The sun beating down through the trees warmed the ground and the necks of children running from class to class. 

Most wore orange shirts and hard won smiles. See, these kids had just been through a war, bloody and brutal. Nightmares made real. 

So, they had earned the peace around them. The friends that were left never took seeing each other for granted. Even if a whole year had passed without much else happening, the wounds were fresh. 

Which made the meeting taking place in the Big House even more unacceptable. 

Chiron was sat in wheelchair form at a table with two others. The Camp Director, Dionysus, and a woman clothed in black. Her dark robes flowed out and her dark hair pooled to her back. A she-dog laid next to her feet and a polecat draped around her neck.  Her blood red lips said the damning words, "Select two of your finest, and get it done." Without so much as a wave of her hand she disappeared into fog.

Chiron ran a hand over his beard, worry and sadness slumped his shoulders. A weight of millennias of life, pressing down and tearing his heart from his body. 

"Send two of our best." Dionysus mused, sipping from his diet coke and picking off a piece of dust from his cheetah print shirt. "She means those two doesn't she?" Chiron nodded, his fists tightening. "She didn't specify, we could play it that way and send two of the others. They've all been through the ringer but we can't-she can't expect us to send them?" 

The concern in the Camp Director's voice was something only Chiron ever heard, and very rarely did he slip up in front of the old horse. But this . . . 

"If we try and send anyone else, she'll have a fit." His teeth gritted together, Chiron lifted his chin. "And we can't ignore such a critical goddess's orders. If we upset her she might make the mist even worse for them than it already is." He hissed out the information they both already knew. 

Mr. D sighed, letting the stony mask fall back into place. "Think about it this way, it gives them a break from this world." He shrugged. 

"That doesn't mean they'll be safe." Chiron said with soft venom. 

The pudgy man sighed, "I'm just as worry as you are, Chiron, don't think I don't believe these kids deserve a break. I'm a hard bastard but I'm not a total ass." 

"I know." Chiron apologized, running a hand through his hair. "I know." 

"Listen," Mr. D turned to the centaur. "we'll ask them. If they say no, to hell with what Hecate, wants send two of the others, but if they say yes, then . . . We send them." Chiron always hated when the old drunk made sense. He nodded and Dionysus called for a satyr. "Bring us Percy and Annabeth." 

The satyr nodded and headed back out the door, hooves clopping on the wooden porch. 

}|{

Percy gave pointers as he weaved in and out of the campers fighting dummies. He fixed an elbow position here, a stance there, the usual things. His girlfriend, Annabeth Chase, was giving lessons to the dagger carriers, smiling faintly and urging them all to keep going.  

A small smile lightened his face, and he went back to helping the younger campers. 

When a satyr came in, requesting the two of them head to the Big House, they each appointed an older camper to watch over and walked out. They strode hand in hand, up the paths from the Arena to the Big House. 

Their smiles faded when the beheld the faces of Mr. D and Chiron. Both were sat at a table in the corner of the main room, looking at the table as if it held the answer to every problem. 

"Sir?" Percy asked, directing his question to Chiron. Annabeth and he sat down, backs straight and wearing slightly worried expressions. "What's wrong?" 

"My children," Chiron sighed. "I have a favor to ask of you, and you an feel free to deny me." Annabeth frowned, but Percy went stone faced. What could be wrong? "A goddess has approached me with confidential information, so confidential no other gods know of it, I did not even know until today." He swallowed. It was obvious that he wanted someone to interrupt him, no one did. 

With a shake of his head he went on. "Hecate, while we reigned in England, favored a few different mortals. She then went on to favor more, and they all started to reproduce." The air was so thick not even Percy laughed at the sight of Chiron getting flustered. "Well over the centuries the offspring have spread all over the world, and have their own society." 

"Wizards?" Annabeth blinked. She thought having Norse and Egyptian gods was weird. "Or like, Witches?" 

Chiron blinked, and nodded a bit. "Years ago, they went through a rough time, two wars and a lot of life lost." Neither of the Demigods' face changed. But Annabeth's fingers twitched a bit. "Hecate wants two demigods to travel back in time, to possible make the damage . . . " He trailed of trying to find a word to fit. 

