Disclaimer – It has come to my attention recently that I unfortunately do not own any part of the Harry Potter or Percy Jackson Cinematic or Literary Universes or the characters that belong to those entities. One can dream I suppose. Although I did visit the Empire State Building once … but I solemnly swear I did not steal any lightning bolts.
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Chapter 8: Dreams of a Goddess
… and almost as soon as he looked at the first line, he looked up in confusion, glancing around the room furtively, wondering if this was a prank of some sorts, before looking back down to the letter.
Staring at the paper in his hands, Harry saw that while it wasn't random scribbles it also certainly wasn't English. As he looked over the foreign letters and words, he assumed that based on his current circumstances it probably was Greek.
Τίμα τους θεούς σου
Μπορεί να σημαίνει τη ζωή σου
Επισκεφθείτε το μαντείο
Να βρεις τη μοίρα σου
Harry shook his head before staring at the letter again and as he stared at the foreign words … it seemed as if the letters … almost … wanted to move and rearrange themselves. But as he shook off that weird feeling, he stared at the letter and was left with no answers as to the contents of the letter … only a mild headache.
Realizing that no answers would be uncovered by staring at the letter, Harry set the letter in the small chest at the foot of his bed before locking it. Eventually climbing into bed after washing up, he took some deep breathes to settle his thoughts so he could get some sleep. Unfortunately for him though, sleep did not come easily to Harry, who found himself rolling around for the better part of an hour before finally succumbing to sleep.
As soon as he fell asleep he found himself wandering through the hallways of Hogwarts … apparently at some point before the final battle with Voldemort and his followers, as everything looked intact and immaculate.
Originally, Harry found it quite offputting as it certainly seemed to be the real thing … despite the lack of any students, staff, ghosts, or the ever present Mrs. Norris – who always seemed to know when a student was somewhere they weren't meant to be, but eventually Harry realized this was a dream and he wasn't somehow back in Hogwarts … albeit it was an incredibly realistic dream. Unable to do anything else he proceeded to walk through the hallways … slowly heading towards the Great Hall, feeling as if something was drawing him there.
Openeing the grand doors to the Great Hall, Harry paused in surprise, noticing the first big difference in this Hogwarts compared to the original. Rather than the expected four long tables stretching the length of the hall, sitting under the floating candles, Harry was greeted by an almost completely darkened room that seemed to be empty … save for small fist sized red floating orbs down the center of the room which illuminated a path towards where the table that the staff usually sat at used to be found, the space now solely taken up by Professor Dumbledore's chair, the sole piece of furniture or decoration in the room. Although as he made his way down the illuminated isle, he noticed that the chair now appeared to be solid gold and … was currently occupied by a figure mostly hidden in the shadows.
As he reached the half way point of the hall, he momentarily froze in shock, recognizing the figure that sat on Professor Dumbledore's when they moved slightly out of the shadow. As he took another couple steps forward he shook his head recognizing the lady he had seen in his previous dream when he first arrived on this world.
Figuring out that there was no where else to go, as when he turned around the area he had come from had faded to complete blackness, becoming a void, he continued approaching what was basically a throne at this point.
Coming to a halt several feet in front of the steps that led up to the lady sitting on the throne, Harry waited a few seconds before nervously clearing his throat.
"Ummm … hello … sorry, I don't mean to disturb you …" he said quietly, his voice sounding washed out in the emptiness of the room.
The woman who had been staring off in the darkness of the room behind him, slowly lowered her head before smiling.
"Hello again to you, Harry Potter, the son of James and Lily, but more importantly a son of magic. Much has happened to you since the last time we spoke. I'm sorry you were so abruptly thrown into our world but there is much going on and if you are to help save our world you shall need to act immediately."
She paused looking up, a look of concern flashing over her face at a sound coming from the darkness … a sound that sounded almost like something snarling, before dropping her vision back to Harry.
"I know you must have plenty of questions and I apologize in advance for I fear that what I tell you will only add to your list but I'll try to provide what information I can, but time is short. First of all, you asked my name before and while I couldn't introduce myself before Thanatos had claimed you, I am known by many names, but on this world, to those in this camp, I am known as Hecate, and I am the Goddess of Magic."
