Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter.

The Unrelenting Frozen Seas: The Journey

Year One: I Deal With School Stuff

Beta: Siegfried01


It was mid-December and the Christmas holidays were fast approaching, much to Rhode's relief. The mountains around the school were covered in several feet of snow and frost, sparkling brilliantly in the sun. The Black Lake had also frozen over, adding its own splendour to the beautiful landscape as it shone like a finely polished mirror in the sun. The amazing scenery, however, was not without its own costs; few owls had been able to brave the tumultuous clouds coating the sky to deliver the mail. The ones that make it through had to be tended to by that odd Hagrid fellow before they were able to fly again. All this meant that the morning delivery of mail by the owls, whilst still dramatic, was much less impressive than it had been when the weather was better. Not only were there far fewer owls each morning, but it was now not uncommon to see the odd owl arrive with bloodied feathers.

Aside from the blossoming splendour of the landscape, other things remained as dreadfully dull as the eye of a cyclops. The only exception was when when she watched McGonagall punish the Weasley twins for bewitching snowballs to pelt the back of Quirrell's turban as he walked around. Rhode had never been more amused in all her time at Hogwarts, which while not as long as the other years was substantial enough to her. A rather clever use of magic, Rhode thought. And an extremely misleading one. They had later found out that the turban had been bewitched, not the snowballs, which explained how Quirrell couldn't remove them himself and McGonagall took so long to do so. If Rhode hadn't known better, she'd have thought the Weasley twins were sons of Hermes.

Despite the enchanting winter environment though, the demigods were not letting up on their training and were doing one more training session before the holidays came and holed up in the Room of Requirement. Their official little demigod clubhouse, er, the Batcave according to Lee.

Lee was grinning as he jumped, rolled, and dodged vines coming at him from Su. It was a little game he made up, one Rhode had to admit was very fun.

Su would try to catch them with her vines as they dodged around them. Not only would it help Su gain more control of her plant powers, but it would also help her against fast opponents. For Lee and Rhode, it helped them with their evasion, flexibility, and reflexes greatly by avoiding the onslaught of vines.

"Come on, Li, try!" Lee laughed, having a blast as he cartwheeled out of the way, showing off.

Rhode rolled her eyes as she held the stopwatch, it was going past the three minute mark. After she brought it up Lee immediately called time, still laughing like a loon, as she stopped at 3:47 minutes.

"Pretty good, Li," Lee said, though he was panting a bit with some sweat on his brow, he kept his voice steady and trying to play it cool, "Still a bit stationary, got to go for some free-style kiddo. Like me." He thumbed to himself.

Su pouted before a tiny smile came on her face.

There was a crack of a whip and Lee yelped, jumping two feet into the air. He turned around, rubbing his bum, to see a vine behind him, "Did you just-?!"

Su just gave him an innocent little smile.

Lee turned to Rhode, "I think you're corrupting her." He said with a pointed glare.

Rhode shrugged, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Su's got spunk, she just needs to bring it out."

Lee, rubbing his bum, said, "Whipping my bum is not spunk…that hurts!"

"Stop your whining," Rhode said and threw the stopwatch to Lee as she moved over to the open area. She nodded to Su, who nodded back and Lee started the clock.

Two vines shot at Rhode from behind and she dodged forward, only to duck under another one in front of her, she sidestepped left to avoid a lashing. Rhode quickly jumped over the one that tried to sweep her feet and rolled to the right to continue her evasion.

Su pursed her lips, sending three more vines at Rhode from the left and two from the right. She smiled when Rhode back pedaled and went to ensnare her feet, only for a flash of bronze to cut the vines. Rhode had taken out her trident.

"Hey, no weapons!" Lee protested.

"We never said we couldn't!" Rhode grinned as she swung around the trident rapidly and more shredded vines fell, useless and limp, onto the stone tiles.

Lee clicked his tongue, resting his chin in his free palm as he sat on the floor. They didn't…smart girl.

Su frowned as she made five vines coil together and whip at Rhode, who side stepped.

However, despite successfully cutting the vine, Rhode suddenly yelped in pain. She looked at her right leg and saw that she had a few thorns in embedded into her calf. Su capitalized on her distracted gaze and wrapped up Rhode's legs, making her fall. Lee stopping the clock as Rhode hit the floor.

"Ooh, only two minutes and forty two seconds." The son of Hermes shook his head as Rhode was freed, "Nice one, Li." He praised her sneaky maneuver.

Su bowed her head with a smile as Rhode pouted, wincing at her leg.

"Seriously, did not know you could fire thorns," the daughter of Poseidon grimaced, as she started pulling them out and tossing them to the stone floor.

"Plants can be very versatile," Su insisted as she brought Rhode a cup of water to heal.

Rhode thanked her as she dumped it on her punctured leg after pulling out all seven thorns. "Still, nice one, Su." The sea child praised, getting a blushing smile from her friend.

"It wasn't that big of a deal," the daughter of Demeter said bashfully.

"And she's so modest," Lee ruffled her hair, "Isn't that cute."

Su pouted cutely at him, patting at her hair in a vain attempt to smoothen it down again.

Rhode fell onto her back, "Still, this session was good. Got my aggravation out. Gods, that Snape was a jerk today. Again." She said as rolled to her side and held up her head on her palm and elbow, "I swear he's a monster."

Lee sighed, "No, he's not. I checked." He grumbled.

"…You tried to kill a teacher?" Su gasped.

"I thought he was a monster! But sadly, no. I tried scratching him with one of my knives, went right through him." The son of Hermes pouted, remembering when he was turning in his first potions project. Guy had the nerve to say it was mediocre at best! He was acing that class and the sourpuss head of Slytherin knew it! He just wasn't happy that a Gryffindor was smoking his snakes in his subject. The Jerk.

"Guy was rambling on about that Flamel you talked about." Rhode thought aloud.

"Speaking of Flamel," Lee grinned impishly, "I figured out what's stashed on the third floor."

"What?" Su asked eagerly, ever curious.

"See, Hagrid was at Gringotts the day it was robbed." The son of Hermes pointed out.

"So I was right!" Su smiled, making Lee roll his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, anyway! He said that he had to run an errand for Dumbledore. But, he was tight lipped on it beyond that." If it was possible, Lee's smile grew larger, "He dropped the name Flamel earlier though, said he had to get an object from Gringotts, which was later robbed, and Flamel and Dumbledore are tight. What else could be there but the Philosopher Stone?"

"The what?" Rhode blinked.

"The Philosopher's Stone!" Lee said exuberantly, "That thing could turn any metal into gold and could make the Elixir of Life. You know, the liquid that could extend one's lifespan? It's just that powerful."

"Why in the world would he bring something like that here? In a school full of kids?" Rhode asked with a frown.

Lee shrugged, "Hogwarts is pretty well defended."

"Troll."

"…There are hiccups in every system." Lee added.

Rhode shook her head in disbelief. She turned her trident back to her spyglass and stood up, "I got a Charms paper to finish. See you guys later." She declared as she walked off to her common room.

"Bye Rhode." Su waved brightly, "See you on the train."

"Bye."


As Rhode trekked across the castle back towards her dorm and the waiting Charms essay, she ruminated on her time in school so far particularly her issues with the school's attempts to discipline her. The earlier conversation about Snape had reminded her about it, as the jerk was the one who doled out most of her punishments.

For the first month or so, Rhode had completely ignored the school's attempts to punish her. She didn't care one whit about the silly points they deducted for what they considered misbehaviour and when they gave her detentions she just didn't show up. When they lectured her about her need to obey the rules and take her punishments more seriously, she just tuned them out. She would have avoided these lectures too but she couldn't avoid the teachers wholesale. When she tried and they did eventually catch her, as they always did, the lectures were always worse than normal, so she'd just learned to take them to the chin.

This had gone on for some time until the teachers finally decided to take 'more drastic action'. So one day after classes had ended the Professor of her last class, McGonagall, made her stay back after class. She'd expected another lecture but instead the older witch had marched her up to the Headmaster's office to have a 'chat' with the old goat. Not that the Headmaster had anything new to say nor was he anymore willing to hear Rhode out. Oh sure, he pretended to want to hear what she had to say but in the end he just waved away all her reasons and concluded that her punishments stood. She really wished she could have stabbed his foot right then, or his face. Either or. Stupid fickle celestial bronze dagger, decided just which kinds of mortals it thought were 'important enough'. What's more, the old wizard had the gall to think up a new way to force Rhode to comply: he had Prefects escort her to her detentions.

At first, this wasn't too much of an issue as Rhode would just avoid all of them when time for her detentions came around. The Prefects not particularly enthused with doing yet another chore were more than willing to let her. But this unfortunately didn't last, as after a week of this new arrangement, the Prefects suddenly became a lot more invested in making sure she made it to detention.

When she asked them why, they angrily explained that the teachers in order to motivate them to do their new 'duty' were punishing them if she failed to show up. This made Rhode feel terrible. She didn't mind taking the blame for her own rebellion but she drew the line with getting innocent bystanders implicated for her stand against the system. That's not to say she went quietly though. No, instead she devised a workaround. With Lee's help, she got her hands on a copy of the roster of which Prefects were assigned to ensure her presence at detentions each particular day, her flouting of her earlier 'punishments' having translated into detention everyday now, and spotted those Prefects who were deserving of some punishments of their own i.e. bullies.

After all, a Prefect's badge didn't mean someone was an angel, many used it merely as an excuse to abuse their new authority. Sure most of these abuses were trivial and could be overlooked, but others were outright bullying. Rhode hated bullies and so, exploiting the detention nonsense to get back at them was her killing two birds with one stone. So on the days the bullying Prefects were assigned to escort her, she just evaded them. That way she got out of a pointless detention and got to serve some bullies their just desserts! It was glorious! That doing so was also pretty good evasion training was just an added bonus.

It all got a little tedious, but Rhode was determined to continue. After all, there was no way she'd stand idly by whilst a tyrannical system that punished innocent people and allowed for so much abuse by people like Snape and those 'Prefects' such as Hogwarts' punishment regime existed. She'd break it...like a Kit-Kat bar. It was with this amusing thought running through her mind that she arrived at the Fat Lady and the homework that awaited beyond.


After cleaning up and finishing her paper, Rhode ended up heading to the Great Hall to chill out. She was supposed to be in potions class, but as was often the case she'd decided to skip it. Not as if the great bat would give a hoot either way, in fact, she figured she was doing them both a favor this way.

On the way there she thought about the various Hogwarts teachers and she'd have to say they were kind of a mixed bag. McGonagall was disappointed in her, like Rhode cared. Snape was still a massive dick. Sprout was okay, but a bit dull, on the bright side she seemed to truly care for her students. Rhode was reminded of a mother hen, she even had the build down too, now all she needed was the feathers. The only one she liked was Flitwick. He usually got her writing lines during her detentions with him, but that was not all she did. They also talked about Charms class, since it was her favorite class. The tiny teacher would indulge her and her lines were often soon forgotten in favor of talking about the subject. And any time she had to deal with Filch, she would just leave him point blank the first opportunity she got. That guy was a creeper, she just knew it. That damn cat too.

Anyway, the Great Hall looked amazing. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

As she admired the decorations, she reflected on what had happened since Halloween. Since November, Granger had started to hang out with Rhode and Ron. The bookworm had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules since Rhode had saved her from the mountain troll, and she was nicer for it. Ron was thrilled, she helped greatly with their homework. But Rhode wasn't as psyched.

She and Granger were cut from very different cloth. Rhode was an ADHD rule breaking demigod. The muggleborn witch was a bookish know-it-all mortal. Rhode could tell the girl was honestly trying, but eventually their personalities were going to clash, hard. So Rhode wasn't fully invested in the friendship, but was willing to at least give the other girl a chance.

