Potter Files : The Lightning Thief

by immortal6666

Second year is over and done for Iris Potter, only miserable Dursley holiday to look forward to. Then an ancient secret is revealed which turns her world upside down. She finds herself thrust headlong into a dangerous world where nothing is as it seems. The truth is indeed a beautiful and terrible thing. Fem! Harry. Post Chamber of Secrets.

14. Like Grandfather Like Granddaughter

POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF

Chapter 14 : Like Grandfather Like Granddaughter

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Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

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This chapter will be in Iris' Pov unless stated otherwise.

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A Coast Guard boat picked us up, but they were too busy to keep us for long, or to wonder how three kids in street clothes had gotten out into the middle of the bay. There was a disaster to mop up. Their radios were jammed with distress calls.

They dropped us off at the Santa Monica Pier with towels around our shoulders and water bottles that had I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD! written on it and sped off to save more people.

Our clothes were soaked with water, even Percy's. It seemed Percy had willed himself to get soaked like us. It was good thinking. Someone would have noticed if he got out of the water completely dry.

After reaching dry land, we stumbled down the beach, exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. I felt the rays of the rising Sun strike me leaching away my remaining strength.

"I don't believe it.", Annabeth said, "We went all that way—"

"It was a trick.", Percy said, "A strategy worthy of Athena."

"Hey," she warned.

"You get it, don't you?"

She dropped her eyes, her anger fading.

"Yeah. I get it."

"Guys, we had already suspected him. But, he still managed to trick us. It was clever of him to change the sheath of the bolt to look like an ordinary backpack and alter the enchantments so that the bolt will only return to it when we arrive at the proximity of Tartarus. Everything was well planned.", I stated.

I had no qualms in appreciating the ingenuity of the opponent. It only made destroying them a much more sweeter proposition.

"Percy ...", Annabeth said, "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry..."

"Iris, why did you ask me permission to talk to Hades?", Percy asked me.

I knew that he was trying to distract himself from thoughts of his mother and I let him.

"Percy, you are our leader. Interrupting you in front of an outsider is like saying that we have no faith in you as a leader. No one respects a leader who is not respected by his team members. In a society like ours, where everything is about who your parent is, it will be seen as insult to you and your father. If I had been a child of Zeus or Hades, we are at equal positions and it would not be a big deal. But, as I was much below you in the hierarchy, I needed your permission. It is not fair but its the way things are.", I replied.

Percy nodded apparently understanding the point.

"So, the prophecy was right.", Percy said, "You shall go west and face the god who has turned.' But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war among the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades' helm, and framed me

because I'm Poseidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war, something that I am sure would cause that someone much joy."

'That someone' was waiting for us, in his black leather duster and his sunglasses, an aluminum baseball bat propped on his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled beside him, its head light turning the sand red.

"Hey, kids.", Ares said an expression of fake happiness on his face, "You were supposed to die."

"You tricked us.", Percy said, "You stole the helm and the master bolt."

Ares grinned.

"Well, now, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power-that's a big no-no. But you're not the only hero in the world who can run errands."

"Who did you use? One of the kids you are hiding in your fight club?", Percy asked the warmonger.

The idea seemed to amuse the war god.

"I don't think any of his children are skilled enough to pull off something like that. It has to be a child of Hermes."

I already had a pretty good idea who it was. He certainly fit the profile I made of the thief based on everything I knew. I did not tell Percy but I was there under the Invisibility Cloak listening into their conversation. He became complacent when he believed that the only one looking at him was Percy who was known for his naivety and obliviousness. I would have preferred Percy to not blurt out everything including his dreams but it allowed me to study his reactions and confirm my suspicions. I knew better than to speak about it without evidence to back me up.

"Doesn't matter. The point is, kiddies, you're impeding the war effort. See, you were supposed to die in the Underworld, well both of you were. Artie's little menace was not supposed to survive my challenge. But that's neither here nor there. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus' master bolt, so the Old Man will be angry at him. And Hades is still looking for this ..."

From his pocket he took out a ski cap - the kind bank robbers wear - and placed it between the handlebars of his bike. Immediately, the cap transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.

"The helm of darkness.", Annabeth gasped.

"Exactly.", Ares said, "Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

"But they're your family!", Annabeth protested.

Ares shrugged.

"Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."

"You had me get the backpack as your test.", Annabeth said, "The master bolt was not in it then."

"Yes and no," Ares said. "It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword Jackson has. It always returns to his pocket, right?"

I guessed Ares being the War God would instinctively know everything about the weapons.

Well, atleast I knew that I was right.

"Anyway.", Ares continued, "I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades... Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way-no loss. I still had the weapon."

"But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself?", Percy asked questioningly, "Why send it to Hades?"

Ares got a twitch in his jaw. For a moment, it was almost as if he were listening to another voice, deep inside his head.

"Why didn't I ... yeah ... with that kind of firepower ..."

He held the trance for one second ... two seconds...

We exchanged nervous looks with each other.

Ares's face cleared.

"I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught redhanded, holding the thing."

"You're lying.", Percy argued, a smirk coming to his face, "Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it?"

"Of course it was!"

Smoke drifted up from his sunglasses, as if they were about to catch fire.

"You didn't order the theft.", he guessed, "Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around."

I nodded in agreement. I had reached the same conclusion.

"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

The War God had just made a crucial mistake.

"Who said anything about dreams?", I asked.

Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kids. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hardheaded idiots to listen, especially with the little witch sweet talking them. If there was anything I learned in the last few days, it was that if you want a job done properly, you should do it yourself. If you give it to someone else, they will mess up everything. So, I have to kill you three. Nothing personal."

He snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild boar, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin five at Camp Half-Blood. The beast pawed the sand, glaring at them with beady eyes as it lowered its razor-sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

Percy slowly stepped into the surf.

"Fight me yourself, Ares."

Ares laughed, but I could hear a little edge to his laughter ... an uneasiness.

"You've only got one talent, kid, getting your witch girlfriend to do everything. Face it, she's the talent, you're the help, simple as that. But even with her, you don't have what it takes to fight me."

"Scared?", Percy taunted, using that special talent of his to piss people off.

"In your adolescent dreams.", But his sunglasses were starting to melt from the heat of his eyes, "No direct involvement. Sorry, kids. You're not at my level."

Annabeth said, "Guys, run!"

I saw the giant boar charge at Percy and smirked. Big mistake.

As the boar rushed him, Percy uncapped his pen and sidestepped. Riptide appeared and he slashed upward. The boar's severed right tusk fell at his feet, while the disoriented animal charged into the sea.

Percy shouted with authority, "Wave!"

Immediately, a wave surged up from nowhere and engulfed the boar, wrapping around it like a blanket. The beast squealed once in terror. Then it was gone, swallowed by the sea.

Percy turned back to Ares.

"Are you going to fight us now?", he asked, "Or are you going to hide behind another pet?"

Ares's face was purple with rage.

"Watch it, kid. I could turn you into -"

"Percy", I said in a mock scolding tone, "You should not challenge someone below your level. Didn't you know that he is the war god because his mummy felt ashamed to have a son who was not good enough to have a domain of his own and used her influence to get him something? So, it's natural that he is scared to fight. After all, his real job is to bring Athena her coffee, fetch her files, basically follow her around...errand boy."

If Ares was angry before, it was nothing compared to how furious he was at present. He was literally shaking in rage. It seemed Aura did a fine job exploiting his weaknesses.

"You want a fight, godlings? You have got one on your hands. Tell me. Am I going to beat you to death together or one after the other?", he asked.

Percy looked at me. I shook my head slightly and tilted my head towards the Sun or more specifically Apollo's chariot moving across the sky. He got my message. I would only be a liability in the fight. He would have to do it on his own. A pity. I felt we made a good team.

"We decided that we do not want the fight to be too easy. So, I will fight you alone. It is time you saw what a real man in action looks like.", Percy told him.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. That would be interesting.

Ares started laughing.

"I have already seen that, godling. I do look in a mirror once in a while. It is a good thing that you chose that option though. After I kill you, I would have enough time to enjoy the spoils properly before I take care of them."

The lecherous look he gave Annabeth and me almost made me reconsider my decision. I also noticed that the comment made him more determined to win.

Ares swung the baseball bat off his shoulder.

"How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"

Percy showed him his sword.

"That's cool, dead boy.", he said, "Classic it is."

The baseball bat changed into a huge, two-handed sword. The hilt was a large silver skull with a ruby in its mouth.