She nodded and smiled as Harry looked at her a look of surprise clear on his face.
"I know that this must be a lot to process but the world … all worlds are in danger and you will have a part to play. But before we get to that we need to start at the beginning so you can understand. When you came into possession of the three … I believe they are called Deathly Hallows on your world, you developed a bond with death. A bond which Thanatos managed to use to bring you to this world in response to your actions in front of the Veil. However, what you did in at the Veil was … it was a mistake." She said shaking her head. "The Veil is … the end."
Harry raised an eyebrown in confusion, "Like … it's death?" He asked.
Hecate shook her head sadly. "It's more than death … much more. Death is a part of life, just as much a part as birth is. It is but the next step in some people's existence. However, the Veil, which can be found in some form or another on every single world, is simply a place where meaning ends. "And when you tried to throw the artifacts of death through the Veil … you tried to so something impossible for a mortal … you tried to end death."
Harry looked at Hecate in shock as the goddess continued, appearing to become more agitated after looking off into the darkness at the sound of another snarl … this one a little closer. "Under normal circumstances, an act like that would likely not result in much of importance happening … likely only an incredibly impressive explosion of energy that would have almost certainly immediately killed you are your friend before leveling the building you were in and everything within several hundred miles of your location, rendering them uninhabitable for centuries, before spitting out the artifacts at some point in the future where they could have either been collected by Thanatos … Death on your world or some sould that Thanatos felt kinship with … as he did with one of your ancestors.
Ignoring the look of horror on Harry's face, she continued on speaking, even faster than before, "Unfortunately for you … unfortunately for all … there was … there was someone who happened to be listening … someone who happened to be waiting for something like this to happen. And instead of what was supposed to have happened … when all three of the Deathly Hallows entered the Veil … the energy generated was diverted to break the barrier between worlds … bringing them here. Where you had tried to break the cycle of death associated with the items and return them to death … there are forces at work here that now seek to reunite these objects to end all existence. Due to Thanatos relation to those items he sensed what had happened and due to his quick thinking, perhaps noticing the bond you had with those items … for indeed simply throwing them into the portal was not going to remove your ownership of them … he brought you to this world."
She finally paused noticing the open mouth and look of shock on his face.
"I admit this is a lot to process, however like I said before there is much to be done and while not all are aware of this … at some point chaos with reign supreme if … certain individuals become aware of this. Some people view chaos as a ladder and would mistakenly try to use this situation for their benefit … at best delaying you … at worst … actively opposing your mission.
Harry nodded, trying to process everything she had said. "Where's Thanatos? If he brought me here, shouldn't he be telling this to me? He did claim me as his champion or demigod or whatever it was. Why do that if he didn't even tell me what I should be doing."
Hecate nodded, looking off into the darkness of the room once again, before looking back to Harry, this time a look of sadness on her face. "Aye … he should have. However, the act of claiming you, especially after expending the energy he did to bring you to this world … combined with the unexpected presence of your friend who did not have ties to death coming along … Thanatos had marked himself. And actively communicating with mortals … even demigods that we gods have claimed, as I suppose you are better viewed as from this moment, is noticeable to any who are looking for such things much less without already being marked. The task ahead of you will already be exceedingly difficult without drawing active attention to yourself as a player in what is happening. So, I am here to relay the message."
"And you can just do that?" Harry asked, noticing something in her tone.
She smiled a half smile, and nodded to Harry. "Normally … no … but as the goddess of magic, I have ways to stay hidden from eyes that may be searching … although already I feel that there are those that are taking notice of this conversation even if as of yet they can't perceive what is being said or even who is involved just yet … but beyond my ability to hide this conversation to those who may eavesdrop, there exists a relationship between you and I, just as there exists one between you and Thanatos … in fact if it hadn't been for your lingering connection with the Deathly Hallows allowing for a stronger connection with Thanatos … I very well might have been able to claim you … although that is a moot point as I doubt our connection would have been strong enough to allow me to bring you to this world."
Harry looked at her in surprise, "You could have claimed me?"
