The Twin Brothers of Power
One time disclaimer: I own nothing. Well except for OC's
Chapter 1: Introduction
Percy Jackson stood at the top of Half-blood Hill looking over the camp. He and his twin brother Harry had many great and not-so-great memories of the place that become their home after the death of their mother Sally Jackson. It was their favorite place in the world.
Some backstory is probably needed here. So, here goes.
Percy and Harry Jackson were demigods. They were the mortal children of the gods and humans with whom they "fraternized". They were the sons of Poseidon the Greek god of the seas and storms. But due to ancient laws that did not allow the gods to interfere in the children's life, Poseidon was not able to stay with Sally. Since Sally had two children from one of the big three it created a scent that attracted very powerful monsters. She then had to marry a creature named Gabe Ugliano. Gabe was a horrible person, if he could even be classified as a person. But his horrible scent fended off the monsters, which was the only reason Sally was with him.
Everyday he would wait for Sally to go off to work and be left alone with the twins. He would often abuse the two. Or at least he would try to. Percy and Harry always had each other's backs. There were times where he physically hurt them. But they would console each other and be somewhat okay sooner or later.
Luckily Percy and Harry only had to spend the summertime with him, as they were always being enrolled at boarding schools. They never had the chance to stay at one for long. Something would always happen around the two of them that they were expelled from every school they've gone to.
They had found out about their demigod heritage when they were 13, on a school trip to a museum in New York. On that trip they had fought their first monster, the Fury Alecto. Alecto had disguised herself as their math teacher Mrs. Dodds. While they were outside they had accidently "pushed" Nancy Bobofit into a fountain. Mrs. Dodds called them inside to presumably set out their punishment. Instead she morphed into a bat-winged creature. A Fury, from the realm of Hades.
As soon she transformed, Mr. Brunner, the boys' Latin teacher came in and threw two pens at them. After seeing the look of confusion on their face, he told them to uncap the pens. The boys were still confused but did as they were told.
When they uncapped the pens, they grew into swords, presumably made of bronze. When the creature known as Ms. Dodds came at them, they slashed at her simultaneously. Upon contact with the blades the Fury crumbled into gold dust. It smelled faintly of sulfur and death.
After their shock escaped them the boys realized that Mr. Brunner was no longer in the room. They found him outside where he took the pens back from them and refused from that point on to discuss what had happened inside the museum.
Later, on back at the school, Ms. Dodds was nowhere to be seen and anyone asked would tell them that no one named Dodds ever worked at Yancy academy.
Due to the principal finding out about their little encounter with Nancy Bobofit, they were expelled.
On their last day of school they were approached by a classmate of theirs named Grover. Grover had always been a bit of a loner, due to the fact that he was handicapped, which made him the perfect target for bullies. On their first day he had tried to befriend the two brothers, but was unsuccessful. They hadn't even talked to him since then. He offered to take them home, but Percy and Harry were not ones to trust just anyone. They kindly denied his offer and decided to quickly leave before they were approached by anyone else. They got just as they saw Nancy Bobofit shaking down some underclassmen. After realizing that trying to help the kid would get them nowhere, they continued their walk to the train station.
After getting home they saw that their disgusting step dad was doing what he normally does, playing poker with his obnoxious drinking buddies. He even tried to get money from them, but they just went to their room and waited for their mom to get home from work.
When she got home they all shared a big warm embrace. Sally Jackson was just that wonderful. She could take any day and make it a great one with her great hugs.
They then all got packed for their trip up to Montauk.
They left in Gabe's car. The car ride there was less than eventful. When they got there they put all of their stuff into a cabin near the water.
Later that night, there was pounding on their door. When Harry opened the door, there, drenched from the rain, was Grover. He said something about a Minotaur and a lightning bolt to Sally. She immediately grabbed her sons and stuffed them into the car with Grover in the back seat. She then started her drive to Gods know where. In the car Sally began to tell them of their father and his "family".
Soon she was driving down a state road when a bulky shadowy figure showed up on the road wearing a billowing cloak. They thought that the person would move out of the way, when it became apparent that it would not move Sally jerked the car left and crashed into a pit. It then rolled over. Luckily everyone was unharmed, well except Grover whose head had smacked against the window.
They all tried to open their doors, but they wouldn't budge. Percy grabbed one of Grover's crutches and hit the glass again. It eventually broke and they were able to crawl out. Harry dragged Grover out. Grover's pants got stuck on a piece of glass and when they came off Percy and Harry saw that Grover's legs turned out to be hooves.
