Previous Q: When was Rita Skeeter killed in canon?
A: Trick question! Skeeter wasn't killed in the Harry Potter books. There's barely a mention of her in the last one, I believe.
apukwa - Aww! That's a lovely message, thank you so much! I do want to finish the series and I know exactly how to end it. It's just that, getting there is taking a while, because I want to finish up the temporary subplots before going back to the main storyline, without dropping the actual plot on the way. But don't worry. I'mma get this done!
The news of a live-action adaptation of Percy Jackson is pretty cool. I mean, it didn't get me super hyped, because of Disney's reputation of white-washing roles, heternormative stories, and queer baiting characters… but let's see how it goes. It's interesting news that can be a distraction in these times.
Warnings: Strangely, this update doesn't have any of my standard warnings... let me know if you'd like me to add one.
…
November 3rd, 2013
A few days after the court session, Rachel was spending the time at camp while Harry was supposed to be reading up Bathilda Bagshot's NEWT grade Charms for a short test that Remus was set to give him in the evening. Best part about this homeschooling business was that they could switch around dates and times for lessons and activities based on other work.
Obviously, Harry was not preparing for the test.
The Order's new base was at the Longbottoms garden conservatory home, a seemingly innocent but well protected place. Neville's grandmum had made a huge fuss about it but agreed grudgingly when her son and daughter-in-law assured her that nobody would touch her darling flutter-by bushes.
Neville let Harry in through the floo, both boys sneaking through the brightly lit hall. Augusta Longbottom had pride in her interior decor. The outlandish house was amazingly furnished with turn of the century wall cuts, balcony designs, and curtains to match the furniture.
"You live here?" Harry asked, looking around the impressive house. Neville went shy. "Er… you know, only in the summers. Well, before Hogwarts closed down, this is where I always lived. But since Mum and Dad are back, I've been shuffling from their house to here. It's neat."
Harry smiled, thinking back to the shocking delivery of the news that Frank and Alice Longbottom had woken up from their torture induced catatonia. Dionysus had really done it. Neville was much taller now, having shot up, not just in height but with underlying confidence. Harry liked this change. It was good to see him again.
The day was melting into a hot afternoon as Neville led Harry to the landing outside the large section of greenhouses.
Neville pointed to the second greenhouse. "That's the meeting room. From the outside, it just looks like an ordinary glass house with tall plants."
"Nice," Harry said. He pulled out a pair of Extendable Ears. "Care to join me, Nev?"
They wedged one end of the ear against the door hinge of the shielded greenhouse and moved away as far as they could.
"... movement of the giants, now that the werewolf factions are dissolved," Snape was saying, his low reedy voice already grating on Harry's nerves.
"Olympe is keeping an eye on 'em. She sends us reports on two of the groups," Hagrid's voice pitched in. Harry relaxed at the sound of his voice. It was good that the Cullens weren't at this meeting, since they were busy with something in Wales, but in case Harry and Neville did get caught, Hagrid might be able to barter them out.
"Madame Maxime's last report was four weeks ago," Dumbledore added. "And while it seemed promising, we cannot rely on the friction between the two groups to stop them from getting involved. Voldemort will clearly have other reasons for coming back."
Neville sucked in a breath. He turned to Harry and whispered, "He's back?! In the UK?"
"I didn't know," Harry swallowed. That wasn't good. None of Voldemort's movements were released to the public, but the latest news out there had said he was still closer to Greece than Britain.
"The Cullens have sent missives across the continent," Arthur Weasley said. "The other covens are staying away from the Death Eater groups."
Several voices in the meeting sprung up.
"Good news, finally!"
"Oh, that's great!"
"Once people hear that none of the vampires, werewolves, or giants are involved, the registration act can be fought against!"
"Alice also said the centaurs in the forbidden forest have been rather quiet," Frank Longbottom said, referring to Alice Cullen. "Something had spooked them months ago, and now they've expanded their territory in the forest, covering more ground and placing them under strict lockdown. They won't let anyone through the area."
"So Hogwarts and the Forbidden Forest are safe zones?" Tonks asked, surprised. The sleep in her voice seemed to vanish momentarily.
"The new shields will be put up in the next few days. Until then, we have a Mixun Barrier and alarm set around the entire grounds. Hagrid, you'll let us know if anything changes?"
"You can count on me!"
"Meeting adjourned."
Harry and Neville scrambled to yank the Extendable Ear away from the door before. The fake greenhouse shimmered slightly as the door opened but the boys were already out of sight. They ran back into the rooms, nearly flying into the hall before stopping there for a short respite.
"Phew!" Neville gasped. "You know? I only get into trouble or close calls when you're involved, Harry."
"Now, come on, Nev!" Harry panted, straightening up. "It's up to you to make your life more interesting! You can't always rely on others."
Neville threw the extendable ear at him, chuckling. "Better get going."
The Order rarely ever invited Harry to their top-secret get-togethers. Dumbledore would never allow Harry to get too close to all the information. It irked Harry to no limit. He had the right to know what was happening.
And while he got no details about Rita Skeeter, he now knew that Voldemort was back in Britain, biding his time for something.
