Disclaimer: I do not own either the Harry Potter or Percy Jackson series. Any copyright infringement is unintended. Any reference to other fictional or non-fictional works like books, movies, documentaries and others might occur, although there is no claim established over them. Mentions of real personalities are not considered true. This is pure fan-fiction and is published only for the sake of entertainment.

Listening to – Other Side of Down by David Archuleta

Words – 3638

Recap – Harry finds two people in the Surrey forest. That's not right!
Annabeth finds herself being swept away in a wave along with Percy to…

…

Annabeth felt her voice being lost in the torrent of water engulfing her and cutting off her breath. She stopped breathing, shut her eyes and held on to Percy. She didn't know what was actually happening. One moment they had been standing on the ocean water, with Percy's help, holding his hands…

She had been holding his hands only because she was sure that if she had let go, she would've have fallen. That had been the only reason.

So get that thought out of your heads.

The sound of gurgling water lessened and Annabeth gasped as they fell a few feet. She lost her grip on Percy and inhaled fresh non-salty air. Her feet hit the ground and she crumpled next to what felt like a tree.

Taking another breath, she opened her eyes. She felt a slightly muddy and leafy ground, beneath her back. A large tree loomed over her, its leaves shivering in the breeze. The sunlight filtered through the holey canopies causing a Tyndall affect on her.

Annabeth looked around. They were in a forest. But it felt different. It was definitely unfamiliar. The forest was beautiful; there were not many stray bushes. In fact, the trees looked to be planted properly, with each in its own small space. Birds were twittering above her, earthly smell of…well, the earth and water was spread around the area. She turned to see a large empty area with lesser trees and plants. May be they were in a very tamed forestial area. Probably a reserve.

Annabeth looked down to see Percy unconscious in a –

She stared at what was probably the strangest sight she had ever seen.

Percy was definitely knocked out. He was laying in what Annabeth supposed was a river. Except part of it was dry. The other part of it had water which was flowing over Percy, the water was unwilling to leave him, it seemed.

His thin jacket, shirt and jeans was definitely not water-proof but it seemed he was. The only notable difference the water had on Percy was that it was washing away the rest of his silly dye on the hair. His theory of dyed hair not attracting monsters had not worked. It had been part of the reason how those Canadians had found him in his school in the first place.

Annabeth decided that he looked better with black hair.

She bent down over him to check his pulse. It seemed normal. He looked asleep but she was in no mood to let him continue however sweet he looked as he slept.

In the midst of the silence, there was a crunch of a dry leaf or a twig and she spun around bracing herself.

There was no one in sight. The forest looked larger from her view point on the ground. But definitely no monster or demigod or even mortal.

It was probably an animal. Annabeth really hoped the place wasn't a reserve for a large man-eater kind of animal. Her knife wouldn't be affective with a non-magical creature.

She turned back to Percy thinking of shaking him awake and smacking him for bringing them here. She just knew he had something to do with this.

"I'm so gonna kill you, Seaweed Brain." She hissed ready to punch him when there was a clear sound of weight movement in front of him. Before she could look up, a clear no-nonsense voice said, "Don't move, if you value your life."

Her eyes widened and she tried to stay where she was. Her hands itched to reach for her knife and attack the source of threat, but the voice then said, "Get up."

She got off her knees and stood, gingerly raising her arms slightly. She lifted her head to look at the person. She frowned.

He seemed to be a boy about her age. He had horribly messed up black hair, which was a sharp contrast to his very pale skin. It reminded her of Percy. The boy had round black framed glasses. His eyes seemed to be a bright green shade. His face was hard, his hands holding up a dagger and a…stick?

Except for that he seemed mortal. He wore normal clothes. Jeans, a t-shirt and a hoodie, all dark colours of black and red. What struck her most were his sharp eyes and the strange stick.

For a second she thought that he was from some kind of cult. It was probably stereotypical of her to assume that because of his stance and looks but her instincts were screaming at her to brace herself. The boy could definitely do some damage.

"Move towards that tree." He said, looking at the large one on her right. She stepped slowly in that direction not ready to take her eyes off the new-comer. He moved with her but stopped suddenly.

He looked down in confusion and Annabeth saw his eyes widen at the sight of Percy being surrounded by strangely behaving water. She saw his mouth move but couldn't hear the words.

The Daughter of Athena took out her knife and charged, using the distraction to her advantage. Her knife came up to disarm the boy.

