Death of a hero, born as another

Percy Jackson AND Harry Potter crossover book/chapter 6: Entering the school(before sorting)

Once they alighted from the Hogwarts Express, they heard a man herding the first-years toward the lake. Overhead, thunder boomed, and rain poured down, drenching everyone except Percy, who miraculously remained dry despite the heavy downpour.

"How are you still dry?" Hazel asked in amazement, staring at him.

"I cast a waterproofing spell on myself earlier," Percy lied smoothly.

They all nodded, accepting his explanation, though Annabeth and Hazel remained slightly suspicious. As they approached the lake, they saw the silhouette of a giant man, nearly twice the size of a normal person. He waved at them heartily and grinned. "First years! First years! Over here!"

All the first-year students obediently followed him, while the older students headed to the castle by carriages pulled by thestrals. Percy and Nico's hearts leapt at the sight. The creatures were skeletal, dark, and grimy. As some thestrals pulled up to the older students, a few nuzzled into Percy and Nico's hands. Some of the students scowled at them, while others stood agape at the peculiar sight.

"You can see them too?" Nico asked Percy softly, still petting the thestrals.

"Yes, and one can only see them if they've witnessed death. That means you and I have seen it firsthand. Before you ask, I have seen death—my friends and family died in wars that have plagued me," Percy explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that, mate," Ron comforted him as the others exchanged glances. Annabeth thought, Could it be that… No, it couldn't be. Percy died mysteriously before his body vanished… but what if—

"Annabeth? Annabeth! Wake up!" Percy exclaimed, startling the others nearby with his shout and jolting Annabeth out of her trance.

"What—oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention earlier," Annabeth admitted. Her friends raised an eyebrow but didn't press her further. When Percy and Ron were out of earshot, Hazel whispered to Annabeth, "What were you thinking about earlier?"

"Yeah… you're not usually like this unless something's on your mind," Frank added.

"I was thinking that Harry seems a lot like Percy. Or maybe he is Percy. He knows things about us that only he would know… It's too suspicious. I have a feeling he didn't actually make it to the Underworld. Maybe Hecate took him to this world to live a new life before allowing him to return," Annabeth admitted.

"You're not wrong, Annabeth…" a voice behind them said. They jolted and immediately reached for their weapons, but no one noticed because the other students were too busy talking.

"What do you mean, 'not wrong'—unless…" Annabeth's voice trailed off before she stopped and cried, hugging Percy. "Seaweed Brain! So it's really you?! Do you know how worried we all were?! Even Thalia ordered the Hunters to search for you and the others!" she sobbed, clinging onto Percy as though he would disappear if she let go.

The others stared at Percy in shock before punching him and wrapping him in a tight bear hug, crying.

"Hey—Ouch! Watch where you hit, guys! Oof!" Percy cried as they pounded him and Annabeth judo-flipped him.

"You stupid Seaweed Brain! I was afraid of losing you! Don't you ever do this to me again, or I will go to the Underworld myself and drag your soul back!" Annabeth shouted between sobs.

"Okay, okay, Wise Girl, I get it! How about, to make up for lost time, I invite you all to stay with me during the holidays? Then you can meet the person who saved me from death. Oh, and Nico—please tell your father I'm sorry for somewhat cheating death."

"It's okay, Percy. He knows you didn't do it on purpose, and you're not even on his list," Nico assured him.

"That's a relief! At least he won't send anyone to drag me back to the Underworld," Percy laughed, making Nico smile.

As they approached the lake, the choppy, murky waters suddenly cleared. A lake god rose from its depths, much to everyone's astonishment.

"I am the lake god, Marinos. Thank you for cleansing my waters, Son of Poseidon," he whispered.

"You're welcome, Marinos," Percy replied with a smile, waving as Marinos dissolved into sea foam and disappeared beneath the surface.

The others stared at Percy in awe.

"What?" Percy asked, looking at their amazed expressions.

"I never knew you could be respectful, Percy!" Will exclaimed.

"Yeah! You usually sass people until they're speechless!" Leo teased.

"Hey, I'm not that bad—" Percy protested, throwing a mini tantrum on the boat as they rowed toward the castle on surprisingly tranquil waters.

"No ifs and no buts," Annabeth interjected. A few curious first-year witches and wizards turned to eavesdrop, but Hazel waved them away.

"Alright, we've arrived at the castle. Now we will wait in this chamber until it's time for the Sorting Ceremony," Hagrid announced proudly.

"Blimey! I'm going to kill Fred and George! They told me we had to battle a troll as an entrance test!" Ron exclaimed, relieved that no such test existed.

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Well, this is the end of this part of the story. I still won't give up on it and... I hope you enjoyed! Also if you are unclear about Percy's/harry's parentage, please kindly ask me. Now, this is the end of this chapter so…

Signing out, BlossomAftonJackson…