"Let me know when the next meeting's happening," Harry said as a quick parting reply before flooing back to Frost.
Percy woke up in his cabin to someone banging on his door.
"Get your ass outta bed, Jackson!" Clarisse hollered. "Chiron's back!"
Percy threw off his covers, banged his knee against the lower bedpost, and crumpled onto the floor.
One of the few good things about living in a cabin alone was that no one got to see one of the Saviours of Olympus defeated by his own clumsiness.
He hopped around the cabin, washing his face and looking presentable enough to march out into the yard, head high. His knee twinged a bit but the throbbing was forgotten when the early morning air hit him, as did the sight of nearly twenty campers huddled around Chiron's tall form near the dining section.
"Chiron!" Harley from the Hephaestus cabin asked, clinging onto his arm. "Did you see the wolf? Did she really talk to you?"
"Yes," Chiron grinned. "And it was a good talk. I haven't seen Lupa so surprised in all my life."
"What did she say?!" Another little kid asked, shaking with excitement. "Did she agree? Can we see the Romans? Can we have a party? Will said we could have a carnival!"
Percy shot Will a look. The boy turned red.
"I… er, I didn't say that! I just -"
"Chiron, what if you made her mad?" The youngest Huntress asked. The tiny girl was even smaller than little Natalie and had eyes that filled up the expression of her face. "Did she eat you, Chiron? Did you die?!"
Bianca placed a hand on the child's head while the others began to snicker. Chiron gave her a soft smile. "Lupa did not eat me, little one. We spent a few days on this, in fact. Deciding on the meeting of the camps is far more difficult than we would like. But she has agreed to talk to the Praetors of Camp Jupiter and the representatives of New Rome. We will receive her reply within a week's time. Malcolm, is Annabeth here?"
Percy turned, searching the crowd only to realise that his girlfriend was not even in the vicinity. Malcolm scratched his arm, nervous from all the attention.
"No… I spoke to her yesterday, she was supervising Lord Zeus's statues along Olympus's atrium. She didn't come back last night, so she's still there. With the statues."
Thalia groaned. "Oh jeez."
"She slept over in Olympus?" Percy asked, stunned.
Malcolm shrugged. "She's been doing that a lot now."
Chiron sighed. "We need her to clear her schedule for a while when Lupa gets back to us. Olympus reconstruction can wait. This is more important."
"Try telling that to the gods," Drew Tanaka said. Everyone muttered, mostly in agreement. Percy rubbed the back of his neck in annoyance. Annabeth was working herself to the ground and the gods didn't seem to care that she was still mortal enough to require breaks and proper sleep times.
"Thalia," Chiron murmured, turning to her. "I have to tell you something."
"Sure?"
"In the Big House."
Thalia frowned but followed Chiron away from the mess hall. Percy watched them leave before turning to Malcolm.
"What did Annabeth say last night?"
Malcolm raised his shoulders and dropped them. "Lady Aphrodite kept going back and forth on the colour schemes in balconies the entire day. She wants them all to 'match, yet be unique'. I mean, what's that supposed to mean?"
"I thought Annabeth would have finished everything with Zeus's side Olympus first?" Percy asked.
"She did. Then she started on Lady Hera's and we all remember what a nightmare that was."
Percy buried his face in his hands. "Please don't remind me."
Malcolm shuddered. "Sorry. After that she took on Lady Athena's designs, that went fast because mom already drew out what she wanted. Your dad was also quick with the pool and Ophiotaurus's quarters. Lord Hades took a bit longer because Annabeth had to start from scratch for him. And during all this, Zeus kept coming back asking her to make changes. And everything just went downhill when Lady Aphrodite gave absolutely no instructions to her and just said, 'do it how I like, dear.'"
Oh, Percy had been there for that conversation. He'd been able to stop Annabeth from committing homicide, thank goodness for that.
"We need Annabeth to take a break before the meeting. She has to be calm for it not… not fried at the ends," Percy said.
"Yeah…" Malcolm stretched his hands above his head to yawn. "Say… aren't you doing the cabin checks today?"
"Oh… darn."
"Can you start after breakfast because I gotta clear up my-" Malcolm stopped abruptly and then said, "Gotta clear up Annabeth's extra blueprints. They're laying all over the cabin. Madness."
"Sure," Percy sighed, turning to look at the porch of the Big House.
They always had a lot to do. But Percy had a strangling feeling that once the Romans got involved, it would get worse.
Rachel's days had been split between attending classes at camp and training at Dumbledore's place. Sometimes, she'd drop into the Jacksons' apartment to wind down, or floo to Frost to rest on the lawn.
She wasn't allowed out for these four locations. The court session had been an exception and Rachel longed to get the chance to leave her confinement again.
Right now, she was throwing fists at a punching bag bigger than her. She, Bolt, Percy, and Harry were in Dumbledore's basement that had been refurbished into a training hall. Rachel had spent some months building her endurance and stamina.
The bag was heavy but not to her. Every punch threw it off balance. Harry had to hold the thing in place if she had to administer repeated blows to it.
