Percy Jackson and the Horror Within

by Procrastinating4237

Percy is having a great 13th birthday until the old-man knocks on his door. Now, Percy's life is a double mistake because gods aren't supposed to have wizard children. Zeus is furious and banishes him from the country, leaving Percy with no choice but to attend Hogwarts. But, maybe a magic school is his chance to finally have a safe, monster-free, normal school year.

5. A Hero's Call

As always thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows. I had a little too much fun imagining Percy doing magic and his interactions one on one with the teachers, so it got split into two chapters. The Sorting should happen in chapter 7.

Chapter 5 – A Hero's Call

The walk to the castle wasn't too long. Dumbledore apologized that they couldn't apparate directly to the door because apparently, there were old and powerful enchantments protecting the school so that no one, not even Dumbledore, could apparate on the school grounds. Percy didn't mind though. After all the magical transporting he did today, just walking was nice. As they approached the castle, Dumbledore pointed out features of the school grounds, like the Quidditch pitch. From everything Percy heard, Quidditch sounded like it would be a lot of fun for a hyperactive demigod assuming Zeus didn't blast him out of the air. The headmaster also pointed out a tree that would attack anyone who got too close though Percy thought that might be an excellent way to train his battle reflexes. Then there was the grounds keeper's hut and of course the forest.

"The Forest is full of dangerous creatures," Dumbledore warned, "and is therefore forbidden to all pupils." Percy had to bite his lip, so he wouldn't laugh. At camp, they went into the woods because they were full of dangerous creatures. And of course, the forbidden part only made Percy want to go in there even more. At the very least, it could be a good place to practice with Riptide so that no one would see him. He would just have to figure out a way to sneak in.

The castle itself was rather impressive. Percy had never really seen an actual castle before since that little one in Central Park didn't count especially when he compared it to Hogwarts. He wished Annabeth was there. She would have loved it. Knowing her, she'd probably be spouting off lots of smart architecture facts about the arches and windows and towers. When they reached the large wooden front doors, Dumbledore waved his hand, and they magically opened revealing a huge entrance hall. Percy took in the warm glow of the torches, the large marble staircase, and several doors leading to other parts of the castle. As promised Dumbledore returned his bag from home to its original size. "You may leave your luggage here, and someone will bring it to your room where you will find the rest of your supplies as well. Right now, I believe a delicious supper is waiting for us in the Great Hall."

Percy's stomach growled right on time. It had been a long time since he had breakfast with his mom, so he was pretty hungry. Because of the time change it looked like he would be eating dinner instead of lunch. The Great Hall was well named. It was huge with four long tables running the length of the hall and a fifth one on a raised dais at the opposite end. Though what really made Percy gasp was the ceiling. Thousands of candles magically floated in the air and beyond that was the sky. On closer inspection, Percy could tell there was actually a ceiling, unlike the open pavilion where he ate at camp, but it looked exactly like the sky with the beautiful reds and oranges of a sunset. He figured it must be magic.

Percy spent so much time looking at the ceiling that he was almost across the hall before he noticed the four adults waiting at the far table. "Thank you for coming. I am glad everyone could make it on such short notice," Dumbledore said once they reached the dais. "Mr. Jackson, I would like to introduce you to the four Heads of Houses. They have generously agreed to come back from their summer vacations early in order to help you catch up with the other second years. I hope you will honor their sacrifice by working extra hard." That made Percy a little nervous. In the past, school just hadn't been his thing no matter how hard he had tried.

Dumbledore pointed to a tall and very strict looking witch. "This is Professor McGonagall. She will be teaching you Transfiguration. Additionally, she is Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House." Percy could tell that this woman was someone he didn't want angry at him, so Percy made a promise to himself that he would do his best to behave around her, at least in the beginning. He tried to remember what Dumbledore had said about the Houses back when his mom had asked in their kitchen. He thought Gryffindor was the brave one.

