Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own the Percy Jackson series or anything related to it.

Chapter 5

My brother was pissed and in an odd sort of juxtapose I was the calm and rational one. I'd managed to get my brother to keep allowing my attackers to stay at camp. Calm and rational I may be but I had plans for them damnit. I wasn't just going to let them escape unpunished.

And neither was my brother. I'm not sure how he found out who was involved with jumping me but I did find a tiny bit of satisfaction in watching my brother brutally hand three Ares boys - Micheal, Thomas, and Jeffery - all fourteen, and two undetermined boys - Calvin and Marcus - both thirteen - their asses in swordsmanship. And I don't know how but I know it's his fault, that all five boys suddenly had a long run of bad luck.

I suspected Ethan might have something to do with it. He had met his godly parent sometime on his quest, sacrificing his left eye to her for some reason or other that he won't talk about. His mother was apparently Nemesis, goddess of balance, retribution and vengeance.

When my brother had managed to calm himself that night before bed he told me that our mom was actually still alive, that she had been kidnapped by Hades because he suspected us of stealing his helm of darkness and I felt something ugly loosen in my chest. I cried into his chest in relief and then he told me the bad news.

He'd gone to see her to be sure before coming back to camp, she was safe and happy but she worried that I wouldn't be if I left camp. Percy had already done the gods a favor with the success of his quest but Zeus was enraged that Poseidon had fathered two children from the same woman. My mom and brother both didn't feel it was safe for me to leave camp until I was older.

I didn't really know how to feel about that. My mother was alive and that was such a relief, but I might not see her for years because the King of the Gods was throwing a hissy fit because of some oath the Big Three had taken about fifty years ago. The same oath that he had broken years ago himself. Hypocrite.

Percy also told me quietly about his suspicions that the Titan King, Kronos was trying to rise, that he had the help of a demigod, and that he was already strong enough to influence the god of war, Ares. Percy had told the gods of his suspicions but Zeus refused to hear of it. Cornelius Fudge's vehemently denying Voldemorts return popped up in my mind. Politician ostriches. Too scared of the idea of loosing his title or position rather than preparing people for war. People like them got other people killed with their refusal to accept the truth. This was so much worse though and I could already feel something shifting within me at the idea of a coming war. It felt familiar, almost comforting. As if I was used to the idea and had only been waiting for the confirmation.

Suddenly, I was far more accepting of being stuck at camp with the year-rounders. If a war was coming we needed to be prepared. We've known about this world for years but being here among our own kind brought it to home just how little we knew about the modern mythological world. My inkling of an idea from a couple weeks ago came to mind again.

Demigods needed more safe havens, we needed a community. Camp was sort of like that but not quite there. We needed to expand on the idea. How to do it though?

My eye caught Percy's bracelet one day. It was one I had made for him, it had been a brilliant blue and sea green mix of beads, but now it was blackened. Yanking his hand up and reaching for the bracelet I nearly threw up as I felt something black and full of hatred emanating from it.

"Take it off now, Percy!" I demanded, worried anger in my voice and I caught the attention of those around us. We were in the middle of walking for the healing tent to drop me off when I'd noticed it.

He immediately obeyed, dropping it on the ground, with a frown on his face, "What's wrong, Cas?"

I knelt next to the offending bracelet, I tore one of my bandages from my hip pouch that I'd started wearing when I started volunteering for the healing tent and as carefully as I could without touching the bracelet with my skin, I picked it up and standing up, I examined it.

"Didn't that used to be blue and green?" Percy asked, hesitantly.

"I recently found out that when I bead bracelets, I use wish magic and some form of mist manipulation." I said absentmindedly, glaring at the bracelet, "When I gave this to you, I told you it was for protection and luck. More than likely that was a little more accurate than either of us realised. This feels cursed. How do you feel?"

Percy blinked at the information before frowning and flexing his right hand curiously, "Huh, it feels like I just dropped a huge weight."

He grimaced then, flexing and rotating his shoulder, "I didn't even realize how much that thing was beginning to weigh. Ugh, I'm gonna be sore for days!"

"Focus, Percy! This thing is cursed. When were you cursed on your quest?" I demanded, sharply.

"Oh yeah, Ares cursed me for winning our duel for the lightning bolt and helm of darkness." He was so nonchalant about it that I wanted to throw the damn thing at him.

I rolled my eye's at him and huffed, "Well it looks like I'll need to make you a new bracelet then, because this one seems to have absorbed it."

I threw the bracelet into the campfire and prayed as it burned, 'Just returning a gift, Lord Ares.'