They dragged Grover across the street to a steep hill. The figure from before appeared, but this time without the cloak.
It was human shaped and had horns on its head. It was covered in what looked like fur. It towered over them immensely.
Sally told them to run up the hill, that they would be safe once they got to the top, past the Pine tree. Percy and Harry pulled Grover as hard as they could but they didn't make much distance between them and the Minotaur. It didn't look good for them but then it got worse.
The Minotaur charged at them. But when they were about to get hit they were pushed out of the way by Sally. The Minotaur slammed right into her causing her to fly straight into a tree. She was impaled by a branch. She cried out as she swallowed the blood forcing its way up. She then told her sons to keep going to the top of the hill. In her dying moment she urged her sons to safety. That thought is what caused the change in the two boys.
They dropped Grover into some bushes for cover. They split up and came at the beast from two sides, their naturally sea green eyes lit up with anger fueled by despair. Harry jumped onto its back. Percy found a way to get on its head and pulled Harry up. They both grabbed the Minotaur horns from its head, completely ripping them off. With the horns in hand the brothers stab the Minotaur in its eyes. The Minotaur explodes into gold dust.
The initial rush of energy from their anger gone, the brothers collapse.
That was the worst night that the two ever experienced. And it only got weirder.
The two brothers went on to find Zeus's Master Bolt and Hades' Helm of Darkness with a friend from camp named Annabeth. They even defeated Ares the god of war, in a fight. They went on a quest for the Golden Fleece and revived Thalia Grace from her tree form. They travelled west to save Annabeth and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and the moon. They found a clear-sighted mortal to lead them through Daedalus' labyrinth. They led an army of demigods against their grandfather Kronos. They were offered godhood which they both denied. They were then transported to a Roman camp full of demigods. They and two others, Frank and Hazel went on a quest to save Thanatos the god of peaceful death. They travelled to Greece to close the doors of death. They were thrown into Tartarus together. They fought the giant Polybotes alongside their father, Poseidon. They defeated Gaia. And they were offered godhood again and again decided to decline but accepted half immortality like their fellow 6 quest members.
They had done all of that in three years and now they were going on yet another quest. This time to England to protect a wizard and help the Gods "expand their borders". The quest was given to them by the goddess Hecate, the goddess of magic, crossroads and the mist. The mist, being the shroud that covers a mortal's mind from monsters, and the other horrors of the Greek world.
Line Break
Percy woke up at around 6 A.M. on a Saturday morning. Today he was to go to the arena and teach swordplay to some new campers. But first, he had some time to do as he wished. He rushed into the shower and as soon as the water hit his face he felt full of energy. He stepped out and got dressed into his orange camp half-blood t-shirt, some regular combat jeans, and Nikes. That last part was just to honor the goddess of victory. He then woke his brother as they were both to teach the class and didn't want to come back to the cabin and find him still asleep.
"Harry, Harry. HARRY! WAKE UP!" Percy got tired of yelling at his brother and decided to just wake him up with a very painful but effective method. Except, it would hurt Harry a lot more than Percy. Percy stepped back. He brought up his right leg as high as he possibly could. Then he swiftly brought his leg down on Harry's stomach, waking him instantly.
Harry jumped out of bed noticing the pain but not caring, he looked for his magical pen/sword riptide. But when he noticed his brother standing next to his bed with a smug look on his face, he stopped looking for the pen and jumped at him. Harry landed right on top of Percy. He stared straight at his brother with a look of pure annoyance and malice.
"Why, just why, did you hit me?" They laid there on the floor. Harry was still on top. They looked into their matching sea green eyes. Percy then flipped them so that he was on top. Then he stood up.
"You refused to wake up."
"Were there any other ways to wake me up? And before you try to answer, yes, there are."
"The question you should have asked is: was there a funnier way to wake you? Even then the answer is, maybe, there could be. But it doesn't matter, take a shower and get dressed. We have some time before today's first lesson but I don't want you going back sleep. Do you hear me little brother.
Harry flinched at the words little brother. He hated when Percy called him that. Percy seemed to find an unsurmountable glee at the fact that he was 44 minutes older. Damn him and his '44 minutes of extra life experience'.
Percy, sensing his brother's thoughts, smirked. That made Harry even angrier. The fact that Percy knew that he had gotten to him. But he couldn't help but smile too at his brother.
"I swear I really hate you sometimes", Harry remarked.
"But you really love me the rest of the time", Percy said back.
