A: The train scene is based off of movies such as Speed, Spider Man 2, Unstoppable. Probably some others, but as you know, I tried to focus less on the train. Initially, I had this entire sequence where Ginny and Rachel actually climb into the engine after crawling on top of the train, find another spider there… it was taking too long. I am not letting the story go past 60 chapters.
(Then again, I didn't think it would move beyond 40, so who knows. I know. It's going to finish soon.)
evenstarlily: Yeah… about the last cliffhanger, it isn't as bad as the one in this chapter, so…
Catie Cat: You'll like this chapter. You'll also hate me. Probably.
Lady among the trees: This chapter is a little more intense than the last one :)
percyjacksonfan135: Hey, welcome back. Glad to see you're catching up. Right!
AN: This chapter is extra long for all you patient readers. You are awesome!
Warning: Violence, gory depiction of death
Listening to: Hell Yeah! (Original Mix) by Tiesto and Showtek
(So… there's an action sequence in this chapter and anytime I imagine this scene, this song plays in my head… go for it!)
Monday, Dec 3; 5:00 p.m.
London, England
A lot was happening. DJ watched as Sally took Percy to the side of the room to have a serious talk about 'timing', and 'reading the room'. Percy wasn't having any of it, looking annoyed at her telling him off.
Sirius was talking to Rachel, who was trying to explain how a mummy had sent her to the train. She was wrong, it was much weirder than it sounded. None of it made sense to DJ, especially the fact that Harry had somehow talked to her in her head?
If Harry had to talk to anyone, why wouldn't it be DJ?
Making up his mind, DJ inched out of the room slowly, making sure that everyone was occupied enough to not miss him for a bit. The moment he was out of sight, DJ took off down the corridor, heading for the stairs when he found the elevator packed with hundreds of people.
The stairs were also busy, but nobody really bothered him, save for a few off looks shot his way. DJ ignored them all, taking the steps two at a time, feeling tired even with this small bit of exercise.
On the fifth floor, the noise was dramatically lowered as though he'd entered a library. Not many people wandered here, which was good. DJ walked around the hallway, searching for the door to the special corridor. He made a loop around the circular corridor, examining if any part of the wall felt like a glamour. He couldn't find anything except for the permanent ward rooms.
DJ tried to calm his racing heart by taking deep breaths. He hated this. He had to see him. May be Harry would appear now, try to say something to him like he did with Rachel.
"Mr. Potter." Someone called from the side and DJ sighed.
He found Healer Sierra Calles walking towards him. She clearly had had a demanding day, probably tending to all the mentally traumatised kids. DJ wondered if he'd set off some trigger that had alerted her that he was up here. She looked like she'd run up here.
"I just want to see him." DJ said, but Calles was already shaking her head.
"I'm sorry. Rules state no visitors –"
"Sirius is the one who put those rules! He'll make an exception for me, just let me in! Please!"
"Potter, unless your guardian gives me his permission in writing, you and everybody else will not be allowed to see him."
"But it's not fair!" DJ yelled, feeling very much like a child whining. He tried to clear his throat, standing taller. "Just a glimpse, I just want to check on him, that's it, I swear!"
Calles shook her head, though she looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry. Mr. Black has to agree –"
"He'd never let me! He thinks someone will find a way in if any of us can get in." DJ pleaded. "But I have to know that Harry's still here, please. I'll just step in for a second, make sure he's real, and then leave. That's it! That's all, no one has to know!"
The healer looked like she wanted to help him. But DJ saw the unyielding strength in her eyes and he felt exhaustion hit him completely. He'd done so well, ever since finding out that Nico had been on the train.
DJ had gone ahead to help him with that spider, and the two went to decimate the infestation in carriage six. Then after Ginny stopped the train, DJ had been the one to flag down the aurors, gave them as much information he could, leading them to all the bodies, and to the ones who needed immediate help. He let Nico lie down for a bit, looking over him until the aurors brought them to St. Mungo's where they were shunted off for a check-up and then sent to room 329. DJ had made it all the way till then.
His knees gave way now, exhaustion hitting him hard. Cold shivers and a sudden breathlessness converged upon him. He laid his head on the floor, thinking, I'll just lie here, then.
Just catch my breath…
When he came to, he was in a separate room, white and pristine, alone.
DJ blinked slowly, pushing off his arms to sit on the bed. Had he passed out? He didn't feel rested at all, still experiencing a coldness all over his body. Someone had taken his jacket vest, probably thinking the heat had gotten to him. The heat of winter… who knows, DJ thought turning to the side.
Percy was sitting next to him.
DJ nearly jumped off the bed, clamping a hand on his mouth to stop from screaming.
"The hell, Percy?!" He yelled.
Percy shrugged. "I volunteered to look out for you. I guess you were tired, huh?"
He didn't like the casual tone in those words. It was as though Percy didn't realise how damaging the entire day had been.
"Where were you?" DJ panted, swinging his legs over the side. Percy was reclining on a chair right by the bed.
"On my way to camp. I thought I'd drop by to look up Nico and my mom, but they weren't there. Then I remembered that you guys were on the train home, so I thought I'd wait in the safe house. Turns out, there was no one when I got there. Asked the portraits, realised everyone was here."
Percy gave a half smile, standing up to walk away. DJ frowned, following his movements. There was something about him that was vaguely irritating.
His vest was on the back of a chair, across the room. DJ stood up to take it, just as Percy said, "So no one's allowed to go to Harry's room?"
DJ huffed, snatching the vest. "No. Sirius is paranoid. He thinks that someone will get to him or something."
"That makes sense, you know."
"Yeah…"
Percy walked towards one of the windows, drawing open the blinds. "He's gotten some aurors to guard the entrance, just so you know. Even if you found the right door, they wouldn't let you in."
DJ glared at the floor, "How'd you know about that?"
"I asked him." Percy deadpanned. "I want to see Harry too."
Right. Of course, he would. DJ wasn't sure why he felt so against that.
"Wait." DJ stopped, looking up at him. "How'd you floo to London? They'd set up wards around the city."
"They removed those measures to bring you guys in from Rothbury. I got in at the right time."
"How'd you know we came from Rothbury?"
Percy frowned, judging DJ silently. There was something brewing behind his sea green eyes, something like a storm.
"I asked Sirius. What's with all the questions? My mom already interrogated me, DJ. If you hadn't run away and given everyone a heart attack, you two could have coordinated."
The acidic tone in his words stunned DJ. He'd never heard Percy talk so viciously about anything or anyone.
"Uh." DJ said, trying to frame a sentence but the door cracked open and his eyes fell upon the newcomer, someone tiny and very young.
Percy was closer to the door, his back turned against it. He turned around when he heard the sound and saw, as DJ did, a small child, holding the door handle and peeking into the room.
He, or she, DJ couldn't tell, had to have been younger than Nico. May be even eight, or seven. The kid looked Asian, with straight, floppy hair that fell over his brown eyes.
"Yes?" Percy asked, frowning at the kid.
The child swallowed, looking at DJ and then Percy. They came up to Percy's waist.
"Percy." The kid said, enunciating the name slowly.
"Yes." Percy said, almost demanding.
The kid looked up at Percy, confusion sparking in their eyes.
"No."
