Harry Potter and the Lost Half-Bloods. *1*

Annabeth

I lose a bet and Percy annoys me, as usual

ANNABETH: Being an overachiever may have its perks, but when you're so busy to the point where you don't even know where you're supposed to be, then that's when you began to take a step back and contemplate.

Between being a perfect for the second year in a row, top on all of my classes, and now Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, I had a lot on my plate. Adding family issues on top of that added more rubbish to the bin filled with my mess of a life! As things couldn't get any worse, Dumbledore and McGonagall decided to throw a ball this year. The Yule Ball last year was a success last year, and then they decided to do a little bit of something this year to spread some joy in a place that really needed it.

Don't get me wrong, it was a good idea. I just don't think the professors were thinking when they decided to have the prefects organize it. Sure, Frank Zhang wasn't a bad option for a prefect. But Percy Jackson? He would mess up everything. At least I had been assigned design. This ball would look fantastic.

When I got the prefect's letter over the summer, I wasn't surprised that I was on the list yet again. But adding Jackson, of all people? It was completely barbaric, and maybe the rumors that Dumbledore's mind was slowly unraveling with old age wasn't so far-fetched.

"Euan, Abercrombie!" The sorting hat interrupted me from my thoughts. I glanced at Hazel from across the great hall, she smirked in response. We had a bit of a bet. Since I had met Hazel in my third year, her first, we immediately hit it off. Every night we met in one another's common rooms, and every weekend we had a sleepover in each other's dorms. (We switched which house's common room we visited every week. This week was Hufflepuff.) Every year since we had become friends, we'd bet one another a sickle which house would gain a member first. My money was on Ravenclaw, of course. What do I say? I've got a fair amount of house pride. Hazel decided to go with Hufflepuff as her first guess, and Gryffindor as her second. To make things even, I went with Slytherin as my second top answer.

A nervous boy stepped up and sat onto the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on his head; it was only prevented from falling right down in his shoulders by his very prominent ears. The hat considered for a moment, then the rip near the brim opened again and shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

I swore under my breath and made a mental note that I needed to bring a few sickles with me when I visited the Hufflepuff house after the feast.

"Schist!" I murmured to myself, automatically.

"Annabeth Chase, what did you just say?" Cho Chang lectured me jokingly.

"I didn't swear," I laughed. "What you're thinking isn't what I said, I promise. I said--wait--what did I say?" Slip of the tongue.

"Hah! You're clever, Annabeth. Really clever." Cho teased, turning back to have a conversation with one of her friends. Ignoring that weird occurrence, I continued watching the sorting to see what new house members we'd gain.

The sorting later came to an end with, "Zellar, Rose" who was sorted into Hufflepuff. Hazel smiled smugly at me from across the great hall. I shook my head and turned back to Dumbledore. He raised his hand once more for silence.

"Alas, we have one final student to be sorted. Though this circumstance may be a bit different than in years previous, we will, of course, stick with tradition. Professor McGonagall, please read the name of our final student, if you'd please."

McGonagall cleared her throat and read off the scroll, not that she really needed to, "Di Angelo, Nico!"

Just as it had before, the hall fell into an uncomfortable silence. Before the hat was put on Nico's head, he glanced over at the Gryffindor table with an anxious expression. Students gave him smiles of encouragement. Harry Potter was the first to respond with a thumbs up, followed by Hermione, Ron, the Weasley twins, and none other than Percy Jackson himself.

Jackson...Jackson, Jackson, Jackson.

Every year he'd manage to find some way to get on my nerves. This year, I simply wouldn't allow it.