delighted when Jake appeared to sweep her off her feet on the dance floor.

"You came." she whispered.

Jake rested his forehead against hers. "Of course I did."

During Easter Break, while at 12 Grimmuald Place, Cali found herself having an IM chat with Percy.

"We've been fortifying the camp." Percy told her via IM. "Nico, Bianca and Katie have been using their earth manipulation to check for any sort of tunnels that could bypass the barrier. The Demeter cabin and the Hekate kids have been helping them too."

"That's good." the daughter of Zeus said. She hesitated. "How many have we lost?"

Percy scowled. Given that his Fatal Flaw was Loyalty, betrayal was something the son of Poseidon loathed.

"Five." Annabeth voice said, the blonde appearing beside Percy. "Five demigods— a son of Nemesis, a daughter of Hebe, a son of Aeolus, a daughter of Hephaestus, and a son of Morpheus have all joined Luke."

"We've also been able to rescue and recruit more." Grover piped up, also joining Annabeth and Percy. "We've rescued fifteen different demigods from where the Titans held them prisoners, the Hunters have sent demigoddesses who don't want to join them our way, and around nine have been brought to camp."

Cali nodded and smiled before sighing. "I wish I could be doing more."

"You've been doing a lot with the spell books you've been sending copies of to the Hecate kids." Percy told her.

"Still." she murmured, though she was secretly pleased.

The children of Hecate were split: while around seven had followed Alabaster C. Torrington to join the Titans, twelve more had stayed under Emilia Martinez's leadership. Five more had already joined their siblings in the camp.

"Just stay safe." Annabeth told her as the mist began to break up.

"You too!" she replied.

The IM faded away.

"Because I don't know what I'll do if any of you die." she whispered to herself.

The Third Task rolled around in June. It was a complex maze with the Triwzard Cup at the center. Whoever got their first would win.

Cali watched with nervous excitement as the champion's actions were broadcasted on enchanted screens. The watching crowd alternated between cheers and silence.

Fleur was eliminated, then Viktor and Cedric were racing for the cup—

And then Cedric threw himself at the cup, grabbing it with his fingers as he then reappeared in front of the maze.

"CEDRIC DIGGORY WINS!" Lee Jordan bellowed.

And Cali joined in with the Hogwarts students (and the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students) in screaming in joy, the students of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang roaring in support for Cedric.

She then realized that the Triwizard Tournament had worked: It had brought the three school's students very, very close.

As euphoria and jubilation crashed down from all sides, all the students toe excited and happy to care about who won, Cali wished the moment would never end.

Chapter Text

While the end of Hogwarts was full of tears, promises of keeping in touch with foreign friends, and vows of visits, the start of Cali's summer was very grim.

Because Nico, Bianca, and Katie had found an entrance of the Labyrinth, which went under the barrier and emerged into the camp. Annabeth had been given a quest, and had picked Nico, Percy, Jake, and Grover to go with her.

Cali had arrived once the quest had begun, and instead coordinated with Katie to get the camp ready for battle. While she did her duties, Bianca shadowed her.

"Is this all really necessary?" the younger girl asked nervously, eyeing the massive fortress wall that had been risen on the side of the clearing that lead to camp. Cali looked over her shoulder, briefly stopping inscribing runes. "I mean, a lot of this can hurt people."

"Bianca," Cali said. "They want to kill us. The monsters, the demigods on the Titan's side— they don't wan to make friendship bracelets with us. They want to kill us. So we have to meet them with lethal force."

Bianca looked briefly conflicted as she visibly contemplated Cali's words. "You're... you're right. How can I help?"

Cali nodded. "I need you to raise as many skeletons and undead as you can. We don't have many campers, so we need as many skeletons as we can."

"Just human ones?"

She cackled. "I like how you're thinking. Feel free to bring up any magical undead."

"How about dragons?" Bianca asked.

"Absolutely." the ravenette said.

"Yes!" Katie yelled as the seventh Whomping Willow was placed at a key point. "Right there! Lou Ellen, let's make this baby even bigger!"

At those words, she briefly shuddered at her own memory of the Hogwarts Whomping Willow, and made a mental note to never get near the Whomping Willows.

Emilia Martinez, a seventeen year old daughter of Hecate, joined her and Bianca. "We've rigged the fire traps, the magic circles, the lightning traps, the summoning spaces, and more."

"Good." Cali said. "Can you spare three of your siblings to help me inscribe the wall with runes?"

The other girl smiled and nodded. "I can."