She nodded slightly, "Not only were you a rather impressive wizard in your own right on your world, but you were descended from wizards, and I am the goddess of magic. It was no slip of phrase when I referred to you as the son of magic. Yes Harry Potter I could have claimed you … but while that avenue is closed there exists another possibility. Although I must warm you this choice comes with it's own risks and benefits. So you must take your time to decide."
Harry stared at her waiting for her to continue.
"I could acknowledge you as a legacy of Hecate?"
Harry looked at her in confusion, "A legacy? What does that mean?"
Hecate smiled and nodded, "Normally a legacy is any individual who is descended from a demigod, so while not directly related to the god in question, there is enough of a connection that there is a chance some of the abilities are passed to them … usually less than what would be passed to an actual child of the god, but often times still enough to be discernable."
Harry looked up, "Wait … but how would that work … I'm not related to you at all. I'm not from this world. I don't this I want …"
A brief look of anger flashed across her face as she interrupted him. "Don't be foolish. Your task will be hard enough without turning down the aid of those willing to help. Due to your ancestry and the fact that you are a wizard on your world, this is something I could do to help. Unfortunately, as I had mentioned accepting you as a legacy would come with its own risks, primarily as it would alert my enemies as to a connection between us, making your already difficult task much more difficult. But while legacies usually have weaker abilities compared to the actual children of gods … but in your case … well … obviously you are a unique case. While I have never had a legacy such as you before, both you are your friend appear to have a very great affinity for magic … so I am fairly certain that should you find objects capable of conducting magic … such as the wands from your world … you would be able to practice magic on this world as well. That being said, I do not know how you would eventually compare to my actual children or to your previous abilities."
Harry had been listening in silence as his eyes widened slightly at the end of her comments as he put his words together, "You mean I will be able to do magic? Hermione and I will be able to do magic?"
Hecate stared at Harry for a second before shrugging her shoulders, "I can't be certain … but I believe so. As long as you managed to find appropriate objects to conduct the magic. Until then however you would be at a disadvantage as my enemies would know about you and you won't be able to even attempt to access your magic … if that even becomes possible."
Harry nodded, understanding her point, and opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by Hecate as she shook her head, "There is no need to answer now, you do not need to decide until the next solstice. And since I find it unlikely you would have discovered any artifact before then, I suggest you wait until then."
Harry slowly closed his mouth as he nodded again. He paused looking around the room, noticing the darkness had been inching closer, before he suddenly looked back to Hecate. "You mentioned Hermione … does that mean you'd claim her or were you going to offer to acknowledge her as a legacy as well?"
"Not directly claim her … no" she said shaking her head slightly, "there is another who even I can admit is better suited to claim her, just as Thanatos did with you, should she meet certain criteria. But just as with you I would be willing to acknowledge her as a legacy … what that would entail for her … I'm not sure, but I would hope that the risks would be outweighed by the potential benefits."
"The risks …?" He asked trailing off.
Hecate nodded slowly, "Surely you didn't expect that we gods and goddesses lived as long as we have without making any enemies … there will be those that seek to strike out at you simply because of your association with me." She held up her hand and shook her head, cutting off the question that was on the tip of his tongue. "Come the next solstice I will provide more information should you decide to accept the offer."
Harry nodded before pausing and looking back to her, "I have a question though … Hermione is … going to be alright though … right? I mean, I thought I felt something earlier and you wouldn't offer this if she was just going to be stuck in a coma, right?"
Hecate stared at him for a second, a brief flash of anger clouding her face again, but unlike before, he felt this look was not directed at him, "Yes Harry, your friend will be alright." As she stared at Harry her face softened to a look of regret. "I do apologize for what happened to her … for what is happening to her. This was the fault of Thanatos, even though it was not on purpose. Even though some of us may not admit it … the gods and goddesses are not perfect, some of use … less so than others. And just like humans we make mistakes. When Thanatos brought you here to help with the coming conflict … an action that admittedly might be the only thing that can save all existence … he didn't account for the presence of your friend. So, while, at that moment, you fit the criteria to be brought to our world … she didn't …" Hecate paused noticing the look of worry that flashed over his face and sympathetically shook her head, "She is alright … or at least she will be. I'd like to see you or anyone else do any better in her situation. Getting ripped from a world you belong into and getting dropped into another … one you are not meant to be in would kill most people but she is strong … she will be ok, it is just taking time for her body … her soul to adjust."