That one word made Percy stiffen. DJ frowned, observing the painful silence that reigned the room. Feeling itchy, he asked, "Are you searching for Percy Weasley?"
He tried to smile at the child, but they had none of it. "No."
There couldn't be too many people out there were the name 'Percy', right? It was unisex, sure, but DJ hadn't heard of any variations…
"I'm Percy." Percy said, practically glaring at the small kid, who shrunk away, ready to bolt.
DJ walked forwards, shooting a sharp look at him before crouching down to reach the kid's eye-level.
"Hi, I'm DJ. Who're you?"
He held out his hand, hoping a bit of friendliness would help. Thankfully, the kid took his hand, give it a quick shake, "Evey."
DJ blinked. "Eve…ee? Evee?
"Evey."
Okay, a girl. "Hi, Evey. Are you searching for a different Percy?"
Evey looked a little troubled, she stared down at her hands. DJ saw that she was holding something small. It looked like a crumpled piece of paper.
"Daniel." She said. DJ stared.
"Yeah… that's me… but you can call me DJ; everyone does."
Evey seemed like she was debating something actively in her head. DJ felt his knees ache at the angle they were bent, and knew that he needed to get a good night's sleep and a heavy breakfast, if he had to stay awake the next day.
Finally, the little girl extended her hand, offering him a hastily torn piece of paper.
"Oh! Thank you, Evey." DJ said, turning it over in his hands. One side of it was plain, but the other side had some writing in a language he'd never seen.
Evey looked up at Percy again, saw something she didn't like, and fled from the room. Percy looked like he was about to follow her, so DJ stood up and grabbed his elbow.
"Seriously, what's up with you? I thought you were good with kids or whatever."
Percy stepped away from him, fuming for no reason. "I didn't like the way she was staring at me."
"The way she was… you were looking at her like she was a monster! Was she?"
DJ waited, but Percy could offer no reply. Shoving the piece of paper in his pocket, DJ left the room, leaving him behind. Whatever was wrong with Percy, DJ didn't have the energy to figure out at the moment. He had to go find Sirius, convince him somehow.
He found himself on the fourth floor when he ran into Colin.
"Thank god!" Colin said, throwing his arms around DJ, who hugged back just as fiercely. "I couldn't find you, then some said they saw you faint!"
"I just sat down for a bit," DJ said, feeling his face heat up. "I'm fine. What about you? You found Dennis?"
"Yeah!" Colin sighed, face falling immediately. "He's here, one of the healers gave him a potion. He was in shock…"
Colin's voice lowered, "One of his classmates got bitten. She's still in the other clinic. I don't know who to call to find out if she made it."
DJ winced. "I'm sorry… may be, I can help. Sirius knows the head of St. Mungo's, we can ask her."
"That'll be great, thanks."
Colin didn't sound so happy. DJ watched him carefully, about ask what was wrong –
"I don't want to come back." Colin whispered.
"Sorry?"
"I… Dennis and I, we're not going back to Hogwarts."
DJ gaped. "What? No! I mean, yeah, this is bad, but –"
"No buts, DJ. Den and I are muggleborns!" Colin argued. "I was attacked once because of that in first year, remember? If anything happened to Den, I'd never forgive myself. It's too dangerous."
DJ felt breathless again. He couldn't think of going back without Colin. "Is someone stopping you from going? Did someone threaten you?"
Colin stared. "Yeah, DJ. Someone threatened me. Someone threatened all of us! I talked to Dae Iseul on the train after you'd left. She said that she was searching for Astoria. Do you know where Astoria was? She was in carriage one, because all the Slytherins got the message that they had to stay there for the entire trip. The other houses started to migrate there later, when they heard that the first carriage had some extra security measures! And then, somehow, the first two carriages get rune-locked and the rest of the train is under attack!"
The anger was there, as well as the desperate hope that DJ would understand exactly how Colin felt. Colin took a deep breath and continued, "As long as You-Know-Who's out there, I'm not going back. Den and I are sticking together. I talked to Luna, she said she can help with warding around our house, so we can get by. I don't care how we're going to manage, but if we stay alive by the end of it, it'll be worth it."
Luna was okay with this?
DJ watched as Colin grimaced due to the lack of response. "You can be angry all you want, DJ. You wouldn't understand how I feel. Yeah, we're all in danger, but some of us are a little more targeted than the rest."
He blinked. DJ felt the annoyance brew in the pit of his stomach. "You think I don't know how you feel? You think I'm not as targeted as you? Colin, if Voldemort stood in front of us, right now, guess which of us he'd taunt and kill first."
Colin glared, "This isn't a contest –"
"You phrased it like that! Some of us are targeted more than the rest. Yeah, me! With the name 'Potter', I have a lovely target painted on my back!"
"Well then, you're right there with the rest of us. Thanks for joining the group, DJ!"
"Shut it, Colin. You don't know how I feel –"
"You're so sure about that –"
"HARRY'S DEAD!" DJ screamed, clenching his fists and leaning right into Colin's space. "He's dead, and do you know who killed him?! I'll give you three guesses."
Colin exhaled, going pale with rage. "I'm sorry. Harry didn't deserve that. But there's one very important distinction that separates Harry from the rest of us. He. Is. Going. To. Wake. Up."
Colin rarely side-lined priorities. He never claimed some people as insignificant. DJ had never heard him speak like that.
"Harry's going to be awake soon. He's going to be alive." Colin repeated. "You-Know-Who can't kill him. I'm a little worried about the people who can die."
DJ stepped closer, feeling his entire body shake, "It's not just Harry. I don't know if you're aware, but everyone got a glimpse of Rachel. So now, we're going to have a lovely new headline in the Daily Prophet tomorrow, about her."
"She doesn't go to Hogwarts." Colin muttered. "She doesn't have to stay in the Wizarding World, wondering when exactly the uprising is going to officially begin."
"Fine!" DJ snapped. "Go! Go home. Go to a muggle school, see if I care!"
"What's wrong with a muggle school?" Colin demanded.
DJ knew that he'd already shoved his foot in his mouth, but he was too far ahead to turn back and be repentant. "It won't be the same as Hogwarts."
"You're right. It's gonna be safer." Colin started walking backwards. "It's not gonna have you in it, so I won't have to put up with your racist arse, anyway."
DJ's jaw dropped. He'd never been called… he would never…
Colin flipped him off and shut the door to his assigned room. DJ gripped the ends of his jacket, feeling like he could rip the material. Whatever. He didn't care. So, what if he didn't see Colin in the next school year? He had other friends.
Still fuming, he went back to the third floor, catching Rachel by the banister, right beside the elevator. She had a thick bandage around her left forearm. DJ knew that it was because Ginny had accidentally burned her, but with the right spell, it would heal overnight. Rachel had been more worried about Bolt, who, though having been shifted to St. Mungo's, still had venom in her system. The healer had given her a potion before fixing her up. Bolt had dropped like a light and would most definitely be out until the next day.
"Hey." Rachel frowned at him. "You okay? I heard you collapsed."
"I just sat down on the floor." DJ muttered, trying not to raise his voice.
She narrowed her eyes, like she could tell there was something else bothering him. To change the topic, DJ asked, "What now? What's the plan? Where's everyone else?"
