Harry hit the ground hard. He felt the metallic taste of blood on his lip and groaned loudly. He tried to stand back up, but felt a sharp point prick him in the chest. He looked up and squinted against the summer sun. A silhouette of a man stood before him.

"And you're dead," Percy said, stepping away and capping Anaklusmos. Harry spat on the ground, grimacing when he saw a few specks of blood on the sand of the arena. "But at least you managed to stand longer this time."

Harry took Percy's outreached hand and stood up. He rubbed his chest where a bruise was no doubt forming. "I was barely standing for three seconds."

"At least that's two seconds longer than last time," Ginny offered with a grin. Harry flipped her the bird and everyone laughed.

"Alright, let's give Harry a break," Percy said with a laugh. "Who's next?"

"I think Ginny should go next," Harry said, smirking at the redheaded girl. Ginny folded her arms stubbornly.

"Two sickles that I last longer than three seconds."

Harry nodded. "Deal."

Tracey slapped her forehead and groaned while the twins cheered and then made their own bet amongst themselves. Ginny patted Harry's shoulder as she walked past him and stood in the middle of the arena in front of Percy. Percy pointed at the sword that Harry had dropped a few moments ago. Ginny picked it up and swung it hesitantly. She had never held a sword before much less used one to fight.

"Remember the stance we went over this morning," Percy said. Ginny took a breath and adjusted her stance so that she held the sword in a two handed grip. She put on her bravest face, but holding the sword in her hands, she realized just how uncomfortable Harry must have been. A wand had tremendous destructive capabilities. It could drain an opponent's blood, curse their bones, or kill someone outright. But the wand itself was not dangerous. A sword on the other hand...Ginny realized that any wrong move on her part could easily result in accidentally hurting herself. It was a weapon pure and simple.

"Stop," Percy said, breaking her out of her trance. Ginny cocked her head at him. "I know what you're thinking. I see your anxiety. Trust me, I know how you feel. The first time I held a sword I was extremely paranoid about hurting myself. You need to move past that and stop thinking about the sword as a weapon. It's a tool. You need to be cautious, yes, but if you do exactly as I say, you won't hurt yourself." Percy grinned. "At least not too badly."

Ginny took a breath and nodded. "Alright. I think I'm ready."

If she had been expecting Percy to take a moment to really make sure she was ready, she would have been dead wrong. The demigod lunged forward with impossible speed, and before she could react, Ginny found her legs swept out from under her, and she hit the ground with a loud thud. Her sword rolled away from her hand, and she groaned as she saw the tip of Percy's sword in front of her face. She had never even seen him take out his blade.

"Not as easy as it looks is it?" asked Harry with a smirk. Ginny smirked back as Percy helped her back to her feet.

"No, it's not," she admitted.

Percy capped Anaklusmos and put the pen in his pocket. "The first step to learning how to fight is getting over all of your fears of using the blade. To get over your fear, we will have to find the right blade for you."

"Why do we even need a blade in the first place?" asked Tracey. "Shouldn't we be spending time working on our spell casting?"

"You should work on spell casting," Percy nodded. "And you'll spend the majority of the summer working on it. Chiron says that a daughter of Hecate has recently come to camp from some magical school here in the States."

"Ilvermorny?" Hermione asked.

Percy shrugged. "I don't know, I guess? She'll be training you all in magic, but this isn't just about fighting Voldemort. Hecate is the one behind all of this. Hecate cannot be fought with magic as it is her domain. You will need to learn to fight the demigod way."

"With swords and spears and such," Daphne said. Percy nodded, and she merely shrugged. "I'm okay with this. I want to go next."

Percy gave her a small smile though he was a bit surprised at her eagerness. He followed her back out to the middle of the arena and waited for her to pick up Ginny's discarded sword. Daphne picked up the sword and swung it a few times. Unlike the others, Daphne seemed far more comfortable with the blade in her hand.

"My father put me in fencing classes when I was young," Daphne smirked at Percy. "It wasn't exactly couth for a young woman to do so though, so he took me to muggle London to take classes."

"I'm impressed," Percy grinned. He nodded at her to get into her stance. Daphne dropped into the stance that Percy had taught them all that morning, but it did not feel comfortable. She adjusted her footing, moving her left leg a bit further from her body and holding the blade out further. Percy waited till she was ready before leaping towards her.

Anaklusmos and Daphne's sword clang together as she managed to deflect his first attack. However, fencing had not taught Daphne the aggressive and brutal combat of the Greeks, and when Percy swung the next time, slashing at her feet, Daphne had no choice but to leap out of the way and lose her balance. Percy kicked out and sent her into the sand. Daphne coughed in surprise and stared up at the sky.

