I'm so sorry for the long wait! I made a long chapter to make up for the delay. Enjoy, R&R.

Harry's POV

This day started just like every other day in Camp Half-Blood. We woke up in Cabin 11, Hermione had a fight with the Stoll brothers, we had breakfast and now we were wondering around aimlessly. Ever since Hermione had the idea to come to America to search for that strange girl we fought with in the Battle of Hogwarts two years ago, we had decided to turn it into vacation. So Ron apparated us here about a week ago, but he miscalculated the location and we ended up in the middle of a rather aggressive Capture the Flag game between…demigods?

The idea seemed crazy at first and I believe it still does to Ron and, possibly, Hermione. But like Chiron had said when we first arrived, if wizards are real then why shouldn't demigods be? So now we were captives in a Camp full with kids that don't depend in magic but choose to defend themselves with swords and bows and spears. Kids that wore Greek armor, fought monsters and were best friends with nature spirits, satyrs, and were taught by a Centaur. The Centaur! Chiron himself.

Well, being in the camp didn't really seem strange to me. Growing up in Hogwarts you tend to not get easily surprised by such things as centaurs. What was giving me a headache was the existence of the Gods. Note Plural! And we were actually mortals blessed by Hecate, the Goddess of Magic. Still we managed to survive in this camp the whole week thanks to Hermione that immediately gained the interest of Athena's children. Trust Hermione to be friends with the kids who had the biggest library in the Camp. The only library in the Camp. Apparently demigods and books didn't mix together, unless you were a child of Athena.

Right now however we were walking towards the arena. Ron and I were extremely interested into watching the duels and practice of the demigods. Heck, we even tried to get a few lessons ourselves. But they didn't seem to trust us enough to give us weapons. Hermione of course thinks this is totally barbaric. "To give children weapons! Let them fight each other with no supervision!" But I had to agree with that scary girl, Clarisse. "Barbaric?! I want to see you killing a Dracon with your bear hands Bushy Hair!" She had snorted at her the first day we had arrived.

However now it was just Ron and me. Hermione had decided to hang out with the children of Hecate, to talk about new spells and magic theory. When we stepped into the Arena there were several pairs that practiced as well as a couple of others that were stabbing dummies. What really caught our eye though was a group of three, battling in the middle of the Arena. They were in full body armor so we couldn't see who they were. One of them was wielding two swords, another had a golden shield and sword and the third had a spear and blood red armor. Sparks of electricity crackled from the edge of the spear and Ron paled.

- Let's go find Hermione. Ron pleaded. Even though I would love to see this all out fight between Clarisse and the other two kids, I decided to do as Ron asked. I really didn't want to see him get bullied by Clarisse into doing push ups, climbing up the wall in the toughest level or any of that sort.

- Sure Ron. Whatever you say mate. I agreed as he was trying to make sure the daughter of Ares wouldn't notice him. But there was no way Clarisse could have seen us. She was too engrossed in her fight with the other two. So we made our way towards the cabins, only to find out that Hermione was in the Big House along with some other kids from Hecate's cabin.

Upon arriving at the Big House we found Lou Ellen arguing with Chiron and Hermione was listening intently.

- We can't give them their wands back! I can do it Chiron. I know the spell they used on him and I can reverse it. I just need some time to figure this out. She protested.

- But she can do it in seconds, Lou Ellen. Chiron calmly argued back.

- And what if she decides to attack us after that? What if she kills Michael and then run away?

- I wouldn't do that! Hermione shouted in protest. She was genially offended.

- Oh really? Then I suppose that you didn't place Sofia a tracking spell as well!

- Enough! Chiron stopped her. We cannot accuse Miss Granger for something we don't have proof of. I understand your reasoning perfectly well. I have thought of these possibilities myself, but I have come up with a solution to our problem. He turned to Hermione and stared skeptically at her.

- Miss Granger you will have to swear on the River Styx that once you get hold of your wand you will do nothing more than bring Michael back to his original state and then you will return your wand to me. But be warned. An oath to the Styx is not something to be taken lightly. Should you break the oath you will find that there are worse things than death. Hermione was taken aback. A fate worse than death? What could be worse than dying?

