Harry Potter, Squatter

By Enterprise1701_d

Chapter 80

AN: My apologies to my faithful readers for the delay in this chapter. Unfortunately, I haven't had the easiest couple of months. As a piece of advice, when you close your laptop at 11:30 at night on a Friday evening, you shouldn't reopen it at 8 am on Saturday. Overwork kind of got to me, and I was pretty much living on caffeine and sugar as I dragged myself to my vacation time, which has now finally arrived.

Harry managed to get Percy almost all the way to the infirmary of Camp Half-Blood before anyone realized something was wrong. By the time he got Percy in a bed Chiron was there to provide emergency healing.

And it was necessary, too; Percy was turning an ugly greenish shade that looked patently unhealthy on a human. Annabeth arrived moments later, and they paced nervously together.

"I would have thought that Grover would be here, too," Harry said, more as a way to break the silence and take their minds off of Percy's state.

"He left soon after we came back to camp," Annabeth replied. "He grew up quickly, strangely enough, after we got back from the quest. They gave him a Searcher's License, so he's out looking for Lord Pan."

Harry nodded. "Good on him, I'm glad they gave him what he wanted," he said. Being a free spirit himself, and uncomfortable with authority at the best of the times, the very idea that you needed a permit to leave rankled. He was happy for the Satyr to be out and about.

"What happened?" Annabeth finally asked.

"Maybe we should wait for Chiron to finish," Harry said. "Hopefully, Percy will be conscious and can fill in the things I miss, and that way I only have to explain things once."

Annabeth narrowed her Athena-grew eyes at him, and Harry sighed and told the story.

When he finished, the hallway outside the infirmary was silent.

"Whoa, what's going on here? Someone die?" Clarisse asked as she strolled up, Silena in tow. "What? Not even a smile? Tough crowd," she complained when she got no reaction.

"Percy very well could die," Harry said. "Pit Scorpion venom."

Silena gave Harry and Annabeth each a hug, not saying anything but simply being there. Clarisse winced. "Nasty. How come?"

Harry drew a breath, and told the story again. He had the feeling that he would be telling it often.

"Imma break his legs," Clarisse growled. "Turn traitor, will he? Let's see him doing any betraying without his legs."

"As much as I can understand the sentiment toward traitors, I would appreciate being filled in," Chiron said, somehow having come out of the infirmary without any of them noticing.

The centaur had quiet hooves when he wanted them. Before Harry could say anything, Annabeth practically launched herself at the Trainer of Heroes. "How's Percy?" she asked.

The hall fell silent, three demigods focused on Chiron in a way that would normally be against their very ADHD-riddled natures.

"He will live," Chiron said. "His convalescence may take a while, and he is sleeping now. I would recommend against disturbing him. Now, an explanation, please?"

So Harry told the story again.

"I see," Chiron said. In those two words lay a wealth of meaning. A meaning that did not bode well for a certain Son of Hermes.

Since Percy was out for the night, at least, Harry decided that the best thing for him to do was stay over at Camp. After all, Hestia had a cabin now for him to stay in. No thieving Sons of Hermes to bother him when he was trying to sleep.

When he left the infirmary, half of Camp was right there, waiting. So, Harry told the story again. The reactions of the other campers alligned with his mood quite nicely, and he managed to slip away while their attentions were diverted.

Entering Hestia's cabin, he drew a deep breath. For a few moments, he allowed himself to revel in the presence of his all-time favorite goddess, before turning to the hearth and fire-traveling.

First things first, he had to know where Luke was hiding.

Doing something he had only done once before, he entered Athena's Library, found himself a world map, and started rolling dice.

And blinked.

How did once manage to roll a hand full of dice, and not get a single decent result? All of the dice were cocked in some way, as if balancing on their edges with the help of the map, the atlas, the joints in the floor tiles, and in one particular case, empty air.

"All my dice have cocked?" he wondered out loud.

For a brief moment he entertained the notion that this was a fluke and he should roll again. The next moment he realized that getting no result was a result in of itself.

"So, the bastard is hiding off-world," Harry muttered. "You can hide for the moment, asshole, but when I find you…"

"Well now, do I hear plotting?" Athena demanded, suddenly right there.

"Ehm… Hi, Miss Athena," Harry said, hoping to look as innocent as possible. The Goddess of Wisdom raised one perfect eyebrow, and didn't even bother responding.

"Well, you see," Harry stammered, managing a decent recap of the story – he was getting tired of telling it, honestly – and ended with the result arrayed before him, motioning for the cocked dice.

"I see," Athena replied, studying the polyhedrons for a few moments. "I can understand your train of thought and logic that lead you to your determination," she added. "It is indeed possible that Luke is not on Earth. However, a second conclusion could be that someone is hiding him from your abilities."

Harry nodded softly. That was why Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom and he was just a mortal student trying not to embarrass himself. "Kronos," he muttered, ignoring the air turning cold in the giant Library.

"Father determined that matter closed," Athena stated, in itself not an answer to his statement, something that told Harry she agreed with him but was not allowed to.

Harry nodded again. "Thanks, Miss Athena," he said, carefully folding up the map of the world and making sure to put everything back exactly where and how he found it. He loved spending time in the Library, and he didn't want to risk being thrown out. "Have a good afternoon," he wished her as he started to leave.

