Always Protect - BornToFly02 - Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms (2024)

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Three year old Perseus Potter was sitting at the coffee table next to his little brother's bouncy chair while their parents, Lily and James, spoke in hushed voices in the doorway.

Perseus looked over at Harry. The two of them looked so similar. Both had jet black hair and green eyes though Perseus had eyes that were green like the sea whereas Harry's eyes were the exact same emerald as the eyes of their mother. Harry's hair was always sticking out in every possible direction like James' while Perseus looked like he had just been walking on the beach.

Harry grinned as his brother, showing off his four little teeth, causing the three year old to grin in return.

"Mommy look!" Perseus said as he caught a glimpse of a cloaked figure moving outside the window behind Harry.

Lily ran to the window, gasped in horror, and rushed to grab Harry from the little seat.

"Lily, take the kids and run, I'll try to hold him off for as long as I can."

Lily grabbed her older son's arm, dragging him partially up the stairs before she stopped and turned to face him.

"Here, take your brother up to Mommy and Daddy's room and hide under the bed. Do not move unless we come and get you, do you understand my little warrior? You must always protect him."

Perseus felt his eyes starting to water but nodded, taking his little brother into his arms and running up the rest of the stairs. The last glimpse he caught of his mother was as she turned away from them, her red hair loose down her back as she pulled out her wand.

Perseus quickly grabbed a blanket to put under Harry before sliding under the bed. He trembled as he heard things breaking downstairs and flinched when he heard his mother scream.

Suddenly, everything was silent. Perseus glanced at Harry who appeared to be falling asleep. He was about to peek his head out when he heard a crash down the hall.

He started hyperventilating. There had to be a better hiding place for Harry. Perseus suddenly spotted an irregularity in the hard wood. He felt around and pressed down on a hidden button just as another crash sounded a little closer to the room.

A tiny compartment opened up, just large enough for Harry. Quickly depositing his brother in the hidey hole as something crashed right outside the door.

Perseus closed it and scrambled under the bed once more just in time for the door to be ripped off it's hinges with enough force to send it flying into the opposite wall. Perseus had to place one of his little hands over his mouth to try and stifle a small sob that escaped his lips.

He tried to breathe as quietly as possible as he heard footsteps make their way around the room. He felt like his heart was pounding too loudly. Things were quiet for a moment so he was going to sigh in relief when the bed was flipped over.

Standing over him was a man who would've been handsome if it weren't for the cool, condescending sneer that twisted his features.

"Where is your brother boy?"

His voice was high, clear, and cruel and most would've trembled. Perseus considered trembling but he remembered what his mother had said, you must always protect him.

So, the little three year old just sat up, and glared at the man.

He shook his head at the little one's foolishness before raising his wand.

"Where is your brother?"

Perseus said nothing.

"Crucio!"

Perseus screamed.

Over and over, the man used the curse on the little boy but surprisingly, he never broke. It was a baby's cry that gave little Harry away.

Perseus was lying helplessly on his back next to the hidden compartment as the man opened it. He twitched involuntarily every few seconds and kept his eyes on his brother until the man aimed his wand at Harry.

"I, Lord Voldemort, will be unstoppable. AVADA KEDAVRA!!!"

At the last moment, Perseus used the last of his strength to flip himself over to cover Harry.

There was a flash of green light and Perseus lost consciousness.

Two hours later, a giant man found the two boys in the wreckage of the house. Perseus was unconscious but still breathing and Harry was crying. The man, Rubeus Hagrid, lifted the two and took them out of the house. At the gate he meet another man who had shoulder length black hair and a devastated expression on his youthful face.

He took one look at the boys in Hagrid's arms and offered his flying motorbike before disappearing into the night.

When the three arrived at number four privet drive, professor Albus Dumbledore and professor Minerva McGonagall were already there and Perseus was waking up.

"Ah, Hagrid. I trust that all went well."

"Yes Headmaster, little Harry 'ere fell 'sleep jus' as we were flyin' o'er Bristol, an' young Perseus star'ed stirrin' as we landed 'ere." Hagrid replied.

Perseus shifted slightly before stiffening with pain. Minerva had Hagrid lay Perseus on the grass for her to scan for injuries. What she found was revolting.

"Albus, you-know-who used the cruciatus curse on the poor boy. He is only three years old!"

Dumbledore's expression was grave as he knelt by the boy. He cast a spell that would hopefully relieve some of the pain but the damage that was possibly done to his mental state couldn't be undone. Dumbledore finally turned the boy over to see his back.

Under his shirt was a large scar across his back in the shape of a trident. Dumbledore sighed.

"The boy has been marked as Voldemort's equal. It should be kept secret from him though lest the fame gets to his head. In fact, neither shall know of our world. Just as our world will believe the chosen one to be Harry." Dumbledore decided.

"Are you sure this is wise Albus?"

"It is the only way."

Perseus tried to open his eyes as he heard voices around him but was too exhausted.

"Perseus, can you hear me?" He nodded. "Good, you must look after your brother. He is the one who will defeat Voldemort in the end. Always protect him."

He gave the tiniest nod before letting himself drift once again into unconsciousness.

*Time Skip*

Petunia Dursley opened the door of number four privet to put out the milk jars only to find two little boys lying on the front step.

The younger one, only about a year old opened it's emerald green eyes to stare at her. She gasped in shock.

She quickly brought them in as best she could while calling for her husband.

At the end of the street, the tabby cat spun, disappearing with a crack.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Eleven year old Perseus Potter was startled awake by his Aunt rapping her knuckles against his bedroom door. He was so shocked that he sat up and ended up smashing his head against the ceiling.

"Get up, now!"

Perseus-or as he now preferred to be called-Percy groaned and put on a shirt before climbing out of his room.

He walked silently into the kitchen where his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and little cousin already sat. He could hear Harry coming down the stairs and quickly set to work cooking breakfast. He and Harry worked together to make Harry as unnoticeable as possible. Percy had even spoken out against the Dursleys to draw their attention away from his brother. Percy took every beating, every chore, and all the scorn.

He had made a promise to always protect Harry and he would always do his best to do so.

Harry went into the little cupboard under the stairs, a.k.a Percy's bedroom, to wait. Everyday, Percy would make breakfast, set aside two small portions, clean up, then bring the food to the cupboard under the stairs for Harry and himself to eat.

Everyday Percy would be given the more difficult, outdoor chores to do and Harry would be given the easier ones indoors which resulted in Percy being more strong and tanned though he was too skinny because of malnourishment. This only made his Aunt and Uncle hate him more seeing as their own son, Dudley, was fat and pale.

As Percy served the plates of eggs, bacon, and hash browns, Dudley started complaining to his parents that his new racing bike was broken. He had gotten it for his birthday the previous month.

Probably because you were too fat to use it. Percy thought to himself.

It was August eighteenth, Percy's birthday, but just like the past eight years, no one other than Harry could care less. Or so he thought.

As the Dursleys started to dig in, the mail came.

"Perseus, go get the mail." Uncle Vernon said from behind his news paper.

Sighing, Percy turned off the stove, and went to the door. He picked up the envelopes and quickly flipped through them. At the bottom was a letter addressed to him. He checked to be sure that no one was watching and slid it through one of the slats in his bedroom door, quietly shushing Harry so he knew not to say anything.

He walked into the kitchen, dropping the mail on the table and turning back to the stove but not before noticing the relieved look on his aunt's face and his uncle letting out a breath of relief.

Once they'd finished eating and looking at the mail they just got up and left. Dudley wanted to play on his computer and it was Friday so Uncle Vernon had to go to work. Aunt Petunia turned to Perseus.

"Now, tonight we are having company over so I will be baking. Just take this then stay out of the way."

She placed a glass of water and an Advil on the table for Percy's nearly constant headaches. On the inside, Percy was cheering but on the outside, he just nodded, taking the medication, collecting the plates for him and Harry and going to the cupboard.

As soon as the door closed he turned for the letter.

His nine year brother looked at him with wide eyes.

"What is this Percy?"

"It's something I remember mum and dad talking about. It's an invitation to go to a special school." Percy replied, staring at the envelope in his hands.

Harry stared at it too. Percy had told him about the fact that their parents had magic and so did they but their Aunt and Uncle didn't like magic so he was never to mention it around them.

Slowly, Percy opened it, holding his breath as though it was going to explode.

Inside were two pieces of paper. Well, it was more like pieces of parchment. One was the official letter of acceptance/invitation to a school called Hogwarts and the other was a list of school supplies.

Percy poked his head out the door to see if the coast was clear before darting into his uncle's office. Quickly finding a pen, he smiled in triumph before ducking back into the cupboard.

"I want to go." Harry said glumly while reading through the supplies.

Percy, who had just been writing on the back of the Hogwarts letter saying he'd attend, looked at his little brother. He smiled and ruffled his already messy hair.

"Don't worry Harry, you'll get your letter when you turn eleven." Percy said with such confidence that Harry couldn't help but believe him.

That afternoon, during one of Percy's breaks from working in the yard, he quickly went to the far corner of the street.

Over the years, Percy had noticed that a tabby cat appeared most days at the end of the street, under a bush. He had started visiting it when he could. Talking to it gave him a sort of escape from his chores and the responsibility of looking after his brother.

The fact that it seemed to understand him made him think that it must either be magical or know of magic. Either way, Percy felt that there'd be no better place to leave his letter than under that bush. No matter how odd it may seem.

The cat wasn't there that day but that was alright. It must have it's own life to live.

That night when he was called inside to clean up, Percy was covered in sweat and dirt. As usual there was a path of old newspapers from the back door to the upstairs washroom. He walked backwards to pick them up as he went.

He took a two minute shower and went straight to Harry's room where his brother was already waiting with a change of clothes. As they both got older it became more difficult for the both of them to fit in the cupboard under the stairs so Percy convinced their Aunt and Uncle to put Harry in Dudley's second bedroom. The first few times he brought it up earned him severe beatings but eventually they were persuaded.

Percy always made them mad. He was older than Dudley which meant that he was taller and needed them to go out and buy clothes that wouldn't even fit Dudley later on.

Aunt Petunia came upstairs a little while later with a plate that had two rolls and two chunks of cheese.

"Eat these and stay quiet. Our quests will be arriving shortly and if you make a noise..." The bony woman left the threat hanging and went back downstairs. Percy got up and closed the door grabbing one of Dudley's old books (that he'd never even opened) for Harry.

Harry took it with a smile of thanks before turning to the small amount of food.

"Go ahead, take it." Percy said. "I'll snag something from the kitchen later tonight."

Hours went by before the guests left and Percy was allowed to go to his own room. He took the plate, said goodnight to Harry and went down to the kitchen.

His stomach was growling at him and there on the table was a spare roll, butter open next to it. He looked around and no one was in the room. He picked it the roll and was about to pick up a knife to cut it in half and butter it when his Aunt's harsh voice called from the living room.

"Perseus, are you down here yet?"

He could hear her footsteps coming quickly towards the kitchen and rushed to put it back, cursing his grumbling stomach, but it was too late.

She walked in just in time to see him put it back.

"Vernon."

Percy's body trembled though not from fear, he was used to the abuse by now, the physical pain.

The curtains were closed and a towel was laid down on front of the stairs for Percy to kneel on. His shirt was removed (why waste more money) to reveal the many lines of scars that covered his back. No matter how many his Uncle added, it was never enough to erase the trident shaped scar that was permanently etched on his back.

Upstairs, Harry screwed his eyes shut, put his pillow over his ears and tried to sleep through his brother's cries until they went silent.

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Percy was woken up the next morning by a splitting headache. He hadn't taken his Advil the previous night because he had lost consciousness. The pain made his eyes start to water and when he tried to shift but had to bite back a cry. His blood had dried onto his back and pulled when he moved.

Aunt Petunia came downstairs ten minutes later and looked down at him disdainfully.

"Ugh, you're still here. Boy!" She called to Harry. "Come clean him up!"

Harry came downstairs and helped Percy, who had to close his eyes against the pain, to stand with an arm around Harry's shoulder. They slowly made their way to the upstairs washroom and Harry filled a bucket before going to his room.

He came back with one of Dudley's old t-shirts that they used everytime this happened. Because of that, it was now stained red though it used to be blue. It took about half an hour to clean Percy's back completely. Then they had to bandage it.

"What time is it?" Percy asked through gritted teeth.

"When I came down it was around 5:46. There, you're finished. Here's your Advil." Harry replied and handed Percy the painkiller.

He took it straight as Harry poured the bloody water from the bucket down the drain.

"Thanks." Percy said as he pushed himself up and carefully put a t-shirt on.

The first few times that this happened when Harry was old enough to understand/help, he had been worried about Percy getting up and back to work soon but he knew better by now.

There was no way that Percy would take a break when he could suffer through the pain and spare his brother pain. So, he made his way downstairs to cook breakfast.

This time while the Dursleys were eating breakfast, Harry convinced Percy to go upstairs and lie on his stomach for a while. When the doorbell rang as they were finishing up, Harry opened it to see a severe looking woman with square glasses.

"Harry Potter? I am looking for your brother, Perseus."

A thump sounded behind Harry and he turned to see Percy coming down the stairs stiffly as Uncle Vernon peeked out of the kitchen.

"What's going on?!" He demanded.

Percy turned to his brother.

"Harry, go upstairs to your room and don't come out until I tell you it's okay."

Harry went to protest but Percy have him a look and he went.

"I'm Percy. Who are you?"

Uncle Vernon went purple with rage.

"My name is Minerva McGonagall, I'm here from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"What!?!" Uncle Vernon roared causing Percy to jump, turning to him. "Go away! You've made a mistake! He never got a letter!!!"

Minerva took in the lines and white bandages that poked up from under the shirt of the boy in front of her before replying.

"In fact, he did. He even wrote back. I've come to collect both him and his brother. Perseus, if you could go gather your things, tell your brother to do the same."

He glanced fearfully at the Dursleys once more before yelling up the stairs.

"Harry pack up all our stuff, we're leaving!"

He then went to cupboard under the stairs and started pulling out shirts, pants, a pillow, and a first aid kit out. He stuffed it all into his ratty old school bag. Minerva saw this and her nostrils flared in anger but she said nothing.

When both boys were standing in the entranceway with a bag each, Minerva addressed the Dursleys.

"All these years you have treated these boys horribly. I knew they shouldn't have been left here, I've said so before. Your are the worst sort of muggles I have ever set eyes on. Good day." She said as she looked at the three of them, disgust in her eyes.

Minerva then proceeded to lead Percy and Harry down the street. They reached the corner before she turned to them.

"Boys, grab an arm."

They exchanged bewildered looks but each took an arm nonetheless. The next moment they felt like they were being crushed in a very tight tube and then they were somewhere else.

They stood in front of a stone castle surrounded by a stone wall. Looking around there appeared to be nothing around but rolling hills.

Minerva took out a stick, her wand, and waved it, causing the wrought iron gates to open. The front grounds were filled with amazing gardens that had to have been magical with just how vibrant every plant seemed.

"Welcome to McGonagall Castle." She said as she led them down a path to the front doors. She glanced back at the boys to find Harry looking around with wide eyes wonder. Percy however, seemed to be assessing every detail around them.

She worried a little for Percy as he was only eleven after all but decided to leave it for now.

"The night your parents were killed, one Albus Dumbledore had you brought from your home in Godric's Hollow to your aunt and uncle. I myself had been watching them all day. I knew that they were terrible people. Dumbledore insisted that you stayed with them but I had my doubts. So, over the years I've been keeping an eye on you two from afar. I thought today the right time to collect you. After what you've been through without interference, I don't believe I fully trust Albus anymore. From now on, this will be your home. You may each pick a room and we will go shopping tomorrow for Percy's school things."

The two boys were shocked speechless.

"I do not believe you have eaten breakfast yet. After you pick your rooms I will show you too the kitchen where my house elf Binky can make whatever you'd like at any time."

By this point, she had led them to a hall lined with doors on both sides. She motioned for them each to pick a room.

Harry looked to Percy who nodded before darting to the second door on the left. Percy just stood there, tapping his fingers on his right hand against his thigh, until he was sure that Harry had chosen that room. He then proceeded to calmly walk to the room opposite Harry's.

Inside was a queen sized bed, a wardrobe, a nightstand, a desk and a dresser. Another door led to a personal bathroom complete with a sink, toilet (obviously), a tub, a separate shower, and a bit of shelving behind the mirror above the sink. He dropped his bag in the bed and stuck his head out the door.

"Harry, did you get the Advil?"

"Yeah." Harry replied, tossing it across the hall where Percy expertly caught it.

"Thanks."

When the both of them were done unpacking, they came out into the Hall again.

"Now, follow me." Minerva said "There is still much for you to see."

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Chapter Text

After having breakfast, Minerva showed them the music room, the dining room (for when they have guests), the gallery, the art room, Minerva's office, the potions lab, the astronomy tower, etc.

Eventually they got to the library. Harry started walking through the many shelves of books in the English section almost immediately. Percy was just standing there until something caught his eye at the back of the library.

Curious, Minerva followed him over to what she saw to be the Greek section. She saw him staring at the spines of the books in wonder before pulling one off it's shelf. His eyes started darting back and forth as he read, astonishment clear in his gaze.

"What is it Perseus?" Minerva asked, startling him.

"I-i prefer Percy ma'am. It's just that, I've always been dyslexic. Never before have I been able to read anything until now."

"Percy, you're reading in Greek."

He looked up at her in surprise.

"Greek? Isn't that a dead language? I don't remember ever learning Greek!"

Minerva studied him for a moment.

"It is peculiar though not unheard of for people to suddenly know languages they had never learned." She said, waving it aside.

In reality she was just storing away this of occurrence for further thought at a later date. There was something different about the older Potter. What that something was, she didn't know.

"You can take as many books as you'd like out of this room. After all, this is where you'll be staying from now on." She said, smiling at Percy.

He looked around at the shelves and picked out about five different spell books. He had never been able to read before so even though he'd heard others complain about having to read, he couldn't help but feel excited.

He had thought that he would be bored after finding out that house elves did all the work. He hadn't enjoyed practically being a slave but he didn't know what to do when he wasn't working. Now that he could read, he could already tell that he would never be bored.

Minerva told Harry and him to relax, explore, or just have fun until lunch after which she said they'd all go to get Percy's school supplies. Over the next 4 1/2-5 hours, Percy read through three books titled The Standard Book Of Spells: Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk, A Beginner's Guide To Transfiguration by Emeric Switch, and Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger. As he put aside the potions book, Percy found himself very excited to actually get his wand.

He made his way down to the kitchen wishing that he had grabbed a book about wands from the library. In both the spell books it talks about certain spells/subjects working better with different wands. Percy promised himself that when they got back, he'd go back to the library and look up his wand.

Minerva was sitting at the table with Harry. Percy could only see his brother's hair over the book he was reading. He chuckled to himself.

The house elf Binky appeared as he sat down.

"What would Master Percy be wanting for his lunch?" She asked in her high squeaky voice.

"I don't know, what do you like?"

Binky stared at him, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

"I enjoy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Master Percy."

Percy smiled.

"That sounds perfect. Thank you Binky."

She smiled shyly back before disappearing with a crack.

Minerva smiled at him.

"Mrs. McGonagall, is there some way that I could learn more about Hogwarts before actually going?"

"Of course." She waved her wand and a book came flying into the room.

It was in Greek but Percy could read it perfectly. Hogwarts: A History was scrawled across the cover. She handed it to him and smirked in amusem*nt as he immediately opened it and started reading.

When Binky came back with Percy's sandwich, he looked up to thank her before going right back to his reading.

When the three finished eating, Harry and Percy ran up to their new rooms to drop off the books they'd been reading and met Minerva in the entrance hall of the castle. Together they walked outside to just past the wrought iron gate.

Both boys grabbed one of Minerva's arms and after a brief moment of the feeling of being crushed in a tiny tube, they found themselves in the middle of a bustling marketplace.

Percy turned to her as they started walking towards a big white building.

"Why did we have to go outside the gates before leaving?"

Minerva glanced at the curious young boy before looking to his brother. Though the two of them physically looked so similar they couldn't be more different when it came to their manner.

While Percy always seemed intent on being completely aware of his surroundings, Harry looked to have his head in the clouds. Percy peered into all the darkest shadows of the place whereas Harry was content to take in all the light, magic, and wonder of this new world.

"Because, as you will learn when you continue to read Hogwarts: A History, certain charms and wards can be placed around properties, objects, rooms, and dwellings that prevent certain spells and/or types of magic from being performed. One such ward is placed around my family'sancestral home preventing apparition, which is how we got here."

"And where exactly is here."

"This, Percy, is Diagon Alley. It is also accessible through a pub called 'The Leaky Cauldron' in London."

He nodded and stayed quiet as they walked into the great white building that McGonagall said was called Gringotts. There were tall desks lining the hall and behind each desk was a creature with a pointed face and a disdainful sneer. McGonagall led the two up to the nearest available desk.

"Excuse me, I am here to take the Potter boys to their vaults and to see the Potter account manager, Silverclaw," she said in her usual brisk tone.

The man, Percy assumed that it was male, looked up from the papers that were on his desk and observed them for a moment.

"Very well." His voice was low, rough, and nasally. "Griphook!"

Another one of them came over to them.

"Take professor McGonagall and the Potters to Silverclaw's office."

Griphook nodded before turning to the trio and motioning for them to follow him.

He led them through winding hallways until they arrived at a large red door. He let them inside before saying "Silverclaw will see you shortly," before turning to leave.

"Thank you Mr. Griphook," Percy said.

"Yes, thank you," Harry added.

Griphook froze for a moment, shocked. Then, he smiled at the boys.

"It was my pleasure Messrs Potter."

He then left, closing the door behind him. Percy turned to Mcgonagall.

"I'm sorry but, what are they?"

"It's alright, Percy. They are goblins. They are in charge of our entire financial system."

Percy nodded, seeming interested but Harry's face lit up.

"Cool!"

At that moment another goblin came into the room and sat at the desk.

"Hello Professor, Mr. Potter, Mr. Potter." He greeted.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Silverclaw." Percy

The goblin raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Mr. Silverclaw, I do believe that no one has looked at the Potter vaults in the last eight years but now that the last two Potters are being brought back into our world, they will need access to some of their finances, especially as young Percy will be attending Hogwarts come September."

Silverclaw nodded. "Messrs Potter are unable to remove money from the vaults other than their trust vault until they turn fifteen though any relics within may be removed. We can go over the contents of their vaults, their shares, and stocks now if you'd like."

"I'm sorry Mr. Silverclaw but my brother and I have just moved into a new home this morning and would like to become accustomed to it. If you wouldn't mind, could we just look around whatever vaults we have briefly today, collect some money from our trust vault, and make an appointment to look at all this at a later date?"

Silverclaw looked impressed at Percy's logical take on things.

"Of course Mr. Potter if you and your brother would just provide three drops of blood to verify your lineage or seven for a more extended family tree."

He offered two pieces of enchanted parchment and a silver dagger, expecting some hesitance. Harry glanced over to Percy quickly and grabbed the dagger, pressing it firmly to the pad of his left index finger until it drew blood. He let seven drops fall on the paper and watched as writing appeared.

Harry James Potter

Lily Evans James Potter

It went on back several generations before two unexpected relatives were discovered.

An ancestor of James Potter was Godric Gryffindor and Lily Potter (née Evans) was related to Helga Hufflepuff. This meant that Percy and Harry were related to two of the founders of Hogwarts.

Percy took the dagger and sliced his own hand open, dripping seven drops onto the other piece of parchment. It started out the same as Harry's.

Perseus Potter

Lily Evans James Potter

But then a third name appeared in shining gold ink.

Poseidon.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Chapter Text

The four people in the office of a prestigious account manager at Gringotts stared at a piece of parchment in shock.

"We may have to stay here for a little longer than we'd hoped boys." Minerva McGonagall said faintly.

