I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.
AN: And the real plot begins!
Chapter One: The Results of Robbery
When Zeus realized his Master Bolt was missing the morning after the Winter Solstice, his first response was to summon his children to look for it. Apollo, Artemis, Athena, and Ares were sent out, though the rest of the gods were instructed to keep an eye out for it anyway. After the temper tantrum Zeus had thrown, everyone on Olympus knew about the Master Bolt.
When his godly children returned and reported the there was no sign of the Master Bolt, Zeus' next response was to blame his brothers, Poseidon more so than Hades, as Poseidon had actually been present for the night the Bolt went missing. The God of the Underworld had not bothered to stay for the winter solstice this year. He had made a perfunctory appearance during the Council meeting, but he had not stayed long. Hades was not above suspicion, however, so Zeus summoned the only person that he had power over with a connection to the Underworld.
"You wanted to see me, Father?" Chrysa Potter asked as she entered the room, her emerald green robes showing exactly where she had been when she received Zeus' letter.
The king of the gods drank in the sight of his demigod daughter, the oldest he had still alive. Chrysa was just as beautiful as any of his godly daughters, with long black hair and stunning emerald eyes that stood out against her pale skin. Though she did not have the same death-like pallor that Hades had, she was still far paler than normal, due to spending the winter months inside and the summer months in the Underworld. Zeus and his siblings often noted how much the demigoddess was coming to resemble Leuke, her previous incarnation, the older she became. She did not age due to Thanatos' patronage, but she still changed slightly as the years passed.
"Yes, Chrysocomê," Zeus said with a nod, his voice gentler than it would be with anyone but Artemis.
The young woman looked like she was barely resisting rolling her eyes.
"It's Chrysa, Father. I'm only Chrysocomê in official situations between the months of March and September. And it's still December."
Zeus sighed.
"As you wish, daughter. I will cut straight to the point. My Master Bolt has been stolen…"
"And the immediate suspects are your brothers, so you want me to find out whether Hades took the Master Bolt," Chrysa deduced.
Zeus nodded, not even caring that she had interrupted him. He favored her too much for that.
Chrysa sighed.
"Fine. I'll ask Hades if he has it. And then I'll ask Persephone if I think he's lying. Give me an hour or so to talk to them both. I just know that I'll somehow get roped into doing some of the paperwork while I'm down there. How do you feel about meeting at that Thai place on East Twenty-eighth street? I haven't had lunch yet."
"I will meet you there," Zeus promised.
Chrysa bowed to her father and stepped away into the shadows, which came up to cover her as she disappeared.
"Her powers grow stronger," a voice came from behind him. "Leuke returns to us at last."
Zeus did not turn as his eldest sister came to stand beside him.
"I lose my daughter to Leuke," Zeus said quietly. "For once she fully remembers herself as Leuke, she will no longer think of me as her father, but as the child she raised to rescue his siblings and overthrow his father."
"You will always be her father," Hestia soothed, laying a calming hand on Zeus' arm. "She was born as Chrysa Potter, and her hold on this life will be strong. That does not mean that either of her other lives will be less important; nay, she has strong ties to them as well. Her children from when she was Maria in the next life. She died for those children, brother."
"You mean I killed her because of those children," Zeus said glumly. "She is not likely to forgive that."
"She already has," Hestia said calmly. Zeus looked at her in shock. Hestia explained, "The first thing she remembered was her death as Maria di Angelo. She knew then that the god who killed her in her second life was her father in the third. She had difficulty with that, for a bit, but she has long since forgiven you. Though perhaps an oath on the Styx not to harm her children, from any life, would not be amiss and would greatly soothe her nerves in regards to you."
"I will think on that," Zeus said softly. The siblings were silent for a long moment, until Zeus asked, "What ties her to Leuke?"
"Nowadays? Very little. Leuke and Hades' only child was born after her death, the world is greatly changed from when Leuke died, and the Council is completely changed from when Leuke sat upon it. She and her sisters are no longer on it; Metis is no longer with us, and Amphitrite rarely leaves Atlantis. She is more inheriting Leuke's domain than she is becoming Leuke herself. You will still have your daughter, little brother," Hestia said, embracing Zeus and turning to leave.
Just before she stepped back into the fire, Hestia turned and said with a slight smile, "You may wish to slightly wary though. The more of Leuke's memories Chrysa gains, the more of Leuke's stash of blackmail material she gains. And Hecate's Blessed have a spell that allows them to turn memories into photographs."
