Author's Note: I put up a poll on what I should do for a story after this is done. Vote on what you think I should do. I won't close it until this story is over. I might be adding more choices later on as I think of more plots. They will mainly be based around Percy Jackson, unless I can think of one for something else. Also the poll for Annabeth and Hermione will be up until the end of the continuation off of this story that I will make later. Anyway, vote while you can. Just want to give you guys a heads up. Annabeth has 6 votes. Hermione has 7. If you want to change that then you should get voting… like NOW! So, here's chapter 9. R&R. Enjoy. Also Congratulations to Amhk31 for being the first person to answer the question correctly. Also a big thank you to all of the other people who took the time to answer the question. The answer was the disclaimer. In all the other chapters I put look at chapter one, except in chapters 7&8 where I put I own nothing. Speaking of disclaimers
Disclaimer: I own nothing
(He, he, he, I did it again)
Chapter 9
Nico's P.o.V
I was sitting in my cabin, pondering over some random thoughts that came into my head, when the lunch horn blew. Realizing that one, I'm really hungry, and two, that I've been sitting on my bed thinking about the randomness for about an hour, I decided to get up and go to the Pavilion for lunch. Not that I really needed to decide, I mean its food. Who wouldn't go?
So I got up off my bed and made my way to the Pavilion. I was about halfway there when I started thinking about Hogwarts. It's been a while since I was last there and I kind of miss the place. I can't wait until it is time for me to go back. I'm sure Perce misses me, and wishes I was there. I've spoken to Dumbledore a little bit. Filling him in on anything suspicious going around at camp, and also how close to London the hunters of Artemis are, since they are trying to find Percy and bring him back to camp.(Don't worry, they're on our side). But I have to say I miss Luna most of all.
I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I really trust her. Like I could tell her anything and she wouldn't get angry or say anything mean to me. She knows how I feel about the camps and how I feel as a person, since I don't feel like I belong anywhere. I even told her how I feel about Percy, and it's nice to have a living friend for once. Besides Percy. But he's a different story.
Anyway, the nights I go to Hogwarts are mainly spent in Hagrid's garden, training and talking with Luna. It's quiet and peaceful out there. I've told her about being a demigod and she's told me about life as a witch. She thinks it's cool that I can summon dead people, and that I actually used to live in the Underworld. I don't think I've ever met anyone who's as open about me being a son of Hades as she is. She makes me feel alive, for lack of a better term.
It's then that I realize that I'm not really attached to Hogwarts. I mean, Hogwarts is cool and all, but the only people I know are the faculty, Percy, and Luna. Sure I know of other students such as Draco and the "Golden Trio" but I'm not really friends with them as much as I am the others. Let's be honest, who would even want to be Draco's friend besides other Slytherins.
Even after those thoughts, I still don't think that they are the real reason I stick around. At first it was to help Percy, but I barely see him now. I only talk to Dumbledore to inform him on something that's going on at camp, so he isn't the reason.
Then it hit me like a freight train. The only reason I've gone back to Hogwarts was to train with Luna. Although I'm starting to think that it's not just for the training. All of this comes crashing down on me while I'm getting my food. I sacrifice some of it to my dad, and pray that he helps me figure this mess out, then I sit down at my lonely table and think about it some more.
So, Luna obviously has some impact on my judgement to go to Hogwarts, otherwise I wouldn't be going there so often. Which reminds me, I have to meet her in Hagrid's Garden tonight after dinner. I'll just shadow travel over there from my cabin. It's not like anyone is going to be in there. Anyway, it seems that the only reason I care so much about Luna is because she's at Hogwarts.
I was half-way through my lunch when I realized that that wasn't the case at all. I only cared about Hogwarts because Luna was there. If she wasn't there, then I wouldn't be going back at all. The realization kind of scares me. Upon further thought, I realized that, since going to Hogwarts, I've not thought about Percy as much as I used to. In fact, I think my feelings for him are starting to fade.
All of these thoughts were making me so confused and a little scared. I mean, for the longest time, I had a crush on Percy. No, for the longest time, I was in love with Percy. Now, since going to Hogwarts, Luna has occupied my mind. I was finally starting to come to terms with the fact that I'm gay, but now, I'm not so sure that I'm gay. Maybe I'm bisexual or maybe I am straight and mistook my feelings for Percy. I was so confused and wasn't sure what to make of any of these new thoughts. So I left them where they were. I can think about them more later. Now, I have to get to Hogwarts to train.
