POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF
Chapter 15 : The Quest Completed
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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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Mortals, they really were weird beings, only accepting their own reality of things. Then again, Hecate did some amazing work with the Mist.
According to the L.A. news, the explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when the mad terrorist threw a grenade at a police car.
The crazy guy, Ares, was the same man who had abducted poor little Percy Jackson and two other adolescents in New York and brought them across country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.
The Grey Hound bombing? Merely the terrorist sending a message to the law enforcement. The blowing up of the Arch? Why, the crazy man of course! People were wondering how they could not remember seeing him.
Then that waitress in Denver had seen the terrible man threaten the young abductees outside the diner she worked at. Finally, brave Percy Jackson(I almost lost my poor victim face) had stolen a gun from their captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-to-rifle on the beach. Police had arrived just in time. But the terrorist, on seeing that he was about to be caught, activated the bomb he was carrying on his person trying to take the children with him to their deaths. Miraculously, they escaped with minimum injuries. Percy Jackson and his three friends were safely in police custody.
The reporters fed us that story. We just nodded and acted tearful and exhausted (which
was not hard) and played victimized kids for the cameras.
The crowd was eating out of my hands as I spoke to the reporters. Naturally, I did not forget to tell them about how the terrorist was too interested in Annabeth and me. It was a pity that Ares would not return early enough to learn about it.
Percy gave a moving speech about his disgusting stepfather and told them that the man would give free appliances if enough people rallied money for them to get a plane ride back to New York. Wow, I never knew he had it in him. Not that it mattered much as the whole collection thing was merely a decoy.
It was when I got onto the motorcycle that I noticed another flaw in my plans. It certainly had nothing to do with me being short and everything to do with the motorcycle being made for an adult god. Really. I could not reach the gear lever when I was sitting. I patted everywhere hoping to find some secret button that would reduce its size to my level. I somehow ended up changing it into a Scooty which was coloured bright pink. I felt embarrassed but I threw away my pride after noticing that the Scooty was my size. Beggars could not be choosers. Atleast, I now knew why Aphrodite was dating Ares.
I took off once I had a decent idea about what all the buttons and levers were for. The warming charms ensured that we would not have to worry about frost bite during the journey. Despite my tired state, I had ended up with the driving duty as I was the one who had the most experience in flying on enchanted objects. From the way they were clinging, I had a feeling that it was not the only reason for their refusal.
They were initially some turbulence but a casual mention by me that we might, in our tired state, lose hold over the master bolt ensured a free path for us after that.
I did not know whether it was the time difference, the large travel distance or my lethargic state due to the day time but when we arrived at Manhattan, the Sun was close to setting.
As tired as I was, it did not stop me from smirking in amusement at the sight of Percy on his knees peppering the solid ground with kisses as if it was his long lost girlfriend.
"Percy, hurry. We are very close to the time limit as it is.", Annabeth said.
"What?"
We sighed together in exasperation.
"Percy, Ancient Greeks used a Sun based calendar. So, the Summer solstice officially ends the moment the Sun sets.", I told him.
By his widening eyes and paling face, I knew he understood the situation.
I parked the Scooty in a shadowy alcove nearby and we ran into the lobby of the Empire State Building.
We must have looked like homeless kids, with their tattered clothes and their cuts and bruises. Also, we had not slept in at least twenty-four hours.
Annabeth pointed to the security desk and led us there. We stood in front of the desk man.
"Iris Potter, daughter of Artemis.", I pointed at my companions, "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon and Annabeth, daughter of Athena. Six hundredth floor please."
Perhaps, I should have let Percy handle it as per the protocol but I was not in the mood to care. Protocols would mean nothing if the war was already declared by the time we reached them.
"No such floor, kiddies."
He did not even bother to look up from the book when he spoke as if we were not important enough. It made me want to smash his face onto the desk. My irritation mounted further when I recognized the book he was reading. Just when I thought I had seen the last of that idiot Lockhart...
I wondered for a moment whether Lockhart was Aphrodite's son or legacy. He had to be. He did more primping and gossiping in a day than Parvati and Lavender did in a year and that was saying something. It was obvious that the moron had no skills or any redeeming qualities.
That creep took every opportunity to feel me up but I kept reminding him of the consequences...painfully. To my surprise, I was one of the few exceptions. Most of the girls looked at him as if he was the second coming of Merlin and seemed to be awed by the cow dung coming out of his mouth. Even my usually level headed best friend Hermione had been infected.
Then there was his Valentine's Day celebrations. He made an already bad day worse. I shuddered remembering seeing pink everywhere and dwarves dressed like cupids. I would rather have faced the hybrid creature again than endure an extra minute of that torture.
Considering that he used the memory wipe spell freely to get the fame and glory he did not deserve, it was quite possible that he used them on many women to escape the consequences of his actions. How many Hogwarts girls were walking around unaware of their lost virtue? I would have worried about myself if I did not know that I was too high profile for him to risk it. Of course, I had Madame Pomfrey confirm it just in case.
So, I did not feel bad about trying to use him as the bait for the Slytherin's beast. Let him be useful for the first time in his life.
The plan did not proceed as I expected but justice was served in the end. It was a poetic justice indeed.
"We need an audience with Zeus."
He gave me a vacant smile. "Sorry?"
"You heard me."
Anyone with half a brain would have recognised the danger signs in my tone but apparently the guy in front of me was not part of the group.
"No appointment, no audience, kiddo. Lord Zeus doesn't see anyone unannounced."
