~~~

Shaking his head, Nico said, "Wait, are we... sad that Dumbledore's gone, or...?"

"Yes." Annabeth growled. "And when you two see Harry, Ron, and Hermione, you will be sad. Because they lost a mentor and a friend. Imagine if you lost Chiron."

Just then, Percy noticed the trio walking towards them from the Great Hall.

~~~

"Percy! You're okay!" Hermione exclaimed, running up to give Percy a hug.

Percy forced a smile. "Yeah, yeah. Are you?" He asked, pulling away.

Hermione's eyes dropped to the floor. "Dumbledore..."

"I know," Percy replied. "But I'm asking about you three."

Hermione gazed up at Percy with tears in her eyes. "We're okay." Percy continued to stare at her, waiting for the truth. "Or, at least, we will be."

Percy nodded, glancing at Harry and Ron's sullen faces.

Harry's frown didn't last for long once he noticed Nico. "Who's that?" He asked, pointing at the demigod.

Swallowing what Annabeth would have called a 'rude retort', Percy replied, "That's my cousin, Nico." Turning back around to face the demigod, "Nico, that's Harry, that's Ron," Gesturing to the witch next to him, Percy said, "And this is Hermione."

Before Nico could say anything, Harry fired off another question to Percy. "Is he a demigod too?"

Nico frowned, looking at Percy. "I am here aren't I?"

Percy stifled a laugh. Nodding, Nico walked right up to Harry. "Well, he is a demigod actually. Son of Hades."

"Nico!" Annabeth scolded.

He turned around. "What? So you and Percy can tell them but I can't? That's so unfair."

"You're not even supposed to be here," Annabeth reminded through gritted teeth.

Nico's mouth formed an 'O'.

Ron watched the scene unfold, not wanting to get involved. The universe had other plans.

"Ron, right?" Nico asked, walking up to him. Annabeth facepalmed. Ron was the last person Nico should confront and he knew it.

"Yeah?"

"You need all the help you can get in this, right?"

"Uh..." Ron looked between Harry and Hermione's encouraging faces, and Percy and Annabeth's glares.

"Right?"

"Um, I guess? But- but, I think we're okay. Uh, you know what? It's uh, it's not really my call. I think, uh, you should probably talk to Nico- I mean, Percy! Yeah. Percy and Annabeth."

Nico frowned. "A quest has three people right?" He asked Percy and Annabeth. "There's only two of you."

Percy shook his head. "There wasn't a designated amount of people for this. The prophecy just stated Harry and I."

Nico groaned. "So you're telling me, because of the prophecy, I can't join?"

"Yes," Percy and Annabeth replied in unison.

"Didn't you invite yourself on the quest with Thalia and Bianca?" Nico asked. "Or, or was it the quest through the Sea of Monsters?"

Percy glared. "That was literal years ago. Also, how do you even know about the Sea of Monsters? You weren't even at camp!"

Nico smiled. Smug, he replied, "Will told me."

Annabeth sighed, knowing Nico wasn't going to let this go.

"Will wouldn't like you putting yourself in danger," Percy pointed out.

"Will was the one who suggested I follow you to the Styx," Nico retorted.

Ron interrupted the two demigods' bickering. "What's the Styx?"

"Not important," Percy replied, turning back to Nico.

"They don't know?" Nico asked. Looking at the trio, he replied, "The Styx is a river in the Underworld that we make unbreakable oaths on, and if you take a swim in it like Percy here did, you become basically indestructible."

Percy glared at Nico. He ran a hand through his hair, before turning back to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "It's a curse," He elaborated. "The Curse of Achilles. You can't be injured, except for one spot on your body. If that part gets hurt, then you die," Percy explained nonchalantly.

"Why would you do that?" Hermione demanded.

"I was asking myself that too," Annabeth agreed, sending a glare to Percy.

Percy sighed. They wouldn't understand. "I had to."

"No you most definitely did not," Nico said.

"Nico!" Percy snapped. "Go back to camp."

The group was taken aback by Percy's tone. Percy rubbed his face, before running his hand through his hair again.

