A.N.= I have to say, 100 followers for two chapters is quite an amazing support. So, here's a large chapter for those who waited for the 17 days patiently.
August 1991
Nearly eight months had passed since the encounter Percy had with the two eccentric wizards or to be more specific, one wizard and one demiwizard. Having departed after giving him quite an informative lesson on his heritage and magic, they had given him plenty to think about.
Thus, to the surprise of many, Percy had willingly picked a book up with the intent of reading it. To most people, he was someone who hated books due to his dyslexia and seeing a book in his hand was extremely rare.
But what they didn't know was that he was researching about his heritage through any texts he could find about the Greek mythical world. To sate his curiosity about his birth father, he had reluctantly resorted to the only source of information he had access to. Books.
His various dangerous powers had narrowed it down to the house of Poseidon. Like Luke had said, he was most probably a child of some male sea deity. Triton and Poseidon were one of the likely choices but he also had considered the Titan of the Sea, Oceanus.
The idea of him being the child of a female deity had crossed his mind but he had shrugged them off as his mother was an actual witch while his father was the one who was missing.
Although, his tremendous powers over the water around him and the respect all sea creatures gave him had led him to the conclusion that his godly parent was more likely to be Poseidon over Triton. The latter was more of a commander while the former was the king of all sea creatures, hence making him a prince in the eyes of the aquatic life forms.
Further research had given him quite a lot of headaches due to his dyslexia and some important information about his assumed father. Although not all of them were accurate, most of the texts had described Poseidon as a benevolent and respectable god whose wrath was monstrous.
Some of the texts had also described the sudden changes in the Sea god's mood. On a good day, he would grant safe passages to the ships of merchants and traders while the other day, he would curse a woman to fall in love with a bull and give birth to its son.
Another famous tale about him was the extremely petty (in his opinion) tantrum the god had thrown when he had lost Athens to his niece, going as far as punishing many mortals and innocent people for choosing against him.
Though he supposed that all gods were as prideful as Poseidon. An example would be Athena against the Arachne or the Medusa. Or the twin gods of Delos who had killed 12 children just because her mother had boasted about them being as perfect as gods. Or Zeus's wrath against a mortal who had tried to impersonate the King of Olympus. Or the ….
While he could go on for quite a while before he would finish pointing out the flaws of the gods' actions, he was getting off-topic. The main conjecture his limited reasoning was pointing towards was to be careful around the gods. Sure, there were always some exceptions but he would find those by himself throughout his life.
Thus, all the reasons given above and the absence throughout his life had resulted in him concluding to avoid any possible attention from Poseidon. That is, if his father was Poseidon and not someone else like Oceanus.
Splash!
Suddenly breaking out of his thoughts as he felt water trickle down his face, Percy looked around in confusion as to where he was or what exactly was he doing that led to him being drenched. Snapping his finger softly, he dried himself from the water and observed his surroundings.
Recognizing the place as his room, Percy stood up from the bed and stretched himself a bit before walking towards the window beside the desk in his room. Mentally thanking whichever god was responsible for windows, he felt the cool breeze hit his face as he wondered if what Bill had told him was actually true or not.
The few conclusions he could draw from the little information he had was that either Bill was lying to him, Bill was playing a joke on him, the teachers at the school were short-staffed or he was going insane. While he knew the last option looked the most reasonable to others, he hoped that wasn't the case.
Collapsing on the bed heavily, Percy stared at the fan rapidly rotating above him with apathy shining in his eyes at the boring summer he was experiencing. He should have just gone to the lake and soaked a bit to get rid of the fatigue before comfortably settling on his bed because leaving the bed was too daunting of a task.
Letting out a sigh, Percy idly observed the blades of the fan as they moved faster than his eyes could keep up. It was kind of disheartening when he was trying to follow the rotating blades with his eyes but they kept revolving at a speed faster than his eyes could follow.
He stared at the blades with more concentration than he had ever put in a study book, before an ingenious idea struck him, making him smile hopefully.
Putting utmost concentration on the water droplets that had splashed around him, he spread it around in a wide range at the general area of the fan's blades, making the air thick around it. Just as he predicted, the blade of the fan slowed a bit, making it easier for his eyes to follow it.
Feeling an unexplainable sense of achievement, Percy's hopeful smile turned into one showing triumph. He was actually able to follow the blades of the fans with his eyes, albeit he had to use his powers a bit. Speaking of his powers, he mentally slapped himself as he realized that a cup of water on his face would have worked just as fine as his actual idea.
His smile dampened when he realized that had just taken a longer path to success rather than the normal path. Still, figuring out his powers was a good thing too. The most he knew about his powers right now was how they worked.
Stopping before his thoughts trailed off, Percy's head suddenly turned towards the door fast enough to give him whiplash. The cause of this sharp action was the sounds of footsteps coming toward his room and it wasn't one that he was familiar with.
Actually, it was two of which he could recognize one but the other he couldn't. Although, judging by the carefree voice of the matron, she was sure that the stranger was harmless to the other residents of the orphanage. Or, she was drunk.
Either was a possible explanation.
Hearing a couple of polite knocks on his door, he jumped from his bed with an unusual amount of athleticism an 11-year-old tired and bored child could show.
Putting a calm and polite expression on his face, he opened the door quietly to see who the visitors were and if they were here for what normally people visited orphanages for. He wouldn't mind getting adopted from the orphanage, but he also didn't have any problem with not being adopted. The orphanage was nice and conveniently near the cemetery his mother was buried in.
Expecting a middle-aged slightly obese lady from the heavy footsteps that he had heard from the corridor, he was certainly surprised at the sight that greeted him.
Standing in front of him was a tall, thin, and very old man with silver hair and a beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and brown high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were sparkling with kindness and mischief behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.
Gazing at Percy with a curious smile, Percy hid an involuntary shiver from the piercing gaze in the old man's eyes. While the old man looked harmless, a small voice in the back of his mind suggested the opposite.
