Teddy sat on the carpet of the Black Mansion's living room, legs crossed, cheeks puffed out, brows furrowed in deep concentration.
In front of him sat a plastic cup.
A simple, fragile cup.
"Go on," Harry encouraged gently from the sofa. "Pick it up. Slowly."
Teddy reached out, tiny fingers trembling. He grasped the cup—then instantly crushed it into shards with a sharp crack.
Teddy's shoulders fell.
"I did it again…"
Harry sighed, walking over and kneeling beside him. He swept the pieces away with a flick of magic.
"It's not your fault," Harry said. "You're still learning."
Teddy looked up, blue hair shifting into a depressed shade of grey. "But Daddy… normal kids don't break cups every time they touch them."
"That's because normal kids don't accidentally get chosen by ancient divine swords," Harry said, smiling weakly.
Teddy tried to smile, too, but it faltered.
For months, Harry had been helping Teddy train—teaching him control, balance, restraint. Teddy could now jump onto a house roof without thinking, outrun adults in seconds, and lift furniture with one hand. His little body was packed with strength it couldn't fully understand.
A six-year-old with the raw physical power of a monster.
It wasn't a blessing.
Not yet.
And it meant Teddy couldn't go to school.
Not safely.
He couldn't play tag without sending children flying.
He couldn't hold hands without worrying he'd break someone's fingers.
He couldn't join sports without becoming the reason someone got hurt.
Teddy felt it.
Deeply.
Every time Percy visited, Teddy brightened… and then dimmed again once he left. Percy had school. Percy had friends. Percy had a life.
Teddy had only the mansion.
Harry knew that pain too well.
A childhood without friends.
A childhood spent isolated from others, told he was strange, dangerous, unwanted.
He wasn't going to let Teddy live that life.
Even if it scared him.
It was Hestia who finally brought it up, during one of her quiet evening visits.
She sat near the fireplace with Teddy in her lap as she braiding his shifting hair while telling him a Greek myth. Harry watched them from the other armchair, eyes thoughtful.
"You know he needs more than training," Hestia said without looking up. "He needs children his age. Companions. A place he belongs."
Harry frowned. "Camp Half-Blood? He's not even seven."
Hestia gave him a stern look. "Half-Bloods don't get to choose their timing, Harry."
"Teddy isn't a demigod," Harry countered. "He's a wizard. And now… sword-chosen. That place is dangerous."
"All childhoods are dangerous," Hestia replied gently. "But loneliness is the most dangerous of all."
Harry froze.
Loneliness.
It echoed in him like a curse.
And Teddy—sweet, bright Teddy—looked up suddenly.
"Hestia says Camp Half-Blood has kids my age," he said hopefully. "And they play games there. And they train. And they have a forest! And a climbing wall! And—" Teddy gasped. "Percy said they have a dragon sometimes."
"Not exactly a dragon—" Harry began, but Teddy was already vibrating with excitement.
Harry exhaled deeply.
"Teddy…" he said softly, "do you want to go?"
Teddy bit his lip.
"I want… friends," he whispered. "I love Daddy. I love Granny. I love Kreacher. And Percy. But… I want someone my age too."
His small fingers curled in Hestia's sleeve.
"I don't want to break everything I touch."
Hestia hugged him tightly.
Harry looked away, heart twisting.
He remembered being eleven.
Friendless.
Invisible.
Wishing someone—anyone—would see him.
He wouldn't let Teddy grow up like that.
The next morning, Harry stood in the workshop forging something small, delicate, and glowing with runes. Teddy peeked in, eyes curious.
"What's that?"
Harry turned the object in his hand. It was a silver wristwatch—sleek, child-sized, with a subtle shimmering rune carved on the face.
"It's a portkey," Harry explained. "One that takes you to Camp Half-Blood every morning… and brings you home every evening."
Teddy's eyes widened.
"I… I can go?"
Harry knelt, placing the watch into Teddy's tiny palms.
