Chapter One
Why, hello there. My name is Perseus Jackson and I'm the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. You might have heard of me, since I recently defeated Kronos and all. All the people that hear of this achievement automatically start clapping me on the back and congratulating me, which is the one thing that I didn't want. I put up a brave face in front of the remaining campers and friends, but some of them could see past my facade. I lost too many friends, sacrificed too much of my sanity to feel the happiness that came with winning a war. Did defeating your enemy even bring you any satisfaction?
No. That's the hard truth. I had been waiting and anticipating my final battle with the titan lord, but in the end when I stood over the lifeless body of my former friend, I didn't feel anything. I was empty, and so were many others who suffered the fate of losing someone they care about.
When the gods returned and saw me sitting next to Luke Castellan's body, they knew it was over. However, they seemed surprised by the look on my face. It was completely void of any emotion. Unbeknownst to them, I was making a list in my head. A list of all the deceased.
Selena. Beckendorf. Luke. Ethan. Annabeth. Bianca.
The list could go on forever, but these were the ones that shook me to the core. I witnessed those from up close. I could have prevented them. I should have, but I was too weak. Beckendorf sacrificed himself and so did Selena, Ethan and Bianca. Kronos' minions slaughtered Annabeth whilst I was battling the titan of time himself. Even Luke, who betrayed us all, I couldn't help but feel guilty for.
It's funny, really. I had felt the icy cold metal of Kronos' scythe digging into my skin, yet the deaths of my comrades hurt much, much more than that weapon could ever have. The gods had found me, the sole survivor of the ordeal, on my knees in the throne room. I wasn't crying. I wasn't angry. I was simply empty.
I heard my mom calling out my name, her voice dripping with concern. I had been laying on my bed for the last week or so, doing nothing. I was staring at the rewards I had gotten from the gods. Since I hadn't accepted immortality, they all wanted to give me something special. It was a great honor, receiving gifts from all the Olympians, but I didn't feel any gratitude. Some of the gods had simply blessed me, like Athena and Ares. Others gave me something other than special powers.
Hermes gave me Nikes that would increase my speed.
Apollo gave me the key to a car. He said that if I pressed it, any vehicle that came to mind would appear.
Artemis gifted me a wolf pup with pitch black fur and green eyes, much like mine. It was laying at the foot end of my bed, sleeping. I named it Raye.
Aphrodite offered me the ability to change my looks to whatever I preferred, which I eagerly accepted.
The rest simply blessed me or gave me something that I didn't really have a use for. No offense to Demeter, but a sickle that could transform into a bracelet wasn't that useful to a son of Poseidon. I still kept it on my wrist though.
The big three rewarded me as well. Dad offered me sword of Atlantean steel, since my Riptide shattered during the battle against Kronos. Luckily, Annabeth's knife did the job against the body of Luke Castellan. The sword's grip was sea green, but the blade was a much lighter shade of green. It gave off a faint glow, indicating that it recognized the blood of the sea.
Hades gifted me an unlimited amount of money in the form of some sort of credit card. I smirked at how I hadn't even used it yet. This could come in very handy.
Finally, Zeus simply told me I could enter his domain whenever and however I wished, which was one of the most valuable gifts of them all.
"What's up, mom?" I asked without moving from my comfortable spot on the bed. I stared at Raye, who was lifting his head and sleepily looking at me. I heard the creaking of an opening door and turned my head to face the one who had entered. To my surprise, I saw Chiron rolling his wheelchair closer to my bed. My mom was right on his heels. I quickly sat up, slightly startling the pup at my feet.
"Why are you here, Chiron?" I asked awkwardly. It had been a while since I had been to camp, and it must feel like I abandoned all of them. Chiron gave me a little smile.
"I just came here to see how you are doing, my boy. Sally invited me." We both looked at my mom, who was standing behind the centaur. She deeply exhaled before speaking up.
"Percy, you've been in this state for days." She said, clenching her fist. "I wanted to give you a change of scenery, but I needed confirmation from someone like Chiron if this was okay or not."
We both frowned. "A change of scenery?" I asked warily. Chiron slightly turned his wheelchair so he could look at the both of us. "Yes, a change of scenery." She repeated. Mom stared at us for a few seconds before she turned around.
"We should discuss this in the living room." We followed her out of my bedroom and made our way to the couches. We sat in silence for a few minutes as my mother gathered her thoughts. Eventually she started explaining.
"Percy, you know what wizards and witches are?" She asked. I nodded. It was a silly question, I thought. I didn't like where this was going though. "What if I told you that there's a whole society of them, located somewhere far from here?"
Chiron choked. If he had a drink, I would have been covered in it by now. I simply stared at her in disbelief. "You're telling me that there are witches and wizards out there?"