Coming back to the situation in front of him, Percy looked at the matron in confusion, silently questioning her about the strange old man. Observing her flushed cheeks, he noted the faint smell of alcohol as she opened her mouth to answer his unasked question.
"Percy, this man beside me is Mr. Dumberton- sorry, Dunderbore. He is the headmaster of a school that your mother had gone to and had subsequently registered you in before your birth. If you want you can request the papers from this man but he said that he would like to invite you personally." She said with a straight face, something quite difficult considering she was drunk. But she always was one to tolerate large quantities of alcohol so it was not a surprise for him.
Remembering his personality, she added a small request as an afterthought. "Behave, please."
"Of course, Mrs. Jones." He said with a small and polite smile, reassuring the matron named Mrs. Jones that he would certainly behave.
Giving a glance in the professor's direction, Percy shrugged before inviting him inside and gesturing for him to sit beside the desk. He himself sat on top of the gray blankets over his bed, his legs stretched out in front of him, and faced the silent professor.
An awkward environment developed as the professor looked around the room curiously while Percy wondered what was going on in the mind of the stranger beside him. Suddenly wishing to break the silence, Percy spoke the first words that came to his mind.
"Nice bathrobe."
Mentally slapping himself as the last syllable left his mouth, he waited nervously for the other to respond to his sentence.
"This is a cloak rather than a bathrobe but the compliment is appreciated." The old man said with a chuckle as Percy sighed in relief that the Professor was not insulted. He would hate to insult the professor if he was from the school Bill had told him about a few months ago.
"How do you do, Perseus?" said Dumberton, walking forward and holding out his hand presumably for a handshake which he accepted.
"I am fine, professor." Said Percy after a second of silence as he was still a bit hesitant to trust a stranger out of nowhere. Especially in a world of magic and mythology where every third cashier you see could be a monster in disguise.
"I am Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of a school called….."
"Hogwarts." Percy interrupted him as Mr Dumberton- no, Dumbledore's face adopted a surprised look. He was most probably taken by surprise as to how an orphan with no wizards near him had come to know about the existence of the school.
"You know about it?" Dumbledore questioned him with a lower voice than before, making Percy strain his ears to hear what the person in front of him had said. Taking a small moment to think over it, Percy nodded slowly.
"If by 'it' you mean this," Percy said as he raised his hand and pointed to a nearby pencil that lay innocently on the table. His face showed a sliver of concentration as the pencil started rising in the air. Dumbledore watched his display silently as many questions started forming in his mind. "Then, yes."
"That certainly makes things easier." Dumbledore mused to himself, idly wondering if this was all the child could do. He had a keen eye for talented individuals and the child in front of him was an unpolished gem. It would certainly make things easier for him if Perseus would join his school, if he considered the fellow students who were going to start attending this year. But that didn't answer all of his questions.
"How did you come to know about Hogwarts, Perseus?" asked Dumbledore, making eye contact with Percy as he awaited the answer.
"A guy named Bill Weasley explained it to me a year ago," Percy said, refraining to mention Luke. Not that he was lying per se. Luke had explained the mythological world while Bill had been the one to tell him about the Magical world. Luke had also told him about the connection between the two but he wasn't going to reveal it to the stranger in front of him.
"I will have to convey my gratitude to Mr. Weasley later on. But we have another important topic to discuss, Mr. Jackson." Dumbledore said, making Percy wonder what was more important than the school right now. Nevertheless, he stayed silent and let the wizard in front of him continue.
"I heard some fascinating stories about you from the matron below," Dumbledore revealed without as much of a change in his expression as he saw Perseus' eyes widen. "Particularly regarding the strange creatures you claim to have seen like the vampire with a bronze leg or the occasional dog the size of a tank." Without so much as a chance for Percy to interrupt, Dumbledore continued.
"Which leads me to believe that you are also a demigod." finishing with a calm voice, Dumbledore firmly stated his conclusion. The entire time Percy stared at the wizard in surprise, his eyes darting around the room while his fingers twitched impatiently behind his back.
"Please calm down. Perseus. I assure you I am not a monster. On the off chance that I was one, I would not have spared the matron and killed her before coming after you." his eyes glimmering, Dumbledore gazed at the defensive child in front of him.
"Are you a demiwizard too?" Percy finally asked after being silent for a while. His question made Dumbledore chuckle as Percy got even more confused.
"No, child. I am not a 'demiwizard', as you say. I am just a simple wizard who came to know about the existence of the godly world by chance." Dumbledore revealed with a small smile that normally belonged on the face of a grandfather.
"I know I am a demigod but not my godly parent. But can we get back to the magical world? You also said something about knowing my mother." Percy said with a curious gaze, hoping to distract the wizard from the topic of gods. He had no intention of sharing his research with a random wizard and he was curious about his mother too.
"Of course. Where should I start, then?" Dumbledore mused to himself with a twinkle in his eyes that said that he knew exactly what Percy was trying to do by changing the topic. Nevertheless, he respected his privacy and continued.
"Your mother, Sally Jackson was a brilliant witch throughout her time at Hogwarts. Joining the Ravenclaw house, she was a model student of her house and had even won an award for Academic Brilliance. But her most admirable quality was her willpower." Dumbledore's face had a nostalgic look to it as he spoke about Percy's mother, the latter listening to every word attentively.
"She was orphaned at the age of 15 but she still tried her best to cope with it along with her studies, eventually passing all her subjects with spectacular grades. It was during her sixth year she felt the target on her back and requested my help. Although she never revealed the reasons for her situation, I tried to protect her to the best of my abilities."
Pausing for a second, Dumbledore glanced towards the child hanging on to his every word eagerly. Smiling, he continued. "After graduation, she was pursued by many of Voldemort's followers but she survived by escaping to the US. In her last letter, she had told me that she had fallen in love with someone and that she would be giving birth to you in a matter of months."