After Poseidon it had been Kronos and Rhea and then Gaea and Ouranos and last was Chaos. This would imply that the Greek god Poseidon was in some way, Percy's dad, which was impossible seeing as the gods don't exist.

Silverclaw stood and made his way to the door.

"I will look into the records and tell you what I find, if you would stay here?"

Percy seemed to have gathered enough wits to respond.

"Of course, thank you Mr. Silverclaw."

The goblin nodded and left the Transfiguration Professor with the last two Potters.

"Percy, what does this mean?"

"I-I don't know Harry. I don't know."

This was impossible. Percy just couldn't wrap his mind around it. At least he knew that Lily Potter was his real mother. But how could he have two fathers? It wasn't physically possible!!! At least, he didn't think so.

Minerva took this time to observe the boys once more. In light of this alarming announcement, they each had different reactions. Harry was frowning uncertainly down at his hands, worried about what this could mean. Percy on the other hand was staring off at nothing, his fingers drumming on his thighs and his feet tapping to an unheard rythm. He seemed to be trying to think of a logical answer as every few moments he would shake his head as if dismissing an idea.

It took about 15-20 minutes for Silverclaw to return with a folder with several pages in it.

He returned behind his desk and put the folder on its surface. He opened it to reveal Percy's birth certificate which would've been able to explain things simply enough, if it weren't for the adoption certificate right under it.

Adoption of Perseus Achilles Evans.

Percy stared at the words for a moment, uncomprehendingly.

"James Potter... adopted me?"

"It would appear so, through magic and through blood." Silverclaw concurred.

"But, why would he do that?"

"Percy-," Harry started but was quickly cut off.

"No Harry, I wasn't his son. I was Lily's. I would've been conceived days after Christmas break of Lily and James' last year started! This isn't even possible. All pictures show that Lily wasn't pregnant during her last year."

Minerva was silent as she thought of a logical explanation.

"It is possible that, for the first few months at least, her robes would conceal it. Percy, who are your godparents?"

"Marlene McKinnon and Remus Lupin."

"That would explain it. Remus was very good with Charms, Transfiguration, and Defence Against the Dark Arts. He could have easily helped Lily with a concealment charm of some sort. I say help her because Lily was no slouch either when it came to charms. Then there's Marlene, while she was never the most studious at Hogwarts, always moving and distracted, she was very skilled with healing magic and was Lily's best friend. If Lily had wanted to hide her pregnancy and still keep her baby, Marlene could've delivered Percy and helped Lily to keep things under wraps."

Percy looked at the Transfiguration Professor seriously.

"That still doesn't explain why James would treat me like his own son."

"James was in love with Lily. He would've done anything for her. Besides, though he was very arrogant for a while, he would never resent a child for something they couldn't control."

Percy looked down at his hands as if seeing them for the first time. With one name, his entire life was once again tossed up in the air.

"Where is my birth father? Is he alive? Does he know I exist?"

Minerva put a comforting hand on Percy's shoulder and turned to Silverclaw.

"Silverclaw, are there any records of Lily traveling during the winter of her seventh year at Hogwarts? I am fairly certain that there is no Poseidon from this type of lineage in magical Britain."

"I do believe so." The goblin said, sifting through the papers in the file.

There it was. Lily Evens spent two weeks of December 1977 in America. She stayed in New York with an old family friend, Sally Jackson, for the two weeks of winter break. Percy let out a breath. It was true. It really was real.

"There indeed was no Poseidon in Britain eleven years ago though I do know that a Poseidon opened up a high security vault two months ago using a rather rare form of payment. Drachmas. Each of those golden coins is worth about a thousand galleons. He deposited more than ten hundred in the account."

Minerva gasped. She knew that it was nowhere near the wealth of the Potters but still, it was quite a large sum. Especially seeing as this man seemed to have appeared from thin air. After a moment, the Transfiguration professor collected herself.

"Well, I'm sure there will be much more time in the future for us to delve deeper into this new mystery but for now I believe it would be best if I took these two young boys shopping, and then home."

At those words, Harry beamed. He couldn't remember ever having a place to call home so the fact that he now had one...he was so happy, words couldn't describe it. Percy on the other hand, was different. Only a ghost of a smile flitted across his lips. Of course he was excited but the implications that went with this turn of events brought him a bout of sadness. He, unlike his brother (or at least half brother) could remember, however vaguely, living with Lily and James. He remembered the joy, the laughter, and the love that filled their little house in Godric's Hollow. When they lived with their aunt and uncle, life was so bleak that the only choice he could see was to cling to every little memory like maybe one day he would wake up from the nightmare he was living. Now there was no chance of him waking up. There was no going back. It hurt to let go.

Silverclaw nodded.

"Of course, you can schedule an appointment at one of the front desks or by owl. The savings vault for the Potter boys is vault 687."

"And what is the number for Poseidon's vault?" McGonagall asked.

"Vault 3172."

Minerva blanched. That was an extremely high security vault. She quickly recovered though and gestured that it was time to visit their vaults.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Silverclaw." Percy said as they stood to leave.

The goblin hesitated before nodding and accepting the hand that Percy had extended to shake.

"Likewise young Potter. May we meet again."

With that, the two boys followed Minerva out of the office to where another goblin waited to escort them to the carts. After a nauseating ride, during which Percy was feeling quite claustrophobic despite the fact that they were travelling through vast caverns. He rather felt like they would cave in at any moment and kill him. They ended up deep down into the depths of the earth before a silver and bronze vault door. Vault number 3172.

A tree design was carved into it, in the center of the trunk of the tree was a hand print. At a look from the goblin, Percy stepped forward and hesitantly placed his hand in the hand print. At first nothing happened and the young boy just stared at his hand which was small compared to the print that it rested against. Then suddenly, Percy felt a sharp flash of pain on his palm and he cried out. He tried to pull his hand back but it wouldn't move. He watched as blood rose up, somehow staying in the carving of the tree. The further it went, the more it changed. It went from red, to bronze, to gold. The liquid made its way to every branch of the great tree then seemed to solidify. Percy finally stumbled back from the door as it slowly swung open.

In the center of the vault was a great glowing water fountain. The older Potter stepped in to take a closer look and found a collection of strange gold coins glittering in the water. The phrase "Ω Ίρις, θεά του Ουράνιου Τόξου, παρακαλώ δεχτείτε την προσφορά μου" was engraved around the edge of the stone basin.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering."

He put his hand under the running water and felt strength flow through him. Looking back, Percy saw Harry still standing at the door of the vault. His eyes were wide behind his round glasses as he took in the sights before him. The vault was filled floor to ceiling with golden coins and glass cases containing weapons, family heirlooms and artifacts.

"Come on in Harry."

Percy took a quick look around and saw two small bags on the ground next to a pallet wood trunk. Picking them up, he handed one to his younger brother.

"Here, we'll use these for the coins when we go to the family vault. I don't think these are typical wizard currency."

"That would be correct Percy. Shall we move on? There is much to purchase and this vault will still be here the next time we come here. You should probably bring that trunk with you as well. I can shrink it down for you so you can carry it in your pocket."

He walked over, brushing his fingers over the glowing bronze letters that spelled out Perseus Potter. He looked back at Minerva and nodded, clenching his jaw subtly. His father knew his name. If this Poseidon guy knew his name, despite having never seen Percy before, then why couldn't he have saved the two boys from the Dursleys?

Minerva shrunk the trunk and handed it to the quiet boy and started to lead him out when he hesitated.

In a glass case on a podium near the door was a bronze ballpoint pen. A plate on the pedestal read Anaklusmos. The goblin, noting the direction of Percy's gaze decided to step in.

"You have full access to any artifact in this vault Mr. Potter."

Upon seeing the goblin glance knowingly at the pen, Percy nodded sheepishly and moved over to the case and took the pen out, tucking it into his pocket. The trio left the vault and watched as it closed and the gold fluid that had filled the tree soaked into the metal leaving no trace behind. Then all of them got back into the cart and were off once more

Through the seemingly endless tunnels, the cart trundled along the rickety tracks that definitely wouldn't have passed muggle safety inspections. They finally stopped at the Potter boys' savings vault. The goblin turned to Minerva and asked for the key.

"I'm afraid to say that I believe that Albus Dumbledore is currently in possession of said key."

The goblin merely nodded though his figure did tense minutely. He casually slid a small dagger from his sleeve and presented it to Percy.

"The vault can only be opened by the key or the blood of a Potter"

Percy observed the blade reluctantly but not for the reason you might think. He was used to pain by this point. The issue was that he had always thought he was a Potter. The oldest son of James and Lily Potter. What if his blood, not originally being Potter blood, wouldn't work?

Harry stepped up next to Percy and hugged his older brother.

"Go on Perce. You're a Potter just like me."

The older boy took a deep breath before accepting the knife and quickly swiped the edge across his palm leaving behind a thin line leaking crimson. He didn't even flinch, just frowned slightly at his hand before placing the bleeding hand against the wrought iron door. It glowed faintly and swung open as Percy stepped back.

A large pile of gold coins was in the center of the room and silver and bronze coins were scattered around the edges. Once again, Percy and Harry stood in shock for a moment before Minerva snapped them out of their trance.

"Alright boys fill you money purses and let's get going for there still remains much for us to do today."

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Percy was thankful to be back out in the sunlight, breathing fresh air. He couldn't explain why but he was incredibly uncomfortable when underground.

As the trio left the large marble building, Minerva lead the two boys to a small dingy shop that had a wand laying on velvet cushion in the front window. Percy knew he wouldn't be able to read the shop sign so he didn't even bother looking at it.

As they approached the shop, a girl around Percy's age exited with a woman who was looking at a list like the one Percy got with his acceptance letter, a long thin box clutched tightly in her hands. She had black hair that was put in little braids and tied up in a ponytail. Her dark brown eyes met Percy's sea green ones briefly before Percy averted his gaze submissively and she continued on her way.

It was one thing that always started a fire in his chest. If it were socially acceptable for him to stand up to others and speak his mind, he would have done it a long time ago but one rule that the Dursleys had always drilled into his head was to shut up and respect his "betters".

Minerva, seeing his actions, looked down at the boy.

"You know Percy, you should never be afraid to speak your mind."

"I'm not afraid!" he exclaimed, his head snapping up.

As Minerva met his gaze she could see the burning rage that he bottled up inside and watched as he forced it down before averting his gaze once more.

"Ma'am." he added, as an afterthought.

"You have the right to express your opinion and you shouldn't always respect someone because they're older than you or in a position of authority. People need to earn your respect."

Percy merely nodded and entered the wand shop. Minerva smiled to herself for while he hadn't said so, she believed that she had gotten the message through to him. Harry followed his brother, slightly quivering with excitement.

The more time they spent with the woman, the more Harry trusted her. Percy had always been reserved. In private, he was a dork but as soon as they would stepped out of Harry's room, a shield would go up, a mask to hide all his vulnerabilities. Harry missed his fun loving older brother and hoped that Percy would eventually loosen up and come out of his shell now that they were away from the Dursleys.

Inside the shop were towering shelves long skinny boxes dust floated in the air, clearly visible thanks to the small rays of sunlight that managed to filter through the grimy window. The shelves extended so far back into the shop that Percy could see only darkness. Evidently it was bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside.

Suddenly, a gaunt man appeared from the back of the store making Percy jump. He had frizzy white had that stood up around his head making him look like a mad scientist. His washed-out blue eyes bored into Percy's sea green eyes.

"Mr. Potter, I was wondering when I'd be seeing you." he said cryptically.

Percy eyed him warily.

"It's good to see you again Mr. Ollivander." Minerva said, drawing the old man's attention away from the defensive boy which he was thankful for.

"Ah! Minerva, 9 1/2 inches long, made of fir and dragon heartstring if I remember correctly. Well suited for transfiguration."

The transfiguration professor smiled gently.

"Now, Mr. Potter let us find your wand. Now remember, the wand always chooses the wizard."

The man proceeded to jab his wand at a tape measure which started measuring Percy while Mr. Ollivander started shuffling among the shelves, pulling out boxes here and there. Dropping about eight boxes on the front counter, he flicked his wand absentmindedly and the measuring tape fell to the floor.

"Alright, give this one a go."

Ollivander presented a deep chestnut colored wand that lay in an open box.

"Chestnut wood with a unicorn hair core. Eight inches, rigid, perfect for charms."

Percy tentatively picked up the wand, immediately he knew that it didn't feel right in his hand.

"Well, give it a wave."

Giving the wand maker a doubtful look, the eleven year old raised the wand and hesitated before slicing the air with it. An earthquake suddenly shook the shop. Boxes fell off the shelves, Ollivander stumbled into the counter. The vase in the corner was knocked off its little table and it shattered on the floor. Harry fell and thankfully was steadied by Minerva who was sitting in the one little rickety chair. The wand started to heat up so Percy quickly put it on the counter. Immediately, the earthquake stopped and the old man turned to look at the small but fit boy in front of him, his eyes wide. That such a great amount of power could reside in such a small, young child astounded him. In all his years, he had never met a wizard like Perseus Potter.

"I believe I'll have to find my stronger wands."

With that, he scooped up the wands he had brought forward and disappeared back into the shadows. Percy waited in silence, refusing to look up from his suddenly very interesting sneakers.

"That is so cool Percy! Do you know how powerful you must be? You need a special wand!"

Percy blushed bright red but grinned and ruffled his little brother's hair.

"Of course I'm powerful. How else would I protect you otherwise."

Minerva smiled sadly at the sight. She could still remember that night eight years before as though it were yesterday. The three year old laying there on the grass, his body curled around his baby brother.

"Always protect him."

At the time, the traumatized child had only nodded weakly, allowing himself to be scooped up and moved onto the front step of the house that would be his prison for the next eight years of his life. She liked to think that they never could've predicted all that he would go through. The periods of starvation, the physical and emotional abuse, the veritable slavery. However, Minerva herself had watched the then family of three for an entire day before the Potter boys were brought to their aunt and Uncle. Not only that but she had also had many lengthy conversations with the late Lily Potter about her sister's attitude towards magic and about her bad tempered brother in law.

"Alright, here we go." Mr. Ollivander shuffled out of the shadows coughing and waving dust out of his face. He held one obsidian black box, one electric blue box, and one sea green box in his hand. He lay them out side by side on the counter.

Percy stared at them, watching as Ollivander took off each lid.

"Many years ago my great-great-great-grandfather was walking through the woods, collecting pieces of trees for his wands, when three old women approached. They presented him with these wands saying that one day a very special child would come in need of a wand and that one of these three wands would choose them. I do believe that this child is you. Never before have I seen such a display of accidental power. Not even Dumbledore displayed so much power as a child."

When Percy just stood there, Ollivander motioned for him to pick up one of the wands.

In the black box, the wand was made of a black glass-like substance. It was smooth and there seemed to be some sort of a ghostly glow pulsing within it. The wand in the blue box looked like the rest of the wands except for the fact that there appeared to be fissures all along it that glowed an electric blue making it seem as though sapphire electricity danced across the surface. The last wand is the one that really caught his eye.

It was made of sleek sea glass. The perfect blend of light green and blue surrounding the magical core, concealing it from prying eyes. As though in a trance, Percy reached out his right hand and picked up the peculiar wand.

As he came into contact with the cool glass, he could hear waves crashing against distant shores as though he stood on the crystal shores he remembered from his short time living with Lily and James.

As he lifted the object the shop was bathed in a soft blue light creating the illusion of being underwater which was only reinforced by the salty smell in the air.

Ollivander beamed and clapped his hands.

"Very good Mr. Potter! Very good!"

The light died down and Percy looked up at the old man. The wand maker bent down to Percy's level.

"Listen to me young one. You are very powerful. But with power, comes responsibility. You must always do what you know is right."

Percy looked seriously into his eyes.

"I promise I will."

The eleven year old paid for his wand and the three of them left the shop. Next stop was Flourish and Blotts where Minerva automatically led them to the Greek books at the back. Harry looked through the titles, his brow furrowed, before turning back to his new caretaker.

"What are these about?"

Minerva noted this. There was a list forming of irregularities to do with Perseus Potter. As she thought, Percy was the one to start answering the younger boy, pointing to the corresponding books.

"Well these ones are for charms, I think. These ones say 'The Standard Book of Spells'. There's grade one to seven. I'm guessing I'll be needing grade one?" he said, looking to Minerva at his last sentence for confirmation.

"That is correct Percy. Now I'm afraid that ancient Greek is not a language I've learned so I shall read out the titles in English so that you may put them in our basket."

It was fairly slow going but eventually they had all the books Percy needed for the year rung up as well as a few mythology books for leisure.

As they left the shop, there was some commotion down the street and three red-headed boys came sprinting through the crowd. The two at the front were identical and seemed to be around Percy's age. The third must've been around sixteen years old and looked a little more than unimpressed.

Minerva put a hand on Harry's shoulder and pulled him out of the other boys' way.

"You'd best be careful Harry, there are many people here and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

At the mention of anything bad possibly happening to his younger brother, Percy automatically stiffened.

"Maybe we can move things along and get home."

Harry grinned once more and led the way down the street to the apothecary to get Percy's potions ingredients. It took a little less than an hour for them to collect the rest of the older boy's supplies and were soon heading back to McGonagall castle.

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Chapter Text

Over the next month, Percy read a lot while Harry spent the majority of the time exploring the castle and its grounds. The only reason why Percy wasn't constantly shadowing his younger brother was because he knew that they were both safe with the strict woman.

Percy was able to read through all his textbooks and get in some leisure reading time. He joined his brother occasionally for riding Minerva's brooms and he still sat with the two of them for every meal. If he was being honest, he was excited for school to start. He tried not to get his hopes up too high, he knew first hand how cruel kids can be, but this could be his fresh start.

Back with the Dursleys, Percy would be bullied at school for being the "freak". Everyone thought he was a total clutz because he was always wearing bandages and of course telling anyone about the abuse would only lead to more severe punishments. He thought that maybe this time he could go to school and be just another kid.

He started trying to bring down his defences a bit. He would never be able to fit in if he was constantly jumpy and defensive. He had to find a way to break the habits built up by eight years of abuse at the hands of the people who were supposed to care for him and Harry.

As the days passed, Harry spent more time with Percy, knowing that soon his older brother would be gone until Christmas. Nonetheless, the younger boy was ecstatic about the enire idea of Hogwarts. Magic and potions and magical creatures. All of it sounded amazing and he couldn't wait to attend in two years.

<><><>

On September first, Minerva had to leave early for Hogwarts so that she could finish any last minute preparations. She had done a lot of thinking over the last month about the Potter brothers. Harry seemed like a regular old child. Fun-loving, with hope and happiness shining in his eyes.

Percy on the other hand, was very guarded. He seemed to be trying to let down his walls and the longer he stayed at her ancestral home he seemed more and more like a jokester. Part of her was glad that he was opening up while the other part worried that it was just a facade he was subconsciously building up to protect himself.

Before she left, she instructed the boy on how to use the floo and told him to go to platform 9 3/4 where he'd board the train to Hogwarts. She promised him that she'd see him there.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Minerva focused her attention back to her lesson plans. Percy will be fine, she reassured herself. He's a tough boy.

Meanwhile, at McGonagall castle Harry was hugging his older brother. It'd be the first time they were away from each other for more than a school day.

"Hey, Harry. Harry look at me." Percy said, prompting the younger boy to loosen his hold on him.

"We're brothers. Nothing will ever change that. Same dad or not. I'll be back for Christmas and then I'll be here for the entire summer. Ok?"

Harry was comforted by his older brother's words.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Percy ruffled the nine year old's already messy hair one last time before stepping into the flames, disappearing in a swirl of emerald green. And Harry was left alone.

<><><>

Percy stumbled out on the platform and sighed in relief. It had worked. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself before diving into the crowd comprised of adults saying goodbye to their kids and children trying to find their friends.

Not knowing where he was supposed to go, Percy keep his head down and dragged his trunk behind him through the crowd. When he got closer to the scarlet steam engine he saw the same redheaded boys from Diagon Alley standing with their family. There were six boys and one girl standing with their mother as she double checked that the five older boys hadn't forgotten anything. Percy stood for a moment just watching the woman fuss over her kids. His own mother probably would've been doing that today if she were still alive.

With a big sigh, Percy locked away those thoughts, at least for now, and moved to get on the train.

There was one thing he hadn't accounted for, how heavy the trunk is. It's one thing to drag it along on the ground and quite another to actually lift it.

He struggled for a few minutes, managing to get it halfway onto the train, before an older boy came over. He had sandy blonde hair and a scar stretched down the side of his face.

"Hey, my name's Luke. Want a hand with that?"

Percy blushed as he nodded. He didn't like it when he needed help but he wasn't about to turn it away when he knew he needed it and someone offered.

Luke grabbed one side while Percy got the other and together they carried out into an empty compartment where Luke, who was at least a head taller than Percy, lifted it onto the overhead rack. Once he was sure it wouldn't fall, Luke turned to look at Percy.

"So, what's your name?" He asked the slim boy in front of him.

"Percy. Thanks for the help."

Luke smiled.

"No problem Percy."

Luke wore a bright orange t-shirt with a picture of a pegasus and the words "Camp Half-blood" printed on it. He also wore cargo shorts.

All this muggle clothing piqued Percy's curiosity as most witches and wizards chose to wear robes (unless they were muggleborns) if he remembered correctly and the people still on the platform were anything to go by but he didn't say anything. His blue eyes sparkled mischievously despite the scar yet Percy felt like he could trust him.

The door of the compartment opened and a girl with long black hair poked her head in.

"There you are Luke, we've been looking all over for you. Are you coming or not?"

Luke looked over at the girl.

"I'll be right there Silena."

She rolled her eyes and left with a little "you know where to find us" thrown over her shoulder.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later Percy, good luck with the sorting."

Percy nodded and have him a slight smile as he left. The eleven year old then flopped into a seat and looked out the window.

The twin boys got onto the train after hugging who Percy presumed was their little sister and ruffling their little brother's hair, much to his annoyance.

Percy kept watching the people moving around the platform, the numbers dwindling as more students boarded the train. As the train started moving, the door to his compartment was slammed open by one of the twin boys.

"Hi, do you mind if-"

"We sit here?"

"Thanks!"

If he was honest, Percy was a bit overwhelmed. Two boys come in, start with a question then don't give him time to answer. He wasn't really used to very much social interaction.

"This is Fred Weasley." One of them said.

"And this is my brother George." The other, Fred, said.

"What's your name?" They asked in sync.

"I'm Percy, it's nice to meet you."

"We have a brother named Percy."

"And a brother named Bill."

"And one name Charlie"

"And we can't forget ikle Roniekins."

"Or our little sister Gin."

"What about you Percy?"

"Got any siblings?"

The black haired boy blinked for a moment, still trying to register what they said in their broken speech.

"Umm, yeah. I have a little brother. His name's Harry."

The boys exchanged a look before going up and sitting on either side of their fellow first year.

"So, tell us a bit about yourself."

Percy was a bit lost. Back in Little Whinging no one ever asked him about what he liked or anything. He was stunned at the fact that they even cared.

"Um, Percy is a nickname but I hate my real name. My aunt and uncle are muggles and my brother and I lived with them until recently."

The two boys continued to listen, prompting him every once in a while and occasionally giving an opinion on something or briefly interrupting to tell Percy a story that they were reminded of.

He still got disoriented when they cut each other off but he had to admit he enjoyed having company.

By the time darkness fell however, there had been a few times where the topic had strayed to close to home, literally. As the train slowed, Percy was ready to escape the prying boys.

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Chapter Text

Percy stumbled off the train and searched for a familiar face in the crowd.

He had spent the entire ride sandwiched between the Weasley twins and while he became accustomed to the way they spoke, he still wasn't quite sure what their angle was.

They were very interested in his life and Percy was conflicted about that. On the one hand, maybe they were just trying to be his friend but on the other hand, why would anyone care about him other than his brother who needed him?

