Bab 28: 27
Chapter 27
Chiron stared down at the three demigods, but at Harry in particular. "I recall a day trip that ended with someone hospitalized, as well as the finding of a large statue that had been missing for 2000 years," the Trainer of Heroes said.
"And an ancient monster got turned back into a human," Silena piped up. Chiron gave her a look, and the daughter of Aphrodite looked away, silent and cowed.
"While the results of your previous trip were admirable in many ways," Chiron went on, "Ultimately, the demigods here at camp are my responsibility. If something were to happen, it would be me who the gods would hold accountable."
Harry looked down; he felt bad the centaur didn't trust him. "We'd be on Olympus, though," he said. "We couldn't be safer than on Olympus."
"While Olympus is safe, I don't doubt that you would be able to find trouble, even on Olympus," Chiron stated. "I just do not think it is safe by yourself."
Harry frowned. "I have been taken care of myself since I was 7 years old. Hestia pops by for a chat once a day, but other than that, I do everything myself. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping. I get to bed on time; make sure that I make it to appointments on time, and so forth." He felt a bit insulted at the insinuation that he needed adult supervision. He did well enough on his own, he didn't need anyone telling him what to do and what not to do.
"I thought Lady Hestia took care of you?" Chiron asked, as if wondering whether Harry was lying to him.
Harry looked up sharply, quite definitely feeling insulted now. He remembered why he disliked adults; they never listened. "She takes care of me when I ask, or when something happens, like Mister Ares throwing me to a Hydra for my birthday. Other than that, I take care of myself. She's always available for advice, though, and I needed a lot of it at the beginning, but not so much these days."
"I see," Chiron said, on a tone that declared he would be checking up on this. Silena and Annabeth, however, were staring at Harry.
"Lord Ares threw you at a Hydra?" Annabeth asked.
Harry nodded. "He claims he doesn't do gifts, but surprises, so he surprised me with a Hydra."
"That's one nightmare of a surprise," Silena muttered.
"Not one I'd like to repeat. I only managed six heads before it got me. Luckily, Mister Ares stuck around and cut off the remaining two heads to kill it," Harry explained.
Annabeth gaped, but Silena was frowning. "I thought a Hydra had nine heads?" she asked.
The young Son of Tyche grinned. "It does have nine heads, but you can only cut off eight. If you cut off all nine, they all grow back. Oh, and you have to stop the heads from growing back as you cut them off, so I had to use lots and lots of fire to make sure the wounds were cauterized."
"Whoa," Silena breathed.
Chiron meanwhile, studied Harry. "And if I were to ask Lady Hestia about these claims?" he asked.
Harry glared up at the centaur. Why were adults always so distrustful? He drew a breath, closed his eyes, and folded his hands.
"What are you doing, Lad?" the ancient centaur asked.
The next moment, Hestia strode from the fire, wearing a tight little smile. Chiron, Annabeth, and Silena froze at the sight of the goddess appearing right there and then.
"Hestia!" Harry shouted, glad to see her. He raced over, and gave his all-time favorite goddess a hug. He felt better almost immediately. "Mister Chiron thinks I'm a liar and wants to ask you to confirm that Mister Ares really did throw me at a Hydra, and that I really have been taking care of myself," he explained.
"Oh?" Hestia asked, looking over at Chiron with a look of disappointment in her eyes. "That's not very nice of him. What brought this topic of conversation up?"
"I asked Mister Helios if I could ask Silena and Annabeth for a sleepover," the young boy explained. "He said yes, so I asked Silena and Annabeth over for a sleepover. But Mister Chiron seems to think I'm dangerous or something."
"I see," Hestia replied, softly. "Let me have a little chat with him."
He hugged her again. "You're the best goddess ever, Hestia."
She laughed softly. "I'm really not," she answered humbly, patting his back. "And you're very much welcome. Now, let me have a chat with my half-brother."
As Hestia approached Chiron, who still looked surprised at her sudden appearance, Harry went back to stand with Annabeth and Silena.
"You called one of the major Olympian Goddesses to convince Chiron to let us have a sleepover?" Annabeth asked, sounding completely flabbergasted.
"Hestia's the kindest, gentlest goddess ever, and I was really upset that Mister Chiron seems to think I'm a liar, so I asked if she had some time," Harry explained. "She's not usually too busy to help me when I ask, but there are times when she's needed to help deal with forest fires and stuff like that."
"It's one thing to know that Lady Hestia is your patron goddess, it's another to have her show up when you call," Silena muttered, staring at where Hestia was softly speaking with Chiron, who suddenly seemed rather repentant.
"Hestia's awesome," Harry answered with a smile.
"Even kind and gentle gods don't usually show up when called," Annabeth said softly, as if she didn't want to interrupt the conversation between goddess and centaur.
"Because they're not Hestia," Harry answered with a nod. "When she's at camp, tending the fire, you should talk with her. She loves demigods, but she's not one to put herself forward. If you don't talk to her, she'll assume you're busy and she won't bother you. If you go up to her and talk to her, she'll be more than happy to talk with you."
Annabeth and Silena exchanged a somewhat embarrassed look. "We should," Annabeth said. "I'm sorry I haven't before." Silena nodded in agreement.