"So, Umbridge has a brother?" Harry muttered, as she slammed her knuckles into the tough leather. Rachel tried not to smile, punching it at the level of her gut. She didn't like any of her fight training, but with small distractions like cool gossip, she didn't mind punching bags. It let her know that a lean thing like her didn't have to worry about anything big and tough like it.
"It was more of a guess, really," Rachel grunted. "But it played out."
"She wasn't expecting it," he replied. "I'll try to do a follow up on it. Tonks didn't know she had a brother. Apparently, other than Umbridge's father, she doesn't really talk about anyone else in her family."
"No chatter," Percy warned. He was on the climbing wall, practicing his grip. While there was no danger of real lava here, as there was in camp, this wall was nearly thirty feet tall, extending all the way to the ceiling of the training room.
Percy took Rachel's training as seriously as Harry did, but Rachel also tended to keep talking with the hope of the conversation gaining more traction than her exercise. The boys were quick to catch on when she wanted to distract them.
"I'm letting go," Harry warned her. Rachel stopped and the bag was slowly oscillating now. Harry stepped back and folded his arms.
"But I need you to hold it," she said, confused.
He shook his head. "You know your strength. You have to punch it with the right energy now. Not too much, not too less."
Rachel craned her neck to get rid of the cricks. She rubbed the beads of sweat rolling off her forehead now, the worn fabric of the tape around her palms scratching her skin gratefully.
"Okay," she hummed and raised her fists, facing the poor bag. She threw her left fist at it and the structure holding up the bag creaked ominously.
She needed less power behind the punch.
Aiming at its center with another left hook also proved fruitless. The bag barely moved from her slow attempt.
Rachel frowned. "This isn't easy. There's a fine line between too much pressure and too less. You can't find a balance just like that!"
Harry raised his eyebrows and stepped forwards. He threw a short series of properly placed blows. The bag jerked around with each punch, moving exactly as the structure allowed it to.
Rachel rolled her shoulders. "That's still not fair. I'm way stronger than you. See?"
She held up her pinkie finger, blunt nail pointing up. Then she reached forwards and pressed the tip of the digit to the top of the punching bag, ripping a hole in the material. She dragged her finger down and the bag burst out with sand spilling from the long narrow tear she left behind. Now that was easy.
Harry placed his hands on his hips. "I know you can do that. You know it too! We all know you're strong! What you need to learn…"
Harry waved a hand, it summoned the miniscule grains on the floor to fly back into the punching bag, filling it up the way it was before the torn edges resealed itself. The bag looked unhurt, the same as it was before.
"You need to learn how to use all that strength," Harry finished.
Rachel scowled. She folded her arms just as Percy said. "Self-control doesn't come easily, Rach. You gotta work on it."
"It's easy for Harry," she complained.
The mentioned wizard shook his head. He stepped back and kicked the punching bag twice before saying, "It wasn't at first. I've had the bracelet for a long time, so did Percy. We had years to understand what was happening, and we had a lot of help from people to practice and understand what we can do now. You got it recently, it's not even been a year."
"The bracelet doesn't settle you," Percy added, near the top of the wall now.
Harry agreed. "It's not meant to be smooth sailing. Rachel, you're pretty much the strongest person I know. In terms of literal strength, that is. You need to know exactly how to wield all that power, or it could get out of hand. We're all in this for the long run. We have to know what we're capable of and what we can improve."
Rachel wanted to be sympathetic to his words, but she'd heard it enough times that it was starting to irk her.
"If I'm the strongest person ever, why should I even learn to fight?"
Percy looked surprised. "I know you don't like fighting. It's not a nice idea to be violent, I hate it too. But you promised to learn this stuff, Rach."
"I know! I promised because the two of you were freaking out!" she pushed back her bangs. "Look, blades can't cut me, fire won't burn me, I haven't gotten so much as a paper cut since… since the bracelet got attached to me. So, if nobody can hurt me, if nobody can really defeat me in a fight, what's the point of all this?"
Bolt raised her head from the padded floor. Her puppy was relaxing in a sunlit patch on the ground. She looked curious too.
Harry was speechless, probably trying to come up with a way to refute her argument, but Percy was ready with an answer.
"Okay, then," he said, sitting on the top of the wall. "Let's put your theory to the test."
Harry and Rachel snapped their heads to him, "What?"
Percy shrugged. "She's got a point. She's stronger than the both of us. She can probably handle Thalia's lightning bolts, maybe even Clarisse's wrestling -"
Harry gave a disbelieving laugh.
"Might even be able to hold her own against Annabeth," Percy finished looking at Rachel calmly.
Uh oh. Percy was the last person who would ever make light of Annabeth's skills. Rachel felt like she'd walked into a trap.
Percy beckoned them to the rock-climbing wall. She and Harry climbed up to the halfway point where a ten by ten foot flat platform rested, fifteen feet above the floor. It was padded like the rest of the training hall. But that didn't make her any less concerned.
She stared at the set-up in trepidation. Percy landed beside them, all three standing on the raised platform and facing a large gap ahead. On the other side was another platform at their height. While the gap was daunting, the thing that proved most worrisome was a thin, silver bar that ran from the edge of their platform all the way to the other side.
