Hello everyone, Dragonsong2795 here with the latest chapter of 'The Banshee of Hogwarts – Shadows of Greece'
It's not quite the full Five thousand words that I wanted it to be before release, but I felt that any longer a wait wasn't kind after the cliffhanger I left you on last time. This chapter also has a cliffhanger, but one that isn't as... dramatic as the last one.
I hope you enjoy this chapter, many plots are afoot and whispers of Primordials can be heard in the distance. Hogwarts isn't mentioned, yet, but plots and plans from the color-blind Leader of the Light are in motion.
I hope you enjoy.
Review answers will be posted at the bottom of the chapter
-TBH-
Chapter 5
Recuperation and Revelations
"Everyone is entitled to their own sorrow, for the heart has no metrics, or form of measure. And all of it... irreplaceable"
RWBY – White Trailer
-TBH-
"How is she?" The Centaur known as Chiron, the Trainer of Heroes asked.
The two sons and lone daughter of Apollo all sighed, Arianna Smith as the Councilor spoke up "We… aren't sure, she's healing but… She's at the very least an immortal, probably a Goddess, we just don't know enough about how Gods react to healing to judge. Only our father Apollo could tell…"
Before Chiron can speak another voice, masculine, somewhat young but deadly serious interrupted "She'll be okay, as long as she can drink Nectar and is given a small portion of it every hour she'll heal"
The three children of Apollo and Chiron turned to see the aforementioned God of Healing himself standing next to the bandaged Goddess with his hand on her forehead, across from him a teenaged girl is speaking softly to Thalia, who had been right by Athena's side the entire time, the slight silver shimmer announces to the observers that Artemis had followed her twin to Camp Half-Blood and was comforting her distraught half-sister. Around the perimeter of the room three Magicals looked on with anger and distrust in their eyes. Above the head of the bed one Kunoichi is stuck to the wall and stares at her 'mother' with a crying blonde haired, gray eyed Demigoddess in her arms.
Luke Castellan was standing by the door with his hands clenched into fists and Grover next to him with a mix of sorrow and respect on his face.
It should be mentioned the seriousness of the situation as despite Artemis being present in the room the Satyr didn't even acknowledge her, his entire mind focused on the Goddess that he'd traveled with, albeit shortly, to camp and who'd helped him do his duties as a protector.
Everyone was surprised when Apollo continued with "I'm not sure though as I've never treated a Goddess in this situation before" When the entire room stopped and stared at him with disbelief he continued with "She hasn't yet gained her Domains, in essence she is not a full Goddess, but an immature Goddess who has not yet awakened fully, as you might imagine I have never had to heal an immature Goddess"
Artemis frowned at Apollo "How can that be? She's easily the child of two Gods, we can tell that easily by her Ichor and her innate Divine Aura, even if it is dampened" After millennia of listening to Apollo while he talked about what he was doing as he healed both her and her Hunters after disastrous hunts or quests, Artemis knew quite a bit about both mortal and divine physiology.
Apollo smiled softly, happy that he had managed to imbue a portion of his knowledge to Artemis over the years, and responded with "While she is the daughter of two Gods, she has a hint of mortality in her soul, I'd tentatively guess that portions of two Gods chose to incarnate as humans and ended up together. However that makes determining her heritage incredibly difficult as the incarnations of portions of a Gods mentality might make choices that said Gods would not" Apollo scoffed slightly "She could even be my daughter, but the fact that her energy seems to grow as she enters darker areas hints otherwise"
Artemis seemed to pale slightly, yet also excite "Does, does that mean that I could…?"
Apollo shook his head with a slight snort "No, she'd be reacting to your presence if that was so. Mortal incarnation or otherwise, her soul will recognize her parentage"
Chiron coughed softly "While this makes for interesting conversation, what does her state have to do with her healing?"
Apollo coughed with embarrassment visible on his face "Right, so due to her lack of Domains we can't just immerse her in an element of her Domains, as we might end up putting her in an element that will hurt her more"
Thalia having been silent the entire time spoke up "How can she have elements that will hurt her if she doesn't have Domains?"