"Percy,", Annabeth said, "Don't do this. He's a god."

"He's a coward.", Percy told her sternly.

"A lecherous bastard.", I said.

She swallowed.

"Wear this, at least. For luck."

She took off her necklace, with her five years' worth of camp beads and the ring from her father, and tied it around his neck.

"Reconciliation.", she said, "Athena and Poseidon together."

Percy's face reddened in embarrassment but he managed to smile.

"Thanks."

I gave him a tight hug and whispered in his ear, "I don't have any luck charm to give you. I will pray to the Goddess of Victory to ensure your victory and even offer to sacrifice to her. I have faith in you, Percy."

There was some dark colouring on his cheeks. That was weird. I was sure that my hug was not that tight.

"You all done saying good-bye?", Ares came toward us, his black leather duster trailing behind him, his sword glinting like fire in the sunrise, "I've been fighting for eternity, kid. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"

A smaller ego, I thought, but I said nothing. Actions speak louder than words.

Percy kept his feet in the surf, backing away until the water was up to his ankles. I chose that moment to actually pray to the goddess Nike offering a sacrifice on the first meal after I return to the camp.

Ares struck first with a downward cleave but Percy was not there. He used his powers to catapult over the god and slashed as he came down.

I knew that sea water gave him some sort of super powers but it was the first time I was seeing him use the sea like an extra limb. It was cool.

Unfortunately, Ares was just as quick. He twisted and the strike that should have caught him directly in the spine was deflected off the end of his sword hilt.

He grinned.

"Not bad, not bad."

He slashed again forcing Percy to jump onto dry land. I winced. Just when things were going well for us...

Percy tried to get back to water but Ares seemed to have already anticipated that.

He out maneuvered Percy, pressing so hard that he had to put all his concentration on the defence. Say what you would about Luke but I was glad that he worked Percy so hard. With fluid and precise strikes, Ares forced Percy to keep backing away from the surf. The proficiency with which the War God fought left no openings for Percy to attack. His sword had a reach several feet longer than Anaklusmos. I remembered something Annabeth had told me on one of our personal training sections : When your opponent has the weapon with longer range, get in closer and you will be in a more advantageous position.

Perhaps, Luke had taught Percy something similar. Percy stepped inside with a thrust when an opportunity presented itself, but it was merely a bait to lure him into Ares' trap. He knocked the blade away from Percy's hands and gave him the infamous Spartan kick. I cringed slightly at the sound his foot mace when it struck Percy's chest. Percy flew away about fifty feet and crashed into the soft sand of a dune.

I absently noted that a mortal had just summoned the police and was explaining the situation to the officer that had just arrived. That was not as important compared to the fight.

From what I could see of Percy, nothing was broken surprisingly but he was weak and disoriented at the moment, very much vulnerable to an attack from Ares. And attack Ares did. With the speed and strength that made him the war god, he brought his sword above his head and stabbed down, a strike that should have plunged the sword through Percy's forehead if a miracle had not occurred. The bracelet on his wrist glowed slightly before changing into its whip form. As if having a mind of its own, Percy's hand swung the whip quickly having it tie around the descending wrist of Ares. He pulled back the whip so quickly that Ares' wrist twisted forcing him to release his sword. The sword fell on the ground an inch away from his ear. The whip returned to its former position after its job was completed. Nike had given her answer. By saving Percy's life.

There were causterised wounds on the god's wrist. He was looking at it shocked that he had actually been injured.

"I have to admit. It stung slightly.", Ares told them.

I saw Ares picking back his sword and noticed the wounds fading away as if it was never there in the fist place. It seemed that the god's healing capabilities were as good as Percy's in water.

Both fighters had disarmed the other. The fight would have to go on until one side severely injured the other.

Percy was not sitting idle either. The moment Ares was distracted, Percy ran for his sword, scooped it up and launched a swipe at Ares' face but it was deflected again. Ares seemed to know exactly what Percy was going to do before he did it.

Percy stepped back towards the surf forcing the god to follow.

"Admit it, kid.", Ares said, "You got no hope. I'm just toying with you."

I noticed that the fight had drawn a lot of spectators. Most of them were mortals but there were some with the awkward gait of the satyrs and the shimmering figures of the dead. On hearing the sound of flapping bat wings, I knew that Furies had come to watch the show too.

