POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF
Chapter 16 : Meeting The Mother
X-X-X-X-X
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.
X-X-X-X-X
We were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke's disastrous trip to the Garden of Hesperides. So, naturally, we were treated like celebrities. As per the camp tradition, we wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where we got to burn the burial shrouds our cabins had made for us in our absence.
Annabeth's shroud was beautiful, gray silk with embroidered owls. I thought it a shame not to bury her in it. Apparently, Percy thought the same way even if he did not have the sense to keep it to himself. She punched him and told him to shut up.
Percy's shroud was made by Ares cabin, enough said. They had taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle. Percy enjoyed burning it. I wondered whether they had just brought it out to mock him. Would they have buried him in it had it been his corpse that had returned? Surely, they would not be that childish and immature. Perhaps, they had made a different one they did not reveal to keep up their tough image or something. Then again, they were the children of Greek gods. Holding grudges might be as easy as breathing.
My shroud was made by the Apollo cabin. Whether they still had their issues with me or not, I did not know but they certainly did not take the immature route of our mutual albeit distant cousins. It was a simple piece of cloth with no elaborate designs or decorations like the ones Athena kids seem to favour but the beauty was in the simplicity itself. I could see that the material was completely natural and there was something different about the cloth I could not understand. It might have been hand spun. Handicrafts were their area of expertise after all. I wonder whether they used the chakra thing Indian freedom fighter Gandhi was said to favour.
I was glad that it was not Aphrodite cabin though. I did not have to witness a worse act of immaturity. All of them, including their leader, had been hostile to me ever since my heritage was revealed. It was a pity. Selena had seemed level headed and intelligent in her own way. We would have been close friends in different circumstances. Then again, if she had allowed herself to be influenced by someone she might have met once or twice and did not know well, it might be better that way.
After the shroud burning was over, Apollo cabin led the sing-along and passed out s'mores. Neither Ares cabin nor Aphrodite cabin seemed happy with our success, or my success in the latter's case, but I did not care.
"Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get himself killed and now he'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday...", the wine god said, perhaps a congratulations in his own unique way.
I spent the later days training with my friends and before I knew it was already a week. We got a letter from Sally. She told us about Gabe disappearing one day and her reporting to the police, cops as they seemed to call it here, even if she had a funny feeling that they would never find him.
On a completely unrelated subject, she had sold her first life-size concrete sculpture, entitled The Poker Player, to a collector, through an art gallery in Soho. She had gotten so much money for it, she had put a deposit down on a new flat and made a payment on her first semester's tuition at NYU. The Soho gallery was clamoring for more of her work, which they called "a huge step forward in super-ugly neorealism".
I was happy for her. I knew that Sally, hardworking and determined woman that she was, would be successful in anything she chose to do, especially now that there was no Gabe to hold her back. Percy was really a lucky boy to have Sally as his mother.
Sally then mentioned deciding that writing was more her forte and returned the box of tools. There was a PS specifically for Percy which we did not read but he told us later that his mother had made arrangements for the school next year if he was interested but would accept his choice if it was stay the entire year in the camp. As fas as I knew, he had not yet decided.
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Soon it was July 4. The American Independence Day. We gathered at the beach to see the fireworks display in front of cabin nine. They had anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of the like that I had never seen before. According to Annabeth, who had seen the show before, the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.
As we were getting settled on our picnic blanket, we saw a familiar someone walking towards us. It was Grover dressed in his jeans and T-shirt and sneakers but he looked much older than I remembered. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human. But the most significant change I could see was that he was walking with his back straight and looked more confident which made him seem more mature.
"Hey Grover, you look good.", I said.
Grover bleated a little in embarrassment but unlike before he did not look like he wanted to hide himself.
"How is the search going, G-man?", Percy asked.
"There have been many leads to check out but they might turn out to be nothing. It has only been a few weeks after all.", came his reply.
I was glad to see him being optimistic about his chances but I hoped he continued the same view point even if success eluded him for some time. Such a quick change did make me wonder how much his failure at his first quest had been weighing him down.
"So, Grover, tell us about the new girl in your life.", I said.
"How did you-I mean..", he stammered.
"Well, you seem more confident, much more confident. Tell me, goat boy, did you become a man goat in all the meanings of the term.", I teased him.
"Grover has a girlfriend?", Annabeth interjected, "I want to know about her too."
