I'm somewhat back! Sorry for the delay, but I've been absolutely slammed with work. This chapter was half-written for weeks when I finally got the time to sit down and finish it!

Starhunter18: Yay! Enjoy ch 11!

Listening to - Things Are Gonna Get Better by NEFFEX


Mrs. O'Leary had escaped from the Ministry's detention center for large beasts and waited outside London for hours.

When it was clear none of her demigods could call her safely, she found a responsible adult who could help clear matters up.

No, not the gods.

That's how Sally Jackson arrived at Frost mansion to find a team of Aurors shrieking and running out of the house. Several of them were already sending Patroni, yelling for backup. It didn't help matters when they saw Lee Lee, the only helpful creature for a hundred miles.

"This is private property!" Sally barked, descending from the hellhound's back. "Push off before I call the authorities!"

"We are the authorities!" one of the Aurors snapped at her.

"This house will be blocked from the public for safety concerns, namely the possessed squib inside!" another man announced.

The hound growled. Sally held a hand out to her. "Check on the kids, Lee Lee. It's alright."

The hellhound carefully nudged her back (which sent Sally stumbling a few steps) and disappeared into the shadows. The adults instantly heard relieved cries from inside.

"For the last time," the man named John Dawlish groaned. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare is under arrest! But after the recent scene where she was revealed to be under demonic possession, we will be bringing her into custody for immediate exorcism!"

Sally watched him closely. He was serious.

"The possession is consensual," she finally announced. "There is no demonic presence here."

"Oh, yeah!" another Auror challenged, almost sounding hysterical. "Then what about that wraith, huh? It could be the thing taking control of Dare and making her spout poems and shit!"

Poems? Sally's heart sunk. Had Rachel's body given another prophecy in front of everyone? That poor girl.

The door burst open and Harry, Thalia, Percy, and a few others marched out, scowling at the Aurors.

"They have a warrant for Rachel," Percy said, glaring hard at Dawlish. The man actually backed away from him.

"Is that right?" Sally asked, trying to think up a loophole. "And you brought it here?"

"Yes, of course!" Dawlish answered, managing to not sweat too much. He seemed to think Sally's sweet Pepe could be anything other than harmless.

"Rachel is a minor," Sally said sternly. "You need to deliver the warrant to her parents and guardian."

"We've sent a missive to Dumbledore," Dawlish declared.

"And her parents?"

He faltered. "Are you saying Mr. and Mrs. Dare are in the country?"

"I'm asking you if you think that they aren't here," Sally countered.

Another Auror frowned. "Ms. Jackson, we can't prove they aren't here!"

"So you haven't sent them a copy of the warrant?" Sally figured. "You have not informed two dedicated parents that their beloved daughter is to be clapped in irons? A daughter who is a minor and a squib, and thus is not actually registered in the British Ministry's database?"

Dawlish narrowed his eyes. "That has nothing to do with the arrest. She stole two prophecies from the Ministry."

"They were her prophecies!" Percy said.

"Oh, please!"

"No, they really are," Harry insisted. "She even gave one of them right now in front of you! You were all witnesses to it!"

Dawlish paused.

Some of the Aurors frowned and whispered to each other. Sally took her chance.

"Rachel isn't under demonic possession," she explained, softening her voice. "She is a powerful seer. Not a witch, but her visions are truly breathtaking. She was not herself when she walked into your Ministry to take the prophecies. You cannot fault her for something she personally had no choice in."

Sally hoped a kinder version of the events would sway them. Most of the Aurors did seem inclined to just leave.

Dawlish wasn't happy. "Are you aware of the havoc your son caused in the Ministry last night?"

Sally frowned, eyes darting towards Harry and Percy.

"Was anyone hurt?" she asked.

"Several! We have several people in the hospital ward suffering lightning burns!"

"That wasn't Percy," Thalia huffed.

"No—"

"Well, it certainly wasn't Rachel," Sally huffed. "We seem to have crossed some wires here. Will you please go way and come back with the right papers?"

