chapter 4

Harry willed himself dry and hit his clothes with a cleaning charm as he stepped out of the lake. The mage donned his clean garments. Next the warlock went back to the cabin and ended up having a conversation with Luke. Harry could see the resemblance between the older Hermes' son and his siblings except for the long scar on the older teen's cheek.

Luke had explained how Annabeth pestered Chiron so badly for a quest that the ancient Centaur had admitted to having a prophecy from the Oracle which basically said the young blonde wouldn't go on a quest until a certain half blood came to camp. Harry hated prophecies and the mage quickly learned that Luke did as well. When the Camp Half Blood campers went to dinner they all lined up and walked to the mess pavilion. As the newest arrival Harry was dead last in line because of seniority but the happy warlock didn't mind too much.

Harry noticed his mother sitting up at the head table with Chiron, Mr. D, Grover, and who the phoenix mage suspected had to be Mr. D's sons due to their resemblance with the deity. The dark haired young male saw his two special Naiad friends who were sitting with wood nymphs. The pair of beautiful water spirits smiled at their recent lover while laughing and giggling. The mage could tell every few minutes or so that Choria would have a small orgasm after which she would glance at Harry with a secret smile on her tasty lips.

Harry followed the other camper's example after each burned a portion of their food as a burnt offering to the gods, whichever deity they chose (usually their parent). The water loving wizard made a silent plea for his suspected father to let the youth know for sure who the older deity was while scraping his portion of food into the flames. After the campers had finished eating Mr. D made some announcements and even introduced Harry to the rest of the camp, although the wine god butchered the warlock's name on his first attempt. Afterwards the group sat around a very nice campfire where they sang songs and ate s'mores. Naturally Harry sat beside the attractive Annabeth.

All in all Harry thought it was a rather enjoyable first day were his only musings as he went to sleep in his sleeping bag in the Hermes' cabin.

Over the course of the next few days Harry developed a routine at camp. The warrior mage woke up extremely early and took a good swim during which he practiced his growing water powers. Choria and Furusia even gave their young lover some tips during these practice sessions. From the water spirits the half blood learned that there existed certain types of fossils which would allow him to access his water powers upon land because the specific type of fossil used to be in the sea thousands of years ago when most of the earth was covered in water. At the end of his practice session the trio of water thriving beings always had a very pleasant threesome.

After morning water training Harry would learn Ancient Greek with Annabeth. The enchanter could have just used a translation spell but the new language came easily enough. The experienced sorcerer showed Annabeth that he was no idiot. When the mage learned his blonde friend liked architecture he started discussing the subject with her. Part of the warlock's studies in his old reality had been non-magical engineering, so the discussions were usually detailed. Harry had studied everything that caught his fancy, including the non-magical sciences. In the end such a choice had turned out to be a good decision when a nuclear weapon had helped defeat Tom Riddle.

After those lessons Chiron would rotate Harry through different disciplines taught at Camp Half Blood to see if the new arrival was good at anything in particular. Depending upon which subjects a camper excelled in the most the long lived Centaur could usually get an idea of who the half blood's divine parent was. Harry wasn't the best at archery but he held his own mostly due to various charms he knew. Certain charms made sure the arrows always hit their target, but never with as much accuracy as the children of the god of archery were able to achieve.

The well trained mage was pretty fast at foot racing but he suspected that was due to the phoenix in him. It was almost like Harry was gliding across the ground.

Whenever he wrestled Harry always beat Clarisse soundly. The perceptive wizard could tell the counselors were watching to see who his father was but the warlock knew they were sure he wasn't Ares' kid. Harry didn't have the personality for such a parentage. The mage was really good at canoeing but that was to be expected if his father was who Harry suspected he was.

Harry was starting to empathize with Luke in the neglected older teen's bitterness towards his divine father.

Thursday, three days after he had arrived at camp, Harry had his first session of sword fighting practice. The occasion was by no means the warrior warlock's first time handling a blade. The mage had trained with the Sword of Gryffindor in his old universe often. With the frequent practice the sorcerer became quite good at putting the weapon to use.

"Good luck. Luke is the best swordsman in the last three hundred years," one camper informed the mage as he prepared to spar with the older teen.

The dark haired phoenix mage just smiled indulgently at the camper.

None of the swords in the camp armory Harry tried were right for the immortal wizard but he wasn't about to reveal the Sword of Gryffindor for a simple sparring match. When no one was looking Harry channeled some of his power into one of the swords that was closest to a match and transfigured the blade so that it was perfectly balanced for him. Luke made an announcement which ensured Harry knew that the older teen would be Harry's partner, just in case it hadn't been clear before.

When Luke made his first lunge at Harry the graceful water enhanced young male parried easily and smacked the older teen in the arm with the flat of the transfigured blade. The son of Hermes acquired a look of concentration on his face and lunged again in a move that should have easily disarmed a beginner. The trick failed. Then Luke got serious. The scarred teen started attacking like he would with a more advanced opponent. Harry blocked every swing and thrust with skill born of hours and hours of practice.

