Green here for a new Harry chapter! Hope you enjoy it!
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Nope. No way. It wasn't true. Harry wasn't going to believe it.
Being told that he's the son of a Greek goddess should have sent him into a fit of happiness. Demigods were cool – they could fly, summon lightning using a hammer, slam into people… Wwell, that was just what he'd read about in regards to Thor, but Harry didn't really see the difference.
Thing is, he wasn't excited. Somehow, the prospect of being half-human, half-god terrified him. In Greek mythology, heroes wouldn't ever get a break. They'd all fight for some gallant cause, and then die. It was all so farfetched that Harry hadn't believed that the Ancient Greeks could believe such nonsense… until he set foot in Camp Half-Blood.
"I-I can't be," he said, standing up, "A son of… Hecate?" Chiron just brushed him off.
"You've been claimed, so it is official," was his reply. Annabeth, Leo and Piper congratulated him with bouts of applaud, "Hecate is especially interesting as she was the goddess of sorcery and trivia." Harry inwardly snorted – the last thing he wanted to do was confuse people with bouts of meaningless information. Though, the sorcery part didn't sound… too bad.
Chiron had led the four demigods (technically, three demigods plus one very-reluctant-to-be-called-a-demigod demigod) to the Hecate cabin. Although Harry didn't want to go in, it was a very impressive-looking place: there were two large torches at the very entrance, crossing at the top and burning with a multi-coloured flame. It looked like the one that had appeared over his head only minutes ago. Just above that was a crescent moon and a star symbol etched into the wood. Chiron gestured to the door.
"This is where you'll be staying, Harry," he said. The walls of the cabin were modern, with large windows making up the sides, although they were tinted so you couldn't see in clearly. As Harry neared it, there were a two figures inside, standing up as the group approached.
Leo whistled, "Swanky."
Chiron turned to the three of them, "Since you're all acquainted with each other, I trust you can help Harry settle into his new cabin? See to it that his roommates help too," as Annabeth nodded, Chiron turned away – Harry heard a yell in the distance, "I'm sorry, but I must be off. It seems Haytham and Connor are fighting over who has the better sword. Again." Chiron galloped off, and Harry stared at the cabin again. It didn't exactly feel cosy.
Leo took another step forward, hands on hips, "Nice place, though the torches are a little eerie," he scratched his chin, mentally redecorating the exterior, "Oh, well, it's nicer than the Athena cabin."
"Hey!" objected Annabeth as Leo smirked.
"Just joking… or am I?" Leo laughed nervously as Annabeth glared at him, hand hovering over her knife, "Alright, calm it, princess. I was joking. So, Harry, if you ever need someone too cool for school, come visit me in my cabs." Leo pointed to a very technologically-advanced hut that was perched in the middle of the U-shape.
"Or me," began Piper, pointing to a ridiculously pretty cabin next to Hephaestus' kids headquarters, "I'll be happy to help you with anything, if you want."
"Thanks," Harry said, glancing back and forth between them and the Hecate cabin. They stood outside expectantly.
"What are you waiting for?" asked Leo.
Harry paused, "Nothing. What are you waiting for?"
"I'm waiting for you to go in. I want to see what it's like inside-"
"Oh, Leo," said Annabeth exasperated, "Come on. No cabin is better than each other. We'll let you settle in, Harry." And the three of them left him alone, about to go solo in amongst a bunch of strangers. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door.
Within seconds, a boy around his age with long, floppy blonde hair opened the door, and blinked uncertainly.
"Inspection isn't for another couple of days," he said, about to shut the door before Harry stopped him.
"No, I just got here. I'm a-" he hesitated at saying 'son of Hecate', mostly because his instincts told him that he wasn't. Luckily, he was saved as a girl, who he recognised from the counsellors meeting, bounded up to him and grinned. Her thick, chocolate brown hair was tightly pulled back into a high ponytail, her green eyes sparkled, and she stood almost as tall as Harry.
"You're a son of Hecate? Wow, that's brilliant – shame we missed your claiming. Nice to officially meet you, Harry," she said, extending her hand, "My name's Lou Ellen. I'm head counsellor of this cabin – the best cabin, by the way."
Harry shook her hand, with a small smile, "Nice to meet you too."
Lou turned to her roommate who had answered the door, "Luth, this is Harry Potter. Harry Potter, Luth Laudimus."
