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 9: The Princess Awakens
Climbing the stairs to the veranda, Harry heard the familiar sound of Chiron's voice coming from around the side of the house, so rather than knocking on the door he made his way around the corner following the wraparound deck, heading towards the source of the voices.
Coming around the corner Harry froze at the sight of Chiron standing beside a seated Mr. D. However, it was not the individuals who gave him pause but rather it was the book they were both looking over, the book that lay open in front of them.
As Harry looked at the scene in front of him, he felt his eyes shifting towards the book, unable to take anything else in … unable to look away. The book itself was the darkest shade of black he had ever seen, seeming to absorb all light while in contrast the pages of the book appeared to be solid gold, emitting a glowing light that was painful to look at. However, no matter how painful it was he found himself unable to look away and what had started as an annoying itching soon became much more. Absently Harry felt a pain in his knees and realized that while he still was unable to look away from the book he had dropped to his knees.
Perhaps alerted by the sound of him falling down, Chiron took a step forward, leaning over Mr. D and slammed the book closed, finally allowing Harry to release a small cry in pain as he shut his eyes and repeatedly tried to blink away the spots that were floating in his vision.
After what seemed like several minutes Harry felt the pain ebb and strength flow back to his limbs allowing him to slowly and warily open his eyes as he stood again.
Looking over he saw Chiron smiling towards Harry as the centaur moved the book off the table and towards a metallic looking briefcase that had incredibly thick locks on it. As Chiron opened the briefcase and slid the book into it, Harry couldn't help but see that there were several other books in there that almost seemed to pull Harry towards them … however the pull immediately stopped as Chiron closed the lid, allowing Harry to look back towards the centaur.
"Ah … Mr. Potter, sorry about that. Good morning. I must admit we didn't expect you so soon."
Harry coughed to clear his throat which felt inexplicably dry, and ignoring the wave of exhaustion that swept over him he looked toward the briefcase where Chiron had placed the book. "What was that? What were those?"
Chiron's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he mumbled, "You saw all of them …"
However, he was cut off as Mr. D scoffed, "It was a book kid, maybe visit a library sometime, might be good for you. And for the record, it wasn't titled, 'Let's ask any stupid question we can think of and waste a gods time.'"
Harry looked at the god in surprise, however before he could respond with what he was sure would have been in anger, he watched as Chiron reached over and put his hand on Mr. D's shoulder and shook his head towards Harry.
"Perhaps it would be a good idea to start over ignoring the books … some things aren't meant for the eyes of mortals or demigods. It's good to see you this morning Harry, you made good time. We just didn't expect you so soon after Mr. D sent his son, I suppose we had assumed that perhaps you would have joined us after you ate."
He couldn't help himself and Harry found his eyes open in shock as he stared over to Mr. D, "Your son? You … have a son?"
Mr. D shook his head, "I'm not sure if it escaped your notice but we are at a camp for the children of the gods … of which I am one … despite this demeaning punishment of a position. I hope you don't expect me to explain how the birds and the bees work to you." He said looking at Harry who was staring back at him momentarily frozen by the response and unable to think of anything worse than hearing Mr. D trying to tell him about sex.
Eventually Mr. D nodded his head as he looked over the railing on the edge of the deck towards the dining pavilion. "But apparently yes, that was my son. Although I have my doubts … honestly, I have no idea how me and his mother …" he paused to smile, " … now that was a lady who really was the life of a party …" he trailed off reminiscing, before shaking his head and looking back to Harry. "I have no idea how the two of us resulted in someone so quiet and nervous. Honestly if you compared the two of them, you'd never think they were related … except for his eyes … he has his mother's eyes."
Chiron patted the gods back, "Worry not, perhaps he is just a late bloomer?"
Mr. D froze before slowly spinning to look at Chiron. "A late bloomer? Is that supposed to be some joke … because I'm the god of wine, fruit, and vegetation?"
Chiron shook his head, although Harry was pretty sure he saw what looked like a hidden smile on his face, before he responded. "Not at all, but I believe we have gotten slightly distracted … perhaps we refocus and get to the reason we asked Harry here to join us." He finished staring at Mr. D, who eventually nodded towards the centaur after giving him one last glare before they turned in unison to face Harry.