Next Dumbledore introduced the very short wizard as Professor Flitwick, the Ravenclaw Head of House and the Charms teacher. He seemed friendly enough offering Percy an energetic wave that he awkwardly returned. The squat witch with a welcoming smile and dirt stains on her robes was Professor Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House. She taught Herbology. He remembered that House since it had been the one his supposed ancestor had founded, and this time he had enough control to not laugh at the name. The last wizard, Professor Snape, made Percy immediately think of a bat with his dark eyes, black hair, and flowing black robes. Something about him reminded Percy of Mrs. Dodd, and he hoped this teacher wouldn't suddenly sprout wings and try to kill him too. Snape was the Head of Slytherin House and taught potions.

Once the introductions were over, Dumbledore turned his attention to the large table, "Perhaps something a little more informal would be better for our meal tonight." With a wave of his wand, the huge rectangle table that could easily seat over 25 people suddenly changed into a smaller circular table that looked like it belonged in a cozy kitchen minus the gold plates and goblets. It was complete with six matching chairs with floral printed cushions. "There, much better."

That's when Percy realized that he was about to have a super awkward dinner with all of his new teachers. It's bad enough being the only kid at the adult table. It's ten times worse when the adults were all teachers. Percy and teachers didn't get along. Chiron was the exception. Percy couldn't see a way to escape, and he was pretty hungry, so he figured he would just grin and bear it. He made sure to sit between Flitwick and Sprout since they seemed the least likely to give him detention before his summer school started.

At least the food was amazing. One second he was staring at empty plates and goblets and the next roast beef, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a delicious smelling stew magically appeared in the center of the table. All the adults started serving themselves, so Percy followed their lead making sure to have a good portion of vegetables along with the beef. Chiron always said the heroes that ate vegetables were the heroes that lived the longest. Percy wasn't sure if he believed the centaur, but he figured eating vegetables couldn't hurt his survival chances.

Percy hoped he could avoid talking to anyone. He didn't want these teachers to realize exactly how bad of a student he was before he even entered a classroom. But friendly Professor Sprout started asking him questions about living in New York. Percy knew she was only trying to be polite but thinking about his city made the homesickness that much worse. Then Professor Flitwick just had to ask the worst question: "So which subjects did you enjoy the most at your muggle school?"

Usually, Percy hated that question since it reminded him of how much he didn't enjoy any subject at school except PE. Although this past year, he had kind of liked Chiron's class. "Well, Latin wasn't too bad."

"You know Latin!" the tiny professor was so excited it came out as a squeak.

"Umm, yeah some. I'm better with Ancient Greek though," Percy admitted.

"Greek too!" Flitwick exclaimed. "That is truly excellent Mr. Jackson. You see, many incantations for spells are rooted in Latin and Ancient Greek. Coming in with a strong foundation of those languages will most definitely help you with your spell work. So many students have difficulty with the pronunciation and remembering the incantations because they do not know the basic roots."

"Good," Percy smiled in relief. "I have a feeling I'm going to need all the help I can get."

"Not to worry, Mr. Jackson." Dumbledore assured him. "Your education is in excellent hands."

After a magical desert, the awkward dinner finally ended, and it actually hadn't been as bad as Percy had feared. Dumbledore lead him out of the Great Hall and pointed to a door in the Entrance Hall. "The kitchens are through that door and down a staircase. I believe it may be easier and more comfortable for you to go there for your meals until term starts. To enter simply tickle the pear on a still-life painting of a bowl of fruit."

"Umm, okay," Percy responded, hoping tickling the pear would make more sense once he was down there. As they walked up a flight of stairs and down several hallways to Percy's temporary room, Percy finally voiced what had been bothering him all day. After hearing some of the dinner conversations between Dumbledore and McGonagall, it became even more apparent, so he tried to ask Dumbledore without sounding too rude. "Thanks for all the help today, but shouldn't you have more important things than showing me to my room or even taking me school supplies shopping this afternoon? Professor McGonagall mentioned you had all those letters from the Minister. That seems kind of more important."

