Harry gathered the three demigods as well as Katie, Mackenzie and Bianca in a huddle, "Ok, first of all, how did you guys get here? I hardly think you flew, since Jackson would not risk pissing off Lord Zeus."

Beckendorf snorted, "Yeah well… We sailed here. Took us a week to get here. We came aboard a cruise ship and Percy sneakily took control of the ship to get us here faster."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "I told this Seaweed Brain that we could have Flooed to Sirius' house. But apparently he forgot the address."

Bianca interrupted them before an argument could break out, "Okay! So, what's the plan?"

Annabeth took the lead, "We're going to lead two missions. I'll take two of you and we'll go keep an eye on Mount Tam. This is a purely reconnaissance mission. Beckendorf is leading an assault on the Princess Andromeda. The idea is to try and reduce their ranks."

Finally, it was decided that Annabeth, Mackenzie and Bianca would head to Mount Tamalpais, while Harry and Katie would join Percy and Beckendorf. Mackenzie led the group away, "Come on, We'll head to Grimmauld Place, Floo back to camp and we'll split up from there."

Eventually, Chiron welcomed them back at camp and then sent them on their way. As Harry and Katie rode on Mistmane and the other two boys rode on pegasi, he yelled out, "Oi Jackson! You alright?! You look a little peeved!"

Percy snapped back, "I WAS ON A FREAKING DATE WITH ANNABETH! THEN THIS MORON INTERRUPTED US!"

Beckendorf hollered back, "I already said that I was sorry! Besides, she did promise to make it up to you later!"

Katie snickered from her seat behind Harry.

The group travelled for what seemed like hours. Finally, they stopped by a beach, and the Princess Andromeda was spotted from a distance. The quartet huddled together and Beckendorf spoke, "So here's what we're going to do. We're going to board the ship and plant a few bombs on it. We've done a few practice runs at the dockyards in New Jersey, using abandoned ships as our targets."

Harry conjured a rowboat, big enough for the four of them. Once they were settled in, Katie cast a Disillusionment Charm on the boat and themselves. Harry whispered, "Trust me on this, the rowboat is quieter and gives us better chances of a sneak attack."

As they rowed close, they saw various monsters milling around on the ship. Thankfully, they were invisible, but Harry did warn them to not make a sound. After a while, they made it onto the lower deck, and Harry vanished the boat. The lower deck was empty, so Katie cancelled the spell. They went over the plan one more time, before Katie cast the Charm again. This time, they held hands, so that they didn't lose track of each other.

The quartet tiptoed down a narrow corridor to a service stairwell. Everything was going smoothly, until they heard noises above them. A Telkhine was heard barking, "I don't care what your nose says! The last time you smelled half-blood, it turned out to be a meatloaf sandwich!"

A second Telkhines whined, "Meatloaf sandwiches are good! But this is half-blood scent, I swear. They are on board!"

The four tiptoed on until the arguing telkhines were far away. Finally, they reached a metal hatch and Beckendorf murmured, "Engine room."

It was locked, but Harry pointed his wand at the door and whispered, "Alohomora."

The door opened and they stepped in. Inside, a row of yellow turbines the size of grain silos churned and hummed. Pressure gauges and computer terminals lined the opposite wall.

There was a Telkhine inside, but he didn't notice them. Percy then let go of Harry's hand. Harry had no idea what he was doing, but everything became clear when the Telkhine suddenly grunted and exploded into dust. A moment later, Harry felt Percy sidle up, and grab his hand. Then, Harry whispered, "I'll case the joint, in case there are others. Katie, you stay with them."

About a minute later, he was back, "It's only us, for now."

With that, she cancelled the Disillusionment Charm and they got to work. Since there were four of them, work got done relatively quickly. Just then, Harry's sharp ears heard something, "Bollocks! We've got company! I'll turn us invisible again, Beckendorf, you keep working. How long do you need?"

He grunted, "Too long, I still have to wire the receiver and prime the charges. Ten more minutes at least."

Harry cast the Charm and they continued working furiously. Most of the bombs were already in place, held together by duct tape. For good measure, Katie cast a Sticking Charm to each bomb. Five minutes later, half a dozen telkhines entered the engine room. One of them scanned the room and growled, "Where is that idiot gone? I swear to Kronos, if he is slacking off as usual, I am personally feeding him to the drakon."

