Huffing and jogging, face red, Harry struggled with his armor. Racing to catch up with Luke, Harry panted. Coming to a halt and skidding into a surprisingly lean (not bulky with muscles like the others) Hephaestus camper. "Woah, slow down there shrimp!" The stranger laughed, steadying Harry so he didn't fall over. His mischievous brown eyes sparkled as he crouched to Harry's height. "You alright there kiddo?" He asked. Harry nodded, blushing slightly. The boy wasn't much older than him, with a mixture of curly and straight brown hair, that was the result of an obviously failed attempt with a straightener. A pale hand waved in front of Harry's face, and he blushed, giggling slightly. "I'm okay."
"Well, Okay," he said teasingly, "my name's Dan. I know I don't look like it, but my dad's Hephaestus. So, shrimp, where ya heading?" He asked, with a cheeky smile. "I was trying to catch up with Luke, he said he'd help me train. I had trouble using my sword during Capture the Flag, so he said we'd work on it today. Annabeth promised to help me use my dagger." Harry told him, doing his best to look older. After a moment, Harry tilted his head to the side a bit, a funny look on his face. "Dan?" The older boy simply hummed in askance. "Did you know the when you smile, your dimple looks sad?" Harry asked, reaching out and poking at the two freckle next to Dan's dimple. Dan looked baffled for a moment, before bursting out laughing. "Well," he said, calming down, a grin still on his face, "that's the first time someone's said THAT."
Straightening up, Dan offered his hand to the eight-year-old. "C'mon, shrimp, let's go find your new teachers."
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Three months since he'd arrived at camp, and Harry was sitting on the dock by the lake, swinging his feet as he munched on a grilled cheese sandwich. Dan had become a close friend, and a big brother figure. Earlier that morning, Luke had jogged up to the duo, plucking Harry off from his place on Dan's back, the older boy having decided to give Harry and impromptu piggy back ride. Dan pouted for a moment, before laughing. "Hey Luke, what's up?" He asked. Harry nodded and gave the blonde a curious look. "Well," Luke grinned, "I heard that Travis and Connor pranked Mr. D this morning. So since it isn't safe to go into the Pavilion, I asked a wind nymph for a favor, and I thought you two and Annabeth might want to join me on a picnic." He said, smirking.
Dan and Harry both laughed, and agreed. So as he chatted and ate with his three friends on the dock, a thought struck him and he chewed his lip. Annabeth had found out his parentage a month after he'd arrived, and after a few days of the cold shoulder, Harry's hurt looks, and a talk with Luke, she'd accepted him again. But Harry still hadn't told Dan.
"Danny?" Harry piped quietly. The older boy didn't really like the name Danny, thinking it was too childish for him, but he accepted it from Harry, rolling his eyes affectionately when Harry first used the name. "Yeah, kiddo?" He replied, taking a sip from the Cokeacola Luke had snuck in. "I'm not undetermined, my dad's Hades." Harry whispered, flinching, waiting for rejection. Dan choked, spitting out his drink. "A-are you telling me I've been calling the child of the Lord of the Dead, shrimp?!" He exclaimed. Harry just nodded mutely. Dan pondered it for a moment. "Well he hasn't killed me yet. So I'm going to assume he doesn't mind that I've basically adopted you." Dan said, shrugging, before going back to eating. Harry's eyes widened, but a small smile crept over his face, and he joined in the conversation again, feeling content. He was with family.
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"Mr. D?" Harry asked nervously. He'd been sleeping in the Hermes cabin for half a year, and while he didn't mind too terribly, it was starting to gnaw at him, knowing he wasn't in his dad's cabin. Knowing his dad didn't even have a cabin was another blow. He was almost nine, and a precocious child. But he was still a kid. So when an idea lit up in his head, he went to Dan and Luke first. After talking it over, he went to Annabeth to see if she wanted to help. Her eagerness about the architecture strengthened his resolve, and he asked the three to come with him to talk to Mr. D.
The god of Wine just grunted, grape colored eyed glancing at him with boredom. "Yes?" He drawled, rolling his eyes. "I'd like to propose an idea. I prayed to my dad and he approves, but his word doesn't hold any weight, since he isn't an Olympian." Harry said, reciting the speech Annabeth had coached him with. Slight interest entered the god's eyes, but he just nodded for the death brat to continue.
"I want a cabin for my dad and his kids, somewhere I can rightfully sleep. But I also want to be able to have a connecting wing of the cabin for visitors and children of the Underworld, and allies who don't have a cabin. Dad told me in a dream that some Hecate kids and others are just shoved into the Hermes cabin, and everyone who is unclaimed or doesn't have a cabin has to sleep on the floor. We want a Hades cabin, and we want you to bring it to Mr. Z. Dad said he will offer a favor to you if you help to the best of your ability. Within reason." Harry amended, taking a big gulp of air from talking so fast.
