"Well, go on, then," Percy said, still beaming like an idiot.
"Er... Well, don't you think it's a bit... dodgy... that she just welcomes you into this home," I said, trying to explain it slowly so the message would hit Percy in the face. "Not even knowing who you are, and well... You know-?"
"Her father's just died," Percy said. Merlin, I wish he'd wipe that stupid grin from his face. "She thinks allowing me to stay will do good for both of us, since we've just suffered painful losses... But you're back!"
"She reckons it's good for her, huh?" I said, sounding a bit venomous. Her father DID die... Fuego died.
"Yeah," Percy said, still with that idiotic smile.
"Percy, has anything weird happened here? Anything at all?" I asked, desperate for a way for him to see the problem.
"No," he answered, but he looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Okay, yeah. She asks a whole lot of questions... and usually I wake up, with absolutely no knowledge of how I ended up falling asleep..."
"What kind of questions?" I demanded.
"Dunno, that's what I just said. I can't remember," Percy shrugged. "Why are you so interested in her? Dude, I so saw her first, I've got dibbs, you can't take her."
"Percy," I said, taking his shoulders firmly and shaking him slightly. I had given up on any form of beating around the bush. "She's the enemy. I saw her attack Delian and Ellie and the others! She's Fuego's daughter!"
Percy looked at me like I just said something like, "I'm a pretty, pretty pincess with a unicorn horn and ickle butterfly wings that take me to the Retarded Ghetto Queen of the Sewers of Wonderland."
"Dude," he said slowly, like he was talking to a particularly slow numskull. "No. Fierra's on the good side. I understand why you're all paranoid, I mean, you've just been killed for the third time, and I've got all these nightmares-"
"I am NOT being paranoid!" I yelled, cutting him off. "Wait, what nightmares?"
"Nightmares about her being evil," Percy said cheerfully. "Dude, you're squeezing the life out of my shoulders. Do you want me to be Shoulder Lifeless?"
I let go of his shoulders but continued to stare at him.
"She. Is. Evil," I said. "Why not try a bottle of Veritaserum on her? Then she'll tell you herself!"
"Right," he answered distractedly as he dusted off his robes. "Yeah. Now come on, follow me. Maybe Deveraux has a sort of potion for you to chill out..."
And with that, he strode casually out of the room.
Percy's POV
I don't know what Harry's so anxious about. Yeah, I had my suspicions of Fierra, but, I mean... Fuego's daughter? That's far-fetched. Harry's imagination seems to have gotten the better of him.
I led him through the castles, looking for Deveraux as I went. I ignored all his warnings and protests - "She's evil, Percy, you'll see... Honestly, we should get out of here, Perce" - The poor boy must have been really injured when he died. Does that make sense?
"Percy, listen to me!" Harry had a note of irritation in his voice now, and when he looked at me, I felt my insides turn cold at his deadly glare. "Ellie, Delian, Hermione, Ron, Annabeth and Grover are all trapped down in a dungeon because Fierra trapped them! And all the coincidences... Her father died... that's FUEGO. And look all the red, and her flame-like name... FIRE, FIERRA, FUEGO. Connect the dots!"
"Absurd," I muttered. On the inside, though, I was starting to have my doubts and suspicions again. Harry made some very good points... But how can someone as charming and sweet as Fierra be evil?
"Percy?"
She stepped out into the hall, and her eyes widened in horror as she saw who I was with. I quickly looked over at Harry, and he too was staring at her in shocked terror.
"Fierra, my friend Harry," I mumbled slowly.
Fierra seemed to take a few seconds to collect herself, staring at Harry. She looked straight into my eyes and said, "Harry...? I... you can't mean Harry Potter! You told me he was dead!"
"Yes," I said, entranced by her vivid eyes. They burned with feisty passion... I mean, really. There seemed to be tongues of fire in her eyes. "I thought he was... but something happened, and he's here. He didn't die after all."
Harry looked sleepy, and he was gazing out at an open window. He seemed to be in a trance, and I noticed flames dancing in his eyes, reflecting Fierra's...
"He seems to be under the impression that you're evil," I said with a chuckle. "I told him he was absurd."
And now, I believed that he really was absurd. Gone were my suspicions and doubts; they vanished instantly as I gazed into the depths of her flaming eyes...
"Oh, we can't have that," Fierra hissed, looking from Harry to me. "I should better take him with me, Perce. I'll give him something to soothe him, yes?"
"Good idea," I said, nodding stupidly.
"Right," she said, smiling sweetly. "Well then, off you go, Percy, you may explore the castle if you like, so long as you do not enter my wing."
