"Harry Potter and the Prince of Olympus"
By Loki Palmer
Author's Note: Harry Potter and all related characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Does it really look like I'm giving up on this story? Far from it; I'm not giving up on it at all. I'm sorry if the ending of Chapter 20 gave you that impression, but I'll be continuing on it …
Chapter 21
It was evening when Odin and Thor brought Patrick, Hermione, Harry, and Lacey back to Hogwarts, feeling a little wobbly yet glowing.
"Father Odin! Thor!" said Zeus. "What in Heaven's name happened to these?"
"The – wine – in – Heaven – too – strong," said Patrick in a drunken slur. "What are YOU looking at, Dionysus?"
"Ares, are we sure this is your prodigy?"
"Of course I'm sure – hey, wait a minute–!" said Ares, his face turning red as he realized that Dionysus had insulted him.
"After the Prince had quaffed no less than two bottles at the feast, Thor then fought with him," said Odin. "How did that go, Thor?"
"Even when he seems roaring drunk, his skill with a sword is unsurpassed. Young man," he said, clapping Patrick on the back, "you have made me very proud to have you as my Heir."
"Before we go, there is a prophecy we have to deliver to you, young Prince, and it reads like this:
Prince of Olympus, Heir of Thor,
With the Chosen One he'll stand in the time of war,
He shall call forth the mighty Heroes of Light,
And the dead will rise again, against the Dark Lord to fight!
Heimdall also wished to give you this: his Gjallarhorn."
"The loud horn that sounded Ragnarok," said Patrick in awe. "Will I know when is the best time to use it?"
"When the time comes, it will call to you. Take care of yourselves, and God be with you."
~HP&PO~
A barrage of knocks sounded at Patrick's door, and he opened it with a scowl on his face. "Τι ποιεις, εγειρων ημας εν τουτω ωρα αθεος?" (What are you doing, waking Us in this ungodly hour?)
"Πατρικιε, Ερμιονη, ευρον τι! Ου πιστευσετε οπθαλμοις υμων!" (Patrick, Hermione, I found something! You won't believe your eyes!)
Hermione glared at him. "Χαρι, ο μεσος της νυκτος εστιν!" (Harry, it's the middle of the night!)
"So what? We own this castle, don't we?"
Patrick rolled his eyes. "Yes, Harry, but Our beauty sleep is a must."
"What beauty sleep? With all due respect, Your Highness has messier hair coming out of bed than going to bed."
Patrick's laughter ruined the effect of his angry, "Why, you little – !" as Harry led him and Hermione on a chase through Hogwarts, which ended in an unused classroom with a mirror with the words:
ERISED STRA EHRU OYT UBE CAFRU OYT ON WOHSI
Patrick and Hermione looked into the mirror, and their eyes widened in shock. Not only did they see themselves, Harry, and Lacey, but they also saw the entirety of their family – Uncle James, Aunt Lily, the Olympians, the Asgardians – and, much to their shock, there were children gathered in front of them.
"Quite fascinating, isn't it?" said a familiar voice.
"Professor Dumbledore! I'm sorry – we're out late, aren't we?"
"It's quite allright. Too often do some of us have difficulty sleeping. Have any of you figured out what the mirror shows?"
"It works like no ordinary mirror, for it seems to show the past and the future at the same time ..." Patrick gave it some thought, and barked out a laugh. "The writing says, 'I show not your face, but your heart's desire.' "
Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, it does show you your heart's desire. Tomorrow, I will be moving this mirror somewhere else, and I must ask that you not look for it again, do you understand me? It's good to have desires, yes, but it will never do for you to waste away on dreams of what might have been."
"We understand, Headmaster. Good night."
Back in the royal chambers, Patrick and Hermione saw Hades waiting for them. "Uncle, this better be important."
"It is important … Persephone and I searched through the records, and we found out that the Philosopher's Stone does exist. Whether Dumbledore hid the real one or a fake one here is unknown. Our counsel for Your Highnesses is that you take all necessary caution."
Patrick gave the subject some thought. "Hmm … I would think that Professor Dumbledore hid a fake one here, but it would have to be convincing in order to fool such an old wizard like Voldemort. Either way, if Voldemort is able to gain immortality from it, that would be bad news … for all of us ..."
~HP&PO~
Patrick's dreams were once islands of tranquility for him as he lay nestled within Hermione's loving arms. In these recent times of trouble, however, his dreams had turned into a series of frightening images, which included Dementors, haunting voices telling him that he had failed, and images of Hermione and Lacey, both of them stiff as corpses. These would wake him up screaming and in a cold sweat.
Hermione looked at him in worry. "Αγαπητε, τι φοβερον εστιν?" (Darling, what is terrifying?)
"Αυται αι φωναι με λεγουσιν ... οτι αποθανη ... και ου δυναμαι ..." (These voices are telling me … that you will die .. and I cannot …) He could say no more, for his voice cracked up as he sobbed in her arms. It would be later that they would discover that Harry was having the same nightmares and sobbing fits. Hermione and Lacey did not think any less of them for crying, but anything which could terrify them like that – two of the bravest wizards they ever knew – was something to be worried about.
~HP&PO~
"Βροντι Διος, Hagrid, what are you cooking in here – humans?"
It was after Christmas break that the quartet and Ron decided to come by to visit Hagrid. A big burst of hot air came out to meet them as soon as he opened up the door.