A few of them rolled their eyes.

"As though any of these kids will be here by the time we're back," Dawlish scoffed, glowering at them.

"So you admit that you attacked and stunned a group of kids?" Sally asked.

Dawlish gawked.

"Look, you've blocked the floo. There's nothing else you can try," Sally said, side-stepping him. "We'll have our attorney reach out to you. That way, everyone's on the same page."

"That's not—"

"Good day, Mr. Dawlish."

She ushered the teens in and shut the door behind her.


It was a few days before Rachel was on better footing.

Sally invited Albus Dumbledore to sit in on a meeting with Lawrence Kettler who was Harry's attorney (possibly the busiest and best-paid attorney on the planet).

Kettler had reviewed the entire situation. He ensured the family that as long as Rachel really had picked up her own prophecies, even without appointment, the Ministry could not legally arrest her.

"How about illegally?" Percy asked.

Kettler nodded. "Detainment without obvious crime or warrant is not allowed under the British Ministry of Magic. Unfortunately, that only applies to humans."

Rachel winced. "But… I am human?"

Sally and Dumbledore shared a look. Nico leaned against the table and said, "They probably think coming back to life is a non-human thing."

"Very much so," Kettler confirmed. "A competent solicitor can argue against your rights based on that sole fact. It doesn't help regarding your situation with the… er… the possession."

Rachel leaned back, grumpy. "What? Do they want a certificate of my consensual possession?"

Dumbledore actually looked optimistic about that. "Perhaps you can write to him."

"Him?" Rachel asked baffled. "Apollo?"

Kettler frowned. "Who is Apollo?"

That put the topic on hold while Harry tried to explain to his lawyer about the delicate system of the deities of Olympus.

It wasn't much of a secret anymore. When the Ministry had put the demigods in custody, colourful lights and menacing sounds had blared around the walls at first. A direct indication that the cells were not holding humans. Remus mentioned that it was a safety measure for Aurors, but honestly, it was a 'kick-the-people-out-of-closet' indicator.

And with Harry's same-day death and regeneration, Rachel's possessed body wandering the Hall of Prophecies, Percy's almost explosive situation, and the mysterious seven-thousand-year-old clay jar… some folk at the Ministry had been smart enough to put two and two together.

Nico raided the fridge while Harry, Percy, Sally, and Dumbledore helpfully explained the full situation to a completely gobsmacked Kettler.

"O… kay," the attorney said weakly. "Gods. And monsters. And wars."

Percy held up a finger. "One war."

Nico snorted. "We should be so lucky."

Harry wondered if he should offer Kettler a bonus. "Maybe you could hire a team to help work things out?"

Lawrence narrowed his eyes. "Harry, I do have a team."

"Oh."

"Your godfather set up services for the next five years."

"Right."

"I'll be delegating tasks," Kettler assured him with a sigh. "We'll also send out a notice to charge Mrs. Dursley."

"... what?"

"Yes," Sally said firmly as Percy nodded. Rachel leaned against her bent knees

Harry sat up. "We're charging Petunia? What, like arresting her?"

"We're not doing that," Kettler verified. "We're charging her with murder in the first degree."

Harry gestured to himself. "Where's the proof though?"

"I'm a witness!" Percy argued.

"It won't be easy," Dumbledore muttered. "She still comes under the Evans bloodline protection-"

"Screw that!" Sally cried. "She kicked him out! She shot him point blank!"

Kettler frowned at Dumbledore before facing Sally. "I think what the Headmaster means is that, we could run into the same issue as with Rachel here. If the Ministry doesn't accept the act as a bonafide murder, since Harry's still here with us, the most we can charge Mrs. Dursley is assault and battery."

Nico swore from the kitchen. Sally didn't even reprimand him.

Percy's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious! Would she even get jail time for that?"

Kettler sighed. "I can't be sure. A court-appointed lawyer could bring up her muggle status indicating she was within her rights to use any force against an unknown threat."

Harry got that. "You think they'll use Percy against the conviction?"

