"Campers and Hunters!" Chiron stomped his hooves, "Send out your representatives."
Zoë stepped out, her arms crossed.
'Of course it would be her.' Harry rolled his eyes, 'And their team color is red. Damn it, why one of my favorite colors?'
He noticed Bianca beside one of the Hunters and his mouth dropped open.
He nudged Annabeth, "Isn't she supposed to be on our side?"
She shook her head, "On the back of the sun chariot, she took the oath to become a Huntress. She's one of them now."
"How could she just abandon her brother like that?" Harry's voice cracked with fury.
"Hey." Annabeth touched his hand lightly, "Don't get too involved in another family's business. Besides, Nico's with us now. This place is pretty neat, considering I've been here all my childhood."
Harry still couldn't take his eyes off her. To abandon family for newfound company, was a sore subject for him. Luckily, Thalia's appearance made his anger subside.
Chiron held up a gold drachma, "What do you two call?"
"Heads." Zoë said immediately.
Thalia shook her head, "Tails."
Chiron nodded and tossed the drachma into the air. He caught it in his palm and slapped onto the back of his hand.
Taking a look, he said with a grim face, "Heads."
Groans rose from the campers around Harry.
"What side do you choose?" Chiron turned to Zoë, not thrilled that she had won.
"East." She smiled, "I look forward to another win."
"Not this time wretch." The remark came from Isaac, who was to Harry's right, "Your winning streak is over."
"Damn right it is." Ryan grinned, looking behind him and at Isaac.
"Alright, Hunters and Campers, get to your respective sides. You have 5 minutes to put your flag in a secure place and discuss a plan of attack. Disperse!"
"Demigods, follow me!" Thalia yelled, snatching the Blue Flag out of the ground and running off into the woods.
Harry was slow to move and as a result, the demigods bulldozed over him.
He felt a hand grab his arm and tug him up, "Come on mate. Don't pass out before the real fight."
Harry smirked, "Bugger off."
"Listen guys," Thalia said to the group, "The Hunters have won 55 games in a row. But now that I'm back, I'm determined not to let this be there 56th. Annabeth, take the flag and put it on Zeus's fist."
"Got it." Annabeth disappeared.
"Silena," Thalia turned to a brown-haired, blue eyed girl on her left side, "You and Charles lead the team as a decoy to distract them. I'll sneak around and grab the flag while they're caught up battling you guys."
"I'll show them." Silena grumbled, " 'Love is worthless.' I'll pulverize them."
"What about me?" Harry raised his right hand.
"You and Percy are to guard the flag at all costs. You hear me Percy?" She glared at him.
"Yeah, yeah. Why're you singling me out?" Percy challenged her.
Thalia rolled her eyes, ignoring his question, "Just watch the flag."
The sound of a horn let the campers know the game hand commenced.
"Let's win this!" Thalia threw her fist in the air.
"YEAH!" The campers did the same, letting out a shout of enthusiasm.
Percy put his arm around Harry, "Let's get to that rock."
The jog to Zeus' Fist, which looked like a pile of deer droppings from Harry's perspective, was a considerable distance.
While walking there, Percy muttered under his breath, kicking the grass with each step.
"Are you mad that you're stuck here with me?" Harry asked.
"Huh?" Percy looked over his shoulder, "I'm not pissed because of you. I'm pissed because Thalia orders everyone around and no one objects. And why am I on guard duty?!"
Harry chuckled to himself, "I'm guessing you wanted to jump right into the fray."
"Damn right I did." Percy's anger suddenly disappeared, "Hey. You wouldn't mind staying here by yourself, would you?"
"You're planning to go for the flag, aren't you." Harry read him like a book.
Percy snapped his fingers, "Exactamundo. The thing is, can you defend the flag on your own?"
Harry crossed his arms, "That is a very offensive thing to say! I'll have you know, I dealt with my fair share of enemies in Hogwarts. An expelliarmus always did the trick."
"I'll leave this to you." Percy nodded, waving as he disappeared behind the trees.
As soon as Percy's footsteps ceased to be heard, Harry took a seat on the grass. It was frighteningly silent, except for the occasional blowing of the wind. He was tempted to fall asleep when the snap of a twig echoed.
He stood up, on the alert. Just as he straightened his posture, Zoë ran out of the woods, bow drawn. He barely dodged the arrow she fired.
"HEY! I could've lost an eye!" He yelled.
"A pity I missed." She curve around him, drawing another arrow back.