As he was shoved along by the crowd, a hand landed on his shoulder and pulled him off to the side where he was able to walk with more ease.

He looked up to see that Luke was the one who had gotten him out.

"All the older students are heading to the carriages. Last year there were a few new students that accidentally got swept up in the crowd."

"Thanks." Percy said simply. "If I'm not supposed to go to the carriages where do I go?"

"To the boats." Luke said pointing towards a giant man calling for first years. Percy hadn't been able to hear him due to the chatter around him but now that he focused on the man he could hear his booming voice.

"Firs' years this way!"

Luke pushed Percy lightly in the direction of the man before disappearing into the sea of robes.

Turning around, Percy tried his best to quickly make his way to the man.

Once all the first year students were gathered, they moved to the lake and started to, under the giant man's direction, board the boats. Percy ended up in a boat with a blonde girl and the twins.

She seemed very nervous to be in the boat and kept looking at the water warily. Fred and George exchanged devious glances which automatically set off alarms in Percy's head. Once they were moving, Percy noticed how their boat was swaying slightly from side to side. Looking across the way, he saw Fred and George shifting ever so slightly from side to side in time with the swaying of the boat which increased with each tilt.

The girl grabbed the side of the boat and frowned at the twins, having come to the same conclusion as Percy, the two boys were to blame. Seeing that she'd realized their scheme, they tilted hard to the right.

They had planned to tilt back to the left to knock the girl overboard or at least close to overboard but as it turned out, the first tilt was enough to cause her to run into Percy, knocking him out of the boat and into the water.

Shocked, he gasped as he fell into the water. Percy expected to start panicking as water filled his lungs but surprisingly found that he was still breathing normally. He looked around in confusion. He was in the water, that much was clear. It was murky but he could still see fairly well.

He could hear people panicking above the surface so he shook his head, temporarily putting his own questions to the side and immediately swam to the surface.

Up above, the blonde girl was scolding the twins while searching the water when Percy was suddenly back in the boat, completely dry.

She blinked. It had almost looked like the water lifted him back into the boat. As she studied him with her stormy grey eyes, she tried to figure him out.

She supposed it was possible that it had nothing to do with what she knew was over in America but she had this gut feeling that it had everything to do with it. After another moment of mental debate, she decided to introduce herself.

"I'm really sorry about that, my name's Annabeth Chase." She said, offering her hand to shake.

He took it and smiled slightly.

"Percy Potter."

All three people in the boat gasped.

"You didn't tell us-"

"You were a Potter!!!"

Percy jerked back in surprise, nearly falling out of the boat again.

"Well I don't see what the big deal is."

Annabeth gawked.

"The big deal? The big deal is that your relative, Harry Potter, defeated You-Know-Who eight years ago and survived the killing curse! I thought he was the only living Potter!"

Percy frowned.

"Harry is my little brother. Besides, it's not that big of a deal, I survived the killing curse too. So what?"

Annabeth was speechless. How had she not heard of him before?

"What's your full name?

The black haired boy shifted uncomfortably where he sat.

"Perseus Jackson Potter."

The redheads had just watched this exchange silently, intrigued by this new information. They were especially thankful towards Percy for taking Annabeth's attention off them, that girl was scary.

"You really are the oldest living Potter." She said in a stunned voice.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I like a reminder of that fact." He snapped.

The blonde girl immediately looked guilty which made Percy feel...

He didn't even know.

On the one hand he felt bad for making her feel bad but at the same time, he was a human being and no one would want people talking about them out living most of their family, save one, in awe. It just was not okay.

The rest of the boat ride was endured in awkward silence until the castle came into view.

Annabeth gasped and started muttering under her breath about spires and arches and all that. Percy raised an eyebrow at her apparent fascination but the Weasley twin stared at her as though she was speaking an entirely different language.

When the boats finally let all the first years off on the opposite side of the lake, the little blond girl was the first out of Percy's boat.

The walk up to the castle was chilly. It was completely dark out and there was a cold wind blowing that tore right through the robes.

The closer they got to the school, the more excited Annabeth got. When they reached the entrance hall though, she fell silent. A stern looking woman stood waiting for them and most of the kids automatically felt like they were in trouble, but not Percy.

The quiet boy, who had managed to fall to the back of the group of children, gave her a small smile and waved. He was the only one to notice the slight upturn of Minerva's lips in return.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, before you enter the Great Hall there are a few things you should know. Once you go through these doors you will be sorted into one of the four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. While you're here, your house will be like your family. Good behavior will earn you points, any rule breaking and you will lose points."

She surveyed the young students in front of her locking eyes with those that looked like troublemakers.

"Wait here. You will be called in momentarily so make yourselves presentable."

With those words, she slipped through the door, allowing the gathered first years to hear the chatter from the students already in the hall before the door closed behind her.

Instantly the group burst into excited and nervous whispers. Some of the students, like Fred and George, had friends or family that already attended Hogwarts. Others were new to the magical world and they shuffled anxiously on the spot, their eyes wide as they looked around, trying to take it all in.

Even the children from Wizarding families were awestruck though by the beauty of the castle. Just standing in its halls you could practically feel the magic left over from the generations long past.

"Isn't this place amazing?" Annabeth murmured to Percy as she spun slowly.

As she came to face Percy again, she stumbled forward.

The older Potter boy caught her and looked behind where she'd stood to where a big brute of a boy stood, sneering.

"And she finally shuts up." He jeered earning guffaws from his little buddies.

Percy clenched his jaw as he stepped forward, moving the blond girl behind him, and fixed the troll - like boy with a cold, hard stare.

"What did you say?"

The other boy raised an eyebrow at the skinny boy in front of him.

"And who might you be? Her boyfriend?"

Percy blushed but maintained a glare towards the boy.

"No, I'm just a friend. Who are you?"

"Graham Montague. What are you going to do twig?"

Percy was about to launch forward when Annabeth grabbed his arm.

"Percy! Don't. You don't want to get in trouble on the first day."

It was at that moment that Professor McGonagall reentered from the Great Hall. She took in the situation, noting the people involved in the slight conflict.

"They're ready for you now."

And with that, she spun on her heal and started walking into the next room, not looking back to see if the kids were following.

Upon entering the ginormous room, Percy couldn't help but stare in wonder along with the rest of his new classmates. The entire hall was lit by hundreds of candles, most of which floated as though hung with invisible wires high above the tables. The ceiling reflected the night sky outside, showing glittering constellations high above their heads.

Hundreds of heads were turned in their direction as the group of nervous kids walked down the center of the room, in between the four tables, following Professor McGonagall. Percy made sure to fall back so he was not in the front or center of the group but still hidden by the few stragglers.

McGonagall stopped and spun to face the newest batch of students when the reached the area directly in front of the Headmaster's podium. Beside her was a rickety, three-legged stool and upon that stool, sat a patchy old hat.

Percy could sense that there was something different about the hat though most of his year-mates were looking at the strict teacher as though she'd gone mad. If the young boy had learned anything over the last month or so, it was that while Minerva was a very interesting and complex person, she was no loon. In any sense of the word.

She gave a small smirk to the befuddled first years.

"Let the sorting begin."

And with that, a tear at the brim of the hat opened, on its own, and the old, ragged hat began to sing.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Chapter Text

Percy just stared at the hat as it finished its song. I wonder how much thought was put into that, he wondered. Can hats even think? Oh well.

Scattered applause rang throughout the hall but died down quickly as the students and staff were eager to hear the placements of the new children. Percy looked over his shoulder as Professor McGonagall unrolled a scroll of parchment and started reading off names. Scanning the four house tables until his eyes locked on Luke under banners of green and silver before tearing his gaze away, finding two redheads sitting at the table beneath the red and gold banners. He figured those must be Fred and George's brothers that they were talking about on the train.

His attention snapped back to his new... guardian? as she called for "Chase Annabeth".

The blonde girl stepped forward confidently. Honestly, she held herself in a way that kind of intimidated Percy. Most of his past experiences with people who appeared so sure of themselves weren't exactly the best. She sat on the stool with her back straight, staring forward with a determined gaze before the hat fell over her eyes.

There was a moment where the hall was silent other than the faint buzz of the little whispered conversations here and there at the house tables.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Annabeth smiled and went to the "smart table" while the sorting continued.

Looking back at the Slytherin table Percy saw Luke give the blonde girl a thumbs up and a smile.

Taking a shaky breath, the oldest Potter tried to keep his hands still as it got closer and closer to his turn. As his name was called the entire hall went silent. His footsteps echoed on the cold stone floor as he made his way up to the stool. It seemed as though everyone was holding their breath.

He sat cautiously on the old stool and held his own breath as the hat was lowered to cover his eyes.

Ah, quite the interesting character, a voice echoed within his head and his entire body tensed up as a result.

Don't worry, I am the sorting hat and am unable to cause you any pain. I can see that you have already been through so much pain in your young life. You are very clever, especially with your methods of protecting your brother. Definitely worthy of Ravenclaw. You are also sly and ambitious, you want to prove that you aren't who your relatives say you are though that is not the most important thing in your opinion. Still, you would be able to fit in well in Slytherin.

Then there is your bravery. Taking punishments that would've been bestowed upon your brother otherwise. Even standing up to your blood relatives in the smallest of ways. Quite the Gryffindor if you ask me. But I believe that your strongest trait above all, is loyalty. Your loyalty to your brother. To your parents. To yourself. I can see that once someone gains your trust and friendship, you would do anything for them.

The best place for you would be... "HUFFLEPUFF!!!"

The table under the yellow and black banners erupted in thunderous applause as he hopped off the stool, handed the hat to Minerva with a small smile, and walked over to sit with his housemates. He glanced over at the Slytherin table and let out a breath when he saw Luke smiling his way.

Luke was the first friend he'd made and with all the twins' chatter about prejudice between the four houses he'd been worried about the older boy's reaction.

Percy allowed a small smile to slide onto his face as he sat next to one of his fellow first years, Katie Gardner.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked, her grass green eyes wide with concern.

"Um,yeah. I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"I'm Cedric Diggory." Said one of Percy's fellow Hufflepuff first years.

The boy sat on the bench across from Percy, a wide smile plastered on his face as he extended a hand to the oldest Potter.

Now Percy had decided that he would take the "fake it till you make it" approach so he pushed down his anxiety and smiled back gently, accepting the handshake.

"It's nice to meet you."

"So, did you know you were coming to Hogwarts?" Cedric asked prompting the green eyed girl to scoff.

"Of course he knew. He's a Potter. His guardians would've told him."

Percy snorted.

"Yeah, guardians. Let's go with that. My aunt and uncle are muggles that hate magic. The only reason I know about it is that I was old enough to remember my parents talking about it."

The conversation stopped as a man who Percy assumed was Dumbledore stepped up to the podium.

"Welcome students new and old to another year at Hogwarts. Now I know you are all probably hungry and don't want to listen to the ramblings of an old man so I'll make this quick."

As the headmaster spoke about the rules, Percy massaged his temples with shaking hands. He'd taken his aspirin that morning but already his head was pounding and his shakes were coming back.

He looked around as he felt the rest of his muscles starting to spasm and started digging in his pocket.

"Hey Percy," Cedric whispered so as not to interrupt Dumbledore. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah. I j-just need to t-take..."

His voice shook. It felt like his head was being crushed. His hands shook violently as he got the pill bottle and struggled to open it.

With obvious concern, Cedric reached over and took the pill bottle, opening it for him.

"How many do you need?" He asked, knowing that if Percy tried to get some out he'd probably spill a bunch on the table.

"Just one." He gritted out through his teeth.

Being handed the pill, Percy swallowed it dry, sighing in relief and resting his head on the table as it took effect.

"What was that?" Katie asked warily.

Percy took a moment before he replied.

"When Voldemort attacked. My mum handed Harry to me, telling me to hide with him and not come out unless she or my dad told me it was alright. I ran upstairs, put Harry on a blanket and slid the both of us under our parents' bed."

The other two Hufflepuffs exchanged scared glances. Did they really want to hear this? But the Potter continued, unaware of the others nearby who tuned in as the food appeared on the tables in front of them.

"The sounds of our parents fighting him off went silent. Then I heard the door down the hall get smashed. As I found a better hiding spot for Harry, Voldemort went down the hall, searching each room for us."

By now he seemed to be in a sort of trance, those who were listening shivered in horror. It was all well and good to hear or read about a baby defeating a dark lord but it was quite another to hear it from the one person alive who was there and could actually remember what happened.

"I remember I put Harry in a small hidden compartment I found in the floor. Then I hid back under the bed. I heard him come in. I was so scared he'd hear me breathing. Or worse, find Harry. Then he moved the bed."

Everyone listening gasped.

"I don't remember much of what happened after the curse started. I've never been in so much pain. It had lasting effects."

With a deep breath he shook off the memory.

"Hence the advil." He smiled lightly.

All the other students who'd listened looked deeply shaken at the first year's story and they ate their meals in silence.

Percy didn't eat very much, he still wasn't quite used to large amounts of food.

He figured he probably shouldn't have started off with that but they had asked.

As supper came to an end, Percy sighed and followed his housemates to the Hufflepuff common room.

On the way he received four smiles from houses other than his own. One from Annabeth as the Ravenclaws passed, two identical ones from the twins in Gryffindor, and one from the blond boy in Slytherin.

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Chapter Text

Percy yawned as he woke up the next morning, registering the light that streamed into the common room through the small window, he headed up to his dorm.

The night before he had nearly sunk into the bed when he sat on it. Not used to sleeping on something so soft and squishy, Percy had waited until the other boys in his dorm were asleep before sneaking back down to sleep on one of the tougher couches before the fire.

He was thankful to find that his dorm mates were still fast asleep as he didn't want to have to explain why he was up so early. Reaching into his trunk, he laid out a set of clothes for the day before going for a shower.

He stood in front of the mirror for a moment. His muscles were defined though it wasn't because they were particularly big. He could count every rib.

With a sigh, he wrapped a towel around his waist and went to get dressed.

His dorm mates, Cedric, a boy named Lee Fletcher, and two more, Castor Marks and Andrew Mead only started stirring as he was buttoning up his shirt.

Percy quickly slung his tie around his neck, grabbed his robe, and left for breakfast.

"Hey, you alright?" A voice said from behind him.

Whipping around, Percy saw Luke walking towards him down the stone corridor.

"Sorry if I startled you," he said with a grin. "Slytherin common room's just a few halls down."

"Oh. Yeah I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"Well," Luke said, falling into step beside him. "I saw what happened last night and I'm pretty sure the entire school is aware of your story by now. I think most everyone is going to either be super horrified and caught in their own terror or pity you, sob looks and all, but be too embarrassed to actually approach you."

Percy couldn't help the small smile that pulled on his lips. A genuine smile.

"Oh yeah, and which one are you?"

"Me? Well I'm an original. See I'm the one who sees it as life sucks, it's just worse for some people than others."

"Sounds accurate." Percy chuckled.

The blond boy tilted his head to see Percy's face better and his smile widened.

"There it is! See that's what a lot of the kids here don't realise."

"What?"

By now they had reached the doors of the great hall.

The third year Slytherin leant down to whisper in Percy's ear.

"That just because you've gone through something terrible, you aren't broken. You aren't glass. You're tempered steel because you're still alive."

And with a mischievous smirk, he left Percy's side for the Slytherin table.

The boy stood there for a moment before shaking himself and heading to his own table.

He sat at his table, immediately pouring himself a glass of water to take his pill.

As he started to take a few pieces of bacon and some scrambled eggs, another Hufflepuff student who was older than him, slid over.

"I see you've met Luke. I'm Beckendorf."

"It's nice to meet you. Yeah, I met some other people who said all Slytherins are evil but I just don't believe that's true."

Beckendorf chuckled.

"Well you're definitely right there. I will admit that a good chunk of the people in that house are bad apples but that's mostly because of the teachings of their parents and/or how the rest of the school treats them. Luke is a good guy though."

"Good to know. It's good to hear that not everyone here sees in black and white."

If he was honest with himself, Percy felt like he could trust Luke. Maybe it was because of the way he held himself or he was the first person he met who was around his age and didn't pick on him. Either way, he trusted and felt safe with the blond boy.

"Yeah, most of us rational people reside in this house there is a sprinkling of us in each of the others as well."

Taking a moment where both of them were chewing, Percy looked at the guy in front of him. Fred and George had said that Hufflepuff was seen as the weakest house but one look at Beckendorf had him questioning their sanity. The guy was super strong.

His hands were calloused and his robes were form-fitting, showing off his biceps. Percy honestly had trouble believing that he was only 13.

"Well," Percy said as he received his timetable from Professor Sprout. "I'm gonna go get my books and head to class."

"But you haven't even finished breakfast yet." Beckendorf called after him.

Turning around, Percy walked backwards as he answered the older Hufflepuff.

"I wasn't that hungry to begin with. Oof!"

Luke had run up behind him with a piece of toast wrapped up in a napkin.

"Eat," he said, forcing the food into Percy's hand. "I heard the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw first years have Snape first thing today, you'll need the energy for that." He continued.

Blushing slightly in embarrassment, Percy muttered a quick thanks before sidestepping Luke and leaving the hall.

He didn't notice that Luke watched him leave, or the look Beckendorf shot at the Slytherin who just glared back and turned to greet the Ravenclaw girl he saw as a little sister.

<><><>

Luke was right. They did have Professor Snape first. Walking into the cold potions classroom, Percy scanned the area for anyone he knew and collapsed gratefully into the seat next to Annabeth Chase.

"Hey, it's Mr. Disturbing memories. You know maybe you should've waited until at least the first week of school was over before you told that fun little story. No one's going to talk to you now." She said matter-of-factly with a dash of sarcasm.

Putting a smile on his face, Percy raised an eyebrow teasingly at her.

"But you're talking to me."

Her only response was to roll her eyes at him and pull her blonde princess curls up into a ponytail. Just then, the professor strode in, his black robes billowing out behind him. His sallow face was twisted as though instead of looking at students he was looking at a slimy unknown substance stuck on the bottom of his shoe.

"There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class." He said in a monotone voice.

He continued on with a speech about what he could teach them then started on a potion.

With a flick of his wand, instructions appeared on the board in neat cursive for a sleeping draft. Of course the fancy lettering was murder on Percy's eyes so he pulled out his own textbook to work from.

"This is potions class not ancient runes." Snape ground out as he approached where Percy was actually doing pretty well on his potion.

"Sorry sir, I know this'll sound really weird but I can't actually... read English."

Snape looked mad but apparently he'd had this issue with students before so he just huffed and stalked away.

Letting out a deep breath, Percy turned to Annabeth with a little half smile.

"Well that was easier than I thought it was going to be." He said.

Annabeth just looked into her cauldron as she stirred.

"Luke told me that Snape supposedly has a grudge against the Potter family." She said airily.

"Well I guess he was wrong then."

"Yeah, I doubt it. I think Snape just didn't realize you're a Potter. "

He smiled and laughed along with her and soon enough class was over, his potion was perfect. But throughout the rest of the lesson one thought ran through his mind.

Maybe Snape didn't recognize me as a Potter because I'm not one.

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Chapter Text

"So, you know Luke?" Percy asked Annabeth as they left yet another shared class.

"Yeah, we met when I was seven. We're basically family. How do you know him?"

"He helped me get my trunk on the train."

"Of course he did." She said with a fond smile.

"Well, I do believe that we have Mrs. Dodds next for Defense against the dark arts." Percy said after double checking his schedule.

"Yep! That's odd though."

"What is?"

"Luke had said the teacher was a man last year."

Just then, two figures appeared seemingly out of nowhere on either side of the pair. As George Weasley put a hand on Annabeth's shoulder, she grabbed it and judo flipped him.

Fred burst out laughing from beside Percy as his twin lay gasping on the floor in the middle of the corridor.

Quite a few students had stopped as well to stare at the scene in front of them. Percy just looked at Annabeth with wide eyes.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side." He said.

"That would be wise." She replied with a smirk and a strange glint in her eyes.

Shaking it off, Percy helped George up.

"How you feeling Georgie?" Fred asked as he tried to refrain from laughing even more.

"I'm alright, wouldn't want to mess with her though." He said with a small laugh himself.

"Anyways," Fred began.

"The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher changes every year."

"Just ask Charlie,"

"He's been here for six years now,"

"And it's changed every year."

"Even when Bill was here."

"He's in Egypt now,"

"Working for Gringotts."

"Well as fascinating as that is boys, we have to get to class and I'm betting you do too." Annabeth said before walking off towards the Defense classroom.

"You heard the lady, see you around." Percy said with a small salute before running to catch up with the grey eyed girl.

The twins stared after them for a moment as the flow of students waned, the other kids making their way to their classes.

"You don't think-"

"I wonder-"

Looking at each other they spoke simultaneously.

"Nah."

"Weasley! Weasley! What are you doing in the halls?"

Professor McGonagall's voice was like a whip cracking down harshly on the twins .

"Sorry professor!" They yelled in sync and dashed down the hall to get away without punishment.

"Don't run in the halls!" She called after them but they'd already turned the corner.

With a shake of her head, Minerva reentered her classroom. Those boys were sure to be troublemakers.

<><><>

Percy and Annabeth arrived in class two minutes before the bell. Annabeth took a seat at the front of the room, eager to learn, but Percy took one look at the teacher and sat in the back row.

She was an older woman in a leather jacket. She looked like the type of person who'd have knitting supplies with her at all times but as soon as you ask for a sweater she'd stab you in the eye with one of her knitting needles. In other words, a whole new type of scary.

Seriously, she was worse than Snape. Almost as soon as she started the lesson she seemed to single Percy out as a troublemaker. Despite the fact that he didn't do anything. Honestly, if anyone was the troublemaker it'd be one of the other Hufflepuffs, Clarisse LaRue.

The girl was tearing up pieces of parchment and balling them up, throwing them at unsuspecting students.

When Percy turned and hissed at her to stop it, Mrs. Dodds saw him.

"Now honey." She said in a sickly sweet voice.

He ended up with a weeks worth of detention.

At the front of the class, Annabeth stifled a laugh as Mrs. Dodds continued the lesson. Percy let his head fall to the desk with a thump.

<><><>

Luke walked into the Great Hall for lunch to find Annabeth sitting at the Hufflepuff table across from Percy, laughing her head off as the boy glared at her.

"What's going on guys?" He asked, sitting half on the bench beside Percy with one leg on either side.

"I got detention." Percy glowered as he picked at his food.

"For the next week!" Annabeth added gleefully.

Luke stared at the brunette with wide eyes.

"How did you manage that?"

The eleven year old just grumbled so Annabeth took it as her que to tell the story.

"He turned to tell Clarisse to stop throwing paper at people in Defense Against the Dark Arts but the teacher gave him detention. So what does he do? He starts to argue with Mrs. Dodds." she said in between giggles.

Luke put a hand over his mouth in attempt to hide his grin as he looked at the green eyed boy but Percy could see the mirth shining in the Slytherin's eyes. This was made evident as he flushed, groaned, and let his head fall to the table beside his plate.

"Come on, it's not that bad," Luke reassured him. "I have her this afternoon so I don't have any personal experience with her yet but I haven't heard anything good about her from anyone else either."

"Anyone else get detention?" Percy mumbled dejectedly.

Luke supressed a chuckle and wrapped an arm around the younger boy's shoulders reassuringly.

"I don't think so but if it makes you feel any better, I'll probably get detention too. I'm not exactly what one would call a model student, unlike perfect Percy Weasley over in Gryffindor." Luke joked, snorting slightly.

A wide smile grew on his face as his tactic worked and the two first years laughed as well.

"What is this?" A voice said from Annabeth's right, startling the girl who's head whipped towards the sound.

Of course a moment later a voice spoke over to her left and she whipped around once more.

"Having fun-"

"-without us?"

"How could you?"

The Weasley twins sat on either side of Annabeth, much to the blonde's displeasure.