Harry remained silent, it was up to his friends whether they talked to Hestia or not. He knew how much she would enjoy the conversation, but he wasn't going to manipulate his friends into doing so.
"Does it seem like Chiron is groveling?" Annabeth asked, changing her focus to the Teacher of Heroes.
"He looks like it," Silena agreed. "And Lady Hestia doesn't even seem mad."
"She's probably explaining that she's disappointed he jumped to conclusions about me," Harry said. "And trust me, having Hestia look at you, and tell you she's disappointed in you, that's the worst feeling in the world. I'd rather have Mister Ares put me in front of that Hydra again."
Before either of the girls could respond, Hestia turned to the threesome and started walking towards them, a gentle smile on her face. Chiron clopped along next to her, a bit more sedate than his usual gate.
Finally, they reached the three demigods. "Harry," Chiron said, "Hestia has explained certain things to me, including verification of your rather incredible tale. I apologize for not believing you."
Harry nodded. Hugging Hestia had made him feel better. On top of that, it had also made him relax and see things with the centaur's point of view. "I understand, Mister Chiron. I forgive you. You probably have a lot of demigods telling you tales."
Hestia smiled proudly at him, and Chiron nodded softly. "Thank you, lad. And I do. Quite a few." The centaur glanced at Hestia, who gave him a smile, too. "I am willing to allow this sleepover, under a few conditions."
The two girls burst out in cheers, and Harry smiled widely. "What conditions are those, Mister Chiron?"
"Just Chiron, please," the centaur said, having repeated that at least a few dozen times over the time since Harry had been introduced to the Camp. "First of all, I would like it if the girls are back before lunch tomorrow."
Harry glanced at his two friends, who didn't seem to mind that rule. "That sounds good to me," he answered honestly.
"Second, if anything – anything at all – happens during this… sleepover, please call Lady Hestia. She has agreed to keep an ear out for prayers from any of you, and to come as quickly as her schedule allows."
"Sure," Harry said, immediately. He believed in Hestia, and she would always come when he needed her. Next to him, both Silena and Annabeth nodded.
"Good. Then I think the only thing left for me to say is 'have fun'," the Trainer of Heroes said, smiling.
"Thanks, Chiron!" all they chimed together.
"I'm going to go pack a bag," Annabeth declared, Silena immediately nodding.
"You may want to bring a bathing suit," Harry advised.
Silena just shrugged at his recommendation, but Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him. "It's the middle of December, why would we bring bathing suits?" she asked.
"There is a hot spring out back," the son of Tyche answered. "In case you want a soak."
"Say no more!" Silena said, turning around and sprinting off towards her cabin. Annabeth simply nodded, and raced off as well.
Harry turned to Hestia. "Thanks again, Hestia."
The kind Goddess of the Home graced him with her usual, gentle smile. "You're quire welcome, Harry." She turned serious and looked from centaur to demigod and back again. "Now, will you two be able to play nicely, or should I stay?"
Harry choked back a laugh and was able to camouflage it as a cough. It was the centaur who responded verbally. "You are, as always, welcome here at camp, My Lady," Chiron stated, apparently perfectly serious.
"Thank you, Chiron, but that was not what I asked," she replied, although still smiling at him.
"Everything's okay now, Hestia," Harry said. "Chiron said sorry, after all."
The centaur favored him with a thankful look, and Hestia nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. I so dislike arguments," she commented, smiling first at one, then the other. "I will take my leave, then."
Chiron bid her goodbye, but Harry was able to sneak in another hug before she went.
"Lad, your life is unusual, even for a demigod," the Teacher of Heroes told Harry as they watched Hestia walk to the fire and vanish into it.
"Blame my mom," Harry answered with a grin. "She told me that my powers of Fortune balance themselves in my own lifetime, so I have lots of good luck, and lots of bad luck, and in the end, I end up with no luck, you know?"
Chiron seemed like he wanted to snort a laugh. "I believe there is a Chinese curse that would describe your situation quite well, young Harry," the ancient centaur said. "I believe it says may you live in interesting times. I think your life qualifies as 'interesting'."
Harry laughed. "I think so too, Chiron," he answered, remembering to drop the 'mister'. For some reason, he found it hard to do; while he had no issues calling various deities by name, for some reason he constantly had the urge to add 'mister' to Chiron's name.
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In the fireplace of Helios' Temple, the fire flashed green, causing a Nemean House Cat, who had been dosing on one of the couches, to look up sharply. A few moments later, three demigods stepped out.
"Hi Mister Helios, I'm back!" Harry greeted, grinning at the sensation of Helios' presence welcoming him. The two girls, not having his experience, froze for a moment at the unusual feeling.
"Don't worry, that's Mister Helios saying 'welcome," Harry explained to them, before facing the couch. "And that's my new cat, Nemmy."
"Oh, he's gorgeous!" Silena practically squealed, dropping her backpack and rushing over to the golden-furred feline. Right before Harry warned her not to rush the cat, she stopped, and held out one hand, palm faced up.
"He is quite handsome," Annabeth agreed, putting her backpack down in a more sedate manner and approaching at a calmer pace. Nemmy sniffed their hands, before seeming to agree to let them pet him.