If the Ministry didn't recognize Rachel as human anymore, they'd do the same for Harry and Percy. Which means none of them had human rights in the UK. It was doubly bad for Percy and the demigods who never had a chance in the first place, especially not since Percy's unwitting romp of the Ministry building in central London.

Percy groaned, falling back into the couch. "I messed this up so bad!"

The others tried to placate him but Rachel voiced out, "Not everything's about you, Percy. I think you can blame this one on Gaia. Nyx only made us immortal to go up against her."

She stood up and headed back up to her room. It's where she stayed most of the time now, sometimes skipping meals. By the look of her, she seemed to be skipping sleep as well.


Kettler left soon after (possibly to scream into the void and delegate various jobs to the team of attorneys that were working full time to handle their issues).

He promised to get back in touch after sorting through the right files to get the Ministry off of Rachel's back and see to Petunia's future.

Dumbledore relaxed back into the chair. "Well then. I suppose we'll need a reporter."

Harry made a face. "You really think the papers will print what we have to say?"

The room grew tense. Sally said, "I think the Ministry will already have their article ready to go. They'll have a lot to say about a group of demigods 'breaking' into the Minstry as targeted attack. If we can get on top of it right away, we can stop the rumors from exploding any chance of a safe reveal."

A safe reveal of demigods and gods and an entire existence of the mythical world, she meant.

"I know some good papers who will publish our side of the matter," Dumbledore said.

"Give me an hour and I'll write it up," Sally added. "Actually, Percy, did Annabeth say there was a goddess who allowed Rachel to get into Privet Drive?"

Percy frowned. "Was there?"

"Hestia!" Harry said, eyes lighting up. "She appeared to both the Greeks and Romans at CHB. Told them what was happening here."

"And would she be willing to corroborate?"

Percy was confused. "What, like a group project?"

"No, hon," Sally smiled. "That's collaborate. Would Hestia support us should the wizards come back with questions?"

Nico shut the fridge, his arms loaded with juice boxes. "Hestia is bestia."

"She might," Percy agreed.

"Alright!" Sally smiled. "I'll get an article out, Percy, you take a copy to camp and get Hestia and Chiron to ratify it."

"Rats?"

"Get their approval."

Dumbledore smiled and apparated back to his house. Harry always imagined him living at Hogwarts. Even after he'd actually visited Dumbledore's place several times, it felt like a secondary location.

"Nico, you'll make yourself sick drinking all that," Sally warned him.

Nico was already three boxes in. His lips were stained orange, reminding Percy of Dakota and his Kool-Aid.

"I got a craving," Nico said.

"Take a box to Rachel," Sally sighed. "She missed lunch today."

Harry snatched four juice boxes from Nico's horde, ignoring the demigod's yelp. He handed one to Sally, tossed another at Percy's head, and jogged up the stairs to Rachel's room.

She'd left it open this time. It must be a good day.

"Mango juice for the lady," Percy called as he and Harry peeked in.

Rachel sighed from somewhere beneath her mound of pending laundry on the bed. Bed covers littered the floor. Her bag of paints had fallen over, spilling small bottles of paint everywhere. The closet door was opened with fresh clothes balled up and stuffed in with no rhyme or reason. Her books took up most of the space on a desk that was half-hazardly pushed to the wall. The curtains were closed, shrouding the stuffy room in darkness.

"You cleaned up in here," Harry said, wide-eyed.

A stray paintbrush came flying from the laundry pile, nearly taking off his head.

Percy dangled the juice box over the laundry, like trying to entice a kitten out of her hiding place using bait.

True to a cat's nature, Rachel's arm shot out of the pile and smacked the box from his hand.

So… maybe not that good of a day.

"We got multiple good news," Percy said carefully. "News plural. Newses?"

Harry shook his head, but Percy pretended not to notice.

"Kettler's pretty confident about you getting off the hook. Besides it's not like you did it anyway," Percy added. "All the demigods are doing okay. Jason, Piper, and Leo just left on their quest this morning. Fun fact, Leo found the entrance to Bunker Nine. And fixed up a metal dragon. It vomited oil all over him."