"Not saying that your self-control isn't good," Percy said, interrupting her examination. "Harry and I just think you could benefit with proper training. But since you're more confident than us that your strength can get you out of any problem, let's check it out."
Rachel flicked her head to hide her worry. "What's the task?"
Harry looked down the gap while Percy answered, "All you have to do is reach the other platform."
Rachel looked at the landing, twenty feet away from them. "The other… you want me to... what? Walk on the bar?"
"That'd be a sight," Harry muttered. Percy grinned. "No rules, Rachel. Just reach the other side."
The bar was flat enough on the top that she could maybe place her bare feet to walk on it. But the height was daunting. What if she lost balance? What if the bar broke? What if she somehow got stuck in the middle and panicked?
"Time's a-wasting," Harry said, poking her arm. She swatted his hand away and complained to her Familiar, "Bolt! Look what they're making me do!"
Bolt's eyes were half-lidded, stretched out relaxed, not seeming bothered by Rachel's growing worry. "You'll do fine, Rach," Bolt answered, her tail flicking. "Ignore the giggling."
"What if I fall?"
"Then we'll have the biggest dent yet," Percy chirped. "Rachel, you'll be fine. If you do fall, Harry will catch you."
"I will?" Harry asked.
Rachel glared at him and he backtracked. "Okay! I'll catch you, don't worry. Besides, you said it yourself, nothing's going to hurt you. So, get going already!"
She clenched her taped fists. Removing her shoes and socks to get a feel of the ground, Rachel stepped forwards to the bar.
It'll be okay, she thought, looking down the suddenly dizzying height. I can walk on a narrow bar. Just don't think about how high up we are. If I fall, Bolt will catch me or Harry will put a cushioning charm thing. I won't hit the ground. I won't get hurt.
She cursed herself for running her mouth. The bar began to wobble with her weight as she stepped onto it. Rachel sucked in a breath and held her arms out to balance herself. She placed her other foot ahead of the first one. There was suddenly a weird ringing in her ear.
Don't look down, don't look down.
Unfortunately, she had to look down to see where to place her next step.
The ground seemed so far away. If she fell, she'd surely break something -
"You're fine, Rach. Keep going," one of them said. Rachel wasn't even sure who said it. The noise in her ears was loud. Her legs trembled, the underside of her feet hot and sweaty. She had the urge to tuck her arms into her chest, curl into a foetal position, and brace for anything.
She tilted.
"Rachel!"
She slipped, nearly banged her head on the bar, and fell. She tried to catch the bar but missed completely, falling to the floor.
In an instant, Bolt was there, like she always was, catching her in mid-air. Of course, the cushioning charm also appeared. Rachel and Bolt landed safely on the ground and she wrapped her limbs around her tiger, never planning to let go.
"Are you hurt?!" Harry yelled from the platform.
Rachel had to pant to get her bearings back. Bolt purred, letting her relax against the soothing vibrations.
"She's fine," Bolt replied.
"Good!" Percy called, throwing up a thumbs-up. "What was it you were saying about superior strength?"
Harry guffawed. Rachel sighed. "Well, I didn't get hurt. That's the point."
"The point was to get to the other platform," Harry helpfully reminded her. "Your strength kept you safe, but you didn't achieve what you set out to do."
"Then…" Rachel struggled briefly. "I'll have to try it again."
Percy nodded. "Good idea. Get up here."
She wanted to throw something at his head. "Why don't you cross the bar?!"
Both boys shared a look before shrugging. Harry went first. Rachel looked up and was gobsmacked when he stepped out on the bar, without a hint of fear. He was barefoot as well, walking across the gap like he wasn't so high up in the air. He walked at a normal pace, making sure to place every step at a level distance, never missing a beat or tilting too much.
He reached the other side in seconds.
Rachel huffed and turned her nose up at him. "Show off."
Harry stretched his arms above his head, not bothered in the least. "I can stand on my broom and fly circles around you. This is nothing."
"And you're not afraid of heights, either! That's not fair!"
Percy blinked. "Are you scared of heights?"
Rachel stammered. "Um… no! Like, not really scared of heights… more like scared of falling."
Harry pointed a lazy finger at the bar. "But you seemed afraid before you even stepped out onto the bar."
"Well duh! I don't do gymnastics," Rachel pouted. "Percy's afraid of heights!"
"True," he muttered. "But it shouldn't stop me from getting where I need to go."
Rachel waved a hand at the gap, silently encouraging him to take his turn. Percy raised his shoulders and rotated them, giving himself a short warm up. He didn't even remove his shoes.
Instead, he walked forwards, knelt and swiftly caught the bar with both hands, swinging his entire body down. Rachel jerked back, as though expecting him to fall, but Percy instead began to cross the gap like one would use the monkey bars, except this was just one long bar.
That's cheating!" Rachel complained. Harry raised his eyebrows at her just as Percy reached his platform. With an easy swing, he was sitting up on the other side, pushing off the bar.
"The goal is to reach the other side," Percy reminded her. "Now, use your brain along with muscles and try it again."
Bolt licked her face to calm her down. Rachel exhaled, nodding. She stood up and climbed up the rock-climbing wall to reach the platform. From there, she eyed the bar again.