Soon, he was purring, as the two girls pampered him.
Harry smiled widely; glad to see that his pet accepted his friends.
"He's big, too," Silena said, looking at Harry while her hands continued to pamper the cat. "What kind of cat is he?"
Harry blinked, not having expected that question. He didn't want to come out and just say they were petting a monster – even a reformed monster. That likely wouldn't go over very well.
"He's a Nemean," he said, in total honesty.
Annabeth blinked and looked sharply at him. Silena merely nodded and continued her ministrations, Nemmy seemingly enjoying them and turning this way and that to get her hands to just those spots.
"Golden fur, silver claws and teeth," Annabeth said, her sharp gaze sharpening further. "Haaaaarrrrry?" she asked, drawing out the sounds in a 'you are in such trouble, mister' kind of way.
Silena giggled. "I don't know what's wrong, but it sounds like you're in trouble, Harry!" she teased.
Annabeth ignored Silena and kept her focus on Harry, who suddenly felt like he was being faced down by a miniature Athena. "Tell me that is not the Nemean Lion," the Daughter of the Goddess of Wisdom demanded.
"That's not the Nemean Lion," Harry dutifully replied. "That's Nemmy, the Nemean House Cat. He doesn't become the Nemean Lion unless he's threatened."
Annabeth froze, turned pale, and looked fearfully at the cat, who was on his back by now, getting his belly rubbed by Silena.
"That..." she managed, before her mind kicked in gear. "Silena! That's dangerous!"
Silena looked up. "I don't know what's so dangerous, Annabeth," she answered. "He's just a very soft, very sweet, little kitty. Aren't you?" she asked the cat in a cooing voice. "You're a sweet kitty, aren't you?"
The Nemean House Cat, if possible, purred even louder.
"That's the Nemean Lion!" Annabeth screamed.
"And what's the Nemean Lion?" Silena asked, completely unconcerned.
"The first labor of Hercules? The Lion that had impervious skin? Hercules had to choke it!" Annabeth shouted.
"Please don't shout, Annabeth, I don't like it when people shout," Harry requested. "And yes, Nemmy is that Nemean Lion. I ran across him, and had Hestia's Lasso around his throat, and he obviously remembered what happens when someone squeezes your throat shut, because he surrendered."
Annabeth stared at him in disbelief.
Silena kept petting the cat, listening to Harry but attention firmly focused on the golden-furred feline.
"Of course, I didn't believe him, but Hestia's Lasso compels the truth, so I made sure. And then we struck a deal. Basically, he's my cat, I feed him, give him a safe place to sleep, give him attention, and in return, he doesn't kill people anymore. And, like Silena says, he's a nice kitty now. We had a few ups and downs, but when I explained things to him, he listened," the young boy explained.
"That's awesome," Silena said. "So you have a great big predator living with you." She looked at the cat. "Well, a small predator, anyway."
Harry grinned. "He also loves cuddling up at night for some reason. Let me tell you, nothing says 'I feel safe' like having the King of the Cats next to you."
"As soft as he feels, he doesn't look that dangerous, though," Silena said, suddenly aware that the cat in front of her was giving her a dirty look.
Harry chuckled. "That's because he's a cat right now. Can you step back a moment?"
Silena looked surprised, but shrugged and shuffled away from the cat. "Nemmy, care to show them your other form?"
Nemmy yawned, jumped off the couch, and suddenly was replaced by a pick-up truck sized Nemean Lion. Annabeth let out a scream and hid behind Harry. Silena froze and stared at the huge feline that she had been petting mere moments before.
"Holy-!" she cursed, biting off her curse before she could complete it. "He's huge!" she told Harry.
"Isn't he?" Harry asked, grinning, and casually approaching a very dangerous apex monster. Without stopping, he buried his hands in the Lion's manes, and rubbed vigorously; the Nemean Lion sat on its haunches and gave its lion-type purr.
"He purrs in that form too!" Silena squealed excitedly and raced to the other side, mimicking Harry to bury her hands in the huge cat's fur. "And he's still soft!"
"Now you know why I don't mind him cuddling up at night," Harry said, smiling at his friend over the Nemean Lion's back. "He's soft, and warm, and that purr is really soothing. And, like I said, nothing says 'safety' like a lion the size of a truck, with sharp teeth and claws, sleeping right next to you."
"Is… is he safe?" Annabeth asked, still standing near the fire, as if she wanted to leap back into it.
"He's a nice cat," Harry said. "I wouldn't bring anyone here if I didn't know absolutely sure that he was going to behave, don't worry."
The Daughter of Athena slowly approached, keeping eye contact with the Lion, who gazed back at her, clearly amused at something. Suddenly, she stopped and stared. "He's laughing at me!" she said, affronted.
"He's got a bit of an attitude," Harry answered. "Sorry about that."
Annabeth stepped forward resolutely. "Stop smirking at me!" she commanded. The Nemean Lion, unimpressed, lifted one paw and started licking it in preparation for giving himself a cat-bath.
Annabeth looked like she couldn't believe that she was just blown off like that.
