Hey Guys! So I know I should be working the PenJackson series, and don't worry I'm still working on it, but I had this great idea after reading Neil Gaiman's Marvel: 1602 series and I had to get some of it out of my system. So enjoy! =)
Royal Palace, Madrid, Spain, 1602
As Annabeth Chase strolled thru the streets of the grand Spanish capitol city of Madrid she marveled at home much had changed ever since the Great Revelation. The Great Revelation had been (as far as demigods had been able to tell) when the Mist, that substance the hid the world of Greek myths from the mortal world, had vanished, and thus mortals became aware of Greek myths being true. At the same time, it turned out there was also a secret world of wizards and witches that was also separate from the mortal (or muggle, as the wizards called them) world; after the Great Revelation people had given up on the old faiths like Christianity, so gone were the wars of Catholics and Protestants, but now countries either allied themselves with the demigods or the wizards.
Fortunately, Queen Isabella's father, King Phillip II, had been a man of sensibility and had allied Spain with the demigods (which was fitting, as Mt. Olympus was now located in Spain, being the heart of the west and all), while England had side with the wizards. Decades before Annabeth or any of her friends had been born, Spain had tried to conquer England and convert them to the side of the demigods; although Spain had a mighty armada, the English wizards were crafty and had forced the armada to circle around the islands and regroup in Spain. The problem was, the Scottish and Irish coast were amongst rough seas and many ships had been lost; none the less, with the help of the demigods the Spanish had returned and made landfall, but the English had managed to repel them (though just barely) and the war was brought to an uneasy end.
Though Annabeth and her good friend (and possible boyfriend, though not that she'd ever admit it) Perseo Jackson were only sixteen, they had caught the Queen's attention as some of the most promising demigods (or Mestizos, as they were sometimes called) at Campamento Mestizo, they had been called to court for a special audience with her majesty. Fortunately, Perseo had actually remembered to be on time, and more importantly hadn't gotten distracted by any of the Madrid girls (which was a plus, in Annabeth's opinion anyway).
As the two of them were lead into the palace by royal guards they marveled at how King Phillip II (who had moved the royal court to Madrid) had spared no expense building a magnificent palace; the gardens and landscaping were perfect, the courtyard was expansive and seemed big enough to swallow an entire city and have room for more, the palace itself was elegant and adored with statues of Greek gods and goddesses, past kings and queens, and demigods (the last of which had replaced the statues of saints, which had been torn down after the Great Revelation). Before long Annabeth and Perseo found themselves standing before Queen Isabella herself in the royal throne room.
"Your majesty, it is truly an honor," said Perseo as he bowed in respect.
"Truly the honor is mine Don Jackson. Tell me, is what they say of you retreating Zeus's master bolt when you were but twelve true?" asked Queen Isabella.
"Well, I might have had a little help," chuckled Perseo in Annabeth direction.
"Try a lot of help…I am most sorry you highness, I have spoken out of turn," said Annabeth.
Queen Isabella help up her hand, "You need not be, gods know Spain needs more independent young girls like you. Now we just need…ah, that would be them now."
Entering the room was a boy who looked slightly older than Perseo and Annabeth; he had brown hair and brown eyes, he was dressed in simple cloths, and on his finger was a ring with ten symbols surrounding a gray stone in the center. Joining the boy was an orange cat that walked on its hind legs and wore a cavalier's hat, a black cape, and a pair of boots.
"I'm sure you're both familiar with Puss in Boots, and allow me to introduce you to Roberto Pendraco," said Queen Isabella.
Perseo frowned at Puss, "Shouldn't you be dead by now?"
"Cats have nine lives my friend!" laughed Puss.
"Now then, Roberto and Puss have been recruited for their experience with the English, and that brings us to why you have been called to court; our spies in England inform us that Queen Elizabeth has been restored to full health by her court wizards and is likely to reign for several more years in good health. This poses a problem because if Elizabeth were to die King James of Scotland would be crowned king of both England and Scotland, and more importantly he would bring his hatred of muggle born wizards with him to England," said Queen Isabella.
"You wish to turn the English wizards against one another…so that England would be weaker, and Spain would be able to conquer England more easily!" exclaimed Annabeth.
"Exactly! What I ask of you is to help me finish the work started by my father. What I ask of you is to assassinate the English queen so that Spain may rule England!"
Ω
Hampton Court, England, 1602
Dr. Dumblethor, the chief court wizard, was having a private audience with Queen Elizabeth in the royal banquet hall of Hampton Court.
"I say Elizabeth, that roasted beef with…potatoes, I believe they were, was simply scrumptious," said Dr. Dumblethor.
