Chapter 8
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series or the Percy Jackson series. I am not making any money off of this, this is merely a fanfiction.
Sorry for not updating, just really, really busy. Hope you like this chapter...it's definitely more onwards with the plot.
Preview: Nico's eyes flashed. "I want to be there when Percy sees his brother die...and remind him that that's how I felt when my sister died, and he didn't do anything to stop it!"
Despite everything wizards have available to them compared to mortals, their society still seemed like it was so unevolved. I mean, walking around with robes and torches...they didn't have cell-phones or computers. Oh, they claimed that magic had replaced all that for them, but seriously, how can anyone replace video games? As soon as I stepped into Diagon Alley, a main street in the wizarding world, I felt like I was transported back to the middle ages, almost like the time I first went to Olympus...except without the cheering nymphs and divine beings lining the streets.
No, I was part of a grim procession of blue robes wizards who bustled me down the dirty, and rather oppressive looking alley that spoke of forgotten magnificence. Still, there was a lot to take in. Although a lot of the stores were closed-let's say, oh 80%, the owners had left all of their merchandise. I saw what looking like a potions store with drugs I couldn't recognize, a pet store filled with owls, toads, and some sort of bird, and even an ice cream parlor.
Wizarding ice cream. I liked the sound of that.
"You haven't been here before." It was more of a statement then a question. I whirled around and saw that it was the women Auror. Major Thomas. I nodded.
"No, I was pulled rather abruptly into the wizarding world." I smiled wryly.
"It takes some time to get used to. I'm muggleborn myself. Still remember the first time I came here." I could hear the unspoken questions in the background. How was I Tom's brother? Why would he let anybody except for a blue blooded noble into his elite cult?
"You used to go to Hogwarts?" I queried.
"I was in Ravenclaw." The house of those with the great intellect. I nodded. They seemed like a fun bunch. The head Auror turned and the company stopped.
"We're within the apparition barriers." I snapped my head up. Apparition. That wasn't good.
"Please, grab hold of my hand, Lord Perseus." Major Thomas spoke quickly. I gulped, and whispered a prayer to my uncle-please Zeus, just let this one slide...
An unpleasant rush and a feeling of weightlessness, and we were on solid ground again. Opening my eyes, I gasped out loud. A majestic chamber stretched in front, behind and on all sides of me. The high vaulted ceilings gave it a gothic look. The floor was shiny black marble, and the walls adorned with gold plating. These wizards certainly didn't skimp. In the middle of the chamber, was a gold statue? I saw a witch and a wizard, head held high, water shooting out of their wands. Surrounding them, I saw a goblin, a centaur, and what appeared to be a gnome-ish creature. They stared in evident awe at the couple.
Propaganda. It was everywhere. The few employees here at the ministry looked haggard, and wary, staring at us as we passed, but judging that we were no threat, due to my obvious youth and wide, staring eyes. We approached an elevator with a golden grail, and the seven of us stepped in together. It was a tight fit. I was nose to elbow with a tall, brawny guy who looked like he could certainly throw a punch.
"Welcome to the ministry of Magic." A cool voice emanated from the speakers. At least these elevators didn't have the cheesy muzak like in Olympus...although I almost excepted to the tinny sounds drifting from unseen speakers. Thirty seconds, forty seconds passed in uncomfortable silence.
"Level Four, departments of law, wizarding resources and international affairs." The golden grail slide forward with a clunk, and we all tromped out. We were in a stereotypical office setting, I noted with a beige carpet and smooth grey walls. On both sides, I noted doors with various name tags on them. 'Cornelia Gurlat. Head of internal affairs.' 'Camryen Hellbore. Secretary of Magic Misendeavors.' So on. It was like the offices in New York. At the end of the hall, we approached huge mahogany doors. There was, I noted an overabundance of these things in the wizarding world.
The head Auror stepped forward, and carefully, knocked. Three seconds passed, and the doors swung open, emitting us into what looked like a formal courtroom like those I saw on television. There was a huge mahogany table at the center of the room, and seated around it, twelve witches and wizards. They all wore dark robes, and had an aurora of superiority about them. The heads of the ancient wizarding houses, each bearing the crest of their respective house on their chest, inlaid with gold thread, complete with a Latin motto.
At the head of the table, a young man stood up. I was surprised at his youth; he was blond with glowing blue eyes, and a nice summer tan. The crest on his robes identified him as the head of the house of Goethe, a black panther entwined around a white unicorn. He cleared his throat.
"Welcome, demy-god. I must say, it is an honor to meet you. I am Aldred, great great great grandson of Hecate, and her wizarding consort, Tylor Vi Goethe."