- Hermione… Ron was about to ask what was happening but…

- Fine! I swear on the River Styx that I will do as you said. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance as Hermione said those words. The old centaur seemed satisfied and nodded for Hermione and that other girl, Lou Ellen, to follow him.

- Come on Ron. I urged him to follow them as well. They didn't seem to mind us as we stayed outside the door of a room with the statue of a boy, no more than thirteen, frozen in a battle position, hunched on the ground, holding an I-pod. No… it wasn't a statue. Taking a closer look I realized the kid was petrified in that position. So that's what they wanted from Hermione to do!

- It's a spell similar to Petrificus Totalus so I only have to end it. Hermione explained and waved her wand over the kid in a single, fluent movement. Then the kid suddenly stood and turned around, a crossbow in his hands. He aimed at our general direction and an arrow shot straight towards me and Ron.

- Duck! I yelled at Ron but he was momentarily frozen. I heard Hermione scream his name and I pushed him to the ground, falling on top of him.

- Michael stop this instant! You are in the Big House! Chiron ordered the kid. He lowered his crossbow and looked sheepishly at us. Hermione was at our side in a second and was examining frantically Ron and me. I dared to take a look on the wall behind us and my eyes widened in shock. If I hadn't pushed Ron when I did now he would probably be dead, due to an arrow sticking out of his forehead! Thankfully it was now embed in a wooden wall instead of my friend's skull.

- Sorry 'bout that! He smiled apologetically. I was in the middle of an ambush the last time I checked. He turned to meet Chiron.

- What happened to me Chiron? He asked the old centaur. One minute we where on the beach, being attacked by those wizards and then I wake up here?

- You were petrified. Lou Ellen supplied the information to him. You were brought back to normal thanks to her. She pointed to Hermione.

- Which reminds me… Miss Granger I will have that wand of yours back now, if you please. The centaur demanded calmly. I felt Hermione stiffened next to me but she did what she was asked to. She had sworn to do it anyway.

- Wait! Why are wizards here?! Michael asked raising his crossbow for… good measure, I guess.

- Calm down Michael. They are no threat to us. Chiron told him. They apparated here in the middle of Capture the flag. After an unfortunate incident we decided it would be best to keep them here until we get a word from Olympus.

- How long have they been here? He asked turning his crossbow into an I-pod again.

- Two weeks. Lou Ellen said.

- And they still haven't decided what to do with them? What are the Gods thinking? Lou Ellen shared a look with Chiron.

- I do not know. Chiron finally said. And you should not worry yourself about it. Now that you are fine I suggest you join your siblings. They are a bit edgy after all that happened. That was our cue to leave. I was sure that the centaur didn't want to share the information he had while we were there. To him we were a potential enemy. That of course wasn't true on our part but judging from what they where letting on, some wizards had attacked demigods. That would be disastrous. We had just got out of a war. There was no reason for another one, especially when it involved Gods and their kids. At the front porch of the Big House Michael stopped us.

- Look… I'm not sure I should trust you, but I'll give you one friendly piece of advice as a thank you gift for the girl healing me… He nodded to Hermione and continued. Stay away from my sister or you might get hurt.

- Is that a threat?! Ron asked edgy, glaring down at the younger kid.

- No. I'm saying that because she is probably in an extremely foul-mood right now and she doesn't like wizards. He said unfazed.

- How are we supposed to know who your sister is? I asked trying to keep the tension from escalating further.

- Easy. She walks around with a golden bow; she has three claw marks on her abdomen that you can see since her T-shirt is really short and she can turn into a big white wolf. If you see the wolf, be extra careful! He shuddered at that last part. Hermione's eyes widened.

- Well anyway, I'm leaving. He turned and left us there.

- Do you think it's her? Ron asked serious.

Zoe's POV

Lunch-break was bliss, after all the training I was put through. Honestly, how was Sofia able to keep this up for so long? I had to run, climb, do push-ups and fight without enough resting. I mean I could barely stand! My feet were trembling after all that. I never had so much exercise in my entire life and now I was told that I had to put up with all that every single day I spend here? That was insane! Sofia was right about one thing though, eating a huge breakfast was needed if I didn't want to collapse in the middle of the day.