Apollo nodded slowly as if to indicate that Thalia had made a great counterargument in an intense intellectual debate "While she doesn't have a Domain or elements of her own yet, her parents do and their Domains have an effect on what elements affect her"
Artemis butted in at this "Yes, despite having my own Domains I still gain energy from being high in the air due to my father's Domain" Apollo nodded in agreement, not even bothered by his twin's interruption.
Chiron coughed again, a little more loudly and firmly, he had gotten annoyed at the by-play between the two Gods and the Demigoddess "Will she be okay?" It was obvious that the sight of the injured Goddess on the Infirmary Bed was affecting him, his voice had become more tense and more emotional.
Apollo sighed "At this point, all we can do is pray…" The irony of a God saying they should pray didn't escape anyone.
"Not quite" A croaky voice spoke up.
Daphne pushed off of the wall she was leaning against "Kreacher, why are you here?"
The room turned to see a knobbly short brown being with large eyes and ears standing next to the bed "When the Black Family House Wards were upgraded by Milady not long ago, she added a famous Potter Family Ward that allows recognized family members to have their situations tracked remotely. The Weasley Family has one of these wards I believe, they were given it for aiding the Potters a generation or two ago. I'm still learning from the Potter Family House-Elves"
Michael finally broke his silence and said "So, how can you help her?"
Kreacher snapped his fingers and a potion vial appeared in his hand "Despite her immortal nature, Milady is still affected by certain magical potions, albeit only the ones with mostly beneficial effects and a few of the more potent poisons. A simple healing potion will help, but this is one specialized for healing stomach wounds. It should speed up the healing process"
While Kreacher was speaking Apollo had scanned the potion and commented "I've never seen this type of healing potion before, but it does appear to do what… Kreacher?… Said it does. Do you have a tome or book with more potions like this in it? I may be able to create more powerful versions that'll help Athena heal" Apollo paused for a second before continuing with "It feels weird to be saying that. I rarely ever have to heal the other Athena as she is very good at avoiding injury"
Artemis rolled her eyes "It'll be eternally confusing, especially as both are Goddesses, can you imagine how annoying it'll be to have someone call for Athena and have both answer?" Artemis had relaxed slightly now that there appeared to be some help for the young Goddess.
Daphne, Michael, Thalia, Chiron, Apollo, Arianna and the other two children of Apollo all snorted or snickered in amusement, like Artemis they had all started to calm down now that there was hope for Athena's recovery.
Annabeth was too lost in her fear that her new friend would die and Kaede remained silent by choice. Not that Kaede tended to speak normally anyways, she was a very quiet girl by nature, although she did have a tendency to prank people.
Something Daphne, Michael and Athena had all cursed loudly about at one point or another.
-TBH-
As the collective group of Magicals, Demigods, Gods and one Centaur all worried over Athena's health and well being, the Goddess in question was dreaming, or rather having a nightmare.
She stood before a pit, once that was so vast an ocean could easily fit within it's boundaries and so deep that normal beings could not even see the bottom of it.
Athena's dark nature allowed her to see through the darkness and to see the horrors that lay at the bottom.
Tartarus.
A Primordial God and the divine prison for the beings of great evil and malice. She could feel his presence watching her, it seemed... pleased, something about her made the Primordial happy, Athena was afraid to find out what that was, yet at the same time her curious nature made her desire to discover what the Primordial wanted from her.
Before Athena could do anything however a voice spoke up in an ancient tongue that her mind grasped with ease "So, the hidden one approaches me? Divine, yet Profane. Dead, yet alive. Mortal, but Immortal. Will you help me from my unjust prison little one?"
Athena's very soul hummed with energy as that question was asked, it was more then an ordinary question, there was something Profound about it.
On one hand she had no reason to believe the being, but upon another she had no reason to disbelieve it either.
So she asked "Who, are you who claims to be falsely imprisoned?" the very air, no space around her thrummed with energy. Some being or beings were watching her as she stood next to the pit.
The voice seemed amused "Does it really matter?" Normally Athena would simply shake her head and agree that no it did not matter at all, normally. But she had caught something, a hint, a hint of fear and of dark malicious amusement.
This was no falsely imprisoned being.
