A/N: Thanks for all the alerts and favoriting. Biggest response yet. But remember to review. Even if I'm not one of the whiners that say "10 reviews or I don't rite anymorez. Lolz!", feedback is good. Hope you enjoy the story. By the way, this is the last major time skip for awhile.
Disclaimer: I'm not putting any more up. Everyone should know that I don't own Harry Potter by now.
Harry couldn't believe how long it had been. He had awoken in Ancient Greece fourteen years ago, and had unexpectedly found himself raising a child a year and a half after he had arrived. Thera had indeed turned out to be an extraordinarily powerful witch, and he suspected that she was more than capable of bypassing the level Dumbledore had reached before his death.
She was certainly a more attentive pupil than he had been during his own education, and she, much like Herpo, took to magic instantly. Harry suspected that she would be more than able to hold her own against his former apprentice should she be threatened, and when she gained experience she would be able to overpower him should he ever lose his wand.
But Thera wasn't his main priority at the moment, even if she was normally. The teenager had been left at home, as he was needed to put down an unusually aggressive sea serpent that had been terrorizing a small village a week away from Athens. He had just arrived and was currently marveling at the destruction the rampaging creature had caused.
It was odd that the gigantic, horse-faced creatures would be aggressive at all. Normally the only damage they caused was unintentional, such as the accidental destruction of a fishing boat. They were incredibly strong and their vast forms spanned more than a hundred feet from head to tail. The sea serpents had a thick body, and the smallest of the ones that he had seen were nearly as thick as the basilisk he had slain back in second year.
As Harry looked around, he wondered just how large this one was. It appeared that a small tidal wave had swept away the portions of the village closest to the forebodingly churning sea, and the wreckage and debris was scattered across the land. There were a few pale, bloated corpses strewn around the battered village. Harry idly wondered how they had been recovered from the sea so quickly, but decided that there were more important matters to attend to.
He frowned as one of the villagers ran up to him, frantically rambling about the beast and wildly waving his arms about. The wizard discreetly cast a calming charm on him, and was rather pleased when the man finally began to make sense.
"It surfaced right in front of my brother's boat, sir! He said that it charged into it and completely destroyed the boat, and even ate one of our men. The rest managed to drift back here, but it followed them and started flailing and making gigantic waves!"
Harry nodded, it seemed as though his suspicions were correct. "Could you tell me how large it was? It might help me make a plan for it."
The man nodded before he continued. "None of us ever saw the whole thing, since it only kept a bit of its body out of the sea at one time, but we could see some more of its body winding out of the water when it was leaving. I'd have to say that it was at least as long as about five of our fishing boats, and wider than two."
The wizard winced. If the villager had the measurements right, then this sea serpent was of a monstrous size even for its species. It was good that there were a good number of spells that would attract the sea serpent from distances more than twenty miles away. They had vast territories, but they usually stayed close to the shore. And that would serve to his advantage this time, since it would be eager to find out what was encroaching upon its territory. Of course it could want to find him and tear him apart, considering how aggressive it seemed to be.
But he didn't want the villagers to see anything they shouldn't. Only a few had ever seen him work magic, and most of those were now dead. If there was one thing Harry really didn't want, it was to be worshipped. He'd gotten enough of that for a few years after Voldemort had finally been killed.
"All right, I want you to gather up all the villagers and get them a mile or so away." Harry ordered. "This fight will be dangerous, and I don't want any more people getting hurt."
"I understand. We'll be gone in just a few minutes." The man said. He immediately ran off to gather the survivors of the village. They seemed to be experienced at this sort of thing, as they each gathered a small amount of food or other necessities and were off just as soon as the villager had said.
When he was confident they were far enough away, the wizard tapped each of his ears with his wand, deadening them to all but the most powerful sounds. He then walked down to the shore and dipped his wand into the slightly cold water. With a short stab of his wand, he whispered, "Clamorous!"