Before anyone could react, I took out the master bolt and released a slight spark to incinerate the Lockhart book. The guy threw away the book as fast as he could and held his hands up in a surrender pose, his face turning pale.
"I am sure you understand now that he is expecting us.", I said.
He scrambled out of his seat, fumbled around his desk for a key card and then handed it to me.
"Insert this in the security slot. Make sure nobody else is in the elevator with you."
"I am glad we finally came to an understanding.", I replied giving him a smile that caused him to shudder.
After I returned the master bolt to its sheath while skilfully evading Annabeth's nagging, we entered the elevator.
As soon as the elevator doors closed, I slipped the key into the slot. The card disappeared and a new button appeared on the console, a red one that said 600. I pressed it and we felt the lift take off.
After some time of horrible music, the elevator doors finally slid open. I was shocked at the sight in front of me.
We were standing on a narrow stone walkway in the middle of the air. Below us was New York, from the height of an airplane.
In front of us, white marble steps wound up the spine of a cloud, into the sky. My eyes followed the stairway to its end, where an equally shocking sight awaited me.
From the top of the clouds rose the decapitated peak of a mountain, its summit covered with snow. Clinging to the mountainside were dozens of multileveled palaces-a city of mansions-all with white-columned porticos, gilded terraces, and bronze braziers glowing with a thousand fires. Roads wound up in a serpentine way to the peak, where the largest palace gleamed against the snow.
There were precariously perched gardens with olive trees and rosebushes. I could make out an open-air market filled with colorful tents, a stone amphitheater built on one side of the mountain, a hippodrome and a coliseum on the other.
It was, for all hints and purposes, an Ancient Greek city without considering the fact that it wasn't in ruins. It was new, clean and colorful, the way Athens must have looked three thousand years ago.
I wished the people of my magical society could see it. Then they would realise that we mortal sorcerers still had a long way to go rather than walk around so convinced about our supremacy. For the record, I was certainly not talking about the males (I assume) having platinum blond hair or the one who always wore a lime green bowler hat.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?", Annabeth said smiling, "This is my tenth time here and I am still awed."
"Yeah", Percy replied dazed.
"It would make a good model to base our plans on.", I replied.
By the gleam in her eyes, I knew that Annabeth was already going through everything with a critical eye noting the pros and cons of every feature.
My trip through Olympus took an interesting turn.
The previously giggling wood nymphs bowed to me as I passed them as if I was the Queen herself. It was good to be the daughter of Artemis.
Hawkers in the market offered to sell us ambrosia-on-a-stick, a new shield, and a genuine glitter-weave replica of the Golden Fleece, as seen on Hephaestus-TV. I decided to inquire with Percy about our stock of drachmas after our present business was over. I was not a shopping freak like girls usually tended to be but I could see many items that would look good in my collection.
The nine muses were tuning their instruments for a concert in the park while a small crowd gathered-satyrs and naiads and a bunch of good-looking teenagers who I assumed were the minor gods and goddesses. Nobody seemed worried about an impending civil war. In fact, everybody seemed in a festive mood, as if they already knew about our success. I guess travelling in Zeus' domain carrying his symbol of power was as good as announcing our success.
We climbed the main road, toward the big palace at the peak. It was a reverse copy of the palace in the Underworld.
There, everything had been black and bronze. Here, every thing glittered white and silver.
I deduced that Hades must have built his palace to resemble that one. He was not welcome in Olympus except on the winter solstice, so he built his own Olympus underground.
Suddenly, Olympus did not seem that great anymore. Underneath all the glitter and shine, it was not that different from their mortal counterparts as the beings that walk the halls were so blinded by their arrogance and their inherent belief in their superiority to care about the dangerous enemies they were making.
The steps led up to a central courtyard and then the throne room.
Just before we entered it, a guy in a Fed-Ex like uniform carrying a phone in his hand appeared in front of us where there was only thin air before.
"Annabeth Chase", he said momentarily looking up from the phone.
We looked at her unsure as to how to handle the present situation.
"Yes, Lord Hermes."
"Your mother is expecting you.", he replied and vanished.
None of us were stupid enough to not know of the word 'now' that was unspoken but understood.
We looked at each other uncertainly. We had initially intended on presenting a united front to the gods. Zeus might expect only Percy but he had not forbidden us from accompanying him. It would send a strong message.
Ignoring the summons would mean making an enemy of the goddess for no reason. Letting her go would mean sending the opposite message.
"Annabeth, go talk to your mother. We will handle it.", Percy revealed his decision.
Annabeth looked conflicted as if she was fighting an internal battle of her own.
"The last time I believed your words and left you both with each other, you fought Chimera and Echidna while I was outside biting my nails in worry."
She looked at both of us scrutinising us and sighed.
"Just take care, guys. If I don't find you both alive when I return, I will go on another quest to the Underworld and bring you both back alive just so I can personally torture you to death.", Annabeth said while handing the bag to Percy.
I hoped it was due to Percy being the leader rather than her not trusting me with the master bolt. Though by the way she looked at me when she handed it to him, I knew that it was an empty hope.
She then surprised us by hugging us simultaneously and left.
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We entered the throne room. Well, it was more of a hall than a room, an extremely large hall. Massive columns rose to a domed ceiling, which was gilded with moving constellations.
Twelve thrones, built for beings scaling twelve feet, were arranged in an inverted U, just like the cabins at Camp Half-Blood. An enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit. The thrones were empty except for two at the end: the head throne on the right, and the one to its immediate left.