"Good luck," she wished him. It sent a shiver down his spine; Athena didn't necessary like him, and the fact that she wished him good luck didn't sit right for some reason.

He walked to Hestia's temple, ready to pack a bag and go back to Camp. But first, he needed to feed someone.

"Hey, Nemmy," Harry greeted his housemonster with pettings and cuddles. Nemmy purred lavishly at the worship, before Harry conjured a small mountain of meat. Suddenly, the demigod thought of something.

"Say, Nemmy?"

Purr? Nemmy answered, looking over his shoulder at his faithful servant, before going back to his meal.

"You're a good hunter, right?" Harry asked.

The Nemean House Cat flicked his tail. He was the best hunter.

"Wanna track down a traitor for me? I would prefer him alive, but I won't complain too much if you disarm him. Or disleg him, for that matter," the demigod asked, before realizing that he sounded like a psychopath. Then again, Miss Athena had taught him that children's brains hadn't developed that part yet, so he felt totally justified.

As long as Hestia didn't find out.

He shuddered.

Nemmy flicked his tail again, and rotated his ears as he kept eating, pretending that he hadn't heard his faithful servant asking him to go out in the cold and the rain to track down some nobody.

Harry snorted. His pet cat was so lazy. He rubbed Nemmy's soft, golden fur. "I understand," he said as Nemmy fed. "I'll get him myself sometime." He stood up, and grabbed his bug-out bag.

Not that he called it a bug-out bag. It was just some bag he kept packed for emergencies. A demigod never knew when an emergency quest could pop up.

Or so he told himself.

He walked to the hearth, but before he could firetravel, someone knocked on the door. It sounded hesitant.

Harry changed courses, bug-ou… travel-bag still slung over his shoulder, and opened the door. "Hi Hermes?" he greeted-slash-asked his grandfather. The usually cheerful and extraverted god looked… upset.

"Harry," Hermes said, somehow managing to turn Harry's name into a greeting. He drew a breath, then came to the point. "Luke."

Harry nodded. "He betrayed us," the demigod said, reaching out to pat Hermes on the hip, about as far as he could reach with his grandfather in full three-meter-tall godly form. "But don't worry, I won't hold his actions against you. He makes his own decisions."

Hermes blinked, not having expected that. "He is my son, Harry," the god said, as if that answered everything. "I don't want to see him hurt."

Harry drew a breath. Whoa, boy. That was a problem. "He attacked me with a pit scorpion and a sword he called 'backbiter'," Harry said, causing Hermes to wince. "I don't really care about that. If I did, I'd find a way to get rid of Mister Ares. He attacks me at least once a month."

That one left Hermes gaping. "But," Harry continued, "he attacked Percy, one of my friends. And he almost died because of that pit scorpion venom. I don't forget or forgive things like that."

Hermes winced again. "I also doubt that Mister Poseidon will take kindly to that," Harry continued on the same unstoppable tone.

"Ah… no," Hermes said, finally managing to get a word in edge-wise. "Uncle Poseidon can be rather scary when things like that happen."

Harry nodded sagely. "Most gods can be scary when they want to," he said with all the wisdom of a twelve-year-old mortal. "But Luke committed the worst crime of all."

"Which is?" Hermes asked, pulling himself up. He was the god here, dammit!

"He betrayed the Gods of Olympus to Kronos," Harry said. "That means, in particular, that he betrayed Hestia. And that's definitely something I can't forgive or forget."

"Oh," the God of Thieves muttered. He hadn't looked at it that way. He shook his head. "I know it doesn't look good, Harry, but I still don't want to see my son hurt. He's my son. I care for him. I will take a grim look on anyone hurting him."

Harry's first thought was that Hermes had plenty of other sons – even that Stoll idiot that tried to steal from him would be better than Luke at this point – but he managed to keep his mouth shut.

"Do I hear you trying to intimidate Harry, Hermes?" Hestia said, suddenly right there as if she had been there all along and everybody had simply decided not to take notice of her.

"Oh. Erm. Hi, Aunt Hestia," Hermes said, suddenly a stammering nephew rather than a towering god.

"Hello, Hermes," Hestia greeted back. "Well? Were you?" she asked, not willing to let go that quickly.

"Ah… simply having a chat?" he asked, trying to weasel his way out of things.

"Hermes," Hestia said, her tone slightly lower and a wealth of meaning injected into it.

Hermes swallowed. "Luke's my son, Hestia," he pleaded.

"And Harry's mine," Hestia answered with a nod, making the God of Travelers wince.

Harry sighed. "Don't worry, Hermes," he said, hoping to protect Hestia's relationship with Hermes. He knew how much she valued her family, and he didn't want to be the cause of any problems. "Luke betrayed Hestia. For her sake, and because I know she would want me to, I'll give him a chance to surrender. I promise."

Hermes' shoulders sagged. "Thanks, Harry," he said. "I just hope he takes it."

Harry just nodded. They both knew that the chances of Luke surrendering were on the other side of 'none'.

"There, that's better," Hestia said. "Now, I believe you were going somewhere, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "I was going back to camp to spend the night in your cabin," he told Hestia. "I want to be close in case something happens with Percy."

