Percy POV

Aphrodite moved our clothing to our separate rooms the day before the dance. She insisted that we would have to get dressed separately, at least as far as boys and girls were concerned. Several of us protested that we had already seen our significant others in their outfits but Aphrodite went all 'Goddess-of-love traditions' and some other hissy fit. She also insisted that we stay in our old dorms for the night.

The skies were dark when the rest of the Gryffindor guys and I settled down in the common room. We had mutually agreed that no one wanted to sleep up in the dormitory, especially when Harry was there and would glare at us any time one of us moved. 

Jason took one couch, sprawling across the pillows. Leo slept on the floor next to the fire, his back to it and curled into a loose ball. Travis and Conner took two armchairs near each other, because Aphrodite once again insisted that our guests not stay in the Room of Requirement. We had taken Conner, Travis, and Leila and Reyna, who were sleeping up in the girls dormitory. The Apollo girls had gone with Luna and Emmy and Maggie, Dakota, Gwen and Aidan were with the Slytherins. 

I took the other couch, feeling only the slight need to actually go to sleep. My brain was buzzing with what was going to happen the next day and even though I may be the Seaweed Brain, I was able to grasp the significance of wizards and demigods together. 

I didn't remember drifting off to sleep, but suddenly I was in a dark room with a woman standing in front of me. 

"Lady Hecate." I nodded slowly. 

"You are smarter than it is assumed." She spoke slowly.

"Uh...thanks?"

"Remember, Perseus Jackson, what you realized. Voldemort and Kronos are working together for a reason, and I would venture to guess it is to attempt to start a war. The Minister of Magic will hear of your presence at Hogwarts soon and he will be against your presence, against us." She pointed to herself.

"There will be problems and you will have to overcome them."

"What problems?" I frowned, not feeling good about this.

"I cannot tell you, you must figure it out for yourself." Hecate said simply. 

I scowled. "Well that's extremely helpful, my lady. Maybe after we're done figuring it out you can claim credit for it as usual!"

Hecate's eyes darkened angrily. "Now you listen here, Perseus-"

"No! I'm not interested in listening. That's all you gods ever do, work us until we're almost dead then claim all the credit. It's like having a bad manager. Maybe if you earn my respect you will have it, but until then don't expect to receive it."

Hecate opened her mouth to reply, but a scream pierced the air.

I sat upright abruptly on the couch, my heart pounding.

"Annabeth!" 

Another scream erupted from the girls dormitory and I leapt to my feet, ignoring the other boys' groggy protests and questions.

I took the stairs two at a time and burst into the room Annabeth was in.

"What the- Percy?" Hermione looked confused and surprised at the same time.

"Thank the gods, Kelp Head! Help me with her!" Thalia demanded. Annabeth was thrashing around in her bed, still screaming. I ran over and pulled her into my arms. Behind me I heard a loud siren-like wail, but I ignored it.

"Annabeth, I'm right here. Wake up! Annabeth!" 

Her eyes shot open, tears still running from them. I pulled her closer to me and let her cry.

"Shhh, shhh. It's okay." I whispered. "Tartarus?"

She nodded and I scooped her up in my arms, carrying her out to find the stairs had turned into some sort of slide. 

"The Hades?" I muttered, then shrugged and carefully stepped onto it, sliding down in a stance that resembled a surfer's. 

"Percy! Is she okay?" Jason asked when I reached the bottom of the stair-slide. 

"She's fine, it was just a nightmare." I told them, pushing through to the couch that I had been sleeping on. Sitting down carefully, I laid across it and let Annabeth curl up next to me. 

"How'd you get up the stairs?" Hermione asked, having slid down into the common room.

"Uh, I ran up them..." I frowned.

"Guys can't go into the girls dormitory. The stairs turn into a slide." 

"That's what it did when I tried to go up it." Jason explained.

"The founders believed that girls were more trustworthy than boys. They enchanted the staircase to not let any boys up it."

Annabeth slowly raised her head. "The stairs might be sentient. Or at least semi-sentient. They recognized that Percy meant no harm and let him enter."

"Well I was trying to help. But it wouldn't let me go." Jason protested.

"Percy's fatal flaw is loyalty. Maybe that figures in." Piper pointed out from the slide, which had turned itself back into stairs. 

Annabeth buried her head against my chest again and I took it as a sign for the conversation to be over.

"Guys, let's talk about this some other time."

I received a few muttered 'sure's and 'yes's. Jason gave Piper a quick peck on the lips before she went back upstairs, then the guys settled down. 

I looked down at my girlfriend, who was asleep on my chest, and smiled. No matter how irritating the gods could be, I always knew I would have her.

[A/N yay I finally got a chapter up!]