"Only the best of an old friend like you Albus," said Queen Elizabeth.
"Now before you bring out the wine I must know, what purpose have you called me for?"
"Why Albus, is it so hard to believe that I could have dinner with you and ask for nothing in return?"
The expression on Dr. Dumblethor's face turned serious, "These are strange times we find ourselves in Elizabeth; I would be truly surprised if you were not concerned."
Queen Elizabeth sighed with defeat, "You know me well Albus. There have been reports from our colonies in the New World of strange weather, and it appears to be coming closer to Europe with each passing day."
Dr. Dumblethor studded the runic patterns carved into his gnarled walking cane, "I only wish I knew the answer, but alas, that is something that demands more study. Perhaps we ought to concern ourselves with the arrival of the envoys from Spain and Scotland."
"Perhaps if you and your students were dispatched on an expedition to the New World you could find the source of these occurrences, but you are right. For now we'll focus on the visitors…who shall arrive by tomorrow."
"I have already arranged for a team of my students to meet them in London."
Ω
London, England, 1602
Harry Potter and his friends Ronald Wesley and Hermione Granger stood on the dockside of the river Thames, he thought to himself about what a lovely city London was an what a shame it would be if it were to burn down in a fire or something to that effect. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason the year 1666 came to mind whenever he thought of London burning.
"I'm hungry. Can I get something to eat at the pub?" asked Ronald.
"You just had lunch two hours ago!" exclaimed Hermione.
"But that was ages ago! I'm still hungry!"
"It can wait Ronald, it appears the Spaniards have arrived," said Harry as a Spanish Galleon sped down the Thames at a rate much too fast for an average ship.
The Galleon perfectly docked next to where they were standing, and soon after that the crew began unloading; a boy of about sixteen (Harry, Ronald, and Hermione's age) with black hair and sea-green eyes, and dressed in bronze Spanish style armor step forward with an outstretched hand.
"¡Saludos amigos! ¡Soy Perseo Jackson, y tengo mucho hambre! ¿No iba a pasar a tener nada que comer?" said the boy.
"Please excuz mi amigo. He es, how jou say… no very good with the Inglés," said a blonde haired girl of about the boy's age.
The blonde girl pulled the dark haired boy aside and they bickered in rapid-fire Spanish with one another, until finally they came to somewhat of a mutual agreement.
"I es muy sorry about that. My name es Annabeth Chase, y this es mi amigo Perseo Jackson. Joining us en un momento will be Roberto Pendraco y Puss en Boots, I think jou will be able to tell who is who," said the blonde girl.
"How you doing mates, I'm Robert Pendragon," said Roberto, as if he'd been speaking English his entire life.
"Where'd you learn to speak such muy Ingles amigo?" asked Puss.
Roberto looked like he'd been caught off guard, "Oh you know…my mother, she was very English."
"Right, well then I suppose we ought to make our way to Hampton Court. I assume you'll be able to aid our craft's journey good Sir Perseo?" asked Harry.
"¡Si amigo!" replied Perseo after Annabeth whispered to him what Harry had said.
"Well if that's everything then…" but before Hermione could finish, an old Spanish knight in rusted armor leaped forth from the galleon on a horse that was most thin and spindly.
"Beware evil doers! For I am Don Quixote, the Lord of La Mancha! Going to rid all the evil in the world, in the name of his majesty King Phillip of Spain!" declared the eccentric knight-errant.
"But I thought Isabella was the queen of Spain," said Ronald.
"She es, but she incented we bring him along with us. To amuse jour queen jou ce," said Annabeth.
"I've read about him before, Cervantes wrote about this Don Quixote fellow, didn't he?" asked Hermione.
"Si, Miguel de Cervantes es the greatest writer in all of Españia, next to Sen͂or Riordan; he was from Ireland originally, but moved to Españia after…"
"After us Englishmen took it over!" said Ronald with uber jingoism.
"Jes…well es time we got moving, no?"
"Jolly right! Shouldn't keep her majesty waiting," said Harry, hopping he could do his best to distract everyone from Ronald's remark.
Ω
Hampton Court, England, 1602
The trip seemed, in Perseo's opinion anyway, to take forever. His teacher Chiron had once told him that like all Mestizos he suffered from something called ADHD; even though the court physicians of Queen Isabella hadn't been able to tell him what that meant, he trusted that Chiron knew what he was talking about. On the way to Hampton Court, Annabeth and Hermione had tried to teach him some English with varying degrees of success.
