After Hermione and Draco had left with Will, the others stood, staring at the TV.
The images displayed were haunting. Patients being transferred from the hospital, that had been shut down. People being rescued out of the tube, because the trains had stopped underground. Buildings on fire because of lightning strikes. Scientists trying in vain to explain, how a thunderstorm of that magnitude could have even formed, much less taken everyone by surprise.
It wasn't long till Draco and Hermione returned.
Hermione plopped down on a chair exhaustedly. Nico went to sit beside her, slinging his arm around her, drawing her close, so she was leaning on him.
Harry sat down across from them, eyebrows raised.
"Oh, shut up, Harry."
By silent agreement, they all sat down at the table, one by one. Percy sat down beside Harry.
"Whoa." Leo blinked. "You know, seeing them separately was freaky, but seeing them together is insane. Are you sure you got the right sibling, Perce?"
Harry and Percy looked each other up and down.
"You're kind of handsome, mate" Harry said appreciatively
"Thanks man! You too!" Percy gave Harry an exaggerated wink, making Hermione roll her eyes and mumble "Gods, what have we started" under her breath.
"Yes, girls, you're both pretty. Can we get back to the matter at hand? Maybe some introductions?" The blonde-haired girl said.
"Right. So, I'm Harry, and this is Mal– Draco"
"And I'm Nico, but I have a feeling you knew that" Nico said.
"And I'm Annabeth" the blonde girl said.
"I'm Frank" the Asian guy waved his hand.
"Hazel" His girlfriend said.
Piper was the girl with the weird hair, Rayna was the girl, who looked ready for an argument, Rachel was the ginger, curly one. Harry himself was sitting next to Percy, and they had already been introduced to Leo.
"And I am Apollo" The man, who was apparently the god of the sun, sighed.
"There is another guy, called Jason, but he isn't around at the moment." The girl, Piper said, wringing her hands. Most of the people seemed uncomfortable at the mentioning of this Jason.
"We need to discuss, what we're going to do." Nico said. "Do we know for certain, what Joseph told his father?"
"No" Reyna sighed "We have to assume he told him everything. It certainly looks that way. Luckily, he didn't know much about the details of our plan."
"Reyna, do you think it's possible for Harry and Draco to interrogate him? He has wizarding ties."
"Sure, I don't see, why not."
"What do you mean, he has wizarding ties?" Draco asked.
"His name is the nephew of Avery, and from what I understand, he's still on the run. Something Joseph said, when he attacked me, made me think he might have been in contact with his uncle– "
"Wait a minute, he attacked you?" Harry interrupted.
"Yes, yes," Hermione waved her hand dismissively "But he lost"
Leo smiled widely "What she means is, that she destroyed him."
"Not enough, for what he did to Will." She growled, making Nico squeeze her closer and kiss her temple. Harry narrowed his eyes. There was definitely something he needed to know there.
"If he could lead us to Avery, that would be amazing. He has a lot of crimes to answer to." Harry ground out.
Hermione looked at him curiously.
"No matter what, we need to think forward." She said. "We have a plan, and we need to implement it."
Apollo sat nodding his head in defeat.
If he hadn't known it, Harry would never have taken him for the god of the sun. At the moment, he was just looking like any other man, close to losing his son.
"I need to do an experiment, and I need your help, Apollo."
"What kind of experiment?" Apollo asked.
"I would like to try to apparate with you to Ogygia. Now that I've seen the place, it might be possible. I have no doubt Zeus is going to put up a fight. It would be better, if we could take that fight somewhere there would be no casualties."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"So, Hermione and I will do that, and I suggest we move on with the big plan no later than tomorrow. Knowing my father, he won't stop, until he gets his way." Apollo said seriously.
Harry heard steps, and from the door in the living room, a tall blonde haired guy emerged. Harry assumed, that must be Jason.
He looked troubled by the images that were still displayed on the screen.
"I don't– " He huffed, and turned around, leaving in the direction he came from.
"I'll go talk to him" Piper offered, and went after him.
Apollo sighed.
"I assume, Jason is having a hard time with it all?"
Harry looked at him questionably
"Why would he have a hard time about it?"
