A tall, black haired Witch stood in the doorway. Her emerald robes were unwrinkled, not even a rumple in sight. Her face was stern and pulled tight. 

Percy gave Annabeth a look, both of them thinking the same thing; they were going to like her. 

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Said the man who had brought them across the lake. 

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here." Even her voice was clipped, not rudely but as if she didn't have the time to waste on idle conversation. Percy tried to hide his grin, Annabeth letting a small smile bloom on her mouth. 

The Professor took them inside, the doors spreading wide. The torches against the walls reminded Percy of the ones in the bank as Annabeth studied the staircase in front of them. Their steps echoed over the stone floor as she led them to a huge doorway to the right. 

However, she herded them all into a small empty chamber off to the side. Percy pulled Annabeth a little to the side to keep the blonde boy behind her from stepping on her robes. He made sure to send a glare over his shoulder as the boy passed. Two boys flanked the skinny kid, his rat-like face pinched up in indignation.

Percy only cast a look to the other two boys, bigger than the first and they would have fit perfectly in the Ares cabin. He shrugged them off and rolled his eyes. He couldn't help his smirk as Annabeth frowned at him. 

"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall started. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room." 

Percy bit his lip, they both had read all about the Sorting and Houses in Hecate's letter. However, that didn't mean he wasn't excided to see exactly what the Hat thought of him. Annabeth was basically bouncing on her feet. Percy silently chuckled at her and she swatted his arm, color blooming high on her cheeks. 

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and has produced outstanding Witches and Wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope you each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." She glanced at a few of the students, and that made Percy smile a bit. "I shall return when we are ready for you." She said, fixing her sleeves a bit. "Please wait quietly." 

Murmuring broke out, Percy and Annabeth just smiled at each other and waited. When ghosts started to stream through the walls, just floating and talking, they were the only two that didn't react much. Annabeth blinked then smirked, Percy just shook his head. He whispered to Annabeth, "Good thing they didn't send Nico or Hazel." 

No one around them could have heard him, and Annabeth swatted his arm as she grinned back. 

One ghost seemed to finally notice the first years, then turned to speak to them. He was dressed like a Friar and fairly chubby. "New students!" He smiled at them all. "About to be sorted I suppose?" Some of the children nodded. "I hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know."

"Move along now," Professor McGonagall said in a sharp tone, "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." The ghosts floated away and McGonagall seemed to hold in a sigh. "Now, form a line, and follow me." She had spoken to the first years, who listened. 

The hall was massive, four main tables spread out with golden goblets and plates laid before students wearing different colored ties. At the head of the hall, was the Teacher's Table. McGonagall lead them up to the platform and turned them so they faced the students and the Teachers were sat behind them. 

Candles floated around, ghosts sat between students, and the ceiling was enchanted to look like the sky outside. Stars twinkled above them, Annabeth almost started drooling at the sight and Percy had to pinch her hand to get her to snap out of it. 

McGonagall brought out a stool and placed a ratted old wizard hat on top. Percy and Annabeth waited, knowing what that hat was. Not from the letter, no from a book they had bought and read, Hogwarts: A History. 

The hat twitched, the brim ripping open and it started to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.
You can keep your bowlers black,
Your top hats sleek and tall,
For I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat
And I can cap them all.
There's nothing hidden in your head
The Sorting Hat can't see,
So try me on and I will tell you
where you ought to be.
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
If you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
So put me on! Don't be afraid!
And don't get in a flap!
You're in safe hands (though I have none)
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

Applause roared out amongst the hall, the Hat even took a bow to each House Table before going still again. 

Professor McGonagall stepped out as the crowd finished, holding out a scroll and speaking, "When I call your name you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," She spoke loudly and clearly. "Abbot, Hannah!" 

After the blonde stumbled from the line she sat down and the Hat slid over her eyes. There was only a moment before "HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted. She walked over to the table, the yellow and black wearing students cheering and praising her. 

Then there was "Bone, Susan." who was also a "HUFFLEPUFF!" 