We did not have to be told who the gods awaiting our arrival were. We slowly approached them.
The gods were in giant human form, as Hades had been.
Zeus, the King of the Gods, wore a dark blue pinstriped suit. He sat on a simple throne of solid platinum. He had a well-trimmed beard, marbled gray and black like a storm cloud. His face was proud and handsome and grim, his eyes stormy gray.
As I got nearer to him, the air crackled and smelled of ozone. It reminded me of the moment after I electrocuted Ares. Ah! Good times, indeed.
The god sitting next to him was without a doubt his brother but he was dressed very differently. While Zeus' dress sense resembled a CEO of a multi national company, Poseidon's resembled a guy vacationing in a tropical beach.
He wore leather sandals, khaki Bermuda shorts, and a Tommy Bahama shirt with coconuts and parrots all over it.
His skin was deeply tanned and his hands scarred like an old-time fisherman's. His hair was black like Percy's. His face even had that same brooding look that Percy had.
But his sea green eyes, Percy's eyes, were surrounded by sun-crinkles as if he smiled a lot.
I had met many men, some who could be considered handsome. But, Poseidon was on a much higher level. If that was what Percy grows up to be, beating away the fan girls with a stick would be a full time job for me. Hurray!
His throne was a deep-sea fisherman's chair. It was the simple swiveling kind, with a black leather seat and a built-in holster for a fishing pole. Instead of a pole, the holster held a bronze trident flickering with green light around the tips, the same bronze trident that was part of Percy's symbol of claiming.
The gods were not moving or speaking but there was tension in the air as if they had just finished an argument. I could feel the residue of the power let out by them during the moments of heightened emotional state.
Percy approached the fisherman's throne and knelt at his feet.
"Father."
Zeus spoke, "Should you not address the master of this house first, boy?"
Percy kept his head down stubbornly and waited while I knelt in front of Zeus' throne myself.
I sighed. I could understand his predicament. Percy made the best decision considering the circumstances.
The protocol expected him to greet Zeus first, then his father and then his patron(s), if any. But, following the protocol in the present situation would be seen as him preferring Zeus over his father. It would show Percy as an untrustworthy person, a traitor.
Not following the protocol would show him as a someone with no respect for their culture and traditions, one of the worst things to happen in a society ruled by beings who had been in power for eons.
It was a difficult decision and Percy chose the lesser evil.
"Peace, brother.", Poseidon finally said, "The boy defers to his father. This is only right."
"You still claim him then?", Zeus asked menacingly, "You claim this child whom you sired against our sacred oath?"
You talk a lot for a god who was the first one to break the said oath, I thought viciously.
"I have admitted my wrongdoing.", Poseidon said, "Now I would hear him speak."
I winced. That would crush Percy's spirit. Atleast, now I know where Percy got his tactlessness from.
Well, I hoped he was not being cruel on purpose. If Amphitrite could acknowledge the bastard son of her husband for his efforts, why couldn't his own father do the same? Then again, I did not know Poseidon very well.
Poor Percy looked like he was wishing he had just stayed back in the Underworld. I squeezed his hand to show my support.
"I have spared him once already.", Zeus grumbled, "Daring to fly through my domain ... pah! I should have blasted him out of the sky for his impudence."
"And risk destroying your own master bolt?", Poseidon asked calmly, "Let us hear him out, brother."
Zeus grumbled some more.
"I shall listen.", he decided, "Then I shall make up my mind whether or not to cast this boy down from Olympus."
"Perseus," Poseidon said, "Look at me."
Percy looked up at his father searching his face for something. Acknowledgement? Acceptance? Respect?
"Address Lord Zeus, boy.", Poseidon told me, "Tell him your story."
It was weird kneeling in front of these powerful immortals and being ignored due to being unimportant in comparison. The prideful part of me was sulking while the survivor part of me was relieved.
Percy told Zeus everything just as it had happened. The look on Zeus' face when Percy arrived at the part where I used the master bolt on Ares was priceless.
"YOU USED MY MASTER BOLT!"
Jeez, no need to shout. I am right in front of you and can hear you perfectly. My poor eardrums, I thought rubbing my ears.
I was about to give a flowery speech that would ensure that I would seen as the hero when Poseidon spoke up for me.
"Surely, you are not thinking of punishing her, brother.", he said, "She did what she did so that they could return the bolt to you. They were facing an Olympian god after all. Had Ares defeated them and retaken the bolt, today would have been his crowning as the new King of Gods."
Go Poseidon! Strike at his weakness.
Zeus turned to his brother and shouted, "It's not about why the girl used my bolt, Poseidon, which is a matter I will soon address. It is the fact that she was able to do it. The master bolt is a weapon made for immortals. No mortal can use it. My demigod children might be able to create a spark but never as good as she did."
Poseidon's face showed that he was surprised it had not occurred to him. Both of them turned to me in an identical way with similar expressions on their faces. I would have savoured the sight if I had not been shocked myself.
"It's impossible...unless...", Zeus muttered.
"It seems that we have an important matter to discuss in the next meeting and my daughter has a lot of answers left to give us.", he said.
By the way he talked, I knew that he knew about it. On noticing Percy's look, I mouthed 'later' to him.
Percy continued on until the end. Funnily, both of them were surprised on hearing about Ares being arrested. I guessed Poseidon ceded control of the sea to his wife whenever he had business above it and was only informed if something really dire happened.
"Poseidon, tell your wife to return Ares to us at once.", Zeus ordered.