"Um… one of Ginny's brothers came by, said that he got a port-key arranged, but not everyone could use it. So, only the Weasleys left. Hermione is going with Neville and his folks. They're part of some group apparation thingy. And we're waiting for Sally and Nico. They went to rent a car."
DJ stared. "We're going by car?"
Rachel nodded. "I feel too dizzy just thinking about the floo. And based on what Hermione said, portkeys and apparations are just as bad. Plus, Nico is dead tired and the healer said he shouldn't try any more miracles, which includes magical travelling, so… yeah, road trip."
That would be an experience.
"Great."
"We'll have to run, when she gets here. Someone called the press." Rachel said, leaning over the railing. DJ stood by her, peering down the open space to peek at the people milling about on the ground floor.
"I can't see any cameras."
"They're outside the building."
DJ nearly banged his head on the banister. Rachel jumped.
"Jeez! Enough with the theatrics! What's going on with you?"
"Nothing." He muttered. He could still hear Colin's argument. Was DJ actually in the wrong? He knew that he would be in twice the trouble as compared to the rest of the population, but he hadn't given a thought to muggle-borns. Would Hermione feel the same? Would she not want to go back to Hogwarts?
It was even more hurtful that Luna sided with Colin. How could she be okay with not seeing him again?
The elevator doors opened and Percy stepped out. He'd been alone in the lift.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "How did you find the right time when the lift was empty?"
Percy shrugged. "Got lucky. Everyone's left?"
"Mostly. We have to go to room 007 and wait by the alley way there. Nico's with Sally. The seats better not smell."
Sirius gripped the short rails that ran by the side of Harry's bed. That was as close to his ward as he could be. Calles had crafted a small shield that ran as a blue, pulsing dome over Harry's body. It eerily reminded Sirius of glass coffins.
The room was small, lit with natural light that streamed through the partially closed window. It was the same room he'd been admitted in, over the summer, after the Rome incident.
Harry was dressed in nothing but a sheet, to make any healing process as easy as possible. But the problem was he hadn't begun to heal at all. The last time he'd died, Sirius had received hourly updates on how each part of his body reformed, regenerating skin, muscle, and even bone, a nearly unmarked, freshly constructed live body, within a week.
But it had been ten days, and Harry was blue and grey, with limp hair over his head, ugly marking around his face, and a terrible open wound on his torso, that was covered by the sheet for now.
Sirius couldn't look away from the corpse. That's what he was now. Harry was dead till his heart began to beat, till his body repaired itself.
The bracelet was the only other thing that touched his skin. The bronze branding that ran around the bicep of his left upper arm, had twelve tiny charms hanging from it. Sirius felt confident that the longer he stared at it, the sooner it would heal him.
"Sirius." Sierra Calles called. He swallowed, tightening his grip on the bed rails.
"Why isn't he healing?" Sirius croaked.
She shook her head, standing beside him. "I haven't been able to garner much from the bracelet, or any of its charms. It's a completely different language. There is no connection to the Runic word. I can't give any estimate on this."
Sirius bent over, dropping his head and feeling his hair touch the shield. "Last time, you said that the bracelet began to work right when he'd died. Why is it different this time?"
"I don't know –"
"Then what do I do?!" Sirius yelled, "What – I can't just wait forever, why isn't the bracelet…"
He sucked in a breath, voice dropping to a whisper, "What if he doesn't wake up?"
Sierra's look of sympathy vanished and the strict demeanour of a hardened Healer took over, "The body has been in stasis for over ten days. It was definitely induced by the bracelet. I just can't explain the delay."
"What if… it takes months? What if he doesn't wake up for years?" Sirius asked, feeling his voice break again. "What if he stays like this for…"
Sierra stepped forwards to examine the bracelet, like she must have done countless times. Sirius had given only her the authorization to look over Harry's case. Calles and her small staff of nurses were the only ones with access into the room. And since the world was now aware that he couldn't die, Sirius could focus on just assigning as much security as he could.
Because the rest of his focus would be divided with Rachel, since the world discovered that she was Rosalie Potter. Nothing could be easy for them.
"Perhaps the bracelet is not just healing his physical state." Sierra suggested. "It may also focus on his psychological condition. Harry might not want to wake up to reality."
Sirius flinched. He hadn't thought that Harry would be afraid of coming back. But it seemed plausible. Dying wasn't pleasant. And if it happened in their home, it was doubly traumatic.
"Or the bracelet may wait for a trigger." She said, standing up, spine straight.
"A trigger? An outside influence?" He asked, hopefully. That sounded good. That sounded like a potential answer.
"It depends on why the bracelet exists at all." She said. "There must be a reason as to how he received this. This is not wizard magic, Sirius. This is not a toy. There is something powerful out there, and that power is allowing him to flit between the realms of the living and the dead. If that power decides that he should remain dormant for now, then there may be nothing we can do."
Sirius pressed his palms into his eyes, feeling the throb of a new migraine settle into his head. Someone out there basically controlling Harry's destiny?
"Or…" He said, trying not to sound too optimistic, "Or it just has to be activated?"
Sierra narrowed her eyes, "I'm no expert on this, Sirius. You need to find someone who has answers, who knows what kind of magic this is. Because it's not natural. It's not of our world. Death is not something to be carelessly handled. I can't do anything for him as long as he's like this. None of us can. "
Sirius nodded. As Sierra left, he stared at Harry's bruised face, the bloodless pallor, his long, limp hair. Sirius felt something break in him. The silence in the room left a loud ringing in his ears.
He looked at his godson and whispered, "You can be scared, Harry. It's okay. You're allowed to be scared. But I'll be here, when you need me, okay, pup?
Sirius found it hard to swallow down the lump in his throat. "I love you, Harry. You can take your time, we're all here for you. You don't have to do this alone. We'll always be here."
Maybe he thought his words would wake him up. Maybe, he could hear them. If Harry had appeared to Rachel in a dream knowing more than what anyone could expect, then maybe he was closer to the surface than they believed him to be. Maybe Harry was waiting for the opportune moment to come back, a moment none of them could perceive.
Whatever the case, Sirius swore to be there when Harry woke up.
One of the nurses led them out of the building through a back door. Rachel looked over around the small alley, registering the empty, but slightly dank space. The open road at the entrance would be tricky to navigate, if there were reporters outside the main entrance of St. Mungo's.
It was a cold and cloudy day. She shivered a little in her breathable sports outfit, rubbing her palms together. A small part of her still couldn't believe she was in London. But Bolt was just too exhausted to do any more magic, let along get them back to Manhattan. So she'd be going with DJ, Nico, Percy, Sirius, and Sally, to the safe house in London, where she could stay for a few hours before leaving by the floo. Hopefully, the city wide warding would be removed by then.
A car drove up to the entrance of the alleyway. It was dark blue, a six seater. Sirius ushered the three kids into the car, where Sally and Nico were already seated.
Sally placed a finger on her lips. Rachel leaned around Percy and saw that Nico had fallen asleep in the second row, right behind the passenger seat. DJ gave him a tired grin and sat beside him, right behind Sally.
Sirius took shotgun, while Rachel followed Percy into the last row. The demigod was oddly quiet and stiff, glaring at nothing in particular. Rachel ignored him as DJ closed the last open door and Sally manoeuvred smoothly away from the hospital. Rachel turned around and spotted a group of poorly disguised witches and wizards crowding around a large glass window.