Harry looked around the room at the strained faces. It was obvious what everyone thought of this meeting. For centuries, gods and titans had fought, and now, this fear and hatred had been transferred onto their children. To hear Chiron announce that wizards existed, blessed by titans, it came as quite a shock. Their welcome wasn't exactly pleasant either. Harry had recently learned that the entire demi-god world had been locked in battle with several resurging titans of old.
It seemed that these old wounds were still festering, if the looks of the Clarisse girl said anything about it. He glanced over at Ron and Hermione, the former looking wary and the latter excited. Nico looked apprehensive, as if he knew that something was bound to happen. He coughed. Everyone swiveled their heads to look at him.
"So. Do you think we could stay the night here?" A blonde haired guy looked bewildered by this casual comment. Harry continued. "It's just, we're kind of fugitives, right now-not that we've done anything wrong, it's just that the person who's pulling all the strings in the government kind of has a personal vendetta against me."
Chiron cocked an eyebrow.
"Pray tell, what have you done to upset him?"
"The bastard murdered my parents! What has he done to me?" Nico frowned.
"You're talking about Percy's brother?" Harry gritted his teeth and nodded. A blonde haired girl gasped.
"Is this true, Nico? Another child of the big three? Percy never told me!"
"Yeah, but he's like me, born before the contract...Only, he has no godly powers." The girl glanced at Chiron.
"Shouldn't we try to contact this demi-god, Chiron, get him to camp, just in case?" The centaur looked up.
"No," He bit off, sharply. "No monster will try to find him."
"What about Percy? What about these wizards? We have to do something!" Nico looked up at the girl.
"But why, Annabeth? We've been existing for centuries in peace... And Percy's with his brother. Maybe it's best to let them have some time alone together...Now that he has a sibling..." Nico trailed off looking morose.
"NO!" Harry shouted, startling the group. "Voldemort is a monster! He killed my parents, and he'll kill again! Indiscriminately. You have help us. Or even if you don't, you have to let us fight him."
"Percy is his brother. You wizards wouldn't understand it, having a parent who's always away, who can never visit you. Family is all we have!" Annabeth murmured. Hermione stood up glaring.
"You seem to have forgotten that Harry lost his parents too! Both of his parents!" Annabeth looked up, startled, and glanced down.
"I'm sorry... But you've got to realize, in our world, blood calls to blood, you wizards wouldn't understand!"
"What are you talking about? We care about family too! You have no idea how many people have died because of Percy's brother! Just because he's family doesn't mean you can trust him!" Hermione shouted.
"You think we don't know that already! I-I just don't want to see another one of our kind fall to Kronos!" Annabeth declared.
"Then help us." Harry broke in simply. "Lend us your strength. Help us defeat Voldemort...that's what your gods would have wanted? Right?"
"But...we'll be fighting against him...against Percy..." Annabeth muttered.
"Besides, you don't know for sure what the gods want; I mean, Voldemort did say he was fighting for his father, Poseidon, right?" Nico interrupted.
"That's just an excuse he hides behind!" Ron declared. "What god what bless a mass murdering creep like him? Even if he was his son..."
"You're right." Everyone was startled that Annabeth agreed.
"Annabeth?" Chiron asked, softly.
"They're right Chiron. We can't just regard them as titan blessed...They're people too, and whatever Voldemort's excuses are, his actions speak for themselves. We need to stop him, even if we'll be going against the gods themselves." Thunder rumbled in the sky after that. Harry thought it was a pretty impressive speech, but he knew how much pain it would be causing Annabeth. She was going against her boyfriend, possibly her entire godly family by doing this.
"Annabeth, we aren't supposed to get involved. Demi-gods and Titan blessed, they don't mix. But I see what you mean. Although I can't condone it... Go, if you must, but do you understand what you are risking?" Chiron spoke softly. Annabeth nodded. "Until the gods give us their word, you aren't doing anything wrong, but when the gods reach a decision...and you know what that decision will be, you'll have to follow it, or..." He left the end unsaid. Harry mentally wondered what sort of being these gods were, to do such a thing to their own child. And what decision would they reach?
Annabeth bowed her head.
"Very well." She turned to Harry and the others. "We leave tomorrow morning at dawn." Turning to the rest of the demi-gods, she spoke clearly. "Whoever else is coming, meet at the porch of the big house. Nico, can you get them in your cabin for tonight?" Without another word, she strode out.
Dinner was a sullen affair. The trio and Nico ate in the Hades cabin, despite Hermione's complaining that she wanted to see more of the Greek culture.
