Percy's POV

My stay at Hogwarts up until Christmas wasn't nearly as eventful as I thought it would have been. Ron and Hermione had officially become a thing, thank the gods, and Raydon and Ginny had been spending a lot of time together. I mean a lot of time. Anyone in Hogwarts could see Harry and Viktor sulking around the castle, and I knew that Harry was still denying his feelings for a certain redhead. Ron was a really protective older brother, making sure that Raydon and Ginny were never completely alone, and that Raydon never got the chance to kiss his little sister. I secretly worried about Harry reverting back to the jealous idiot that he'd been before we became friends, but I think that he's over it. Meanwhile, neither he nor Sophia had found a date to the ball.

Sophia, Annabeth, and I had grown closer than ever, and sometimes I think that maybe we can tell her our big secret. When I told Annabeth, she got excited for a split second until her reason took over. "Look, Percy," she had told me, "I want to trust her with this too, and I think she'd keep our secret, but she has no reason to suspect that there's anything out of the ordinary about us. Maybe if you got yourself kidnapped again and I dragged her across the country to save you we could tell her, although then I would have to kick your butt for getting yourself kidnapped." So in the end we resolved to keep it a secret from her until further notice.

I sat in the Boy's Dorm of the Gryffindor Tower with Annabeth and Sophia, wondering what I was supposed to wear. With the Yule Ball only a week from now, I'd hate to have to fight a giant to get a last minute favor from the gods. As I dug through my trunk, I said, "Should I wear my fancy t-shirt, Annabeth?" I turned around just in time to see Sophia roll her eyes. "Look, if Annabeth's gonna wear a dress, why can't you at least get something a little more fancy. At least a tux." Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed and she almost fell off the bed. As she sat upright once more, she tried to figure out what Sophia had said. "Woah, woah, woah," she said, motioning for her to back up a little, "Who said I was going to wear a dress?" Sophia frowned, "So you're going in your fancy t-shirt, as well?" Annabeth shrugged, "Well, I was going to." I held up two of my Camp Half Blood t-shirts, and asked Sophia, "Which one?" Sophia gave me a strange look. "Well, that depends," she started carefully, "Would you like to go to one of the fanciest parties of the year in a shirt used as a cutting board, or a shirt that looks medium rare?" I looked over at the clothes again and nodded my consent. "You're right. Should definitely go with the barbecued one." Sophia groaned out loud.

Annabeth smiled, "So if Percy's wearing the burnt one, I should definitely go with the one that had its sleeves ripped off." Sophia crashed into Annabeth, slinging one arm around her shoulders and feigning death. "Oh, the terrible fashion choices! To the Afterlife I go!" I exchanged a look with Annabeth, who gently nudged Sophia. "Sophia?" she asked, "Sophia, as much as I would love to leave you in the afterlife, I'd like to know why you care so much about some stupid ball." She immediately sprung up and pointed at the two of us. "It's not that I care," she said, slightly aggravated, "It's that you guys are putting so little effort into this it's kind of insulting. I mean, you guys are going to be opening the dance as Champion and his girlfriend! You could at least try to look nice." I held up the burnt shirt, "Hey, where I come from, this is quality fabric!" Annabeth rolled her eyes at me, "Yeah, and we're not going as Champion and girlfriend, we're going as Annabeth and Seaweed Brain with a bucket on his head." I glared at her and whined, "Why can't we just get past that!?!" Sophia's eyes were twinkling as she responded, "Did you say something, Percy? I couldn't hear you through the bucket!" The girls burst out laughing as they sat on my bed. As she regained her composure, Sophia said, "You're new nickname from me is Buckethead." I scoffed at her, "And your new nickname is Spike Toed." Annabeth rolled her eyes, "As you can see, Seaweed Brain isn't very good with nicknames. He just calls me Wise Girl." Sophia shook her head, "Spike Toed? Really? That's almost as terrible as your sense of fashion." I pulled out the Camp Half Blood shirt I had been wearing when I entered New Rome. It was slightly discolored, wrinkled, slashed to shreds, and burnt in places. I hadn't bothered to throw it away or fix it, considering I had so many of them. Call me cheesy, but every shirt is like another memory. That one is for Gorgons and New Rome. The burnt one was from the explosion at Mt. St. Helens. The one with holes in it was from when I walked in front of the targets at the Archery Range while the Hunters were there. Small things like that.

