Okay, this isn't the last part yet. But be prepared. This part is pretty awesome.
Disclaimer: I only own Divitio, Zalphia, Elypsa, Deliantex, the Umbrae, the Darkness Warriors... Well let's just say I don't own HP and PJO! -oOo-
Harry's POV
"Kill Deliantex and company," Fuego said with an evil glint in his eyes.
Fury coursed through my body. I felt my blood boil up, like I was about to erupt like a volcano. What could I do? Did I even have that kind of power? Could I really defeat Deliantex... Elypsa... Percy? Was I really considering this?
"What will it be, Mr. Potter?" Fuego taunted. "Shall I destroy your friends?"
The storm in me didn't die down. I felt like my mind was going to explode to bits. I had two choices. Both meant destruction of my friends.
I weighed out the pros an cons. If I destroyed Delian, Ellie and Percy, the Darkness Warriors will attack Divitio and the worlds will cease to exist. If I didn't, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna will be killed, and the Darknss Warriors will TRY to kill Delian, Ellie and Percy, and they'll probably win. There are thousands of them.
Basically, if I save Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna, and destroy Ellie, Delian and Percy, the only difference would be that it'd be easier for the Darkness Warriors to wreak havoc. "Once you agree to destroy them," Fuego said with fake patience in his voice, "the Darkness Warriors will obey your every command."
"I can't," I mumbled.
"So... Should I kill your wizard friends, then? Don't worry... I'll make it loooong and painful."
"No!" I said, shaking with anger and confusion. "I... I don't think I have the power to defeat Delian, Ellie and Percy. They're strong. And Ellie taught me everything I know."
"Oh, sure you can, Harry," Fuego said, as if he was a father encouraging his son. "Never say never."
"I..." didn't know what to do.
Fuego was obviously losing his cool. "Perhaps I should make this easier for you," he sneered. He flicked his hand and my friends once again appeared on the floor. "Crucio," he whispered loudly.
Everyone writhed and thrashed in pain, screaming and yelling. I wanted to save them. It was awful watching them like that. I felt so useless. I had to save them.
"Alright, alright!" I said, giving up. My friends stopped yelling and all looked at me, shocked. I hung my head in defeat. Fuego flicked his hand again and my friends disappeared. "Handy little trinkets, those spells of your world," Fuego chuckled evilly. "So. Because I'm dying tomorrow, I need to be sure you'll finish the deed. Do I have your word?"
My head was going to explode.
"I...er..." "Shall I bring your friends out again for a little...ah, fun?" Fuego sneered.
"No," I muttered.
"Then do I have your word, Mr. Potter?"
"...Yes. I will finish the deed," I stated, looking at the ground.
"Perfect," Fuego said gleefully, like a kid getting a giant lollipop. "I shall ready the arrangements. Celex will watch over you. He's head Umbrae, you see. Now, Mr. Potter, don't let me down. Ah, it's midnight. First day of Salza. Goodbye, my successor."
And with that, he disappeared in a flash of lightning.
Luckily, Fuego knew nothing of Unbreakable Vows.
Percy's POV
The first day of Salza.
Delian, Ellie and I were prepared for anything. But nothing happened. Days came and went. We were forced to believe Harry was... gone. For eternity.
Fuego said he was due to die on the first day of Salza. That was three days ago, now. But what about Harry? Ellie and Delian really believe he died... But I couldn't.
Fuego's words repeated themselves in my mind:
"Join the dark side, Percy," he growled. "You'll become leader of the Darkness Warriors. Picture it... A whole army of specially trained ninjas of darkness at your command. You can become Ultima, together with Harry Potter. The Two of Destiny, the Ultima. You will become even stronger. There will be no Deliantex to hold you back."
Fuego wanted me and Harry to join the dark side. What if...
I shuddered. I was on the edge of my usual training cliff, alone. I sat and stared at the horizon.
"Percy."
I turned around. Delian was standing next to me, looking a little worn out and stressed.
"We took you here to help us defeat Fuego," he said. "But it seems that is no longer necessary. Perhaps it is time for you to go back to your home land."
"But Fuego said-" I started.
"We know what he said," Delian cut me off. "But he's dead. And Harry is gone. The war is over. It didn't seem like much, but Fuego was unable to convince you to join him."
I looked at the ground.
"How can you be so sure," I said, standing up, "that Harry is... dead?"
Delian looked at me with a look that said "Please don't make me go through this. I don't want to believe it, but he's dead. End of story."
"He isn't," I said. "I just know he isn't."
"But where could he be?" Delian replied. "There's no other possibility."
I hung my head in defeat. Maybe they were right. Maybe Harry was...
