Harry Potter, Son of the Shadows
Disclaimer: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Plot: Response to my 'Twice-Blessed Half-Blood' Challenge: Olympus, Earth, the Underworld; from a world of lies and pain, one shall come forth with the power to rule them all. Enter Harry Potter, determined by Thanatos, Champion of Hecate and son of…wait: is that possible? That God?
Author's Note: Okay, so for those wondering where this one's coming from: it's partially from that dangerous realm of creation known as my imagination and partially from the challenge idea. I know this may seem scary and a little weird, but kindly remember that this is Fan Fiction: also, if you don't like it, don't read it.
Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to my loyal readers and reviewers; my recommended reads are Conventus Domus by Lawstudent092 and Prince of Death by The Potters of the Future; two amazing stories by two very creative minds; also, I'd like to recommend Glorious Chaos by Undercover Operative;
Key Pairing: Harry/Thalia
Other Pairings: Others TBC
Normal Speech
'Thought'
'Voice of the Gods'
/Parseltongue/
Review Answers:
Wonderland Princess of Hearts: That's a blank I'll fill in when things progress;
LCF: Cold thought, but one that would certainly be amusing…in fact, it gives me an idea; oh, and I agree about the Harry-Luke comparison;
Winged Seer Wolf: I figured that and it was a good one;
WhiteElfElder: You're going to see Harry's 'trigger' in this chapter;
StormyFireDragon: I have Hermione's part in this set up and ready: I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, Storm;
T4: I think you'll enjoy what I do as the story progresses;
Undercover Operative: Well I guess it is the right sort of term, isn't it? Also, Hermione will be a 'Champion' but not for a while as I have a nice little twist that concerns her friendship with our anti-hero and his ally;
"Tell me," Harry told her, his voice calm, but edged with a hint of eerie mystery as he spoke to Thalia, "Do you believe in prophecy?"
Chapter 12: A Family Affair
As the summer passed and the signs of the New Year for students began to show themselves, those who dwelled within Camp Half-Blood – namely Draco and Hermione – were surprised when Harry told them that he wasn't returning to Hogwarts for the new term. Instead, he was staying at Camp Half-Blood and waiting for the next major quest to show itself to him.
At the same time, by the time the last week in August came around, there wasn't a demigod in the camp that didn't know Harry was the Son of Kronos, which caused a bit of a rift between the other half-bloods. Because of his actions against their Mother, the children of Athena avoided him like the plague while they remained steadfast allies to Percy and others like him.
The Hermes Cabin became Harry's main port for checking on new demis, each of which were divided into three categories by the son of the Titan King:
The first were Definites: those who he was sure would become his allies in the task ahead of fulfilling the Dominion of Three Prophecy – a title given to the prophecy by Sirius and the name had stuck. At the moment, as of that day, only four people were on Harry's list as Definites: Thalia, Draco, Hermione – which had surprised Harry since his friend had nothing to do with the half-blood world – and finally, Remus.
Sirius had opted to be a sort of liaison for Harry and, while he wasn't quite a Definite, he was someone that Harry knew could be trusted to stand with the Shadowborne when the time was right.
As for Draco, he had only become a Definite when, on the day of Harry's fourteenth birthday, the demis who were friends with Harry – Thalia, Clarisse, Ethan Nakamura, Chris Rodriguez and Silena Beauregard, the latter of whom had joined Harry's friends after the Master Bolt Quest – had thrown him a party outside and inside the Thanatos Cabin.
In that time, Draco had approached Harry and warned him that things were changing and, as a demigod more than a wizard's heir, it was down to him to make a choice for where he stood. So, as was his right, he was choosing and his choice was to stand with Harry, as long as the young Shadowborne would allow Draco a chance to protect his Mother.
Giving his newest ally the chance he requested, Harry told Draco that, technically, he'd never even ignored the hand offered to him and so, there and then, the two shook hands and agreed to put the past behind them.
As a bonus, Draco promised Harry that, when he returned to Hogwarts, he'd do his best to keep Hermione away from Weasley and his idiotic influence before he also dropped the bombshell of Harry's ex-best friend being a Slytherin.
Needless to say that Draco had needed a towel as, when he'd told Harry, he'd mistakenly forgotten that Harry was also drinking from a can of fresh cola. The news to Harry had him spraying Draco with the drink before coughing and laughing at the same time, apologising to his newly-redeemed friend while also telling him that it was nothing more than what Weasley deserved.