The other campers were staring with some amazement at the two fighters as their swords clashed. Finally Harry decided the spar was enough of a show so he swung forward and twisted Luke's sword out of the older boy's hand. When the weapon clanged to the ground everybody was staring in shock.

"By the gods Percy you are good," Luke commented after a moment.

The modest mage just shrugged and tossed the lost sword back to Luke by kicking it off the ground at his opponent. The two skilled males continued to spar for the rest of that training session and try as he might Luke could not beat Harry.

Friday afternoon Harry was sitting with Grover after running the obstacle course called the climbing wall. To the other campers and instructors it appeared as if the mage had almost gotten killed by some lava while navigating the course but in truth the phoenix in Harry loved the stuff. It was a strange contrast for the warlock to experience because his phoenix core basked in the heat of the liquid rock while his water core didn't care for it.

Grover and Harry started discussing what Mr. D had said to the Satyr for the teen's part in bringing the newest half blood to camp. Apparently Grover's fate was still up in the air. If Harry received a quest and Grover performs well while accompanying the half blood mage on the journey then the satyr could get his searchers license, which was Grover's life long ambition. The pair of friends' conversation then turned to the four unoccupied cabins. One of the four dwellings belonged to Artemis who was a virgin goddess and birthed no children, so the cabin was honorary. Another cabin was Hera's who as the mother goddess would never have a half blood child for it would require cheating on Zeus. Evidently Zeus did not feel the same in matters of fidelity as his divine wife.

The other two cabins belonged to Zeus and Poseidon, two of the Big Three. The other member of the Big Three, as the three eldest male brother gods were called, was Hades. The three brothers had divided up the earth after they defeated their father Kronos in the Titan wars thousands of years in the past. Zeus got dominion over the sky, Poseidon the seas, and Hades the underworld. From Grover Harry learned that Hades wasn't welcome in Olympus or in the camp because of the nature of the domain he ruled.

Apparently the reason the Zeus and Poseidon cabins were empty was because after WWII Zeus and Poseidon forced Hades to swear on the river Styx that none of the Big Three would sire any more half bloods. The offspring of the Big Three were just too powerful. Such half bloods affected the course of human history too much. The warlock was informed that WWII was actually a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side and the son of Hades on the other. Obviously the former side won.

Then Grover explained the circumstances of when Zeus broke the pact. Seventeen years ago the king of the gods sired a little girl named Thalia. Hades was enraged and so let all of the worst monsters out of the Underworld to torment the little girl. Thalia's Satyr protector and several other half bloods had made it all the way to the hill bordering the camp with Thalia before they were pinned down by a group of hell hounds and all three Kindly Ones. Thalia forced the others to go on while she made her last stand.

As his half mortal daughter died from grievous injuries Zeus took pity on her and turned her into the pine tree Harry could see in the distance. The insightful mage got the feeling that Grover was the satyr guide mentioned in the tale. When Grover fell silent the warlock wasn't sure how to feel about the story.

That night after dinner the campers were all excited as the time had arrived for capture the flag. The two cabins which would lead the opposing sides during the game were Athena and Ares. Athena had made alliances with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins while Ares allied with everybody else for the event.

Harry scoped out the competition as Chiron announced the rules. The mage amusedly thought the Ares side might come to regret the rule that all magical items were allowed due to Harry's hidden status as a wizard. The other campers generally got magical items as gifts from their divine parents from time to time. Upon receiving his shield the warrior warlock realized the object was pretty heavy so he willed a feather light charm into the defensive tool. As the campers marched towards the south woods the dark haired wizard caught up with Annabeth.

"Could you explain what exactly border patrol entails?" The male questioned his female friend as they progressed towards the starting location of the game.

"It's an easy job. You just stand by the creek, keep the reds away, and leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan," Annabeth clarified.

"Yes ma'am," answered the reality traveler with a cheeky grin.

Harry actually caught Annabeth's lips curling into a bit of a grin at her companion's playful tone.

A few minutes later Harry was standing at his patrol post which had been assigned for the duration of the game. The water enhanced warlock felt reassured standing in the dark with the creek flowing steadily next to him. Since the cool water could feed his power Harry actually stood partway in the creek. Just then the sorcerer heard a low canine growl but whatever beast emitted the sound swiftly retreated when it took a better whiff of the powerful phoenix mage. The lower animals were smart enough to know when they were outmatched.

All of a sudden five Ares warriors exploded out of the underbrush in front of where Harry stood.

"Cream the punk," Clarisse screamed at the head of the pack.

With Harry standing in the water like he was it was a pretty stupid move for the group to charge him. The well muscled mage sidestepped the swing of the first camper and hit the older boy in the side of the head with the flat of his blade. The attacker dropped to the ground because he was knocked out cold. The sorcerer twisted around the lunge of the second aggressor and elbowed the teen in the temple. Harry's second opponent was also out cold and lying on the ground in a heap.