"Now Harry, we … we sensed something overnight and Mr. D …" he paused to look at the god, who was staring intensely at Harry without blinking, before he himself looked back to Harry and continued, "… Mr. D believes it to have been centered around you. Has anything … did anything happen to you since last night."
Nodding slowly, Harry looked between the two of them, momentarily surprised by the fact that they had felt something. "Actually yes, I did. I was planning to come find you this morning even before I was summoned."
Chiron nodded for Harry to proceed.
"Yesterday when I returned to my cabin … it seemed like someone had been in it. Which I thought was weird, as when I was chatting with Zeph yesterday, he had said that my cabin was still preventing other campers from entering … slightly less violently than before … but no one else seemed to be able to enter still. So, I was surprised when I entered the cabin. I'm not sure how to explain it … but it felt … well it felt like someone was or had been in my cabin. So, I ended up looking through the entire cabin to try and find what was causing that weird feeling, but in the end, I couldn't find anyone inside. All I found was a letter that was propped up on my pillow with the bed curtains drawn … a letter that I couldn't read." He finished as he pulled the letter from his back pocket, placing it on the table as he continued, "… then when I finally fell asleep, I found myself walking around the castle where I had learned magic … and I met a goddess … I think Hecate, is that right?"
Chiron slowly nodded looking towards Mr. D before looking back to Harry, and then reaching forward to the letter, 'Well let's start with this I suppose then we can start with the dream. Do you mind?"
Seeing Harry shake his head, he opened the envelope and withdrew the piece of paper within.
"Ah yes … this is Greek, Harry. All demigods have a somewhat innate ability to read ancient Greek, it appears that even though you were claimed by Thanatos you did not inherit this ability. I'm … not sure how long you'll be around camp but perhaps I will see if Annabeth can give you an introduction to Greek and maybe pass along some books that will help you learn the language. It might be helpful to have that knowledge. Now where were we …" he trailed off, looking back at the letter in his hands, reading it quietly to himself before looking up in shock towards Harry. "Well now … this is certainly most unexpected … and you have no idea who dropped this off?"
Harry shook his head, "Not a clue, there was no one in the cabin when I entered … only that weird feeling that someone had been … it was weird, it felt like something I had felt before, but I honestly can't place it." He paused, his eyes dropping down to the letter before rising back to Chiron. "What does it say?"
Chiron shook his head slowly, looking from the letter to Mr. D before making eye contact with Harry. "Roughly translated it translates to:
Visit the Oracle,
To find your destiny.
Remember to honor your gods,
It will save your life."
Harry stared at the centaur in confusion, quite unsure how to reply. He wasn't sure what he was expecting it to have said but he was pretty sure it hadn't been that. Unsure how to respond he watched mutely as Chiron shared a look with Mr. D who just nodded before they both returned their gaze to Harry.
"I suppose you best tell us of the dream about my favorite cousin." Mr. D said humorlessly.
Harry looked up in surprise but seeing that Mr. D did not appear to have any sign he was going to elaborate, he began. "Well as I had said, after I fell asleep, I found myself wandering through the castle and after feeling that I was being drawn towards the Great Hall, I came across Hecate. After introducing herself, she explained a little about how I ended up here. Apparently, it was mostly in response to me attempting something in my world which changed something in your world. However, she said that whatever had happened put your world in danger and Thanatos was able to bring me and my friend here, due to my bond with him … or at least my bond with death on my world … and it was that bond that allowed him to claim me. After explaining all that she then started talking about a quest I would need to go on … although she didn't have any specifics … it seemed like she was scared of something. And finally, she ended our conversation saying that as a gift to help me out she could claim me, but it would come with risks as well as benefits, and she wasn't entirely sure what … if anything it would actually mean." He looked up as he finished seeing the shocked faces of the other two.
Shaking his head Chiron looked at Harry for a second, "She said she was claiming you? How does she expect to do that … what did she say exactly?"