"If a headmaster does not have time for his students or does not think that they are important then he is not a very good headmaster," Dumbledore replied with his twinkling eyes and smile.

Percy could tell though that Dumbledore wasn't really answering his question and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Colin had received a pamphlet, and Professor McGonagall had gone to his house, not Dumbledore. After everything that had happened this summer, he was a little more suspicious of adults' attentions whether they were an evil math teacher or a kind Latin teacher or a god who wanted a favor, in the end none of that attention had exactly been good for him. So why was Dumbledore giving him so much now? Was it really just because his was an 'unusual case' as he had told Ollivander. Percy supposed that was one way of summing up his mom's secret adoption and the events of June plus being a descendant of a founder. Or was there something more?

Noticing his suspicion Dumbledore added, "I know coming to Hogwarts this way cannot be easy for you, Percy. Do not think that I am completely oblivious that your father's family for whatever reason threatened you and/or your mother if you did not attend. Most cases I would insist on knowing the whole situation, but since I also think Hogwarts is the best place for you, I have respected your privacy and your assurance that you and your mother are not in any danger. No matter what is going on, I believe you would put her safety first, and if keeping me in the dark helps with that, then I will not pry. Therefore, I wanted to make sure your transition to the wizarding world and Hogwarts was as smooth as possible. I also want you to know that if you ever need anything, Percy, I want you to come to me."

Percy didn't know what to say to that. Dumbledore sounded sad and serious at the same time while also subtly reminding Percy that he was keeping secrets too. "Thanks, Professor, I'll keep that in mind."

"Well, here we are," Dumbledore's voice was cheery once more as he opened a door by a portrait of a funny looking man in a powdered wig. "Your lessons start at 8'oclock tomorrow, so I recommend getting to the kitchens no later than 7:15. You will have five hours with Professor Flitwick, an hour break for lunch, and then five hours with Professor Sprout."

Percy paled at the thought of that much school. Dumbledore chuckled, "Not to worry, dear boy. You will find that magic lessons tend to be more hands on, and given your accelerated studies, most of the professors will shorten the theory aspects of their subjects. I am afraid you will have to catch up on those in your own time, but I am sure your classmates will be more than willing to help."

Dumbledore told him goodnight and left Percy to explore his room or rooms really. It reminded Percy of a hotel suite. There was a living room area with a comfy looking blue couch in front of a fireplace and a desk and chair along the wall. Most of his school supplies was in a corner. A door separated the living room from the bedroom which had an old-fashioned bed with the four posts at the corners. He grimaced because that bed immediately reminded him of Crusty the stretcher and bed salesman he had killed in Los Angeles. There was also a standard bathroom connected to the bedroom. It all seemed so normal even if it was in a magical castle.

A few hours later, Percy was ready for bed. He had IMed his mom in the bathroom to let her know he was okay and at Hogwarts and hadn't been attacked. He also unpacked and actually took a look at some of his new spell books, but unfortunately, they did not magically make his dyslexia go away. Even though it was just the afternoon back home, he was tired and easily fell asleep. It had been a long day, and he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before.

Of course, as soon as he went to sleep, he had a dream. He was in the center of a crossroad surrounded by mist when a beautiful woman appeared lit by the two torches she carried. She was extremely pale with dark eyes and golden hair styled in a Greek updo, and she wore dark robes. "Hello, Perseus, we have much to discuss."

Percy could instantly tell that this woman was a goddess, and there was only one goddess who would want to speak with him right now, "Lady Hecate?"

She smiled at him, but it didn't exactly make him feel better. Instead, it felt like she was assessing him somehow. "Perhaps, you are smarter than Athena gives you credit for," the goddess responded sounding amused. "Yes, I am Hecate Goddess of Magic and Mist and Crossroads, Necromancy and Ghost, Queen of the Witches."