"Of course," Hestia said motherly, giving him a hug; one he returned wholeheartedly. "I see you already fed your pet monster, so you may want to leave now."

"Alright, Hestia. Talk to you later." He looked at Hermes. "Bye, Hermes."

Hermes nodded. "Bye, Harry," he said. He then looked at Hestia and opened his mouth, but the Goddess of the Home pre-empted him.

"Come inside, Hermes. I'll make you some tea."

It wasn't phrased as a suggestion.

It was phrased as a command, instead.

Harry gave his grandfather a supportive look, then made his way to the hearth while attempting to hide the fact that he was fleeing. He wasn't sure he succeeded, but he made it to camp safe and sound.

He emerged in Hestia's cabin, and put his bag down in the boy's room. Since it was summertime, and the weather was nice and warm, he didn't bother to light the fireplace. Instead, he walked out. Hopefully, there was news about Percy.

He found Annabeth, Clarisse, Silena, and Chiron at the infirmary, still talking among themselves while Percy rested.

"I can't believe that Luke would do that," Annabeth said.

"He was never the same after that quest," Silena replied. "I can believe it."

"I'll run him through when I see him," Clarisse vowed. "And I'll make sure it hurts."

"This should be reported to Olympus," Chiron interjected, obviously trying to take their minds off of revenge. "I will go after Percy wakes up."

"Don't bother," Harry said. "They already know. I told Hestia and Miss Athena, and Hermes accosted me, trying to get leniency for Luke. I told him I didn't care about Luke attacking me, plenty of people do that anyway. I do care about the fact that he attacked Percy, and that he betrayed the gods in general and Hestia in particular. So, for Hestia's sake, I'll give him a chance to surrender."

"Which he won't take," Clarisse said.

"Which he won't take," Harry agreed. They looked at each other and nodded; Luke wasn't going to walk away after declining to surrender, they both knew it.

"You mustn't rush out for revenge," Chiron counseled wisely.

"We couldn't anyway," Harry said. "Either he's not on Earth, or Kronos is hiding him. Despite the fact that Mister Zeus said he's not back."

Three demigods and one centaur fell silent, looking at Harry. "And how do you know this, Lad?" Chiron asked.

"Because I tried to find the bastard," Harry answered. "With my abilities, I can force probability to give me the results that I need. So, I took a world map, a handfull of dice, and tried to roll his GPS coordinates. Each and every one of my dice cocked. Some in mid-air. So, he's either not on Earth – maybe he's in Tartarus or something – or someone really powerful is hiding him. Like Kronos. That's what Miss Athena thinks. Despite Mister Zeus saying he's not back."

"That sucks," Clarisse said. "Still, nice try, Newbie. We could've jumped the ass had it worked."

"Better believe we would have jumped him," Harry replied. They fist-bumped.

"Oh? And what of your declaration of giving him a chance to surrender?" Chiron asked.

"I could've offered surrender after breaking his arms and legs, so he can't attack us or run away?" Harry offered innocently. Clarisse stiffled a laugh. Chiron looked at him. Harry shuffled awkwardly and dug at the floor with his foot.

"To be fair, Chiron, Luke will probably attack first anyway," Annabeth said. Harry looked at her as if she were their Lady and Savior.

"Probably," Chiron admitted. "Still, I would counsel restraint, especially in the face of that promise you made to a Major God. Those things carry weight, and should you renege, it is likely not to end well for you."

Harry nodded silently. Hermes was a good guy, but Chiron had a point. Besides, if he broke a promise, Hestia would be disappointed. And that would be worse than Hermes being angry, in Harry's opinion.

"Now, I believe Percy will soon wake up," Chiron said, clopping toward the infirmary room.

Harry shared a look with his friends. Discussion over, apparently.

Clarisse grunted and waved over her shoulder as she left, apparently disgusted by the lack of traitor-hunting. Harry said goodbye to her back, then followed the others inside. Percy was indeed letting out a groan, showing he was about to wake.

Annabeth immediately sidled up to Percy's bed, snatching a glass of Nectar off the nightstand as she did so. She stuffed the straw in Percy's mouth.

Silena and Harry shared a glance and a grin; the Daughter of Athena could be very bossy on occasion. Especially toward Percy, it seemed.

Convulsively, the waking demigod sipped and drank.

Only then did he open his eyes. "Here we go again," he muttered, obviously referring to how he woke up in the infirmary when he first got to camp.

"You idiot," Annabeth said, her tone belying her words. "When Harry dragged you in, you were green and gray. If it weren't for Chiron's healing…"

"Now, now," Chiron interjected, obviously trying to save Percy the rest of Annabeth's rant. "Percy's constitution deserves some credit as well."

Annabeth closed her mouth, but Percy gave her a grin. Chiron continued, "How are you feeling, Lad?"

"Like I've been frozen, then microwaved," Percy replied honestly.

"Considering Pit Scoprion venom, that's not far off," Chiron replied with a chuckle. "Now, we've heard the story from Harry. However, multiple viewpoints are always helpful – can you describe what happened?"

Harry settled back, happy to let someone else tell the story again.

When Percy was done, the room was silent. "Harry already alerted Olympus," Chiron said. "And it seems that Luke is being hidden from sight right now."