"Hey, consider yourself lucky I'm not wearing this one." Sophia gagged at the sight of it. "What'd you do?" she asked, "Run through a fire with knives in it?" I shrugged, "Close enough." She waved it away from her and dug through my trunk herself. She pulled out the only clean Camp Half Blood shirt I had and smoothed it out, "Why don't you just wear this one? It's not cooked, cut, or destroyed." She saw the pegasus and the words 'Camp Half-Blood' and raised an eyebrow at me. "It's a summer camp I go to," I explained, not telling a lie, "It's where me and Annabeth met." The daughter of Athena closed her eyes, "I can remember it like it was yesterday. Percy got himself attacked by a cow." I narrowed my eyes at her, offended, "It was a bull, and it's not like you helped me fend it off." Annabeth's eyes flashed open, "How could I have? I didn't even know you existed!" I glared right back at her, "And I didn't know you existed. Your point?" Sophia rolled her eyes, "Honestly, you two fight like a married couple." I slung my arm around Annabeth's shoulders, "Don't worry, Sophia. In a couple of years, we'll be fighting as a married couple." Annabeth chuckled but didn't object. And of course, I couldn't fail to notice the slight tinge of red that was now apparent on her cheeks. I ruffled her hair, "Is Annabeth blushing? It can't be. I made the Annabeth Chase blush? Impossible!" She punched me in the arm and muttered, "Shut up." I yelped as her fist made contact and groaned, "Wise Girl!" Sophia laughed, "You had it coming to you, Buckethead." I glared at her playfully, "And you had this coming to you, Spike Toed." I leaped off of my bed and tackled Sophia to the ground, trying to tickle her into submission.

"You'll never crack me," she screamed between laughs, "My trusty buttkicker will take you down!" I relented only a little, "Buttkicker?" In response, Annabeth judo flipped and pinned my arm behind my back, pushing my face into the floor. "Yield, Sir Seaweed Brain!" she yelled, "Or succumb to the wrath of my blade." I rolled sideways, despite the fact that Annabeth still had a firm grip on my wrist, and pulled her down to the floor with me and Sophia, laughing. I finally sat up, "Now that we've wasted a good fifteen minutes, what're you wearing to the ball, Sophia?" She stopped giggling and sat up as well, "Nothing much, just a dress and my pointiest shoes." I groaned, "I give up! I'm just gonna put on my orange shirt with my blue tie and my blue jeans. And if it'll make you happy, I'll wear those black dress shoes. Okay?" Sophia grinned, "Alright, if Annabeth wears-" Annabeth cut her off, "Let me set the standards for you right now. No makeup, no dresses, no skirts, nothing in my hair, no hairstyles, and it has to be my orange t-shirt." Sophia pouted. "Fine," she grumbled, "At least you'll match Percy."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron strode through the door, seeing us on the ground and our faces slightly red from laughter. Hermione raised her eyebrows, "I'm guessing the three of you aren't studying, then?" I chuckled, "Please. Studying is for people who don't have anything better to do." Hermione rolled her eyes at me. Ron grinned, "That's what I've been trying to tell Hermione for years!" At the pointed look from Hermione, Ron gulped and added, "And I've been a blithering idiot for saying so." Hermione gave Ron a peck on the cheek and asked, "Do you have a date to the ball yet, Sophia?" She shook her head, her short brown hair swinging through the air. "Nope," she said happily, "But do I really need one? I can dance by myself! I've got moves!" Hermione turned to me and Annabeth and asked, "And do you two know what you're wearing?" I slung my arm around Annabeth and smiled, "Fancy t-shirts!" Hermione rolled her eyes again.

Harry was much too quiet for my liking. His emerald green eyes were not as bright as they used to be, and you can't just blame it on the war. He looks like he ate a terrible Bertie Bott. "Do you have a date yet, Harry?" He shook his head sadly, "Nope." I knew that he wouldn't want to go with anyone at all, since he was still heartbroken over Ginny, which was ridiculous since they weren't even dating. I closed my eyes and leaned back, "Guys, I just had a great idea! What if Sophia and Harry went together?" Sophia rolled her eyes, "Are you trying to set me up, Percy? I figure Harry would like to go with someone else." Sophia also saw Harry's feelings for Ginny. The only ones who couldn't were Harry, Ginny, and Ron.