Poseidon had an amused smile on his face, a smile of a shark that just spotted an unsuspecting fish. I smirked knowing what was coming. As laid back as he might have seemed, Poseidon did not remain as the ruler of a large and powerful kingdom with out knowing how to be ruthless.
"Ares broke many Ancient Laws, brother. He not only intruded into my domain without bothering to ask for permission but he also tried to kill someone who was equivalent of a citizen according to the Atlantean laws as Percy was under the protection of both the Queen and myself. It is a big diplomatic issue now but if you want, we can meet later to discuss the terms of extradition."
Zeus relented even though he did not look happy about doing it. I guessed he had been playing the game of politics long enough to know that proceeding further would give Poseidon the power to dictate terms.
"It is not necessary.", he grumbled, "Just return him in a good enough condition so that he can face justice here at Olympus."
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. Surely, he did not just say that. From what I could see, Zeus was not in a position to throw barbed insults at his brother.
It was interesting though to see how the omission of a small word like 'too' could convey an entirely different meaning. The pitfalls of politics.
I had a feeling that Ares would be the one to pay for the insult, not that I mind.
"If that's what you want, brother.", Poseidon replied.
While there was no insult in the sentence itself, the way he said it made Zeus look like a child giving outlandish excuses to justify his poor grades. From the look on Zeus' face, I knew that he noticed it too.
Percy then took out the metal cylinder, which began sparking in the Sky God's presence eager to return to his master, and laid it at his feet.
There was a long silence, broken only by the crackle of the hearth fire.
Zeus opened his palm. The lightning bolt flew into it.
As he closed his fist, the metallic points flared with electricity, until he was holding what looked more like the classic thunderbolt, a twenty-foot javelin of arcing, hissing energy that made the hairs on my scalp rise.
"I know the boy is telling the truth but why would Ares do such a thing? It is most unlike him.", Zeus muttered.
"He is proud and impulsive.", Poseidon said, "It runs in the family."
"Lord?", Percy asked.
"Yes?", they asked simultaneously, brothers until the end.
"Ares didn't act alone. Someone else-something else- came up with the idea."
Percy described his dreams, and the feeling he had about the being in it.
"In the dreams," Percy spoke, "the voice told me to bring the bolt to the Underworld. Ares hinted that he'd been having dreams, too. I think he was being used, just as I was, to start a war."
"You are accusing Hades, after all?", Zeus asked.
"No.", Percy said, "I mean, Lord Zeus, I've been in the presence of Hades. This feeling was different. It was the same thing I felt when I got close to that pit. That was the entrance to Tartarus, wasn't it? Something powerful and evil is stirring down there ... something even older than the gods."
Poseidon and Zeus looked at each other. They had a quick intense discussion in Ancient Greek of which I understood every word surprisingly.
Poseidon wanted to inform everyone about Kronos rising and prepare for the war but Zeus cut him off. Poseidon tried again to make him see sense but Zeus held up his hand stubbornly.
"We will speak of this no more.", Zeus interrupted.
It was then that I came to another realisation. The power given off by the two divine entities was enough to terrify a demigod but I was not intimidated. It gave me the feeling of comfort, safety, comradeship. I was thinking like Selene.
I vowed to be more careful from then on. How long it would be before I underestimate a dangerous foe to my peril because it was not really a threat to a Titaness?
"I must go personally to purify this thunderbolt in the waters of Lemnos, to remove the human taint from its metal."
He rose and looked at us. His expression softened just a fraction of a degree.
"You have done me a service, children. Few heroes could have accomplished as much."
His statement took me by surprise. It seemed I was not just a wall flower any more.
Percy looked to be about to say something but he never got the chance.
"To show you my thanks, I shall spare your life. I do not trust you, both of you. I do not like what your arrival means for the future of Olympus. But for the sake of peace in the family, I shall let you live...despite my better judgement."
"Thank you, my lord."
"Do not presume to fly again, Perseus Jackson. Keep far away from my lighting bolts, Iris Potter. Do not let me find either of you here when I return. Otherwise you shall taste this bolt. And it shall be your last sensation."
Thunder shook the palace. With a blinding flash of lightning, Zeus was gone.
"Your uncle", Poseidon sighed, "has always had a flair for dramatic exits. I think he would've done well as the god of theater."
An uncomfortable silence.
"Now that the wet blanket is gone, you can speak freely.", he then looked at me and said, "All protocols and customs are dispensed until you leave."
Wet blanket, huh? That's quite appropriate.
"Sir," Percy said, "what was in that pit?"
Poseidon regarded me. "Have you not guessed?"
"Kronos.", Percy said, "The king of the Titans."
I winced. Even in the throne room of Olympus, far away from Tartarus, the name Kronos darkened the room, made the hearth fire seem not quite so warm on my back.
Poseidon gripped his trident.
"In the First War, Percy, Zeus cut our father Kronos into a thousand pieces, just as Kronos had done to his own father, Ouranos. Zeus cast Kronos's remains into the darkest pit of Tartarus. The Titan army was scattered, their mountain fortress on Etna destroyed, their monstrous allies driven to the farthest corners of the earth. And yet Titans cannot die, any more than we gods can. Whatever is left of Kronos is still alive in some hideous way, still conscious in his eternal pain, still hungering for power."
"He's healing.", Percy said, "He's coming back."
Poseidon shook his head.
