Chapter 1: The Boy

Harry woke up in the Gryffindor's boy dorms feeling even more tired than he had felt before going to sleep. He had a nightmare last night about running from something terrifying and when he awoke, it felt like he had done just that. His legs were sore and his eyes drooped from exhaustion.

He got up and remembered that he, Hermione, and Ron had planned a surprise visit to Hagrid today. He looked at the clock; 9:55 AM. He was supposed to meet outside the hut at 10 AM. He knew he couldn't make it in time and hoped his friends wouldn't go on without him.

He quickly got dressed and went down to the common room.

"Harry," Collin Creevey said when he was walking down the stairs," can I get a picture of you and me to send to my parents?"

Collin was now in his fourth year and still trying to get a picture with Harry. So far Harry had refused because he hoped his 'paparazzi' would get over it.

"Can't at the moment Collin," Harry replied," I'm going to see Hagrid and I'm late. It's his birthday and Ron, Hermione, and I are going to see him. I'll take the picture once I get back.

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Duck, stab, parry, step right, and jump. Percy was fighting an angry centaur in some deep, dark, scary woods. At least it's not a party pony, Percy thought, Fighting one of them would result in my death. No one gets between them and a party.

Finally, Percy saw his chance- side step, jump, and lunge. The centaur was stabbed in the heart, or where the human heart would be, and vaporized into golden dust.

Percy had been traveling for days through these woods. Nico! Why did you suggest shadow traveling to Colorado to do the quest? I thought bitterly, We could have traveled by Gray Sisters! It may be a frightening ride, but we wouldn't get lost!

Nico di Angelo and Percy Jackson had been sent on a quest by Rachel Dare, the Oracle of Delphi, to kill some monsters that planned to help Kronos attack Olympus in a few months. If we destroyed them, then that would be several less monsters we would have to face at the uprising. Nico had the genius idea of shadow traveling to Colorado where they would face their enimies. Percy was foolish enough to accept- at the time it seemed like a quick way to get it over with.

When they had shadow traveled, they ended up in some weird woods that definitely did not have Colorado weather in it. Percy was no expert on geography or whatever that stuff is called, but he knew this wasn't the place. As soon as they arrived, they were attacked by some giant spiders that didn't look Greek, and Nico nearly passed out from all his energy used up on shadow traveling.

They managed to defeat the spiders, but Nico passed out afterwards and Percy had to take shelter in a nearby cave. After a while, Nico regained his strength and they headed out to try to get out of the woods. They met more spiders, but there were at least twenty this time. Nico disappeared into the crowd of spiders as they were fighting, and Percy saw him dancing around a tree trying to fool a spider while he was blocking blows from another.

When the fight was done, Percy couldn't see Nico anywhere, but he found a blood trail leading east. Or was it west? Percy wasn't very good at navigation either, but on the water it was different. He followed the blood trail until he found an angry centaur in his path.

Now he was covered in blood and tattered clothing. He looked up and started following the trail again. The trail led him to the edge of the woods. At last, Percy thought as he hobbled out of the forest, nowhere that monsters can hide from me! When he looked up there was a boy around his age wearing robes and had a stick in his hand; staring straight at Percy.

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Harry rushed down the moving staircase, but the stairs decided to change direction right as he needed to get off. Great, He thought, one more thing to make me late.

When he had finally exited the school and headed towards Hagrid's house, it was 10:15 AM- way past time for meeting his friends. He prayed that his friends had waited for him outside, but knowing Hermione, she would say "Tough. Next time don't be late." Just like a teacher.

When Harry nearly made it to Hagrid's house he heard a rustling over by the Forbidden Forest. When he looked over there, he saw a boy about his age with messy black, curly hair, and sea green eyes. The boy's clothes were tattered, he had bloody wounds, and a sword lay slack in his right hand. Harry did the worst thing he could do to a maniac-sword-wielding teenager-He went towards the boy.