"Bloody hell," she rasped out. Percy grinned and held out a hand. She let him pull her up before she punched him in the shoulder. "That hurt."

"Congrats, Daph," Percy laughed, rubbing his shoulder. "You lasted longer than everyone else."

Tracey rolled her eyes. "It's no fair. She's had practice before."

"Exactly," Percy said. "She lasted longer because she's had practice. Which is exactly what you will all be doing. Who's ready for the lava wall?"

Their eyes widened. Harry glanced at Tracey and then back at Percy. "You're serious? You want us to climb the lava wall?"

"We're not demigods," Hermione said fearfully.

"Demigods are still mortal," Percy grinned. "We get burned just like you...well, I don't. Because I'm the son of Poseidon. But the rest of us do. If you guys weren't witches and wizards, I wouldn't allow you guys to do the wall. But since you are, we can have potions and the like prepared in case you get hurt. Now quit complaining and hurry to the lava wall. Chiron should be there now to teach you how to do it."

"You're a prat," Harry grumbled as they all turned to leave the arena. Percy grinned and looked at Daphne.

"Help me put away the swords?"

Daphne smiled and nodded, inwardly pleased she didn't have to go to the lava wall just yet. She walked over to the spot where the others had been standing and picked up the wooden swords they had used earlier to practice their stance. She followed Percy over to the far end of the arena to a pair of large, bronze doors. He pulled one open and led her inside. The room was much larger than she had expected and filled with more weapons than she had ever imagined. There was enough to arm a small army with some excess. There were also piles of armor on shelves around the walls. Percy walked over to a bin and dropped the wooden swords into it, and Daphne did the same. She looked around at the room.

"This is..."

"Intimidating?" Percy finished.

Daphne nodded. "My father is an art collector, but he also deals with antique weapons. These all look like they were made in ancient Greece, yet none of them look as old as the ones he's bought."

"These swords are all celestial bronze," Percy explained. "It's a...magical metal. It's the only thing that can kill monsters or hurt anything from the Greek world. Well, that and stygian iron, but that is pretty much only used by children of Hades."

"So all of these weapons really are from ancient Greece?"

Percy shrugged. "Some, I'm sure. A lot of these are also made by the Hephaestus cabin. But since we are all Greek, the style and craft is the same as it was back then."

"This is incredible," she said, walking over to a short sword that hung on the wall. "Is your sword from ancient Greece or was it made by the Hephaestus cabin?"

Percy pulled out his pen and uncapped it, letting Anaklusmos spring out from its sheath. He flipped the blade around so the hilt was towards her and held it out. Daphne's eyes widened a fraction but she took the sword and held it gingerly in her hands. "It's beautiful."

"It was made by a very good friend of mine," Percy said softly. "Chiron gave it to me five years ago when we were on a field trip. My math teacher had pulled me aside and started accusing me of stealing something. I had no idea what she was talking about and then she turned into this hideous looking bat creature. Chiron appeared out of nowhere and threw a pen at me. It turned into Anaklusmos when I uncapped it, and I just managed to stab the bat creature before she killed me."

"You killed your math teacher?" Daphne asked with a gasp, though her eyes were twinkling in amusement.

Percy scratched the back of his head. "I did, yeah. Don't tell Hermione okay?"

"Okay," Daphne laughed. She looked at the blade. "So did Chiron make this?"

"No," Percy shook his head. "A few years later, I met the hunters of Artemis for the first time. Back then, Thalia wasn't the lieutenant yet. She was just a regular old demigod like me. The leader was a girl named Zoe. Zoe got a quest to rescue Artemis who had been captured by the Titans." Percy blushed. "I wasn't picked for the quest, but I followed them anyways. They got to D.C. and were at the museums when they were attacked by a titan called the General and a demigod named Luke Castellan."

"A demigod?" Daphne asked, eyes wide. Percy nodded.

"Luke is-was-a son of Hermes. He hated how the gods treated their kids and listened to Kronos when he offered him a place in his army." Percy sighed and moved to sit down on one of the wooden benches in the room. Daphne sat down beside him, resting Anaklusmos across her knees. "Luke and the General sent the Nemean Lion after us. I had the idea to shoot arrows into its mouth since it's skin was impenetrable. Zoe and another hunter, Bianca, killed it with arrows. The lion dropped its skin which turned into a jacket. Zoe gave it to me, and I joined the quest after that. We had to keep going, so we travelled west on a train. I had a dream while we were on the train that I was walking up a mountain towards a beautiful garden. This girl appeared to me and offered to help me with my task. She gave me a hairpin which turned into a sword, and then I went and completed my task. The girl tried to come with me because her sisters would kill her for betraying them, but I told her I didn't need her and left her there." Percy shook his head. "When I woke up, I realized that the dream was actually a memory. I was looking through the eyes of Heracles during one of his twelve tasks. The girl was Zoe and the hairpin sword was actually Anaklusmos."