Even with the brunt of the spell being underwater he heard the massive blast of sound through his deafening charm. Harry was surprised that it had affected him, but didn't really care that much. He had pushed more power into it than necessary, and was certain that the serpent would be coming within a few minutes. They were fast swimmers, and he would be able to see the familiar looping coils a long time before it arrived.
In preparation of the difficult fight that was sure to come, Harry tried to move out of the serpent's range. If it tried to extend itself to far it would likely be beached, something that would make his victory much, much easier. He didn't want to be hit by a strike from the serpent, and if he got high enough ground it wouldn't be able to pull him closer with tidal waves either.
Eventually he settled on an area just below the unscathed portion of the village. He transfigured several things into thick walls of rock that would be capable of stopping the serpent if it struck, and would protect the rest of the village from most of the collateral damage.
He didn't have long to wait before he saw a set of looping coils moving towards him. From the distance he was at he couldn't accurately measure its size, but he began to set up a few rudimentary traps in the area it was likely to go to. The water was surprisingly deep around the village, so it wouldn't have much trouble getting close to him.
Just to be sure it knew where to find him he performed the same trick with the clamorous charm again, although he strengthened his defenses to it this time. Harry smirked in amusement as the creature's vast head, looking very small from the distance, erupted from the water and looked around before finally honing in on the source of the blast.
It seemed to swim to him with renewed vigor, and Harry felt a sinking in his stomach as he realized just how gigantic the serpent was. The beast had practically torn through the water, ignoring the slow, steady way sea serpents normally travelled in favor of pushing through with its own massive bulk. The motion was more of a snake's slithering crawl than looping its coils through the water.
The motion was much more powerful, and the serpent soon grew near. Harry paled as he saw the size of its jaws and the long, thick fangs that were exposed. They looked larger than the basilisk's, although they weren't nearly as deadly thanks to the lack of poison.
Harry forced any nervousness down. He might have never fought a sea serpent before, let alone one of this size, but it would not cow him. A few spells and his strategy would leave it no more dangerous than a flobberworm, albeit one a few thousand times larger than the norm.
When it tore into the bay with furious eyes and hissing in rage, Harry lazily flicked his wand. An explosion underneath the great beast forced a great amount of the sea bed upwards, the impact slightly stunning the serpent. When it was befuddled, Harry transfigured some of the sand near him into boulders, which he then used magic to hurl at the flailing serpent.
The wizard cursed as the boulders did nothing, the serpent's bulk causing them to be little more than pebbles. All his attack had done was reveal his location to him, and that was something the angry serpent took full advantage of with all of its rage.
Harry wasn't sure how it was intelligent enough to intentionally flail and create the powerful waves that crashed onto the shoreline, but didn't think that it was intentional. He'd never seen one of the serpents fight before, but they were supposed to be so gentle and large that they didn't need fighting instincts.
Those waves were mercilessly pounding against the rock walls he had created, and he wondered whether the destruction of the lower village had even been intentional. If it hadn't been for the wall the entire village would be dragged into the ocean.
It took awhile, but the serpent finally calmed down and was now merely glaring at Harry with serpentine eyes. He didn't bother coming up with some amusing one-liner, considering that his foe wouldn't even understand it.
Harry didn't bother using his wand for this. He raised his hand at the water, carefully building up the power within him. There was no spell powerful enough to achieve the same results as what he was about to do, and it had been awhile since he performed anything the old fashioned way.
With a feral grin on his face, Harry forced the power outwards. A blindingly bright bolt of lightning burst from his hand, crackling through the air until it finally meets water.
Even the wizard winced as he heard the keening cut of the serpent's enraged scream as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through it. It flailed wildly, producing a vast amount of disruption in the water. Harry pulled out his wand, preparing to weaken the beast just a little more when it regained control.
It pulled more – much more – of itself out of the bay, showing off its true size. The serpent reared back, and opened the massive jaws that looked as though they could swallow a cow whole, and screamed. Harry winces as its cry of rage washes over him, and he involuntarily stepped back in awe of the monstrous serpent.