She dodged when he immediately retaliated swinging his dagger at her. Annabeth gasped as his speed. She wondered if he had lured her into a false sense of security by staring at Percy.

She had no time to think about that. The boy was as good as her in sparring. He moved with the grace of a snake, striking every time he saw an opening. Years of demigod training kicked in and that was the only reason how she wasn't wounded.

Annabeth dropped to the ground, trying to slash at his legs but he darted out of her reach. She saw him pocket his stick and spin his dagger with a practiced ease which was possible only if he had learnt how to fight like how she had. Intensive.

"One chance. Either give up. Or I'll have you dangling from the tree before you hurt anyone." He said. She could hear the confidence in his tone.

Annabeth glared and said, "You were threatening me!"

"You were the one threatening him in the first place." The boy pointed at Percy. Annabeth couldn't comprehend the situation. What?

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"I didn't."

"You did."

"I didn't!"

"I'm not deaf, I heard you clearly. You were declaring to kill him!"

Annabeth stared at the green-eyed bespectacled boy before understanding the confusion.

"Are you for real? It was an exaggerated threat! I wasn't going to kill him! I was just mad at him for bringing us here and then passing out!"

The boy stared at her but didn't lower his dagger which was pointed at her. She didn't relax either but then she tried to wonder where she exactly was.

Annabeth hadn't immediately realized it, but the indication that the boy's accent which was not American should have put her on guard. It was clearly British.

A cold wind went through the forest and the sky darkened. Annabeth stared up. There were dark clouds above them and it looked as though it would rain any minute. But that couldn't be possible. It was just past breakfast when she had gone to visit Percy. The day had been bright with not a cloud in the sky. Right now, it looked close to dinner time.

"Hey! I'm talking here! First Sirius, now you, Merlin! Do you have a name?"

Annabeth stared at him. He had relaxed his posture and was twirling the dagger around his fingers as though it was not a dangerous weapon. The action reminded Annabeth of how Percy'd play with his pen when he was bored.

Speaking of which, Seaweed Brain had started to drool which meant he was asleep. How lovely!

"Why don't you tell me yours, first? Annabeth asked the conscious boy.

He shrugged, "I'm Harry."

She waited. He looked at her lazily.

"Full name?"

"Do you know many Harrys?"

"Um… just one, actually. But none personally."

"Well, now you do know a Harry, personally." The boy stressed. "Your name."

Well she was certainly not telling her real name. "Cali." Annabeth said wondering about the more important problems at the moment.

'Harry' gave her a sharp look before saying, "Yeah, I don't believe you."

"Why not?" Annabeth asked. "Besides what proof do I have that your name is Harry?"

"I don't lie." He shrugged again. "But apparently, you do."

Annabeth desperately hoped that she was blushing, but she felt her cheeks heat up. Before she could defend herself he continued.

"Now, tell me how d'you know him?" He said looking at Percy. Annabeth noticed that the river water had washed away his hair dye completely and his face was a stark contrast to his hair. Just like boy standing in front of her.

Strange, Annabeth thought. Didn't Percy tell her about his 'brother' (who was coincidentally named, Harry) who looked like him?

"Why do you want to know that?" She asked, holding her knife tightly. If he was trying to lower her guard with idle chit-chat…

He gave her a look which made his eyes gleam dangerously. For a second, she thought he would really attack her but then he rocked back on the heels of his feet.

"I ask this for the simple reason that I know Percy Jackson, probably even better than you."

Annabeth wasn't sure what was more shocking. His casual reference to her best friend or the way he said it. There was a sense of familiarity and protectiveness in his voice. As if he did know Percy better than she.

"Right, I'm just going to call you 'Bets'. Now, Bets, listen. How did you reach here?"

Annabeth wasn't sure how to respond. "Bets?" She asked, her voice choking a little.

Harry shrugged. "Well, it's what I think of when I look at you. You're definitely not muggle, I can tell. But you're also not a witch so… why don't you tell me your secret and I'll tell you mine."

It was like getting hit with Clarisse's Maimer. She kept getting shocked whenever Harry opened his mouth. She hadn't even understood half of what he had said!

"I… what?!"

Harry sighed. There was a strong wind blowing now and the sky became darker. Annabeth looked up to feel a water drop hit her square in the eye.