I had finished my meal and was heading back to my cabin. Everything was quiet for a change. Normally someone is going off about something extraordinary, *cough*Brad*cough*, which was a good change.
I opened the door to my cabin and was surprised to find Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, and Annabeth lounging around in my cabin. Normally I'd be thrilled to have guests. Not really, but I wouldn't make them leave unless I was in a hurry to go somewhere, which in this case I was.
"What are you doing in my cabin?" I asked the group
"Technically it's our cabin since I live here now too." Said Hazel
"Yes, but honestly, why would you want to hang out with your friends in the Hades cabin. It's depressing in here. Not a good place to have a lively conversation." I said
"Okay that's not why we're here." Said Jason
"Then why are you here?" I asked, getting very annoyed and impatient
"We want to know where Percy is." Said Jason
"And what makes you think I know where Percy is?" I asked, curious as to their answer.
"You said it yourself, you were the last one to see Percy before he left. I know you Nico. You wouldn't just let him walk away without figuring something out. Whether it be where he's going or what he's doing." Said Hazel quite confidently
"Even if I did know where Percy is, why would you want him back? And why wait until now to ask where he is? Why didn't you guys ask a month ago?" I asked curiously
"Percy could help bring the camp back to order. If we can make everyone see that he's innocent, then maybe things will go back to normal." Said Piper
"And we didn't think he was gone for good in the beginning. We thought that he would come back. But now we realize that he isn't coming back, and we're tired of waiting around for him to show up. It's time we took matters into our own hands." Said Leo
I look around the room at all of the people before me, realizing that the only person who hasn't spoken is Annabeth. Curiously I ask her,
"Why are you here?"
She looks up at me, with an almost fierce determinate look on her face and says,
"I want to talk to Percy. Explain to him what's happened. Then maybe he'll see what's wrong and come back. After all, someone has to try to take the kelp out of his head every once in a while." She says.
I'm not sure what exactly made me snap, their arrogance or their stupidity. But, I couldn't help what I said to them. They treated him like crap and expect him to come crawling back? No. Not by a long shot.
"Are you guys SERIOUS!" I screamed at them.
"Why the hell would you think that Percy would COME BACK!? You want honesty? FINE! I know where were Percy is. But, if you were to find him, he wouldn't want to talk to you." I said angrily.
"Ever since Brad arrived, Percy has been feeling so worthless. And the way all of you have been treating him, made him think Brad was right. You're supposed to be his FRIENDS. FRIENDS don't stab each other in the back. FRIENDS don't ignore each other and act like the other doesn't exist. FRIENDS don't hurt other FRIENDS on purpose, they don't leave them to wonder if the person who claims that they've got their back is going to betray them. And that's how Percy felt. Betrayed. You ALL abandoned him." I yelled.
I turned to Annabeth and pointed my index finger at her accusingly. Out of all the people in this room, I'm pretty sure she caused Percy the most pain. So it's only natural that I point that out to her, she won't realize how Percy felt, feels, until I do.
"You… have caused him the most pain of all. Do you KNOW how much Percy LOVED you? How much he CARED for you. And you go and stab him in the back by CHEATING on him. How can you just SIT THERE and act like nothing's wrong with that picture. OH WELL. That's YOUR problem to figure out." I yelled at her.
"Why, WHY would you want Percy to come back here? WHY would you want him to come back to the place that CAUSED HIM THE MOST PAIN, when he's HAPPY where he is now?"
I plopped down on my bed, trying to calm myself down. At this rate I was going to pop a blood vessel because I'm sure my veins were showing on my neck. Everyone was dead silent and no one made a sound or moved a muscle. After finally calming down a bit, I let out a shaky breath and asked, in a strangled voice.
"Why would you do such things to a person? Why would you try to break as good a man as Percy?"
The room remained silent. I guess my little temper tantrum shook them up. Well good, they need to see what they've done and figure out something to change it. That or they don't care and just feel awkward about seeing my temper released and didn't really care to begin with, which I really hope wasn't true.
Annabeth's P.o.V
I just sat in my seat, trying to sort through the emotions playing around in my mind. If someone had told me that I would be emotionally shaken a few hours after being released from the infirmary, I would have stayed in the infirmary. But now that I know how Percy feels, I can't help feeling how STUPID I feel. How could I do this to Percy? If HE can somehow manage to remember me when he's lost all of his other memories, then why can't I stay true to him when I'm on a split personality potion?
Maybe Brad was right, maybe Percy and I really are done for, but I just can't accept that. I have to try to get him back. Make him see I made a mistake, before it's too late.