"Sure whatever you say man." Percy then pointed to the bathroom. " Okay, okay, I'm going, so hold your pegasi."
As Harry went to take a shower, Percy decided to go to the river. Being a son of Poseidon, he was usually drawn to bodies of water. There were times when he would sense a strange presence and track it down to a cup of water. Speaking of sensing, he and Harry had developed a new ability that Harry named the "Moisture Sense". It was pretty simple. It allowed them to sense people or things using the water moisture in the air. And it didn't waste any energy as it was being done subconsciously.
At the moment, Percy could sense someone in the trees who wasn't there a second ago. That meant one of two things, a god had just flashed down to camp, or, "Bianca!" Percy was then suddenly grabbed from behind by his cousin. This was the girl who he had saved the life of. The girl who saw him as her big brother and guardian angel.
"How did you know it was me?" Bianca asked as she got up and helped him stand.
"Well, I could sense someone's presence near me and the gods and I had an agreement. They were to leave me alone after the war with Gaia. I was promised that I'd only be called for the big quests. And I'm pretty sure there can't be one already." Percy was tired of the constant fear of not waking up one day. No matter how much he wanted to see his mother, he knew he had more to do in life. He wanted a normal life. And that's what drove him.
While Percy was thinking he hadn't realized that Bianca was still there. "So, young lady, why exactly were you trying to sneak up on me? Anything happen recently?"
Bianca immediately began to twiddle her thumbs, which Percy has never seen her do before.
"Well, something has happened. Something unexpected. I kinda sorta met someone. Someone I like and who likes me back." She said and a pink blush appeared on her pale face.
"Okay, first of all, I am really happy that you have met someone other than me who can stand you for longer than a second. But could you explain to me this concept of kinda sorta meeting somebody? It's pretty new to me?"
"Okay, you jerk, I met someone. Happy now?"
"I'll be happy once I hear more about this mystery man who's got you all happy and blushy."
"First of all, I don't think blushy is a word", She said mimicking his previous tone. "Second of all, the mystery man is not really a man." Before he could ask what she meant, she continued. "Her name is Keela. She's a daughter of Apollo. His Roman form not his Greek form."
"Is that it? Her name is Keela and she's a daughter of the sun god." Bianca shook her head. "So what else is there?"
"She wants to meet you." She didn't know how he would respond to this. Percy tended to stay to himself and let his brother handle "public relations". He basically kept to himself and only spoke to his close friends which were far and few between. Meeting new people was more of a problem and less of a new experience.
Percy tensed. "Why would she want to meet me? And are you sure it's me and not Nico? I mean, I do see you as my little sister, but Nico is your blood. He deserves to meet her first."
"Nico is still in Greece with Hazel and Frank on a quest from dad. And I'm sure that she wants to meet you specifically. Once she found out that I knew you and Harry, well, she wanted to meet you and him but I told her that wouldn't be possible as you do not want to talk people. But that just made her more eager to get to know you. So, will you do it?"
"Okay, whatever, but promise me that she won't ask me any weird questions. And that we could do this at the river. Just tell me what day she'll be here and I'll be ready for my 'interview'.
"Great. Percy, something else I didn't tell you is that she's already in camp. I'll go get her and meet you at the river." Bianca started to run into the shadow of a tree.
"Just hurry up! I've got a sword fighting class to teach later!"
Once Bianca had stepped completely into the shadow, Percy continued his walk to the river. Two or so minutes later, he was at the river. Bianca and Keela were not there yet, so he decided to go for a quick swim.
Now there is no such thing as just a swim for a child of Poseidon. As soon as he was undressed into his swim trunks, he called the water to him and it pulled him into the river. He first swam with the current, then he swam against it. He then formed a large ball of water around him and rose himself out the river, while still inside the water orb.
He stayed in a meditative stance while in there. He wasn't one to think much about anything, due to his ADHD. But he liked to just be in the water with no people around to disturb him. Speaking of people, Percy could sense three people near his bubble. Deciding that it would be rude to stay in there any longer and not acknowledge them, he let some of the water around him fall back into the river. He used the rest of the water let him down onto the bank.
As Percy landed he noticed again that there was three people here. But when he got closer he noticed that the extra person was Annabeth Chase.
"He's at the cabin Annabeth." Percy had already guessed that she was looking for his brother, her boyfriend. She shook her head, which intrigued Percy.
"I'm actually here for you Percy. Chiron would like to see you after your first class today." When Percy was about his mouth to ask a question she promptly said, "I don't know why, so don't ask. See ya Perce."