The blonde boy didn't smile, but only waved his hand and replied in a monotone voice, "Nice to meet you." His perfectly straight locks fell to his shoulders and his blue orbs shined bright. He'd have looked like he was created by an angel if his eyes didn't have that sad undertone to them or giant bags lining the lids.
Luth opened the door wider for Harry to step inside. Although blurry, he could see balls of flames dancing above his head, all changing colour like mood rings. The bunk beds were richly adorned with greens, blues and purples, with the liveliest pattern belonging to the four-poster double bed right at the back. The wall hangings were woven from silks, depicting pictures of magicians and sorcerers from before. It was extraordinary.
Harry took another step and accidentally stepped on Luth's foot. He recoiled away as Luth yelped.
"Sorry," he said, feeling extremely guilty, "I don't have my glasses, so I can't really see." Lou waved it off.
"Ah, don't worry about it," she said, slapping Luth on the back merrily, "He'll get over it. You don't have your glasses, you say? No worries – I'll whip up a pair for you. What are your eye ratings?"
He stared at her in confusion, "Er, seven in this eye, six in this one." If he could just conjure specs from anywhere he'd have been rich. As Luth's bored expression returned, Lou Ellen flexed her fingers and chanted something in Greek. Sure enough, a little pair of round glasses appeared on the table in front of her. She cringed as Harry's eyes widened.
"Oh, gods, that's a really ugly pair. Don't worry; I'll make you some other ones-"
"No," said Harry, picking up the glasses with a weird sense of happiness and nostalgia, "No. These are perfect. Thank you." He slid them onto his head and suddenly the world became HD. He could see every scratch on the floor, every pimple on Lou Ellen's face, every hair on Luth's head. And he relished the sight.
He felt a sense of relief. At least now he could see where he was going to in greater detail instead of treading on peoples' feet, "Really, thanks. These are great." Lou Ellen beamed.
"No problem," she said, almost blushing, "I've been practicing that spell for a while now. It's nice that I can actually use it for something. My other attempts, well… not so good." Luth chuckled, though it sounded like a demented clown trying to laugh, and Lou shot him a look.
"Hey – I got better, didn't I? So, yeah. This is our cabin and we're your half-siblings. Guess you can see it better now, right?" Harry nodded. The flames fascinated him – they floated harmlessly in the air and tiptoed on his head when he wasn't aware.
He didn't belong here, but the cabin was actually nice, despite the outside appearance. Lou Ellen was a cool girl. Even Luth had a charm to him, although it was dampened by his constant depressive frown.
Lou skipped to a little single bed just in front of a long pot plant, "This will be your bed. Sorry if it's not as cosy as you want it to be." Harry patted the covers. The surface was neither as hard as a rock nor as soft as a baby's bottom.
"No worries. I'll get used to it," a gut feeling Harry suddenly had told him that he already was used to it, but he didn't say that out loud, "Can you tell me more about Hecate?"
Lou sat on the end of his bed as Luth wordlessly sat on a chair opposite, "Sure! Hecate's the goddess of trivia, crossroads, necromancy and the best one of all – magic." A shiver ran up Harry's spine but he didn't know why, "She's a minor goddess and was kinda' on the bad side during the Titan War, but then-"
"Sorry, sorry," interrupted Harry as Lou silenced, "But you said magic. Does this mean we can all..?"
"Perform spells and stuff? Yep! Like I fabricated some glasses for you," she nodded eagerly, before laughing, "You know, they say that the oldest magicians, like Merlin, were descended from Hecate. I guess you could say we're like witches and wizards."
Harry felt the weird nostalgic sensation again. He felt a tugging on his gut like a memory of his was trying desperately to break free.
Luth smiled hollowly, "Congrats. You're a wizard, Harry." His dry humour made Lou giggle a bit, but Harry suddenly felt very anxious. Something about this whole idea felt right yet wrong at the same time.
"So, anyway. The Titan War. I guess you weren't around for that, but basically Kronos and a few of the minor gods, Hecate included, waged war against Olympus. Then there was a huge fight in Manhattan, blah blah blah, and Olympus won. Percy Jackson was the hero that defeated Kronos and he was offered immortality-"
"Wait, Percy Jackson? The guy who's missing?" asked Harry. Lou nodded sadly.
"Yep, that's the one. He's pretty famous around here. He was part of this big prophecy too."
Harry just nodded, but all of this god stuff was making his head spin.