Still, why couldn't she be more like Su? The other demigoddess was never judgmental and bossy, just very supportive. Seriously, Su ruled. Except when it came to muggle homework, she was surprisingly stern on that one.

The Quidditch season had begun around November too. So, Rhode decided to watch the first game. Also, because Lee wouldn't quit pestering her to go as he was acting commentator. She had gotten nosebleed seats in the Quidditch pitch and a pair of binoculars. Rhode, Ron, and their new tagalong were joined by Neville, Seamus, and Dean.

They had painted a large banner that said Team Gryffindor on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. There was a story there, but Ron was apparently too embarrased by it to tell her and shushed his dorm-mates when they tried to do so. Rhode was determined to find out what it was though. Rhode and Dean, who were good at drawing, had drawn a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Granger had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colors. Rhode had eagerly asked her to teach it to her.

The daughter of Poseidon had lost interest in the match sometime in and had instead spent her remaining time during the match chatting with Dean about drawing. It was nice to know someone who understood her passion. The match was over within a half an hour. Gryffindor lost to Slytherin, much to Ron's dismay. Rhode figured it was an okay game, but she was more of a soccer gal.

Shaking her head out of those thoughts, the demigod started to contemplate what kind of gifts to get her friends back at camp.

Well, Luke was easy. Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans. Just seeing his reaction was going to be hilarious.

Grover was even easier. Some nice premium tin cans should get her a goaty smile from the sulking Satyr.

Annabeth, well, Rhode wanted to get her something special. With all the letters they've exchanged, maybe her own owl? Yeah! That would be a great idea. Plus, it would give Hedwig a break too.

The only question was what kind of owl. A barn owl? Maybe a snowy owl? Annabeth liked Hedwig after all.

It was then a hoot got her attention, making her jolt in surprise. She turned to her right, seeing a golden brown barn owl with sharp grey-blue eyes. It had a letter in its beak. It dropped it for Rhode to read. Confused, the daughter of Poseidon picked up the letter and began to read…it was from Annabeth.

Wait, what?!

To Rhode,

Hi Rhode! Guess what? I got my own owl! He's name is Wright. I named him after Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect. See, I prayed to mommy one night, since Hedwig was always looking so tired after delivering the letters, and that's not good! So I woke up the next morning and there was this guy pecking at my window. Isn't he pretty?

You know how Pegasus has kids? Well, turns out my mommy's owl, Glaucus, has kids too! And she gave me one. Now we can talk way more, isn't it super-duper amazing?

Anyway, you're coming back soon, right? I can't wait! Luke can't either, but I think he's just trying to look cool about it, but he seems excited. We did Capture the Flag a few days ago, and Luke got the flag in like, record time! It was cool.

You missed the best snowball fight ever yesterday, too! Jack started it with Cabin Five, but everyone joined in. Even Chiron! Though Jack dumped snow down my jacket, the meanie! I'll get him back, eventually.

See you soon!

From the daughter of Athena and future architect, Annabeth Chase!

Rhode put the letter down and looked at the owl.

The goddess of wisdom had totally jacked her Christmas gift idea!

…Point to you, Athena, point to you.

"Well, I'm sure Annabeth'll like some Chocolate frogs. Every kid loves chocolate." Rhode muttered, pouting. She gave the owl a dull glare as it pecked at her toast.

Stupid owl.

Stupider goddess.


Rhode's cheek leaned against the foggy window aboard the Hogwarts Express. It was time to head back to camp for Christmas.

Gods, she missed her friends.

Su was with her in the compartment along with Granger, who decided to join them uninvited. Neither demigoddess were in a mood to kick her out, they were going home! And so had let her stay. Ron was stuck at Hogwarts with his brothers since his parents and sister were visiting one of his older brothers out of the country.

Su and Granger were talking about classes and comparing houses. Granger was taking a keen interest on how Ravenclaw did things. Especially their libraries and Su answered the questions with ease.

Rhode heaved a sigh, drawing Granger's attention.

"What's the matter, Rhode?" she asked.

"Personal stuff."

"Want to talk about it?"

Rhode turned to her, giving Granger a look that said: No. This wasn't something she was ready to talk to even Su about, despite how close they had become, much less with Granger.

With that unwanted intrusion into her personal affairs settled, Rhode returned to her musings. She had asked Flitwick where her mother and stepfather were buried. It had been over a decade and she had yet to even see or lay flowers for them. Flitwick informed her they were buried in a place called Godric's Hollow. The town founded by one of the four founders of Hogwarts, Godric Gryffindor. There was a Floo connection to the place since it was a historical site. So, Rhode planned to go while at camp.

The daughter of Poseidon looked at the homework that Chiron assigned her. She had been doing some final touches on it. Thanks to Su she had managed to finish a good portion of it. Definitely a lot more than she would have if she had to do it all on her own. But after being distracted by her thoughts of the Potters, she had lost her focus. Sighing, she put the homework away.

Granger frowned and muttered something, but Rhode ignored it. The daughter of the sea started to hum Blue Orchid by White Stripes and some Yellowcard to help pass the time and bought some candy for Christmas from the trolley lady.

The train arrived at Platform Nine and Three Quarters within a few hours. Granger left with her parents, who the girl enthusiastically reminded her two companions were dentists. Su did the same with her father, after asking if Rhode could give her homework to Chiron. Rhode complied with her friend's wish. Lee left with his mum and step-dad. Which left Rhode alone as she made her way over to the Floo, ducking under the lip of the fireplace she sucked in a deep breath before hurling the Floo powder down, vanishing with a call of, "Camp Half-Blood!"

As soon as Rhode exited the Floo, she saw the camp and it was beautifully coated in a soft blanket of snow.

See, the camp had this ultimate magic climate control. Nothing got inside the borders unless Mr. D wanted it to. So seeing it as a winter wonderland was something of a surprise. Frost covered the strawberry fields and the volleyball pits. The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire. More lights glowed in the woods. There were bronze statues of reindeer connected to a sleigh. Gaige was arguing with her brothers about putting Gatling guns on the antlers and AA missiles on the sleigh.

Suddenly the daughter of Poseidon caught the blur of a missile in the form of a little girl.

"Rhode!" Annabeth cheered and Rhode caught her under the arms and spun around, getting Annabeth to giggle as Rhode came to a halt.

"Whoa! Bethy, almost nailed me there." She cracked a grin as Annabeth hugged her tightly around the neck.

"I missed you so much!" The little girl said with a bit of a lisp.

The daughter of Poseidon smiled and put Annabeth down. She was wearing a pink and white stripe ski cap, her nose and cheeks were red from the weather. She was bundled in a snow jacket and grey mittens. Her smile was wide and showed that she was missing a front tooth.

"Did you get taller?" Rhode asked the blonde with a teasing smile.

Annabeth stood straighter, her chin high. "I grew a whole inch!" She said with pride.

"No way?" Rhode mock awed. "Wow, you're going to be taller than me soon!"

Annabeth looked pleased at that.

"And what happen to your tooth?"

"Got hit in practice, came right out." The blonde beamed, "I got a Drachma under my pillow the next morning!"

"Lucky," Rhode pouted playfully. Rhode remembered when she got a loose tooth with Thalia around. She told the younger girl about the Tooth Fairy, but Rhode didn't believe her. Rhode had tried it when she was younger, but never got anything. Imagine her surprise when she did get a quarter after that tooth. Thalia told her the fairy's USA branch was far better than its UK counterpart. Rhode was so lost in the memory, she didn't even notice Luke until his voice jolted her out of it.

"Rhode," Luke smiled brightly. He was sporting some winter gear too, along with an orange scarf. He gave her a half-hug, one she returned, "Glad you're back."

"Glad to be back." Rhode smirked at him, her arm around Annabeth, who was smiling up at them.


Annabeth was holding Rhode's hand, chattering like a chipmunk and asking how her term was. Rhode mentioned her detentions, making Annabeth scold her. Saying that it wasn't good to get them. Rhode just told her the teachers were meanies. Luke just gave her a hidden thumbs up, making the older demigoddess smirk a little as they went to the Big House.

"Ah, Rhode, welcome back." Chiron smiled from his wheelchair. He was wearing a dark brown turtleneck with a red scarf. His beard was longer too. The trainer of heroes was sitting on the deck with the plump Mr. D, playing cards with two invisible players.

"And so the prodigal daughter returns." Mr. D drawled. His eyes were bloodshot as usual and was as cranky as a sobering addict, which he was. He was in his leopard print shirt and was sipping his infamous diet coke.

Rhode liked to think of him as the god of cola and whine. Heh, that was a good one.

"Chiron," Rhode nodded back kindly, "Mr. D." she said with little enthusiasm.

"Yes yes, blah blah." Mr. D waved off, "Now scat. I'm just about to win." The wine god said, showing his hand with a smug smirk.

Chiron gasped, "Oh my."

"Yes!"

"That is a very good hand…but mine is still sadly better." The centaur smiled, showing his own hand.

Mr. D gave Chiron a look, like he was going to vaporize him, but just grunted, "Pheh, I'm tired of playing." He stood up, "I'll be taking a nap before dinner." The god turned and walked into the Big House like a sore loser.

Chiron collected the cards and placed them back in their box. He turned to face the half-bloods, "Rhode, wonderful to see you again. How was your semester?" he asked as the campers each took a seat at the table.

Rhode shrugged, "Okay. Kinda tough, but I'm hanging on." She pulled out her homework with Su's, "Here you go…you dictator." She pouted.

"Of education? Most certainly." The centaur chortled well naturedly. "Lee usually sends his by owl, so I will grade them once I get his."

Rhode nodded and swallowed, "So, um, I was wondering if I could go somewhere today?"

Luke looked surprised as Annabeth tilted her head quizzically.

Chiron just raised a bushy eyebrow, "After having just got here? May I inquire where?"

Rhode nibbled her lip, "It's something that I want to get out of the way as quickly as possible, you know? It's a place called Godric's Hollow. My...mum and stepdad are buried there. I'd like to visit them, leave flowers. It's been over a decade." She told the trainer. Normally, Rhode would just go, but she respected Chiron. Just brushing him off like that wouldn't be cool.

Chiron made a humming sound, stroking his beard, "I wouldn't be opposed to this." He informed her, making Rhode release the breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Will you be going alone?"

Rhode looked at Annabeth and Luke, "I wouldn't mind some company." She said to her family.

"I'm in." Luke nodded.

"Me too!" Annabeth agreed instantly.

Rhode smiled prettily at that, but looked around. "Hey, where's goat boy? He's a part of this ragtag family too."

"I believe he is working at the stables." Chiron comment with pursed lips.

"Cool, I need to say hi to Flóga too." Rhode said, standing up.

Annabeth got out of her seat, "I'll go to Cabin Four, get some flowers." She said, eager to help, and dashed away.

Luke shook his head in amusement, "Always moving." He chuckled and pushed out his chair to stand up. He looked Rhode in the eyes and said, "You okay?"

No, she was going to see the graves of her mum and stepdad and was actually a little nervous. "Yeah, I'm fine." She told her friend. Luke nodded and said he'd check on Annabeth.

"Rhode," Chiron said, drawing her attention, "We do have the hearing coming up."

"Oh, right."

The centaur nodded and said, "Yes, it is set a little before New Year's. I will be preparing in the meantime. Your opinion, however, will be the most important."

"I'm picking here, no matter what." Rhode said firmly to Chiron, getting a quirked smile.

"Excellent to hear. Now go, fetch Grover, child."