"So-" Fred started.

"-after lunch-"

"-is our first-"

"-flying lesson."

"Thankfully we have it with the Hufflepuffs-"

"-and not the Slytherins."

"No offense Castellan."

Luke chuckled at the twins' antics.

"None taken. Those new recruits are a piece of work alright." The third year agreed.

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Chapter Text

Two months into the school year and when Percy wasn't in class, he was with Annabeth, Cedric, the twins, or Luke.

The Ravenclaw girl had decided that Percy was her new best friend, which made him automatically a target for LaRue. The other Hufflepuff was very violent despite being in what was supposedly the nice house and seemed to have some sort of longstanding rivalry with Annabeth.

After the fourth time Clarisse attacked him in retaliation for something the blond girl said, he started hanging out more with Luke and his friends.

At first when he went to find Luke, Percy found him with four other people. Silena Beauregard, a Slytherin second year, Chris Rodriguez, a Slytherin third year, Beckendorf, who was also in third year, and Malcolm Pace, a Ravenclaw third year.

Not wanting to intrude, the Potter had started to leave but Luke had called him over.

"Hey Percy, where you going?"

He blushed slightly as the attention of all of them turned to him.

"Oh. Um, I was just-"

"C'mon Perce, join us." Beckendorf insisted with a small smile.

The boy struggled to keep the blush back as much as possible and he began to fidget slightly as he joined the older kids.

"Sil, Chris, Malcolm, this is Percy Potter." Luke introduced.

All of them had excepted him surprisingly well.

One day, everyone was sitting down for breakfast. As usual, Percy was there earlier than most of the other students. Today Cedric sat with him.

"So, how was defense yesterday."

The brown haired boy had been sick for the past few days and had therefore missed classes that Monday.

"It was horrible. That crazy old bat gave me detention. Again."

"Wow, she really seems to have it out for you. Tell me she's at least not taking Halloween."

"Nope, thank gods."

A large bang sounded outside the great hall and the Weasley twins came sprinting in. The pair collapsed into seats on either side of Percy.

"So-"

"-if anyone asks-"

"-we were here this whole time."

Cedric, obviously not wanting to get involved, turned to his breakfast, leaving Percy to deal with the other two boys.

"What have you done now?"

"Us?" Fred asked, a picture of innocence.

"Why would you assume we did anything?" George asked, imitating his twin.

The black haired boy looked at them, unimpressed before raising one hand and counting down from five on his fingers.

As he put down the last finger, one of the older Slytherin boys ran into the hall in a rage. He scanned the hall and locked on the twins. He was growling as he stalked towards them, Percy looked down at his food once more in an attempt to avoid the situation but before the menacing boy even reached the table he was interrupted.

"What do you want, Flint?"

A Scottish boy in Gryffindor stood in the way, his arms crossed. As a third year, Oliver Wood was the Gryffindor Keeper for his second year. With Marcus Flint being a Slytherin chaser, the pair had a very tense rivalry. Both were very passionate about the sport.

With the crisis averted, at least for now, Percy spoke.

"5 galleons says the two of them are dating before Oliver graduates."

Fred, George, and Cedric stared at the black haired boy as though he'd lost his mind.

"Ollie?"

"Captain of the anti-Flint club?"

"Dating enemy #1?"

The boys exchanged disbelieving looks before snorting at the notion.

"Don't laugh." Percy said calmly as he spread blueberry jam on his toast. "There's a very thin line between love and hate."

Cedric raised an eyebrow at him. He just couldn't seem to figure the other boy out. Half the time, he acted like a regular kid, goofing off with their classmates, getting into trouble. But the rest of the time he was uncommonly wise. Older than his years.

Percy slipped his pill bottle from the pocket of his bag and upon opening it, paled noticeably.

George frowned.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked.

Percy shook his head slightly.

"I'm fine."

He shook a pill into the palm of his hand and quickly popped it into his mouth, washing it down with some water.

"Well, I'll see you guys later, if anybody asks, I'm going to head to charms class early." He said before he stood and made a swift exit from the hall.

The three other boys stared after him for a moment.

"Alright, you two pass on his message to whoever asks, I'll go make sure he's alright."

The twins, usually constant jokers, were uncharacteristically serious as they nodded.

Cedric grabbed the last of Percy's toast, headed out of the great hall after his friend and took about five minutes to catch up to him.

"Hey Perce, you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He said lightly.

Cedric frowned once more but didn't say anything as he fell into step beside him.

"No reason, you just left the great hall really quickly. You didn't even finish your toast." He said, handing over the food.

"Thanks." Percy said with a small smile, taking a bite as they reached the charms classroom.

The two boys sat down against the wall beside the closed door.

"So, do you usually do anything for Halloween?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, my dad takes me over to the nearby muggle village for trick-or-treating and there's a Halloween dance in the town square."

Percy smiled wistfully.

"That sounds nice. Every year, my little cousin would leave the house and return with several bags of candy. It was mine and Harry's job to sort through it under the watchful eye of our aunt Petunia. I would always manage to sneak a Mars bar from the pile for my brother."

Cedric smiled sadly. Percy didn't talk much about his home life but from what he'd gathered, it wasn't very good. There had been a few times where Cedric had seen glimpses of bandages beneath Percy's robes in the first few weeks of term.

The two of them sat there for about fifteen minutes just talking about whatever came up before professor Flitwick arrived to let them in.

Percy pulled out his wand as the rest of the students filed in only for someone to snatched it from his hands.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet and spinning around to see Montague holding his wand.

"Hey runt, looks like you're missing your entourage."

"Oh yeah? That's a pretty big word there. Are you sure you know what it means?"

Percy could feel the fire in his chest, the same anger he felt every time his aunt blamed him for any food that was burnt or flower died, every time his cousin threw Harry under the bus for him to save, every time his uncle's face went red and he took off his belt. For years he was forced to just accept the unjustified punishments. The insults. No more.

As Montague went to punch him, Percy caught the fist in a tight grip and twisted it just enough that the brute of a boy forgot about the unique wand in his other hand.

Percy quickly snatched it back, pushed him away, and turned to sit down before Flitwick even turned to see what was happening.

Montague stumbled to the floor, holding his wrist as he stared at the skinny boy in shock. In fact, all the students in attendance were in shock. Over the past two months they'd gotten to know a calm, reserved boy. While Percy's facial expression had not changed from the typical impassive mask, those present had seen the storm in his eyes.

By noon, half the school knew.

Chapter 13: 13

Chapter Text

Percy walked through the stone hallways as though he couldn't hear the whispers. As though he didn't see the furtive glances people shot at him.

By the time dinner rolled around, his anxiety was almost through the roof and he was trying not to be sick. This was also causing his trembling to start up earlier.

His shaking fingers gripped his fork tightly and he stared determinedly down at his plate as he tried to take a bite of mashed potatoes.

His head throbbed so he took a deep breath and reached into his pocket.

Normally he tried to wait until it was almost time for desert but he felt so frustrated with all of this that he knew he couldn't last till then.

Shivers wracked his body and he cursed under his breath as he failed to open the bottle. Cedric carefully took it and opened it for him but his golden brown eyes widened as he saw the one little pill sitting at the bottom of the bottle.

"Percy-" he breathed, concern clear on his face.

"I'm fine," the Potter boy hissed. "I'll be fine. Just give me the pill."

Cedric handed it over, glancing over to the Slytherin table. Luke Castellan had become a sort of unofficial guardian for Percy. Sure enough, the Slytherin was frowning in their direction.

<><><>

As Percy was walking out of the great hall, Fred and George appeared on either side of him. The pair quickly dragged him down a couple corridors that he didn't bother to keep track of, only stopping once they were in an abandoned classroom.

"So, we were in detention with Filch-" George started.

"Again-" Fred cut in.

"And we found something very interesting-"

"In a drawer of confiscated items."

They exchanged mischievous looks before Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out an old piece of parchment.

"We figured it was special so we nicked it but whenever we try anything, it insults us."

Percy gasped and moved forward, gently taking the parchment from the twins.

His eyes grew slightly misty.

"My father used to tell me about this."

He pulled his wand out and tapped the parchment, whispering "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good", and watched as ink bloomed on the page.

Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders' Map.

Fred and George's faces lit up, undoubtedly thinking up ways to use the map for pranks, as their year mate started unfolding the parchment to reveal all of Hogwarts. They could see all the students still in the Great Hall and those who were heading back to their common rooms.

"Wicked."

Percy looked up at them.

"Say Percy-"

"We know that this was your dad's-"

"So he'd presumably want you to have it-"

"But do you suppose that-"

"Just once in a while-"

"We could borrow it?"

Percy smiled at them.

"I may only remember bits and pieces about my parents, I know that my dad was a troublemaker. He'd be happy you can use the map for such a 'worthy' cause." He said with a small chuckle.

The twins high fived excitedly.

"So, to activate the map, tap it with your wand and say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good'. To deactivate it, tap the map and say 'mischief managed'. If you don't deactivate it when you're done and someone finds it, that would not end well."

The boys promised to be careful with the map before they all went back to the entrance hall. From there, they said goodnight and the twins went back upstairs while Percy went to the dungeons to go to the Hufflepuff common room.

When he passed through the common room and into his dorm, Cedric sat on his own bed and watched the skinny boy move around the room with a knowing gaze until Percy disappeared behind his bed hangings.

With a sigh, the brown eyed boy pulled his own bed hangings shut and went to sleep.

<><><>

Percy woke up the next morning with his head already throbbing.

When he checked the time, the numbers were slightly blurred and it took a minute for him to register the fact that it was only 6 in the morning.

With a groan, he rolled off his bed and stumbled to his trunk.

He took a moment to run his fingers over the plaque with his name on it before opening it and rummaging through.

Before school started, Minerva had taken him to a pharmacy so he could get more of his pain medication but it seems he'd run out.

He let out a shaky breath, his already trembling hands gripping the sides of his open trunk, before shoving his thoughts away from the pain and grabbing his robes to get dressed for the day.

The throbbing got worse as he packed his bag, making him feel a bit dizzy but he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. And if he had to use the wall to keep himself upright, no one would be the wiser.

Exiting the common room, he got a sharp pain up his back and to his head. His legs nearly gave out and he paused to rest his head against the cold stone wall. His eyes fluttered closed from the small bit of relief.

He slid down to the floor as his body was wracked with pain. He barely registered the sound of someone approaching him.

Luke had woken up from a fairly disturbing dream and decided to go to breakfast early. It's a good thing he did because he saw a figure on the floor just past the stairs.

The only movement was slight jolts and twitches.

Concerned, the blond boy quickened his pace and crouched by who he discovered to be Percy.

"Percy?"

The boy groaned in pain, visibly struggling to open his eyes.

He was white as a sheet, his body curling in on itself as it attempted to escape the pain.

"Percy what's wrong? I can't help if I don't know what is wrong."

"Hurts." Percy panted out faintly. Luke could see the agony swimming in his eyes.

"Well, where's your pain medication?"

"'S gone." Percy replied, tears starting to flow as the pain overwhelmed him.

Luke cursed under his breath.

"Alright, don't worry Perce. I'll get you to the hospital wing."

The third year dropped his bag on the floor, no need to carry extra weight, and stooped down to remove the raven haired boy's bag from his shoulder before lifting him.

Even after nearly three months of proper nourishment, the lack of it for several years was evident in how light he was as Luke carried him up from the dungeons and towards the hospital wing, his grip tight so that he wouldn't drop the trembling boy.

"You'll be alright Percy, we're almost there."

Luke kept up this constant stream of reassurances as they traveled through the school.

Luke finally burst into the hospital wing, calling for Madam Pomfrey. His younger friend had passed out about three minutes before they reached their destination.

Upon seeing the Potter boy's condition, the Matron pointed at a bed for Luke to put him down on before he was pushed out of the way.

Resigned to the fact that there was nothing more he could do, the blond boy sat in a chair nearby to wait.

Chapter 14: 14

Chapter Text

Cedric woke up to find Percy already gone. It wasn't a super unusual occurrence so he thought nothing of it.

At least, until he started walking to breakfast and found two bags, one of them Percy's, on the floor in the hallway.

He grabbed both, frowning, and continued on to the Great Hall.

When he got there, Annabeth was sitting at the Hufflepuff table, looking quite disgruntled. When Cedric joined her, she looked up.

"Have you seen Percy?" She asked before he could even sit down.

"Uh, no. I'd thought he'd be here but then I found his bag and this other one in the dungeon hallway." He replied, sitting and lifting the other bag for the grey eyed girl to see.

"That's Luke's bag! I wonder where they are."

Fred and George entered the hall, making a bit more noise than was needed as they approached. The last time they snuck up on Annabeth, she punched one of them in the face instinctively and the other got the same treatment because "I thought you two did everything together".

"Were you two looking for someone?" Fred asked.

"Cause we can help you there." George said with a mischievous smirk.

Annabeth pursed her lips, clearly unimpressed, but told them who they were looking for. She still didn't understand why Percy was friends with those two.

The pair grinned gleefully at each other and pulled out an old piece of parchment, hiding it from view in between them. They muttered a few words, there was the sound of paper moving, then Annabeth and Cedric watched the grins slide off the twins' faces.

"What? What is it? Where are they?" Annabeth demanded, firing off questions faster then they could be answered.

"They're in the hospital wing." George said, a small frown on his face.

The four of them exchanged concerned looks before jumping up and rushing out the door, Annabeth in the lead. On the way out, the blonde girl nearly ran into Beckendorf.

"Hey, where are you four off to in such a hurry?" he asked with a small chuckle but stopped when he saw their serious faces. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Luke and Percy are in the hospital wing so we're going to find out why." Annabeth explained.

"Are you sure?" the older boy asked. "How do you know?"

"Well, they don't have their bags," George started.

"Good ol' Ced found them in a dungeon corridor and brought them with," Fred continued the explanation.

"And Fred and I-"

"Have our ways." Fred concluded with a shared secretive smile with his twin.

"Do you know if the teachers are aware of this?" the buff boy asked.

"Well I'd assume they are considering they went to the hospital wing as opposed to some abandoned classroom or corridor." Annabeth said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well, we'd better get going if we're gonna see what's wrong before classes." He said and started walking with them.

Luke had been sitting there at Percy's bedside for hours. The young boy had been unconscious for just as long but even in his sleep he seemed to be in pain.

When the five friends burst into the hospital wing, they were immediately shushed by the Slytherin boy.

Annabeth gasped at the sight of her best friend laying in the bed, his usually tan skin blending in with the white sheets.

"Madam Pomfrey is in her office, speaking to professor McGonagall, professor Sprout, and professor Dumbledore." Luke whispered to them as he rubbed his temples.

The others figured he just had a headache. In reality, there was a voice whispering to him.

If you steal it, I will take his pain away once I am free.

He pushed the voice to the back of his mind.

The six conscious students in the room could hear yelling from the office.

Ten minutes later, the door was ripped open by professor McGonagall who then stalked out and towards the bed holding her charge.

"Minerva-" Albus started as he followed the woman out of the room but was quickly cut off by the angry head of Gryffindor house.

"No Albus. You will stay away from Percy and his brother. They are children, not pawns on a chessboard."

The headmaster looked gravely at his colleague.

"Minerva, you are well aware of the risks-"

"Risks be damned!" She shouted at him. "I have vowed to protect those boys and there is no way that I'm going to break that vow. The reason why we are known as good is that we don't do sacrifice! We don't let an innocent suffer even if it is for the good of many!"

Dumbledore took note of the students in the room and sighed condescendingly at the transfiguration professor.

"We can talk more later Minerva." He said before striding out of the hospital wing.

By this point, the woman's lips had transformed into a single, thin line. Her nostrils were flared and all Percy's friends eyed her warily as she turned to them.

"It is my understanding that Mr. Castellan is the one who brought him here?" She said as Professor Sprout joined them.

"Yes it was me Professor McGonagall. I got up early and found him on the ground in the hall."

Cedric decided to pipe up with what he knew.

"Last night he only had one pill left. I tried to tell him to tell someone or save it but he just cut me off, saying he'd be fine, and took it."

Minerva sighed heavily and looked down at the young boy, looking so small and frail as he lay in the bed. His normally tan skin was pasty, blending with the sheets.

As they were watching, his eyes shot open, the sea green standing out against the white as a scream tore itself from his throat. His hands clutched at his hair and he writhed on the bed, tears streaming down his face.

"Please! It hurts!" He screeched.

Annabeth buried her face into Luke's shoulder. Beckendorf had paled drastically and stepped in front of the twin Gryffindor boys and Cedric in an attempt to shield them from the sight.

Madam Pomfrey came running down the ward, a potion bottle in hand.

"What is that?" Luke demanded but could do nothing as the head of Hufflepuff house ushered the group out.

The last they saw of Percy before the doors closed was McGonagall holding the raven-haired boy in a half sitting position while the Matron forced a potion down his throat.

Luke stood there, thinking of what was happening and what he'd heard.

We don't do sacrifice, we don't let an innocent suffer even if it is for the good of many!

They are children, not chess pieces!

I will take his pain away once I am free.

The boy's expression hardened. His scar only enhancing the intimidating image as the thirteen year old made up his mind.

He would join the titan lord Kronos and, that Christmas when he visited Mount Olympus, he would steal Zeus' master lightning bolt and Hades' helm of darkness.

Chapter 15: 15

Chapter Text

That night, Madam Pomfrey reluctantly allowed a shaky Percy Potter attend supper with the rest of the school. By that point, word had already spread of what happened.

It didn't help that when he and Cedric, who was there to make sure he didn't collapse again, walked into the Great Hall, Annabeth rushed towards them.

"What are doing up and about?! You should be back in bed Potter."

Percy merely rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry so much Annabeth," he said exasperatedly. "Madam Pomfrey gave me potions that I can take that won't have any nasty side effects like with muggle pain medication."

"Side effects?" Cedric repeated with a frown.

"Well sometimes some just don't work well, others have side effects like lash back headaches, nausea, that type of thing."

"That sounds awful!" The pureblood boy exclaimed.

"Eh, it's not that bad once you get used to it. Usually I'd switch medications by now but seeing as I've now got potions to take over the job, I don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Well that's good." Annabeth said, shooting Cedric a look which basically said 'shut up'.

"Yeah, well I'm hungry so let's sit down." Percy suggested, nearly falling as his legs were still shaking from that morning.

As he sat at his table, Annabeth returning to Ravenclaw, a bunch of Slytherin first years started whining and complaining about their heads hurting, some falling on their friends. Cedric muttered for him to ignore it and Percy nearly bent his fork in the attempt.

Luke came in and casually walked along his table towards his friends. He just so happened to hit some of the kids upside the head as he passed and winked inconspicuously at his younger friend as he sat.

The feast was rather uneventful after that, Percy had to return to the infirmary for the night (part of the reason why Madam Pomfrey let him leave in the first place.

The Matron gave him another dose of the potion and sent him off to bed.

"Hopefully we will be able to ease you into one dose a day." She said as she tucked him in snuggly.

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey." He replied.

The stern woman saw the sincerity in his gaze, heard it in his voice, and allowed a small smile to slip onto her face. Percy returned it before burrowing further into the covers.

"Perseus..."

The shadows closed in on him as the voice crept into his mind.

"I know who you are."

It echoed in his ears as a barren landscape appeared around him. Someone, or something, lurked in the shadows.

"You don't know who I am."

"Don't I?"

Percy glared into the darkness even as he shivered.

"Fine, who am I then?"

"You're a scared little boy who needs a way out."

"You're wrong. I've already been given my way out."

The voice chuckled condescendingly.

"You can't escape your fate. Not without my help."

"I may not be able to escape it, but I can definitely try to change it." Percy said defiantly.

"You will fall, son of the sea. It has been prophesized."

"Well, prophesies are usually self-fulfilling."

"You shall see in time..."

Percy's eyes snapped open as the first rays of light entered the hospital wing.

Sitting up, he massaged his temples. It felt like he'd only slept for about five minutes.

Sighing, he swung his legs over the side of the bed. There was a set of clean robes and a dose of his new potion on the bedside table for him as Cedric had told the Matron about his early morning habits.

It took him three minutes to change, take the potion, and write a small note of thanks with a promise to return that night for the next dose. Then it took another five minutes to get down to the Hufflepuff common room. Two minutes later he was headed for the great hall for breakfast with his bag slung over his shoulder and Cedric at his side.

Apparently his friends had made an effort to get up early because when the two Hufflepuff first years came in, the other three students in their usual group were sitting at their table.

Annabeth smiled as they approached while Fred just rested his head on his hand to keep it propped up. George was just out, head lying on the table as he snored softly.

"How are you feeling Percy?" Annabeth asked once they were close enough.

"I'm alright, had the weirdest dream last night. It feels like I barely slept at all."

The girl frowned but Fred pulled him down into a seat.

"Do me a favour Perce, wake up Georgie." He said through a yawn. "I'm too tired to speak for both of us."

Percy smiled in amusem*nt before kicking the other redhead under the table.

George jolted up automatically.

"What?! What did I miss? Oh, Percy! You're back! Feeling better?"

The raven haired boy chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm good George. Why are you three up so early anyway?"

"Well we wanted to see if you were okay." Annabeth said as she put some jam on her toast. "We weren't sure how long you'd stay here and knew that you always have breakfast early."

"Yeah but how did you get those two out of bed?"

"We talked about it last night after you left." Annabeth replied stoic ally before taking a bite of her breakfast.

"Actually," someone said from behind Percy "she recruited me to drag them down to the common room by their ankles because she knew they wouldn't get up on their own."

Fred glared at Charlie and rubbed at his back.

"And we'll have bruises to show for it for a week." He grumbled.

No one saw Percy tense up as he quickly forced himself not to remember how many times he moved awkwardly around school because he was sore all over due to a beating. Not to remember the bruises that lasted months because more were laid on top.

Shaking himself back into the present, he smiled at the sixteen year old.

"How are you Charlie?"

"I'm alright Perce, can't wait for Care of Magical Creatures next semester. We're gonna be starting on hippogryffs once we get back from break!" He exclaimed excitedly.

The twins rolled their eyes.

"You do know-"

"That it's only-"

"October."

"I guess the twins are awake." Silena said as she passed on her way to the Slytherin table, sending a gentle smile to Percy.

"I'll see you later, Tonks and I are going to go down and have breakfast with Hagrid."

"See ya Charlie!" Percy called to the retreating redhead.

Percy turned back to the food on the table but soon recognized the silence that often came with stares. Looking up, he found all four of his friends staring at him.

"What?"

"Are you really alright Perce?" Cedric asked.

"Yes! I'm fine! Now, do any of you know how Halloween is celebrated at Hogwarts?"

Annabeth grinned.

Chapter 16: 16

Chapter Text

Halloween of 1998 was on a Tuesday.

That morning, Percy went and got his breakfast directly from the kitchens, running into Fred and George on the way.

"I figured you two would have something planned." He said once he was right behind them.

Both of them jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"Merlin, Perce!"

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!"

The shorter boy smirked.

"Like you wouldn't do the same."

They both stared at him for a moment before shrugging.

"Touché."

"What are you doing down here anyway?"

"Getting breakfast." Percy said with a knowing look at the both of them.

"But don't you want-" Fred started.

"To eat with everyone else?"

"Yeah, and I will. I'm just bringing the food up myself."

He then ducked past them into the kitchen.

The two boys at the door looked after him.

"You didn't-"

"No! I'd never!"

"Well I didn't."

As the pair argued, Percy gathered a bit of food in a napkin, thanked the house elves and headed back to Fred and George.

"You know, if you want to prank everyone at breakfast, I suggest you hurry up."

"How did you know-"

"We were planning-"

"A prank?!" They exclaimed.

"It's Halloween and I know you?"

The two redheads stared at him, looked to each other, and conceded with a shrug.

"Point."

Percy nodded.

"Now, go spike the breakfast and we can head up."