Back with the infiltrators, Beckendorf squeezed their hands, indicating that he was done. Slowly, they crept out of the engine room before the telkhines were any wiser. Everything was fine until they reached the promenade. In the middle of the courtyard stood a fountain. And in the fountain squatted a giant crab. The monster rose over three metres out of the water. Its shell was mottled blue and green, its pincers longer than their bodies.

They tried to sneak past, but it shifted over and blocked where they were supposed to head. Harry sighed, "The gig is up mate. I think the bloody thing can smell us."

He cancelled the Charm on the four of them with his sword, and the crab reacted. It hissed audibly, and no sooner had it done so, alarms began to blare. The trio split up and the crab went after Percy first. Meanwhile from the balcony, a voice roared, "There! Intruders!"

Harry, Katie and Beckendorf armed themselves, while Percy dealt with the demon crustacean. Riptide managed to slice off the tip of a claw, but the crab was otherwise unharmed. The teenager paused and then came to a decision. He held out a hand, concentrating on the water, and the fountain exploded. Water sprayed everywhere, three stories high, dousing the balconies and the elevators and the windows of the shops. The crab renewed its charge, but Percy charged as well.

Then he ducked and slid under the creature and jabbed Riptide into a chink in its shell. The monster shuddered and hissed. Its eyes dissolved. Its shell turned bright red as its insides evaporated. The empty shell clattered to the floor in a massive heap. Unfortunately, the sword stayed wedged in the monster.

All around them, enemy demigods and monsters were swarming the deck. Harry, Katie and Beckendorf stood back to back, trying to thin the herd. Percy soon stumbled upon a young demigod who was half-dressed in armour. Frankly, he didn't have the heart to kill him, since the boy was only twelve. So he simply grabbed his wrist and slammed him against the wall, making the sword clatter free from his hand. Just then, a familiar voice called out, "Harry! Percy! You're late! Hey Beckendorf! Aaand I don't know your name, nor do I care."

The three boys glanced up, and sure enough, Luke stood on the balcony above them. He wore jeans, a white T-shirt and flip-flops, like a normal college-aged guy, but his eyes were solid gold, leaving no doubt that it was Kronos.

The Titan spoke, "We've been expecting you for days."

Then his voice deepened, "Come, bow before me."

Percy snarked, "Yeah, that'll happen."

In his mind though, his thoughts were whirring. The first sentence sounded like Luke, but the second sentence sounded a lot more like Kronos. It was almost as if both were trying to fight for dominance.

Luke/Kronos smirked, "Come forward, if you dare."

The crowd of monsters parted like the Red Sea, and Percy hesitantly made his way up. Harry, Katie and Beckendorf also came forward from their own positions. Eventually, Riptide returned to Percy's pocket, and he retrieved it immediately. Kronos drew his own weapon, a two-metre long scythe. Half steel and half Celestial Bronze.

As Percy advanced, time literally slowed down. Percy struggled to move forward, and all the surrounding monsters jeered. Then Harry caught a look in Percy's eye, and discreetly cast a Sticking Charm to his, Katie's and Beckendorf's feet. Not a moment too soon, the entire boat lurched sideways, pitching a good chunk of monsters off their feet.

A wave of salt water washed over Percy and it revitalized him, enough to break the spell. Once Harry discreetly undid the Sticking Charm, Percy lunged at Kronos, but the fact that it was still Luke's face, threw him off. Kronos had no such hesitation. He sliced downward with his scythe. Percy leaped back and the evil blade missed by a millimetre, cutting a gash in the deck right between the boy's feet.

They clashed again, and Kronos managed to nick Percy. On the face of it, the strike wasn't bad, but it was clearly having an effect on the boy.

Kronos laughed, "A poor performance, Percy Jackson. Luke tells me you were never his match at swordplay."

Percy's vision started to blur, but he bit out, "Luke had a big head. But at least it was his head."

The Titan mused regretfully, "A shame to kill you now. Before the final plan unfolds. I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus."

Percy snarled, "You'll never get this boat to Manhattan."

Kronos gloated, "And why would that be? Perhaps you are counting on the explosives that you and your friends planted?"

He looked down at the pool and called, 'Nakamura!'

A teenage guy in full Greek armour pushed through the crowd. His left eye was covered with a black patch. Harry growled as he recognised the figure. Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis. Percy saved his sorry arse in the Labyrinth last summer and, in return, the little wanker helped Kronos come back to life.

Ethan called out, "Success, my lord. We found the explosives just as we were told."