"By Kronos," Harry said. "Even though Zeus closed the matter."

Chiron looked unhappy. "Yes…" he said, his voice trailing off, as if expecting some kind of divine thunder interrupting. None came.

"So we can't just go after him," Percy muttered, looking at the hand that had been stung by the scorpion. It was wrapped in enough bandages to resemble a primitive club.

"You mustn't rush out," Chiron counseled. "At the moment, you are not ready."

Percy mulishly looked at his bandaged hand, recognizing the truth of that statement. "We can't just sit back and do nothing," he muttered, half to himself and half to the room. Harry agreed with him, but unfortunately they didn't have any leads right now. And how Kronos running interference…

"We will not sit back," Chiron declared. "But you must be careful. Kronos wants you to become unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts filled with fear and with anger. Don't give him what he wants. Fear and anger can cloud your judgment."

"It's the path to the Dark Side," Harry quipped, startling a laugh out of Percy and Silena, a grin out of Annabeth, and a suffering sigh from Chiron.

"Of course, silly of me to forget popular culture," he said, but his tone showed he was amused anyway. He looked back at Percy. "Train patiently, Lad. Your time will come."

Percy nodded softly. The Teacher of Heroes smiled faintly. "But first, you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice, but you are the one who must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think on it. I must take my leave now, and confer with Olympus. When I return, you must tell me your decision."

Percy obviously had more questions, but Chiron simply nodded to everyone and left the room. Or started to, anyway. He stopped and looked at Annabeth. "My dear, whenever you're ready – they're here." The centaur simply left the room without waiting for a reply.

Percy beat Harry to it. "Who's here?" the Son of Poseidon asked.

Nobody seemed inclined to answer, which kind of annoyed Harry. From the look on his face, it annoyed Percy, too.

One Son of Poseidon, one Son of Tyche, and one Daughter of Aphrodite watched the Daughter of Athena.

For a few moments, all was silent.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked, when Annabeth gave no indication of even noticing everyone staring at her.

"Nothing," Annabeth replied, too quickly. Silena gave a snort. Annabeth gave her a dirty look in response. Silena ignored the dirty look and raised her eyebrows instead.

Annabeth capitulated, and sighed. "I took…" she glanced at Percy, "someone's advice," she finally said.

That didn't narrow things down for Harry, and considering the strange look on Percy's face, it didn't narrow things down for him, either. "So, what are you going to do?" she asked Percy, blatantly changing the subject.

If Silena muttered 'scaredy-cat' under her breath, nobody commented on it.

"I don't know," Percy said. "It feels like Chiron would like me to stay year-round, but I'm not sure if that's what I want." He stared at Annabeth, obviously his choice was depending on her, too – even if the Son of Poseidon wouldn't admit to it.

Annabeth, as Daughter of Athena, obviously caught that, too. She sighed. "I'm going home for the year," she finally admitted.

That caught all three by surprise. Harry opened his mouth, but words did not come. Annabeth was talking to Percy, and it felt like it wasn't his place to comment. He shared a look with Silena.

"You mean, to your dad's place?" Percy asked.

"I wrote him when we got back," Annabeth confirmed. "Like you suggested. I told him… told him I was sorry." She swallowed. Harry knew how the Fatal Flaw of children of Athena was Hubris. Admitting that couldn't have been easy. Annabeth drew another breath. "I told him I'd come home for the school year if he still wanted me."

Harry felt his hackles rise; how dare someone make one of his friends feel unwanted? That wasn't a question she should even be asking! Next to him, he felt Silena tense up, as well. She obviously felt the same way.

"He wrote back immediately. We decided… we'd give it another go."

"That took guts," Percy answered, honestly, completely ignoring the bigger issue. "I guess I'll be a summer camper as well, then."

Annabeth nodded. "Try not to do anything stupid without me there," she admonished with a smile. "Or, at least send me an Iris Message first, so I can try and talk you out of it."

Percy pursed his lips. "I don't go looking for trouble, you know," he defended.

"I know how that goes," Harry said. "People are constantly accusing me of the same thing."

"I can't imagine why," Annabeth said, looking at him.

Harry and Percy shared a look, then sighed together. Apparently, they had another thing they shared.

"Anyway," Annabeth said, "Take care, Seaweed Brain. Keep your eyes open."

Percy grinned. "You too, Wise Girl."

She started to leave the room, then looked at Harry. "I'll send you the address so you can pick me up for our trip," she said.

"Sure thing," Harry answered. "Good luck. Don't forget you have friends, if you need a shoulder. Or to hide a body."

Annabeth snorted. "I know how to hide my own bodies, Harry Potter," she told him, then grinned. "But thanks." She said her goodbyes to Silena as well, then left the room, leaving it in silence.

"So, still not interested in coming along?" Harry asked innocently.

"Sheesh, you don't give up," Percy accused, then glanced at the door Annabeth just went through, before looking at his bandaded stump of a hand. "You know what? Sure, I'll come along."

Harry and Silena shared a grin. Percy was so very smitten.

