Helooooooooooooooooo!!!!
In this story, Nico is a little down beat and self worth questioning. Percy is a little dark, the girl he loved just died, and Percy somewhat blames Nico. Percy is more like Nico in this fic, his mother died, and he's still looking for some love.
Anyways...
Chapter 3: Magic
The boy with dark clothes was following Percy Jackson unbeknownst to him. He'd been stalking him for sometime; blending in with the shadows had Percy become suspicious. He'd many reasons to hate this Percy Jackson, and only one to not - friendship. Apparently he and Twilight Sparkle had more in common than he knew. Friendship is Magic...totally a plausible idea.
He gave a dark chuckle, deep enough to remain unnoticed. Friendship, or as Chiron would call it 'love' was supposedly the strongest magic. Supposedly it was the magic that could end all suffering.
Nico thought it was a hoax, it didn't stop Bianca from dying, or for that matter, his mother.
But then again, maybe that was just how he saw love. Maybe, everyone saw love differently. Maybe, just maybe, no one could ever love something born of fire and ash.
He walked swiftly down the street lit by one overhanging light, trying not to disturb anything or anyone. His cheeks were webbed with old tears' shed because of anger...and wonder.
He sat down on a bench and felt the stick. The willow limb was cradled in his pocket; on contact it exuded some warm feeling into his body, covering him head to toe. How could a willow branch make him feel at home? He felt in his other pocket where the glass vial filled with a milky substance was, carefully tucked away for later investigations.
"I should have left you."
Percy halfway turned around to greet the angry voice, he saw Nico and let his shame rise to his cheeks; he let his long hair cover his face, masking. "Yeah," he agreed, "that probably would have been best."
"But I wouldn't have done it." Nico came closer and sat on the bench beside Percy. He looked up into Percy's gaze, before dropping it, "I'm your brother, and whatever you do can't change that."
"I know...I'm-I'm just so frustrated with this whole situation," Percy grasped handfuls of dark hair, trying to erase memories of darkness. His eyes stormed and a hurricane could be seen forming with huge, frothing waves. Then he straightened up, pushed down his anger, and accepted his lot. He apologized, "I'm sorry, I know we have our differences, but it's time to over look that, it was never your fault. I'm going to need you Nico, just as much as you're going to need me." Percy looked over his shoulder, always watching for danger - protecting.
"Let's go home." Nico grasped Percy's hand.
He heard the faint, "What is home?"
Home is where you're brothers and sisters and family is, don't ever lose sight of it, a homeless man is more dangerous than any, a man with no allegiance.
Tumbling in together, they both felt the same shock. The entire Senate was on their knees, Reyna and the newly arrived Frank setting the primary example. Everyone was bowing to her; bowing to the one person Percy knew had the answers. He stepped up, taking the initiative. "Lady Hecate, what a pleasure." He spoke with reserve, but command as well.
She looked terrible, aged to the max, with wrinkles and protruding jawbones, her face was swollen and puffy - nothing like the beautiful, alien woman who was usually seen. "I'm in no mood for games, Jackson," she looked at him crossly, but Percy saw a flash of desperation partially hidden. "I'm sure you've noticed the magic around here dissipating, you Romans aren't that ignorant," after Reyna's self-conscious nod she continued, "well the same thing's happening to Camp Half‑Blood, and it's all because of me.
"My magic has been corrupted..." She stuttered off and looked torn between burning the place to the ground and begging for help on her knees. Percy knew which one was more likely.
"I need help... Percy, Leo, Frank, and Nico...please?"
She was actually begging, Percy knew a defeated goddess when he saw one; he was astonished at how quickly her pride became humility.
Well, that settles it.
"Yes Hecate," he said, ignoring the angry, confused looks from the others, "I will help you."
"You must first learn my history, my terrible history," Hecate said, beckoning the four to walk with her in a moonlit garden.
The other three Hecate specifically called out for agreed after some persuasion from Percy. All three had said they would do it for him, which Percy took as them trying to loosen the guilt they felt for ruining his happiness. Annabeth.
Of course they wouldn't do it for Hecate, they might have be heroes, but they were done helping the gods - even Percy.
But he looked at it differently; he looked at it like an answer, like something to connect the 'wand', to his own life. Percy knew there were answers, and Hecate was going to be his roadmap to them.