Daphne's eyes widened. "Anaklusmos? So Zoe made the sword?"

"She did," Percy nodded. "And she gave it to Heracles. I'm not exactly sure how it ended up with Chiron. Zoe had been so angry with me the first time she saw me holding Anaklusmos, and I didn't know why until my dream. I confronted her about it and tried to give the sword back but she refused to take it. Heracles was an absolute douche."

"I can't believe we all think of him as some great and noble warrior," Daphne shook her head in disgust. "He's no better than Malfoy."

Percy grinned at that before he frowned and looked at his feet. "Bianca was killed a day or so later in the junkyard of the gods by a large metal robot." Daphne gasped and put a hand on his shoulder. Percy gave a weak smile. "She was Nico's sister. He was absolutely furious with me when we got back, but that's another long story. After that, we went further west, flew on some metal angels off of Hoover's Dam, and I wrestled this old, minor sea god that could shape shift."

"Nereus," Daphne said. Percy's eyes widened and he nodded. Daphne grinned. "Father loved Nereus. He always wondered what question he would ask if he ever caught him."

"Well, we asked what creature Artemis had been hunting before she was captured. It was actually this cute little sea creature that had been following us around. It was a creature that if you killed and sacrificed its entrails, you would have the power to destroy Olympus."

"Kill a cute little sea creature?" Daphne asked, flabbergasted by the idea.

"I think I said the same thing when we heard that," Percy said. "There's power that comes from destroying innocence. I imagine that it is partly why Voldemort grew so powerful. He preyed on the weak and innocent and it gave him strength. Maybe not physical strength, but it certainly made people much more afraid of him."

"Father said that if Dumbledore had actually confronted Voldemort instead of playing a waiting game, the war would have ended much quicker with fewer casualties."

Percy nodded. He hadn't told her or the others about Dumbledore's true identity and the real reason why he had never made a move against Voldemort. "Anyways, we then had Grover go back to camp with the creature so that no one would kill it, and we travelled up a mountain in California. The garden from my dream-the one about Zoe and Heracles-was on that mountain."

"How is that possible?" Daphne asked. "Wouldn't it be back in Greece?"

"The Greek world moves," Percy said. "Just like Olympus, the mythical Greek world has always travelled in the direction of western civilization. So, the Garden of the Hesperides is actually in San Francisco. We passed the garden and then went up to the castle of the Titans where we found Artemis chained up and holding up the sky."

"I thought Atlas held the sky."

"Atlas turned out to be the General we had faced earlier," Percy said. "Artemis had taken her place. We started fighting Atlas, but he was so much faster and stronger. I took Artemis' place under the sky."

Daphne had heard about Percy holding the sky of course. He had mentioned it to her before, but never the full story of how or why. She reached up and traced her finger along the single lock of silver hair on his head. Percy leaned into her touch. "It was the worst pain I have ever felt. Artemis started fighting the General, and at one point, he almost killed her."

Daphne gasped. "What happened?"

"Zoe flung herself in front of Artemis and got impaled in the stomach," Percy said sadly. "Artemis was furious and fought Atlas even harder. She told me in my mind to be ready, and a moment later, she had kicked Atlas into me so that he took the sky again."

"And Zoe?"

"She was still breathing," Percy said softly. "I tried to save her, but the quest we were on...the last line of the prophecy was that one of us would die by a parent's hand. Zoe was a daughter of Atlas."

"She died?" Daphne asked.

Percy nodded. "She told me that she was glad that she had finally found a male she could call a friend and glad that Anaklusmos had found someone 'worthy' to wield it." He looked at Daphne. "So that's what I do. That's why I fight. Zoe died saving us. She was probably the bravest person I have ever met. As long as I wield Anaklusmos, I will do my hardest to be as brave as she was."

Daphne thought she would be jealous, but when Percy turned to her and his sea green eyes bore into hers, all she could feel was her heart fluttering.

"Anaklusmos reminds me that even great people like Heracles can be ruined by their pride and their Malfoyness."

"Malfoyness?" Daphne chuckled. "I like that. And don't worry. I'll make sure to knock some sense into you if you ever start acting all Malfoyey."

Percy grinned and poked her side. "I almost wish you could have met Zoe. She would have really liked you."

"Almost?" Daphne asked. "Why almost?"

"Because she would have tried to convince you to join the hunters," he laughed as he stood up. "Come on. I've already spent too much time talking. It's time for you to do the lava wall."