0000

Harry walked out of the hearth at the Rookery, Zoë right behind him. In the spatious living room of the Lovegoods, all his other friends had already gathered – Annabeth, Silena, Percy, Hermione, and, of course, Luna herself considering it was her house. Clarisse had no interest in forests or Snorkacks, and witches and wizards in general didn't seem to like exercise, so it was just them.

He'd excused himself to go and collect Zoë, as he hadn't wanted to invade Artie's camp with a small army of demigods. That wouldn't go over well, he was sure of it.

"Everyone, this is Miss Zoë Nightshade, she will be our guide for today. She's one of the finest hunters and trackers I've ever seen," he introduced her. "Miss Zoë, this is Annabeth, Silena, Percy, Hermione, and Luna."

As everyone said their hellos, Luna, in her usual fashion, had simply gotten up, causing Harry's eyes to grow large and his hand to raise. He'd barely managed to open his mouth before his friend hugged Zoë.

"Nice to meet you, Zoë," Luna said as she hugged the Hunter. Harry winced, halfway expecting murder to start happening. Half-panicked, he looked at Zoë, desperately searching for the words.

"'T is nice to mee thee, as well, Luna," Zoë replied calmly, hugging her back. It was only then that Harry realized – female. Of course Zoë would be fine with a hug from a girl.

He let out his breath, now assured that they wouldn't be cleaning bits of Luna off the ceiling.

"Ooh!" Luna said. "I love your accent!"

"I thank thee," Zoë said with a small chuckle. "'T is mostly because English changes far too often, so I hath decided to remain with what I know."

"Good choice," Luna complimented, before looking at Harry. "Is something wrong, Harry? You're looking a bit pale."

"Nothing's wrong, Luna," Harry said. "Just a bit of a fright, that's all. Miss Zoë usually doesn't do hugs."

"From males," Zoë corrected.

"Which is something I forgot," Harry said with a nod. Seeing how that drew strange reactions from his friends, he then tried to explain. "Miss Zoë belongs to a group that helps girls that have been hurt by men," he said. "And as such, they don't usually trust men of any kind."

Annabeth seemed to realize what he was getting at, while the others simply nodded and accepted the explanation.

Harry turned to Luna. "So, where exactly are we going? Finland's not a small country."

Luna replied by unrolling a large map, which had been defaced by many lines in different colors drawn upon it. "We've done extensive studies on possible migration paths for the Crumpled-Horn Snorkack," the blonde explained. "As you can see."

Hermione and Annabeth rolled their eyes at the same time, seemed to realize that about each other, then shared a smile. Seeing this, Harry felt his heart skip a beat. He'd once debated on whether it would be a good idea to introduce the two – they'd either end up as mortal enemies or the best of friends, but with their intellects, either could be a problem.

"So," Luna concluded, "in the end I think we'd best take a good guess and hope for the best," she said, rolling the map back up.

"Wait," Percy said, "after all that, you're just going to wing it?"

Luna shrugged. "Sure," she said with a smile, as if seeing nothing wrong.

The Son of Poseidon laughed. "You know, Luna, I think I'm going to like you."

Luna's smile widened. "I think I'm going to like you, as well, Percy," she said. "It's ever so nice to have good friends. I didn't used to have many before meeting Harry, he's introduced me to so many new and nice people I can count as friends."

That shut up quite a few of the socially-challenged among the group, Harry included. They all knew what that felt like, and were secretly happy not to be in that situation any more.

"So," Harry finally said, breaking the silence, "how are we going to let luck decide where to go?"

The demigods, the Lieutenant of Artemis, and Luna Lovegood all turned to stare at him.

"What?" he asked.

"I believe everyone is waiting for you to do your luck thing," Luna answered.

"And get nagged by Annabeth when something happens?" Harry asked.

"We'll nag that out of Annabeth before we leave," his witchy friend replied breezily, causing a snort from Percy; one that was answered by an Athena-glare from the Daughter of Athena. It caused him to try and stiffle it. Unsuccessfully.

Harry sighed, and looked at Zoë. "Shall I look for a camp fire we can use, or do you have your Super-Secret Hunter ways of getting us there, Miss Zoë?" he asked.

Zoë crossed her arms and gave him a flat look. "I do believe My Lady hath once told thee about employing us as a taxi-service," she answered.

"Alrighty-then, camp-fire it is!" Harry said cheerfully. He looked at the Lovegoods' hearth, and gazed toward Finland. Hm… quite a few fires.

So, he took out some dice, and rolled them, before nodding. "I have a destination," he announced grandly, waving his hand at the fire and turning it green. "Let's go everybody."

"If something happens," Annabeth started to say.

"Then it'll be fun and interesting," Luna interrupted her. "After all, I asked Harry for transport."

"You're supposed to be on my side, it's in the Girl Code," Annabeth protested with a smile.

"Chapter 5, section 1, paragraph 3 lists the exceptions to that rule," Luna countered, causing a laugh from the other girls present. Even Zoë was grinning.

Harry and Percy shared a look. "We're severely outnumbered here," Harry muttered to his friend. "We need to circle the wagons."

Percy snorted a laugh. "I'll gather up ammunition and provisions," he answered a few moments later.

Both became aware of an oppressive silence, and looked over to find all the females staring at them.

"And what are you two conspiring about?" Silena asked.

