Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, nor any of their related entities and properties. This story is written by a fan, for fans, for no gain or profit to me.

There is no good and evil, there is only power... and those too weak to seek it.

The punishing heat of the mid-afternoon sun seemed to pound against Harry in waves, almost in direct counter to his still somewhat aching body. Admittedly, the swim in the river had done him some good, but the cool water had long since evaporated. He gave the small canteen lashed to Bianca's hip a brief, longing glance, but shook his head at her questioning look. If she could hold out awhile longer, so could he, though he inwardly cursed the decision to endure the hot midday sun and walk through rather than take shelter as they had the previous day.

It was a silly attempt at competition, he knew, but it helped him keep going- and deep down, he knew he needed the help. Well, that, and his promise to help her with quest. His promise was important- more important than a contest that was entirely in his head, truthfully- but that one-sided competition was something immediate, something he could grasp onto while putting one foot in front of the other.

"We can rest, if you need to," she said, probably for the third time in the last hour. She, at least, seemed much less affected by the desert sun. It bothered him, perhaps irrationally, to seem so much... less... than this strange girl. He was older than she, and had powers she knew not- though she, too, had powers, he grudgingly admitted. Still, Harry shook his head.

"We have to keep going. I'll be alright," he said in clipped tones. She sighed, and he felt slight pang of guilt for the shortness with which he spoke, but... he was so tired, walking this desert wasteland without end. Harry knew it had only been a few hours since they'd decided to continue with Bianca's quest, and it rankled that much more that he was so ill-suited to their journey. It wasn't her fault, though, but he still couldn't completely stomp down that twinge of anger he felt towards both her and himself.

But by the time the sun started to set, he truly regretted his hasty choice to go west with Bianca. For all that she'd offered to take a break any time he seemed to waver, she'd set a pretty brutal pace, undaunted by sun or heat. For himself, he was quite sure he had a lovely sunburn, and every part of him ached. So lost in his musings was he that he missed it when Bianca abruptly stopped, taking several steps past her before her low hiss caused him to turn, an angry retort on his lips.

The words died unspoken as he saw the bright green light reflected in her eyes, which were wide with shock. That light...

A blinding green flash. A cruel, high laugh. And then pain...

He wasn't quite sure how it happened- or why- but before he knew it, before he could even think about it, but Harry had palmed his magic stick and spun, crouching low and warily pointing the stick in the direction of that eerie green light.

That laugh... I know that laugh... but again, the memory refused to identify itself. Unlike the others, the ones that slipped free, though, this one burned a path into his thoughts. This memory, he knew, wasn't going anywhere.

His reaction must have shocked Bianca to move, too, though he didn't realize it until she'd crept forward, crouching beside him. In the distance, he could see what had surprised her, his own thoughts surprisingly clear despite the pure hatred that bright green light had elicited in his thoughts.

A fire. A simple campfire, yet instead of a comforting orange or hot yellow it was green. That green, which now seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his brain. And seven figures, arranged in a rough circle around it, clad in simple, dark robes which were not dissimilar to his own, though in much better shape. One of the figures had... something, some oblong shape the size of a large grapefruit raised high overhead.

This time, it was Harry who hissed wordlessly, as Bianca began to creep forward towards the still-distant fire. But unlike him, she ignored the warning and continued to creep forward- admittedly more skillfully, more quietly, than he could manage. He couldn't let her go alone, though- that group was up to something and while before he might have saved the life of a stranger, there was no way he'd let a friend go alone into danger.

With a single, fluid motion that spoke of long practice, he pulled his tightly bound cloak- thankful that the stifling heat of day had finally begun to give way to a cooler evening- around his head and body, hoping it would help mask his approach from prying eyes. Trying as best he could to to tread softly, he quickly crept his way foward to Bianca's side.

"-free, but if we succeed here, we can break her power before she reaches Olympus."

Harry strained to hear as the wind carried the words to his ear, staying close by Bianca's side as they eavesdropped- too close, he felt, though there was little to be done about it now.

"With a deer's head?" a dubious voice asked from one of the nebulous forms.

The first voice, from the head of the circle, responded, the obling shape- a deer's head, apparently, which was something Harry felt he'd have been quite happy not knowing- still held aloft. "The Olympians have foolishly brought the old magics to these shores. I doubt they even realize... but the advantage is ours. The ritual will work, and Artemis' power will be broken, and when she falls, their tower of cards falls too."

