A/N: Merry Christmas (Early)! I hope y'all are having a wonderful holiday season!

Rising Storms

A Harry Potter and Percy Jackson crossover

Chapter 30:

Percy

The first thought Percy had as he woke up was that he wasn't dead. His eyes opened and he stared at the ceiling. What had happened to him? Oh, that's right. Luke sliced him open. Percy groaned when he tried to sit up.

"Don't move," said a voice beside the bed. It was Annabeth. She stood up from the chair. "Let me help you," she said as she helped him sit up slowly.

"Why?" Percy asked, placing a hand on his chest.

Annabeth looked down to her lap as she sat back down. "I don't know. I can't believe that he betrayed us."

She sounded like she was crying inside and he moved his hand to pat at hers. "Don't worry, Annabeth, we'll find out what's going on."

She nodded, and when he pulled his hand away, she sniffed once before lifting her head. "You were badly hurt. Chiron healed you himself. It is now July thirty-first, and you should take about a month to heal."

Before Percy could respond, a younger voice spoke up, "Are you taking my job, Annabeth?" When Percy looked over, it was Will Solace, the son of Apollo. The boy was grinning in amusement. "She's right, though," Will said. "It won't be long before you are back on your feet."

Percy smiled. "Thanks, guys." He would have to do some explaining to his mom, he thought as he looked down at the scar on his torso. It was red and puffy, going from right shoulder to left hip.

"That should fade," Will said. "But, there is a possibility that it will never truly go away." Percy nodded.

August seemed to fly by as Percy recovered from his fight with Luke. Percy was not given chores and he was allowed to skip practices. Percy ended up spending a lot of time just sitting by the fire, spending time with Hestia talking about anything and everything. "Do Zeus and the others know what Luke did?" Percy asked his aunt one day.

Hestia hummed. "Yes and no," she replied. "They know that he's no longer at camp, and that he fought you... but Zeus refuses to get involved, so Hermes is distraught about what might have happened." She looked over at Percy, away from the fire. "Unfortunately, since he doesn't know what happened, Hermes blames you."

Percy scowled. "Can't you tell them what happened?"

"Do you want me to?" Hestia asked, looking into his eyes with a gentleness that he hadn't seen in a while.

"Please?" Percy asked. "Just not right now. Now, I'd like to spend a little longer with my aunt."

Hestia beamed. She went back to tending the fire. "What do you want to know about the gods?" she asked.

Percy thought about it. "Why was the oath between the big three made?"

Hestia nodded at the question, having suspected something of the sort. "Because their children were becoming more and more powerful. It was Zeus's idea, and he and Poseidon forced Hades to swear the Oath." Hestia sighed. "In all the years since, Hades is the only one to not break the oath."

"What happens when they do break the oath and have demigod children?" Percy asked. "And, since he never broke the oath, can't Uncle Hades call for the oath to be dissolved?"

Hestia smiled at Percy's questions. She answered the second question first. "Hades could, if Zeus cared for his siblings' opinions." Then her voice turned sad. "When gods break their oaths, it's not them that are punished, it's their children." She sighed. "When Zeus broke the oath, and had a demigod daughter, she was chased by monsters all the way to camp, but they caught up to her. As Thalia lay dying, Zeus turned her into a tree to guard the camp and act as a barrier."

Percy's eyes turned to look at the pine tree on top of the hill.

"Yes," Hestia said. "She became the pine tree five years ago."

...

When the summer was over, Percy fulfilled his promise to his mom by heading home to their apartment. When he walked in through the front door, he noticed that the apartment was cleaner than it usually was, and Gabe was nowhere to be seen. "Mom?" he called out, worried.

Sally Jackson came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a hand towel. "Percy," she said with a smile. "Welcome home! How was the rest of your summer?"

"It was fine," Percy said. "Where's Gabe?" He looked around warily.

"He's gone," she replied. "He'll never hurt us again." Sally winked. "Apparently, people like ugly statues."

Percy laughed at the fate of the monstrous man. He was happy that his mom was now safe. "What happened to the head after that?"

She shivered. "I didn't want to use it to make more statues, since it's such a vile thing, so I gave it up as an offering to your father for your safe return."

Percy blushed at the love his mom held for him. "Did he show up?"

"No, but he took the head." Sally sighed. A part of her wished that she could have seen him again.

Percy scowled. Even now, his father wouldn't show his face. Stupid Zeus! Outside, thunder rolled.

Sally looked at the sky outside. "Percy, whatever you're thinking, stop. You don't want Zeus to do something drastic."

Percy grumbled, but that was that as they went to the kitchen to finish preparing their dinner.

September brought a new school, and with it, a new friend. Tyson was very tall for his age and was often bullied by the other kids for his clothes, his quickness to cry, and for living on the streets. Basically, Percy was his only friend... and because of that, Tyson was Percy's only friend at Merriweather's.

Tyson, the gentle soul, was always happy to see Percy each day at school. Percy would share his lunch with the big guy... just so Tyson had something to eat each day. Unfortunately, not everyone was nice at that school. The teachers of the school would turn a blind eye to the bullying during PE. Mark Sloan was the leader of the bullies, and seemed to thrive off of pushing Tyson around. No one ever said anything about it, though, even after Percy reported it.