Emilia returned with fourteen year old Chloe, fifteen year old Santino, and fourteen year old Amir. The three demigods quickly joined her in inscribing runes of protection, defensive runic sequences, and offensive runic sequences onto the wall. Over the course of the day (and with Cali having to step away to help in other places), they, along with more of the Hecate children, finished inscribing the entire wall with runes.

This was when Annabeth, Grover, Jake, and Nico returned, frantic because Percy was missing and Mt. Saint Helens had exploded.

Cali nearly marched up to Olympus to scream at Hephaestus when Percy returned, accompanied by a newly liberated Calypso. The sorceress happily joined in the Hecate children's magical traps while Cali dragged aside Annabeth.

"You're jealous." she said.

Annabeth flushed. "I'm not!"

The raventte gave her a disbelieving look. "Yeah, and I'll accept Zeus."

When she saw Annabeth's stubborn look, she groaned. "Okay, look. Percy likes you. And he likes you back. So go up to him and confess."

"But—"

"Now." she said, grabbing the blonde girl's hand. "If Jake and I can get our shit together, then so can you and Percy."

She dragged Annabeth to the Poseidon cabin, kicked down the door, and threw Annabeth into the cabin. She then enchanted the door so it would remain shut until Annabeth confessed her feelings.

Silena appeared, looking giddy as the two girls headed for the Zeus cabin. "Is Operation Percabeth in place?"

"Hopefully." Cali informed her, looking over her shoulder at Cabin Three.

Jake was waiting for her at the Zeus cabin. "Did I see you push Annabeth into the Poseidon cabin?"

"She and Percy need to get their shit together." Cali said bluntly.

The son of Erebus looked amused. "Yeah, they do."

Five minutes of waiting later, Annabeth emerged, looking happy. Jake wolf whistled as Silena squealed loudly and raced for the Aphrodite Cabin.

"About time!" Jake yelled.

The daughter of Athena gave Jake the bird, but she was still smiling.

When dawn broke, Camp Half-Blood got back to business. The questers, now accompanied by Rachel Elizabeth Dare, a Clear Sighted mortal girl, reentered the Labyrinth.

"Stay safe." Cali told them.

Jake kissed her forehead. "We will."

Once they entered the Labyrinth, Cali headed back to the fortress wall. The Athena cabin had set up an HQ behind the wall while cannons, anti-aircraft guns, machine guns, howitzer cannons, and more artillery lined the walls, all aimed at the entrance of the Labyrinth. The Whomping Willows were being equipped with enchanted swords, knives, scythes, and daggers. An infirmary had been constructed, while magical shields prevented air-strikes on the fortress and the wall.

Chiron beckoned her over. "I need to tell you something."

She frowned. "What is it?"

He took her away to the Big House. "Do you know why the Big Three took a vow to sire no more children?"

Cali's heart sank. "A prophecy?"

"Yes." the Trainer of Heroes sadly confirmed. He began to recite the prophecy, and she was frozen in the spot as she listened.

"A half-blood of the eldest gods,
Shall reach sixteen against all odds
And see the world in endless sleep
The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap
A single choice shall end his days
Olympus to preserve or raze"

The Potter witch swallowed. "You think that I'm the person the prophecy is talking about?"

"No." Chiron said. "As a witch, you are disqualified. Don't ask me how, but Apollo confirmed that you are not the one the prophecy speaks of."

"Percy." she whispered, her heart breaking for his cousin.

For her cousin, her brother, literally had the fate of the world hanging on his shoulders.

When the questers returned, they brought with them that they only had a short bit of time to get ready.

And they were right.

The Titan army burst through, only to be met with a hail of artillery fire that killed dozens and dozens of demigods and monsters. Any enemy soldier that survived had to deal with the land mind of grenades, magical traps, magical plants, and curses that where embedded into the ground, and many more died. The runic sequences unleashed a hail of fire, lightning, curses, and more. The Apollo cabin and more archers also fire volleys of cursed arrows.

"Keep firing!" Cali roared through the intercom system.

"Don't stop!" Percy ordered.

Eventually, the first wave stopped and the campers got a bit of breathing room.

Nico's solemn voice spoke through the intercom. "Don't know how many monsters died, but one hundred and ten enemy demigods are dead."

Weak noises filled the intercom system. Friends and siblings could be among the dead.

Cali had little sympathy for the enemy dead. "They picked their side." she said through the intercom system. "Now they can reap the consequences."

