It was August 18th at Camp Half-Blood, and all was well. Percy had just come back from celebrating his birthday with his mom, and was now sitting with his friends at the campfire, hand-in-hand with his girlfriend Annabeth. It was at this moment that Annabeth noticed Chiron out of the corner of her eye. They made eye contact, and Annabeth understood he was beckoning her over. His face was serious, almost regretful. If this was another quest… she sighed, excused herself, and followed Chiron to the Big House.
When in the Big House, Chiron looked at Annabeth and sighed softly.
"Before I say anything, I want you to know this is not something you have to do. You and your friends have been through a lot, I know. But, I ask that you hear me out."
Annabeth nodded. She was afraid that she would say something she regretted if she spoke.
"You see, an old friend of mine has called in for a favor. He would greatly appreciate if a few demigods came to his school for a… unique mission."
"Okay," Annabeth said thoughtfully. "And this mission is what exactly?"
"Well, see that's where this gets a little complicated. My friend, Dumbledore, is a wizard. He is the headmaster at a school for wizards."
Annabeth let this information sink in. She was hardly shocked, not after learning of the existence of Roman and Egyptian Gods.
"When you say wizards, is there a relation to Hecate?" She inquired. It was one of the many questions she had already conjured in her mind.
"Yes, actually. Eons ago, Hecate blessed a select number of mortals with magical powers. They have since expanded, an entire world of wizards and witches who have no knowledge of our world nor the true origins of their powers." Chiron explained patiently.
Interestingly enough, Annabeth found herself at a loss for words. She was fascinated, and very intrigued to know more about his wizarding world. But what exactly was the quest, she wondered? She and Percy had gone through enough. The last thing she wanted was to be pulled into another conflict. When she asked Chiron to elaborate, he launched into a crash course on Hogwarts, Harry Potter, and Lord Voldemort.
"So… would the task be to protect Harry Potter?" Annabeth asked, still unclear.
"Not so much protect him, no, but teach him. Harry Potter has quite the arduous journey ahead of him, and Voldemort and his army are extremely powerful. An advantage such as mortal kombat would serve Harry - and his allies - greatly." Chiron paused. "Originally, Dumbledore had wanted a few demigods to take on the role of professors for their Defense Against The Dark Arts Class. Unfortunately, this position was unexpectedly filled. For those who end up taking on this mission, finding a way to teach Harry will be the biggest obstacle."
"Alright. How many people would you need exactly? And how long is this expected to take?" Annabeth had to admit, she was growing more and more tempted to take on the quest. As far as quests go, she figured, this one is pretty hard to beat. Relatively low-stress, no apparent risk death, and the opportunity to explore a new world. At the same time, though, she and Percy had plans to attend college in the fall.
"This quest is unique in that there is no prophecy, so there is no set in stone number of people who must attend. Now, I want to stress again that neither you or any of the rest of the seven are being forced to join. But I think if you all and perhaps Mr. di Angelo as well chose to go, your experiences would appeal to Harry and better help gain his trust."
Annabeth excused herself, saying she would discuss this with the rest of the seven and report back to him with an answer. When walked out onto the porch, she saw that the campfire had ended. Only one person remained seated: her boyfriend, Percy. She went to tell him what Chiron told her.
"Gods, Annabeth," Percy sighed, after listening to her spiel on the mission. "Haven't we been through enough already?"
"I know, but we could really help these people." She felt bad for trying to coerce him, but after assessing the options in a way only a child of Athena could, Annabeth felt strongly that they should go on this quest.
"One year." Percy stated. "One year and then we are going to New Rome and starting our life together."
"One year." Annabeth promised, smiling.
After a brief pause, Percy cracked a smile. "They really named their school Hogwarts?"
Annabeth couldn't help herself. She let out a hearty laugh, to which Percy was quick her."
"Happy Birthday, Percy."