Warnings:
A. Description (recollection) of a gruesome murder (gun violence)
B. Inner turmoil, internal struggle, feeling out of control

Hello?

The basement was filled with moving shadows.

A woman with a red halo appeared in Harry's blurry vision.

"Mum…?" Harry called weakly. He knew instinctively that this lady wasn't Sally but someone who loved him all the same.

"Shh," the woman soothed. "Let it heal. Close your eyes."

She touched his matted hair and broken body lovingly. He closed his swollen eyes to the image of the red-haired woman humming softly.

Is anyone there?

"Again?" James asked, worried.

"Do you remember this time?" Lily wondered, running her hand through Harry's hair. He leaned against her, trying to understand it all.

"I don't think so."

James smiled faintly. "Immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be, huh?"

Harry nodded.

"Where is this?" he finally asked.

James cocked his head and gazed around their lush, green land. Their quaint red-brick house was firmly planted between fanciful mango trees around them.

"I'd say this is Elysium… see, you can even spot the Isles of the Blest over there."

He pointed offshore, across an immense ocean of sparkling, cerulean blue waters. In the distance three silver islands rose from the surface, glimmering with all its charm and happiness.

"I was here before," Harry recalled. "The last times I died… the Third Task and in Rome."

"And from last November," Lily said grimly. "That was a bad one."

Harry touched his chest. Right, Tom had possessed Percy's body and used that strength to kill him.

Can you hear me?

"How long was I here then?" Harry asked, distinctly feeling as though someone was calling for him.

"More than two weeks, possibly?" James hedged. He leaned back on his arms and knocked his shoulder into Harry's.

"It'll be shorter this time," Lily said in relief. "It takes longer when an immortal kills you."

Oh. Harry nodded to himself. That made sense. Rachel was killed on Ajax's orders which is why she's still dead. When Ajax killed Harry in Rome… and when Tom killed Harry using Percy's hands, it'd taken him several days to recover.

Who killed him this time?

Harry slowly spoke, "I have to go back."

James grinned proudly. "Thatta boy! Wreak some havoc!"

"And maybe be nicer to your sister," Lily suggested.

Harry sighed, "I am nice to her. I like her."

"She'd like to hear you say that, Harry."

He made a face. "Fine. When can I leave?"

Lily and James eyed him closely. She said, "Sooner than you think. They need you, love. As much as you need them."

"How much help can I be when I keep dying?"

"Then go back and learn how to work with it," James urged. "You're so much stronger than you think, son."

Harry's silent heart nearly began beating right there. Nobody had ever called him that. He'd never thought he'd get to hear James Potter say it.

"Immortality isn't about avoiding death," Lily said. "It's about knowing the weight of it and understanding the value of what remains. You don't remember the suffering, Harry. But all your friends will. It hurts them so much to see you like this. You have to step up and guard them while they guide you."

"Guard them," he repeated. "You're talking about my shielding, right?"

Lily's grin was sad and proud all at once. "It's not easy being a healer, or the first line of defense. But you'll excel at it only when you accept the role."

Please? Can anyone hear me?

Harry's head snapped skywards. He definitely heard that!

"Did you—"

"She's been calling for a long time," James whispered. "It's no small feat, helping her."

"Who is she?"

"The better question is 'where' is she," Lily said, infuriatingly sounding like a seer.

"Mum!" Harry said, frustrated.

"Wake up, darling," Lily told him. "Wake up and listen."

Can you help me?

"I," Harry said slowly, looking towards the sky. "I think I can."

Really?

"Who are you?"

No one's heard me for so long.

Harry instantly felt bad for her.

"You know who that is," he told Lily and James.

They shared worried glances. James kissed his forehead. Lily embraced him tightly and said, "You'll find out when you're awake. Give Rachel our love."

I am Elpis.

Her voice was gentle music, calling him away from the land of the dead, back up the layers to the mortal realm.

