A/N: Thank you for all of the wonderful support! I really appreciate it. I would also like some reviews on how you like the story so far. Am I making things interesting enough? Constructive criticism, please... not destructive. :)

Rising Storms

A Harry Potter and Percy Jackson crossover

Chapter 41:

Percy

Thalia and Luke were trading blows with sword and spear. Annabeth and Grover attempted to find an opening to join in to help Thalia. Zoe and Artemis were fighting Atlas, who turned out to be Zoe's dad... fancy that. Percy continued holding up the sky as he watched the fights before him. Outside the cave, he barely noticed that the sky was darkening. His mind seemed to be leaving him as he focused on all of the things happening before him while staying crouched with the weight above him.

Annabeth looked at Percy and whispered to Grover, "I think he's been holding up the sky longer than I did. He has a thicker lock of white in his hair."

Grover looked over at Percy. He nodded. "We need to come up with a plan." He pulled Annabeth over to Percy... just as Zoe got blasted into the wall of the cave.

Zoe coughed up blood. When she looked up, she saw Grover and Annabeth near Percy, and saw the white in his hair. She looked back at Lady Artemis. She had to do something. Zoe ran around behind her father... and lunged. Artemis got out of the way as Zoe hit her father with her weapon. He stumbled forward, and Artemis gave the last blow... a kick to the back that sent Atlas flying towards Percy. Annabeth and Grover reached forward, grabbing Percy, and yanked him out of the way just in time as Atlas landed under the sky, holding it up. Atlas yelled in frustration.

Percy lay there in a pile with Annabeth and Grover, trying to catch his breath and get his bearings back. Annabeth groaned and pushed him off of the two. Percy grunted as his back hit the ground. He slowly opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling of the cave. Then someone's hand was above him. He followed the hand up to the face of the person: Zoe. He took her hand and she helped him stand up. "Thank you."

"You're a brave demigod," she said. "I was surprised when you took the sky for Lady Artemis."

"Ha. I live to surprise people." Percy grinned tiredly.

"I would be honored to call you friend," she told him, surprising everyone nearby.

Percy placed a hand on her shoulder. "I would also be honored to call you friend, Zoe Nightshade."

Annabeth ran past them, heading towards Thalia and Luke. "Luke, stop! Please come back to us!"

Luke pushed Thalia aside and she landed in a heap. He turned to Annabeth. "Why don't you come with me? We could do great things together." He smiled at her, holding out a hand.

"I won't serve Kronos with you." Annabeth said that with very little tremble in her voice. "Come back to Camp Halfblood. Please."

"Never!" Luke exclaimed. He looked past her at Percy. "I guess we'll never know who is better." He took a step back from Annabeth, toward a hole in the cave wall. Then he fell backwards.

Annabeth screamed out his name as she lunged forward to stop him. Thalia got up from where she landed and grabbed Annabeth. "Let me go!"

"No. He's gone. He's not coming back," Thalia told her friend.

"Zoe!" Artemis and Percy yelled at the same time, drawing everyone's attention. Zoe had fallen forward, coughing up blood. Annabeth and Thalia ran over in shock. Artemis and Percy carefully rolled Zoe over and looked at her.

She was bleeding from her mouth and she was holding her stomach. "Did I do well, my lady?"

"You did very well, Zoe." Artemis looked like she was about to cry.

"Here, let me carry her outside." Percy lifted Zoe carefully, telling her, "Don't worry, Zoe, I'll get you outside."

"I'd like to see the stars," Zoe said. She looked at Percy with a small smile. Then her eyes moved to Artemis as Percy carried her outside of the cave. "It was an honor serving you, my lady." Percy laid her down on the ground.

"It's been an honor having you by my side," Artemis said in a choked voice.

Percy sniffed, wiping a hand across his cheeks.

"Don't cry, boy," Zoe said, looking at him. "It was an honor being with you on this journey, ...Percy."

"It's my honor," Percy said, reaching out to hold her hand gently.

Zoe looked up at the night sky and said, "I can see the stars."

"You shall rest among the stars, Zoe Nightshade," Artemis said. She ran a hand over Zoe's hair.

"The Huntress in the night sky," Percy said, remembering the line of the prophecy.

Zoe looked up at the night sky again. She smiled at the stars. "Stars," She said, and stopped breathing.

Her body faded and the others were left to grieve. Percy looked up at the sky and saw a new constellation. The huntress. "Please watch over us, Zoe, the mighty huntress," Percy said, drawing everyone's attention to the constellation. He let them adjust, before he turned to Artemis. "Lady Artemis, we need to get back to camp."

She nodded, looking at Percy. Before she could say anything, a silver chariot appeared, and she looked at the driver. "Apollo."

"Hey, little sis," the sun god greeted her. Then he turned his grin to Percy. "Hey, Percy."

"Don't call me little sis," Artemis said. "I'm older than you."

"Hey, Apollo," Percy said quietly.

Apollo hopped out of the chariot and stepped over to Percy. "What happened?"