Zeus groaned at the reminder, before transporting himself to the Thai place Chrysa liked so he could get a table.
The staff at Jaiya seemed surprised to see him.
"Mr. Bolt!" the hostess greeted. "We weren't expecting you for another week! Table for two, I presume?"
"Yes," Zeus said smoothly. "My daughter will be joining me shortly."
"Your usual drinks, sir?" the hostess asked as she led Zeus to his usual table.
"Please," the sky god said.
The hostess smiled politely and left to place the order with the bartender.
Just after the waitress brought their drinks, a scotch for Zeus and a Dr. Pepper for his daughter, he felt the aura of both his daughter and his brother enter the restaurant.
He caught the waitress's arm as she walked past.
"Excuse me, but would it be possible to change to a different table? My daughter is apparently bringing her beau with her to lunch, and I would prefer to be at a larger table."
"Of course, Mr. Bolt," the waitress said with a nod and a smile. "Let me get your drinks, and I'll move you right now. Do you happen to know the drink preference of Miss Bolt's escort?"
"I am unsure what he will wish for at the moment," Zeus replied evenly, even as he took his seat on one side of the square table.
A moment later, Chrysa came around the corner on Hades' arm. Zeus rose to greet them.
"Father! I hope you don't mind that I brought my boyfriend with me, but I really do think that you need to talk to him," Chrysa said as she embraced her father.
Zeus returned the embrace warmly, noting Hades' raised eyebrows at the public display of affection between father and daughter.
"As you say, darling," Zeus replied, releasing his daughter. He nodded coolly towards his brother. "Hades."
"Zeus," Hades replied, equally cool.
"Both of you, behave!" Chrysa scolded as she sat down at an angle to her father. She dragged Hades into the seat across from Zeus.
The waitress from before chose that moment to show up.
"Hello, Angela," Chrysa greeted.
"Good afternoon, Miss Bolt," the waitress – Angela – replied. "It's a pleasure to see you again so soon. Is this your boyfriend?"
"Indeed I am," Hades said in his deep voice, reaching out a hand to lay atop Chrysa's clasped ones.
"This is Mr. Mortimer d'Arque," Chrysa introduced.
"Would you care to take a look at our drink menu, Mr. d'Arque?" Angela asked.
"Water, please. With lime," Hades replied.
"Certainly, sir," the waitress replied as she left.
Zeus gave his brother a look.
"Mortimer Dark? Really?"
"It's, d'ARK, not DARK, Zeus, do keep up," Hades replied snidely.
"What did I say about behaving?" Chrysa asked warningly.
Both men wisely shut up.
"Now," Chrysa continued calmly. "You are both here because of what happened on the Winter Solstice. Father's Master Bolt was stolen. Hades' Helm of Darkness was stolen."
Zeus' head jerked towards his brother.
"Your Helm was stolen?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes," Hades replied irritably. "And keep it down! Unlike you, I do not plan on broadcasting the fact that my symbol of power is missing."
"With both of our symbols of power missing, Poseidon is the main suspect," Zeus said. "And I believe that he has a son. Chiron has been personally observing an exceptionally powerful demigod since September. He could very well be Poseidon's son."
"We should act imme –" Hades began, only to be cut off by Chrysa.
"We should not act rashly. Send Alecto to begin as a teacher at the boy's school for the spring semester. How old is this boy, Father?"
"Twelve," Zeus replied. "His name is Perseus Jackson."
Chrysa snorted.
"Well, that's a giveaway that he's a demigod. No one uses ancient Greek to name their children unless they're demigods. That's how I got my name, after all. Mortal parents give their children such names so that they can "connect with their heritage", not realizing that they're basically putting up a giant flashing sign that says, "I'm a demigod! Come kill me!""
"Says the woman who named her daughter 'white' and 'life' and her son 'victory of the people' and 'savior'," Zeus pointed out.
Chrysa pointed a fork at him. "Not Ancient Greek names. They don't count. Not even Italian versions of Ancient Greek names, though I did consider Achille and Cesare for my son's middle name."
"What do you propose Alecto do?" Hades asked her, changing the subject.
"Watch the boy. If the opportunity comes up where she can separate him from Chiron and whoever his satyr is, confront him. But she must summon me when she does so, in order that I may observe. If he's lucky, Alecto will take the fast route back to the Underworld. If he's unlucky, we'll have full authority to interrogate him. If he does survive, Chiron and the satyr will whisk him off to Camp Half-Blood as soon as possible. Once he's at Camp Half-Blood, I'll have full access to him." She turned to look at Hades. "Sorry, dear, it looks like I'll be abandoning you for a few weeks."
