Author's Note : Currently drowning in schoolwork.

Furiously, Harry scribbled out a letter to Sirius, detailing the dream, not leaving anything out. He knew it was risky, sending a letter like that with all the precautions and random checks but he had to tell someone. He left out the part about Roman demigods. He wanted to tell Sirius that in person. He'd tell Ron and Hermione in the morning, but writing it down made it sink into his brain a little more, made sure he'd remember every detail. It was unlike any dream he'd ever had; even the one in fourth year about Peter Pettigrew and the old man. It just felt so much more real. There were more emotions. He didn't know what was going on, but he could tell it was bad. Based on dream Percy and Annabeth's reactions, they thought they were going to die.

Harry wanted so bad to just write it off as some crazy fabrication of the subconscious, but he knew it was more than that. He'd just witnessed a real event, and based on dream Percy and Annabeth's significantly less scarred appearances, he guessed it had happened within the last year. He needed to know more. They'd been through something, something bad, and Harry was going to figure out what… With Hermione's help, of course.

"I say we confront them," Hermione said, buttering her toast. "Pass the jam?"

Ron passed the small container over. "Okay, yes, I agree, but what exactly will we say? 'Hey are you the children of Roman gods?' And what if we get it wrong?"

"If we get it wrong we can just make it into a joke," Harry suggested.

"That could work," Hermione said. "When?"

"How about tonight?" Harry said, biting a sausage.

"How, though?"

"I dunno."

"Oh!" Ron exclaimed. "What if we ask to study with them, ya'know, for the potions test, and just keep them there until everyone's gone. Then we can ask them. Plus, I need help with the Herbology essay."

"Good idea, Ron." Hermione said, patting him on the back. "If that doesn't work maybe we'll just get them later. Petrify them, then levitate them."

"Excellent," Harry said. "One other thing. I had a dream last night."

Harry described the dream in detail, not leaving out a single thing. When he was done Ron looked quite confused.

"What?" Ron asked, eyebrows raised. (u wot m8) ( Why am I like this?)

Hermione seemed concerned. Harry figured she would ask if he was feeling okay. She surprised him. "Ohhh…" She muttered to herself, coming to some kind of conclusion.

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Ron teased.

"It all makes sense now. Harry, you heard the word Tartarus?"

Harry nodded. "Why? What's wrong?"

"According to Greek and Roman mythology, Tartarus is the place monsters go when vanquished. It's supposedly a bottomless pit. It's said to be the most terrifying place ever. If Percy and Annabeth went there and survived, it explains the first day of school and Annabeth's nightmare that night. It explains everything."

"What's so terrifying about it?" Ron asked.

"Nobody knows. No human has been down there and survived. Not even mythology's greatest heroes will go even to the Underworld, let alone Tartarus. I've got to go to-"

"Just go," Ron cut her off, pointing out the door.

"Meet me there after potions, during our spare."

As instructed, Harry and Ron met Hermione in the library during their spare period. She was sitting alone at a table in the back corner of the room, far from prying eyes.

Hermione had a large book out to a page titled: Tartarus. "This was all I could find about it," Hermione said. "Basically, in the myths, Tartarus was a deity who had some children with another deity named Gaea. Gaea's basically Mother Earth. Anyway, there's not much information here, but what I've gathered is that Tartarus was sort of the deity of the Underworld, Gaea the Earth, and Ouranos the sky. Basically, the Pit of Tartarus is said to be full of horrors the human brain can't even fathom, but that doesn't matter because the fall will kill you first."

Harry was trying desperately to keep up. He got the gist of it: Tartarus = bad. He read a little caption in the margin. "Nine days to get there?" That was crazy.

"Harry, all of this is guess work. Nobody knows anything for sure. If your dream was real, Harry, Percy and Annabeth are lucky to be alive. They're lucky they're still sane, still functioning. All those outbursts on the first day of classes are side-effects of their experiences. And the whole demigod thing? That's why they know so much about the gods. And uf they did fall to Tartarus, that's probably why they survived: demigods are supposed to be really powerful."

"Merlin's beard," Ron muttered. "That's why they're in fifth year, in't it? They don't know magic at all. That's why they defended you, Harry; they haven't been told anything else."

"The question now is: why are they here?"

It was all becoming clearer and clearer for Harry, as if his glasses had been foggy and now that he'd wiped them on his sleeve, he could see everything for what it was. But there was still that little bit, that part in the corner that he'd missed, and it was bugging him.

That night, up in Gryffindor Tower, the plan began. Like they wanted, Harry, Ron, and Hermione managed to get Percy and Annabeth to study with them. The girls took over the studying right away. Hermione fell into her routine of yelling at Harry and Ron for copying her Herbology essay, while Annabeth seemed to have a completely different method for helping Percy. She drew up a quiz quickly - well, not that quickly, Harry noticed her frustration at misspelling words - and started to ask Percy the questions. If that had been it, Percy wouldn't have focused. The twist was: every time Percy got a question right, Annabeth would kiss him. Percy got all of them right, smirking every time, knowing he was correct. This sudden spur of correct answers did not deter Annabeth, but made her happier.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were struggling; Hermione had turned so they couldn't read her page, and now had a paperback book next to her, so if she caught them looking, she could strike them over the head. Eventually, she drew up two copies of her own quiz and made Harry and Ron take it in silence. Well, not quite silence. They weren't allowed to talk, but Percy and Annabeth's laughter from half a metre away was quite distracting. They were facing the fire, cuddled together, reading from the textbook, Percy cracking dumb jokes.

After they finished the chapter, Annabeth put the book down and Percy pulled her closer. They stared at the bright flames in sombre silence. If Harry had any doubt that something bad had happened to them, it disappeared as he watched them. Ron was oblivious; he scrawled on, finishing Hermione's little quiz. Hermione, however, had joined Harry in watching the young couple on the floor before them. Harry realized she was probably thinking the same thing he was. Percy and Annabeth began to move again, Annabeth tilting her head up to kiss Percy on the cheek.

"I'm tired, Seaweed Brain," she whispered.

"Me too," he said. He stood up.

Annabeth stayed on the floor, lying down.

"Annabeth, get up, I'll walk you to bed."

"Too tired. Can't move." She stretched out on the floor and yawned dramatically.

Percy smirked. He caught Harry's eye and winked, then he reached down and picked Annabeth up. She was fine with that until Percy changed her position, slinging her over his shoulder.

"Percy!" She tried to get down. "Put me down!" But her cry was drowned by the sound of her own laughter. Percy disappeared up the stairs, Annabeth still slung over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Well," said Ron. "Guess it's Plan B then."

Hermione nodded. "Yep. I really didn't want it to come to this."

At three in the morning that same night, Harry, Ron, and Hermione crept into the common room to convene.

"Right," Hermione whispered. "Annabeth is sound asleep - tossing a bit, but not a lot."

"Percy's the same; out like a light," Ron whispered back.

"We all clear on the plan?" Hermione asked.

The boys nodded.

"Right, let's get to it."

Hermione watched as the boys disappeared up towards their dorm. She started to climb the stairs to her own, heart pounding with nerves and guilt. Hermione suddenly realized she didn't know where to take Percy and Annabeth to question them, she hadn't thought that far ahead. Seventh floor maybe? She'd figure it out.

Hermione reached her door. She opened t slowly, making no noise. Lavender was snoring. Hermione approached Annabeth's bed. She was muttering something about Gaea and… Leo? Hermione knew one of those names. She drew her wand and pointed it at Annabeth. She hesitated. What if spells didn't work on demigods? What if she had it completely wrong? What if they were dangerous?

"Petrificus Totalus."