"She wants us, to lessen the blow by fighting for them." Percy cut in, his voice cold and distant. Annabeth swallowed a lump in her throat and entwined her fingers through his. "She wants us to fight in another war." The unfeeling tone he used was somehow worse than if he had started screaming. 

"She just said for me to get two of our best on the job." Chiron held up a hand. "Given that loop hole, you two don't need to go. I thought I'd ask you just to cover my bases and make sure Hecate can't blame me when we get two others." He seemed to have less weight on he shoulders when he told them this. "So just decline, and we can talk about other options." 

Percy fell into a silence that had Mr. D eyeing him carefully. But Annabeth broke it. "You want us," She started, looking at Percy as she spoke. "to ask some other people, to risk their lives and experience more trauma then they've already been through." Her tone wasn't cold, but the words hit like daggers. 

"You two have been through enough." Mr. D cut in for Chiron, who's eyes were burning. "It's perfectly fine for you to want someone else to take a risk." He hissed, as if them thinking they weren't worth more than the others was appalling to him. "Just say no and we can move on." He seemed to beg them. 

Percy met Annabeth's eyes. 

No one else, never anyone else. 

"What are the terms of this mission." He said, quietly but not softly. 

"Percy, you know I can only tell you if you accept this, decline the offer-please." Chiron pleaded, eyes wide and heart like an open wound. "Children, please." 

Annabeth met her teacher's eyes. And shook her head. 

"We can't have others put in danger, we have the best chance at getting this done." Her blonde curls were up in a high ponytail and swayed as she shook her head. "You know us, Chiron." 

"I do, and sometimes I wish I didn't." It wasn't mean, just a fact. Because he always tried to keep a bit of a wall between him and the students, but these two-then the others . . . he hadn't been able to keep that wall up. 

"We accept." Percy said under his breath. And as if the words summoned her Hecate appeared once more in the Big House. 

"I'm glad to have the best for my quest." Her voice was cold and amused. Percy and Annabeth didn't bow, just glancing at the Goddess before dismissing her. "I shall tell you the basics of this Quest." She breezed over to them and looked at the Demigods with cold black eyes. 

"You will be teleported back in time, to 1991, the year Harry Potter starts schooling at Hogwarts. You will also be put back into the eleven year old versions of yourselves." She waved a hand and a thick envelope appeared on the table. "Once you are teleported to Diagon Alley you will read this letter and follow its instructions to the letter. I will be casting a charm on you to allow you to read without Dyslexia, it will only work when inside the barriers of my realm-so don't get used to it." Annabeth bit her lip and grabbed the letter. 

"Next, oh yes, you will be spending seven years in this other time, including summers. And you will have to buy a lot of things. There is a small piece of paper inside the letter along with a key, they will unlock your bank vault. More information is in the letter. You will be staying at the Leaky Cauldron, a local bar and inn." She waved her hand again and two sets of clothes appeared-one of Percy and one for Annabeth. "Wear these, when I send you back they will shrink to fit you. You'll learn your cover story from the letter and anything else that you need to know. Now, get dressed." 

Percy and Annabeth took turns using the restroom to change. 

Annabeth was stuck in a grey sweater that was a little big on her, light blue jeans that were definitely big on her, and a black belt to hold them up. Along with a black headband and she looked like she stepped straight out of Full House. Percy had on a baggy white t-shirt, an equally baggy green flannel, and light blue jeans. His belt was huge and he looked pretty weird-he usually like more formfitting stuff with a hoodie. 

"Now you both are allowed to take a weapon, but keep it hidden at all times. Percy, when you go back your tattoo will not be there. But once you come back to our time-it will be back." Hecate looked them both over and nodded sharply. "Time will pass for you two, but will not for us. We will simply think you were gone for a second. For you it will be almost seven years. Enjoy the extra time."

Percy and Annabeth held hands as Hecate snapped her fingers and a pulling sensation filled their stomachs. A jolt forward and they saw all white before noise of bustling people filed their ears. 

They looked around, everything seemed much larger, and saw perhaps the strangest place they'd ever seen.