So chapter 2 is a go. I hope you will enjoy it as much as the last.
Also I would like to thank all of you for reading my story and a special thanks to the few of you who took the time to review.
I do not own anything. J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan do.
Dumbledore's POV
It was five years ago that Aurelia Potter went missing.
The then eight year old girl had escaped police and society after brutally murdering her aunt and uncle.
And he couldn't stop blaming himself for how every thing played out. He had seen the whole evening in young Dudley's mind who had hidden upstairs.
He was the one who had decided to leave the child with her relatives in hopes of protecting her from evil. Now it seemed as if he himself had put the evil inside a loving family, not knowing that he ruined their lifes with his actions that day. They even warned him, saying she was a freak, and he disregarded their concerns to manaphobic behaviour and envy.
He felt as if he truly failed his late friends James and Lily Potter that fate full night. He should have seen the evil that most certainly was left on their child's mind by Voldemort. Maybe he could have done something then, but now it was too late to help, the evil already has festered into something incurable, as the murder of her relatives clearly showed.
Not only the lifes of a married couple, but also the famed Girl-Who-Lived were lost. Which led him to the prophecy, he must have misunderstood it. Aurelia Potter could not be the proclaimed saviour, but as far as he knew Neville Longbottom could also fit the terms of the prophecy. He must be the Chosen One instead of Aurelia Potter.
And now it was his task to end what he himself set into motion, he would bring an end to the corrupted girl and prepare young Neville for his destiny.
He had to keep his eyes open and investigate every single trace he could find of Aurelia in both magical and muggle society, he would find her and right the wrongs he caused to happen.
Thinking about Aurelia always reminded him painfully of what happened with his once best freind Gellert Grindelwald, and for him that was all the more reason to find her quickly.
But first he would have to wait for something to happen, for her to make a mistake, so his main focus would be on Magical Britain's future saviour as it had been for the last five years.
Neville's third year would soon begin, and he couldn't afford to lose their concentration now.
He prayed to the gods for guidance through the dark days and hard choices which lay before him.
...
Aurelia's POV
It's been five years since she left her old life, and three since she left Britain for good.
It was a rather strange occurrence which led her to America and to where she was standing now.
...
It was a cold and rainy night as she came upon an opening in a cliff well hidden from the eye and marked with a strange symbol over the entrance. Curiously and in search for shelter, she entered what seemed to be a human made tunnel.
After walking for about half an hour aimlessly through what she soon realised was some sort of maze she had to, grudgingly, admit to herself that she was hopelessly lost.
I bet the one who built this thought he just invented the rad anew 'Hey let's build a maze, ok? Where? Oh, how about that cliff over there, no objections? Well then let's start!' - Aurelia sarcastically commented in her mind.
Not even her superior senses could help her finding a way out, in these dark tunnels where everything looked so similar and the air hadn't shifted in what seemed to be centuries she couldn't orientate like she would be able to in a forest.
After another hour of wandering she started to become desperate in finding her way out, not minding a little rain that much anymore.
She felt herself fall into a panic, not liking the closeness of the walls and the lack of nature in this place, so she started to run down the dark corridors, taking turns at random until she reached, what appeared to be a clearing better suited for a lively forest than an underground maze, full of various animals and plantlife including trees.
"Ah, would you see what we have here?" - A voice sounded from behind her.
In shock she quickly whipped around into a crouch, focusing her gaze on the strange new man now in front of her, ready to strike with her claws extended.
And he was strange his upper body was free of any clothing displaying the toned and muscular body of a runner, and beneath that he had those goat legs she had seen on a few people before who would always flee as soon as they caught her scent, sometimes they were the in company of others, non half goats, sometimes not.
But he wasn't one of them, so much she could tell, he reeked of power and the very nature. He looked endless, eternal, wise and wild watching her with brown intelligent eyes. In his presence the predator inside of her retreated back to the darker corners of her mind.
"What reason would one of your kin have to be here in my sanctuary, monster?" - He spoke with authority in his voice.
At that she could only flinch, - It is what I am, my body makes me a freak and the predator in my mind makes me a monster. - She thought sadly to herself.
"I got myself lost in this maze, sir. Could you please help me find my way out?" - Aurelia replied as politely as she could to his question, losing her guard knowing that there was no way she could defeat or escape this man if he wanted to harm her, that being said, she wouldn't go down without a fight but there was no reason to give him the idea that it was better to smite her than not.
"How odd, a monster which can't see through the Labyrinth, that shouldn't be ... well it shouldn't be possible..." - The man mused to himself - "... unless you're not a monster... hmm... that's it, you can't be a monster, at least not a common one, which leads us to the next question. The question of what you are?" - His interest was obviously roused.
Becoming more daring at not having been smite by now, and also taking a liking on him despite herself, she answered – "Well to begin with my name is Aurelia, Aurelia Potter." - Which caused a loud laugh to break out of him.
Smiling he said – "Pleasure to meet you Aurelia, my name is Pan the God of the Wild and Lord of Satyrs."
"Nice to meet you Pan." – Somehow the thought of gods being real and further more meeting one didn't shock her as much as it maybe should have, but reflecting on what she had seen the past two years gods were just the next link in an endless chain.
"Aurelia do you know what you are?" - He inquired, wanting to know, fascinated by the young girl. He could smell the powerful scent of monster on her but there was something else to it something he hadn't smelled in a thousand years.
The answer he got was one he didn't expect – "I am what you called me before, a monster, a freak, a mistake of nature."
She said this with so much self loathing that he began to wonder what her story was, and looking in her orange eyes he finally saw what she was.
A being divided in itself much like a demigod, only with the difference that a demigods divine half didn't see the other half as food.
