Percy's POV

"GO!" Apollo yelled, and we took off. I wasted no time summoning Blackjack as I sprinted forward. My Pegasus broom might be the fastest in existence, but it was nothing compared to Blackjack's prowess in flight. In fact, I'm not entirely sure I've seen the limits of his speed. Everytime I work with him he just seems to get better. Blackjack drew level with me from the forest and neighed. Yo, boss, he greeted, Need the help of the most awesome pegasus? I nodded and leaped onto his back, urging him forward. Behind me, Raydon had summoned his broom, a Firebolt by the looks of it, and Sophia was nowhere to be seen.

Apollo wasted no time giving the crowd a step-by-step. "And Percy has a pegasus flying him around the castle, what a dramatic way of travel! Right on his tail is Raydon, who, with the help of a summoning spell, has a Firebolt slowly losing ground. Speaking of ground, Sophia has burrowed under the earth. With enemies in the sky and on land, is this slower way of travel truly the best course?" Raydon and I had flown a lap around the castle without any sign of Sophia or any other obstacles before the true race had begun. I was held back by a group of harpies, surrounding Blackjack and stopping our progress. Raydon kept going, silent and determined, before he too was grounded as his Firebolt crashed into a troll who had stood up with surprising agility for a monster of his size. Blackjack lashed out with his hooves, his flank getting scratched by a harpy's talons right before I could dispose of it with a blast from my wand.

Riptide had been discarded by Chiron, who assured me it wouldn't return to my pocket unless I used a summoning spell. I turned backwards on my pegasus, who I trusted to keep us going around the castle as I treated his wounds. I poured nectar on his wounds and flipped back around. "How are ya holding up, buddy?" I asked him. He was still going steadily, and if his speed had decreased in any way, I hadn't noticed it. Great, boss! Couldn't be better. I knew he could manage a lap and a half more, whatever monsters came in our way.

Blackjack was better than Raydon's firebolt because he could help me attack, and had a mind of his own so I didn't have to keep my eyes on the road, er... airspace, while he was flying. On the other hand, no matter how amazing he was, he would get tired and he could get hurt, unlike the inanimate Firebolt. I saw some unrest beneath us in the ground, a sure sign Sophia was getting attacked as well. Maybe she was fighting some Mole men, or something. Did they have those in the wizarding world?

Blackjack snapped me back to reality with a twist past a group of Golden Snidgets darting around the field. Maybe Hermione's study of these creatures wasn't as dumb as I thought. I particularly remembered the Golden Snidgets because they used to be used as Snitches in the early days of Quidditch. The little Golden birds darted around in the air, completely unaware of the race going on, only of the two human figures racing toward them in the air. They raced away from us in different directions, clearing the way. I smiled as I leaned closer to Blackjack's back. "We've got this in the bag." Of course, the one time I think something as cocky as that the Fates decide to throw a dragon in my path. Thanks a lot, guys. As I passed finished the second lap, I saw the dragon roaring in the sky, bolts of flame shooting towards the sun.

Another one of Hermione's terms came to me, "The Peruvian Vipertooth," I whispered to Blackjack, "Venomous. Avoid at all costs." If a pegasus could roll its eyes and scoff sarcastically, Blackjack did. Really, boss? He responded, Don't fly to the poisonous dragon? I never would have thought. Of course, as we weaved our way around the dragon, it turned its gleaming, beady, eyes upon us and started in our direction. Hermione had told me that this was the fastest of the dragons. Only twenty yards ahead of us, Sophia had unearthed herself to fight a Chimera with Raydon. I had only recently killed it with a canary cream and it was already back. Just my luck. I took my mind off of the battle below us to maneuver myself and Blackjack out of the way as venom shot past us and landed on the ground, immediately withering the grass. I winced as my leg throbbed in sympathy. The recent battle with the Hydra had left me even more cautious around poison than I would normally have been. I drew my wand and screamed, "Accio Riptide!" I made do with several offensive spells from my wand until I saw the gleam of metal shooting through the air. I caught it with my right hand and uncapped it, grinning in anticipation. "Bring it on, Tiny!" I yelled, despite the fact that, while smaller than its other dragon brethren, it was still a formidable foe and significantly larger than Blackjack.