The second batch of half-bloods that Harry divided his friends and enemies between were the Potentials: these were the demigods who were neutral at the moment, but they had done enough to earn Harry's respect. As of the last week of August, the list of Potentials was limited to Clarisse, Ethan, Chris, Silena and, at a distance, Arianna and Salazar. He also had Luke on that list, but only because of the promise that he'd made to Thalia to speak to the estranged son of Hermes about what he knew and what he would do.
Finally, not to the surprise of those who knew about The List, Harry had the Pariahs, the no-chancers and, not to anyone's surprise, the first on that list were Jackson and Chase, both of whom were more like the old Draco as far as Harry was concerned. He didn't like them; they didn't like him and, as was shown when they clashed on the battlefield and in Capture the Flag – with Draco being put in charge of the Blue Team in Luke's absence and Harry and Percy switching teams to show their true colours – they weren't shy about letting things get physical and weaponised.
As with any list, there were those who didn't really fit in with any of the three, but only because they hadn't been observed enough to give Harry the choice he wanted. For example, though he had Remus on his side, the other inhabitants of the Apollo Cabin kept themselves at a distance from him, but they were at least civil with Harry.
Also, though Clarisse was a Potential, she seemed to have drilled home that Harry was no ally of the Athena Cabin, which had earned him an honorary brotherhood with the Ares Cabin members. In that same sense, there were those of the Hermes Cabin who, like Harry, had a godparent that wasn't among the Big Twelve, such as Ethan, whose Mother was Nemesis, which had made him such a definite member of the Potentials.
However, at the same time, like the Ares members and the Apollo members, Ethan didn't judge Harry: instead, he helped him tone himself up and train in his Shadow Powers so that he was ready for the next time he'd have to use them.
Even with his list dividing the Camp, Harry still managed to have fun and enjoy his time not only free of Privet Drive, but also free of having to be the hero of the adventures. Instead, he began to realise that, when combined with the potential that he had from the prophecy, his affiliation was more Dark than Light and that made him more of an Anti-Hero.
How?
Well, there he wasn't sure, but for now, he was content.
And that was all that mattered in the end…
Son of the Shadows
"You'll send Hedwig to us if anything happens?"
"Immediately…and you be careful too."
"What's the worst that could happen?"
"Oh, you just had to say it!"
A laugh spread amongst Harry, Draco, Thalia, Hermione and Sirius as they stood at the edge of camp, the Shadowborne saying goodbye for now as his friends returned to Hogwarts. Thanks to his power over magic, Harry had agreed to send them straight to King's Cross and, with a little help from Thalia, they'd also be able to hide from Muggle view because of the magical item known as Mist.
As a daughter of Zeus, Thalia had the ability to manipulate the Mist while, as Hecate's Champion, Harry had the ability to project it and use it to his wishes, tying it in with his gift of Magikinesis in the process. By combining their power, the two demigods would be able to mask their friends from the sight of Muggles, allowing Harry to transport them straight into King's Cross and make it look like they were nothing more than something in the corner of your eyes.
"Now," Harry continued, once the laughter from Hermione's remark had died down, "Also be careful: ever since my resurrection, I doubt that people have been able to ignore the fact that the Boy-Who-Lived really is the Boy-Who-Lived."
"We'll keep an eye out for trouble," Draco agreed, earning a smile from Harry that, time was, wouldn't have been shown in the Malfoy Heir's direction no matter what they did.
"And be careful," added Thalia, now addressing Draco as she told him, "I still don't get why you feel a need to return to that school now you've been determined, but I understand that you're doing it to watch out for Harry's friends."
"You just watch out for Harry," Draco told her, earning a nod and a firm handshake from the daughter of Zeus, "We may not know the full story, Thalia, but something tells me that you and Harry are just destined to be allies. Why else would you be top of that list of his for those who are Definite?"
Thalia just shared a glance with Harry before the Shadowborne gestured with one hand; with a blaze of flames, his friends vanished from Camp Half-Blood, leaving Harry and Thalia alone on the edge of camp.
As they walked back towards the training grounds, Thalia sighed before she asked, "You still haven't told them, then?"
"You mean about you being the one for me and about the Prophecy?" asked Harry, earning a nod from Thalia as he answered, "I've told Sirius and, as a son of Apollo, Remus knows about it too, but not Draco and Hermione, no. Besides, even if I did share the information with them, we still need to complete our main quest first, Thalia."
"You mean Luke?" asked Thalia, watching as Harry stopped at the top of the battle arena where, below them, the climbing frame was being set-up for the monthly camp challenge race to the top.