"Tangent," Harry mouthed.

"Yeah, so Piper's dad's in trouble and they're off to save him," Percy summarised. "And find Zeus and Hera if they have time. Plus the Master Bolt. Say, now that I think about it, it's like my first quest but on steroids."

The great laundry pile of despair shook and collapsed to the floor. Rachel sat up. Her hair was loose, curling around her head and pajamas like a used mop. Her face was pale and drawn and her eyes were bloodshot. She looked awful.

"You smell nice," Percy said.

Rachel croaked, "Mango?"

Harry summoned the fallen juice box and handed it to her.

"We can help," Harry said quietly. "The room. Do you want us to straighten it up?"

Rachel sucked on the juice through its small white straw. She refrained from answering and Harry stood there and waited. Percy bounced on the heels of his feet, did a couple of spins, and sniffed at one of her tossed paintings.

"Sure," she finally said.

Harry picked up the first pair of denim pants he could find.

"Not that," Rachel whispered, holding a hand out for it. "I was… the Spirit of Delphi was wearing it that day at the Ministry. She put something in the pocket."

Harry dropped the pants in her hands and reached for his wand. He separated the shirts from the shorts. Percy sat on the chair and picked up the scattered books from her table.

"We need to talk about Lupa," Harry said.

Percy glared at him. "But it can wait."

"Just talking about her," Harry muttered. "She knows more about our immortality than most gods."

Rachel turned out the pockets of her jeans but listened quietly.

"I'm still not sure how she knows anything about us," Percy huffed.

"You're just grumpy because she's a Roman goddess," Harry shook his head.

Rachel found a crumpled sticky note from her pocket. It was wrapped around a pretty golden chain with a shiny pendant dangling from it. She'd never seen it before.

"Not true," Percy pouted.

"Absolutely is tr-AACK!" Harry yelled, jumping back.

His horror-struck eyes were focused on Rachel and the golden chain. She flinched so hard that she squeezed the chain and the juice box.

The box exploded, spraying all three occupants with mango juice. Rachel dropped everything and scooted back on her bed, breathing hard.

Harry was still staring at the fallen items, absolutely stunned. Juice dripped from his hair.

"What?" Percy said furiously. He had his sword and dagger out, pointed at the floor.

"That… Rach, where did you get that?" Harry whispered, his voice shaking.

Rachel's heart beat fast enough to hurt. She crawled forward and peeked down the bed. On the floor was the sticky note with a Privet Drive address on it. Beside it was the pretty golden chain.

"In my pocket," she rasped. "What's wrong?"

Harry flicked his wand and the chain flew into the air to his hand. He examined it closely, eyes growing wider with every pass.

"Cursed?" Percy asked quietly. He and Rachel waited for Harry to speak.

"Doesn't seem like it. Clasp is dented. It's stable though," Harry finally said. "But it's bad news."

"Why?"

Harry turned troubled eyes onto Percy and Rachel. "Because it's a time-turner. It means the Delphi Spirit stole this from the Department of Mysteries. If the Ministry realises, we're in it deep."

Percy snapped his head towards a shocked Rachel.

It meant when the Ministry found out that she'd taken a time turner, they'd actually have evidence to arrest Rachel.

"What's a time turner?" she asked. It had to be a big deal by the way Harry and Percy were reacting.

"Exactly what the name suggests," Harry groaned. "It allows the wearer to travel through time."

She frowned. A few seconds passed.

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"No way!" Rachel shook her head.

"It is possible," Percy said, unable to look from the tiny hourglass with its fine golden sands.

"You mean to tell me," Rachel said, kneeling up on the bed and glaring, "That tiny thing can send someone to a different time? Like in the past or the future?"

"Yes."

"So if I wanted to go back two weeks from now," she spoke loudly. "I could?"

Percy winced.

"Yes," Harry said.

"So—technically—I can go back and kick Ajax's ass and get Bolt back?!"