"But she died after childbirth." Percy finished the story for him grimly, albeit a bit pleased to know a bit about his mother. The room fell into silence at his sentence before the professor once again started to say something.
"You still haven't looked at your letter, have you?" Dumbledore asked him. Taking his silence as an answer, he reached towards the pocket of his cloak and brought out a letter in a yellowish envelope. "Here you go."
Percy stretched out his hand to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to Mr. P. Jackson, Room 16, Floor 1, Eden Orphanage, Montauk, New York.
He pulled out the letter and tried his best to ignore the dancing letters. Although he was used to it by now, it was still difficult to read at a decent speed. Fortunately, the letter was short and didn't take much time to read.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Jackson,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
The term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July, save for certain circumstances.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Looking up to see the smiling face of the headmaster, he decided to ask a question that was bothering him for a while.
"Why is the headmaster of the school coming to inform me instead of a professor?"
"It was mainly because you are from outside the country and it would be difficult for the other teachers to travel such a long distance in one go," Dumbledore said with a chuckle. Absent-mindedly gesturing towards the paper indicating him to turn it, he continued speaking. "And I haven't visited the States in a while."
Turning the paper, Percy asked another question regarding what he had read on the sheet of paper. "What's this about having to send an 'owl'? Bill never mentioned anything about it."
"Since I am here, you don't have to worry about the owl, Mr Jackson. And I suppose your question implies that you are attending, right?" Dumbledore said, answering his questions and posing a question of his own in return.
Nodding in reply, Percy turned the sheet of paper to be greeted with another wall of text, a bit larger this time. Slowly adjusting to the moving words, he read the contents of the second part of the letter.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic
by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory
by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration
by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions
by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set of glass or crystal phials
1 telescope
1 set of brass scales
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST-YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK.
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions
"Where am I going to buy all this? I don't think I even have the money required for everything listed here." Percy wondered aloud.
"All these are available to those who know where to buy them. And don't worry, Hogwarts has a basic fund for orphans and, in general, for those who lack money . But I think that there should be plenty of gold for you left by your mother. Your grandparents were working individuals and your mother inherited everything when they died." Dumbledore said with a small mourning smile, knowing that Percy understood what he was saying.
"That takes care of the money problem, then. Now, how do I get to the place where I have to buy all this?" Percy continued his stream of questions, ignoring the implication Dumbledore's words had.
"In Diagon Alley," said Dumbledore. "I have your list of books and school equipment with me. I can help you find everything —"
"You're coming with me?" asked Percy with a raised eyebrow.
"Certainly, if you want me —"
"I would like to do this alone," said Percy. "I'm used to doing things for myself, I have been going out on my own all the time. How do you get to this Diagon Alley, sir?" he said, not forgetting to be polite.
"I understand that it must be difficult to follow a stranger but you will have to compromise a bit on that," Dumbledore said kindly, making Percy frown as he waited for Dumbledore to continue.
"The entrance to Diagon Alley is magically hidden inside a Pub called the Leaky Cauldron. I will wait there for you to finish purchasing everything and then I will drop you back here. Is that fine with you?" Dumbledore replied with a plan that Percy could find no faults in.
Thinking over it for a second, Percy nodded in affirmation, making the professor in front of him smile merrily.
"Very well then." Getting up, the professor took out a wand from inside his cloak and pointed it toward the door. Casting a spell silently, Percy saw the air around the door shimmer.
"Before I apparate you there. You need to know exactly what you need to do and what you will buy from where." Dumbledore continued from before, sounding very much like a teacher.
"Firstly, You need to go to Gringotts to access your vault. A goblin would…." Listening to the rapid instructions, Percy hoped that he could remember everything. He could always look at the list but it would be a headache to read it in the middle of somewhere. No, he much preferred remembering by listening rather than reading.
Listening to the instructions quietly, Percy idly wondered what exactly apparition was. Judging from the context, it sounded similar to teleportation. Was that what Luke and Bill had done a few months ago when they had disappeared in front of him?
He would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in teleporting. It would be really useful to just pop up wherever he wanted anytime. He would have to look into it when he was in school.
The feeling of apparating was a pretty unique one, in his opinion.
Everything had gone black; his body was pressured from all directions; he could feel his blood flow faster than normal; it felt like iron bands were tightening around his arm where Dumbledore had grasped him. His eyes were pushed back into his skull as he felt his nose twist out of place and back into place painlessly.
Blinking as sunlight greeted him on the face, he realized that he was standing in front of what looked like a small and shabby pub. Sandwiched between a book store and a record shop, it appeared out of place and too attention-grabbing. Even then, the general public overlooked it as easily as they were walking.
"That was a surprisingly good reaction to apparating for the first time." said Dumbledore from behind him while he dusted his cloak. He then continued as he looked in the direction of the pub. "That's the Leaky Cauldron. A famous place that links the muggle world to the magical world."
Acknowledging Dumbledore's words with a nod, the two entered the pub. While Dumbledore's posture was more relaxed, Percy's was more nervous with a hand in his pocket. He could feel a small pencil-sized ice spike forming in his pocketed hand out of nowhere, just like it did whenever he was anxious. He had noticed a lot of times how his powers were tied with emotions.
Squashing his twitchiness, he forced himself to look around the pub. It was quite different from the famous bars he had seen in New York, from the outside of course. Firstly, it was very dark and shabby for a famous place. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of a yellowish drink that he recognized as sherry. One strange-looking man in a hat was sitting a few benches away from them while smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut.
The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Dumbledore; they waved and smiled at him and a few even bowed to him. It looked like the professor was quite a respected man here. Seeing him, even the bartender grinned a toothless smile and reached for a glass, saying, "What would you like today, Professor?"
"Prepare a pint of mulled mead for me, Tom. I will have it after showing the young wizard to the Gringotts." Dumbledore said after a while of contemplating over his choice of drink. With a warm smile on his face, he gestured towards Percy who was standing beside him and observing the pub quietly.