No rules. Just reach the other side.
It would be easier to use her hands than her feet. Percy had gone the practical route and Rachel was inclined to follow him, but why bother with the bar at all? Why couldn't she just… reach the other side?
Rachel had magical powers now. She was strong. She could withstand an all out knuckle sandwich from Harry, could brace her feet when Percy tried to knock her off balance. And she'd learned to do that with only a few months of training, whereas they'd been practicing for years.
She was stronger than them. She should be able to cross the gap without even needing the bar.
Huh.
Rachel turned her neck to loosen her joints. She shook her arms and feet, trying to get her muscles pumping. Harry and Percy waited on the other side and she would be joining them to enjoy the stunned looks on their faces.
Backing up all the way to the wall behind, Rachel leaned forwards and took a running start.
Several thoughts invaded her mind, but she tried to push them all away. Bolt was saying that she was building up too much potential energy in her knees.
Harry and Percy's eyes widened as they scrambled to move away from the center of the platform.
Rachel reached the edge and leaped.
Bolt was right. Too much energy.
Rachel barely missed the ceiling. She flew fast, descending not onto the other side, but hitting the padded wall above their heads. Harry's last minute cushioning charm sent her ricocheting backwards.
Long-story short, Rachel ended up pinging across the platform gaps like a basketball, before hitting the ground. She made the mat cave right in, breaking the tiles below and forming a nice little depression between the raised platforms.
On the bright side, she did manage to finish the task they had set, with no injuries to herself.
The down side was that Dumbledore had to reinforce the training hall again with a better layer of crash mats. She had to threaten Harry and Percy to not tell anyone about her abysmal landing. Rachel would end up the laughing stock of camp.
To wind down, they showered and went back to Percy's apartment. The little house was brightly lit with the morning sun, but the ambiance of the place was shattered by the heart-wrenching cries of little Kimmy.
Rachel had barely blinked before Percy and Harry seemed to disappear to the kitchen from where the three month old's cries came. What she saw was bright pink hair peeking out from the couch.
Tonks was here, snoring lightly, dead to the world. Not even the loud cries of a baby seemed to jar her awake.
Rachel felt her stomach rumble and headed to the kitchen only when the baby seemed to quieten down.
Harry was bouncing a red faced Kimmy in his arms. One of his palms cupped her jaw, letting out light green glow to distract the baby. Percy was checking the temperature of her milk bottle on the inside of his arm, while Nico had placed his head on the table, looking tuckered out.
"Shelf behind you," Harry quickly asked Rachel, who opened the small door and found a translucent box of oddly named supplies.
"Get the tooth-numbing agent," he said. "It should be a little yellow bottle."
"Baby's first tooth," Percy muttered with a smile, trying to cool the milk in the bottle. Nico let out a grunt, not even bothering to raise his head off the table.
"Squeeze out a dollop of it on her gums and massage it," Harry explained.
Rachel stepped forwards, nervous. "You want me to touch the inside of her mouth?"
Percy laughed. "It's medicine, Rachel. She's not gonna bite you."
"She doesn't know it's medicine!" Rachel complained, trying not to imagine the baby drooling over her. Kimmy was cute and all, but slobber was a no-no in Rachel's book.
Harry just blinked. "You're afraid of Kimmy? What was it you were saying about super strength just an hour ago?"
Percy plucked the little bottle from Rachel's outstretched hand and opened the cap.
"Hi, baby!" he chirped to Kimmy to gain her attention. The baby's eyes perked up comically, shifting from the green magic that had entranced her to the smiling face of her brother. She grinned, wide and open-mouthed. Rachel immediately spied the white shape of a tiny tooth beneath swollen red gum.
Percy squeezed out a large drop of thick gel, coating her painful gum liberally. Kimmy's face changed expression looking remarkably confused by the new taste that was very clearly not the milk she was used to. Both boys cooed when she relaxed enough for Harry to stop drawing her pain away.
"Thank the gods," Nico said miserably, having looked up when Kimmy giggled. "She's been screaming for twenty minutes, I swear. I thought she was just hungry."
Harry frowned. "Where's Sally?"
"At work. She'll be back by lunch."
"She left you alone?"
Nico looked offended. "I can take care of her! I just didn't know she was teething! She was all fine this morning, but then she woke up from her nap and just began to screech like my father was in the room or something."
Percy snorted, taking Kimmy into her arms. Harry still wasn't happy at the explanation. Then again, Rachel had noticed that he'd been a little distant from Sally ever since her big reveal that she hosted the Patron's spirit, being a little more snarky with her when they did speak.
Harry wasn't really one to hold a grudge, but he'd taken her revelation harder than Percy had.
"She was a little fussy in the morning," Percy added, blowing a raspberry into her belly. Kimmy shrieked in joy, kicking happily.
"And Sally didn't leave him alone with the baby," Rachel added for Harry's benefit. "Tonks is here too."
Nico sighed. "She's been out cold since she collapsed on the sofa. Kimmy couldn't even wake her up with the screams."
Harry did a double take. "Tonks is here?"