Daphne stood up and capped Anaklusmos before approaching him and pulling him to her. She ran her left hand up his chest slowly as she placed the pen in his pocket with her right hand. Her hand traced his neck and she grinned when she felt goosebumps. "Do I really have to? We could just stay here."

"No!" Percy choked, pushing her away dramatically. "I will not be tempted!"

Daphne pouted but laughed. "Spoil sport. Come on. I want to see you do the lava wall first."

"Babe, I am the king of the lava wall. Watch and learn."

««‡»»

Sirius Black sat at the table sipping a cup of coffee as he read the morning's Daily Prophet. A few magical celebrities had been caught in an affair, a member of the Wizengamot was proposing new legislation, and some reporter claimed they had inside information on the lies being spread by Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. Sirius growled and ripped the opinionist column out of the paper and tossed it into the fire. He had been at the last task of the tournament a month ago. He had watched as Percy was ripped out of the maze by portkey and returned a while later with a battered and bruised Harry. Sirius had never felt so helpless in his life. Hearing his godson had been kidnapped by a Death Eater and been forced to fight Voldemort head on had nearly broken him in a way that Azkaban never could.

Sirius took a deep breath and put down the paper. He had enough stress and anxiety without reading gossip articles and political propaganda. Voldemort had returned. He knew it was true. How Harry had managed to hold his own against the most powerful Dark Lord, Sirius had no idea. He figured, though, that it had something to do with Harry's new, American friend. Percy Jackson. When Sirius had first met Percy in New York, he had been very confused. Never had he met a sixteen year old that was so confident and self-assured. If he had been using a glamour, Sirius could easily have believed Percy was a forty year old. Sirius had seen the Daily Prophet's headline the day after the first task. He had seen the photograph of Percy holding back the jaws of a dragon as though holding a dog's mouth open. Sirius had laughed and told Remus that the officials should make sure the contestants didn't use potions to give themselves an edge during the tasks. Remus had merely chuckled, finding it humorous that they never checked the contestants for performance enhancement potions.

Then the second task happened. It had come not long after Percy's family had been killed by rogue Death Eaters. That alone had rung the warning bells in Sirius' mind. Percy's family lived across the street from Harry. There was no way that the Death Eaters should have been able to make it past the blood wards around Privet Drive. Except, the Death Eaters had gone there for Percy. Not for Harry. The wards kept out anybody wishing to harm Harry. It didn't block people wishing to harm others in the neighborhood. Sirius had written Harry several times during that break and had floo called him twice. Harry had nearly lost his mind with worry, and from his letters, Sirius could only assume that their other friends were equally worried. Percy had become very close with them and his loss hurt them deeply. But, Percy had returned and not after bringing Sirius back to England.

Sirius had gone to look for Remus after arriving in Hogsmeade, and the two of them had attended the second task. Neither of them had expected to see what happened. Percy Jackson made his way through the lake as though he were just walking down the street. He had spoken to the merpeople and they bowed to him. They called him lord as though he ruled over them. When he had emerged from the water, saving some girl in a silver parka, he had claimed to be the son of Poseidon. Sirius knew about Greek mythology. Many of the names the Black family gave their children were based on constellations with Greek backgrounds such as Orion and Sirius had always been rather intrigued by stories of Greek heroes and monsters. He and Remus had wanted to laugh at Percy for his claim, but there was something about him that made them hesitate. Then, Harry had sent Sirius a letter explaining Percy in more depth. Dumbledore had brought Percy to Hogwarts specifically because Percy's claims of being a demigod were true. Remus, who had met Percy before Sirius, believed it immediately. Sirius was more hesitant. He trusted Dumbledore, but the man was getting old and some of his decisions were rather...poor in Sirius' opinion. Still, Sirius gave Percy the benefit of the doubt.

The third task had changed Sirius mind. He believed Percy was who he said he was. Everyone had heard the storm and seen the lightning in the distance. The night of the third task had been clear and quite lovely. The storm had come out of nowhere, and according to Harry, Percy had created the storm himself. Percy Jackson was a demigod, and Sirius wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried that Harry was so close to him. The stories of demigods rarely had happy endings. For now, though, Harry and his friends were in America with Percy in a place that Dumbledore claimed was the absolute safest place for them to be. Sirius sure hoped the old man was right.

"Sirius!"

Sirius turned to the doorway where Remus was catching his breath.

"Moony? What's wrong? Did you run all the way here?"

Remus stepped into the room and took a deep breath. "There was another attack."

"Where?"

"Privet Drive."

Sirius' eyes widened. "Privet Drive? What happened?"

"Dementors," Remus said. "Two of them attacked the Dursley's home. Petunia's kid, Dudley, was kissed."