Harry had heard her before. But this time, he responded.

"I'm Harry," he croaked.

Hello, Harry.

He opened his eyes and met the inside of a black body bag.

Harry shoved a hand straight through the zipper, tearing it apart and scrambling up. He gasped loud breaths, eyes darting around the cold, windowless room.

He was in the bloody morgue!

"The hell!" he mumbled, running a hand over his sticky and matted hair. He withdrew his palm to find red and brown flakes congealing over his fingers.

Blood covered half his head. Harry wiped at his face, thankful it didn't smell so bad. The right sleeve of his t-shirt was also stained dark red. His heart thudded rapidly, trying to piece together what had happened.

He was talking to Percy… in the basement… of Aunt Petunia's house.

She didn't.

She wouldn't.

!

Oh, she did.

Harry kicked the body bag off of him and rolled off the freezing metal table of the silent room. His bare feet hit the equally cold floor. It was a white hall with grey tiles and several steel tables with wheels. He saw no other corpses and breathed a sigh of relief.

Another point of relief was that his body no longer felt jittery or high-strung. His magic flowed seamlessly, stretching out from his chest and into his limbs like a soft potent breeze. Harry clenched his fists, grinning at the powerful sensation of unlimited energy brimming inside him.

"Brilliant!" he whispered.

He felt like he could run a marathon. Maybe cast a hundred different hexes. Or pull all-nighters and not feel the least bit tired.

Harry?

He jumped. "El—Elpis?"

Yes! That's me!

She sounded so pleased.

Harry chuckled breathlessly. "You're… you're in the jar, right?"

Unfortunately.

He frowned. Why was that unfortunate?

The morgue doors sprang open.

Harry's dagger slipped into his arm, but his wand was nowhere on him. Of all people, Umbridge, Dawlish, and another lanky Auror stood at the entrance, gawking at him. Despite not at all resembling like each other, Dawlish and the second Auror managed to unconsciously copy Umbridge's flabbergasted bull-toad expression.

Harry could either panic or enjoy this. He decided to have some fun. Dad did tell him to wreak havoc after all.

"Already?" Dawlish complained. "You were out for weeks last time!"

Harry choked back a laugh. "Practice makes perfect."

Umbridge scowled. "Put your little knife down. You are hereby under arrest for violating code S268."

Harry made a face. "No. Where's my wand?"

"Your wand has been detained—"

"Accio wand," Harry said, not even bothering to raise his voice. Or listen to the toad.

Something boomed dully in the distance. But no wand came flying.

Harry frowned. Guess he'd have to search for it himself.

"Stop!" Dawlish ordered.

"No."

Harry walked past them. The air whistled far too light for anyone but him to pick up. His ears pricked in warning and Harry dodged to the right, avoiding two stunners easily.

He smirked at the Aurors who gawked after him.

Now, immortality seemed fun.

Harry?

"El, where are you?" he whispered, shoving open the doors to the stairs and vaulting up the steps several at a time.

In a room.

Harry smiled. "Play hot or cold."

What's that?

"If I'm closer to the jar, say hot. If I get further away, say cold."

Okay! Hot. Yes, hot. Cold. No, ice! Yes, warm, that corridor.

He was half way up the building when Harry recognised that it was the Ministry of Magic. The noises grew louder and Harry wondered if someone was actually shouting in the distance. He slowed down in a particularly deserted hallway.

Yes, it was the weekend, but was the Ministry less crowded on Saturdays?

"Elpis, what's happening?" he whispered.

I'm not sure… your friends were knocked out by red lights and taken away.

Harry stumbled. "WHAT?! Which friends? Percy and Nico?"

And a few others.

Elpis was startled by his change in mood. Harry reigned himself in. "Okay, let's get your jar and my wand. And then we have to get them out."

And me? she asked hopefully.

"You're literally first on the list, El," Harry reminded her.