Rhode nodded to Chiron and walked at a sedate pace to the stables and looked over the camp as she made her way. She could see Jack zipping around a snowball fight, waving his staff, giving more ammo to each side of a Cabin Five versus Cabin Six match. Cabin Seven were making some beautiful snow sculptures. Some of Hermes' kids were sneaking out of the camp store with candy loot up to their pointy ears. With the elfish looks they inherited from their dad they looked like a dead ringer for a Santa elf, though with their also inherited knack for trouble and thievery maybe it was safer to say that they were elves gone rogue. Cabin Four was trimming a large tree with lights and tinsel and colorful flowers. The infectious excitement filled Rhode as she smiled at the scenes.

Finally making it to the stables, Rhode could see Grover in a bulky brown jacket, shoveling out some horse droppings, complaining about why it had to be frozen.

Gross.

"Grover!" she called out, making him jump in the air. As uncoordinated as always, his cloven hoof landed in a pile of doo-doo as he regained his footing.

"Aw man." Grover cursed his luck. He turned and stepped out of the gunk, trying to smile, "Hey Rhode, welcome back."

"Yo. Clean off that hoof, you got protecting to do." The daughter of Poseidon said, stuffing her hands in Thalia's jacket pockets.

"Wha?"

Rhode nudged her head towards the campfire, "Me, Luke, and Bethy are going out into the mortal world. We need our goaty protector. So come on."

Grover snorted at that, "You need me to protect you? Okay." He rolled his eyes.

Rhode frowned and walked forward, taking his arm, "Hey, I'm going to see my mum's and stepdad's graves, okay? I want my family with me."

"Rhode, I-"

Rhode's glare cut him off, "If you say you aren't, I'll be pissed. You are a part of our group. Even if it was for only two weeks, you're one of us. So I say you're going. Got it?" she ordered sternly.

"Yes ma'am." Grover caved quickly with a visible gulp.

The daughter of Poseidon was all smiles, "Good. Clean up and meet us at the campfire." She said as she moved into the stables to spend some time with her pegasus friend, the fiery coated filly bouncing around at seeing her.

And asking for Christmas bagels.

Grover just shook his head. Rhode could be scary when she wanted to be.


The group met before the campfire. Annabeth was holding a long and thin white cardboard box. Luke was with her, wearing a strangely respectful look. One that Rhode had never thought she'd ever see gracing his face. Grover was in jeans and his fake feet to pass as a mortal. Chiron waved them goodbye as they entered the Floo network and ended up in the back of a pub in Godric's Hollow.

The wizard who was the owner greeted them warmly. Keeping her hat over her scar, Rhode went straight to business and asked for directions to the Potters' graves. The man happily pointed her to the church and even told them about the memorial at the Potters' ruined cottage. The cottage Rhode was born and raised at for the first year of her life.

The group exited the pub, seeing the village for the first time. It was a small community, which surrounded the village square with only a church, a post office, the pub, and a few retail shops. The residential streets were lined with quaint cottages, leading up to the church.

In the center of the square was a statue. At first glance, it seemed like an obelisk. But as the group got closer, it changed magically. Statues of James, Lily, and an infant Rhode, who looked contented in her mother's arms, were sitting on a bench and huddled together. The snow made it look like they had knit caps on their heads.

Rhode's jaw clenched and her hands dug deeper into her pockets.

She thought she would be upset, start to cry or something. But she only felt hollowness at seeing the statue and maybe some anger.

Annabeth, still holding the box, grabbed Rhode's arm, "Your mommy looks pretty." She said, looking up at the nice statues.

"Yeah." Was all Rhode said. She turned on the balls of her feet, heading for the cottage of the Potter family. And boy, had it seen better days.

The hedge had grown wild in the decade Rhode had been away from the ruin that was surrounded by the waist-high grass. Most of the cottage was still standing, though entirely covered in dark ivy and snow, but the right side of the top floor had been blown apart.

There was a memorial plaque next to the gate, written in gold cursive. Grover translated. The plaque explained that the cottage had been left in its ruined state and made invisible to Muggles, as a monument to the Potters and to Voldemort's downfall.

Rhode fingers traced the letters. There were numerous signatures on the sign, carved initials, little messages. After a moment, she drew her dagger and started carving.

"What are you making?" Luke asked, looking over her shoulder.

Rhode however stayed silent, her hand pressed against the sign as she dug deeper into the wood. She had changed the first "T" in Potter into a trident. On each tip, she put one letter. First "R", then "J", and finally "E".

She sheathed her dagger. "Let's go to the graves." Rhode said and marched ahead, a blank mask on her face.

"She's being really…quiet." Grover whispered to Luke as they followed her.

"She's trying to figure things out, Grover."

"I know, but I expected some, I don't know, tears?"

Luke's icy blue eyes cut to Rhode's back, "It's because she's not really sad." He said, adjusting his scarf. How was Rhode not freezing?

"Say what now?" Grover whispered with disbelief.

Luke pointed his gloved finger towards Rhode, "Unlike us, Rhode never got to know her mortal parent, Grover. Her first real family was...Thalia."

Grover made a noise in his throat, unsure of Luke's answer. They ended up at the small church with glowing stained glass windows. Rhode had gone in to ask the Reverend where the graves were. The kind old man led the group to a single grave covered in snow as it protruded from the ground.

"May God watch over you and enjoy a Merry Yule, children." The Reverend said as he bowed his head and left.

Rhode's green eyes were fixated on the grave, struggling to read its inscription: "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." The words jumped around Rhode's head, carving into it. Annabeth padded up to Rhode, holding out the box for her, "Thanks, Bethy."

"No problem." The little blonde smiled.

Rhode opened the box where two red roses rested neatly. Her fingers gently plucked out each flower and placed them in an "X" in front of the grave. She closed the box and gave it back to Annabeth. Rhode took a deep breath.

"Hey Mum, Dad, er, James…you know what? I'll just call you James." The daughter of Poseidon said, rubbing her hat covered hair, "Darn it, I don't even know what to say here..." Agitation riveted her voice.

What could Rhode even say? Hey people I don't even remember! How's being dead? Good? That's nice.

Yeah, real swell. It was kind of annoying to know they were practically strangers to the daughter of Poseidon.

"I've been good. Well, as good as a kid living on the streets can be I guess. I go by Evans now, Mum. Sorry, James. I…just can't be a Potter." Rhode said with an edge. She couldn't go back to being Rhode Potter.

Rhode Potter was nothing more than a weakling. A wallflower, a pushover, a slave to the Dursleys.

When Rhode ran away, that weak little girl died in her forever.

Long live Rhode Evans.

"I've got a new family now. So I'm not alone anymore." Rhode said softly, looking over her shoulder, smiling at them, pulling in Annabeth. She held the daughter of Athena in front of her, hands rested on the young girl's shoulders, "This is Annabeth. A daughter of Athena. I know, right? A child of Poseidon and Athena hanging out together? The world must be ending." She laughed softly, "She's a smart little cookie though, spunky too."

"Hello." Annabeth waved a little, "Nice to meet you." She blinked and looked up at Rhode, who was smiling softly down at her. The blonde's lips tugged upwards, "I like Rhode, she's really nice."

Rhode waved Luke over, giving him a half-hug, "This is Luke. He's a crafty dude."

"It's a gift." Luke smirked down at her, getting one back.

"And he's modest." Rhode chuckled, "He needs someone to save his butt from the fire though from time to time. Good thing he has Bethy and me."

"Yeah!" Annabeth nodded.

Luke pouted at that, giving the girls a mock glare. That just made their smiles grow.

"But he's one of my best friends nonetheless." Rhode continued and looked at Grover, "Get over here goat boy." Grover did so and Rhode put her hand on his shoulder, "This guy's Grover. He's my Protector. He got me to camp, my home. Our home." She said strongly, "He's a bit of a crybaby, but he's the best damn Satyr around."

"Rhode," Grover grumbled, his face red at her words.

"It's true." The daughter of Poseidon insisted and paused, collecting herself. "And…then there…was Thalia." Rhode said, her voice heavy with emotion, her chest feeling just as heavy. "Gods, where to begin with her? Well, I wouldn't be who I am today without that one." She took a breath, "I'm sure if you could've met her, you'd have liked her too." Her vivid green eyes started to leak against her will, "She helped me be strong. She taught me so much. She saved me from the stupid stuff I would do." She laughed, the tears falling freely, "She's my best friend, my sister, I just, I-I love her so much."

Luke gained a sad look along with Annabeth, who squeezed her tiny mitten-clad hand in Rhode's bare one. The daughter of Poseidon squeezed lightly back in kind.

Rhode knelt down on one knee in front of the grave. She placed her bare hand on the cool stone. "A part of me wishes…I could have met you." Her tone hollowed out, as if all the emotion had drained out of her, "But, I don't even know you. I, I have to move forward with my new family. My past as a Potter, it's just a memory that I want to die."

Her entire posture suddenly changed as she continued. "And you know what? That's your fault! It was your fault, the both of you! I had to suffer all the bullshit! First, you get yourselves killed! Seriously!? Fighting in a war when you had a baby to take care of?" she demanded, the volume of her voice rising as her anger boiled over, "That's beyond stupid! And even if I was some unplanned surprise or whatever, why the hell didn't you flee the frickin country after I was born?! Was my safety unimportant to you?" she continued to rant as her tears grew angry, staining her face. They slowly solidified into trickles of ice, sticking to her cheek, but it didn't bother her at all.

Around Rhode, her friends could only watch in stupefied awe even as kept going as she stood up. "And then you had the gall to trust my guardianship to Albus dumbass Dumbledore!? The idiot sent me to the Dursleys! Where I was treated like a frickin slave!" she stomped her foot, throwing a fit, one punctuated by the earth shaking slightly, as if in sympathy with her feelings, "Did you not know what those people were like? Or were you idiots?" her voice tightened, hoarse from her shouting as she trailed off, panting.

Catching her breath again, she continued with a sigh, "You know what? I don't care anymore. Like I said, the past is behind me and I don't want to look back. So, I'm sorry." She said half-heartedly, "Thank you, for what you've done. For what you've sacrificed. I promise I'll honor the chance you gave me. The chance to live. And I'll live it the best way I can. My way. Which you guys aren't a part of." The child of the sea said firmly, her lips formed into a thin line, roughly banishing her icy tears with her sleeve.

"This is probably the only time I'll come here. The past is the past, and I want to enter the next chapter of my life." Rhode reaffirmed.

Barely collecting herself, Rhode turned to her family.

"Let's go back home, guys." She said, giving them a tired look, her shoulders feeling just a little lighter.

The guys nodded and turned to walk away along with Rhode. Annabeth, however, lagged behind.

The daughter of Athena approached the grave and patted it, "I'll look out for Rhode, I promise."

"Annabeth, come on!"

Annabeth jumped, "Coming Luke!" she cried back and turned to the grave, "It was nice to meeting you." The young girl dashed after her family, once more taking Rhode's hand tightly in her little mitten clad one.


It was December twenty second.

The early morning cold nipped at the air. Rhode was dressed in just her pajama pants, boots, CHB tee-shirt, her beanie, and Thalia's jacket. The cold air not bothering her all that much as usual.

With hands deep in pockets, Rhode looked up at the pine tree that was her friend with broken sea glass eyes.

"Happy birthday, Thals…" She walked closer and rested her head against the cold rough bark. "I met my parents the other day. The mortal ones." Rhode added with a sad smile. "It was…I don't know, but it felt good to pay my respects and move on. I wish you could've gone with me."

The crunching of snow drew her attention and in her peripheral vision, she saw Luke wrapped up in a coat.

"Morning, Rhode."

"Hey, Luke. Heh, been a year now, huh?" Rhode said fondly since they first met in Charleston.

Luke gave her a sad smile, "Yeah, it has." He looked up the tree, his jaw was tight.

The two half-bloods basked in the silence as a wind swept by, swirling snow into the air.