"Merlin," Sirius rasped out. "What if Harry had been there, Moony? Someone sent those dementors after him!"

"Then I guess it really was a good idea to have Harry go to America with Percy," Remus said. "The aurors are over at the Dursley's right now. Dumbledore has called an emergency meeting."

"When?"

"As soon as possib-"

Remus was cut off by the sound of the floo igniting. They turned just as a young woman with bright pink hair stumbled out of the fireplace. She tripped and fell forward, but Remus caught her just in time.

"Wotcher, Remus!" she said cheerfully, standing upright and blushing slightly. "I really hate the floo."

"How are you doing, Nymphadora?"

Sirius looked at the woman, waiting to see if she attacked him for using her full name.

"Exhausted," she laughed. "Being an auror is a lot more work than I expected it to be."

"You didn't really expect it to be easy did you?" Sirius asked. She turned and rolled her eyes.

"Of course I didn't. But that doesn't mean Kingsley needs to work me so hard."

Sirius laughed and gave her a hug. "It's good to see you, Nymphadora."

She elbowed him hard in the side. "It's Tonks to you."

"But Moony calls you that!" he whined, rubbing his ribs.

"And only he can," Tonks said with a cheeky grin at Remus who blushed slightly. Sirius rolled his eyes. Tonks, his cousin, was a huge flirt and he had long suspected she had a crush on Moony. There was a definite age gap, but when you are a wizard and live to be over a hundred, a meager 15 years doesn't really seem like much. Remus was stubborn, though. Sirius just hoped his friend would get his head out of his ass and ask the poor woman out.

"Go get some coffee," Sirius said, pointing at the kitchen. "Moony can show you where the mugs are."

Remus nodded. "Come on."

Tonks patted Sirius' shoulder and followed Remus into the kitchen just as the floo ignited again. Dumbledore, dressed in his typical robes, strode out with far more dignity and poise than Tonks had displayed.

"Ah, Sirius," Dumbledore said. "I apologize for calling a meeting on such short notice."

"It's alright," Sirius waved him off. "Remus told me about the Dementor attack. If you hadn't called a meeting, I'm sure I would have."

"Excellent. The others should be here soon. Will we meet in here?"

Sirius shrugged. "Here or in the kitchen. Doesn't really matter to me as long as we aren't super loud. Mother's portrait can be quite a bitch if you wake her."

"Ah," Dumbledore said, amused. "Do you happen to have any tea?"

"In the kitchen," Sirius nodded. Dumbledore thanked him and followed him into the kitchen where Tonks was telling Remus about her auror training. It wasn't much longer before the others arrived and the kitchen was filled with the smell of coffee, tea, and biscuits. Despite the dreadful news that brought them together, Sirius couldn't help but smile at the sight of so many people simply gathered together. Even if Snivellus himself was standing in the corner speaking with Mundungus Fletcher.

"Excellent," Dumbledore said loudly, getting everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. By now, I'm sure you have all heard of this morning's attack. Kingsley, do you have more information about what happened?"

Kingsley Shacklebolt, an imposing man and a leader in the auror corps, nodded. "Two dementors were released from Azkaban early this morning by an unknown Ministry official. They arrived at Privet Drive and attacked the Dursley residence. Their son was kissed before one of the neighbors, a Miss Figg, contacted the aurors. We managed to capture the dementors and send them back to Azkaban before Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were kissed, but their son is now in the mental ward at St. Mungos."

Sirius closed his eyes. If Harry had been there...he shook his head. He didn't want to think about it.

"What do we know about who released the dementors?" asked Hestia Jones, a woman who had been part of the Order back when James and Lily were alive.

"Not much," Kingsley said morosely. "We know that they must have a rather high security clearance to be able to visit Azkaban, but as for who it was, we still do not know."

"Keep us informed on your investigation if you can," Dumbledore said. Kingsley nodded. "We are quite fortunate that young Mr. Potter was not with his relatives."

"Where is he?" asked a man in the back of the room. Sirius didn't recognize him.

"I'm afraid that that information is classified," Dumbledore said. "The fewer people that know of his whereabouts the better. Especially after this morning. However, we know that the attack was intended for him specifically. Severus, do you have any information on Voldemort?"

Everyone turned to the potions professor. Snape glared at them all before looking at Dumbledore. "The Dark Lord is planning a major attack. I believe that he is planning on breaking a group of Death Eaters out of Azkaban."

"Merlin," cursed several people. Dumbledore frowned.

"That is quite disheartening to hear. With Minister Fudge continuing to ignore my warnings, he will never put more guards in place to protect the prison."

"So what are we supposed to do? Lie around and wait for Voldemort to show up?" asked Alastor Moody. Everyone looked at the headmaster who ran a hand through his beard.

