He was glad to be back at Ilvermorny, honestly. He did somehow miss camp. He had honed in on his sword fighting skills and nearly fought multiple cabins at once. Something Lou had scolded him for.
When he got home it was even worse, his mother had scolded him and Atticus had scolded him. In some way, Atticus gave him more shit for it than his mother did. Al though, he suspects it is because his mother immediately stopped laying it on him after Percy mentioned he talked to his father. Atticus, on the contrary, just continued after taking a second.
The year at Ilvermorny was already going differently. It was the talk of the school, they have a new teacher. Dolly fanned her face when she first saw the man at the welcome back dinner. Percy just snorted and continued eating.
Professor Blofis replaced Professor Reid. The man had gone insane over the summer, something about a curse that happened at a serious fight. Percy could believe that Professor Reid was cursed by someone, the man had passions about the subject that reached beyond what Percy could apprehend.
The man's classes were actually interesting, instead of the boring statistical ranting that Professor Reid did constantly. The man had swords in his class to swing around with while he pointed at the board, he uses it for everything, tapping on his desk to get everyone's attention. To point at a map or to just swing around.
Percy noticed that he and his mother were always talking at dinner. Dolly still swooned over the man, saying that something about his salt and pepper hair was very attractive. Percy didn't see it.
Apparently his mother did.
After the test week in January, they were going to have a week trip to another school. His mother didn't tell him anything, no hints or anything of the sort. But Percy was excited for it either way.
While most of the students of his year were in the magical carriage, Percy wasn't allowed to fly, at all. After this summer, Zeus was slightly fond of him. Don't think that Percy missed that smile of his. He knows that he is his favorite nephew.
He got permission to take the portkey with his mother, while the rest sat with Professor Blofis. Lou decided to go against traveling with the carriage as well and joined their mother as well.
They had a lot more time before they had to leave. The three sat together as his mother was busy reading the paper and the two siblings were talking about camp. Suddenly, their mother closed the newspaper and looked at them. Mostly on Lou. "How do you feel about being a Jackson?"
Percy could see Lou's throat bob a bit, "Like officially? Last name and all?"
"I thought it was time." Sally smiled, "I didn't want to impose and make it too soon, considering the way you lost your father."
Tears welled up in her eyes. "I think my name has more room for Jackson." Lou said and Sally smiled. The older woman waved her hand and papers shot out from under her book. "Consider it done, just waiting for confirmation."
Lou tackled her mother-figure in a hug. "Thank you." She said.
Percy saw it before at camp. Demigod children aching to have a parent figure, he heard whispers of kids getting abused because they latched onto the first thing they felt any kind of connection to. The whispers in the Hermes cabin really reinforced his slight distaste for distant mortal parents.
Then it was time. Percy smiled as he watched his family interact. When he got back, Sally immediately took Lou out for a spa, something about too much testosterone around the house. It was slightly ironic, considering that she offered to let the two other men in their life stay at their house for free.
They stopped by the portkey and Percy looked at the hidden magical item. His bags were slung over his shoulder, "Are you going to tell us about where we're going?" Percy asked, once again.
Lou rolled her eyes and his mother just chuckled, "No can do, Blue." She rhymed. "I'm warning you all once again to hold on tight," It was quite a big carving of the Snakewood trees, just like the one that sprouted from the tomb.
Percy grabbed onto it, Lou did so as well and then his mother did. "Let's go." She said and he wouldn't be able to describe it. The feeling was less than comfortable but not downright unpleasant.
Everything swirled around and he was shot out of the sky. He saw that his mother and Lou walked it off out of the sky normally. But not Percy, he couldn't get the feeling of walking in the air under his belt.
He had a few more seconds until he hit the ground that could end up with broken legs. The moment he saw some body of water, he felt a tug in his stomach. Up from the large lake he pulled up a tube ride from it and landed in the water.
Percy got up from the water and looked around, a carriage was flying in from the distance and the demigod figured that he should quickly get out of the water before questions were asked.
He swam over to where his mother and sister stood, looking mildly concerned. "We're never using a portkey with you again." Lou spoke for the both of them while Sally just sniffled a laugh and pulled her son in for a hug.
"You'll worry me grey." She said.