The third and fourth Ares campers didn't look too excited to attack the younger appearing opponent after his impressive display but Clarisse urged them on. The phoenix mage took a moderately powerful leap and was propelled towards his next two opponents swiftly thanks to his enhanced strength. A foot connected with each Ares goon in a snap kick that knocked the pair into the land of Morpheus. Clarisse lunged at Harry with hate burning in her eyes, thrusting her spear at the warlock. With an elegance which was beyond the means of a mortal Harry grabbed the tip of her speeding spear. Harry felt the enchanted weapon crackle with electrical energy. The look of glee on Clarisse's face turned to a countenance of confusion as her target pulled the spear from her grasp without being zapped.

"Nice try," growled Harry as he snapped the spear across the older girl's head.

Clarisse was prostrated on the ground in a daze. Luke chose that moment to come running through the woods with two Hermes guys at his side. The older teen was carrying the captured Ares' banner.

"A trick," Clarisse cursed.

"Not bad hero," Annabeth's voice came from seemingly thin air beside where Harry stood.

Channeling his magic into his eyes Harry could see the attractive daughter of Athena was under an invisibility spell of some sort.

"Thanks my attractive friend," the wizard responded.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Annabeth inquired as she appeared in the visible spectrum with a blush gracing her cheeks.

"No idea," Harry answered as he shrugged casually.

Annabeth acquired a look of concentration on her face which Harry had observed countless times on Hermione when the endearing bookworm was thinking hard about a mystery.

"Step out of the water Percy," the half blood female instructed her friend.

Harry did as Annabeth requested and felt some of his extra water granted energy leave him. The sorcerer stumbled just a bit so that he didn't betray the true extent of his other energy sources. Even without the water enhancement the warrior warlock had his Phoenix, Hallow, and wizarding power cores.

"Oh Styx…I thought it would be Zeus. I didn't expect…," Annabeth trailed off as she steadied her friend by clutching his arm.

Just then a terrible howl split the air. Chiron ordered everybody to stand ready in Greek. As Harry's keen ears picked up the sound of the beast's heavy breath the wizard zeroed in on the creature's position. Stepping out of the edge of the woods a dozen yards away was a black hound the size of a rhino with lava red eyes. It was looking straight at Harry.

"Percy run," Annabeth shouted at the water warlock.

"Like hell," Harry responded as he stared the mutt down.

Harry's new opponent was nothing compared to a sixty foot basilisk. With an amazing amount of speed for something so large the black hound pounced on the sorcerer. In response Harry willed the water to rise up around himself and a lance of high pressure water ripped through the middle of the creature. Just like high pressure water can cut through stone the water beam cut straight through the beast. Before the other campers could so much as blink the black hound fell dead at the warlock's feet.

"That was a hellhound from the fields of punishment," Annabeth explained after cursing several times.

"Someone summoned it from inside the camp," Chiron announced.

The assembled campers watched the hellhound's body melt into shadow. Harry gazed around at the other campers to judge their reactions. That was when the experienced fighter realized everybody was staring above his head. Looking up, the reality traveler could see a fading green holographic trident.

"Your father…This is really not good," Annabeth murmured.

"It is determined," Chiron declared.

All around where Harry stood the campers started kneeling before him. Even the Ares cabin knelt although they didn't look happy about it.

"Your father is Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, and Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God," Chiron announced loudly.

Chiron moved Harry to cabin three the next day. It was nice for the much older than he appeared man to finally have his own bed and a place to safely keep all of his stuff. Of course that didn't mean anything of value was kept anywhere but his wizard's trunk. Anything visible in the cabin wasn't really too valuable to the youth. The really nice part was that Harry had his own table to eat at. The dark haired young half blood's two favorite Naiads sat with him at every meal and they were plenty good company. Harry's mother would also sometimes come back and sit with her son.

Sally was waiting to go home until things blew over with the whole Poseidon claiming Harry thing. The warlock was fine with his mother being where he could keep an eye on her longer. As far as the campers reaction they tended to stay away from the son of the sea god. They were afraid after the hellhound incident that they might be caught in the crossfire. The camp's reaction reminded the water mage of the time when he was proclaimed Slytherin's heir in his second year at Hogwarts so he was used to the treatment.

Somebody thought it would be a laugh to leave a copy of the local newspaper in Harry's cabin. The news talked about the disappearance of Harry and his mother. Smelly Gabe basically blamed his stepson for both Jacksons disappearing. The phoenix mage had the strong urge to flame to the apartment and kill the offending mortal but he somehow found the strength to resist.

That night Harry had a nightmare. Two men were on the beach wrestling. Both wore Greek tunics, one green and one blue. The one ranted, "Give it back. Give it back," like a little child. Then a voice so deep and evil that it sent a chill down Harry's spine said, "Come down little hero," before a crevice in the earth opened up.

When Harry woke up Grover came in and told the warlock that Mr. D wanted to see Poseidon's son.

"Well, well our little celebrity," Dionysus sneered in a surprisingly accurate impersonation of Snape when Harry walked up to the big house. "Come closer and don't expect me to kowtow to you little mortal just because old barnacle beard is your father. If I had my way I would cause your molecules to erupt into flames," the wine god declared. He would like to see the jealous deity try was Harry's first thought to the threat. "But Chiron thinks that would be against my mission at this cursed camp. To keep you brats from harm," Dionysus continued with a sigh.