"Yes."
"The ones that wave sticks around and shoot fireballs?"
"It's more complex than that, but yes."
I shook my head. "How?" I asked, my voice cracking when I did. She had a thoughtful look on her face. I could tell she was trying not to overwhelm us too much, but it wasn't working out.
"The goddess of magic, Hecate, once blessed a large group of mortals. They settled down in the United Kingdom, where they continued to practice magic. Their children and grandchildren had those abilities as well. Now, there are hundreds of thousands of these wizards." She explained.
Chiron shifted in his wheelchair before speaking. "How come we never knew of these 'wizards'?" He asked her. My mother shook her head.
"The gods know, but they swore not to tell anyone unless someone found out by themselves." She said. Chiron nodded, seemingly deep in thought. A question suddenly popped into my head. "What does this have to do with me though?" I interrogated. She had started staring out of the window, a far away look in her eyes.
"That's a long story, dear." She sighed. "You see, I was born in the magical world, not the mortal one. After a few years of attending Hogwarts, the school of magic in the UK, I moved to America and changed my name. I was tired of being a witch."
"So, your name isn't Jackson?" I asked, slightly afraid of the answer. My mom nodded.
"My real name is Sally Black. I had two brothers named Regulus and Sirius. We were a family that consisted of wizards." She continued. I gasped, and so did the centaur next to me. I almost shot out of the seat.
"So, you can do magic?!" I exclaimed hopefully. My mom smiled sheepishly. "Sadly, no. I lost my wand a long time ago."
Our faces fell. "Please, continue." Chiron breathed.
"Anyway, I thought that it might a good idea to send you to Hogwarts, Percy." She said. My jaw hit the floor.
"Uhh..." I stuttered incoherently. Chiron's state of mind wasn't much better than mine. My mom chuckled.
"That's my change of scenery?" I asked bewilderedly. She nodded with a slight smile on her lips. I pumped my fist into the air, temporarily forgetting my worries. I was going to learn magic!
"But!" My mom said sternly, interrupted my cheering. I shot her a questioning look.
"There are conditions." My face fell once again. "Firstly; don't cause trouble at the school." She said, I nodded eagerly.
"Second; try to make some friends and don't drive the teachers crazy." She demanded. I narrowed my eyes. "I would never!" I stated, but mom's slight glare shut me up.
"Thirdly, you must catch up with six years of magic studies, since you're in your last year." She said dryly. I groaned loudly. This whole magic thing wasn't looking so fun anymore. Suddenly, a fourth voice spoke up, one that I didn't recognize.
"That won't be necessary." The voice said, as a woman entered the living room from the kitchen. My hand automatically shot to my pocket, before remembering that I didn't have Riptide anymore. My other sword was laying on the bed, so I was unarmed.
"Relax, Perseus Jackson, or should I say Perseus Black now?" The woman taunted. Chiron's eyes widened and he quickly bowed his head.
"Lady Hecate." He respectfully greeted her. When we realized who she was, my mom and I quickly bowed.
"There is no need for that." Hecate assured us. "I have yet to reward the hero of Olympus, after all. I think I have a solution to your current problem."
I straightened myself and looked into her eyes. They looked like whirlpools of raw power. "What would that be?" I asked warily. Hecate smirked at this and sat down on the couch, a little too close to me.
"You won't need to cram six to seven years of knowledge into your head." Hecate said as she leaned a little closer to me until our shoulders were touching. I was starting to feel uncomfortable, and I could tell my mom and Chiron felt the same.
"Again, why?" I demanded.
"Because." She said, leaving a short pause. Suddenly, the goddess tapped my forehead with her index finger.
I felt a new power stream into my brain and body. I don't know how, but instantly knew the names of countless spells and how to perform them. The information eventually became too much for my brain to handle and I clutched my head in agony. However, as soon as the pain came, it was gone. My mother seemed ready to come to my aid. Chiron just watched the interaction in silence, his face void of emotion.
"Holy shit." I added distressedly. I heard my mom mutter something about foul language as I faced Hecate again.
"You blessed me." I deadpanned. She nodded dryly. "I did."
"Why?"
"Because I have a job for you." She said, the last of her playfulness disappearing. I narrowed my eyes at her. I knew the gods and their antics, and this did not sound good.
"What kind of job did you have in mind, Lady Hecate?" Chiron asked. Hecate replied, never tearing her gaze away from my face.
"You'll go to Hogwarts as a teacher." She began, but I interrupted her.
"Woah, hold up! A teacher? I've never even done magic before!" I exclaimed. Hecate shook her head. "Let me finish." She demanded. I huffed and sat back down.