Harry felt a burst of happiness erupt in his chest hearing the news that she would be ok as he released a breath and felt tension, that he hadn't even realized that he had been holding, melt away. However, the sensation was tempered by the fact that she was undergoing a much more difficult path than he was. He opened his mouth to ask if there was anything else he could do to help Hermione but froze when he saw a look of panic on Hecate's face as she jumped off the throne, running to Harry.
"I fear we have spoken to long … I will need to end this conversation before your identity is discovered by the others."
"The others? Who am I to face?"
Her face paled slightly as she shook her head, "I'm sorry Harry, but even here in the safety of your own head there are some things I dare not say. I just warn you that not all is as it seems."
Harry watced as she began fading, opening her mouth again, her voice echoing to him, sounding as if it was coming from down a long hallway. "You must find what is new to our world … should they fall into the wrong hands … well … I believe it sufficient to say that you must not let that happen."
She seemed to solidify slightly as she reached out to Harry, a pained smile on her face, "I'm sorry for this … it is going to hurt."
Harry looked up at the goddess in confusion, "What's going to …"
But his question was cut off as her hand made contact with his shoulder, answering the uncompleted question for him, as it felt is if the spot she had touched was experiencing all the effects of the Crucitas Curse.
Unable to stop himself Harry cried out in pain, as everything dissolved rapidly leaving him looking up at the canopy of his bed, the first few rays of the morning sunlight streaming in through the window.
Harry sat up flinching as he felt the pain in his shoulder as his shirt brushed it, although to his relief it faded quickly. As he began to slide up his sleeve to inspect his arm and make sure his arm was undamaged he heard Hecate's voice again, sounding even more distant, fading more and more with each word.
"I'm sorry for the gift but it should help protect you and keep you hidden until next solstice."
The sound of her voice paused for a second, before sounding again, even more distant. "It may seem like you can't but you can trust …"
However her voice cut off and was replaced by a brief sound of a woman screaming before that faded completely leaving Harry frantically looking around.
Not able to see anything amiss his attention returned to his arm, due to a brief twinge of pain.
Slowly he continued rolling up his sleeve before stopping, completely frozen upon revealing his shoulder, shocked by what he was looking at.
For on his shoulder Harry was staring at a faint tattoo that he was most definitely positive had not been there when he had gone to bed.
Harry jumped out of the bed and ran to the washroom, almost tripping over his shirt, in a haste to get a better look at the tattoo.
While staring into the mirror provided clarification on what it was … it didn't provide any clarification on what it meant or why it was there.
Shaking his head Harry decided to get ready and pay Chiron a visit after breakfast and see if he could help, in either understanding the dream or explaining the tattoo … Harry froze remembering the previous night before bed … or perhaps Chiron could translate the latter for him.
After washing up, getting dressed and retrieving the letter from the trunk Harry found himself walking across the foyer of the cabin, passing the alter to Thanatos and the wall with the names on it before opening the door that led outside … and coming face to face with a nervous and young looking camper, who jumped back in surprise at Harry opening the door in front of him, the boys hand elevated and seemingly frozen in preparation for knocking.
"Harry … Potter?" He boy asked in a quiet voice.
Harry nodded, stifling a laugh, unable to hide the smile as the timid boy couldn't help but remind him of a much younger Neville than the one he had left behind.
"Chiron sent me … he wants you to meet him and Mr. D at the Big House … right away … I can take you if you need …" He trailed off, an expression on his face, making it clear that the boy would likely rather do anything else besides leading Harry to Mr. D.
Smiling at the boy, Harry shook his head, "That's alright, I can make my way there. Thanks for passing along the message. You can go back to whatever you were up to this morning."
The boy flashed Harry an incredibly relieved smile before turning and running off the porch, likely in an effort to put as much distance between them before Harry had an opportunity to change his mind and the boy was forced to be in front of Mr. D.