"Yeah, like I said, she's on the sofa -"
Harry rushed out of the kitchen while Percy still made weird noises, tickling Kimmy's belly. "Is someone hungry? Is it lunch time? Oh my gosh, it is?! Where's your bottle, Kimmy girl? Help me find it."
Rachel smiled at the sweet scene. Everything seemed normal and it should have been a normal day but one second, she was in the Jacksons' kitchen, in the next...
...she was on Olympus.
What the -
Rachel stumbled back, her feet still on solid ground, but everything had changed from the mortal kitchen to the immortal throne room on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building. She spun around, feeling out of touch from reality.
"Bolt?" she called, because something was happening, probably a vision, and the only one who could ground her was her little Familiar.
"I'm here," Bolt called from afar. Rachel couldn't see her puppy so she held onto the voice.
"You're okay," Bolt said, still soothing. "This is normal. You're fine."
Normal? Of course, it was normal. Rachel had to get used to the visions or it would never be easy for her.
She stood facing the twelve gigantic thrones. Each was built to withstand their deity's strength. Each was the literal seat of that god's power.
Rachel didn't know why it took her several moments to realize that the giant hall was empty except for her, that the throne in the middle, Zeus's seat, was crackling, lightning sparks firing away in different directions, that there was something sitting on his throne, something that mostly definitely was not Zeus.
She stepped forward, blanching.
Pandora's pithos was placed on Zeus's throne, like it belonged there. Obviously, the god wasn't happy about it, but he couldn't risk damaging the jar. Instead, the lightning strikes that emerged from the throne hit the floor, walls, and the ceiling.
"Do you see that?" Rachel whispered. Bolt didn't say anything, probably stunned by the sight of the jar.
The hall began to shake. Rachel froze, looking up at the tall thrones, realizing that the tremours came from the middle throne. But she couldn't be sure if it was the seat itself or the pithos.
The lightning bolts began to increase in power. Rachel was wide-eyed, staring at several of the bolts slammed into an immense throne made of dark metal, radiating red energy. This throne was responding badly, making the room shudder.
She counted, trying to figure out to whom the black throne belonged to. Ares? Hades?
Then, she saw Zeus's throne let out a blinding lightning bolt which hit the black throne and bounced off the red shield. It ricocheted back, grazing the ancient jar sitting on the blue and gold seat. The side of the jar, right below one of its side handles developed a crack coated with black ash. Rachel's heart stopped as she watched Pandora's pithos teeter to the edge from the shock of it. She surged forwards, arms outstretched to catch the cursed jar, but missed. The pithos fell to the floor and shattered.
She nearly fell forwards but Percy and Nico caught her.
"Rachel?" Percy was saying, looking alarmed. "Sit on the chair! Nico, get the chair!"
A chair was pushed towards her and Rachel collapsed on it. Her body was shaking. Bolt was in her arms instantly, her weight comforting her.
But the image of the jar breaking was permanently seared to her brain. Rachel buried her face in Bolt's warm pelt, trying to get her heart rate to slow down.
"Tonks?" Harry poked her in the shoulder. "Wake up!"
The woman groaned, turning the cushion over her head. Harry huffed. Nico had said that she'd flooed in the morning and straight away fallen asleep on the sofa. It wasn't a very odd thing. Tonks tended to work through the night since she liked to sleep late in the mornings (not sure how that worked as an Auror and a member of the Order, and acting as Harry's bodyguard).
But it was odd that she'd crash at Sally's place. Maybe Sally had let her take up the couch on late nights.
"Tonks," Harry called, insistent. She finally moved, half awake, eyes open blearily.
"Yer late," she slurred.
"Late to what? The snore fest?"
"For (yawn) Atises seshy."
Harry squinted. "What?"
Tonks let out a long exhale like he was being annoying on purpose. Her hair turned dark blue and she mumbled, "Mantis's session."
Oh. Oh shit.
"It's…" Harry whispered, wide-eyed. "It's Saturday? Today's Saturday?"
"Hmmmmm."
"Shit!" he said, running a hand through his hair. "I forgot! I completely forgot! Why didn't you tell me?"
"You weren't here," Tonks complained, eyes closed, trying to get comfortable on the sofa. "Came to pick you up."
"But I was at Dumbledore's! You've got to be kidding me," Harry looked up at the digital clock on the living room wall that very clearly said that it was Saturday. In the UK,, it was evening, hours past Harry's ten o'clock session.
"Supposed to be here," Tonks continued, voice slowing down. She was falling asleep again.
"I know! I forgot today was… I thought it was Friday. Percy and Rachel were no help!" Harry sat on the carpet, hoping Mantis wasn't upset by the no-show.
"Percy closed her case," Tonks mumbled, slow. She seemed absolutely out of it. Harry wondered if she was sleep-talking now.
"What case?"
"Rach zzzzz."
He sat up. It was done? The investigation behind Rachel's truth was closed?
"Percy Weasley, right?" Harry whispered, excited. "He got them to shut it down? It's over?"
Tonks didn't say anything so Harry poked her again. She made a reluctant growling noise.
"Rachel's case is completely closed, right Tonks?"
"Right," she mumbled.