Harry's awe turned to fear when it suddenly lunged, its long body allowing it to reach his defenses. It was too fast for him to dodge, but the rock wall saved him. Just like the basilisk when it attacked the statue of Slytherin, its hard skull crushed through the wall.
A bit of the shattered stone flew towards him, but a protego kept all but the smallest bits from getting through. He would be bruised the next morning, but those could easily be healed. When the serpent turned its head, the glaring blue eyes staring straight at him, he jumped out of the way just in time before it swung its massive head in a desperate attempt to attack him.
He quickly apparated to another area of the beach and sent another bolt of lightning into the churning sea. As the serpent roared futilely yet again, thrashing its entire body and nearly destroying the rock wall. Harry took advantage of its agony and sent several blasting curses at its long, twisting body.
Harry tried to keep it in the trap – whenever it looked to be recovering, Harry simply shot yet another bolt of lightning into the sea. It was quite effective, and very soon the sea serpent's strength seemed to be draining away. It's slick, dirty green hide was riddled with shallow wounds that slowly dripped scarlet blood into the ocean.
Still, the battle raged on for a very long time. The lightning always brought it down with pain, but it seemed to have very little real effect upon the monster. Harry didn't know how long he kept up the game, but it felt as though it were at least an hour of dodging, shocking, and blasting. Bright flashes of light and cries of rage and agony were all that he focused on, and that kept him alive. One last repeat of the lightning and blasting charms and the serpent finally collapsed.
Despite its blooded appearance, the serpent was still stronger than any creature had a right to be. It had nearly gotten him once when he had thought it was finally down before, turning its head with lightning speed and lunging at him while he had been dazed from apparition. He had barely dodged the gaping maw and was forced to apparate away as soon as he was able.
This time, however, he was more careful. The wizard leveled his wand at the creatures head as he slowly moved closer. Just to be safe, he shot another burst of lightning into the bay. It thrashed a bit, but it seemed to be too tired to attack him again. Harry was still ready to apparate, but he wanted to get close to it and see if it had anything that might be causing its rage.
Amazingly enough the cautious wizard managed to get within just a few feet from the serpent, more than close enough to examine it. He was aware of the ocean blue eyes glaring hatefully at him but dismissed it. So long as the monstrous creature didn't snap at him he was fine with it.
He didn't really know what he was looking for, just that he should keep an eye out for any injuries that weren't caused by his blasting charms.
It was a shame that there weren't many spells as brutally effective at fighting creatures with an innate magical resistance than the blasting charm. He had thought that there would be tons of spells that drew upon the elements that would work well, but the creatures' resistance dulled the magically created elements. The blasting charm, however, was simple to do and caused an explosion on impact. It still wasn't incredibly effective when it came to bringing down gigantic creatures like the sea serpent, but it was a more effective choice than anything else he had available…Aside from those bursts of lightning, that was.
Harry found himself admiring the sheer size and power of the creature as he slowly paced alongside it. It was much larger up close than even he had imagined, and it dwarfed the basilisk even when it came to length. The serpent was only slightly larger than Salazar's pet when it came to girth, but it was still ridiculously large. Had it been able to move effectively on land it would probably be able to plow through an entire village and hardly notice.
Something just felt off about it though. As he'd been thinking the entire time that he had been on this job, sea serpents never intentionally caused damage. And for this single serpent, which was monstrous even compared to the other massive examples of its kind, to be the only one to be on a rampage worried him. It didn't seem right. Perhaps its size had something to do with the rampage, but he couldn't confirm anything.
It was unfortunate that he had to kill such an astounding example of its species. They were rare enough as it was, and he didn't like having to take this one out of the breeding pool. But the potential danger of letting it free was much too high, and Harry wouldn't have the destruction of a town or village on his conscience.