"For now, we have no choice but to lay low. Voldemort is keeping quiet, so we will as well."

"Bollocks!" shouted someone else in the room. "We should attack now before he gets even more Death Eaters!"

There were grumbles of agreement. Dumbledore shook his head. "Voldemort is extremely powerful. We need time to prepare and get ready for when he finally does reveal himself. We are not strong enough alone. We need the ministry's help."

"So this is just a waiting game then?" Sirius questioned. "Just waiting to see which family is killed first?"

Dumbledore gave him a look. "I do not like this any more than you do, Sirius. But right now this is the best course of action. We do not know where Voldemort is hiding as the wards around Malfoy Manor are second to none. We do not know how many he has under his control. We do not know what he has planned after the attack on Azkaban. There are too many unknowns. Until we start to have some answers, yes, Sirius, this is a waiting game."

The room fell silent. No one wanted to admit that the headmaster was right. They had no idea what was going to happen. Any attack now would be a random shot in the dark.

"Kingsley," Dumbledore said, breaking the silence. "You and Miss Tonks need to continue this investigation into who released the dementors from Azkaban. Alastor, I need you to reach out to your old contacts. We need all the allies we can find. Remus, you have your own mission, I presume?" Remus nodded. "Excellent. I have a few more responsibilities to give out, but for the rest of you, stay on your guard. Report any suspicious activity to me or to Sirius here."

The meeting did not last much longer. As people began to file out of the kitchen and towards the floo, Sirius made his way across the room to Remus.

"Moony," he said softly. "You're going back to that old pack?"

Remus nodded. "We need to make sure the werewolves don't join Voldemort. It's only a matter of time before Greyback joins, and too many follow that bloody maniac. I need to try and convince them to join us."

"When do you leave?" Sirius asked.

"Tomorrow. I was already planning on leaving, but this just makes it more pressing."

"Just be safe."

Remus smiled. "Of course."

"You're leaving tomorrow?" asked Tonks, walking over to them. Remus nodded slowly. "For how long?"

"As long as it takes, I would assume."

Tonks bit her lip. Before Remus, or Sirius even, could react, she reached up and pulled his face down to hers, pressing her lips to his. Sirius' eyes widened and he took a step back, unsure what to do.

"Come back safe," she whispered, pulling away. Remus blushed and nodded.

"I will."

Tonks gave him a weak smile before turning to leave. She blushed as she made eye contact with Sirius before leaving to get back to the ministry. Sirius looked at Remus, his eyes still wide.

"What the hell was that, Moony?"

Remus blushed. "I don't know."

"Oh, come on the poor girl is head over heels in love with you," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "If I were you, I'd hurry up with this mission. Don't want to keep her waiting."

Remus punched Sirius in the shoulder. "She's too young, Padfoot."

"She's an adult, you're an adult. There's really no problem here," Sirius said. "Look. The world is a dark place, and with Voldemort back, it's only going to get harder to find some happiness. If Tonks makes you happy, don't reject it. You hear me?"

Remus gave his friend a hard look before slowly nodding. "I'll think about it."

Sirius grinned. "Good. I always could wear you down."

"That's what she said," Remus said. They both laughed. It felt good to laugh, as though they hadn't in years. Sirius thought that perhaps it was true. He couldn't remember the last time he had really laughed. "What about you? Where are you going to find your 'happiness'?"

"I'll think of something," Sirius grinned. "For now, I need to go talk with Dumbledore."

"I should probably get going myself," Remus nodded. "Got more packing to do before I leave."

"Be safe, Moony."

Remus smiled and hugged his friend. "You too, Padfoot."

Sirius watched his friend leave, and when he heard the floo ignite, he turned back to the last two people in the room.

"Sirius, we have another problem," Dumbledore said quietly.

"What is it?" Sirius asked, looking between Dumbledore and Snape.

"The Dark Lord is not alone," Snape said.

"What the fuck does that mean? He's got his little Death Eaters. We already knew this."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Voldemort is not the one completely in charge."

Sirius' eyes widened. "What?"

"The Dark Lord is a weapon," Snape continued. "Hecate is the one behind it all."

"Hecate."

Dumbledore nodded. "The Greek goddess of magic."

"So a Greek goddess is the only controlling Voldemort?" Sirius rubbed his eyes. "How the fuck do we even have a chance?"

"Percy Jackson is our best hope," Snape said. Sirius looked at him, surprised that the greasy haired git would ever say such a thing. Especially about a child.

"He's a demigod," Sirius said. "How can a demigod compare to a goddess?"

"There's a lot more to Percy than meets the eye," Dumbledore said. Sirius looked at Snape.