"Like I said, he has a bit of an attitude," Harry apologized as the Nemean Lion proceeded to swipe his huge paw over his equally huge head, his cat-bath now in full swing. "He won't hurt anyone, though."
The Lion stopped washing, and then turned to look at Harry, giving him a look. The boy grinned. "Well, as long as nobody hurts me, anyway." The Lion nodded sharply, and then went back to his bath.
The Daughter of Athena sighed, her shoulders relaxing. "At least he doesn't appear aggressive."
"He knows that if he does, he'll have to go back to the rain and the cold and he'll need to hunt food for himself. As long as he's nice, he gets to stay here, where it's warm and dry and I feed him lots of meat."
The Nemean Lion stopped washing, shrunk back into a Nemean House Cat, and started rubbing against his legs, obviously wanting something. Harry laughed and picked up his pet. "I'll go feed the monster, and then I'll show you where you can sleep."
"Cool!" Silena said, stepping over and petting the cat. Nemmy half-closed his eyes, purred loudly, and looked like he was king of the world.
"I can't believe that this is the same monster Hercules fought," Annabeth said, hesitantly stroking the cat's fur from the other side.
"Monsters come back after a while, so my guess is that he remembered what happened and didn't want a repeat," Harry said as the trio walked to the kitchen. "Considering most monsters were either humans cursed by the gods, or were born from gods directly, I'm thinking most monsters have human-level intelligence. They may think differently because they're not humans, but I think they're plenty smart and able to recognize a good deal when they see one."
"That would make sense," Annabeth said, as Harry bent down and put Nemmy on the ground, next to two large bowls, one of which was about half-full of water. Harry took the two bowls, emptied out the water bowl and refilled it with fresh water, then closed his eyes, brought his hands together, and the empty bowl filled with a mixture of different kinds of meat, all diced into individual bite-sized cubes.
The boy put the two bowls down, and the Nemean house Cat attacked the bowl of meat. "You may want to look away, it's not pretty," Harry advised.
"Too late," both Silena and Annabeth replied, simultaneously, sounding a bit nauseated.
Harry chuckled. "Come on, I'll show you where you can put your bags. How about a nice soak in the hot springs to relax before we think about dinner?"
That sounded just fine with the two girls. A soak would wipe out the visual of the Nemean House Cat… feeding.
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"Aaaaaah," Silena, dressed in a modest, hot pink, two-piece bathing suit, breathed throatily when she sunk to her chin into the hot water. "This is great."
Harry grinned at her. "Isn't it just? It's great for washing up, too. The water's fed continuously from that pipe over there, and cascades down – it's a great shower. And because it flows continuously, you can just wash up in it and the flow will just carry the dirt away so you always have clean water."
"Seriously, you have the devil's luck," Annabeth, dressed in a conservative navy one-piece, said with a grin, leaning on the side of the pool.
"My luck brings as much misfortune as it brings fortune," he said. "You don't want to know how I lived before I managed to sneak onto Olympus."
Silena floated over and hugged him. "But that part's over now, Harry."
The boy nodded. "I think so, hope so, too," he replied softly. "I still don't think it'll last forever, though. Something will happen to screw things up, something always does."
Silena tightened her hug. "You have lots of people looking out for you now," she said. "If something happens, we'll help."
Annabeth nodded, releasing her hold on the side of the hot pool, and hugged Harry from the other side. "Definitely. Now, stop moping, you're ruining the atmosphere."
Silena snorted, and Harry gave a chuckle. He caught Silena's eyes, and the Daughter of Aphrodite got a wicked grin on her lips.
"Why don't I like the look on your faces?" Annabeth asked wearily.
"Because you're smart," Harry answered with a straight face.
Annabeth seemed flattered by the comment, momentarily forgetting what she was seeing, before she squealed loudly. "Harry! No!"
"Harry! Yes!" Harry said, his fingers digging into her sides under the water's surface. Silena, laughing, floated around the boy and dug into the Daughter of Athena's vulnerable sides as well.
Poor Annabeth giggled, laughed, and squealed loudly as she was being mercilessly tickled. Grabbing a hold of a single thread of coherent thought, she reciprocated, and tickled her attackers right back.
For the next ten minutes, the hot spring out back of Helios' Temple was filled with squeals and peals of laughter.
0000
They emerged close to an hour later, red with laughter and pruned from the water. Harry suggested they get dressed and make their way to the market so they could go and purchase foodstuff for dinner.
Some laughs and running feet later, they had dressed back into regular clothes and left Helios' temple.
"This area is an older area of Olympus," Harry explained as they walked towards the market center. "The temples here were all dedicated to gods that faded long ago." He pointed to two temples not far from Helios'. "Those temples are for Selene and Eos, Mister Helios' sisters," he said. "They faded completely; I tried their temples but they're complete empty."
"That's strange, you'd think that Lord Helios would have faded as well," Silena said.
"Maybe it's due to the fact that he is better known," Annabeth theorized. "I mean, we still use words like 'heliocentric'."
"Maybe," Harry acknowledged with a nod. "Maybe that little trickle of memory is enough to keep him from fading completely, like his sisters."
