Percy appeared at Hogwarts a few days later, keeping his mouth shut as the professors asked him where had he been. Draco couldn't even tell if he had been hurt, any new scratches or cuts would blend right into the faded scars.

"Got lost in the fight," seemed to be his favorite excuse, and he repeated it over and over until they just gave up and said they believed him. When they were alone, Draco pulled Percy up to their dorm and pounced.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice low and quiet even after he placed a silencing charm.

Percy pushed himself to the edge of the bed, and lent his back against the wall. He refused to answer for a few moments, pretending to be distracted with getting comfortable. "I'm fine. Nothing happened." He said, his voice deep, unwilling to talk about it.

Percy was lost in a world of confusion and panic. Normally, he exuded confidence and authority, but now, Percy was desperately trying not to appear weak and afraid. He was stuck in the wizarding world, not allowed to reveal his demigod status or use his powers, but the person he was supposed to be fighting knew about it. He felt powerless and scared. Even though he experienced quite a bit, he normally had someone else to rely on, whether it was Annabeth, or his mom, or the people on the quest with him. But here, and now? He was stuck talking to someone he was lying to.

Because, that's what he really was doing. He was lying to Draco and everybody he got close with, because he couldn't tell them why he was really there. I'm not a real wizard! He wanted to scream, can't you see my lies?

He rubbed his face with his hand, barely noticing that Draco hadn't responded to him, but was just instead watching him. Percy glanced up, and Draco's calculating grey eyes made him wince slightly.

"I thought we were friends." Draco said bluntly, lifting an eyebrow.

"We are!" Percy protested, although his insides churned as he spoke. He did want to consider Draco a friend, but if Draco found out what Percy's quest was, it was game over.

"Then tell me what's going on." Draco said gently, if a bit awkwardly.

Percy sighed and uncrossed his arms, dropping them in his lap. A black cat jumped up on his lap and he smiled immediately, lifting his hand to petting her. He bit his lip and wondered if Draco fed her while he was gone. He picked up his head, and at Draco's nod, he sighed.

"Thanks," he mumbled under his breath. "I was taken to your manor," He said, concentrating on the kitten in his lap. "Voldemort was interested in me, dunno why," He gave a laugh that sounded fake to his ears. Lie. He knew exactly why.

Draco sighed and sat down on the bed next to him. "I feared that's what happened. My parents were being more elusive than usual, and they were clearly keeping something from me." He said, smug about being right.

Percy shrugged, and silence fell between them.

"Did you join him?" Draco asked, whispering, even though there was a silencing spell around them. It didn't seem right to say it any louder. "I mean- you're here and alive, and surely he would have killed you.." He trailed off, realizing he was mumbling. "Sorry." He murmured.

Percy gave a small smile. "Sort of." He said, being truthful. "I told him I'd join him, but I manged to not get the mark. I don't want to fight alongside him, but I wanted to survive." He drew absentmindedly on the palm of his left hand with his right index finger.

"Do you want to join him?" He asked, referencing the talk they had the day he went missing.

"I-" Draco hesitated, looking down at his lap. "No." He whispered. "I don't."

Percy scooted closer and nudged him in the shoulder slightly. "Good." He breathed. Draco looked up at him, and all Percy could focus on was his face. He traced his eyes down to his nose, and finally landing on his lips.

Percy and Draco startled away when an owl pecked on the window, demanding to be let in. The silence between them seemed a little more tense than usual, but neither of them commented on it as Percy slipped into his sheets while Draco opened the window to let the animal in.

And if that night Percy was left wondering about something in particular, he didn't mention it.


Right now, Percy was fuming. Professor McGonagall had come up to him, confronted him, and explained Dumbledore told her and a few others about his true status. Not only was Percy again, he knew the gods were upset as well. He had spent years learning to master the signs of their unease, and the rolling thunderstorms in the last few days had been a clear sign that Percy needed to discuss with Dumbledore what he had done while Percy was gone.

As of the current moment, Percy was glaring at the gargoyle that refused to move. He didn't know the stupid password, and he was going to go crazy if he didn't talk to Dumbledore soon. Suddenly, the gargoyle moved aside, stopping Percy mid-thought. He barely gave it a glance as he climbed the stairs, jogging up them. He barely had a half-mind to knock on the door before entering, the rules and respecting Dumbledore be damned at this very moment.

When he opened the door, Dumbledore was staring out of his window, his back turned to him, and his hands clasped behind him. He slowly turned at the sound, his face remaining unchanging. "You want to speak with me, Perseus?" He asked, calmly.

He gritted his teeth. "Percy." He forced out, taking a few steps in the room before closing the door. He took a deep breath in before he faced the headmaster. "How many people did you tell about me?" He asked, sticking his hand in his pocket to grab his pen to calm him down.

"About what, exactly?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

Percy forced his oxygen out in an exasperated sigh, sitting down at the chairs in front of his desk, crossing his arms. "This isn't the time to be playing games, Headmaster. The gods are not happy with you. You threw my secret around like it was a piece of paper, and now I'm tasked with warning you."

"Warning me? My dear boy, I only did what I thought was best." Dumbledore's gaze turned trouble, and he unclasped his hands to rest them on the chair in front of him.

"You might have been calling the shots for this war for a long time, but you asked for our help." Percy stressed. "No matter how powerful you are, you have to answer to the gods and their wishes. I don't like throwing around the mortal card, but you need to remember your place."

Dumbledore was silent for a few moments, wording his response. "And.. the gods do not respect that they are dealing with a different world, one that they do not control?"

Lightning flashed and Percy's face slipped into an amused grin without his permission. "I think you forgot the part that Hecate, a Greek goddess, is the creator of said world." He stood up, looking Dumbledore in the face. "This isn't your secret to tell. Just remember that, or else something might happen to you."

"They would kill me over me telling your secret in a most dire environment?" Dumbledore asked. Percy was sure Dumbledore was trying to manipulate him. He couldn't handle not being the player in this game of chess, and accept that he was merely a pawn.

Percy gave a grim smiled. "You underestimate them."

Percy turned around and slipped through the door of the office, ready to start heading down the stairs to his dorm, feeling exhausted. In the dimly lit corridor, he stopped right before he ran into someone. His stomach dropped as he registered the shocked face of none other than Draco Malfoy.

"How much did you hear?" He asked, his face going stony.

"I heard enough," Draco said, grasping onto one of Percy's wrists. "You're a.. a.. demigod?"

Well, shit.

A/N

Hey guys! So I got a review from a guest, and I needed a place to reply to them. So to answer your question, I do tend to reply to reviews that ask me a question or give me something interesting to reply to, and I normally do that in a PM. But, as you're a guest, I can't really do that. I don't really like A/N's in my chapters, so I try to avoid that. Anywho, if you really want me to reply, then I'll do it at the bottom. Just for you, guest 89!

Also, sorry for the slow updates. I get lazy and forgetful. Thanks for the support!