Percy woke up the next day practically bursting with excitement. It wasn't often he acted like this. Most days, he tried to sleep in as much as possible. On occasion, his parents had to physically drag him out of bed to get him moving. But today, he was up and ready to go. Because he was finally about to get his wand.

He rushed out of his bedroom to find his mother already setting up breakfast. "Well, good morning," she greeted, smiling. "Someone's excited about something today. I wonder what that could be?"

"Mom," he said, giving her a look.

"I know, I know," she grinned. "And I'm so happy for you. Here, I made your favorite."

Percy's own grin got wider as he saw the blue pancakes stacked on the plate. She and Percy had a long running joke about blue food. He knew that at times she felt left out of Percy's life from being a Squib so she tried to add her own magic to normal stuff whenever she could, like making normal food blue. Since then, whenever they were together, they shared blue food. He quickly sat down and began drowning his pancakes in maple syrup.

"Wow," Amphitrite muttered, walking in. "You want some pancakes with that syrup?"

"Ha, ha," Percy said, stuffing some in his mouth.

"Percy, don't talk with your mouth full," his mom said without looking. It was scary how she did that.

"Ah the famous blue pancakes. I must say, I have missed you," Amphitrite gazed fondly at them. "Sally you need any help?"

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'm just making the last batch now. You go ahead and start eating. We have to go pretty soon anyway."

"Ah, right," Amphitrite noticed the time. "Well, better eat them fast." She then saw Percy's stuffed cheeks. "Though not that fast."

"Really, Percy?" his mom asked, trying to look cross but clearly hiding a smile. "You know you look like a hamster, right?"

Percy shrugged helplessly. It wasn't his fault his mom's cooking was so good it made you want to completely stuff your mouth with it to get the full taste. He managed to swallow all of it and then proceeded to stuff another batch in.

Amphitrite rolled her eyes watching him. "You and your father," she muttered. "This type of thing must be genetic."

"Oh most definitely," his mom agreed.

Triton then walked in, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Why's everyone up so early?" he mumbled.

"Oh, sorry honey. It's just we need to get going soon to get all Percy's stuff for school," Amphitrite told him. "But here, have some breakfast. Sally made pancakes."

That woke Triton up and he eagerly took a seat though his smile faded slightly as he looked at the food. "Why are they blue?"

Percy tried to respond with, 'why not?' but his mouth was still stuffed with pancake so what actually came out was closer to, "waamow?"

"Sorry, didn't quite catch that," Amphitrite said while Triton looked at him with a combination of disgust and fascination.

Percy choked down half the food and took a deep breath before trying again. "Why not?"

Triton tilted his head, as if he had never considered that before, and then grabbed three pancakes and proceeded to drown them in syrup.

"Oh dear lord," Amphitrite muttered. "You do realize you don't need to drown them, right? They're perfectly fine with just a little drizzle."

"To you maybe," Triton replied, still bringing the flood to his plate. "But this way they're perfectly fantastic."

"Exactly," Percy nodded. "We don't want perfectly fine. We want perfectly fantastic, thank you very much."

Amphitrite rolled her eyes and muttered something about men. Sally just chuckled, digging into her own pancakes.

Then, approximately thirty minutes later after a rush of brushing teeth, using the bathrooms, and getting changed, they were all walking down the steps of the flat when a familiar, snide voice interrupted them.

"Oy, Sally! Wait up."

Percy felt himself go still and his face twisted into a grimace. The last person he wanted to see ever. Smelly Gabe. He slowly turned and beheld the man, stuffed into thriftstore clothing like a tuskless walrus. They had been lucky to avoid him the previous day but apparently their luck hadn't held.

Gabe came to a pause seeing the rest of them and his expression fell a little. "Ah, I see you have company."

"Yes, and we also have somewhere important to be, so if you don't mind…" his mom said, already moving to continue down the stairs.

"Well, actually, we need to talk about your rent situation."

Sally came to a stop again and Percy could see the muscles in her shoulders visibly tighten. "What kind of situation?"

"You're behind," Gabe told her, his double-chin wobbling as he took a step towards them.

"I told you, I'm getting my check on Friday," his mom told him. "I can pay you then."

"Yes well, you see that's going to be a problem," Gabe said, with a fake smile plastered on his face. "Look I've been lenient with you before, let a few things slide here and there." His gaze flickered over to Percy, letting him know he was one of the things. "But I can't keep doing that forever. You got to give me something here."

Sally sighed. "Gabe, I don't have the money right now. I can get it Friday, just not any sooner."

Gabe sighed. "Circumstances have changed, Sally. You have guests here now and I'm afraid we've received complaints."

Percy frowned. "What complaints?" he asked. "You didn't even known we were here until just now."

"Quiet kid, the adults are talking," Gabe said without even looking at him, filling him with anger. "Look, Sally, I'm going to need that money by the end of the day or else…" he held up his hands, "I'm going to have to start taking action."