"Stop being so melodramatic, Michael, and let's get on with it. I'm getting cold." A female voice, this time, directly to the left of creep with the deer's head.

Bianca glanced over her shoulder towards where Harry had stood before he'd crept forward to join her, hand raised to motion him forward... and paused, confusion painted on her face. Her head whipped around, eyes passing right over him twice and worry etching her features. He reached out and gently tapped her arm, hoping not to startle her too badly. I must've been sneakier than I realized, he thought with a smile.

The girl started, staring at his hand. "H... Harry? Is that you?" Her voice quavered a bit, but her body was stock-still as she stared. He nodded, not wanting to risk making more niose, but she didn't respond. "Harry?" she asked again after a moment.

"I'm right here in front of you," he whispered, trying to keep his voice as low as possible.

Thankfully, hearing his voice seemed to calm her down some. "I can't see you except your hand... is that more of your magic?"

Not wanting to admit to ignorance- and realizing even with his limited knowledge of the situation, these people were up to nothing good- he nodded again, then grimaced. She can't see me nod. Smart, Harry, very smart.

"Yeah." He paused a moment before speaking again. "It sounds like this lot means trouble... what do you think we should do?"

She visibly gathered herself, her eyes snapping back towards the gathering. Her voice was steel. "Lady Artemis is in danger. Our path is clear- whatever they're up to, we have to stop." He nodded, a tiny voice in his head wondering what chance two had against seven. Perhaps they might find some way to disrupt whatever dark magics this coven had prepared?

Whatever plans they might have created, though, died unspoken as the gathering's leader began chanting. Bianca's trainers were barely a whisper against the hard dirt and soft sand as she darted forward wordlessly, a faint silver glow almost a halo about her as she darted forward. Biting back a swear or three- I seem to be doing that a lot, lately- he rushed forward after her, magic stick raised high and words of power on his lips.

Bianca was slim and light and young, but with a Half-Blood's strength and surprise at her side, she managed to bowl over one of the robed strangers, a lanky boy- at least Harry assumed it was a boy, from the sound of his startled cry- head and shoulders taller than her who had been reaching for a steaming chalice.

Immediately, the others cried out in alarm, the sickly green fire erupting wildly and scattering the circle. "An intruder! Kill her quickly, we have little time!" their seeming-leader shouted, dropping the deer's head and drawing a wickedly curved knife that seemed to be as long as Harry's forearm. To Bianca's left, another robed figure drew a similar blade, poised to strike her while she disentangled herself from her downed target.

Like Bianca, though, it seemed as though the cultists didn't realize Harry was there. It was a simple matter, then, for him to level his stick and take aim. It bucked slightly in his hand as a luminous half-sphere launched outwards, almost faster than he could follow. No one could miss the loud, dull cracking of bones splintering, though, nor the pained gurgle as the robed figure crumpled to the ground.

But it was still five on two, and three of them were quickly closing around Bianca, too close for Harry to strike out at them without risking hitting her as well. The other two were rushing in his direction, though strangely, they still couldn't tell exactly where he was. He'd have to settle them quickly, he knew, and hope Bianca could hold long enough for him to help in her battle as well.

-HPPoH-

Bianca danced back as one of the strange Half-Bloods' daggers sought her neck, nimbly evading his seemingly clumsy attack as she lashed out with her own knife. A cry and splash of blood told her she'd found her own target even as she spun away from a second enemy's strike. Inwardly, she marvelled at how... how slow they seemed. Not as though they were moving through molasses, exactly, but rather as though they were trying to dance when they didn't really know how, and kept fumbling the steps.

And yet, they were obviously trained warriors, perhaps Campers- well, former Campers- themselves. She knew on some level that being a Hunter meant that she had certain advantages, but had no idea she'd be so much, well, better than they were.

A flash was all the warning she had, and quick though she was, she still gasped in pain as the leader's curved blade sliced through shirt and skin effortlessly. It wasn't bad, she thought, but gods did it hurt! Her return strike was clumsy- Zoe would have had her hide if she'd seen it- and he easily avoided her, a mocking laugh her only response.

