"Half Blood Harry Potter"

By Loki Palmer

Author's Note: Harry Potter and all related characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Percy Jackson and all related demigods belong to Rick Riordan.

My thanks goes out to everyone for their encouraging reviews. I thought having Mr. D (aka Dionysus) as Neville's Dad would be a most interesting twist. As to how He hooked up with Alice … hmmm … that would be an interesting tale … I'm wondering how it happened …

Lady Jane Scribbler: Well, Mr. D is the god of wine and drunkenness, and He doesn't have many demigod children, even in the original Percy Jackson universe. I think His shock would be similar to the shock of a man who hears his female is pregnant … LOL …

In other news, a Fanfic author by the name of 123irish left an insulting review on my popular story, "Don't Anger Harry Potter." Not only did he insult the story, he also insulted my entire body of fanfic work within the review. All of my faithful fans know my attitude towards such people, but honestly: he even left the review after completing his reading of the story, and everyone knows I have warnings about not leaving a flaming bag of excrement on my doorstep! I think there should be an additional rule: respect the Authors. I so want to rip him a new posterior, but, alas … [sigh.] This review would be the type of shit that drives some authors to alcohol … and I'm a lightweight!

Chapter 7

Mr. D glared at Chiron. "What, in the name of Olympus, is so funny?"

"It's the look on Your face, Mr. D … how could I not laugh?"

Mr. D rolled his eyes. "Oh, I don't know … so many millennia, you would expect I would be used to having kids, but I'm not. What about you, Neville?"

"Are you ashamed that You have me as a son, Dad?"

"Ashamed? No, Neville, I'm not ashamed. I may have a sore spot for many of these demigods, since the day I found Ariadne abandoned by Theseus, Son of the Barnacle Beard, but no, I'm not ashamed of you nor any of My demigod children. I have two sons here: Castor and Pollux, named after the Gemini Twins."

"How did this happen, Dad?"

"I was out in England one summer meeting with My Father and some friends He had made there. Among those friends was Alice, your mother. I won't go into all the details of the brief summer relationship we had, but it was a wonderful summer. I left a letter with her if the day should ever come that you needed to know about yourself."

"Your Father … wait, He was in England? The Big Guy, the Cloud-Gatherer Himself was in England?"

"For a fair number of years, yes. He is the Father to one you have known well ..."

"You mean Harry. Oh my gods … his anger makes so much sense now. Dad … he was so angry one day last winter … I was so scared, I didn't ask what caused it."

"That was a wise move, Neville. Your playwright William Shakespeare said it aright in King Lear: Come not between a dragon and his wrath."

"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."

Mr. D nodded. "Yes … if my memory is correct, the Chinese have an idiom that is an accurate description of you, Neville … 卧虎藏龙 {Wò hǔ cáng lóng}. It means, 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' and it refers to a person who has great talent, but hides it for the moment. This is a person that many enemies will underestimate, and by the time they realize their mistake, it's too late to do anything except gape in terror. Yes, people have underestimated you in the past, have they not?"

"Yes, they have … they have mocked me. My fellow Gryffindors have been supportive, Harry and Hermione among them, but everyone else has wondered what makes me so special. Even as a demigod, I remain a klutz."

Mr. D chuckled. "Your clumsiness is what makes you so easy to underestimate, Neville. There is a style of 功夫{gōng fù}, that is, Chinese martial arts, called 醉拳 {zuì quǎn}, or, in English, 'Drunken Fist.' It's a style that is native to my children, for the Chinese made it from the imitation of a drunkard. It is a difficult style, I will confess, but it is effective in striking down an enemy. If you are interested, I can call over a teacher to help you learn it."

Neville's eyes brightened. "When can we begin, Dad?"

"I thought you would say that ..." said Mr. D as He walked away with Neville. Watching them leave, Chiron said, "May the gods have mercy on Neville's enemies … they won't know what in the Underworld hit them ..."

~HALF BLOOD HARRY POTTER~

Harry and his group made it to ORU's Prayer Tower. They went up to its observation deck and looked out on the view of the campus.

"Wow!" said Harry. "What an amazing view this is! We should have brought a poet with us – I can't find the words to describe it!"

"We should have brought a musician," said Hermione. "I can't find the words either ..."