"Of course, professor. And if I may ask, why are you escorting a student? Is his situation a bit different?" Tom the bartender asked a bit nervously, trying to sound as respectful as possible.
"Indeed, Tom. His situation is a bit different as he is from the States. Since his mother had graduated from our school, Mr. Jackson is also going to start attending Hogwarts this year." Said Dumbledore as he watched Percy glance at Tom who tried to remember where he had heard the name before.
"Professor, what about the Alley?" Giving a small and quiet reminder, Percy expressed his impatience in the form of a question as Dumbledore nodded towards Tom in farewell.
"My apologies, Mr. Jackson. Please follow me." Greeting another wizard silently by tipping his head in respect, Dumbledore led Percy through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.
Percy followed Dumbledore's wand with interest as it slowly trailed upwards from the trash can. Moving across to the right, Dumbledore's wand trailed sideways before he stopped in front of a brick and tapped it three times.
"This is where an entrance into Diagon Alley is located, Mr. Jackson." Professor Dumbledore said. "Once you have your wand, you will simply need to tap this brick with it three times, and..." He continued, referring to his previous actions. Suddenly, the bricks of the wall rearranged themselves into a wide arch.
Dumbledore smiled in amusement as the young wizard stared at the sight in awe. The cobbled street was quite different from what he usually saw in the streets near his orphanage and every house was a vividly colorful magical shop. Entire crowds of wizards and witches of all ages were moving between the stores, looking for the best deal on whatever goods they needed.
"Welcome to Diagon Alley, Mr. Jackson." The Hogwarts Headmaster drew Percy's attention back to himself. "You will find everything in the list in the shops here, but your first stop is the Gringotts back." He said while pointing at a white-marble building that towered over the other little shops.
"Gringotts is run by goblins and is reputed to be one of the most secure places in Great Britain if not entire Europe. You will be allowed access to your family vault after a blood test and I believe you know what to do after that. Just don't spend all your money in one go." Still overwhelmed by the new experiences, Percy simply allowed the Headmaster to lead him into the bank while trying to take in as much of the Diagon Alley as his two eyes would let him.
"When you have everything you need to buy and have explored as much as you want, meet me at the Leaky Cauldron and I will apparate you back to your home." Looking at the tallest building in the Alley, Percy just nodded in response. Suddenly handing a trolley to Percy, Dumbledore waved his hand in farewell as Percy wondered where the trolley had appeared from. It certainly wasn't there when they had entered the alley.
Standing there for a few seconds as he tried to sort his thoughts out, he moved towards the great white building otherwise known as Gringotts. Standing beside the burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, were two small humanoid figures. A head shorter in height than him, they had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and very long fingers and feet.
He assumed that they were the goblins running this place.
Going through the Bronze door, he was met by another door, this time silver with some markings that looked to be in the form of a poem. Not in the mood for a headache, he immediately went through the silver doors and into a large marble hall.
There were about a hundred more goblins sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing multiple different sized coins on brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these.
Percy made his way to one of the goblins with a beard and wearing a suit. To compensate for his short height, the goblin appeared to be standing on a chair or something similar. Standing in front of the goblin, he was met with appraising black eyes sizing him up.
"I am Perseus Jackson and I would like to take some money out of my vault." Starting to feel uncomfortable, he spoke up. But the goblin still kept staring at him in silence.
"Do you have your key?" A gruff voice came from the goblin who had finally decided to break the silence.
"No, but Professor Dumbledore said something about a blood test."
The goblin raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? Very well then." Taking out a piece of paper and a small knife from under the table, the goblin silently gazed at Percy with a hand stretched out. "Extend your hand. I just need a couple of drops of your blood."
Although confused, Percy complied with the request. A small prick on his fingers and a few drops of blood short, he took his hand back and covered it to stop the unnecessary bleeding. Meanwhile, the goblin took a peculiar stone with delicately carved designs and pressed it into the paper above his blood. After the goblin lifted the stone, Percy looked at the paper, shocked to see a few words written on it.
"Interesting. You are a Demigod, aren't you?" Looking up in surprise, Percy nodded quietly after looking around to see if any eavesdroppers were nearby or not.
"Your key shall be processed and provided to you in a minute. Please wait and I shall escort you to the Jackson family vault." Concluding this, the goblin jumped down from the chair and raced off to talk to another important looking goblin.
Sighing, Percy looked around in marvel at how big and crowded the place actually was. Scores of goblins could be seen on each side of the hall and dozens were scurrying around the hall from one goblin to another.
"Follow me, Mr. Jackson." The goblin said as he came back from the discussion and handed a large bronze key to him. Looking at its every corner, he wondered if he would be able to make another one if he ever lost it. A key like this was easily misplaced and he didn't want any thieves to get access to his fortune.
Seeing his face, the goblin spoke up. "Don't worry, you won't lose it. Just imagine it disappearing from your hand and then imagine the opposite of that."
Frowning in confusion, he once again put his faith in magic and did what the goblin said. Imagining it disappear, he felt his hand become empty. Closing his fist around the air, he realized that the key had indeed disappeared and not become invisible.
"Now imagine it appearing in your hand." Doing what the goblin said, Percy felt the familiar weight of the key on his hand as his eyes widened in shock. He could see that the same key that was in his hand a few seconds ago was back and as shiny as before.
Magic was really fascinating.
"Cool. Thanks for telling me about that. What's your name, by the way?"
"It's Gornuk." The goblin said after a moment of hesitation, all the while guiding him towards one of the doors leading off the hall.
Holding the door open for him, Gornuk followed Percy as he entered through the door, the latter looking around in surprise. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Gornuk whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. The two climbed in easily and the cart went off.
At first, they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Percy tried to remember, right, right, left, right, left, right, left, left, middle fork, right but it was impossible for his ADHD mind to keep paying attention to the path. He was more interested in the view. And the rattling cart seemed to know its own way because Gornuk didn't look like he was steering.
His eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late — they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.