Before he killed it though, he wanted to see what it felt like. This would hopefully be the last time he would ever have to fight one. He hadn't relished the experience at all and would try to avoid any aggressive sea serpents in the future. So he carefully stepped up to the side, ready to apparate away if he saw any sign of movement. The monster stayed docile, however, although it tensed when Harry laid his hand on its side.
Harry marveled at the feeling. It was covered with tiny scales, so small that they were practically invisible until he was just a foot away. They seemed much more like the smooth scales of a reptile or skin than the iridescent armor of some fish. The scales were somewhat slimy, and he reminded himself to vanish the slime that was stuck to his palm.
But there was something else there, some sort of underlying influence that wasn't physical, but mental and emotional. It felt as though it had firmly entrenched itself inside the great serpent, and he suspected that it was only his connection to magic that allowed him to feel it. Harry noticed that it was much easier to feel other magical beings' emotions when he was touching them in this time period, although everyone could do it back in his old time as well. It had always been a weak sense, but always present.
Unfortunately there wasn't enough information for him to come up with a hypothesis, so he prepared to do his duty. There wasn't anything he could do for the serpent, and he supposed that he would just have to ponder the mystery later.
He apparated away to an area far away from the doomed sea serpent and prepared to end it. Harry was aware that it had managed to detect his new location and was still staring at him with those hateful eyes, but ignored them. The creature would be at peace soon enough.
Harry aimed his hand at the bay one last time. The wizard noticed that it finally seemed to calm down as the serpent's fury was beaten out of it. Forcing a much greater amount of power into his streak of lightning than usual, the tired wizard watched as the lightning coursed through the monstrous sea serpent's body, causing it to spasm and thrash in agony for the last time.
Unlike the other short streams of lightning he had used, this one was both more powerful and fueled for a longer duration. It was not made to incapacitate, but to kill. The magic did its job well, finally bringing the broken serpent down after nearly half a minute of agony.
The wizard collapsed when it was over with and took a few minutes to rest. He cleaned himself off using several familiar charms that made him look good as new. Harry wished he had pepper-up potion or something else to reinvigorate him after battles. Unfortunately he lacked both the ingredients and the equipment, and still didn't know many of the magical plants of Greece. He'd had more important things to do.
When he felt better and cleaner Harry went down to the corpse. Just to make sure it was dead and wouldn't be in agony for the rest of its very short life, Harry cast a killing curse onto one of its blank blue eyes. The serpent didn't have any sort of reaction, so Harry was satisfied that he wouldn't be condemning it to horrific pain.
He took a moment to take some trophies from it – a few cutting curses got him a large square of its hide and it was easy enough to pull its fangs out – and shrunk them. Harry put the tiny items into the small bag on his waist. The wizard had finally managed to discover how to put a few basic enchantments on his items that wouldn't wear off quickly, and it was something he had used to the largest extent he could. Several bags were enchanted to hold several dozen times the amount of things he usually could, and a bit of clever spellwork made sure that he couldn't actually feel the weight.
Harry supposed that he was lucky in that no one in Athens would dare to steal from him. They were all too familiar with some of his abilities now, something that shrouded him in a cloak of fear and mystery to the average townsperson.
And in other places he travelled to the uncomfortable pressure that his magic exerted on the people unfamiliar with it – that is to say all of them – kept anyone that wasn't a witch or wizard away. They still gawked at him due to his unfamiliar looks, but nobody wanted to get close to him.
It was good that the villagers here were too busy and terrified to be affected by it or he might have had a difficult time talking to any of them. Perhaps they would react normally now that the danger had passed.
Harry decided to be helpful and with a few waves of his wand restored the upper portion of the village to the condition it had been in before the battle. He looked admiringly at his handiwork for a moment before returning to reality.
With a sigh he went off to find the villagers and report that the task had been completed. He was sure they would be happy about the serpent's corpse – it would be able to feed them very well until the meat went bad. They would certainly be having a feast to night.