Getting his wand out, he pointed it at her bow and yelled, "Aresto Momentum!"
Zoë came skidding to a halt and stumbled over a root, her head smacking against the ground.
Harry winced, "Sorry about that."
She wasn't moving.
"Oh gods." Harry jogged over to her, "I didn't kill her, right? She's immortal."
Then he remembered the little facts Annabeth had shared with him:
"They're not really immortal, more like they have everlasting youth. If they're defeated in battle, they can die."
Harry gripped his head tightly, "Zeus have mercy, I killed her."
A kick to his chest had him flat on his back.
"Who is dead?" Zoë spat, wiping blood from her forehead, "As if I would allow myself to be subdued by a man."
Wincing, Harry sat up, rubbing his chest, "You're bleeding."
"All thanks to you..." She swayed back and forth, "Dear Artmeis, my head. What was that? Sorcery?"
"Close. It was magic." Harry pushed himself up, sucking air in sharply to cope with the pain.
"So you're a son of Hecate." She tried to punch him, but ended up falling backwards.
He caught her before she hit the ground, "Easy there. You've got a concussion, at worst."
"Do not lay your hands on me, male." She tried to shove him but ended up patting his chest.
Harry pursed his lips, "Why do you hate men so much?"
"That's none of your business." Zoë looked away.
A great yell came from deep within the woods and Zoë muttered under her breath.
"What is it?" Harry asked her.
He had changed from carrying her to helping her stand on her own, with the exception of her arm around his neck.
Zoë looked bitter, "The Half-bloods have won. Curses."
As the two walked towards the creek, Harry could see Percy, waving around a red flag and grinning widely.
Next to him, Thalia looked scornful. Her lips moved but he couldn't tell what she was saying. It was only as they got closer could Harry hear the dialogue between them.
"You shouldn't have left the flag." Thalia's face was a light shade of red, a vein on her forehead making itself visible.
"Harry had it covered." Percy responded, "We won. If I'd left it to you, that might not have happened."
Thalia tapped the top of her mace canister and it turned into her signature spear. A bolt of lightning jumped out from the tip and hit Percy, sending him flying back into a tree. He was up on his feet quickly, his sword drawn. He slashed his sword in the air and water from the creek wrapped around her leg, spinning her around before throwing her into a tree.
"That is enough!" Chiron yelled, but the two paid him no mind.
Lightning sparked around Thalia and her spear began to glow yellow. The water wrapped around Percy, as if it was trying to give him some armor.
Harry took out his wand and pointed it in-between Thalia and Percy, 'Gods, I hope this works.'
"Immobulus!" He shouted.
"What the~? I can't move!" Percy yelled.
"Me neither! Harrdini, what did you do?" Thalia asked.
"I stopped you two from fighting. We won. There's no need to attack each other." Harry rolled his eyes, "Now we can~"
He froze when he looked to his left. A bandaged corpse was steadily making its way to him and Zoë. When it was within a meter of them, it's jaw dropped open.
"Six shall go west to the goddess in chains, man shall lose love in the land without rain." The Oracle's voice was raspy and old, but Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from her, "The bane of Olympus shows the trail, only together can the questers prevail. The Titan's curse must one withstand, and a being shall revert from immortal to man."
When she was done, her body went limp and fell to the ground. Both the campers and Hunters were silent.
"For the record, I didn't do anything this time." Harry said, looking around.
"No." Chiron agreed, "You didn't. But we have much to discuss. The Oracle leaving the attic to deliver a prophecy. What in the world...?"
"OW!" Percy yelled as Ryan wrapped bandages around Percy's arm, "Couldn't you do it any gentler?"
"Sorry." Ryan slapped Percy on the back, smirking, "It's not my fault you got into a fight with Thalia."
"She didn't even do that much damage. It was the freaking tree that got me." Percy muttered.
Harry concealed his laughter, "Good thing we won. Otherwise she would have fried you."
"It's all thanks to you actually." Percy looked at him, "You managed to stop Zoë. Props to you."
Harry waved his hand, "Nothing special."
"Are you mad mate?" Isaac entered the room, a cardboard box in his arms, "If anyone else had been against her, they'd be sleeping in the infirmary right now."
Harry rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm just lucky is all."
"About the prophecy~" Isaac started.
"I'm going." Harry interrupted, "That prophecy was meant for me. I know it was."
'Hopefully Hermione will be okay.'
(Aw...I wanted this to be longer, but if I continued on this chapter it'd be forced. Until next week!)