"Anyway, I was with Kronos," she admitted, "I mean, mom did tell us to fight by her side, and of course I couldn't let her down." She turned to Luth, expecting him to say something.
He pursed his lips but his expression remained unchanged, "I was a bad guy, too."
Lou Ellen continued, "But it was okay when we lost – Hecate was forgiven and we finally received our own cabin at camp. And here we are." She threw out her arms, gesturing to about everything, "Camp Half-Blood's not much, but it is home. It's better than being out there, killing off monsters for the rest of our lives."
"Wait… what?"
"Oh, yeah, that's the down side of being a demigod. Monsters who can't be actually killed want to constantly eat you!"
"… Great," muttered Harry. Lou smiled sympathetically.
"It's not so bad. If you stay here, you'll be completely protected. That's what we do at Camp Half-Blood – ready ourselves for the outside world. Usually it's a summer camp, but Luth and I are year-rounders. There'd be tons more other campers here too if it was summer."
Luth just nodded in agreement, before standing up. Lou cocked an eyebrow,
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Need to practice," said Luth, he jerked his head to the door. Lou sighed.
"Really? We have a new brother and you want to go practice?" she narrowed her eyes, but sighed in the end, "Oh, sure. Go ahead. I wouldn't need your help anyway." She stuck out her tongue as Luth cracked, what Harry thought was, his attempt at a limp smile. Without another word or an explanation, Luth breezed out of the cabin. Now that he had left, the air seemed lighter.
"Oh, that boy," Lou scolded, "Sorry about him, Harry. He's always been quiet, and he doesn't really show much emotion, plus he's not good with new people. The woods seem to be the only place Luth likes being, except here. He's always there practicing his sorcery." She muttered something like 'might overtake me in skill someday' that was loud enough for Harry to hear but not loud enough that he should acknowledge it.
"Still, he's my brother, and he's the only one I have here right now. The rest are either at school, on the run or on quests. Speaking of which, I need to get that organised…" Harry had kinda' zoned out at this point. There was a whole new world that he didn't even know about. It was strange to think that now he was part of it. Even worse, he thought demigods got the easy life. The way Lou described it though; it seemed like anything but paradise.
Lou smiled at him, believing that he was still listening, "So, anyway, do you want me to show around camp? I mean, you have your glasses now, so you should be able to see much better than before." Harry just smiled and stood up.
"Sure, let's go."
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Harry felt like he had never been in a place that was so free. The fields, he discovered, were overflowing with strawberry bushes, and that the camp used their cover name as Delphi Strawberry Service to make money when they needed it.
The people here had really piled the camp with Greek stuff. The training facilities that were available were first-class: a rock-climbing wall with lava, multiple sword-fighting arenas, a real-size amphitheatre, even a life-like chariot track. There was a giant Parthenon in the middle where everyone ate – like a huge canteen, and their beaches connected with the sea south of Long Island. You could easily get lost but never bored.
After Lou had shown Harry around, which had taken the whole morning, she returned back to the cabin to clean up a little. Harry offered to help, but she told him she didn't need it, and that he should go find something to do while the sun was up. So Harry found himself back in the U-shape of cabins – he needed to talk to Annabeth. She seemed to be the only one who he felt like he could trust.
He approached the Athena cabin. Like Leo had teased, it wasn't as cool as his own. Plain, but decorated with owls and the like, Harry knocked warily on the front. A boy, with brown hair but the same startling grey eyes eventually opened the door.
"Yeah?" he grunted. Harry peeked behind him – the room was simple and traditional, unlike his colourful cabin.
"I'm looking for Annabeth," he said. The Athena guy sighed.
"She's not here," he replied, trying to smile, "Knowing her, she'd be at the beach." Harry nodded in thanks and was back on the move not before long, making his way to the shore. Exactly like her brother had predicted, the blonde girl sat was walking alone on the edge, obviously deep in thought. She hardly noticed Harry until he spoke.
"Annabeth?"
Annabeth jumped, alarmed, "Oh!" She turned around, instantly regaining her cool composure, "Oh, Harry. Don't sneak up on me like that. I might flip you over again." Harry couldn't help but chuckle. Annabeth was keeping her calm rather well for the girlfriend of a boy who had disappeared off the face of the earth twice.
"Sorry," he began, "I just need to talk to you."
She tightened her lips but didn't look away, "Sure. What did you want to ask?"