Suddenly, the cart started slowing down and finally stopped with a loud echoing screech in front of a bronze circular door on the passage wall that looked like the door of a vault. Getting out of the cart, Percy followed Gornuk towards the vault door that was most likely his.
Gesturing towards the door, Gornuk silently requested him to unlock it. A lot of blue smoke came billowing out to block his vision, and as it slowly cleared, Percy gasped. The first thing he saw inside were the large piles of gold coins, columns of silver coins and heaps of little bronze coins.
But the coins were just the tip of the iceberg. Various valuable artifacts were by the walls in cases and stands. On one side, dozens of shining armors stood proudly, while various sorts of weapons hung on the wall. Daggers, spears, gauntlets, shields, axes, knives and swords of various lengths hung on the wall on display.
On the other side, a large number of thick books placed on various bookshelves stood elegantly, gathering dust and, in some cases, cobwebs. A few staves were placed inside a glass display, with a few of them more secure than others. But most of that side of the wall was covered in bookshelves.
His mother must have really loved her books to have this many of them. His eyes widened in shock as he realized that this was all his. The gold aside, a few of the books and weapons looked extremely valuable. One of the armor looked like it was made out of pure gold. And judging by the look in the goblin's eyes, the entire vault was a fortune's worth.
"How much is this worth?" Stepping forward, he picked one of the gold coins and looked at it closely. The coin was two thirds the size of his index finger and looked to be made out of pure gold. Considering how valuable gold was, he presumed that magic was involved. It had to be magical considering this much was owned by one person.
"The gold ones are Galleons" Gornuk started speaking with his eyes still on the weapons on the wall. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine bronze Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy to remember." Nodding at the explanation, he started piling a bunch of them into a red velvet bag that was lying on top of the coins. Considering how much gold fit in it, it was clearly enchanted to fit as many coins as possible.
Stopping after he was certain that he had enough to last a year, he raised his eyes towards what the goblin was staring at greedily.
Walking towards the armor stands slowly, he took in everything he could see of the vault. A huge line of armors stood side by side with a few display cases in between them. Standing in front of them made him realize how intimidating they could be. Even the dark cloak that stood innocently in between the armors screamed of danger.
"I knew that my mother's family was well off but this is more than what I expected. Is this what every vault of rich families is like?" He wondered aloud. Gornuk tore his eyes from the weapons and looked towards the eleven year old.
"The Jackson family was not this rich. Most of the gold and the books are theirs but the armor and weapons along with some of the gold were transferred by one of the secret vaults a decade ago." Gornuk answered after thinking over it for a while.
"Secret vaults?"
"The Olympian vaults. Holy vaults. Godly vaults. Whatever you wish to call it. Your father transferred the weapons and armors to this vault presumably to show his devotion to your mother." The goblin ended the statement while looking at the demiwizard curiously before adding an afterthought. "I believe you know who your godly parent is."
"What a devoted parent." Percy scoffed sarcastically but he couldn't hide the nervousness that had flashed across his face as he pondered on what the goblin said. The way the sentences were worded had given him a feeling as if the delicate stone upstairs that had been pressed over his blood had revealed more information than what he was comfortable revealing.
"I suppose I do." Replying cryptically, he diverted the topic towards the armor in front of him. "This looks extremely valuable, which reminds me that you haven't answered my other question."
"As I was saying," Gornuk sent a dark look in his direction at the change of topic before continuing to answer his question. "While this is a good amount of fortune, it pales in comparison to some of the other families. The Blacks, Malfoys and the Greengrass in particular are one of the richest families. The Lestrange family comes close but still falls short in the end."
He nodded a bit disappointedly.
"But, if you could sell one of these armors after getting it properly appraised, you could easily live off your life unemployed in a giant manor." The goblin said with his eyes back on the armor.
Choosing not to reply, he instead walked towards the weapons. Various weapons shined around him, with a few of them practically radiating power. A few of them in particular caught his attention. A dark axe with a red blade that looked more like blood than paint, a pair of silver Daggers, a bronze two-pronged spear that was sitting peacefully in one of the display cases.
His eyes skipped through the line of bows, instead going towards the swords. Greatswords, katanas, normal swords, rapiers, fencing swords, claymores, and many more types of swords hung on the wall. He could even see a golden cutlass in between them that had a tragic air to it. Not one for being depressing, his eye went to the next sword in line.
Standing in front of a reddish-orange colored short sword with a small blue stone on the bottom of the hilt, he looked at it in interest. To be more particular, the patterns traced on the blade caught his attention. The white-coloured lines looked rather similar to the magical stone upstairs. If he was correct in his assumption, this sword had a magical property of its own.
Stretching his arm forward, he grasped the hilt of the sword and took it out of the display. Looking around to see if the area was clear, he took a few practice swings at the air in front of him. The sword was smaller than he had expected, the blade itself being a little smaller than 2 feet. Whatever the material was, it was rather light and cut through the air quite easily, making him wonder if this was like the metals that Luke had said could cut through monsters.
"An adamantine sword? Quite a nice pick. This is made from an unappreciated metal that the gods cast away when celestial bronze was found. It's said to be lighter than the other metals and can hurt wolves as much as it hurts other monsters." Gornuk, who had crossed the area to come towards him nodded in approval. Squinting his eyes, his mouth fell open as he realized something that Percy was yet to realize.
"This is a very powerful sword, Mr. Jackson. If you still haven't claimed a sword, I suggest using this one as your first. It will not fail to impress you." Frowning slightly at not being told straightforwardly, Percy focused on the sword to find out what the markings were. The only thing he could feel was his powers being pulled towards it.
Wait.
He glanced at the sword nervously. The way it was attracting his powers greedily was unnerving him. The white markings on the blade were practically absorbing his powers the second he loosened his control.
Out of curiosity, he let his powers loose for a couple of seconds to see it immediately get absorbed by the blade. The lines started glowing blue as the area around him got colder. He could see a bit of vapor coming out from the blade as the metal got colder. He alarmingly noted how his fingernails started freezing up along with the sword hilt.