"Could be," Silena said. "Still, though, I feel sorry for him. Having your entire family fade like that must be incredibly lonely."
The two others nodded, and walked on in silence. As they approached the market square, Harry navigated them down a side street.
"I thought I'd show you around first, we can buy food on the way back," the Son of Tyche explained as he navigated them expertly down some smaller alleys. The two girls grinned and agreed happily.
A few minutes later, they emerged onto a broad lane near the center of Mount Olympus, where the Major Olympians had their temples.
"That is Artie's temple," Harry said, pointing to one building. Grinning, he pointed to a temple on the other side of the avenue. "And you can probably guess who owns that bright golden temple that you need sunglasses to see properly."
Annabeth looked like she was desperately fighting her amusement, while Silena laughed. "I'm thinking – Lord Apollo?" she asked.
Harry laughed. "Exactly. Mister Apollo, as God of the Sun, has a very bright temple."
A voice came from behind the trio, close enough to make them jump with surprise. "Do I hear my name?"
Harry recovered first, and turned around. "Hi Mister Apollo!" he said, greeting the jovial God of the Sun with a big smile. "Silena, Annabeth, this is Mister Apollo, God of the Sun, music, Youth, and loads of other things. Mister Apollo, these are Annabeth, Daughter of Athena, and Silena, Daughter of Aphrodite. We're having a sleepover at Mister Helios' Temple."
The God of the Sun grinned. "A sleepover? Is that what kids are calling it these days?" he teased. Annabeth and Silena immediately blushed bright red, while Harry merely looked confused.
"Yes, a sleepover," the young boy answered wearily. Glancing at his two friends, and noticing their blushes, he looked accusingly at the god. "Are you being perverted again?" he asked.
Apollo spluttered. "Harry! You can't say that!" Annabeth whispered urgently.
Harry frowned at her, confused. "Why not?" he asked. "Mister Apollo's cool. He's just a bit of a pervert every now and then."
Apollo, who had started to inflate at being called 'cool', deflated at the jab, before finally grinning and shaking his head. "One day, Kid, I am going to tease you so badly about this."
Harry shrugged in reply. "So you keep telling me, Mister Apollo," he answered truthfully.
The Sun God grinned wider. "I will let you continue touring Olympus with your two girlfriends." He leaned in and gave the young boy a nudge with his elbow. "You dog, you."
Harry looked confused again, and the blushes were back on the faces of the two girls. "They're my friends who are girls, yes," he answered truthfully, before the look of confusion intensified. "Why does that make me a dog?"
Apollo just laughed loudly. "You'll get it in a couple of years, Kid," the Sun God answered, and sauntered away.
"Mister Apollo is nice and all, but he's really weird sometimes," Harry complained. "I wonder why he called me a dog. That didn't sound very nice."
Silena grabbed his right arm. "Never mind, on with the tour!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, exactly!" Annabeth agreed, taking his other arm.
"Alright?" Harry agreed. "That pink temple over there is dedicated to –" he started to say, but was interrupted.
"My mom!" Silena squealed with a small jump. "That's my mom's temple!"
Harry grinned at her. "Exactly. And that one over there is Miss Athena's," he said, pointing out a slightly larger temple closer to the peak of Mount Olympus. Annabeth looked like she had died and gone to the Elysian Fields, and was visibly restraining herself from asking questions about each and every building.
Noticing this, he leaned closer to her. "I'll see if I can get you a book on the architecture," he promised quietly.
The Daughter of Athena gave him a grateful look. "Thanks," she whispered back.
Straightening up, he continued the guided tour, pointing out each temple and providing some anecdotes on the gods he had interacted with. When it came to Zeus' Temple, however, he made an off-hand motion in the vague direction of the structure.
"And that's Mister Zeus' Temple," he said casually, and went on without another word. The girls giggled slightly, knowing his problems with the King of the Gods, and finding it highly amusing that he would simply brush off one of the most imposing temples on the mountain.
0000
"So what exactly are we having?" Annabeth asked as they traveled back towards Helios' Temple.
Harry grinned. "Homemade oven-fried chicken tenders, hand cut fries, and a nice salad. And I'm making crepes for desert. I thought I'd go for 'simple' rather than experiment."
The two girls laughed, agreeing with him.
They were still laughing when they arrived back at the temple and Harry greeting Helios. Five minutes later, the trip were in the kitchen, where Harry unpacked things with practiced ease.
"Can we help?" Annabeth asked as Harry seemed content to cook. Silena was nodding as well, eager to help.
Harry looked surprised, obviously not having expected anyone other than Hestia ever offer to help him cook, before smiling at her. "Sure," he said, unwrapping the chicken breasts they had gotten at the market. "Can you cut the chicken into strips?" He asked, taking a chef's knife out of the knife block, and flipping it around expertly so he was holding it by the blade and offering it to her handle-first.
Annabeth smiled and accepted the knife. "Sure. How big do you want the strips to be?"
"About an inch wide or so," he said. "Try and cut against the grain if you can." He turned to look at Silena, and offered her a smaller knife, also handle-first. "Can you clean the lettuce and vegetables and cut them into small pieces?"
"Sure!" she said, grabbing the various vegetables and migrating towards a free cutting board.