I could tell that the daughter of Athena was quite excited at the news. After all she had been blaming herself for Grover's failure in the first quest and the resulting lack of confidence.
I wondered whether Luke felt guilty about it too. I did not know why he joined up with the Titan King after all. Perhaps, Kronos had promised to bring back Thalia ... from wherever she was for doing his bidding. It might have seemed a good idea to him at the time.
One slightly crispy master bolt of Zeus for one slightly cranky daughter of Zeus.
What could go wrong? But something had gone wrong and he got caught.
"Well, the moment I got the licence, I became an adult in the Wild. There was this cute nymph I liked and surprisingly she liked me too..", Grover replied flustered, "Just so you know Iris, nothing happened between us."
"Name. Grover. Name.", all three of us said synchronously.
"Juniper is her name.", he said.
Annabeth and Percy looked at me silently asking me about her.
"She is kindhearted but also fierce and strong willed. I approve.", I nodded.
They relaxed. My approval was apparently enough for them to give her a chance. I had a feeling that Annabeth would soon be braving the woods for a chat. She was quite protective of Grover. She would then realise that she had met her match.
Soon, Grover had to leave. We gave him a hug and wished him luck. After he endured Annie's mothering with only a token protest, he walked away with a walking stick held firmly in his hand backpack slung over his shoulder like a stereotypical American hitchhiker.
Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Heracles killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington, who, apparently was a son of Athena crossing the Delaware.
"Hey, Grover", Percy called.
He turned at the edge of the woods.
"Wherever you're going - I hope they make good enchiladas."
Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.
"We'll see him again.", Annabeth said.
I neither confirmed nor denied it.
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One day, when I returned to my cabin, I realised that there was someone waiting for me inside. The girl was sitting cross legged on the ground with a calm look on her face as if she had been meditating. With her auburn hair tied in a high ponytail, pale face and green eyes, her identity was obvious.
"Lady Artemis", I greeted her with a bow.
"Be seated, daughter. We are not in Olympus.", she replied.
I sat down in front of her acknowledging her desire for informality.
"You have done well in your quest, Iris. I am proud of you."
"Thank you...mother.", I replied.
It was weird saying it. I have never had a parent and I have always felt I did not need one. But Artemis was trying and it was only fair I reciprocate. Hopefully, we might, with time, have the friendly comfortable camaderie like the headmaster had with Hecate rather than her trying to force her authority over me and me rebelling.
" So, you got out?"
Not the most eloquent of questions, I know. But, for some reason, I was nervous and my silver tongue failed me.
The corner of her mouth twitched into a sort of half smile.
"Father is more calm and sensible now after he got his master bolt back. Even if he acts nonchalant, I have a feeling that he is embarrassed about his previous behaviour."
" I am assuming that you have some questions to ask of me. I might refuse to answer and might be vague at times but I will not lie.", Artemis said.
I blinked surprised. Atleast, she was honest about it.
"I want to know how you created me, for the lack of a better term."
Artemis blinked in surprise and asked, "Do you not think that I broke my vow?"
I snorted. "If you were the type to break your vow, you would have done it long ago. I had heard many good things about my father but I doubt he was that good. Anyway, I know that gods can create mortals like Hepheastus created Pandora. They sleep around because they enjoy the act. Demigods are simply the consequences the other party has to bear."
"You reached the right conclusions even if you used the wrong example. Pandora was an ordinary mortal. Demigods and Magicals are more complicated. What I did in your case was the manipulation of soul. You were conceived as a mortal child of James and Lily Potter, a frail child who would have died. Lily prayed to me and I interfered.", Artemis replied.
Despite her words, there was a smile on her face which meant that she liked what I said.
"If it was so easy, why didn't you change your Hunters into demigods?", I asked.
"You were still within the womb. There was nothing to worry. A person's soul remains malleable for only a short time after birth, a week is a very generous estimate. After the soul stabilises and its connection with body and mind solidifies, its manipulation strains it. The nature of the soul reflects on the body and the mind. Medusa was an excellent demonstration of the effect. Even Heracles had to deal with temper issues and fits of madness despite being within the time frame."
I cringed. If even unintended manipulation like Hera did when she breastfed Heracles could cause problems, it would be better to keep as far away from that as possible.