"An evil wizard by the name of Voldemort is going to war with Hogwarts and its headmaster, Albus Dumbledore." She explained. "I know that the students wont have enough experience when the battle arrives. Most of them don't even know that it's coming."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"I took over the body of the minister and arranged that close combat and swordsmanship lessons could be held at Hogwarts. I want you to be their tutor, but meanwhile keep an eye out for dark wizards."
"Why should I throw myself into another war?" I asked tiredly. I knew it'd end up with me going on another quest. At least this one had magic, right?
"Voldemort's goal is to kill every wizards but the pure-bloods. Innocent children are going to die, Perseus." Hecate told me. Her gaze pierced into mine, we started a fierce staring contest. Meanwhile, a silent conversation was being held between us. My mother stood up and turned towards the goddess of magic and me.
"No!" She shouted. "If I had known it would end up like this, I never would have revealed the magical world to my son!"
"Deal." I said plainly. My eyes were still connected to Hecate's, and she knew my conditions. I'd do my job, but for the rest I'd do what I wished to do. My mother turned towards me with a shocked look in her eyes. My gaze softened a bit.
"Mom, I can't let innocent people die. Not again." I told her, engulfing her in a hug. I knew she understood that I wouldn't back out of this. I let my friends die, nobody deserved that fate. If I could prevent some eleven year old wizard from losing their family, I'd gladly give my life.
"Just try to be safe, at least." She mumbled into my shoulder. I chuckled. "Curse of Achilles, remember?" She weakly hit my shoulder. "You know what I meant." She said. I nodded solemnly.
Hecate cheerfully hopped off of the couch as we let go of each other. The goddess wiped some non-existent dust off her dress before facing me again.
"Well, go pack your stuff, Black." She demanded.
"Wait, n-now?" I stuttered. She nodded impatiently. "The school year starts tomorrow for the students. The Hogwarts Express leaves in three hours." She told me.
I cursed loudly and raced to my room.
Raye was wide awake and prancing on my bed. I roughly opened the closet and started shoving stuff into an old suitcase that belonged to Paul.
Paul is going to have a stroke when he hears about this, he has always loved these fantasy stories with wizards and witches.
Clothes? Check. Sword? Check. Bracelet? Check. Magical car key? Check. The list went on for fifteen minutes until I had crammed everything into a suitcase and a backpack. Raye watched in confusion as I ran around the room, searching for anything that I'd need at this 'Hogwarts' place.
The place sounds like a slaughterhouse for ring wraiths.
I strapped the bag onto my back and quickly grabbed Raye with one arm as I used the other to roll the suitcase out of my room.
"Done!" I shouted. Hecate watched in slight amusement. "You know, I can just teleport us to the station, right?" She asked. I nodded. "So?"
"You didn't need to rush. The train leaves in three hours, remember?" She smirked slightly. I rolled my eyes as I tried to shake to slight pink off my cheeks.
"Better now than never, right?" I tried to defend myself as Hecate simply chuckled at my antics.
"Remember to introduce yourself as Perseus Black when you're in the school. Status matters most in that world." She said. I frowned. "That doesn't seem right." I thought out loud. Hecate nodded. "It isn't, but that's just the way it is."
She seemed to think of something before she snapped her fingers. A wooden stick appeared in her hand. She reached it out to me.
"What's that?" I asked as I took the stick from her. She huffed. "You should at least know what a wand is if you're going into the magical world."
I shrugged. "A wand, huh?" Strangely enough, I actually knew how to use it. It was probably Hecate's blessing taking effect.
"11 inch Applewood, Veela hair core." Hecate rambled.
"Velo what now?" I repeated poorly. The goddess just rolled her eyes. "Forget it. Just tuck it away in a place where it won't break." She sighed. I obeyed and we exited the hallway, entering the living room again. I placed the suitcase and backpack against the wall.
My mother looked at the suitcase with a sad smile. I knew this must be hard for her, but I needed to do this. I noticed that Chiron was still there and Paul had gotten home from work. Together we waited until the hours were up.
"Don't I look odd?"
"For the last damned time, Black. No, you don't." Hecate answered agitatedly. She picked up her pace as we walked on the platform 9 3/4. I walked a little faster too so I could catch up.
"But I'm the only one who isn't wearing robes!" I complained, conscious of my simple hoodie and jeans. Hecate rolled her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "You're a teacher, they wear what they want." She assured me. I still didn't feel comfortable.
"What about the sword and scabbard strapped to my back? Those aren't normal!" I exclaimed in a hushed tone. The goddess didn't even look at me this time.
"The students will think that your hobby is swordsmanship, I guess." She stated boredly. My eyes widened.
"You guess?!" I wasn't used to being this exposed to mortal eyes at all. Since they were blessed humans, they could see past the mist.