Hot, she said. Harry saw an office door straight ahead marked Junior Undersecretary. Of course Umbridge would have it.

He blasted open the door and set off a bunch of alarms in her dainty and decorated office. Even her parchment sheets was a nauseating pink and yellow. Her table was thankfully mahogany.

Pandora's jar sat by the corner on a wheelie chair. He summoned it and this time, his spell worked.

The jar flew towards him like a compact refrigerator. It was solidly heavy.

"Oof!" Harry caught it, staggering back into the wall.

Fiery hot! Elpis cheered. We win!

"Yeah," Harry grunted, hoisting it up by the handles. "Good game."

Let me out, now?

He paused. "What?"

Elpis faltered.

Harry scrutinised the jar. It's shell felt brittle enough that someone could just knock it against a wall and shatter it. In fact, it already had a crack on one side!

You… you said you'll get me out.

Harry gawked down at the clay jar. It was deceivingly simple and lovely.

"No," he whispered. "I didn't say that."

Elpis sniffled.

A watery drop collected at the end of the crack. It glistened like a dew drop. Harry touched the wetness, lifting the drop on the tip of his thumb. Then he put it in his mouth.

You promised, Elpis whispered.

Harry hesitated. "I promised to get your jar. To keep it safe."

She fell silent.

Someone cleared their throat behind him. Harry spun around, standing in front of the jar and pointing a dagger at… Rachel.

She was different. Her beaded necklace was over the pale t-shirt. Her eyes glowed green and her hair frizzed out over her shoulders like a red-headed banshee. She seemed taller than usual like the Spirit of Delphi had somehow elevated Rachel's body.

"Running out of time," she said.

"Time for what?" Harry asked, standing his ground.

She jerked her head to gesture towards the hallway behind her. "You'll find him in the Atrium."

Who? Percy? Nico? Answers?

"I'll take that," the spirit added, reaching for the pithos.

"No!" Harry snapped, yanking the jar further away from her. "Protego!"

A sheen of magic spread over the body of the pithos. It covered the jar in liquid metal, glimmering like the starry sky. The light dissipated slowly. The jar now had a glassy cover all around it, transparent and impermeable.

"Get back to camp," Harry told her. "Apollo'll be waiting for you."

The spirit retracted her arm, now frustrated.

Harry side-stepped her and marched away. Whatever she had planned for them, he wasn't a part of it. Right now, he had to find his wand.

Atrium.

Harry swallowed heavily. "Don't start with me."

Elpis was obstinate. Alarms.

She was right. The closer he got to the flashing elevators, the louder the noises became. It was only when the elevator doors refused to open that Harry heard building-wide alarms wailing.

Ron and Ginny had picked the wrong day to visit their dad at work.

To be fair, it was a Ministry-mandated meeting for both of them to get a checkup of their core magic. Hermione's appointment was scheduled for the next day. Ron'd been wondering out loud if she would have enough time to visit them after the session when they received the mirror-call from Annabeth, all the way from Long Island.

"That was bizarre," Ron said, when the demigod had cut the call mid-way through his explanation of the humdrum of Privet Drive.

"Did she seem panicky to you?" Ginny asked.

"It's Annabeth. She doesn't panic. She plans."

Even so, the siblings called her back, but Annabeth didn't pick up. Neither did Harry.

Resolving to try again after lunch, they sat in their father's cubicle and munched on cafeteria sandwiches while Mr. Weasley was off to one of his meetings.

After a comfortable time, the alarms went off.

Obviously, everyone's first assumption was the Death Eaters.

But Ron grabbed the table and nearly fell on his knees, panting heavily. He scratched his throat desperately like a boy dying from dehydration.

"What?" Ginny hissed, bringing her wand out. "What's wrong?"

"Ow… the pipes… the… I can't understand it… the water!"

"What's wrong with the water?"

"It's gone!" Ron gasped. "I can't feel it in the pipes anymore! It's like someone drained all of it!"