"…How are you holding up?" Rhode asked the blond. They'd hardly had time to just talk alone.

Luke shrugged, "I'm doing good. Been training a lot and learning new skills."

Rhode frowned and turned to face him, "You know what I mean, Skywalker."

"No, I don't."

Rhode scowled, "Don't play dumb. I thought blonds hated that stereotype."

Luke turned to her, "I'm fine. But I could ask you the same question, Rhode."

The daughter of Poseidon grunted at that, turning to face the tree and avoid his eyes. "Your birthday's coming up."

"Yep." Luke nodded, seemingly thankful for the change of subject, "The first of January."

"New beginnings and all that."

"Pretty much."

"…You want anything?" Rhode asked him curiously.

Luke hummed, cocking his head to the side in thought, "Nah, I got what I need. Though I wouldn't be opposed to a pair of socks."

"Socks?" Rhode raised a brow in disbelief, a laugh escaping her lips.

"Hey," Luke said with a mock serious voice, pointing a finger at her, "First, not all of us can take the cold like you. Second, a pair of socks saved my life once."

"Riiight."

"They did!"

"Uh-huh." Rhode nodded, clearly humoring him. She laughed a little and turned around, walking down the hill. "See you at breakfast, Sock Boy."

"Ha-ha." Luke rolled his eyes as she left. He looked at the tree once more with saddened eyes. "Hey, Thalia…happy birthday." He whispered, "…I miss you."


A few days before Christmas, Rhode had to go to Manhattan with Chiron and Argus, the head of security at the camp, for a medical exam. Argus looked like a typical blond surfer dude, with the exception that he has a hundred blue eyes all over his body. The trainer said had said that she had to get a legal medical file for the hearing.

Christmas Eve was pretty good, everyone joined at the campfire, singing songs. Carols, the Hokey Pokey, the Macarena, etc. People were holding goblets of hot cocoa and their fingers were sticky from s'mores.

This was the loudest Christmas Rhode had ever had...and she was loving it. The fireballs around the camp would dance around and people were telling stories to one another.

It turned out to be Jack's birthday, so everyone sang for the boy. It was just that fun of a mood as the campfire was burning strong from the cheer.

Rhode gave Jack some birthday punches, just for his birthday's sake and for dumping snow down Annabeth's jacket.

The young blonde was pleased by this. Jack's bruised shoulder? Less so.

After a peaceful night of sleep, Christmas morning was upon the camp. Everyone was hanging out, exchanging presents and just chatting.

Rhode's little family was no exception. Luke was first to give Rhode her gift, a small plain cardboard box. Opening it, her eyes went wide, "How did you even get this?" she exclaimed looking over the digital camera. It was a Canon S110.

Luke winked, "I have my ways."

"No, seriously, how'd you get it?" Rhode asked once more.

"Secret."

"…Fine." The daughter of the sea pouted, but soon grinned, "Man, this thing rocks. Too bad that Hogwarts is like an anti-tech zone. But still, this'll be great for summer. Thanks, Luke." She said with a beaming smile as Luke returned it readily.

"Me next, me next!" Annabeth said in her Santa cap and gave her own small box. Rhode smiled and opened it, revealing A Word A Day calendar in ancient Greek. She gave Annabeth an amused look.

"Vocabulary is important." The daughter of wisdom nodded.

"I'll take your word for it," Rhode gave her a half-hug, "Still, thanks, Bethy."

Annabeth just looked up at her with a smile.

It was Grover's turn.

"I already did my gift." The satyr said.

"And that is?" Rhode ask curiously.

Grover gave her a deadpanned expression, "I've been cleaning up Flóga's 'presents'…they are not fun."

"…Thank you?"

"Darn right." Grover huffed.

To apologize, Rhode gave Grover his gift, getting a smile from him.

"Canned nuts!" he cheered, eating the whole can and ribbon in a few bites, getting aluminum flakes on his shirt.

Rhode next tossed a bag to Luke, who caught it. He read the label, Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, "Heh," the blond laughed, "That sounds cool." He said and opened it, Rhode suppressed a smile.

He grabbed a 'lime' flavored one and popped it in…in a second he spat it out, "Ugh!" he cried out, grabbing some snow and brushing his tongue with it, "What was that?" he asked Rhode.

"Hm, booger flavor, I guess."

Luke's eyes widened, "B-Booger?" he choked.

"When it says every flavor, it means every flavor." The daughter of Poseidon offered a teasing smile.

"…You are evil." The son of Hermes confirmed.

"Nah, but now you can test the rest on your cabin." She suggested with humor, getting a thoughtful look from Luke.

"Huh, I like that." The blond boy rubbed his chin.

"And next…" Rhode said and saw Annabeth looking at Rhode's last box, shaking it.

Rhode pulled the Santa cap over Annabeth's eyes, getting the blonde to whine as Luke snickered along with Grover.

"No peeking, Bethy." Rhode mock scolded as she took the box back.

"I wasn't peeking!"

"Uh-huh." Rhode said grabbing a box as Annabeth adjusted her hat to see. Her older friend presented the box to her a moment later. The child's face lit up and she ripped open the paper into shreds. The revealed box was a shoebox and when opened, they were small pentagram cases inside. "Chocolate…frogs?" Annabeth cocked her head to the right. "They're not real frogs, are they?" she said, giving Rhode a suspicious look.

"No, just shaped like them." Rhode said with a small knowing smile.

Annabeth hummed and took one of the cases and opened it, "Wow!" she said, "It looks just like one! Huh?" she blinked as the frog twitched and hopped right onto Annabeth's face, "Ah!" she squeaked and fell on her back and the frog started hopping away.

The plucky blonde blinked owlishly and got up, "No, come back froggy!" she said, chasing after it.

"Please tell me you are getting this?" Luke asked Rhode as Annabeth tripped, her snow covered face puffing up and she drew her dagger, declaring righteous war on the cocoa amphibian. Rhode turned on her new camera and went to movie mode, recording Annabeth give chase to the chocolate frog.

"Oh yeah."

"We're holding this over her for a while, aren't we?"

"Forever, Skywalker."

After a thirty second chase, Annabeth marched back with chocolate on her lips, "The enemy has been vanquished." Her grey eyes narrowed, "In my belly."

Rhode just took her picture, "Nice job, Bethy." She praised with a snicker. Annabeth sat next to her, looking at the other covered frogs.

"I'm going to have to open them in an enclosed space." The child said thoughtfully.

"There's that Athena wisdom." Grover laughed as Annabeth covered her box of 'villainous' chocolate.

The rest of the gifts were handed out. Luke got A Word A Day calendar; it was a two for one sale at the Camp Store. Luke gave Annabeth a book on buildings, which she gushed over. It came with stickers too. The blonds had also given cans to Grover.

"Why do I keep getting cans?"

Rhode raised a brow, "You don't want them?"

"I never said that." Grover declared and ate them in goaty bliss.

The group just hung out the rest of the morning until Atlanta said that Chiron was looking for Rhode.


"I have to change my clothes?" Rhode asked Chiron as she was sitting in the Big House, discussing her custody hearing that was in two days.

"Well, you certainly can't go looking like a hobo." Mr. D said, reading his wine magazine.

Rhode looked down at what she was wearing. A beaten up Green Day shirt, worn jeans, scuffed up sneakers, and Thalia's battered jacket. Adjusting the beanie on her head, her brow furrowed, not seeing what was wrong with her outfit.

"Thank you, Mr. D." Chiron said dryly.

"Anytime." The wine god nodded, turning a page.

Chiron cleared his throat, "Yes, well, I've asked Cabin Ten to assist with this." The centaur said, "Please head over there before the day ends."

"…Seriously?" Rhode asked.

"Yes."

"…Really?"

"Rhode," Chiron sighed, "It will help with your situation."

Rhode gave a broody pout, "Fine." She said, "Might as well get this over with." Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she marched out of the Big House to meet her fate with the valor of the Spartans of old.

"Brat." Mr. D scoffed when the door closed.

"Oh?" Chiron raised a bushy brow, "And if someone decided to take your exotic feline printed shirts?"

"…Shut up." Dionysus replied childishly, burying his face in his magazine.

Chiron's lip quirked upward, his beard twitching merrily.


Rhode chewed her lip as she looked at the Aphrodite cabin.

It had a painted roof, with pillars and a blue-and-white checkerboard deck with steps and gray walls. It was usually filled with beautiful girls with designer clothing and very good-looking boys. But since it was winter, it had less kids in it like most cabins. To Rhode, it looked like some Barbie House gone life-size with a pink door, lace curtains, and potted carnations by the windows.

She walked up the deck and rapped her knuckles against the door. As she waited, Rhode idly wondered whether or not the gods were trying to tell her something with the color. Satan lay inside, or something? It'd make sense considering their color scheme.

"Yes?" an angelic voice asked as an older girl opened the door, "Oh! You must be Rhode." She smiled glamorously. She looked like a model. Her hair was a silky golden blonde in a bouncy bob cut that reached her jawline, glimmering sapphire blue eyes, and her face was rounded with a cleft chin. She was in a CHB shirt and jeans, but made it look like something off a runway. She held out a well-manicured hand, "Emily Raines, co-head counselor of Cabin Ten." She introduced herself in a chipper attitude.

"Um, Rhode Evans." She said back and shook her hand, which was very soft, "Don't think we've met. Wait, co-head counselor?" the daughter of Poseidon blinked.

Emily nodded with a beaming smile, "I run the cabin with my twin, Ethan. Oh, how rude of me. Please, come in." she said, ushering Rhode in.

As soon as she entered, Rhode's nostrils burned of perfume, making her cough a bit. Rubbing her eyes, she saw the burning color of pink on the walls with white window trim. The curtains and beds were pastel blue and green. Each bed had a hope chest with names painted on them.

"Everyone," Emily said, "Say hello to Rhode." She instructed nicely.

"Hi Rhode." The few boys and girls chorused. The children of the love goddess were either chatting between themselves, reading magazines, or gushing over their Christmas gifts.

"This the one Chiron wanted us to do that makeover for?" An older boy asked, as he made his way over to the two girls by the door. He looked a lot like Emily. Same round face, same cleft chin, sharp sapphire blue eyes, but his golden blond hair was short and gelled up in a messy spiky fashion, but still looked good and gave off this cool guy vibe. Rhode figured him to be Ethan. She looked at his hands, he was holding a sketch pad and pencil.

The entire cabin perked up at the word 'Makeover', eyes locked onto the daughter of Poseidon. She had the distinct impression she had been dunked in fish guts and thrown to the sharks.

Emily clapped her hands once, "Yes she is. Rhode has to go to a legal matter, so we have to get her looking nice." She explained, "Think we can help?" She asked her siblings with her hands on her hips.

The cabin affirmed with nods all around.

Emily pumped her fist, "Let's get to work people!" she cheered, her younger siblings cheering in agreement.

Ethan just stayed quiet, drawing...something.

Rhode gulped, why were their eyes gleaming like that?

Daddy, help! Rhode cried in her mind as she was dragged towards her fashionable doom.


It was a bit surreal for Rhode. The only person she ever talked fashion with was Thalia. They usually had to dress practical. Light, mobile, and something to allow them to blend into a crowd. Heck, they didn't really know about a lot of girly stuff in general. Make-up? Nope. Giggling at boys? Gross! Other girly stuff? No dice.

The few guys in the cabin stayed out of the many girls' way. There was a pulley curtain attached to the ceiling so Rhode had privacy to change. Emily led the Crusade for the outfits. So far they had gone through about ten of them. It was either too cutesy, too girly, or just too pink for Rhode's tastes.