Now Amphitrite stepped forward. "What does that mean, exactly?"

Gabe turned to her and gave her a sympathetic smile, or at least what looked like one. "It means you have to give me a little something, ok sweetheart."

Percy did not like the way he said sweetheart. Or the way he said something, as if implying something other than money. Apparently Amphitrite thought the same thing as she took a sudden step towards him, hand already reaching for her wand.

"Amphitrite, stop," his mom said hurriedly, grabbing her arm.

"Whoa, whoa, settle down pretty lady," Gabe said. "I'm just saying like it is, alright? No need to get so emotional over it." Amphitrite's expression got darker at that word.

"Gabe, fine," his mom held up a hand towards him. "I'll…work something out, get some money together for you tonight."

"There, was that so hard?" he asked no one in particular. "Knew we could reach some sort of deal."

Percy sighed and then began walking down the stairs again, his mom gently leading Amphitrite down as well who still looked like she wanted to throttle Gabe.

"You know, you should smile more," he told her and she froze where she stood. "You know you'd look so much better with a smile."

Percy had no doubt that if it was possible, Amphitrite's glare would kill Gabe where he stood. Instead, his mom practically yanked her the rest of the way down the stairs and out the door onto the street, Percy and Triton following a step behind.

"God, do I want to kill that man," Amphitrite muttered. "More than I want to kill Malfoy, and that's saying something."

Triton stared at her in confusion. "But mom, you always say that wanting to kill someone is wrong? Remember? You said every living thing deserves our respect."

Amphitrite sighed. "How is it you remember that but you can't seem to recall the rule of no grabbing your parents' wands?"

Triton shrugged innocently.

"Ugh, are you sure I can't just turn him into a pig," Amphitrite asked, looking back at the building as if seeing straight through it to where Gabe was. "Don't think the Ministry officials would know the difference."

Percy's mom chuckled. "I don't think we can risk it, no matter how much he might deserve it," she said. She looked up at the flat as well and sighed softly, Percy seeing the pain in her expression that tore him up. He wished he could wave his wand (once he had it) and get rid of all her problems. Or that Amphitrite or his dad would do it. But that was the problem. His mother was incredibly stubborn. She refused to let magic ease her life, wanting to earn it all for herself. It was inspiration most of the time, but other times Percy really didn't understand it.

Then, his mom shook off the expression and smiled at them all. "Enough of all that. This is Percy's day. So let's go get him his wand and school supplies."

"Right," Amphitrite nodded, turning away from the flat as well. "Let's go."

"Finally," Triton grumbled.

Percy hesitated for a second before following them as well. Part of him didn't want to let it go, to try and argue that they should do something about Gabe. But he knew what his mother would say, not to worry about it, that she would handle it, that everything was fine. He wished he could believe her, but there was always that seed of doubt in him.

But for now, he brushed it aside. She was right. It was time to get his wand. And he didn't want to bring everyone down again by rehashing the subject. So for now, he would let it go.

"Alright, here we go," Amphitrite said, standing at the edge of the sidewalk to the street, and held out her wand. Percy and his mom braced themselves, all too familiar with what happened next.

BANG!

The familiar purple triple-decker bus appeared out of thin air in front of them, coming to a loud stop and nearly decimating a post-box which had leapt away at the last second like a frightened dog. Percy looked around but no one else but them seemed to notice the massive bus right in front of them. It still boggled his mind how much Muggles and No-Majes missed.

A thin, pimply young man in a purple uniform the same violent shade as the bus behind him leapt off, cleared his throat, and began to read off a piece of paper in his hand, "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the st-"

"Yes, we know," Amphitrite interrupted him, handing him some money and getting on the bus.

"Oh," the man hesitated, unsure now. "Uh, right. Well then."

They all clambered on, Percy a little more hesitantly. He'd been on the Knight Bus twice before and neither were experiences he'd like to replicate. The only thing worse than this was the Gray Sisters taxi service in New York. Now that was a true nightmare.

He wished they could just use some Floo powder to arrive at Diagon Alley but his mom's house wasn't connected so, onto the bus they went. Percy was now regretting the big breakfast he'd had.

"So, where choo all headed anyways?" the man asked as they entered the bus.

"Leaky Cauldron," Amphitrite replied, finding a seat on one of the chairs and sitting Triton down next to her. She was lucky to find any as the bus was packed. A few witches and wizards had apparently fallen over at the last stop and were now picking themselves up, grumbling. Percy decided to stand up, wanting to be able to plant his feet down, and took hold of one of the railings firmly. Next to him was a Black kid a couple years older than him whose faced looked a little queasy.

"Oh, lucky you, that's our next stop. Parently, efferyone wants to go to the Leaky Cauldron today," the man chuckled. "Alright, got'em Ern. Take it away!" he called to the front of the bus.

The driver apparently heard as a second later, the bus lurched forward and Percy's whole body lurched with it, nearly colliding with the big kid.

"Oh, I hate this bus," the kid muttered.