Drained? All the water in the pipes?

Ginny frowned and stood up. "You mean the plumbing? In the building?"

Ron pried his eyes open. "We need to go. Now!"

They ran for freight elevators (Mr. Weasley had directed them to use those if they were ever caught in the a situation at the Ministry without him) when they came across Amelia Bones and thirteen demigods.

"WHOA!"

"Bloody hell!"

"Ginny?"

"Annabeth?"

"Ron?"

"Nico?"

"Excellent!" Amelia Bones barked at them all. "Weasleys, get them out of the building, post-haste! Where's your father?"

"He's at the conference about the biting door knobs. But something's wrong! The water's all gone!"

"Gone?" Bones asked, utterly perplexed.

Annabeth stepped forwards. Her expression was tight. "Explain."

"My core, you know I have water-manipulation," Ron said hurriedly. "I can sense water."

"Wow, really?" Frank asked, amazed. "Like a son of Ne… I mean, that's cool!"

"I suppose it's a little different—"

"What's wrong with the water?" Annabeth asked, heatedly.

"It's gone!" Ron announced. "The building's water supply is totally dried up!"

It sounded wild even to the demigods. That's how you know things were spiralling.

"That's impossible!" Bones gawked. "This is the Ministry of Magic! At any time, we have more than 30,000 liters!"

"Well!" Ron laughed unfunnily. "It's all gone!"

The looks on the demigods' faces told Ginny that things were far worse than a sudden water shortage.

"Madam Bones!" someone shrieked, rushing to the group with their robes in a tizzy. "The flushes have stopped working! Is that why the alarms have gone off?"

Bones conjured a large glowing ostrich from her wand even as Ron was talking. The demigods gawked at the massive spectre.

"EVACUATE! ALL PERSONNEL LEVEL 4 AND BELOW: EVACUATE!" Bones announced. Her voice was magnified times ten, recorded by the glowing ostrich. They winced at the volume as the ostrich split into three more, each one leaping in different direction to spread her orders.

"Wait!" Annabeth gasped. "What about Percy?!"

"The Aurors will capture him," Bones said grimly.

"They'll kill him!" Annabeth yelled.

"No," Nico interrupted, holding a bandaged arm to his chest. "He'll kill them! We all need to get out!"

Ginny went slack-jawed. "Excuse me!"

Bones stared at them hard. "This is no time for arguing. The Ministry is not kind to non-humans and human-hybrids. You must leave!"

"Then why are you helping us?" Thalia snapped.

"You're seriously looking a gift horse in the mouth?" Bianca spluttered and Thalia scowled at her.

"Let's not talk about gift horses," Gwen muttered. The others were checking their weapons, peering out from the corridor to observe the situation. Even as Ginny watched, people were packing up, parchment was flying about, and memos were zooming all over the place. The sirens still wailed and they heard Bones's announcement from the other floors now.

"Just go!" Bones ordered and swept away into a new crowd of department workers who rushed to the stairs.

"Wait, wait!" Ron waved his long arms. "What d'you mean Percy's gonna kill?"

Jason answered, "He's glowing blue and turning everything to dust. I guess, he removed all the water from the building too. The wizards will stand no chance against him."

Ginny couldn't fathom it. Was this some more demigodly power?

"Where's the atrium?" Bianca asked.

"Level Eight," Ron said, his eyes still wide. "It's the lobby: the main entrance for the whole building."

Annabeth frowned. "Why would she tell him to go there?"

"Who told to go where?"

Thalia growled and marched to one of the elevators. It'd just shut down and she rattled the bars, annoyed.

Nico groaned. "The Spirit of Delphi! She orchestrated the whole thing."

Ginny's heart stuttered. "Rachel's here too?! How? I thought she's still… that she's…"

"She's still dead," Reyna said solemnly. "But the spirit, it seems, has over-arching plans."

Ron gulped. "Fantastic. Okay. So Percy's gone berserk?"