"English is so hard! Why can't everyone just learn Spanish?" whispered Perseo to Annabeth.
"Soon enough they will, but for now we have to keep up the act," whispered Annabeth.
Presently the imposing structure of Hampton Court loomed into view, its splendor just as glorious as when Henry VIII himself presided over it.
"Aye, aye, aye, that's big!" marveled Puss.
"But of course, with his majesty's royal entourage of over 1,000 it was a necessity," explained Hermione.
"I doth like the royal kitchens! The goodly king did build them to satisfy his most gargantuan appetite, and still they makes the most goodly dishes within it they do!" added Ronald.
"I have no idea what you just said!" said Perseo.
"He said the king was a fatso who liked to eat, and apparently liked getting laid as well," whispered Roberto.
"Speak thou of some manner?" inquired Hermione.
"I said…does England have any colonies in the New World? You know that Spain has many such colonies in the New World and beyond, and we were just wondering if England has made any progress," said Roberto hastily.
"Quite. We dist first colonize the land newly found, and see fit to name it Newfoundland. We then dist seek riches of gold and jewels as you Spaniards dist find in thy colonies of the New World, and though our fair colony of Roanoke hath not bequeath such wonders, it doth give us most fine Tabaco. Though I might not care for it, many of the upper classes throughout Europe, and especially the Ottoman Turks, are most found of it and pay most goodly profit for it."
"And how long have you owned this colony of Roanoke?" asked Annabeth.
"About seventeen years, and we have a most delightful visitor from the colony waiting at court. Her name tis Rachel Elizabeth Dare, she tis sixteen years of age and the first child born of the Roanoke colony," explained Harry.
As they were being lead into to impressive palace, it occurred to Perseo and Annabeth that the colonial girl's name was familiar, as if she was a long forgotten friend, and try as they might they could not bring themselves to shake this notion. As they made their way into the castle's great hall they were greeted by a fellow of obvious noble stature, with dark hair and goatee, and whom seemed to constantly wear a sour expression on his face.
"Greetings to you all, I am Edmund, Lord Blackadder. Her majesty has charged me to…"
"Oi Blackadder, get with the time. No one doth speak in that manner in this day!" chastised Hermione.
"Tis true, the way thou doth speak tis so Middle Ages!" added Ronald.
The expression on Lord Blackadder's face turned even more sour at this. "Children it is not my place to keep up with the latest linguistic zeitgeist! Now unless anyone else would like to comment on my speaking patterns…damn, had a good come back for that! As I was saying, I have been instructed by her majesty to…"
But before Lord Blackadder could finish, the doors of the great hall burst open and in walked a large green ogre, wearing the colors of the Scottish Royal Court, burst into the room.
"Oy! Which one of you's Blackadder?" demanded the ogre in an accent so thick it was a wonder anyone could understand him at all.
Lord Blackadder looked unamused as ever at this. "That would be I, and who might I inquire are you?"
"Shrek's me name, and James is me king. Speaking of which, King James wishes to inform Queen Elizabeth that he'll be running a little late, he send his condolences, his thanks, and several bottles of the finest Scottish whiskey."
Lord Blackadder sighed loudly. "I shall inform the Queen…as soon as I take care of the guest of honor, who have just arrived."
Standing before the seated group was a girl of about sixteen with frizzy read hair, whom Perseo reasoned was this Rachel Elizabeth Dare he'd heard so much about. Standing next to Rachael was another girl, but one whom looked a bit older, and by all account looked to be a native of the New World bases off of the deer skin clothing she was dressed in; yet the girl's long dark hair, olive skin, and gray eyes could easily make her pass for a Spanish girl if she had different cloths.
"It is my pleasure to introduce to you Miss Rachael Elizabeth Dare, first child born of the Roanoke colony, and her native servant girl…"
"Her name is Kot-Niz, she doesn't speak much but she is a most loyal body guard," supplied Rachael.
For a brief moment Kot-Niz and Roberto's eyes met one another, and there was a look of almost recognition between them, but Perseo assumed it could only have been coincidence, couldn't it?
Well guys what did you think? So a little explanation, the reason whenever the English are the perspective the Spaniards sped in Spanglish , and when the Spaniards are the perspective the English speak in Ye Olde English was to represent the language barrier between them. Also, the reason for no Christianity was purely plot relevant, I mean there's no way super-Catholic Spain would have teamed up with a bunch of demigods right? I will try my best for historical accuracy, but clearly this is not our past so excuse any anachronisms as part of this. Lastly, keep an eye on Roberto and Kot-Niz, there's more to them than meets the eye, until next time readers!