"We're circling the wagons and taking in provisions, because we're poor boys that are severely outnumbered by you girls," Harry answered honestly, drawing an impressed look from Percy for the balziness of admitting to the truth.

"Oh, that's fair, I suppose," Luna said. "Although I'm a bit disappointed at not having been invited. I'd make an excellent spy or turncoat for your side."

This drew a laugh from everyone, and they finally trooped through the fire and into the forests of Finland.

The fire they emerged from wasn't exactly an active camp fire. Rather, it used to be one, probably many hours before, and was now just a collection of ashes and embers. Harry's Hestia-given boon had re-ignited it long enough for them to come through.

Zoë took one look around, then glanced at Harry. "What canst thou tell me about the people that employed this camp?" she asked.

Harry blinked, not having expecting an exam, and looked around the camp while everyone else just stared, wondering what was going on. "Ehm…" the Son of Tyche managed. "Ah. There were three people," he said, then took out a compass. "They left south. Two, maybe three hours ago?" he finished.

"Art thou asking or art thou telling?" Zoë teased.

"Telling," Harry said with a pout. "Two to three hours ago."

Zoë nodded. "Thou missed the German Shepard they had with them, they left south-south-west, and they left two hours and forty-five minutes ago," she said, teasingly. "I suppose I shall be generous and give thee half marks."

Harry gaped. "Half marks!?" he shouted. "Everything I said was correct!"

Zoë nodded again. "As I'm a kind and generous teacher," she said, lifting her head and sticking her nose in the air.

Harry sighed theatrically. "I guess I need more lessons. Woe be me to have such a strict and demanding teacher."

Harry's friends were still gaping, but now they were gaping at the fact that Harry, never mind Zoë, had been able to determine the number of people, where they went, and how long ago they left, with a single look around the camp.

"We should go that way," Zoë said, pointing north. "Considering we wish to find cryptids, we should take the path less traveled."

Harry nodded eagerly. The others shrugged, and started to follow.

"What cryptid are we looking for?" Zoë asked.

"Crumple-Horned Snorkacks!" Luna piped up, immediately launching into an explanation, including rumors and hearsay regarding their supposed, possible, maybe-they-are-and-maybe-they-aren't looks. "They're purple, and have a spiral horn..."

Harry slipped away from the two, closed his eyes, and drew a deep breath. He always relaxed when he was in a forest. Re-opening his eyes, he studied the forest. As far as he knew, he'd never been to Finland before. Only as far as he knew, however – both Zoë and Artie had the tendency to take him somewhere, and not tell him where he was.

The next hour was filled with casual conversation, interspaced with Zoë examining Harry's knowledge.

"Zoë?" Luna asked, walking up to the Huntress.

"Yes?" Zoë asked, diverting her attention from where she was testing Harry to the blonde.

"Can we speak in private for a moment?" she asked.

Zoë shrugged. "If thou wishes," she agreed, letting herself and Luna fall back from the group. Harry seamlessly took over the lead of the group.

"What doth thou wish to discuss?" Artemis' Lieutenant asked when she felt there was enough space between them and the group. Suddenly, Luna looked angry rather than the spaced-out happy-go-lucky look she had been sporting up intil now.

"Harry is my friend, and he is very dear to me," Luna said.

Zoë blinked. Luna continued. "He became my friend in a time when very few people other than my parents were nice to me. Up until then, my companionship existed of people who had to interact with me, simply due to geographic closeness."

The Huntress nodded to show she understood. "And why art thou telling me this?" she asked curiously.

Luna pressed closer, and if she had been anyone else, Zoë would have taken a step back. "Harry threw himself on top of me and shielded me with his own body when my mommy had an accident with her magic. After saving my life, he then proceeded to save her life by nearly killing himself with exhaustion."

"That doth sound like Harry," Zoë said, still sounding as if she had no idea where this was going. For a moment, she remembered being injured, on the ground, unable to move, with a drakon bearing down on her… and Harry risking his own life to protect her.

Luna's gaze bore into Zoë's. "I am telling you this so you know where I'm coming from," she said. "Why are you being so nasty to Harry!?"

Zoë suddenly looked enlightened, and smiled widely. Luna looked like she didn't appreciate that smile, but before she could say something, Zoë explained. "As Harry explained to thee, the Hunters are an exclusively female group, and males are looked at with distrust. I am teaching him due to a request from My Lady, and I will continue to do so for as long as is necessary."

Now it was Luna's time to look confused. Zoë continued, "This means that, should I ever decide that Harry's lessons are complete, there will be no more lessons. In truth, I enjoy teaching him – he is studious and fastidious, and he doth not complain when something is difficult. Truthfully, he hath learnt all he wished to learn from me quite some time ago. However, we both know that, should that come to light, there will be no more lessons. Therefore, I find fault with his answers, no matter how small, and he comments about my strictness, so that I can continue to refine his knowledge."

"Oh," Luna said. She'd completely misread the situation. "Ehm… sorry?"

Zoë laughed softly and patted the girl's shoulder. "Thou came to thy friend's rescue, even when no rescue is required," she said. "No harm was done. 'T was rather impressive of thee to confront me, considering my advantages over thee."

Luna shrugged. "He is my friend. That's what friends do. It's nothing he hasn't done before, either."

