I don't own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
DZ2's Harry the Twice-Blessed Half-Blood Challenge.
Plot: Every Half-Blood has one godly parent, this we know: however, Harry is different because of one reason: through the ways of the divine, he has more than one god for a parent/guardian.
"So" Harry said simply, "Time travel?"
Glancing to his left, Harry watched as Hermione stumbled over her feet blushing, a guilty expression on her face as she peered at him through her hair. "That's why you've been so exhausted I take it?" Harry asked softly, vaulting a fallen tree and stopping to help her over it. "You've been living each day twice right? Since you had two classes on at the same time?"
"Not all day" Hermione finally replied, Harry not glancing away from Buckbeak as he led the hippogriff over the log as well. "Just two hours, an hour per class" she explained as they continued on their way through the edges of the Forbidden Forest.
"Why didn't" he began slowly.
"I tell you?" Hermione finished for him, "I had to take an oath of secrecy. You're not… uh you're not supposed to know about the time turner" she confessed nervously, "So if you could not tell anyone?"
"You know I won't" Harry promised quickly as they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the Weeping Willow silhouetted through the setting sun. "Now what?" he asked, instantly turning control over their 'mission' to Hermione, who had most like come up with an extremely intricate and life-threatening plan by then.
"Now? We wait" Hermione admitted, flicking her wand at the ground a couple of times before sitting down. "Oh stop pouting" she scolded as she glanced back up at him before he could hide his disappointed expression, "The next step is going to be very life-threatening. And yes, I do know you that well" she added with a small smile.
Chuckling as Hermione threw another ferret to Buckbeak, Harry sent a cushioning charm at the ground before flopping down beside her. "I don't know whether to be relieved or not that Voldemort hasn't shown up this year" he mumbled softly after they sat in silence for a minute, "It's making me nervous that he's planning something big".
"If it makes you feel better, Wormtail is a Death Eater" Hermione offered, her voice just as soft as his was.
Harry let out a startled exhale, "Is it a bad thing that it does make me feel better?" he asked slowly. "Merlin, I'm screwed up aren't I? I'm glad that Voldemort keeps trying to kill me. I'm moving in with an escaped convict. I've been having a recurring dream involving a pack of vampire wolves that burn when in sunlight. I'm being haunted by a Grim. And I get off on near-death experiences".
"Okay. I didn't want to know that last one" Hermione drawled, both of them sitting quietly before exchanging a look and bursting into childish giggles. "You do have a thing for extreme sports" she agreed gently, "Quidditch. Sword Fights. Dementor Wrestling" she teased causing him to let out a barking laugh.
"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione Granger?" Harry countered slowly.
"Hey! Aren't I allowed to let my hair down every now and then?" Hermione mock-scowled, swatting at his shoulder.
"I'm just saying. I didn't know you had a sense of humour" Harry explained, unable to stop himself from grinning at her dry look.
"She gets it from her father".
Biting back a curse, Harry's wand appeared in his hand as he rolled to the side and to his feet, an instinctive shielding charm coming up between the blonde teenager and them. The shield wavered as Harry took in the bright yellow Ferrari the teenager was leaning against, confused about how it and the boy got there without either him or Hermione hearing it.
Glancing over to the shocked Hermione, he opened his mouth to speak, only for Hermione to cut him off with an excited "Dad!"
"Dad?" he echoed dumbly, the shield charm falling entirely as Hermione shot past him and towards the teenager, skidding to a halt in front of him. Harry watched speechless, as Hermione practically vibrated, diving into the teenager's arms the moment he spread them.
"Dad" the teenage boy confirmed as Hermione reluctantly pulled away from him, smoothing down the front of her hoodie and trying to act dignified. "Hermione love? Introductions?"
"You know who this is Dad" Hermione pointed out stubbornly, only to sigh when her 'father' stared at her blankly. "Dad, this is Harry Potter, my best friend" she introduced obediently. "Harry, this is Apollo; God of the Sun, my father".
"God of the Sun?" Harry repeated, nodding for a moment before his up-down movement became side to side as he started shaking his head instead. "Right. Who is he really?" he asked suspiciously, not certain what to do with an overactive Hermione that believed a blonde teenager was not only her father but was also a Greek God.
"Apollo. God of the Sun" 'Apollo' answered helpfully, "I would wax poetic about how awesome I am, but unfortunately we don't have much time".
"Hermione?" Harry pressed, ignoring the delusional teenager as he focused his attention on the almost glowing girl.
"Harry" she began nervously, "He is Apollo. He is my Dad. I'm a Demigod" she explained. "I would have told you" she added quietly, "But the Ministry of Magic classifies Demigods as Dark creatures and I didn't want you to hate me" she confessed.
Harry stared at them in confusion as Hermione turned to face Apollo and let out a rapid stream of an unfamiliar language, something tugging at his mind as if the language were familiar. Believing in magic was one thing. But the Greek Gods? The Ministry calling them Dark at least explained why he hadn't heard of them before, especially since Wizards were incapable of hearing the name 'Voldemort' without panicking.
"Harry?"
"I believe you" Harry interrupted, barely managing to prepare himself before he had a mouthful of brown hair, Hermione squeezing his chest tightly as she hugged him.
"Thank you" Hermione whispered in his ear as she stepped back, the relief in her eyes telling him that it had meant a lot more to Hermione than he first believed. "So Dad, uh, what are you doing here?" she asked, turning back to Apollo.
