Hola! I am back with another update! YAY! Sorry 'bout the long wait, but its summer now, baby! Expect updates at LEAST two times a week, maybe even three! One problem though: I'm gone almost the whole month of July. I leave for camp July 10th, and I don't get back till like…August 4th. So I'll try to update as much as I can until then! Another problem: My Bat Mitzvah (look it up, I'm not going to explain) is next year, therefore I'm going to be going through a lot of tutoring and training, which leaves very little time to write. So…yeah. Busy summer. Oh, AND I have to have my novel done by the end of the summer. I DON'T EVEN HAVE A FULL CHAPTER DONE YET! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I promised my two best friends/editors!

Ahem. Uh, anyway, Son of Neptune updates soon, winners included yadda yadda yadda. You get the point.

Now, without further annoying babbling, I give you...CHAPTER THREE!

Percy

A word about whatever it was they were doing: it was far worse than shadow traveling. At least when you shadow traveled, you could actually breathe and feel. Right about now, the only thing Percy could feel was himself being squeezed through what seemed like a very narrow tube, with absolutely no air what so ever. So yeah, much worse.

Just when Percy felt like he was going to die of suffocation, his feet connected with solid ground, and he stumbled onto an old street lined with dilapidated houses, his stomach extremely queasy. However, he was too busy gulping in precious air to puke (or so he hoped.) Nico wasn't so lucky. Almost immediately, he doubled over and threw up violently in the bushes. He wiped his mouth, cursing, making Annabeth (who was clinging to Percy, her face unusually pale) glare at him reproachfully.

It was around then that the other girl noticed them. The brunette yanked her hand away (which Percy hadn't realized he'd still been holding), her eyes wide and panicked. Whispering unintelligibly, she began tapping the redhead's back frantically, stealing glances at the stowaways. The two boys turned around, seemingly irritated…that is, until they noticed Percy and friends. The shock on their faces was almost comical, and Percy had to elbow Nico in the ribs when he started to snicker. The strange teens began to whisper amongst themselves. Percy didn't catch any of the conversation, but they seemed to be in an argument of sorts by the looks of it.

"Excuse me," Annabeth butted in, making them freeze, "But if you're quite finished bickering, we'd like to know where we are."

"And who you are," Nico added.

"And what the Hades just happened," Percy finished.

They exchanged looks. The brunette gave the tiniest nod, like she had a plan.

"My name's Hermione," The girl said. She pointed to the redhead, "That's Ron… and that is Harry," She whispered that last part. "We're at Grimmauld place," she didn't seem too pleased about that. "And you just apparated."

"Apparated," Annabeth repeated, looking skeptical, "What in the world is apparating?"

"The…" Hermione searched for a way to explain it properly, "It's a form of wizard travel,"

"Like shadow traveling…" Nico muttered. Annabeth elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow! Would you stop that?" he hissed.

"You people aren't wizards…are you?" The black haired one, Harry, murmured.

Percy swallowed. He turned to Annabeth. Their silent conversation went a little like this:

Percy: Should we lie?

Annabeth: No, No. They might ask for proof.

Percy: You're right. Something tells me that Hermione isn't going to be easy to fool.

Annabeth: Uh-huh. We should probably just have Nico get us back home, but honestly, I'm curious.

Percy: Me too. So we'll tag along.

Annabeth: Whatever you do, don't mention the whole demigod thing. They don't need to know.

"No," Percy said at last. "At least not exactly." Annabeth kicked him in the shin.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Way to be subtle Annie." He turned to Hermione, Ron and Harry. "So, what exactly are we doing at this 'Grimmauld Place'?"

"Why should we tell you anything more?" Ron asked, irritated. "You haven't told us a thing, save for your names!"

"Look, we haven't told you anything because it's not our secret to tell. Unlike you, we can't wipe memories." Nico stopped, as if he had just come up with a great idea (Which, Percy noted, was not something he had often). "Okay, I'll make a deal with you. You tell us everything, let us help with whatever it is, yes I know there's something, and when it's all said and done, you can wipe our memories clean." Annabeth looked appalled, partly because of what he was suggesting, and partly because of the terrible run-on…ness of the previous sentence.

"You'll be done with whatever it is, your precious little secret will be safe, and we can be on our merry way, our secret safe as well. Everybody wins."

This proposition as met by Annabeth elbowing him in the ribs yet again. "Idiot!" she hissed. "I don't want my memories wiped!"

"I think it's a good idea," Percy shrugged.

"Says the one with the hero complex!" Annabeth growled.

"Well, there's no need to be hurtful…" Percy muttered "Even if it's true."

"Would you two stop bickering for one second?" Nico hissed. He turned the other three (who seemed a bit taken aback) and folded his arms, one eyebrow arched. "Well? What'll it be?"

They all turned to Harry, who gave the slightest nod.

"Fine," he said, though he didn't look too pleased. "But not here."

His eyes scanned the dilapidated houses. Finally, he fixed his gaze on one. Number twelve. For some reason, the house seemed…fuzzy. Like Percy was looking at it through foggy glasses. Nico and Annabeth seemed to be having the same problem, for they kept blinking and squinting.