She had to get rid of her undershirt for most of the clothes and Emily gently asked if she started bra training. Rhode had honestly no idea what she was talking about, leading the female co-head of the cabin to give her a five minute talk about training bras since Rhode was 'developing'. She felt embarrassed about it, since she knew nothing about that type of thing. Emily told her that it was perfectly okay and got a few training bras from the camp store, which she worked at, in an assortment of colors for Rhode.

Rhode had to admit, Emily was very nice. She thought some of the Aphrodite kids would be snobby, since Thalia usually said that popular kids, which these kids seemed like, were like that. She had seen it when she went school in Britain too. But they were just nice, albeit good looking, kids like any other camper. Of course some gave off a snobbish vibe too. Still, she couldn't deny they knew their stuff, even if it was a little too...pink for her tastes.

Either way, that didn't stop Rhode from feeling grumpy as they treated her like a glorified Barbie doll.

Rhode's eye twitched as she looked into the body mirror at her latest outfit.

"I look like I came out of the forties!" Rhode complained. She was in a periwinkle dress. Periwinkle! It went to her knees and went well with the white stockings and nice black dress shoes she also wore. All of this was topped off by a black ribbon under the collar. She looked proper…too proper!

"Sixties." Ethan corrected from behind his sketch book.

"Whatever! Where's my golden ticket so I can go to the chocolate factory?" Rhode said with snark.

Emily broke out into giggles, making Rhode look at her, "Sorry, sorry." The pretty blonde stifled her amusement, "It's just, our dad runs a chocolate factory, so, its-!" she broke out into a new set of giggles.

Ethan sighed and got out of his bed, "Okay, I think you've had your fun, girls." He said in a bored tone.

"Fun?" The daughter of Poseidon frowned.

Ethan shook his head, "They're just going for cute things and such for you." He flipped his sketch pad over, showing a very detailed picture of Rhode in a fashionable outfit…that she didn't disapprove of. "You have your own tastes, tomboyish obviously. So you need to feel comfortable with that style, but we still need it to look fashionable."

Emily leaned in, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the sketch. She then stood erect, beaming at her brother, "As expected of my dearest twin. You know your stuff better than even us!"

"Huh?"

Emily twirled around to face the daughter of Poseidon, her right hand holding up her left elbow. Her left finger pointing up, "Ethan here wants to go into fashion and is brilliant at making outfits. When it comes to fashion, you can consider him a super son of Aphrodite!"

"Can you not call me something so lame sounding?" Ethan asked with an insufferable sigh.

"L-Lame?!" Emily looked shocked, perhaps a tad over dramatic in Rhode's opinion, "Brother, your words are like a dagger to my maiden heart!"

Ethan just gave her a solid blink.

Emily pouted and crossed her arms, "Pitee." She huffed.

Ethan rolled his eyes, "Samun."

"It's their own twin language." A son of Aphrodite whispered to Rhode, who thought the twins were just speaking gibberish. So twins had their own language? Weird.

The other Aphrodite kids were admiring the picture, nodding to one another. Ethan, in the meantime, went to a closet, there was more than one, and got out some clothes.

After a few minutes he came out with a pile of clothes and went to hand them. It was then one of his little sister's spoke up.

"Oh, um, I ripped that shirt by accident, Ethan." She meekly admitted.

Ethan's blue eyes cut to her, making the girl look down. The boy sighed, "Why didn't you say anything, Megan?"

"I forgot?"

Ethan just sighed again, "Where?"

"Left sleeve, under the forearm."

Ethan placed most of the clothes down. With the shirt in hand, he moved over to a cabinet, ran his finger up the drawers and pulled one open. Inside the drawer were spools of green thread in varying shades, each shade attached to a separate wheel. He scanned the sleeve over the numerous shades. He grabbed a sewing needle after finding the color and with a twitch of his pinkie, the thread came to life and looped itself in the needle's eye. His hand blurred as he fixed the hole in seconds, making it look like there was no damage to it in the first place. He walked over and handed it to Rhode, "Here you go, try these on." He instructed with a small smile.

Rhode gave a small nod, "Thanks." She said and changed.

Moments later, Rhode pulled away the curtain, getting many approving whispers.

She was in a pair of black capris that stopped at the middle of her shin. She donned stylish black boots with two gold buckles on the sides. They went up the rest of her leg where the capris stopped, but also had combat boot-like soles, excellent for running. Around her waist was a short black skirt. Normally, she'd not wear them, but with the capris on, she didn't have to worry it would reveal anything and it didn't restrict her leg movements. Holding it up was a black belt with a gold belt buckle with the word Prada on it. Finally, she had on a cowl-turtleneck sweater of a dark green shade, that seemed to make her eyes pop and worked with her short hair, even if it was streaked red in the bangs.

Rhode shifted over to the body mirror and was stunned for a moment, almost not recognizing herself.

Emily walked over and Rhode could see her smile in the mirror, "You look very pretty, Rhode."

The daughter of Poseidon mutely nodded. She kept staring at herself and had to say, she didn't dislike the outfit, it looked fashionable, but still felt functional to fight in and was to her tastes. This, at last, was something she'd be comfortable wearing.

Ethan walked over to her other side and said, "Normally I'd add a brooch and a necklace, but that kind of jewelry isn't to your taste I figured." He ran a hand through his hair. He scanned the pants she was wearing, "It's a size too big." He said and waved his hand, the pants shrunk and fit Rhode perfectly now. "There, hope you like it." He said and made way back to his bed, going back to his sketch book.

"Hope you like it." Emily mimicked her brother's tone, "Geez, trying to play it cool, huh, Ethan?"

"Shut up." The boy mumbled with irritation, but you could hear it was half-hearted at best.

Emily just giggled and was about tell Rhode something, but an argument cut her off. Rhode turned to see two younger kids, maybe around Annabeth's age, arguing over some candy.

Emily moved over to them, "Tammy, Chris, there's plenty of chocolate for everyone." She gently said.

"But I want that one!" Tammy whined.

"It's mine!" Chris said as Emily tried to resolve the situation peacefully.

Ethan on the other hand looked annoyed.

"Tammy, Chris, shut up and sit down." His voice carried weight, making Rhode think she should almost sit down too.

The two kids did as told with their hands in their laps, a glazed look in their eyes.

Ethan's annoyed look turned into a scowl, "Dammit." He said and reached out for his hope chest, pulling out some headphones and a CD player. Putting them on, he muted out the rest of the cabin as they whispered something about charmspeak.

"Well," Emily said with a forced smile, "Rhode, I hope you enjoy the outfit. You can keep it if you want or return it after you're done with it." She explained and gently led Rhode out, after giving back her old clothes.

"What was that about?" Rhode asked as they walked down the steps of the cabin.

Emily nibbled her lip, looking thoughtful, "Let's just say that Ethan has a rare gift from our mother and he's not very thrilled with it." She explained, "Good luck with your legal affair, Rhode. Best of luck." She said with a pleasant smile and skipped back into her cabin.

Rhode hefted the clothes in her arm and headed back to Cabin Three, wondering what she just had witnessed.


The day had finally arrived, it was time for Rhode's custody hearing. Or more accurately the hearing where testimony was going to be given. According to Chiron, the whole thing was too complicated to be settled in one sitting of the court, but witnesses were only expected to testify today and the rest of the legal stuff would be settled between the court and the lawyers.

Getting dressed in her new clothes, Rhode threw on Thalia's jacket and put on her beanie. She'd have to take them off for court of course, but taking them along, especially the jacket, was a small comfort that Thalia would be with her in a way.

Chiron was looking rather dapper. A tanned blazer, a silk white business shirt with gold cufflinks, a killer looking gold Rolex, and a satin red tie with a gold tie ring. His hair was pushed back and his beard was as epic as usual. And with his wheelchair, the fake legs wore matching pants to the blazer, he had a briefcase on his 'lap' and was set to go to court.

Annabeth and Luke saw them off as they entered the campfire and went to the Ministry of Magic in Great Britain.

As they exited the Floo Rhode looked around, trying her damndest to drink everything in. The wall the fireplace was connected to to was paneled in some kind of shiny polished dark wood and had a long row of gilded fireplaces connected to it, many of which, other people kept whooshing out of. Soaking everything in, Rhode noticed that the floor tiled with finely polished hardwood.

Above them the peacock-blue ceiling shone with inlaid golden symbols that continuously undulated, changing rapidly like some heavenly notice board. The wall opposite them was lined with more fireplaces in which a short queue of magicals were waiting in front of, each one looking to depart the hall.

"Not that impressive." Rhode scoffed under her breath, getting an amused look from Chiron.

"Oh, I agree. Olympus is far better."

Rhode blinked and looked at the trainer, "You know, I don't even know where it is. It moved due to Western Civilization, right?" she asked, having hears about the concept of the Heart of the West a few times at camp and how it meant the mythical sites of ancient Greece had moved to the US.

Western Civilization is the metaphysical force which moves with the flow of civilization. It's the pure essence of mankind's culture and connects together everything that constitutes humanity's collective spirit and civilization. Some in the know call it the flame, the force that moves with the center of human prosperity and influence, and was originally founded in Greece and soon made its merry way to the good old U.S. of A.

The Olympians are super tight with Western Civilization as they are both its source and its embodiment. Since the rise of Greece, when the gods resided on the actual Mount Olympus, their home bounces around to correspond with the epicenter of human society. This connection resulted in a profound effect on the gods and mortal civilization.

Should Western Civilization decline, the gods would be severely weakened, and if the Olympian order was overthrown, then human civilization would unravel at the seams, degenerating into chaos.

You know, just another Manic Monday.

Chiron gave a praising nod, "Indeed. Olympus actually floats above the Empire State Building on the six hundred floor."

"Whoa." Rhode blinked, "We're really close to it, huh?"

"Of course we'd be. It's always been this way." Chiron said as he pinned a bronze button to the lapel of his blazer, it had three gold letters on it, DYG. He then handed one to her.

"Uh, what's this?" Rhode asked, examining the pin before her eyes, turning it around between her fingers.

"Our cover," Chiron explained, "The Delphi Youth Group."

"…I thought the camp was the Delphi Strawberry Service?" Rhode asked, pinning the object onto her shirt.

"Oh, it is. But we have different aliases to use at our discretion. Now is such a time." The centaur said as a voice drew his attention, cutting off their conversation.

"Mr. Brunner?" A man walking up to them asked. He was tall, easily six feet. He wore a black business suit. He had cropped blond hair with green eyes. Also, his accent was clearly not British like practically everyone else in the lobby.

"Yes." Chiron said, soon smiling, holding out his hand, "I take they sent you, mister?"

"Smith. Mr. Smith." Mr. Smith said and shook the offered hand, "Yes, the American MoM sent me as an observer for the hearing. After all, we just want what's in the best interest for Ms. Evans here. We can't have any miscarriage of justice for an American citizen."

"Huh?" Rhode said, since when did she become an American citizen? Last she checked, she snuck into the US, or was pushed overboard to be precise. She turned to Chiron, who had a twinkle in his eyes. Okay, it was official, Chiron was best pony. Ever.

"Shall we proceed on?" Mr. Smith asked. Chiron nodded as Rhode gave a smaller one and they headed through the lobby and saw a fountain. The fountain featured golden statues of a wizard, a witch, a centaur, a goblin, and some other short...thing with floppy ears, all which spouted water from various locales into the pool of water below.

"We're currently on Level Eight, we have to head towards Level Two." Mr. Smith said as he fixed his blue tie.

They went to some kind of lift and went down further into the building. They made it to a hallway and proceed down it. Walking through a set of doors, Rhode looked around the large circular room. There were raised benches with witches and wizards on it. Some fat, some tall, others short, some had looks of curiosity and others looked mildly bored. The way the room looked, it felt like it was supposed to be intimidating to those participating in the proceedings, to make them feel like they were somehow the bad guys.

Rhode unconsciously rubbed the pearl under her shirt, trying to calm her nerves.