"Just be grateful it isn't the Gray Sisters," Percy replied, getting a better footing as the bus turned rapidly.

"Never heard of them."

"Be grateful for that too."

The kid took a proper look at him. "Let me guess, getting school supplies for your first year?"

"That obvious, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much," the kid nodded. "I had that same look a few years ago. According to my mum anyway. Must be pretty exciting to get your wand."

Percy smiled. "It'll be even more exciting when I can actually use it." Students were forbidden from using wands outside of school until they were seventeen, so while he was getting his wand today he wouldn't be able to use it until the first of September. Still, he was at least getting a wand.

"True that," the kid nodded. "Charles Beckendorf, by the way, but everyone just calls me Beckendorf."

"Percy Jackson," Percy said, frowning a little at the name choice. "I'd shake your hand, but…"

"Yeah, don't want to lose my grip either," Beckendorf agreed. "Though I think we're here."

A few seconds later, he proved to be right as the bus came to a sudden, jolting stop that made Percy think for a second that the pancakes were coming back up. When he managed to recover, he saw outside the window the familiar small and shabby façade of the Leaky Cauldron, entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Alright then," the pimply conductor announced. "All of you headed for Leaky Cauldron, this is your stop."

Around twelve people got up and went for the exit, Beckendorf among them. Percy stepped off the bus and saw several of the others breathing sighs of relief, one muttering to themself that they would never use that 'damn bus again. And I mean it this time!'

Amphitrite and Triton were standing off to the side waiting for him and his mom, apparently having been some of the first ones off. "That was awesome!" Triton thrilled. "Let's go again."

Percy groaned. "Let's not, shall we?"

"We'll have to on our return trip," Amphitrite reminded him.

"Oh bloody hell," Percy muttered.

"Language," his mom reminded him though she looked like she wanted to say it. "I must admit, of all the magical things I miss, that is not among them."

Amphitrite snorted a little at that but then focused up, looking at the Leaky Cauldron. It didn't look like much, just a grubby little pub. In fact, most people didn't even see it unless they were looking for it, their eyes drifting right on past. Amphitrite led the way inside, following all the other witches and wizards who went in.

The inside wasn't too much better, a dark and shabby setting with a scattering of tables and chairs, a bar against the wall, and stairs leading up. Still, it was pretty full. There was a low buzz of chatter in the air, most of the tables occupied. Three elder witches were playing a game of cards in the corner and what looked like an ogre was slumped at the bar, downing a large beaker of something. Most of the people who had come on the bus were heading out the back door to the entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Oy, Amphi!" the bartender, an elder bald wizard, suddenly called out, walking towards her. "Been a while, hasn't it?"

"Hello Tom," Amphitrite responded fondly. "Yes it has. Too long. How have you been?"

"Ah, can't complain. Much," he added. "So, want a drink?"

"Not right now, I'm afraid. We're here to get Percy's school supplies. But we'll be back later for lunch."

Tom looked over at Percy and grinned a toothless grin, something Percy just managed to restrain from grimacing from. "Yeah, been getting a lot of those lately. It's that time of the year again. Just had the Weasley family come through to get there stuff."

Amphitrite brightened at that. "Oh really? Well, I hope we run into them. But we'd better be off."

"Should I save you some stew for later then?"

Amphitrite paused for a moment before nodding. "That would be wonderful, thank you Tom."

"Righto then, see ya later."

They stepped out the back and Percy smiled at Triton's gasp as they saw Diagon Alley. Apparently, the way was still open after the last people came through. They walked in and took in the view of all the different shops that lined the street, each one different and unique to the last. Percy, who had already been here before once, was enjoying Triton's reactions more as this was his first time here. His brother gaped at every sight, especially fascinated by the owl emporium and the hooting sounds coming from within as well the broom store. There was even a small crowd around the window and people gushing about the latest nimrod or whatever. Percy didn't really follow broom-making, more interested in keeping his legs either firmly planted on the ground or deep underwater. Triton, however, seemed eager to press his face into the glass and gape at the broom.

"So, where to first?" he asked.

"I'm thinking Madam Malkin's," Amphitrite replied, looking a little ways down the street to where the robe shop stood. "You can get your school robes while we collect some of the other items on the list." She looked over the letter again. "Then I suppose we can come back to the owl emporium and-"

"Oh no," he stopped her right there. "I don't need or want an owl. Look, just use Poseidon. He's fine."

Sally frowned. "Honey, are you sure? Owls can be really useful."

"Owls don't particularly like me and the feeling is kind of mutual," Percy replied. "I'll be fine without one, trust me."

"Alright, well if you're sure then I guess we'll go to Ollivander's to get your wand," Amphitrite said.

Percy grinned at that. That was the one he couldn't wait for. Finally, his own wand. He could already imagine it in his hand. Though he was a little worried he'd lose it. He was famous for losing pens and pencils at all his schools and quills around the house. And his fork and knife at dinner. Basically any utensils tended to go missing around him and he had no idea why. He just hoped that wouldn't transfer over to his wand.