"What about when you turn people to animals? Is it Transfiguration?", I asked.
"Unless the fool angered me so much that I want him to suffer as much as possible, I limit myself to physical and at times mental change. I use my Divine Authority if I want the change to be permanent.", she replied.
I then took out my Invisibility Cloak from my bag and gave it to her.
"What can you tell me about this, mother?", I asked her.
The goddess of the Hunt analysed the Cloak, even running her hand over it one or two times and returned it.
"It is a divine artifact alright. The infamous Cloak of the Peverell. I don't understand how you can use an artifact that reeked of death to such an extent or why Hades allowed you to keep it. I wonder.", she paused for a moment before continuing, "I don't know whether it has any other powers. Ignotus Peverell took that knowledge with him to the Underworld. A sensible decision, I admit."
"If you have no more questions, its time you have it.", Artemis said.
Before I could ask to clarify, she took my hand in hers and a sudden pain erupted in the back of my shoulder. The pain vanished as soon as it came leaving me confused.
Artemis smiled at me and said, "I have heard a lot about your archery skills. Its time we saw it in action."
I instinctively held out my hand and a bow materialised in it. It was a European long bow, its weight evenly distributed along the wooden curve, its string tightly wound to get enough tension, just the way I liked it. I felt a slight weight of the quiver on my back and I knew what the pain was about.
I dismissed the bow and asked, " What do you mean by 'we'?"
"That's where we are going now, to introduce you to your sisters and vice versa. Don't worry. I already informed Chiron and Dionysus."
I blinked my eyes in astonishment. She did not even ask me whether I wanted to go or not. By the impish smile on her face, I knew that she was looking for a reaction. As if. I could be calm and cool too. It's not like I did not want to know them or something.
"Hn. I have something to do before we meet them. It would be something you would be interested in.", I replied.
X-X-X-X-X
Last week was interesting. Artemis introduced me to all of her hunters.
The leader of the bunch was a girl named Zoe. She was a tall coppery skinned girl with long braided black hair, upturned nose and volcanic black eyes. She was obviously the oldest among them considering that she still spoke in an archaic version of English. Considering the difficulty I had being a Brit in America, I could sympathise.
I wondered whether she was the daughter of Hepheastus. While she had a lean build, there was something about her hands, which I could not pinpoint, which indicated that they had created weapons.
When people see her eternal scowl on her face and Snape-like bitterness, they might get the wrong notion that she was the worst of the man haters, when in fact, she was more leaning towards neutral. Like Artemis and I, her opinion on males starts at rock bottom but if they prove her wrong, she was not going to lie about it. She told me about the Hunters once encountering King Arthur and a few of his Knights and described the legendary King of Camelot as a man worthy of respect. That raised her coolness rating in my eyes. True, there were thousands of heroes in Greece but there was only one King Arthur or, his true name in Welsh, Artus.
From what I could see in the week of my observation, to say that Zoe was well respected would be an understatement. It was as if they could not comprehend someone else being their leader (excluding Artemis of course). Good for her, bad for her successor. Unlike Artemis who exuded charisma by simply existing, I could tell that Zoe shed sweat, blood and tears for every bit of respect and loyalty she had earned.
As for the Hunters themselves, they were a tight-knit unit with a clear hierarchy where everyone had their own role to play. At 49 members, they were not a large group. In fact, Ares cabin and Athena cabin combined had greater numbers. But, their discipline and efficiency made them much more dangerous than their numbers might indicate.
The next interesting person was Phoebe. Her similarities in appearance to Clarisse made it obvious who her father was but I had a feeling that it would be better to keep it to myself. I wondered how she ended up being named after my great grandmother, the original Titan. Perhaps, that was not her real name. While she was as aggressive and irritable as Clarisse, I did not have to worry about any bullying attempts. She was so glad to finally meet a fellow country woman for that. As expected, she was the tank of the unit. While it was true that all the Hunters got enhanced speed and strength, the intensity depending on their connection to Artemis, ie years of service, the blessing only enhanced what was already there. From what I had heard, Phoebe's physical stats are unreal even for a Hunter of her age.
Then there was Kayla, daughter of Apollo, the Roman god Apollo that is. She was naturally the healer of the group. While all Hunters get enhanced healing and outright regeneration for those old enough, it could be nullified by a potent enough poison or strong enough curse. Her job was to extract the poison or nullify the curse so that the body's innate healing could do its work. She was also responsible for teaching newbies first aid and knowledge of herbs and I had the pleasure of being her student for a week now.