Hades leaned over to her and kissed her chastely.
"I'll miss you, just as I always miss you. I'll be fine. I'll drown myself in paperwork."
Chrysa laughed.
"That's the spirit!"
"Brother, please do not kiss my daughter in front of me," Zeus said stiffly. "While I am aware of your relationship, I prefer to pretend that it does not exist. Indulge me."
Hades looked towards Chrysa, who nodded.
"It's the least we can do," she shrugged. "He hasn't tried to forbid us from seeing each other. He's actually been very good about the whole thing, though that's probably because he knows that I remember what he looked like in diapers."
"How far have you gotten back, anyway?" Zeus asked.
"I'm nearing the beginning of my time on Mount Othrys," Chrysa replied. "It's amazing, looking back at it, how much Kronos trusted me with. It also shocks me how…ruthless I was. I didn't even flinch when Kronos retold the story of how he killed Ouranos. I wasn't fearful, horrified, or sympathetic. I was…annoyed…that I hadn't been called to join," she admitted. "If Grandmother had asked me, I would have done the job myself.
"We did know Leuke," Zeus said carefully. "We do know her…dark side."
"Darling, all of our domains have a dark side. For me, it is the fact that I govern the Fields of Punishment alongside Elysium. For Zeus, it is that justice causes death as much as order. For Ares, it is the bloodlust he loses himself to. For Aphrodite, it is the sexual lust she inspires. Your dark side just happens to be a bit darker than most," Hades said comfortingly.
"Considering I'm a goddess of darkness, I suppose it's only to be expected that my dark side is darker than most. After all, I was raised by Darkness and Night themselves. Compassion for lesser beings wasn't exactly promoted in the House of Night," Chrysa replied with a sigh. "Even though I don't remember it yet, I know what lessons I was taught there."
"You weren't entirely awful," Zeus pointed out. "You always did your best to help your sisters and mine, especially Hera."
Zeus' wife and demigod daughter had an…interesting relationship, to say the least. On one hand, Zeus had cheated on Hera in order to bring about Chrysa's conception. On the other hand, Chrysa was the reincarnation of Leuke, a woman Hera had greatly admired growing up, a woman whom she had considered family. In the end, Hera treated Chrysa differently than she did Leuke, but with nowhere near the hostility shown to Thalia, Heracles, and even Hermes, Apollo, and Artemis. In some ways, Hera acted as a maternal figure for Chrysa, and occasionally came along on their monthly "family outings". Still, the pair were remarkably close, and grew closer with each new thing Chrysa remembered about their previous relationship.
"I was still mad at you for what happened to Metis," Chrysa replied drily. "I was keeping an eye on Hera to make sure she didn't end up like Rhea."
"So are we in agreement then?" Hades asked, changing the subject before it could get heated. "Do nothing but observe and search discreetly for the moment, and have Alecto and Chrysa spy on the boy?"
"And preferably not completely screwing with the weather because you're arguing with Poseidon, Father," Chrysa put in. "At least try to keep it calm until late March. I'd like to get a bit of sun instead of a constant thunderstorm."
"Daughter, you live in either England or New York. You never see sun," Zeus pointed out.
The waitress chose that moment to reappear with Hades' drink.
"Here you are, sir," she said with a smile. "Have you decided whether you'd like an appetizer today?"
"We'll take the Nur Yang Nam Tok please, Angela," Chrysa said, grabbing Hades' sleeve and holding him down as he made to stand up. "I'd also like the Volcanic Tom Yum soup with prawns. Father would like the Coconut Tom Kha with mixed seafood, and Mortimer would like the Shrimp Salad with seared shrimp."
"I'll bring those out directly," the waitress promised before disappearing again.
"I assume you ordered food for us in order to convince us to stay?" Zeus asked drily.
"You would have stayed, Father. You like Jaiya too much. But Hades would not have stayed since you were staying, and if I tried to convince him to stay, you would leave. Now you are both staying and eating lunch with me without threatening or insulting each other. Off-limits topics include my relationships with the two of you, this robbery mess, Persephone, the di Angelos, and Thalia."
Hades looked towards his brother.
"Is this how all of your dinners go?"
"Usually," Zeus admitted. "Though there's usually fewer restrictions. It prevents us from arguing. Not yours?"