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm," Chiron spoke up to point out.

"Nonsense the boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead and sending you back to your father. But there is one more option that Chiron feels could work but I think it is foolishness. I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If you are here when I get back I'll turn you into an Atlantic Bottlenose," Dionysus promised before disappearing.

"Tell me Percy what you thought of the hellhound," Chiron questioned the young half blood.

"It was a fun play toy," the powerful mage answered honestly.

"Well you'll meet worse before you're done," Chiron stated confidently.

"Done with what," Harry probed.

"Your quest if you'll accept it," the Centaur responded.

"Sure," Harry replied. "Like I really have a choice," he added. "What are Zeus and my father fighting over?"

"How did you know about that?" Chiron queried.

"I had a dream about it last night," the son of Poseidon explained.

"I knew it. That means it is his quest," Grover declared excitedly.

"Hush satyr. Only the oracle can tell. You are correct Zeus' master bolt was stolen. It is the master lightning bolt upon which all others are patterned. The master bolt is a weapon forged by the cyclopes which Zeus used to blast the top off of Mount Etna and hurl Kronos from his seat of power during the Titan wars. It has been stolen and Zeus blames you," Chiron informed the reality traveler.

"Because dad claimed me when he did," Harry concluded with sudden understanding.

"Yes. Your quest is to return it before war breaks out in ten days time," Chiron explained.

"Do you have a clue as to where it is?" Harry asked.

"Yes, from part of a prophecy I had years ago. But first you must consult the oracle. Go upstairs Percy Jackson. If you are still sane when you come back down we will talk more," the Centaur instructed the hero in training.

Harry didn't argue since the child whose life was always spoken of in prophecy knew argument was futile. When the immortal youth arrived in the attic he found a room strewn with trophies collected by heroes over the years. Finally the magic user took notice of a mummy sitting against a stack of artifacts. Moments after he took notice of it, the mummy sat up and spewed green mist from its mouth. Harry heard a voice in his head.

"I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach seeker and ask," the mummy oracle instructed the warlock.

"What is my destiny?" Harry asked knowing that it should only be able to see Percy's destiny and not that of Harry Potter.

Harry and Percy were the same yet their fate changed when they joined together, but the oracle shouldn't be able to see all of that if its powers functioned how Harry suspected they worked.

"You shall go west and face the god who has turned. You shall find what was stolen and see it safely returned. You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend. And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end," the Oracle prophesized.

"Well I have had worse fortunes before," was the student of Sybil Trelawney's only thought.

"Well," Chiron prompted when the dark haired teen came back out of the house.

Harry fed the Centaur instructor an abridged version of what the Oracle predicted. The water warlock didn't give up information completely unless he had to, one good thing Dumbledore taught the Potter heir. Just because Chiron seemed good didn't mean he was completely altruistic, another life lesson via Albus-manipulative-old-coot-Dumbledore. Chiron informed the young half blood that he suspected Hades of stealing the bolt. The lord of the underworld had the most to gain from war between his other two brothers. So to Los Angeles the quest group would go where the entrance to the underworld was located.

"Grover and one other volunteer will go with you," Chiron announced.

Feigning ignorance when he already knew the answer Harry asked, "Who will this other volunteer be?"

The air shimmered and Annabeth appeared from under her Yankees' cap of invisibility, a gift from her mother.

"I've waited a long time for this quest seaweed brain. Athena is no fan of Poseidon but if you are going to save the world I'm the best one to make sure you don't screw up," Annabeth informed her friend teasingly.

"I'd be glad to have you along beautiful," the mage flirted with a grin causing the less experienced girl to blush a deep red.

Grover barely suppressed a snicker.

"We'll take you to the bus terminal in Manhattan this afternoon. No time to waste so go pack," Chiron instructed.

Packing didn't take the magic user very long since all of his valuables were already in his shrunken trunk inside his pocket. The warlock exchanged some of his muggle money for golden drachmas at the camp store. Drachmas were coins about the size of a galleon with the images of various Greek gods on one side and the empire state building on the other. If he needed any more the warlock could just transfigure some galleons into drachmas. Chiron gave Annabeth and Harry each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares in case the two half bloods were injured. The god food would cure half bloods of most ailments but too much would burn the part-mortals up, if they were truly part-mortal.

The trio of questing youths waved goodbye to the other campers and trudged up half blood hill to meet Chiron and the camp security director, who Chiron introduced as Argus, beneath the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus. Argus was the many eyed being Harry had met briefly while recovering from the fight with the Minotaur. Hearing footsteps behind him Harry turned in time to see Luke running up the hill carrying basketball shoes.

"Hey glad I caught you," the son of Hermes said while panting to catch his breath.

Harry ignored Annabeth's blush as Luke handed the wizard the shoes while saying, "I thought you could use these. Maia," Luke stated and the shoes responded by sprouting wings and started flapping for a bit before the wings folded up.

"Awesome," Grover exclaimed.

"They served me well on my quest. They were a gift from my dad. I don't get much use out of them anymore…," Luke trailed off with a sad smile.