Percy yelled, "Oh come on!"

A giant warbled, "We found the bombs taped in various spots in the engine room. We tore off the tape, but for some reason, those bombs are refusing to come off."

Percy glanced at his allies and Katie winked at him. Kronos ordered, "Well, try harder, you fools! Rip them off if you have to!"

Percy mouthed to Beckendorf, "How long?"

He mouthed back, "None…"

It clicked for the four of them. There was no delay on the timer at all. If he managed to press the detonator button, the ship would blow at once. Of course, they would never be able to get far enough away before using it. The monsters would kill them first, or disarm the explosives, or both.

Kronos turned to Percy, "You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson, but it doesn't matter. We have you now. We've known you were coming for weeks."

He held out his hand and dangled a little silver bracelet with a scythe charm – the Titan lord's symbol.

Percy was clearly struggling with the wound. However, he muttered, "Communication device … spy at camp.

Kronos chortled. "You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way. Now drop your sword and surrender to me, or your friends die."

A giant managed to pounce on Beckendorf, and restrained him by his neck. Meanwhile, another two demigods were holding Harry and Katie hostage in a chokehold. Beckendorf turned to Percy and mouthed, "Go!"

Beckendorf's arms were free, and so were Harry's and Katie's. The former slowly raised his left hand, but Harry rapidly shook his head. Harry mentally signalled that he had an idea. Beckendorf slowly took off his watch, and Harry slipped off his rings. Percy caught on to what they were trying to do, and threw his sword at Kronos, like a javelin.

It bounced harmlessly off his chest, but it successfully distracted everyone. Beckendorf tossed his watch in the air. Katie slipped away from her captor and fired an arrow in the air towards the watch. At the same time, Harry wrestled himself away from his captor and fired an arrow towards Beckendorf's captor. Katie was the first one to make a run for it, followed by Harry and Beckendorf. The latter managed to escape after the giant holding him, clutched its bleeding arm and roaring in agony.

Katie gracefully dove off the ship, followed by Percy. Beckendorf was a little further away, and some monsters were closing in on him. Harry doubled back and fended them off, allowing Beckendorf to race past him.

Just then, a deep rumbling emanated from within the ship, and then the explosions began. Monsters yelled at the trio from above. A spear sailed past Percy's ear. An arrow narrowly missed Katie's thigh, meanwhile, the flames were already beginning to engulf the ship. Those flames briefly engulfed Beckendorf and Harry before they too plunged into the sea. Percy promptly willed the currents to take them far, far away. Eventually, Percy blacked out, while the other three were also knocked unconscious.

Meanwhile with the girls, Annabeth, Mackenzie and Bianca decided to Floo to her house in San Francisco. As it turned out, her brother Matthew had some magic in him. Fortunately for Annabeth, her parents were out, Matthew was in Ilvermorny and Bobby was in regular school. From there, the trio decided to head to Mount Tam. Annabeth officially had her licence and she drove them there.

With nothing to do, she casually asked, "So… How was it at Hogwarts, this year?". The younger girls shrugged and Bianca replied, "With Voldemort gone for good, things are relatively quiet. Our only adventure was solving a mystery about some vaults in the school, that were said to be cursed. Someone went looking for them and unleashed the curses. So, Harry, Mackenzie and myself, teamed up with one of our friends to solve it. His name is John Silvertongue."

Annabeth tapped the steering wheel of her car thoughtfully, "So what were those curses?"

Mackenzie piped up, "Well, the first one was to do with ice spreading in the castle. We're still not sure who opened the Vault and triggered the Curses. It all culminated with us facing off against an icy statue of a knight."

The blonde spoke up thoughtfully, "I wonder if it was an automaton that Daedalus left."

Bianca shrugged, "Don't know. Anyway, the next Vault is called the Vault of Fear…"

Annabeth's grip on the steering wheel tightened, "Not sure if I really want to take a guess about what that entails."

Mackenzie grimly said, "Has Harry told you what a Boggart is?"

"Maybe, but I might need a refresher."

"Right, so a Boggart is a shape-shifting creature that is able to take the shape of your greatest fear. No one knows what its true form is. In your case, it could either take the shape of a giant spider or multiple smaller ones."

Annabeth shuddered, but Bianca calmly explained, "Don't worry, there is a spell to get rid of Boggarts. We managed to fend them off and found a clue for the next Vault. We haven't tackled the third one yet, we'll take care of that when the new term starts."