"I don't need to ask anything. I wanted to say that I am absolutely, positively one-hundred per cent certain that I am not a son of Hecate. I mean, no offence to, er, her, but I know I have parents elsewhere who are both humans."
Annabeth sighed, crossing her arms and staring at Harry. You could tell she was in thought since her eyes darted about, trying to read him like some sort of book.
"That's a pretty serious accusation to make," she said, twirling around back to face the beach, "I don't really know what to say. You've forgotten who you are, yet even though you've been claimed by a god you say you're not a half-blood?"
Harry nodded. He knew it was pretty serious, but just saying 'son of Hecate' and 'Harry' in the same sentence made him shudder. It was just… wrong, somehow.
"Yeah. That's what I'm saying."
Annabeth swung back around, "Have you tried to use any demigod powers?"
Harry shook his head. He had seen Lou Ellen make a pair of glasses pop out from thin air. He highly doubted he'd even be able to conjure pin let alone a pair of specs. Annabeth continued.
"I mean, if you were unsuccessful in using magic then I guess that makes you a clear-sighted mortal… but that still doesn't explain the claiming. Why would a god claim someone who wasn't their child?"
"I guess we'll never know until I have a try," said Harry determinedly, "Have anything simple I can cast?"
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The duo, along with Lou Ellen who had come to help, sat on the deck of the Big House around a rickety wooden table. A little plant pot sat on top, containing only a handful of soil.
"Alright," said Annabeth, clapping her hands together, "Make magic, Harry."
"Yes, close your eyes and focus your mind on your hands. Just concentrate to begin with. Then, imagine the plant pot rising into the air, like it was being pulled by a rope in your hands."
Harry closed his eyes. His hands rose over the table, like he was about to grab the plant. And then he focused.
He had no idea what he was meant to be thinking, when he 'focused'. He supposed, since he was trying to levitate the pot plant, the pot plant was the object he had to think of.
Pot plants were everything. They were green. Bushy. Kinda' prickly. This particular one was a tiny round bulb bursting full of leaves. The pot was brown, and cylindrical in shape.
Harry imagined himself attaching a rope onto the top and gently tugging it upwards. In his mind, the pot plant floated into the air. It was only a couple of centimetres off of the ground, but Harry thought that would be a good start.
He cracked an eye open. The real pot plant was still lying there. Nothing had happened.
He looked doubtfully at the two girls. Lou Ellen was smirking.
"Sorry," she said, wiping her expression clean of any smugness, "Your face was just so hardcore it was funny."
Harry glared at her. That was totally not helping.
"Try again," Annabeth urged, glancing at Lou with disapproval. Harry closed his eyes again and repeated his thinking progress. One leaf on the plant had fallen into the soil. It was a tiny leaf, with many creases. It was a rich, forest green colour.
"Heheh," chuckled Lou Ellen. Harry wondered what the heck she found so funny now – thinking it was probably his face – when he opened an eye.
The little leaf his mind had accidentally wandered to was floating, just a little above the stationary pot plant. He stared at in surprise while Lou Ellen giggled. Instantly, he broke his concentration and the leaf swayed harmlessly back onto the plant.
"Congrats," she said, winking at him, "You managed to levitate a leaf."
"But that's better than nothing," input Annabeth, glimpsing at Harry. He was so confused – the leaf shouldn't have lifted off the ground. Was he really a son of Hecate and he was just very mistaken in his instincts?
"Well, we can keep working on it, if you like. Although you already look exhausted." Lou was right. Harry felt drained even though he had performed hardly any magic. It probably didn't help that last night he had gone for a night-time stroll around the camp.
Annabeth nodded firmly, "Right, I agree. Enough for today. I think we should report this to Chiron, Harry." Her voice sounded a little fake, and Harry understood why. Lou Ellen left the two alone on the deck of the Big House, where they began to talk in hushed whispers.
"That's stone-cold proof," said the blonde, poking at the pot plant to check that it wasn't a phoney, "That means you're a demigod."
"That can't be right," he said stubbornly, closing his eyes and trying again. When he opened them again, the whole plant pot was just a tiny amount off of the table, before dropping again forcefully.
"Stop," Annabeth commanded, looking worried, "You'll drain yourself further."
"I just wanted to see whether it was me or Lou," he said, gritting his teeth. This wasn't right. Annabeth shrugged.