"I don't think that's such a good idea, Hermione..." Ron muttered. "We're kind of on the outs with everyone here." Hermione nodded, disappointed.
"But why did Annabeth help us, though?" She wondered. "I thought you guys aren't supposed to get involved with the Titan Blessed." Nico sighed.
"She's a compassionate person." Ron snorted. "No-really, it's just with Percy gone and all...You see, she hates it when innocents suffer even the slightest. During the Titan war, we all lost a lot of friends, family..." Nico voice became faint, and nostalgic. "Yes, family, Annabeth, Percy, Thalia, this camp, we are all we have. For Annabeth to just leave like this, well, she must really support your cause. That and she also wants to look after Percy." He smiled faintly.
"But what about you? Why are you coming with us?" Harry asked. There was a pause.
"I...I'm not compassionate like Annabeth. You can't be when you're the child of Hades...I'm not brave, or strong, either, like Percy. I really don't have much of a drive, I guess. But I'm empathetic. I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of a prophecy. How it feels to have the world on your shoulders. That's why I know you'll need help, and support." He looked down. "There's another reason, too... I want to be there when Percy sees his brother die-and remind him that that's how I felt when my sister died and he didn't do anything to stop it!" The last part came out as a snarl, as Nico's eyes flashed.
The trio drew back a bit.
"Your sister?" Hermione asked softly. Nico sighed again.
"Yeah. Another child of Hades. We had the same mother, too. She was on a quest with Percy, and she sacrificed herself...He could have stopped her!" Ron looked confused.
"But, you forgave Percy...So why do you want to make him suffer?" Nico looked confused at them.
"And you wouldn't?"
Morning came, and with it the aches and sore the trio got the day before, getting up, the four of them walked quickly over to the Big House, where Annabeth and Chiron were waiting. They traveled light, everything they needed in Hermione's handbag. They wore muggle clothing, their wands sticking inconspicuously in their sleeves. Harry wondered where Nico kept his black dagger thing.
"We're ready," Harry nodded at Annabeth.
"Wait!" The girl said, pulling a rucksack bag out from behind her. Bending down, she tossed a wrapped bundle up into Harry's arms.
"What?" He exclaimed.
"Swords, forged with celestial bronze. We'll probably meet some monsters on the way, what with Nico and I here. Harry slowly unwrapped the oiled cloth, and revealing three plain looked swords, about the size of the Godric Griffindors. Speaking of Griffindor's sword...he had left it with in Hogwarts! With Voldemort...
"Wow!" Ron exclaimed, pulling one of the identical blades out. "Celestial bronze, eh?" He gave the blade a whirl. "Amazing." Hermione delicately plucked the second one from Harry.
"How are we going to hide these things?" Annabeth grinned.
"Mist." She snapped her fingers, and immediately, Harry felt a chance in perspective. The sword he held was now blurry at the edges, and he couldn't see it at all if he looked at it from his peripheral.
"How?" He asked. The girl grinned.
"It's a demi-god thing. Now, where to?" Harry gaped at her.
"First things first, we have to go to my godfather's. Let's see what's left of the Order, and get the latest news." The formed a ring, holding hands, and for the second time in recorded history, did demi-gods and Titan Blessed leave, together.
I gaped at the man. A child of Hecate? Impossible. Another candidate for the prophecy?
"What...What are you talking about Lord Goethe?" One of the Auroras stuttered. Aldred frowned at them. Raising his palm, Percy saw a symbol branded on it. A Greek omega. Muttering a few quick words under his breath, a flash of light, and when it cleared, I saw that the Auroras where all unconscious. Taking out his wand, Aldred flicked it, and the bodies vanished.
"There, we may talk in private. Please, sit down." I warily sat down in front of the council.
"As you know, there is a prophecy to be fulfilled. A prophecy about a certain bridge that has the power to turn the tide in an age old war. The war between the gods and the titans." I stifled a gasp of surprise. So he knew about the prophecy. I nodded.
"As you know, demi-gods are the pawns of the gods..." I narrowed my eyes. "While wizards are the tools of the Titans..." I nodded warily.
"And just whose pawn are you, Lord Goethe, to be a descendant of a god and blessed by a titan?" I asked. Aldred grinned.
"Naturally, as a Lord, I like to think I am neither. I know no master. I support neither side. Just. Like. You." I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat. How could he say that, when I was here, as Voldemort's embassary? He laughed at my discomfort.
