Rachel blinked rapidly, clutching her head as if trying to remember a dream she couldn't quite... well... remember.
"You gave us a new prophecy," Annabeth said gently, helping her sit up against the side of the bed. "A big one."
Rachel groaned. "Great. I feel like I swallowed an entire campfire."
I dug into my backpack and pulled out a bottle of water. "Here. Hydrate before we dump the whole apocalypse on you."
She took a long sip, grimaced, and said, "Okay... hit me. What did I say?"
Annabeth launched into a rapid recap: Lord of Devourers, six heroes, bloodlines, crescent moons, and blah blah blah, the other ominous sounding stuff. Rachel's expression darkened with each sentence.
"This is bigger than anything I've ever channeled," she muttered.
I flopped onto the bed, covering my eyes with an arm. "Bigger than 'save the Gods from their Father'? Bigger than 'save the earth from Earth'? Fantastic. No pressure."
"Focus, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth snapped, turning back to Rachel. "Did you see anything else? Images? Visions?"
Rachel shut her eyes, brow furrowed, like she was summoning a memory from some really awful nightmare. "Flashes... a giant castle... black-robed figures... something about a raven... and an army. A huge army... storming the castle."
Annabeth and I exchanged a look.
"A giant castle," I repeated slowly. "In England."
Annabeth's stormy gray eyes narrowed. "Hidden things... magic... strange birds... Wait. That sounds like Hogwarts."
Rachel opened one eye. "What's a Hogwarts? And why do we care?"
Annabeth ignored her, already pacing, muttering under her breath. "Of course! One of the strongest magical strongholds in the mortal world. If something ancient attacked... that's where it would be!"
I sat up, waving my hands like a drowning demigod. "Wait. Wait. Wait. So we have to break into a school full of wizards and witches... just because the prophecy said so? Can we go home instead?"
"Technically," Annabeth said, her smirk growing, "we're not breaking in. We're sneaking in."
"Totally different," I deadpanned.
Rachel coughed weakly. "One problem... I dont know what a Hogwarts is."
I rolled my eyes at Rachel. "You really don't know what Hogwarts is?
Rachel shook her head in puzzlement. "Nope, is it like some kind of summercamp? Like different version of Camp Half- Blood or something?"
Annabeth sat down next to her, putting on her teacher voice, the one that makes you either listen, or be forced to jump off a cliff.
"Hogwarts is this school for wizards and witches," she said, "Well, I found an ancient scroll in one of our camp archives and it talks a lot about "magic" and things that even the Gods couldn't explain. Apparently, the school has been around for thousands of years, and its pretty protected, most mortals don't know about it. It trains kids who have special powers. It teaches them how to control it, and keeps dangerous stuff from spilling into the mortal world."
Rachel blinked slowly. "Wait... kids? Magic? Secret school? So... we're supposed to go there? How do we prove its real?"
I leaned back with a smug smile: "Apart from the fact that my girlfriend is a genius who reads every ancient text, magical scroll, and probably wizard blog that exists. Chiron has also once mentioned it in passing once when we were poking through the library. Apparently when we were having war with Gaia there were a bit of disturbances noticed in some parts of Scotland. Chiron sent some people to go investigate, and it was kind of strange, there was something like the mist that was shielding them from seeing anything, but one satyr reported meeting a centaur in this forest and it told them about a castle that is hidden from mortal eyes."
Annabeth shot me a look that clearly said don't try to make this about you. Then continued as if nothing happened:
"So yeah all the descriptions basically match up, and we have to assume that's the right one, because there's no way the prophecy was triggered here, in Scotland and it doesnt have anything to do with the biggest ancient magical fortress, Hogwarts."
Rachel nodded, starting to understand. "So if we've understood the prophecy right, whatever's stirring will target Hogwarts?"
I felt kind of useless, so I decided to join in with nodding. "Yeah pretty much, but Hogwarts is... kind of a secret. Normal mortals can't just stroll in and hope no one will notice. Like come on."
Annabeth's eyes sparkled like she'd just been handed a lightning bolt. "Not if we know the right magic."
I groaned. "You're enjoying this way too much."
Annabeth crossed her arms. "Think, Percy. Hogwarts might be the solution. If we don't stop whatever's waking up, the Lord of Devourers spreads his army across the mortal world. You want to explain that to Chiron?"
"I'd rather fight a hundred hydras than deal with Chiron angry," I admitted.
Rachel wobbled to her feet, still pale but steadier. "So... what's the plan?"
Annabeth smiled grimly. "First, we need someone who can get us inside Hogwarts."
I blinked. "You... know a wizard?"
"Not exactly," she said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But if we're lucky... Rachel's relatives might."
Cue a loud knock at the door.
"Oi! Dinner's ready!" came a familiar voice.
I shot Annabeth a panicked look. "Wait—you don't think—?"
Her grin widened. "Didn't you notice their kitchen? The dishes were washing by themselves, and the clock, did you see what was written on it? I think we're staying with the perfect family."
***
Downstairs, we dumped everything on Molly Weasley. Starting from the very beginning, from our godly parents, to our fights with Kronos and Gaia, lastly ending with the prophecy that Rachel just channeled.
Molly shook her head in disbelief, pausing for a long time before opening her mouth again: "And I thought Hogwarts went through a lot... I... you three seriously... this is big. You're telling me Gods are real? Okay, we're gonna need to notify Headmistress McGonagall before you guys step into Hogwarts. "
I almost choked on my mashed potatoes. "Wait, what?"
Annabeth gave me the look. "Eat slower, Seaweed Brain. She means we need permission."
Molly nodded. "Security's tighter than ever these days. You can't just waltz in. Especially after... well, everything that's happened."
Rachel leaned over the table. "So... there's a chance?"
Ron, buttering five pieces of bread at once, grinned. "If anyone can convince McGonagall, it's Mum."
George added with a smirk, "Yeah. No one survives a proper Molly Weasley scolding. Not even a dragon."
Molly flushed. "Oh, behave, you two."
I groaned again. "Great. Hogwarts. Official permission. Scolding dragons. Just my kind of trip."
Annabeth tapped her fingers against her plate, thinking. "Assuming we get permission... how do we blend in? I don't exactly have a wand lying around."
"Or robes," I added. "Or... owls?"
Ginny piped up from the far end. "You won't need an owl. And as for robes, we've got some old ones lying around. They might be a little... charred from past adventures, but they'll do. Diagon Alley will sort the rest once you get permission."
Ron added, mouth full, "No one's gonna notice a few new faces with all the crazy stuff going on."
Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "What crazy stuff?"
Ron glanced at his mum, lowering his voice. "Strange magical surges near the Forbidden Forest. Something old woke up. Dark stuff. Even Hogwarts professors are nervous."
I gulped. "Sounds charming."
Molly stood, wiping her hands. "I'll contact McGonagall tonight. Until then, you three stay here. Safe."
Rachel sagged back in relief, and I shared a look with Annabeth: part excitement, part oh-gods-what-are-we-getting-into-again.
Later that night, I lay on the lumpy mattress, staring at the ceiling.
"You think McGonagall will say yes?" I whispered.
Annabeth, sketching maps by wand-light, shrugged. "She'll understand. If Hogwarts is involved, the stakes are too high to ignore."
Rachel mumbled something about lettuce and dark towers in her sleep.
I let out a long sigh.
"Another prophecy," I muttered. "Another quest."
And somehow, I had the sinking feeling this one was going to be our craziest yet.