"Thanks," the sorcerer replied simply.

The once upon a time Lord Potter was not naïve enough to think Luke wasn't loaning the son of Poseidon the enchanted shoes for a reason.

"Look Percy, a lot of hopes are riding on you so just kill some monsters for me, okay?" Luke requested.

"You are hyperventilating," Harry pointed out to Annabeth after Luke's goodbye hug to the girl.

"Am not," Annabeth answered with a blush.

Annabeth went down the hill to a white SUV with Argus following to be the group's driver. The well trained wizard let Grover use the flying shoes which made the satyr really happy. The son of Poseidon shouldn't be flying with Zeus being lord of the sky and what not. Zeus being the ruler of the sky was the whole reason the trio couldn't just take an airplane to LA.

Before Harry left Chiron caught the younger male's arm and told the mage, "I should have trained you better Percy. If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason they all got more training. But before you go I've kept this for you. It's from your father."

The part sea god pulled the cap off the pen Chiron handed to him and the enchanted object grew into a long bronze double edged sword. It had a leather wrapped grip and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. The blade was the same as Harry had wielded in the museum against the Kindly One masquerading as the school teacher. The blade was perfectly balanced for Harry.

"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not get into. Its name is Anaklusmos," the Centaur informed his student.

"Riptide," Harry translated the Greek name.

"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."

With a glance at the wickedly sharp blade the mage queried, "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?"

"The sword is celestial bronze forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."

"Good to know and thanks," the warlock told the older warrior.

"You can't lose it by the way. It will always reappear in your pocket," Chiron added.

It was good information to know. Of course the cautious wizard would have enchanted the magical blade to do the same thing had it not already been so. Harry bid farewell to Chiron and joined the others in the SUV to begin his quest.

"This is a pleasant trip so far," the magical reality traveler joked with Annabeth ten minutes into the drive.

"Whatever you say seaweed brain," the pretty girl responded with conflicting emotions in her voice.

"Remind me again why you dislike me so," Harry wanted to know.

"I don't dislike you. We just aren't supposed to be friends. Our parents are rivals," Annabeth explained.

"Ok you want to put us in that category. Let's pick another category. You are a beautiful girl and I'm a charming guy," the handsome warlock pointed out with a grin that he knew to be infectious.

Annabeth once again blushed at Harry's compliment. As the vehicle drove by his mother's apartment Grover spoke up as if he was reading the mage's mind.

"Do you want to know why your mother stayed with him?" Grover asked.

"Are you a mind reader now?" The wizard asked knowing that it was unlikely any form of mental magic could bypass his well built occlumency barriers.

"No but Satyrs are empathic. Your stepfather reeks of humanity so much he could disguise any half blood from monsters," the satyr explained.

Digesting that bit of news Harry vowed once more to make sure his mother was happy from then on. When the group got on the bus Grover started sniffing around like he smelled something suspicious. When the trio was seated Annabeth gripped the mage's knee all of a sudden and whispered, "Percy."

"Why Annabeth I didn't know you were so forward," the dark haired warlock joked before focusing on who the pretty half blood was carefully indicating in a subtle way.

Three old ladies were just getting onboard the public transport. Harry recognized one of the new arrivals immediately as Miss Dodds. The three Kindly Ones had arrived on the bus. The trio of harpies sat behind the bus driver with their legs blocking the aisle.

"Just great…all three furies. The three worst monsters from the underworld," Grover moaned.

Annabeth started coming up with plans. When the daughter of Athena suggested that Harry should leave her and Grover by using her Yankees cap the sorcerer would recall his reply well for many years to come.

"There is not a chance in hell I'm leaving you here," the warrior warlock informed his two friends swiftly but firmly in a whisper.

At that moment the three monsters stood up and announced to the whole bus that they needed to use the restroom before they proceeded towards the restrooms at the back of the transport.

"Quick, under here," Harry whispered to his two companions as he pulled his invisibility cloak seemingly out of his pocket.

The wizard's pockets were spelled to his shrunken trunk. If Harry reached into his pocket while thinking of something he wanted from his trunk the item was then magically transported into his hand via the pocket portal. The enchantment was basically a wormhole in the warlock's pocket.

"Where did you get an invisibility cloak?" Annabeth whispered while she did as the handsome half blood instructed.

"Annabeth another time," Grover quieted her with a whisper as the pair situated themselves fully underneath the magical cloak.

Harry borrowed Annabeth's enchanted Yankees cap, since the cloak wasn't comfortably big enough with three people, and the warlock became invisible as well. The unseen trio snuck a few seats up and hid in one of the empty seats as the three furies passed. A scent dispelling charm made sure the monsters couldn't detect the campers. The three prowling monsters howled in rage by the time Harry and his companions made it to the front of the bus.

"Imperio," the sorcerer whispered to put the muggle driver under the imperius curse.

The in-control mage made the mortal driver accelerate the large transport and veer off rapidly to a side road, throwing the furies off their feet. When the vehicle drove far enough off the main road Harry made the driver stop the bus. The tourists quickly rushed off the transport as the three furies turned from old women into hideous creatures with brown leathery skin and bat-like wings.