Taking a deep breath, Percy tried to explain to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Look, I've done this before, okay? I know what I'm doing, and I know I can handle it. I'll be fine, alright? I had to do this, okay? The quest, the war, it depended on it." Sighing, Percy turned to look at Annabeth. "I'm going to go the dorm and get some sleep." Turning back to the trio and Nico, Percy mumbled a 'good night'.

The group watched as Percy walked away towards to the Gryffindor common room.

Once he was gone, Hermione turned towards Nico and Annabeth, concerned. "Is he okay? I haven't seen him like this since he first came to Hogwarts... and that was when he thought you were dead," She said to Annabeth.

"I don't know," Annabeth mumbled. Louder, she said, "I think it's getting to him. He hasn't had a break, you know? It's been one thing after another..." She trailed.

After a few seconds of silence Annabeth shook her head, a frown taking place. "He's such a seaweed brain. He knew it. Gods, Percy."

"What? What is it?" Ron asked.

"Percy knew that Nico would have to get involved. Will, too. The demigods at camp... it's in the freakin prophecy, and I wouldn't be shocked if he's known it all along."

Nico stared at Annabeth confused. "What?"

Harry's eyes lit up in understanding. "The first line of the prophecy- two half-bloods shall reunite them all- wizards and demigods. But we already knew that," Harry finished, also confused.

"Percy knows something we don't," Hermione concluded.

"Yeah," Annabeth muttered. "Percy, what are you hiding?"

"What?" Ron asked.

"Percy is at his breaking point. I- I don't know how much more he can handle."

Hermione walked over to Annabeth, comfortingly putting a hand on her shoulder. "He's under a lot of pressure. Lots of stuff is happening right now. He'll be okay."

Annabeth shook her head and shrugged off Hermione's hand. "No- no this is different. I've seen Percy at his worst, he... I barely recognized him. I'm worried."

"Well if Annabeth is worried, we should be too, right?" Ron asked, receiving glares from all directions. "What? I'm just pointing it out. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Percy is scary, and I would not want to be on the opposite end of the scariness."

Hermione began to reprimand him, before Annabeth cut her off. "No, he's right."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Taking a deep breath, Annabeth tried to explain. "When Percy and I were in... Tartarus, we were at our worst. No food, no sleep, surviving on literal fire water... it was bad. Every second was a life or death moment and every decision we made had the potential to kill us," She took another deep breath to calm her now racing heart. The trio listened intently to Annabeth's recollection.

Annabeth continued, "Everything there was designed to kill us. The atmosphere, the monsters... we should have died. Towards the end, as we were almost out, we were trapped. Percy he- he was determined to get us- to get me- out. He didn't care about what happened to him. He never did. That was the first time I saw the true extent of what he could do. He..." Annabeth gulped, remembering the terrifying moment, "He choked a goddess. With her own poison. And he would have killed her, if I didn't stop him. And he only stopped because I was scared. That wasn't the Percy I knew..." Annabeth trailed off.

Nico put his hand on Annabeth's shoulder to bring her back to the present. Snapping out of it, Annabeth gave a weak smile.

"I'm not stupid," She said. "I know that during the time I was gone, Percy used his powers in ways he shouldn't have. I know that. But now, he doesn't have them. He's related to the guy we're fighting against. His friends are in danger, and to help, he has to put more of his friends in danger. Danger, that he himself can't necessarily control."

Annabeth stopped, realizing what was happening.

"Annabeth?" Harry hesitantly asked.

"He can't control it."

"I'm not following," Harry said.

"Me neither." Ron agreed.

"Percy was going to use his powers to control Voldemort. If it didn't go the way it was supposed to- if nothing worked, Percy's plan was to kill him- make him choke on his own blood."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Nico stared at Annabeth with wide eyes.

Harry shook his head. "No, earlier he had a dream that basically said he couldn't defeat Voldemort, that it wasn't his job."

"Then maybe that's why his powers are gone?" Hermione suggested.

"Maybe," Annabeth mused.

"Maybe he just needs sleep?" Ron suggested. Everyone casted him reluctant looks. "He did say the curse makes him tired. Watch- I bet you he'll be better by morning."