Hi there. Here's the prequel that I thought I'd never write because I got the plot bunny from a random movie trailer some years ago. And, guess what! Percy and Harry's lives were entangled before they even met!

This will have anywhere between 7 to 10 chapters, no more. Be aware that while Sciron is basically telling most of this in his deposition, some private dialogues or scenes between characters may not be known to the people in the present timeline. It's not plot shattering, just a point.

Also, I'm crossposting this on Ao3.
Username: CabbaK. I've updated the URL on my profile :D
There's also a post on Ao3 showing my attempt on recreating the faces of these characters using Artbreeder. Check out the post titled "Story Characters" on my Ao3 page.

Listening to: In My Bones by The Score

New York was uncommonly loud.

Lily and James weren't even on the main road. Yet, they could hear the raucous from traffic and people from cross-sections all around the block and beyond.

They were standing outside Sturgeon Lite Towers, somewhere in Harlem. The slip of paper in James's hand said 608.

"Eight-oh-six," he insisted.

Lily shook her head. "It's six-oh-eight. Look at how the numbers slant to the right?"

"Or…" James drags it out. "Trelawney's a lefty and she wrote eight-oh-six."

Lily huffed and pointed up to the analog intercom. There was a long list of flats in the building. 608 was designated 'Jackson'. 806 didn't have a name, but it was heavily scratched out.

"Eight-oh-six is empty," she said. "So we need to go to six-oh-eight."

James rolled his eyes. "Lils, come on. Trelawney writes us a mysterious number on this slip of paper. She's not gonna send us off to a house with a family sitting around the telly busy watching Bewitched."

They stared at each other.

He shrugged. "What? I don't know what Americans do on a Monday noon."

"Pretty sure they'd have all gone for work or school." Lily narrowed her eyes. "Besides, Trelawney's not left-handed. She wrote 608."

"806!"

"Fine!" Lily complained. "Split up."

James grew serious. "We should stick together. There's no telling if the people inside are dangerous."

Lily took a few steps back to gauge the tall apartment building.

"Sanity check," she finally said.

"Yes, we all need one. I can't believe we're in bloody New York City. I'd rather go to Cairo where we're wanted."

"James…"

"Yeah, yeah."

James looked around. Nobody paid them any attention. They were lucky there was no security guard for the building they were about to break into.

"Homenum et Creatura Revelio," James whispered, sending a strong hex throughout the entirety of the building.

Lily could hear the wind signal them from inside. There were very few people in the building: all muggles and household pets. No witches or wizards, no strange creatures.

"Should have tried eaque creatura," she muttered.

James shot her an unhappy look. "I checked the whole building in a flat second. Anyone else would have been more impressed."

"I'm just saying," Lily grinned, and charmed the door open. "Keep your mirror on."

They did end up splitting up. Lily took the stairs and James made his way around the back to search for alternate routes up.

Nearly two years ago, Lily's visions had taken them both to Cairo, Egypt (that was a different story). Now, they were in New York. She didn't know what this was about exactly, but it was powerful and dangerous and she simply could not let it lie. There had to be a reason she kept seeing that mysterious woman decked out in ancient robes, carrying an ornate clay jar.

The sixth floor was quiet and slightly dim. Sunlight didn't reach this inner corridor so easily, so Lily walked over to flat 608 quickly.

As part of her Order training, Lily cast quiet and subtle spells to check for trace magic. Something was lingering around the building, but it was very faint. Either there had been some magic here a while back, or whatever was leaving behind a trace was too weak to make a huge difference.

Or it was someone with serious expertise, concealing what they were really doing.

Maybe she and James shouldn't have split up.

Lily reached flat 608 and found the door locked.

Well, that should have been expected, but Lily peered closer to it and could sense soft traces of a locking charm on the door handle.

Somebody had locked the door behind them with a regular sealing charm. Lily found this a little disconcerting. There weren't supposed to be any witches or wizards living in the US. The genes simply didn't flourish here.