As the girls cut and cleaned, Harry turned on the oven, and prepared the dried seasonings, as well as a wet dredge consisting of egg and water.
Nemmy, who had been lazily digesting his earlier meal on a couch in the living area, trotted in, and nimbly jumped onto the kitchen table. Sitting down like a sphinx, he surveyed the three children, as if he were supervising.
Harry shot him a smile, then focused on his own prep-work.
When Annabeth was nearly done with the chicken, the Nemean House Cat dropped down from the table, and approached the Daughter of Athena.
"Not on the counter," Harry told him as the small-sized monster tensed in preparation for the jump. The cat ignored him completely and jumped anyway, making the boy sigh.
"Can you put him down on the ground? He knows he's not allowed on the kitchen counter," Harry asked Annabeth, who eyed the tiny monster warily. The cat let out a small meow, and sat on its haunches.
The Son of Tyche sighed. "Cut him some chicken, too. He's all stomach sometimes."
Annabeth kept staring uncomfortably at the cat. "Are you sure he's safe?" she asked, having a strange sort of staring contest, where she stared at the cat and the cat just looked at her, simply waiting for her to do its bidding.
"Nemmy's a good cat," Harry re-confirmed. "Just cut off a piece of chicken and hand it to him, then put him down on the floor because he knows he's not allowed on the counter," he repeated, with emphasis, addressing the cat.
The Nemean House Cat ignored him, choosing instead to focus on the Daughter of Athena cutting off some chicken and warily holding it out for him.
Like the miniature lion it was, Nemmy simply yanked the chicken out of her fingers, then jumped off the counter on its own accord, before leaving Harry with a look that said was that so hard?
The young demigod chuckled and shook his head. Nemmy devoured the chicken, then jumped back onto the table, resuming its position of supervision.
"He's so cute," Silena commented. "He seems to have a will of its own, though."
Harry chuckled. "You know how it goes. Dogs have owners. Cats have staff."
The Daughter of Aphrodite laughed. Annabeth laughed as well, but her laughter was softer. She eyed the Nemean house Cat, who was content to simply sit and watch. Despite her skepticism, it did appear as if the Nemean Lion was content to play the role of house cat.
She turned back to her work, cutting the chicken breasts into strips, letting her mind wander. Suddenly, something popped into her mind.
"Harry?" Annabeth asked as she finished cutting the breasts.
"Hm?" Harry replied, having focused on hand-cutting fries.
"You can conjure food, or even ingredients," she said. "So why the trip to the market, and why are you cooking like this?"
Harry grinned. "First of all, I like cooking, and I will take any excuse to cook," he answered truthfully. "And second, food that you make yourself, from scratch, tastes better than food you conjure. Nemmy doesn't care as long as he gets loads of raw meat, but when I have guests, I want to make sure I offer them the best food I can."
The Daughter of Athena, deciding on not paying any further attention to the strange cat's presence, gave him a hug from behind as he worked on the fries. "That's so sweet," she said.
Harry grinned at her over his shoulder, continuing to cut without even looking at his hands. "Only the best for my friends," he answered casually, before focusing back on his hands.
"Anything else you need help with?" Annabeth asked as she released him. Carving up the chicken breasts hadn't taken all that long and now she felt rather useless, just standing around as the others worked.
"Can you set the table?" Harry offered. "Plates are over there, cutlery is in that drawer, and glasses are in the cupboard."
"Sure!" Annabeth cheered, and turned to her new task.
"Wash your hands first," Harry offered. "Raw chicken can carry salmonella, which is why you never want to touch food with something you used on raw chicken, and why you wash your hands after touching raw chicken."
The Daughter of Athena looked like she should have thought of that herself, and stepped over to the faucet to wash her hands. "You just had me feed Nemmy raw chicken, though," she said as she washed her hands.
Harry chuckled. "First of all, Nemmy's a monster. There's not much he can't eat. And second, cats are predators and carnivores, even normal cats catch birds and eat them raw."
Annabeth nodded in understanding, and started lying the table. For a few minutes, the kitchen felt like it was filled with a happy little family working together.
A yelp from Silena had Harry jump.
"Cut myself," Silena said, before shoving her bleeding finger under the faucet.
"Let me see," Harry said, gently pulling her hand from the streaming water. Blood willed up from the cut almost immediately, making him wince. "Sorry about that," he told her. "I keep my knives really sharp."
"My fault, I wasn't paying attention," the Daughter of Aphrodite replied. "It stings, though."
Harry brought her extended finger up. Closing his eyes, he focused slightly, then reached out and kissed the wound.
"Hey, it stopped tingling," Silena stated in wonder.
Annabeth snorted. "Did you really just kiss it better, Harry?" she asked with a giggle.
Harry grinned, stuck the finger under the water, rinsing off the blood. When Silena's finger emerged, the wound had closed and looked like it was at least a week old. Nemmy had jumped from the table to the counter and was now rubbing his head against her, as if comforting her. Harry gave his cat a smile; it seemed that Nemmy had decided that Harry's friends were now his humans.
"Minor wounds are something I can handle," the young demigod told his friend. "The hearth can heal as well as harm, and minor wounds are within its sphere of influence."
