PLEASE: Tell me if you see anything out of character. Tell me if you see any mistakes, as well on any other chapter. These comments help me become a better writer. If you feel as if I could do better, tell me and I will attempt to make changes. Thank you!

Also: a shout-out for the people who submitted their thoughts on house placement. That really helped! If you want my reasons to why one person went where, please ask. Thank you!

Percy felt exceptionally bad for leaving Annabeth alone, on another boat, nowhere near him. Oh, and Rachel. That too.

The magic boat ride seemed exceptionally long after sitting on the train for over seven hours, and he was starting to get rallied up. Even with the amazing piece of architecture in front of him, Percy was eager for action.

Screams erupted from his left. He whipped his head around to the noise, where the end of the line of boats rose up in a light wave. Percy wasn't sure what they were worried about, but when the wave traveled over to the section of boats Percy, James, and Sirius was in, he saw what they were so frightened about.

A giant squid with intense detail was swimming right under their feet. He mildly wondered if it was hostile.

To find this out, Percy dipped his head next to the kraken.

Immediately, the water made him feel stronger, clearer, and energized. Breathing in the lake he watched as the kraken's wave flow behind its tentacles. The squid's eyes turned towards Percy, watching him be pulled from the water and into morning air.

"Percy, what were you doing?" James and Sirius' looks had a sense of awe; clearly they thought Percy was crazy for going into the Black Lake, but had a pinch of amazement. "Blimey, you're dry!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, what about it?"

The two boy's stares brought Percy back into his facade. "Oh, um, ah. . . . I wasn't in there for that long," he said stupidly.

"In there for that long? Percy, you were in there for nearly a whole minute!" James exclaimed.

Percy was at a loss for words. How could he get out of this one? "Was not,"

"Was too!" Sirius retaliated.

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

The boy at the back of the craft was getting more agitated with every word. He wrung his fingers, and his shoulders came up to his ears. Face going red, he tried not to shout. "Please!" He said, managing to get his voice just above everyone else's on the craft, but low enough that it wasn't a yell. "I think- I - I, I think I k-know what just ha. . . happened."

Everyone turned toward the boy. Percy's face was riddled with fear; thinking frantically how to get out of this situation. He concluded this was worse than fighting; you couldn't stop this boy from talking with force.

The mousy haired boy had fear written through his whole body, in his posture, his hands, and his face. "Magic, like, gets a hold of us before we get our wands, r-right? That was, just, just, magic taking over."

Sirius takes a look at James and shrugs. James, on the other hand, doesn't seem so sure. "Percy already has his wand,"

"But I haven't used it yet," Percy says quickly. James looks and him and simply accepts it with a shrug.

By this time, the boats has bumped up against the other side of the lake. Annabeth ran furiously over to the three black-haired boys. "You have got to be kidding me!" Annabeth says heatedly. "You just left, just like that! Tell, me, what exactly were you thinking?!" Annabeth had gotten so close to Percy's face that her nose was basically touching his.

"Calm down," Percy said. "I just-"

But his marvelous explanation was cut off by Annabeth kicking him in the side, leaning down to his ear and whispering, "Don't ever do that to me again, seaweed brain."

Percy let out a small grin. Percy, thinking back, realized that was an easier 'apology accepted' for Annabeth than he had expected for her at eleven.

Rachel wasn't paying much attention. The majority of children's eyes were trained on Anna and Perce, but the giant was trying to get their focus on him. Once the drama had concluded, they followed the man to a large, wooden door that opened to a young, happy woman clad in purple robes. As the room filled with children, the woman started to speak.

"Hello! And welcome to Hogwarts, the finest witchcraft and wizarding school in the world. Here you will learn everything about magic and more that will set you for success. Our current headmaster is Professor Dumbledore, and I am Deputy Headmistress, Professor Gaudium, and I teach ancient runes.

"When you walk into the Great Hall, you will be called by name to come and be sorted into four different houses: Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw. When you are sorted, you can earn or lose points for your house. Points will be awarded for good behavior, while rule-breaking will lose you points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel saw James raise his eyebrows at Sirius.

Gaudium walked through an identical door to the one outside, and the children followed her.

Annabeth gasped at what was the Great Hall. The room was the largest she'd seen-without any podiums holding the ceiling up. The windows were so clear it was as if there was nothing there; the only notion that there was anything there was a black wire design delicately put in the window frame. Candles were strewn across the air, lighting up the place. However, what really got Annabeth was the ceiling.

It perfectly mimicked the sunrise, the 3D screen - Annabeth wasn't sure what else to call it - had every color in place, every shade matched, every cloud shaped. It had depth and width; Rachel doubted that the roof was there at all.

At the head of the hall was a simple wooden stool, with an old, patched hat. Behind it was a wide table with more than a dozen adults with an atmosphere of authority. Gaudium stood by the hat and, as if on cue, the whole hall went silent. A moment after, the hat did the impossible. The hat moved.

And it sung.

Huzza! For I am the Mighty Sorting Hat,

Enchanted by the founders four,

Each one shall chose you,

If you have the qualities they desire.

There is Ravenclaw, where the intelligent reside,

Those Eagles soar up above,

Where they see meaning in knowledge,

And yet fail to see the reason under their nose.

You could be in Slytherin,

Where the cunning stay,

The true friends are placed,

But cannot hear the bells ring from their hearts.

If you are brave, you would complete Gryffindor,

Where they are loyal,

Reckless and daring,

But cannot see a lamefull ending.