Both boys fell silent.

Rachel huffed. "Thought so! It's not funny, okay. Why would you say something like that—"

"Technically, you could," Harry interjected. "But you'd get trapped in a time paradox."

"What the hell?" Rachel swore. "This is magic and myth and fantasy, not a sci-fi! When did we change genres?"

"We didn't," Harry said carefully. "It's from canon. Hermione used a time-turner to travel back hours at a time just so she could take all the elective courses in third year."

Rachel couldn't offer a denial. From everything she heard about Hermione Granger, that sounded scarily plausible.

"So… it'll take us back only a few hours?" Percy asked.

"The one Hermione had was an hour-based turner," Harry explained. He checked out the hourglass and the circular frames with markings. He examined the markings on the minuscule dial outside the hour glass frame.

His eyebrows furrowed. "M… H… D… M… Y."

Rachel's eyes went wide.

"HDMI? It's got a cable port or something?" Percy smirked.

"Y?" Rachel asked.

"Y," Harry confirmed in a quiet voice.

"Why what?" Percy asked.

"Years," Harry explained, showing him the dial. "This thing can take us back and forth, at the most 99 years."

Rachel couldn't believe it! What seemed like a problem before, now felt like the perfect solution!

"Then let's go!" she shouted, stumbling off of the bed.

"Rach—" Harry tried to say.

"You're saying we can go back to my 16th birthday?" Percy asked, pointing at the turner. "We can actually go back to the Battle of Manhattan?"

"We can go get DJ!" Rachel gasped. She slapped a hand over her mouth, as Percy staggered back from the implication.

"We can get everyone back!" Percy spluttered. "Zoe, Luke, Aunt Kimberly, the kids we lost from the labyrinth attack—"

"No!" Harry shouted.

Percy and Rachel stopped short, gaping in shock.

"We can't do any of that," he said slowly. "We can't bring anyone back."

"But you said 99 years—"

"We can't change the past!" Harry said, pleading with them to understand.

"What the Hades is a time-turner if it can't change the past?" Percy said furiously.

"We can go back," Harry said. "But we can't change anything. Everything has to go the way it did! Otherwise, we risk our present. If the timeline senses a threat like that, it will trap us in a… a box, I think. It's to avoid getting into a paradox and breaking the timeline altogether."

"A paradox box?" Rachel said in disbelief. "You're scared of being stuck in a box?"

"Hermione mentioned it once," Harry said desperately. "It's like a time-imposed imprisonment forcing us to go the way history has already run."

"A time out," Percy said unimpressed. "The timeline will put us in a time out?"

"That's a load of bull," Rachel decided. "Give it."

"No, Rachel, wait!" Harry backed away, but both she and Percy advanced.

Harry disapparated from the spot as Rachel lunged for him. Percy spun on his heel, nearly catching Harry when he apparated behind them.

Harry leaped back, holding one arm in front of him. The time-turner was gone.

"Where is it?" Percy asked.

"Elsewhere," Harry said, wide-eyed. "There are rules. Hermione'll tell you herself."

"You're one to talk about following rules!" Rachel spat.

"I'm not letting you two dunderheads get trapped in a paradox and erase our timeline!" Harry threatened.

Rachel and Percy shared a look. Percy's eyes crackled blue.

"Hey, wait now," Harry said alarmed.

"You ever get trapped in a paradox?" Rachel asked.

"No—"

"Ever known someone who did?"

"No—"

"What about Hermione?" Percy asked, advancing slowly. "Did she get trapped? Does she know anyone who did?"

"No, of course not! Time travel is strictly regulated. It was outlawed decades ago in most countries," Harry explained. "It's pretty restrained in Britain."

"Well, we're in Scotland, I don't think they'll mind," Percy snapped.

"What're you really afraid of?" Rachel asked.

Harry stopped. He wasn't about to let them bully him or scare him off. Never happened before, not gonna happen ever.