An hour later, wave two emerged. This time, a massive drakon emerged, obviously sent to tank the camper's artillery.

Instead, Cali ran to the wall with the children of Hecate, linking hands. "Ignis Inferni!

Black flames burst over the drakon, eating away at it. More magical traps also helped cut it down, and the monster dissolved into golden dust. Once it was gone, the artillery resumed and battered away at the enemy demigods.

"They've sent harpies!" Malcolm Pace announced.

Cali grimaced. "I'll handle this!"

More enemy soldiers burst from the entrance of the Labyrinth, fighting their way through the no man's land.

"Bianca, Nico!" Jake barked.

The daughter of Zeus tapped into her connection to the sky, summoning thunderclouds. She unleashed lightning onto the harpies, killing them all, and indiscriminately hit the enemy demigods. Wiping out scores of the Titan's soldiers.

She held it for another minute before letting go, gripping the wall to not fall over. Silena instantly handed her some nectar, which she gratefully drank.

"Thanks." she rasped.

The older girl smiled. "Anytime."

Two more hours passed. No one in camp was hurt yet, but Bianca confirmed that in the second wave, two hundred and five demigods had died. A hundred and nine had been personally killed by Cali in her lightning storm.

Cali made an effort not to think to hard on the fact that her kill count was now in the triple digits.

Jake approached her, handing her some hot chocolate. "Are you okay?"

"I have the blood of a hundred and nine people on my hands." she said. "I don't think I'll ever forget that."

Her boyfriend's black eyes met her emerald green ones. "Better you than them."

"GUYS!" Michael Yew shrieked. "Round three is here!"

Kampê burst through, and immediately shrugged off anything the campers threw at her.

But Bianca and Nico brought back a dragon and a giant respectively, which helped slow her down. Beckendorf also joined in the fray with his bronze dragon Festus.

"Another lightning storm would be really useful right now!" Malcolm Pace yelled through the intercom system.

Cali grunted. "I'm on it!"

Once again, she reached into the sky. But on a whim, she prayed to Hera, and slightly reluctantly, Zeus. Some heavenly lightning would be really useful right now. she prayed.

But she also focused on her task, unleashing many of the most powerful spells she had. "Lamentationes Tonitrui! Coelestis Sagittae! Lamentatio Caeli!"

When the spells ended, Kampê was seriously injured, but still moving. But the sky boomed, and Cali watched in stunned awe as the Master Bolt smashed into Kampê, causing the monster to burst into millions of specks of gold dust.

She let out a hysterical laugh, feeling blood drip from her eyes, nose and mouth. She was pushing herself, but she had one final spell to aid her allies.

"Purgatio Indignorum!" she screamed, putting all her magic into it.

She held it for five seconds before passing out.

When Cali woke up, she was on a nice, comfortable bed. She tilted her head to see Jake passed out on the chair next to her, the fifteen year old gripping her hand.

"Hey." she rasped, causing her boyfriend to wake up.

"You're okay!" he said, looking relieved before turning furious. "What the hell were you thinking!? You almost died! If Will Solace didn't get to you in time you would've died!"

"Sorry." she rasped, wincing. "I just wanted to keep helping."

Jake ran a hand through his hair. "You are never doing that again."

"I won't." she promised.

He helped her sit up and handed her a vial of a healing potion. "What did I miss?" she asked.

"You're last spell ended round three, but you've been out for three days since." Jake told her. "During round four we got into some close quarters combat when the enemy Hecate kids started teleporting enemy demigods onto the fortress wall, but we dealt with them and Emilia Martinez put a new spell that prevented that from happening again. Round five was the last fight and Koios actually showed up."

She went ridged. "What happened?"

"Percy and I killed him." he informed her. "Also, Nico and Bianca almost killed Luke, but the bastard is still alive."

"Damn it." the Potter Heiress groaned.

"We lost five people." Jake informed her. "You were the only major injury."

Cali closed her eyes. "Did I miss the funerals?"

"No. They're tonight."

"I want to go." she said.

Jake nodded. "Okay then."

She went to the funerals, watching the shrouds burn. Then she went back to Sirius and Remus, who hugged her tightly and held her when the nightmares tormented her.

The three went to Paris, and in France, she was able to breath easily again.

But the knowledge of the Great Prophecy burdened her. And the emerald-eyed witch prayed that Percy would make the right choice.

Cali knew he would.

Chapter Text

When Cali's birthday rolled around, she opted to have a small, quiet celebration. Just her, Remus, and Sirius in their favorite cafe in Paris.