"Where is it?" The monster which had portrayed the school teacher Miss Dodds hissed at the once more visible Harry.

"If you are talking about your good looks I think you left them a few millennia back," the phoenix sorcerer taunted.

"Zeus will destroy you. Hades will have your soul," the Dodds fury screamed in rage as her two sisters charged.

The powerful wizard moved faster than most mortals could perceive as he slashed the first attacking monster and then stabbed into the second with the suddenly converted riptide. The pair of furies both exploded into dust as Harry and his companions heard a rumble of thunder.

"Blow me, bitch," Harry growled at Miss Dodds as he dove off the bus.

Annabeth and Grover had already gotten off the vehicle as soon as the two furies had exploded. The instant Harry was clear of the large vehicle the bus exploded from a lightning bolt which struck it. From the screams coming from within there was no doubt to those outside that Miss Dodds was still onboard when the electrical bolt hit.

"Let's go. She is calling for reinforcements," a still invisible Annabeth urged her friends.

Harry was once more invisible but still managed to follow his friends easily enough by their footprints in the mud generated by the sudden storm. The warlock made sure to magically erase said prints behind the trio as they passed. When the trio made it far enough away they took off their invisibility devices. Annabeth kept urging the group further and further.

"The further away we get the better," the nervous girl prompted.

"All of our clothes and money are gone. A perfectly good bag of tin cans," Grover moaned at the loss.

"Well if Percy hadn't jumped into the fight," Annabeth started.

"What and let you die," the dark haired youth cut his friend off.

"We would have been fine," Annabeth retorted.

"Sliced like bread but fine," Grover muttered.

"It's alright Grover. I've still got money," Harry reassured the satyr as the son of Poseidon showed the goat hybrid his debit card.

A few minutes later Annabeth came up beside Harry and said, "Look I…I appreciate you not ditching us. That was really brave."

"What are friends for," Harry answered the pretty girl with an easy smile.

"It's just that if you died…aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world," Athena's precautious daughter said, trying to explain her feelings.

"You haven't left camp half blood since you were seven?" The mage queried, interested in learning more about the adventurous young woman.

"Nothing substantial…I've only left for short field trips. My dad…," Annabeth began but trailed off.

"The history professor," Harry prompted his friend with a comforting smile.

"Yeah, it didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half Blood is my home. At camp you train and train. And that's all cool and everything but the real world is where the monsters are. It's where you learn if you are any good or not," Annabeth told the experienced Potter heir.

"Well I definitely think you are pretty good with that knife," Harry praised the girl's skill.

The wizard was reminded strongly of Hermione when he was around Annabeth. The book loving witch had prioritized school over even her own death in their first year at Hogwarts. Annabeth prioritized the quest over her own life. Hermione grew over the years Harry had known her to prioritize love and friendship more than grades and the mage could envision that Annabeth would probably turn out the same. Both girls were insecure even if they had such blindingly obvious intelligence. The two intelligent beauties had a burning desire to prove themselves to the world. The immortal sorcerer could tell both girls had the same beautiful spirit deep down. His observations made Harry want to get to know Annabeth even more.

The conversation between the two half bloods was interrupted by Grover's attempt at playing a spell in the form of a song on his reed pipes to guide the group out of the thick woods. Eventually the trio of traveling companions followed their noses as the smell of good greasy food guided their way. Soon after Harry, Annabeth, and Grover came out of the woods to find a small shop with a neon sign which read Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium. Walking past the stone statues out front something niggled at the back of Harry's mind, like he should remember something but the details escaped his conscious thoughts.

Going inside the group of traveling Camp Half Blood campers was fed by Aunty Em who appeared to be a kind old lady. As soon as Harry took one bite out of the food he could tell something not quite right was afoot. Grover had begged his two half blood companions not to go inside the Emporium because the satyr claimed he smelled monster but Harry and Annabeth ignored him because of hunger. The dark haired wizard could tell their food was laced with potions to dull the group's wits and make them more trusting. A phoenix can recover from any wound and the potions Harry was being slipped were no exception as his phoenix core burned away the magical elixir that was trying to harm him.

Harry played along as Aunty Em tried to take the group's picture. Annabeth had already figured out what was going on and she shouted, "Don't look at her head!"

Annabeth's exclamation made Harry realize why the statues felt so familiar. The "statues" were petrified beings, just like Hermione had been during Harry's second year at Hogwarts. The petrifying gaze couldn't hurt a parselmouth. Taking a chance (and knowing if he was wrong that his phoenix core would probably heal him eventually) the warlock looked right into Medusa's ugly face.

"Why are you not stone?" The serpent haired woman demanded in surprise.

Wasting no time in answering or chatter which could endanger his companions the warrior wizard cleaved Medusa's head off with a smoothly drawn riptide. Next the reality traveler conjured a bag around the severed yet still effective head and stored it in his magical trunk.

"You can look now," Harry informed his two companions who had been holding their eyes closed until he told them otherwise.

"How did you do that Percy?" Annabeth asked in confusion as her perceptive gaze surveyed the scene surrounding them.