From what she told me, Kayla had never felt comfortable in the rigid, cold and highly political atmosphere of the Roman camp. When she got the invitation, she jumped at the opportunity for something new and had not regretted it. Considering how cheerful she was, I wondered whether she had simply ended up in the wrong camp. Well, it did not matter anymore.
There was Poppy, a wood nymph who joined up to escape Dionysus' unwanted sexual advances. The restrictions the wine god had always complained about was placed on him because he continued to pester her even after she joined the Hunters.
There was Naomi, the daughter of Hecate. We got along and even traded a few magic tricks. Unfortunately, her greatest expertise was in potions, something I had no more than rudimentary talent in.
There was Cecyln, the daughter of Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck. She was the unluckiest person I had ever seen. She frequently trips over nothing and had all sorts of bizarre accidents ranging from hilarious to ridiculous. How could someone be so accident-prone? Even Neville was not that bad. Other hunters, while amused, did not seem surprised indicating that it was a common occurence. She later told me that her accidents were simply her storing her good luck so that they could be used to get an advantage in life/death scenarios. She did not explain the details and I respected her privacy. It was quite obvious why she left the camp.
There were also mortals from different times who had prayed to Artemis for help in a difficult situation and joined up later on.
I thought the day would be just like any other but Artemis surprised me by taking me somewhere else. That was the first thing I learned on the crash course mother had dragged me into. In ancient times, all the land in the world existed together as a single land mass. Apparently, the Wild, just like Western Civilisation, was a living force, a collective consciousness of all the living things that are part of it : plants, trees, animals, birds, reptiles. It had continued to remember how it used to be before the water bodies and the man made structures seperated into many pieces. Basically, I could travel from anywhere to anywhere in an instant as long as both the initial and final destinations are within a forest and I had the power to go through with it. I called the technique phasing as Artemis had never bothered to name it. Then again there was no point in naming a technique only she could do which was the case before me. The power requirement increased exponentially depending on how far away the nature of the passenger was from the Wild. Carrying a satyr or Hunter with me would be possible to an extent but taking Percy or Annabeth with me was downright impossible at the moment. From what Artemis told me, the children of Hades could do something similar with shadows. I remembered the Furies fading into the background and guessed that all beings with strong enough connection to the Underworld could do it.
"Sit down facing me, Iris", the virgin goddess ordered while sitting cross legged on the ground.
"Where are we anyway?", I asked after I got seated.
"We are in the Yellow Stone National Park near the point where the power of the nature is the strongest in America. This is the easiest place for you to learn how to harness the power of the nature. To do that, you have to be one with nature.", Artemis spoke calmly, "Never forget this. Do not try what I am about to teach you without me there to supervise. Take in too much natural energy or too quickly and you will turn into a statue."
I gulped. After Medusa, I did not want anything to do with statues.
"Isn't it like the Sage Mode of Naruto anime?", I asked.
"Where do you think Apollo got the idea? It's good to know that you understand the importance. There are differences between the story and reality. Unlike the story, nature energy cannot be used as instant power up but rather to get more from the work outs. You could use the nature as an extra sense for tracking and threat detection. Or you could enhance your spells and give it a nature flavour. Once you get to a certain level, you do not have to stay still to harness it. What mortals call Tai Chi started as a way to take in and use that energy."
Artemis then got me started on breathing exercises to 'clear' my mind. Then she taught me to take in the nature energy slowly and steadily. You would think me being the child of nature, it would be quite easy. Apparently not, if the number of times Artemis had smacked me on the head to 'clear away the excess energy' was any indication. I had a feeling that she took amusement in smacking me around though there was nothing in her expression that seem to point to it.
After I finally managed to get the amount and speed correct, she had me vitalising individual muscle groups then bones, tendons and she even taught me to return the excess. The end result was shocking. I felt as if I had always been sick my entire life and had just been cured. She told me that the increased efficiency was temporary and only regular exercises could give me more permanent benefits.
I also practiced nature sensing until I could sense anything within 200 m radius. I learned its limitations the hard way when the goddess had sent a flock of wild birds to attack me. You could only detect someone if they were in good enough contact with something of nature, ie ground, trees, plants. Birds flying through air were undetectable.