And finally, Hufflepuff my choose you,

Where they find the best things in everything,

Completely loyal to a cause or a person,

Yet their flaw is to be blinded by their own goodness.

But fear not!

Two worlds shall have prevailed through Time,

Bringing them in with a touch of magic,

And taking them out with a touch of genes.

Huzza! Put me on, you will see,

That nothing can be hid from me,

For I am the Sorting Cap!

Silence.

The Sorting Hat's voice still rung out in the student's ears, making the two demigods and the oracle hang their mouths open in pure shock. No one dared speak a word.

"Abbot, Jared,"

Rachel heard nervous breathing behind her. A boy with thin lips weaved his way through the crowd and sat up on the wooden stool, and Gaudium placed the talking hat upon his head. Silence filled the room, making everything extremely awkward. After about one minute, the hat yelled across the room. "RAVENCLAW!"

The table to the left of Rachel clapped happily as the boy joined the table. It went on like this, Professor Gaudium calling out names by alphabetical order, each one nervous as the last.

"Black, Sirius,"

Sirius walked over, seemingly without much worry. Annabeth observed, however, his eyes widen as the hat dropped over his eyes. Barely a second went by when the hat bellowed, "GRYFINNDOR!" Sirius grinned, apparently relieved at what the hat had chosen. He sat down at the table to Rachel's right, waiting for his newfound friends to be sorted. Several more name were read by.

"Carty, Isabella,"

"Cervera, Ruth,"

"Chase, Annabeth,"

Annabeth tensed up, almost refusing to take another step forward while Gaudium waited patiently for an Annabeth to walk up to the head of the room. Another student, noticing Annabeth's behavior, pushed her towards her destination. Her posture rigid, she walked up the stairs and sat down, and sucked in air as the hat slipped over her eyes.

Eh-What?

Annabeth heard a voice inside her head, and resisted the urge to jump. 'Huh?' Annabeth thought.

Your. . .Your mind. It's scattered, unlike any I've seen before. I- Oh! Yes. You're the demigod, yes?

'I. . .How did you know?'

Are you deaf? I can see inside you head!

'How does that work?'

Never mind, let's see. . .Plenty of courage, my goodness, much of that, but oh, the wit inside! All of this, it's overwhelming, I have to - wait, I must remind you to take a very important trip to Godric- I mean, Albus. Now, you witty girl, I shall put you in RAVENCLAW!

The hat was lifted from Annabeth's head and she walked hurriedly to the clapping table. Both Percy and Rachel looked in shock at Annabeth, that she was sorted into a house at all.

Names whirred by for Rachel, while on the other hand, they slowed down to the extreme to Percy. James sharply elbowed Percy. At first he wasn't sure why, but then he realized he was muttering Greek under his breath. James probably thought it was just gibberish.

"Dare, Rachel,"

Rachel, as opposed to Annabeth, didn't seem worried. She wasn't, Rachel decided she just had to accept what was going to happen, and not get too worked up about it.

About this issue, anyways.

Gaudium plopped the rugged hat onto Rachel's head, fitting her head, but a bit loose.

Interesting, interesting. . . .

Rachel waited, figuring anything is possible from here on out.

Plenty of courage, but the determination is strong. . . You have seen things not many else have seen. . . And yet, you have kept your sanity, you press on. . . . Oh! You'll do great in Divination. GRYFFINDOR!

Clapping erupted from the Gryffindor table. She took a seat far away from Sirius, as her grudges didn't go away easily. Names passed through the three's heads, that is, until "Jackson, Percy," Came through.

James nudged Percy to step forward, and that he did. It was inevitable that Percy felt anxious.

Another demigod I see. . . . So much loyalty lies within you, but the bravery is undeniable. The seed, and, oh, that Tartarus encounter, I must, I must place you in GRYFFINDOR!

Percy nearly ran over to Rachel and Sirius, but seeing them apart, he put himself across the table from Sirius. Rachel huffed and slid over by Percy.

James joined them when he was sorted quickly into Gryffindor. Annabeth constantly glanced over to the red and gold table, wishing she could come over there.

"Hey, Annabeth, right?"

"Huh?"

A girl with long, straight jet-black hair sat next to Annabeth. The girl stared with intent eyes, studying her.

"Oh, um, yes, I'm Annabeth." Annabeth said, unsure how to converse further.

"Are you American?" the girl said, slight surprise in her voice.

"Um, yeah. I am."

"That is so cool!" She gave a wide smile, but then blushed and said, "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to, er, say it that way,"

Annabeth regained her composure. "It's alright," she said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Vanya, Vanya Wolf." Vanya's smooth skin was slightly darker than the skin of Annabeth's. "And yes, that is my last name, if you're wondering." Her large eyes tried to take in everything, as if she wanted to see it all but couldn't open her eyes wide enough. When Annabeth took a more refined look at Vanya, she saw one of her eyes was a bright red amber, while the other was deep purple.

"You're eyes," Annabeth commented. "Are they natural?"

"Yep, no spells or anything. All natural!"

Both Annabeth and Vanya laughed and talked throughout the sorting. After the erratic speech from Professor Dumbledore, (Clerk, Roman, Bumblebee, Lemon Drops) they ate a hearty meal. Annabeth was deathly hungry, and ate till she couldn't take one bite. The people in the Ravenclaw house were all smart and great people, although there were a few snotty where know-it-alls.

Annabeth decided that, even if they didn't find a way back home, this was the best place to get stuck in.