"Listen, when you say you don't think you're a demigod, I believe you," Harry gazed at her, surprised. He honestly assumed that she would just say he's a demigod, tell him to get over it and call it a day. But she hadn't, and that reassured Harry.
"Well, thanks. That's someone."
"I can tell when people lie, so I can tell when people tell the truth. You honestly believe your parents are mortal?"
"Yes," he said again, certainty oozing at his tone, "Absolutely. No-one apart from you believes me though. They probably think I'm seeking attention."
"Or running from the truth," Annabeth sighed, "This is so weird. Gods, how are we going to deal with this?" She drummed her fingers impatiently on the table. Harry wasn't sure she was just talking about his amnesia episode.
"Okay, I think there's only one thing we can do."
Harry sat up, "And that would be?"
"Search for your memories. Search for Percy. And by that I mean… go on a quest."
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In the evening time, all of the campers hustled into the Mess Hall. It was a very grand room – the ceiling was draped with tapestries of the symbols of the gods, as well as having Greek words inscribed on the walls. In front of the biggest table right at the back was a huge bonfire that crackled with different colours.
Harry sat at a little table dedicated to Hecate, with his apparent half-siblings Lou and Luth beside him. The campers seemed a little less spirited as he would have thought, although he guessed it was due to the disappearance of the famous Percy Jackson.
The nymphs filed in, throwing food so expertly that they landed exactly on the table in front of the camper. After waiting for less than ten seconds, a nice bowl of warm soup landed on the table by Harry's cutlery. It was steaming, green with fresh vegetables but still very delicious-looking.
"Tonight!" called Chiron, as the room silenced with only the shuffling of nymphs to be heard, "We will dine in respect. Percy Jackson has gone missing once again, and it is our duty to see him return! Every camper here is to offer their scraps to Hera – we need to be able to see if her lady is behind another exchange program."
There was a general consensus of nods before Chiron allowed everyone to dig in. Harry hadn't realised how hungry he was until the smell of swede filled his mouth. He practically inhaled his soup and asked for seconds. While he waited (which didn't take long), Lou told him more details of her history – in-depth about the Titan war and the war against Gaea, what the gods do, prophecies, promises, until Harry's mind was fried. By the time Lou had decided to finally eat without talking, Harry had finished his seconds. And since Luth was quieter than a brick wall, he scanned around.
Over at the Hephaestus table, Leo was sharing a joke with his brothers and sisters, who all seemed to find it funny. Piper was conversing intensely with the other Aphrodite kids at her table. Annabeth was the only one that wasn't really saying anything to her half-siblings. It looked like they were in a serious discussion, but Annabeth's mind was focused elsewhere. Harry had a pretty good feeling what was bugging her.
When the evening meal had finished, the campers lined up towards the hearth to offer their food to the goddess of marriage, Hera. Harry wondered idly as he queued up whether firstly, Hera liked vegetable soup and secondly what on earth he should say to her. Did they pray or something?
When his turn came around, Harry poured the remains of the dish in the hearth, and it crackled with an eerie green glow. Harry hoped that was just the colour of the peas showing through.
"Er, Hera," he whispered, feeling a bit stupid, "Could really do with your, er, inspiring wisdom right now. I've lost my memory and Percy Jackson's gone missing. Cheers." And with that, Harry circled around and sat back down at the table.
Lou Ellen smiled as he came back, "Say something that'd convince her?"
Harry shrugged, "I don't know. Hope so." Lou Ellen nodded confidently as the final round of campers offered sacrifices to Hera. Then Chiron stood.
"Let us hope that the goddess appears. For now, however, we shall move to the amphitheatre."
Harry had never been to sing-a-longs, but when he went to this one, he was glad he hadn't. The songs chosen were corny, mostly sung out of tune (except from the Apollo campers – or 'keen beans' as Lou had nicknamed them) that everyone had to join in with. It kinda' made Harry's head hurt.
And then, smack bang where Will Solace was grinding out the melodies, there was a bright light.
Campers shielded their eyes, some screaming. Harry had to squeeze his tight, the glow was blinding. When it had finally died down, Harry dared to look – where the light was stood a woman that radiated nobility and grace. She wore white Greek robes that flowed down her figure and reflected hues of the rainbow, and her smooth silver hair was woven into braids. Harry could swear she was still glowing, like a firefly. The demigods bowed, so Harry followed suit.
Chiron knelt onto one horse leg, looking very pleased, "Lady Hera, it is an honour for you to join us."