A few of the magicals stood out to her. A large portly man standing on a vast podium. A stern looking woman with a monocle. And some freaky toad looking thing. They let monsters in here? Well, at least her trident was in her pocket if she needed it.

Rhode glanced to the side where, behind a great wooden desk, sat the old goat Albus Dumbledore himself, dressed in his purple robes.

"Welcome." The portly man said. "I am Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. Please, take a seat." He gestured to the empty desk. "And greetings to our American friends." He said to Mr. Smith, who just inclined his head and walked to one of the observing chairs with a stoic look.

Rhode gave a snorting giggle at the man's name. Wow, someone must've been picked on in school.

Chiron and Rhode moved to the desk. Rhode took off Thalia's jacket and her beanie, hanging them on one of the chairs. Chiron placed his briefcase on the desk, his face giving away nothing. No wonder he keeps beating Mr. D at cards, that was one heck of a poker face.

The hearing soon began, Dumbledore declaring his argument against Rhode's current living arrangements and such. Chiron disputed his points, referring to how Dumbledore botched Rhode's first residence. They argued back and forth for a while, occasionally stopping to answer questions posed by members of the court.

Rhode? Well, she was having trouble not falling asleep so she just tuned most of it out.

Fudge's voice got her attention when he said they would start hearing the testimonies now.

Dumbledore asked to call upon his first witness. What was this? Law and Order?

"I would like Ms. Evans to take the stand, your honor." Dumbledore said, making Rhode look surprised. Say what now?! She sent Chiron a nervous look, but he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Just speak the truth, my dear." The centaur murmured under his breath.

"Right." Rhode grunted and stood up, walking over to the witness box. She sat down and Dumbledore was in front of her. She had to hold back her urge to punch him.

"Hello, Ms. Evans." He greeted.

"Ask what you want." She said gruffly, not in the mood to play nice. Some of the people whispered at that, but she could care less.

"Very well," Dumbledore nodded. "Let's start simple. Tell me, how are you faring thus far in Hogwarts?"

Rhode raised a brow, "Okay, I guess. It's a little hard, but I'm getting along."

"Would you say you have difficulties adjusting to wizarding culture?"

Rhode frowned, "It's…different I guess. I mean, it's not overly wow to me."

"And why not? Certainly a culture of magic holds intrigue for a child of your age." The silver haired man asked, getting a snort from Rhode.

"Yeah, not really. I mean, sure, flying on brooms and moving chess pieces, great." She spun her finger in the air, "To me, it's just there. In the background kind of thing. I don't really see what the big deal is about it."

Rapid whispers broke out at that. Geez, what were they? Gossiping school girls?

"Have you ever seen a Quidditch match before coming to Hogwarts?"

"Well, no, it wasn-" Rhode started, but Dumbledore cut her off.

"Have you not tried to interact with any traditions of the wizarding world?"

"No," Rhode blinked rapidly, "I don't se-"

"Do you know anything of your heritage?" Dumbledore pressed on, aggravating the daughter of Poseidon as she answered.

"I guess so." she cryptically answered.

Dumbledore frowned and added, "For reference, I am referring to your Potter heritage."

"Nope." Rhode said, popping the "P", "I'm not a Potter, I go by Evans now." She declared proudly.

Scandalized murmurs broke out, which added to the irritation of the daughter of Poseidon. Dumbledore's sad and pitying look was not improving her mood either.

"Rejecting your heritage, how foolish. How sad." He heaved a heavy sigh, looking even more old. If that was possible.

Before Rhode could even rebut, Dumbledore said, "I am done with the witness for now." Rhode just shot him a seething look.

Standing up, Rhode marched to her seat, crossing her arms, sending a dirty look Dumbledore's way.

"I would like to call one of my prospective guardians, Arthur Weasley." The headmaster said as more whispers broke out.

To Rhode, some were ridicule, others amusement, and lastly distaste.

An older looking Ron who'd seen better days walked up to the stand in battered robes. He greeted the court and Dumbledore proceed to question him.

"Mr. Weasley, you are a family man, correct?"

Arthur gave a solid nod, "Without a doubt, sir."

Dumbledore smiled, "Tell us, how well would you care for young Rhode?"

The response really rattled Rhode's cage.

Arthur was all smiles, his words kind and thoughtful, "Oh, we'd treat her like one of our own. I know the Potter's had a long history, all old and noble families do. We'd do our very best to teach it all to her. And as for the rest? Well, it might take some time, but I'm sure she'd grow to love our culture. Hasn't done us wrong so far." He said.

Rhode's sea green eyes were a whirlpool of harsh emotions. She turned to have a hushed conversation with Chiron.

"The heck was that about?" she hissed. "The guy kept stopping me from answering and now this one just keeps spouting about things I don't give a damn about?" she gave a small gesture to the head of the Weasley clan.

"I know." Chiron said, but had that twinkle in his eye, "Do not distress, Rhode. In battle, opposition will always do something unlikely. One must remain calm and alert. The tide of battle can turn at any moment after all."

"…But we're in court." Rhode pointed out.

"The concept holds truth here nonetheless, my dear." Chiron answered as he listened to all that Dumbledore had to say. He'd admit, the mortal was decent at best, but he was no lawyer.

Mr. Weasley was just about to leave the stand when a cool voice called out from the stands, "And how, pray tell, would you finance the raising of the child, Weasley? Merlin knows you can barely scrape by as is."

Rhode looked up at the stands to see who spoke. He was a tall slender man. With his long pale blond hair, she almost mistook him for a woman. In fact, he looked like an older, and just as girly, version of Malfoy.

"Lucius." Mr. Weasley frowned, his eyes narrowed.

"He does raise a good point, Mr. Weasley," Fudge said, "Please answer the question."

Collecting himself, the ginger man said, "We'd be a little stretched taking care of another child, but we'll manage. We always have. What's more, Rhode's trust will be able to cover anything we can't."

"Oh?" the girly man raised a thin eyebrow, "Milking off a child now, Weasley?"

"You-!" Mr. Weasley said heatedly, but Dumbledore quickly intervened.

"Arthur," he said calmingly as he gestured for the man to return to his seat, "I am done with my witness." He claimed as Mr. Weasley went to sit.

Chiron wheeled forward with his war face on, "I would like to bring Ms. Evans back to the stand." he started off smoothly. Rhode obliged with the request and sat on the stand, "Hello, Rhode." He greeted kindly.

Rhode gave him a smile, "Hi, Chiron." It was a radical difference to how Dumbledore's questioning started. Something not unnoticed by those in the stands.

Hands folded on his fake lap, Chiron asked, "Tell me, Rhode, how do you feel on your current arrangement? With your current family?"

"I like it." Rhode said with a small smile.

"Can you elaborate?"

Rhode looked pensive for a moment, "I…For a long time, I never felt I belonged. When I ran away, I was always moving. Then…I met my friends." She looked at the jacket on her chair, her heart ached but she steeled herself, "Without them, I wouldn't be who I am now. Without them, I, I don't know what would have happened to me. But being with them right now…it's my greatest joy. I treasure them the most and I would never want to loss that treasure." She finished softly.

Chiron gained a small smile, "I see. That's wonderful to hear. Now, tell me, how do you feel about learning the traditions of your heritage?"

"It's a bit rough at first. I mean, while on my own, I learned...as much as I could about the basics...But at home, I'm exploring more of it, heh." A smile etched across her lips again, "It's fun."

Chiron looked to those in the stands, "Rhode and her friends had only recently come under my care." He explained, "And thus just learning the ropes of what I teach many of my wards. But they have made great progress, as I shall demonstrate." Turning back to Rhode, Chiron asked: "Rhode could you share with us some of the things you've learned about your traditions since you came under my care?"

Rhode caught on easily enough, it was pretty easy to see what he wanted her to say and what the court expected to hear. So she gave them what they wanted.

"Umm... I'm still pretty unclear about a lot of things, but here goes. Halloween is the day for Samhain," she started off from memory. Thank the gods for flash cards. "It was one of the biggest divination days, mainly using nuts and apples. It was the day Diviners would give their predictions for the coming year at sunset of the thirty first to the sunset of November first." Rhode detailed.

After a small breath, the daughter of Poseidon continued, "And how Yule corresponds with the old days of the Wild Hunt. It's the day where the power of fertility, prosperity and luck changing rituals are enhanced. So people do a lot of them. Especially this traditional one where they go out and hunt an animal to use as a sacrifice. If the hunt is good then the person's year will be good and if not it'll be bad. It's a form of old magic, a ritual based version of the luck potions we use today." She recited the details she'd memorized in preparation for today dutifully.

"Excellent. Thank you, Rhode." Chiron praised with a subtle wink.

Rhode smiled back, "No prob."

"Next, I would like to point out from one of my previous statements from the start of this hearing, how Mr. Dumbledore had already failed Rhode Evans once before with her home situation," Chiron's voice turned soft as his eyes looked into his student's, "I know, it may be difficult Rhode, but can you shed some light on the…conditions you endured?"

Rhode's face darkened and gave Chiron a small pleading look. She did not want to talk about that. She closed that off long ago. She bit her cheek at the soft understanding look Chiron gave her, but his hand gesture carried a weight that made her relent grudgingly.

Just one more time, just one more time and it's over. For good. Rhode repeated this in her head as her darkest memories crawled forth in her mind.

Rhode's voice started off soft, like a gently wave, "It…It was always dark. As long as I could remember, I lived in the cupboard under the stairs. It was padlocked as I got older." She said, getting a glazed look, lost in the memory, "I hated it. It was so tight, choking. Confining. Just suffocating. I would spend days and nights just screaming that "I don't want to be here, I want out. It's too small. Free, I want to be free." At first I did that out loud but after the first few beatings I learned to keep that kind of thinking in my head." She shuddered out as her hand fingered the pearl under her shirt in effort to stay collected, ignoring the people as she talked.

She jolted as a hand rested on her free hand that was gripping the stand, nails digging into the wood roughly. She looked to see Chiron's soft understanding eyes. Steeling her antsy nerves, Rhode continued, "I would have to pull my weight they always told me. First, they made me do the cleaning. Mainly after that pig they called their son." She spat out with venom, "As I grew, they just kept piling more for me to do. They treated me more like a servant than family." A bitter laugh slipped through her lips, "Yeah, looking back, they never considered me one. I was just a wallflower or something, never to standout."

Rhode felt small once more, so frail and helpless.

Weak.

The word echoed bitterly through her mind.

"I finally started school. They thought an education would be lost on some freak they said." Rhode grunted out, "I thought, maybe I could tell a teacher. Turns out teachers were worthless." The daughter of Poseidon said darkly, "Soon I was old enough to cook. I was terrible at it. I'd be punished for wasting ingredients and mocked for not knowing how to do things."

"That's enough child. You don't need to give us all the details." Chiron said comfortingly. "Just answer my next few questions with a yes or no and we'll be done. Is that alright?" Rhode gave a soft nod. "You mentioned cooking for them. Did you do other chores for them?"

"Yes."

"Did you get punished for failing to do them properly?"

"Yes."

"Did they beat you for that?"

"Yes."

"How much chores were you tasked with? A little detail here but only as much as you're comfortable with."

"All day. As long as I wasn't locked in the cupboard or at school I was expected to work."

"Did you try to get help?"

A dark look entered those sea green eyes, "Yes, but they called me a 'chronic liar', so nobody ever listened to me."

"I see. I think that's all I have to ask." Chiron said softly as he released Rhode's hand. Rhode stood up and stalked back to her chair. She grab Thalia's jacket and wrapped herself in it. Trying to keep calm.

Turning to see the aghast faces of the crowd, "As we see. Mr. Dumbledore selected rather poorly." Chiron said with a steely calm in his voice that was as sharp any sword.