After the Battle of the Labyrinth, she didn't want a large party or gathering like the previous year. She wanted something quiet and gentle, just her, her godfather, and honorary uncle. Something sweet and soft.

And Sirius and Remus gave that to her, in lovely gifts and stories about her parents and her early life.

Fifth year began, and after the importance of the previous year, it was fairly quiet. The classes ramped up in difficulty given it was their O.W.L. year, and Cali studied hard with her friends.

Christmas eventually rolled around, and she and Remus went with Sirius to Black Estate in Cornwall to enjoy the beach. Cali took a few photos on her phone to send to Jake, and snuck off with her boyfriend to a date in London.

Jake came back again for New Years, and they kissed just as New Year's Eve ended and New Year's Day began.

With Christmas over, Hogwarts resumed its school term. The friend group exchanged stories over what they had done during the break: Hermione and her parents had visited Viktor and his family in Bulgaria, Ron and Padma had gone on a few dates in muggle London, Neville, his parents, and grandmother had all gone to the Caribbean, and Susan her aunt Amelia had taken a vacation to Venice.

But as Easter drew closer, O.W.L.'s loomed over the horizon on the fifth-years.

And that mean the study madness began.

So when the O.W.L tests finally began, the Potter Heiress breathed a sigh of relief because it meant the madness and anxiety was almost over.

And when the O.W.L's finally ended, she joined the fifth-years in partying on the beach of the Black Lake, celebrating the end of the tests and reveling in their new freedom.

Summer began as always, and Cali was very nervous. July passed, with her sixteenth birthday being celebrated, but as August wore on, she opted to stay in Camp Half-Blood, waiting for news about the Titan army.

And then the news camp, when Percy and Beckendorf returned from the Princess Andromeda mission.

Kronos was marching on Manhattan, on the Empire State Building.

On Olympus.

The final battle had come.

Chapter Text

Cali and Jake had been stationed at the Williamsburg's Bridge, alone in defending the bridge. While the campers had been initially hesitant, all Cali had to do was summon a clap of thunder to remind them what she could do.

And they only waited for a short time when the battle started.

"Percy's done well." Cali said when she saw all of Kronos's aquatic forces drown in the rivers.

But then she felt it.

"Kronos." Jake snarled.

Kronos, in the form of Luke Castellan, was marching on the bridge with a massive army on his back.

"Stand aside, demigods." Kronos ordered.

"Yeah, no." Cali said, glancing at Jake. Can you hold him off?

He nodded slightly. I can hold him off for you to destroy his back up.

And her boyfriend charged into battle, his Stygian Iron sword, Fotofágos/Light Eater, clashing with Kronos's scythe. His back up charged at her.

The Potter witch tapped into her magic as she raised her hands. "Sagittae Dianae!" she shouted. Hundreds of silver arrows formed around her, and they launched themselves at the enemy.

Her attackers tried to run, but the silver arrows killed the monsters and injured the demigods alike. Cali wasn't done yet. She drew the Celtic rune for death in the air and combined it with her next spell. " Purgatio Indignorum!"

The black flames erupted immediately, killing the survivors. It even hit Kronos, eating away at him for a few seconds before the Titan King shoved it away.

Jake was still holding strong against Kronos, parrying and trying to fight Kronos to a stalemate, but Cali knew he needed help. So she drew Tempest and joined the fray.

It was two against one but Kronos was holding strong.

And he was winning.

The Ravenclaw witch screamed in fury when he hit Jake so hard he sent the son of Erebus flying, bleeding from a large injury on his stomach. Kronos then laughed, which infuriated her even further, before shuddering and a pair of blue eyes peered at her.

Luke. she realized before the gold swallowed the blue again.

Then an idea hit her.

She had the wind throw Jake onto the safe side of the bridge, and summoned a massive thunderstorm.

Kronos's eyes widened in horror. "No—"

Lightning slammed into the bridge, destroying everything it hit, the lightning causing the bridge to collapse.

And Cali fell into the river, unable to get herself away as she kept up the storm, the lightning, to destroy the bridge. And if Kronos got hit during it?

That was just a bonus.

Distantly hearing Jake scream her name, she closed her eyes and let the river swallow her up.

Cali coughed, throwing up river water. Someone rolled her onto her side as she kept puking up water into she was just dry heaving. Once she got control of her breathing again, she looked around, blinking widely.

Percy was crouched down next to her, looking pale and drawn. "Percy?" she rasped, sitting up. "What happened?"