"Long, long, ago I was in love," Percy drew his wandering thoughts back to Hecate.
"He was mortal, but strong and kind and fair, a great King among men. His father was ecstatic that I should love him, he hoped that we should sire a great demigod that would surpass even Heracles. My beloved's heart was pure, and I knew not what love was at that point. Though his father greatly encouraged a relationship between us, my father, Perses, a titan," Leo looked awkwardly at Percy, silently teasing him.
Hecate chuckled darkly, "No, my father might have been who the original Perseus was slightly named after, but they were very different, had many different morals. My father despised that I should marry anyone except a great immortal capable of doing all things. But I was young, and fey, I did not listen to my father's instructions," in the moonlight Hecate looked absolutely demonic, Percy shivered with unease.
"I was in love, and blessed the young mortal so he could do anything, scale every mountain, heal any sick, do away with any wicked thing with just a word..." Hecate closed her eyes shamefully, "I-I am afraid my father did not see Aleixo's new self as a compensation, for one, he was not immortal, just merely gained years to his mortal life, not to go past ten-hundred. The second problem was I made him too weak, to must depend on something for his source of magic, whereas I use thoughts and words to produce spells and counter spells. My father and I, in the end, fought with the Titans and while he lost all privileges in the god's world, Zeus spared me.
"Three hundred years later, I, much older and wiser, had become a maiden goddess after helping Demeter find Persephone and learning what animals men actually were. I tried many times to revoke my blessing from Aleixo, yet it seemed that I would have to kill him, and I could not do that for fear of Zeus's wrath. But despite of my love for Aleixo, he married a wealthy nobleman's daughter in Troy, convincing her he would protect her with his strange abilities. I saw this effect too late; the anomalies began spawning rapidly, forming colonies, groups; a whole other world. I soon got permission from Zeus to purge them, as he knew the disasters of an uprising. That is how the great Witch Hunt began in Britain in the eighteenth century.
"Unfortunately I did not expect myself to start fading once the Wizards and Witches were killed, and I became so weak I had to get Iris to help me end the war. All of this happened because I was too stubborn to accept that love is a terrible disaster. You must understand this; my blessing was given to Aleixo, which was passed down to his descendants. A part of my magic was given to them, weaker yes, but as a whole, monumental. Normalcy was ruined the second I tried making Aleixo my equal."
Everyone was quite for a moment, drinking in Hecate's words.
"And so...so you're fading because your people are dying again?" Percy asked confused.
"Yes...and no," she replied, "Yes, there has been mass murder in the recent years, but no in that I am also fading because my magic, given for love, has been breached by anger, hatred, angst. Yes, there has always been anger, the Wizards are still human, but revenge has just recently been turned both great and deadly, destruction is coming to them all. My people are suffering, and they do not even realize it.
"So I need you Four to help me, my people need to be saved, and it's all in the hands of children younger than you all, except Nico. The Wizarding World is in the hands of Harry Potter, and he will not - cannot - succeed."
1 Week Later
"No Percy! Aguamenti" Hecate spoke crossly, then she said it slower like one would talk to a child, "AH-gwah-MEN-tee, not Agi-MENT-ia! It's a water spell for Zeus's sake, how hard should that be? I'm supposed to teach you about five years worth of knowledge in only four more weeks, and you can't even master a simple water spell!"
Percy could definitely tell Hecate was frustrated with the pace they were learning, he might not be able to say Aguamenti correctly, but he was pretty sure that wouldn't interfere with his ability to tell when gods were ticked off. Probably...Hecate seemed to act as if the world would end if he couldn't master this spell.
"Excellent job Frank," Hecate said, loud enough for all the three demigods who were failing to hear, Percy hung his head shamefully, "He just did a perfect Corporal Expecto Patronum spell."
Frank turned red with the praise, "It's nothing..." he murmured.
Percy looked at his Patronus, it was a - a... Percy couldn't tell what it was, it shifted and changed much like the castor Frank himself. He spotted a bear, elephant, bulldog, even a rhinoceros in its shifting form. Percy was pretty sure that the Patternus thingie was a big deal in the Wizarding World. "Frank, I don't know exactly what that is, but it certainly is something, be proud."