"Nay, Pat, I'm not cooking humans – why would you think that?"
Patrick was about to answer, but Ron beat him to the punch, saying, "It's bloody sweltering in here, Hagrid! Can you at least open up a window or something?"
"Thanks, Ron, you took the words out of my mouth. Hagrid, whatever you're cooking in that boiling cauldron, you can confine the heat to it, right?" With that, he blew the heat towards the cauldron to confine it there.
"Well, thanks for the help there, Pat."
"You're welcome. Now, Hagrid, Uncle Hades told me all about what's being guarded up there in the castle –"
"Can't you give it a rest, Pat? There isn't anybody out there who knows how to get past Fluffy, except for me and Dumbledore ..."
"Yeah, and anyone who has studied Greek mythology ..." said Patrick under his breath.
"What was that?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Maybe I'll regret asking this, but, Hagrid, what ARE you cooking?" said Harry.
"Oh, it's this giant egg I won at the pub the other night. The person who gave it to me seemed glad to get rid of it, as a matter of fact ..." Saying this, he took the egg out of the cauldron and laid it on the table, where it cracked to show – uh-oh – a dragon!
"Whoa, Pat – this isn't just any dragon – it's a Norwegian Ridgeback!"
"Yeah, Ron, and I should find this comforting because –?"
"Oh, bless Norbert's little heart, he knows his mummy!" Tickling the little dragon under his chin, Hagrid got a response out of it. The response was a sneeze of flame that Patrick deflected with his hand to shatter a window.
"Oops – sorry, Hagrid."
"Wait just a minute," said Harry, jumping to his feet, "is that Malfoy running back to the castle?"
It was.
"Well, this is just great," said Patrick as they were walking back. "Hagrid is one loosening screw away from being his own mental institution, having a pet dragon in a WOODEN hut that can blow him seven ways to the Afterlife. Can things get any worse?"
"And a good evening to you as well, Lord Palmer," said a calm Scottish voice. "Would you care to tell me what you and your friends are doing out so late?"
Patrick gave her a nervous laugh. "Professor McGonagall … we … lost track of time..."
"Indeed. I will be taking 25 points each from Gryffindor and 25 from Slytherin, and I will be giving all SIX of you detention."
Inward groan. 125 points total deducted from Gryffindor, while Slytherin got a measly 25 point deduction. How humiliating.
"Professor, did I hear you right?" said Draco.
"Yes, you did, Mr. Malfoy. Even though your aim may have been honorable, you were also out after curfew."
"It serves you right, you rat-faced little ferret," said Patrick under his breath.
"Bite me."
The five Gryffindors gave Draco an angry glare as they stormed out.
~HP&PO~
A few nights later was their detention, and it would be Argus Filch, the bitter old caretaker, who would lead them outside to Hagrid's hut, lecturing them about the good old days:
"It's a pity that they let the old punishments die. There used to be a time when detention meant hanging you by your thumbs in the dungeons. Gods above, how I miss the screaming and the wailing … in fact, I still have the whips on standby, in case I ever need them."
Patrick was trying to hold his temper in check. "You sadistic little bastard, you have WHIPS on standby?"
Filch gave him a nasty grin. "I bet that'll make you think twice before you break any rules, eh?"
"On the contrary … if I EVER hear of you using whips on students in this school, I will take them from you, use them to flay you alive and send you to the Underworld screaming, do you understand me?"
Filch snorted. "You're just a student … who do you think you are to terrorize me like that?"
Patrick yanked him close. "Not only am I a student, I am the Heir of Merlin, one of the owners of this castle, and I will not hear of the students being treated in an abusive manner … do you understand me?"
Filch, seeing the fury within Patrick's eyes, gulped and said, "Yes, Milord."
"Good … carry on."
"Filch, what has been taking you so long? I've been ready for about a half hour. You haven't been lecturing them about the good old days again, have you?"
"Hagrid asked for you six to help him out in the Forbidden Forest tonight."
"The Forbidden Forest? We are not allowed in there … there are werewolves!" said Draco. "When my Father hears about this ..."
"He'll tell you that's how it is at Hogwarts," said Hagrid. "For detention, you'll be doing something useful."
"Oh, aye, there are more than werewolves in the Forest, lad!" said Filch, a nasty grin still plastered on his face. "I'll be back for what's left of them in the morning, Hagrid. Nighty night … don't let the werewolves bite!"
"So, Hagrid, what's the job you need our help with?"
"Glad you asked, Pat. For a little while now, there has been something out there that's been injuring unicorns. I found one dead the other night, and just a little while ago, I've found signs of another injured one. It'll be our job to find the poor beast, if that is at all possible. I've asked if Artemis can help us out, and she can."
"Could it be a werewolf, Aunt Artemis?" asked Harry.
"It's not likely a werewolf, Harry, but whatever in Tartarus that it is, it does not belong here in the Forest. Whatever has been killing these unicorns is drinking their blood as well. Even though the blood will restore a person at death's door to life, the terrible price paid is to live a cursed life from the moment it touches the person's lips. My guess is that it's some kind of monster, but not a werewolf. It would be something worse."
Hagrid and Fang went with Ron, Lacey, and Draco, while Artemis went with Patrick, Hermione, and Harry. The latter group managed to find the monster and chased it off with a twang from Artemis's bow sending an arrow through its shoulder. As for the unicorn, it was already bleeding and dead.