After a few seconds of letting what she said soak in, he turned his attention to the other two. Bianca and who could only be Keela.
As soon as Percy laid eyes on her, he almost freaked out. She looked like a female version of him. Harry and Percy were twins but they didn't really look like it if you got close to them. Harry's eyes a darker green like a raging ocean during a storm. And Harry's hair was close to being just a dark brown. And He had a stockier look to him than Percy.
But the girl in front of him was almost an exact replica of Percy, besides the fact that she was a girl. She had his sea green eyes of the ocean on a sunny day. And the shiny tone he had to his hair.
"I know, I know", she began, "we look pretty similar. But it's only because I get my looks from my mother. When I joined the Roman legion last week, they would not call me by my name. Which is Keela by the way" When Percy just nodded, she continued. "They have chosen to call Perseus 2. Imagine my joy when Bianca here told me she knew you. Well now that I've met my namesake and one of the twins of power."
After minutes of nothing from Percy, Bianca decided to step in. "So, Percy, are you going to say something or are you just going to stand there like an idiot." Percy shook a bit.
"Okay, um, well, how are you Keela? I don't know how to speak to people, so can we keep the questions at a neutral rating. Nothing too personal. Oh, and call me Percy. Perseus is a bit too formal. But Almighty Overlord of Awesomeness is just fine."
At this Keela smiled. "Well I'll just stick to Percy for now."
"Wait. Before you continue, I have a question for you." When she nodded he continued. "Why dont you speak with your accent. Yes, I know that you are Irish. The first clue was your name. 'A beauty that can only be captured in poetry'. Also, you resemble a female me, so I kinda agree. So back to my original question why do speak in an American accent and not your traditional one?"
Keela was astonished at his words. She looked to Bianca, but she wasn't there. Now she was alone with a guy who knew this much about her and they had just met. She was scared, but she wouldn't show it.
"I don't speak with my accent any longer because, as I said, the members of the legion constantly compared me to you. So to be more like you, I stopped speaking with an Irish accent."
"Okay. Not the answer I expected, but you are less tense now, so it worked. And I have to say, picking up a new accent in a week, deserves recognition. So now that the formalities are done, do you have anything that you would like to ask me? I thought that this would be like other interviews."
"Are you used to interviews?"
"Yeah, pretty much"
"Why?"
"Well after Harry and I kinda led the charge in the battle against the Titans, we got famous. Harry was okay with the spotlight. He never asked for it, but he never shied away from it either. I, on the other hand, developed an antisocial personality. But there were always a new camper that wanted to know about the two great sons of Poseidon. So we were put through a bunch of these little informal and impromptu interviews."
"So, if you don't really like social settings, what is your ideal place to be? And why?"
Percy was kind of uncomfortable with this question because he knew the answer would raise further questions. So he lied. "Um, I don't know, the Poseidon cabin."
Keela immediately frowned upon hearing his answer. "You're lying Perseus." Percy became a bit apprehensive at her response.
"How did you know?", he asked.
"My dad is the god of truth, for Gods' sake. I just know when someone is lying. So what is the actual answer to my question?"
Percy didn't want to say it, but her face showed just how determined she was at getting that answer. Percy walked over to the river and sat at the long edge and let his feet dangle into the water. He patted the spot right next to him in a motion for Keela to sit down. She slowly moved to the specified spot and sat down. Percy did not even look in her direction. He just looked out into the surrounding forest as he spoke. Percy then began to tell her about his life before camp. He told her about Gabe and his mother. He told her about finding out exactly why she was ever with Gabe. He then finished it off with all of his great memories of the cabin in Montauk. There was one thing he kept from her though. One thing he hadn't ever told anyone. Not even Harry.
Keela and Percy were quiet for a while after Percy had just dropped his giant truth bomb.
"You may be wondering exactly I told you of my past. The answer is simple. For you to understand my love for that small cabin, you need to understand what the cabin protected me from. It presented me with the happiness that I never truly felt at home. So now that you know all that, I must leave. I have a swordsmanship class to teach with my brother. You could come and watch if you would like to." He started off on toward the arena.
Keela ran off after him. She grabbed his shirt. She still had one last question to ask the son of Poseidon. "Percy, can I ask you one more question?"
Percy continued to walk and sighed. "Well you just did." Keela face palmed at the tone of his reply. "But I already know what you meant to ask me. I told all those things not just because I wanted you to understand my answer, but also because I feel that I can trust you. Now don't go spreading any news of you being my friend. I don't want people trying to get their nerves together and trying to speak to me. Nevertheless I truly did enjoy our little 'chat'".