"You weren't breathing." her cousin said. "When I pulled you out you were dead and even when I did the CPR you, you took a few moments to start coughing."

She blinked, and then her eyes widened as she remembered what she had done. She looked at the destroyed Williamsburg bridge and winced. "Yeah... Kronos was winning, and the bridge needed to go."

Percy whistled. "Wow. And I thought killing the Minotaur and Hyperion back to back was cool."

Cali's eyes widened and she scrambled to her feet. "Jake—"

"Jake's fine. Bianca shadow-traveled him to the Plaza Hotel while I fished you out of the river." Percy assured her.

The legacy of love shook her head. "I want to see him."

So she grabbed Percy's hand and Apparated them both to the Plaza Hotel.

Percy stumbled when they appeared in the lobby of the hotel but Cali was already sprinting to Jake's side. Her boyfriend was looking pale but he grinned when he saw her.

"You came." he said.

Cali made a noise between a laugh and a sob. "Of course I did."

Will Solace appeared. "Jake's doing fine. He just needs another thirty minutes and the potion should've completely healed him."

She sighed in relief before looking at Will in concern. "How's our medical supplies?"

In preparation for the battle, the Apollo Cabin had teamed up with the children of Hecate and Cali to create as many healing potions as possible. Even the other campers had pitched in to help them. Cali had also purchased as many as she could from the American Wizarding market.

The son of Apollo made a vague gesture with his hand. "We've barely made a dent in our supplies. We've also been taking turns creating more."

"Good." she said, standing up a bit. "Jake, listen to the doctor. I'll come back soon."

"Don't you dare die." Jake ordered, black eyes flashing with fear.

"I won't. I have no intention on dying today." she promised.

Cali found herself acting as back-up for anyone who needed it. Apparating from one battle field to the next, coming to aid with spells and thunderstorms. Jake was soon in the action, also acting as back up for anyone who needed it, his shadows cutting through the enemy as easily as his sword did.

As midnight approached, Cali was confronted in Time's Square by a very recognizable monster after leaving the Demeter Cabin. Katie had handled Koios by using her vines to rip the Titan in half.

And she easily knew who the monster was, glaring at her and snorting.

It was the Erymanthian Boar.

She just raised an eyebrow at it. "Round two?"

The Erymanthian Boar made a roar-like noise and charged.

Cali Apparated out of the way. "Luminis Hasta!"'

A massive spear of light promptly smashed into the Erymanthian Boar's spine. It squealed but was still moving.

She just brought out Tempest in its sword form, and plunged the sword into the Erymanthian Boar's eye.

The monster made a feeble noise and turned into golden dust.

Round two was her victory.

Day two of the battle started, and it involved a massive fucking Drakon.

And the Ares Cabin, coming into play to help end it.

"Clarisse!" Cali yelled as she helped the daughter of Ares to the side. "Clarisse, are you..."

Her voice trailed off when she saw who it was: Nadine Jones, a daughter of Apollo.

Suddenly, a lot of things made since.

"You're the spy." Cali said, her voice turning into steel.

Nadine nodded. "Luke... Luke was charming. And kind. I realized too late I was in the wrong. And... and I just wanted to make something right."

She shuddered, the damage the Drakon had wrecked on her eating away at her. "I just wanted to make things right." she whispered again, before dying.

Cali looked away from Nadine's corpse, and saw Clarisse in the middle of destroying the Drakon. A pale faced Annabeth joined her, saw Nadine, and the realization dawned in Annabeth's eyes too.

"Nadine was the spy." Annabeth murmured.

"She was." Cali said, her hands becoming fists. "But she wanted to do the right thing in the end. Hades will judge her soul."

Cali was defending the entrance to the Empire State Building back to back with Jake when Poseidon and Hades showed up.

"No way." Jake hissed as suddenly, the tides of the battle were turning.

Her eyes widened a bit when she saw Kronos readying a blast.

"Jake!" she screamed, gathering her magic.

The son of Erebus's eyes widened and his shadows formed into a shield around him.

Kronos's attack blasted it apart and sent them both flying into the building, Cali's helmeted head slamming into something sharp so hard she saw stars. Groaning, she touched her hand to her head and felt blood.

Jake was snarling, having obviously been fine as Kronos stormed the building. His sword would be useless against Kronos's armored skin. But he stilled jumped into the fight, the swords clashing furious.

"Luke!" Jake screamed. "Luke, stop!"