Lou snorted, "You'll match with Professor Blofis then." She said and the blush on their mothers face was the best thing Percy saw.
The three walked a kilometer to the meeting point and waved as everyone stepped out of the carriage. "We walk from here!" Professor Blofis said enthusiastically while most students were apprehensive at even the thought of walking.
In groups they walked up the steps of a palace. "Of course," Lou muttered from beside him, "On a school trip they want us to learn." She said bitterly and Percy felt his enthusiasm deflate.
"Where are we Lou?"
"We're at Beauxbaton Academy of Magic." A voice said from beside them, Percy directed his gaze to Professor Blofis. "Fun fact!" The man had a lot of fun facts, "A newly appointed headmistress invited us over to tighten our bonds. Their new headmistress is a half-giantess."
Percy immediately frowned at the thought of a giant. He shivered but got poked by Lou. "Not our kind of giants." instantly he felt his pen lighten in his pocket.
—
It was already midday when they arrived at the palace. Before coming over they had been taught a translation charm by his mother. He should've seen the signs. It was a gorgeous chateau, the gardens were majestic and the fountains were created out of surrounding mountains- another fun fact from Blofis.
They stood at attention just like their History of Magic Professor asked of them. Beauxbaton students trickled into the dining chamber and Percy was nudged by Mick who made a joke. "I know you like them blue, Perce."
Percy blushed at the lame joke.
The hushed conversations stopped the moment their Headmistress walked into the room, no-one sat down until she did, exactly like Blofis told them. They sat down after everyone else. Then the sound bursted out as the Americans got curious looks.
The wood nymphs blushed and giggled whenever they passed Percy, which seemed to have gotten a lot of attention from the European students. Almost as if it doesn't happen to them.
They had their own dining table, since it was a wednesday they had half a day. Thankfully the trip wasn't that long for Percy so he was still up and running, unlike the rest of his fellow students.
They retired to their quarters while Percy was given permission to roam around. Before he left their quarters, he shrugged off his stupid robe leaving him in his shirt and waistcoat. However, he was supposed to look presentable, thus not being able to take his waistcoat off.
He grumbled at the stupid rules and rolled his shirt sleeves up, it was way too hot not to. Percy roamed the gardens and admired the gorgeous castle. He then stopped at an ornamented fountain that lured him, he saw by the side and looked at the bottom of the fountain.
This fountain was kind of hidden, trees covered it and the hedges were nicely groomed and put in a subtle way that it would lead you elsewhere.
It looked like it was bottomless. Percy put his book down on the granite and put his glasses on as he sat at the edge of the fountain. His ears perked up as he heard light footsteps, alertness came up inside of him and he couldn't focus on his book anymore.
With the rustle of the leaves, his eyes snapped up and met the darkest of blue eyes he had seen before. "Hello." Percy said hesitantly.
The girl spoke French to him and he scratched the back of his neck, most likely looking as clueless as he felt. With a wave of the hand he muttered a spell and repeated himself. "Hello."
"What are you doing here?" The language immediately translated in his head.
Percy frowned, "Am I not allowed to be here?" He asked.
The girl looked like she was struggling with something, "You are, it's just-" Percy then understood why the girl looked so conflicted. The bushes subtly meant to lead you away because it was supposed to be hidden. It was the place that the girl could hide.
"I can leave." Percy said, not minding to move away.
The girl sighed, "It's fine." She then noticed his book. "Have you read it?" she asked.
Percy winced a bit, "It is homework." He admitted, "But my professor recommended it to me personally." He said.
"It is a lovely book." The girl said, "I don't see how anyone can dislike it."
"I guess," Percy said, "I just don't have the feel for the language." He admitted, blushing a bit. While english was his first language, it doesn't mean that he has no issues with it. This whole summer he had studied ancient Greek with Lou and Annabeth.
The harsh features on her face softened a bit, "But you're english, non?" She asked.
His brain just isn't hardwired for english. He took his glasses off and hung them on his waistcoat, "Yes, but I mostly read in Greek." Atticus was a good brother and got him some books out of Greece when he first learned how to apparate.
Fleur raised her eyebrows, "Greek?" She repeated.
The Ilvermorny student nodded and held his hand out, "Percy Jackson." He introduced himself.