"Oh I've got a few surprises up my sleeve," the sorcerer told his friend enigmatically. "You two go in the back and look for an address in her shipping manifests to the underworld entrance. I have a suspicion you'll find it there," instructed Harry, having a feeling they would find what the trio was looking for where he told them to go.

While Annabeth and Grover were gone Harry began reviving all the statues back to their former moving selves with a spell Hermione and the Boy Who Lived had crafted after her long period of petrification. The witch and wizard didn't want anybody else to have to wait for the mandrake root potion to be brewed to restore a petrified individual.

"How," Grover exclaimed in surprise as the satyr stepped out of the back room and was greeted by his alive and well Uncle Ferdinand who had been a statue moments before.

"Like I said I've got a few tricks up my sleeve," Harry told his friend with a grin.

That night the trio slept in a clearing near Medusa's shop where local youths obviously had parties often if the beer cans were any indication. Instead of sleeping on the ground Harry produced a wizard's tent that he had used on his journeys around the world in his past life. It was very lavish inside the expanded abode. The tent possessed five bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. Annabeth was so tired that she didn't even bother asking where her friend had gotten the extremely magical tent. When Annabeth suggested the three take turns at keeping watch the wizard informed her that the tent had perimeter alert wards.

There were also some other nasty warding surprises ready and waiting for unwanted guests. But Harry figured the mobile Fidelius charm would keep anyone or anything the three sleeping campers didn't like away. The sorcerer noticed Grover hadn't gone to sleep yet so the warlock walked over to ask the teenage satyr what was wrong.

"It makes me sad Percy," the nature loving teen told his friend while looking around at all the garbage cluttering the clearing.

"Yes it is quite sad how fast humans are killing the planet," agreed the reality traveler.

"It's a bad time to be a satyr. At this rate I'll never get my searchers license," Grover lamented.

"What is a searchers license?" Harry asked for clarification, having heard the term mentioned by Grover once before.

"When the great wild god Pan disappeared 2000 years ago a sailor off the coast of Ephesos heard a mysterious voice crying out from the shore, 'Tell them that the great god Pan is dead!' When humans heard the news they believed it. They've been pillaging Pan's kingdom ever since. But for Satyrs Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refused to believe he had died. From every generation the bravest satyrs pledged their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth exploring all the wildest places hoping to find where he is hidden and wake him from his sleep," Grover explained.

"And you want to be one of these searchers," Harry clarified.

"It's my greatest dream. My father was a searcher; my Uncle Ferdinand was a searcher. He knew the risks. I'll beat the odds. I'll be the first searcher to return alive!" The teenage satyr promised.

"Not one satyr has returned alive in 2000 years?" The mage queried in surprise.

"No one has ever returned alive once they set out. They are never seen again," Grover confirmed. "Well except Uncle Ferdinand but he isn't heading back to Camp. He's going to continue onwards to search for Pan."

Their conversation ended there. Harry didn't understand how satyrs could keep going to their death again and again without any return. The mage suspected the situation with the satyrs was what led to the comparison of blind followers with sheep. Since every satyr before had become a searcher Grover wanted to be one as well. The powerful wizard fell asleep to thoughts of a couple of Naiads and Annabeth.

Harry's dreams became entirely different than those pleasant thoughts which had led him into the land of Morpheus. The son of Poseidon stood in a dark cavern before a massive dark pit. Mist creatures swirled around the warlock which he instinctively knew were the spirits of the dead. The spirits tugged the half blood back but he walked forward to the very edge of the chasm. The pit was so huge and wide the dreamer thought it must be bottomless. The sensitive mage could feel something huge and evil was trying to rise from the abyss.

"The little hero. Too weak, too young but perhaps you will do," an amused ancient and heavy voice said from the depths of the pit. "They have misled you my boy. Help me rise and I will give you everything you want. Bring me the bolt and help me strike a blow against the treacherous gods," the voice instructed Harry as he felt a pulling force towards the pit.

Harry realized the thing, the evil being, in the pit wasn't using the force to pull the half blood wizard in but itself out. With speed and efficiency born of years of mastering his craft the warrior warlock used his occlumency to clear his mind and to force himself awake. As he escaped what he realized was an out of body excursion to the underworld Harry also came to the conclusion that he had just escaped being possessed by that being in the pit.

Harry awoke to consciousness and the sight of Annabeth standing next to his bed.

"Well the zombie lives," Athena's daughter teased Poseidon's son.

"How long was I out?" Harry asked.

"Long enough for me to cook breakfast and for Grover to find a friend," Annabeth told the just awoken sorcerer as she threw him a bag of corn chips from Auntie Ems.

Harry looked over to see Grover with a pink poodle sitting in the satyr's lap.

"Percy, say hello to Gladiola who is our ticket west," Grover introduced his poodle friend.

"Hello Gladiola it's nice to meet you," Harry greeted as he climbed out of bed.

Harry could talk to snakes so it didn't really faze the magic user as much anymore that Grover could apparently talk to most types of animals.

"Now this is hardly a healthy breakfast. I'll make us something better," Harry announced as he headed into the kitchen with its fully stocked fridge under a stasis charm.