"That's cool," Percy stated because he didn't know what else to say. Hecate didn't respond but placed her torches in stands that magically appeared next to her. "Also thank you for umm standing up to Zeus, so I wouldn't get blasted," he added. He figured it was polite to thank someone who had helped save his life.

"It was my pleasure, Perseus," this time she gave him a real smile that softened her piercing dark eyes. "It's been nearly two centuries since I was able to put the king of the gods in his place. Plus, you are one of my blessed now, and therefore under my protection which is why I am here now to offer my assistance. As long as you work hard over the next couple of weeks, I will help you learn the coursework, so you will be on even footing with your fellow classmates when the term starts."

Percy's dream-self blinked in surprise. That was an extremely generous offer, a little too generous. Based on his experience, gods didn't just hand out favors for nothing. "Thanks, Lady Hecate that would help a lot, but not to be rude or anything, why are you helping me? Somehow I don't think it's just because you want to be nice."

The goddess laughed then, "I am impressed, Perseus. You seem to have already learned the difficult lesson that nothing comes without a price. I will admit that I do have an alternative reason than just being nice. It has been a long time since a demigod wizard was born. Unfortunately, in this current age, demigod wizards are the only way I can interact and influence my people even if it is in an indirect manner. The more successful you are, the greater your influence in this world will be. Also, it is my hope that if you are successful then maybe the Olympians will remove the ban on interactions with wizard-kind. I need a hero, Perseus Jackson, someone who can help me guide the wizarding world. They have become rather static, and I fear if they do not change, they will not survive. Troubling times are approaching for us all."

Percy grimaced. This was exactly what he didn't want, the expectations of a goddess and the fate of the wizarding world on his shoulders. "Surely, there must be someone else, like Dumbledore. And wizards are your people can't you just talk to them?"

"Not anymore," Hecate replied with a frown. "Much like Prometheus' creation of humans, my people have grown beyond me. I am of course proud of their accomplishments, but they no longer remember who I am. Now, I, like most of the other gods, am little more than a famous magic user from ancient Greece though at least I have a Chocolate Frog Card since they still use several of my original spells today. Therefore, I cannot interact with them as a goddess."

"But I just don't know if I'm the right person for this. I mean, I'm me," he tried to explain. "And that's a lot you want me to do."

"You will not be alone Perseus. There will be others to help in the conflict ahead. All I ask is that you try your best and in return, I will help you become the best wizard that you can be. As the goddess of crossroads, I will of course respect your choice."

Percy thought it over for a moment. He supposed just trying couldn't hurt, much less having a goddess on his side. Already, she had helped keep him alive. "Alright, I'll try, but don't get your hopes up about the Olympians changing their minds because of me."

Hecate nodded in agreement, "Very well. I imagine you have a few questions for me?"

Percy did, but the first one that came to mind was, "Can I ride a broom, or will Zeus blast me out of the air?"

Hecate laughed, "Yes, you can ride a broomstick. It is your birthright. Zeus could no more punish you for riding a broom than he could a Pegasus. That being said, I would not recommend pulling a Bellerophon and try flying up to Mount Olympus."

"Sweet!" Percy exclaimed. "Thanks. Another question, does being a demigod affect being a wizard or will I just be a normal wizard?"

"That is a very insightful question, and I am afraid there is no simple answer. Any gifts you might have inherited from your father coexist with your magical core. Using your demigod powers is a separate skill than using your magic, but sometimes they can complement each other."

"Umm, sorry Lady Hecate, I still don't understand," Percy admitted.

"I shall use an analogy then. Do you play a sport?" she asked. Percy looked surprised. "Oh, do not look so shocked, boy, sports are very Greek, and Nike is not the only one to keep up with them. Your father and uncles even participated in the first ever Wizard Olympics to help me start the tradition. They call it the Triwizard Tournament now in their honor. It used to have a five-star rating on Hephaestus TV."

The idea that his dad started a Wizard Olympics was weird, but Hecate got his attention again by snapping her fingers in his face. Sport, right. "Umm, I like basketball."