As soon as I spotted an empty seat in Hermes' table I collapsed, sighing happily to be able to sit.

- Tough first day? Someone asked and I saw Hermione coming to sit next to me along with two other boys.

- Just never had so much exercise before… I'll get used to it, I suppose. I replied tiredly. Who are your friends? I changed the subject as the two boys sat opposite us.

- I'm Harry Potter. The raven haired one with the round glasses and… was that a lightning scar on his forehead?... introduced himself.

- And that's Ronald Weasly my boyfriend. Hermione added pointing at the tall redhead. He nodded in acknowledgement.

- Hey. He said.

- Nice to meet you. Are you unclaimed as well? They looked at me surprised. When I met other kids they also added their divine parent after their names. Soο, I guess you don't know them either? I elaborated as they didn't seem to understand my line of thought.

- Oh, actually… Ronald began to say.

- We are unclaimed as well. Hermione hurried to answer, shooting a glare to her boyfriend. I thought that was weird but I shrugged it off. Maybe they didn't want to talk about their divine parents or maybe it was because they didn't like Hermes as their father? I don't know.

I heard commotion coming from Apollo's table and I heard cheering. I looked around to see what was happening. Sofia's younger brother, Michael, I think was his name, was in the arms of his siblings and he was being poked and examined by every single one of them to make sure that he was real and not a stone statue anymore. Sofia though was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if she knew that her brother was healed. Then I spotted her coming to the pavilion along with Leo and a really muscular girl with light brown hair and a look that meant she was in a mood for a fight anytime. Her eyes widened as she saw Michael trying to get away from Nora's vice grip. Then, as she moved, she became a white blur that pushed him to the ground and started nuzzling him. I had seen her turning into a wolf once before when she wanted to convince me about this entire Greek-Mythology-being-real thing. But now that I was able to take a good look at her I realized that she was twice as big as a regular wolf would be, almost the size of a motorcycle and I felt… intimidated.

- HEY! GET OFF ME YOU BIG FUZZ BALL! Michael exclaimed annoyed. The wolf gave him a feral grin and moved aside; turning back into human form in the blink of an eye, as snickers could be heard throughout the tables.

- Good to see you moving again. She said as she ruffled his sandy blonde hair.

- Yeah me too. He admitted and moved to sit in the table along with his siblings.

I turned my attention back to my plate. What did I want to eat? Well I was hungry, that was for sure, so I decided to go for a nice four season's pizza. As soon as I had set my mind into it, a nice atomic pizza made its appearance in my plate. I got up to offer a piece to my, yet unknown, father and so did Sofia.

- Hey, how was your day? She asked as she waited for some Demeter's kids to finish with their offerings.

- I never thought it would be so tiring. My feet wouldn't stop shaking just a couple of minutes ago. It's good to see your brother back in. I said with a smile.

- Yeah. Now all that's left is to issue a quest to hunt down those blasted wizards. She said with an edge I've never heard in her voice before and that was a proof I didn't know her as well as I thought. Well I had to change that as soon as possible. But then she smiled at me.

- Did you get your weapon yet? She asked me more cheerful. I was taken by surprise.

- My… weapon? I stuttered.

- Yes. Every demigod has one to defend himself from monsters. But since nobody took you to the Armory, we will go together after lunch ok?

- Ok… I said uncertain if this was a good idea. By now it was our turn to give an offering to the Gods. Sofia went first. She threw her best portion in the fire and prayed.

- Father, let me see. Then she threw another piece in the fire. Lady Artemis, I wish for a good hunt. But instead of the beautiful smell that the other offerings had, it smelled like burnt food and suddenly all chatting stopped. Sofia's body tensed and her fists tightened.

- What's happening?

- The Twin Archers did not accept Sofia's offering. Chiron replied to my question as he approached.

- Sofia what did you ask for? He asked her troubled.

- For sight and a good hunt. She said. Her face mixed with an equal dose of surprise and anger.

- You plan on going for a "hunt" by yourself? He asked already knowing the answer. She looked at him defiantly. His brows furrowed even more.