Wow, Tonks was dead tired. Harry blinked, already planning to ask her something that had been brewing in his head for a few days.
"Rita Skeeter," he whispered. "Tonks, what d'you know about Skeeter?"
"Moving," Tonks slurred.
"Skeeter's moving?" Harry asked, confused. Then was Romilda Vane wrong? Was Skeeter alive?
"Hit Wizardsssss," Tonks slurred. Harry got the term only because he'd heard about them, once. Hit Wizards comprised of a department in the DMLE that took up high priority cases, dangerous ones, sometimes even cold cases. They were one of the only teams who were tasked with actively hunting down Sirius during Harry's third year.
Was Skeeter on the run from them? Was she really missing? Or was Tonks so out of it that she was mumbling nonsense?
Rachel was in a hurry to floo to camp. Leaving Kimmy and a sleeping Tonks with Harry, Percy and Nico followed her. They landed in the hearth of the Big House, the smells of Manhattan city vanishing to give way to the pine and strawberry scents of Camp Half-Blood.
She was already running out the door.
"Rachel!" Percy called, scrubbing his face to get rid of the soot. Nico was coughing some of the floo powder out so Percy thumped him on the back to make sure he was okay before taking off after her.
She was quick. Rachel was halfway across camp, dirt thrown up from her shoes as she practically flew past the mess hall, bypassing the cabins altogether. Percy saw her red braid shining like a beacon and growing smaller in the distance.
"Damn, she's fast!" Nico said, standing beside a dumbstruck Percy on the porch.
"Don't say 'damn', Nico."
Percy ran into camp, immediately realising that Rachel was heading up to her dwelling. The Athena and Hephaestus cabins had worked together to build a set of rooms on the hillside, just beside the large forest. It was a bright cave system that Rachel had fallen in love with, just as she had admired the plans Annabeth had drawn first.
The hillside was at an incline, but rough steps had been cut into the rock for anyone to climb easily. Percy and Nico reached the top step which opened onto a flat plain that held a far and beautiful view of the forest laid out below them. It was a great place to watch the sun set behind the green.
The opening of the cave was to the side. Beside the large door was a window cut into the rock wall. Percy couldn't see her through the open window, so he swung open the unlocked door. They walked into a quaint little antechamber with a table and chair pushed to the side. It contained some of Rachel's art supplies she'd left out. A few blank canvases were also strewn about.
Nico knocked on the wooden door. "Rachel?"
"In here!" she called from further inside.
The next door led into her bedroom. There were bigger windows here, from where Percy could get an eagle eye's view of the cabins below. He could see campers as small as bugs milling about the place.
Her bed wasn't fully made, a comforter thrown aside. This room was larger with a tall dresser standing next to the window. A smaller table was set up right beside the bed with a charging point. Rachel's laptop sat there, shut, filled with colourful stickers on the black, sleek edge of the device. It was a very different look to Annabeth's laptop, gifted by Daedalus. The latter preserved it in the exact condition she'd received it in.
Bolt standing in front of the open closet door. She was in the form of a tiger, a favourite of hers, because every once in a while she'd like to jar people. Percy stepped close, intent on going into the walk-in closet, but Bolt shook her head. "Right there is enough."
Percy frowned. "But… what's she doing in the closet?"
Bolt narrowed her eyes. "She'll say if she wants to. It's not your business to know."
Nico huffed, folding his arms. "Rachel!"
"Let them in, Bolt," Rachel called. Her voice was softer now. Percy wondered if it was his imagination that said that she sounded a little troubled. Something had happened in the kitchen that had caused her to zone out. When she'd come to, probably only a minute or so of motionless staring, she'd tipped forwards, nearly falling. Percy and Nico had caught her, but she had babbled, wanting to check something in camp.
What on earth could be in her closet that was so important?
Bolt stepped aside to allow the boys in.
Percy blinked, realizing that the room wasn't a closet after all. The door had been small enough to assume it was. Which was probably the intention, because this was, without a doubt, the most important, clearly the most dangerous room Percy had ever stepped into.
The walls were plain white, painted to give off an ethereal feel. The smell of dust lingered. There was not a single window. The room was circular, with no edges to speak off, except for where the curved wall met the floor. There was a bulb planted right in the center of the ceiling. Rachel had switched it on to illuminate the room which featured at first, an empty room.
Nico wrinkled his nose. "Why's this place so creepy?"
Percy could tell that the airtight smell was tickling his nose. But there were other things that made his hair stand on end. He couldn't hear the sounds of campers down from the cabins anymore. Even with the door to the round room open, he could tell that it was a noise proof place.
He hadn't recalled Annabeth ever planning this in her blueprints.
Rachel was kneeling in the middle of the room. "This was supposed to be a secret. Annabeth and I are the only ones who know about this. But then I got the vision."
"You zoned out," Nico said. "Was that really a vision?"
Rachel was kneeling on the floor, drawing a pattern with her finger. Percy recognized the Greek symbol for Pi as she spelled out a word in the dust.
'Pythia', it read. The name in the dust began to glow in green and a large square form lit up around the name. It led way to a cut that followed the four lines. The square began to rise. A Pedestal emerged from the floor, three feet tall.