Cursing lightly, she reached for her mirror and contacted her husband. "It's 608."

"806 is abandoned," James replied immediately. "Somebody left in a hurry."

Lily checked the flat and found it empty. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. The hinges gave a soft little creak.

She could feel several charms all over the place—hexes, specific and strong jinxes to tie people with ropes, and a stunning spell.

"Somebody was in 608 too," she whispered. "They knocked out a person."

"Anybody there now?"

"No… search your flat, I'll meet you out in ten."

James affirmed and turned off the mirror Lily slipped it back into her pocket, bringing her wand out and stepping into the flat.

It was a lived-in place with a slightly sagging dark blue couch. Several framed photographs adorned the walls. A partially clean kitchen with dishes in the sink and some clothes left about the living room made her uneasy. This felt like people had barraged in and taken someone while doing their chores.

She looked over to the fluffy rug on the floor. Several colourful toys were scattered and Lily's heart ached at the sight of it. She had two babies back home. The toys meant there was a little one in this house.

There might have been a kidnapping here.

An empty milk bottle lay on the rug. A beautiful blue and yellow lava lamp sat on the coffee table.

This couldn't be just a muggle problem, not with the soft traces of mild curses lingering in the room. Why did the vision entice her to come here though?

Lily moved further inside to check the baby's room when the front door creaked. She stayed as quiet as possible. It could be James, but the chances were low.

"Kimmy!" a young girl's voice called out. There was a pause before Lily heard footsteps moving towards the kitchen.

She gripped her wand tight casting a disillusionment charm on herself before stepping out. A bright teal handbag sat on the couch, but its owner was nowhere. Lily frowned, looking around. Could the person have left?

There was a very light crinkle of paper right behind her. She turned swiftly, raising her wand to point it at a young woman, barely a girl with dark hair and glowering eyes.

The girl had a gun, aimed just a few inches to the side of Lily's head.

"Where are they?" she growled.

Lily floundered. The charm was still active, so how could the muggle see her?

The girl raised her gun higher, both hands clasped around the handle, threatening, "I will shoot."

A squib? No, that didn't make sense. Disillusionment charms meant that she ought to be hidden from anyone, regardless of their abilities. But then, the girl wasn't looking right at Lily's eyes, but just facing her direction. She couldn't see the witch, but could still sense her. It was jarring.

The girl clenched her jaw and Lily ducked before she shot at her. She avoided the loud blast of a bullet whizzing above her head. Lily slammed a foot into the girl's gut. The gun slipped for a moment as she choked and lurched and Lily reached out to grab for it.

But the girl had the same idea, a hand moving around blindly till she caught Lily's wand, trying to yank it out of her grip.

"Relashio!" Lily gasped. With a purple bang, the girl was thrown back. She hit the couch on the way down and lay on the ground, groaning in pain. The gun had fallen to the floor and Lily kicked it away, approaching her carefully.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked, panting.

The girl's face was screwed up in pain. "Oww…"

"You're a muggle, I don't get it—"

The girl suddenly moved, launching the lava lamp right at Lily's face. She cast a shield at the last moment and the projectile bounced off of it. But the girl got into a crouch and ran forwards, wrapping her arms around Lily's legs and tackling her onto the ground.

Her head hit the rug but she still saw stars. She also saw the girl's clenched fist heading for her face.

Lily dropped her wand and swerved her head as far as her neck could go, reaching out to grasp her wrist.

Levicorpus! she thought vividly and the girl's weight disappeared as her ankle was swept up by an invisible hand, swooping her off the ground.

She gave an indignant shriek throwing fists again, but Lily moved back and got to her feet.

"You knew I was here," Lily said again. "How?"

"You're bodyless! You broke into my house, took my family, and think it's okay to interrogate me?!" the girl exploded, her face flushing as blood rushed to her head.

Lily blinked. "This is your house?"

"No, it's Santa's. What the hell do you think?!"