- This calls for a… He was cut off as a female form shimmered to existence next to him. The young lady had her long black hair loose and they seemed to flow with some unseen gentle breeze. Her form was constantly changing from solid to air-like and she was floating above the pavilion's marble floor.

- An Aura? Sofia whispered stunned. The lady smiled at me and approached.

- Chiron, I'm here on orders from lord Auster. He has asked me to deliver a message to his daughter. Chiron turned his attention to me and suddenly I felt extremely self-conscious as all eyes in the dining hall were fixed on me.

- The God of the South Wind? He asked surprised. The lady nodded and came to me.

- Zoe, I was asked by your father to come here to give you this package and to make sure that you understand who you are. She said to me and held out a white package that was no bigger than the size of a handbook. Then she guided me away from the pavilion. As we walked, or floated, down the road to the Cabins she began speaking again.

- I do not have much time here so listen to me carefully. Auster is the Roman counterpart for Notus, the embodiment of the South Wind. You do not belong in Camp Half-blood but Camp Jupiter. The reason you were brought here is that your mother is a legacy of Hades.

- The god of the Underworld?! I couldn't believe that I was related to such a dark god. Mom was always cheerful and kind and… I felt the earth shaking under my feet slightly so I figured it would be best to stop thinking about it this way.

- Yes. You are part Roman and part Greek. That's why you must stay in Camp Half-blood for a while and then be led to Camp Jupiter. Also you have inherited some unique abilities from both your mother and your father so when you are able to do so you should seek the help of Jason Grace and the two children of Hades, Nico DiAngelo and Hazel Lavesque. She looked at me to see if I had understood, so I nodded.

- What about this? I asked showing the package.

- That is a gift from your father. That is all I had to tell you. Be safe young daughter of Auster. And with that she left me standing alone in front of the Cabins center. I was too shocked to think. My father was a wind god and I was also related to Hades of all people…I didn't know what to do so I stood there, staring at the package.

- You should open it. I spun around to see Sofia standing behind me. Her arms crossed on her chest and a very serious expression on her face.

- I… She sighed and motioned for me to follow her.

- I don't know what the Aura told you and I won't ask if you don't want to share but if this is a gift from your father then it's best you open and accept it. Not many demigods have the luck to receive a gift from their godly parent. Usually it's something pretty useful and it means he's watching you, for better or for worse. She said as we walked towards the beach.

- Well… It's just that she said I don't really belong here. That I'm supposed to go to Camp Jupiter and ask for Jason Grace and the children of Hades for help. Her head snapped at me when she heard that last bit of info.

- Why would you need their help? And I get it if you were to need the help of Jupiter's son but why Hades too? What's going on? She asked a bit panicked. I was taken aback but…

- My mom is a legacy of Hades. Or at least that's what the lady told me. Something about me having abilities of some sort… What do you think that means? She shook her head.

- Probably that you inherited some of your father's abilities over the wind. Just like I have partial control of the Light. I guess that you will find out when you get to Camp Jupiter… A mix of Roman and Greek?... She mumbled to herself. She sat on the beach. Well?... Aren't you going to open it? She inquired. I looked at the package currently sitting in my lap and hesitated. "For better or for worse" That's what Sofia said and it made me nervous. But I was also curious so I unwrapped carefully the package and opened the box. Inside was a golden belt decorated with black metallic ornaments that resembled the swirls of a wind blowing or the shadows cast by a candlelight. It was beautiful and it gave an aura of power. Sofia next to me was stunned at what she was looking.

- This is made from Imperial Gold and Stygian Iron! I've never heard of an item made of the combination of these two! This… this is one of a kind! She said overcoming her shock.

- Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I asked her without really knowing what she was talking about.

- Imperial Gold is the metal the Romans used for their weapons to be able to kill monsters and Stygian Iron is the ore of the Underworld. Only Nico DiAngelo has a sword made of it. This metal is ten time more dangerous for both monsters and Demigods if you decide to use it to kill them. If my memory serves me right it sucks away the defeated's essence, making it harder for monsters to reform back in Tartarus. She told me thoughtfully. Maybe Hades decided to show to everyone that you are his legacy. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but it doesn't matter to me. We're friends.