X
Harry nodded at the exultant villagers to confirm the sea serpent's death, ignoring the frantic questions and cheers. They were less excited at the serpent's death than the fact that they would have plenty of food and materials to work with. It wasn't quite surprising, considering that they had gotten used to death over their lifetimes and the carcass would allow them to rebuild and possibly attract the travelling merchants that would want such rare materials.
But that wasn't his business. He'd completed his task, and he would be glad to rest for a while. Harry was still quite young by wizarding standards and there were no major physical changes that had occurred over the past decade, but the constant conflict had caused him to value the scarce moments of peace whenever he could.
The wizard nodded to the villager he had first spoken to one last time before leaving for Athens. It would be a long trip and he didn't enjoy leaving Thera alone for so long, but he had learned that it could be much more profitable to take the long road home. There were always opportunities to help people and remove some of the danger that persisted in haunting the roads of Greece.
The celebrating villagers barely even realized when the wizard left, too caught up in their joy to bother with their savior. Harry just smiled and swept away. He was used to this thing by now. His presence was uncomfortable for muggles, so they tended to ignore him whenever they were able.
Harry shrugged his thoughts away and continued on his journey. He didn't want Thera to get into too much trouble while he was gone.
XX
He grimaced as he pulled out a large piece of meat from his bag. The preservation and stasis charms had failed for some reason and the piece of meat – he remembered it being from some sort of boar – was discolored and had an unpleasant odor.
Harry wrinkled his nose as the full force of the odor reached his nose and tossed the meat into the small camp fire he had made a few moments ago. He heard a hiss as the bad meat was consumed by the flames and leaned back against the large rock he was sitting near to.
Only two days until he returned to Athens. He would probably be pestered by Thera for days until he finally taught her some new trick with magic. It was one of their little rituals that had emerged after he first left her in order to fulfill an important job – something about a marauding band of centaurs, although he couldn't remember the precise details.
The wizard smiled at his memories and closed his eyes. He was well-protected with a variety of the wards he had learned in his time as an auror and could more than adequately protect himself from any brigands that might be haunting the area.
Most wouldn't dare to attack him even if they could find him. Harry had become well-known during his time in Greece. Tales of the lone warrior that fought with the power of a god had become commonplace throughout the areas he visited and his legend had spread, although few could recognize him. He didn't even need to accept payment for his good deeds anymore – he just followed requests and rumors and vanquished whatever supernatural threat had appeared before vanishing.
Harry yawned and pulled himself out of his thoughts and memories. He had a long day ahead of him and should try to sleep as much as he could.
Suddenly a piercing screech split through his head. Harry instantly snapped to attention and kept a firm hold on his wand. That had been his proximity ward going off, warning him that someone – it wouldn't detect mere animals unless they were magical in some way – had entered his little campsite.
But it went blank a few moments later. Not even the faintest remnant of the shriek remained. Harry blanched when he realized what had happened. Something had destroyed his ward, an impressive feat even in his own time.
It took a lot to destroy a ward brought into being by a powerful wizard. The destroyer had to be either extremely powerful – at least in comparison to the caster, although the powerful magical creatures so abundant in this area due to its proximity to Melite's mountain could naturally disrupt them – or extremely skilled in regards to ward breaking. In this time any of those could be a threat.
Harry was alert and searched the area as more and more of his wards were simply extinguished. He was actually nervous for the first time in so many years, at least in regards to a combat situation. Whatever did this was powerful, and he doubted that he would be able to defeat it in battle. His best chance would be to escape after identifying it.
After nearly a minute of being on guard, Harry heard a branch snap. His head snapped toward the source and his eyes picked two glowing white orbs out of the darkness. Harry gripped his wand tightly as he raised it. Those glowing orbs – eyes, he corrected – had illuminated the figure of an impossibly tall and powerful looking man that was hidden in the darkness.
He gritted his teeth as he prepared to attack the man. Something that powerful couldn't be friendly. Harry raised his wand and had the blasting curse on his lips when the figure waved its shadowed hand.