"Actually," Harry replied, slipping his hand into Thalia's before he met her eyes as he told her, "I mean…us: I asked you when I told you about the prophecy what it was that you wanted to do and you're yet to give me your answer."
With an almost-teasing smile, Thalia removed her hand from his as she explained, "Be patient, dear Prince: you'll get your answer…when I'm ready to give it."
"Spoilsport…"
"Harry, Thalia; there you two are."
Turning to the source of the voice, a smile touched Harry's lips as he saw the familiar dark-haired form of Clarisse running towards them, a look of pure excitement in her eyes as she stopped before the other two.
"What's up, Clarisse?" asked Harry, then noticing several of the other campers joining them and making their way into the arena.
"Chiron and Mr D," Clarisse answered, a smile of absolute amusement showing on her face as she explained, "They just named the Captains for the Tower Race: naturally, I'm the captain for the Reds, but you'll never guess who they chose for the Blues."
"Erm…Perry Johnson?" asked Harry, almost mocking Mr D's exclamation of the name while Thalia and Clarisse both laughed.
"Got it in one," Clarisse sniggered, looking to Harry with even more amusement as she added, "So what do you say, Thrice-Born? Feel up to helping me put Jackson in his place…again?"
With a groan, and a silent promise to personally feed whoever came up with that absurd nickname that some of the campers had used for him for a long time now, Harry reached under his coat and withdrew Night Shadow as he answered, "You just show me where to aim."
Putting an arm around his shoulders, Clarisse led Harry down to the arena, discussing their strategy all the way while they waited for the games to begin…
Son of the Shadows
As the first few demigods ran into the arena to begin the games, Harry and Clarisse both waited in their respected positions, the two of them watching as Jackson's teammates were completely annihilated and overshadowed by the red members, which were made up of sons and daughters of Ares plus a few select members from other cabins.
The rules of the game were simple: a race between four members at a time – two on each team – to the top with a time limit of twenty minutes: every time one team reached the top, they were added to a Training Tally that counted up points for each cabin.
At the end of the twenty minutes, the two captains had a final, more official race with two allies from their teams helping them. The first to reach the top would be declared the victor while the loser had a forfeit that, more often than not, was assigned by Mr D, which made Harry feel both determined and a little amused to win.
Any excuse to embarrass old Seaweed Brain was good in his book.
Assisting Harry on Clarisse's team was Chris Rodriguez, the other son of Hermes helping with speed and agility while Harry was Clarisse's powerhouse. As for Jackson, he had both a young newly-undetermined named Tereus as well as, to Harry's surprise, Silena Beauregard, the latter looking more amused with the set-up than concerned for her friend's reactions.
Clarisse would have asked Thalia, but given that her recovery was still taking its time – her only source of true power coming when Harry gave her his energy – she was watching from the side that supported the Red Warriors.
Though he didn't let it show on his face, Harry was a little concerned at Thalia's lack of a complete recovery: while he waited with Clarisse and Chris, he made a promise to speak to his Father following the challenge.
When the horn sounded for the start of the official challenge, Clarisse smiled broadly and watched as Harry moved off to his assigned position – though he was the leader of his own gang, Harry respected Clarisse enough to let her take the lead in the challenge – while the daughter of Ares ran to join Jackson at the start of the challenge.
"How nice of you to show up and watch me win," she laughed, earning an incredulous look from Jackson.
"You know everything they say about you is wrong, Clarisse," Percy replied, earning a half-amused look from Clarisse as he told her, "You really do have a sense of humour."
With that parting remark, the challenge begun: in the typical fashion of the race, Percy and Clarisse climbed the tower, both of them using the adjustable poles and rope ladders to assist their ascent to the top. At the same time, Chris, Silena, Tereus and Harry all did what they could to help their leaders reach the summit. For Harry, this meant using his Shadow power to knock the others off the obstacles while telekinetically moving the poles to help Clarisse and stop Jackson.
At one point, Percy's teammate, Tereus, got his foot caught in the tower's bottom-most ladder, the spinning of the middle levels meaning he was dragged along the ground.
While Harry laughed and began his own ascension to meet Clarisse at the top just like they'd planned, Percy made an attempt to help his teammate as Clarisse took the lead. Freeing Tereus from his bonds, Percy began climbing, reaching the top just as Clarisse did.
However, as both stood there, the trophy ring in sight, Clarisse smirked as she asked, "Shame that Owl Girl isn't up here with you, Jackson, cause I suppose you'd never see it coming?"