Keela stopped in her tracks. Percy noticed and looked back with a face of confusion. When she noticed him staring, she ran up to him. As they continued to walk she said, "Thank you Percy. I really enjoyed our conversation as well. They say to never meet your hero because it will ruin your view of them. But I'm glad to have met you."
Now it was Percy's turn to pause for a moment. He recovered quickly though with a smile on his face. He turned to Keela and his smile widened. "Am I really your hero?" he asked.
"Well you and your brother became great inspiration for demigods here and at Camp Jupiter. But as soon as I found out about you, I felt that I needed to be more like you. I hope that I don't sound like a crazed fan girl."
"Oh, well, that's okay. A child of Aphrodite, whose name that I can't recall, once cut off a piece of my hair and had it magically attached to her own hair. As soon as I told Harry he died from laughter."
Percy and Keela talked more as they made their way to the arena for the swordsmanship lesson. When they got there Percy went off to his brother.
"Hey, Harry, have you talked to Annabeth this morning. She told me Chiron wanted to speak with me about something and-"
"She said she didn't know?" Harry cut his brother off, effectively completing his sister. Percy just nodded, a bit ticked off that he had spoken over him. Harry, oblivious to his brother's look, continued. "Yeah, she did come to me about it at the cabin. But she said Chiron wanted to talk to you only. So, I told her that you were at the river."
"Harry, I never told you that I was the river, how did you know?"
Harry pointed his index finger at his head. He noticed Percy's look of confusion and began to tell him of his theory of their latent twin telepathy. By the time that he was done, all of the scheduled attendees for the lesson had arrived. They looked at the students and felt some pride in their advancement from being novices in the fighting style to being assigned to teach it to other campers.
Percy turned back to his brother, with a smile on his face. Harry saw it and momentarily froze. "Harry, I seem to remember that it is my turn to win." Percy rarely spoke in a tone such as this. And frankly it scared him. But he faced his brother with his own sly smile.
"Perce, can you not do too much damage. You know that kick was an accident. I wouldn't purposefully hit you in the family jewels."
Percy pretended to not listen to his brother and turned back to the demigods. "Well, today's our first lesson since the giant war. And Harry and OI are glad to still be your swordsmanship instructors. Now before we begin, we have make sure that everyone who has to be here is here."
"And everyone who doesn't have to be here, isn't", Harry chimed in. He grabbed a slip of paper from his pocket. He checked it over and then did it again. He looked back at the group with a frown. "So, if you are not from the Athena, Apollo, or Ares cabin, um, please-"
"Leave", Percy cut him off. When the unscheduled had taken their exit, Percy continued. "Well let me introduce myself to those of you who may not me. Either because you are new to camp or just don't know me. I am Harry Priam Jackson. Please call me Harry." He moved his hand to gesture at his brother "And this is my brother-"
"Older brother", Percy added in quickly. "My name is Perseus Harold Jackson. Call me Mr. Jackson. Well, now that introductions are over I would like to know if there are any beginners among us. We would prefer if you were to move to the front of the group as this demonstration will showcase the glory that is a battle of swords."
Percy and Harry set up in front of the group with their matching celestial bronze swords Riptide for Harry and Aftershock for Percy.
Percy made the move. He made a straightforward jab at Harry's chest. Harry jumped back and pushed his brother's sword away. Then he attempted a slice at Percy's arm. Percy ducked under the attack and swept his brother's leg. With Harry on the floor, Percy put his blade to Harry's neck.
"Do you yield brother?" Percy asked.
Harry immediately slid himself away from the blade and jumped up at his brother with a flurry of attacks. Percy parried all of them.
Ten minutes later they were still going at it and Percy was now the one on the offensive. The demigods watching did not take their eyes off the two sons of Poseidon. They watched as Harry's powerfully quick attacks went up against Percy's impenetrable defense.
Percy and Harry were both beginning to tire of the battle. Harry nodded to his brother and Percy nodded back. Percy swiped Riptide from Harry and watched as it slid toward the wall of the arena. He jumped up and sent a kick right at Harry's head and knocked him down. He put the point of his blade at his brother's neck and asked him to yield once again. This time though Harry yielded.
Percy put out his hand for his brother to help Harry up. Once Harry was up they both turned to the awestruck watching demigods. They all clapped at the performance they had just witnessed.