They managed to pry Triton away from the nimrod broom and then split up. Amphitrite handed Percy some money for the robes before heading off with Sally to buy his cauldron and potion ingredients.

Percy walked into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions where a squat witch stood behind the counter, going over some cloth. She looked up as he walked in and smiled. "Hogwarts?" she asked before Percy could even speak. "Yes, thought as much. Already have two in the back. Just pop on back there onto one of the stools if you could and I'll be there in just a mo. Have to add another one now." She began to collect more fabric as Percy walked into the back of the shop where two people waited. One was a boy his age with a round face and short blonde hair. The other was someone he recognized.

"Beckendorf?"

The kid looked up and smiled. "Oh, hey Percy. Long time no see," he joked.

Percy smiled and then stood up on one of the available stools. "I'm Percy," he said to other kid.

"Uh, Neville," the kid said a little hesitantly. He seemed unsure for a moment and then held out his hand. Percy took it and they shook and Percy had to stop from grimacing at the kid's sweaty palm.

"Sorry," Neville said. "I'm kind of nervous. I've been looking up the different houses and I don't even know if I'm going to get into Hogwarts cause I've barely shown any magical skill, even with my wand and…" he trailed off after that but Percy got the gist.

"Don't worry, I didn't either but I still got my wand," Beckendorf reassured him. "Look at this baby." He pulled out his own wand and showed it off and Percy had to admit it did look spectacular, almost metallic in appearance with its shiny and smooth skin. "13 inch walnut wood with celestial bronze inlay and unicorn hair core."

"Whoa," Percy muttered. "Nice."

"Thank you. It is a beauty." He put it away and turned back to Neville. "Just relax. If you've even showed the tiniest affinity to magic, you'll get in. And don't worry about showing magic right now. Barely anyone does. My parents didn't even know I had it until my wand chose me. First time I'd ever shown any magic. Hogwarts is where you'll learn and get better. You'll see."

Neville smiled and breathed out in relief. Before they could say any more, Madam Malkin returned, carrying several robes in her arms. She draped them over a railing and then slipped one over Beckendorf's head, pinning it to fit it right.

"So what house are you in?" Neville asked.

"Ravenclaw," Beckendorf replied. "Would have preferred Gryffindor, honestly, but Ravenclaw's not too bad. Few of the older students are a bit full of themselves but most are honest and hardworking."

All Percy knew of Ravenclaw was that they were supposed to be the smart ones. Gryffindors were brave, Hufflepuffs loyal, and Slytherins cunning, though his dad and Amphitrite had told him not to pay too much attention to that. There was plenty of combinations among the different houses with smarter students in Gryffindor and braver students in Hufflepuff and even loyal students in Slytherin. One of their old friends, Andromeda Tonks, had been in Slytherin and they claimed she was one of the most loyal and kindhearted witches they knew.

"Probably end up in Hufflepuff," Neville said quietly. "They're the ones who take all the rest, right?"

"True," Beckendorf nodded. "But that's why they're so loyal. They stick together more cause they're all the rest."

"Ah, that's you done dearie," Madam Malkin suddenly interrupted. "All refitted for this year."

"Thanks," Beckendorf said, stepping off the school and nodding at her handiwork. "Here you are," he handed her some sickles. "I'll see you both at school then. Happy holidays til then and don't worry about your wand, mate. Or your house. Things have a way of working out for you with magic."

Neville didn't look too reassured but still he and Percy waved goodbye. Malkin then began working on Neville's robes.

"I'll probably be in Hufflepuff too," Percy said. "I'm not very smart and I wouldn't call myself brave or cunning either. Besides, there's nothing wrong with Hufflepuff. Other than the name that is but they all sound pretty funny so you'd have that problem no matter what."

Neville snorted a little and Percy grinned. "Guess it wouldn't be too bad," he admitted. "Just my Gran's been all on my case on joining Gryffindor to live up to my dad. He was a war hero."

Percy blinked, not sure what to say to that. Was a war hero. Percy didn't know much about the wizarding war, his parents didn't like talking about it, but he knew a lot of people died and many more suffered.

"Well," he said, "if you end up in Hufflepuff with me, guess we'll just be the best dang Hufflepuffs there are and leave all the other houses in the dust."

Neville smiled again. "Maybe," he admitted. "That would be nice."

"That's you finished dearie," Madam Malkin said and Neville stepped off.

"Well, guess I'll see you at school," he said with a small wave.

"Sure, see ya there," Percy waved back and Neville walked out. Percy watched him go for a second, his mind wandering. What house would he be put in? His parents had told him it didn't matter but he honestly did not want to go into Slytherin, especially if Malfoy would be there this year. And he really didn't think he would end up in Ravenclaw. He wasn't what anyone might refer to as 'intellectual.' He barely paid attention in school in the first place. But Hufflepuff did sound nice. Though, to be honest, he did kind of want to end up in Gryffindor. Based on what he already knew and from what Thalia had told him, it did sound like the best.