"Why does it look so…fuzzy?" Annabeth questioned, blinking profusely.

"You can see it, Annie?" Hermione gaped. "That shouldn't be possible…what about you, Nick, Perry?"

It took a moment for them to realize who she was talking to. "Uh, yeah I can see it," 'Perry' answered, rubbing his neck nervously. "But Anna—Uh Annie's right. It's…well, fuzzy."

'Nick' nodded in silent agreement. Hermione tilted her head, confused. "But…but you're muggles! As in no magic! You aren't supposed to be able to see it! It's protected!"

"Like the mist…" Percy muttered.

"Pardon?"

"N-nothing. Look, we're not exactly muggles either. At least…if a muggle is what I think it is…."

"So…you're squibs?" Hermione asked, seeming glad to have a logical reason.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Let's go with that." They all nodded, like 'oh that explains it!', but Percy could tell they didn't believe it.

"Let's just go inside," Nico suggested.

"Good idea, Nick…" They trudged up the stone steps, up to the ragged door. Harry took out his wand…thing and tapped the door once with it. There was a series of metallic clicks, the clang of a chain, and the door swung open with a sharp creak. The six of them hurried over the threshold, Nico closing the door behind them. Old-fashioned gas lamps flickered to life, throwing light down the hallway. It was an eerie place, line with cobwebs and outlines of what looked like…heads. There was a staircase leading upwards, and a troll's leg umbrella stand lay on its side.

"I think someone's been in here," Hermione whispered, pointing towards it.

"That could have happened when the Order left," Ron reasoned.

"The Order?" Percy whispered, confused. They ignored him.

"So where are these jinxes they put up against Snape?" Harry asked.

"Snape?" Nico questioned, only to be ignored as well.

"Maybe they're only activated if he shows up?" suggested Ron.

They stayed with their backs against the wall, too frightened to make a mover.

"Well, we can't just stand here forever," said Percy, and he took a tentative step forward.

"Severus Snape?"

A harsh voiced rang out in the darkness, and all six of them jumped in fright.

Percy cried, "I'm not Snape!" just before cold air whooshed over them and his tongue curled over itself. He made a startled noise in the back of his throat, and his tongue unraveled.

By their expressions, Percy guessed the others had experienced the same thing. Ron was retching; Hermione stammered, "That m-must have b-been the T-Tongue-Tying Curse Mad-Eye set up for Snape!"

"I'm S-sorry, who?" Annabeth muttered, but she was ignored just as Percy and Nico were.

Hesitantly, his heart hammering in his chest, Percy took another step forward, but immediately wished he hadn't. Further down the hall, something in the shadows shifted, and before any of them could even say a thing, a figure had risen from the carpet, tall, dust-colored, and terrible; Hermione and Annabeth screamed, as did someone else, but Percy was too freaked out to even care. The gray figure flew towards them, faster and faster, its long hair and beard streaming behind it, its face sunken, fleshless, with empty eye sockets. It raised a wasted arm, and pointed it at Percy, who didn't do anything more than scream.

Harry found his voice, his wand raised. "No!" he shouted, "No! It wasn't us! We didn't kill you-"

On the word kill the figure exploded in a mushroom cloud of dust. Percy doubled over, coughing. Annabeth and Nico were clinging to each other, too traumatized to be embarrassed; Harry was just standing their, panicked. Hermione crouched on the floor, her hands over her head, while a shaking Ron patted her back clumsily, saying, "It's all r-right…it's g-gone…"

Someone, who Percy could not identify, continued to scream.

"Mudbloods, filth, stains of dishonor, taint of shame on the house of my fathers—"

"SHUT UP!" Harry bellowed, swiveling around to point his wand at the…portrait? Percy suddenly felt dizzy. With a bang and a shower of sparks erupted. The curtains swung shut, and there was silence.

"That…that was…" Hermione whimpered, as Ron helped her up.

"Yeah," said Harry, "But it wasn't really him, was it? Just something to scare Snape."

Percy still had no idea what they were talking about, but he decided not to ask. Nico and Annabeth untangled themselves, and they set off down the hall, Percy's heart still hammering. He half expected another zombie dust-bunny to jump out at them, but nothing more than a mouse moved.

"Before we go any further," Hermione whispered, raising her wand, "I think we should check." She pointed her wand outward and said, "Homenum revelio."

Nothing happened.

"Well, you've just had a big shock," Ron said kindly, "What was that supposed to do?"

"It did exactly what it was meant to do!" Hermione hissed irritably. "That was a spell to reveal Human presence, and there's nobody here but us!"

"And old Dusty over there," Nico muttered, jutting his chin to the patch of carpet the figure had risen from.

"You were right, by the way," Nico said, turning to Harry. "That…thing wasn't alive."

"And how would you know?" Hermione asked, still cross.

"You have your secrets, and we have ours," Nico replied ominously. Hermione narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but said nothing.

YAY! Done. MONSTER chapter here. Some of it was directly from the book, I do not own, yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill. Anyways, updates soon, maybe even tomorrow. Have a great summer everyone!

~The ULTIMATE Catchphrase~