Hecate nodded, "Very well, and based on the events from this summer I know you are good with a sword."

"I'm decent," Percy said with a blush.

"Hmm, modest too. That is rare for your kind." Of course, that made Percy even more embarrassed. "So does your skill with a sword affect your ability to play basketball and vice versa?"

Percy thought for a moment. The footwork he knew from basketball had helped him learn the footwork for sword fighting. He also knew he was stronger and quicker from his training this summer both of which would improve his basketball game. "I think I get it now. Thanks Lady Hecate."

"You are welcome, Perseus, and if I were to guess I believe your father's gifts may give your magic an extra push if you learn how to channel it while the focus you need for magic will help you control your other abilities. You are also different from other wizards because demigods tend to be more resilient. You may have noticed that you do not bruise as easily as regular mortals, and you heal faster even without the godly food. This resilience can extend to certain spells. The magic will still affect you, but your father's blood will lessen the effect. For example, the stunning spell will still stun you, but you will regain consciousness before a mortal would. The Killing Curse will still be fatal for you though."

"Good to know," Percy was relieved that he wouldn't be a super wizard freak even if immunity for a killing curse would have been good. "Lady Hecate, could you call me Percy?"

"No, Perseus, I will not," she said firmly, but not unkindly. "I believe you need a reminder of what you are."

"And what's that?" Percy asked trying to keep his irritation in check.

"A hero," the goddess said with a smile. "I want you to remember what you have done and what you will do one day."

"You're different from how I expected, Lady Hecate. You're more. . ." Percy tried to find the right words and didn't want to insult the goddess that had been surprisingly honest and almost kind to him, "I don't know, down to earth than the other gods I have met."

Hecate laughed, "That is because I am no god, but I will consider that a compliment coming from you, Perseus. I shall let you return to your dreams. You will need all the rest you can get for the upcoming days. When you wake up tomorrow, you will find a gift on your desk that will help you read English." The dream faded to blackness taking the goddess with it.

The next morning, Percy dragged himself out of bed and dressed in his normal clothes: jeans, a blue t-shirt, and a hoody. His mom had convinced him to leave his Camp Half-Blood shirts at home since he didn't want to draw any wizard's attention to Camp and a bright orange t-shirt tended to do that. Just for a second, he had considered wearing his new wizard robes, but no one had told him that he had to wear them yet, and until then, he was going to keep wearing his clothes.

On the desk, he found a pair of glasses with square lenses and a frame made of Celestial bronze. He figured this must be Hecate's gift. He put on the glasses and opened his charms book to a random page.

Colloportus is the Locking Charm used to prevent doors from being manually opened. It can be undone by the Unlocking Charm, Alohamora (See Chapter Six).

He could read! Instead of struggling to puzzle out the words, they had immediately made sense. It took him a moment, but he realized that the glasses somehow translated the English into Ancient Greek. "Sweet! Thanks, Lady Hecate!" The glasses would definitely make reading a lot easier now, and for once in his life, Percy was feeling optimistic about school. It made him wish he had these earlier and not just him. Most of his fellow half-bloods struggled with varying degrees of dyslexia. He wondered if he could get more of them from Hecate for the other demigods and why hadn't the gods given them something like this ages ago.

"We cannot," Hecate's voice said in his mind. "That would be considered direct interference. We must distance ourselves from our children and let them succeed or fail on their own merits. They cannot rely on us to solve their problems. It is perhaps the most difficult part of being a parent, particularly an immortal one."

"They're just glasses that would help make our lives a lot easier," Percy muttered back. He probably should have been more concerned that a goddess was reading his mind, but at the moment he just wanted answers. "Plus, how were you able to give them to me then?"

"Because you are a wizard. It is a spell that most competent wizards can perform if they know both languages. If you were able to tell him, Dumbledore could have done it for you, and in a few years, you will be able to do it yourself."