"There we are," Madam Malkin said, startling him a little. He hadn't realized she'd started working on him. "You're all set then."

"Oh, thanks." He handed her some coins and then walked out of the store with his new robes. He grimaced a little, not too fond of the idea of wearing robes all day at school but at least they had seemed comfortable enough.

He walked out of the store and found the others waiting for him, all carrying a bunch of bags full of his school supplies. "Got your robes?" Amphitrite asked, and when he nodded, she took them and stuffed them in one of the bags. "Alright," she said, checking the list one last time to make sure. "Then the last thing is your wand."

She led the way down the street past several more shops including Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour which Triton begged they go to. "Once we're finished here," Amphitrite promised him and he spent the rest of the walk thinking of which flavor he'd choose. They walked up to the last shop, a narrow and shabby store with faded golden letters on the top with some words that were too hard for him to decipher given how they kept moving around. Percy grimaced, looking away.

They entered and a slightly, tingling bell rang out through the depths of the shop. It was mostly empty except for thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly up to the ceiling that Percy assumed held the wands. He peered around but couldn't see anyone else in there. He was tempted to just take one of the boxes and have a go when someone behind them said, "good afternoon."

They all jumped, Triton shrieking a little and leaping into his mother's arms which was difficult considering all the bags she was carrying, leading to them both collapsing on the single chair in the shop.

"Oh, hello," Percy greeted, seeing the old man, who must have been Ollivander, standing in front of them. "I'm Percy. Uh…Percy Jackson. And I'm here for my wand. Sir," he added.

"Ah yes, I have been expecting you Mr. Jackson," Ollivander nodded. "I remember well when your father was in this store buying his wand. Eleven and a half inches long, hawthorn, sturdy, adept at healing magic."

He had gotten closer with every word he said and Percy was beginning to wonder if he should step back or if that would be rude. Before he could decide, the man turned and saw Amphitrite. "Ah Amphitrite. Amphitrite Seagreen. It is good to see you…hazel, ten inches, swishy, served you well I hope?"

"Oh yes," she nodded, pulling it out and showing him.

He eyed it. "Yes, a powerful wand…in the hands of a powerful witch of course." He turned to Percy's mom who seemed a bit nervous. "Ah, Ms. Jackson. I do remember you. Sad that I wasn't able to find the wand to help."

She shrugged helplessly. "Ah, I don't think it was any of the wands' faults. Just how it is." She had confirmed she was a Squib in this store many years ago and Percy knew it still stuck with her. He was honestly surprised she had come in here after that.

"Yes," Ollivander agreed. "Still, a shame. And you," he fixed his gaze upon Triton who shrunk back a little. "I have no doubt we will find the right wand for you when it's time."

Triton blinked. "I hope so," he said after a second.

"Yes, we all do. Now, Mr. Jackson," Ollivander abruptly looked back at him. "Let me see." He pulled out a long tape-measure. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Uh…" Percy paused for a moment, thinking for an absurd second that Ollivander was asking if he had an actual wand for an arm, the image sticking in his mind, before he realized what he meant. "Oh, I'm right-handed."

He held out his arm and Ollivander measured it along with every other part of his body for some reason. "Every wand has the core of a magical substance such as a dragon heartstring, a unicorn hair, or a phoenix tail-feather. No two wands are the same, as no two heartstrings or tail-feathers are the same. And you will never get the same results with another witch or wizard's wand."

He finished measuring, at this point the tape-measure doing it on its own, and began rooting around through the boxes. "Here. Holly, eight and a half inches, unicorn hair. Pliable." He handed Percy the wand, who felt a slight thrill at holding an actual wand in his hand. "Now give it a wave."

Percy had barely moved his hand when the wand was suddenly snatched from his hand. "Nope, not that one. Here, walnut, twelve inches, phoenix tail-feather, sturdy."

Percy tried again and again it was snatched from his hand almost instantly.

"Beech, ten and a quarter inches, dragon heartstring. Very flexible."

"Hornbeam, nine and three-quarters inches, hydra scale. Bendy."

"Elm, eleven inches, thunderbird tail-feather. Swishy."

"Ivy, seven and a half inches, hippocampus scale. Firm."

"Dogwood, eight and a quarter inches, pegasus feather. A little whippy."

Box after box they went, but every time Ollivander simply plucked the wand out of Percy's hand and brought another one with the same result. Instead of feeling discouraged, like Percy was becoming, Ollivander seemed to find some sort of glee in it, enjoying the challenge. But with each failed wand, Percy was becoming more and more worried. He knew he could do magic, but what if it wasn't enough? What if, like his mom, he'd leave here without a wand too? He could already feel the concern in her eyes and knew she was wondering the same thing. Triton just looked bored.