"I'm not afraid of actual time travel," he said slowly. "I'm afraid of making the wrong move and getting stuck. What if we went back a bunch of years and somehow lost the turner? You're ready to live out all the years without seeing any of our friends and family again?"

Percy frowned. "If we can bring people back, it'll be worth it, won't it?"

Rachel said, "Besides, we're immortal. So we won't age, right? Nobody'll be able to tell if we're sixteen or sixty."

Harry grimaced. "But… we are aging."

Percy paused, looking down his body. "Oh, yeah."

Rachel didn't take it so well. Her eyes went soft and she offered a gentle and hopeful smile. "We can go back 15 years, Harry. We can get Lily and James back."

The room fell silent. None of them breathed. Harry gazed at her, caught between a rock and a hard place.

He opened his mouth twice with no words emerging from it. On the third try, his voice was a coarse whisper. "We can't, Rachel. I'm sorry."

Rachel's face hardened. She turned her back on him and climbed into bed.

"Rach—"

"Go away."

"Let me exp—"

"GET OUT!"

Harry stepped backwards, through the doorway. He waited for Percy to join him.

"I…" Percy whispered turning away. "I'm going to camp."

Harry watched, stumped, as Percy turned and left without another word.


MOM CALLING

Rachel stared at her phone. She hugged her pillow tighter and burrowed under the sheets.

The call cut and the phone stayed silent for a minute. Then it lit up, ringing insistently.

She picked it up.

"Ma chérie?"

Her eyes teared up.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry," her mom whispered. "I told Ajax clearly, just to bring you and not hurt you. He shouldn't have done that to you. I'll make sure he gets punished for it. You have my word, baby."

Rachel didn't say a word. Her mother was delusional. What did Beatrice think would happen by sending Ajax and his Locrians? He always killed someone during his missions. If it wasn't some poor unsuspecting mortal plus muggle, it was a hero, an immortal, or a familiar.

"You're angry," Beatrice said. Her voice was low and soft. "I understand, sweetie. Take your time. I know those people won't turn on you just yet."

Excuse me?

"You're just a few miles from Gretna Green railway station," Beatrice added. "Dad's booking a standing ticket for you from GG to Edinburgh. You'll need to transfer at Carlisle in between. It should be smooth from Edinburgh though. Direct flight to Helsinki. We're at the cabin up at the lake there."

Mom thinks Rachel would leave? Run out on all her friends just like that? Especially after Mom and Dad sent Ajax to hunt her down!

But was it worse than Harry deciding to NOT save everyone they lost?

Rachel swallowed quietly. Beatrice spoke again, "Dad's here."

The call crackled as another voice joined.

"Rachel, chérie," Dad said hopefully. "I sent the tickets. Check your email. They're good for up to a week. Any time you decide to leave, just let us know."

"And don't worry about the others," Mom said again. "They can't stop you. Not even Apollo. You're destined for greatness, sweetheart. We'll make sure you reach where you need to be."

The words sat like lead in her stomach. Rachel pulled back and watched as the screen of her phone lit up. It pinged with email notifications: tickets for her way out of this mess.

"Rach?" Harry voice echoed tentatively from outside the door.

She gritted her teeth and buried her face back in the pillow.

"I brought you dinner," he said.

Oddly enough, her stomach didn't even rumble at the thought. Rachel felt as though she could go a hundred years without eating or drinking.

But she couldn't go another minute without Bolt.


Harry set the plate on the floor and sat beside Rachel's door.

He'd kinda messed up with not explaining the time turner properly. But he could just imagine all the problems they'd create by fixing the ones they'd struggled through.

Nico found him on the floor cross-legged, well past sunset.

"The Quibbler printed Sally's article," he told Harry, waving the eye-searing yellow magazine in the air.

Harry nodded. "Luna said she'd get it published asap. Is it the headlines?"

"It's on the front page," Nico nodded, before coughing, "Right below the 'Invasive Bowtruckles in Lochs.'"

Harry blinked. "Bowtruckles live on trees… not lochs."

Nico sat beside him on the floor. "How'd you mess up?"

