Per AN/AR: I got a PM asking what I was going on about with the diadem bit last chapter; the diadem was nullified by Judida's Horcrux, and it still had it's original powers. It gave knowledge. It's about then that Judida became more cynical.
Oh, and so that no wizards ask why Nico, Thalia, Percy, and Jude are calling their fathers their fathers, I changed it so that they all go by Ambrosiadis, or in the cases of Nico and Percy, their real surnames - Ambrosiadis. Jude goes by Potter, however. Pollux and Dionysus have the same surname because I needed a surname for them both, and they ARE father and son, after all.
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The Hogwarts students and the delegations for Beauxbatons and Durmstrang stood in front of the castle waiting for the fourth school, Camp Half Blood, to arrive. Jude shifted from foot to foot a little. Everyone had absolutely refused to tell her how they were getting to Hogwarts, so she was a little nervous. As long as father wasn't in charge of that, though, everything should be fine…
There was a clap of thunder, and ten teens and four adults came into view as the light faded and the spots disappeared from everyone's vision.
… Jude decided that she really disliked Murphy.
"Jude!" Nico grinned. He grabbed Thalia and Percy and dragged them over to her, with Clarisse, and everyone else from Camp, coming up behind them.
"Hey Nico, hi Thalia, hi Percy," Jude smiled, giving them each a hug. She turned to Clarisse and gave her one too. Pulling back, she asked the older girl, "You didn't try and dunk Percy in the toilets again, did you?"
The others snorted, bar Percy who chose to pout, and Clarisse shook her head. "Nah, I like staying dry."
Mr. D cleared his throat, and Jude saw her dads glaring at Dumbledore, and Father and Daddy glaring at Madame Maxime.
"Patéra! Stamatí_ste krav_galéa se af_tí_n! Eíste ypotithémenoi gia na eínai diaskédasi_, thymásai? Kai na stamatí_sei krav_galéa se eména, ton Patéra," (1) Jude called to them. Hades snickered a little when Zeus was chastised, and Poseidon made his way over to the wizards.
"Hello, Headmasters, Madame Maxime," he said cordially. "I am Poseidon Ambrosiadis, these are some of our Campers, my brothers, and our Camp director, Dionysus Winship."
Dumbledore smiled cheerfully. "Good evening, Mr. Ambrosiadis, I am Headmaster Dumbledore, please, come in. There is a Feast waiting for everyone in the Great Hall."
Poseidon nodded and pointedly avoided Zeus' glare. Jude snickered, remembering when Percy had told her about Dad saying that the god of the sky would make a good god of theatre, instead.
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Jude rolled her eyes at Austin, from Apollo cabin.
"Please, please, please, pleeaase, Jude?" he asked. His half sister Kayla joined the chorus.
"Fine!" Jude snapped. "If it will get you both to stuff it, fine!" She turned into an exact replica of Apollo. "Happy?"
"Do Father!" Thalia smirked.
"Thali-a-a!" Jude whinged.
Thalia just raised an eyebrow while Kayla and Austin started up again.
"You owe me for this. If I have to turn into-"
"'one more person, we will all regret it far after our dying days, Thalia.' Jude, we know."
Jude rolled her eyes and turned into Zeus.
As the meal went on and Jude kicked various Campers in the shins, Jude started thinking about which of her powers she would pass off as her 'talent.' Electricity? Thalia was better at controlling hers, and she didn't want anyone asking why she had the exact same talent as another Camper. Controlling air? Maybe. Thalia never used it with her acrophobia , so it might work. But if the tasks were the same for everyone, she didn't want to have to explain why she could breathe under water or anything like that. Although, maybe since she, Nico, Thalia, and Percy were all being listed as being the children of (or in her case adopted by) the 'Ambrosiadis' family, maybe she could pass it off as a magical adoption. But were talents passed on that way? She knew that in wizards they were genetically, but through adoptions? She'd have to research it, though, since she wasn't sure. It might be possible and if so, she could pass off that earthquake making ability as her talent.
She shook her head mentally, discarding the idea as it emerged. No, bad idea. After all, she could barely use that unless she was too angry to think. She wasn't really happy with the idea of sending anyone to Tartarus, and it would be to hard to pass off the whole Hellfire thing, so… Using rocks might work? Rocks, or water. Rocks, or water… Wait one Olympus minute.
The Wizarding world viewed her as some sort of crazy-powerful kid, right? Well, maybe she could pass off using both? …No, her classmates at Beauxbatons would know that something was up. Crap. But she had spent a crazy amount of time in the sea near the palace, so the water talent wouldn't be too hard. She studied her fingernails thoughtfully, she did have some pretty good control over it, it was less tiring than using earth, besides everyone already knew she was a great flier . . . Jude smiled. Yep, she knew which gifts to use. As long as her fathers didn't start fighting over it or something. She really didn't want a repeat of when she was eleven. She really needed to have a talk with them...maybe turn on the waterworks.