"Tricky customer, very tricky. Not to worry, my boy, not to worry. We'll find it, we always do," Ollivander said over his shoulder. Then he stopped and stared towards the back of the store. "I wonder," he muttered before walking away. A few seconds later, he returned with several more boxes. He opened one up and Percy who had felt a slight of glimmer of hope, deflated as he saw the quill inside. But Ollivander merely picked it up and handed it to him. "Give it a go."

Percy held it for a second, completely confused. "Uh…what?"

"Ah, right," Ollivander nodded. "This wand is not an Ollivander wand. It is the creation of an old apprentice of mine who sent them to me. I normally don't sell the wands of other creators, but in this case…"

"But…it's a quill," Percy said, feeling like the man was missing the point. And maybe his mind.

"Here," Ollivander took his hand and slid his thumb to the tip. Percy felt a slight bump there and he slid it an inch. And suddenly, he no longer had a quill in his hand but a wand. He gasped, startled. The wand was different from the others, shining in the light almost metallically.

"Yes, my apprentice loved to experiment," Ollivander nodded proudly. But Percy wasn't listening. Because he felt it. A warmth spreading throughout his hand. He waved the wand once and a burst of green and blue sparks shot out, as if the wand was happy to find an owner at last.

Percy grinned and Ollivander clapped while he saw his mom and Amphitrite smile, relieved. Triton, it seemed, had fallen asleep but now was looking a little enviously at him.

"Ah, marvelous, simply marvelous," Ollivander smiled. "Sycamore, ten inches, dragon heartstring with, I believe, celestial bronze inlay added in. A firm and sturdy wand."

Percy looked up at that. "Celestial bronze?" he asked. "Like Beckendorfs?"

"Ah, Charles Beckendorf. 13 inch walnut wood with celestial bronze inlay and unicorn hair core. A little bendy. Yes, his wand was made a little similarly. As I said, my old apprentice, Hephaestus Forge, was fond of experimentation and recently discovered the power metallic substances can add to a wand. Not too much of course," he shook his finger for emphasis. "As that would detract from the natural power the wood provides. And it seemed Hephaestus reworked this one and chose to add a switching charm as well which it appears did not allow the wand itself to lose its magic. It is a powerful wand, made with a powerful core. Not just any dragon heartstring, no, but the heartstring of a sea dragon." Percy perked up at that, eyes widening, as Ollivander continued. "Yes, a Mediterranean Leviathan, if memory serves correct. One of the elder ones as well. I believe its name was…ah, Anaklusmos. Which, in Greek, translates as…"

"Riptide," Percy breathed. He knew the dragon. One of the more powerful sea dragons, killed fifty years ago in the Ionian Sea after a massive battle with a slew of wizards. It had been rampaging the Mediterranean for decades but no one had been able to take it out, the beast too powerful, until Newt Scamander himself stepped in. It was one of a handful of history lessons he didn't mind learning about.

"Indeed," Ollivander nodded. "The potion makers and wandmakers and such all clambered on the corpse of that beast, each attempting to claim as much as they could. I do not know how many other wands are made with its heartstring. This may be one of the last."

Percy breathed, looking at his wand with even more respect and appreciation. Ollivander then took it and put it in its box, wrapping it up carefully, before handing it back. Amphitrite paid him ten galleons.

"Be careful not to lose it," his mom joked while Percy winced, wondering how often that would happen. He'd hate to lose this one, especially knowing its history now.

"You cannot."

They turned back at Ollivander's words. "That wand has an additional charm to it. If it is lost, it will return to its owner's pocket, no matter what."

"Wha- that's not fair," Amphitrite spluttered. "My wand can't do that."

"No," Ollivander agreed. "Hephaestus was brilliant but often forgetful, leaving his tools about. He grew tired of it and added in that charm. And he chose not to share it." Ollivander chuckled at that. "A true wandmaker never shares his craft, no matter how much we others may want it." He then shook his head sadly. "A shame, in the end."

"What's a shame?" Percy asked a minute later, after they had left the shop.

"Oh, Hephaestus Forge doesn't really make wands anymore," Amphitrite explained. "He used to be one of the best in the world but he moved on. He makes so many different things now, metalwork mostly, specialized objects for the magical community. Some are enough to rival goblin-made work. He does occasionally create some wands every now and then but he does too many other things to stick to it. It's impressive you managed to snag one of his work."

"Yeah," Percy grinned. "Yeah it is."

"Don't let it go to your head though."

"Too late. It's up there. Can't get it out now."

"Ugh."

"Can we get ice cream now?" Triton asked, rolling his eyes.

A few minutes later, they were all sitting around Florean's, eating their ice cream. "That's all, right?" Percy asked, licking his salted caramel. "So, what else do we need to get?"

"Just your books. We got everything else. Potion ingredients, cauldron, phials, telescope, scales, robes. Though we could still get you some sort of pet, if you want."

"Nope," Percy shook his head. He did not need a pet, especially not an owl. The only owl that seemed to tolerate him was the family one, Poseidon. And even he seemed to give the Percy the evil eye every now and then.