"How long is the commute?" Percy asked, his voice strained. Rachel frowned at him as Sally called out, "Just under half an hour. The traffic is nothing like the New York rush, so let's be thankful for that."
Rachel buckled in her belt, watching as Percy struggled with his. He was acting so…
Forget it, she thought, turning to face the sights. DJ leaned by the door, probably trying to fall asleep as well. He and Nico must be exhausted. She'd heard a lot of the students whisper about how Harry Potter's cousin, and a strange shadow boy with a sword, came charging in to kill all the spiders. They must have saved dozens of lives. It almost made up for those who actually died.
Someone had actually filled the train with Acromantula eggs. Rachel heard talk about Voldemort announcing his return by attacking the train. It terrified her.
The pain in her arm was almost forgotten. She poked at the cotton bandage that was wrapped around her arm, remembering the sharp burn and sizzling pain of fire. Pushing aside that thought, Harry's train ticket manifested itself in her mind. She had a hundred questions, all ranging from her vision about the mummy and Harry, to the events on the train. She had no answers. She couldn't stop thinking.
Sally and Sirius were whispering. Rachel leaned in, placing on arm on the headrest in front of her. DJ barely stirred.
"… go back and check in on him." Sirius muttered.
"I can take in DJ." Sally responded.
"Just for a few days. He'll have his portkey on him. Hopefully, it'll work this time."
Rachel swallowed, lowering her head. She remembered the tiny shock Ginny'd had when the witch had tried to activate her portkey on the train, a pretty little black crystal acting as jewellery around her neck.
She snorted, "What is with people putting magic in bits of jewellery?"
Percy snapped his neck at her, eyes wide. "What did you say?"
It wasn't just a question, it was a demand. Rachel frowned.
"Cool it. I wasn't talking to you. Just saying stuff out loud."
"What stuff?"
She huffed in reply. "I dunno. Like the portkeys you guys have. Or the pendant disguise you gave me for the party. Or that bracelet on your arm… whatever."
She turned back to the window, but could feel his eyes on him.
"Can I see the ticket?" Percy asked. He sounded calmer, curious.
She shrugged. "Gave it to that Auror, Tonks."
"Why?"
Rachel found him glaring at her. Again. "What's your problem?"
"Excuse me?"
She sat up straight, "I thought we weren't talking anymore."
"I'm serious here." Percy snapped.
"And I don't care." She shot him a smirk, feeling viciously happy when he gritted his teeth at her. Percy was too angry and mean for her to like him anymore.
"You're hiding something." He said. There was this look in his eye. She felt like he was scanning her, looking right into her head to understand what she was thinking –
Rachel tore her gaze away from him, pressing a palm to her eyes. They felt like they were burning, like she was about to cry, for absolutely no reason.
Bolt stirred in her lap. She didn't wake up, but Rachel placed a hand on her Familiar's back, trying to soothe her.
"You know what…" Percy muttered. Rachel looked up, when she heard his voice turn into a bold taunt.
"What?" She shot back.
His lips turned up, but it wasn't exactly a smile. "You're right about jewellery. Articles like gems and precious metals are carefully crafted, with manual labour and dedication. It's not farfetched to attach specific pieces of magic to such items. Necklaces, rings, and bracelets are most common."
His head tilted in her direction, a sneer in his face, "Pendants, stones, and charms just have this quality about them… you make the wrong choice, you can't turn back."
Rachel felt like her heart stopped. Everything in her body seized. The way Percy was watching her, the insinuation in his words…
He knew about the scythe charm.
But how… not DJ, DJ would never…
Percy leaned towards her. "If I were you, I'd stop accusing others, and focus on my worries."
Rachel pushed down the abject fear that struck her. "Are you threatening me?"
He looked amused, sitting back as though nothing were wrong. His green eyes looked dim and clouded with viscous shades. "I don't have to."
She turned away, staring resolutely in front of her, watching as they drove through grey scaled London. Sally took a turn and they drove into a monumental suspension bridgethat was painted in bright colours like pink, blue and green. The car slowed down less than half way through, when the other vehicles bunched up at a point.
Rachel sat back with a huff. Great. Stuck in traffic with Percy-the-asshole. She should have squeezed in with Nico and DJ.
Percy turned away from her and Rachel relaxed for a bare second before she felt a shiver run down her spine.
DJ sat up straight. She couldn't see his expression, just his wayward hair. But she could almost feel how tense he grew. Percy stiffened as well. Sally and Sirius stopped talking.
They felt it. Rachel knew. None of them had to say a word, but they all felt that shift in the air, the coarse, near tangible, prickling of fear that struck them all.
She felt the noises outside the car melt away. Something shimmered in the air. The dull clouds turned into wispy colours of purple and silver for one brief moment –
Nico woke up with a gasp. He grabbed onto the headrest of Sirius's seat, leaning forwards and panting. DJ clutched his shoulder to steady him.
"What is it?" Sally asked, already starting to panic. Sirius exhaled roughly, opening the door to step outside to gauge the suddenly silent bridge.
Rachel saw many people getting out of their cars, looking around nervously. Everyone had felt it, whatever it was.
"We…" Nico gasped, swallowing deep breaths. "We need to get out. Now!"
DJ looked up to stare at her and Rachel twisted the strap of her seatbelt.
"We're jammed in." Sirius said, still outside the car. He had a tight grip on the door. "Sally can you –"
"I can't reverse." She said, frustrated. "Too many cars –"
There was an outburst of loud voices, ahead on the road. Sirius turned around to squint at the bottom end of the bridge. DJ stood up, reaching a hand to touch a button on the car ceiling. The moon-roof slid open and DJ stood on the seat, poking his head out of the car to stare into the distance.
"I can see people running." He said. Rachel felt her heart thud painfully against her ribs.
DJ turned around to observe the route they came from. "We can't get out, it's –"
"That car's flying." Percy interrupted him in a sharp tone. Rachel and DJ glared at him before looking ahead.
Nico sat up staring and Sally too, gaped through the windshield. Rachel felt like she couldn't move.
There was a tiny dark point in the sky. It was a car, but why would there be a car in the sky? Cars couldn't fly.
The longer Rachel stared, the more she realised that it was growing in size, twisting and turning its large, heavy, metal body.
She could hear the screaming from far away. It reminded her of the screams on the train. But there were no spiders here, just cars falling from the sky.
"Get out!" Sally shrieked, turning the key and unlocking all doors. Rachel jammed her thumb against the release of the belt to free herself. She threw her weight on the door, yanking open the handle to pushing it outwards.
She heard the groaning of hot metal, could smell the torrid odour of gas, and felt it even before the shadow passed right over her. Rachel hurled herself out of the car, falling on the hot cement with a heavy thud.
DJ and Sally landed to her left at almost the same time, just a millisecond before the motor projectile landed on their rented car, crashing into the glass and metal and crushing it like a soda can. The screech from the collision grated on her ears and Rachel clamped her scrapped and shaking arms over the sides of her head.
Something – no, someone – flung themselves over her. Rachel didn't have to open her eyes to know that DJ had braced himself, his skin turning into veritable armour, before settling on her like a cage.
