Sorry about that last chapter, but I thought it would be a cool twist, having a magician wind up also being a demigod.
When Zia came to again, she said "No way, I'm a demigod, Iskander…"
"Iskander burned away your old memories of your father and lied to you, giving you those photographs to hide the truth from you, so your powers didn't activate." Percy said.
"That's impossible." Zia said, refusing to believe that her father was some a Greek god, when she'd spent a majority of her life convincing herself that the Egyptian gods were the only ones who existed. Sure she could accept it when Percy showed up, but now she was expected to believe that she actually descended from one of the gods of Mount Olympus.
"It's a lot to process I know. Do you want to be alone?" Percy asked
"No, stay." Zia said.
Percy nodded.
"Percy, I can't be a demigod, shouldn't my powers have surfaced a long time ahead of now?" Zia asked
"Normally yes, but I have a feeling Iskander but a powerful suppression on your demigod powers that he'd meant to last forever, but I think that spending so much time around me finally broke through dampening charms he'd placed and awakened your powers. And the gift of fire is really rare for demigods, literally, I only know of one other demigod who can do it." Percy said
"Makes sense." Zia said, finally accepting it.
"Can you teach me how to use my powers?" Zia asked
"Sure, of course." Percy said
"Great, when do we start?" Zia asked
"Try tomorrow, you're gonna want a good night's rest for what I've got in mind." Percy said.
Zia shuddered as Percy grinned.
The next day, Percy opened a portal into the Duat.
"Why are we going into the Duat?" Zia asked
"Because we're going to need a place where we won't be disturbed. Sobek gave me the location of the perfect place to train." Percy said as they walked through the portal.
When they exited the portal, Zia was surprised to that the area was loaded with Greek and Egyptian weapons and statues.
"What is this place?" Zia asked.
"It's called Alexandriais. Back in the Ptolemaic times, Sobek told me that this where the gods of Greece and Egypt would converse and sometimes battle. It's still charged with the power of both religions' gods." Percy said
"The perfect place for us to train." Zia said.
Percy nodded as he pulled his sword out of the Duat. (He's mastered storing stuff in the Duat lately. Besides his sword, Percy keeps his wand, his magic kit, some spare clothes, cash, his remaining ambrosia and nectar, some water and some snacks).
Anyway, Percy then said "Pick out a weapon."
"I like this one." Zia said, putting her hand on the hilt of a celestial bronze sword.
"Let's begin." Percy said, lunging forward.
Zia's senses opened up better than she'd ever had them before. She immediately raised her sword to block.
"Good job." Percy said as they continued.
Over the next few weeks, Percy and Zia continued their training in secret, with Carter being the only one who knew what was going on.
"Carter, aren't you worried that Zia is cheating on you with Percy?" Sadie asked
"Percy wouldn't do that to me." Carter said
"Wake up bro, they disappear together into the Duat for at least an hour a day without telling anyone why." Sadie said
"Sadie, Zia is not cheating on me." Carter said, making it clear that subject was closed.
"Zia is cheating on you and I'll prove it." Sadie said after Carter left.
That night, Sadie snuck out of her room and into Carter's, since Zia spent basically every night in there.
She walked as quietly as possible to the far side of the bed where Zia was sleeping with her arms wrapped around Carter.
Sadie carefully moved Zia's hand and used a stylus to write down a tyet of Isis on it.
"Good luck hiding your relationship with Percy now." Sadie said as the mark melted into Zia's hand.
The next day, when Zia and Percy left when they usually did, Sadie held out her amulet and muttered a spell that would allow her lock onto the mark she'd placed on Zia's hand and teleported there using the power of Isis.
When she arrived, Sadie was surprised to see that rather than making out or going on a date like she'd thought, Percy and Zia were sparring with Greek swords.
"You're improving." Percy said to Zia as they took a break.
"Only because I have a great teacher." Zia said
"Come on; let's work on your Hephaestus powers." Percy said
Sadie gasped, but she hoped that they didn't hear her.
Unfortunately for her, while he was in the Duat, Percy had the senses of Sobek.
He walked over to her hiding place.
"I see we have an uninvited guest." He said
"Sadie, what are you doing here?" Zia asked angrily.
"I thought you were cheating on Carter with Percy, so last night, I may have placed a tyet symbol on your hand and used it to track you guys." Sadie admitted.
"You had no right to do that. I'd never cheat on Carter. I love him too much. Percy just offered to help me master some new powers and skills I've been developing." Zia told her.
"Did you say Hephaestus?" Sadie asked
"Tell her." Percy said
"Fine, but Sadie I swear if you say a word of this to anyone, I will strangle you." Zia said
"Tell me what?" Sadie asked
Zia told her about her father.
"Wow, does Carter know about this?" Sadie asked
Percy nodded and said "We told him the day we found out so he wouldn't get suspicious when I brought Zia here to train. I've been teaching her Greek combat skills, along with how to control her inherited demigod powers."