"And you actually think he can help us fight Voldemort and a goddess?"

Snape nodded. "My cousins were demigods. They knew Percy well and used to send me letters. If anyone can help us, it is him."

"I don't know..." Sirius said. "This is a lot to take in at once."

"I understand," Dumbledore said. "Which is why I asked Percy if you could stay with them all in America over the summer. It'll be better than you being stuck here at Grimmauld Place. Fresh air will do you some good. Not to mention you'll get to spend time with Harry all summer."

"Me go back to America?" Sirius asked. "Are you serious?"

"No, you are," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and Sirius rolled his eyes, though he had a smile on his face. Snape merely scoffed. "Percy has already given you permission to join them, though I think he is leaving it as a surprise for Harry."

Sirius grinned. "I still want to be kept in the loop with what is happening here."

"Of course," Dumbledore nodded. "Percy has a unique way of contacting others that cannot be traced or intercepted by Voldemort. He'll show you how when you arrive."

"When do I leave?"

Dumbledore held out a bright red sneaker. "This portkey leaves in about ten minutes. I had one of the Hogwarts house elves come and pack your things. Mipsy?"

A small house elf popped into the kitchen with a large wooden trunk.

"Thank you, Mipsy, that is all."

The elf bowed to them before disappearing. Sirius patted Dumbledore on the shoulder. When Harry had left for America, Sirius had been glad that he would be safe, but he desperately wanted to be with his godson. He missed the kid. Now, he had the chance to spend the summer with him. Maybe he could even hit the clubs in New York and get himself a nice shag. Yes, it could be a good summer.

"Thank you for this, Dumbledore," Sirius grinned. He looked at Snape. "Thanks for letting us know."

Snape nodded and with another nod to Dumbledore, left and floo'd back to Hogwarts. Dumbledore chuckled and left Sirius alone in the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway. "Oh, Sirius, one more thing?"

"Hmm?"

"You're about to step into a world completely different from our own," Dumbledore said. Though he still smiled, Sirius could hear the seriousness in the headmaster's voice. "They may look like children. They may sound like children. But remember this: each and every one of them has more power than you have ever seen."

Sirius frowned. "Uh...okay?"

The headmaster left without another word. Sirius shook his head. What the hell did that even mean? He watched the clock on the wall until the portkey began to warm up. It was time. He braced himself, disliking the feeling of international travel. The portkey tugged on his navel, and he made sure to grip his trunk tightly before he was whisked out of 12 Grimmauld Place.

Travelling through international portkey was an odd experience, and one that Sirius would never get used to. It looked and felt as though he were being shot through hyperspace in one of those old muggle Star Wars movies. Except, instead of stars and blue lights surrounding him, it was all gray and dreary. And it was over in an instant. He fell the ground with a thud, his trunk landing on his back.

"Bahhhhh!"

Sirius' eyes widened. Was Harry staying on a farm? He looked up and found himself looking right in the eyes of a young with no shirt on and goat legs.

"Hades, don't do that!" the strange creature said. Sirius pulled himself up to his feet with a groan, his trunk falling to the ground.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Grover," the young man said. "You must be Sirius Black?"

Sirius nodded.

Grover grinned and hopped off his seat, popping what looked like a ping pong ball into his mouth. "Percy said you'd be coming today. I think they're doing archery training right now."

Sirius looked around. They were in a large room with a ping pong table in the middle. "Where exactly am I?"

"You're in the Big House," Grover said, swallowing the ping pong ball he had just eaten. "At Camp Half-Blood."

"Camp Half-Blood?"

Grover nodded. "Yup! The best place in the world for demigods. It's also the safest place in the world. Come on, I'll take you to where Percy and the others are."

"Sirius?"

Sirius turned and let out a breath of relief. "Molly! Arthur! It's good to see you both!"

The Weasleys smiled and came down the steps and Molly pulled Sirius into a hug. Molly looked him up and down. "My, you are still far too skinny, young man."

"I'll fatten up," Sirius grinned, shaking Arthur's hand.

"What brings you here, Sirius?" Arthur asked.

"Dumbledore wanted me to come and be with Harry," Sirius said. "Plus...there was an attack this morning."

Molly gasped. "Where?"

"Privet Drive."

Both Weasleys gasped. Molly looked behind Sirius as though Harry were there. "What happened?"

"Dementors attacked," Sirius said. "They kissed Harry's cousin. His aunt and uncle are okay."

"The poor boy," Molly shook her head. "I hate to think what would have happened if Harry had been there."

Sirius nodded.

"Do we know who was responsible for releasing the dementors?" asked Arthur. "I can only imagine that they came from Azkaban."