"Very true," Zoë said. "We should catch up to the group."

The blonde witch nodded. "Have you seen anything yet?" she asked as they re-joined the group.

"All tracks and signs are of creatures I have seen before," Zoë replied calmly. "Do not worry, if anything unknown crosses mine sight, thou shalt be the first to know."

"Thanks!" Luna chirped happily.

Harry gave her a questioning look, hoping that everything was alright. Luna answered by grabbing his arm. "Just girl-talk," she said.

Harry nodded, and hurriedly looked for something else to think about. He wanted nothing to do with girl-talk. That way was madness, he knew that much. Girls were scary.

His eyes fell on Annabeth and Hermione, the latter of which was saying something to Annabeth that required lots of expressive hand-gestures.

Annabeth was nodding thoughtfully, before replying with something that required a very different, but equally expressive, set of hand-gestures.

Harry didn't want to know. Instead, his eye fell on an edible plant, so he extracted his arm from Luna's grip with a small 'sorry, Luna, just a moment', and foraged for a bit. He had to start thinking about lunch, after all.

"So what's that?" Luna asked.

"Wild garlic, it'll go really well with what I'm planning for lunch," Harry answered as he straightened out.

The blonde witch nodded. "You didn't take them all?" she commented curiously.

Harry smiled at her. "First of all, a little wild garlic goes a long way, but most of all, it comes down to respect." He motioned to the forest around them. "This forest, its trees and its plants, offers up its bounty to us, and all it asks for in return is a little respect. When foraging, take only what you need so there is enough left for those that come after you. When there is little left, leave some so there is enough to grow back next year. Things like that."

Luna nodded thoughtfully and seemed to look around with new understanding. The rest of the group had stopped talking as well as he spoke, and appeared to be doing the same.

Zoë gave him a smile and a nod. He grinned back; he loved spending time in the woods with her.

"That makes a lot of sense," Luna finally said. "I never looked at it that way."

Harry shrugged. "Not a lot of people forage these days, so things like that get forgotten."

Luna nodded thoughtfully. They walked in silence for a few moments, before conversation picked up again among the various people in the group. Luna reclaimed Harry's arm, while he looked out for some more foraging opportunities.

"You know," Percy spoke up, all of a sudden, "I just thought of something."

The entire group stilled and looked at him as they walked. Harry crossed his fingers, hoping that Percy wasn't about to invoke the wrath of a whole bunch? Troupe? Group? Murder? Of girls.

"Words with the same meaning are very strange," Percy said.

"Those are called synonyms," Hermione said, helpfully. It drew a look from Percy and giggles from Annabeth and Silena. Luna was just smiling.

"Anyway," Percy said, "What I meant was, if I invite people around to a cottage in the forest, that sounds like a nice day out. But, if I invited you to my cabin in the woods, then people are going to die."

Annabeth snorted. Hermione and Silena seemed to nod, but Luna looked confused. "I get the implied reference, but I don't think I get the reference itself," she said, drawing a startled look from Percy.

"It's from non-magical culture," Harry explained. "A cabin in the woods is usually the description in movies were people get killed. Usually in horror movies and such. Cabins in woods are usually filled with serial killers."

"Ah," Luna said. "So it's a cultural reference. I see." She grinned at Percy. "Isn't language fun?" she asked him. "You can just see cultural references pop up and make things difficult, even if you speak completely the same language."

Percy nodded. "Yeah, it does. I didn't even consider the fact that it might not be the same everywhere."

"You know," Silena added, "now that I think about it, this one should be the same anywhere. 'Forgive me Father, for I have sinned', versus 'sorry Daddy, I've been naughty'."

That one drew laughs from everybody. Including Zoë, and that happened so rarely that Harry was determined to remember it.

"Of course you would think up something dirty," Annabeth replied with a laugh.

"We can't all be straight-laced teacher's pets," the Daughter of Aphrodite replied with a grin.

They bickered good-naturedly while Zoë looked for unknown tracks, and Harry foraged for supplies until it was actually time for him to start on lunch.

As he set up a makeshift camp using a cast-iron pot hanging from a tripod over a fire, he started conjuring additional ingredients.

"I thought you could conjure meals?" Percy asked, as they all sat and talked while Harry cooked.

"I can," Harry said. "But, actually cooking the meal always tastes better than simply conjuring something. One's done with skill and from the heart, the other's just a cheat using magic. Good enough for an emergency, but if I have the time, I'd rather cook than conjure."

"Huh, okay," Percy answered, sounding as if he didn't get it, but was willing to humor the cook.

Harry grinned.

Making lunch didn't take long, and soon they all had a hearty bowl of tomato soup in front of them. Not that it was tomato soup, strictly speaking, as Harry had put enough vegetables and foraged herbs in it to be enough to sustain people, and he'd included some very nice meat balls cooked in the soup to add energy to it.

They ladled their soup in silence, and soon seconds were to be had by all. Harry smiled; he so loved it when people liked the things he cooked. Even if it was, strictly speaking, just a soup.

Percy sat and got thirds – the benefit of being first done with firsts and seconds – and seemed determined to make this serving last. "You know," he suddenly said, drawing attention.