"I kind of miss Camp Halfblood," I mumbled. "Alright, I'll go home. But if anything goes wrong... I want a clear way to be able to go back to this place."
Delian nodded. "I'll send a Shadow Figure to escort you. Use him to get back if ever."
"Mmmkay," I nodded. I walked a few steps pass him and looked back. "Thanks," I murmured. He smiled and nodded. I made my way back to our... I mean, my mansion.
Looks like I'm going home.
Harry's POV
Zalphia was an awful, dreary place.
Everywhere I go, darkness surrounds and engulfs me. There was just no way out. Celex, the head Darkness Warrior accompanied me everywhere, as if I would do something to save Hermione, Ron and the others and get out of there.
I did consider that, but it was hopeless.
When Fuego died, I felt regret and fear. I didn't want to destroy Deliantex. I couldn't. But I had to.
The second day, I felt a little better. One half of me accepted it in a way. I didn't want to do it. And yes, I still had to.
The third day came. I was walking along the dark passages of Zalphia alone when Celex appeared in front of me, making me jump. He reminded me of Nico shadow traveling.
"You didn't have to scare me like that," I muttered.
"Old Master said I should look after New Master," Celex said. "He might do something that upsets Old Master." "Old Master is dead," I muttered, walking past him. He followed me anyway. "And besides, what can I do? There's really no hope for me. When do we even begin our attack on Divitio?"
"When the time is right, sir," Celex said.
I felt pathetic, being called "sir." As if I was someone to look up to. As if I wasn't someone about to totally betray my friends and ensure the fall of the worlds.
"When will the time be right, then?" I asked, annoyed. "And what can I do while waiting?"
"The time will be right soon, sir," Celex answered. "You can train and prepare for the meantime. I think that will be good for you, sir. Get your mind off things. Cool off you brain."
"Alright," I muttered. "Where? Take me there."
Celex led me through areas that all looked the same to me. It was dark, of course. But then he led me into a wide, sunlit meadow that looked out of place.
"This is the Meadow of Petra," Celex explained. "Only place to survive during the Wrath."
The Wrath... when Fuego destroyed Zalphia.
I trained and mastered all my moves, with Celex watching me closely. He seemed to be very interested in my moves. I released my Essence and sharpened its strengths and weaknesses.
After two hours of training, I sat down on the ground next to the stone Celex was sitting on. He looked like all the other Darkness Warriors. Humanoid figures made of pure darkness.
"I have a question for you, Celex," I said, wiping sweat off my forehead. "You have to promise to answer it."
He turned to look at me. "Of course, master."
I looked up at the only piece of sunlit sky in Zalphia, breathing in the fresh air.
"Why did you join forces with Fuego? Are you really evil, Celex? All of the Darkness Warriors?"
It was a dangerous question, but I knew Celex wasn't going to attack me. I was their leader now, after all. And the Darkness Warriors didn't seem evil. They joked and laughed, and they were actually kind of cool with me.
Celex sighed. "No," he said. "No, master. The Darkness Warriors do not want evil. But we cannot choose, we have no right to. We obey our master's commands."
My eyes widened. "But I'm your master now!" I said, standing up. "I can set you free, can't I?"
Celex frowned. "Very kind of you, master," he said, "But I'm afraid you can't. Fuego's final order was to ensure you obey his order. So unless you get killed by that Delian fellow, the worlds will end. Except Zalphia, of course. It is the world that has no future. That is why it never heals from the Wrath."
I sat back down and sighed. "But you still have to obey all my other orders?" I asked.
"Yes, sir," Celex answered.
"Is it possible to evacuate all other existing life forms into Zalphia?" I asked doubtfully.
"Zalphia is in ruin, sir," Celex said. "It cannot hold that much life."
"Well then, Celex," I said, standing back up again. "I only have one request."
Percy's POV
I made it to Camp Halfblood with Zork, my Umbrae body, at around ten in the evening.
Everything seemed fine, except that there were no campers around. They all seemed to be asleep. I walked towards the Big House with Zork silently following behind me.
"You don't talk much, do you?" I asked him.
Zork simply shook his head.
"Why not?" I asked him. "Can't Umbrae talk? I mean, the one that captured me seemed to be screaming or something."
"That was me," Zork said, and I was surprised to hear a British accent, sort of like Harry's. "That screaming was called Kurdling, we do it when we attack."
"Hey, you can talk after all!" I said.
"We are not illiterate, Percy," Zork said, making me feel kind of stupid. When we made it to the Big House, Chiron, Annabeth and Grover were inside, talking. I listened to them before revealing myself. They seemed to be discussing something important.