She scampered off and the Professor called another name. "Boot, Terry!" He wasn't Hufflepuff, but a Ravenclaw. Several names passed, another Ravenclaw, a Gryffindor, then the first Slytherin. 

Annabeth's breath snagged as McGonagall spoke her name. "Chase, Annabeth." She collected herself and breezed forward. The hall had gone silent once more, and the Hat's brim slipped over her golden curls. 

A small and endlessly amused voice clanged around inside her head. "Hello there, I haven't seen one of you for ages!" It seemed delighted by this fact. "Oh for years I had the pleasure of sorting many of your kind, but then you all moved on." He seemed saddened. "So why on earth, would you be here?" 

Memories shifted through her mind, early memories that still sent pangs of hurt through her heart. Further on, meeting Percy, that first quest, the Sea of Monsters, being kidnaped. On and on the Hat went, and Annabeth could feel her hands shaking, clenched them together in her lap and kept her back straight. 

"You poor thing." If a hat could whimper it was. "And he's here with you too?" She felt as if a old man was shaking his head in sympathy. She had no idea how long she had been under its brim, but she felt it was long enough. 

So she whispered. "Sort me, and get out of my head." 

The Hat sighed, a bit of her hair shook as if it had really been breathed on. "That's fair, and looking you over it should come to no surprise I find you worthy of . . . RAVENCLAW!" The word tumbled through her thoughts, clearing them enough that she could stand up when light flooded her vision. 

She didn't know that she had been under there for longer than anyone else sorted that day. That she had almost reached the Hat Stall record. 

Several others where sorted, Percy was watching Annabeth the whole time. Never taking his green eyes from the blonde who sat at the blue and bronze table. Her face was a mask of a sweet smile and relief, but he saw the slight tremor to her hands the paleness to her face.

Whatever that hat had made her see was not pleasant.  

"Jackson, Percy." McGonagall called, and Percy walked up. His strides were purposeful, a small smile on his lips to hide the fear creeping up his spine. He sat down, then the Hat fell over his eyes. 

"I just meet your partner." The hat sighed, and Percy felt as if an old man was rocking back and forth in a chair and reading the saddest story ever. "I wondered if you would be worst." Memories flicked past, as if the Hat was trying to go as quickly as possible so Percy wouldn't see them. But he saw them anyways. "I can see I was right." It muttered, getting lost as it watched the memories with him. 

Finally, the memories stopped, just black of the inside of the hat. 

Percy swore if a hat could cry it was doing so. "I hate to split you two up . . . But Ravenclaw does have a lot of classes with . . . HUFFLEPUFF!" Percy yanked the hat off his head before it even finished the word, already making for the table as McGonagall gaped at him. The Hufflepuffs cheered, and it was enough cover for him to relax his shoulders and slip his mask back into place. 

The sorting continued. 

And when Harry Potter got sorted the demigods paid attention. For Hecate had told them all about the Boy Who Lived. 

When the sorting finished Percy and Annabeth talked to their respective tables, trying to find anything out they could. Percy took a look at the head table, scoping out just who was there. 

Hecate hadn't told them how the events of the war played out, only that these next seven years were important and that she wanted them to help make the causalities severely less than they were. 

A teacher with a purple turban caught Percy's eyes. The way he jerked around, as if he was skittish and afraid was enough to have both Percy and Annabeth watching him carefully. The other teachers seemed normal enough, but a hooked nose man with straight black hair caught their eyes too. 

They weren't suspicious of him in anyway, just felt something off. 

The feast came to a close and Dumbledore stood up to address them all. 

His warnings made Percy and Annabeth want to laugh, but neither one of them did so. Percy watched the old man carefully, for some reason he just didn't particularly like the twinkle he had in his eyes. It was the same twinkle he found in enemies that thought they were a step ahead of everyone. 

When they all were lined up to go to their dorms, Percy caught Annabeth's eyes and winked, she covered her mouth and giggled. It was enough to have Percy marching off with the rest of his House and Annabeth doing the same.