"Alright then. Flourish and Blotts is this way." She led the way to the book store. Percy grimaced as they entered, seeing all the different books stacked from floor to ceiling and across the shelves. Some as big as paving stones and others as thin as sheets of paper. Some with moving designs on the cover and others that looked like they were made of water. Percy didn't like books though. Reading through any of these sounded like torture to him. With his dyslexia, the words just floated around, scrambling everything up and making it near impossible to read. There were some spells and books that helped with it but not too many in the magical community paid attention to dyslexia. Or the muggle community for that matter.

As Amphitrite went around collecting everything on the list, Percy stayed by the door, glancing at a few covers here and there but not lingering on them too long, just waiting to leave. As he looked around for anything to catch his interest, he saw one girl his age with bushy brown hair walking away from the counter, a whole stack of books in her arms. And Percy could tell that it was all about to fall in about ten seconds.

He walked forward just as the girl lost her grip, catching them in his own arms and grunting from the weight.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the girl gasped.

"It's fine, I got them," Percy replied, gently setting the books down. "You got a lot of them, huh?"

"Oh, of course. Who knows how many I'll need? I mean, the school list did say but you never know what other kinds of books you may want to have with you. I always want to be prepared, just in case. And I also want to have some on hand for light reading, you know?"

"Uh…" Percy gaped for a second, unsure how to respond to all that. "This is light?" he asked, taking in one giant book that looked like it would make a better brick.

"Well, I am new to the wizarding world, I'm a muggle you see. Or muggle-born anyway. And I want to know as much as I can before I head off to school. To be prepared."

Percy blinked. That was…very proactive, as his mother would say. Something he was sort of the opposite of. He didn't like to plan ahead. He was more of a wait-until-it-was-a-problem kind of guy which often created more problems and/or headaches for him down the line.

"That's very smart," he nodded.

"Thanks," she smiled, her front teeth sticking out a little. "I'm Hermione, by the way. Hermione Granger." She held out her hand.

"Oh, uh, Percy. Percy Jackson," he said back, shaking her hand.

"So, are you a first year as well?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah I am," he nodded. "My stepmom's buying my books for me now," he gestured vaguely over to where Amphitrite was currently paying for the stack of schoolbooks. "So…you just found out about all of this huh?"

"Yep," she nodded and grinned. "It's so exciting, isn't it? I mean, I always thought I was a bit of freak with all those strange incidents that happened around me. But now I know the truth and there's a whole world of magic out there. And I get to learn all about it! I can't wait for school to start."

Percy nodded. He honestly couldn't imagine what it must be like to suddenly realize there was a whole hidden world of magic existing right under your nose. But apparently this girl was taking it well. Much more than just well, actually.

"What about you?" she suddenly asked.

"What about me what?"

"Well, are you a muggle-born?"

"Oh, no, my dad's a wizard and my mom's…part of the world too," he said quickly, not wanting to go into detail about how his mom was a squib. "So, yeah I've always known I guess."

"Have you ever been to Hogwarts?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Uh…no, I haven't," he replied.

"Do you know what the different classes will be?"

"Um…some of them. Normal stuff. Charms, transfiguration, potions."

"Wow," she muttered, her eyes practically gleaming with excitement. Percy's own eyes widened as well. He had never seen anyone as excited as she was before about school, even if it was Hogwarts. "I still can't believe I'm going off to learn about using magic. Real magic."

"Yeah, it can be pretty unbelievable," Percy nodded, not sure what else to say.

"I've also been learning about the different houses from this book," she held up one particular book called Hogwarts: A History. "They all sound so fascinating. Which one do you think you'll end up in? I'm hoping Ravenclaw, personally. Or Gryffindor."

"Yeah, I think you'll fit right in at Ravenclaw," Percy nodded, eyeing the massive stack of books. "I'll probably end up in Hufflepuff which isn't too bad. Though I think I would prefer Gryffindor. My cousin Thalia is in it and she really likes it."

"Yes. That's the house Albus Dumbledore was in," Hermione said with wide eyes. "I've been learning all about him. Wow, all he's accomplished in his life. I mean, can you imagine? It's no wonder they call him the greatest wizard alive."

"I met him once."

Percy didn't know why he said it. It actually wasn't much to brag about. He had met Albus Dumbledore once at a fancy party for high members of the wizarding community. His dad had been invited because of his family name. And Dumbledore had been there when Percy went to get something from the dessert table, enjoying the cockroach cluster bowl (something Percy never understood). They had talked for maybe a minute but even from that conversation, Percy had known he was a good man, actually listening to what Percy had to say rather than passing it off since he was a child.

"Really?" Hermione gaped. "What was he like?"

"Pretty nice," Percy replied. "Not at all what you'd expect from the greatest wizard alive, I mean. He was kind of down-to-earth. I only talked to him for like a minute. But yeah, a really nice guy."

"Huh." Percy could tell that that wasn't the description Hermione had been expecting but she was still impressed. "So your family must be pretty important, right?"