Apollo just shrugged lazily, Harry blinking in shock as he realised the teenager had aged several years and was now a young adult instead. "How do you feel about a little brother?" he asked innocently, making both Harry and Hermione do a double-take.
"I'm sorry?" Hermione asked uncertainly, her tone of voice telling Harry she was just as confused as he was.
"Well there's this Demigod I'm rather fond of" Apollo said bluntly, the 'duh' expression on his face making Harry feel stupid for not understanding. "Unfortunately for him however, his mother has disowned him, she refuses to even acknowledge he's hers" he explained, "And since I think he's a great guy I was wondering what you, as the smartest of my current children, thought about me making him my Champion?"
"I don't- I don't understand, why me?" Hermione admitted slowly, sounding like she hated having to say it.
"Because you're one of my smartest children this generation?" Apollo replied with raised eyebrows, "And because you're directly involved with this Demigod?"
"If you think they're worth it" Hermione decided, glancing at Harry the moment Apollo nodded and looked up to the sky, an unfamiliar 'I have no idea what I'm doing' look on her face.
"Alright then!" Apollo chirped happily, "So Harry? What do you say? Wanna be my Champion?"
Harry felt floored for the second time that night, his mouth opening and closing silently as Hermione let out a startled whimper. "I'm… I'm not a Demigod" he blurted, his mind surfacing from a sea of shock to quickly make an argument.
"Yes you are" Apollo corrected.
"No I'm not".
"Yes you are" Apollo repeated.
"No. I'm not" Harry ground out, "I know who both my parents were, and my mother wasn't a Goddess who disowned me" he snapped, remembering what Apollo had said about 'his mother'.
"You have two mothers, you were conceived by the Goddess but carried by Lily" Apollo countered. "And despite the fact that your mother is normally a very loving mother, for reasons I'd prefer not to think about she's a total bitch when it comes to you".
Harry just nodded slowly, not wanting to get into an argument with the God who, if his memory served him right, skinned a satyr for playing the flute better than him.
"Harry" Hermione spoke up, making him jump as he remembered his best friend was there too. "Apollo is the God of Truth. He can't lie" she said softly, her voice barely reaching his ears. "If he says your mother was a Goddess, then your mother was a Goddess. And honestly it explains a lot, you have more of an addiction to adrenaline than most Demigods I know, you're mildly dyslexic, you're always moving, and you've got a saving people thing" she explained slowly.
"Fine. If my mother was a Goddess, then who was she?" Harry demanded rudely. He may not trust Apollo, God or not. But he did trust Hermione more than anyone else in the world, and if she said he was a Demigod then Harry was inclined to believe her, no matter how ridiculous it sounded.
"I cannot say" Apollo confessed, making Harry snort in amusement. "She disowned you. Until she accepts you as her son, you are considered nothing. The other Gods wouldn't look twice at you, nor would most Demigods".
"Then why are you?" Harry asked suspiciously, "Why are you offering to make me your 'Champion' if most wouldn't look at me?"
"Because I am also the God of Prophecy" Apollo confessed, "And I have Seen that without Godly powers, you'll die. And if you die? Then so does everybody else. Cliche I know, but I only See prophecies, not create them" he explained. "So? What do you say? Wanna be my Son?" he asked again, his face going from serious to hopeful in seconds,
"I thought you said 'Champion'" Harry corrected weakly, his mind filled with images of everyone he knew lying dead and covered in blood because he refused
Apollo just waved his hand dismissively, "Same thing. I'll be adopting you as my Champion, you become my half-son, mine in essence but not in blood".
His breath caught in his throat, Harry turned to Hermione, his best friend looking torn and confused. "We'd be brother and sister" she said slowly, sounding both excited and reluctant, "But… The Ministry of Magic imprisons all Demigods they capture. I can't do that to you".
"What happens to me? If I say yes I mean" Harry blurted, not sure if he was willing to become a Dark creature when the only good thing about it would be him and Hermione being closer.
"You become my son?" Apollo answered slowly, a hint of confusion in his voice. "You gain powers equal to my other sons and daughters? You'll gain a family? And you'll gain the coolest Dad in the world! I'm pretty awesome you know" he said proudly, puffing his chest out.
"And if I say no? What happens then?" Harry asked hesitantly, not wanting to give the impression he was saying no.
"Then you don't become my son. You don't gain powers equal to my other sons and daughters. You don't gain a family, or the coolest Dad in the world" Apollo replied simply, "Oh and you'll be defenceless when a monster or your mother tries to kill you" he finished in a deadpan.
"My mother?" Harry echoed in shock.
Apollo just grunted, an annoyed expression on his face. "I wouldn't put it past her" he muttered darkly. "So… yes or no?" he asked as he grinned again, "Can I just remind you that we're on a tight schedule since you're about to be attacked by a werewolf?"
"Oh uh" Harry began, glancing at Hermione again who just shrugged.
"It's up to you Harry" she said softly, the tone of her voice implying she wanted him to say yes.
Harry just shrugged back and turned to face Apollo, his mind racing through thousands of different scenarios that could come from saying either yes or not. He could be discovered and executed. He could just be going insane. He could… he could have a family...
"Alright" Harry blurted, his voice thankfully sounding more confident than he felt. "I accept".