Silena looked at her finger in wonder. "Whatever the reason is, that's really helpful!" she said, excitedly, while rubbing Nemmy's head with her other hand.
"It is, isn't it?" Harry asked with a grin. "Please put him down on the ground, he's not allowed on the counter," he added, indicating Nemmy. As Silena did so, Harry turned to look at her station. "How far along are you?" he asked.
"Just the onion," she told him. "I'm not looking forward to that. Mom's help with my appearance or not, my eyes get puffy and red when I cry and I look horrible."
"While I sincerely doubt that you could ever look horrible," Harry told her, "let me show you a trick that makes sure that you don't cry while cutting onions."
As his back was turned, he didn't see the spectacular blush that sincere bit of flattery earned him. He picked up the onion, opened the freezer, and chucked it inside. "Wait 15 minutes, then cut it, and there won't be any tears. Frozen onions don't produce the gas that make your eyes tear."
"That..." Silena said, having recovered from her blush. "That is really good to know."
Annabeth gave her friend a teasing grin, letting her know her reaction to the unexpected flattery hadn't gone unnoticed. "Is there anything else we need to do?" she asked.
Harry shook his head. "Other than cut the onion for the salad, we have done pretty much all the prep work. I'll get to cooking, and we can eat in about 30 minutes or so," he said.
Half an hour later, they were having a great time talking, laughing, and eating. His food being a success with his friends, Harry felt truly happy; hoping that this was what having family would be like.
"I can't believe you made me eat my vegetables," Silena teased when they had finished the food and Harry was gathering the dishes.
Harry laughed. "Hestia was quite clear on what constitutes a healthy meal, and it's become second nature by now," he explained.
"Besides, that was probably the best salad I ever had," Annabeth interjected.
"The secret lies in the vinaigrette," the boy confided, winking at her, and casually strolling back to the kitchen with the dishes stacked in a neat tower.
"That tells me absolutely nothing," Annabeth pouted.
"Who wants to help me do the dishes?" Harry asked from the kitchen.
Annabeth and Silena looked at each other, neither willing to make the first move.
After a few moments, they could hear Harry's laughter from the kitchen. "Don't both of you volunteer at the same time," he teased.
Both girls flushed, but neither moved, trying to out-stare each other.
"More hands make easier work," Harry told them from the kitchen, over the sound of the running faucet.
Still, neither Silena nor Annabeth moved, before the Daughter of Athena had a brain wave. "Is it customary for you to put your guests to work, Harry?" she asked the kitchen.
"Girls that help with cleanup get to decide what's on their crepe!" Harry shouted back.
Both girls jumped up so fast it looked like they had invented teleportation.
Five minutes later, they were laughing as they did the dishes, bumping into each other, occasionally flicking a couple of drops of water at each other, joking and enjoying the cleanup.
"At least you didn't say we wouldn't get dessert if we didn't help," Annabeth told Harry as she dried a plate.
"I would never deny anyone dessert. Dessert is the most important part of a meal," Harry said, completely and utterly serious. The two girls giggled.
"I somehow think Lady Hestia wouldn't agree with you," Silena teased back as she washed some cutlery, and passed them on to Annabeth to dry.
Harry laughed. "Hestia taught me the importance of a balanced meal. She also taught me the joys of baking, and to make great desserts."
"And I'm thankful that she did," Annabeth said. "Even the batter smells great."
Harry finished scrubbing the last pot and handed it off to Annabeth to dry off. "We'll let the meal settle a little, then I'll whip up the crepes."
"At least we get to choose our own topping," Silena said with a laugh.
"I was considering offering broccoli, but that probably would have gone out of the realm of 'teasing'," Harry said, grinning widely.
Both girls' reactions were both instantaneous and simultaneous. "EW!" they both squealed.
Harry just laughed. "Harry Potter, you are so lucky you didn't threaten with broccoli pancakes!" Annabeth said, glaring like only a Daughter of Athena could.
Harry piously stuck his nose in the air and sniffed. "I don't know what you're talking about. Broccoli is very healthy for you."
Silena looked at Annabeth. "I say we get him for the outrage," she offered.
Annabeth nodded seriously. "Crimes against pancakes must be punished. Severely."
Harry, who realized both girls were serious, suddenly looked worried. Raising his hands in a non-threatening manner, and stepped backwards towards the living area. "I was just joking, you know that, right?"
"Do you know he's joking, Annabeth? Because I sure don't," Silena said, crossing her arms.
"No, I don't know he's joking either, Silena," Annabeth replied, her hands on her hips. "I say we get him until he surrenders."
"Ehm… I surrender?" Harry offered.
"I don't think he's serious," Annabeth stated.
"Agreed," Silena commented, before growling and charging. Harry let out a yelp and made a run for it. Suddenly, he was brought to the ground as Silena jumped on his back.
"I surrender! I surrender!" Harry shouted.
"Still don't believe you!" Silena shouted back, pinning him down. "Get him, Annabeth!"
Annabeth, giggling, dropped to her knees next to the pair. "Prepare to be tickled mercilessly, Harry. That will show you to threaten us with broccoli on our pancakes!"