"We avoid controversial topics over dinner. We argue about them at other times," Hades replied. "What all do you know about this possible son of Poseidon's?"
"His name is Perseus Richard Jackson. He attends boarding school at Yancy Academy in upstate New York. That is his sixth school in six years. When not in school, he lives with his mother, Sally Jackson, and her husband, Gabriel Ugliano. Sally Jackson works at the candy store "Sweet on America". Gabriel Ugliano is the manager at an electronics mega mart. Gabriel Ugliano appears to be abusive towards Sally Jackson. They live in an apartment in the Upper East Side. Perseus appears to go by the name "Percy", and has ADHD and dyslexia, as is typical for demigods."
"I am so very glad that my magic corrected the dyslexia," Chrysa said. "School was bad enough without being unable to read and write properly. I would have never passed my OWLs and NEWTs."
"Didn't you mention the other day that you were considering attending mortal college, daughter?" Zeus asked.
"I have been considering it, yes," Chrysa admitted, glancing at Hades. "I would not live on campus, so I shouldn't miss too much of our time together when the school year overlaps."
"I know how much you've wanted something else to do with your time, dearest," Hades said, taking Chrysa's hand tenderly. "I could never object to anything that makes you happy. Especially if you're only gone for classes and still spend the rest of your time during the spring and summer months with me."
Chrysa pressed a quick, chaste kiss to Hades' cheek.
"Thank you, darling. I really have been wishing for something else to do with my time. Certainly, I have my Wizengamot meetings, and the political balls and dinners, as well as the guest-speaking I do at Hogwarts, along with babysitting the newest generation of Weasleys, and helping George and Ron in the shop, spending time at Camp Half-Blood…"
"Why do you want more to do again?" Zeus asked.
"All of those things are short-term. Nothing takes more than a few hours. Besides, I want to be able to establish a presence in the Muggle world in case I ever end up there again. For example, if Hades and I have children, then they will be demigods. I can't just drag any children we might have all around the world like I'm living now. Short visits into the Wizarding World, yes. This constant movement that I seem to have adopted during the winter months? No. Children need stability. Demigod children need stability in the mortal world. For that, I need to exist in the mortal world. Papers are easily snapped up, but I want to have credentials to back up anything I snap up. I've been catching up on my mortal education through secondary school with the help of private tutoring, so I'm certain I will be prepared to begin college classes," Chrysa explained.
"When have you had the time to find a private tutor?" Hades asked.
"I borrowed some dead people," Chrysa replied nonchalantly, as if it explained everything. Hades seemed to accept that. Zeus did not.
"They listen to you?" he exclaimed.
Chrysa raised an eyebrow at him.
"I am the legally recognized Lady Regnant of the Underworld. I'm not Seph. She is the Queen Consort. Our original bond named me as the equal ruler of the Underworld alongside Hades. However, I was never named Queen, so Hades made Persephone the Queen Consort when she married him. I am still the Lady Regnant, equal to Hades in power. With Persephone, her word is Hades' word. With me, my word is my own, but it has equal weight to Hades' word," Chrysa explained.
Their appetizer and salads had arrived, so all three devoted the next several minutes to eating.
Finally, Chrysa asked, "If Poseidon was responsible, will Amphitrite be affected?" she asked quietly.
Zeus was silent for a long moment.
"That depends on whether she stands by her husband," he finally said. "You are more than welcome to convince her otherwise."
"Trite won't talk to me if I open the conversation by accusing her husband of thievery. And I shouldn't go down to see her, not with the trouble brewing between you and Poseidon. I'll think on it," Chrysa replied.
The rest of the meal proceeded in similar conversation, though the weight of the current situation was constantly hanging over them. There were no major arguments between the two brothers, so the meal ended with relative success.
On the street outside, they parted ways: Zeus returned to Olympus, Hades to the Underworld, and Chrysa to Britain to prepare for the ball she was supposed to attend that night.
AN: So, now that the prologue(s) is (are) over, and ignoring the fact that there ended up being three of them, the story is going to stay in Chrysa's POV. I may end up doing one-shots in someone else's POV, but Chrysa is the focus here. As such, I may ignore canonical knowledge because there is no feasible way for Chrysa to know it.
AN2: Sorry it's Wednesday and not Tuesday, my sister refused to review and I refused to update until she reviewed. Plus I just moved out of my dorm and I was kind of exhausted after driving home...so again, sorry I'm late.