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Hera seemed less pleased than Chiron did. She appeared grumpy as if she had just woken up from bed, and yet she still managed to look beautiful. Her skin was flawless, like a newly-ironed bed sheet.
"Chiron," she greeted plainly, glancing around at the other campers as her glow reflected on their faces, "Demigods. Pleasure, as always."
Harry could just hear Annabeth, who had taken a seat next to him, petulant.
"I thank you for your offerings. I appreciate them," she said, although it sounded more like she was expecting better. Harry knitted his eyebrows as he straightened – weren't goddesses meant to be kindly and stuff? She regarded Chiron again, "So, if what I have heard from the hearth is true, Percy Jackson has gone missing." She didn't sound at all sad about this prospect, which made Chiron a little uncomfortable. He shifted his weight onto his front hooves.
"Yes, that is correct. Harry Potter woke up in his place-" he gestured to the said boy, who stood up to make himself known, "Lady Hera, we wondered if you switched him and Percy in another exchange program?"
The goddess laughed. Not a nice, hahah-that's-hilarious laugh, but more like a how-could-you-even-think-of-such-a-stupid-idea laugh. It didn't make Harry feel better about himself.
"Another exchange program? What use would I have for another exchange program? I already used Percy for what he was needed for." At that last sentence, Annabeth growled and clenched her fists. Harry had to shoot her a warning glance – he didn't want her to mess up a chance to have his memories returned, even if he knew about their hatred for each other.
Leo stood up, waving his arm to be notice, "Uh, sorry, lady, but we thought you might have another demigod camp somewhere else around the world."
Hera cackled wildly. The idea was as foreign as the country of Harry's origin, it seemed. Even Harry was becoming a little irritated by her behaviour now. No wonder Annabeth and she hadn't ever been best friends forever.
"Are you foolish, Leo Valdez? The flame of Western Civilisation moved to North America many years ago. We do not – and certainly I do not– mix with the mortals of other continents. They are beyond our realms of power," she regarded the son of Hephaestus with coldness, and his face turned red in embarrassment, "And I think I would know if I were three-way schizophrenic, thank you very much."
"Just asking, Mrs Grumpy-Pants…" he mumbled. She shot him daggers, but didn't say anything else when he sat down. Annabeth spoke up instead.
"So you don't know why Harry's here and where Percy is gone?"
Hera turned to her, face souring, brown eyes burning, "Do I look like I know where he is?" Annabeth's eyes flashed with anger, "I may be a god, but that does not mean I have to keep watch over the frivolous activities of every demigod-"
But she cut off mid-sentence and suddenly buckled to her knees and clutched her forehead. She began violently shaking, and gasps erupted throughout the crowd. Most of the campers stood up, wondering what was going on. She didn't cry out. She didn't say anything. Then, after about ten seconds of furious quaking, there was another bright light, and Harry covered his eyes again.
When he dared to look, someone new stood in Hera's place. Although she still retained her elegance, her eyes had become a dark and menacing, and her hair was as black as the night. She wore a long blue dress like a river on her figure, and a cloak made of goat's skin. Her expression of stone-cold seriousness.
"I am unable to tell you anything," the woman began, glancing in Harry's direction with sudden malice. He widened his eyes, "You tread on the wrong toes, boy. If you dare to proceed further, I will take every necessary action to stop you."
And just like that, she disappeared into the night sky. Harry's heart raced and he was sweating so much he could fill a bath tub. Annabeth turned to him agonisingly.
"Was that Juno? And what… what did she mean by that?" she spoke, barely a whisper. Harry's shocked face said it all – he had no idea either. All around, campers had turned to stare.
One kid from the Ares cabin piped up, "What does Juno mean, 'take every necessary action to stop you'? Stop you from doing what?"
"I-I don't know," said Harry, who swallowed hard. Juno's icy tone had made him feel like he was dropping into a spiral of darkness. Clarisse from the Area cabin stood up abruptly and pointed an accusing finger at the bespectacled boy.
"How can you not know? Are you hiding something?!" she yelled. The campers murmured amongst themselves, and Harry didn't like their expressions or his chances anymore.
"No!" he protested, but the murmuring became louder, until it was past the point where campers were shouting at each other, most of them demanding for Harry to tell them what he was hiding.