The bridge shook from the impact. People started to scream for real. Rachel felt someone's leg nearly kick her in the head as they ran for safety, but DJ stopped any hits.
In the distance she heard a loud, enraged roar. It seemed to shake the foundation of the bridge. The cement road beneath her trembled.
"Oh my gods!" DJ gasped. He had raised his head to look at the source of the roar. Rachel found exactly what he was looking at.
The thing seemed like a wickedly horrific silhouette, large even though it must have been several hundred metres away. It reminded her of a Greek monster. Nothing else could be that frightening. It looked like a sphinx, but the huge creature had bat-like wings as well. It was enormous, towering over a truck and roaring as it used a long tail, tipped off with a poison sting at the end, like a scorpion, to punch right through the nearest cars. Every time it roared and leaped over the vehicles and people, the bridge quavered.
The elevated road tilted to the side by a fraction of an angle but that was enough to create a stampede. Abandoning their cars, people rushed for land, jumping over everyone and knocking everything down. Rachel lost sight of Sally while DJ grabbed her by the arm to yank her to her feet. He pulled her to the side and pushed her over the rails and onto the footpath.
And then the suspension wires over them started to snap. Rachel and DJ dropped to the ground, on opposite sides of the rail, as the wires flew over their heads. The cables fell upon the crowds and blood spurted everywhere.
She could smell it. It was hot and rancid, its spray having hit her arms, clothes and the sides of the walls.
"Get out!" DJ roared at her. Rachel shook, looking up, trying to find a way to run back to the mainland. But the path had been blocked by cars and several people still sprinting.
"It's blocked!" She screamed.
DJ took out his portkey necklace, yanking it above his head and pushing it into her hands.
"Wear it and press the knotted joint." He ordered. "Go!"
Rachel sat back, staring as DJ got up and ran back to the crushed car to find where the others had hidden.
Nico took out his sword. The moment its Stygian Iron blade manifested in the air, the scorpion monster froze. It lifted its head, sniffing. Then it turned to face Nico.
There had to be half a mile of distance between the demigod and the monster, but it didn't stop either of them. The monster charged towards him, shrieking its head off, the wings and poisoned tipped tail whipping about, halfway across the bridge, it vaulted into the air, wings beating heavily.
"NICO!" Sirius roared. "Get back here!"
But he was already running towards the centre of the trembling bridge. He jumped over the cables, leaped over the cars, avoiding the panicked mob that was rushing in the opposite direction.
It was definitely Greek. The sphinx like creature snarled, snapping its jaws at him.
It gave a great sniff, sucking in air through its nose. He knew it could smell him easily now. The creature roared, loudly enough that the bridge trembled and tilted even more. Nico saw a mortal fall off the side. He turned back to see the tail of the creature descend upon him.
Nico did the quickest tuck and roll he had ever done to get away from the strike. The monster reared back and slashed at him again. The sting made divots in the cement road. Nico dodged it again. The thing, the flying scorpion, moved to the side and roared at him. Its tail dove underneath an SUV and with a powerful flick, upturned the 4000 pound vehicle, sending it towards him.
He jumped out of the way and landed in the shadow of a jeep, immediately disappearing and reappearing behind the monster. He brought his sword across one of its thick, corded legs, chopping of its foot cleanly. Ichor and dirt splattered across the cement and the monster growled in pain, moving away from him. Its tail reared up again and Nico melted into the shadows, wondering where Percy was.
Tom inhaled, nearly gasping as he saw the wires across the bridge snap one by one. The lanes were blocked by cars all abandoned by people as they screamed and ran away. One of the supports under the bridge crumbled and the centre gave way. The bridge tilted alarmingly and several vehicles along the side fell, crashing into the water below.
He needed to get out of here. Tom was ready to summon the some of his reserve energy to apparated away when Sally called out, "Percy!"
Tom swore. Turning around he found her running towards him. She caught his hand and he did his best to not flinch away. She had a horrible look of concern, hair tendrils plastered to her sweaty face. It made him want to just snap her neck. Nobody had ever stared at him like that.
"You need to get out of here." Sally said, urgently. Tom nodded.
"Okay. What about you?"
"I… Sirius is going to get Nico and DJ. I'm going to find Rachel…"
"I saw her on the walker's path."
"Good. But you need to leave now. That monster's here for you and Nico."
That's why she was worried. Tom figured there had to be a reason an Ancient Greek monster, the Skorpios, was in London of all places. He was sure there hadn't been a monster attack on muggle public this drastic since the previous war.
He could do something. He could save them. Percy raised his hand, ready to call upon the river to safely catch the falling people and deposit them onto shore.
"Got it." He muttered. Sally nodded, her concern shifting to a mildly suspicious look. Tom blinked at her, widening his eyes. Then he swooped forwards to peck her cheek.
"Be careful!" He said, before turning around to run behind a row of cars, trying to get to a safe enough distance before he could apparated away.
Tom was well aware that Percy would never leave Sally in such a dangerous situation. But he couldn't stay. He needed to get to the safe house where he'd hidden the other horcruxes. The ring and diadem, along with the newly acquired goblet of Hufflepuff were stashed away in the basement, behind the organ's pipes. The locket was still around Percy's throat, disguised as the camp necklace that Harry had pathetically broken. As though it would have made a difference.
He ran past an overturned lorry when the shadows on the road shifted, converging right in front of him. Nico emerged from the road like a corpse trying to crawl its way out of a grave. Tom slid to a stop, nearly cursing the demigod.
"For Mer – Nico!" Tom gritted his teeth.
"Have you seen DJ?!" Nico gasped, getting to his feet. He swayed alarmingly, ready to fall. Tom grabbed his side and lowered him to the ground.
"No. Look. That thing's here for us. We need to leave."
Nico opened his eyes, wincing at a cut on the side of his face. He stared up at Tom.
"What? Leave?"
"Yeah! It's here for us – "
"But it's gonna kill everyone!" Nico panicked. One of his arms flailed. He tried to sit up but dropped his sword on the road. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and groaned.
"You must have taken a bad hit." Tom muttered, looking back at the monster. He blinked.
"There's DJ." Tom continued in the same breath, almost casually. Nico looked up and gasped.
There was only one person standing between Skorpios and the rest of them. DJ had planted himself on the road in front of the towering monster, using everything he had in him to keep it at bay. Tom recognized the influx of spells, almost snorting. DJ was purposefully not using illegal curses, probably for some moral reason. Tom could easily list ten curses that any beginner could use to strike their target down.
The creature gave an enraged shriek as a cutting curse grazed one of its eyes. It brought its stinger down and DJ threw his arms up, conjuring a shield.
Bad move. He should have dodged the tail. The tip hit the shield and even from the distance, Tom could hear him cry out in pain and exhaustion.
"We have to –" Nico groaned, leaning against Tom. "We have to help –"
"What we have to do is get outta here." Tom retaliated. His New York accent was a decent imitation of Percy's, but stressing on the oddest syllables just gave him a headache.
"We can't leave!" Nico yelled, glaring at up at him. Tom clenched his jaw, tightening his grip around Nico's wrist. The boy sounded like one of the more whiny children from his orphanage. It was irritating and brought up supressed memories.
"Do not make me stun you!" Tom snapped, shaking his arm violently. Nico flinched.