Riptide glanced off its scales as I swung again and again. I cursed. It roared, spraying acid at us. I slapped away the liquid with the flat of Riptide's blade. I deflected the stray drops with my liquid controlling powers. My sword was still dripping with poison, but I made sure that none of it landed on Blackjack. I swung it again at the Peruvian Vipertooth, not caring that all previous attempts had failed. It hissed as it made contact and its scales steamed and melted. Blackjack kept me on that side of the beast and I made quick work of the newly formed weak spot. It tumbled to the ground, alive, but extremely weak. I urged Blackjack forward. "Only one more lap, buddy. And I'll get you some donuts." This was better than any other incentive I possibly could have given him. His pitch black wings were flapping hard and Raydon pulled even with me yet again. "Where's Sophia?" I yelled over the whistling of the wind. "Back underground!" He screamed back. He must've read my mind or something because he answered my unspoken question as well, "She's okay. A cut on her arm, but okay." I glanced down at my clothes and back at him. There were holes in my robes where minor drops of venom burned through. While I was otherwise unharmed, Raydon had several bite marks along his arm, and he was struggling to control his broom through the wind that I was sure Aeolus and his minions were mustering up. I wanted to help him, to bandage him up, but it was still a competition and Blackjack was wearing out quickly. I did a quick run down of his wounds and figured that with the finish line in sight, his wounds were not fatal and he could sprint the last lap without trouble if he really wanted to. In the distance, I saw Sophia pop up from under the ground and get shoved off to Madam Pomfrey. Apollo screamed to the crowd, "And Sophia-Grace Lander of Beauxbatons is the first to finish! Is the wound from the Chimera going to cost her points? How was her slower way of travel more effective than one of the fastest brooms in existence and a fine pegasus? An interview with Rita Skeeter will show the details after the race is over."

I could have sworn Blackjack grinned as he gasped, Suddenly, I'm liking that Fred dude. And he's not wrong, boss. I am mighty fine. I laughed. Raydon and I were approaching the finish line quickly, neck and neck. Blackjack couldn't go any faster and the Firebolt was at the far limits of its capabilities. There was one thing that could break this tie. Raydon, even with his perks, was not crazy like me. He would ride his broom to the end.

While I jumped off Blackjack.

Looking back on that statement, I feel like I jump off my pegasus too often. Nevertheless, I would do it. "Lose some altitude, Blackjack," I screamed, "I'm gonna do the thing!" Blackjack wasted no time as he dropped without decreasing his maintained pace. Blackjack bucked, giving me some extra momentum as I leaped off of him with no regrets. I tucked into the roll as Apollo lost his composure, "Percy Jackson from Hogwarts averting the inevitable tie as he jumps off of his steed. What an amazing second place winner! With only tears in his shirt, will his points be just as much as Sophia, who, despite winning, had a nasty cut on her arm?" I rolled my eyes at the god of prophecy. It obviously wasn't inevitable if it hadn't happened. But I grinned as Annabeth rushed down from the stands, squeezing the breath out of me. "Wise Girl," I said, "I think you're cracking my ribs. Again." Blackjack trotted over, breathing hard, and allowed Annabeth to smooth out his mane. "You did great, Seaweed Brain. Nice move with that dragon. I'm glad you remembered what Hermione told you." She kissed me on the cheek and ran off to find Sophia, who was grinning excitedly. Harry clapped me on the back, a grin to match Sophia's plastered on his face. Ron's mouth was wide open, "That was great, mate! The way you took on that dragon!" He made mini explosions with his hands, "I'm speechless!" Hermione and Ginny tackled me with hugs from both sides, and I saw Raydon looking wistfully at us before turning away and hastily clearing his throat.