As if in answer to her words, they heard a chorus singing: [words are by Gustav Mahler, from the last stanza of the song in his 2nd Symphony]

"Auferstehn! Ja auferstehn wirst du, mein Herz, in einem Nu!
Was du geschlagen zur Gott wird es dich tragen!"

[Rise again! Yes, rise again, will you, my Heart, in a moment!
What you have beaten will bring you to God!]

They listened on as the orchestra finished off the symphony, complete with church bells and an organ.

"Wow," said Grover. "Yeah, that song sums it up."

From within a shadow nearby, a mysterious, chilling voice said:

"Now I lay me down to bed,
With all these voices inside my head;
If we should die before we wake,
We pray the gods their vengeance to take ..."

Grover shivered. "Though I'm sure that wasn't the voice of the Rich One we just heard, do any of you have the chilling feeling that somebody walked over our graves?"

The voice chuckled. "Why, Grover, that was a close guess! Close, but no cigar for you!"

"Forgive me for being rude," said Harry, "but what is your name, son of Hades? Bear in mind I find it hard to trust a son of Hades, considering what another has done to me."

There was a smattering of applause. "Oh, bravissimo, Harry Potter, you are correct in guessing my parentage – well done! My Father named me for a Norse god, long since dead in a battle that ended all of them. Like the relations between my Father and Olympus, the realm of Asgard had exiled this god from its presence. So, given these clues, what is my name?"

Everyone looked to Hermione. She said, "Well, Loki, if this is some kind of a trick you mean to play on us, be forewarned: you don't want Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon as your enemies."

"You are correct on all counts, Hermione, but fear not: on the River Styx itself I swear to all of you that I am not your enemy, nor do I have any plans to become your enemy." Thunder resounded as the Styx had accepted his oath. "So, I hear that you are looking for one of Persephone's Pearls?"

"Yes, Loki; why do you ask?"

"Take my hand, and the rest of you, stay connected to him." Everyone joined hands, and they departed …

~HALF BLOOD HARRY POTTER~

They landed in what looked like a gladiatorial arena.

"In answer to your earlier question: I have one of Persephone's Pearls for you, but it will come at a price. My price, Harry Potter is this: you have to win in a combat match against me. The stakes are simple. If you win, you will receive the Pearl. If not, you will not receive the Pearl. Does that sound fair?"

"How long does the match go?"

"It will not be a match unto death, don't worry. No; we fight until one side is ready to yield."

Harry nodded. "That's fair enough. Is it just me you wish to fight against?"

"Well, somebody else wants to take on Percy, and … as for your Lady there, I don't wish to risk marring her beauty in combat …"

"While I thank you for your compliment, Loki, let me ask you a question: are you scared to hit a Lady?"

"It is improper manners to hit a Lady, and I will not be a rude host, Hermione."

"Okay, we will grant you that. Would you like to fight against me and Harry?"

"If that is your wish, then so be it. As for Percy, well, the one who wants to fight him is …"

There was a clink of spurred boots on the stone of the arena as a man wearing shades, a black biker's vest and leather pants came out of the shadows. His aura of aggression reminded Harry of every bully who had picked on him: Dudley, Piers, his late Uncle Vernon, and Draco 'You Just Wait Until My Father Hears About This' Malfoy. Percy could not help thinking of Smelly Gabe, and the both of them had the sudden urge to scream and hit something.

"Well, well, well … what do we have here?" he said in a gravelly voice. "It is a great pleasure to meet you at last, brother. So … we have a son of the Big Guy, a son of Barnacle Beard, and a son of Corpse Breath … not to mention a satyr and two daughters of the Wise One." He chuckled. "How interesting … last time the Big Three had sons, they took the world with them into World War II. There was so much bloodshed and carnage like a mortal could not believe. I wonder if this will be any different from before?"

Percy raised his hand. "Loki, does the fight that Lord Ares wants with me have any impact on this duel as a whole?"

"No, Percy, it does not … but it doesn't hurt your chances if you win."

"Death and War have been allies since time immemorial, cousin," said Ares. "When I heard that Loki wanted to take Harry on in a combat, I was more than happy to join him, but not to fight Harry. Beat up My own brother and end up with Dad bawling at Me? No, thank you. So, I thought I would go with the next best item on the menu: you, Kelp for Brains. So … go ahead … make my day …"

Percy had heard enough, and, with a roar of anger, charged at Ares …

Author's Note: Another fun chapter done. Read and review!

Smiles and laughter,

Loki Palmer