Taking another swing at the air with it, he could feel a burst of chilled air hit his face as the cold edge of the blade cut through the air in front of him smoothly. Immediately taking back control of his powers, he let the room temperature get back to normal.
From what he could gather, this sword was not controlling his powers. It was using it temporarily.
Wiping sweat off his forehead as the last bit of adrenaline had run out, he realized how tired this sword had made him at the current level of his powers. The chilled blade might one shot a monster of two but the third one would absolutely tear through him.
Hearing a slow clapping from behind him as he turned around to see a goblin applaud his display with a bit of nervousness in his eyes. "It's surprising to see that your powers have started leaning towards ice rather than earthquakes. Most of the children of Poseidon are well known for their fearsome earthquakes. You on the other hand may be capable of creating chilling snowstorms worthy of legends. "
'Child of Poseidon.' Percy scowled darkly at the words of the goblin. He knew that he couldn't deny his heritage by trying to ignore it, but accepting it didn't make him any happier. It was childish of him to believe that if he just tried to ignore it, it wouldn't matter to him. The rise in the monster attacks in recent months had proved otherwise.
"Speaking of which, you seem to know a lot about the godly world. Mind explaining how?" He turned to question the goblin, not wanting to think more about his godly parent any more than necessary.
Thinking over it for a while, Gornuk responded. "Just like how The Titan of Forethought breathed life into humans, Lady Hecate did the same for us Goblins. It's assumed that she wanted someone to manage her Wizarding World and thus, she created Goblins. So, we keep the Godly world away from the Wizarding world just like you half demigods and half wizards."
"So you are like an ambassador of Hecate in the wizarding world?"
The goblin threw him a confused glance. "How did you even get to that conclusion? But yes, you can say that."
"Second question then. How do I know this will not be stolen?" Percy asked as he glanced towards the expensive armors behind him. This whole room was like a collector's dreamland, mysterious and full of expensive stuff on display.
Gornuk scoffed at that. "No sane wizard or witch would dare try to rob Gringotts. And a vault blessed by an Olympian? Impossible. Only two cases of it have been heard before and both of them died before they could get out of the vault." Percy sighed in relief. At least he wouldn't have to worry about having any of these stolen.
"Final question. How much gold would I have if I sold everything in this room?"
Gornuk's breath hitched at that question. Surely the Demiwizard in front of him was not thinking about doing just that, right? It would destroy the wizarding world's economy if he did it. Unfortunately, he was obliged to answer truthfully.
"Enough for at least the next seven generations of yours to live a life in luxury. You would be the richest person alive for a couple of years or so until the previous top three start catching up." Smiling pleasantly at the goblin's fast yet nervous reply, Percy started walking towards the door.
"Thank you for the answers. Also, is there anything I can do about this?" Raising his sword in the air, he showed the sharp blade to the goblin behind him. "I don't think it's normal to walk around with a sword even in this world."
Sighing in relief as he realized that the young demiwizard in front of him had no intentions of crashing Britain's economy, Gornuk caught up to the child in front of him, making his short feet sprint in the process. "Imagine it shrinking in front of you. It will most probably reveal a disguised form to avoid detection."
Doing as the goblin suggested, Percy stared in awe as the entire sword disappeared to form a small silver ring that could easily fit on his finger. Holding it against the little light he could find underground, he admired the ingenuity of the disguise. Rings were common and easy to carry around. This would help him out a lot.
"Can we go back up now?" Percy asked the goblin, feeling slightly uncomfortable after staying underground for such a long time. He supposed that it was his godly heritage acting up. The water was a safe space for him while the sky and underground were dangerous.
"Of course." Stepping inside the cart, Percy followed the goblin into the cart which sped off as soon as they both were seated. The return journey was rather quiet, with Percy being occupied in his thoughts. The last hour or so had been quite an unusual one.
He had learned that he owned a small amount of fortune that was deep underground. His father's identity had been confirmed, something that he was not too pleased about. He had acquired another weapon other than his water and ice powers to get rid of monsters, which he was thankful for. It even had a disguised version that fit in his middle finger perfectly and inconspicuously.
One thing he was certain about was that he wouldn't have to worry about money for a while. There was enough fortune for him to live off peacefully. And from what he had seen, the wizarding world was extremely peaceful. Although, a gut feeling told him that it was going to change in a few years.
Breaking out of thoughts. He stepped out of the cart and thanked the goblin who scooted off quickly. Shrugging, he took out the letter from before, looking through the things he had to buy. Books, cauldron, uniforms and wand were all part of the list, with a few of them having a higher priority.
What to buy first?
He was more interested in the wand, which meant that it would be better to save it for the last so that he wouldn't get distracted. On the other hand, both the cauldron and uniform didn't sound any special. It would be better to get rid of them from his list earlier.
Uniform it is then.
Finally done buying everything on his list except the wand, Percy levelled his gaze towards the old looking shop called Ollivanders'. Dating back to centuries before, he looked at the shop in front of him with mild surprise. While most of the shops were rather modern looking, this one had a medieval vibe to it.
This was also apparently the best shop to buy a wand, at least that's what the other shop owners had told him. Shrugging, he stepped inside the shabby looking shop.
What greeted him was a sight that awed him to no end. Thousands of small narrow boxes were piled up to the ceiling of the tiny shop, giving a messy feeling to the entire shop, something that he liked. Vases, lamps, scrolls of papers and various feathers, or quills as the Wizards called them, were strewn across the shop. A receptionist's desk lay quietly on the side of the door, looking lonely.
His gaze wandered back to the piles of boxes, which he assumed were the Wands. Looking around, he couldn't spot any shopkeepers to go to. The only thing that could be heard was the rhythmic ticking of the Grandfather clock. Maybe the owner had stepped outside for a bit or was this shop self-serving?
From what he had seen of the wizards and their laziness, he wouldn't be surprised if they already created one.