Harry looked down, his glasses sliding on his nose, "Look, guys, I don't even need a date this year! I'm perfectly capable of going by myself." Sophia rolled her eyes, "You're also capable of going with someone who obviously likes you. How 'bout that Ravenclaw girl, Cho?" Harry shrugged, "Maybe I would've a year or two ago, but I'm over her." Sophia recovered and tried again, "Luna?" Harry looked hopeful and he said, "Luna would be happy to go as just friends." I didn't see anything wrong with that. Luna went to all of the camp events with her friends.

Ron smiled tightly, "Sorry, mate, she's going with Neville." Annabeth frowned, "That's a shame. Luna would've said yes." I couldn't tell if Harry looked sad enough to cry or frustrated enough to punch a wall. Either way, his mood was anything but happy. "It's okay," Harry said, more confident this time, "I'll just third wheel on Ron and Hermione all night! I mean, I'm a terrible dancer and I need to make sure these lovebirds keep it PG." As Ron and Hermione blushed, we laughed at their expressions.

Time Skip

I woke up to a screaming voice. Normally, I would dart out of bed, put my shirt on inside out and backwards, uncap Riptide, and look around frantically, but I quickly identified the voice as Ron's and went back to bed. At least, I tried to. Neville, Seamus, and Dean had all gone home prior to this day to celebrate Christmas before Apparating back to Hogwarts for the Yule Ball, and the dorm was empty save Harry, Ron, and myself. So Ronald decided it would be a splendid idea to jump on my bed, the springy mattress launching me into the air before sending me crashing to the floor. Harry fumbled for his glasses and shoved them onto his face. "What is it, Ron?" he asked groggily, "Why are we up?" Ron's joyful face appeared before my half opened eyes. "Get up, mates," he said excitedly, "It's Christmas!"

I grinned excitedly and slipped on my Camp Half Blood t-shirt before following him into the Common Room. The majority of the Gryffindor students had left for the holidays, and only a couple of stragglers remained in each of the houses. Raydon and Sophia were there already, along with Annabeth, Hermione, and Ginny. Raydon and Ginny were sitting close to each other, their arms brushing affectionately, and Ron marched up to the couch and plopped himself between them. "Alright, blokes," he said, completely oblivious to the awkward glances of Raydon and his sister's withering glares, "Time for presents!"

Time Skips for everyone since I'm too lazy to get actual presents. You're welcome.

Sitting on the Common Room couch with the rest of the Gryffindors, to say I was surprised when Piper burst in was an understatement. She ran in, screaming, "Percy! Annabeth! You need to hide!" I fell off the couch, drawing laughter from Harry and Ron. Annabeth cocked an eyebrow, "Hide from what?" Piper shook her head, breathless, "Not what. Who." Sophia and Raydon had already gone to prepare for the ball, and Annabeth and I had been dressed all day, so I didn't really see what the problem was. Hermione leaned forward, "Godly problems?" Piper nodded frantically, "You two really need to get somewhere she can't get to you." Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Will you just tell us who we're hiding from, Piper?" Her kaleidoscopic eyes widened in fear, "My mother."

And just like that, Annabeth and I had been shrouded in a blinding puff of perfume and powder. A million thoughts ran through my mind. The first was 'This perfume is tickling my nose' The second was, 'What is Aphrodite doing to us?' The rest were, 'WHERE THE HADES DID ALL OF THIS POWDER COME FROM?' I coughed as the mist of Aphrodite dissipated, and I could clearly hear Annabeth gagging beside me. When we regained our sight, I heard the wizards gasp and Annabeth groan. I blinked and asked, "What's up, guys?" Annabeth grunted, so I looked beside me. Then proceeded to say something super intelligent like, "Uh, duh duhhh." Annabeth rolled her eyes, "You don't look too shabby yourself, Seaweed Brain." With great difficulty, I ripped my eyes away from Annabeth, who by the way looked like more of a goddess than usual, and looked down at myself. I had a black tux on with a tie with the colors of Gryffindor. My eyes widened, "This is not my fancy t-shirt." Annabeth's sarcastic voice drew me away from myself and back to her once more. Her clothes certainly didn't change the way I thought about her. She could roll around in the mud and be running from monsters and I would still think she was gorgeous. But I hadn't seen Annabeth in makeup or a dress since Circe's Island. And trust me. I would remember if I did.