Harry held his hand up for quiet and began to speak. "Now that was not just to show you the 'glory that is a battle of swords' as Percy calls it. It was also to show you exactly why we were chosen to teach this necessary lesson to those of you who need it. Percy, do you have anything to add before we pair them up?
"Yes I do, Priam." Harry frowned at the use of his middle name but allowed Percy to continue. "First off, any Romans who have decided to make Camp Half-Blood their official home, should know that the fighting styles used by the Greeks are much less organized, but are much more, free flowing. So if you ever are in need of additional help in transferring to our style, then you are welcome to ask my little brother for a private session. And, yes ladies, Harry here is no longer single. In fact his girlfriend is in here. And you might be able to tell who she is by their matching blushes. But if you need a private session with me, well then, that will cost you. So, now pair up. And if you can I would for all of the Roman demigods to pair up with a Greek demigod. But remember, this person may not be paired up with you for every. Priam here believes that matching up with different people may help teach you what is needed to be an all-around great fighter."
As they paired themselves up, Percy remembered one more thing to say. "Oh, uhh, before we officially begin, I have just one more thing to say. Do any of you have any questions?" As many hands rose, Percy mentally scolded himself for not asking earlier.
Harry pointed to a girl in the front of the group. "Yes, you're name and your question please. Might as well get to know you guys as soon as possible."
Percy, who no one noticed even move was standing next to the girl. "Harry, this is Maria Hall, daughter of Apollo." At her look at her look of confusion, he continued. "Don't ask how I know, just ask your original question Maria."
Maria stood there for a moment trying to remember her question. Then it hit her and thought of not asking it because Percy was right next to her but did it anyway. "So, um, before, when you said that Harry was in a relationship, why did you not mention yourself? I mean, do you not have a girlfriend?"
Percy responded accordingly. "Well, that doesn't have anything to do with swordsmanship, but if you really have to know then I'll tell you. I just have never asked a girl out. Any other questions?"
When Percy noted the increased number of people with a question, he said something else in addition. "Anyone with a question that does not have to deal with my love life?" Most of the hands went down, but there was one hand. It belonged to someone he knew.
"Yes Keela Aikens, daughter of Roman Apollo, what is your question?"
"Well, Percy I-"
"Mr. Jackson"
"You cannot be serious about that. Well, whatever. I was wondering where Harry's sword went. A few seconds ago it was by that wall." She pointed to the wall of the arena where Harry's sword was once near.
Percy was about to speak again but Harry spoke ahead of him. "Harold, I'll answer this one as it about my sword. This is pretty simple really." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen. He then uncapped it and let the students watched as it grew into a celestial bronze sword. "Percy and I received these swords from Chiron as they both had belonged to our father. Mine is named Riptide. With it I can summon more powerful waves of water than I could do without it."
Percy then moved his sword from his left hand to his right hand. "My sword is named Aftershock, she allows me to have greater control of the earth. I once used her to erupt an active volcano. Yes, my sword, is a she. Our swords take the form of ball point pens when not in use. And will be return to our pockets after being left unattended to for a while. Also, we can actually write with them, by putting the cap onto the hilt of the sword."
After the select words by the instructors, the demigods began to spar with one another. If a pairing was found incompatible, then they were switched out until everyone had gotten used to the basic movements. Percy and Harry went out through the group helping people with their defensive stances or their attack patterns.
At the end everyone left the arena with a newfound respect for swords. Percy left for the Big House. Harry was going to do the next class alone.
When Percy arrived at the Big House, Chiron was not outside waiting for him. So, Percy decided to go the planning room. As he got closer, he noticed two people speaking with Chiron. One of them he recognized instantly as his favorite goddess, Hestia. The other was a woman, most likely a goddess. She had golden blonde hair, and wore a sleeveless black dress. It was a pretty normal appearance, if not for the two torches that floated over her shoulders. They seemed to follow her as she paced the room, thinking of something that seemed to be a particularly huge issue for her.
Percy stepped into the room and tapped his foot to make his presence known to the figures. He immediately bowed to them. The unknown woman walked up to him. He backed off slightly. She smiled at his response. She then turned to Chiron.
"Chiron, is this the demigod that who you speak so highly of?"
"Yes Lady Hecate this is Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon." Hecate turned back to Percy.
"Percy, stand up and present yourself with confidence. There is no reason to bow to us. The three of us think very highly of you and your brother. You two are considered the greatest heroes of the era."