Harry paused for a second trying to recall exactly what the goddess had said before replying. "I think she said she was claiming me as a legacy." He offered helpfully.
This caused Chiron to swing his torso to face Mr. D, looking surprised. "Can she do that?"
The god let out a laugh and shrugged his shoulders, "To the best of my knowledge … I honestly don't know. This whole situation is strange. The sooner he's out of my camp, the happier I'll be … and we still haven't figured out the other issue with …"
Chiron cut him off with a cough as he shook his head. Mr. D looked towards the centaur crossly before shrugging his shoulders again and looking to harry who was staring at the pair of them in confusion.
"What's wrong? She made it sound like legacies are just children of demigods, and while that label didn't really apply to me, she could claim me as a legacy because of my ancestry and training with magic on my world."
Chiron nodded slowly as he stared at Harry, "Well I suppose it's not as if we were able to test this before. So, I suppose … but a legacy …"
Surprised, Harry looked to the centaur, "I mean certainly there are other legacies at camp …" he paused seeing the withdrawn looks on their face, " … right?"
It was Mr. D who shook his head, as Chiron looked at the floor, the first look of sadness on his face, "Unfortunately … no. While it certainly is possible for legacies to attend Camp Half-Blood and there have been legacies attending the camp in the past … but there are no legacies here at the present time. Being a demigod, being the child of a god … it is dangerous and comes with the risk of monsters constantly hunting you as they are drawn to you. Unfortunately for legacies … they usually do not receive the same gifts that their parents would have received, as any godly powers or gifts are diluted with each generation, but the legacies still exhibit the same draw for the monsters, a draw which is increased multifold if they embrace their heritage. Those factors combined puts legacies at a very severe disadvantage and as a result, most demigods, if they do decide to have children have started choosing to not raise their children in our world, hoping ignorance of their heritage will protect them." He finished shaking his head.
Noticing that Chiron was nodding, Harry looked over as the centaur began speaking, "Mr. D is telling the truth. However, there are a couple other items he skipped over. Mr. D mentioned that being a demigod is dangerous but even with all the training we can provide … there is a significant number of demigods who do not have a very long life … and of those that do manage to have long lives, most of them are not inclined to raise a family knowing that there exists a risk that their child will have a target on their head before they even draw their first breath and are at a disadvantage to fight back against the things that may hunt them."
He paused to take a look at Mr. D before looking back to Harry, "So claiming you was all that was said to you?"
Harry tilted his head replaying the experience over in his head, "Well … I think she said she would be able to acknowledge me as a legacy if I found something in this world capable of conducting magic … something about there be an increased risk with being recognized but no benefit until I actually found an object. But no other than that and her warning I don't think she said anything else."
Chiron stared at Harry for several seconds before inclining his head and leaning towards the camp director. They talked in hushed tones for several seconds before Mr. D angrily shook his head at the centaur, looked disappointed and slightly surprised Chiron straightened up and took a pace backwards before looking to Harry. "If it's alright with you … I think we need some time to process this. The mention of the Oracle in the letter and then your meeting with Hecate … there is some things we need to discuss … we will call you back once we've had a chance to unpack what you told us … giving us a chance to look into things."
Harry nodded, which resulted in a smile from Chiron, who after a pause opened his mouth again, "And if you could do us one little favor?"
Looking between the centaur and the god, Harry nodded slowly, "I suppose … depending on what it is. What do you want?" Harry replied.
Chiron hesitantly looked at him, "If you could refrain from mentioning either the contents of the letter or your dream to the other campers."
Harry looked between Mr. D, who was nodding, and Chiron, who was staring at him seriously, "Why?" he asked.
Hesitantly Chiron begin, looking awkwardly at the floor before meeting Harry's eyes, "Currently … we have been refraining from sending demigods on quests due to … well there has been an increased risk to their health lately and currently they are likely to face more danger than they usually would. And I don't want the mention of a quest for you to stir up negative feelings from some of the campers … especially since you had just arrived. Unfortunately, the same goes for your conversation with Hecate and possibly being named her legacy. Most of the campers, even the few that have actually been claimed by their parent, haven't actually met a god, therefore the fact that two gods have taken an interest in you so soon after your arrival, one of whom was not even the god who claimed you … well best we try to avoid any potential jealousy or negative feelings. Don't need to make your days any more difficult."