"Be quiet!" came a sudden voice. Everyone silenced like they had just been switched off. Even Harry, who wanted to defend his innocence, shut his mouth like a trap set off. His green-eyed gaze settled on Piper, with her choppy hair and adamant expression, standing amongst the Aphrodite throng.
"All of this shouting is not helping," she said, soothing the crowd with her powerful yet alluring voice, "Let's be rational about this."
Another girl from the same cabin, with long black hair drawn back in a ponytail, jumped up and barked, "He might be a spy for someone, trying to turn the gods against us or something!"
"Silence!" yelled Chiron, particularly glaring at the blacknette from the Aphrodite cabin, "We will not have this ruckus at the amphitheatre. Everyone go back to your cabins immediately. Harry, Annabeth; I wish to speak to you."
Grudgingly, it appeared, the campers left the scene. Most scowled uncertainly at Harry, who couldn't meet any of their gazes, on their way out. He had no idea what Juno was talking about, guessing that maybe he was a mafia boss in his past life, or something.
Someone squeezed his shoulder. Harry turned around to the solemn and doubtful faces of Lou and Luth, who had sat behind him during this entire ordeal. Both looked equally confused, but they weren't glaring at him. Lou smiled sympathetically.
"I don't know what's going on, but… you'll be okay," she whispered. Luth just nodded curtly. Harry couldn't even meet their gazes as they left with the rest of the crowd. Soon, only Annabeth and Harry remained along with Chiron. His face was blank, but he was as rigid as a Greek column.
"I don't know – really, I-"
Chiron sighed, holding up and hand to silence the boy, "I believe you, Harry."
Relief washed over him. The last thing he wanted was the camp director watching his every move. Annabeth looked less convinced.
"But then what was Juno talking about?"
Chiron shook his head, "I don't know myself. Hera changed to her Roman form… but why? First thing tomorrow morning, Harry, visit Rachel in her cave. She is our Oracle, so perhaps she can give you a prophecy and shed some light on this situation."
Harry wasn't sure what to say. Would a simple prophecy make everything alright? He was certain he had encountered prophecies before – and, as he recalled these feelings, all were about as unpleasant as he felt now. Harry was about to expand on the situation, secure his guiltlessness again, when Annabeth interrupted him with a scream of delight.
"Oh my gods, Thalia!"
Harry was startled. He turned around, just to see the blonde sprinting as fast as she could up the path to a girl with raven-black cropped hair and a silver circlet sitting on her head. She grinned, opening her arms to accept a hug. He wondered how she could be go from being super serious to extremely elated in the matter of two seconds.
Chiron smiled, even though it didn't feel quite genuine, "Thalia, and the Hunters of Artemis. What a pleasure to see you."
Thalia and a group of girls, all wearing identical silver cloaks with hoods appeared from the darkness. All were heavily armed with swords, bows and arrows, shields, the works. Harry's first thought was to never, ever mess with them, whoever they are.
"Sorry to drop in so late," said Thalia, as Annabeth finally released her, "I came when Grover contacted me via Iris-message to say that Percy had gone missing."
"Oh, thank the gods," said Annabeth hurriedly, "I need all the help I can get. Have you heard any news?"
Thalia looked grave, as did the rest of the Hunters of Artemis, "Sorry, but I haven't seen him. Not Jupiter again?"
"Nope, not this time. Hera won't tell us anything," she finally remembered Harry's presence amongst the group, and smiled sheepishly, "Oh, I forgot to say. This is Thalia and the Hunters of Artemis, Harry. Thalia and company, this is Harry Potter. Newest demigod – son of Hecate."
Thalia merely nodded as Harry said flatly, "Hi." He wasn't really in the mood to play meet-and-greet. The other girls apparently felt the same, regarding him with extreme disdain. It made him feel very uncomfortable.
"Speaking of new demigods, while we were out and about we came across another addition to your camp for you. Although she says she might join our group."
From the ranks of the Hunters one poked out with an odd spring to her step. She was shorter than Thalia, and her hair was long, blonde, wavy and bounced on her shoulders. Her eyes were huge, grey and forever looked as if she was in dreamland. The very presence of her made Harry feel like he had been spinning around like a nutter.
"Hello," said the girl, smiling brightly like the sun was out, "I'm Luna Lovegood. I hope you protect your strawberry fields against gnomes."
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Le gasp! Hope you enjoyed it!
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Best wishes,
~ GD
Edited 8th August 2014: corrections, change of story inconsistencies.