"What?" asked Percy, but his words were cut off when a strong and familiar blitzkrieg of black lightning sent him flying off the Tower and coming to a crash at the bottom, his eyes wide with rage and disbelief as Harry stood at the top next to his captain, the daughter of Ares having taken the ring.
Returning to the ground floor level, Harry sighed before he put on a mocking tone as he told Jackson, "You know everything they say about you is wrong, Seaweed Brain: you really are a one-quest wonder…but that's a shame, cause it was never you that returned the bolt to Olympus, was it?"
Percy was left reeling as Harry laughed and, following Clarisse, he made his way out of the arena and back to his cabin…
Son of the Shadows
After a long soak in the shower and a change into his favourite clothes, Harry returned to the lounge of his cabin-home and, looking around warily, he asked, "Are you here?"
"You should know the answer to that by now, my child," Thanatos replied, stepping out of the shadows and facing his blessed child as he asked, "I sensed your worried mind from right across the dimensional plane: what troubles you?"
"Thalia," Harry answered, leaning casually against the back of a chair as he explained, "It's been nearly two months since I brought her back and she still hasn't fully recovered: sure, she can fight and use some of her god-blessed powers, but how can she be the girl from the prophecy if she's so weak? More to the point, why is she so weak?"
"Because her life force is still tied to the tree," Thanatos explained, his voice edged by sorrow as he told Harry, "When you used the power of the Master Bolt to revive her, you invoked my will and my strength. What you did not do, however, is separate her from the tree's energy and that caused a rift in her life force: part of it is here with you and your friends, but another part of it is there inside the tree and will remain so until a greater force than you are ready to summon brings that life back to her."
"An energy like what?" asked Harry.
"I don't know," Thanatos admitted, "But when you find it, and you will, you will know what to do with it: on another note, my child, I feel it only right to warn you of something that is coming from out of the darkness."
"What?" asked Harry.
With that secretive smile of his, Thanatos answered, "Without affecting fate too much, I cannot say, but I will say this: it will force you into another unholy alliance with your greatest enemy and, at the same time, it will give you the allies you seek to rule as Lord of the Three Worlds."
Then, with a wisp of flame, Thanatos left, leaving a confused and slightly-concerned Harry.
Confused as to what his secondary Father could have meant by that remark about the allies and enemies;
But, more than that, he was concerned for the sort of power he would need to truly bring Thalia back:
'Where in Hades am I supposed to find something that powerful?'
Son of the Shadows
Early the next morning, just as Harry approached the dining hall of Camp Half-Blood, he was surprised to find an atmosphere that was both tense and a little cold. Moving to his usual seat with the Hermes diners, Harry looked around before he asked, "Hey Ethan: what's with the third degree?"
"You mean you didn't hear?" asked Ethan, indicating over where Jackson was sitting with Chase and Grover, "Guess who got a new brother?"
Following the guy's indicated hand, Harry's eyes widened when he saw a dark-haired young man who looked to be about fourteen or fifteen tucking into the fruit-filled meals offered by the camp. At the same time, the son of Kronos tried not to laugh as he thought about the possibility here: if it was Chase, then a son of Athena was off the record.
However, from the way that people were reacting, it was clear to Harry that the offending half-blood wasn't Miss I-Am, but Percy Jackson: with a half-hearted smile, Harry rose from his seat and crossed the hall to where, as he'd half-expected, he received a cold, warning glare from both Percy and Annabeth.
"Hey there," Harry remarked, looking to the newcomer while, at the same time, showing a hint of surprise as he saw that the guy in question had only one eye: a Cyclops. "Nice to meet you: not every day we get another child of the Big Three."
"Leave us alone, Potter," scowled Percy, but Harry didn't listen: instead, he sat down opposite the Cyclops newcomer and extended his hand.
"Sorry about your family, but no matter," Harry smirked, a part of him then realising how Draco-like he sounded as he added, "We don't choose our cabin-mates: they do. I'm Harry: Shadowborne son…and you are?"
"I'm…Tyson," replied the Cyclops, taking Harry's hand while he looked sheepishly at Percy, "What? He's just being friendly."
"This guy is anything but friendly," Percy scowled, earning a scoff from Harry.
"He's just saying that because it was nearly the case that he and I were brothers because of his Father," explained Harry, shaking hands with Tyson as he added, "When, in point of fact, my Father is far older and more powerful than his…well, yours."
"You…" Tyson began, his voice almost edged by shock as he sniffed once before he added, "You smell like we do, but…you're not: and what's a Shadowborne?"