Harry thought for a second before nodding, which drew another smile from Chiron.
- HP - PJ - HP - PJ - HP - PJ - HP - PJ - HP -
The next several days flew by as Harry adopted a routine similar to his previous day, except that at Chiron's insistence he spent most of the day with Percy.
In the morning the two of them were tutored in all manner of topics that Annabeth felt relevant for them to cover. To Harry's dismay, and despite his best efforts, the younger boy seemed to catch concepts quicker and outperform Harry. Even Annabeth's words that as an actual demigod Percy's brain was hardwired for most of these topics and Harry was actually doing a remarkable job, failed to completely sooth his bruised ego.
In the afternoon Harry and Percy had fighting lessons with Luke, usually with swords but they covered all manner of weapons, and to Harry delight he found that even despite yet another apparent native benefit the two of them ended up being rather comparable. That being said neither of them were yet a match against Luke, however the several times they fought together against him they were usually consistently fighting him to a draw and there were a couple of bouts where they ended up getting the better of the experienced boy.
After the evening meal, Harry would head immediately to the infirmary where he would spend the entire evening with Hermione where he would go over everything he had learned during the day, enjoying the chance to talk to her and work through his thoughts for the day.
On a couple of nights, Percy dropped by as well, for about an hour, and listened to the way Harry talked to and about Hermione. Especially enjoying some of the stories that Harry told Percy about their adventures together. Commenting on how lucky Harry was to have had someone like her … someone who cared about him that much.
Originally Harry had wanted to dismiss the idea but had nodded realizing that even with Percy and his shared experience of neglect and abuse growing up at least for the past seven years Harry had gone through most of the things in his life with his friends by his side. Hermione, Ron, The Twins, Ginny, Neville, Luna, …
The first time Percy had made the comment, hearing the wistful tone in Percy's voice, Harry had clasped the boy on the shoulder and looked right at him telling him not to worry as he could view Harry as a friend who would be there for him if need be.
The fifth day after his chat with Chiron and Mr. D, while they were practicing their fighting with Luke, the same timid child of Mr. D, ran onto the fighting yard letting them both know they were summoned to the Big House as 'Chiron and Mr. D made up their minds on what to do with them'."
As Harry was putting away his gear, his eyes caught signt of Luke staring at Percy in a way that seemed almost predatory. However, he seemed to sense the attention o him which caused him to shake his head and smile over to Harry, wishing them well before he walked over to another group of campers and offered them some feedback.
Confused, Harry kept replaying what he had seen over in his head the entire walk up to the Big House, not understanding it at all, as Luke seemed to have taken a special interest in Percy amd was always going above and beyond to spend time with the boy, offering extra training or help when it seemed Percy needed it.
By the time they got to the Big House, Harry was no closer to understanding the look Luke had given Percy, but the interaction was all but forgotten as Chiron enthusiastically greeted them.
"Percy … Harry … good to see both of you, I'm glad you made it up here so quickly!" Chiron greeted, pointing to the chairs for them to join him.
As they took the offered seats, Harry saw Percy looking around.
"Ummm … where is Mr. D? I thought both of you wanted to see us?" Percy asked.
Chiron smiled, "We … I thought perhaps this conversation is better to have without him here … he certainly has some … rough edges and this is important enough that you both probably don't need him here making your decisions harder."
He paused and took a deep breath before looking at Percy, "You've had a day to think about it, have you made up your mind? Shall you go on the quest?"
Percy looked at a surprised Harry, nervously before looking back to Chiron and nodding.
"I am glad to hear it. This being the case, you shall need to consult the Oracle," Chiron said. "Upstairs in the attic, you shall find the Oracle. Should you survive the encounter, we will talk more about the path before you."
Percy paled slightly and turned towards the stairs before Chiron called out to him, "Now that you have decided, with your permission, I will discuss some of your … situation with Harry, as I can't help but feel your futures may be intertwined … this is all too much of a coincidence for this to be happening at once."