"You can cook?" Annabeth questioned in surprise.

"Yep," the warlock answered as thoughts of his childhood at the Dursleys entered his mind.

"He is handsome, charming, can pull magic items out of his ass, and can cook…he's too perfect," the mage heard Annabeth mutter under her breath thinking her friend couldn't hear.

Annabeth's mutterings cheered Harry right up as he whipped up a large breakfast while Grover explained his plan. Gladiola had run away from her family who had then posted a two hundred dollar reward. The dog didn't want to go back but would do it if it helped Grover. The trio would then use that money to buy tickets on the Amtrak train which was scheduled to embark at noon.

"I like your plan Grover but I have a slightly better one. I'll take care of the tickets and Gladiola can keep her newfound freedom," Harry told his friends.

Before they departed from their campsite Harry managed to enchant Gladiola's collar with several charms that would provide her with extreme luck in her new freedom. Each one of the fake gem stones was enchanted with something to help the small dog. One enchanted stone would enlarge into a bottomless food dish; another gem was a water dish, and so on. The sorcerer figured Gladiola deserved the magical gifts for volunteering to help the three campers.

The son of Poseidon bought three first class tickets for the train instead of the very low class their group would have been stuck with if they had followed Grover's plan. The three friends spent two days on that train crossing the country. The dark haired wizard was forced to keep a low profile because his picture was plastered over a lot of newspapers. Gabe was offering a cash reward for information leading to his stepson's capture. Harry had plans for his stepfather so the scumbag mortal would get what was coming to him soon enough. The use of Notice-Me-Not charms ensured nobody paid too much attention to the half blood male.

Harry could have had his mother go to the police and tell them everything was ok but the warrior mage didn't want her leaving camp until everything blew over with the bolt one way or another. As it stood the experienced wizard had given Sally many protective enchantments on her personal effects.

One of Harry's many conversations with Annabeth on that train ride was about their pasts. The enchanting young male remembered the description Annabeth gave about her life well.

"My dad has resented me since the day I was born Percy. He never wanted a baby. When he got me he asked Athena to take me back to Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent," the pretty Athena camper informed her handsome friend.

"How were you born if you don't mind me asking? I mean I know you probably weren't born in a hospital," the warlock inquired.

"I appeared on my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried down from Olympus by Zephyr the West Wind. You think my dad would remember that as a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something. But he always talked about my arrival like it was the most inconvenient thing that ever happened to him. When I was five he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, and had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist," the blonde girl explained.

"Are you sure there isn't a part of your father that cares for you? I mean I can't imagine the man not feeling something for someone as beautiful as you and I don't just mean on the outside," the sorcerer told his friend.

That comment earned Harry a smile before Annabeth's expression turned sad again.

"He doesn't care about me. His wife- my stepmom- treated me like a freak. She wouldn't let me play with her children and my dad went along with her. Whenever something dangerous happened- you know something with monsters- they would both look at me resentfully. It was like they were blaming me for putting their family at risk. Finally I took the hint that I wasn't wanted and ran away," Annabeth announced.

"How old were you?" The abused as a child son of Lily and James Potter asked the similarly neglected young woman gently.

"Same age as when I got to camp, seven." Annabeth's answer came nonchalantly, like running away at seven and being hunted by monsters was no big deal.

"How did you manage to get to Half Blood Hill?" Harry wanted to know.

"Athena watched over me, guided me towards help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time anyway," the blonde girl finished.

Harry wanted to tell his friend that he knew exactly how she felt. Annabeth's description of her childhood was a mirror of his own except there were no beatings in hers. But at least the prophecy cursed wizard had never had to face that type of monster until he was a bit older, well not that he could remember at least. Voldemort had visited Harry's home when the young mage was still too small to recall. Instead the well trained sorcerer kept his secrets for the time being.

"I admire you for what you were able to do Annabeth. It just makes me realize how even more incredible you are for everything you've been through and still accomplished. You'll always have me as a friend if you want me," Harry told his fair haired friend as he laid his hand on her own to reassure the pretty daughter of a goddess.

Harry earned another smile for his declaration. The Master of the Hallows' hand laid there on his friend's for quite a while after that as neither of them made to move it in the long comfortable silence that followed. Annabeth only removed Harry's hand to get up and go to the bathroom. When she came back she moved her hand close enough that the experienced lover that Harry was could tell she wanted to take his hand again. So the sorcerer made the jump for Annabeth and took her hand again. Harry could tell Annabeth had abandonment issues. The world weary half blood male had learned to get over those issues in his fight for survival in his reality of origin.

There just had never been any time for such a show of weakness, but there was always the same lingering feeling present in Harry's mind of desiring some stability in his life. The green eyed mage had someday hoped that Hermione would provide the craved for support in the form of a family, before his precious friend was taken from the Potter heir. The half blood sorcerer marveled at his ability to find an almost identical soul in Annabeth as his deceased friend in his new home universe. The son of Poseidon made a silent vow with Annabeth's sleeping head against his shoulder to always be there for the beautiful daughter of Athena if he could.