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Chapter 2 Disclaimer: I still don't own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter. Wish I did, though.

Percy POV

I followed Nico outside and into the arena. Behind me, I heard Ron and Harry gasp – they were probably impressed with the size of it. In front of me, Clarisse was swinging her sword around in circles. Even though we weren't enemies anymore, strictly speaking at least, Clarisse still enjoyed beating me to a pulp.

She looked up and smirked when she saw me. "Hey, fish-face," she said. "Aww, look! You brought your friends. How nice. They can see you get beat up, too." I pulled Riptide out of my pocket and uncapped it. "So, no shields then," I said. Clarisse nodded, and leapt forward, her sword held high. I sidestepped it and swung at her back. She spun around, blocking my blow. We continued trading blows for about five minutes until I decided to try a new move Annabeth had taught me.

I stepped under Clarisse's next swing, turning slightly to avoid her sword as it came down. Then I stood up quickly, elbowing her in the chin. She stepped backward, stunned, giving me enough time to knock her wrist hard with my sword. She dropped her own weapon, and stepped back, defeated. "Wow, punk," she said. "You couldn't have come up with that on your own."

I shrugged, holding my hands up. "Well, I used it successfully. That's all that matters, huh?" I turned back to Harry and Ron, who looked impressed. Behind them, I saw some of the other students that had come from the "Hogwarts" (weird name, anyway) school. All of them looked as if they'd been worried for either Clarisse's or my life. Harry walked up to me and said, "Wow, Percy. That was brilliant!" I shrugged. "It's just normal training to me now. Besides, Clarisse and I are friends." Or at least didn't try to kill each other on a normal basis. "Wait until capture the flag."

Hermione looked interested. "Capture the flag? That doesn't sound too complicated." I smiled inwardly, then said, "Well, picture about fifty people running at you with swords and spears." She looked less interested and more terrified by the second. I saw Annabeth and Malcolm walk up. Annabeth said, "So, Seaweed Brain, Apollo cabin already grabbed some of those students. Those ones."

She pointed at a boy with white-blond hair and a mean sneer, and a girl with dark hair whose sneer rivaled the boy's. Clarisse and Will, the head counselor for Apollo, were talking to them, and she pointed at Annabeth and me. "And they've got Ares already." I winced. Ares and Apollo were a formidable pair. They had the biggest team so far. "So, I'm guessing you want me to be on your team," I said. I had lost the banner last week. Annabeth nodded. "Yeah," she said, and turned to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and another redheaded girl. I'd forgotten her name. "I'm Annabeth, by the way. Cabin six."

They introduced themselves – the girl's name was Ginny – and Hermione said, "So, you aren't the only daughter of Athena, then? There are more daughters?" Annabeth nodded. "Sons, too. I've got some of the most annoying half-brothers you can imagine. But anyway, do you want to be on our team for capture the flag?" The four students looked at each other, and Harry said, "Sure, I guess." Annabeth beamed. "Great! Now we've got you guys, and your friends – they're staying in our cabin. I think they said they're Ravenclaws?" Malcolm continued, "And we have Hermes, Dionysus, Hephaestus, and" – he made a face – "Aphrodite."

I'd forgotten about Nico for a minute, but hearing our team members listed reminded me of my cousin. "Nico with us?" I asked her. Annabeth gasped. "Oh my gods!" she said. "I didn't even think – Will might already have gotten to him." Sure enough, Will was talking to Nico, who looked interested in whatever the son of Apollo was saying. Malcolm ran over to them and pulled Nico away. I heard him say, "Nico's already on our team, Will. Sorry." "I am?" asked Nico as he and Malcolm came back to our group. Annabeth said, "Yeah. Definitely."

The conch horn sounded, and I realized that it was time for lunch. The morning had slipped by really quickly. We walked over to the dining pavilion and sat down. I realized that all the Hogwarts students were standing around awkwardly, until the man with the long beard said, "Students, sit with the people in whose cabin you're staying." Harry ended up next to me, with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny on the other side.

Hermione POV

Once everyone had sat down, the centaur raised his glass. "To the gods!" he roared. The campers repeated the toast. Young girls with huge trays laden with steaming meat walked around the tables. Of course, Ron heaped his plate with a little bit of everything.

People weren't starting to eat, though. Percy, along with all of the other campers, had gotten up and walked toward the huge brazier. I saw Percy scrape off a bit of his food into the fire, and then he walked back to the table. Ron leaned across the table. "What did you do that for?" His mouth was already stuffed with some of the chicken. Percy said, "An offering to the gods. They like the smell."