She held her hands up, stepping back. "I just got here a few minutes before you came in. I swear I had no idea what happened."

"Get me down!"

Lily hesitated. "Will you try to punch me?"

The girl fumed. she mumbled, "No."

That felt like a lie. But Lily was the one trespassing here. She lowered the girl carefully over the couch, catching her hand to pull her upright and drop her softly beside the cushions.

The girl slipped her hand out and threw her fist into Lily's nose.

It broke. It broke with a crack and pain exploded through her sinuses, giving her the quickest headache and eye-ache she'd ever had.

"Bwoody hedd!" Lily screeched jerking back and clasping her palms over her wet and bloody face. The cartilage was definitely broken and black spots popped into her vision.

The girl dived down and Lily was terrified she was going for the gun again, but instead, it was her wand she picked up to point at the witch.

"This is a weapon, yeah?" she said, holding the wand all wrong. His wrist was too locked up. "What kind of a hero are you?"

Hero?

"Whad kind od a guesdion id thad?" Bugger, that really burned!

"Which god?" she threatened. "Demeter? Hecate?"

What was she even talking about?

Lily held out a hand and the wand flew out of the shocked girl's hold and back into her own. She tapped her nose, thinking hard, Episkey.

The nose snapped back into place, the bridge healing completely. The bleeding stopped but the headache was still there and her face was still covered in blood.

The girl stared at her blankly. "That was like magic."

"How" Lily glared at her. "-did you know I was here?"

"Huh?"

"That's the third time I asked. I'm supposed to be invisible. How can you see me?"

The girl squinted. "Oh! Yeah, you are invisible. I can't actually see you, I just know you're there. You're heckin' good with the Mist."

The what? she thought.

So that punch to the face was really just luck? A little frustrated, Lily removed the charm, revealing herself, bloody nose and all. The girl's jaw dropped.

"Whoa! That's amaz… no! No! Where's my son?!"

The quick turn about made Lily's head spin. She wiped the blood off of her face.

"Your son's missing? Look I just got here a minute before you did! There's trace magic scattered over the place."

The girl swallowed thickly, knelt, and picked up her gun again. Lily tensed, but the girl asked, "What's your name?"

Keeping an eye on the gun, she answered, "Lily Potter. I swear I didn't kidnap your child."

The girl frowned. "What about my sister?"

"I really don't know what happened here! I don't know anything about you and your family."

The girl's face crumpled. She looked seconds away from crying. Lily immediately felt bad. This was a home invasion she'd stumbled upon. Nothing Lily said would make it better.

"He's just a baby," the girl whispered. "He can't even do anything yet, what would they want with him?"

Can't even do anything yet.

Yet?

Lily gawked. She hadn't known wizards lived in the States. Maybe this was a one-off case? Maybe this girl was a squib and had magical parents?

"Is your sister a…" Lily trailed off.

"No," she sniffed. "No, Kimberly's mortal like me. Percy is… different."

The mirror buzzed in Lily's pocket. She tried not to jump. James was nearby, sending her a message.

"I'm okay," she called out. "She's not going to shoot me."

The girl stared confused and then stepped back when James appeared in the doorway, looking in. He had his wand out, eyes narrowed behind his glasses, observing the place intently.

"How many of you are here?" the girl barked, raising her gun again. James's eyes widened, immediately creating a shield between the girl and them.

The shield pulsed in soft blue tones and was not to be underestimated. Lily expected the girl to see the shield and she was right. Her jaw had dropped at the sight of the magic, in awe at the sight of the blue pulsing dome.

"Just the two of us," Lily placated her. "This is my husband, James."

There was no telling if the bullet would ricochet off the shield and hit something else. Muggles shouldn't be able to see magic, but this girl could. She was a little too good at it too.

"Squib probably," Lily whispered to James. "Her son's a wizard."

James looked around the living room, perceiving the same presence of magic as she did, slowly understanding the problem. "Bloody hell."

"Why are you here?" the girl demanded.