Ultimately, that made his attack impossible. As though the being had sensed his intentions, an oppressive aura of stifling emanated from the figure and hung around Harry's much smaller form. It exhausted him and instilled upon him an odd sense of apathy. His body collapsed back to the ground when the aura finally overpowered him.
Now confident in its safety, the figure strode proudly into the clearing. Harry was astonished when he saw the now visible man in his entirety. He was even taller than Harry had initially suspected – the man was at least seven feet tall, although he didn't look out of place like Hagrid and was perfectly proportioned – and had broad shoulders and a proud, wise looking face. The eyes glowed even brighter in the dim, flickering light of the small fire and were completely solid, lacking any separation between the retina and the whites of the eyes.
The small, blazing flames gazed ambivalently at him, and Harry finally heard the man's voice. It was unnaturally deep, and each word seemed to hang in the air for a moment before finally dissipating. The overall effect was distinctly unnerving and struck a chord of fear into the normally stoic wizard.
"You…you do not belong here." The voice boomed. "You are unnatural, a blight upon this time."
Some of the pressure from the man's aura was relieved, allowing Harry to speak and recover his will.
"Are you afraid of my magic?" He asked with gritted teeth. "It makes me no more unnatural than you."
"Your magic draws no fear from me." The man replied. "It is little more than a child's plaything, unsuited for use against your betters. What I speak of is not your spark, but your placement. You are not a part of this time. You are not meant to be here."
"It took you this long to figure out?" Harry asked sarcastically. "I've been in this time for nearly fifteen years, though, so I think I have as much right to be here as anyone else."
The man drew closer. Harry struggled to breathe as the aura grew even more oppressive. It felt like his body was about to collapse upon itself. Was this what it felt like for the muggles he lived around?
"Do not be insolent with me, child." The man stated impassively. "I have felt you for a long time, but only now have I deemed you to be worthy of my attention. Your fate has not yet been decided."
"Who are you to determine my fate?" Harry demanded. He had fought fate his entire life. His struggles and victories would not be undone by some stranger, no matter how powerful they were.
"I am Kronos." The man boomed. "And you are my responsibility. It has been a long time since one of the children meddled with the fabric of time and I will not allow you to unduly affect it. Now tell me why you have abandoned your own time."
Harry opened his eyes in relief when the pressure loosened again. With a shaky voice he replied, "It was not my decision to come here. I'm just trying to make the most of it. Why have you taken so long in choosing my fate?"
Kronos stared back, white eyes meeting green. "I did not. When you first arrived I watched and waited. Your apprentice proved to be a threat to you, so I harbored his hatred and disgust at you and taught him what you needed to know. I had planned to have him kill you without revealing my presence, but I reflected upon my thoughts and left you both."
Old, painful memories flashed through Harry's mind. Specifically, that of Herpo's sudden resurrection in their last battle.
"You saved him!" Harry shouted accusingly, forgotten rage coloring his tones. "You kept that bastard from dying. You let him run free to wreak havoc upon the world!"
Kronos didn't even blink at the accusations. "Yes. He is a useful tool, if a rather predictable one. His power is impressive for a child, even rivaling the weakest of my kind. There are other children that have spawned as well with even greater power. Your apprentice will soon be replaced."
"What?" Harry said in shock. What others? There were more of these impossibly powerful creatures? Perhaps the being meant that more powerful wizards and witches had been born. Maybe he even meant Thera – she was unnaturally powerful, although even she didn't have the sheer pressure of Kronos.
"Silence." Kronos said with unnatural calm. His white eyes flared up as the pressure suddenly increased. Harry grimaced. It felt as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "I am thinking. There are several ways to deal with you and I must understand the most efficient."
Harry's vision was starting to become blurry as the minutes went on. As Kronos pondered his fate the force became more and more powerful. Soon it would likely crush him.
Even as Harry began to increase his struggles to be free of the horrible force, Kronos' bright eyes turned to the wizard.