Deciding the summons worked well with his plans, Harry shrugged his shoulders and started making his way through camp heading up the hill to the Big House, deciding breakfast could always wait until after the meeting.
Kind Regards,
FavoriteAuthor
Up Next: Translating a Letter
If you like this content do not hesitate to smash that like button and subscribe. Haha but seriously if you do enjoy the story - do favorite it, other than messaging me or leaving a comment it's the only way I know if you are enjoying the stories and chapters.
Story Note 1 – I like the dream mechanism as it allows the ability to move the story along and add stuff to the story that otherwise might be difficult to add … but for the next little while there will be no more dreams. Hecate will be off fighting whatever came for her and Harry is about to leave camp … and once he does … things are about to hit the fan and he will hardly have time for sleeping …
Story Note 2 – Congrats to anyone able to translate the letter! I am sorry if there is some slight problems with the grammar or spelling. My Greek knowledge is pretty much limited to My Big Fat Greek Wedding. But the desired translation will be coming up as soon as Harry has a chat with ...!
Story 3 – And a big congrats to the handful of readers who messaged with their guesses that the lady in the dream was Hecate and that we had not seen the last of her. I guess we will need to find out next solstice if she made it out alright and whatever Harry's decision is …
Thanks to those of you out to those of you who enjoy my stories, I promise to keep updating the stories as long as you enjoy them, and a special thanks to those of you who have taken the time to leave feedback or reach out to me directly. All feedback is welcome (hopefully constructive!) Looking forward to hearing what you think!
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Puppy Leaf Owned - Well Harry will definitely face risks and I hope you enjoy how he deals with it!
A10riddick - Thanks so much! It will be alittle while but their first interaction will be coming up! And try to avoid spoilers but someone might be waking up next chapter.
keht jelicho - This is actually such good reasoning and I love it and I hope you enjoy the interactions that Hera will have coming up. As for the letter I guess we have not yet found out who dropped it off although hypothetically speaking there are several ways to get that letter in without being able to enter (which still isn't possible - although that will be looked into once a certain some awakens)
Ariadne Venegas - Oh ya ... I defintiely wouldn't mess with Thanatos. I have no doubt he should spend a little more time thinking before reacting.
NCC1701D USS Enterprise - I hate when that happens. Glad you enjoyed the chapter ... I guess we will find out.
cameron1812 - Well I guess you are in for a treat! Hera will appear again and she will definitely be involved.
George Cristian810 - I promise it was not Voldemort or anyone from Harry's world. As for Hermione's claimer ... you might be onto something.
skotos07 - Hmmm ... that seems like a ... reasonable guess ...
Mando-Vet - What a doofus indeed! But someone is about to wake!
uklem - That's totally fair and it will be picking up. Wanted to make sure everything was set up and explained before Harry left camp and try a couple of things. But once Harry leaves things will pick up quickly
JustinC100 - Thanks! Ya the fact that it was missed especially by Chiron/Annabeth/some of the other older campers who knew him better seemed weird
0 Harry J Potter 0 - That's a definitely fair point. I had originally planned to include Ron (as my drafts can attest to). In the end I chose to leave him out, not because I don't like Ron (as a bunch of the fics seem to) but in the end I felt it ended up taking a little away from what I had planned with Percy's relationship with Harry.
Lordlexx - I agree as well, but I guess at the end of the day just because you are good at healing people doesn't mean your patient care is always top notch. And I always assumed Apollo's kids would have big personalities. But then again maybe she was just having a bad day and the trainee was wearing on her nerves.
Crywolf178 - Well the author of the letter shall soon be revealed, definitely could be a god but wanted to see if anyone could guess it. So far I have had one correct guess (haha no pressure - feel free to let me know after I post the chapter). Haha really like your reasoning! And as for Fleur ... she didn't fit what I had been working on for this story but I am working on the outline for another story where Fleur ends up in camp Half-Blood but even though she immediately took to hanging out with the Aphrodite kids she ends up being claimed by Hephaestus and dealing with the fallout of that.
Rebell 01 - Well I guess we will find out!