"Zoe," Percy said.

Apollo looked at Artemis. "Where's Zoe, Artemis?"

"She didn't make it." Artemis looked at him and then away.

"I'm sorry," Apollo said, sadly. He always mourned the deaths of his sister's hunters. He looked at Percy and saw the sadness on his face. The tears still running down Percy's cheeks had Apollo rush to wipe them away. "Please don't cry, Percy," Apollo said. He leaned closer.

"Apollo," Artemis said sharply. Her brother stood straight and looked at her.

"Very well," he said. "Come on, let's get you to camp." They got into the chariot, and Apollo drove the chariot to Camp Halfblood so that his sister and her companions could mourn Zoe's death in peace. "We're here, guys," he said a little while later.

"Thank you," Percy said to Apollo. He smiled at the sun god.

"You're welcome," Apollo said. He seemed unsure of what to say next, but ended up not saying anything as everyone but Artemis got out of the chariot.

"Lady Artemis," Percy said. "I'm sorry about Zoe and Bianca."

Artemis nodded. "I'm sorry too. You went through so much to save me and your friend, Annabeth."

Thalia looked thoughtful. "Lady Artemis, I would like to become one of your hunters."

"Thalia," Percy said.

Thalia shook her head. "I won't turn sixteen tomorrow. I won't let this prophecy be mine. Sorry, Percy."

Percy stared in shock as Thalia gave the same oath that Bianca had. Before his eyes, Thalia seemed to glow for a minute. Why had it been different with Thalia? Maybe it was because Thalia was so close to being sixteen when it happened?

"Welcome, Thalia, daughter of Zeus, my new lieutenant." Artemis smiled at Thalia. In Thalia's hair was a silver circlet... Zoe's circlet.

Thalia was allowed to come to camp with Percy, Annabeth, and Grover who were all silent from shock. When they got to the Big House, Percy saw Chiron. "Chiron," he said. He looked around for Nico and saw him by the pegasi. He walked to Nico. "Nico, can I talk to you?"

Nico whirled around happily. "Percy! How was the quest? Where is Bianca? Did you save Annabeth and Lady Artemis?"

Percy sighed. "Nico, walk with me." He led the younger boy away from the pegasi and into the woods. "Nico, the quest started off fine, until the Nemean Lion attacked. I managed to make it choke on a Twinkie and it dissolved. Then, when we got to California, and everything went downhill. The manticore summoned skeletons and they cause problems all through the rest of our trip. They had us drive the car into a tree, they chased us through a park, and then they confronted us directly." He took a deep breath.

Nico looked at Percy sadly. "What happened, Percy? Where's Bianca?"

Percy looked up at the trees. "She took out all of the skeletons easily, but then I saw the red on her jacket."

"No," Nico said.

"I caught her before she could hit the ground, and she smiled up at me. She said that she had bought something for you and that I should give it to you."

Tears flowed down the cheeks of both boys, but Nico was shaking. "Please, no!"

"I told her, 'You can't die!' and she said, 'It's okay.' Then she was gone and her body faded away from my arms." Percy let out a sob. "I'm so sorry, Nico. We tried everything to look after her."

"You let her die!" Nico yelled, turning away from Percy.

"I didn't let her die. I couldn't save her." Percy reached out to Nico.

"Don't touch me!" Nico yelled, and a large crack appeared in the ground beside them.

"Nico, she knew what she was getting into. We can do all we can to stay safe, but being a demigod is no guarantee. Being a hunter is no guarantee. They can still die in battle, and Bianca was the bravest person I know." Percy stepped closer. He wrapped the struggling boy in his arms. "She loved you and she was very brave. I bet she's in Elysium right now, enjoying paradise."

Nico burst into tears, letting go of his anger for now. He turned and wrapped his arms around Percy's waist... and the crack mostly closed up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blame you. Please don't abandon me."

"I won't abandon you. Not ever." Percy promised that, and handed Nico the little figurine that Bianca had wanted Nico to have.

A few people came running over. "Is everything okay," Will asked. "We felt the ground move."

Percy smiled at Will and the others, walking over to them and letting Nico recover. "Yeah, it's all good over here. We were having a friendly duel and Nico got a little emotional over his sister's passing."

Will's face fell. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. But, no one got injured in the duel?"

"Nope." Percy grinned.

"Okay," Will said, and followed the others back towards camp... although he did look back at Nico once.

"Nico, come on. I want to show you something." Percy led Nico to the lake. "I brought you here to calm down, but also to show you what kind of powers I have."

Percy jumped into the lake, and sank to the bottom. He sat on the bottom of the lake, looking up at Nico and waving at the surprised boy. He grinned, waiting for the worry to show, and then a nymph swam up to him. She spoke to Percy and he nodded. He said something to her, and she smiled before swimming off. Percy swam back up to the surface.

"What just happened?" Nico paced back and forth. "You can breathe under water?!" Then he noticed that Percy was dry as he stepped onto the grass around the lake. "And you don't get wet?"