"Yep." She said, popping the 'p'. I groaned in annoyance. She seemed more like a irritated parent than a goddess. Suddenly she stopped walking, making me bump into her. Raye bumped into my leg as well, since he was strolling behind us. We must have looked like a comedic trio.
"You can get on here." Hecate said, pointing at the train's door. I picked up Raye and stepped into the bright red express.
"Perseus?"
I looked back. "Hmm?"
"Good luck." Hecate said as we grinned at each other for a few seconds. She was a rather likable goddess if you got to know her. The doors closed dramatically and the train departed a minute after that.
I decided to look for a compartment that I could sleep in, because I was not going to sit this whole ride out. Checking compartments as I walked through the narrow pathways, I noticed there wasn't one that was free.
That's what you get for being late.
I randomly opened one of the doors. A four kids were having a heated argument, but it died down when I opened the door.
"Oi, ehh... Mind if I sit here?" I asked awkwardly. Their stares made me highly uncomfortable. Eventually, one of the girls spoke up. She had fiery red hair and seemed a bit younger than the rest.
"No, we don't mind." She smiled at me and I spotted a faint blush on her cheeks.
Great, I'm attracting kids already. Just what I'm looking for.
"Hermione, scoot over a bit." She told the girl as she shot her a meaningful look. The girl, Hermione, blushed furiously at her friend's behavior as she made room for me.
"Thanks." I said to them. "I'm Perseus Black, by the way. Call me Percy."
The black haired boy's head shot up. He had a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead. "Are you..." He asked, leaving a short pause to look for the right words. "Related to Sirius Black in any way?"
I shrugged. Hecate had warned me about this. Sirius Black was my uncle, he was imprisoned in Azkaban for something he didn't do. I simply nodded to the boy.
"He's my uncle. I doubt he even knows that I exist, though." I said as I looked at the red haired boy who was staring at my sword in awe.
"Why do y-" He was about to ask, but the brown haired girl interrupted him.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Hermione Granger." She introduced herself. "Sorry for their rudeness. That's Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter."
They stared at me, as if they were waiting for something to happen. "Nice to meet you too?" I tried, but they kept staring. Eventually, Harry started chuckling.
"You're the first one who doesn't try to threaten or befriend me because of my name." He told me, relief clear on his face. I was a little confused, but it seemed to make sense to his three friends.
"And why would I do that?" I asked with a puzzled look on my face. To say that hey were baffled would be an understatement.
"You don't know who Harry Potter is?" Ginny asked me. I shook my head.
"Nope."
"What about The-Boy-Who-Lived?"
"Still nothing."
"The Chosen One?"
"What are you trying to do here?" I interrogated. They were so perplexed that I didn't know who Harry damned Potter was that it annoyed me.
After that, they told me who Harry actually was. I immediately felt sorry for the dude. I knew how it was to lose loved ones and to have your childhood ripped away from you, and it wasn't exactly pleasant.
"Anyway," Hermione said. "What house are you in? I've never seen you at Hogwarts before."
I shrugged. "I'm not in any house." I told her, smirking. It was time to mess with her. She frowned. "You haven't been sorted yet? Are you a transfer student?" Hermione asked. The others seemed puzzled as well.
"I'm not a student." I stated, carefully analyzing their reactions. When I realized they didn't understand what I meant, I decided to make it easier for them.
"Starting this year, I'll be teaching at Hogwarts." I added. Their jaws dropped. Hermione quickly scooted away from me, pressing Harry against his armrest.
"I'm so sorry, professor! I-..." She stuttered, a bright blush evident on her face. I frowned. What was wrong with her?
"What's wrong? I'm only human, you know." I asked, but the girl turned away from me. Ginny sighed. "She's a worrywart, she thinks she's immoral now because she acted familiar with a professor." Ginny mocked, eyeing Hermione.
"What do you teach, professor?" Harry asked.
I scowled. "No need to call me that outside of classes, dude. I'm only seventeen." I assured them.
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Only seventeen? You should still be in school!" He exclaimed, pieces of candy flying out of his mouth.
"I guess I'm some sort of genius, aren't I?" I snorted. Hermione, who seemed to have recovered, asked me a question.
"You haven't answered the question yet. What do you teach?"
"I teach the close combat classes." I replied. I heard a few 'oooh's and Hermione nodded. It was then that Raye started to act up. He had been hidden between my legs so the others couldn't see him, but he had now woken up. The little pup jumped onto my lap and the students gasped.
"A dog?" Ron asked and I scowled at him.
"Raye is a wolf." I retorted. He recoiled at my sudden protectiveness of the small wolf. Raye growled at him and Ron sunk back in his seat.
This was going to be one hell of a ride.