Dumbledore indeed had a grimace play across his face, but it was gone quickly as Chiron called his next witness.

"Mr. Smith, if you would please." Chiron asked, getting a nod from the American. Striding forward with purposeful steps, the wizard sat down on in the witness box and nodded.

Chiron cleared his throat, "As in our own discussions, I must ask if you, and the American MoM authorities are satisfied with Rhode's current arrangement."

"Well, with what I have heard today. I most certainly say yes." The blond haired man stated.

"And as to why?" Chiron asked further, getting a small smile from Mr. Smith.

Folding his hands, the man continued, "From our inspections of the Delphi Youth Group's premises, the housing arrangement is suitable and is in fact a stellar environment for a child. As for school, Hogwarts is indeed an excellent school. Furthermore Mr. Brunner, your credentials as an educator are excellent. As such, we have no fear of Ms. Evans' education both muggle and magical wise. Her physical reports from the checkup at the hospital the DYG sent her to show that she is remarkably healthy both in body and mind. Add to all that the fact that you've already shown during the course of her testimony alone more care than all other parties that previously served as her guardians." Mr. Smith commented with a slight glance at Dumbledore, "We have also noted that the DYG has engaged a respected wealth management firm to manage Ms. Evans' inheritance. We are confident that with this arrangement in place, Ms. Evans will find her finances well taken care off. Thus as a whole, the American MoM is pleased."

"Thank you, Mr. Smith." The disguised centaur nodded as the American stepped down.

The hearing continued for a while longer, Rhode tuning it out until she Fudge begin to dismiss the court.

"That concludes this hearing." He said, "A verdict will be presented in the coming weeks. Dismissed."

Rhode frowned, somewhat upset that a verdict wasn't given immediately.

Mr. Smith came over to shake Rhode's hand and left, wishing her luck. Chiron wheeled over as the daughter of Poseidon, who put on her beanie, "Mortals came to the camp?" she asked with surprise. She hadn't heard anything about that.

Chiron nodded with an amused smile, "Yes, around October to check the camp. But naturally we couldn't have them see anything, so we used the Mist rather heavily on them and had them unconscious in the Big House for the duration of their inspection." The trainer paused, "Though Mr. D seemed to have one repeatedly walk into a wall for his own amusement." He mused.

"The Mist?" the scion of the sea blinked, before it dawned on her, "Oh, the veil thing ran by Hecate that keeps gods stuff on the down low." She said, getting a pleased look Chiron.

"Indeed." Chiron rubbed his beard, "That reminds me, I should check if you can manipulate it. Well, that's something we can save for the summer." He said to himself. He looked back at his charge, "Shall we head home, Rhode?"

The daughter of the sea gave him a small smile, "I'd like that a lot."

The returned to Level Eight and waited in line to exit the ministry. Returning to camp, Rhode took in the scent of the Long Island Sound, missing it. Annabeth had been waiting for her and greeted her warmly with a hug. Luke and Grover walked over to her at a more sedate pace, bundled up against the nipping elements as they gave their own greetings.

Those sparkling grey eyes looked up at her with that adorable smile and for that moment, Rhode felt her problems melt away.

"Let's go get some cocoa, guys. Warm us up." Rhode smiled at the young blonde.

"I hear that, my hooves are freezing." Grover shivered, getting an eye roll from Luke.

"I told you to get those warmers at the camp store."

"They're expensive!"

"Oh!" Annabeth bounced with excitement, "There's a snowball fight starting up later, wanna join in?" the daughter of Athena asked Rhode eagerly.

Rhode gave her a small smirk, "You going to be on my team?"

"Duh! Of course!"

"Well, then I think we'll win for sure." The daughter of Poseidon said, ruffling Annabeth's hair. She paused and glanced at the guys, "How about boys versus girls?"

"What?" Grover gulped as Luke looked intrigued.

"That sounds fun." The blond son of Hermes grinned.

"We'll whoop your butts!" Annabeth boldly declared, shaking her mitten clad fist.

Rhode teased the boys, sea green eyes swimming in mirth, "Oooh, she's calling you out guys."

"Can't have that now." Luke said with a twinkle in his own icy blue eyes.

Annabeth put on her game face, Grover was chattering from the cold, Luke had that smug grin on his face, and Rhode just felt a smile forming on her own.

Yeah, this was her home. Rhode was so glad she was here with her family.


A day later, currently covered in snow after a rousing snowball fight with Jack and a smile on her face, Rhode went to the Big House to follow up with Chiron on a few things he wanted to discuss. As she approached, she saw that Chiron was waiting for her on the deck, a small assortment of snacks laid out on a table next to him. Spotting her, the centaur gestured to her to join him. Rhode dutifully obliged.

"Good afternoon Rhode, enjoying your day?" Chiron asked pleasantly. "Care to join me for some snacks whilst we talk?"

"Yeah, it's been great. Sure. So watcha want to talk to me about?" Poseidon's daughter replied easily.

"Dumbledore." Chiron seriously.

"What!? Why on Earth would you want to talk to me about the old goat?" Rhode angrily shouted, her temper having spiked at the mere mention of the old wizard.

"Because, Rhode, there are lessons you need to learn from talking about him." Chiron said gently.

"Lessons? What could I learn from him?" The demigoddess refuted defiantly. "How to be an idiot?"

"No, Rhode. There are many lessons that you can learn from Dumbledore's failings…" Chiron began.

However, Rhode cut him off. "Well, I don't see why I would want to."

"Because you'll have to deal with the man for years to come and understanding his motivations will help you in that regard." Chiron countered. "Understanding breeds acceptance, after all. Or at least tolerance." he said with that usual cultured wisdom that he was famous for.

Rhode looked ready to continue to argue, but Chiron continued before she could. "Just hear me out, please? If you are adamant on not wanting to hear this then just tune me out, but do try to give me a fair chance first if you will."

Rhode was sorely tempted to say no, but she respected her trainer too much for that, so instead reluctantly nodded.

"Thank you, Rhode." Chiron said as he began his analysis on the inner (frightful) workings of Albus Dumbledore. "First and foremost, Rhode, Dumbledore is a man. And with all men, there's good and evil within him." Rhode nodded along to this, the old Headmaster was evil alright! "He is a narcissistic control freak that seeks to manipulate all around him to serve his purposes. The fact that he went so far to gain control over you is proof of his controlling nature. Worst, his narcissism has grown into hubris as he's lived for decades in the adulation of the Wizarding World who claim he can do no wrong, to the point that he actually believes that to be true." Chiron analyzed intently.

"Wait, you got this after meeting the guy, what?, like, twice?" Rhode blinked.

"I've been around for a long time, Rhode." The centaur chuckled lightly before he continued, "Besides, a little research to shore up my first impressions was more than enough. Now where was I?" he scratched his most impressive bread, "Ah, yes! His manipulative nature." Chiron said as he returned to the topic on hand. "Besides the fact that a controlling person is often manipulative as well, Dumbledore has also left behind plenty of evidence of his machinations. Just a quick review of his voting patterns in the Wizard's parliament, the Wizengamot, is proof of that. He often skillfully manipulates his opponents into unknowingly supporting laws he supports. Outside of that, there are plenty of accounts by dissident formerly British wizards and witches about his attempts to manipulate them, even in regards to aspects of their private lives."

"Really? How come people in Britain don't know this then?" Rhode asked incredulously, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Such accounts are suppressed by the Ministry of Magic of course." Chiron said knowingly. "A natural result of Dumbledore's own influence within the body and their natural desire to suppress anything that besmirches their national hero."

"Huh." Rhode said uncertainly. "So he's just a bad guy? A wolf in sheep's clothing kinda thing?"

"No, Rhode. Remember how I said as a man there is both good and evil in Dumbledore? We've cleared the topics of his evil, but there's plenty of good in him too." Chiron said sagely.

Rhode gave a disbelieving look at this declaration, but held her tongue and let Chiron continue.

"All evidence suggests that Dumbledore despite his faults is good intentioned. Wherever possible he has always, without fail, championed the morally right cause. Sometimes to the point of naivety, such as his attempts to redeem even the most irredeemable criminals. He has repeatedly used the possibility of redemption as an argument to forgive even the most heinous crimes. Even worse, there is talk that at times he takes this so far that he prohibits his followers from using lethal force even in self-defense against opponents trying to kill them and thus leading to unnecessary deaths."

"So even when he's good, he's evil?" Rhode asked slowly, blinking a few times in confusion. Okay, this was getting a bit complicated now.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Chiron replied. "Of course, this is made worse because he sees himself as the leader of Wizarding Britain."

"How…" Rhode interrupted.

"Patience Rhode, I'm getting to that." Chiron chided gently. "You see leaders must sometimes makes difficult decisions. Decisions that cost their side a great deal but will ultimately yield even more benefits. Dumbledore has sadly internalized this. Combine this with his other personality traits and you have a recipe for disaster. His naivety means his goals are often unrealistic at best and utterly foolish or self-defeating at worst. His hubris means he won't accept criticism of said goals even if they're accurate. His controlling and manipulative nature means he'll be able to maneuver his people towards those goals regardless. Add in his acknowledgement of the need for sacrifice and you have good people sacrificed in the pursuit of the most ridiculous things."

"Wow!" Rhode said awed. "He's more of a screw-up than I ever imagined!"

"Perhaps." Chiron conceded. "However, you must also acknowledge that much of your resentment towards him stems not from his failings, but because he is for all intents and purposes your enemy."

"Enemy?" Rhode questioned.

"Does he not stand in the way of what you want? Your freedom?" Chiron asked rhetorically. "Then does that not make him your enemy?"

Rhode bobbed her head right and left, then finally nodded affirmatively.

"If he was not your enemy, would you have even seen his flaws? Likely not. Many grown men and women, both past and present did not. Him being your enemy made you predisposed to see his flaws, to see his bad sides, and thus allowing you to see things you would have otherwise overlooked." Chiron postulated.

"Maybe. But that doesn't change that Dumbledore is doing evil." Rhode retorted, poking the table for emphasis.

"True. I have never disputed that." Chiron admitted. "But I have also pointed out how he has also done plenty of good. That he is your enemy blinds you however to this fact."

"Yeah… But in the grand scheme of things…" Rhode began to argue, only to be interrupted by Chiron.

"Are you saying that you, an eleven year old, is in a position to judge him?" Chiron said as he looked at her seriously.

"No… But…" Rhode said as she struggled to defend herself.

"Rhode, I've said all I mean to say on this issue. Enjoy your snacks, I have an archery class I have to attend to now." Chiron said as he gestured to the untouched snacks on the table and turned to walk away.

"Chiron, wait!" Rhode shouted.

"Yes, child?" Chiron said as he turned around to face the child of the sea once more.

"You didn't tell me what you think about Dumbledore." Rhode said desperately. Or what you think I should think about him, was left unsaid. Because Rhode felt slightly confused now.

"I, Rhode? As I said, I think he is a man. No more, no less." Chiron answered. "But what truly matters is what you think about him and I can't answer that for you. You need to answer that for yourself. Just think on what I have told you." With that last few words of advice, Chiron departed.

Rhode frowned at that, propping an elbow on the table, resting her cheek in her open palm and looked down at the snacks. She reached out with her other hand and took a Skittle, popping it in her mouth. Annoying displeasure etched on her face with a knitted brow.

She was wondering what to even think right now. Sure, Chiron said Dumbledore wasn't all bad but by his own argument he was pretty horrible. But yet, Chiron didn't seem to want her to hate him. But what then? How else could she feel about someone who was her enemy? Sympathy? … Actually, after hearing all that she did feel just a tad bit sympathetic for the old man. He looked like someone who wasn't ready to be thrust into the job he had and was trying to do his best, but screwing up all the while. She couldn't help but feel sad for someone like that.