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Jude looked around. She was… on Olympus? Okay, strange. There was yelling coming from nearby. Why was she here again? It seemed familiar… like déjà vu, almost.
As she passed through the Ancient Greek city, she saw people watching her. She tried to ignore them, she wanted to see her fathers, to make sure that they were okay. Had Percy come yet? Would they stop fighting? She hadn't seen them for months, and she wanted to be sure that everything was okay, or that it would be. The yelling got louder as she came near the throne room. How did she know that? Jude shook her head and opened the door.
"Dad? Father?"
The god of the sea and the god of the air stopped their arguing and looked at her. Why were… why were they so angry? She had finally found out that Father's master bolt was gone after Percy went to find it, but… what else was going on? Had Percy come back? Had something happened to him? Or was Father being overly dramatic? Again. "Has… Has Percy come back yet, Fathers?" Jude was trembling from head to toe as the air started crackling around Zeus.
"That brat is what you're asking about?" He asked quietly. "You're stupid, idiotic half-brother is flying in MY domain!" Zeus shouted.
Jude whimpered and stepped back. The yelling was getting… distorted? She couldn't hear everything, it was like she was fading out of everything. She was running out of the room, and she saw Percy as she left. Then-
"Jude! Judida, wake up! Venir ici, 'oo must wake up!"
Jude shot up in the bed. "What, huh - Gabrielle? What happened?"
Gabby hugged her. "'OO were 'aving a nightmare, Jude. 'oo were tossing back and forth, and would not wake up. Somezing about your Fazzers, 'oo muttered. Zey were fighting about… un garcon, about Percy? Jude, what eez goeeng on?"
Jude took a shaky breath and held Gabrielle close. "I had a horrible, horrible dream. It was from when I was eleven. It was a memory. You know the owners of my old school? Of Camp Half Blood?"
Gabrielle nodded. "Oui."
"Well, they adopted me when I was really little, all three of them did. Monsieur Zeus I called Father, Monsieur Poseidon, Dad, and Monsieur Hades, Daddy. I still call them by those names. Well, when I was eleven, Percy went missing, and I visited Father and Dad the day he was supposed to come back. He'd been kidnapped, you see. He's Dad's son, and when I mentioned him, asking if he had come back yet, Father got angry and just yelled and yelled and yelled. I ran from the room and… I don't even know why I'm reliving it. I don't have dreams like this, Gabs."
Gabrielle hugged her harder. "And 'oo weell not any longair, Jude. I weell wake 'oo up ze moment I zink zat 'oo are 'aving a nightmare."
Jude smiled and pried Gabrielle's arms loose. "Non, 'Duchesse' Gabrielle. You will sleep, and I will try not to have any more bad dreams all by myself. Now go on, go get breakfast. Ill be out soon."
Gabrielle nodded and dashed out of the room yelling for her big sister.
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Jude pulled on Nico's arm. "Come on, 'Ghost King!' We need to get to the Great Hall if we want food, and I still need to ask Fathers if I'm taking classes with Hogwarts, like was originally planned for Gabrielle and myself, or if I'm taking classes with you guys."
"Slow down, Jude! There's plenty of - " Nico was cut off by the sound of a bell ringing, signaling the end of breakfast. " - Time . . . "
Jude stopped, turned heel to face him, cocked her hip, and said jokingly, "You were saying, Zombie Boy?"
"It's 'Zombie Dude,' and I don't even like Percy calling me that."
"Call sister privileges."
"That's not fair!"
"Neither is Olympus, but it's lasted millennium."
Nico groaned and rolled his eyes, allowing himself to be pulled along to the castle.
When they got there, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades and Dionysus were waiting for them, the brother's arms crossed in an eerily similar manner, while Mr. D just looked impatient. Jude gave them all quick hugs and smiled, thinking Oh, Olympus, what did I do this time . . . Or rather, what did they find out that I did . . . .
"Hello, Jude, Nico," Mr. D greeted. "I'm going to go to the kitchens. Have fun."
"Same old Mr. D . . . " Jude muttered. Nico nudged her, and she turned her attention to her fathers. "Yes, my Lords?"
"Judida," Hades began, "I don't suppose you could tell us why you are late, per chance?"
"That's actually my fault, Father," Nico said. "I wanted Jude to tell me more about Beauxbatons, and the Tournament, and we lost track of time."
Zeus cleared his throat, "Be that as it may, now you're both late, and will be even later, without any effort at all. You can talk when there is actually time enough to do so."
"Hypocrite . . .." She muttered softly, catching sight of his quirked lips out of the corner of her eye.
Hades rolled his eyes. "Nico, go to your class. Jude, we need to talk to you about your classes."
Giving Nico a quick hug goodbye, Jude asked, "Then why isn't Mr. D here as well?"
"Because my brother forgot to forbid Dionysus from having butterbeer, and the old boy is now desperate for alcohol."
"That is my son you are talking about, Hades . . . "
"And I'm quoting you, little brother, now let me finish."