"If you want to," Harry said softly. "Only if you want to."
Teddy stared at the watch. Then at Harry.
"You won't be lonely without me?"
Harry smiled, eyes soft. "Never. I'll still see you every morning and every night. And you'll make friends who understand strength. Kids who won't be hurt if you run too fast or jump too high. Camp Half-Blood is made for training."
Teddy swallowed hard.
"Then… yes. I want to go."
Harry closed his eyes for a moment, steadying himself.
"Then you will."
Teddy hugged him so suddenly and so fiercely that Harry staggered back.
"Daddy, thank you! Thank you!"
Harry wrapped his arms around Teddy and whispered against his hair:
"Just… be careful. And be kind. And remember—if anything scares you, call me. I'll come instantly."
Teddy nodded. "I know. Daddy is strongest."
Harry laughed.
"Don't tell anyone that."
Hestia's voice floated from the doorway.
"Everyone already knows. That's why he's nervous."
Harry shot her a look.
But she only smiled knowingly.
"Let him go," she said softly. "Let him be a child while he still can."
And Harry did.
Teddy strapped the portkey watch onto his wrist, fingers trembling with excitement. The runes glowed softly, sensing his magic.
Harry held his shoulders and met his eyes.
"You'll have fun," he said. "You'll learn. And you'll come home stronger and happier."
Teddy beamed.
The portkey activated with a gentle twist of the dial.
A swirl of light enveloped Teddy.
"Bye Daddy! I'll make friends!" he shouted as he vanished.
Harry stood alone in the quiet mansion hallway.
Hestia approached, laying a gentle hand on his arm.
"You did the right thing," she whispered.
Harry stared at the empty space where Teddy had stood.
"I hope so," he murmured. "Because I can't protect him from everything forever."
Hestia's expression softened.
"No parent can. But love and preparation go farther than you think."
Harry nodded slowly.
Still—
Deep inside him, the First Trident pulsed once, dangerously protective.
The world spun for a brief second as the portkey released Teddy, dropping him a few inches above the earth. He landed on soft grass with a small "oof," stumbling but quickly regaining his balance. The morning air smelled of pine and campfire smoke, and the sky above Camp Half-Blood glowed with the faint pink of sunrise.
Teddy looked up at the massive tree on the hill.
He had seen pictures… but it felt different in person. Bigger. Alive.
Just below the tree was the shimmering golden barrier that protected the camp. An invisible dome that kept monsters out, a shield of magical power woven from his Daddy's enchantments and the goblin style wards.
Teddy swallowed nervously.
"Daddy said it will let me in…"
He touched the barrier with one small finger.
Warm light rippled outward like gentle water.
Then—
it let him pass.
Teddy exhaled in relief.
"Daddy's magic always works…"
He tightened the straps of his small backpack—packed lovingly by Granny with snacks, spare clothes, and a magical communication bead—and began walking toward the camp.
He had barely taken ten steps before a shriek pierced the air.
"A BABY!"
Teddy flinched and spun around.
A nymph stood knee-deep in the creek nearby, water still dripping from her hair. Her skin shimmered like sunlight on water, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Oh my gods, where did you come from?" she gasped, splashing toward him. "You're so small! Look at your cheeks—LOOK AT THEM!"
Teddy's eyes widened in panic as the nymph swooped down and scooped him straight off the ground.
"W-wait! I'm not a baby!" Teddy protested, dangling in her arms like a disgruntled kitten. "I'm almost seven!"
"A seven-year-old shouldn't look this cute," the nymph declared, pinching his cheek. "I'm taking you straight to—"
She froze.
A wave of energy washed across the camp's borders—pure, unmistakable, magical.
Word spread instantly.
Leaves rustled.
Doors swung open.
Dryads peeked from trees.
Satyrs paused their breakfast.
A child had arrived.
And not just any child.
Someone with strange power.
"TEDDY?"
Cassie's voice rang across the camp like a bell.