The crash course was officially over once I learned the beginning katas and showed that I could keep myself from becoming a statue even if I was in motion. According to my mother, I still had a lot to learn but it was something I could learn on my own without her supervision.
The Hunters arranged a party for my 'graduation'. As a graduation present, they gave me the 'honour' of hunting the food for all of them. I thought present was something they were supposed to give me. Perhaps, they meant graduation test. Naturally, Artemis added that I had to do it using only the traditional tracking and hunting skills I was taught. No nature sensing, no magic, not even changing body parts.
I managed to get it done by sundown. The party started the moment Sun set. I did not know whether it was because it was the result of my hard work or my day long fast, the roasted boar was quite delicious. The party was quite fun with even those who had been withdrawn starting to open up. After the feast was over, Zoe gave me a toast announcing that I had finally gained the necessary skills to be called a Hunter, albeit a 'Novice Hunter' who had just begun her journey. Everyone else followed suit and I sighed knowing that I was stuck with that ridiculous title. Well, all good things had to come to an end which included the party. We cleaned up after ourselves and went to sleep.
X-X-X-X-X
Next morning, I was packed and ready to go. The Hunters were still asleep but I did not mind. Hunters and mornings was bad combination. I could get to the camp on my own but Artemis wanted to escort me for one last time. She took my hand and the next moment we were in the woods surrounding the camp. Unlike my attempts, the transition was so smooth that even I would not have noticed the move with out the training of the last few weeks.
I realised something was wrong when she suddenly stiffened and phased with me to a different part of the woods. I realised what was wrong when I saw someone stumbling like a drunk towards the creek. The moment he put his hand into the water, I knew that it was Percy. At that moment, I forgot that my mother was beside me holding my hand and ran towards Percy screaming his name. When he took his hand out of the water, I saw that his palm had a huge red welt, oozing and smoking with yellow guck. I could immediately tell that it was not snake venom. I could have sucked out any snake venom less potent than basilisk venom which meant almost all. The unknown venom was potent enough that water did not do much against it. From what I remembered only Kayla had the expertise to deal with a venom of that severity or perhaps...
I turned towards my mother and was shocked and terrified by what I saw. She was still standing on the same spot, face deathly pale, eyes wide in fear?terror? In that moment, I saw not a powerful goddess who was calm and in control even in the most hopeless situations but a young girl who had just seen her nightmare come to life and could only stare in terror. Our eyes met and it was as if she suddenly remembered where she was. She disappeared but, whether intended or not, I heard what she muttered.
"Orion"
There were many tales about Orion the hunter, some outright bizarre but the common thread in all of it was that he was killed by a pit scorpion. It was no wonder water did not heal him. It was created to kill a son of Poseidon.
Artemis suddenly appeared beside me with a herb startling me.
"Help me feed him the herb. He only has 60 seconds or perhaps even half that."
I opened his mouth and she stuffed the herb inside. The herb must have had quite a vile taste. Instead of swallowing, the stupid boy was trying to spit it out. I took out my wand and fired a powerful Aguamenti at his mouth, my dexterity not failing me thankfully unlike everything else seemed to that day. The spell was slightly more powerful than I intended. Well, it was not like a son of Poseidon was going to die by water, was it.
From the way his colour was starting to change back, I knew that the herb had started working. Artemis, her hands glowing , started deftly running her fingers along his arm speeding up the healing. Soon, the green skin started shifting into his natural tanned look and I knew the danger was over.
"The boy better be grateful. The herb I used was quite rare. I could have healed him on my own had he been a maiden."
Despite her words, I knew that she was quite relieved to see him safe. Perhaps, saving him did as much good for her as it did him.
"You really do care for the boy, do you?"
I was startled not only by the question but also her tone.
"I do."
Artemis sighed.
"Unlike other gods, I am not arrogant enough to believe that I can control your relationship with the boys friendly or more. I am also not going to give a sunny smile to your face and plot the boy's death behind your back. But, there might come a time when the boy might not be as appreciate of your presence. I only ask that you be prepared for the eventuality and move on.", she said.
I was surprised by how bitter she sounded even if I should not have been considering the circumstances. She had always been calm and unshakeable even in the many times I had spoken of Percy or some other boy that I forgot she was as flawed a deity as any other. She just was better at hiding it. I certainly did not get my acting skills from James and Lily Potter.