Percy stepped farther into the water, but Ares was fast. The tip of his blade ripped his sleeve and grazed his forearm.

A police voice on a megaphone said, "Drop the guns.' Set them on the ground. Now!"

Guns? So that was what the mortals were seeing.

Ares turned to glare at our spectators, which gave Percy a moment of respite. There were five police cars now, and a line of officers crouching behind them, pistols trained on us.

"This is a private matter!", Ares bellowed, "Be gone."

He swept his hand, and a wall of red flame rolled across the patrol cars. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming.

Ares roared with laughter.

"Now, little hero. Let's add you to the barbecue."

It was then that I got an idea. I let a trickle of the Moon's power shield my hands and slowly took out the master bolt out of the backpack. I knew that I would have to carefully time everything as using power even at that power would drain my reserves as time went by. I gave both the backpack and my shoulder bag to Annabeth to hold knowing that I would need both my arms free.

"You are not planning what I think you are, are you? It is a bad idea, rainbow.", Annabeth said.

"Hush Annie, this little cylinder has caused us a lot of trouble. It is only fair that he solves atleast one of our problems.", I replied.

"But-"

"As you already mentioned, Ares is a god. We need a godly weapon to beat him. We just happen to have one of the most powerful weapons eager to do the job. Anyway, I believe old grandpa would prefer me using it on Ares to Ares using it to overthrow him."

Annabeth huffed in frustration.

"I can see that you have already made up your mind. I won't bother arguing with you anymore. When things go wrong, remember that I did tell you so.", the blond girl warned me.

"If things go wrong, I will accept the consequences of my actions."

I knew it was a risky move but it was necessary. Percy was doing well for someone with barely two weeks of combat training but the longer the fight went on the more it turned in the war god's favour due to the perks of godhood. Even if Percy did defeat him, it was not like the war god was going to admit it and hand over the helmet. Her childhood was a testament to the fact that the only language the bullies understood was the language of fear and power. The only way in front of them was the complete destruction of Ares.

Ares slashed at him but Percy deflected his blade. Percy soon got close enough to strike and tried to fake him out with a feint, but his blow was knocked aside. The waves were hitting him in the back now. Ares was up to his thighs, wading in after him.

I then noticed the water behind Percy recede. I realised that Percy was holding back the tide by force of will, but tension was building, like carbonation behind a cork.

Ares came toward, grinning confidently. Percy lowered his blade faking exhaustion. The pressure now was almost lifting him off his feet. Ares raised his sword. Percy suddenly released the tide and jumped, rocketing straight over Ares on a wave.

A six-foot wall of water smashed him full in the face, leaving him cursing and sputtering with a mouth full of seaweed.

Percy landed behind him with a splash and feinted toward his head, as he had done before. He turned in time to raise his sword, but this time he was disoriented and did not anticipate the trick. Percy changed direction, lunged to the side, and stabbed Riptide straight down into the water, sending the point through the god's heel.

The roar that followed made Hades's earthquake look like a minor event. The very sea was blasted back from Ares, leaving a wet circle of sand fifty feet wide.

Ichor, the golden blood of the gods, flowed from a gash in the war god's boot. The expression on his face was beyond hatred. It was pain, shock, complete disbelief that he'd been wounded again.

It was my cue. I aimed the master bolt at the newly created wound, pushed my magic into it willing it to discharge its electricity. My aim was not perfect but luckily the master bolt shifted automatically to correct my error. The electric discharge was so powerful that I felt myself almost choking at the high concentration of ozone in our surroundings even after I had stopped. Ares was shaking all over, his bulletproof vest melted off into a puddle on the ground, smoke coming from all over his body carrying around the scent similar to that of burnt flesh.

It looked like he had been microwaved from inside out, I thought smugly.

I was glad that I decided to shield my hands. The high power drainage was a good enough price to prevent my palms vapourising to such an extent as to expose the bones underneath. But, by the way my hands were shaking slightly, I knew that I did not completely get away unscathed.

I then noticed he was moving, albeit slowly. That would not do. I moved to an appropriate position, assessed the correct angle and threw the master bolt at the widened wound like a javelin.

The next thing I knew, I was flying backwards. I smashed my back on the ground thanking the fates for landing me on the sand. I got up groggily to see that I was not the only one send back flying by the generated shockwave. And they were not happy about it.