"They did," Sirius nodded. "But we don't know who released them. Kingsley and Tonks are running the investigation right now."

"Oh, I do hope they find whoever it was," Molly said sadly. She shook her head and smiled at him. "But, we can discuss it later. I'm sure that you want to go see Harry."

Sirius grinned and looked at Grover who had returned to snacking on ping pong balls. "I'm ready to go whenever you are, Grover."

Grover gave him a salute and waved goodbye to the Weasleys, leading Sirius out of the Big House. He swallowed and turned to look at Sirius. "This is Camp Half-Blood."

Sirius looked around in awe. The place was beautiful. There were trees everywhere and he could just make out several cabins behind a cluster of trees. The smell of the ocean wafted through the air and a gentle breeze felt perfect against the summer sun.

"This place is incredible," Sirius said. He watched as several groups of kids ran past, wearing full armor. He frowned, and Dumbledore's words rang in his head. "Are they all demigods?"

Grover watched the group run past and nodded. "Yup. Harry and the others are the only non-Greeks here. We've got others here at camp like other satyrs like me."

Satyr. Sirius nodded. He remembered the myths now. Satyrs were half-goat half-man creatures that were usually connected to partying and drunkenness. The god of nature, Pan, was a satyr.

"What makes this place so safe?" Sirius asked. Grover pointed down the road they were walking towards a large tree up on a hill. Sirius could just make out a large creature of some sort wrapped around it. "Is that a dragon?"

"That's Peleus," Grover nodded. "He guards Thalia's tree. The Golden Fleece is on that tree and it enforces the camp's magical barriers. Nobody that's not a demigod can get in without permission."

"The Golden Fleece?" Sirius asked, surprised. "As in the myth of Jason?"

"It's not a myth," Grover said. "But yeah, that Golden Fleece. Percy, Annabeth, and Clarisse got it several years ago." Grover motioned for him to follow him down a different path. "The archery range is over here."

Sirius followed the satyr down a small dirt path into the trees. He could hear some laughter up ahead. When they reached the clearing, he spotted Harry holding a bow and standing in front of a target. Percy, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, the twins, and the two Slytherin girls he had met in the cave at Hogsmeade were standing off to the side and laughing. Another kid, a boy with blonde hair and wearing an orange shirt stood next to Harry, laughing.

"It's not funny!" Harry said, though his arms were shaking in laughter.

"I don't think I've seen anybody as bad at archery since Percy!" the blonde boy said with a laugh.

"Oi!" Percy called out. That sent another peel of laughter through the group. Sirius smiled. It was so good to see them all being kids. Percy turned and spotted him and Grover. He grinned and motioned for Sirius to sneak up on Harry. Sirius grinned and shifted into Padfoot which elicited a startled bah from Grover. He stalked towards Harry. Harry's friends stopped laughing, and Sirius turned to see Percy holding them back from saying anything. He looked back at Harry and just as the boy fired an arrow at the target, he pounced and knocked him to the ground.

"Blood hell! What the f-" Harry rolled over and stared wide-eyed at Padfoot. "Sirius!"

Sirius morphed back and grinned at the boy. He held a hand out to him and helped him up. Harry pulled him into a tight hug. "Oof! It's good to see you too, Prongslet."

"What are you doing here, Sirius?" Harry asked, pulling away, a bright smile on his face.

"Percy had me come," Sirius said. Harry turned and smiled at Percy who winked at him.

"I'm glad you're here."

Sirius gave him another hug. "I am too." He turned to look at the arrow Harry had fired. "Prongslet, you completely missed the target."

They all turned and roared in laughter. The arrow was imbedded in a tree way off to the right. Harry blushed and handed the bow back to the blonde kid in the orange shirt. "Alright, alright, laugh it up. It's Tracey's turn next."

Sirius stepped back as Tracey stepped forward, blowing Harry a kiss. Sirius grinned at the blush on Harry's face. Harry had written him a few times to tell him he was seeing her, but he hadn't had a chance to embarrass his godson. It was going to be a fun summer. Tracey fired the arrow and hit the center. Sirius grinned as they all started laughing and teasing Harry. It was going to be a very fun summer.

A/N: Holy absolute hell, I love you all. This story is now 45 followers away from 1k...that is absolutely insane to me. You guys are amazing. Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed. Shamless plug: if you want to keep up with my writing process or just want to chat in general, I love talking with people on discord. My unique server link is in my profile description. Hope to see you there!

Anyways, this chapter was another filler. I intend on finishing up the summer next chapter and jumping right into year 5. In other news, my upcoming Percy Jackson/Zoe Nighshade fic now has three chapters done. I will upload it when I've got at least five done. So, until next time, have a good one!