"Ahh okay. On our end, not much has happened. We've been conducting a few raids here and there. Lost a couple of campers in the process. Oh look! We're almost there! I'll just park on the side, we'll go on foot from there. Hopefully there is a path that doesn't go through the Garden of the Hesperides."

Soon, they were trekking through the woods, and then Bianca fished out the Invisibility Cloak. She draped it over the three of them and Annabeth whispered, "I thought that belonged to Harry?"

Bianca murmured back, "Well… it has been passed down in his family for generations, because he is a descendant of Ignotus Peverell. But the cloak did belong to my dad first. So by right, it belongs to Nico and I. Though, since I have the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone, the Cloak is rightfully mine. But Harry can still use it if he wanted to."

Eventually, they reached the palace of Mount Othrys. The three hid behind a tree and observed two giant men standing by a bronze brazier, studying images in the flames.

One of the figures spoke, "Quite an explosion."

He wore black armour studded with silver dots like a starry night. His face was covered in a war helm with a ram's horn curling on either side.

The other snapped, "It doesn't matter. The gods have answered the challenge. Soon they will be destroyed."

This Titan was dressed in gold robes, with golden eyes like Kronos. His entire body glowed. The images in the fire were hard to make out: storms, buildings crumbling, mortals screaming in terror.

The golden titan announced, "I will go east to marshal our forces. Krios, you shall remain and guard Mount Othrys."

The now-named Krios sulked, "I always get the stupid jobs. Lord of the South. Lord of Constellations. Now I get to babysit Atlas while you have all the fun."

Somewhere nearby, Atlas bellowed, "Let me out, curse you! I am your greatest warrior. Take my burden so I may fight!"

The golden Titan roared, "Quiet! You had your chance, Atlas. You failed. Kronos likes you just where you are. As for you, Krios: do your duty."

Krios sneered, "And if you need more warriors? Our treacherous nephew in the tuxedo will not do you much good in a fight."

The golden Titan emitted a belly laugh, "Don't worry about him. Besides, the gods can barely handle our first little challenge. They have no idea how many others we have in store. Mark my words, in a few days' time, Olympus will be in ruins, and we will meet here again to celebrate the dawn of the Sixth Age!"

The golden Titan erupted into flames and disappeared.

"Oh, sure," Krios grumbled. "He gets to erupt into flames. I get to wear these stupid rams' horns."

Back with the girls, Annabeth whispered, "Let's go. It would be suicidal to take on Krios alone. I just hope that Katie and the boys are ok."

The girls sneaked away, and when they were at a safe distance, Bianca Shadow-Travelled them away. Just before they left, Mackenzie could have sworn that she saw a splash of purple, several feet away from her.

Back with Percy's group, his eyes snapped open and he gasped awake.

"Percy?' a deep voice rumbled.

His head felt like it had been microwaved in tinfoil and he felt woozy. Still, he saw a large shadowy figure looming over him.

With some hope in his voice, Percy croaked, "Beckendorf?".

A less deep voice sounded from his left, "I'm over here, Percy."

Percy's eyes refocused and zeroed in on a familiar Cyclops with ratty brown hair, misshapen face and one big brown eye full of concern, "Tyson?"

Tyson broke into a toothy grin, "Yay! Your brain works!"

Percy slowly sat up and turned to his left. Sure enough, Beckendorf was sitting up on a nearby bed, with his face bandaged up. He was also encased in a giant bubble that encompassed the bed. Percy winced at the sight of the bandages, "Sorry about the mission getting screwed up. Should have known that Luke's spies would have given them a heads up."

Beckendorf grinned weakly, "I'll live to tell the tale. Silena won't be complaining too much… As they say… Chicks dig scars."

The boys grinned at each other, then it struck Percy, "Scars… Scars! Harry! What happened to Harry!"

Beckendorf's grin was wiped in an instant and he motioned to Percy's right, "He got the worst of it. He's alive, but comatose. I probably would've died if he hadn't turned back and saved my ass."

Percy's head snapped in that direction, to see a badly-burned and unconscious Harry Potter lying on a third bed, also surrounded by a bubble. Next to the bed, Katie Bell was hunched over and she held his hand. All the while, a couple of mermaids were trying to heal him.

Beckendorf spoke softly, "Pretty loyal to him, that one. She and I became conscious around the same time. Katie hasn't left his side ever since. It's been three days now."