"Three days after Salza," Chiron said. "We haven't been able to contact Divitio yet."
"We have to try again," Annabeth pleaded. Aw, she was worried about me. "We have to. I'm worried about Harry."
Whoa. Wait. What? She was worried about... Harry? Has she even met him? I leaned in closer to listen harder.
"Yeah, Chiron," Grover said, "What if Harry's, like... dead or something?"
I walked into the room, confused. Everyone turned to look at me, and they froze like statues in disbelief. Then Annabeth gave me one of her famous tackle-hugs.
"Percy, oh my gods," she said, standing up. "You're okay."
"Is Harry okay?" Grover asked.
"Wait. How do you even know Harry?" I asked in confusion.
"Take a seat, Percy," Chiron instructed me. "We'll explain everything."
"Whoa," I breathed after they explained what happened. "Harry ended up here? How?"
"I think that while Fuego was travelling between Divitio and his destination," Chiron said, "He accidentally let go of Harry and by chance, the boy ended up here."
"And he was kidnapped by Fuego again?" I asked.
"Yeah," Annabeth nodded. "It was awful."
"Well then," I said, standing up. "Where's Harry now? I've got to get back to Divitio. Zork!"
"Yes?" Zork said, appearing behind me. "Get me to Divitio," I said, "fast."
"Wait," Annabeth said, holding me back by the wrist. "We're coming with you."
"Yeah, Perce," Grover said. "We want in."
"Alright," Chiron said. "We should make this a Quest. Someone go get the prophecy."
"No need," I said. "We're going to Divitio, remember?"
Chiron nodded. "Okay," he said. "Be careful. We have no idea what Fuego planned. He may be gone now, but he's a tricky one. Good luck, demigods."
"Thanks," Annabeth, Grover and I all said together.
We grabbed hold of Zork and he poofed us back into Divitio, right on the training cliff. Ellie and Delian were there. They looked surprised to see us. "Percy?" Delian said. "What are you doing here?"
We explained everything to Delian and Ellie, who both listened intently.
"But that brings us back to where we were!" Ellie groaned in exasperation after we explained the whole story. "Harry could still be dead! Or..."
But then the sky turned dark and a green swirly swirl thing appeared in the sky. It lowered itself down to the ground, and out came... Harry... Or at least a form of Harry that looked like a green ghost, like his Essence.
Harry's POV
"I need a way to contact them, Celex," I said. "Is there anyway to make that possible?"
Celex stood up. "Perhaps there is a way, Master," he said. "But you will only have a few minutes. Five at the maximum. Will that be enough?"
"Yes," I said. "I need to warn them."
"Okay, sir," Celex said. "I will open a portal and you must walk through. You will appear there as a Pher, something like your Essence... a ghost-like thing. Pass your message and return as soon as the light flickers."
I nodded and stepped forward. Celex chanted things that sounded like banana and stuff, and I watched as he opened his arms and he became a huge, green portal.
Why is it always green?
For a moment, I stood there, dazed, but then, I remembered what I had to do. I walked through and found myfelf on the cliff in Divitio, surrounded by Percy, Delian, Ellie, Annabeth, Grover and an Umbrae, all staring at me with disbelief.
"Dude," Percy said, "You're..."
"A ghost!" Grover cried. "Are you dead?"
"No, but there's no time to explain that," I said hurriedly. "I came here to warn you."
"About what?" Ellie asked, clutching her brother's arm.
"About Fuego?" Annabeth asked. "Isn't he dead? Where are you?"
"I have to kill you," I said. "I mean, I have to try."
Everyone stared at me in shock. "What?" Delian asked after some awkward silence.
"It's the only way to save my friends," I said. "The Darkness Warriors are under my command. They're good, but they have to obey their master's orders. Fuego's final order for them was to ensure that I do the deed and help to destroy you."
"Harry..." Ellie said miserably. "I'm so, so sorry."
"You guys, the only way to save the future of the worlds and my friends is to kill me. Please."
"What?" Annabeth asked, horrified.
"Dude, you've got to be kidding me," Percy said. "I mean... uh... Kill you? That's just..."
"It's the only way," I said. The green light around me flickered. "I've got to go."
"Wait, Harry," Percy said, but it was no use. I had to leave now.
I walked out of the portal and found myself in Zalphia, next to a tired looking Celex.
"Master," he breathed. "Such bravery... We are honored to be under your command."
-oOo-
Courage doesn't mean having no fear. It means having fears... but being able to overcome them for the good of others.
Harry shows true courage.
Keep the reviews coming! I'm so pumped for the next chapter!