Athena confidently strode towards the pit, she drew her wand which almost seemed to shimmer with dark energy.
The being in the pit seemed to pulse with excitement and the various beings around her including Tartarus all seemed to be on edge.
Athena pointed her right hand downwards into the pit with her wand raised and incanted "Incarcerate" in a language that sounded so ancient and powerful that she idly wondered where it had come from, as she had never learned how to speak it.
The being in the pit roared in anger and hatred as potent magical energy surged downwards, empowering it's binds and making them stronger and more resistant to damage.
"I despise liars, your voice carried to me all the truth I needed to know. The bindings that now hold you should be very difficult to break, at least I hope they will be" Athena's angry voice carried down into the pit. She hated liars and those that thought they could gain by another's suffering.
The auras of the various beings around her shifted to the point where they seemed congratulatory, Athena wondered 'Was this a test of some sort?'
The being in the pit let out one last enraged cry "Damnation be upon you! Young Goddess you have made an enemy today. I, Kronus, Lord of the Titans and Titan Lord of Time, Justice and the Harvest will hunt you down until you have faded from this world" An inhumanly massive amount of power surged upwards from the pit filled with pure rage and hatred.
Athena merely stepped back from the pit, casting multiple anchored shield spells around herself to protect herself from any influences that the Titan Lord or his aura may cast upon her.
Athena's eyes widened suddenly as a presence, no two presences appear behind her.
She spun on the spot only to gape in surprise.
The man and woman she had seen with Lady Death, they were standing there looking at her with a mix of fear and love in their expressions.
Athena swallowed silently "Is this truly a dream then?"
The man chuckled softly, whether at her expression or question was impossible to determine "Yes, and no" Athena glared at him for the word play, then the woman beside him slapped him in the shoulder. He still chuckled softly but answered with "Yes, you are dreaming. But what is happening is real, your spirit is here now while your body heals from the injury. It is no surprise that you are here, at the main entrance to Tartarus. This is where Gods and Goddesses that are mortally injured go while their divine forms regenerate, which is a bit strange now that I stop and think about it"
Athena frowned in disbelief "But I'm not a Goddess!" Yet even as she said that something in her felt off, like she wasn't telling the truth.
The woman smiled sadly before walking over and cupping her hand to Athena's right cheek "Yes, yes you are. You are a Goddess and more importantly to me, you are my Daughter"
Athena almost staggered back with surprise and she spoke with a quiver in her voice "You. You are my mother?" Fear welled up within Athena's soul, here was her mother, would she love her? Would she hate her? Would she accept what she now was?
The woman nodded sadly "Yes, Yes I am. I wish that I could have had a loving life with you. I wish that things had not gone the way they did. My name is Persephone, Goddess of Springtime. Although you have probably heard of my incarnation Lily Potter nee Evans" Persephone gently pulled her youngest daughter into a light hug.
Athena simply nodded in her mother's arms, the shock of meeting her mother truly had overwhelmed her ability to talk.
The man walked up and gently hugged both Athena and Persephone "And I am Hades, God of the Underworld. Although you may know of me as James Potter, Heir to the Potters, Marauder and prankster, but most importantly your father. I wish that monster had not done what he did. I was so looking forwards to be there when you graduated from Hogwarts, most likely at the top of the class like your mother" Athena didn't just nod this time, she hugged back.
She had always hoped and dreamed of meeting her parents, even though she knew that they were dead.
But as always the reality was not the same as a dream.
In this case, it was much, much better.
Persephone giggled softly as she listened, despite what he might appear like to others, to those he loved Hades was the kindest soul you could ever hope to meet. He was just unfortunately tainted with the association of Death and the Underworld in all her millennia of life, she had never regretted being married to him despite their rocky start.
Hades smiled without care, he had finally been able to hug his daughter for the first time in nearly a decade. He had spent millennia with various children of his, only Melinoe was his child with Persephone, something that he still felt shame over.
After several minutes of their warm embrace Athena pulled back and asked the question that she had to ask "Why? Why didn't you protect me?" The slight tears that began to run down her cheeks showed her true emotional state. Athena's tightly controlled emotional armor was cracking under the strain, here was her parents, but also there was a feeling of abandonment.