She dug her nails into the vertical edge of the pedestal, revealing the side to be an opening. She pulled it open and Percy's jaw dropped at the sight of what remained inside. Nico made a croaking sound while Bolt whined.
Rachel reached in, holding the handles of Pandora's pithos to pull it out and set it safely onto the floor.
If the room creeped him out, it was nothing compared to the presence of the jar itself. The dull white surface of it was cold with faded black and white designs on it. The leather harness on the lid sealed it tight and shut.
"It was Annabeth's idea to build the room," Rachel explained, sitting cross-legged in front of the jar. "She figured since the pithos doesn't affect me like it does for most of you, it'll be safest here."
"Safe in this creepy room," Nico repeated.
Rachel gave a half smile. "I had to disable the traps to let you in. Anyway, Annabeth and I are the only ones who can unlock the pedestal."
She turned the pithos and rubbed her thumb over a strange burn mark right below one of the handles. Her smile turned down as she checked her thumb to reveal sooty ash on it.
Percy stepped forwards and knelt to get a closer look at the pithos.
"It looks cracked," he whispered. Where the soot had been, was now a hairline crack running up the side of the old clay that resembled brittle ceramic. Had that been there before? Percy couldn't recall.
Rachel looked pale. She ran a finger over the crack like she could fix it, seal it like Harry had sealed the edges of the punching bag she'd ripped open.
Percy took stock of her face, recognizing the worry there. "What did you see in the vision?"
She didn't look away from the crack. "I was in the throne room. Pandora's pithos was sitting on Zeus's throne. The throne seemed mad. It kept firing bolts everywhere, especially aiming at another throne in the room, made out of black metal and red magic."
Percy heard Nico step closer. "That's my father's seat."
She nodded. "I figured… Nico, can you do me a favour? Could you… go down to the Underworld and ask your father if he knows any detail or prophecy about the pithos?"
Nico swallowed. "Um… why my dad?"
"Because it seemed like Zeus was angry at Hades in your vision?" Percy guessed.
She bowed her head. "Percy. The jar fell and shattered. I couldn't catch it in time."
Nico shook his head frantically. "That's not possible! The jar just can't break like that."
"I saw it break!" Rachel insisted.
"But it doesn't work like that!" Nico said, eyes darting between her and the pithos. "The jar is meant to be opened to let the spirit of hope escape. She can't break it from within."
Percy felt something in him ache at the thought of the spirit inside the jar struggling to escape. Was hope kind? Was hope evil? Was she desperately trying to be free, or was she adamant to destroy the world?
"Prometheus said only a mortal could open it," Percy reminded them. "Child of man or something. So Zeus couldn't have opened it, not even accidentally. The jar is built to withstand immortal powers."
"But it wasn't built to last," Bolt whispered.
The three of them looked at her. Bolt trotted over, standing behind Rachel and placing her large head over her shoulder to look at the pithos. She said, "The jar was built to be opened by Pandora. That was Zeus's curse, wasn't it?"
"But she closed it in time. Hope was left behind," Rachel said, recalling the myth, or in this, verifiable tale.
"What if your vision was a warning?"
Nico gulped. Percy and Rachel observed the jar closely. Could Bolt be right then? Was someone planning to open the pithos, to give up the world's hope?
"Have you ever had a vision like that before?" Percy asked, breathing carefully through his nose.
"I… I've had dreams of the battle. The war, I mean. Where I was running around Olympus with the thing. And with the Ophiotaurus."
"And with me," the tiger added.
"But nothing like this," Rachel explained.
She raised her hand and tapped twice on the side of the jar. With a bare pause, something responded, hitting the jar twice from the inside.
Nico stumbled, his back hitting the wall. Percy scooted too, nearly falling in his haste, heart pounding. Even Bolt flinched, but Rachel stayed where she was, staring at the jar without blinking.
"You know what?" Nico squeaked, breathless. "I'm gonna go to hell and ask my jar about the father… because that place is much better than this freakin' room!"
"Don't tell anyone else," she replied, not looking away from the damned thing.
Nico made a "uh huh" sound and shadow-travelled away. Percy was still working on calming down.
Rachel was stroking Bolt's tense pelt. She was the only one who didn't seem disturbed by the response knock. Percy knelt and grabbed the pithos by the handles. He placed it inside the hollow pedestal and shut its door.
"Rach?"
"Yeah?"
"Is the jar affecting you?"
She looked surprised. "No. It doesn't bother me at all. Like I said, today was the first time I Saw the pithos in my head."
Percy looked to Bolt who agreed, already relaxing now that it was out of sight.
"And you'll tell me if that changes, right?" Percy asked gauging Rachel's expression. "You'll tell someone that this proximity isn't working for you?"
"I promise I will," Rachel sighed, completely at ease. "It was the vision that weirded me out, not the jar itself."
Percy wanted to believe her, but something in her voice made him wonder if it was the absolute truth.
Slowly trying to work my way through the plots I've dumped on myself. Hopefully, this isn't too slow for you!
Q: Who is the cabin counselor of Aphrodite's cabin, following Silena's demise in canon?
Cabba.