"Let go!" He pressed against Tom's arm, moving away. "You're hurting me!"
The high pitch in his voice struck something in Tom's core. He felt a sharp burst of pain erupting in his palm and immediately let go of Nico's hand, stepping back.
His palm was red, burnt from whatever Nico did to him.
Both boys stared at each other in silence.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Tom hissed, touching his aching palm. It felt as though he'd pressed against a hot metal surface.
Nico stumbled back, eyes wide in shock and fear. "Percy?"
Tom stopped. Shit, he'd dropped the accent.
Rachel couldn't activate the portkey.
She had slung the thread around her neck and had pressed the knotted joint above the black crystal, but nothing had happened.
Her heart leapt up to her throat now. Bolt was still knocked out from all the potions she'd had to heal from the Acromantula bite. Rachel was stuck on the bridge.
Get out, get out, get out.
It felt like someone was whispering those words to her.
She looked around, feeling the bridge shake again. Most of the people had cleared from the vicinity of the scorpion monster. Sirius was on the other side of the median, helping some pedestrians to cross over a broken truck. Then he turned around and tried to run towards DJ.
That plan changed when the shield that DJ had conjured broke with a violent collision of the scorpion's body against it. DJ flew backwards, at least fifty feet, slamming into the side of one of the bridge's metal towers.
Rachel nearly shrieked. His body had caused a dent in the column, and he dropped to the base heavily, motionless.
It felt like the rest of the world was shrieking at her to do something.
Get out, get out, get out.
Rachel climbed over the railing to land on the road, running towards him. She reached the column and knelt in front of DJ.
His eyes were closed, his face was bruised on the whole of his left side. His arms were pale but his hands were red from the strain of trying to fight the monster.
"DJ!" She touched his neck, even though she could see him breathing. His pulse was racing, beating painfully against the pads of her fingers.
"Ra…" he tried to say, but winced.
"Oh gods! You need to get out! Take this!" She took off the necklace and slung it above his head, but he opened his eyes and pushed her hand away.
"What… what are you doing…"
"I think this works only for you!" Rachel protested, trying to avoid his hands. He was too weak to fight against her, so he relented.
But his body went rigid, eyes catching something behind her. Rachel turned around, still clutching the portkey. All air left her lungs and she gaped at the sight of a school bus, hurtling right at them.
The bright yellow and white paint was eye-catching. She froze, unable to move from her spot, one knee still touching the hot, dirty cement.
Time seemed to slow down. All the noises around her became distance echoes and she felt the wind touch her face gently.
Do something.
Move.
Rachel!
GET OUT!
What about DJ?
The last thoughts sounded oddly like a conversation. But, he wasn't here. He was dead.
Rachel let out a breath, caught the sight of something to her left. Sally was standing on the other side of the road. There was something shining bright on her arm.
The bus was growing bigger. Hadn't it hit her yet?
She heard the clink of something metallic. There was a gold (bronze?) object flying at her, bright from its deep blue glow.
Rachel watched dumbly as the thing attached itself to her exposed arm, locking its clasp into place.
The noises came back to her in a whoosh. Rachel felt everything slam into her sense, saw the bus barely feet from her and turned around, throwing her arms over her head, ducking down and letting out a sob.
Nearly thirty thousand pounds of metal crashed into Rachel's back.
In the distance, she could hear DJ screaming, she could hear metal bending and breaking completely as the bus hit the road, completely broken into two pieces. The two sides fell on either side of her, sliding on the road and throwing up a mess of sparks.
Rachel stared at the bus. She stared at the two halves of the destroyed vehicle. She stared at DJ, who was completely horrified and speechless, still lying on his side and looking up at her.
She stared at her hands. Was this real? How could she still be alive?
Rachel turned to her left saw a bracelet on her upper arm. That was odd. She didn't remember putting that on. Did she even own something like that? It felt weird. It had tiny charms, hanging from the bronze band, all glowing in blue.
Behind her, the scorpion screeched. Its shadow fell over her. DJ looked up, and she wondered if he was going to try and shield them. There was no way that would work, he was completely exhausted and very injured.
"RACHEL, MOVE!" Sally Jackson's voice came as an eruption and Rachel's mind went blank, immediately moving to obey the direct order. She leapt off from the road, flying twenty feet into the air. Rachel turned onto her back, flipping over, not understanding why everything felt so easy, yet so heavy.
The scorpion's stinger crashed into the ground, exactly where she'd just been kneeling. Rachel did a backflip and landed on top of the monster, her weight falling like a dense shot-put ball. The scorpion shrieked, its legs trembling from the impact. It crashed onto the ground, belly colliding against the hot road painfully.
Quickly, Rachel rolled to her side, sliding off its back. She landed on the ground, feeling the road crack beneath her torn shoes. Without losing a second, she charged at the monster and smashed right into its side, pushing it away from DJ and practically hurling it into the iron beams on the side of the bridge.
The scorpion's wings suddenly came down, smacking her away. Rachel hit the road, but tucked and rolled to a stop, feeling quite jittery with all the energy running through her body.
Then it turned around, ignoring DJ completely and facing Rachel, hatred growing in its eyes. She held up her fists in front of her, feeling nothing but the intensity that coursed through her blood. She felt powerful.
Tom threw a stunning curse at Nico, who had been so shocked, he didn't even try to dodge it. The spell found its mark and the demigod crumpled.
His hand still burned. Tom clutched at it, staring at the palm and watching as the veins stood out. Above the burn, the bracelet suddenly gave a glow.
The air around him shimmered. At first, Tom thought it was the mist, but then he barely blinked and thought he saw Harry standing in front of him.
Tom stared, completely frozen. The burn on his arm, no, Percy's arm, heightened. Harry stood there, between him and Nico, fists clenched, green eyes practically glowing, ready for a duel.
That wasn't possible. He was still dead. He was supposed to be… He…
"Get out." Harry muttered, low and foreboding. Tom stumbled, back hitting the rails of the bridge.
The bracelet on his arm started to itch, then it started to burn. The locket tried to rebel, but the bracelet was stronger. It removed the glamour, revealing the horcrux to anyone who saw him.
Except the only person seeing Tom now, was Harry. But that wasn't possible. It just wasn't –
Harry grabbed the collars of his jacket, fury burning in every bit of his presence. He was real?
"I said… GET OUT!"
Then he pushed him. Tom gasped, feeling the hands leave him, feeling like he tipped over the side of the bridge. Harry was glaring at him, eyes truly glowing now, a bright and poisonous green, while black vapour seemed to envelope his body.
Tom was falling. He felt the air whip by, the sick feeling of weightlessness, true fear assaulting his awareness. The only sounds were that of the wind as he fell faster and faster…
Right into the Thames.
Water enveloped him, sucking him down. He clamped his mouth shut, lungs already protesting. A fall like that should have killed him. How was he still alive? How was he still awake and moving?
Tom struggled, trying to form a bubblehead charm. The water slowed all movements, making him feel weak, like he was moving through molasses.
The burning bracelet gave out a pulse of energy that ran right through his entire body. His veins felt like they'd popped, a kind of pressure pushing against his skin from the inside. Hot flames surged through his head and Tom tried to scream, but found that he couldn't open his mouth, couldn't move anymore, because it wasn't his body to move.
