Lily and Cora

Cora | A Letter

I slide into the deep green water, diving deeper and deeper with every push of my legs, my hair streaming behind me. The submerged world passed me, and I see a school of clown fish and a shark, swimming casually through the water. Up ahead, I spot just what I'm looking for: a friendly dolphin chilling at the top of the water. I pause to adjust my angle, shooting up toward the animal and finally breaking the surface. I inhale the fresh ocean smell, grabbing onto the fin of the dolphin. He ture]ns in surprise, but as soon as he sees me, he relaxes and jets off along the Long Island shoreline. Pulling myself onto his back, I let the wind tousle my hair, watching the long road, salty water, and sandy beach zoom by. The dolphin gives a big leap over the waves ad I laugh, veering him to the right as he lands on the water. We speed back the way we came, but a voice makes me stop and turn toward the beach.  

"Cora!" the voice calls, and I slide off the dolphin with a thank-you and swim toward the beach. "Cora!" the voice calls again. 

"Coming!" I yell back, and as I near the shore, I can see the two figures standing on the stand- my parents. Reluctantly, I wade out of the surf and trudge up the shore toward them. "Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad."

My father smiles, but it's not his normal grin- this one is creased with worry and doubt. I frown. "What's wrong?"

"Honey, can you come with us, please?" my mother says, her expression much like my dad's. 

"Um, okay," I say, and our merry band of three heads up the shore and to the entrance to Camp Half-Blood. This place, although it's a summer camp, is where I've grown up. It isn't just any summer camp, though. Here, kids from all around the world come in the summertime- but they're not just regular kids. These kids are demigods- half human, half Greek god. Many, including myself, don't have a godly parent, though. The Earth War was so long ago that the demigods that fought are old enough to have kids, so we're called the Partem- two-quarters god. My father's father is Poseidon, god of the sea, and my mother's mother is Athena, goddess of wisdom. This gives me, their Partem, all the abilities that they have. Although I don't technically have godly parents, I still train with the others at camp.

We approach our house, a big blue one at the top of Half-Blood Hill. It used to be the Big House before Chiron resigned to lead the Party Ponies, a gang of centaurs that roam the country. Now that my parents run the camp, we live there- me, Mom and Dad, and my little brother Freddie. Speaking of which... I turn to my parents. "Did you guys leave Freddie home alone?!"

Dad grins and pushed open the screen door on the porch. "No way. We got a babysitter. Hey, Grover!" he yells into the house, and we walk in just as Grover clops in from the kitchen. 

"Hey, Perce," he says, cradling Freddie in his arms. "Where's my pay?" My dad laughs at this. 

"Yeah, right," Mom pipes up as she takes my brother from him and plants a kiss on his forehead. "How about this instead?" She picks up and empty Mountain Dew can from the table and hands it to him. 

"Aw, sweet!" Grover crows, taking the can and ripping a bit out of it. He trots out the door, calling over his shoulder. "Thanks, guys!"

My dad chuckles, but Mom elbows him. "Percy, focus."

He coughs. "Right. Cor, we just got a letter... Well, here, see for yourself." My mother pushes an envelope across the dining room table to me. I peer down at it. The return address reads, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". I flip the envelope over and slide my finger under the red wax seal, confused with the situation. Witch? Wizard? And what school would want to name itself after a warty hog?

Tearing the letter open, I pull out a sheet of thick, brown parchment and frown at the information written inside. 

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Minerva McGonagall (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) 

Dear Miss Jackson, 

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. 

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later that July 31. 

Yours sincerely, 

Neville Longbottom,

Deputy Headmaster

I look up at my parents, aghast. "What?!" I shriek. "What is going on here?!" 

Mom and Dad exchange a look. "Honey," Mom starts in. "Do you ever wonder where your Partem friends go to school during the year?"

I shrug. "Al said that he goes to boarding school in the city, and Molly told me she's in a private school back in Washington, and-"

But Mom shakes her head. "Actually, no. They all go here... Hogwarts."

I laugh. "No way! They aren't wizards. They can't be." I'm not doubting the idea that this school exists- when you spend Thanksgiving on a golden mountain at the top of the Empire State Building with a bunch of gods, you're used to a lot of weird stuff- but they're Partem. Part god, not wizards.

But Dad nods. "Yes, they are. At the end of the summer, they and all the other Partem leave a week early to get to Diagon Alley for their school stuff, then hop on the Hogwarts Express for the school year."

I stare disbelievingly. "All the Partem? But why not regular demigods?"

Mom shakes her head again. "I've looked into this, and I'm pretty sure that conflicting powers from two different gods kindles a magic fire. A wizardry fire."

I look from my mom to my dad and back again. "Wow. So this is happening, then."

Dad stares me in the eye. "Only if you want to. There's complete power over your decision. If you don't want to go, you don't have to."

I breathe in, expecting the word to emerge from my mouth to be "no", but something, a last instinct, overtook me. "Yes."

Mom glances at me, surprised. "Really?"

I nod, warming up to the idea. "Yeah. I think it would be a good idea. If this is what I'm meant to do, then I want to do this."

Dad smiles. "Alright. It is boarding school, though, Cor. We don't want you to go if you think it'll be too hard for you."

"What?" I gasp jokingly. "Nothing is too hard for the amazing Cora!"

Mom smiles. "Okay, honey. Al and Molly are taking all the Partem out tomorrow to buy their school things. We can call up Nico to shadow-travel you to London next week, how about that?"

I nod. "Sounds great. I can't believe I'm a witch!"