"Of course, m'lady," I said, bowing and heading off into the other direction. Turning, I saw Harry follow her into a dark hallway... with a stab of envy...
Harry's POV
I suddenly felt as light as a feather, and I wanted to move, but couldn't seem to remember how to. Flames were flickering in her eyes, and that's all I could see...
"Follow me," she hummed, and I followed after her without really meaning to. My legs just started moving, happy to finally be able to stretch out and exercise.
I followed her down a long, dark corridor that twisted and turned. Finally, we entered a cavernous room that had about twenty different doors. The floor shone, and odd words were sparkling up at me:
"Gniw reh si siht dna chtib yttuls live na si Arreif."
"Over here," Fierra instructed, and she brought me into a short, stone room with torches lit with purple fire lining the walls. She shoved me in and I suddenly felt the urge to fight. She stepped out of the room and looked at me from outside the door.
"Flaming Eye is a neat little trick, isn't it?" she said, smirking at me. "By looking into your eyes long enough, I make you lose your minds. I've been using it on Percy after giving him the Rewoprepus potion."
"Whassat?" I demanded.
"Rewoprepus potion? Oh, it's a handy little trinket. Give some to Percy, his defenses weaken, allowing me to use Flaming Eye on him easier, and he tells nothing but the truth, and it makes him go into a deep sleep where he dreams of things that will open him up even more to the truth. The best part? He won't remember what I don't want him to."
"You foul, loathsome evil little cockroach," I said through gritted teeth, quoting Hermione when she punched Malfoy back in third year. Ah, such good memories."Why are you doing this?"
"Father wished me to," she answered. "But something went wrong, you see. There were two plans. Plan A: You win against them, attain dimensional domination. Plan B: You lose, I use Percy to attain dimensional domination. But you see, you weren't supposed to survive."
"Well, of course I wasn't," I said through gritted teeth. "So your little plan is ruined, huh? What do you plan to do? Kill me yourself?"
"Tempting," Fierra said, smirking evilly. "And I can definitely do it myself. You see, I, unlike my father, have mastered many more techniques in the powers of flame. I could take you down easily."
"I'd like to see you try," I snarled. I resented her very much, but even so, I didn't know what was fueling me to taunt her like that.
She let out an echoing laugh. "Brave, aren't you?" she said. "You would've made a great Ultima, if only you understood. But, sadly, you don't.
"It is not my job to kill you. I need Percy to do it. He will be strengthened greatly, and once he has summoned enough hatred in him to kill you, he will be ready to become Ultima."
"That's the plan?" I scoffed, trying to make her angry. "What? Didn't your father have any plans for you? Why can't you become Ultima, then?"
"Because," she said shortly, and I noticed she looked very put off. I smiled, knowing I finally managed to make her angry.
"Do you honestly think Percy will kill me, though?" I asked, with a slightly cocky smirk.
"I'll build up the hate in him," Fierra said haughtily. "I'll watch the anger and resentment expand, until it becomes pure evil. You just wait, Harry Potter. Percy Jackson will be the death of you."
She turned on her heel and walked away, fuming.
Percy's POV
The palace was a lot bigger than it seemed.
There was a hallway with just about a hundred different doors, and I opened them all one by one, leading me into peculiar places. One led me into a room with a huge pool of lava in it, another led me into a room filled with broken ornaments, and still another brought me into the lair of a gigantic dragon in a state of deep sleep.
I found a door that was enfused with glittering bloodred gems. Hesitantly, I wrenched it open and found myself in the most interesting room yet.
The room was completely empty, except for a huge golden bowl in the middle. I cautiously approached it, and when nothing happened, I tapped it lightly with my finger.
A huge blue fire burst from it, causing me to jump a few feet. The flame settled, floating inches above the golden bowl and danced in a menacing way. A flurry of eerie voices filled the room, calling out to me...
"Perseus Jackson... Percy... Percy... Percy... Son of Poseidon... The natural enemy... Percy... Percy... Percy..."
Then the voices abruptly stopped, and a single ominous voice spoke out.
"Flummoxed, befuddled, confused And allied with the worst, Percy Jackson wrongly perused And therefore he has been cursed.
Not with the kind of curse that haunts, One that will despair him ever more,
If he gives in to the taunts,
He will be rotten to the core.
Ignoring his friend's pleads That was the first strike, Twice more, he will need To prevent chaos and the like."
The blue fire flickered off and the room was shrouded in a cold, ominous darkness. I stared, transfixed, at the golden bowl, wondering what it meant. I was painfully reminded of Rachel, and her prophecies...
Suddenly, a hand wrenched me back and the last thing I saw before blacking out was strong, red fire.
-oOo-