Harry let his head fall back on the wall with a thump.

" 'Cause Percy ain't spilling," Nico continued. "Is it the wraith? I can get rid of it, you know?"

Harry shook his head. Percy was upset enough as it was. He'd straight up ignore Harry if anything happened to Haydn right now.

"I misspoke about something," Harry finally admitted. "I could have phrased it better."

"Why?" Nico asked, eyes lighting up. "What'd you say?"

The wizard had no illusions that Nico wouldn't grab the time turner for himself and go back to 1945 and save Maria di Angelo. And most of their friends might even agree with it, since with her death, they wouldn't be facing the Pandora problem anyway.

Harry said, "Some personal things. I'll handle it, Nico. You needn't worry."

Nico leaned back to face him better. "You don't always have to fix things, you know?"

"Huh?"

"It's a thing you do. You always try to fix the mess."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "You want the mess, di Angelo?"

"I guess not," Nico sighed. He rested his back against the wall. Both boys faced the bannister. Rachel's room was on the second floor, and so, they could see most of the living room and entrance hall from their vantage point.

They spoke a bit about the Roman delegation leaving Camp Half-Blood with Pandora's pithos. The Greeks weren't too happy, but with the Spirit of Delphi potentially trying things no one was prepared for, it was probably better for the jar to be sealed up in the Senate.

Harry was sure his shielding charm wouldn't fade away from the jar. It was a temporary fix though. Who knew what powers the current Pandora had? Maybe she could punch a hole through any kind of magic and break the jar?

I don't think so, Elpis whispered.

"Shh," Harry said.

"Huh?" Nico asked, yawning slowly.

"Nothing."

Rachel was yet to come out of her room. Her dinner grew cold.

Percy wandered up the steps a while later.

He stared wide-eyed at Harry and Nico sitting by Rachel's door.

"Hey," Harry whispered. Nico was sound asleep, leaning part of his weight on Harry's shoulder.

"Hey," Percy sighed.

Harry was pleased when Percy walked over and slid down to the floor on Nico's left.

"I'm sorry," Harry said under his breath.

Percy winced. "Yeah… me too."

"You don't have to apologise. You and Rach reacted pretty normally."

"Maybe… but meddling with—"

Percy paused and eyed Nico closely. The son of Hades didn't stir.

"... meddling with Doctor Who stuff isn't the best way, I guess," Percy continued.

Harry smiled. "You asked Annabeth?"

"I was discreet," Percy promised.

"Uh huh."

"I was!"

Nico mumbled under his breath and they paused, waiting for him to relax.

"I was," Percy whispered.

Harry just smirked.

"She thought I was talking about Kronos," Percy insisted.

Harry nodded. "Ah."

"Yeah. She was pretty weirded out. Said it wasn't smart to… do Doctor Who stuff for real, not with the Crooky One back in tartar sauce so recently."

There was a brief pause. Harry had to hold back a laugh. "You have a way with words, Percy."

Percy snorted.

Then his eyes fell on Rachel's now cold dinner.

"She's still inside?"

"Yeah," Harry said, smile fading. "Could you get her to eat something? What does she usually have at camp?"

"Fruit loops for breakfast, sausage and bacon for lunch… sometimes with eggs. Coffee for dinner."

Harry made a face. Percy justified, "It's like an artist thing."

"I guess I could make coffee…"

"Get her favourite order from a cafe," Percy suggested.

Harry lowered his head, feeling Nico's hair brush his cheeks. "She doesn't really want to see me now. Call Annabeth over, will you?"

Percy's shoulders slumped. "Tomorrow. She's still working on the throne room."

They fell silent and stayed that way till dawn.


When Rachel opened her door in the morning and saw Harry, Percy, and Nico asleep by the wall outside her room (with a tray of cold, dried pasta), her anger faded.

She got her phone out and snapped a photo. Rachel saved the pic and deleted the train tickets.


Updates might be irregular, but I'll try to post ch 12 in two weeks. Stay tuned!

Cabba.