The locket was ripped off of Percy's skin and launched into the murky depths of the river. Tom faded away.
"Calles!" Tonks was yelling.
Healer Sierra Calles could hear the auror screaming from the fifth floor. With her office on the third, Sierra dropped her white coat and grabbed her wand, apparating right outside the door to the special corridor. Tonks turned around, her pink her dulling to a frantic silver-grey.
"The alarms in his room went off. I can't get through the energy shield –"
She strode into the corridor, running past the multiple aurors who were standing guard at Harry's door. She cancelled the automatic locking mechanism she'd erected, in case of an emergency.
This looked like an emergency. Harry's body was surrounded by misty layers of green and black. The lights flickered wildly and the window adjacent to the bed slammed against the frame.
"Lock it!" She told Tonks, pointing at the window. She approached the bed slowly, wondering if this was it, if Harry was going to wake up…
The bracelet was glowing a deep blue. Sierra caught sight of the air shimmering over his body. The ward around his bed flickered, but held steady as whatever was happening continued.
Sierra could hardly believe her eyes. Even as she watched, the gruesome hole in Harry's torso, the COD, started to close up. The bones cracked back into place, his muscles aligned together, skin stitching up to seal the gap. Under the aura of green and black, she observed the blue of the bracelet, healing him wherever ever necessary. The cuts on his arms and face closed, leaving no sign of bruises. The dirty grey colour of his skin lessened to a degree, turning slightly blue. Not yet, pink. His heart was still silent.
Sierra stepped forwards and noticed when the healing slowed to a stop. Every recorded inch of his skin that had an injury, was no sealed up, without a mark. She saw that the residual mark left by the Killing Curse, on his chest lightened, though still pale against his dull skin.
The healing process was done and the bracelet retained its regular state, not drawing attention to itself. Harry's aura dimmed as well, gradually moving in soft waves over his form till they disappeared altogether.
"No way." Tonks whispered. Sierra could feel the eyes of at least five aurors staring down at the body in front of her.
The Healer waited. She stared at the pulse recorder, the band that was wrapped around his wrist. It was static.
No pulse.
Harry lay there, motionless, still dead, medically speaking.
The second most unsettling aspect of the process, in Sierra's opinion, was that Harry's lightning shaped scar on his forehead was completely gone.
The winds picked up. Sally found Sirius, kneeling beside Nico. The demigod was lying down, eyes shut tight, listening to whatever Sirius was saying.
"Are you hurt?!" Sally cried, falling beside him. "Are you okay? Nico?"
"Someone stunned him." Sirius growled through his teeth.
"Percy." Nico muttered.
Sally gaped. "Percy can't… only witches and wizards can stun people."
"It wasn't Percy." Nico opened his eyes. Sally winced at how utterly helpless Nico looked.
"What d'you mean –"
"He… it wasn't him. I know." Nico said. "I know Percy. That wasn't him."
Something died inside her. Sally clutched at her stomach, feeling sick.
"That's… how…"
"Percy can go through locked doors." Nico mumbled.
Sirius's head snapped up. He looked at him in disbelief. "No. That's…oh fuck!"
He whipped out his mirror and screamed, "ALBUS DUMBLEDORE!"
Sally helped Nico sit up. It was starting to rain, tiny freezing drops hitting his skin. The wind was loud, smearing his ears with dirt.
Nico caught her arm, trying to steady himself. He froze.
"Where… where's the bracelet?" He couldn't feel it under her sweater.
"Never mind, you're bleeding –"
"Sally!" Nico said. She stared at him. Then she turned around and pointed at Rachel…
…who had just delivered a sucker punch at the scorpion monster. The creature bellowed in pain, smashing into a metal beam.
Rachel landed on her feet again, pointing both arms at one of the fallen cars beside her. In a glow of green and gold, it rose above her head. She aimed it at the monster and it flew ahead, crashing into the lethal stinger, pinning the tail to the road.
Nico stared. "What?"
"It chose her." Sally whispered.
Sirius was still yelling into the mirror. "… Albert Bridge, now! Dung was right, damn it! It's a huge scorpion monster, it has crazy wings and venom!"
"It's the Skorpios." Nico whispered, staring at the strangest battle he'd ever seen.
The Skorpios was one of the more legendary Ancient Greek monsters. It had been defeated by Orion, but its ability to instil fear into anyone who barely heard the name was what contributed to its fear mongering reputation. There was a reason why the Ancients had immortalized it as a constellation in the night sky.
The moment Nico'd said its name, the monster froze, limbs seizing up. He wondered if Rachel had been able to get in a good strike. But then, the creature turned and sniffed in Nico's direction.
"Shit!" Sally swore. She grabbed Nico's shoulder. "Sirius, get us out of here!"
Nico frantically looked around, searching for his sword. Skorpios let out a screech so devastating that his ears burned at the noise. It made a violent move tugging its tail out from underneath the car, and kicking out a leg at Rachel. But she ducked in time, catching its limb and yanking.
The sound was like that was a bone crunching to dust. With a horrible crack, the leg snapped off and Skorpios roared again, swivelling around with sudden dexterity that its tail collided into Rachel's side. She was thrown back into a car, smashing right through the window, the severed leg laying on top of her.
Nico saw that she hesitated in getting up.
She was hurt, he realised.
Skorpios turned away from her and charged at Nico, scuttling over the cars and crushing them under its legs.
It was raining heavily now. Sirius looked up, saw the approaching monster and grabbed Nico's shoulder, curling an arm around Sally.
The river crashed into the bridge.
Nico spluttered as water hit him from the side, but only momentarily. Someone flew up from below the bridge, landing on the road between them and the scorpion.
It was probably the most terrifying and awesome thing he'd seen all day, and it had been a long day.
Percy was standing in front of Skorpios, his sword and dagger out. His body was tense, shoulders back, head forwards.
Nico knew it was Percy. This was him. It was him because the river had risen, water curling to form fluid walls on either side of the bridge, both taller than the monster. He knew it was him because even from the distance his bracelet was glowing and the mist shimmered in green and blue tones.
Nico knew it was Percy because Skorpios slowed to a stop, looking down at the demigod with a hint of wariness.
Percy charged. He yelled something in Latin and the waves rose higher, curving over the monster and crashing heavily. Water flooded the roads. Nico flinched as he saw the waves rush towards him, but Sirius's hand tightened over his shoulder and the three disapparated.
Percy had woken up in the river. He thought he saw the shape of the locket floating away in the darkness of the river. That damned locket had been the thing to start the entire downhill journey to insanity. He was glad for it, because the river water was letting him breathe. It embraced him unlike ocean waves that night after the party.
He couldn't remember much. The last thing…
He'd talked to Grover. No, that had been in his head. The last time he was aware of himself, he'd helped Tom abduct Stan Shunpike.
Then he remembered pain.
It was so weird to not feel any pain now. He reached up to touch his neck, starting when he felt the bareness. No locket. No camp necklace.
Percy looked up through the water. The surface was barely lit.
His bracelet felt hot. Right, he still had a strange piece of jewellery stuck to him. Can't forget that.
Get out.
What? Percy frowned. May be he was crazy, but that sounded like Harry –
He nearly gasped. Harry! Oh gods, Tom had said… he'd… what if he'd gotten to…
The heat from the bracelet (no, armlet, that's what Annabeth called it) surged again, and he heard noises of roars and screaming in his head.