"He's not!" Annabeth shouted. "He's just… he's trying to control it!"

"Hey," Ethan called out to them. "That's him! That's Potter!"

He was way ahead of them, peering over the balcony. Everyone rushed to his side and looked over.

Two floors below them, Harry was running in the opposite direction of the crowds. Ginny inhaled sharply. Even from a distance, she saw the blood dried over his tee. He was clutching an old clay jar to the side like a quaffle and fleeing down the corridor.

Ginny shook her head. "Why's he always covered in blood?"

"HARRY!" Ron roared over the chaos.

Harry skidded to a stop, head whipping around till he found them. He waved frantically and rushed to the side to see them clearly.

"Catch!" he shouted.

Catch? Catch what—

Nearly everyone gasped. Harry had grabbed the bannister, hurled himself half way over the edge and swung the jar up into the air.

Jason leaped over the balcony and caught it.

"Urgh!" he groaned, hovering in midair. "It's heavy!"

"Don't listen to her!" Harry was yelling. "GO!"

Annabeth cupped her hands over her mouth and screamed, "HE'S HEADED TO THE ATRIUM!"

"I'll get him out!" Harry said frantically.

"He's destroying everything!" Nico yelped. "Just… just put a shield around him or something!"

Or something was about right. Ginny's head was spinning. Was Percy losing control of his magic? Was it like her back in the hospital? Dear Morgana, this was bad.

But Harry's shield had once stopped Fiend Fyre from consuming him and Percy. Perhaps he could do the same thing again.

Annabeth addressed the group. "Get the jar back to camp! Ron, Ginny, show them the way out!"

She turned and ran to the fire exit.

"You're not going alone!" Thalia barked but she was already out of sight.

"We split up," Jason decided. He handed the jar over to Reyna who grimaced at the weight. "I'm going with Annabeth. We can scare the wizards enough to get them out."

"That'll work, we're already terrified," Ron assured him.

Bianca nodded stiffly. "Nico, go with the others. Natalie and I will get Lee Lee."

Both Nico and Hazel argued, "But—"

"No buts! All of you, go!"

Bianca's order finally had them moving. Her silver circlet was glowing even in the daylight and neither Ron nor Ginny wanted to contest her.

"The freight elevators will still work," Ron advised them. "We can take them straight out of the building and find the nearest floo."

The fountain crack'd from side to side.

Percy held in a laugh. His mom would think it was funny.

His gut tightened and he watched the Fountain of Magical Brethren run out of the last of the building's water.

He hadn't meant to, but Percy'd taken away the water, absorbing it into his body. He didn't catch all of it of course, but most of the moisture was gone and his body felt light enough to lift him off the ground or set him on fire.

Percy refrained from touching anything else. The walls and floors had cracked from his water-tapping so to speak. He'd broken a path from the jail cells all the way to the atrium.

His aim was to head down to the morgue and find Harry. But the golden statues that made up the fountain distracted him. A wizard, a witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf were built of stone and gold, raising from the rock.

Rachel would have fit right in. She would have been the centaur of attention.

Percy giggled to himself.

Cracks emerged around Percy's bare feet. The last time he'd caused a proper earthquake, it led to a full-fledged volcanic eruption. He still remembered the news playing the footage for weeks. The statistics were imprinted in his head. He knew exactly how many had died, been hospitalised, and been left homeless.

He wouldn't do that this time. London would not suffer.

The noise all around had slowly died down and he sensed the blood pressure of several humans behind him. They formed a semicircle on one side, the air shimmering with protective charms. Their wands were pointed at him.

Percy knew he could have absorbed them all, blood and flesh included. But that sounded like murder and he figured he better not.

Find Harry.

Right! That's the goal.

Because Percy was so close to losing it. He wasn't in control like Harry or even holding onto the final threads like Ginny when she'd burned St. Mungo's down. At least she could keep the fire off of the floor. At least she had a target.