By the time I had finished my thought process, Hazel had recovered and was sitting next to Nico on his bed, rubbing his back and trying to soothe him. She really cares about her brother. I would too if one of my brothers brought me back from the dead, hell, I'd care if one of them helped lead me out of Tartarus. Oh. Someone did.
"Why didn't Percy come to Camp Jupiter?" asked Hazel.
Nico looks up at her, his eyes puffy and red. He really looked like he was about to cry. But he still managed to say,
"He thought that you would think him a coward for running away. Besides, would you really want him there with that plague going around?" he asked
I guess Hazel hadn't thought about the plague. Everyone looked tired and ashamed. I probably looked the worst. I mean I did just come out of the infirmary. After thinking about everything that has happened recently, and my feelings, I voice the one thing that has been reeling through my brain since I realized what was wrong with Percy.
"Brad was right then. Percy and I are done for."
I didn't want it to be true, but the more I think about it, the more depressed I get because it really does look that way. Nico looks at the ground for a moment, pondering whether he should say something, then looks up at me and says,
"I'm not sure if he's completely over you or not. To be honest, Percy is trying to move on, but with everything that's been going on, and the fact that this is all still so fresh in his memory, I think means that he's having problems with it. If you asked me, if you really could convince him, talked to him more about what happened, then maybe, just maybe, he'll take you back. I know he still has feelings for you. They might not be as strong as they used to be, but I know some are still there, and I know he still thinks about you."
"You really think that?" I asked him in disbelief.
"I don't know, maybe. I'm not really good at the whole 'love' thing, but I do know what it's like to be in Percy's shoes at the moment. It's not fun."
I ponder over his words for a few minutes, trying to find if he's lying or telling me what he really thinks. After a few moments, I realize that he is telling the truth, and that I really need to fix things between Percy and me. Before it's too late. But we still don't know where Percy is, and Nico's not really helping us. But maybe he will if we ask.
"Nico, if you don't know where Percy is, then will you please help us look for him. Maybe you can help us talk to him. Please." I begged, which I never do unless necessary.
Nico looked shocked at first, probably because I begged, then he started smirking at me, which really pissed me off. Then he just started laughing, which at that point I was arguing with myself over whether or not I should send this punk back to his father the hard way. Sensing my frustration, Piper stepped up and asked Nico what he's laughing about.
"I can't believe… that a daughter of Athena… would actually… have forgotten… something." Nico replied between fits of laughter.
"What do you mean I 'forgot something'?" I asked/yelled, getting surer of sending him to his father the hard way by the minute.
"I mean, I already told you, I know where Percy is." He stated.
We all just stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate on where, exactly, Percy was. The room remained silent for several minutes before Leo broke it, impatiently saying,
"Would you spit it out already? We really want to know where he is… Now please."
Nico chuckled for a few seconds, then went on to say that,
"London. Percy's in London."
"Why is Percy in London?" I asked. It really didn't seem like there was a reason for him to be there.
"He's there visiting an old friend." Nico said confidently.
Nico's P.o.V.
After telling them where Percy was, they all started bombarding me with questions like what is Percy doing, where exactly in London is he, who is his friend. That last one was mainly Annabeth. Everyone starts talking over the top of one another, and he can slowly feel the start of a headache forming. The more they talk the worse it gets. Finally I had had enough and yelled,
"SHUT UPPPP!"
The room went deathly silent. I took a deep breath and let it out, already feeling my headache fade away, but it still, somewhat, lingered. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose before continuing on with my explanation.
"Now, I would tell you guys what was going on, but you won't believe me. It's just too far-fetched."
"Dude, were children of GODS! How can anything be more far-fetched than that?" asked Leo
"Because, this is more complicated than that. But I'll do my best to explain as much of it as possible. Okay, so, the place where Percy is, is actually a school, and he's a teacher there."
"Wait Percy's a teacher? That can't be right." Said Leo
"I thought you said he was visiting a friend?" asked Hazel
"Why would he be teaching anyway, he hates school?" said Annabeth
"Would you please SHUT UP and let me finish. And NO QUESTIONS UNTILL THE END! Thank you. Now where was I? Oh the school! So, Percy is in London, teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. He's also teaching Greek and Roman Mythology. Now these students aren't normal. They aren't like us, per-say. They have abilities that we can't even really comprehend. They are wizards or witches, if they are female. Now, CLOSE YOUR MOUTH LEO! No questions till the end, remember."