Harry, also awestruck by my girlfriend, managed to squeak out, "What happened?" Piper rolled her eyes, "Aphrodite happened. I got here as quickly as I could to warn you, but as you can see, I was too late to save you." Hermione closed her eyes, "So what is this? A blessing? Or just a change of clothes?" Piper sighed, "My mother's so called blessing. Sure, most people would appreciate getting a makeover from the god of Love and Beauty herself, but sometimes she doesn't know when she's crossed the line!" She directed that last statement to the sky, which did nothing, not even thunder. Annabeth folded her arms across her chest, clearly not amused at the goddess. She propped her feet onto the table, "Honestly, I'm just glad she let me keep my sneakers. I half expected this kind of thing to happen." I grinned, but looking down at my black dress shoes, found this completely unfair.

Piper nodded exasperatedly, "Mom's always going on about Percabeth, and best ship ever!" I frowned, "Ship? Like a boat?" Ginny shook her head, "No, Perce, like a couple." I nodded, but furrowed my eyebrows, "A couple of boats?" Annabeth smirked at Hermione, who looked like she wanted to rip my head from my shoulders, "Seriously, Percy?" As realization dawned on me, I chuckled nervously, "No, I get it now." I stood and offered my arm to Annabeth, "Care to make a grand entrance, milady?" She got to her feet in a frustrated huff, but took my arm. "Fine, but we have to fight a monster and ruin these outfits first." I grinned, "You read my mind!" Ron fell to his knees, "If you guys don't want those clothes, can Hermione and I have them? My bloody dress robes are hand me downs from George." I grinned cheekily, "Well, then Ronald, you should appreciate the generous gift from your dear brother George. Also, Aphrodite won't let us take these clothes off." I sent a questioning look to Piper, who responded. "Lacy says that the blessing doesn't stop us from changing. Although, my dress disappeared when I took it off." I sent a meaningful look at Ron, who looked downhearted.

I strode outside with Annabeth, only to run into Sophia. If there was one person I'd want to avoid while in these clothes, it would definitely be her. Her eyes lit up and she grinned triumphantly, "I knew you were going to change your minds!" Annabeth rolled her eyes and muttered, "And I knew Aphrodite was going to change our clothes." Sophia, in her celebrating, did not hear Annabeth and instead decided to drag us straight to the ball. Annabeth and I started to lag behind and try to escape her grip, which was as strong as iron. "What did you eat for breakfast this morning?" she grunted as our progress slowed to little more than a crawl, "You guys are heavier than you look!" I finally managed to twist away from her, "Wait, Sophia. Who'd you end up going with?" A voice came from behind me, its breath on my neck. "Well, Percy," it said creepily, "I think I can answer that question." I jumped and turned around with a yelp. My eyes widened, "Connor?" He smiled impishly, his blue eyes sparkling, "The one and only." My eyes only widened further, "How are you here? Where's Travis?" Connor scowled playfully, "My brother decided it'd be cool for him to run off to college after helping George get back on his feet. Absolutely ridiculous, right?" I smiled, "Of course, dude. But how'd you get here?" Connor laughed, "Funny story, actually. Apparently the little son of Hades needed someone to dance with during this Mule Ball and called home for guess who?" Annabeth jumped at the question before I could respond, "It's the Yule Ball, you idiot. And Will Solace, huh? I guess we always knew those two would end up together." Connor smirked, "You mean like how we all knew you and Percy would end up together?" Annabeth bit her lip, "Touche, Stoll." Sophia peeked out from behind Annabeth, "It's only temporary. He came with Will and I had no one better to ask." Connor stumbled back, faking hurt, "No one better to ask? It doesn't get better than this, Sophie." She frowned, "Yeah, don't call me that." Connor leaned over to me, stage whispering, "Fiery one, isn't she?" Sophia only rolled her eyes, "Annoying one, aren't you?" Connor grinned, "You know it."

Connor was dressed surprisingly well. He wore a black blazer over his Camp Half-Blood T-Shirt, and it was completely unreasonable for Aphrodite to let him off the hook. He let out a low whistle, "Well, Percabeth, you two sure clean up nicely." Annabeth scoffed, "Yeah. Piper's mom is almost as annoying as you." I grabbed Annabeth's hand and smiled, "Well, to the Mule Ball we go!" I heard Annabeth mutter curses under her breath at Connor, who I knew would be smiling innocently under her contemptuous glares.