But as a whole? Her new sympathy was little more than a mote in comparison to the burning hatred deep in her heart for him. He was her enemy after all, and it was only natural to hate your enemies, right? Yes, that's it.

She hated him, he was her enemy, sympathy be damned!


New Years went by fast at camp. Cabin Nine was amazing with the New Year's fireworks, they looked like they could rival if not surpass the show in New York City. Everyone was partying, even the grumpy Mr. D looked surprisingly festive, probably because it was a major party day.

Soon Rhode was back at school and it was pretty uneventful besides learning some neat spells and sending letters to her friends.

Dear Bethy,

I just touched down back at school. And I found this cloak as a present. It's all silvery and shiny and stuff…I think it's from that old goat. Dumbledork, not a satyr. I think it's laced with all kinds of magic, I'm not gonna use it until Chiron or one of the Hecate kids check it out though. Safer than sorry, right?

Your friend,

Rhode

P.S. Remember to keep practicing like we promised. Say hello Luke and Grover for me.


Dear…huh, we've never given ourselves a name, have we? Well, hey guys!

Hope you guys are good, I know I am! But I'm sure you heard the news from Chiron, he just lettered me with Wright. One Rhode Jasmine Evans is a free gal! Whoo!

Man, you should have seen the look on Dumbledore's face! Never seen an old man pouty before. I even raised my goblet to him. I think it annoyed him or at least I hope so.

I heard through the school's rumor mill that other idiots wanted to try their hand at becoming my guardians too. The minister's cronies, "former" Death Eaters (bad dudes), etc. But they were willing to let Dumbledore, with all his influence, give its try first. When he failed though, they just gave up. Probably thought it'd be a waste of time and money.

Smart call for a bunch of idiots.

You know that Hermione chick I've mentioned once or twice? Ugh, that girl was all up in my face about the hearing. She just wanted to get all the details from me. You know I hate talking about it, well she just wouldn't let it go. I told her off good. She finally stopped hovering around me and said I was just some 'Brutish Yank'.

Cool, right? I'm considered a Yank now! But I was all whatever to her about it.

Chat later gang.

P.S. Try to make a group name. I was thinking maybe Fantastic Four? You?


Sup Luke,

What do you mean that name is totally a Marvel rip-off?! It fits! You're the Human Torch, Bethy's the Invisible Woman or girl, I'm Mr. or rather Ms. Fantastic, and Grover is clearly the Thing.

So it's been a while after I sent that last letter, sorry. Detention. My life is a nightmare with those things. It doesn't help that they never leave me out of their sights now! Wish they'd go back to being dumb about it.

Anyway, I totally didn't deserve my last one. I mean, sure I set Malfoy's pants on fire with the fire-making charm I learned in Herbology. But that loser had it coming! He had been picking on that Longbottom kid, Neville. Shot him with a leg-locker curse.

Now you know, that I know, that you know, I hate bullies. So I take out my hate on the bullies here, all for the sake of balance.

Anyway, I keep telling the kid to stand up for himself since it's painful to watch. He reminds me of Grover with what little confidence he's got. Uh, don't tell Grover I said that. But if he did read that; I'm sorry Grov…I still love you, cloven hooves and all.

Going to train right now, letter you guys soon. Keep working on the name though. And tell Bethy we aren't making membership cards.

From the sassiest girl you know,

Rhode.


Heya Grover,

It's finally getting warmer outside. Bet you're enjoying it. Gross part is that finals are coming around soon. This is why school sucks. That and homework, they should burn together in the deepest of pits. Su's been helpful on the studying front, be sure to tell Bethy for me. You how she worries about my studies.

Oh! I had heard from some older girls that you could swim in the Black Lake, and it is huge! Bigger than the camp's canoe lake, that's for sure.

I even made a new friend, he's a giant squid. It was tough picking out a name for him though. It came down to Lancelot or Bob. So I went with Bob. Short, sweet, and simple. I think he likes it.

Also, Lee let me in on a rumor. Did you know someone's killing unicorns?! The nerve! If I ever run into the dirty rotten jerk, I'll drown him! Seriously, who could kill such beautiful creatures? It's a crime against nature!

Anyway, before I get too pissed off, let's move on. While naming us the Green Party is good, since green is the best color in the history of ever, let's try to go for something else and less environmental, kay?

Tell the others my hellos, I got to go study some more. Ugh, Su is a slave driver!

Don't even get me started on all the muggle homework. Math is a crime against life itself!

From,

Rhode.


Hey Bethy!

Well, the April showers have finally ended and the May flowers are coming in rather nicely. Tell Grover that for me. Man, it is hot today. They should invest in some AC here.

So listen to this one, our grounds keeper's hut went up in flames! Dumbledork said it was a fireplace mishap, but word from the grapevine is that he was raising a dragon. What's up with that? Is everyone here nuts? Who raises a dragon?! Especially with innocent edible demigods around? The nerve!

Anyway, today is the day.

Finals.

Maybe pray to your mom for me, because I think I'm going to need it.

Anyway, with love,

Rhode.

"Phew," Rhode said, wiping her brow as she finished the last line. Folding the letter into an envelope, she handed it off to Hedwig, "Here you go, Hed, give it to Bethy." She said to her fluffy snow owl.

Hedwig gave an affirming hoot and grasped the letter in her beak. Her wings flapped and she was off.

"Rhode!" Su said, jogging up to her, "Come on, the tests are starting soon." She said.

Rhode grimaced, "Joy."

Su frowned at her, "You'll do wonderfully. We've been studying hard after all." That got a smile from the daughter of Poseidon.

Bless Su, bless her kind little heart. Without her helping Rhode, the daughter of Poseidon probably would have been nervous as heck for the coming tests today. And Lee too, she guessed. He pointed out to the girls what to study.

It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.

They had practical exams as well. Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Rhode went above that and got hers to breakdance. She earned extra points for that one.

McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox - points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. The daughter of Poseidon felt she did okay on that one, she let her artistic juices flow, earning her some extra credit and lost it due to her box having a tiny whisker. Even after pulling it off, Rhode didn't get those points back. McGonagall sucked.

Snape made mostly everyone, except Rhode, nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion. Rather ironic in her opinion. Good thing it was actually a class that she had went to or she'd have to try and claim she drank her potion, completely forgetting she made it. It was a sound backup plan in her mind.

Though, throughout the day, she had to ignore the stabbing pains in her forehead. They'd been bothering her a lot recently, making her mood foul. She kept getting that old nightmare and it annoyed her heavily.

Her very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about crazy old wizards who'd invented self stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Binns told them to put down their writing utensils and roll up their parchment, Rhode praised Olympus that it was finally over as everyone cheered.


It was early in the afternoon now and Rhode slumped into her bed. What better way to end a day of exams then with a nap?

In hindsight, she probably shouldn't have taken that nap.

Black wisps filled the dark circular chamber. Slithering on gravel echoed as a large black shadow-like serpent flicked its tongue, hissing.

"Yesss." A voice rasped out from the spectral reptile, "Clossse, ssso clossse." There was triumph laced in its words.

The snake coiled around a large body mirror, its head looking right into it with gleaming red eyes.

Reflecting in the mirror was a stone of blood red, oozing with power.

"Sssoon. I will live once more. Then all will be mine!" it pounced at the mirror, shattering it and the dream along with it.

Sea green eyes snapped open.

"Ah spume."


And that's chapter eight, special thanks to Sieg for another awesome job.

I think this is my longest chapter to date for Rhode, but we had to go through a lot of important stuff.

As you can see, Rhode's rebellious nature is coming to a head. Willing to fight the points system!

Sieg: Well, look forward to when she get's older. E4E told me I could cut loose then.

The X-mas scene was a blast to do. That Annabeth part was something I have been dying to write for months since I first started planning this story.

Ethan and Emily Raines are a homage to my buddy Bonesboy15. Though as to why you may ask? Well, it's a secret! XP

I sped through the second term by using letters as a form of time skip. It was a interesting idea and I hoped you liked it.

We see how Rhode and Hermione are not friends. They were never going to be guys, they tried and it failed. Terribly. Hermione's overbearing need to know about the hearing pushed Rhode uncomfortably since it was a private matter, so her nosy nature backfired on her and Rhode broke things off. What happens to her later on you ask? Well, you'll just have to wait to see.

Rhode is quite angry with Lily and James. First off, you have to realize that Rhode has far less attachment to them compared to canon!Harry. Rhode has her dad (though they haven't met), Thalia, Luke, Annabeth, and Grover as her family. So she has no need like canon!Harry to desperately cling to their memory and that makes them legitimate targets for her displeasure instead of the venerated saints that his parents were to canon!Harry. Furthermore, her Fatal Flaw is Anger. This, added to her youth, means she is willing to lash with her anger at whatever had a hand in her suffering. And you can't deny that the Potters had a hand in creating the circumstances that left her at the Dursleys and thus the suffering she endured there. Now, some of you are thinking, that's irrational. The Potters didn't mean for any of that to happen. Well, anger and emotion in general isn't driven by the rational mind, is it? As a young demigod (who are not known to be all that rational) with major anger issues, that is coping with the loss of Thalia at the same time, is it any surprise that Rhode's acting her age and lashing out at the world around her?

Sieg: Oh..if only you'd let me, she'd do more than lash out.

The trial I hope was good, me and my friend Nameless2210 worked really hard on it. The proceedings are oversimplified but this story isn't a legal drama and the POV character was Rhode who wouldn't know or care about most of it so keeping it simple whilst keeping the most salient points (i.e. Rhode's preferences, the kind of things that the court would want to know when placing a child: their housing arrangements, finances, and for a Wizarding court their education in Wizarding traditions, etc.) was what we strived to do whilst alluding to the fact there were plenty of other procedures that took place that Rhode never even noticed. Hopefully we succeeded.

Now, onto the final part. Dumbles. Yes, it may look like it, but I am not bashing him. As Chiron explained; it is who he is. Dumbles is a good guy at heart, but because he's Rhode's enemy we get to see all his flaws a lot more clearly here then they were in canon because unlike canon!Harry, Rhode and thus us readers don't see him through a rose tinted lens. He thinks he is helping Rhode, but she, who is far more spirited and freewheeling, does not seeing him as a savior, but rather more of an annoyance and an obstacle. ALL of the points raised by Chiron about Dumbles's nature (i.e. that he is: a leader, a narcissist [only a narcissist would hold so many positions of power as he did at the start of canon and believe himself not acknowledge he is power hungry but doing it for the good of others like Dumbledore does], has succumbed to hubris [he acts like and presumably thinks that he can do no wrong], is a manipulative control freak [see how he manipulates everyone around to do what he wants, especially Harry], is naive [his redemption ideology as seen in Draco and Snape. Both were about to do or had done irreprehensible things but he tried to redeem them.]) are all pure canon. They only seem so much worse here because they are not seen in the best light like in canon, but a negative but slightly more objective light. If you disagree with this interpretation feel free to drop a PM and explain why. For now at least, it's what I'm sticking with in the story.

Sieg: Well...since Dumbles is an...obstacle, all obstacles that stand in the way of you must be removed, either by avoidance or through other, more proactive, methods. Honestly though, much of our chat between E4E and I during my edits of the court scene were: THE BLOOD OF HER ENEMIES SHALL STAIN HER BLADE AND PAINT THE GROUND RED! Now, aren't you all glad I don't get my way very often?

Phew, that was a toughy, but we got through it. Hope you enjoyed it guys.

In next chapter, we're gonna get stoned! XD

Sieg: F*** YES! DRUGS!

Or a good stoning. Love tossing some good ol' rocks.

Sieg: That works too.

Now, please review, no flames, and peace off!