Percy looked at Harry, a look of relief in his eyes as he nodded, before turning around and heading out of the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway before they faded as Harry heard him climbing the stairs.
Harry turned to Chiron awaiting whatever it was that the centaur was about to say.
"Well Harry, Mr. D and I talked and looked into what you told us and we believe there is a threat coming that you apparently seem to be best suited to deal with and as such, as with Percy, we offer you a quest … a chance to leave camp and hopefully avert whatever disaster may be approaching."
Less than a second passed before Harry nodded, causing the centaur to smile, "Well it is nice to know you are a person of action, although I suppose I'm not surprised. When Percy is finished upstairs you can go upstairs to see the the Oracle, and perhaps receive help or advise on what it is you are required to do on you quest … which we seem to know even less about then Percy's. And that brings me nicely to my other point … Percy's quest …" He paused and took another deep breath, looking out the window at the sky. "You have been distracted since you got here so perhaps you have not heard the other campers talking amongst themselves but Zeus' lightning bolt has been stolen and there is a good reason to believe that Zeus thinks Percy or his father, Poseidon, is responsible."
Harry's jaw dropped open, "Zeus' lightning bolt? That's a thing? Percy stole it?"
Chiron shook his head, "Of course not … or at least I don't believe he did. He is as new to this world as you are but that won't stop Zeus from believing one of his brothers is plotting against him … especially with Percy's sudden appearance at this moment. As such Percy agreed to go on a quest to find the lightning bolt, hopefully in time to stop a war." He trailed off and looked at Harry, "Are you with me so far?"
Harry nodded slowly, "I think so."
Chiron smiled, "I know this is a lot, but as with your situation the stakes are high and depending on what the Oracle has to say to both of you I expect that you both might need help with the paths you are both upon."
Harry nodded and spent the next thirty minutes chatting with Chiron about the specifics of Percy's situation before eventually running out of questions and falling into silence, thinking on Chiron's words.
He was roused from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, alerting the two of them that Percy was returning.
Slowly a stunned looking Percy entered the room, although what most surprised Harry was the suspicious looks he was giving him.
"Percy! It is good to see you well." Chiron greeted warmly, passing him a glass of lemonade and slice of what appeared to be strawberry pie. "Take a second to collect your thoughts, these should help you after the experience, we will need to go over exactly what was said."
Turning to Harry he nodded towards the door, "It's your turn Harry … good luck."
Harry looked once more towards Percy, confused that the younger boy seemed to be trying to avoid meeting his eyes, before shrugging and leaving the room, climbing the stairs and heading towards the attic.
Harry had just reached the second floor when he heard the main door to the house crash open and he heard a muted female voice drift up the stairs partially washed out by the thick carpet that covered the floors.
"Where … Chiron and … He … me … immediately come …"
Deciding that it sounded that it was unlikely to be related to him, Harry shrugged and kept climbing the stairs towards the Oracle.
- HP - PJ - HP - PJ - HP - PJ - HP - PJ - HP -
Meanwhile in the Study
Chiron looked at Percy, eyebrow raised, "And that's what the Oracle told you, that's … everything you were told?"
Percy looked up hesitantly but before he could speak, someone burst into the room panting.
Absently Chiron noticed it was one of the girls from the Apollo cabin who worked in the infirmary.
"Chiron … you wanted me to come as soon as it happened … the girl … she's awake …"
Kind Regards,
FavoriteAuthor
Up Next: Hermione and the Oracle's Message
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Story Note 1 – And Hermione is awake! Looking forward to including her in the story! This also means that since he is seeing the Oracle and Hermione is awake he will be ready to get underway. Sure hope the message from the Oracle isn't too confusing for Harry, but luckily he has Hermione to help out.
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!
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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Guest - I'm really sure you are enjoying the story! Thanks for the feedback
hopinhell - There will be magic and a separate quest line than Percy. However they will overlap a bit.
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George Cristian810 - Without a doubt, I agree. Otherwise could have just named him Paul and written about an OC. But don't worry there will be magic.