"Jason is a son of Zeus. In some ways, one might say he is my brother. It might be hard for him to adjust to all this." Apollo explained.
Harry opened his mouth, but whatever he had wanted to say, was interrupted by his own yawn.
"I don't suppose you have somewhere to take a nap?" He chuckled. Draco also looked a little worse for wear.
"I can take you to the guest wing. It's getting a little crowded though." Hermione remarked.
"I'm working on that!" Annabeth smirked.
…
Hermione led Harry and Draco down the hall of the guest wing. They were walking slowly, since the boys insisted on stopping, all the time, to study the artwork of Rachel Dare. Hermione still had trouble looking at the image of Nico sitting in the bronze jar.
"This was their second war." Hermione told them quietly. Harry and Draco looked at her questioningly.
"Their first war was around our second year. They fought against the Titans. Back then, the Greek and Roman camps didn't know about each other. There was a great battle in Manhattan, and another in San Francisco. They lost people. Their second war was not long after that. Must have taken place around our fourth or fifth year. They fought against Gaia and her Giants. The two camps were close to war against each other as well, as far as I've understood, but those, living in this house, united, to fight against Gaia together. Two times they prevented the end of civilization."
"Makes me feel kind of small." Harry commented, making Draco laugh.
"I think you're doing all right Mr. Saviour of the Wizarding World." He said, punching Harry in the shoulder.
Draco was going to stay in the room next to Will's, and Harry was staying across the hall. Draco went directly to his room, leaving Hermione alone in the hall, with Harry.
He sighed. "You know, just because you have a real brother now, it doesn't stop me from being your brother too."
Hermione looked at him bewildered.
"Of course, you're my brother, Harry. That won't change"
"There's just so much you haven't told me." Harry huffed. As much as he tried not to be, he was hurt by her secrets.
"I know" She sighed. She went into the room, that was now his, and plopped down in a chair, near the door.
"It was overwhelming, when I first found out. I really wished I could speak to you about all this, but I couldn't. What would you have said, if I told you I had been to the Underworld? Or that I had been fighting monsters with a sword? Or that I had a bloody god for a father? What would Ron have said? He already had so many complexes, I didn't really want to add to them. Plus, I believe, that there was a reason I was kept a secret."
Harry nodded thoughtfully "I think you're right."
"You do?" She asked surprised, making Harry's lips twitch.
"Back home, Malfoy and I had our own mini-investigation, and we found out, who your mother was." He told her solemnly.
Hermione's eyes widened.
"It was Marlene McKinnon. She was a friend of my parent's. She died, when your house was attacked, when you were a baby. I don't know how, but somehow, Sirius must have been able to get you out of there, or maybe you were with him, but he left you at an orphanage, everyone assumed you were dead. The house was burned to the ground with Fiendfyre."
Hermione sat in the chair, her eyebrows crinkling as she processed the information. It was a familiar sight, watching her think. In the end, she sighed.
"Thank you, for telling me. I think I'm going to head back, I need a little rest too, before trying to jump dimensions." She said with a wry smile.
"You mean you're going to head back to Nico. I saw how you were around him. Don't think we're not going to talk about that, young lady!" Harry laughed.
"Harry, you do know, that I'm older than you, making you the baby brother." Hermione smirked.
Harry's smile fell "Actually, about that, we have been doing some calculations. And it looks like, your birthday should be in March."
"How do you figure?"
"Well, everyone says, that you were four months old, when- when the attack took place. And we know from the letter my mum sent to Sirius, that it was in the end of July."
"So even my birthday is fake." Hermione whispered. "How did they even do that? The difference is big, between a four-month-old baby and a ten-month-old." she asked bewildered.
Harry drew her in for a hug.
"That, I don't know. But I'm here for you. You have two handsome big brothers, watching your back." He smiled at her, making her roll her eyes.
"Oh, before I forget, do you think you could send a note to Ginny about, where I am? Sparkles is in the living room." He yawned.
"I will. Now take off your shoes, and go to bed, before you pass out." She assured him, standing up, and herding him towards the bed, where he collapsed. It didn't take many minutes before he was out cold.
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