"Good afternoon." A sudden old voice brought him back to the world with a shock as he swiftly whirled around to see the person associated with the voice. To his surprise, it was an old old man with white hair, white skin and large silvery eyes like the moon. This must be the owner of Ollivanders, famously known for his best quality Wands.
"Uh…. Good afternoon to you too." Returning the greeting with a hesitant wave, he stepped back from the close proximity. A couple of steps away from his previous position, he continued. "I am here for a wand. Everyone said that this was the best place in Diagon Alley for those."
Nodding at the greeting from his new customer, Ollivanders gazed at him curiously with a gaze similar to the professor's gaze. It was unnerving to him how unsettling a few of the elders in the Wizarding world were. Their gaze made him feel unprotected, as if they knew every one of his secrets.
"I am Garrick Ollivander, the current owner of Ollivanders. And you must be…." Bringing him out of his train of thoughts, he obediently replied to the request for introduction. "I am Percy Jackson."
His eyes widened in recognition of the name. "Any relation to Sally Jackson?" It seemed that his mother was rather well known among a few people. Whether it was due to her abilities or for something else, he hoped that not everyone at the school knew about his mother.
He'd rather like it if he was known as Percy Jackson instead of as the son of Sally Jackson. No offence to his mother but he wanted to be known as himself.
"Yes. She's my mother. She's dead now." Answering the unasked question regarding where his mother was, Ollivander closed his eyes for a second, silently paying his respects before opening them and looking at him. "You are here for a wand, right? Follow me."
Leading him towards the centre of the shop, Percy followed with his eyes roaming around the room. He hoped that he wouldn't have to go through an entire tower of Wands before his one was found.
"Extend your wand arm, please." Looking at the old wizard in confusion, he wondered what exactly his wand arm was. Fortunately, Ollivander elaborated after seeing his perplexed expression. "Your dominant arm is called the Wand arm."
Oh.
Extending his right hand, he curiously observed the old man as he snapped his fingers, making a measuring tape zoom out from a messy corner of the shop. "A wonderful witch, your mother was. It feels like just a year ago that she walked inside my shop just like you. Accompanied by her parents, of course. A supple 12 inches wand of beech wood and a dragon heartstring core chose her after a few trials. She practically glowed with happiness as she saw that her wand had chosen her." Silently listening to Wandmaker's reminiscing, he wondered how a wand chose the wizard. He didn't think that pieces of wood were sentient and capable of choosing their wizards.
"On the other hand, I can't imagine you glowing with happiness but who knows?" Silently ignoring the comment, he let the elder wizard do his work. Currently searching through one of the boxes, Ollivander suddenly emerged with a small box that he opened to reveal a wand lying delicately between cushions.
"That ring on your finger looks magical. Since you already have come in physical contact with magic, it should be easy to choose your wand." Ollivander stepped in front of him and dismissed the measuring tape with another snap of his fingers.
"Here, try this." Handing him the wand he looked at him with an expecting look. "9 inches and quite rigid. Yew wood with a Unicorn tail hair as a core."
Not thinking of anything, he waved the wand with a confused glance at the old wizard. Jumping out of his hand with a speed faster than what his eye could catch up with, the wand landed perfectly in the box.
"No worries. Try this." Smiling, Ollivander handed him another wand. "This one is 11 and a half inches long and rather bendy. Willow wood and Unicorn tail hair as the core. Let's see if this one chooses you." He gave it a hesitant flick.
In a similar fashion to its predecessor, the willow wood wand too blasted off his hand and landed gracefully in its box. He felt his eye twitch as he somehow felt insulted by the blasted piece of wood. It was definitely sentient to avoid him like that.
"Don't worry. I have had more difficult customers than you." Chuckling, Ollivander rummaged through the stack behind him before bringing out another box with a wand inside it. Handing him the wand, Ollivander once again spoke up. "7 inches long and flexible, this one is made of Aspen wood with a dragon heartstring as its core."
A bit suspicious of the wand due to the word dragon in it, Percy slashed through the air with it. Releasing a cloud of smoke that had the two coughing, Ollivander snatched the wand from his hand leaving him a bit disappointed.
Several trials of Wands later Ollivander was looking jollier than ever while Percy had adopted a rather glum expression. Were all the Wands going to be that naturally resistant to him?
Suddenly grinning like a scientist who had discovered something new, Ollivander vanished behind a tower of boxes for what felt like the hundredth time. Waiting for a few seconds, Percy was suddenly equipped with another wand, this one being a reddish-brown color.
"This one might just work for you, Mr Jackson. Made of Red Oak wood and a dual core consisting of dragon heartstring and unicorn tail hair, this is one of the trickiest wands I have ever seen. Loyal to the original wizard due to the Unicorn tail hair and powerful due to dragon Heartstring, the red oak was the only one capable of hosting the two together." Gazing at the wand cautiously, Percy hoped that this one wouldn't flop on him too.
Wrapping his fingers around it, a strange sense of familiarity came over him. It was as if he was reunited with a part of himself he didn't know he was missing. The feeling was a wonderful one. He wondered if this was what being chosen by a wand felt like.
"Come on. Give it a wave." Eagerly pushing him on, it seemed like Ollivander had noticed his change of expression. He complied with the wandmaker's request.
A flash of green light later, he could see streams of pure water sprouting out of his wand like a fountain. It looked clean enough to drink and he knew it would be tastier than the water he had in the orphanage.
"You were quite a tricky customer, Mr. Jackson but every wizard gets chosen by a wand eventually." Taking the wand and putting it back into the box, he gestured to Percy to follow him to the receptionist's desk.
"Uh… Thank you? Anyways, how much does this cost?" Percy asked, finally relieved after his work was done. Now all he needed was to eat and then go back home to experiment more about his magic and if he got bored enough, read the school books.