Then Percy took in his surroundings, "Where are we anyway?"

Tyson fielded that one, "Daddy's palace! That's why we erected bubbles around your friends, because they can't breathe underwater."

Percy asked, "What about the Princess Andromeda?"

Tyson confirmed, "Went ka-boom!"

A couple of days passed, while they continued to recover. Tyson took Percy and Beckendorf on a small tour of the palace. Katie refused to leave Harry's side, even taking her meals by his bedside.

The palace was as big as the city on Mount Olympus, with wide courtyards, gardens and columned pavilions. The gardens were sculpted with coral colonies and glowing sea plants. Twenty or thirty buildings were made of abalone, white but gleaming with rainbow colours. Fish and octopi darted in and out of the windows. The paths were lined with glowing pearls like Christmas lights.

The main courtyard was filled with warriors – mermen and mermaids. As one would expect, they had fish tails from the waist down and human bodies from the waist up, except their skin was blue. Some were tending the wounded. Some were sharpening spears and swords.

Outside the main courtyard stood large fortifications – towers, walls and anti-siege weapons – but most of these had been smashed to ruins. Others were blazing with Greek fire, which can burn even underwater. Beyond this, the sea floor stretched into gloom. Percy could somehow make out battles raging – flashes of energy, explosions, the glint of armies clashing.

At the edge of the palace complex, a temple with a red coral roof exploded, sending fire and debris streaming in slow motion across the furthest gardens. Out of the darkness above, an enormous form appeared – a squid larger than any skyscraper. It was surrounded by a swarm of mermen and mermaids, trying to attack the monster. The squid descended on the palace and swatted its tentacles, smashing a whole column of warriors. Then a brilliant arc of blue light shot from the rooftop of one of the tallest buildings. The light hit the giant squid and the monster dissolved like food colouring in water.

Percy turned to Tyson, while Beckendorf was floating along in his bubble. The teenager asked, "Have you been in the fight? Like, bashing heads with your awesome Cyclops strength and stuff?"

Tyson pouted "I have been … fixing weapons. Come. Let's go find Daddy."

The Cyclops led the duo to a temple, that was decked out like a command centre. A mosaic on the floor showed an exact map of the palace grounds and the surrounding ocean, but the mosaic moved. Coloured stone tiles representing different armies and sea monsters shifted around as the forces changed position. Buildings that collapsed in real life also collapsed in the picture.

Standing around the mosaic, grimly studying the battle, was a strange assortment of warriors. Among them was Poseidon, but he looked almost unrecognisable. There was a merman with two fish tails instead of one. His skin was green and his armour studded with pearls. His black hair was tied in a ponytail and he looked young. They could be a thousand years old or three. Standing next to him was an old man with a bushy white beard and grey hair. His battle armour seemed to weigh him down. He was studying the map and leaning on a large metal staff. To his right stood a beautiful woman in green armour with flowing black hair and strange little horns like crab claws. Finally, there was a regular dolphin, and all of them were studying the map.

The old man commanded, "Delphin. Send Palaemon and his legion of sharks to the western front. We have to neutralize those leviathans."

The dolphin nodded firmly and sped away. Percy hesitantly called out, "Dad…"

The old man looked up and his eyes twinkled happily, "Hello Percy. Please excuse my appearance. The war has been hard on me. I reflect the state of my realm. And right now that state is quite grim. Percy, I should introduce you – I'm afraid you just missed my lieutenant Delphin, god of the dolphins. This is my, er, wife, Amphitrite. My dear –"

The lady in green armour stared at Percy coldly. She crossed her arms and curtly said, "Excuse me, my lord. I am needed in the battle."

She swam away, leaving Percy feeling pretty awkward. He couldn't exactly blame her, because as his wife, she didn't appreciate Poseidon's various romances with mortals, including Percy's own mom.

Poseidon cleared his throat, "Yes, well … and this is my son Triton. Your… brother…'

Triton corrected, "Your son and heir"

He smiled, but there was no friendliness in his eyes. "Hello, Perseus Jackson. Come to help at last?"

Without waiting for an answer, he turned to Poseidon, "I will see to the front line, Father. Don't worry. I will not fail."

He shot off into the distance and joined the battle. Poseidon simply sighed and clutched a staff leaning against the table. In an instant, the staff transformed into his trident. The tips glowed with blue light and the water around it boiled with energy.