Percy supposed it kind of made sense in a weird way. He suddenly had access to abilities and knowledge that most demigods never would because the gods had decided to keep the two worlds separate. Changing the subject, Percy asked, "Are you going to be in my head all day?"

"Of course not." The reply came sharply as if he had offended the goddess. "That would be rather disturbing. However, since I am assisting you during these first weeks, I will be monitoring your progress. If you wish to speak to me, simply think my name, and I will try to respond." At least he would still have some privacy then.

Finding the kitchens was easier than Percy had thought it would be. He followed Dumbledore's instructions to a brightly lit corridor with lots of paintings of food. About halfway down the hallway, he noticed a large still-life of a bowl of fruit, including a huge, green pear. Feeling extremely foolish, Percy extended a finger and tickled the pear. Immediately, he jumped back in shock as the pear wiggled and actually giggled and then turned into a large green door handle. Cautiously, Percy gripped the handle and pulled open the hidden door.

The kitchens mirrored the Great Hall with its size and five long tables. Percy even suspected that the they were directly below the Great Hall making it easier somehow to magic the food to the tables above. As soon as he stepped into the large room, he was greeted by a chorus of "Good morning, sir," from an army of house-elves.

In a way, they were kind of cute with their big eyes and pointed ears and small size. At the moment, they were all bowing and curtsying to him which made Percy feel kind of awkward. One of the house-elves rushed over and asked in a high-pitch voice, "What would sir like?"

"Umm, I just need some breakfast," Percy said wondering if there was some special protocol he was supposed to follow, but the house-elf just nodded his head.

"Anything special to eat, sir?"

"You can call me Percy, and I'll just have whatever you've got lying around." All the bowing and stares made him feel self-conscious, and he didn't want to inconvenience them.

"Of course, Mr. Percy, sir."

That was even worse, but before he could correct him, the elf scampered away. Percy sat down at one of the tables to wait, but not even a minute later, ten elves returned laden with plates of eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, and pancakes and pitchers of all different kinds of juices and pots of tea and coffee. It was more food than Percy could eat on his own. "Wow, guys thanks, but this is way too much."

"Mr. Percy is a growing boy, sir," the same house-elf said matter-of-factly. "And growing boys needs lots of food."

Not this much, Percy thought. He was definitely going to need to find time to train if house-elves were in charge of his meals. "Is there anything else Mr. Percy would like?" the elf asked.

"Thanks, but I think I'm good. Everything looks delicious." The house-elf beamed at the compliment. "What's your name?" Percy asked realizing it was rude to not know who was helping him.

"Nettly, sir," the elf replied with a low bow. "If Mr. Percy wants anything just ask, sir."

As Percy ate, he watched the house-elves trying to judge for himself if they truly liked working here. Most of them wore some kind of towel like a toga with the Hogwarts crest proudly displayed, and they all seemed happy. Some whistled while they cleaned dishes. Others were passionately discussing rearranging the storage of the silverware, but maybe, they were only pretending to be cheery.

Percy had just finished up what he considered a normal breakfast amount when a pearly-white slightly transparent man wearing tights and a frilly thing around his neck floated through the wall. Percy jumped up in surprise knocking over the bench he had been sitting on. It wasn't the first ghost Percy had seen since there were many spirits in Charon's waiting room and even more in the Fields of Asphodel, but he hadn't expected one to float in after his breakfast. It was bad for digestion. He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised that there were ghost here. Hadn't Hecate mentioned something about goddess of ghosts?

"You are Mr. Perseus Jackson I presume," the ghost said though it didn't sound like a question.

"Yeah, though just Percy please. Umm, who are you?"

"I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service, resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower, and I have been asked by the Headmaster himself to guide you to the charms classroom."