Percy wondered what his patronus would be, if he could even manage to say the spell. I bet it would be different from what it'd be if Annabeth was here.
I'd want it to be a stag or some other noble creature - there seemed to be so much he didn't understand, but he felt it, felt it roar in his ears. He knew the stag had some great importance, the question was what?
"Aguamenti!" Percy gave a hoarse yell, hoping - knowing it would work. There was no tug in his stomach like when he controlled water with his mind; this power was different, alien. This new power was linked to words, whereas being Poseidon's child gave natural water instinct and ability, though his natural powers did nothing but amplify the magic. A streaming jet of water materialized beside Percy and hit the wall with a force of hurricane. They would not use wands until they were in the actual Wizarding World. Hecate had said they'd need to be the best Wizards in Britain to keep Harry Potter safe, being able to do wandless magic...apparently the Harry Potter dude needed all the help in the world so as not get himself killed.
Everyone stared at Percy, jaws to the floor; a cushion Nico had tried summoning hit him in side of his face.
"Hi," Percy said, and gave them a small wave.
Three Weeks, Six Days, Twenty-Two Hours, and Fifty-Nine Seconds Later
To say they were masters would be lying; to say they were amateurs would be false. While none except Frank had been able cast and control an actual mouse with an Imperious Curse, (or been able to cast any of the other two Unforgiveable Curses for that matter), all the other three were steadily increasing their magical vocabulary and ability. They'd all be considered advanced for their age.
All three had even done so well as to produce a Corporal Patronus, though Percy's was still slightly unrecognizable, sometimes taking the shape of a random glob with a head, other times the shape of a four-legged mammal, perhaps an antelope or a stag. Hecate told him he was capable of producing a Patronus, he was either not concentrating enough of emotionally distraught.
"Crucio," that would be Frank, getting the hold of the Cruciatus Curse while the others watched in awe.
The huge room they were working in was lavishly adorned with soft couches in the lounge area, and targets and dummies in the magic area. With a 'boom,' Frank's new correctly cast spell one side of the room on fire, green flames licked at over twenty meters of wall, tearing hungrily at the carved wood.
"Frankie," Percy sighed, at doused the flame, "next time when you want to show off your magical abilities, aim at a dummy, or better yet, don't show off."
"Can't help being awesome Perce," Frank retorted.
"Suuuuuure you can't."
Right at that moment the giant doors to the Four's bedrooms opened, with Hecate cascading out. She looked a whole lot better than she had before, explaining that the Four's presence near her helped her regain some of her former stature.
"As all of you know, today is the last day for me to teach and guide you before you start the Hogwarts semester. For starters, all of you have mastered an adequate British accent, so that wont be much of a problem, but they still will question four new, suspicious students. You will all say that you are from the A.H. Magical School for Advanced Pupils and Honorary Students. Your school motto in Greek is, 'ζουν, την καταπολέμηση της, και κερδίστε,' or 'Live, Fight, and Win,' recite it often to create a loyal impression, alternate between English and Greek. Each of you needs to come up with your own backstory, just make sure they don't contradict each other. If any of you are in desperate need, and need to use your demi god abilities, shout a random word along with it, and if questioned, you shall say you've created a new spell. We will be going to Diagon Alley together after Harry Potter's hearing.
"Since you are all going as 'advanced' pupils, you are going to have to be different than the other pupils...you probably wont like it, but I'm going to have to reach into your soul and change your genetic and magical makeup. These traits I'm unlocking inside of you normally would have come up out into the open later in your life had you been wizards, but I'm having to force open them at this point with your demigod standard learning.
"Frank, you first," Hecate finished, "come with me."
Frank nervously went in with Hecate while the other three gruesomely sat on one of the couches.
"It can't be that bad, could it?" Leo asked, "I mean, she needs us to help the Harry Potter dude."
"Don't be so sure, I'm pretty sure we're not the only demigods in the world," Nico responded.
Then out of nowhere there was an earsplitting scream...as if Frank was reliving his worst nightmares.
Percy could only think about how much pain that'd mean for himself. Terrible.
Percy stood up defiantly, he was going to stop Hecate no matter what, and no one could hurt his friends.