Just in time too, because a huge sea serpent suddenly materialised and was making a beeline for the temple. Without even looking up, Poseidon pointed his trident and zapped the serpent. The monster exploded into millions of goldfish, who all swam away in terror.

Poseidon spoke, "My family is anxious. The battle against Oceanus is going poorly.'

Percy guessed, "Oceanus, The Titan of the sea, right?"

"Indeed, He was neutral in the first war of gods and Titans. But Kronos has convinced him to fight. This is … well, it's not a good sign. Oceanus would not commit unless he was sure he could pick the winning side. We have been at war almost a year now. My powers are taxed. And still he finds new forces to throw at me – sea monsters so ancient I had forgotten about them. When you and your friends sailed to England, that was a risky move, but I made sure to keep your path clear."

Then, somewhere in the distance, an explosion sounded. In the epicentre were two figures, a lobster and a familiar giant humanoid with a hundred arms.

Poseidon gazed in the same direction and smiled, "He fights well. I wish we had a whole army like him. Alas, he is the only one of his kind."

Then he turned to Percy, "Perseus, we may not have much time. Tell me of your mission. Did you see Kronos?"

Percy and Beckendorf, who had been silent up till now, both nodded. Poseidon stroked his beard, "Percy, Beckendorf, I am confident that your friend Harry will pull through. You two bear no blame for that. The good news is that Kronos's army will be in disarray. Many were destroyed. Of course, it would be naïve to think that Kronos was destroyed, but you have bought your side some time."

Percy shot him a shaky smile, "Th-that's good, right?"

Poseidon smiled wryly, "A small victory. You have scattered the invasion force. New York will be safe for a time, which frees the other Olympians to deal with the bigger threat."

Percy tilted his head curiously, "Bigger threat?"

This time, it was Beckendorf who spoke, and he looked uncomfortable. He hesitantly said, "Typhon has been freed from his prison and is on his way to New York."

Percy cursed, "Damnit! Don't tell me my stupid stunt at Mount St. Helens freed him."

Poseidon gently spoke, "Perseus? Listen to me… Your actions didn't stir Typhon. Instead, it just opened up a hidden passage leading to his prison. According to Apollo, some telkhines discovered the path. They were the ones who woke him from his slumber and freed him."

Just then, a mermaid swam in and whispered in the sea God's ear. Poseidon cracked a genuine smile, "Well… It seems that Mr. Potter is awake. I suggest you boys go to him. Afterwards, you can return to camp."

Percy protested, "Dad! At least let me stay and help! You're in trouble here, and I want to help."

Poseidon's smile turned sad, "I appreciate the offer, Percy. I really do. But your job is elsewhere. Return to camp, and tell Chiron it is time. You must hear the prophecy. The entire prophecy."

Percy swallowed a lump in his throat, "What if this is the decision? Staying here to fight, or leaving? What if I leave and you…'

Poseidon insisted, "Percy, you must go. I don't know what your final decision will be, but your fight lies in the world above. If nothing else, you must warn your friends at camp. Kronos knew your plans. You have a spy. We will hold here. We have no choice. Tyson, you have work to do as well, my son. They need you in the armoury."

Tyson sniffled, wrapped Percy in a big bear hug and swam away. Poseidon glanced up, "Oceanus approaches. I must meet him in battle. Percy, Beckendorf, go back and meet with Harry. I will hold. I will not give up my domain. Just tell me, Percy, do you still have the birthday gift I gave you last summer? The time is coming. With luck, I will see you for your birthday next week, and we will have a proper celebration."

The mermaid who delivered the news of Harry's recovery, led them back to the infirmary. Entering, they saw Katie Bell wrapping Harry in a tight hug, with tears in her eyes. Edging closer, they heard her mumble, "I-I thought I lost you! I'm so glad that you're okay!"

Harry returned the hug and mumbled back, "Bloody Nora! That was an experience and a half! I'm okay, Katie. Honest!"

Then he spotted Percy and Beckendorf, and his eyes lit up. He called out, "Hey Beckendorf! Hey Jackson! You two alright?"

Percy laughed, "We should be asking you that, dude! By the way, welcome to my dad's palace! Specifically the infirmary. Dad's currently busy being besieged by the Titan Oceanus. Are you completely alright? I mean, are you up for a trip back home?"

Harry stretched his limbs and limbered up, "No time like the present. Oh, by the way Jackson, we need to talk a bit urgently. It can wait until we reach camp."