Viktor was smiling at his protege, who looked slightly downhearted at his loss. "It's okay, Raydon," I could vaguely hear Krum saying, "The judges are willing to award you extra point for taking a bite for Sophia. What more can I ask for than a student willing to protect a rival?" I could see the father-son relationship between them, almost like the one between me and Chiron. Speaking of Chiron, he was trotting over to me, a proud smile on his face. "Percy, m'boy, you never cease to amaze me. But you must stop jumping off of poor Blackjack. It is not good for you." I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly. "You got it, Chiron," I assured him, "No more jumping off Blackjack for today." He nodded, satisfied, before taking his seat with the other judges. Dumbledore stood up, his eyes twinkling, "I think that the members of all schools can be proud of the valiant effort of our champions. Raydon protected Sophia and vice versa, while Percy Jackson took on a dragon single handedly." I could hear Blackjack's disdain. Single handedly? He snorted, He had two hands and four hooves! Gandalf calls that single handedly? I smiled as Blackjack flew to who knows where. "The judges have made their decisions," he continued, "To our first place finisher, Sophia-Grace Lander of Beauxbatons, the judges award forty-two points." The whole of the stands clapped politely. "Our second place finisher, Percy Jackson of Hogwarts, forty one points." The stands erupted in cheers, but if you listened closely, you could still hear Beauxbatons student's polite clapping. More cheers followed Dumbledore's final announcement, "And to Raydon Jesome, last but definitely not least, thirty seven points." I sat on the ground, looking up at the figures of my friends and rival champions, "Wow," I gasped, "I didn't even do any running and I'm still exhausted." Annabeth and Sophia exchanged smirks and said together, "You must be out of shape, Percy."

Sophia's blue eyes were shining as she laughed, "I'm really liking this girlfriend of yours, Percy. She's cool." Annabeth's own eyes were gleaming and she grinned, "You know how to make good friends, Seaweed Brain." Sophia put her hands on her hips and asked thoughtfully, "Is it true that you can't find your way out of a paper bag without Annabeth?" Annabeth, surprisingly, was keeping a perfectly straight face as the events played out. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, on the other hand, were completely immature and burst into fits of laughter. "That's not true," Hermione said. I was glad at least one person was on my side. Apparently, the bookworm wasn't done because she continued, "He can find his way out of a bucket." My friends all exploded in laughter again. Despite being slightly embarrassed, I had the same feeling as I had had on the Argo II just out of Tartarus. Even if I was the butt of the joke, I was glad that they were joking, having fun. I smiled wearily as I recalled my thoughts from right after those. I looked up at the sky, where the sun was beaming down in our faces. There had been no sun in Tartarus. Barely an eerie red glow everywhere but in Nyx's mansion. Bob says hello, I thought to the sun. The headmasters of our respective schools came to me and Sophia and handed us a bronze sphinx. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, "The sphinx." He winked at me behind his glasses and said, "These challenges have been in place for years now." I guess he didn't consider it cheating for me to have the upper hand in this challenge, considering my experience with the beast. I don't like sphinxes very much, considering they had been bothering Tyson since he was little and that run in with the one in the Labyrinth. I didn't know exactly why this was important, but Annabeth took it and turned it around in her palms. Tapping her finger on the figurine, she looked at our group and Raydon, who had only just joined us. "Some kind of robot."

Well, it might have been more useful as an automaton, but I've got a genius girlfriend to help me figure this out. Harry grinned, "Of course. The first challenge was around the same type as mine, and after that, we had a golden egg with some kind of water creature inside that told us a riddle. I'm guessing this monster will have a riddle if we can just figure out how to get it to work." I groaned, "Last time was a challenge in the water? No fair!" Annabeth glared at me, "You're right, Seaweed Brain. It wouldn't have been fair if you participated in that one." Sophia opened her mouth to ask a question, but I told her solemnly, "Remember the thing I told you I might be able to share at some point?" Her mouth opened and closed, but she resolved to not ask anything. I was glad that she had some sense of self-control, unlike me and Leo. I almost wanted her to be a demigod so we could hang out more often, but I wouldn't wish that life on anyone, let alone a friend.