The daughter of Aphrodite sprinted across the meadow so fast the nymph nearly dropped Teddy. Cassia skidded to a stop, her blond curls bouncing wildly as she stared at him in pure delight.
"Teddy! You're here! You're finally here!"
Teddy brightened instantly.
"Cassie! I missed you!"
Cassie pulled him into a hug so tight the nymph had to back away, pouting that her new "bath baby" had been stolen.
"I've been on quest duty for months," Cassie said breathlessly, lifting Teddy off the ground again. "But this—THIS—is the best thing I've seen in forever!"
"I'm going to Camp Half-Blood now," Teddy said proudly. "Daddy said I can make friends here."
Cassie's heart melted.
"You'll have so many friends…" she said softly, brushing his shifting hair from his forehead. "More than you know."
Footsteps approached rapidly from another direction.
Annabeth Chase arrived with a map still in her hand, looking like she had sprinted straight from the Athena cabin.
"Teddy?" Annabeth blinked in surprise. "What are—oh gods. He's actually here."
Cassie grinned. "Harry approved it."
Annabeth let out a relieved breath. "Good. Good. This is… wow. Okay. Chiron needs to know right away."
More demigods trickled into the clearing, drawn by curiosity. Most were year-round campers—those who had no safe home, or no home at all.
A few stood awkwardly at the edges, whispering.
"He's so small…"
"How old?"
"Almost seven?"
"Does he have powers?"
"He looks normal."
"Normal? His eyes just changed color!"
"What? Which one of you saw that?"
Teddy hid behind Cassie's leg.
Camp Half-Blood was big.
Bright.
Loud.
But it didn't feel scary.
Not with Cassie's hand on his shoulder.
Not with Annabeth kneeling down in front of him.
"Teddy," she said gently, "if you need anything, anything at all—you tell me or Cassie or Chiron. Okay?"
Teddy nodded.
"And Percy?" he asked hopefully.
Annabeth smiled. "He'll be here in sundays. He'll scream when he sees you. I guarantee it."
Teddy's grin nearly split his face.
More campers arrived—dryads, naiads, satyrs—forming a loose circle around Teddy.
A younger satyr, maybe thirteen, approached timidly.
"H-hi," he said. "I'm Lyle. Um… would you like a snack? I have granola bars."
Cassie beamed. "He's already making friends."
A child from Hermes cabin waved shyly.
A girl from Demeter cabin brought him a flower crown.
Two Stoll brothers placed a sticker on his backpack that said Property of Camp Half-Blood.
Teddy looked overwhelmed.
But in a good way.
He wasn't being stared at because he was strange.
Or dangerous.
Or magical.
He was being stared at because—
Because he was someone new.
Someone welcome.
Cassie leaned down. "How do you feel?"
Teddy squeezed her hand.
"I feel… happy."
Cassie's heart melted completely.
High above the camp, from the roof of the Big House, two figures observed the scene quietly.
Chiron.
And Dionysus.
Chiron smiled softly, relief washing through him.
"So," he said, "Harry Potter has decided to give his boy a proper childhood."
"Wonderful," Dionysus muttered sourly. "More children. More noise. More paperwork for me. Joy."
Chiron ignored him.
"He will need guidance," the centaur murmured. "More than the others. His power is not… ordinary."
Dionysus snorted. "None of them are ordinary anymore. Blame your wizard."
Chiron's eyes softened as he saw Teddy laugh while the nymph placed flowers in his hair.
"But this," Chiron whispered, "is good. This is right."
Dionysus looked at the scene differently—calculating, suspicious—but even he couldn't deny something:
The camp was brighter today.
Livelier.
And perhaps… safer.
Chiron clasped his hands.
"Send a message to Harry," he said. "Tell him the boy arrived safely."
"And what," Dionysus asked dryly, "should the message say?"
Chiron smiled.
"That Teddy has finally come to where he belong."
Author's Note:
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