They simply nodded and handed the potions to the elves with some instructions then the three boys made their way up to the Great hall. There were already a few pumpkins floating on the edges of the hall though Percy figured the decorations would be more elaborate by the time supper rolled around.

Sitting down at his house table, Percy casually transferred his food from the napkin to a plate while the twins bickered across from him.

"C'mon Georgie, of course it'll work."

"I don't know Freddie."

"We spent nearly a month perfecting that potion."

"It's still a fourth year potion."

"I'm telling you Georgie, it was the same colour and consistency-"

"As described in the book. I know, but they didn't quite go into detail did they?"

"Well, it'll work or it won't. Either way it's sure to be entertaining."

Percy snorted and shook his head exasperatedly as food appeared on the four house tables and the teacher's table.

The three boys started eating and more students trickled in. Maybe five minutes later, as their other friends dug in, Percy started coughing quietly at his plate.

Luke sat down, looked around at the group, and snorted before taking some toast off Percy's plate.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at her pseudo brother.

"Why didn't you just take your own food?" She asked him, suspicious.

"Well where's the fun in that?" He asked in a playfully innocent tone.

She glared at him for a while longer before slowly turning back to her food.

Once he was certain the girl wasn't looking, Luke winked conspiratorialy at Percy, who was still watching the older boy.

At first, no one seemed to notice Annabeth's hair turning black. Or Beckendorf's turning bright orange.

Maybe twenty minutes after Luke had joined them, people started screaming. Annabeth saw her hair out of the corner of her eye and squeaked before growling at Luke who was trying not to laugh at the chaos and holding his hands up in a surrender sign.

"I swear it wasn't me!"

Annabeth scoffed at him.

"Yeah right, you really expect me to believe that after last year?"

"That wasn't my fault." The Slytherin automatically defended.

"Like Hades it wasn't!"

"It wasn't my idea to fill your cabin with spiders, that was all the Stolls!"

The girl didn't let up and Percy grinned at the twins who looked a bit offended that she didn't realize it was them.

"I think we need to up our game Gred."

"I think you're right Forge."

"I mean, we can't have someone else taking credit for our prank."

"Yeah, we put a lot of work into this!"

The now black haired Annabeth whipped around to glare at the twins who turned as white as Nearly Headless Nick before bolting, almost tripping over the bench in their haste.

Percy laughed aloud as Annabeth chased after them.

"So, how did you know about the prank?"

"Well, all my siblings and I are... fairly mischievous by nature." The sandy haired boy replied with a smirk that suggested some sort of inside joke.

Percy was about to continue the conversation but Minerva called him.

"Follow me." She said with a slight upturn of her lips.

He shot Luke a confused look but the older boy just shrugged so he grabbed his bag and followed his guardian.

"Where are we going?" He asked after a few minutes of walking in silence.

"I am well aware of the date and figured that you deserve a treat." She said cryptically.

A few moments later, they stopped outside her office.

"Happy Halloween." She said with a smile as she opened the door.

The Hufflepuff was immediately hit by a small boy with messy black hair very similar to his own.

"Harry! What are you doing here?!"

"Auntie Minnie said I could come visit because of the anniversary!"

While the brothers were reunited, Minerva scoffed inwardly. Albus only allowed it to get back in her good graces. As if. Of course she'd milk it for all she could until he realised it wasn't doing anything.

"So Percy, you are excused from the rest of your morning classes."

"Thank you! Could you let Mrs. Dodds know that though? Otherwise she'll give me detention."

"Of course, now if you'll excuse me, I have a class to teach."

Harry smiled up at his brother as the teacher left with a smile on her face.

"So, what do you do for fun here at Hogwarts?"

<><><>

Annabeth was worried. Once again, Percy was missing classes though whenever she asked the teachers about it, they said he was excused for the morning.

She half expected him to come into the Great Hall for lunch with a solemn expression and a hand at his temple. Instead, he bounced in with a wide smile across his face. Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

"Where were you this morning? And does it have anything to do with that stupid look on your face?"

His grin, if possible, widened even more.

"Due to the occasion, I got a special treat in the form of spending this morning with my little brother."

Luke sat next to him as he finished his sentence and smiled, ruffling his already messy black hair playfully.

Speaking of hair...

"Hey Annabeth, how long did the black hair last?"

The once again blonde girl growled lowly at the reminder.

"Not long. I caught them about five minutes before classes started and... convinced them to turn it back."

Percy shivered at the sharp glint in her eye.

"Note to self: next Halloween, dress up like Annabeth."

The witch in question threw a carrot stick at him which he deftly caught and took a bite out of teasingly.

"Why thank you."

Annabeth exchanged subtle looks with Luke throughout the rest of the meal as they silently debated the likely hood of the Hufflepuff boy being... one of them.

<><><>

Percy went through the rest of his day with a smile on his face. Eight years ago marked the darkest day of his life. The one where he lost both his parental figures and his freedom. Now, today marked a big step towards regaining what he lost. Of course, he knew that nothing would ever bring Lily and James back, he'd spent countless hours in the library at McGonagall castle finding that out. But, he was away from the Dursleys, he was making friends.

For the first time he could remember, he was truly happy.

The icing was put on the cake That night when, at the Halloween feast, he and Harry's prank went off perfectly.

Many students were wary of the food after that morning's trick. It made Percy suppress a smirk as he watched them drink from their goblets without hesitation.

It wasn't a very extreme or elaborate prank, seeing as Percy had let Harry pick what they did. Still, he was hard-pressed to hide his grin as he looked around and saw all the colours.

As people noticed and started screeching and rubbing furiously at their stained teeth, he couldn't help but laugh along with his friends, a mischievous glint in his sea green eyes.

This was the best Halloween ever.

Chapter 17: 17

Chapter Text

While Percy was staying for Christmas, most of his friends were going home for the holidays.

"It's not so much a home as a camp for kids with issues like ADHD and dyslexia." Luke explained.

Percy snorted as they walked through the doors of the entrance hall into the snow.

"Sign me up. Though I guess my little brother wouldn't be allowed in."

Luke seemed to falter a bit and looked back at his friend.

"What?" Percy asked, flushing slightly as he noticed the older boy's gaze on him.

"Nothing, just wondering if you would be someone for camp. All of us either don't know one of our parents or have a step-parent."

Percy tensed. There was no way for Luke to know that James wasn't his birth father.

"Uh, well I had James. I mean, my dad. And anyways, now I need to take care of my brother."

"Of course." Luke said.

The blond boy wrapped Percy up in a tight hug.

This is for you, he thought. To keep you safe.

Pulling back, Luke hesitated a moment. Looking at the younger boy, still small from years of malnourishment, Luke quickly took off his Slytherin scarf to put it on the Hufflepuff.

"Take care of yourself Percy, I'll see you in the new year."

Percy nodded.

"You too, have fun!"

Luke watched the brunette walk away through the snow.

"This is for you. For all of us." He whispered before getting into one of the carriages heading down to the train.

The snow started falling faster, obscuring the carriages and anyone who was out in the snow from view.

Cedric met Percy in the Great Hall for supper. Only about twelve students had stayed behind, Percy and Cedric were the only Hufflepuffs in the bunch.

The golden haired boy said it was because he wanted to experience the castle during the holidays, but Percy knew it was primarily to keep an eye on him. Though the two boys had to admit, the decorations were truly stunning.

A dozen giant Christmas trees lined the length of the great hall, each sparkling with silver and gold ornaments and tinsel. Conjured lights winked from within and along the branches.

Percy grinned. The Dursleys always used the same silver ornaments on the perfect fake tree that the Potter boys would have to set up. They would have the same meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, carrots, and rolls with butter followed by fruitcake for desert. It was very cold and impersonal.

This Christmas, here at Hogwarts, brought vague, blurry memories to mind. The scent of meat pie and mini quiches, the taste of peppermint and eggnog that he's pretty sure James had snuck to him, warm lights and stockings hung on the mantle.

"Wow!" Cedric breathed, eyes wide in wonder at the twinkling lights.

"Yeah."

"Potter! Diggory! What are you doing in the middle of the doorway?"

The Hufflepuffs jumped and spun to see Professor Snape glowering at them.

"Well?"

"Sorry Professor, we just hadn't seen the decorations yet." Cedric said, stepping out of the way.

Percy quickly followed suit.

The dour man just sneered and swept past them.

"Now if I didn't know better," Percy said, eyes lingering on the ominous billowing of those black robes. "I'd think his name was Ebenezer Scrooge."

"Who's that?" Cedric asked as they both continued on to the Hufflepuff table for supper.

"You don't know who Ebenezer Scrooge is? I've lived in a cupboard for most of my life and even I know that!"

"It must be a muggle thing."

"Yeah, honestly it makes me sad how much knowledge could be shared but isn't."

Cedric frowned.

"Well... it's for our protection though, isn't it? Both us magic folks and the muggles."

"I suppose. But just imagine. I'm sure that if more witches and wizards learned about muggles they could blend in better. And you don't nesesarily need to be magical to brew basic potions. There is so much we could do for muggles who are afflicted by supposedly incurable illnesses and diseases but don't because we are afraid."

"I would say you're starting to sound like Annabeth," Cedric started. "But even she knows that melding with the muggles is not a good idea."

Percy sighed.

"Well, still. We know about them, they don't even have to know about us. We could still use some of the things muggles have invented. If it weren't for magic we'd practically be stuck in a combination of the 1920s and 1800s muggle world technology wise. It's 1989."

The two boys sat at their table and started filling their plates.

"So who is Ebenezer Scrooge?" Cedric asked after a moment of silence.

Percy chuckled slightly.

"He's a grumpy, greedy old man who doesn't like Christmas."

Cedric seemed interested so he went on to describe "a Christmas Carol" and in the end Cedric agreed that it was very fitting.

"You know what the best gift to Fred and George would be?" Cedric said with a rare mischievous smile.

Percy met that with a devious smirk.

"If a certain teacher were to reenact a muggle Christmas tale?"

<><><>

On Christmas morning, Fred and George Weasley along with their little sister Ginny were the first ones awake.

Running down to the living room, they stopped short when they saw an owl with a muggle camera saying "to Fred and George".

"What's that?" Ginny asked as her brothers rushed over to untie it from the bird's leg.

Inspecting the handwriting carefully, George chuckled.

"It's a gift from two of our friends."

It was evident by Percy's careful writing that occasionally slipped into a different language that they couldn't recognize that was replaced partway through by Cedric's messier scrawl.

Turning it on with help from instructions Percy provided, they saw their friends faces smiling up from the screen.

"Today is the twenty-third of December. We're cutting it a bit short but something like this is very dificult to do." Percy said as he adjusted the camera.

"Yeah, no kidding. You two are the jokesters, not us." Cedric said with a wry grin.

"And now, without further ado, we present a reenactment of the muggle tale, A Christmas Carol, starring professor Snape."

Fred and George exchanged evil grins.

"Oh yes."

<><><>

Over in America as the clock struck midnight on December twenty-fifth, thunder rolled across the skies. The sea crashed against the land and monsters were let forth from the underworld.

Three gods were slighted. Two missing items of great importance, the third accused of betrayal.

Somewhere in the darkest part of the underworld, a young man stood at the edge of a pit.

"You have failed."

"I can fix it! Please just give me time!"

"The gods have declared war unless the bolt is returned by the summer solstice. Ensure it is not, and I will spare the boy."

The blonde glared into the darkness but bowed his head respectfully.

"Yes, lord Kronos."

As the boy returned to camp, a deep, malevolent chuckle echoed out of the pit.

It wouldn't be long now.

Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Chapter Text

Percy looked up at the window in the Hufflepuff common room.

The skies outside were dark grey. Same as they had been since Christmas.

Sighing, the eleven year old looked back down and smiled as he reread Harry's most recent letter.

Dear Percy,
Thank you so much for the gifts! How did you get them? I've never heard of chocolate frogs before. Did you know they actually jump?! I hope you liked my gift. I have to admit that I didn't get it myself. I had to send Binky over to diagon alley with some money. The weather has been weird since Christmas, hasn't it? It even got through Aunty Minnie's wards. How's it been at school? Anyway, I'm sure you've got loads of stuff to get back to. Write soon!
Love Harry

Everyone would be returning from their holidays the next day.

He had received several letters from his friends. Though Annabeth stopped a few days after Christmas. Luke said that something happened in America and the Ravenclaw girl was really worked up about it but had reassured Percy that everyone was okay.

Fred and George were enjoying a nice family Christmas (not quite the words they used) at home with their oldest brother, Bill, coming home from Egypt where he'd started working for Gringotts. They had very much appreciated their gift, though Percy and Cedric's upcoming two weeks of detention with Snape said that the dour professor did not.

Thunder rolled across the sky in the distance. Even the water of the Black Lake lapped against the shore.

With a small frown out the window, Percy turned to the task of responding to Harry.

<><><>

Luke sat next to Thalia's tree as the sun rose the day he was to return to Hogwarts with the other demigods in the Wizarding community.

"Things are getting out of hand Thals. I know that this is what we always talked about, sticking it to our fathers, but I don't think this will end well. There's this kid at school. He's Annie's age. I hate myself for even considering the fact that he might be one of us but something tells me he is."

There was a pause where the son of Hermes imagined he could here the girl's response.

"Sounds like someone's got a bit of a crush."

In another life, if things were different, he would laugh in a jokingly indignant way and shove her playfully. But things weren't different. Thalia was gone. The only thing left of his best friend was a tree on a hill.

The small self-deprecating smile that had spread across his face at the thought of her reaction quickly died and he clenched his jaw in anger and determination.

"They did this to you. It's too late now to change course but I swear that even if I fall, I will use my last dying breath to avenge you."

He rested his hand over where her hand had been before her fingers started growing into roots and in his minds eye saw her electric blue eyes once more, ignoring how they flickered to sea green.

Looking out at Camp Halfblood as the sun hit the top of the cabins, Apollo's already shining brightly in the light of the god's chariot.

"The days of the gods treating their children like pawns are over."

<><><>

When Percy and Cedric went to the Great hall for lunch that day, it was just in time to see the other students return.

The twins ran at the pair, cheering loudly, and barreled into them.

"Brilliant!" Fred exclaimed

"Absolutely Brilliant!" George agreed.

Their brother Percy walked by with his nose scrunched up and pointed skyward which sent shivers down the Potter boy's back as it reminded him of Petunia Dursley.

Annabeth came over next and seemed a bit withdrawn.

"Hey guys, everyone have a fun break?"

"Yeah. I mean Ced and I have two weeks of detention with Snape starting Monday." Percy said nonchalantly.

That got a short laugh from the girl.

"How on earth did you manage that during the holidays?"

"Well Fred and George aren't exactly the easiest people to buy for." Cedric said with a small smile.

"What have the twins done now?" Luke asked with a playful grin as he walked over with Beckendorf, Malcolm, and Selina (who was shooting not so subtle looks at Beckendorf).

"Why do you just assume-"

"That we did something?"

Luke just raised an eyebrow in response.

"Ced and I pranked Snape." Percy told the older kids.

"It really was a thing of beauty." Fred said, miming the action of wiping a tear away.

"A true masterpiece." George agreed.

Luke chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, as proud as I am, I'll have to wish you luck with the detention. He may be my head of house but I still don't want to risk his wrath."

Percy sighed but nodded in understanding. He wouldn't either, if it wasn't already too late.

<><><>

Percy and Cedric walked towards the stairs to the dungeons but were intercepted by Mrs. Dodds who was coming from the dungeons.

"Come with me Honey." She said to Percy.

"But I'm supposed to be serving detention with professor Snape."

As though called by the mention of his name, the bat-like teacher appeared in the doorway.

"Mrs. Dodds has volunteered to oversee your detention Mr. Potter. Mr. Diggory, follow me."

Cedric cast an apologetic glance back at Percy but still turned to follow the man.

As he watched them leave, he figured he lost time or something because when he turned around, Mrs. Dodds had gotten to the top of the first flight of steps.

"Come along Honey." She said in her sickly sweet voice that he hated so much and started up the next flight of stairs.

He tried to catch up to her, he really did, but she was a quick old lady. He was always at least ten feet behind her until he finally caught up as she went into an empty classroom.

"Mrs. Dodds? Why aren't we in your classroom? Don't I have to write lines?" Usually he'd rather jump off the astronomy tower before even thinking of suggesting that but something about this entire situation made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"You've been really bad honey."

"I know, I shouldn't have pulled that prank on professor Snape. It was harmless though."

He glanced back at the door but when he turned back to where Mrs. Dodds was only to find that she wasn't there.

Percy jumped as a creature screeched from the rafters. It looked almost like the defence teacher but more demonic, with great big leather wings. He wouldn't be so sure that it was his teacher if it weren't for the fact that it screeched at him again with a kind of warped version of Mrs. Dodds' voice.

"Give it back honey! We know you took it!"

"What?! I didn't take anything! I have no idea what you're talking about!"

She swooped down at him and he instinctually dropped to the floor.

"Die honey!"

She came at him again and- where did she get a flaming whip?!

He rolled to the side and felt something seemingly burning in his pocket and pulled out the bronze pen from his father's vault.

Percy cried out as the whip wrapped around his arm and used his thumb to flick off the pen cap. He watched in astonishment as the pen expanded until it was a full bronze sword that glowed faintly in the dark classroom.

"What the h- OW!"

He was jerked forward as the evil defense teacher pulled the whip.

As soon as he got close enough, he swung the sword wildly at her. She got one swipe of her talons in before the blade hit her and she burst into a cloud of golden dust, whip and all.

Annabeth, who had seen Percy going the wrong way and followed, frowned. A kindly one had been teaching at Hogwarts and none of the demigods noticed. Not to mention that she attacked Percy. The blonde girl knew that he'd been at school all Christmas break. Zeus believed that Poseidon was responsible...

With a sigh, she snapped her fingers, erasing Mrs. Dodds from everyone's memories.

Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Chapter Text

The snow had almost completely melted and Percy was beyond confused.

Dear Harry,
You remember me writing to you about Mrs. Dodds? Well apparently she never existed. There's a new defense teacher, Professor Johnson. She seems really shaky so I don't think she'll last long. How is it over there? I hope you're not too bored without me.

Percy held the quill over his piece of parchment for a moment and narrowed his eyes at it for a moment before groaning and slamming the quill down on the table and taking new parchment.

"You started writing in Greek again?" Cedric asked calmly from his chair by the fire in the Hufflepuff common room where he was reading the assigned transfiguration pages.

"Yes." He growled.

"Why don't you take a break then?" The brown eyed boy put the book down and turned to look at the other. "Percy, you haven't stopped since Christmas. You're running yourself ragged."

Sea green eyes scanned the page again. Before it was rolled up again.

"Well, what do you suggest I do then cause I need to do something."

"I don't know, go hang out with the giant squid or something, I still have to read another chapter."

Percy sat there for a moment as his housemate returned to his homework. With a shrug, he got up and left the common room. As he walked towards the stairs to the entrance hall, he thought of his situation.

Literally every time he even mentioned Mrs. Dodds it was met with confusion. Every once in a while he'd try and spring a reference on one of his friends or classmates. It never worked. Honestly it would've started to make him feel like he'd finally lost it, gone off the deep end. If it weren't for the fact that he could see a faint glimmer of guilt in Annabeth's eyes when he brought it up. Then there was the slightly sad look his older friends shot him when they thought he wasn't looking.

The biggest tell however, was that Beckendorf slipped up.

Four nights earlier, the older Hufflepuff boy had been talking with Selina (who he had taken to some secret room on a date for Valentines day, seeing as Selina couldn't go to Hogsmead) about DADA when he mixed up Professor Johnson with Mrs. Dodds. The Slytherin girl had instantly corrected him with a warning look, glancing over at Percy who was pretending not to listen.

The black haired boy sighed as he crossed the grounds. He just wished his friends would be honest with him. He knew what he saw.

The black lake was calm. The water a smooth reflective surface. Percy sat by the water's edge for a moment before a slow smile spread across his face and he started taking his shoes and socks off. He also took off his sweater, leaving him in just jeans and a t-shirt. He made sure to keep his wand in hand, he didn't trust other kids not to come steal it.

With one last deep breath, he dove into the lake. The water was dark. Seemingly void of life.

The boy started as voices started speaking in his head and a bunch of fish and other water creatures swarmed him.

I must be going mad, he thought to himself.

Lord!

Lord!

My lord!

Realizing that the fish were talking to him was a shock to say the least. Enough for him to gasp and panic for the five seconds it took for him to realize that he wasn't drowning. Shooting back up to the surface, he floundered for a moment, trying to regain control of his breathing before he hyperventilated.

"Hey! You alright, Perce?" Luke called from the shade of a tree nearby. He was wearing a blue t-shirt matching his eyes and cargo shorts with flip flops, despite the fact that most students still often wore light sweaters even in the castle

"Uh, yeah. Yeah I'm fine. I just- yeah."

The third year Slytherin smirked and raised an eyebrow at the disoriented boy.

"Heads up! he yelled before running towards the lake, jumping in with a splash, despite Percy's cry of protest.

The blonde came up and shook his head almost violently to get the water out of his hair, spraying Percy in the process.

"Luke! Watch it!" Percy cried, half whining and half laughing.

"What, you don't like the water?" Luke asked in a teasing way before hitting the water with his hand in such a way that it soaked the other boy more than he already was.

Caught up with the water fight, all thoughts of Mrs. Dodds and the others keeping things from him flew from his mind.

<><><>

The rest of the school year seemed to pass quickly, between classes and studying for exams he didn't have much time to think of all the odd things happening. At the end of exams he was fairly confident that he did well, especially with Annabeth right next to him every time he entered the library, lecturing him on the importance of pronouncing spells correctly and what ingredients/plants had what properties.

She had distanced herself for a little while after the whole Mrs. Dodds thing that "never happened" but as Percy stopped vocally focusing on it things returned to normal. At the end of the year she, Cedric, the Twins, and Percy all grabbed a compartment together while their friends in older years got a different one.

Percy smiled faintly as he heard the typical shouting match between Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint out in the hall, as well as the familiar stumble of Tonks, another Hufflepuff, as she and Charlie Weasley (both in their sixth year) went to find their own compartment.

The five friends spent a pleasant train ride eating magical treats from the trolley and playing exploding snap. They exchanged information before getting changed, the black haired boy going to the washroom so they wouldn't all stare at his scars.

As the train started to slow, he stared out the window, knowing that Harry will be there waiting for him. However, as his eyes scanned the platform, they caught on a strange sight. Behind the crowd of families waiting eagerly for their children to arrive off the great scarlet steam engine, three old women sat side by side on a bench.

The one on the left was holding a basket of yarn, the one on the right was knitting a pair of socks, and the one in the middle held a pair of comically large scissors.

"I wonder who they're here to pick up." Percy mused aloud, gaining the attention of his friends.

Fred, George, and Cedric laughed as the smallest of them pointed out the old ladies but Annabeth let out a horrified gasp.

Despite the glass, Percy heard the sharp snip of those scissors cutting emerald green yarn.

"Percy," Annabeth snapped, "get on the platform and wait there while I go get Luke. Don't leave without us. We'll be right there."

"Wait, what? What's going on?!"

"We'll explain later, just wait on the platform." she ordered before turning to the other three. "Have a nice summer, hopefully I'll see you in September."

With that she swept out of the compartment, leaving the four boys to exchange perplexed looks.

Shrugging it off, they said goodbye to each other and exited the train. It didn't take long for Percy to find his little brother once everyone cleared away. He was accompanied by Binky as Aunt Minnie was still at Hogwarts. Looking around, he couldn't see Annabeth or Luke so he turned to Harry and the house elf.

"Come on, let's go home. I promise to tell you all about school over lunch." he said with a smile before the three of them disappeared with a crack that was lost amid the loud noises of families reunited and promises of communication between friends.

A few moments later, two blond children emerged from the smoke with a middle aged man in a wheel chair.

"Dammit Perce." Luke muttered.

"You're sure it was the fates you saw?" the man asked in urgent tones.

"Of course I'm sure, we watched them cut a string."

The man sighed.

"Well, we'll have to find him. Soon."

"He'll be staying with Professor McGonagall. He'll be safe." Luke said though he was partially trying to convince himself.

"For now maybe but you can't expect the boy to stay in one place all summer. We must be ready for when he emerges."

The children nodded and the man passed one more gaze around the train platform.

"Come, we must return to the others."

"Yes Chiron."

Luke turned back to search the crowd once more before turning away.

Stay safe Percy.

Chapter 20

Chapter Text

As soon as Percy arrived at McGonagall Castle, his home, Harry bombarded him with questions.

The older boy indulged his younger brother, answering as many questions as he could with how many words were coming at such a speed.

"And what about the forest? I read that there are a bunch of magical creatures living in there!"

"The forest is forbidden, Ry. We aren't allowed to go there." he said with a soft smile.

The smaller boy pouted but quickly brightened up again as he thought of more questions.

While the brothers had exchanged many letters over the course of the school year, it wasn't the same as talking in person, having a fluid conversation. Harry had lived his whole life with his older brother only ever as far as the next room so having the entire school year without seeing his protector was a difficult adjustment. The only consolation was that the house elves were there to keep him company and there wasn't any point when he was in danger so it wasn't really like he needed someone to protect him. It didn't stop him from wanting to see his brother though.

Percy seemed to understand that as he spent the entire rest of the day right by his side, not complaining once about having his kid brother around as he'd heard Dudley's friends do.

At the end of the day, the two of them and Aunt Minnie all sat down to eat supper where Minerva had some news.

"Now, I know that Percy just got home today but I was thinking that maybe the three of us could go stay in America for a week or two. Your mother had a cabin that she'd occasionally rent out on a beach on long island and it is still hers so I figured the three of us could go and spend a few weeks there. We can leave tomorrow morning."

Both boys grinned at her, though Percy's was still less enthusiastic than Harry's, as usual but she knew that it didn't mean that he was any less excited.

"I'm gonna go pack right now!" Harry said, taking a few more bites before jumping out of his chair and running out of the room.

"Be careful!" Percy called after him before chuckling softly. "Thank you for this. For everything."

Minerva studied the boy in front of her. He'd come out of his shell more and more over the course of the school year, never too open around the general population but with those he was close to, he acted like a regular child.

"I'm just sorry I didn't step in sooner." She said, receiving a small, sad smile from Percy.

To her surprise, the eleven year old stood, walked over to her, and tentatively gave her a hug. After freezing for a moment, she returned the gesture. Percy had learned over the years that trusting any adults was a mistake, be it someone who was supposed to look after him or a teacher he'd tell about the abuse, but with Minerva, he was able to start relying on someone other than himself.

"Well," he said, pulling away awkwardly. "I guess I'd better go pack. See you in the morning."

Then he turned and ran out of the room, following his brother's path up the stairs. Minerva was left with her thoughts. When she lost her own family in the war against Grindelwald, she thought that the closest she'd ever come to having that back would be with her lions but now, she had two sons that she loved more and more every day.

With a sigh, the transfiguration professor stood and started making her way upstairs as well, though admittedly at a more sedate pace than Harry and Percy. After all, they'd be leaving in the morning.

<><><>

Portkeys were now Percy's least favourite form of travel. Not only did it feel super weird and uncomfortable with the pulling sensation behind his navel, but he landed on his back. In the ocean. At least his magic let him stay completely dry as he walked out of the ocean. It had done that for as long as he could remember, whenever he wanted to stay dry, he would. Harry and Minerva had landed on the beach and laughed as Percy walked out of the water, grumbling under his breath.

"Yeah, yeah. Now where's this cabin?"

"Right over there." Minerva said, indicating a little wood cabin a little ways farther down the beach.

"Wicked!" Harry shouted, sprinting across the sand to the low building.

At a nod from Minerva, Percy chased after the nine, almost ten, year old. The witch waved her wand to levitate their luggage and walked to the cabin calmly. By the time she got there, the children had already pulled down a bunch of white sheets and opened all the windows to air out the cabin but with another wave of her wand, Minerva was able to completely clean the entire building.

"Now boys, it looks like a storm is going to roll in tonight so if you wanted to do any exploring or swimming, I'd suggest we get to it now and we can unpack later."

They exchanged smiles and ran out of the house.

As they played on the beach, Percy's eyes seemed to change slightly to mirror the ocean. Harry found that the water was too cold to swim in but Percy couldn't really feel the difference. Later that night, the three of them sat around a campfire, roasting marshmallows and telling stories. During a small break in the stories and laughter, Percy found himself lost in thought.

He couldn't help but think about his parents. He'd learned that his mother had been here, at this cabin, the summer before her last year at Hogwarts. Maybe she had met Poseidon here, his father. He wondered what had happened. He was glad that James and Lily had gotten together because if not for them, Harry never would've been born, but he couldn't help but think about how things might've been different if Lily had stayed with his birth father. Of course, he still didn't know anything about the guy, but it didn't stop him from wondering.

When they went to bed, Percy got a very bizarre, yet vivid, dream.

It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagle's wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice, the same one he'd heard earlier in the year, chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.

Percy ran towards them, knowing he had to stop them from killing each other, but he was running in slow motion. The green-eyed boy knew he would be too late. He saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and screamed, No!

Percy woke with a start.

Looking around, Harry was still asleep. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled outside, torrents of rain pounding against the surf. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was about to go wrong, he just knew it.

He slowly eased himself up off his bead, careful not to let it creak so as not to wake his little brother, and made his way out into the main room. Looking out the window, nothing could be seen until lightning flashed once more and the young wizard caught a glimpse of a dark blob in the distance. He squinted, pressing his face up against the glass as though it'd let him see what was happening. With the next flash of light, the blob was closer and more distinct, starting to look like the form of a giant man. And he was heading right for them.

He ran first back to the room he was sharing with Harry, waking the younger boy up and herding him out into the main room before going to bang on their guardian's door. When she opened the door, dressed in her housecoat with her hair loose from its usual tight bun, he was quick to explain. Ish.

"We need to go. Now"

She frowned but followed him back out where they all looked out at where the figure was getting closer and closer to their cabin.

"Alright, I can send the two of you a few km away, into the forest. Do you have your wand, Percy?"

At his nod, she stared determinedly at him.

"Do you know the point me spell? It is rather advanced but with the amount of time you spent in the library and with the older students I wouldn't put it past you to know it by now."

The hufflepuff blushed but nodded his head. "But where am I supposed to be pointed to? Besides, I can't use magic outside of school."

"Here," she said. "Just think about finding somewhere safe. They track underage magic through your wand so take mine and I'll use yours, we can explain to whoever asks later, now hold hands."

The boys did and the put a hand on each of their shoulders. One moment they felt as though the were being squeezed through a straw and the next they were in the middle of the forest, soaked to the bone with the rain. Percy looked at the wand in his hand wearily before casting the spell. It took a few tries and a bit more power than he was used to but soon the boys were running through the trees towards somewhere (hopefully) safe. They had just started up a large hill when Percy heard a large crash behind them and spun to see the figure, large and covered in hair (either that or a large fur coat). As he charged towards them, Percy grabbed his brother's arm and went faster only for that arm to be ripped out of his grasp.

Harry had slipped on the rain slicked grass and was sliding down the hill. The older Potter watched, frozen in horror as his brother, the only thing that had gotten him through the days they'd spent in the "care" of the Dursleys, slid to a stop directly in front of the monster that was chasing them, and was picked up and crushed. With one scream, Harry Potter burst into bright golden dust.

"NO!"

The fear that had been racing through Percy's veins became overcome by grief before quickly turning to anger. With a rush of energy, and a roar of rage, the eleven year old shot a bright red stunner at the beast. It was odd, because in the light of the spell it looked like-

"The Minotaur. You've got to be kidding me. How is this even possible?" He said to himself but seeing as he was part of a secret society of wizards it wasn't really that hard to believe.

He darted to the side as it charged and missed. The pen from the vault suddenly warmed in the pocket of the sweatpants he'd worn to bed and, as it had with Mrs. Dodds, he took it out and the cap off for it to turn into a sword. Of course, he had no idea how to really use a sword. The "fight" against his teacher had been pure dumb luck, not to mention he still had the marks on his arm from her whip. So he figured he'd dodge a few more times to give himself a chance to figure out what the hell he was doing.

Unfortunately, the beef head seemed to have learned from the last time and when it charged him again, it shot its arms out to grab Percy should he try and dart to the side. So the boy did the one thing that popped into his mind. He jumped up.

Now, he didn't really think it would work but he found himself landing on the monster's head.

As he held tight to one of the horns, he felt the simmering rage that he always carried around but kept firmly below the surface bubbling up. This thing killed his baby brother. With a scream of grief and rage, he pulled back on the horn he was holding and with a crack that was drowned out by the rolling thunder, the horn snapped off and Percy went flying off the beast's back. When he landed, there was a snapping sound from his own leg but he ignored it for the moment.

He backed up against a tree and as the monster ran at him, head down in the hopes of skewering him, and when it got close enough he darted forward and, due to the fact that he'd dropped the sword when he fell and magic didn't seem to do much, used the creature's momentum to help drive the severed horn up under it's rib cage.

Stumbling back, he watched the Minotaur dissolve into golden sand which was quickly washed away by the storm.

He limped up the hill determinedly. He could break down as soon as he was safe. As he passed a giant pine tree, a feeling of warmth washed over him and he finally collapsed. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was a familiar pair of blue eyes.

Chapter 21

Chapter Text

Percy woke up several times for short periods before he woke up completely. He remembered brief flashes of things, like a boy who would look like a stereotypical surfer dude if not for the many eyes covering him, familiar blond hair, chocolate chip cookies that he'd made with Harry the summer before.

When the young wizard finally woke up fully, it was to a familiar face.

"Annabeth? What's going on? Where am I?"

"Looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally awake." The grey-eyed girl said with an attempted joking tone but she was a bit too tense to pull it off.

"What happened? What's wrong?!"

Her attempt at a smile faded as she looked away from him and the feeling of dread that had been sitting in the pit of his stomach grew.

"Uh, Percy, what do you r-remember from... before you passed out?" She said cautiously, staring at him with such a deep sadness in her eyes.

"I don't know," he hesitated. "Do I want to remember what happened, Annabeth?"

She bit her lip and looked down at where her hands were clenched together in her lap. When she looked back up at him her grey eyes were starting to water.

"No, I don't think you do. The only thing is, you're the only one who knows what happened." She said before reaching over with a shaking hand and placing Minerva McGonagall's wand on his lap.

His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the simple yet elegant piece of wood that belonged in the hand of the woman who'd rescued him and his brother- his brother...

His vision blurred and his breaths sped up as he remembered what had happened. "Harry, something attacked us and- and Harry-" he cut himself off with a sob as he completely broke down.

Annabeth also started to cry quietly, looking down as her friend lost the control on his emotions that he so often seemed to cling to. Throughout the school year, he'd been very reserved, especially around the rest of the school, but she knew that the most important person in his life was his little brother and from what she'd gathered from his short, broken explanation, Harry Potter was gone. A small part of her brain thought of the wizarding world and how it would handle losing its supposed saviour but it was drowned out by her concern for her friend.

When he finally calmed down he looked at her with green eyes that looked even more like the ocean than usual with the unshed tears.

"You know, there were so many times that I really considered running away. It was so tempting, but the one thing that always stopped me was Harry. It's easier to protect from the monsters you know." He chuckled bitterly.

"I- I am so sorry Percy." The blonde girl whispered.

He took a deep breath in an attempt to center himself before looking up at his surroundings. They were sitting in a room that was fairly bare. Other than the bed he was currently on, there was a bedside table and a small wardrobe. A glass of apple juice and a lemon square had been placed on the table. When she saw his eyes land on it she quickly turned, wiping away her tears, and grabbed the glass, putting a straw in it so it'd be easier for him to drink.

"Here, this should help you to regain your strength." She said, holding it out to him.

Lifting his arms to take the drink, he found that his limbs were indeed too weak to hold the glass himself, his hands shaking hard until she grabbed it back so as to hold it up for him. He nearly choked on the first sip. That was not apple juice. It tasted like cookies. The same chocolate chip cookies he made with-

"What is that stuff?"

"Nectar, the drink of the gods. The square is ambrosia. What does it taste like?"

"Uh, Do you want a sip?"

"Oh, no, nectar tastes different to everyone. Besides, too much can cause a... normal person to spontaneously combust."

"You paused." Percy caught, eyes narrowing.

Annabeth sighed, leaning back in her chair, looking a bit reluctant.

"Well, I'm sure you've heard about the greek gods seeing as you grew up in the world?"

Percy felt his blood turn to ice. There was no way she could know and yet...

She continued talking, having seen him tense up and taking it as confirmation.

"Well they're real. They still exist today, they just keep hidden from the rest of the world. Sometimes they come down from Mount Olympus and date mortals. These relationships tend to result in children."

"Poseidon..." Percy muttered quietly, though not quietly enough.

Annabeth's sharp grey eyes snapped from where she had been looking at the white sheets to his face.

"What do you mean 'Poseidon'? Is he your father? How do you know?"

Now it was the brunette's turn to sigh. He wiped a hand over his face in an attempt to be subtle about the tears in his eyes.

"This summer, when Professor McGonagall came and brought Har-... Harry and I to Gringotts, I had to get an inheritance test. For the parents, three names came up. Turns out, James Potter adopted me through blood and magic when I was born."

The blonde frowned and he could practically see the gears turning in her head. Percy turned to look out the window. The sun was shining brightly over what seemed to be luscious strawberry fields, in sharp contrast to the grief that had settled in the pit of his stomach.

"Annabeth, what is this place?"

She was silent for a moment before replying softly.

"This is Camp Half-Blood."

"Like Luke's shirt?"

"Yes. This is where we live. The demigods. This is one of the only safe places in the world for people like us. Out in the mortal world, the muggle world, monsters hunt us down due to our godly blood. Just as the gods have survived all these years, so have their enemies. While the most dangerous ones remain dormant, those that have the power to take on the gods directly, the rest settle for killing their vulnerable children whenever possible."

The Ravenclaw sat in silence, waiting for a response from her friend. Having lived in the camp since she was seven, she had seen every reaction to this information.

"Did you know?" Percy asked emotionlessly.

"Yes," she whispered. "That's why we wanted you to wait on the platform for us. Luke and I had gone to get Chiron, the leader here."

The only response she got to that was a silent tear rolling down his otherwise blank face.

If he had only listened to Annabeth. She was the smart one in the group. He was so focused on getting back to his new home, on spending time with his brother... who was now dead. And all because he didn't believe anything was really wrong.

For the majority of his life, Harry was the only reason he got up in the morning. The little ball of sunshine, naivety, and optimism that never flickered. He made it his life's goal to never let the light die in his brother's eyes.

Slowly, the small boy laid back down and turned onto his side, facing away from the grey-eyed girl. As sea green eyes closed against the light flooding in through the window, all he could think of was how one mistake had ruined everything. Harry was gone.

He had failed.

Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Chapter Text

Luke stood in front of the big house. He hadn't visited Percy yet since the younger boy woke up due to it being his job to corral his mischievous siblings. Annabeth said that the last surviving Potter had not gotten up or eaten in the two days since he woke other than to go to the washroom.

Taking a deep breath, the blonde boy walked into the building and to the room where his young friend was staying.

"Percy, hey bud."

The only response he got was a slight shift of the pile of blankets on the bed and a pair of ocean eyes peeking out at him. Luke smiled softly.

"How are you feeling?"

Percy looked down, eyes shining, before he shifted once more, finally sitting up in the bed. His eyes were red-rimmed from crying on and off for the past few days. Despite the glint of unshed tears hiding in them, he felt that he wasn't able to cry anymore.

"I-I don't know." Percy choked out, voice cracking a bit. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do without my brother."

Luke nodded solemnly, moving to sit facing the younger boy on the bed.

"I know what you mean. When I was a baby, my mother was cursed, making it hard for her to take care of me. A few years before I started at Hogwarts I ran away. While I was on the run, I met two girls, one of them was Annabeth. They became my family, my sisters. Eventually we made it here but right before we reached the barrier, the other girl stopped, determined to fend off the monsters while we got to safety. I wanted to help her or convince her that we could make it here together but there was no time and the one leading us to the camp had an injured his leg. She didn't make it to camp." Luke told his story with a hollow voice, gaze locked on the knitted blanket yet still unseeing.

Percy frowned at him.

"How do you do it? Get through your days knowing she's gone?"

Luke swallowed thickly and took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Well as bad as it sounds, it gets better with time. And I had Annabeth to worry about so that helped me get out of my own head. The biggest thing however, is that I promised myself that I would train, train as hard as I could so that one day I would be able to avenge her, my best friend."

The son of Poseidon saw a hard, dark glint in Luke's blue eyes but he was honestly just relieved that he'd been given something he could do rather than more platitudes as Annabeth had given.

<><><>

After talking for a little while longer, Luke went and sat on the front porch of the big house while Percy took a shower and got into the change of clothes that had been waiting for him since the first day. While Luke was waiting, observing the campers running and training in the different areas, Percy stood in front of the mirror.

He had been supplied with shorts and a T-shirt. He hadn't worn clothes like this around others since he was maybe about five years old. After that scars had started appearing on his arms and legs. Even when swimming with Harry a few days earlier (wow, had it already been a few days?) he'd worn a long-sleeved swim shirt and pants. At least at Hogwarts he could use glamours, it was the first thing he'd taught himself when he got a chance to find the library.

Now looking in the mirror, red lines, white lines, and all the shades in between marred his limbs, each colour marking how old the scar was.

Feeling tears of fear and embarrassment fighting to the surface, Percy resolutely pushed them down. He wasn't about stoop so low as to cry about something so trivial as his appearance when he'd just lost his brother. With that thought in mind, the last Potter squared his shoulders, resigned himself to the reactions of others, and walked out of the washroom.

Luke turned at the light footsteps of his friend and couldn't stop himself from gasping slightly. He knew that Harry and his brother had been taken in by the transfiguration professor and that there had to have been a reason for that but Percy was just so small. Seeing the collection of scars decorating the 11, soon to be 12, year old's limbs sent a feeling of just wrong through the blonde. Thankfully, he was able to rein in his expression quickly.

"Ready to see the camp?" He asked, standing and motioning away from the building Percy had been staying in.

The smaller boy blinked at the small reaction but nodded quickly.

"Yeah, I'll probably need more of an explanation while you're at it though."

Luke chuckled and shook his head before leading him further into the camp.

"So I'm sure that Annabeth already told you about the gods existing?"

"Yeah, my dad is Poseidon."

Luke tried to ignore how his heart decided to stop beating for an instance.

A half-blood of the eldest gods...

"How do you know?"

"I took an inheritance test before going to Hogwarts. Three names showed up for parents."

Luke nodded, telling himself mentally that it could always be someone else.

"Well my father is Hermes. God of thieves, travellers, messengers, and a bunch of other boring things. Here at camp, each of the twelve olympians have a cabin where their children reside. Now you'll find that there are no other children of the big three here as they made a pact at the end of World War Two that they wouldn't have any more children as they were too powerful."

Percy laughed bitterly.

"Well if I'm so powerful then why couldn't I save my brother?"

The older boy sighed and put a comforting hand on Percy's shoulder.

"Come on, I'll show you your cabin."

<><><>

Percy was surprised by the amount of faces he recognized from Hogwarts. Clarisse, unfortunately, was one of them. On the bright side, he was walking with the fourteen year old Slytherin so she sneered but didn't do anything else.

After showing him all the different activities, swordplay, lava spewing climbing wall, archery ranges, etc. he passed him over to his dorm mate, Castor because he had to bring his siblings to the arena.

"I'm a son of Dionysus. One of the only two currently around. Usually kids get claimed in some big dramatic way with their godly parent's symbol appearing above their heads. Problem is, my dad was sent down to be a supervisor here as punishment for chasing some nymph that was off limits so when Pollux and I arrived he just pointed, said 'these two are mine' and went about his day."

Percy winced at the description. The god of wine sounded like a stereotypical deadbeat dad.

"Pollux, your twin, he's in Ravenclaw, right?"

Castor looked around quickly before replying in a low voice.

"Yeah but, here's the thing. I'm sure you've seen a fair amount of familiar faces by now. Issue is, not everyone here goes to Hogwarts. Those who don't go, don't know so it's all hush hush. It's the same at school, not everyone from Hogwarts comes here. Got it?"

Percy took a deep breath to try and center himself. So he couldn't talk openly about school at camp or camp at school, and the only place he would've been able to speak with absolute freedom would've been McGonagall Castle. Of course now his brother was gone and he had no idea what had happened to Aunt Minerva so who could say if he would ever return there. Shaking those thoughts away, the last Potter took one last cleansing breath before turning to his fellow Hufflepuff. His fellow demigod.

"Yeah, got it."

Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Chapter Text

Percy's first Friday at camp, they were going to be playing capture the flag. That was cool with him, he'd played it a few times at mugg-mortal school and it wasn't too hard. All the yard work at the Dursley's had given him a fair amount of muscle that he had kept up over the school year (old habits die hard, it felt weird to not do any real physical activity so he found ways to work). Despite only being at camp for less than a week, the son of Poseidon had taken to his courses like a duck to water. Especially sword fighting.

He only sparred with Annabeth, Luke, Castor, and Pollux, who was very nice if a bit aloof. None of the other campers had ever seen him in action and with his short stature, still suffering side effects from growing up severely malnourished, many assumed that he would be an easy target. He had taken to wrapping his forearms everyday and wearing jeans to hide his scars while everyone else carried the occasional scars with pride, furthering their underestimation. If he had learned anything useful in his time in Surrey, it was that the more people underestimated you, the easier it was to strike back if needed.

When the time came, Percy was surprised to see everyone grabbing armour.

"Everyone remember the rules! No maiming and no killing!" Came from Chiron, the leader of camp and a centaur. He was the legendary teacher of the ancient heroes and Percy was amazed when he met him.

"Uh, Annabeth? Could you further explain what exactly we're doing? I feel like this is not the same game I played in mu-mortal school."

The blonde girl was already wearing a bronze breastplate, a bronze dagger strapped to her side and was leaning over a table with a map of the woods spread across it.

"It's basically the same," she said without turning away from her strategizing. "The only difference is that everyone has sharp pointy objects, there are usually archers attacking from in the trees, and some people have powers or special abilities they can use against you."

Percy blinked and was silent for a moment before nodding to himself. It wouldn't be the first time he'd dealt with unfair odds.

Luke walked over with a smaller breastplate.

"Here, take this you're gonna need it. Do you have your sword?"

Percy took his pen out of his pocket and uncapped it, taking a moment to stare at his reflection in the blade. Many campers looked over, not expecting the newbie to be holding the shining blade which almost none of them had seen before.

Annabeth glanced up at him.

"Percy, you're going to be guarding the river right by the flag."

He raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her, the one closest to the flag usually got the worst treatment. The daughter of Athena had a glint in her eye, one he had become very familiar with over the school year. She had a plan, one sure to succeed.

With a sigh he nodded, fully aware that he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

The twelve year old girl smirked and turned back to her plans.

Castor and Pollux wandered over from the other team and Percy met the twins half way.

"You ready for this Aquaman?" Pollux asked, quiver on his back and bow strung in his hand.

"Ready as I can be."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Castor said, resting one end of his staff on the ground. "Newbies are always put in the less dangerous positions."

Percy scoffed lightly.

"I may be new here but I think I know the game well enough to know I'm not in a very safe place."

The twins frowned at him.

"Where are you going to be?"

The Stoll brothers appeared on either side of the dark haired boy so suddenly Percy could swear they apparated.

"Now, now-"

"-no consorting with the enemy."

"And no corrupting the opposition."

If Percy didn't know better he'd assume that Fred and George were actually quadruplets with Travis and Connor Stoll. However he did know better. The Stoll's weren't even twins, though they could fool many otherwise. Travis was older by one year and the only way to semi-tell was that he was a few inches taller.

The actual twins rolled their eyes and walked away with a quick "good luck Percy!". As soon as the sons of Hermes were certain they were out of earshot, they turned to the Potter boy.

"You know-"

"-you really don't have to-"

"-worry about where you're positioned."

"Annabeth always has a plan."

Not waiting for a response, the Stoll's dashed off too pester another group of campers.

"Yeah," he muttered under his breath. "She'd better."

<><><>

That one thing that Percy could say was not reassuring in the slightest: the rules given for demigod capture the flag.

"Remember campers, no maiming, no killing!" Chiron had said.

Great. Awesome. Bloody brilliant.

Being positioned, alone, right by the flag was not his idea of a fun time but whatever Annabeth Chase says goes at this camp apparently. Not that Percy was particularly surprised. That girl is quite frightening. He just wished her plan didn't involve his murder.

For maybe twenty minutes (though it felt like hours) the wizard stood beside the river, waiting. The only thing he could do was sit and listen to the sounds of yelling, people crashing through the trees (to the nymphs' chagrin), and the clash of metal on metal echoing through the woods. Percy quickly became bored and it was because of that that he didn't realize Clarisse had arrived until she charged him, wielding her electric spear "maimer" and yelling a battle cry.

If it weren't for the battle cry she may have taken his head off. As it was, he was able to duck just in time to miss the sharp edge though the daughter of Ares was able to react quickly and slam the butt of the spear down, getting his head with a glancing blow that disoriented him enough for her to get a jab in. As the electricity jolted through him there was a tugging sensation in his gut and suddenly Clarisse, and her spear, were gone.

Regaining his breath, Percy sat up at the same time as his housemate, who was soaking wet and stared in shock at her weapon which had been snapped in half.

"You little punk!"

Grabbing a half in each hand, she attacked with a new fury. Thankfully the people he was training with were no slouches.

His bronze sword raised to block nearly every hit, at least every hit that might break skin. While he was able to hold his own well enough, even training with the best fighters in camp wasn't enough to hold off dual weapons. She beat him back turning him around until he had his back to the river. Still, he was able to hold her off. That is, until four of the vicious girl's half siblings came and joined the fray.

Percy was struggling to hold them off, hearing cheering from the direction of the halfway point. It sounded like his teammates were successful in grabbing the flag. Sadly, that didn't save him from the immediate threat.

In a moment of distraction, he left his guard open and one of Clarisse's brothers slashed at his stomach. The armour did its job in preventing him from being sliced in half but it didn't stop him from being shoved into the water. As soon as he hit it, he felt a pulse of energy flow through him. His bruises and cuts washed away as though they were just special effects makeup in the flowing river.

Luke and Annabeth burst through the tree line, the daughter of Athena holding the flag high in victory, just as Percy got to his feet in the middle of the water.

It felt like all those years at the Dursley's when he suppressed his magic to the best of his ability. Pure power rampaging through his veins. The power of the sea does not like to be restrained. Percy had no clue where that phrase came from but as it floated across his mind he felt it was true. Relaxing, Percy gathered up all that power, and set it free.

The water left the river, rising like a tidal wave and crashing down onto the children of Ares, ripping their weapons from their hands, knocking them back on their asses.

Chiron trotted forward as the water receded.

"And the winners of this week's Capture the flag match is Blue team!"

Everyone from Percy's team cheered though many of them who had seen his little trick were looking at him wide eyed.

As more campers gathered, they took in the scene that was the newbie standing unharmed and bone dry on the river with five long-time Ares campers soaking wet and lying on the ground, weapons either far from their reach or broken next to them.

The Stoll brothers approached Percy and as he stepped off the water they each slung an arm around his shoulders.

"See?" Travis said.

"See what?" Percy asked, looking between the brothers.

"Annabeth always has a plan." Conner said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Looking over at the blonde girl's smug smirk, he had to acknowledge that they were correct. Of course that didn't stop him from grumbling about it just a little when they all met up to head back to camp.

"You could've at least told me what you were planning."

Annabeth's shrug confirmed his suspicions that she didn't plan on sharing her ideas at any point in the near future.

Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Chapter Text

At campfire that night, everyone was still hyped up on adrenaline, fuelled by their victory. The flames glowed gold, dancing against the sky.

Satyrs were running around, chasing the nature spirits and trying to get the attention of some daughters of Aphrodite. An entire camp full of preteens - teenagers was a mess. Add in powers and it was chaos.

Not even five minutes through and Percy was already feeling claustrophobic as the sheer volume that was hundreds of kids enjoying the night. With the flames shooting several feet into the sky, many people were steering clear of the immediate area so he moved closer and was better able to breathe.

Luke approached him, a plate in hand that had an assortment of food on it.

"The man of the hour! Hiding away? If I didn't know you better I'd think you'd gone mad, shying away from the glory of victory."

Percy smiled tiredly at him.

"Yeah, it's not really my scene."

"Of course not," Luke said fondly, ruffling the younger boy's hair. "You look exhausted. You should probably get some sleep."

Percy yawned, allowing his head to fall onto the Slytherin's shoulder.

"Yeah, I've been having these... really weird... dreams lately.."

"Just sleep Perce, get some rest.

<><><>

That night, Percy had another dream.

He was back on the beach, rain falling in sheets that hindered his vision but not so much that he missed the two men fighting. Both had dark hair that was plastered to their foreheads as water swirled and lightning flashed around them. Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green. They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked, and head-butted, and every time they connected the storm grew worse.

"Stop! Please! You have to stop!" Percy yelled, trying to be heard over the rolling thunder and pounding waves, but it was no use.

He didn't know why but he had to get to them, had to stop them. Unfortunately, the harder he tried to run towards them, the stronger the wind became, holding him back.

The words of the blue-robed man floated over the storm as he yelled for the green-robed man to, Give it back! Give it back! Like a kindergartener fighting over a toy.

The evil laugh echoed all around as the ground shook. Percy's blood turned to ice.

Come down, little hero, the voice crooned. Come down!

The earth cracked open beneath the Hufflepuff and his feet slipped, leaving him to be devoured by the darkness.

Shooting up in bed, Percy still felt like he was falling. Taking a moment to get his breathing and heart rate under control, his hard work was ruined by a sudden knock on his door.

Looking out the window it seemed to still be dark out but he opened the door anyways. He wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon.

On the other side of the door was Grover Underwood, a young satyr that Percy had spoken to a few times over his time here.

"Hey Percy, sorry to bother you man. Mr. D wanted to talk to you."

Looking past the satyr, he saw that the impression of night time came from the thick dark clouds that covered the normally blue sky.

"I thought Camp didn't get bad weather."

Grover looked anxiously at the sky, almost as though it was about to descend upon him.

"Uhh, yeah, umm, Mr. D is waiting."

Grover said before turning and heading for the Big House.

Percy quickly changed from his pyjama pants into jeans (which he still marvelled over — they actually fit!) and left, shutting the cabin door behind him. He had to jog slightly to catch up to the satyr.

"So, do you know what this is about?"

The other boy looked nervously at him but didn't answer.

When they reached the building, Grover opened the door for him but did not follow. Mr. D sat in a chair, Diet co*ke in hand, and his bright patterned shirt obnoxious as ever.

"Perry Porker, you are trouble."

A shiver ran down his spine

You are nothing but trouble Perseus Potter...

He felt his entire body tense up. Percy's eyes immediately seeking out the floor. But Aunt Petunia wasn't here. He'd never see that horse-like woman again.

"What exactly is it that I've done wrong, sir?"

"Well you were born, for one." He declared before adding, almost as though it was an afterthought, "Also everyone is sure you stole Zeus' master lightning bolt."

"Wait, what?!"

"Zeus' symbol of power. The thing he used to kill his father. It was stolen during the winter solstice and he thinks you took it so your father can overthrow him."

"That's insane!"

Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance.

"Watch your mouth kid." Mr. D said, eyes flashing purple.

"Sorry sir, but I stayed at school during the holiday break. I only left at the end of the year."

"Yeah well we don't often associate with Hecate's pet world unless someone catches our eye. We have no proof that you were still at that school of yours."

Percy had to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying something that would get himself killed. Mr. D was talking about this entire thing so flippantly, as though it wasn't a life on the line. Though, as a god, humans probably didn't matter all that much.

"Well, how can I prove my innocence?"

The god of wine eyed the preteen contemplatively.

"You could go on a quest. Of course there haven't been any quests in a long time and there's a good chance of you dying."

Percy swallowed and looked at the worn wooden floors. He didn't want to die. He finally had friends, people that understood him... but Harry was dead. His little brother wouldn't want him to die but he would either way. At least if he goes on this quest thing there's a chance of survival. Even if it does kill him, at least he'll see his family again.

Decision made, he looked up at the (honestly, kind of pathetic) god in front of him.

"What do I have to do?"

Mr. D just stared at him for a moment.

"Well that was dramatic. Just find the bolt. Get a prophecy from the Spirit of Delphi up in the attic, pick two people to go with you. Typically it's a fellow demigod and a satyr but whatever."

Percy stood in front of him for a while longer, waiting for him to say something else.

"You can go now Peter Parker."

Frowning, Percy spun on his heel and left to find Annabeth in the hopes that she could help him figure out what exactly just happened, and show him how to actually get to the attic.

Chapter 25

Chapter Text

"Annabeth! Hey!" Percy called, running across the grass towards the daughter of Athena. "I need to ask you about something."

She looked up from her book (about architecture, of course).

"Yes?"

"How do I get to the attic in the big house?"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"And why would you want to go there?"

"Mr. D said I had to talk to an oracle?"

Annabeth shot to her feet and gripped his shoulders tightly. Not quite tight enough to bruise but it was a close thing.

"You're getting a quest?" She demanded, her gaze so intense it was almost a glare.

"Umm, yeah? Is that a big deal?"

"Is that a-?! Of course it's a big deal you idiot! No one's been aloud on a quest in years!"

Percy frowned and backed away slightly as the blonde's arms waved through the air.

"Well sorry that I haven't been here long enough to fully appreciate the chance to get myself killed."

The daughter of Athena sighed and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back towards the big house.

"That's the point. The last time someone went on a quest, they almost didn't come back. Since then, no one has been allowed on any quests. I've been begging Chiron to let me go on a quest almost since I was seven but I should've known that when a Potter goes anywhere, things are bound to change."

Percy frowned at the grass, so he didn't know why they'd stopped until he looked up and saw his friend looking back at him.

"What's wrong Perce?"

He tried for a smile but didn't quite reach his goal.

"Nothing."

At her incredulous look, he sighed.

"Well I'm not a real Potter now am I? I was just adopted by James Potter. All my life I thought I was his son, thought I looked like him. Turns out I look like this because this is what sons of Poseidon look like."

"Look Percy, I know that this is something that will take a while to fully take in and accept, but the way family works, true family, is that blood doesn't matter. From what I've heard, James Potter loved both his children. Not just your little brother."

Percy nodded, thinking hard about what she was saying.

"Well, I've said my piece, now let's get you to the Oracle."

After walking in silence for a few moments, Percy spoke up.

"So, what's the big deal about this oracle?"

"Every quest gets a prophecy that acts almost like a guide or a warning. Then, the person leading the quest pick to others to join them on the journey. Now I'm assuming this is about Zeus' master bolt so we- you have until the summer solstice to complete this quest."

"Cool. When is that?"

She rolled her eyes and went into the big house.

Percy followed her up the stairs and almost ran into her when she stopped suddenly and pointed up. Following her finger he found that they were standing directly below a green trapdoor.

"Are you not coming with me?" He asked as she reached a bit farther up to open the door and pull the stairs down.

"No, you have to get the prophecy alone. I'll be in the game room when you're done." And with that she turned and left him alone in the hallway.

Looking back up at the hole in the ceiling, Percy couldn't see anything except darkness. Taking a deep breath, he went up into the dark. Once in the attic, he saw that there was some light coming in through a grimy window, in front of which was a mummy propped up on a stool.

He had to walk past tables full of random objects, claws in jars, gold apples, dented shield to stand in front of the withered woman. Her eyes were gone, leaving empty sockets, her skin looked like a tanned hide stretched over her bones, and she was dressed like a hippie in her tie-dye dress and beads.

"Ummm" he looked around the cramped room before turning back to the mummy. "I need a prophecy?"

Nothing happened for a moment but then the hippie mummy sat up, its jaw opening to unleash a cloud of green mist that coiled over the floor. A voice whispered in his brain.

"I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, Seeker, and ask."

Percy looked down at the thick green mist that curled around his legs and back up at the mummy, swallowing down the fear that was trying to crawl up his throat.

"What is my destiny?" He croaked out.

The mist thickened even more, gathering in front of him until it formed a familiar image. The Dursley's, including Uncle Vernon's sister Marge Dursley, sitting around the kitchen table. It wasn't real, Percy knew this, but he still had to force himself to stay where he was rather than back away as he really wanted to.

Uncle Vernon turned his head towards the boy and spoke in the Oracle's rasping voice.

"You shall go west, and face the god who has turned."

Aunt Petunia served Dudley and continued in the same voice.

"You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned."

Dudley looked away from the telly and spoke.

"You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend."

Percy felt like he'd just been punched in the gut but turned his attention to Marge for the next line.

"And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end."

His chest felt tight as the mist dissipated and he headed down out of the attic. He had spent years without friends and now one was going to betray him? He entered the living room of the big house to find Annabeth sitting on the couch her leg bouncing as she waited for him.

"Percy, what was the prophecy?"

He repeated it and she frowned, he could practically hear the gears turning in her head.

"Alright."

"Alright?"

"Yeah, we can work with that."

"We?"

"Yes, we. I have been waiting to go on a quest since I was seven years old Potter. You are nuts if you think I'm not going with you."

Percy held his hands up in surrender.

"Alright." He said with a lopsided smile.

With that the pair went back to their usual, playful banter but Percy couldn't get the prophecy out of his head. Who would betray him? What would he fail to save?

With a small inward sigh, Percy shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind to think on later. For now, he needed to pick the third person to come on this quest and ask Chiron about any other supplies. Something told him Mr. D would be of no help.

Chapter 26

Chapter Text

The next day, before the sun had risen, a group of demigods and a centaur made their way to the top of halfblood hill. Three of them were about to leave the border and the rest were there to see them off.

Luke, Beckendorf, Silena, Travis, Conner, Malcolm, and Pollux were saying their goodbyes ("Not goodbyes, well wishes. Goodbyes imply you're not coming back and you are coming back so help me god." "What Silena means is good luck.") to the three kids. Castor was talking quietly with his twin off to the side. Malcolm was going through some strategies that may be helpful for almost any situation with Annabeth. Travis and Conner joked around a bit before running off toward the Demeter cabin. Percy figured it was better not to ask, plausible deniability was something his friendship with the Weasley twins had taught him to appreciate.

Percy's fellow Hufflepuff clapped him on the shoulder, his other arm around Selina's shoulders.

"I'm sure you'll do great. You have good friends watching your back and a well crafted sword in hand."

Selina snorted. It was already a bit of a running joke that Beckendorf loved Percy's sword. The daughter of Aphrodite stepped forward to pull the boy into a hug.

"Now remember, think like a Slytherin or Ravenclaw, maybe a Hufflepuff. Whatever you do, don't act like a Gryffindor. Don't get me wrong, they are perfectly good people, but the tend to run into danger even when it's unnecessary. Alright?"

Percy smiled wryly and nodded. With one last hug, the pair went over to share some last minute wisdom with Castor. Luke came over and put his hands on Percy's shoulders.

"Do you have the items I gave you? In retrospect, shoes to make you fly aren't necessarily the best things to give a son of the sea."

"Yeah, I gave them to Castor to wear."

"Alright, that's probably best. Now remember, be smart about this. Gods can be real dicks. They aren't supposed to interfere but they tend to only listen to their own rules when it's convenient for them."

Percy frowned at the bitterness in his friend’s voice which prompted Luke to smile quickly.

"Sorry, just... be careful about things you don't really have to do."

With one last hug for each of the travellers and a few words from Chiron, the trio ran down half blood hill to the road where Argus, the hundred-eyed surfer guy, waited to drive them to the nearest bus station.

Luke watched them leave, his gut lurching with a mixture of guilt and fear. He had just intentionally messed with the titan lord's plan and sent an innocent demigod to his death. He just couldn't let anything happen to Percy. He was his friend, a boy who had already been through so much in his short life. If the titan ever knew though...

Shaking off the what if's, Luke turned to go back to his cabin, resigning himself to the fact that all he could do now is wait.

<><><>

The three kids bought tickets and got on the bus, choosing seats at the back of the vehicle. Castor looked over at his dorm mate and the Ravenclaw as the pair looked tense. Annabeth was looking through her mini book of Greek monsters in an attempt to prepare for anything they might come across. Meanwhile, Percy was staring out the window, his leg bouncing frantically.

"You alright Perce?"

"Yeah, some Apollo campers were able to make me my potion and put it into unbreakable vials for my pack so I don't have to worry about that and Luke, Beckendorf, and Silena provided some mortal money as well as drachmas."

"So why don't I believe you?"

Ocean eyes peered up at him.

"I- I've never been on a bus before. Ha- my little brother always wanted to go on one but-. Our relatives..."

Castor looked down at Percy's arms, though they were covered by long sleeves and a light jacket he was well aware of the multitude of scars that covered them. The son of Poseidon had been very particular about wearing clothes that covered at Hogwarts but once he arrived at camp, there were times where he had to wear shorter sleeves. To think that he'd been through so much before he knew of his heritage.

Castor slid the straps of his pack off his shoulders and unzipped it. Reaching in, he pulled out a can of grape soda, offering it to his friend. The black haired boy stared at it for a moment before accepting the drink with a soft smile.

"Grape?"

"Well I am the son of Dionysus." Castor said, lowering the shades slightly to show off his purple eyes.

That got a laugh from the smaller boy. Mission accomplished. Now, Annabeth.

The blonde girl had taken her ponytail out and had her elbow trying to hold her book open as she put her hair up again so she could keep reading.

Castor reached over and put his hand on the top of the two pages, holding the book open without blocking the words. Annabeth smiled at him gratefully and finished putting her hair up.

"Thanks Castor, I'm just trying to prepare."

"I get that, but I'm sure you already know all that we need. There's only so much studying you can do."

He could tell that she knew he was right but the look on her face said the Ravenclaw wasn't happy about it. Percy was still just staring out the window, sipping his soda, but looked much calmer than before. So far, the quest didn't seem to be going too badly. It was only a few stops later when things went wrong. Three old ladies climbed onto the bus. One of which, was Mrs. Dodds.

Castor, the only one of the three demigods paying attention, tensed and elbowed his companions roughly.

"Hey!"

"What the heck, Marks?!"

When he stared forward, Percy and Annabeth followed his gaze.

"Oh bloody hell," the blonde girl said under her breath.

The trio sat, backs straight, watching the old women, the kindly ones as Annabeth so kindly supplied, as the bus started moving.

Mrs. Dodds turned her head and smiled sharply at them from where she sat at the very front of the bus, blocking the exit.

"Alright, we need to get off this bus." Annabeth said, grey eyes seeking any extra exits.

Unfortunately, either they'd have to go out a window or wait for the next stop. Neither option was great.

"Here, Percy take this." Annabeth said, passing him a Yankees baseball cap.

"Why do I need a hat? It's not going to do much."

She rolled her eyes, shoving the cap on his head causing him to promptly disappear.

"Bloody hell!" Castor exclaimed.

Ignoring him, Annabeth took the pack off her back, shoving it into the now seemingly empty space which gave an audible oof.

"Percy, take the packs and head to the front."

As she said this, the three old ladies stood and turned towards them with sickeningly sweet smiles. Thankfully there weren't many people on the bus so the smallest of their group was able to climb invisible over the seats and bypass the evil trio who were making their way down the aisle.

Reaching the front, Percy turned back to see Annabeth pull out her bronze dagger, Castor wielding a sword, and the kindly ones pulling out whips, fire dancing along the weapons. The scar on his arm from that same weapon earlier in the year.

He had many scars, culminated over many years. Scars that he'd learned no one should ever have. If he could stop it from happening to someone else, he would do whatever it took. It was this line of thought that led to his next actions.

Taking off the yankee's cap of invisibility, Percy turned towards the back of the bus.

"Oi! Mrs. Dodds! I'm over here, come and get me you old bat!"

Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Chapter Text

Annabeth looked past the monsters at her friend. She thought he was a Hufflepuff, not a brainless Gryffindor. So why was the idiot calling attention to himself? Scoffing to herself, her brain supplied the answer. Loyalty.

The kindly ones turned to the small preteen at the front of the bus.

"We know you have it. Give it back honey, and we'll make this quick."

"I don't have what you're looking for. But even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you!"

As the furies started advancing on him, Percy realized just how bad his half-formed idea was and lunged for the steering wheel.

None of the mug-mortals had noticed the three old demon ladies but they certainly saw the eleven year old boy wrenching the wheel out of the driver's hands and sending the bus spinning out of control.

"Hey, kid!"

"What the-?!"

"Hey!"

CRASH

The bus had fallen onto its side and a strong smell of gas permeated the air. Everyone immediately went for the emergency exit windows.

The confusion and chaos allowed the three demigods to escape the bus, and the monsters, with the rest of the people. As they were slipping out the window, a sickeningly sweet voice called out.

"Oh honey, don't you want your little brother back?"

Percy froze and would've stayed if the daughter of Athena didn't grab his arm and pull him along.

Slipping into the trees beside the road, Castor turned back in time to see the vehicle explode.

The three of them ran further into the woods.

"Alright, that just happened. What now?" Castor asked, running a hand through his blond hair.

"Now we follow the road as best we can while staying out of sight." Annabeth said, accepting her baseball cap back from Percy.

The black haired boy leaned heavily against a tree.

"What did she mean?" he whispered with wide eyes, staring at the dirt beneath his feet.

"What was that Perce?"

"What. Did she mean? 'Do I want my brother back?' What the bloody hell did she mean by that?!"

The two blondes exchanged looks.

"Look, lots of things are possible when it comes to Greek deities. She could've just been trying to get your attention..."

"Or...?"

"The Kindly Ones work for Hades, Lord of the Underworld. It's possible that she would've made a deal with you. The bolt for Harry."

Percy put his hands on his head and tried to blink the tears away. Breathing deeply to push down the lump in his throat that could either be a scream or a sob, he looked at the Ravenclaw girl.

"Harry's alive?"

"Not necessarily in the way you mean but it is possible to bring him back. But Percy, the Master Lightning Bolt rightfully belongs to Zeus. First of all, we don't know where it even is, and second of all, if we found it and gave it to Hades, it would start World War 3."

"So we find a way around it. Harry is my little brother. The only family I have left. I can't just-"

"Okay. Okay, we'll find a way. First we have to find the bolt. The prophecy said to go west so we'll find the nearest town and head west from there. Our best bet is to follow the road and we only have until Summer Solstice so let's get going." Annabeth said and the boys could practically see the plan forming in her mind.

Making sure they had their things, the trio set off through the trees.

<><><>

It was reaching nightfall when they came across a low building decorated with a multitude of statues lying around the front lawn. The smell of burgers and fries wafted through an open window.

"Can either of you read that?" Percy asked, squinting at the sign. The more he tried to focus and puzzle out the words, the more the letters danced around, as though to taunt him.

Castor, having the lightest case of dyslexia, stepped closer.

"I think it says... Aunty Em's... Garden Emporium?"

"Maybe this Aunty Em woman would be willing to share some food." Annabeth said hopefully.

They had packed some food but were hoping to keep it for as long as possible and this could provide the perfect opportunity to save what they had. With that in mind, the blonde members of the quest started forwards.

"Hang on guys, doesn't this seem a bit too... convenient?"

Annabeth hesitated but the son of Dionysus just brushed it off.

"Oh come on, we're three demigods and none of us are slouches. Even if there's something nefarious going on I'm sure we can handle it. I'm starving."

Both boys looked to their resident strategist who looked torn, biting her lip as she tried to think through her indecision.

"Well, we are pretty hungry." She said hesitantly, earning a cheer from Castor.

"Yes! Thank you! Let's go."

Knocking on the door, it was opened by a woman in a black veil.

"Why hello children, whatever could you be doing out here all alone?"

"Hello Ma'am," Castor said, being the most eager for food. "We are with the circus but we got terribly lost and fear they have left without us."

Behind him, Percy and Annabeth exchanged incredulous looks at the tale their friend was weaving.

"Oh that's dreadful!"

"Yes," Castor said mournfully. "We were wandering the woods when we came across your emporium. We don't have much money but we hoped you could spare some food?"

They could just see the shade of a smile through the veil as she moved aside to allow them entry.

"Of course! Such polite children, do come in. And please, call me Aunty Em."

The three of them entered and the smell of food got stronger. Aunty Em led them to a table laden with typical American foods. Everything smelled deep-fried and delicious. After getting an encouraging nod from their host, the demigods dug in.

The more they ate, the more they were filled with a warm floaty feeling. For Annabeth and Castor, they loved it, they felt sleepy in the way one feels with warm, weighted blanket after a long day. Percy however, was not a fan. He had felt that way before, after particularly hard beating. The pain would overwhelm his senses, becoming so much that his mind would be unable to handle it and everything would go numb as sleep claimed his consciousness. Whatever was going on, something wasn't right.

As Percy struggled to clear his fuzzy mind, Aunty Em started to speak.

"You are such darling children, I would just love to sculpt you."

"Really?" Castor asked with a vapid smile. "That sounds cool."

"Yes it is quite. I usually get willing visitors to pose for a photo from which I work when they are gone."

"That sounds awesome, doesn't that sound fun guys?!"

Annabeth's grey eyes were hazy as she turned to the boys.

"Yeah, we should do that! If you'd like to Aunty Em?"

"Why that would be lovely Annabeth dear, follow me and we'll get you three into just the right pose."

They followed her deeper into the building, past countless statues.

"You know Annabeth, you have such lovely hair. I used to have soft hair like that. And Perseus, so handsome, so much like your father. Ah! Here we are, if you will sit on this bench. There, just like that."

"Aunty Em, where's your camera?" Percy asked, the fog lifting slightly.

"I don't remember telling you our names." Annabeth said, her own gaze clearing.

"Smile children."

"GET DOWN!!!" They yelled, shoving poor Castor to the ground and closing their eyes just as the sound of hissing filled the air.

"Now, now, demigods. You really shouldn't close your eyes when having your image immortalized." Aunty Em's voice was smooth as silk.

The fall had snapped the violet-eyed boy out of his trance and he quickly closed his eyes too. The three of them crawled away among the statues, trying to increase the distance between themselves and the monstrous woman.

"Of course, I can't believe I didn't realize it from the beginning." Annabeth groaned even as they kept moving. "Aunty 'M'. It's bloody Medusa."

Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Chapter Text

Percy opened his eyes a crack, keeping them trained on the ground, so that he could push himself up and move quicker.

"What do you mean 'Medusa'?!"

"Medusa turns people to stone, remember? These statues are way too realistic for a woman that doesn't take off her veil!" Castor responded, catching on.

"Also, the veil would be to hide her face and snake hair." Annabeth added.

"Not helpful, Annabeth! How about we discuss her wardrobe choices after we kill her?"

"You can't tell, but I'm glaring at you in my mind."

Castor snickered at them, even as he nearly ran into a statue.

"Guys! Plan!"

"Right, well in the myths she was decapitated by Perseus so we can do that, we just have to remember that even once she's dead, her powers still work."

"That's great and all but we can't really see right now."

"Hey guys..." Castor said, slowing to a stop.

"Well if we can find something reflective we can use that."

"The only issue with that is, once again, we can't see right now, Annabeth!"

"Guys...?"

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize that the only way to find things was by looking! Guess blind people can't do anything in life." She combated sarcastically.

"Guys!"

"What!" the pair shouted in sync.

"Isn't it a little quiet?"

All three demigods froze. Castor was right, the only sound was the wind blowing outside. Percy looked as high as he dared before shifting to the side, putting his back to a stone fountain.

Turning carefully, he looked down at it. It really was beautifully crafted, though its beauty was slightly marred by how murky the water was. He touched it lightly and watched in amazement as the water cleared as ripples moved outward from his hand. He was so busy staring at the now clean water that he almost didn't notice the faint hissing of Medusa's hair behind him. What he did notice, was the reflection of the monster coming up behind him. And dear Merlin he hoped the water was distorting the image and Medusa wasn't really that ugly.

Closing his eyes, he uncapped Riptide and instantly made a wide swing.

Shuck! Thump!

The hissing stopped.

"Did I get her? Guys? Guys, is she dead? Please tell me she's not about to kill me?"

Annabeth moved towards the small boy's voice with a hand reached out.

"Hey! Don't touch my face!"

"Sorry, I had to make sure you were there and not several feet in front of me."

"Well, can we open our eyes yet?"

The Daughter of Athena crouched down carefully and felt around for the Gorgon's head. She gagged a little as she caught hold of the limp snakes making up Medusa's hair and quickly pulled the veil back over to cover her face, sighing in relief.

"We're good."

Castor came out from a row of statues, removing his shades to rub at the bridge of his nose.

"Thank the gods for that."

"Well," Percy said as he looked and black shrouded head, "you were right about one thing Cas."

When violet eyes looked up at him questioningly, the Potter smiled teasingly at him.

"We were able to handle it."

"Oh shut up."

<><><>

"You know, you were wearing shades the whole time, you probably would've been fine to look."

"Yeah well 'probably' isn't good enough."

<><><>

The trio raided the emporium, taking all the money (mortal and godly) as well as any food that was in a sealed package. Castor had wanted to take some burgers and fries as well but was outnumbered as neither of his companions liked the idea of relying on food that was most likely drugged.

They kept moving, not wanting to stick around any longer that necessary, and slept in the woods. They made a fire with some fallen branches, dry leaves, and a lighter they had also scavenged from Medusa's cemetery of statues, and gathered around to keep warm. Annabeth took out her mythology book and flipped to the portion about the underworld. Castor sat next to Percy and started to explain a bit more about the godly situation.

"Alright, so each of the gods has their signature weapon of sorts, a symbol of power. Zeus has his Master Lightning Bolt, your dad has his Trident, Hades his Helm of Darkness. There is a rule that the gods are not allowed to take each other's symbol of power. That being said, it is not unheard of for the gods to get there half-mortal children to steal those objects for them."

"But why would they want to do that? And why would anyone let themselves be used like that? Zeus wants my head for something I didn't do, I can't imagine actually doing something like that." Percy said with genuine confusion.

Most of his life was being told what to do and then blamed for made up things he did wrong, now that he was away from his relatives he would do everything in his power to keep his independence.

"The gods don't interact much with their children unless they need a mess fixed. Because of that, some demigods are desperate for the approval of their godly parent, willing to do anything they ask. It's mostly when they're young. The older we get, the more we realize that most of the gods don't really care."

Percy frowned into the flames. The Dursley's had taught him to be weary of authority figures, everything they put him through made in hard to trust, but if it were Harry on this quest... His little brother was saved from the brunt of the abuse so he searched for positive interaction with adults wherever he could get it. The only reason why it wasn't as concerning a trait as it could be was because the nine year old (almost 10) deferred to Percy in most situations so his older brother could protect him from being hurt or taken advantage of. The Son of Poseidon was pulled from his thoughts by Annabeth snapping to attention.

"That's it."

"What's it?"

"Hades must have the bolt."

The boys exchanged incredulous looks.

"Umm, Annabeth, if Hades had the bolt why would he send the Kindly Ones after Percy?" Castor asked slowly.

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid." Annabeth scowled. "If he didn't make it seem like he was looking for it, some of the suspicion would be on him, not just Poseidon. In sending monsters after Percy he casts further doubt onto his father."

"But Mrs. Dodds said something about Harry and you said she was talking about exchanging the bolt for my brother."

Annabeth bit her lip for a moment.

"Maybe... Maybe Hades is missing something too. His Helm. It would make sense that no one knows about it, with all the fuss that's surrounding the bolt no one would really notice or care much about Hades' Helm. The god may be one of the big three but he's always been the black sheep, he doesn't even have a seat on the Olympian Council unless it's during the Winter Solstice and even then it's mostly honorary."

"Well we don't have either of them so how could we get my brother? We have nothing to trade."

The three of them sat thinking, occasionally glancing at each other as though looking for answers in their fire lit faces.

"I think we can figure it out tomorrow guys. But I guess we know why we're journeying west now." Annabeth said, laying out her sleeping bag.

The boys followed her lead, creating a triangular border around the dancing flames.

"Alright so I know what you're talking about," Castor started sleepily. "But for Percy's benefit I think you should explain it."

Percy rolled his eyes but listened when the Ravenclaw spoke.

"It is said that the entrance to the Underworld is in the west."

Grey eyes met sea green.

"Looks like saving your brother is part of the quest after all."

Chapter 29

Chapter Text

Percy stood before a gaping pit, the darkness of the cavern he was in pressing in on him. Gray mist creatures churned all around him, whispering incoherently. Spirits of the dead playing like clouds of smoke. They tugged at his clothes, beckoning him away from the edge but he resisted their pleas, feeling compelled forward.

Looking down made him dizzy. The darkness was so completely all-encompassing that he knew it must be bottomless. And yet, he couldn't help but feeling that something was trying to rise from the abyss, something huge and evil. Its presence was oppressive.

"The little hero,"an amused voice echoed from far down in the darkness, its source obscured."Too weak, too young, but perhaps you will do."

The voice felt ancient, cold and heavy. It wrapped around Percy like sheets of lead, weighing him down.

"They have misled you, boy,"it said."Barter with me. I will give you what you want."

He had stopped listening, the word 'boy' hitting him like a bucket of ice water, but his attention was recaptured as a golden image appeared over the pit. It was Harry, frozen in the moment of his... disappearance. His emerald eyes wide in fear.

Percy tried to cry out for him but his voice wouldn't work. Cold laughter rumbled deep within the chasm as an invisible force pulled him forward. He dug his heels in, standing firm to avoid tumbling into the pit.

"Help me rise, boy."The voice became hungrier."Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the treacherous gods!"

The spirits of the dead continued to whisper, growing louder until their words gained meaning,"No! Wake!"

The image of Harry faded as the darkness ensnared him, acting as shackles leading into the chasm. It was then that he realized that the being within wasn't trying to pull Percydown, it was using him to pull itselfout.

"Good,"it crooned."Good."

"Wake!"The dead cried, their whispers becoming hollow shrieks."Wake!"

<><><>

When Percy woke up, Annabeth was already up and had packed everything but three water bottles, six Twinkies and a bag of nacho flavoured crisps.

"Just in time, I just finished making breakfast." She said with a smirk. "Do you want to wake this one or shall I?"

Percy took a moment to breathe, pushing his hair out of his face with a trembling hand.

"Yeah, I can wake him." He said with a smile that felt all too brittle.

There was a tug in his gut as he summoned water from a nearby river and doused their sleeping companion who shot up with a gasp.

"Merlin's pants that's cold!"

After that, Percy's smile became a bit more real.

"Yeah, ha ha, very funny. Now could you please dry me off? I'd rather not have to deal with hypothermia on this trip."

Percy chuckled but put his hand on his house mate's shoulder and willed him dry.

"Well that's handy."

"Alright," Percy said as he opened his Twinkie, "what are we doing now?"

"Well gentlemen, if you glance slightly to your left you'll find a train track. There's a west-bound train leaving at noon." Annabeth said smugly.

"And how do you know this?" Castor asked, starting on his own little breakfast.

"I may have taken a small trip into town before you guys woke up."

Percy stared at her, his chest tightening.

"You what?"

"Well you guys were asleep and I didn't really have anything productive to do so I figured I may as well find out how we could continue with this quest." She shrugged it off.

"You should have woken us up."

"Why? We didn't need all three of us to go look at a train schedule."

"She does have a poi-" Castor started but was quickly cut off.

"But what if something had happened to you? What if you had run into some monsters and gotten yourself taken or killed? We wouldn't have known until we woke up and found you missing. How were we supposed to know where you were?"

Annabeth started looking guilty after the second question.

"Sorry Percy, I guess I just didn't think-"

"Yeah. You didn't think. I have spent almost my entire life thinking of two people. It was never just me. Now, once again, I'm not just thinking of me. This is my quest, if something happens to either of you, that's on me."

"Percy, both of us are older than you, you don't have to worry about us."

"But I do! I just-! You don't get it. For years, Harry was the only one I cared about and vice versa. Now I have friends and I just- I need you to be safe. Alright?"

Both blondes were solemn.

"Alright Perce."

"Yeah, no more wandering. From now on, unless absolutely necessary, we stick together."

"Good." Percy said.

They watched as he rolled up his own sleeping bag.

"So we have enough money for tickets, right?"

"Yes, if we had lost our stuff on the bus we probably wouldn't seeing as Medusa didn't make a ton of mortal sales."

"Good thing we grabbed our bags before the bus exploded then. Annabeth, did you happen to notice how far west the train is going?"

"Yeah, its heading to Los Angeles."

"Alright. We should go."

The other two nodded and followed him through the trees.

His outburst had startled them. It seemed this quest had their friend in a strange state of mind, not that they blamed him. Walking a couple steps behind him, Annabeth and Castor had a silent conversation and decided to keep a better eye on the younger boy.

<><><>

They were on the train for two days. All three of them were weary getting on and that apprehension only got worse as the days passed without attack. They kept to themselves as much as possible. As they wanted to save money, they didn't get berths in the sleeper car and they only went as far as Denver.

"What will we do for the trip back?" Annabeth had asked in response to the question of why they couldn't just go all the way.

Three demigods on a train made for a rough journey as their ADHD started acting up. At one point, Annabeth almost clothes lined Castor because the Son of Dionysus was pacing in their compartment and it was getting on her nerves. Thankfully, as night fell, Castor fell asleep, leaving the other two to sit quietly. As much as he itched to move, Percy had spent many years practicing in ignoring the urges that were called "unnatural" by the Dursleys.

"Do you ever think about what it'd be like if we weren't demigods?" Percy asked quietly, trying to let their companion sleep.

Grey eyes looked at him with inscrutable intent.

"No, not really."

"Why not? I know we're already witches and wizards but... do you never think of a regular life, with a normal, loving family?"

She snorted suddenly, rolling her eyes as she leaned back.

"Gods no, I already tried that. If I couldn't have a normal, loving family as a seven year old kid, I'm not betting on it now."

Percy looked at his friend in a new way.

"Annabeth... did-" he hesitated before forcing himself to follow through. "Did your parent ever... hurt you?"

"What?! No, of course not! They just didn't really want me around."

Percy relaxed slightly, glad that his friend didn't have to go through that. He didn't know how he would've handled it if she was abused as a child and he didn't know about it. Then again, he supposed he couldn't really say anything about that.

"My dad never wanted me. I just appeared one day in a little golden cradle. I was an inconvenience. I kept him from his work. Then he married my step-mother and they had two regular kids. I knew I wasn't wanted. So I left."

Both of them fell silent in light of this information. Percy could understand the desire to runaway, to leave a place with people who so obviously don't like or want you around. The difference is he was being physically abused and had a brother to worry about. That's not to say emotional abuse or child neglect was any better than physical abuse.

With a sigh, Percy resigned himself to the rest of the day in silence and slight claustrophobia. Thankfully, near the end of the second day there was a three-hour layover in St. Louis before leaving for Denver which gave them the perfect opportunity to stretch their legs.

Chapter 30

Chapter Text

The three demigods strolled through downtown. Annabeth led the way, determined to see the Gateway Arch, to ride to the top. It was no secret she was interested in architecture and apparently the arch was a masterpiece. Percy and Castor agreed to go because she was their friend but also because she may have bribed them with food.

Percy was relying on Castor's hand on his arm to avoid walking into people or traffic as he attempted to read a map of the city.

"Annabeth, could you help me out? I grew up in Surrey and geography was never my strong suit, I don't understand American cities."

"And you assume I do?"

"Well you grew up over here and even your accent is slightly American. You probably know more than me."

"Well I spent all my time hiding in forests and parks from monsters and living at Camp. That didn't exactly give me time to try riding the subway."

"Hang on," Castor interjected, looking at the girl in the group quizzically. "If you grew up here in America, how did you end up going to Hogwarts instead of Ilvermorny?"

The three of them arrived at the monument's base and paused to let Percy put his map into the bag that Annabeth had on her back.

"Maybe I'll tell you later. For now, we're gonna ride to the top." She said, sounding a bit dazed.

Sure there was nothing magical about it like Hogwarts or MACUSA Headquarters but it still amazed her what could be accomplished. That something so permanent could be built. That was her dream. In a way, she was more amazed by certain muggle constructions than wizarding ones as they had to be built without the help of magic. With magic one could cut corners, fix any mistakes with a flick of their wand. In the muggle world, the mortal world, there was a concentrated effort required in the creation of buildings, monuments.

Seeing as it was later in the day, the lines to get in weren't too long. They had to go through the underground museum and while the boys weren't super interested in the covered wagons and other objects from the 1800s, Annabeth was very enthusiastic and kept a running commentary of facts about how the arch was constructed so they humored her by keeping their boredom to themselves.

Percy's skin itched and he felt out of place, much like he had deep within the caverns of Gringotts. It felt like they shouldn't be here. He supposed it must be due to his parentage. Either way, he watched their surroundings carefully, it wouldn't be the first attack on this quest in front of mortals.

The Son of Poseidon found himself twirling Riptide (in pen form) in his hands as they approached the tiny little elevator car they were to ride to the top. They were wedged in with a larger woman that reminded Percy of Marge Dursley, and her Chihuahua, the tiny dog wearing a rhinestone collar. He'd had bad experiences with fat ladies and dogs.

The elevator started going up, it probably would've upset Percy's stomach with the weird curved nature of the ride if he'd never been to the Wizarding bank where you had to ride the weird rickety roller coasters to get to your vault.

"No parents?" the woman asked, her beady eyes locked on them as she smiled with pointy, coffee-stained teeth.

"They're below," Annabeth said, confident in her ability to lie. "Scared of heights."

Percy refrained from scoffing. With Zeus currently wanting his head on a platter, he was feeling pretty uncomfortable with heights as it was now.

"Oh, the poor darlings."

Castor smiled tightly but started as the dog growled.

"Now, now, sonny. Behave." the woman crooned.

"Sonny. Is that his name?" Castor asked, a bit shaky as he eyed the dog, unwilling to risk it attacking when he looks away.

"No." she said simply, not supplying any further explanation.

At the top of the arch they were let out onto the observation deck where there were windows overlooking the city on one side and the river on the other. Percy tried his best to stay closer to the center of the room while Annabeth wandered around, taking note of what she would have done differently had she been the one designing it.

Castor joined him after a little while, making sure his shades were in place.

"You alright, Perce?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Just not a huge fan of being so high up with the man upstairs so upset."

The violet eyed boy's brows furrowed as he thought about it.

"You've got a point, I think I'll just stay here with you."

Eventually the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes. The three of them made their way towards the exit, Annabeth rolling her eyes at the antics of the boys.

"Hey, we're not crazy, we're literally on a quest to essentially calm down the man upstairs!" Castor hissed at her.

"Yeah but he's not about to blow up an important mortal monument just to get rid of some kids. Besides, why would he stop us from trying to bring his property back?"

"Well maybe because we don't actually have it?"

"Guys," Percy interrupted, "public place, remember?"

The blonde demigods huffed but entered the elevator. Percy was about to follow but there were two other tourists inside. His friends offered to get off and wait up there with him but looking back at the fat woman, the hairs stood up on the back of his neck. Not wanting his friends in danger, Percy waved them off.

As the elevator closed, the only ones left on the observation deck were the park ranger, a young boy with his parents, Percy, and the lady with her pet. Percy looked down at his pen which he continued to fiddle with when he saw the lady's forked tongue flicker between her teeth out of the corner of his eye. Forked tongue.

Before he could really process that, her Chihuahua started yapping at him and jumping up and down.

"Now, now, sonny," she said sweetly. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" the little boy said. "Look, a doggie!"

His parents pulled him back.

Zeus may not be willing to destroy a monument in clear view of the public just to kill one demigod, but monsters didn't care about that.

"Well son, if you insist."

"Did you just call that Chihuahua your son?" Percy said quietly, eyes fitting over to the mortals in the room.

"Chimera, dear," she corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

She rolled up the sleeves of her lumpy denim dress revealing scaly, green skin. Her teeth were fangs and her pupils were sideways slits like a reptile's.

Percy silently thanked whoever was listening that Castor and Annabeth were safe below as the Chimera grew in size, its bark getting louder, turning to a roar.

The little boy screamed and was pulled by his parents to the exit. The creature had the head of a lion, its mane caked with blood, its body was that of a goat and a snake took the place of a tail. The sparkly collar still hung around its neck but the tag was now big enough to read. 'CHIMERA - RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS - IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS - EXT. 954'

Percy was frozen in front of it, knowing that it was ready to attack at the slightest movement. His thumb rested near his sword's cap, ready to flick it off.

The woman hissed a laugh.

"Be honoured, Perseus Potter. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

Scratch what they had said about the King of the Gods not doing something to kill him around mortals. He was so not letting Annabeth live this one down.

"Hang on," Percy said, unable to help himself. "Isn't that a type of anteater?"

She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green much like Percy's Uncle had turned red when he got angry.

"I hate it when people say that!" She hissed. "I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Perseus Potter, my son shall destroy you!"

All too aware of the mortals struggling to pry open the emergency exit, Percy dodged away from them, uncapping his sword as the Chimera charged at him. Then, to ensure that it wouldn't try to turn on them, Percy did something stupid.

"Hey, Chihuahua!"

Considering it took up much of the room, it turned much faster than he thought it would and he didn't have time to even swing Riptide before a column of flames was coming at him. Rolling just in time, a hole was blasted into the side of the arch.

Percy lunged forward, swinging his sword but it simply sparked off the rhinestone collar. He swung again and managed to cut the monster but he was so busy focusing on the lion head that he forgot about the snake tail. With one bite his leg felt like it was burning and he was quickly overpowered, his sword falling out of the arch and down to the river below.

The snake wrapped around his ankles, tripping him and leaving him to crawl back.

"They just don't make heroes like they used to." Echidna chuckled.

Stumbling to his feet, Percy backed into the hole. He could feel the serpent's poison being pumped through his veins up towards his chest. His head ached but that was not a new feeling. Looking past his opponents, Percy saw the little family and the park ranger, all of them terrified. He silently wondered if they would be left alone if he died. Harry would stay in the underworld if he died, though maybe the others would go save him anyway. Either way, Percy didn't have anywhere to go.

"If you are the son of Poseidon," Echidna hissed, "you would not fear water. Jump Perseus Potter. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline."

If a person jumps from high enough they would hit water like they would asphalt. They'd be crushed on impact.

"You have no faith," Echidna said, stating it like a fact. "You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart."

And she was right, he was dying. His breath slowing. No one could save him. He backed up farther and looked over his shoulder, down at the river, the afternoon sunlight bouncing off the water.

"Die, faithless one." Echidna rasped.

Before the Chimera shot another column of flame at him, Percy silently prayed to his father for help, said a verbal 'bugger this' and as the heat rushed towards him, he turned and jumped.

Poison in his veins, fire on his clothes, Percy plummeted down to the river.