"Is that what happened with Orion?", I asked softly.
Her face tightened for a moment before she relaxed.
"No, that's what happened with Apollo. I have spent my entire childhood taking care of him. He then killed Python, became an Olympian god, got a new circle of friends and admirers. Suddenly, I became an embarrassment and not good enough to be associated with him. I decided then that it was time I lived my own life.", she shrugged her shoulders before continuing, "None of the tales or history books reveal that Orion was a child stuck in an adult body. I would have never allowed an actual adult near my Hunters who were much less tolerant than the present batch, with good reason. His child-like view of the world was refreshing and reminded me so much of a younger Apollo that I fooled myself into believing it would remain that way. I should have suspected something when he suddenly became aggressive and started arguing with us but I had just assumed that he had grown up. It was the wretched Aphrodite who revealed everything, something about love story I didn't bother to remember. By then it was too late. I arrived just in time to hear his last words."
I put an arm around her shoulder in a sort of half hug. I had a feeling that if the incident had not broken through her armour and brought out old insecurities, she might not have been so talkative.
"Are you feeling better?", I asked.
"Surprisingly yes. Is this the therapy thing the mortals pay a lot of money for?", Artemis asked.
"Yes, but usually the other guy has to actually work to pull out the confessions. Mortals can be amazingly stubborn.", I replied making her snort.
We heard the sound of hooves and many footsteps. Soon, Chiron came cantering into view holding a bow and a quiver full of arrows ready to fire at the slightest hostility followed by other demigods armed to teeth. I saw Annabeth at the front relax her hold on her knife after seeing me. Perhaps Artemis was not specific about the emergency when she sent the nymph.
The moment they saw the goddess, they started kneeling.
"The boy was lucky I brought my daughter to the woods rather than go directly to my cabin. I have ensured that he is not in danger anymore. I trust you can take care of the rest, Chiron.", Artemis spoke calmly.
"Yes, Lady Artemis."
"It was obviously a well planned murder attempt by someone who hated the boy. I might not have visited for a long time but I still remember that pit scorpion was not stocked in these woods."
I saw all of them pale and many started sweating despite the fact that the tone the goddess used was quite casual.
"I will leave you to investigate this. I am sure Poseidon would be quite interested.", she turned to me and said before leaving, "Take care of yourself, daughter."
"She was not happy, right Chiron?", Annabeth asked.
"She was calm but she spoke to us. It's not the worst case scenario.", Chiron replied.
"What are you all doing standing there? Help me carry him.", I shouted jolting them into reality.
X-X-X-X-X
"Here we are again", we heard Percy's voice and knew that he had woken up to find himself being mothered by Annabeth again.
"I am afraid this time you are the only one bedridden, Percy. I am quite healthy.", I replied.
"Percy, you idiot", Annabeth said. "Did you know how worried we were when we heard that you were attacked and you were dying? If it weren't for..."
"Now, now, Annabeth", Chiron spoke, "Let him speak. How are you feeling, Percy?"
"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved.", came his reply.
"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened.", Chiron spoke.
Between sips of nectar, Percy told us the story.
The room was quiet for a long time.
I personally felt ashamed myself. I had basically forgotten the line about betrayal. I wondered if Percy would have been in the situation if I had warned him.
"I can't believe that Luke ...", Annabeth's voice faltered, her expression turned angry and sad, "Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him... He was never the same after his quest."
"This must be reported to Olympus.", Chiron murmured, "I will go at once."
"Luke is out there right now." Percy said, "I have to go after him."
Chiron shook his head. "No, Percy. The gods - "
"Won't even talk about Kronos.", Percy snapped, "Ask Iris. Zeus declared the matter closed!"
"Percy, for once, forget about stoking your male ego and actually think your words through.", I said.
Everyone looked at me in shock and I remembered that Annabeth had been the one who scolded him while I had always played the supporting role. I ignored them.
"You don't even know where he is or how to find him. You only have one functional hand. As everything you know about fighting was taught by Luke, I am sure he would know to counter your every move.", I spoke harshly enough to make him cringe.
He sighed and I knew that he would not be running off anytime soon.
"Chiron... your prophecy from the Oracle... it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? And Annabeth? Iris?"
I looked at Chiron interested despite myself.
Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling. "Percy, it isn't my place - "
"You've been ordered not to talk to me about it, haven't you?"
Even when he asked it, it was more like a statement than a question.
Chiron's eyes were sympathetic, but sad.
"You will be a great hero, child. I will do my best to prepare you. But if I'm right about the path ahead of you ..."
Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows.
"All right!", Chiron shouted, "Fine!"
He sighed in frustration.
"The gods have their reasons, Percy. Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."
"We can't just sit back and do nothing.", Percy said.
"We will not sit back.", Chiron promised, "But you must be careful. Kronos wants you to come unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."
"Assuming I live that long."
Chiron put his hand comfortingly on Percy's ankle.
"You'll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. But first you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice..."
It was quite obvious what Chiron's opinion of right choice was, and it was taking all his willpower not to advise him.
"But you must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think on that. When I get back from Olympus, you must tell me your decision."
"Hey Chiron, why can't Percy stay here during the weekdays and visit his mom in the weekends? His mother is in New York City itself after all.", I asked.
"There are two distinct lists for Summer Campers and year rounders for cleaning harpies. Making exceptions causes confusion. I will of course ask Mr. D if it can be done. If he doesn't permit, you might have to choose, Percy. Was there anything else you wanted to ask, Iris?", Chiron spoke.
"I wanted to ask whether I can also come for Winter vacation."
"If you can provide me the dates, they can be arranged. There are still few months to Winter after all. ", Chiron replied.
"I'll be back as soon as I can.", Chiron told Percy, "Argus will watch over you."
Chiron rolled himself out of the room. I heard the wheels of his chair clunk carefully down the front steps, two at a time.
"Percy, that isn't a good idea.", I heard.
I saw that Percy was trying to get out of bed while Annabeth was torn between pushing him back and supporting him. I made the decision for her by supporting him from one side while Annie took care of the other. It was obvious that without our support he would have fallen face first on the ground.
"I am fine.", he insisted, " I just want to get some fresh air."
We helped him outside with Argus following us at a distance. We finally managed to make it all the way to the railing.
It was dusk. The camp looked completely deserted. The cabins were dark and the volleyball pit silent. No canoes cut the surface of the lake. Beyond the woods and the strawberry fields, the Long Island Sound glittered in the last light of the sun.
"What are you going to do if Mr. D doesn't give you exception?" Annabeth asked me.
"I don't know.", Percy said, "What about you?"
"I will stay here as year rounder. Even if things weren't so wrong with my family, I might have decided to stay here. With Luke gone, as the senior most member, I am defacto leader of the camp. With the camp in disarray, I can't abandon them when they need me the most. I will take responsibility for it until someone better comes along. You know, Percy, as the son of Poseidon with a successful quest in the belt, you could try for the leadership position.", Annabeth said.
"Nah! I love my dad and all but I don't want to be handed anything just because my father is the Big Three. Anything I get should be something I had earned of my own merit.", Percy replied.
"Well said, Perce.", I said, " Well said."
"It is obvious that I am not cut out for this leadership thing anyway.", Percy spoke.
"Don't put yourself down like that, Percy. Just because you are not charismatic like Luke does not mean you can not be a good leader. You just need to work harder to earn respect and loyalty.", I replied, "Speaking of it, I just remembered, my mother told me to tell you that she used a rare herb to heal you and you better show your gratefulness next time she sees you."
Percy looked confused for a moment as if he was trying to work out who I was talking about. He suddenly turned few shades paler and both of us laughed knowing that it had nothing to do with his illness.
Looking at sea, whose calm state obscured the dangerous secrets deep within, I could not help but see the similarities. In America was a prophecy nobody dared to speak out loud where my friend was the subject with many secrets and plots surrounding it. In England, I am subject to a possible prophecy everyone seemed to hint to but not explained further.
I could feel there would be quite many challenges but with the three of us supporting each other, I had nothing to worry.
X-X-X-X-X
As you can see, I did not strictly follow canon regards to Hunters.
In canon, Artemis' friend and the giant are considered the same which brings about a lot of confusion. If a younger god like Apollo could curse a giant, especially his bane, why are there Titan wars and Giant wars.
In my story, original Orion was a son of Poseidon who died before the Giant Wars and Gaea made the bane of Twin Archers in his likelihood and gave him the name as a snub to both of them.