"From time to time, over the eons, Kronos has stirred. He enters men's nightmares and breathes evil thoughts. He wakens restless monsters from the depths. But to suggest he could rise from the pit is another thing."
"I have a confession to make, Lord Poseidon.", I said.
"Speak."
I told him everything about the encounter at the beach. His face turned paler and the trident in his hands began to shake.
"It's bad enough to hear that he is rising. If he is already that powerful..."
Poseidon was silent for a long time.
"Lord Poseidon", I said, " If you permit, I will leave and let you catch up with your son."
He did not give any sign that he heard me and I took that as my cue to leave.
I was five steps away when he called, "Iris"
I turned.
"You stood by my son during the difficult times and helped him prove his innocence. For that, you have my thanks.", he said.
I noticed that he did not mention Annabeth at all. I decided to ignore it. If the gods wanted to spar with their egos, it was not our business. We would not let it affect our friendship.
"Percy is my friend. If he is in trouble, I will help him out.", I replied.
That's it. No long drawn out speech. No use of complex terms whose meaning nobody knows. Just a simple statement that conveyed the necessary meaning.
"I am glad to hear that. I know that you have a destiny of your own in your magical society. The colony of mermen in the lake near your school are descendants of my mermen who chose to stay there when we decided to pull out. They don't owe me any allegiance but they do respect me. They will support you in your endeavours as will the Lady of the Lake."
"The Lady of the Lake?", I asked surprised.
Poseidon had an amused smile on his face.
"You would have already met her. Celeste was always fond of children.", he said wistfully, "From what I've heard, she usually remains in her squid form most of the time."
I opened my mouth and closed it back. It at least explained how the friendly, playful squid had managed to survive in the fresh water.
"I am grateful for your generosity and will accept your gift with honour, Lord Poseidon. I guess I should keep her away from Percy though if the ease with which he had the Nereid of yours wrapped around his finger was any indication. Then again, it's to be expected considering who his father is."
I winked at Percy and left with a smirk on my face knowing that he would soon be grilled by an enthusiastic father. What can I say? I am a Potter till the end.
Well, I hoped Poseidon would take the icebreaker I left out. I did not want Percy spending the rest of his life wondering whether his father cared about him or not.
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I walked along the white streets feeling none of the tiredness I had felt on arrival. It seemed the Sun has finally set. As I arrived at the market, two jovial looking blonde guys, who were standing by the lollipop shop, called out to me.
One was short, more elfish, had lighter hair and was dressed like a busy businessman, complete with small rectangular glasses resting on his nose and a bluetooth device in his ear.
The other was tall, tanned and had hair that was kissed by the sun, dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, sunglasses hiding his eyes. It seemed that I have just found the perfect antithesis of Snape.
"Look who it is, Hermes.", the taller guy said.
"Artie's little girl herself.", the other guy replied.
I rolled my eyes and said, "I am not that little."
"Do you know who we are?", they asked simultaneously.
I pointed at the shorter guy and said, "You are the guy who sent Annabeth off to her mother and ignored us."
"Hey! That was not me. It was my assistant. I am the friendly guy.", he replied.
"Is your assistant a guy named Germs perhaps?"
Apollo promptly burst into laughter. He was laughing so hard that he had to hold his sides. Really, it was not that good of a joke.
"Alright, it was me. You know what they say. Do not mix work and pleasure. Apollo did that once and the result was not pretty.", he said shuddering.
"Hey! You promised you will not talk about that incident.", Apollo shouted at Hermes.
I really hoped they were talking about something innocent like playing video games. I covered my ears just in case. There were some aspects of a male god's life that I was better off not knowing.
I quickly uncovered my ears when I noticed them turning to me.
"What about him?", Hermes said pointing at Apollo.
I made a show of examining him from head to toe.
"I know who it is. It is my favourite uncle", Apollo sent a smug grin at Hermes, "who is going to buy me lots of chocolates.", the grin suddenly faded away from Apollo's face while Hermes started laughing.
"Yes, Apollo. Buy her chocolates. Artemis will not be happy to hear that you left her only daughter to starve.", Hermes said and started laughing again.
"Nah! My little sis wouldn't do anything to me. She loves me."
Apollo contradicted his statement a moment later by buying me an ambrosia lollipop and a packet of sweets, not that I was complaining..
It was not the usual sweets found in an ordinary mortal shop. It was a formula specially concocted and marketed by Nicholas Flamel. It had high enough nectar to give it the divine taste but low enough that demigods could eat as much as they want with out the fear of burning up.
I kept the packet in my bag and unwrapped the lollipop. I intended to share the sweets with Apollo kids despite the fact that they pretty much abandoned me when my heritage was revealed. Why? Because I am a nice girl. Naturally, I would tell them that and make them feel guilty before giving it to them. I am a hunter not a social worker.
"I heard that you threw the master bolt at Ares. Is it true?", Hermes asked.
"Nah! I electrocuted him first and then threw the master bolt at him. After all, there is no point in throwing the bolt if he flashed out before it hit him.", I replied.
They exchanged looks in a coordinated way as if they had been practicing to behave like twins..
"I totally approve. He might be my brother by the loosest of definitions but I never liked the guy.", Apollo said looking impressed, "You are your mother's child alright. I still remember the time Artemis borrowed father's lightning bolt to smite a fool who boasted in public that he would marry her. Good old times.", he said turning wistful towards the end.
"I know, right? Old Grandpa refused to let me borrow his lighting bolts. Can you believe it? Aren't grandfathers supposed to indulge their grandchildren and spoil them rotten?", I replied pouting.