Raydon, Ginny, Sophia, Connor, Annabeth, and I were quickly pulled to the side by McGonagall. "The six of you will be starting off the dance. When the music begins, it'll be a slow dance, so be ready." The Champions each took their dates' hands and strode into the Great Room, which had been transformed into the dance floor. Hanging from the ceiling were the crests of the three schools, the Hogwarts banner shimmering from house to house. As we approached the center of the floor, I whispered to Annabeth, "Check it out, Wise Girl. The Muses." She smiled, "Well, Seaweed Brain, then this will be just like Olympus." I smiled at the memory. "I'm just going to have to top that, now won't I?" Annabeth smirked at me, "I certainly wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't." The music started playing and we started dancing. I am proud to say that I didn't step on Annabeth's feet once, and we kept in time with the music. Annabeth's gray eyes were sparkling in the candle light, and I couldn't help but get lost in the moment. I was only vaguely aware of the Headmasters joining us, then the teachers, then the other students, but the entire school could collapse and I wouldn't notice.

Annabeth's curls bounced and she smiled as we continued to dance. In one last drawn out note, the music had stopped and a lighter, peppier beat had begun. "How was that for better, Wise Girl?" I whispered. She moved her hands from the nape of my neck to my face and pressed her forehead against mine, "Only just topped it, Seaweed Brain." Her calculating gray eyes darted over to a small corner of the room, and as my eyes followed her gaze, I saw Nico and Will Solace in the corner talking, probably about how much Nico hated dances. I finally took in my surroundings and saw Connor and Sophia dancing to the beat. I couldn't tell who was who in the frenzy of brown hair and blue eyes except by the color of their clothes. Ginny and Raydon were drinking punch at the sides, and Raydon started laughing. Meanwhile, Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all dancing in a big group.

I took a deep breath and smiled at Annabeth, who couldn't help but smile as well. "Look at that, Wise Girl," I said, "All of our friends are having fun, and the only thing I have to do until the next challenge is figure out that sphinx." She raised her eyebrow, "And homework, Seaweed Brain." I chuckled, "Yeah. Sure." The Yule Ball continued as the songs continuously changed from slow to fast until everyone was exhausted except for Nico and Will, who had done nothing but talk in the corner. None of us realized that with everyone exhausted and more than half of us without wands, the school would almost defenseless. No one except the enemy, of course.

There was a series of earsplitting bangs as the ceiling was demolished and dark figures dropped to the ground. Our wizard friends already had their wands out, and the Headmasters were trying to get everyone out of the Great Room as quickly as possible. Riptide was uncapped in my hands and Annabeth's mystery dagger was in a defensive position. Balls of light were already flying in the air, dropping chandeliers and ripping through the school's banners. Suddenly, the flashes from the opposition's wands ceased and one man, his face invisible behind the mask, stepped forward. We all took an involuntary step back, and the Headmasters rushed into the room, everyone safely tucked away in the Common Rooms. The muffled voice was much louder than it should have been, but what mattered was what it said. "We only want Percy Jackson," came the voice, "Should he surrender himself peacefully, we will not continue to harm the school." I grit my teeth. If there was one thing that would get me to yield, it was the threat of the death of friends because of me. As I began to step forward, Sophia grabbed my arm and shook her head subtly. Harry's previously calm face was red with anger, "Over my dead body!" I could not see it under the hood or behind the mask, but I knew the Death Eater smiled cruelly. "So be it."

Two spells simultaneously fired at Harry. The first must have been a disarming spell, for his wand flew out of his hand, far out of reach. The second, I could only hope was not a killing curse. Harry's eyes widened behind his glasses and for a split second, he seemed frozen in fear. But he dropped flat to the ground and the spell zoomed straight over him, crashing into the far wall. Two Death Eaters grabbed my arms and tried to pull me away, but I was to strong for them. My arms would not bend under their power, but I kicked one in the knee and stomped on the other's foot, forcing them to let go and hobble around in pain. The supposed leader of the group jumped me from behind, and as Annabeth and Sophia tried to yank him off of me, we started to dissolve into nothingness.

Again with the shadow travel? Hopefully, he'll just start to turn into shadow and we can escape.

And at least now I've been kidnapped so I can tell Sophia I'm a demigod.