"I have reached my conclusion." Kronos announced suddenly. Harry paled as he saw the being raise a massive hand and conjure a brilliantly silver sickle that glowed with icy power. "You are not to remain in this time. You are too unpredictable and your presence will lead to chaos."
The massive man stepped towards him with powerful strides. Harry struggled to free himself from the pressure that bound him and desperately tried to twist away in order to apparate. He failed and saw Kronos raise that horribly glowing sickle.
Harry closed his eyes as it began to descend, but his oblivion never came. He heard whispers emanate from a source close to him, causing the wizard to open his eyes in curiosity.
A slight, glowing delightfully female – although he couldn't quite appreciate that detail in his current situation – figure was standing in front of him. He struggled to recognize the thinly garbed woman as she casually kept Kronos' sickle from eviscerating him with a single hand.
It wasn't until she spoke that his awed and terrified mind recognized her.
"Begone, Titan." The nymph commanded. Harry looked at Melite with wide eyes as the air grew cold and damp. Nature itself was responding to her fury. "I have claim to the child's blood. You will not take him from me."
Kronos' eyes dimmed. Harry released the breath he'd been unconsciously holding as the massive being banished his gigantic weapon, allowing the silver sickle to dissolve into nothingness.
"Your ward is a threat." Kronos warned. His voice reverberated with power, the words overlapping as they hung in the cold air. "And you shall regret your defense of him soon enough. Not even the Lady of the Mountain may protect him away from your bastion of power. You are limited in ways that I am not."
Melite's body seemed to glow silver in the moonlight. Harry shivered at her voice as she responded to Kronos. It lacked the warm, seductive feeling it had possessed in their last encounter more than a decade ago, instead filled with a regal coldness that reminded him of the beast that lurked within the beauty.
"I might be limited, but I have a far greater reach than you could possibly imagine, Titan." She hissed. Harry thought that Kronos almost shrank back, although the being's eyes burned with defiance. "Do not test me. You are the last of a dead race and an era that few remember. I do not desire to end you, but if you threaten my ward than you will be torn apart by forces you can only begin to understand."
"You are not nearly as powerful as you once were." Kronos said calmly, none of his fear or annoyance leaking into his words. "It would be foolish of you to test your strength against mine over such a small matter. Neither of us could afford it."
Harry couldn't see her face, but he suspected the nymph was smiling as she spoke to Kronos. He simply observed and took advantage of the sudden lack of Kronos' pressure to breathe deeply.
"Your own strength has waned as well." Melite responded. "And I have developed power in a way that you would find impossible. It would not be a duel between us should we come to blows, it would be my entire court against you. You are not invincible, and you would be wise to remember that fact. Begone from this land."
The Titan – whatever that was, Harry thought as he realized that the term had never existed in any of his history books – showed his first expression of annoyance by narrowing his eyes. Harry winced as some of the pressure returned, although it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before Melite arrived.
"Very well." Kronos said in his eternally calm voice, wiping away any semblance of frustration. "But remember that your influence has its bounds. Even you cannot protect the child forever."
With that Kronos began to glow a brilliant white that matched his eyes. Melite turned to Harry.
"Avert your eyes." She murmured to the bemused wizard. Harry did so. A moment later he saw the light flare up before suddenly vanishing.
When he felt that it was safe he turned his eyes to Melite. The beautiful nymph was staring at the spot Kronos had just vacated with a troubled expression. He was silent for a few moments but couldn't hold in his questions. Little of the recent events had been within his understanding.
"Melite?" He asked quietly, unsure if he should attach some sort of honorific to her name. She was far more powerful than he could have ever thought. Even Kronos – who seemed to be to him what a wizard was to a muggle – seemed to fear her. That spoke volumes to him.
"Yes?" She asked, averting her eyes from Kronos' former location. "What is it you need?"
"What was he?" Harry asked. It wasn't quite what he wanted to know, but Melite seemed to understand.