- How do you know all these stuff? I knew that she wasn't particularly interested in mechanics and metal working.

- It's part of the basics. Romans use Imperial Gold, Greeks use Celestial Bronze and the son of Hades uses Stygian Iron. But I actually learned the details of that last one from Nico when I met him once. He's a nice guy and the emo style looks good on him for most of the time! She chuckled. I looked back at the box, pulling the belt out. That's when I noticed the note inside. The handwriting was that of an old calligrapher and the ink was grey in the white paper that seemed like it was made out of clouds. It was written in Latin, but for some reason that didn't seem to be a problem.

"My dear Zoe

As you must've figured out already I'm Auster and I'm your father. Even though I had to leave you and your mother when you where born, know that I was always watching over you two and I'm proud to see that you have grown into such a beautiful young lady with so many friends. I know that this note and gift of mine cannot replace my years of absence but please consider it as a late birthday present from me and Hades, your Great-great Grandfather actually. The belt is made of Imperial Gold and Stygian Iron as I'm sure your friend, the daughter of Apollo must've already told you. It is enchanted and if you run your fingers over the middle ornament on your left side a scimitar will appear. Just a little something to keep you safe in case you ever meet with an enemy.

Happy birthday! And may the winds always follow your commands!

P.S Hades said that you can move to his Cabin if you don't want to stay with those Hermes' kids on your head.

Your father, Auster"

I felt my eyes wet as I was reading. My father was proud of me, he didn't want to leave us and he was watching over me and Sofia this very moment, even though I don't know how he could've the time he was writing the letter. But that didn't matter, because he actually cared about me! I took the belt and run my finger over the middle left ornament like the letter said. The black cold metal reformed into a simple black scabbard with a golden edge. The handle of the scimitar was made out of white leather while the cross was a wavy piece of polished Celestial bronze. I slowly drew the blade out and the Imperial Gold glistened in the sunlight. The weapon wasn't heavy or bulky, like the Roman swords or even some of the Greek swords I've seen many kids in the Camp carrying around. The blade was a long thin curve that fitted nicely as an extension of my arm.

- How did you do that? Sofia asked, letting a small whistle of appreciation.

- It said so in the letter. Dad says it's a gift for my birthday. Hades provided the Stygian Iron to make this. I told her, swishing the blade around. This was soo awesome!

- Really?! So what's your relationship with him anyway?

- He's my Great-Great Grandfather. I guess now we don't need to look for a weapon? I asked putting the blade back in its scabbard and making it disappear.

- No. But you're going to need armor if you want to be able to move around without a body cast. Tomorrow's going to be Capture the Flag and you're going to get hit one way or another. So it's off to the Armory with you! She told me off playfully.

- Wait! You're not coming? She scowled.

- No. I have a war council to attend to and Chiron wants to scold me for even thinking of leaving the Camp without telling anyone. But I'll see you around. You haven't chosen side for the upcoming game. And with that she left.

Capture the Flag, huh? I had heard from Jessica, a daughter of Demeter, that it was actually a game to test our battle skills and tactics in a safe yet quite realistic way. And the upcoming game was going to be interesting because the best fighting cabins had joined forces to try and defeat Apollo's cabin that had a strong advantage due to Sofia's Light abilities. From what I had heard they considered her one of the strongest "new" demigods currently at Camp. And by new, they meant campers that had joined after the War with the Giants and Gaea. I hadn't heard the details but the mere thought of having to fight a Giant sent shivers down my spine. I shook my head. It didn't matter now. There was no war going on right now, so no point in worrying about what could've happened if I was caught up in it. I decided to wear the belt and went for the armory.

Apparently the armory was a big metal shed to the backside of the Athena's cabin. But I had a problem. It was locked and I didn't have the keys to open it.

- Can I help you? Someone asked. I spun around to see a boy with the most stunning grey eyes I had ever seen. He was quite tall, with shaggy light brown hair that fell over the left side of his face.

- I… um… I was told from Sofia to come here and get armor for tomorrow's Capture the Flag game.