"No, no, I don't care about Voldemort... Or rather, I don't care about this fight. This civil war between wizards...You see, like I said before, it goes much deeper than this. By keeping our two cultures isolated, gods and titans say that they are preventing conflict. But do you know the real reason why we never see each other until now?" He leaned closer. "They know we are powerful. They know that if we do get into a fight, whoever looses will be deeply hindered, destroyed, even...They're afraid of losing..." He grinned. "You see?" I spoke carefully, knowing I was treading on thin ice.
"And what do you propose to do? You are stuck in the middle of the conflict. You have a claim to both sides, right? You could be the bridge, for all we know." Aldred shook his head, cackling.
"How I wish I was the bridge...But no...I am too far a descendant to have proper ichor flowing in my veins." He smiled wryly, sweeping a hand out behind him. "All of us, descendants of the noble houses, have diluted bloodlines from the most ancient of heroes. In fact, some of us have even forgotten who our patron god is. We don't qualify enough to be the bridge. For all extents and purposes, we are wizards." I nodded. So, total number of prophecy candidates, back to one.
"Then you know who the only possible candidate is for the bridge?" Aldred grinned.
"Your big brother...Tom Marvolo Riddle, otherwise known as Voldemort." I nod. "And that's why we need him alive, you see, until he serves his purpose." I cocked an eyebrow.
"And what purpose would that be? If you think you can influence his decision when the time comes, then you're so very wrong." Aldred laughed.
"When the time comes, Tom will have to chose between a side. The demi-gods or the wizards. Which do you think he'll choose?" I thought it over carefully.
"I don't know, actually. If he helps the demi-gods, he would have a chance of getting father to give him his title and powers back...But he might help the wizards, growing up among them, even though they are aided by the Titans." I said. Aldred nodded.
"That's right. We just need to set him on the right path..." I leaned forward.
"And what path would that be?" I mused.
"Reconciliation, of course." I drew back shocked. Aldred grinned wider. "That's right, Perseus. If the wizards and demi-gods united, what do you think will happen?" I gasped.
"We'd...we'd be powerful enough to..." The man smirked.
"We'd be powerful enough to overthrow both the gods and the titans..." I stood up sharply, knocking the chair over.
"Impossible! You don't know what you're talking about!" I declared.
"You're wrong. We all know what we're talking about. Alone, we are nothing, but together, we have a chance. A big chance. Are you not tired of being the pawns of the gods? They throw you into quest, wars, battles...making you do all their dirty work. And here we have a chance. Your brother, leading us, making us the new rulers of this generation..." I suddenly felt dizzy; this was too much like Luke, the way he used to bait us...
"Besides, the die is cast already. Demi-Gods and wizards have already met, thanks to you, and soon a war will erupt. This is the only way to divert it, right?" He was right by that. "This is partially your problem, so shouldn't you be the one to fix it? Get Tom to unite the demi-gods and the wizards, it's the only way we can prevent a battle."
"Why would they follow him? Tom's a murderer in your world." I snarled. Aldred shrugged.
"And yet you follow him... But that's not a problem. Once Tom and his pure-bloods take over the ministry, then the entire wizarding world will be theirs."
"And the pockets of resistance?" I asked. "What about the Potter boy?" Aldred laughed.
"Him? Give me a break. He's just a child. He'll be eliminated. But we need your help. Besides guiding Tom, you'll have to visit Camp Half Blood sometime too, to convince the campers of the alliance. Once the wizarding world is under Voldemort that is."
"You sound like you have this all planned out..." I growled. "But how do you know I will do as you say?" Aldred laughed.
"I know your type, Perseus Jackson; you won't let innocents die in a war. Especially a war that you caused. Therefore, you'll help me in this plan." I sagged. He was right. I couldn't let them fight anymore. Not after what happened last time. Aldred brightened, and held out his hand.
"I knew you'd see things my way. Now, first things first...You'll find that your brothers followers are waiting outside the door." The death eaters! And I had almost forgotten! "And about your planned ambush of the ministry..." He winked, infuriatingly. How did he know! "You'll find that the Auroras are going to be easy to take care of...And that disgusting Mister Fudge and his council." His face was a picture of disgust.
"Now, onward with phase one! Conquer the wizarding world!"
End Part 8
Sorry for not updating, just really busy. But please review on the story...Did you find it kind of confusing...
Preview for Part 9:
"What's wrong, Tom?" I asked, as I surveyed the mess of broken glass and furniture in the room. "We won...the ministry's gone...Now we just have to deal with Potter."
"I don't care about that infernal brat! He is nothing! It's that Dumbledore!"
"What about him?"
My brother turned to me, his face tightened in anger.
"He's escaped. They're all gone!"