"Half-bloods call me a Son of the Shadows," Harry explained, earning a wide-eyed look from Tyson as he added, "And you're right too, Tyson: I'm not like you. I'm actually a son of two gods and a blessed of the third, not to mention the cursed seal put on me by your Dad and Uncles, but I digress."
"I believe I told you to leave us alone," Percy hissed, but at that moment, Tyson froze while, behind Harry, Clarisse had appeared, a look of amusement on her face as she stood with him.
"Look who's not being friendly now," she laughed, "I can certainly see the resemblance there: but then again, this guy's friendlier than you, Jackson."
"Bull."
Looking to Tyson, Harry and Clarisse both frowned while Harry asked, "What?"
"Smells like bull," Tyson answered.
The words were no sooner out of his mouth before a loud tremor rocked through camp, startling most of the campers as two more followed suit, throwing the campers into action.
"We've got barrier action," Clarisse exclaimed, causing Harry to jump to his feet.
However, at the same time, over on the Hermes Table, Chris and Ethan both called Harry over; while everyone else ran to check on the barrier, Harry saw why. Thalia: she was weaker than ever and sickly-pale to boot. Her eyes were closed and her body was still, but her pallor was so death-like that it was like she had died again.
And, as Harry looked at her, all he felt was an overwhelming desire to find whoever had done this…and make them pay!
"What could have done this?" asked Ethan, but his words were cut off when a strong, almost-overwhelming sense of darkness filled the hall and, when both demigods looked up, their eyes widened as they saw the Shadowborne in front of them with eyes as black as night.
"I don't know," Harry growled, "But I'm going to find out: don't leave her alone."
Nodding in agreement with his command, the two stayed with Thalia while Harry took off towards the barrier…
Son of the Shadows
Behind him, Ethan and Chris both shared a look of fright as they looked to where Harry had vanished before they also glanced down at Thalia, their eyes filled with worry for what lay ahead.
"Luke's going to be sorry he's done this," Chris whispered, earning a nod from Ethan as they remained with Thalia.
"He won't know that Harry brought her back," Ethan replied, looking down at Thalia as he added, "But then again, this will certainly get Harry's attention for their meeting."
"And His resurrection," finished Chris, looking off to where Harry had run as he explained, "And when it happens, he'll have all he needs to make the three realms his own."
"For the Greater Good," Ethan muttered, Chris only nodding in agreement as they waited for the next step in their game of pretend with the Olympus-worshippers.
All for the sake of their future King…
Son of the Shadows
This was as far wrong as anything else could go;
When Albus Dumbledore saw and heard that Harry had opted to stay away from Hogwarts for the foreseeable future, he'd been thrown into a world of possibilities and plans. By now, Dumbledore had no doubt that Harry had discovered the full truth of his lineage and learned about his power, but to add fuel to the fire, Dumbledore also suspected that others had found him and started treating him as he deserved.
As a God in human form.
This was wrong; Dumbledore had personally enforced those seals and made sure that Harry's power couldn't break out and yet, because of one stupid mistake by his imbecilic Potions Master and that freak wolf, the power had been the one to come out in full force.
Now, with Harry away from Hogwarts, it was inevitable that he would grow stronger and, with the Tournament at Hogwarts and his place needed here as host of the school, Dumbledore didn't know what…
Wait…
Dumbledore sat upright in his seat, his blue eyes twinkling madly as he considered his thought: how could he have not seen it sooner?
Leaving his office for his private chambers, Dumbledore went to work on his plan;
'Being away from here stops Harry attending, but it doesn't stop him from competing for our honour…for the Greater Good, of course.'
Chapter 12 and it seems that the manipulations will never end, but what could Dumbledore have in mind for Harry?
Also, what do Chris and Ethan mean by mentioning Luke and what will happen when Harry learns about his Potential's role in Thalia's condition?
Keep Reading to Find Out…
Next Chapter: Chaos at the camp as a familiar face makes a return; also, in looking up ways to save a tree, Harry discovers the power needed to save his future love; and, to make things worse for him, Thanatos' prediction comes true as the trio reunite for another quest…with two rather unwelcome additions, but one big potential for Harry…
Please Read and Review
AN: As you can guess, Tyson is the second of Harry's personal Big Three and, throughout SoM, he'll use some rather impressive means to turn the innocent to his side; why'd I do this if I'm bashing Jackson, I hear you ask? Well, simply put: I loved Tyson in the film and found it sad that they waited until the last moment before Percy accepts him and they forced him to hide…
You can figure out the rest yourselves…