They exchanged looks again. From their looks, they seemed quite relieved that I was not given free access to the lighting bolts. Uncles indeed!
"We would not know anything about grandfathers as we had never met ours but from what we heard, we prefer him in thousand pieces deep within Tartarus.", Hermes spoke.
I stiffened, my joking mood having disappeared. Apollo gave him a heated glare for spoiling the atmosphere making him look chastised. Wait, wasn't Apollo supposed to be the younger and more immature one?
"What was my mother like when she was a child?", I asked changing the subject.
"Well..."
What followed were many tales of hunting expeditions the twins undertook from Apollo's point of view. So, naturally, it was skewed in his favour. But, still, it was nice to hear things about my mother that very few people know about. It made me feel special.
It was a nice thing Apollo did, waiting for me so that I would not feel disappointed for being the only one among us who did not get to meet their parent. I know, duty before family and all that but it still sucked.
Apollo could have gone to some night club to let loose after the extra work of the last ten days and I would not have blamed him. It seemed he was more insightful than he appeared. While listening to the tales, I had a sobering realisation that there were indeed many good things that I had missed out on by being an orphan.
"What happened to the Pythian games? Why did you stop organising it?", I asked.
"After I took over the Sun domain, I was too busy to put an effort into it, I guess. Using the Mist over the mortals robbbed it off a sizeable audience too. It is a pity. You should have seen it at its peak. It was awesome just like the one who organised it.", he replied puffing up at the end.
I put on a look of surprise on my face and said, "I didn't know my mother was the one who actually organised it."
The look on his face. It was priceless. Hermes and I started laughing.
"Yes, make fun of me.", Apollo seemed disgruntled but I knew he was not seriously offended, "Kids these days have no respect for their elders."
"Don't be like that, Uncle. Deflating your head back after it gets too big to fit inside Olympus is my mother's job. I am just being the dutiful daughter taking over her responsibilities in her absence.", came my cheeky reply.
"That's true. Good job.", Hermes said giving me a thumbs up his eyes glinting with mischief.
Apollo looked at him as if he was saying Et tu Hermes.
"Anyway. As you had killed the Python too, congratulations on that by the way, you could restart the Pythian games. I wouldn't mind.", Apollo spoke.
I nearly sighed. I could easily look past his pathetic attempt at feigning nonchalance and see that he really wanted me to do it. My first impulse was to dismiss the idea but I decided to think it through.
It would take a lot of time and effort but I knew it would not be a waste. Then there was the fact that Apollo kids would be resent me for their father choosing me over one of them but that was not an issue. With carefully chosen words, I could keep one of them as the figurehead while I run it from behind the scenes. It was not like I was in it for fame or personal glory. It might be better that way in the long term as the chances of my mother giving me a sibling to pass the reins to was very low.
Even hesitant that I was, I could feel a lot of ideas go through my head. I remembered well that the demigods had nothing to look forward to in the camp other than the weekly Capture the Flag. Having a long term goal would be a good motivation for them. As much of a jackass as Ares was, he had many good ideas to motivate his kids and I had no qualms about copying them.
Pythian Games did not have to be considered as a different project if the plan took off. If it was used as a sort of inauguration ceremony, it would bolster the image and reputation of New Athens.
We would even have to consider whether it could fit inside the camp even with magic if New Athens was made bigger to accommodate the games.
Building it outside the camp would mean a lot of extra costs like buying new land, putting up new wards which would never be as strong as the sacrificial protection we had at the camp. It was not something I would consider unless there was no choice.
"I guess it is time for you to leave. Your friends seem to have finished their chat.", Apollo said bringing me out of my thoughts.
He was right. I saw the two of them coming towards me. They were talking with each other about something, perhaps comparing their talks with their parent.
"All done?", I asked to which they nodded with a smile on their faces.
"Then let's go."
I turned to the gods and said, "It was nice meeting you both. Good bye."
Apollo then looked around as if expecting someone to suddenly appear.
"You know, Hermes, I am surprised that Aphrodite hadn't arrived yet considering how eagerly she was waiting for the quest to end to talk to Iris. Wasn't she planning on intercepting her before she entered the throne room?", Apollo asked.
"Haven't you heard? Hepheastus apparently wanted Aphrodite's help in a project of his that catered to her line of expertise.", Hermes replied wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Seeing Apollo's shocked look, he continued, "I was shocked too but I then remembered Ares was not in her good books. Though it is a little suspicious that Hepheastus took off with her not long before Iris arrived at Olympus."
We slipped away before they could question us. With both the God of Truth and the God of Lies together in one place, it was better not to risk it.
X-X-X-X-X
We were soon at Manhattan heading in a taxi. Percy wanted to take a detour to see his mom and we obliged. It was good to see him truly happy. On the way, both of them told me about their conversation with their parent.
Apparently, Athena was interested in my idea and promised her unofficial support. According to her, as long as it remained a mortal endeavour, we would not have to worry about her rivals interfering like the last time. What can I say? I love being right.
I told her about Apollo's request and left the rest to her. We soon reached Sally's apartment and Percy rang the door bell.
Sally came out looking like she had never been kidnapped at all.
"Percy! Oh, thank goodness. Oh, my baby."
I hid my snicker not wanting to be impolite.
She crushed the air right out of him. We stood in the hallway as she cried and ran her hands through his hair.
Percy was shaking himself, so relieved he was to see her.
We were happy to witness it though Annabeth seemed slightly jealous.