"Oh no Lady Hecate, I'm nowhere near that level and I'm certain that Harry would say the same. I am just a normal demigod who did some things that people find incredible. In fact, I'm just as afraid of my destiny as any demigod. Now, um, dare I ask, what is it exactly that I am needed for?"
Hecate laughed at the way he asked his question. "Well Percy, you are needed to lead a quest."
Percy immediately grimaced at her. "I do not wish to be rude, but I will have to decline. I made it clear to the Olympians that I will not being quests for a while to get my life back in order. Under no circumstances will I doing this quest of which you need me for. Have a great day Lady Hecate and you too Lady Hestia."
As Percy walked away Hecate decided to go to her last resort early. She moved herself into his way.
"Tell me Percy, did your mother ever tell you about her past? More specifically, her parents?"
Percy looked straight into her eyes. His sea green eyes lit up in anger. He then growled. Hecate unknowingly took a step back. "Don't speak of my mother. Her past is of no importance to you. If you are trying to get me on this quest by bargaining with that information, it will not work. My mother told Harry and I everything she wanted for us to know. Now I ask that you move, so that I may leave."
Hecate stood in place adamant on staying in his way. "Percy do you know who your mother's father is?"
"Yes, his name is Jim Jackson. And he died in an airplane crash when my mother was young. If you have anything else to add, well then, please keep it to yourself."
"Percy, Jim Jackson is not his real name. His real name is Tom Riddle."
"Oh, Riddle, good one. Is this some sort of prank? Did Hermes and Apollo put you up to this? And just so you know, it's not funny. Stop speaking of my mother and get out of my way."
Percy tried to get past Hecate but was pulled back by Hestia. "Percy just hear her out. I swear to you that she speaks the truth."
"Do you swear on the Styx?", Percy asked.
"Yes, I do", replied Hestia. Thunder was heard booming outside.
"My apologies Lady Hestia, I was speaking to the Goddess of magic."
Hecate nodded her head. "Very well, I swear on the Styx that what I will tell you is absolutely true. But, only if you swear to take the quest."
"I will consider the quest. Just be glad that I will make that deal."
"Okay then. We should probably start from the beginning. You're a wizard Percy and so is your brother. I can tell by the fact that magic is my domain." When she said it, she expected some sort of response from him. But he stood there in front of her emotionlessly. She then just decided to continue. "Percy long ago, many years after Prometheus created the human race, I blessed a maiden of strong will. My blessing allowed her to use magic at will. After receiving the blessing she used it force men to bed her. After giving birth to many children, it was discovered that they had received their mother's magical power. Four of those children went on to create an academy of sorts. The school was used to teach any magic users. That school is still is still open to this day.
"Your grandfather Tom Riddle attended that school. He was a wizard. You're mother even attended. Just like her father, Sally was a top student. She especially excelled at charms. In fact, with her final breath she placed a charm on you and Harry. It is a protective charm of sorts. What it does exactly, even I am not able to tell. But I can tell you that it is still active.
"Now back on the subject of your grandfather. He is much like your other grandfather Cronus. He was evil. Not at first. When he was young, he was just a natural people person. He had many female suitors. But, he went mad. He was a half-blood, or so to speak. His mother was a witch and his father was a muggle. Muggle is the term used by magical beings when referring to non-magical beings, humans. Tom went on to hate people who weren't pure-blood. Many who knew him would guess it is because he just wanted power. He must have brought up the cause to gain loyal followers.
"Now that is the entire back story. Percy would you like to hear about the quest? Just so you know, if you say yes, you are agreeing to be part of the quest."
Percy pondered it for a moment before answering. "Yes, as long as I get to pick my quest members."
"Of course, but your limit is four people."
"Well then, I want my brother Harry, and Annabeth Chase."
"Done. Now on to the quest. Your job is simple. The boy who defeated your grandfather, needs protection. There was a prophecy-"
"Done."
"What do you mean by 'done'?", asked Hestia.
"I meant that I do not require any more information. I am going to do this quest to the best of my ability."
"You know, most demigods would not interrupt a goddess in speech. Why do you?"
"You have already stated that I'm not 'most demigods'. Also you said that the boy was part of some prophecy. Seeing as how I was forced into two myself, I feel the need to help this boy."
"Okay, I'll be continuing now. And don't you dare interrupt again or I will change you into a dog." She waited for him to say something and smiled when he didn't. "Now, the boy is in danger of being attacked by followers of Tom.
"Now there's something else to add. The school, which the boy attends, is in Scotland. And the next school year begins in nine days."