Smiling happily, I waved for them to follow me, "We don't have to worry about this yet. The challenge won't be for a while. That's plenty of time to figure stuff out." Hermione rolled her eyes, "You sound just like Harry, Percy. Procrastination is the start of laziness, which leads to nothing. It's better to be prepared. You remembered the terms I shoved into your head and it helped you. You should listen to me." I fell to my knees, pretending to grovel at her feet. "I beg mercy, Professor Granger! All I ask is a two month break from studying!" McGonagall walked up behind us, "I'm afraid that will have to be denied, Mr. Jackson. You might be a champion and you might have your own things to figure out, but you still have school work, and at the end of this year, you will have end-of-year exams." I wanted to scoff sarcastically and say, 'No, we'll have the end of year exams right now' but my sass wasn't quite as appreciated in Hogwarts as it was in Camp Half-Blood.

McGonagall continued, "We expect you to attend the Yule Ball, as well, Mr. Jackson. As a champion, you will be opening the dance. You need a date and proper dress robes." I blanched, "Dress robes? Dancing? Can I wear my fancy t-shirt?" McGonagall smiled, "All we ask of you is to look presentable. And possibly repair the burns in your daily robes."

As she walked away, I turned to Annabeth. "So, Wise Girl, how'd you like to come to the ball with me?" She shrugged, "Im not sure, Seaweed Brain. I'll think about it." I nodded, considering her answer. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Wise Girl. But I need an answer now. Sophia?" I turned to the Beauxbatons student wiggling my eyebrows, "What about you?" She grinned. "Percy, Percy, Percy. Do you know what happens when you ask out a girl who has no interest in you?" I shook my head dumbly, "No, what?" Her grin only widened, "You get stone. Cold. Rejection." My friends started laughing as I fell to the ground clutching my heart, "That was cold, Ms. Lander." I grinned at Annabeth, whose eyes were sparkling in the sun. "What's up, Wise Girl, done considering my offer?" She smiled tiredly, "Sure, I'll go with you." I leaped to my feet, whooping, "She said yes!!!"

Viktor Krum was striding over to us from across the field where the judges were conversing. Ron had a panicked look in his eyes and he turned to Hermione in a rush, the words tumbling out of his mouth, "Hermionewillyougototheballwithme?" Hermione cocked her head, "Excuse me?" Ron closed his eyes, turning red, and practically screamed, "Hermione, will you go to the ball with me?" She threw her arms around his neck, "It's about time you asked." Ron smiled contentedly and returned the hug. Over their shoulders I saw Viktor stalking away, defeated. Raydon watched his headmaster with a rueful smile, "He's just had his heart broken. I'd go after him if I didn't want to do this first." He took Ginny Weasley gently by the hand and brought them over to a secluded section of the field, where both of them looked equally flustered. Sophia and I stared after them, awestruck.

"Did you know about this?" she asked accusingly, pointing weakly after them. I shook my head slowly, "Just when you think you know your friends." I watch Raydon chase after his headmaster while Ginny walked back with a huge smile plastered to her face. "He asked me to the ball," she told us, "And I said yes!" I wrapped her up in a hug. "Congratulations Ginny!" I dropped my voice so that only she could hear, "But I don't think your brother will be too happy about it."

I looked carefully at Ron, who was going into a full out rant. "What is with these Durmstrang boys? They asked out my best friend, and now my sister?" Harry, to his credit, stood to the side, a little red faced and unhappy. I sighed. Ron and Harry were both so much like me. But how do you know if you really like a person until someone else comes along and snatched them away from you, am I right?

This Yule Ball was going to be eventful.