I remembered that in one of the myths I had read, the heroes had thrown their food into the fire in exchange for good weather from Zeus. This must have been the same premise. I looked around the dining pavilion. Although it was out in the open, every table had a white tablecloth rimmed with purple trimming. At one table, which seemed – like the cabin I had seen earlier – relatively new, a single boy ate, staring off into space. A man whose lower half of his body was that of a goat walked over and sat down next to him. I turned back to look at Percy. "Why doesn't anyone sit with him?" I asked. "Well, technically, we're supposed to sit at our cabin tables. That happened to me when I first came here. Did you know, technically, I'm not supposed to exist?"

I was immediately interested. "Why not?" "Well, after World War II, the Big Three – that's Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades – swore an oath never to have any children. They were too dangerous. But then Poseidon met my mom." So he wasn't supposed to exist. That must have been horrible for him to find out. Harry said, "Hey, my aunt and uncle hate me. It's really only because they're afraid of me that they let me live with them."

"Yeah," Percy said. "My mom married a really horrible guy to protect me. Anyway, I found out the real reason I wasn't supposed to be born. After World War II, Chiron got a prophecy from the Oracle, that a child of the Big Three would either save or destroy the world from Kronos." Ron whistled low. "Bloody hell, mate, that's a lot of stress to live under. So, you just live in terror until you make the all-important choice?" Percy shook his head. "It happened on my sixteenth birthday. I'm prophecy-free now."

Ron said, "Lucky you. Harry here has a prophecy about him." I could tell Harry was getting nervous, so I stepped on Ron's foot. "Ow! Hermione, what was that for?" Harry said, "It's all right. Yeah, someone made a prophecy about me, but the orb it was kept in smashed. Dumbledore told me it was about Voldemort, though." Next to me, Ginny squeaked and dropped her fork. "Who's Voldemort?" Percy asked. "Chiron mentioned the name, but he didn't say anything else."

Before Harry could say anything, I quickly asked, "Chiron is that man right there, right?" I nodded at a pudgy man, sitting at a table surrounded by girls and half men-goats. Percy winced. "No, that's Mr. D, the camp director. He doesn't like being here." A camp director that didn't like being at camp? That was different. "The centaur standing behind him is Chiron. He's the Activities Director." The aforementioned centaur suddenly stomped a hoof, and the campers fell silent. "Heroes! And Students," he added as an afterthought. "I assume you have informed the students about capture the flag. The current flag holders are Apollo and Athena."

The campers cheered as two people ran in from either side. One held a grey banner with a dark owl on it. The other held an orange banner with a glittering sun on it. Chiron continued, "The usual rules. No intentional maiming or killing, and prisoners can be disarmed but not bound."

Intentional killing? This game really got that serious? I was beginning to think maybe I shouldn't have come. Professor Dumbledore stepped forward. "Students are permitted to use any and all non-lethal spells. NO Unforgivable Curses," he stressed. I looked over at Malfoy, who looked disappointed. I didn't think an order from Dumbledore would stop him, though. "Usual boundaries: the creek is the dividing line. No more than two guards per flag. Arm yourselves!" I looked at the table. What looked like bronze armor appeared on the tables, and Percy immediately began rifling through it. "Here," he said to Harry, handing him and me a breastplate. "Put it on, unless you want to end up a kabob on Clarisse's spear. Just so you know, it's electric." Ron had already found a helmet with a blue plume on it, and had strapped it on. Ginny asked Percy, "What do we do now?" The boy from the empty table had walked over, and he clutched a short dark sword. I was surprised that this boy – whom I recognized as Nico – prepared to fight with a deadly weapon.

"Well, I think I'm right in assuming your magic is considered a ranged weapon, right?" Percy asked us. I remembered my wand, and pulled it out. Ginny said, "Yes, I think so." "In that case," Percy said, "You'll be covering us." I wasn't sure how you would cover someone in a game of capture the flag, but I nodded.

Ginny POV

Percy led us over to another table, where Annabeth and a bunch of similarly grey-eyed people were putting on armor. They all looked pretty serious, which made me nervous. But then one of them said, "I hope Ares gets beat into the ground," and they all laughed. Luna was also on our team, and I went to stand by her. "Hello," she said mistily. "I expect this is going to be rather influenced by Nargles today. I saw many of them around the other team's heads." I tried to ignore that, seeing as trying to understand it would probably lead to internal combustion.