Then he felt a hard tug on his jacket, he turned around to see Nico shaking his head. His big, dark eyes spoke unspoken messages, That's not a battle worth fighting...Frank will be okay.
After about ten minutes, Frank came out looking haggard, face ashen, eyes darting dangerously back and forth.
Percy stood up, "Are you okay...what happened Frank?"
"I - I can't tell you, not yet...Leo you're up," Frank whispered in a small voice.
"Uhhh...is that mandatory Frank...or my personal decision, I'd much prefer the second."
"Get going, Valdez," Frank practically growled, "If I had to do it, you do as well."
Leo timidly stood up and crept around Frank as one would do to a sleeping lion. He walked into Hecate's study.
Percy could only imagine what Hecate had in store for him.
"Close your eyes," Hecate commanded, "for starters, I'm unlocking your Legilimens and Occlumens abilities so you may attack and perceive the minds of others, as well as shield your own in company who can," she instructed, "This one is the hardest to unlock, requiring me to force open your mind so you will naturally respond to my break-in and try to fight me away."
Percy felt nothing for a few seconds, then, Hecate gave him a nod - a warning. In an instant, he was lying on the floor face-first; the soft carpet tickled his nose. He got up groggily and rubbed his head, "What happened?"
"I broke into your mind and before I could establish a secure bond, an anomaly occurred where your brain released all of control on your muscle and nerve, thus shocking me, whereas I instantly severed the connection fearing you'd been hurt. So, technically, anyone could have come up and stabbed you and you wouldn't have felt a thing."
"Well that's lovely...how do I not faint next time," Percy rubbed his eyes, "it's not too manly."
"Try keeping hold on your own mind, you let me win before I even started, you prepared no defense, no wall to stop me. You would have been at my mercy."
"Got it," he said.
There was no warning this time.
Like lightning, Percy could sense Hecate's mind sending out tendrils of thought through intra-solar space into his mind.
This time he could feel it, the tendrils wrap around him without giving way.
Then, in a flash, he was watching it, sift though his mercy - no, not it, him...as in Hecate. And Percy was not an I, or a me, he was a Percy Jackson. Hecate was Hecate, but Percy was also Hecate, so that meant Hecate was thinking that Hecate was Hecate. But the Hecate/Percy was comprehending because Percy was Hecate and Hecate was just controlling Percy's body but his mind was sharing his body with Hecate, making Hecate think these thoughts and Hecate knew what Percy would want to think, so she thought them.
All in all, it was a never-ending circle.
Percy stood up, even though it was not his mind telling his body to stand.
Then the memory sifting became more prominent, more painful, it came to a rocky stretch in his road.
He saw Annabeth flash behind Hecate's eyes, her beautiful face paired with her grey eyes... Then he saw a terrible, gruesome thing, Annabeth was dying, shards of a bronze blade stuck in in many places of her bleeding body.
That part of Percy's story seemed to go by in slow motion, that part; Hecate was trying to make him feel to the extreme. He got to a point where he couldn't stand it, he fought, harder that ever before. Trying to get the tendrils to release their monumental hold, he flung out his mind randomly, hitting back.
No!
Percy let out a howl full of raw emotion and jabbed back into it with his mind.
He was positive it was his howl because it was not Hecate telling Hecate to do it; rather it was Percy telling Percy to do it.
Then his triumphant seemed minimal compared to what he'd just relived. Every night he thought about her, and relived the exact same thing, but having it thrust upon him felt terrible, unclean.
"That felt...unclean," he said softly.
"Smile," she said, "You have mastered both Legilimens and Occlumens, you fought your way into my mind, and defended your mind through anger." She waited a second before addressing him again. "Unclean? That's an unusual way to describe it, how so?"
"It felt unclean when you forced those memories on me, very so. But how am I supposed to do it again? Fight it again?" Percy grimaced, ignoring the 'smile' part.
"It is not a skill you learn, Young One, rather one that you use, and by that, master. I must say, you are quite good at breaking into minds," She said, Percy could feel her concern rolling off in motherly waves - like a cat protecting her kittens.
"Is screaming a sign of regaining into my own mind?"
"Not necessarily, Frank screamed after watching some painful things, but broke the bonds after I started walking his body, which was my body, off what he thought was a cliff. He fought for Hazel, the despair of never seeing her again made him fight with raw power."
"Don't confuse me any more," Percy muttered.
It all seems to revolve around love, doesn't it?
Hecate smiled, "In addition to these abnormalities, to fit your personality, I'm giving you two gifts." She got up real close to him, "What do you know about Metamorphmagi, or for that matter, Parseltounge?"
"And one last question...would you accept immortality? This time...that is."
Ding...Dong.
Ding...Dong.
Lupin stood up slowly, the Order of the Phoenix was not expecting any visitors and Dumbledore would have sent a notice had it been him coming.
Walking to the door slowly, he pulled out his wand, as did the others behind him.
They couldn't have found us...not without Dumbledore.
He slowly opened the door, standing there was Dumbledore himself, along with four cloaked visitors. "Albus! Greetings...but why not send a notice? You gave all of us a heart-attack."
"Not me," Sirius says in a low voice.
"I would have, but I myself just met these four young men in person five minutes ago, though I have known about them for some time. I was already here, and sending a notice seemed like a waste of parchment, or magical capability."
"Please come in," Molly said, walking up to Lupin.
"So, who are these strangers," Sirius asked straight to the point, after all of them had sat down. He was definitely wary of strangers.
"I would like to know that as well," Mr. Weasley spoke up, "Should we get Ron Harry, and Hermione?"
"Kreacher, get some drinks," Sirius commanded the old house elf.
One of the cloaked visitors watched Kreacher for a moment, and then turned away.
All four boys took their cloaks off, and Lupin saw a flash of green, which turned out to be a boy that looked just like Harry. His eyes were honest-to-God beautiful, reflecting the indescribable sea-green part of the ocean and with glittering diamonds that sparkled darkly. They eyes were strangely familiar, as if he knew them from some lost memory from ages ago. Lupin stared for a moment, and was pretty sure the guy knew it.
"No...I am sure I will get the pleasure of meeting them in the morning. I'm Percy Jackson, pure-blood," the green-eyed boy said, "This is Leo Valdez, a half-blood," he said pointing to a small boy, "Frank, a Muggle born," gesturing to a stout, well built teen, "and Nico di Angelo, half-blood."
Lupin took a good look at Nico. The youngest boy smelled different from the rest of them; he smelled like a run through forest letting the soft breeze blow through your fur...
Whoa.
Lupin had never had much contact with his 'pack,' as most would call it, but he was willing to bet that some of them smelled like this Nico kid.
He took more time to assess the other kids, Percy, the obvious leader, looked too familiar. The way he walked, fidgeted, held himself, and especially his eyes - it all reminded Lupin too much of Harry - a pure-blood Harry.
Making observations as he went, he moved on to Leo, taking in calculations and measures, he inhaled deeply. Fire, the kid Leo smelled like fire. Not necessarily a bad fire, like the ones that ate at houses unless charmed against, but a good bon-fire. Lupin could just imagine Harry, Sirius, the Weasleys, and all the rest laughing by a fire. He wondered if that was what a real family was like.
Frank was next, he seemed to feel deeply it touch with his own body, as if he'd been blind, and now miraculously could see. The animalistic part of Lupin pegged Frank as a threat, the human part of him wanted to give the big guy a hearty slap-on-the-back.
"All four of us are from the A.H. Magical School for Advanced Pupils and Honorary Students. ζουν, την καταπολέμηση της, και κερδίστε," Percy told them.
All three other boys recited together, "Live, Fight, and Win."
Well that was odd.
Kreacher was then back with drinks, though the four boys did not take one. All the while Dumbledore was sitting quietly in the corner.
"What do you have to say about all this, Albus?"
"I do not know much of their character, as I only just met them, but I can tell that their hearts are pure and they mean us no harm. They are to travel to Hogwarts, Percy will be in Sixth Year, Nico in Fourth, Leo and Frank will be in Harry's year. At the beginning of the first semester, they will be sorted along with the First Years, and continue their studies with their own year.
"I will be personally taking Percy with me to Harry's trial, no matter the rules. I believe it will be good for him. I know their instructor well, as she personally trained me many years ago."
"One last thing, Sirius, I do not believe it would be best for you to go to the hearing."
And with that, Dumbledore swept out the door, leaving Lupin with more questions than answers.
'Ello, how are you?