WTF Annabeth?!
Chapter 2

Harry

We got back to the Poseidon cabin around noon, just as the conch shell was blowing for lunch. Annabeth threw up again, this time all over the shiny marble floor of the cabin.

"What the fuck Annabeth? You've got to get that under control!" Percy grinned. I cast that cleaning spell, which took several tries, and all was well, except we had to hurry to lunch and Annabeth had just lost her breakfast.

"Percy, can I leave PJ with you until we go back to Hogwarts? I don't think I can explain him to my cabin mates." Annabeth asked as she recovered her composure.

"So, you brought a symbol of Athena, who can't stand Poseidon, and bought the son of Poseidon one too, and now you want to leave it at the cabin of Poseidon who can't stand Athena, because the children of Athena won't understand why you have a symbol of Athena. You really didn't think this through did you wise girl?"

"Wise girl?" She grinned.

"I was being sarcastic."

"You don't really mind do you? Rue will have his here too, Hey! What did you name him Rue?"

"Hedwig" he replied.

"Oh! I like that! What does it mean?" Annabeth asked.

"St Hedwig was the consort queen of Poland in the 1200's and supported the development of the Templar Knights there." Harry replied.

We both just stared.

"What? I read." Rue replied.

We rushed up to the dining area where Annabeth had no excuse to not rejoin her cabin mates, and Harry and I sat off by ourselves at the Poseidon table. As Percy was head counselor at Poseidon, we settled in for a long afternoon of naps and reading our texts. We tried a few of the simple spells with some success, and even tried to read potions, but it was pretty dense and easy to put off. Annabeth led her house through training, then after dinner came to Poseidon cabin to both read magic and sew her uniforms to be more her liking.

This became our schedule for the week. I would leave early from breakfast and stroll by Ares cabin on the way, cast the reversal of the cleaning spell and wait for Clarisse to scream when she returned. I could hear it all the way over at Poseidon. Then I would work on archery in the mornings, Percy would read school texts or do sword practice. Annabeth would lead her cabin through its schedule, and Clarisse would shovel Pegasus poop or something equally horrible. I would do swords in the after noon and with my new sword could beat most of the campers in camp, except for Luke, Annabeth and a few others. I was pretty good though, and getting better all the time. At night we would all do text work, Annabeth would sew and at lights out we would practice with brooms. Neither Annabeth nor Percy could fly at first, but on the second night, in the hour we had before the security harpies started to patrol, both got off the ground and made loops around the camp. As the week went on they got better, but neither were anywhere near as fast as I, nor could they fly nape of th earth, and when I did I think they found it terrifying.

The only break from this schedule really was on Friday night when we had the last campfire of the year and everyone was awarded their bead for a successful summer. This time it was a simple black one with a green trident. Everyone had agreed that having a child of the big three join camp for the first time in decades was the biggest event of the summer. Percy swore if it was the only bead he ever earned he would always wear it with pride. I know Annabeth and myself would. It was number twelve for me.

Grover hung out with us some, but he was in training to be a seeker full time now as he had gained his promotion for our successful quest. We rarely saw Luke, so it was a surprise when he dropped by on Saturday, our last day at camp, to see if anyone wanted to do sword practice. I hid away my potions book as I was concentrating on getting ready for what Annabeth had learned was our most difficult class. I waved off but Percy was so bored with reading by this point he was glad to. They left, and after a few minutes I remembered that I wanted to ask Luke if he knew why the sneakers Grover wore tried to drag him around the underworld. For some reason it seemed important and distracted me from studying so I put my book back in my ever present satchel and went to find them

They were not at the sword practice area, but sometime Luke would go into the woods for a more realistic battle ground, right around the creek where the hell hound had attacked Percy. I wondered as I approached if Chiron had ever caught the spy that had let it in, then thought about the shoes that tried to drag Grover in the underworld... Luke had given those to Percy originally.

I got sick to my stomach and ran to the creek. As I did I got out the only ranged weapon I trusted at the moment as I still had a ways to go on my cross bow. When I got near I slowed so as to not alert Luke as to my presence. I even got out my wand and cast an concealment charm on myself. I dont' know if it worked or not as I didn't have time to check. I saw them in the clearing there, seated on the roots of the trees at the edge of the creek, and Percy had some sort of glowing red scorpion on his knee. Luke was telling him that his death would be quick, and blamed on Hades. He said he would get his war one way or the other.

I didnt' waste a moment. I aimed my crossbow and the bug and fired. A bronze bolt flew thru the air making no noise but both Luke and Percy looked at me, so I guess I just became visible.

The bolt pegged the scorpion in its center and nailed it to the tree Percy was sitting on. He drew his sword but Luke was faster. Luke stood, stabbed Backbiter into the sky and cut a slit in the universe to escape through. I cocked and fired the crossbow again and fired, just as he slid away. The bolt nailed itself into the tree behind where Luke had been. That was the first time it had missed for me.

The bolts disappeared and returned to the quiver and the bug fell dead to the ground, but Percy stabbed it with Riptide several times anyway just to make sure.

"You saved me again Rue."

"That's what friends are for. So... Luke, he was the traitor."

"Yeah, I guess so... he was all pissed because he felt like the gods were ignoring us. When I wouldn't join him he summoned that scorpion from the underworld so my death would be blamed on Hades. He gave me those shoes so the lightening bolt would be dragged to the bottom of Tartarus to some guy he's trying to revive there named "Kronos." That's all I got, I was waiting for the bug to sting me when you appeared and shot it."

"We need to see Chiron."

"We need to see Mr. D too." Percy added.

We grabbed Annabeth on the way back to the big house where we found Mr D and Chiron playing cards, and Mr D quite aggravated that the campers had not left yet. We told them all we knew, Annabeth confirmed that the shoes had tried to drag Grover into the pit, but thought that maybe Percy was biased because of her relationship with Luke.

Percy and I both told them about the scorpion and what Luke had said though and when we talked about Kronos trying to start a war with the gods, even Mr D stopped his usual sarcasm. In the end he picked up a card from the table and it turned into what appeared to be a hotel key card and told us to look away. There was a bright flash of light and he was gone.

We talked with Chiron for a while though, but he didn't tell us a lot. He said he was out of the loop and when pressed as to why told us that Kronos was his father. Then he talked to us about our coming school year and commanded that we study hard and learn all the magic we could, and the coming years would be difficult for half bloods and we would all our wits, abilities and power to survive.

We had permission to stay overnight, but at 2:30 in the morning we cast our flue powder into the hearth and disappeared from camp until Christmas break. Even though the Leaky Caldron was closed, Hagrid was waiting for us there and we all received warm hugs for making it back.