Lily tucked her wand back into her pocket and raised her arms, palms out. "I had a vision. Sought out help from a fellow Seer and here we are."

James made a face. "I'm beginning to think Trelawney's a hack."

"Dumbledore recommended her, though."

"I still don't know why exactly we're here."

Surprisingly, the girl lowered her gun, breathing heavily. "You had a vision? Like… a daydream, but super real and vivid like it was actually happening?"

Lily and James shared a look. "Yeah… why?"

"Was it about Percy?" she demanded.

"No. Definitely not a baby, it was a woman with a jar."

The girl's face goes through a myriad of expressions: wariness to confusion to surprise to more confusion to a cunning glint in her eyes and made Lily wonder that she may have been sorted into Slytherin had she been a witch.

"Black and blue peplos?"

Pep lost? Lily frowned. "Beg your pardon?"

"Peplos," she specified. "The dress that the woman was wearing in your vision. Loose robes."

Yes, that's true. Lily nodded, stunned. "You've seen it too?"

"My sister's been having odd dreams of a woman with a pithos," she said, worryingly. "She was wearing a peplos that's black on the top but turned blue at the base."

"And it glittered in the moonlight," Lily recalled. That was exactly it.

James's eyebrows went high. "Okay… so Trelawney's not a hack."

The girl looked around her house. She made a decision.

"My name's Sally Jackson," she announced. "My sister's seen more in her dreams than just the woman. Do you want to know it?"

"Yeah!" Lily blurted, stepping forwards, excited.

"Then, help me find them," Sally said, her pale blue eyes unnerving. "Swear on the Styx to help me find Kimberly and Percy and bring them home."

Despite the sunny day, low thunder rumbled across the sky.

Lily paused. She looked out the window, eyebrows knitted. James mumbled. "Nice little coinkidink."

She shook her head. "Nothing's a coincidence. I don't think she's telling the truth about her being muggle. Not completely."

"Then we shouldn't get involved," he reasoned.

Lily's eyes swept from the blue sky outside to the wall, where a couple of photographs still dangled from their hooks. One of them was Sally, her arm around the neck of a young blond girl jokingly squeezing her. In the blonde's arms was a dark-haired, chubby infant, almost exactly the age of Lily and James's little ones.

Maybe fate wanted the couple to find the missing teen and baby? Maybe something else was drawing them into a trap?

"Are you gonna help me or not?" Sally demanded. Her eyes looked shiny.

Lily quickly whispered to James and he nodded.

"We're in," she said, standing tall. "We'll help you find Kimberly and Percy and bring them home safe and sound in return for which you and Kimberly will tell us everything you know of the dream of the woman with the jar."

There. You need to cover all your bases and not leave out any loopholes in promises like this.

Sally gulped. "Swear that on the Styx."

Lily racked her brain. She wasn't talking about a random bundle of sticks, surely? Could it be a name? Probably another language, but whatever it was, it sounded dangerous.

"We don't do that," James said slowly. "But we won't break our word."

"This is the first I've ever seen you and it's when you bust into my home," Sally pointed out.

"Yes," Lily winced. "But… that was a misunderstanding…"

"Also, we're not swearing on any sticks, just so you know," James added.

Lily sighed. "I don't think she's talking about sticks."

"No, she said the sticks, like a very important bunch of sticks."

"It has to be a name, obviously, James!"

"What? Sticks? It's just bizarre—."

"You're not demigods?"

Lily and James paused. Sally was staring at them, even more confused than them.

"Demi-god?" James asked. "Is that some new-fangled electric thingy?"

Sally gaped. "Oh no. Oh, gods. You're something else? You… you still have magic, though!"

"Of course, we have magic!" James cried. "What did you think we were?!"

This wasn't making sense. Demi-gods. She'd said demi-gods… like Hercules? Sally suddenly pointed a finger at them. "You promised! You promised to help me find them! No take-backs!"

Lily swore under her breath. What had they gotten themselves into?