I dug into the pocket of one of my cargo pants for another bracelet. I'd been keeping more on me ever since it was confirmed that I was weaving protective wish magic into them and some of the campers kept coming up to me and buying them from me. Good news is people pay good drachma for them.

I tossed another bracelet at Percy, "I'll replace that with one more suited for you at a later date. That one is just a general protection bracelet. I don't feel comfortable with you running around without one."

Percy laughed and teased me as we continued towards the healing tent, leaving groups of muttering campers behind us. Freaking gossips.

Gods am I ever grateful for catching the change in his bracelet right then. Hours later my brother is rushed into the healers tent with pit scorpion poisoning and I immediately check his bracelet. It's black. I use another bandage to take it off him. Once off, Percy's symptoms drastically decreased and he fell into a fitfull rest.

I was trembling with rage again as I stood there holding the blackened bracelet. Someone had tried to murder my brother. I turned to the campers who brought him in, Annabeth, Grover and Ethan.

"What do you know?"

Annabeth's bottom lip trembled and she bit it and croaked, "Percy said,.. Percy said Luke betrayed us."

Ethan finished for her, "Luke lured Percy out into the forest, told him that he was suppose to die on the quest, that he was the thief, set a pit scorpion on him and left him to die."

"And where is Luke?"

"We've got campers looking for him, but more than likely he's long gone. Luke's smart. He wouldn't attack someone and stick around."

Will was standing right next to me, "What are you going to do with that, Cas? Also exactly how did that thing protect Percy?"

I glared at the damn thing, "Only way to dispose of it, is to burn it to ash. It absorbed the poison from him as fast as it could, but it was only a general protection bracelet, he likely felt it the entire time so long as the bracelet was on him. He'll still be feeling awful for the next few days, he'll need ambrosia and sometime in the lake before he'll feel well enough again. Pit scorpion poison is no joke."

I put another damn bracelt on my brothers sleeping form and burned the infected one as soon as I could and watched as it turned to ashes, I wasn't taking any chances with something like that. Will stayed with me the entire time, while Ethan stayed with Percy.

Will laughed nervously next to me, "Sooo, any chance I can get me one of those bracelets?"

It was half a joke and I knew it but I still tossed him one, muttering, "I'll have to make a more personal one for you but for now that should hold you til then."

Will put it on immediately, "How much do I owe you?"

"Don't be stupid, William." I glared at him for a moment before turning back to the fire.

He twitched in irritation at his full name, before sighing, "You saved his life, Cas. He'll be fine."

"I got lucky, Will. It was just a general protection bracelet. It wasn't meant to handle a poison so potent. And the fact that it did?! I'm grateful that it did don't get me wrong but - "

"How powerful your abilities are scare you don't they?" He asked gently.

I bit my lip. The-Girl-Who-Lived. That moniker that had haunted and dogged and destroyed Esme's life once upon a time came to mind.

"Being powerful draws attention from powerful people." I settled on saying.

Will hummed, "Is that why you leave the fighting to your brother? Why you prefer healing and indirect protection instead?"

I turned to look at him sharply in shock. Did I really do that? Had my past life of being the center of attention and a war really made such an impact on me even if I didn't fully remember it? Had I chosen healing and protection measures subconsciously before I had even really made the decision? I didn't know and that made it was something to think about.

I lower my voice, "My brother suspects a war is coming."

His hands tightened on his forearms and he nods sharply, "I'd reckon so if Luke has turned."

"They''ll need more than just strength and training." I stated, my voice suddenly older and more tired as I wearily look around at the campers milling around, casting suspicious looks at each other already wondering who else among them would turn.

Will gave me a considering look as if he recognized something in my tone or voice and nodded.

That night when I got back to my cabin there was a package on my bed and a letter on top of it.

'Precious Cas,

Your brother sent this to the gods on Olympus during his quest. Please remind him that taunting the gods is not necessarily a good idea even if it's funny at the time. Don't think I don't know that you are also guilty of such behaviour. We have enough enemies, my pearl. In this box is the head of Medusa. Handle it with care. I've heard of your gift with enchanting jewelry. Perhaps this will help you in your personal quest to protect everyone. Have a good birthday, my precious pearl!'

I grinned and prayed, 'Thanks dad!'

Enchanting? Personal quest to protect everyone? That sounded more like what Esme had tried to do. Perhaps just because I chose healing and protective measures in this life that didn't mean I was just leaving the fighting to my brother? Perhaps I had just found a new way to fight? Another option that others hadn't thought of?

Well, I had sometime to figure it out.

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