Get out.
Get out of where? The water? But Percy was so comfortable here, he felt safe. The water was where he was supposed to be –
"Percy, get out."
Percy swallowed. This time, he knew it sounded like Harry. Harry wouldn't be saying that if it wasn't necessary.
He took in a deep breath and swam upwards. The moment his head broke the surface, he saw it.
He saw the bridge, swaying above him, pieces of concrete and iron falling into the water. Many of the cables were dangling from the towers. The clouds were a grey and dull, London-style.
He heard the roar of a monster. It set his skin ablaze, making him skittish. It sounded like a Greek monster, except he was London, so there couldn't be a Greek monster in England…
Except… there was.
Get out.
Percy touched his jeans pocket. He felt Riptide there.
Making the decision, he gathered up the waters and shot out of the river like a geyser, reaching high above the bridge.
He saw a lot of things. He saw upturned cars, blocking various parts of the lanes. He spotted the vivid red of Rachel's hair. He saw the bright colours on DJ's vest jacket. He found Nico, Sally, and Sirius huddled beside a broken car.
Percy also saw a giant scorpion with wings, stumbling on seven legs, and dashing across the median to get to them.
He felt the bracelet flare up again, but he didn't need it to. Percy fell with a grace he hadn't felt in a long time, the river curling all around him. He landed on his feet, his ankles taking the brunt of the fall, but they didn't hurt.
He felt amazing. Great.
Whipping out both Riptide and Oneroi, Percy charged at the scorpion, at the same time, dropping thousands of gallons of water on top of it.
The monster screeched, sliding against the waves, barely noticing when Percy vaulted over it to drive Riptide right behind its head. The blade broke the hard skin of its back and sank in with some difficulty.
Percy saw that some of his sword's blade looked dull. The usual gleam of Celestial Bronze was gone. He gritted his teeth and swung to the front, holding the hilt of Riptide. With a swift jab, he stabbed the scorpion's eye with his dagger.
Blood and some other fluid burst out, coating his arm with the pungent odour. Percy grimaced, but pulled out the blade as the scorpion bucked, trying to throw him off. He ripped out his sword and pushed off the side to land on the road.
The river was all around them. Percy felt connected to it way more than he'd ever controlled water. He directed the river to flow upstream and crash over the scorpion again. If lethal stabs to the neck couldn't kill it, then it'd have to drown it.
Like he'd drowned Bellatrix.
Percy shook his head. No, he didn't kill her. He'd just knocked her out…
He had killed others.
Percy faltered, standing for a second too long, just as a car flew at him.
The scorpion had pitched a vehicle in his direction. Percy cried out as he leaped away, the edge of the bumper hitting his knee.
It broke. His leg bent in the wrong direction. Pain exploded in his kneecap and shin bone and Percy dropped to the ground, nearly face-planting.
The water receded and the scorpion let out a victory shriek and charged.
Percy panicked.
He threw both arms up, summoning as much of the river as he could. A single gigantic wave rose over their heads just as the tug in his gut became heavy.
The wave fell again, smashing into the both of them. Percy grabbed Riptide and felt some the water try to help heal his leg.
"Come on, come on!" He muttered. The scorpion gave a loud gurgle, swallowing a lot of the water. Percy could feel it. He could feel it everywhere, in puddles, surrounding the cars. He could feel the flood on the bridge, he could feel the water inside the scorpion.
The pain lessened and he took his chance.
Percy got to his feet, leaning towards the right to take his weight of the slowly healing leg. He concentrated at the struggling scorpion.
The waves swirled, enveloping them like a hurricane. Percy focused everything he had on the centre, on the monster, trying to connect to the water in its body.
The rain fell harder. The clouds turned stormy grey, gathering right above them. Percy felt the pain abate entirely and stood there, hands clasped around both his weapons.
It was too easy.
The scorpion gave a roar of agony. It could feel what he was doing. Percy clenched his jaw, tightening his entire body, focusing single-mindedly on the creature. Water was leaving its body. Whether evaporating or literally flowing from its mouth, Percy didn't care. He was just removing it.
The monster started to scream and flail. It fell on its belly, legs shrinking into dust. The smell of sulphur and ozone was ripe even in the rain.
A high pitched sound, like white noise, filled his ears. Percy glowered at the scorpion, determined to destroy it.
Its body began to crumple inwards. It's back broke, caving into the abdomen as vapour rose in dreary waves. The scorpion was withering away into the wet air, washes away by the rain. It stopped screaming exactly when the entirety of its body was crushed as though the pressure around it was too much for the creature's being.
It drifted away into nothingness and Percy reeled back. The rains slowed, and the clouds moved away. The water fell back into the river and the bridge swayed, almost soothingly. Percy stared at the remains.
The poisoned tip of the scorpion's tail had fallen. It was shaped like a curved cone, almost gleaming. It was still covered in venom. He frowned at it and raised Riptide, driving the blade into the cone, cracking it beyond use.
Suddenly, everything was silent. Percy just looked at the broken tip, at his sword still sticking out of the cemented road. He stood there for a while, not completely aware of what had just happened.
"Hmm." Someone said. Percy closed his eyes. He knew that voice. He knew he'd never forget that voice.
Tom was standing there, near the edge of the bridge. But he wasn't all there. His form seemed to flicker, as though without Percy, he just didn't have enough energy to hold a solid presence. The cursed locket was dangling from his neck and Percy felt a rush of rage, unbridled.
"I'm going to kill you." Percy promised, glaring at him, wishing that Tom had a proper body so that he could suck the water out him, watch him wither away into nothing.
Tom raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Will you now? I thought you hated violence."
"I'll make an exception for you."
Percy turned his body to face him, staring at the locket, staring at the intricate S marked out with tiny emeralds embedded into the gold sheath.
Tom's eyes gleamed red and Percy dodged the flash of light that emerged from his hands. He bent and rolled, careful to not get close, to not get anywhere near that locket. He grabbed Riptide from its hold in the ground and swung it at Tom, who disappeared and reappeared to the side.
A sharp white curse hit Percy in the chest. It sucked out the air in his lungs and he gasped, clawing at his throat.
He tried to pull in a breath, tried to inhale, but nothing worked.
Tom snorted, sneering at him. "For someone so powerful, a simple striking spell can just incapacitate you. It that your real fatal flaw? Asthma?"
Percy fell down, hands hitting the road. His brain was screaming. He couldn't breathe.
Like the scorpion.
Tom smiled. "You should have stayed in the water."
He disappeared, not exactly disapparating, but simply vanishing into the air.
Percy felt tears roll down his face as he scratched his throat, trying to suck in air, but he just couldn't. He tried to find a puddle on the road, but there was none of the river's water left. Dropping both blade, he dragged himself to the side, trying to pull his body up to the beam that ran alongside the bridge. If he could just get back into the water –
His arms seized, muscles going taut. Pain like nothing before, not even when his knee had broken, hit him from everywhere. There was no air in his body. Percy was going to die here, screaming soundlessly.
Percy's back! And dying…
Sorry about that. Stay tuned for the next update. We're near the end.
Q: How do you kill a dementor?
Cabba.