She was a Half-Blood of a different kind, she was a demi-monster. For such a thing to happened it would require a powerful monster, strong in mind and body, not to kill the other parent before the child was conceived and with genes potent enough to mix with the human's.
He felt pity for her, the only ones with worse lifes than demigods were half monsters. Cursed to never find a place to belong to they either choose suicide or more often, to lose themselves in their own darkness.
"Believe me when I say that nature does not make mistakes, and besides, I do think I know what you are." - He smiled at her.
He didn't want that sort of thing happened to her, he wanted to help her, for he could feel that she was a part of the Wild, she just had to fuse her two halves and become one. If she succeeded in that there was no doubt in him that a great destiny would await her. One full of hardship but great none the less.
He spoke in a kind voice – "Girl how about me teaching you about this world of ours? Then after I am done training you I will show you the way out of the Labyrinth?"
Can I trust him? – Aurelia pondered – Do I even have a choice, it's not as if I could find my way out alone?
"If you don't want to I'll still take you out of here." – Pan interrupted her thoughts, knowing what was going on in her head.
Taking some time to consider her options, finding that she trusted him which was strange for her, she came to a decision – "I would very much like to learn from you, Pan."
"Then it is decided during the next few years, I will teach you all you need to know about the gods, how to defend yourself and about the wild, but most important I will teach you about yourself, of what you are and how to merge with your other more primal half".
He was a friendly, good soul she saw that but nonetheless she felt that for the foreseeable future she would come to know another side of him, the one she only caught a glimpse of when she first lay eye upon him.
That was how she came to the U.S.A after training under the god Pan for three years.
...
During those years of training she discoverd many truths about herself, for example that she could use magic what leaded to her training getting an additonal subject called Nature Magic, also she became one with her other half. She accepted that she was neither human nor monster. She knew that there would be no mercy from demigods and monster alike for her, but she was ready. At least she thought so.
In the mornings Pan showed her how to defend herself using a staff, saying that she couldn't always relay on her claws in a fight, he even created one for her using his goldly powers. What he also created was a tough training schedule to advance her body, which included climbing, running then later climbing and running with stones on her back as she grew stronger.
In the afternoon Pan would teach her one of the various subjects she apparently had to know like ancient greek, maths and biology. She wasn't very good with either of them but the basics came through to her.
The evenings were fully commited to merging herself and the beast in her. Learning that she was part monster was somehow relieving for her, now she knew that she was not a freak that she was just a part of this world as any other.
Nevertheless the first time she came face to face with her other half she was deadly afraid and it attacked her sensing her fear, the next few times weren't exactly better but she made prosses.
On weekends Pan would show her magic, how to use it and how to use it the most efficiently. She was a natural at it. Magic came to her like breathing to normal humans. Where she needed a focus, like her staff, at the beginning she could now work most her magic without one, well Nature Magic at least.
They even tested out her monster abilities. She definetly was stronger and faster than your average demigod, she had retractable claws out of celestial bronze, with which she was rather good in fighting, and advanced senses like hearing, sight and her sense of smell, but the most useful was her very skin which worked like a decent armour shielding her from cuts and harm.
In the long nights inside of the Labyrinth they told each other storys both sad and good, being happy to finally having someone to share and feel with after a long time.
...
Laying on her back next to Pan in the green grass of Pan's chamber turned clearing Aurelia asked – "Why did you choose to teach me?"
"As I said before you're a nice girl." - He answered grinning.
"Yeah but you didn't know me then. I want to know the reason why you decided to keep me, a potential threat to your peaceful sanctuary, around."
"This has bugged you for some time hasn't it?" – Pan smiled at her, before turning serious. - "The reason is rather simple, I saw inside you what the Wild truly stands for. Both aspects, the dangerous and peaceful, that make nature so wonderful. I could then and still now can see a great destiny laying in front of you." - As he spoke she could again feel the wisdom of the wild in him.
Feeling embarrassed she quickly tried changing the subject before he could continue, now convinced it wasn't out of pity, or at least only pity that he took her in. - "So did you see the deers did today? One would think they had learned from the last time..."
...
Standing in front of one of the entrances to Daedalus' Labyrinth was a tall blond girl. Her skin had a soft tan and her bare arms showed that she was well in form. With 5'6 she also was quite tall for a girl her age.
But what caught the attention of anybody who ever looked at her, were her eyes. Her once beautiful emerald green eyes were now a light reflecting orange with slightly slit pupils. Still beautiful, but another kind of beauty, one that told of danger and passion.
She was clad in a green tunic, a leather pelt with a small pouch attached to it, and brown leather sandals. In her right hand she held a long staff.
Not ideal cothing for a winter night like this, but cold and warmth mean little when you can cast simple heating or cooling charm.
She was a confident, strong, and she admitted to herself, slightly arrogant thirteen year old girl. Her name was Aurelia Potter, student of the god Pan the Lord of the Wild, daughter of a monster.
Stepping outside into the cold she muttered something and near instantly she was enveloped by warmth.
Not knowing where to go she decided to take a look around. After a few minutes of wandering she came to the edge of the woods and saw herself facing a cliff and on it a group which consisted of three teenagers who must be demigods judging by their smell and usage of archaic weapons and what was clearly a satyr fighting a battle against the one and only Manticore.
The small army of monsters closing in on them certainly did not help their chances of survival, but just as it looked like they were done for, tghe fighting was interrupted by the a loud call of a hunting horn cutting through the night air.
The hunt just arrived on scene, which meant nothing good for all monsters, males and half-monsters, today represented by her, present.
...
Thank you for reading and please review and tell me what you think.
M23