Babysitting Hogwarts {Book 1}

Picnic

Annabeth

Percy showed me the book, and to be perfectly honest, I almost dropped it in shock. I never imagined that someone would know all of our adventures and publish it to the outside world. I couldn't believe that Dumbledore would put it in a library, let alone somewhere where Hermione would find it. Percy said that Dumbledore gave them a list of book recommendations, but I was surprised that he even knew what Hermione was looking for. Dumbledore continues to impress me, and if he wasn't fully wizard (I asked) then I would definitely consider him a child of Athena. Percy didn't tell anyone else about Hermione finding the book. I wanted to tell Chiron immediately, but Percy seemed unsure. He didn't want to jeopardise the mission, and he said that Chiron probably already had enough on his plate. I agreed but I still sent a letter to Chiron asking if he wanted us to tell the wizards anything.

Everyone was chipper on Sunday morning. Harry, Ron and Hermione seemed to be a little distant, and I hoped that they didn't overthink anything. I wanted to keep our secret for as long as possible. Percy told them that we performed the dirty work of the gods, and I still smile at his cheek. It isn't a lie, and Percy has always been slightly bitter about it, even though he doesn't want to let anyone else know. I see it in his eyes whenever we get a new quest. He looks sad, and I know that he's most likely thinking about a life without gods, monsters and powers. He imagines a normal life, and I empathise with him. I want a life where me and Percy don't have to worry about surviving a trip to the cinema. Granted, we can just go to New Rome, but sometimes I would like to go somewhere where normal, mortal couples go. Have a picnic by the lake and not have to look behind you for the spying Aphrodite kids taking photos and giggling. Gods, I hate the Aphrodite kids sometimes. I love Piper, but the new kids especially drive me up the wall. There're always interrupting me and Percy with their high pitched giggles.

We all walked down to the breakfast hall together. Me and Percy hung to the back, watching everyone else talk.

"Hey Annabeth. Do you want to come down to the lake this afternoon? I can sneak into the kitchen and take some food for a picnic. So," Percy flashed his signature smile. "How about it Wise Girl?" I laughed and grabbed his hand.

"We will have to see. I am packed with homework-"

"I don't see why you even bother. We're not here to learn, we're here to protect Harry." Percy grinned.

"I'll have you know, even though DA is exceptionally boring, I actually like learning about the wizard spells and history. I find it fascinating. Plus," I add, "Hermione showed me the Muggle Studies books that she has, and it's quite interesting to read. We don't really interact with the mortals, even though we are almost the same."

"Except the only difference is that we share the same DNA as the biggest jerks," Percy said. I chuckled. Thunder rumbled above us as we entered the hall. The ceiling seemed to have developed clouds.

"He thinks that he can threaten me," Percy whispered in my ear. "We all know that this is far out of his domain." Lightning zapped the floor right in front of him. He yelped and jumped back. I laughed. "Jason!" Percy called.

"What?" Jason asked and turned around. Then he saw that the ceiling was pouring rain onto Percy and he cracked up.

"Shut up Superboy. Fix this." Percy pointed to the clouds above him.I released he wasn't getting wet when I saw Hermione whisper something to Harry. I jogged over to him.

"Percy, you're not wet," I whispered into his ear. He turned to me, horrified.

"Please, no. I don't want to give him the satisfaction."

"People are starting to watch, Percy. Normal people tend to get wet when rained on."

"Fine" he grumbled and suddenly his robes were soaking wet. I grinned. Jason got out his wand, still laughing, and pointed at the sky. The clouds parted and the room was bathed in a natural-looking light.