"I just hope no one gets hurt," I said. "Although if Malfoy were to be unintentionally maimed…" Another camper came up to us and introduced himself. "I'm Pollux," he said. "That girl on the red team?" He pointed out a big girl a little older than Percy. "That's Clarisse. Her dad is the god of war, so watch out." "Thanks," I said. I was starting to think that these people took camp a little too seriously when Chiron called, "To your sides!"

The campers ran to one side of the river, whooping and cheering. I followed them, looking anxiously around me. When we got about fifty feet away, Pollux pointed and said, "You'll guard from those trees right there." A horn sounded again, and campers immediately rushed into what I assumed was enemy territory. Suddenly, someone with a red plume popped out from behind a tree. I racked my brain for a spell to use. I remembered reading about one that made metal hot, so I tried it. "Estus telum!" I yelled, pointing my wand at the guy. His sword glowed red-hot, and he dropped it with a yelp.

I suppose he didn't get the hint, though, because he pulled out a knife and came towards me again. Before I could say the spell again, someone else came up from behind me. I caught a glimpse of the face that Pollux had pointed out to me before my wand was wrenched out of my grip. "Cream the newbie!" Clarisse yelled. She grabbed me by the hair – painfully I might add – and pulled me up. "Shouldn't you pick on someone your own size?" I asked her. I wasn't afraid of her. Not with six older brothers threatening me with horrible tortures every other week.

"I don't know where the flag is, you idiot," I told Clarisse. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw leaves rippling but no one there. Harry must have been wearing his invisibility cloak, I thought. Suddenly, Clarisse was shoved from behind, and she cursed in what sounded like Ancient Greek. Her grip slipped, and I was able to grab my wand from my other assailant. I pointed it at him and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!" His legs and arms snapped together, and he fell to the forest floor. I looked over at Clarisse. She'd been disarmed, but not by Harry. Annabeth was holding a knife to Clarisse's throat. "I'll give you a deal," she was saying. "Tell us where the flag is, and I won't take you to jail."

Clarisse snorted and said, "In your dreams, Wise Girl. Mark and Sherman already probably got past your front line." She rolled her eyes. "No thanks to that princess. She was all for blasting a way through you guys. No way. I wanna be in the fight."

I was amazed at this girl. She seemed incredibly tough, but Annabeth was still holding her hostage. I had an idea as to the identity of the "princess" – Pansy Parkinson. She wouldn't be worried about breaking the rules.

Clarisse must have been right about Mark and Sherman, whoever they were, because Annabeth looked over my shoulder and cursed, "Di immortales!" I spun around and there were two guys sneaking through the woods. They looked like they were holding something, but I didn't see anything. Maybe a Disillusionment Charm. Annabeth had released Clarisse and said, "Can you do what you did to him?" She nodded at the other guy on the ground. I put the Body-Bind on her, and she fell to the ground. Annabeth led us to the boys, and she stepped in front of them before they could take another step. "Mark. Sherman." She said. They nodded at her. "All right, Annabeth. Just step out of the way and no one gets hurt."

Annabeth chuckled and shook her head. "I can't do that. Sorry." Meanwhile I was looking around for the wizard who had cast the spell. He couldn't be far, because he would have had to cast it when they got the flag. I saw movement behind a tree. I instantly shot a Stunning spell at it.

The tree shook, and then Ernie Macmillan stepped out from behind it. "Hello, Ginny," he said. "Like the Disillusionment Charm?" He tapped what must have been the top of the flag and it shimmered into view. "Give me that!" Annabeth said, grabbing for it, but Mark pulled it away.

I stepped to stand next to her. "Give us the flag," I said. The three of them shook their heads. I prepared myself for a face-off when I heard cheers. Nico was running through the forest, the banner held high. As he ran, it changed from the brilliant orange into a smoldering black, with an ivory skull on it.

Mark, Sherman, and Ernie slumped, defeated. "You win," Mark told Annabeth. "Where's Clarisse?" Sherman asked. I remembered the Body-Bind I had put on her, and I quickly muttered the counter-spell. Clarisse got up, looking extremely upset. Over by Nico, everyone was cheering and patting him on the back. He looked gratified, and very happy.

That's the end of chapter 2, folks! I thought that Nico should get the flag because he really hasn't. Ever.

I should have more up by tomorrow or Thursday. PLEASE Review!!!! :) (by the way, good writing music – the PJO soundtrack. it's AWESOMELY EPIC!)