Percy thanked Nettly and the other elves before following Nicholas back into the Entrance Hall up a flight of stairs and down a hallway before going up another flight of stairs. Percy was grateful for his guide otherwise he would have been lost. The castle was a maze with 142 staircases according to Nick. "This is the best staircase to the charms corridor," the ghost informed him, "except on Fridays when it leads straight to the fifth-floor east wing." Great, it was like the castle itself was trying to be extra annoying. "Well, here we are Mr. Jackson," Nick said with a flourish of his hand at a classroom where Professor Flitwick waited for him.

"Thanks, Sir Nicholas."

The ghost smiled at him, "Nick is fine, Percy."

Percy quickly discovered that magic wasn't at all simple or easy. Instead, magic was hard work. Professor Flitwick spent two hours going over the parts of a spell and how to read the complex spell diagrams in the textbook. By the third hour, Percy was finally allowed to try the Levitation Charm. The incantation wingardium leviosa was easy enough, and Flitwick was right about the Latin roots helping him understand the spell. The wing part threw him for a second until Flitwick said it was an English addition. Then he just focused on the rest of the incantation and the meanings sort of popped into his head. Ardium came from the Latin arduus meaning high, and leviosa was a derivative of the Latin levo meaning I rise. After a few tries and corrections from Flitwick, Percy had the swish and flick wand movement good enough that Flitwick let him combine it with the incantation to try and magically lift a feather. But, nothing happened.

"Not to worry, Mr. Jackson," Flitwick reassured him. "Almost no one gets it on their first try especially since this is the first magic you are trying to purposely do. Usually, my first years will not attempt this until the end of October. Now try again, and this time keep your wand movement brisk. You slowed it down when you added the incantation."

So, Percy tried again and again. Once in a while Flitwick would offer a correction to his form, the way he held his wand or timed the flick, or he would demonstrate the spell for Percy again and effortlessly lift the feather. Still nothing happened when Percy tried it except that he got more and more frustrated. After an hour of trying Flitwick stopped him, "I think we should take a break at least for a few minutes and have some tea." Percy knew his frustration with the spell was making him sloppy, and he was making more mistakes.

The tiny professor walked to his desk where there was a tray with everything needed for tea plus an assortment of cookies. Percy swore that tray hadn't been there earlier. "Tea, Mr. Jackson?"

Percy made a face. He didn't get why the British loved tea so much. Professor Flitwick chuckled, "I suppose you Americans prefer your coffee. Would you like a cup of coffee then?"

Percy shook his head, "No thanks, I had some at breakfast and too much caffeine right now would be bad." Percy did help himself to a cookie. Trying to do magic had made him hungry again. As he ate, he tried to figure out why he was having so much trouble though Flitwick didn't seem too worried about it. Both he and Dumbledore had made magic look so easy. Dumbledore hadn't even said a spell which confused Percy. "Professor Flitwick, how come when Professor Dumbledore does magic he doesn't say anything?"

Flitwick beamed, "Excellent question Mr. Jackson! Saying the incantation is just a verbalization of the intent of the wizard. More experienced wizards can channel their intent without saying the incantation and therefore cast a nonverbal spell. It is a difficult skill, not one that all can master, but we encourage our more senior students to develop this technique." Flitwick picked up his wand and without speaking did a very familiar swish and flick, and the teapot rose in the air and did a circle around the professor's head before returning to the tray.

Something finally clicked for Percy, "So the intent is even more important than saying the spell?"

"Correct, Mr. Jackson. That is why sometimes wizards can do magic without spells or wands just solely based on their magic responding to their intent or will, as in the case of most accidental magic. However, as I am sure you know from your own experience with accidental magic, it can be difficult to control and tends to have unintended consequences. Therefore, the incantation helps focus the wizard's intent."

Percy nodded. It made sense now. He hadn't been using enough will power, and if there was one thing he knew about himself after this past summer, it was that he had a lot of will power, enough to hold back the tide. "I think I'm ready to try again."