A calculating look entered Mr. D's eyes as he turned the idea over in his head. "Okay, brat. I'll bring it up with Father and see what I can do. But whether it works out or not, you and Corpse Breath owe me." He stated. Harry nodded.
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"Annabeth, Annabeth, Annabeth!" Harry shouted, almost bowling into her in his eagerness. Luke following at a more sedate pace.
"Mr. D said that Mr. Z said yes!" Harry rambled, dance with glee. Luke just rolled his eyes and grinned. "Dan's getting his siblings, and we wanted you and Malcolm to help draw up the blueprints. Lord Hades is going to add his "personal touch" once everything's done with. Whatever that means." He informed her.
Annabeth's grey eyes widened impossibly, and without a word, she ran to her cabin, dragging her confused half-brother Malcolm, almost tripping in her eagerness. "What's going on?" He asked, puzzled. Annabeth starting rambling and gesticulating wildly, making Malcolm look even more confused. "We were given permission to build the Hades cabin and its companion wing, The Underworld cabin. Basically, we've got the Hephaestus kids' help and just need you to for structure planning." Luke explained. The look on Malcolm's face was absolutely comical, and Harry momentarily broke out of his stupor to giggle childishly. Twin pairs of grey eyes just looked at them, and the Athena brain-children immediately grabbed the other two and dragged them to the forges. The good news was enough of a 9th birthday present for Harry. But Dan still gave him an enchanted journal anyway. He had one, and his surrogate big brother had the other. A Hecate camper had linked them for the two the write each other whenever, wherever.
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Another half-year of hard work had finally paid off. Harry had been quick to recruit the less fanatic Aphrodite girls, like Silena Beauregard. Doing his best to stand taller, and eventually convincing Dan to hold him up to give instructions, Harry Potter took charge of the construction. Sitting on Dan's shoulders, he called out to the group and immediately told them his ideas.
"Okay, listen up!" He piped, as loud as he could. "I want the outside of the cabin to look like a Greek temple. But make it look dark and kinda spooky. Like what you guys think a temple would look like, but Underworld style. Not too creepy though, just a bit. Aphrodite and Athena, please work on making the inside cozy, with darker colors and swirly pillars. Use a comfy red color, and blacks and greys. A bit of green would be nice too, but don't mix the red and green too much, I don't want it to look like Christmas threw up, okay?" Harry quipped. He almost fell when Dan started to chuckle, his pseudo platform moving. "Oh, and Aphrodite cabin? You can use some brighter shades on the inside of the Underworld wing, but keep to the color scheme. I'd also like a door connecting the two, since its one building, and two separate doors on the outside, for each wing." He added, as the helpers started to get to work.
It didn't look like much at first, and it was really slow going. But over the next few days, Hermes campers started to join in, helping move the foundations and building's skeleton. During the second week of building, Katie Gardner and Mr. D's twins started helping hold things together by growing vines. The week after that saw a new Morpheus camper awkwardly offering to help.
The cabin and its wings were half-finished when Percy Jackson arrived. With him brought the awe of many campers when they found out he slayed the Minotaur. When Annabeth and Grover went with him on the quest to find Mr. Z's Lightning Bolt, Athena campers and satyr's helped less. Fighting broke out between campers and cabins took sides. Some people quit helping entirely, and it was incredibly tense for those who were still helping build the cabin. When Percy, Annabeth, and Grover returned, it got easier, and Harry even made a tentative friend out of the Son of Poseidon, or Uncle P, as Harry called him. The day after the quest, Percy was brought into the infirmary with a pit scorpion sting stuck in his hand. Luke later cornered Percy, having Harry, Annabeth, and Dan meet the two by Thalia's pine. He guiltily informed them that he almost joined Kronos before Harry arrived.
Percy drew Riptide on Luke, before Harry quietly pointed out that Luke had said "almost." Luke explained that he'd gotten bitter at the gods, having never met his father, Hermes. But a few days after he'd found out about Harry's dad, Hermes surprised him at the beach when he was alone. His father had explained the law, and told him he was breaking it to see his son and apologize for being absent in his kids' lives. Luke had passed on the message to his siblings, and it had been a silent knowledge among them. Percy had looked shocked, but a look of grim understanding found its way to his face. According to him, Kronos had talked about losing a pawn in a dream he'd had. Instead, Ethan Nakamura, Son of Nemesis, hadbeen the traitor. He'd been kind to Percy when he'd first got to camp, and the betrayal stung them all.
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The day before Harry's 10th birthday, the cabin was finished.