Percy was volatile with no other way out. He remembered what Triton had told him.

"Kill yourself."

The sharp and cutting words terrified him then but made sense now. Unlike Harry and Rachel, Percy had delayed death for too long and his magic was escalating.

"I'm not actually kidding," Triton added, blithely. "If you lose all control, the best thing is to just kill you. Don't want you accidentally razing a building or all your friends."

Triton must have known something like this would happen. He said the exact words needed. No, Percy did not want to raze a building or any friends. He'd just managed to avoid razing Olympus or whatever that prophecy had said. Percy wanted no more razing.

Harry would do the right thing. Percy knew this. Harry'd make sure he wouldn't hurt anyone.

Percy peered up and found the Spirit of Delphi watching him silently from one of the empty corridors on the floor above him. The building rose like a hollow husk from the Atrium and Percy was right in the middle by the fountain.

From the distance, Rachel's eyes barely glowed. It made her no less intense.

"There's no way he'll listen to us," Tonks whispered to Kingsley. "Look at him, he's barely holding it together!"

Kingsley Shacklebolt ordered three separate teams of Auror forces to form a barrier behind Percy. The boy was giggling to himself, having sent a minor tremour into the ground to crack the golden rock fountain. The statues tilted and trembled alarmingly.

"Is everyone else out?" Kingsley asked.

"Civilian and law enforcement departments have… well, departed," Cedric murmured, shakily. "Our danger readings are off the charts. We should NOT engage."

Kingsley nodded. They had no choice. Attacking Percy, even to try and stun him, could be what sent him over the edge.

Not to mention, Sally would never forgive him for hexing her son.

"Retreat," Kingsley whispered and Tonks blew a sigh a relief.

Some of the Aurors grumbled but several others backed away thankfully.

That's when one of the exit doors burst open and loud footsteps crashed into the previously silent hall.

"Harry?!" Tonks almost screamed. "You! But… I saw you! You were de—"

"Shh!" Harry hissed at her. His eyes were wide as they darted from her to Percy to Kingsley to all the Aurors waiting for more orders.

Kingsley almost lost composure. He'd seen the body. Harry's skull had been in pieces. His brains had been—

Kingsley pulled himself into the present and said grimly, "So fast?"

Harry nodded. Blood had dried into his hair and t-shirt. His jeans were grimy and his feet were bare and even muddy. But Harry himself was fully functional, ready to dive back into the fight.

"Lift the disapparation wards," Harry urged Kingsley.

"Harry, you can't—"

"I can!" he promised.

"You don't even have a wand!"

"Trust me!" Harry said, finally breaking away from the Aurors and walking to Percy who still had his back to them.

More footsteps echoed from behind. Kingsley saw Annabeth Chase with two teenagers rush into the fray. Cedric, Zachary, and a few other Aurors stopped them.

"Tonks!" Annabeth whisper-yelled, "King! Let me through!"

"No!" Kingsley said firmly. "Everyone back up four paces! Cupio discedere!"

The atrium lights flickered as the wards shifted. The Auror circle retreated, dragging the demigods with them.

"We can help Harry!" the girl with the dark spiky hair said. Her eyes crackled blue and Kingsley was tempted to just let her pass, but that's when Tonks gasped.

Everyone stilled.

Percy had gotten to his feet and turned to face them.

Harry froze a mere yard from him. He threw a hand out to stop the Aurors from trying anything.

Percy's eyes were glowing blue. His veins stood out and the skin of his face and arms shone in a greenish-blue tint as though he was underwater. He didn't even breathe. His chest was unnaturally still. His focus was completely on Harry who steeled himself and tried to soothe him.

"Percy," Harry said. In the horrible quiet of the hall, every whisper was magnified.

"You're going to be okay," Harry said carefully. "It's me. I'm here."

Percy eyed him, deadly silent. Slowly, he approached him.