- Ah… you are the daughter of Notus! Right? You just came here last night didn't you? I'm Jake Sommery, son of Athena. It's nice to meet you! He introduced himself.

- Nice to meet you too.

- Just let me get the key and will have you an armor in no time! He told me reassuringly and disappeared in his cabin. A moment later he appeared again, holding a bronze key which he used to unlock the door and allowed me to go in first. I have to admit that I was expecting to see spears and shields and swords hanging from the walls but I certainly didn't imagine the correct amounts of the weapons. The shack was filled to the brim with Celestial Bronze and regular steel weapons and not all too neat in place. Spears were mixed with helmets; swords hang along with bow quivers and even a few guns lay here and there. Despite the rather messy layout of the place I could tell that the campers could find what they want rather quickly. As I stood in the entrance of the Armory staring in wonder at the sheer numbers of weaponry all stocked in one place, Jake moved inside and began piling helmets, bracers, shields and breastplates that thought would be my size. I helped him get them out and I tried some of them on.

I have never thought that such a simple style of armor would be so difficult to put on correctly. After fighting a lost fight with the leather straps of my breastplate I had to find a light enough shield and I couldn't seem to be able to find one. I felt so embarrassed when Jake suggested that I should probably get some more exercise before I could actually use one. He was right of course since I was having a proper exercise for the first time in my life that very day, but he doesn't need to know that. After a few tries we managed to find the right size of a breastplate, a helmet, vambraces and leggings, though how I was going to be able to move around this that much weight on me it was a completely different matter.

- Alright, now that you're all set you can either keep that armor and be responsible for its maintenance or you can return it here after the game. Most of us after we find armor that suites us we keep it, because if we leave it here someone else might claim it or the Stolls would probably steal it. Jake advised me as he locked the shack.

- Steal it? Is that even allowed? I asked surprised, not from the fact that the sons of Hermes would steal but from the knowledge that it was a usual occurrence and no one seemed to care much.

- Yes. They tend to do it for fun or profit. He shrugged. You can never know with these two. Well…, it was nice meeting you but I got to go. Maybe I'll see you later at dinner or at the campfire. He said his goodbye and left towards the arena.

I was now alone with some heavy load and I wondered what I should do next. I had to leave my armor somewhere but I couldn't decide if I was going to move out from Hermes' Cabin and into Hades' or not. My first impression on that cabin wasn't the best but I didn't want to live on my own either. Maybe Sofia would help me decide, but for now, I would stick with Hermes. So I went and dropped them on my bed before heading out to my Tracking skills lesson.

The second half of the day moved in a much easier pace since the only lesson was about tracking down monsters and it didn't require much physical exercise and before dinner we had free time and laundry, which meant we had to wash our own clothes and, lucky for me, I had only to wash an awfully sweated T-shirt and a dusty pair of jeans, unlike the rest of the Hermes' kids that had a week's worth of dirty clothes. I didn't get to see Sofia during dinner, but none of the Head Councilors came to eat either. Whatever they were discussing was taking them an awfully big amount of time. They were locked in the Big House for more than four hours now and I was begging to worry. I knew that Maria was kidnapped by the wizards that attacked us and Sofia was eager to go after them but then when she had indirectly asked for her father and Artemis to bless her on this "hunt" they had refused. Plus, when Sofia talked about it she was out for blood and I could only blame her wolf self for that. Normally Sofia was level-headed when it came to violence. At least as far as I knew.

- Here they come! A girl from Hecate's table noticed as a large group of people was coming towards the dining pavilion. Chiron and Sofia's figures were visible next to them.

- I'm guessing things didn't work out for Sofia. One of the kids at my table said to his brother.

- Yeah. The other one agreed. I wondered what took them so long.

- Um, excuse me, but what makes you say that? I asked curious as to what made them reach to that conclusion. They looked at me and shook their heads.

- You're new here so you probably wouldn't know. Sofia can shift her shape at will but when she is in a strong emotional state her wolfish nature tends to take over and, if she shines with her inner light… that means she's really pissed off. You would want to avoid reaching that point with her. The first one told me and suppressed a shudder. I turned to look at the group once again. True enough, Sofia's white fur glowed a faint golden light.