"But I didn't!" Harry protested.
"You still mentioned that crime against pancakes, and therefore, you must suffer horrifically," the Daughter of Athena stated calmly, her fingers already digging into Harry's vulnerable sides.
"Ahh! No! An-na-beth!" Harry screamed through the laughter. "Stop!" She didn't stop. "Help! Nemmy!"
Annabeth stopped tickling and looked at the Nemean House Cat, who had ensconced himself onto a nearby couch and was watching them wrestle.
"I don't think your cat is feeling it," Silena teased.
"Traitor!" Harry scolded the cat, who seemed so incredibly concerned that he started licking one of his paws.
"Ouch, totally ignored," Annabeth teased, and looked at Silena. "You know, I think the sting of being abandoned by his own pet is bad enough."
The Daughter of Aphrodite nodded thoughtfully. "Agreed. Being tickled goes away, but this is a blow straight to the ego."
As she let him up, Harry grumbled about the horrific things he'd do to them when given the chance. "And you are a traitor," he told Nemmy.
The cat looked at him, blinked both eyes as if in surprise, and went back to cleaning himself.
"Yeah, I still don't think he cares, Harry," Annabeth said with a giggle.
Silena dumped herself in the couch next to the cat, who looked over at her, seemed to think for a moment, then get up and shifted to sit in her lap. The girl cooed and immediately started petting him.
Harry fell back into a couch himself, arms crossed, pretending to be incredibly upset. "I invited you into my home. I cook for you. And in the end, you steal my cat from me," he grouched.
"He just knows a soft lap when he sees one. Don't you, Nemmy? Who's a smart Nemean House Cat?" Silena cooed, rubbing the cat's soft fur more vigorously. In response, the cat purred harder.
Harry, unable to stop himself, laughed at the sight of his friend cooing and playing with a creature who, until a few hours ago, she would have considering an incredibly dangerous monster.
"What?" Silena asked, looking up at him, confused.
"I was just remembering that, until a few hours ago, you thought he was a vicious, bloodthirsty monster," Harry said, still chuckling.
"A few hours ago, I hadn't even heard of the Nemean Lion," Silena protested. The cat in her lap gave her an affronted look, and looked over at Annabeth, obviously thinking about switching laps. "But yeah," the Daughter of Aphrodite went on obliviously, "if I had encountered full-sized Nemmy in the woods? I would have screamed and made a run for it."
The cat settled down on her lap again, mollified by her comment.
Annabeth giggled. "You never run from predators. Running from predators makes them chase you," she said.
Silena pouted silently, and hugged Nemmy. Something which the Nemean House Cat seemed unsure of on how to respond to.
"He loves the attention, really," Harry commented.
"I still can't believe you actually have the Nemean Lion as a pet," Annabeth said, looking at the golden-furred cat on her friend's lap, looking essentially like any other cat.
"And what a good cat he is," Silena cooed again, petting the cat's body, causing him to break out in purrs once more.
The three children fell silent. One of them petting the cat, the other two watching her. The Nemean House Cat's purring was quite relaxing.
"How about a word game?" Annabeth asked. "We could play 'fortunately, unfortunately'."
"Ooh!" Silena said, eagerly. "That one's always fun!"
Harry looked confused. "I don't know that game," he admitted. "How do you play it?"
"Basically," Annabeth said, "You start with a character, and then outline things that happen to him or her, always alternating 'fortunately' and 'unfortunately'. The first player sets up the story. For example, the first player goes 'One day, Little Jonny got a kitten'. The second person adds an 'unfortunate' line. Like 'Unfortunately, it ran away'. The third player flips to a fortunate statement. 'Fortunately, it came back carrying a bag of marshmallows'. And so on."
Harry nodded. "Gotcha. That sounds like fun. Who starts?" The three children looked at each other, then Annabeth pointed at Harry.
"I vote we let Harry start," she said.
Silena nodded. "Agreed. Harry, you're outvoted, you can start."
Harry chuckled, and then tried to affect a put-upon look. "If I must," he said, sounding as if the world's troubles had been put on his shoulders. He thought for a moment, then said, "Bernard's friends dropped him off in the desert as a prank."
"Ouch," Annabeth said. "Unfortunately, they were vicious and had stripped him to his underwear first."
"Double ouch," Silena said, grimacing. "Fortunately, it was night time so he could walk without getting burned."
Harry grinned, getting into the game. "Unfortunately, it was a rocky desert and he had no shoes."
Annabeth winced. "Fortunately, he found some plants he could use to fashion shoes."
Silena grimaced, thought for a second, then said, "Unfortunately, the plants weren't very sturdy and quickly fell apart."
Harry decided to change tack. "Fortunately, the plants were edible, so he could at least eat his shoes when they fell apart."
Annabeth giggled. "Unfortunately, he was allergic to the plants, which gave him diarrhea."
"EW!" Silena protested. "Fortunately, he found an oasis so he at least had water," she added to their story.
"Unfortunately, the water wasn't very good to drink, making things worse," Harry added, causing giggles of protest from his guests.
The laughter went on deep into the night, even after Harry made them all crepes with whipped cream and strawberries.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone