Of Demigods and Wizards

In Which the Kids Battle Against a Thunderstorm

The plane ride to Colorado took off without a hitch.

For a good while, nothing significant happened, just the kids settling down in their seats and the in-flight movie playing.

"They could have made a better selection," Grover said as they stared at the screen.

"I know," said Jacquelyn. "Tangled? You've got to be kidding! As if little boys actually WANT to watch this pile of crap."

"Why can't we watch Transformers instead?" said Percy.

"Indeed," said Annabeth.

Just then, a sound of thunder broke through the air, followed by a flash of lightning. "Zeus is really pissed now," said Grover. "We're dead."

"Not unless we're wearing the charms," said Jacquelyn.

The pilot announced that the thunderstorm was upon them. Scores of people began to panic. Ron wondered if him being a demigod had anything to do with the storm. If anything, he was sure that it was true. After all, he had been attacked by several monsters, nearly fell off the Arch, and had to save Jacquelyn from a hermaphrodite. None of that would have been possible if he was still a wizard.

This is the worst summer of my life, he thought to himself as the plane continued flying. What was I thinking to believing that I was a demigod? I'm not a demigod; I'm a wizard.

And even then, he was doubtful that he was a wizard. Not if certain circumstances were proving otherwise.

*-*-*-*-*

At the same time, Harry and Hermione found themselves stuck at the bottom of the yacht. They still couldn't believe that they had been captured by Luke Castellan and his cruel army of demigods and were now being held hostage. They feared that Ron or Jacquelyn would be next.

"We need to call for help," said Harry.

"And how are we going to do that?" said Hermione. "You don't have a cell phone, my cell phone doesn't work, and we're in the middle of the ocean where no one can hear us. How are we going to call for help?"

"I'm sure that Dumbledore might be able to help us," said Harry.

"You seriously think that Dumbledore's going to help us?" said Hermione. "In case you haven't noticed, Dumbledore was nowhere to be found when the Weasley family was torn apart! Dumbledore wasn't there when Ron, Jacquel, and I were attacked by several monsters! You really think that Dumbledore's going to drop whatever he's doing and come rescue us, especially if he doesn't know where we are?"

"You should know that Dumbledore won't hesitate to come find me if he thinks I'm in danger," said Harry.

"What makes you think he's going to come for the rest of us?" said Hermione. "You think that just because you're the boy-who-lived, that gives you a special privilege?"

"OK, where are you going with this?" said Harry.

"For many years, I had to sit there and watch as I was shoved to the side and you were being paraded around as the boy-who-lived!" said Hermione. "And not only that, Ron was forced to be your friend and Jacquel (who should've been celebrated as one of the most powerful spellcasters of her generation) was also rudely shoved to the side to make room for someone like you! I guess Professor Snape was right..."

"About what?" said Harry.

"Professor Snape said that you were a boring hero who just happened to have more talented friends," said Hermione. "And he's not wrong, seeing as I'm smarter than everyone else, Jacquel can cast spells like it's no one's business and she can outdo almost everyone in dueling, and Ron just happens to be..."

Just then, she paused. At this point, Hermione had no idea what to make of Ron. She was there when Ron discovered that he was a demigod, but she had yet to find out who his godly parent was. The name Poseidon was tossed around several times, but Hermione had yet to make that connection.

Until now, that was.

*-*-*-*-*

Percy said, "This is really bad. Zeus is definitely trying to stop our flight."

"But he can't, not if we're wearing the charms," said Annabeth. "The old lady was right to give us the charms."

Tyson did not like storms. He began to shake and panic. "Oh man," said Percy. "We're in even more trouble."

"What do you mean?" said Jacquelyn.

"TORNADO!!" a man cried out in fear.

The kids stared out of the window and saw a huge tornado forming. "If that tornado hits the plane, we're finished," said Jacquelyn.

"Well, can't you put a shield around the plane?" said Grover.

"I don't know," said Jacquelyn. "I don't think that it can be done. Not unless you want to deprive me of most of my energy."

"Yeah, you're right," said Grover. "We still have to find the third object and quickly."

The storm soon enveloped the plane and the kids gasped in horror as the winds and rain whipped at the plane. "Somehow, I don't think that this is Zeus's doing," said Jacquelyn. "Not unless..."

Then it hit her.

"Guys," she said. "We've got a problem."

"What?" said the others.

"I think that there is a wizard after us," Jacquelyn cried out.

Ron gasped as he wondered who could be following them. It couldn't be Dumbledore or Snape. They couldn't reach out here without straining themselves.

He then wondered if Molly somehow knew where he was and was trying to stop him. It seemed to make sense, seeing as the Cyclops had told him that he would be betrayed by someone who he thought was a friend.

But that too didn't make any sense.

The plane continued to fly despite the storm. Scores of people began to pray for the pilots. Ron began to realize that no matter what happened, he was NOT going to be returning to the Weasley family, nor was he going back to Hogwarts. He would have to take up his true role as a demigod.

Even then, the prospect of being a demigod left him feeling unsettled.