Hades sighed, his entire demeanor changed. Before he had been overjoyed to see his daughter and to be in contact with her, now however it looked like the weight of the world had fallen upon his shoulders. Persephone paled and looked like she had aged millennia in just mere moments.
Hades gently pulled Athena's head up so that her gaze met his and said "It is an unfortunate fact that when Incarnated Aspects of a God or Goddesses personality are slain often the most reason memories are lost. We are immortal and as such we fear the threat of death more then mortals would. Our minds block away those fearful moments, often the lives of Incarnations are forgotten completely. It was only upon meeting your spirit when you... passed beyond for the first time that we remembered" Hades stopped for a moment and Athena's eyes widened as tears of shadow slowly flowed down his cheeks "Trust me Athena Artemis Potter-Black, My Daughter. Nothing in my entire immortal life was as painful or terrifying as finding out I had forgotten you, that I had let you suffer under that Thing. I have no words in any language that can adequately convey the sorrow and heartache I felt when I found out. But, more then that, no words can hold the infinite depths of love that I have felt for both you and every child I have sired, whether legitimately or regretfully with mortal women whose personalities sang to me while I was alone"
Hades then switched to Ancient Greek and spoke the words that he had held in his heart since he had remembered his youngest daughter's birth "I swear to you Athena, on every inch of my soul, on every stone and soul I claim dominion over, on every precious metal and priceless gem I own, on the mighty Styx and most importantly on my love for my children and my wife. I would NEVER have abandoned you, even if it meant that I had to sacrifice my power, my domain and even my immortality. For such things would be worthless to me if I couldn't even look after each and every single child I have ever sired. You, my other children and my beloved wife, you are all my greatest treasures. More then anything else I have ever laid claim to and worth more then even my immortality and life itself"
Persephone strongly hugged Hades from behind and from the right side of him where she maneuvered her head around to face her daughter said "And don't doubt that for one second I would hesitate to swear the exact same oath. You and Melinoe are my greatest treasures in this world, ones that I would not give up for anything, even my own life" Persephone released Hades and then slowly moved around to where she could look Athena in the eye as well "You were not abandoned by choice and if I have any say in it, you never will be. You are my Daughter Athena, and I am sorry, beyond what any words can say, that I was not there for you while you were growing up. Never ever doubt that I would have come for you if I could, not even my father could stop me from trying"
Athena couldn't stop the tears that ran down her face, but they were no longer tears of sorrow, but instead tears of joy. She had regained something that she should never have lost. The love of her mother and father and the knowledge that it would never leave her, that it would be with her all her life, without condition and without judgment. Her tears ran down faster, but the brilliant, bright smile that broke out from her almost seemed to light up the whole Underworld with the joy that it held. Throughout the Underworld spirits of all types both mortal and divine paused as they felt the joyous energies flowing through their home.
-TBH-
From the distant Hearth of Olympus, Hestia smiled gently at the scene of joyous reunion that was filling her domain with more power then it had received in many years. For the first time in millennia, it seemed that her family finally had the chance to move forwards and keep growing.
-TBH-
In the Infirmary of Camp Half-Blood a certain young goddess stirred slowly, the entire room around her jumping into action as the young girl woke from her slumber. Kaede moved like the wind and was on the bed to Athena's right before anyone could blink.
Athena slowly opened her eyes and when she saw her adopted daughter's tears she smiled "It's okay Kaede, I'm not going to leave you alone again. I'll be here for quite a while"
Then she looked over the rest of the room that was looking at her in shock, no, not at her. But rather at the symbols that were floating over her head.
Athena looked up to see the Helm of Hades superimposed over a glorious bouquet of Springtime flowers.
She looked down at the shocked faces of the room, except for one. The Centaur present walked forwards and bowed softly "Greetings, Daughter of Hades, Lord of the Underworld and all that dwells beneath the Earth and of Persephone, Lady of the Underworld and of the bountiful season of Spring. I welcome you to Camp Half-Blood, I am Chiron"
Still a little shocked from all the revelations that had been sent her way, all Athena could say was "Oh"
-TBH-
This chapter was unbelievably difficult to write, I have been both fortunate and unfortunate to suffer abandonment from one parent, but an incredible love and loyalty from the other. Writing the core of this chapter was difficult because of this because I found it very difficult to not lose myself in it and frequently had to walk away so I could maintain my composure.