I could not blame them. They looked like they had just survived a thunderstorm. Their clothes were askew with many tears on them, their hair would make them perfect role models for the switch ads, even Annabeth's princess curls had turned straighter and more spiky. I had a feeling that I looked similar or even worse.

Seeing Annabeth glaring at me, I asked, "Where is the war god?"

We looked around but we could not find him. On his previous location, there was a crater deeper than we were tall. When we looked inside it, we found what looked like a partly burned stump of a leg in water.

I smirked. I would love to see Ares mocking Hepheastus when he was a leper himself.

We then noticed that the sea nearby seemed more yellowish in colour and soon realised that it was Ares' ichor. We followed the trial to find a partially immersed body on water.

"Well, the other guy looks much worse than us.", I stated.

"Much much worse.", Percy agreed.

Even if he did not say it, I knew that he was grateful for my interference.

Annabeth tried to keep up a stern face but the edge of her lips twitching into a smile that was harder to hide as time went by.

We noticed the bubbles around the body rise up to form a group of...bizzare beings. The leader was a stately looking woman who gave a new meaning to the term exotic beauty. The woman had blue tinted skin, an aristocratic face, thin eyebrows, blue eyes that reminded me of the calm sea, luscious black hair that fell down to her back and horns shaped like the crab's claws. She was wearing a gown that put the so called figure hugging dresses to shame when it came to showing off her shapely figure. The dress looked like it was made of sea itself and even wavered in a motion similar to that of the waves. She was wearing a beautiful circlet just above her forehead and carried a staff in her hands which had the design of a merboy carrying a plate above his head with his fish tail circling around it. There was a glowing blue coloured crystal fixed atop the staff to make it like the merboy was carrying it on his plate. I assumed it was one that was only found under the sea as I had never seen or heard of such a crystal before. She was standing on a cart that was driven by the sea horses, I think they were called hippocampi or something. It seemed I had just met Amphritite, the Queen of the Seas.

I could recognise the second in command as the guy with dolphin head, someone I assumed to be Delphin.

The others were as far as I could see, mermen.

The sea turned the body around to reveal a broken and unconscious Ares. Amphritite poked him to see whether he would really get up. It must be simple coincidence that she ended up poking, with the spiked end, a part that was very important to all the males of all species.

Once she was sure that the war god was unconscious, Delphin cuffed his hands and tied the cuffs to the chariot. Amphritite turned towards us and waved, a wave I gladly returned. No words were spoken nor were they necessary. The message was quite clear : Move along children. The war god would be enjoying our hospitality for a while.

Everyone got on to the chariot and it sped away dragging Ares through the sea.

I had a feeling that he was not going to get 5 star or, as they might say under the sea, five star fish accommodations. Then again, being the war god, he might see his time being the POW as the next great adventure.

I idly wondered why Poseidon would go after others when he had that woman as his wife. I did not know much about things like that but even I could see that she was a rare gem even among the celestial deities.

Then again, I did not pretend to understand what goes on in their heads.

"Is it just me or was she really...", Percy asked.

"I believe she is.", I replied.

I could understand his disbelief. After hearing tales of Heracles' life over camp fire and how Hera took every opportunity to make his life miserable, it was shocking to see a stepmother so friendly and cool. Then again, Percy did give her a good gift, perhaps the only gift she had ever gotten from a demigod.

Annabeth meanwhile checked the backpack to ensure that the master bolt had returned and put it on her shoulders.

"I am holding on to this just to stay on the safe side.", she said giving me a pointed look and I knew that I was still in trouble.

The moment Percy picked up the helmet, the Furies descended from the sky and hovered in front of him.

I wondered whether our little interrogation had scared them enough that they did not dare standing on a solid ground in our presence.

The middle Fury, the one Percy had always called Mrs. Dodds, moved forward. Her fangs were bared but for once she didn't look threatening.

"We saw the whole thing.", she hissed, "So ... it truly was not you?"

Percy tossed her the helmet which she caught in surprise.

"Return that to Lord Hades.", Percy said, "Tell him the truth. Tell him to call off the war."

She hesitated then ran a forked tongue over her green, leathery lips.