"It's Harry," Harry whispered. His outstretched arm was trembling ever so lightly.

"Quietly and no light," Kingsley said under his breath. "Shields up."

The air barely wavered as the Aurors erected their invisible walls. Percy didn't give it any notice. He was fully focused on Harry.

Then, he raised his arm.

Annabeth's grip tightened on Kingsley's shoulder. Percy's hand had the mildest glow possible, but the light had still eaten away the sleeve-end of his hoodie.

Harry didn't back down. He stayed still even as the glowing hand reached for his face.

Everyone held their breaths.

The glow retreated. Percy's hand touched Harry's face, gracing the side. His fingers pushed into his sticky hair.

Checking the wound, Kingsley realised.

Percy's hand came away and it was covered in flecks of dried blood.

Harry exhaled faintly, "I'm okay."

Percy let out a sob. His face crumpled and he fell into Harry's embrace. Harry was so startled he didn't push him away. But the light was gone and nobody was hurt. Harry immediately wrapped his arms around Percy, one around his back, the other cupping his head.

And he disapparated with Percy from the Ministry of Magic.

The land north of Privet Drive was a secluded forest.

Further ahead was a large ravine. Beyond the ravine was another expanse of unoccupied land, starting from a cliff and stretching out to farmland before reaching London's city limits.

The unoccupied land had barely any plants. Some scattered shrubs and freezing grass patches were all that remained.

This was where Harry apparated. The air violently expelled him and Percy onto the ledge. Harry shoved himself away from Percy and conjured a shield around himself as Percy let go.

The explosion rocked the earth, shaking the shrubs and their roots off the ground. The oncoming light decimated every inch of life in a half-mile radius. The earth rocked and the ground threatened to crumble underneath their feet.

He reduced the earth to ash.

Birds fled and crickets scattered. Harry crouched beneath his impenetrable shield, knowing he was safe, knowing that he was the strongest he'd ever been. Harry was in absolute control for the first time in his life. He knew exactly was he was capable of. Percy didn't.

They found out when the dust settled.

The crackling and grinding noises stopped after a few minutes. Harry counted to twenty before removing his spherical shield. His magic had dug through the ground keeping some of the mud safe enough for Harry to stand on.

He stood up and gawked at the destruction. There was a reason why Percy was called the Destroyer. This was it.

Harry was now staring at smoking land with the top soil disintegrated. There hadn't been much green to begin with but now, there was none. Percy was on the ground, breathing unsteadily. He'd collapsed after the explosion and his clothes had torn at the seams. The cuffs of his jeans were gone, ripped apart by the light. He'd somehow managed to keep all of it from disappearing which was a miracle.

Harry inched forwards.

"Percy?"

The demigod grimaced. "You… you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm good," Harry said, trying to make his face neutral. "You?"

"Been better."

The clouds gathered above them, attracted by the sudden dip in air pressure. Harry wondered if it would rain or snow. He hadn't been to Surrey during the winter for a few years now.

The surroundings were so quiet it pricked at Harry's nerves. He sat on the ground beside Percy and said, "You didn't hurt anyone."

Percy didn't answer.

"They would have told me if you did," Harry continued. "They evacuated most of the building."

"You got hurt."

"Blame Petunia."

Percy opened his eyes. "You remember?"

Harry pressed his lips together. "Bits and pieces. I don't know exactly how… but I know it was her."

Percy nodded. He turned on his side, still lying down. He pressed his cheek to the dry sand and cracked ground. "I heard the shot. And I tasted the blood."

That would shock anyone. Harry nodded slowly, wanting to physically strangle Petunia but also hoping to never venture near her ever again.

"The blood disappeared," Percy said. Now Harry was taken aback.

"It—it did?"

Percy nodded and Harry touched the side of his own head. His hair was messy as ever, but the right side of his scalp was still sticky in places. His shirt was still stained.

"This one time, Clarisse punched my teeth out," Percy said.