"Do you want to stand here and continue our not very fruitful conversation in the rain or do you want to get some urban shelter?" Harry asked casually flicking his wrist. His dagger disappeared into his hand. Or up his sleeve. Annabeth wasn't sure, but as it soon started to drizzle, she mumbled, "Shelter."

"Hm. Right, follow me, Bets." Harry turned and walked towards the river. Putting his arms under Percy's knees and upper back, he lifted Percy with inhuman ease.

She watched him soundlessly as Harry simply strolled into the trees carrying a teenage boy his age and probably his weight.

There was definitely something going on here.

"Hey!" She shouted. "Where do you think you're going?"

Harry didn't stop, "Shelter. My house. Technically, my Aunt's house, so I'm taking him to my room, you're welcome to join us. I swear on my magic to not harm either of you intentionally, with the exception that one of you would attack me first."

Annabeth stood there for ten seconds watching him almost disappear into the forest. Then she started running.

Annabeth saw the row of neat identical houses that lined the edge of the forest. Though it was pouring, the trees kept providing some sort of partial protection so she was barely wet. There was a bit of shivering, though. With the cold wind that gusted through the forest, she hugged herself.

She kept looking towards Percy who seemed to be the most comfortable one in Harry's arms. She was pretty sure that he was cuddling up to the boy. But Harry didn't seem to mind at all.

They reached a wall that was barely her height. There was a rusted gate which took some creaking but she finally got it open to let Harry go through it.

As Annabeth locked the gate, she felt a new gaze. Looking up, she saw a decrepit looking house next to them. The building looked as though it would crumble any time soon. The walls were cracked, paint peeling off. Plants were dried up, weeds and grass grew wild. From her place, she could see two windows, one from what she supposed was the kitchen on the ground floor and the other, on the first floor, probably a bedroom. There was no one in the house.

"Bets?" Harry called. She turned away with a jerk. Harry had raised his eyebrows, looking at her with an expression she couldn't understand. He was standing next to a tree that was as tall as the house. Percy was still drooling.

"That house – "

"Forget about that house, Bets. I'm more important." He let Percy's legs drop down and held him firmly by his shoulder and chest.

"I'll help." Annabeth said walking forwards to take on some of Percy's weight. For some reason, she couldn't help but put a small amount of trust in Harry. There was an ease in him that she could confide in. Nevertheless, she was still on her guard. He had used words like 'witch' and 'magic'. Harry might seem like a mortal, but he didn't act like it.

"Don't get scared." He said. He reached his hand up to catch one of the branches of the tree. With a comfort achievable only with practice, he pulled himself up, climbing the tree, without any fear of slipping in the rain and wet branches. Reaching up, he pushed the first floor window open and climbed down to lift Percy up.

Annabeth helped him silently and then took his hand so that she could start climbing too. His skin was cold. It felt like holing Percy's hand, except this was slightly harder and not as comfortable.

When Annabeth was safely in the room, she sat Percy against the wall, rubbing his shoulders. He had got drenched a little which meant that he was still weak, from doing whatever he had done. And she was pretty sure that it had been a very long distance.

It had been morning when they had left camp. It was past afternoon when they had reached the forest. Either he had bent time, transporting them or they had travelled a very long distance.

Where had he said Harry lived? England.

Nice. Three thousand miles across the ocean. Annabeth made a mental note to smack his head when he woke up.

"Here." Harry said suddenly, tossing something over to her. Annabeth's imagination made it seem as though a ghost was flying towards her, when she realized that it was a white towel.

"Thanks." She mumbled, rubbing her skin and hair to get some warmth. She looked around the room. It was fairly small with one door leading out. Two windows on adjacent walls, a wardrobe, a trunk (?), a table a few bits of paper a feather and a bird cage with a wooden chair and one bed.

Unlike a teenager's room, there were no posters or dirty clothes lying on the floor. Annabeth was glad for that.

Harry picked Percy up again to lay him on a thin bed in the corner next to another window. She watched as he covered him with a sheet after rubbing his arms with another towel. Watching a boy take care of another boy like that was somehow strange. She had seen Apollo campers tending to hurt demigods after sparring or a Capture the Flag game. There was more tenderness her and Annabeth couldn't help but sigh.

"Are you cold?" Harry asked, walking towards a wardrobe. Before she could answer, he gave her a long black sheet. She stared at it in confusion before lifting it up to see straps and a kind of hood.