"Okay, so a while back there was an evil wizard who did evil things. Obviously, anyway, his name was Tom Marvello Riddle. He would later be known as Voldemort, but no one will dare say his name, so they call him the Dark Lord or He Who Must Not Be Named. Now Voldemort would do terrible things to people, he would torture witches, wizards, and muggles, it's what they call mortals. He had a band of thugs by his side. He called them Death Eaters. They were marked with a skull and snake tattoo on the same place that the Romans put their tattoos."
"There was also an organization created to stop Voldemort, called the Order of the Phoenix. They were a group of witches and wizards that helped to stop Voldemort from going through with his evil plans. But the Order didn't stop Voldemort. No, a baby boy, stopped Voldemort."
"It's not known how the boy did it, but when Voldemort cast the Killing Curse, one of the most unforgivable curses known to the wizarding world, on that baby boy, it didn't work. The spell rebounded and hit Voldemort, spreading his essence across the world. As for the boy, he lived. The first ever person to survive the Killing Curse, and no one knows how he did it. As a memory of what happened, the boy now has a lightning shaped scar across his forehead, to remind him of the curse. The boy's name is Harry Potter, and he in now fifteen."
"The reason I'm telling you this, is because Voldemort has risen again, and is trying to destroy Harry Potter and continue his evil rule. When Percy ran away, I followed him. After finding out that Percy's parents were dead, we ran into the headmaster of the school Percy now teaches at. His name is Dumbledore.
"Dumbledore explained this too us, telling us that he needed help from the camp to train the students for battle, because the ministry still doesn't believe that Voldemort is actually back. Percy, having just had his whole world seemingly crash down on him, agreed for two reasons. The first being that he really wanted to help in any way he could. The second being to see his friend that he hasn't seen since she was eleven and he was twelve, because she had gotten a letter to go to Hogwarts."
"Her name is Hermione Granger, and she is really close friends with Harry and probably the brightest witch of her age. Percy has to befriend and protect Harry, not to mention train a bunch of students how to fight with weapons other than their wands, before Voldemort attacks. It should be easy for him to befriend Harry, since he is already friends with Hermione and she is well respected at the school. And that's about it… So… Any questions?"
The whole room was silent. No one knew what to make of the whole ordeal. Jason leans back against a wall, pushing up his glasses and rubbing his eyes. Hazel is still sitting on my bed, just looking at the ground as if it's the most fascinating thing in the world. Leo is sanding off to the side, fidgeting with something in his hands in concentration. Piper is leaning against one of the windows, staring out at it dazed. And Annabeth is sitting in one of the arm chairs, with her legs crossed and staring off into space. A million things on her mind at once.
Leo looks around the room a bit before speaking up and saying,
"It will be like finding the Romans all over again."
"Only this time Leo isn't going to blow a cannon and ruin our chances at peace." Says Piper
"Okay one, that was not my fault. I was possessed remember. And two, the Argo II is no longer in activity, so I can't blow anything up." Defended Leo.
"I don't count on that." Said Piper
"Anyway, these witches and wizards could help out around the camps with their skills." Said Hazel
"And maybe they know a way to cure the plague at Camp Jupiter." Said Annabeth
"Well, the wizards know about demigods, because Percy told them who he is, and almost all of them have been friendly and accepting towards us." I said.
"Yeah, that's great and all, but what about the other campers. They didn't take the thought of Romans a good idea. What are they going to think about this?" Jason asked.
"I say we keep this information to ourselves for now, until we can come up with a plan of action. I know that Percy can apparently find a way to sneak out of camp unnoticed, but the rest of us would be noticed missing. So we need to come up with a plan to escape unnoticed, then find a way to London." Said Jason.
"I say we just keep quiet for now, and think of a plan later. It's getting late and if you guys don't vacate my cabin soon, people will get suspicious." I said.
Everyone agreed to the terms, that we'd keep quiet for now, then come up with a plan tomorrow during our break from training. Everyone was starting to head out of my cabin when the meeting horn blew. This isn't a scheduled meeting day, so I was kind of nervous about what was going on. I hope the hunters haven't located Percy just yet. That would be bad for us to have just started making a plan and then not using it. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
Author's Note 2: I am terribly sorry for not updating on a regular basis. It seems I only get the chance once a month. But don't worry. School's almost out for summer, so I should be able to type more then. Anyway don't forget to tell me your thoughts in a review and go to my polls and vote. Also a heads up, Percabeth fans won't like chapter 11. Onto the questions.
Why did Nico get so angry at the people in his cabin?
What do you think the meeting is about?
Why do you think that Percabeth fans won't like in chapter 11?