"He is the last remnant of a people long extinct, the lone Titan that survived his kind's destruction. It is a better place without them." Melite replied. "You are fortunate that my mountain is near."
Harry wasn't quite sure to say to that, so he just nodded. He still couldn't see her face and so couldn't know what she was thinking.
"Be wary when you leave this area." Melite suddenly warned. "Kronos is hunting you. He is too dedicated to his duty to let you escape him. Even the possibility of destruction will not dissuade him for long."
He paled, thinking of what would happen if Kronos went after Thera. She was strong, much stronger than him, in fact, but his daughter lacked the experience to even attempt to escape Kronos. Even her power would do little to aid her in a confrontation with the Titan, not when Kronos could make him completely useless just by being in his presence.
"Then what do I do?" Harry questioned. "I can't just run my entire life. He could probably catch me the moment I'm away from you."
"I believe I have a solution for that." Melite said, turning her head so he could see her smile. Harry barely repressed a shudder as he saw the remarkably sharp teeth she hid. "Your blood gives me quite a bit of power over you, and I'm sure that I can put that power to good use."
His blood ran cold. He had always known that Melite had power over him due to the drops of blood he had given, but he had managed to put in the back of his mind while he raised Thera and lived his life. It seemed that it was time to pay his dues.
"Do not worry." Melite said with the same smile. "I do not plan on keeping you on my mountain as some sort of pet, nor sending you to do deeds that would be beyond you in various ways. What I have planned is mutually beneficial for both of us."
The wizard nodded and waited for her to continue. He wouldn't trust her, but she had all the power. Besides, she seemed to like him for some reason.
"You see, we both have two foes in common." The nymph continued with a calculating glint in her eyes. "Kronos has proved to be a formidable opponent in the past, and I tire of coming into conflict with him. His pawn has become dangerous as well. He has passed through my territory several times and I have felt the poison that floods through his mind. The pawn has become ambitious, and soon he will make an attempt to destabilize the balance."
"How do you propose that I kill Kronos?" Harry asked. Herpo wouldn't be a problem. Even with ten years of learning, he couldn't have become knowledgeable enough to pose a challenge to him. He might be more powerful than Harry, but a wand would easily hand Harry the victory. "I can't even keep myself standing when he's around, let alone fight."
Melite smiled and put a soft, pale hand on his shoulder. "There are many beings hidden in this land that make Kronos and I little more than children. Should worst come to worst we will wake one. Until that happens, however, it shall be I that slays the Titan."
Harry inwardly grimaced as he felt her hand grow cold as she spoke of Kronos. The air lacked the icy edge that it had held when Melite was standing off with Kronos, but it was still colder than it should be this time of year.
"I cannot remain so far from my mountain much longer, little one." Melite murmured as she removed her hand from his shoulder. He could see that her perfect form was beginning to waver at the edges. "It is taxing. This projection will soon fail me."
Wait, Harry thought, this was just a projection? And she still managed to change the weather? It seemed that she was even more powerful than he had thought. He was just a man fighting amongst giants.
He looked up and realized that more of her form was beginning to fade. Harry met her warm eyes as she gave him one last order.
"Come to my mountain soon." She said. It sounded as though she were speaking through water, although the words were easily understandable. "It is your sanctuary."
A few moments later her body melted into a thin mist. It lingered in the air for a moment before forming into a small stream that gracefully flowed in the direction of Melite's mountain. Harry stared after it for a moment before sighing and turning away.
He needed to get Thera before Kronos – or worse, Herpo – discovered her. Kronos would kill her or hold her captive in order to draw him away from Melite's protection. Herpo would do unspeakable things that would leave Harry a sobbing, vengeful wreck.
A twist of his body later placed him in Athens. He needed to find Thera soon.
Even as he made his way toward his home – now much larger and more regal than the rough shack that he had tutored Herpo in – he was unaware of a set of pale yellow eyes watching him from the darkness.