"Do not patronize me, Hade-"
"If you two don't stop bickering, Jude will most likely hole herself up in the Beauxbatons carriage. I was under the impression we wanted to actually speak with our daughter, myself."
Jude held back a snicker when Poseidon broke up his brother's bickering. "Soo . . . Classes. Am I still taking them with Gabby and the Hoggy kids, or am I with the family?"
"Both."
"Hogwarts."
"Camp."
"This is gonna be a long morning, isn't it?" She asked Poseidon outright, grinning at his long suffering sigh.
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At dinner that evening, Jude sat with the other Campers at the Hufflepuff table, chatting with her siblings and cousins and all the campers. "So what's new, Judie Bloom?" Travis Toll asked her.
"Shut up, Travis, that's not funny," Katie Gardner snapped.
"Of course it's not, fair Katie, you are, after all, always right," the son of Hermes smirked.
"Oh, let Jude talk, you idiot."
Ignoring Demeter's daughter, Jude answered Travis. "A.) Call me Judie again, Stoll, and I will take my time gutting you for fun, and B.) Me and Gabby are both taking classes with the Hogs, and I'm with you lot for all the bloody Camp classes." Oh Zeus, she was starting to sound like Malfoy had when Judida went to school . . . .
"Careful, cuz, you're starting to sound like a Brit Brat!"
"Well, I did only lose the accent just before I went to Beauxbatons."
"So?"
Jude rolled her eyes and turned to Clarisse, "Why can't I drown him? There's a really convenient lake, right outside the front doors. It's so close and surely no one will miss him."
Clarisse smiled and patted Jude's shoulder. "Because it'd be more trouble than it's worth, plus you'd feel bad about it later."
Jude pouted.
Soon after, Dumbledore stood up and asked for everyone's attention.
"Thank you, students, teachers, and guests, as some of you may have noticed, the fourth school's delegation has arrived. Miss Judida Potter will be representing Camp Half Blood, an American school for Muggleborns and half-bloods with arcane talents. Welcome, Camp Half Blood!"
There was some scattered clapping, but most of the Campers left the Great Hall soon after, not comfortable with the stares. They all knew what their 'talents' were, but it was still odd, very strange, even to them. They ended up sitting under a white birch tree by the lake, with Lorelei Zednik from Hephaestus Cabin creating a fire for them all. They just sat there, talking quietly, or humming along to dd tunes, but they were happy. It was like Camp, a home away from their home away from home. Kind of, anyway. At least there were no monsters, anyway. Jude leaned back against Nico, and smiled when she heard him humming a familiar tune under his breathe. It reminded her of Camp, of home.
"Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever," she sang softly to the melody.
Nico smiled softly and sang the next verse quietly with her.
"Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
It's getting hard to be someone but it all works out.
It doesn't matter much to me."A few other campers noticed them singing and joined in, reminded of the strawberries that grew around Camp Half Blood.
"Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever."
"Always no sometimes think it's me, but you know I know when it's a dream.
I think I know I mean, hey yes, but it's all wrong.
That is I think I disagree.
"Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever.
Strawberry Fields forever.
Strawberry Fields forever.
By the time they got to the end of the song, everyone was singing. Not loudly, but happily, nonetheless. Jude made herself more comfortable on her human pillow and looked up at the sky. If she tried, she almost felt like this was Camp. Another song came to mind, a sad ballad and she began it.
Wandering Star
I was born under a wandrin' star
I was born under a wandrin' star
Wheels are made for rolling, mules are made to pack
I've never seen a sight that didn't look better looking back
I was born under a wandrin' star
Mud can make you prisoner and the plains can bake you dry
Snow can burn your eyes, but only people make you cry
Home is made for coming from, for dreams of going to
Which with any luck will never come true
I was born under a wandrin' star
I was born under a wandrin' star
Do I know where hell is, hell is in hello
Heaven is goodbye forever, its time for me to go
I was born under a wandrin' star
A wandrin' wandrin' star
(Mud can make you prisoner and the plains can bake you dry)
(Snow can burn your eyes, but only people make you cry)
(Home is made for coming from, for dreams of going to)
(Which with any luck will never come true)
(I was born under a wandrin' star)
(I was born under a wandrin' star)
When I get to heaven, tie me to a tree
For I'll begin to roam and soon you'll know where I will be
I was born under a wandrin' star
A wandrin' wandrin' star
She still hated Hogwarts, though. Good memories, Judida may have had, but they were fake, all fake. She'd be glad when it was over.
Later that night, as she headed toward the Beauxbatons carriage, Jude stopped and looked up at the sky. "Wish me luck, Zoë, I'm gonna need it."
(1) Patéra! Stamatí_ste krav_galéa se af_tí_n! Eíste ypotithémenoi gia na eínai diaskédasi_, thymásai? Kai na stamatí_sei krav_galéa se eména, ton Patéra - Father! Stop glaring at her! You are supposed to be fun, remember? And stop glaring at me, Father