"Since the materials are a bit more costlier than the others, it is 11 galleons total. You know what, I will give a wand holster for free with the purchase." Happy with the deal, Percy paid and exited the cramped shop, finally realizing how long he was in the shop. Not that it wasn't worth it in the end. It totally was.
Everything aside, he now had to find the professor and get back home, that is, after he finally spends a bit of his gold on something to eat. With all the gold he had, he might just treat the Headmaster too.
"I hope you have brought everything you require, Mr. Jackson."
"Of course." Pushing the trunk under his bed, he responded immediately. While the question was a bit late, his answer was already ready the moment he had exited Ollivanders.
Sitting in the same seat as before, Dumbledore faced him with a serious look. Feeling the environment becoming serious, Percy looked at the professor in confusion.
"There are a few things we need to discuss before I depart, Mr. Jackson." Staying silent, he let the Professor continue.
"Firstly, here's your ticket to Hogwarts. The train departs King Cross Station in London at exactly 11:00 am on 1st September." Taking out his wand as he said it, Dumbledore pointed it at the trunk below his bed. "As for how you will reach it, just hold the trunk of yours at exactly 10:45 am without fail."
Looking at the trunk, he could see it glow blue for a few seconds due to whichever spell Dumbledore had used on it before going back to normal. "It's a portkey which will teleport you to Kings Cross Station. You must be exactly on time."
He nodded before looking at the ticket that Dumbledore had handed him. The time and date given were as Dumbledore said. The destination was a place called Hogsmeade Station, a place he wasn't familiar with. The platform was called 9 and three quarters, making him frown in confusion. He was certain that there wasn't a platform 9 and three quarters. It just didn't make sense to name a platform that way.
"Platform 9 and three quarters? I don't think that's an actual platform." He voiced his doubts. Dumbledore's eyes just twinkled as he smiled in amusement. "There certainly is a platform like that. You just have to examine it very closely. Keep trying and you shall find it."
Slightly annoyed at the vague answer, he put it in the back of his mind to think over it later. All he could do right now was give it the benefit of doubt and just added it to the list of unexplained things similar to magic.
"Secondly, for your safety, I would like to warn you to keep away from the Forbidden Forest. While your demigod scent will attract monsters, the most they can do is trail at the edge of the forest." Percy raised his eyebrows slightly at that. He had no intention of staying safely tucked under his bed while monsters roamed outside. Getting rusty would just get him killed. That aside, the forbidden forest sounded like a really good place to experiment anything if he ever wanted to.
"Monsters aren't a problem. I have been taking care of myself against them for quite a long time and I am confident I can still do it." He responded assertively. His demigod powers were enough to take care of a few monsters. Other than that, he also wanted to test out his new sword on a few monsters too.
"Still, I wouldn't want a student under my care to get harmed." Dumbledore tried again in expressing his worry. Percy just stood his ground impassively. He understood that the Professor had good intentions but he wasn't one to be spoon-fed. He had always done his work himself and wanted the professor to get a hint.
Having a change of mind as he realized that the Headmaster was going to keep insisting, Percy finally sighed and nodded at the Professor's request. He just had to make sure he wasn't caught. Magic or not, it was impossible to keep an eye on the entire school at once.
"Lastly, I hope I am not overstepping my bounds but may I ask what your demigod powers are?" The grandfatherly and kind smile back at full force, Percy just narrowed his eyes at the older wizard. He obviously was not going to tell someone who he had met a few hours ago what his powers were. That would be plain stupidity on his part.
"I can control Ice." Responding hesitantly, he could practically hear the gears in the old wizard's head turn as he tried to figure out the extent of the demiwizard's power. Deciding to do a demonstration, he held his hand and concentrated. Grasping at the familiar feeling, he let it flow through his hands as ice started appearing on his palm before taking the shape of a cube.
"Is it just ice?" Frowning in confusion, Dumbledore asked while gazing at the cube in his palm. Deciding to not respond through words for the second question, he crushed the cube in his hand and stood up. Heading towards the table, he picked up the bottle of water in front of him.
Concentrating again, he felt the familiar cold sensation as before flow through his fingers and onto the water in the bottle. As a result, the water started cooling rapidly before freezing inside the bottle. His concentration was broken as he heard the sound of applause from the direction of the old professor.
"That was quite a nice display and I hope to see more of it. But I must regretfully greet you farewell as it is time for me to be somewhere else." Getting up from his seat, the Professor approached him with his hand held out for a handshake which he accepted.
"Of course. I hope to see you again in school." Responding in a tone that he hoped was amicable enough, he could finally see how tall the professor was in comparison to him. Opening the door, his eyes followed the professor's back as he walked away. Taking a turn towards the stairs he sighed in relief as a familiar crack greeted his ears. He closed the door immediately.
Falling onto his bed, he looked at the rotating fan above him as he realized how tiring the day had been. He had finally experienced apparition, found that he had a large fortune from his mother, got a wand and a convenient holster for it, and also acquired a good sword to kill the monster easily without his powers. Although it was short, it was still as sharp like most, if not more than most.
Taking the water bottle nearby that had cooled enough for him to drink some of it, he opened the cap and lifted it to take a sip. Holding it up in his right hand, he could see the silver ring in his hand shining in the light of his room.
Realizing with a start that he was starting to actually get excited about school, he felt the water spit out of his mouth in his shock. Coughing, he sat in his bed before his gaze slowly wandered toward the calendar. He smiled as he read the date.
Almost 3 weeks left for his school year to start.
A.N.= Finally done. And this was a large jump in the word count. A whopping 11 thousand words were not what I had expected when I started writing it. I think it was the small casual detains I put in which increased the count this much. In my opinion, the little details felt good and made the story feel more realistic.
Story wise, it looks like Percy got a wand, found out he has a fortune from a father he would rather not talk to and a new sword that is dangerous enough to kill him if he doesn't use it carefully because power always comes with a catch.
Also, the 3rd demiwizard is coming in the next chapter and as I said before, it's not a main character like Harry or Ron or even Draco. Just wait for the chapter and you shall see.