"Uh…" Percy paused. "I guess. Most of the wizarding community doesn't really agree, but my dad is part of an old family so that still holds some respect for them."

"Oh," Hermione frowned. "What is it your family does?"

Percy opened his mouth to answer when he saw Amphitrite approaching. "Oh hey Amphi," he said. "That everything?"

"Yep. Standard Book of Spells, History of Magic, Magical Theory, Transfiguration, Herbs and Fungi, Drafts and Potions, Fantastic Beasts, and the Dark Forces," she checked them all. "Sorry it took so long, just wanted to ask the manager if there was anything that could help your dyslexia. Apparently not but they do say the books have a lot of diagrams and pictures so that should help. Anyway, that's everything unless you want to grab something else." She then noticed Hermione standing there. "Oh, hello."

"Hi," Hermione held out her hand. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"Amphitrite Seagreen," Amphitrite replied, taking Hermione's hand. "And I see you already met Percy. So are you a first-year too?"

"Yep," Hermione nodded emphatically and then explained again to Amphitrite how she was a muggle-born and how excited she was to learn magic at Hogwarts and all the other things she was excited for as well. At this point, Percy zoned out a little, his mind wandering. He browsed through his schoolbooks, seeing what they'd be like. The book of spells actually seemed helpful to him, plenty of diagrams added in to show him how to use his wand correctly and how to pronunciate each spell. There were still a lot of words and just looking at them caused them to swirl around, giving him a slight headache. But at least it didn't seem impossible.

"Hermione?"

Both Percy and Hermione jumped at the voice. "Oh, hi," Hermione said and Percy saw an older man and woman there who must have been her parents. Both looked nervously around, as if not sure they should be there. "Mom, dad, this is Percy and his mom Amphitrite."

"Stepmother, actually," Amphitrite corrected. She stepped forward and held out her hand. "Lovely to meet you both."

Hermione's dad took her hand after a second's pause. "Umm, likewise," he said with a soft smile. Her mom also shook Amphitrite's hand but not for long.

"Don't worry, I know it's a lot but you'll get used to it," Amphitrite told them.

"Uh, right. Well, Hermione, I think we should be off," her dad said.

"But, can't we stay a few more minutes," Hermione pouted. "I haven't even looked over in that section yet. There's a book about ancient runes that I want to check out."

"No, sweetie, I think you have enough. I mean, are you sure you even need these many?" her mom questioned, eyeing the massive stack of books.

"Yes, they're all important," Hermione replied stubbornly.

"Alright, well this is still enough. Besides, it's getting a little late."

Ok, fine," Hermione nodded. She turned back to Percy. "Hope to see you on the train then."

"Yeah, sure. Same," he replied.

Her parents then led her out alongside her large stack of books.

"Wow," he smirked. "I can't believe she's buying that many books. It would take me at least a bazillion years to get through. Maybe even a gazillion. Wait, which one was the larger amount?"

Amphitrite opened her mouth and then closed it. "Doesn't matter," she told him. "Anyway, these are the last items on your list. Shall we go then?"

"Yeah." They walked out of the store where his mom and Triton were waiting.

"Finally," Triton muttered. "Can we go to the broom store now?"

"No, it's lunchtime," Amphitrite replied, looking at her watch. "Tom promised to save us some stew. Besides, you already have a broomstick. You don't need another one."

"Not for me, for Percy."

"I don't want a broomstick. I hate flying," Percy said, frowning.

"No you don't. You love flying. And you need a broomstick for that," Triton said, giving him a specific look.

Percy rolled his eyes. "That's enough, Triton," Amphitrite said.

"Yeah, I'm not getting a broomstick just for you," Percy told him.

"Oh come on, you never use it!"

"Because I don't have one," Percy reminded him.

"But if you did, you'd never use it which means it should be mine."

Percy frowned at him, wondering where this was going. "Sure. If I did have one, I'd let you have it."

"Great!" Triton grinned. "Then let's go get one."

"No!"

"What? Why not?"

"Because I don't want one. Ugh, we're going in circles now."

"Can we just go get something to eat now please?" Sally said.

"Yes, please," Amphitrite sighed deeply.

They started to make their way towards the Leaky Cauldron, Triton complaining the whole way.

"It just makes logical sense," he tried.

"There is nothing logical about it!" Percy argued.

"Yes, you see if you-"

He was interrupted when they stepped through the door into the warm pub and they heard a sudden gasp of surprise. "Amphitrite?"

Amphitrite turned at her name and smiled when she saw the speaker. "Arthur?" She then walked over and pulled a thin, balding man into a hug. "I was hoping to run into you. Tom mentioned you were here."

"Ah, it's good to see you too," the man, Arthur, replied.

"And this must be your family," Amphitrite smiled down at the long table filled with redheads. "The infamous Weasleys. A pleasure to meet you all."

Hope you liked the changes I made to Percy's wand and if not, oh well.

Next up: Hermione