𝙰𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 [𝙿𝙹𝙾 𝚡 𝙷𝙿] (𝟷)

8

SNEAKING OUT OF CAMP

"Sneaking out of camp?" Sirius muttered, raising an eyebrow at his daughter and her friends. His voice carried a mix of curiosity and mild disapproval.

(Name) offered a vague explanation, "Well, you'll see the reason why."

Regulus, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, smirked knowingly. "Well, I knew it all along."

Draco looked at (Name) with mild amusement. "Sneaking out of camp... How very... Gryffindor of you."

Narcissa smiled slightly, "I must admit, I'm curious to see what happens next."

The Tonks couple were more relaxed. Andromeda said, "As long as no one gets hurt, what's the harm?" Then she silently thought in her mind with a sigh, 'I doubt that it's gonna be safe since they're always getting into trouble without knowing...'

(Name), Annabeth, Percy, Tyson and Grover all shared a look, knowing that she was truly wrong about someone not getting hurt.

Nico, Zach, Will and a few of the other future generation wixens shook their heads at that.

As Tantalus saw it, the Stymphalian birds had merely been going about their business in the woods and wouldn't have attacked if (Name), Annabeth, Tyson, and Percy hadn't disturbed them with their less-than-stellar chariot driving skills.

Ginny frowned at the narration. "How is that your fault?"

Sirius chimed in, "Leave it to Tantalus to blame the victims."

Lily nodded. "It's absurd to think that just because they were there, they were responsible for being attacked. That's like saying it's a muggle's fault for being bitten by a dog just because they walked by."

"Or like Snape's fault for being, well... Snape," Sirius quipped, earning a snicker from James and Remus.

Snape glared but remained silent, his eyes dark and brooding. "Always so witty, Black. Keep it up, and I'll charm your hair green."

Annabeth, standing with Percy, rolled her eyes at the bickering. "Regardless, the birds were a threat that needed to be dealt with."

"Right," Harry added, looking thoughtful. "And it's not like you went out of your way to provoke them. Sometimes things just happen."

Hermione nodded. "Exactly. And blaming you for something like this is just... illogical."

"But that's Tantalus for you," said Percy, crossing his arms. "He's always been unreasonable."

All the demigods nodded in agreement.

Sentencing the four of them to kitchen patrol was Tantalus's way of teaching them a lesson. So, they found themselves scrubbing pots and platters all afternoon in the underground kitchen, with the cleaning harpies as their supervisors.