After their little moment, I had Percy introduce Annabeth as she was meeting his mother for the first time.
She told us she had just appeared at the apartment that morning, scaring Gabe half out of his wits.
I smirked. Served him right.
She did not remember anything since the Minotaur, and could not believe it when Gabe told her Percy was a wanted criminal, traveling across the country, blowing up national monuments. She had been going out of her mind with worry all day because she had not heard the news. Gabe had forced her to go into work, saying she had a month's salary to make up and she had better get started.
Annabeth and I exchanged looks, our hands clenched. Chiron's sentiments for mortals be damned. He would soon be going to Hades the slow and painful way. I was sure Hades was quite angry right now and would love to have someone related to Percy to take his frustrations out on.
Percy swallowed back his anger and told her our story. He tried to make it sound less scary than it had been but we never made it easy for him.
Sally looked at me in shock when it came to my claiming.
He was just getting to the fight with Ares when Gabe's voice interrupted from the living room.
"Hey, Sally! That meatloaf done yet or what?"
A growl came from my throat that would have been more appropriate coming from a lion. I wondered how he would feel on being roasted over fire. He certainly had enough fat in him to cure Africa's food shortage problems. Then again, even the starving kids there might not accept something so...contaminated.
Sally closed her eyes.
"He isn't going to be happy to see you, Percy. The store got half a million phone
calls today from Los Angeles ... something about free appliances."
I smirked.
"Oh, yeah. About that..."
She managed a weak smile.
"Just don't make him angrier, all right? Come inside, children."
I wrinkled my nose and covered my mouth with a hand on entering the apartment resisting the urge to vomit. Garbage was ankle deep on the carpet. The sofa had been upholstered in beer cans. Dirty socks and underwear hung off the lampshades.
I might not have been a neat freak like Petunia but I liked everything to be nice and tidy, a byproduct of growing up in an environment that was clean and sterile enough to make hospital management jealous. Then again, Petunia had gone to a nursing college but had dropped out halfway. Considering the timing, I guessed Vernon knocked her up and she had to marry him to save face. She was never as prudish as she wanted others to believe.
Gabe and three of his big goon-like friends were playing poker at the table.
When Gabe saw Percy, his cigar dropped out of his mouth in a comical fashion. His face turned the colour of lava.
"You got nerve coming here, you little punk, bringing your idiot friends with you. I thought the police—"
I heard the sound of Annabeth gritting her teeth. For a daughter of Athena, 'idiot' was one of the biggest insults.
I grimaced. Looking at the scum, I could understand why Percy reacted the way he did to Dionysus. For all his other faults, Vernon was not an alcoholic or smoker. Atleast, he did not do it in the house.
"He's not a fugitive after all.", Sally interjected, "Isn't that wonderful, Gabe?"
Gabe looked back and forth between us. He didn't seem to think Percy's homecoming was so wonderful.
"Bad enough I had to give back your life insurance money, Sally.", he growled.
And get dumped by the airhead of a grief counsellor, I thought viciously.
"Get me the phone. I'll call the cops."
"Gabe, no!"
He raised his eyebrows.
"Did you just say 'no'? You think I'm gonna put up with this punk again? I can still press charges against him for ruining my Camaro."
"But—"
He raised his hand, and Sally flinched. It was then that I realized something. Gabe had hit his wife. I did not know when or how much but I was sure he had done it. May be it had been going on for years without Percy's knowledge if the look on his face was anything to go by.
Percy walked towards Gabe with a pen in his hand. Very scary, I know.
Gabe just laughed.
"What, punk? You gonna write on me? You touch me, and you are going to jail forever,
you understand?"
"Hey, Gabe", one of his friends interrupted, "He's just a kid."
It seemed there was someone among them who was not completely hopeless.
Gabe looked at him resentfully and mimicked in a falsetto voice: "Just a kid."
His other friends laughed like idiots.
"I'll be nice to you, punk.", Gabe showed us his tobacco-stained teeth, "I'll give you five minutes to get your stuff and clear out. After that, I call the police."
I placed a hand on Percy's shoulders. He must have seen something on my face. He did not argue.
"Tell me Gabe.", I said in a smooth and dangerous tone, "How long have you been hitting your wife?"
"What is it to you if I hit her whenever I felt like it? It's my wife.", he said as if being his wife gave him the right to hit her.
"You are lucky you are dealing with me and not my mother. She is...less merciful."
He laughed.
"What are you going to do? Stare me to death?", the fool asked not realising the danger he was in.
I let a cruel smirk come on to my face.
"Something like that, yes."
Suddenly, his eyes bulged until they looked ready to pop out and he started heaving as if he was finding it difficult to breath. He placed his hands on the left part of his chest and his face scrunched up into an expression of pain and terror.
I felt a soft hand on me and I relaxed letting Gabe free. He looked at me in fear sweating buckets.
"Children, please. Let me show you around. Wouldn't you like to see Percy's room.", Sally pleaded.
I relented. As much as I hated it, it was her family matter. I had no right to interfere in it.
The moment Sally turned her back, Annabeth took out her knife. She pointed at them, then at their crotch area and made a cutting motion with her knife with a gleeful smile on her face. They shuddered in unison and covered that area. Yes, Professor Bethy could be quite scary when she wanted to be.
If either Percy or Sally noticed Annabeth looking too pleased with herself, they did not comment on it.
Percy's room had been completely filled with Gabe's junk. There were stacks of used car batteries, a rotting bouquet of sympathy flowers with a card from somebody who'd seen his Barbara Walters interview.