"You're a Hunter, aren't you, little girl? Your blood will make up for that you spilled today." He and his remaining ally came at her together, daggers darting forward in tandem as she staggered back, her movements uncoordinated as she tried desperately to ignore the pain and focus on the fight. The ally- the girl, she thought- split slightly from their leader, rushing forward suddenly and lashing out in a rapid pattern of strikes, forcing Bianca to dodge away again, desperately trying to keep the girl's blade from her throat.

And then, agony blossomed as she felt another knife bite deeply into her side. A cry of pain escaped her throat despite herself, and she heard a voice- the same as the fellow she'd struck first, she realized- laughing in her ear as his blade came free.

Her eyes filled with tears as she reacted, faster than she thought possible, and the voice in her ear became a gurgle as her knife lashed out blindly. She was only dimly aware of the feel of his life flickering away as she fell backwards. She felt a warmth on her hand as he staggered to the ground beside her, his hands clawing and grasping futilely at his throat. She barely noticed as several beams of light lanced out past her, striking down the shocked figures who were standing over her, poised to strike.

The faint light of the cultist's life flickered away, dancing free even as she tried to grasp it, tried to force it back. He was dead.

-HPPoH-

Harry was already rushing towards Bianca as his last spell struck the final enemy still standing, letting his cloak fall to the ground, forgotten.

She was bleeding from two injuries that he could see, one a fairly minor-seeming gash, the other a bad wound in her side. Bianca seemed completely unconcerned, though, as she stared at her own blood-covered hand.

"I think I killed him," she said quietly, her voice a faint echo of the confidence she'd shown earlier that day. "I didn't mean to... I... he's dead."

He glanced at the still form just behind her, a dagger lodged in the bloke's throat. "I... yeah. But... it's..." He glanced at the body again. I would not know... I have never died. He shook his head angrily. "It was him or you. You... you did what you had to." She didn't respond, barely even stirred. "You did what you had to," he repeated, "not just to save yourself, but to protect Artemis."

"Artemis," she muttered, looking up at him. She seemed to draw strength from the name. "Yes. Yes, you're right. For Artemis. I just..." Her eyes cast downward once more. At the body.

Harry, though, was more worried about Bianca than he was about the person she'd inadvertently killed. He grabbed one of the fallen knives and quickly cut part of the robes off, wadding it up and pressing it to her side. She hissed in pain and looked down at his hand, then back to his eyes, nodding in gratitude. "I... thank you, Harry." She sighed. "She's safe... we protected her. I... I didn't fail after all, did I?"

He shook his head, smiling slightly, glad to be speaking of something other than the dead body at their side. "You didn't fail at all. Artemis is safe, and so are you. We'll be able to reunite you with her soon, then..." His voice was a bit brittle as he said that, though, and the words seemed hollow. She'd be with Artemis and her Hunters, and Harry would be... adrift, with no friends and no memories. At least he'd be able to keep his promise, even if it meant being alone in this strange world he knew nothing of.

A/N - Yes, a new chapter. Shocking, I know. I swore never to abandon a story, and by God I plan to keep that promise, even if it takes me forever to get something constructive written. And it was a constructive break, as I've got a good outline going finally rather than a completely vague idea of where I'm going with the story. Parts of the latter third of the story are still open, however, pending the final book. Yes, I currently plan to be somewhat compliant to Camp Half-Blood canon, aside from the obvious of Bianca being alive. Harry and Bianca (and friends, eventually) have their own story, rather than interfering in Percy and Jason and Annabeth's stories.

Harry Potter canon, is, of course, completely mucked up, but I do plan to keep true to established canon there too, aside from story things. For instance, yes, I DO plan to account for horcruxes and other book 5/6/7 stuff.

Speaking of Harry Potter, Correspondence Uninterrupted is also NOT abandoned. I just... don't much like the story. As part of the work I was doing on both stories, I re-read both of them and my notes on them, and I do not care at all for the multitude of errors and other silly things I've done with the story. This means a dreaded rework (NOT rewrite- the plot does not need serious adjustment, but my writing certainly does). I hate rewriting even as I acknowledge its necessity, which means that I will not be messing with Correspondence for a while longer. I would expect that I'll edit chapters and post new ones together as I go, since I won't have to mess with plot.

As always, I appreciate you spending the time to read my story, and I especially appreciate those who waited (patiently or otherwise) for me to actually post something new. You guys are the best! And as always, I have no beta, so any errors are purely my own, and I'm sure there's more than a few. Thanks for putting up with those, too.