He walked back to the desk with the feather and closed his eyes to gather his will like the ocean pulling back before a large wave. Then he opened his eyes and did the spell willing the feather to rise. The whole desk shot up to the ceiling and shattered. Percy leapt back in shock as the remains of the desk started to fall back down. With a flick of his wand, Flitwick repaired the desk and gently lowered it back to the floor as the feather gently floated down.

"I'm so sorry, Professor. I didn't mean –"

"Not to worry," Flitwick said with a chuckle. "You did perform the spell. Now, we just need to work on your control and focus. Try again when you are ready."

Percy eyed the desk and feather skeptically not really wanting to worry about falling furniture again. "You opened a floodgate Perseus when all you need is a trickle from a faucet. Try again," Hecate said in his mind.

'Okay,' thought Percy, 'a trickle.' This time only the feather rose in the air gracefully. Percy laughed and used his wand to direct the feather across the room. Flitwick clapped and cheered "Well done, Mr. Jackson! Excellent."

Flitwick made Percy do the spell five more times, and each time was a little easier. After that they moved on to the Wand-Lighting Charm, Lumos, and its counter-charm, Nox. Both of those were pretty easy for Percy, but the Fire-Making Spell gave him some trouble. After an hour, he had only successfully done it twice. Flitwick still was extremely pleased with Percy's progress but gave him instructions to practice all the spells. "And please only do Incendio in your room's fireplace," Flitwick instructed. "We don't want to have an accident now do we."

After his charms lesson, Percy went back down to the kitchen for lunch before following Flitwick's instructions to the greenhouses. The next five hours flew by. Percy was never really a plant or gardening kind of guy, but Professor Sprout made the lesson interesting. Also, magical plants were a lot more exciting than non-magical ones, like Devil Snare that used its tendrils to strangle anything that touched it or Moly that could counteract enchantments. Professor Sprout informed him that Moly was even included in the Muggle Greek story the Odyssey where Odysseus used it to resist the magic of the witch Circe. Unfortunately, Percy knew that the Odyssey was a lot more than a story, but he couldn't tell Sprout that. Once the lesson was over, Sprout assigned him some chapters to read in his textbook before they met again in a few days.

Finally finished with lessons for the day, Percy headed back to his room. He pushed the couch to a wall and did some of the training exercises Chiron had showed him. Then he practiced with Riptide until he was too tired to lift his arms. Around 7:30 he went back down to the kitchens for dinner. Nettly the house-elf was waiting for him with a large platter filled with all sorts of different food at the spot Percy had adopted for his meals. There was a large fried fish, French fries, a piece that had layers of ground beef, vegetables, and creamy and cheesy mashed potatoes, and a piece of pie with meat as a filling. "Since Mr. Percy isn't from around here, Nettly thought Mr. Percy might want to try all the local food."

Percy smiled as he sat down, "Thanks Nettly, I would love that! If you have the time and want to, could you tell me what everything is?"

The elf looked like a kid at Christmas with his huge smile, "Of course, Mr. Percy, sir," and started to enthusiastically tell him all about the different foods. Percy had a little of each one even if he wasn't crazy about trying kidney, he figured it would be rude not to, and Nettly looked so happy that it made it worth it.

With a full stomach he returned to his room. He practiced his charms for a while and even thought he was getting a knack for the fire spell. Then he laid on his bed and read herbology until his eyes closed. It had been the most school Percy had ever done in a day, but Dumbledore had been right, doing magic was a lot more fun than normal school.

Of course, as soon as he closed his eyes, his dreams took him to a classroom were Hecate waited for him. He groaned, "Really, I have to learn more! Gods, I'm sleeping!"

"Oh don't be so dramatic, Perseus" Hecate replied. "Though you have done well so far, my hero, you still have much to learn." And so, Percy had lessons even in his sleep. Hecate's lessons reinforced what his teachers had taught, and she helped him truly understand the concepts instead of just reciting incantations. After what felt like forever, the goddess finally left him in peace for the reminder of the night, but he was mentally exhausted. Percy didn't know if he would be able to handle nine more days like this one. His head might explode.