Harry blinked. Oddly enough, he wasn't all that stunned by the idea of Clarisse being violent. But the change in topic had been pretty sudden.

"My first capture-the-flag. A single pow to my face. I didn't even see it coming. Point is, I spat both teeth out on the ground. I watched them disappear."

Harry sat back wide-eyed. "Just like that? Maybe it's because we're fighting the Earth Goddess and she's absorbing us?"

That was terrifying. Percy didn't want to believe it. "Remember your blood was all over me? It disappeared too."

"Maybe because it's my blood? It's still on me," Harry pointed out. "See? It doesn't smell though."

Both boys pondered quietly.

"I know the Patron's name," Percy said suddenly.

Harry bit his tongue and winced. "What?"

"It's a who," Percy whispered. "She's a who. I mean… she's a primordial goddess."

"We figured that. But who's—"

"You know that spell you use to knock out the lights?"

Nox. Harry nodded.

"That's her Roman name," Percy explained. "She's the goddess of the night sky. She's older than Gaia. Her sister, I think."

Harry exhaled heavily. "I don't know her story."

Percy grinned. "I only know one. This one time, Hypnos irritated Zeus about something. Zeus got angry and chased him around the planet. Hypnos did the divine equivalent of hiding behind his mother's skirt. Zeus left him alone because he's afraid of her."

Harry sat still. "Zeus? The king? He's afraid of Hypnos's mother? Are you remembering the story right?"

It was a testament to the goddess that Percy refrained from saying her name out loud. This is Percy Jackson. There was no god he wasn't willing to piss off.

"Not even thunderpants Zeusy would cross her," he said solemnly.

Case in point.

"What does she want with us?" Harry asked.

"No clue," Percy said. "But Lupa will know."

That's where he was going with the conversation. Harry should have guessed. "Made your choice?"

"Yeah. Triton was right. We need her to teach us," Percy decided. "At least me and Rachel. You seem fine with the extra power—"

"I keep dying way too often," Harry pointed out. "I have to stop that."

The wind blew, cold and hungry. But neither of them were too bothered by it. They were used to the cold forest of Surrey, having spent their childhood playing there.

Percy swallowed. "Then we all need the training. We'll start when Rachel wakes up."

Harry nodded. "Done."

Percy looking down at his torn clothes. He glanced up at Harry, eyes growing wide and hopeful.

Harry smirked. "Reparo."

The torn fabric recombined. His hoodie grew into a single piece, threading back what had been missing and burned. The denim also reformed, growing back to his ankles.

Harry frowned. "Are those my jeans?"

Percy coughed, "Huh? No. I have no idea what you're talking about."

He eyed Percy suspiciously. Harry had to stop leaving cash in his pockets. It was only a matter of time before Nico and Rachel began stealing his pants too.

"What happened to your shoes?" Percy finally asked.

Harry peered down, confused. "Mortician must have taken them off. Yours?"

Percy wriggled his bare toes. "Absorbed 'em."

Harry nodded, fighting a grin. They caught each others' faces and burst into loud cackles.

They laughed for a long time.

Harry collapsed on his back, his sides aching. He watched the clouds swim sluggishly through the grey sky. The sun still managed to filter through them. Gentle beams lit up the sky.

He didn't want to go back. Not yet.

"X and Ohs?" Harry suggested.

Percy was still smiling wide and breathing hard. "Huh?"

Harry rolled over on his stomach and used his finger to draw two parallel lines in the loose dirt. Then he drew two perpendicular lines to make a large hash.

Percy's propped his head up with an arm. "You know everyone'll be waiting for us."

"They can wait," Harry said, drawing an X. "We need a break."

Percy grinned and scratched an O in the hash. Harry felt proud for cheering him up.

It snowed. They played a few dozen games till they were drawing, not on dead sand, but melting snow. For once, the teens basked in the lack of deadlines, promises, and the end-of-the-worlds.