DISCLAIMER: All character rights for Harry Potter and Percy Jackson go to J. K. Rowling and Rick Riordan.

Erm, author's note: first fanfic. Don't diss the story just because of this. We've all gotta start somewhere, right?

THIS IS JAYE, RIGHT AFTER POSTING CHAPTER 20. I swear to the gods, the chapters get longer. Seriously. And my writing gets better.

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^Harry

Harry decided to sit at the lake and catch up on the homework that he'd been fallingn dangerously behind on all week. Ron was still asleep, and Hermione was in the library. The library seemed too quiet and closed in for Harry's mood, because it would just make him feel worse.

"too late, Harry realized that this was a bad idea. He didn't have Hermione to help him, and nothing was there to distract him. Even the birds seemed too quiet and the lake surface too clam. Harry's mind got away from him as he tried to take in words from the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook Umbridge had assigned them. He had read the same paragraph four times and had only taken in the first sentence.

He gave up. His thoughts were too deep, the pain in his scar too sharp. It was hurting all the time, now that Voldemort had risen.

Don't think of that, Harry reminded himself. But it was too late. His mind was reeling with the memories of the previous year. The Triwizard Tournament...dragons, merpeople, boggarts, a sphinx, and a giant spider. The graveyard. Cedric Diggory. The large cauldron. Dust risen from the ground, Pettigrew's hand (he still couldn't get the sound of that out of his head), and the piercing of the knife that Pettigrew had used to get Harry's blood. Voldemort rising. Him dueling with Voldemort. His parents. Running back to the Triwizard Cup, taking Cedric's body back to the school with him. Moody—Crouch...

Harry pulled himself out of his painful memories. Moping about the past wouldn't help the prospect of the future in any way. He got up, gathered his things, and headed back to the entrance hall. He found his way to the Gryffindor common room, set his things down on his bed, pulled the curtains shut, and went to find Hermione in the library.

It was too early for very many people to be walking around the castle, but the few people who were awake stared shamelessly at him. Harry turned his head away, tyring to pretend like he hadn't seen. He made his way to the library, and found Hermione sitting with three books proppeed open in front of her, and several rolls of parchment spread across two tables.

"Hello, Harry," she greeted him, as soon as he found her. "You're up early."

"So are you," Harry reminded her. "What are you doing?"

"Homework," she replied simply. "You should get on that, you know. You and Ron can't put it off forever."

Harry decided not to answer.

He sat down next to Hermione and pulled out a random book. It was unlike him, but he started to read. Anything to keep his mind off Voldemort.

"—reckon we need help," a tart voice said, a few minutes later.

"Yes, Miverva, I've already sent a request. At least two peopls should be on their way to the school within...the next four hours," said the calm voice of Albus Dumbledore.

"Two? You think two people will be any help to us?"

"Quite," Dumbeldore said.

Professor McGonagall made an irritated sound, but she didn't argue.

As the footsteps of Dumbledore and McGonagall got closer, Harry and Hermione pretended to be asleep, with their faces in textbooks. Harry heard a small chuckle as the footsteps passed.

Once they were gone, Harry lifted his head and asked, "What was that about?"

Hermione shook her head. "I'm not sure. Do you think they're sending Aurors or something?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe. But to do what?"

"No idea," Hermione responded.

It didn't seem like a big deal to Harry. In fact, it seemed perfectly normal to call for extra protection at a time like this. He cast the thought aside, and sat alongside Hermione as she finished her homework.

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^Percy

"Seriously?" Percy asked.

Percy was standing on one side of the rec room ping pong table in the Big House with Nico, while Chiron stood on the other side, looking slightly nervous.

"Yes, child. You have one hour to pack and say your good-byes."

"And we're leaving, just like that? No prophecy, no gods, nothing?"

Nico scowled. "He has a point. Why us?"

"Because, a god was involved in the planning of this quest. For some reason, she has chosen specifically the two of you."

"But Hazel—or Lou Ellen? Any of the children of Hecate? Wouldn't this quest make more sense for them?"

"Do not question the gods," Chiron warned. "If you are the two people they way, you will go. Now, hurry. Go pack whatever you think you'll need. Meet back at the top of Half-Blood Hill in an hour. The children of Hecate will be waiting for you there."