Chapter 1

The newly risen sun shone brightly on the ocean, making the surface glisten. The waves could hardly be called waves as they hardly broke the surface of the water at all. They were just ripples, moving calmly. This beautiful sight was lost to Percy as he swam, cutting through the clear water like a fish. He was an adept swimmer, as the many trophies and medals on his desk made clear but the swimming pool was never quite as amazing as the ocean.

He continued, relishing the cool water and calm atmosphere for some time until he decided it was definitely time to head to shore. Venturing out so far alone might have been dangerous, but he knew this beach well and even though the shoreline seemed small, he could easily get back. His Mom would be sitting on the sand holding a notebook and pen while gazing into the distance. She liked working on her novel whenever she could, though Percy was never allowed to read it.

Currently they were staying at their beach house, aka, their only house. It was so small and decrepit it was hardly an upgrade from their old house but they both loved the beach and agreed that being slightly cramped was absolutely worth living near the sea. Sally had always said Percy's father loved the sea. But that was all that he knew about his father, who had left when he was born, leaving Sally with the job of supporting their small family. It still made Percy angry sometimes, especially as Sally had to work part time at a candy store instead of pursuing her dream of becoming an author.

And so he began swimming back. But the thing was, Percy had swam farther out than he thought. Soon he began to tire. Heavy, laborious breathing took over. It changed to short, panicked breaths. He lay there, trying to stay afloat, to catch his breath. But unseen currents pulled him back, pushing him out to sea. He had no choice but to fight it. To keep swimming. To at least keep his head above the water. No. Not a rip. He wasn't caught in a rip. It had been so calm. The current flowed faster. Percy grew weaker.

His mind flooded with useless thoughts. His lungs filled with water. How long had it been? And why had he not noticed the waves getting bigger. He hadn't been swimming for as long as it took the high tide to come. Or had he? His Mom must be out of her mind... Because a wave grew and grew. And eventually, it fell. His mouth filled with froth. His vision turned black. Sand rose up around him, forming a cloud. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe.

Chapter 2

At least - not since now. He had no idea what was happening now. Because an air bubble had formed around his head, giving him room to breathe. He prodded it in amazement, and it elongated until his whole body was in a bubble, safe and free from the swirling currents. The human bubble made its way to the shore with Percy inside, leaving him shocked and confused. His Mom hadn't noticed anything strange and as they walked home, he debated telling her. But he kept silent. Maybe it was a hallucination. Maybe he didn't think she'd trust him swimming in the ocean in future. Or maybe he just didn't understand it. Which was true. But there was a letter waiting at home.

No, Sally didn't believe it at first. But after a few more sudden displays of magic from Percy and an actual trip to Diagon Alley, she was convinced. They had told their friends that Percy had been accepted into an exclusive and prestigious high school and they had all swallowed the lie. All except one family. Grover had been Percy's best friend since he could remember and Percy couldn't imagine going anywhere without him. Which was lucky because s few months later, they were sitting in the same compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

Chapter 3

"So Ravenclaw is smart, Gryffindor is brave, Hufflepuff is nice and Slytherin is ambitious?"

"Basically..." Grover replied. He was about to elaborate but someone interrupted.

"If you want to grossly oversimplify the four houses and their traits, completely ignoring certain aspects of their founder's personalities and not caring about the negative and positive traits and the way they overlap."

Percy had noticed the girl sitting in their compartment but hadn't paid much attention to her. She had kept to herself, with her head in a large book filled with blueprints.

"Uh...sorry" Percy said, unsure how to respond and not at all sure what he was apologising for.

"It's fine" the girl said. "People do it all the time. I'm Annabeth, by the way."