"Fleur Delacour." She introduced herself and shook his hand, albeit carefully. As if she was scared to do so. "How did you find the fountain?"
Percy shrugged and looked at it, "I was wandering around and just found it." He stood up and looked at the fountain as he stood besides Fleur. "It is quite beautiful. I think my father would love it, after all. It looks like it fell into the graces of Poseidon himself." Percy voiced his thoughts.
"And you say you don't have a feel for the language." Fleur commented. Percy gave her a smile.
"Sometimes, inspiration just springs from me." He said and the girl blurted out a laugh after trying to keep it in. It was quite ungraceful for a beauxbaton's student, who was nothing less than graceful.
After she finished laughing, she squinted at him. "What do you think of our school?" She asked.
"Gorgeous." Was the first thing that came up in his mind. He then looked at her, some silvery glow shone off of her, while it wasn't her silver-blonde hair. He frowned a bit as he recognized the glow to have some kind of magic nature. "Not to be rude, but what are you?"
Fleur sighed, as if anticipating the question. "I am a quarter veela." She confessed. "Most of the time boys always come up to me to ask for a date."
Percy cringed a bit.
She looked at him with a look that was just trying to decipher him. "But you didn't."
Percy shrugged, "I didn't notice anything different about you until that," He did a few hand gestures, "glow? Came off of you."
"You didn't feel the urge to ask me out?" Fleur asked, somewhat shocked. Percy shook his head, "That is a first."
He wanted to call her arrogant and big-headed but then he realized that that is just how it is for her. "I didn't feel the urge to ask you out." He teased, despite only knowing her not long. Somewhere between their conversation they sat at the edge of the fountain.
Percy sat turned towards her as she sat neatly, like some kind of proper French lady, what Percy assumes she is. The girl smiled, "I'm glad."
The boy could see how genuine she felt. He gave her a smile, "So Fleur, now that you're here. Might as well tell me about the french."
"The french." She rolled her eyes. "It sounds so offensive when you Americans say it." Percy laughed.
"Imagine how the British would say it." The two shared a laugh and continued talking. Soon dinnertime came around and the two walked towards the dining hall. The two walked and Percy noticed the boys gawking at her, Americans and Europeans alike. "Does that happen because of your veela ancestry?" He asked.
She nodded, a bit annoyed. Then a boy stepped up to her, Percy recognized him from the Horned Serpents house. "Do you want to eat lunch together, like on a date?" Fleur looked at Percy in confusion.
The boy then realized that the student from another house didn't cast a translation spell on himself. "He's asking you on a date."
"Bold, aren't you all." Fleur teased and turned to the boy. "Non, zorry." She said with her french accent. Percy didn't know that the French spoke english.
The boy slumped and tried once again. She shook her head and then he finally accepted defeat. The two walked into the dining hall and Percy decided to sit with Fleur. "Is this fine?" He asked.
Fleur looked slightly surprised but smiled, "It is." They ate and talked for a bit and then Fleur asked a question, "I always hear about how wild America is, do you have any stories?"
Percy huffed out a breath in amusement. "This summer, I traveled the country with the floo powder network. Had to pick up very rare stuff for my uncles." He said and snorted, "Had to fight my cousin for it, he nearly parted a part of the ocean because of how out of hand it has gotten."
"You duel?" She asked.
Percy shrugged hesitantly, "I'm learning." He said and pointed at his mom, "That is my mom. She's our charms professor. She doesn't like that I am learning how to duel but she knows that it is necessary."
Fleur nodded, "I have been taught by family this summer, just only a bit."
Percy then got hit with an idea, "Are you allowed to practice magic in the gardens?" He questioned and Fleur looked at him, but nodded nonetheless. "Let's practice together then!" He exclaimed and made himself a bit smaller as he noticed the stares he got from being loud.
Fleur amused the idea for a minute but nodded, "Fine, let's." She grinned, "I've been thinking of joining the tournament."
"Tournament?"
"The international tournament of dueling." Fleur said, looking excited about it but it looked as if she was concentrating to not be excited about it.
Percy smiled.
And her concentration broke, her silvery glow shone a bit brighter now and Percy liked how it looked like a halo aura around her. They talked and talked until the end of dinner and curfew about duelling.