"It's a winter cloak. We've been getting stray downpours at odd times in the summer for the past few years. Climate's changing. All due to that damned Global Warming. Or so they say."

Annabeth sat in the only chair in the room when he offered and said, "Well, thanks. But I think you have some explaining to do."

Harry took another towel to rub his hair, when he removed it, his hair was sticking up as though there was static in the air. She stifled a giggle.

"Well, this is my Aunt's house. I live in this bedroom for a few hours a day. The rest of my summer takes place in the forest. I go to a boarding school in Scotland. I live here because I literally cannot live anywhere else. My name is Harry Potter. I am, as stories are written, the good guy. I've known Percy for about seven years previous to the six years we've spent in separation. His mother Sally Jackson and he was my family and still are but that depends on how the situation has progressed or deteriorated since they've left."

He looked right at her and Annabeth leaned back a bit. The way he said it was as though he would rather run away from here to any other corner of the world. It made him sound like a trapped bird. She could read the frustration between his words.

"Now, I ask the real question. Who are you? Apple?"

Annabeth's jaw dropped. Harry was holding up a bright red apple. It was shiny and beautiful and delicate to look at. She was positive that it had appeared out of thin air. There definitely was no apple a while back.

She hesitated knowing that it was not smart to eat anything given by a stranger who introduced himself vaguely. Well, at least, she knew his name. It was clear that he wasn't lying.

She cleared her throat. "Right. I'm Annabeth. I've known Percy for a little more than a year. We consider ourselves best friends. We met at a camp I live in. I live in this camp because I cannot live literally anywhere else."

She stressed the sentence with his own words and felt a little proud when he looked a little impressed by her voice.

"He visits this camp only in the summers. The camp is by the coast and we were standing on the ocean when he started talking about his father. A few moments after that we ended up here."

Annabeth took the apple and watched as Harry plucked another apple from… his hair?

The apple was equally as red as hers and she watched as he bit into it. He sat on the ground, by the bed next to Percy's legs.

For some reason, Annabeth was wildy reminded of Snow White. She watched Harry chew unperturbed on the strange apple and after some apprehension, bit into hers too.

It was delicious. There was a freshness to it that Annabeth had never tasted before. The sweet juice dribbled down her wrist but she quickly wiped it out. There were no problems on the outer fruit and the inside was pure and untouched by the weather.

"Alright. I'll just call you Beth. 'Annabeth' keeps me in the mind of two girls. Are you going to tell me what exactly you are? I can tell you're not normal."

Annabeth stared. Then she became angry, "My name is 'Annabeth'! Not Anna or Beth. Not Annie either, so don't even think about it. Either you call me Annabeth or not at all."

Harry munched on the apple slowly and swallowed his bite, " 'Not at all' seems to be a strange name for a girl. For a boy too. Is it a unisex name from the States?"

Annabeth honestly wasn't sure whether he was joking or not because by his face, he didn't look like the joking kind.

"Look. I'm not normal. You're not normal. Percy's definitely not normal. I'm using the word 'normal' in no context of hurting your feelings. We all have secrets. Either you tell me yours or we can wait for Percy to wake up and spill everything. For some reason I trust you and Bolt definitely likes you. Beth, do you trust me?"

She gawked at him, "I – of course not! My name's Annabeth! We just met!"

Harry sighed and took another bite. He took his time in chewing and when he was done, he said, "You're lying. Again. My trust should be dwindling but… oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

He clapped his hand to his forehead and grimaced. Standing up quickly he stomped towards the window, opened it and climbed onto the tree.

"I'll be right back!"

He jumped down and ran into the forest.

Annabeth was frozen. She watched him run and jumped up.

"Percy! Wake up! We're in a crazy guy's room and if you don't get up in the next few minutes I'm kicking you!"

She shook his immobile body but he mumbled something and turned his head away from her. Argh! Seaweed Brain!

She stood up, ready to yank him out of bed but then she saw a dog sitting on the table. She stared at it.

It stared back. It had large hazel irises and gleaming dark golden fur. She wasn't sure what kind of breed it was but it seemed pretty small and docile. It simply looked up at her, it's eyes looking strangely intelligent for a dog's.

Her head reeled. She clutched the chair and sat in it, trying to will away the dizziness. She could get a very sweet smell of a flower. She saw the dog get up… her vision swam… darkness closed in.

Stay tuned for the next chappie. One week!

Cabba.