"Live well, Percy Jackson. Become a true hero. And more importantly, keep the girl in line. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again…"

She cackled as if she was savouring the idea but I could tell that there was no malice in it. Then she and her sisters rose on their bat wings, fluttered into the smoke-filled sky, and disappeared.

I shook my head in amusement. It seemed that her little stint as a maths teacher had more influence on her than I assumed. Now that her viewpoint was no longer clouded by Percy's non-existent guilt, she took on the role of a teacher, albeit a strict one, giving valuable advice to her student.

I had been a little occupied in my thoughts that it took a while for me to realise that something was wrong. Everything was quiet, a little too quiet. I was naturally worried. In the wild, the only time that level of silence existed was when the apex predator was out for the hunt.

I looked around and realized that everything in the beach was still except me. It was as if I was watching a movie and someone pressed the pause button. I saw Percy with his mouth open as if he was talking when he was frozen. I even saw the ball that a kid had thrown stay still in the air. Even the Sun seemed much dimmer as if it was ill and I could no longer feel its rays on my skin as if they had collapsed midway in exhaustion.

I groaned. I knew who was responsible and I did not want to deal with him. Unfortunately, you couldn't get everything you wish. I soon felt a presence touching my mind.

It seems I am not the only one making a comeback. Interesting., said a voice that seemed to encompass and consume everything.

I don't know what you are talking about., I said.

He laughed, a terrible mind numbing laughter that sent chills down my spine.

Oh! You do. There is no point in lying now. I recognized your power, Selene. Do you really prefer going down with the weaklings over fighting for me and getting a top position in the new regime. Unless...

I cringed. Now that I think of it, the atmosphere near the Tartarus must have diminished my intelligence. What was I thinking when I decided to show off those powers?

Selene has faded away a long time ago., I mumbled trying to sound brave and failing.

Yes! I can see that now. It says quite a lot about my children, isn't it, that I am considering you, a mere mortal girl, as the greatest threat to me.

If it was possible for me to pale in here, wherever here was, I was sure I did. I just got the personal attention of the Titan Lord and not in a good way.

Celebrate today's victory, demigod but remember that you might have won a battle but I have already won the war. I am merely waiting for the foolish Olympians to realise it. Play your games, little one. It makes the wait more interesting.

The next thing I knew everything was going on as usual. Everyone was behaving as if nothing had happened, everyone except me. I was breathing heavily and my hands were shaking. I tried to calm down but it was not working.

Even from the little bit of his true power he had revealed, I knew that it was way beyond my comprehension. Trying to understand it would sent me into the kind of mental breakdown that even Mr. D could not cure. It was from a guy who was supposed to be chopped up into many pieces.

I wanted to believe that I was just imagining things but I knew better.

"Are you OK?"

Funnily enough, it was Percy who asked me that. Both were looking at me worried and I knew that I did not hide it well enough.

"It is alright, guys. I guess everything has just caught up with me.", I replied not sounding like my usual confident self.

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other as if they were communicating with their eyes. They then simultaneously came at me from both sides and engulfed me in a hug. I would have felt embarrassed later but at that moment I threw away my pride and clung onto them like a child clinging on to her parents and soaked up all the comfort. I could feel myself relaxing, my hands had stopped shaking and my breaths evened out. We eventually seperated when they felt I would do well on my own.

"We have to get back to New York.", Percy said, "By tonight."

"That's impossible.", Annabeth said, "unless we—"

"Fly.", Percy completed her statement.

She stared at him.

"Fly, like, in an airplane, which you were warned never to do lest Zeus strike you out of

the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb?"

"Not exactly.", I said startling them both.

"You know that most of the godly children of Zeus, especially Olympians, can't fly on their own. Apollo has his sun chariot, my mother moon chariot, Hermes has his flying sneakers and I think Athena turns into an owl.", I then pointed at the motorcycle, "Ares has his motorcycle and I have a feeling that he is not exactly going to object to us using it."

Annabeth sighed.

"I suppose you know how to ride it."

"I do know a thing or two about it. How hard can it be anyway?", I asked causing him to roll their eyes.

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Just so you know, Iris, as the daughter of the Hunt, can access the threat potential of others. So, she can detect a god in disguise depending on how good they are though she will only know who it is if she is familiar with them. The downside, as you saw, was the panic attack on meeting someone with high threat potential.