Now onto the Review Answers, in order from most recent to just after the last chapter was posted.
Elfin69: Dumbledore isn't truly manipulative in this story, he simply thinks that what he believes is best for people is. He didn't want Athena to have to shoulder the burdens of a High Lady till she had nearly finished Hogwarts.
Charlyn Rose: I'm not going to write a Reading Story, simply because of two reasons. A. It's a little too early in this story for one to be written that would actually have enough material to be worth it and B. as the Author I would have terrible time separating the actual plot lines from the dozens or even hundreds of incomplete plot ideas that were drafted for this story. If any readers would like to attempt a Reading Story, they have my blessing and permission to do so, however such stories can be and often are listed as violations to the Rules of Publishing on Fanfiction dot net and as such can be pulled down, so I recommend against doing so, I love those kinds of stories but not enough to see others lose accounts over them.
amerdism: I may have already responded in a PM, but Athena Artemis is the actual name given at birth, the Incarnations of Hades and Persephone remembered a slight link to Greek Mythology and hoped that their daughter would receive some of Athena's Wisdom and Artemis' cunning. Interesting side note, Hestia and Demeter were also considered for middle names and Hermes Apollo Potter would have been the name for a male child. I may make an Omake about that later.
Guest: I assume you meant to write 'more' and here it is!
KlausMikelson: Here's the update, hope you enjoyed it!
Cj: I'm aware, but thank you for bringing it up. It may appear as a side note as Athena is leaving a Wizengamot meeting, I doubt that they need the High Lady Potter-Black for such a mundane thing.
Deathgeonous: (The following line is best read in an educated British accent for total enjoyment) Dear Mister Kettle, the Pot would like to remind you that we are both black.
Seriously though, I'm still waiting for updates on several of your stories that I have enjoyed, I've managed to put this out in record time (for me anyway) so I hope that one day I'll see an update on some of your stories.
917brat: I will endeavor to continue this story till it's completion, however my working hours mean that you are likely to endure longer waiting times as I am often exhausted from working long hours and have no desire or inspiration to write after an 8 ½ to 9 hour shift working in a restaurant.
Guest: While funny, I don't think that Thalia is Athena (Younger)'s type. However the reactions of both Zeus and Hades would be pretty funny, maybe as a meaningless Omake.
Alex2909: Wonder no more, here's the story.
Child of Music and Inspiration: No, I'm pretty sure I put the copyright information in one of my Author Notes, but the lullaby is called 'Fear not this Night' and it was written and composed by Jeremy Soule, it is part of the soundtrack for Guild Wars 2.
Nyx Eryn: Done!
Ultima-owner: Thank you and thank you for all of your recommendations.
Yukicrewger2: I've not heard of that song, but I may have to check it out. If you'd like to hear the original song music (And I highly recommend doing so) simply put 'Fear not this Night' into either Youtube or any Search Engine of your choice.
Wishfull-Star: Another chapter to go for that, but you'll get to see how Athena ends up at Hogwarts in the next chapter as well.
Lilmacmayer: Thank you so much for your review, it really helps to see how my stories are being received. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and the future ones yet to come.
Raynisia: Not nearly all of her power though, I'm almost gleeful for when I get to write one of the absolutely one-sided fights I have planned. Athena Vs. Ares anyone?
StrongGuy159: Done!
Darkworkangel: Here it is, but as always, more is to come.
That's all the reviews as to the date I had finished writing this chapter, which is the Ninth of September at 12:23 AM Australian Central Time.
Unfortunately I keep getting server errors when I try to get into my account so it may be posted some time afterwards.
In the meantime I have more story to write while hyped up on cheap coffee and the joy of being on holiday for the first time in seven months.
Dragonsong2795 Out!.
P.S: Who noticed that I finally changed my Pen-name to have a Capital letter at the start?