"Why don't you stay here, children? I will go make something for you.", Sally said.
"No need, Mom. You look quite tired. We do not know how long Gabe will wait before causing trouble again.", Percy replied while we nodded in agreement.
"Gabe is just upset, honey.", Sally told him, "I'll talk to him later. I'm sure it will work out."
"Mom, it'll never work out. Not as long as Gabe's here."
She wrung her hands nervously.
"I can ... I'll take you to work with me for the rest of the summer. In the fall, maybe there's another boarding school—"
"Mom."
She lowered her eyes.
"I'm trying, Percy. I just... I need some time."
"Poseidon called you a queen.", Percy told her, "He said he hadn't met a woman like you in a thousand years."
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. That was quite a claim for a god to make.
Her cheeks flushed.
"Percy—"
"You deserve better than this, Mom.", Percy said and we nodded in agreement again, "You should go to college, get your degree. You can write your novel, meet a nice guy maybe, live in a nice house. You don't need to protect me anymore by staying with Gabe. Let me get rid of him."
She wiped a tear off her cheek.
"You sound so much like your father," she said, "He offered to stop the tide for me once. He offered to build me a palace at the bottom of the sea. He thought he could solve all my problems with a wave of his hand."
"What's wrong with that?", Percy asked.
Her multicolored eyes seemed to look into him.
"I think you know, Percy. I think you're enough like me to understand. If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. I can't let a god take care of me ... or my son."
Sally wanted to solve her problems by herself rather than depend on someone else's mercy. As the daughter of the tomboy goddess, I could respect that. That did not mean I could not give her a push.
"Sally", I spoke calmly, "I don't want to interfere in your family matters. Your husband has been hitting you for a long time and had no qualms about openly admitting it. How can you be sure that he had not taken the same...liberties with your son?"
"Oh! No! He would not do that to Percy."
It was then that she noticed that Percy was conspicuously silent on the matter and was not meeting anyone's eyes. I guess it was a shock to all of us, even I who suggested it. Percy did not exactly act like an abused child.
Annabeth and I locked eyes. We came to a silent agreement. We would support him quietly rather than embarrass him.
"No, he didn't. He promised.", Sally muttered not so sure of herself anymore.
I spotted grief and regret in her eyes making me feel guilty even if I knew it was something she needed to hear. Then she changed. There was a fire in her eyes that was not there before. I could see what Poseidon had seen in her all those years ago. As far as appearance was concerned, Amphritite and Sally were as different as chalk and sugar. But, both of them were strong willed women who preferred to fight their own battles. Both of them would go to any lengths to protect their loved ones.
"I had received a package earlier. I didn't understand then what it was for but now I do. Gabe is a problem I invited into our lives. It was nice of you all to stand up for me but it is only fair that I be the one to take care of him. Have faith in me, Percy.", she said.
Percy nodded. I was surprised. It was an unexpected development if my guess was right. Amphitrite acknowledging Percy's efforts was one thing but going out of the way to help his mother was something else.
"In that case, we will let you deal with him. If you need any help...", Percy said knowing well that she would not ask for help.
"Where will you go, Percy?"
"Half-Blood Hill."
"For the summer ... or forever?"
"I guess that depends."
They locked eyes, and I sensed that they had reached an agreement. They would see how things stood at the end of the summer.
Sally kissed his forehead.
"You'll be a hero, Percy. You'll be the greatest of all."
She then looked at us and said, "Take care of yourself, children."
We walked with Sally to the front door.
"Sally, if you don't mind me asking, are you a legacy? Chiron told me that many of the mortals that can see through the Mist tend to be legacies. I have never seen eyes like those in the mortal world either.", I asked.
The question drew Percy's interest and he looked at his mother. I guess he did not have the time to ask about it last time.
The only ones, to my knowledge, who had multi coloured eyes were Aphrodite and her children.
"To be honest, I don't know. My parents died in a plane crash when I was very young, too young to really remember them. My uncle...didn't like talking about them. From the few photos I have of them, my father seemed to be a handsome man though I don't know whether he was descended from the Love Goddess. I have always loved the sea though, long before I met your father, Percy. I have always felt as if it was where I was meant to be."
The last part was interesting. If Sally really was the legacy of a sea deity or spirit, that would mean the 'plane crash' might not have been an accident.
Perhaps, I should not have asked it. Some secrets of the past were better off buried.
"Leaving so soon, punk?", Gabe called after Percy, "Good riddance."
Sally's eyebrow twitched in irritation. I shook my head. Digging his own grave was not enough for the moron. He had to pour acid into it.
"Hey, Sally.", he yelled, "What about that meat loaf, huh?"
A steely look of anger flared in Sally's eyes, and I was now sure that we were leaving her in good hands. Her own.
"The meat loaf is coming right up, dear.", she told Gabe, "Meat loaf surprise."
She looked at us and winked.
The last thing I saw as the door swung closed was Sally staring at Gabe and his goons as if she was contemplating how they would look as garden statues.
X-X-X-X-X
Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It makes me feel better to know that a lot of people loved it.
Thunder-Claw03 : Something should be left for Artemis after all.
I have read many HP/PJO crossovers and I am surprised that none of them had connected the thick book with the picture of a wizard to Gilderoy Lockhart.
I have placed a possibility of Sally and by extension Percy being a legacy. I might not go with it but I would like to hear your opinion just the same. If you want it, I would consider any suggestions on the sea side.