"Oh no," Annabeth moaning, remembering what Percy had kicked off earlier. "Not more synonyms, please."

Percy gave her a pretend-filthy look. "Maybe I should keep my knowledge to myself, then," he teased.

Annabeth grumped. "Fine," she said, "but I'm calling you Seaweed-brain if it's nonsense, Seaweed-brain."

Percy snorted at the pre-emptive name-calling. "I read somewhere that tomato is a fruit. I was just thinking it's a good thing nobody's put it in a fruit salad."

That drew smiles from the others, and Annabeth looked grumpy. "I suppose," she replied.

"Now I'm wondering if tomato's a fruit, does that make ketchup a smoothie?" Percy continued.

"Ketchup's not a smoothie, Seaweed-brain," Annabeth replied, looking happy at being able to use her favorite nickname for him.

Harry snorted. "I don't see anyone chugging ketchup like a smoothie," he added in.

"I wouldn't be surprised, Americans love it," Hermione said.

"Hey!" the Americans present protested.

Hermione put her hands on her hips. "Am I mistaken?" she asked.

Three pouts answered her. "No," Silena replied first. "But you shouldn't tease us about it."

Hermione gave a flat look. "Considering that some of you are debating whether or not ketchup counts as a smoothie, I am reserving the right to tease you mercilessly."

Annabeth and Silena shared a look. "She has a point," Silena admitted, as if it hurt.

Annabeth nodded equally reluctantly, and leveled an Athena-look on Percy. "Now look what you've done, Seaweed-brain."

Percy chuckled, the Athena-glare utterly ineffective. "There are worse things to be teased about, Wise Girl," he replied.

They continued to tease and banter while Harry cleaned up the campsite, making double sure that the fire was completely out. Zoë kept a watchful eye and an approving nod as he did so.

An hour or two later, they emerged from the forest on the shores of a beautiful lake.

"And now we know why Finland is called the 'Land of a Thousand Lakes'," Harry said as they all stopped and admired the unexpected encounter.

"Pretty," Luna determined with a sage nod of the head. "Unfortunate that Crumple-Horned Snorkacks aren't aquatic. Or amphibious."

"Who knows, maybe that's why they haven't been found," Harry said with a grin. "Everyone's looking on land."

Luna looked at him. Harry looked back, raising an eyebrow. Luna saw his eyebrow and raised him by raising two eyebrows. "That's an interesting hypothesis," the blonde finally admitted, looking at the lake.

"How about we travel along the shore for a bit?" Harry suggested. "After all, it's a beautiful sight."

The group didn't really have any better suggestions, so they traveled along the shore of the lake.

Only to be suddenly stopped by Zoë. The Hunter stopped in her path, eyes locked on something, and raised an arm to physically prevent anyone from moving further.

"Miss Zoë?" Harry asked confusedly. He'd never seen his teacher act in such a way. "Is something wrong?"

Zoë's eyes remained locked on an unusual stacked pile of stones, overgrown by strangely twitsed roots. "We should move back. Now."

"Why? What's happening?" Hermione asked.

Zoë leveled an impressive look at the girl. "NOW," she stated.

"Come on guys, let's move back," Harry said, physically moving back and taking Luna with him. She'd appropriated his arm again at one point, making it easy for him to drag her with him.

Confused, the travelers turned around and retraced their steps. Zoë remained on edge, her gaze now quickly scanning the treeline as they went.

"What's wrong?" Annabeth finally asked, the first one to speak in the sudden and tense silence.

"We are being watched," Zoë replied. "We should move quicker."

A voice speaking Finnish came from the treeline then. Harry didn't know what was being said, but the tone didn't sound aggressive.

Zoë froze, and replied in the same language. Harry, who hadn't know she spoke Finnish, offered her a short stare. She ignored him, her gaze firmly focused on the treeline.

"My apologies if I startled you," the voice said, in the kind of upper-class English that was more commonly found at places like Eton or Windsor Castle. "It is rare for a group of such diverse ancestry and obvious skills and power to travel my woods."

A man stepped from the treeline then; he was tall and strongly-built yet consisted of growth of the forest. His beard seemed to be made of lichens, his eyebrows were made of moss, and he was dressed in clothes that seemed to be made up of various leaves that had been woven together.

"Lord Tapio," Zoë spoke, reverently, offering a small bow. The way she spoke the name of the being in front of them had a distinctly Finnish tone to it. "Our apologies for intruding upon your domain."

"My forests are open to all," he spoke, coming closer. "And you, Huntress, are aligned to my domain. You have no cause to fear me." He looked them all over. "I have been observing you for some time – as I said, it is rare for a group of such diverse ancestry and power to travel my woods, and so I was curious."

"I am guide for this group," Zoë said. "We are enjoying a day in your woods, looking for cryptids."

Tapio laughed softly. "Cryptids, you say? Interesting." He looked the group over. "Perhaps introductions are in order first, and then perhaps you would consent to afternoon tea with myself and my wife, Mielikki, Goddess of the Forest?"

Annabeth turned her astonished look at Harry. "We can't take you anywhere," she muttered to him. "Do you have to turn everything in an adventure?"

Harry gave a wry grin and a shrug. "Come on, let's be polite, introduce ourselves, and have tea. Having tea isn't an adventure."