Percy was stunned. He had expected a bit more time to prepare for this quest. "Is there no way to get me more time to prepare. I'm going to have train much more to deal with this new threat."
Hecate shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you don't even have all nine days. The day before the school year begins, the students and some of the teachers ride the train to the school from King's Cross station. I'm going to need you on that train watching him." She hurried through her explanation.
"I feel as if there is something else that I need to do on this quest. And you most likely weren't going to tell me until I left for the school. Am I correct?"
Hecate nodded. "You are correct for half of it. Due to the success of the unification of the Greek demigods and Roman demigods, Zeus has decided to unify the demigods with the magical world. The magic school here in America already has demigods sent there. Jason Grace is leading that quest. The American school is in Nevada closer to Camp Jupiter so that's they received that quest. When I found out the danger that the boy is in, I was sent for you and your brother as with your natural ability to use, I would not have to bless you with my power. And there is the fact that I had anticipated you wanting to take this quest as soon as I had said 'prophecy'. Percy you will be going in to the school not as a student but as a teacher. I need you to be prepared. You will begin tomorrow."
Percy nodded. He knew he wasn't ready for this, but he still had to help the boy. "Okay, now that I have been told of my quest, may I go retrieve Harry and Annabeth?"
"No need. They will be here shortly. As soon as you said that you wanted them on the quest, I used a spell to draw them toward the Big House. They are outside now, you should probably open the door.
LINE BREAK
Hecate had given her blessing to Annabeth to allow her to use magic, and had taught them the basics of the magical community. She told them the schematics for the school they were going to, even though Annabeth was the only one who seemed to care about that part. Percy and Harry did perk up a bit when she mentioned a forbidden forest. She told about the bank account she opened up for them on this mission. She also said that their mother may still have an active account at the wizarding bank. Harry had begun had to pick up on something. With everything she had already mentioned, she never once said the name of the boy that they were supposed to protect.
While Hecate was going over the schools houses and their originators, Harry put up his hand. Hecate saw his hand and immediately called upon him.
"Lady Hecate, I seem to have noticed that you still have not mentioned the name of the boy we are protecting. Normally I would not question a god or goddess in this case. But, I must ask is there a reason why his name is being withheld?"
Hecate seemed to hesitate for a second as if pondering whether or not to answer him and then decided to just do it. "The boy's name is Neville." She then continued further with her lesson on Rowena Ravenclaw, whoever she was.
Harry raised his hand again and she looked straight at him and turned back to the files on the ping-pong table visibly ignoring him.
Percy, seeing his brother's frustration, raised his hand in Harry's stead. Hecate saw that it was him and let his ask his question. Percy looked to Harry. They seemed to stare at each other for a while but then Percy sighed.
"My brother, the coward, wants to know Neville's last name."
"Well his last name is ,well, um, Longbottom." Immediately after she said it Harry broke into an uproarious laugh. And seeing him laugh caused Percy to laugh. They both laughed so hard they fell out of their chairs and Annabeth couldn't help but snicker at the scene in front of her. Hecate tried to draw their attention. Key word: tried. Chiron stomped his front hooves. They stopped their laughing as soon as he did, as that was their sign to stop fooling around during a head counselor meeting.
"Now listen to me," Hecate began. "Longbottom may seem to be very amusing to you, but is very much respected in Europe and Australia. And I ask that when you meet him, that there are no jokes about his name. If he doesn't like then you cannot be near him, without making him suspicious. As I already told you, he does not know that you are being sent to protect him. He doesn't know that you will be going to the school. The only person who knows what you will be doing is the headmistress Minerva McGonagall. She will be there to help if you need anything to help you on this quest." As soon as she said that Hecate and Hestia both stopped moving.
"Now, I assume that you know enough to continue. Hestia and I were just summoned to Olympus. I will be transporting you to a magical shopping place in London, England. It is called Diagon Alley. Once there find Rubeus Hagrid. He knows who and what you are. Do not worry about finding him. He is a rather large man and you notice him." Hecate summoned a bag and reached into it. She pulled out three rings.
"Now to help you on this quest. I had Hephaestus made these rings for me. They are made of mortal gold. They are to be used when one of you is in the face of danger and require assistance. It will drag the others toward your location. Well, I must leave now, so, good luck on your quest." She handed each of them a ring and flashed them away to London.
Author's Note:
Now, this is chapter 1. This is also my first fanfic, so please tell me what I did wrong and what I should improve on. Please read and review.