For a moment, the body hesitated and gold became blue. Then blue turned into gold and Kronos's scythe struck true, hitting his face and sending him flying into a wall.

Cali screamed in fury, struggling to her feet. and cast a spell. "Animae interitus!"

The body shuddered for a moment but Kronos turned on her and brought down his scythe.

Groaning, Cali woke up.

Then she realized that she wasn't dead, nor in the Plaza Hotel.

"Oh thank Rhea." someone murmured, and she turned to see Hera sitting next to her.

"Lady Hera?" she asked, her voice raspy.

"I'm here." Hera said, gently running a cool cloth down her face. Cali's eyes fluttered, and she wondered if this was what a mother was like.

Questions bubbled on the tip of her tongue. "Where am I? What happened? Did we win? Who's dead and who's alive?"

"We won." Hera told her. "Luke Castellan took control in time to destroy himself with the knife Perseus gave him. Currently, you're in the Olympian infirmary with the rest of the injured. Perseus, Nico, Bianca, Thalia, Annabeth, Katie, Jake, Grover, and many of your friends are alive. The dead on our side have been gathered and placed in Hestia's temple at her own insistence."

"Jake?" she asked.

"He's alive." Hera told her, her lips twitching into a smile but turning grim. "My father's scythe went deep, and he'll have a scar. Erebus will be most likely torturing his son's almost killer for eternity for almost killing Jake."

"As for you," Hera said. "The scythe hit you at the spot were your neck meets your collarbone, and the blade stopped just below your navel. You'll have a permanent scar."

"Good bye two-piece swimsuits, then." the daughter of the sky said dryly, wincing as she moved a little too fast.

Hera snorted. "What a shame." before using her power to stop Cali's pain.

"Thank you." she said.

"Anytime." Hera promised. "The ceremony will be in a few days, so rest up."

Hera was right: the Ceremony was held three days after the battle, when the gods had been able to reverse the damage done to Manhattan.

Such as the Williamsburg bridge, for example. Apollo had no hesitation in making jokes about what she had done when he was helping patch her up.

And when the ceremony began, Cali, barely able to stand on her feet, stood at Hera's throne. Some part of her couldn't bring herself to go to Zeus's throne for many reasons.

She tuned out much of the ceremony until it was her turn for a gift.

"I," she said, feeling everyone's eyes on her. "Would like for a proper magic training and experimenting area at Camp Half-Blood for all the demigods and demigoddesses who have magic. The beach really isn't a safe place for us."

"Preach!" Amir shouted.

Zeus hesitated. "Are you sure—"

"Yes." she snarled.

Then it was Percy's turn.

She smiled widely when she saw her cousin turn down immortality and godhood for something better: Cabins for all the gods at Camp Half-Blood, the gods taking more responsibility for their children.

It was something so Percy that she couldn't help but smile.

Jake was also grinning, squeezing her hand in excitement. The scar on his left side of his face started at his jaw, stretcher over his left eye (but he hadn't lost it thanks to Apollo's expert work), and stopped half an inch over his eyebrow.

Cali couldn't help but think that the scar made her boyfriend more handsome.

The ceremony ended, and the party began.

She was sharing a dance with Jake when Zeus approached her.

"Cali," a deep voice rumbled and she turned to see Zeus. "May we talk?"

Part of her wanted to refuse him, but she reluctantly nodded. She followed him to a private corner of the celebration area.

"I've noticed," Zeus said. "That you've shown a strong... preference, for Hera."

The emerald-eyed witch bared her teeth. "Because Hera's done more for me than you have in my entire life."

"The Ancient Laws—"

"The Ancient Laws haven't stopped Poseidon or Hades or so many other gods. You don't need to be in my life every day, but just a little bit. That's all you had do. Not to mention trying to pretend that Kronos wasn't rising all the way back when I first learned of this world!" she snapped. "Hera has somehow been the better parent to me than you have. I have no idea what my mum and dad saw in you."

"Lily and James were extraordinary people." Zeus murmured.

Cali kept her face blank. "And they're dead. So don't try and use their memory to manipulate me. I hope this war, this battle, this conversation, is your wake-up call. I hope you become a better person, a better parent. But I don't want to be around to see it."

And with that, Cali turned around and walked away. Walkie right back to Jake and Hera and Katie and Percy and Annabeth and Grover and Bianca and Nico.

Walked back to her real family.

"Are you okay?" Katie asked.

"Yeah." she said. "Come on. Let's start living, shall we?"

Because with her family at her side, Cali knew she could do anything.