May 1998, Great Hall
The tension in the Great Hall was so dense that it could be cut with a knife. The ceiling of the Great Hall had an unnatural gray color to it which has been the mood of Hogwarts for the past year. Everyone were huddled together not knowing what to expect.
In this chaos, Harry Potter slipped into the Hall. He didn't know what to think. Snape, Severus Snape, the Potions Master he had whole heartedly loathed since his first year has been a good guy. He had done everything he can to keep him safe and he had never had an ounce of respect for him. Snape was yet another one who had died for him. Harry clenced his fists in anger. Voldemort will pay, he thought to himself.
The students eyes were glued to the windows. A look of utter horror and fear was on their faces. Few were even crying.
Harry saw the Order near the staff table. He numbly made his way to them. The look of horror on their faces seemed exaggerated. True, there were hundreds of death eaters waiting to kill them with Voldemort but the expression was just too much.
He followed their gazes to see the death centers with Voldemort in the center and just beside them were...Monsters...
Big, ugly and deadly monsters. He took back what he had thought about them. To be honest, their expressions were underwhelmed.
Harry couldn't believe his eyes. He was able to recognize few. Still, he refused to believe it, he refused to believe that the monsters from the greek mythology books he had seen was in the Hogwarts grounds.
Molly asked the question on everyone's minds. "What are those?" She pointed to the horde of monsters outside.
"Monsters," Hermione stated the obvious.
"Way to state the obvious, Hermione," Fred and George deadpanned at her.
Hermione huffed and paced in frustration. "But that is not possible. The greek myths are well myths!"
"Whatever it is, how are we going to fight it?!" Ron, who was scared out of his mind seeing the spiders, burst out getting the attention of everyone present.
"Hermione, did you say greek?" Fred asked thoughtfully.
Hermione nodded. Fred and George looked at each other and an unspoken agreement passed between them as they nodded to each other.
"What?" Hermione enquired hating the lack of information.
"We need to get Perci," The twins said simultaneously.
"I'm here" Percy said frowning.
"Not you,-"
"-Perci Jackson"
Molly's eyes were soft as she spoke to her sons, "But she is missing dear."
Fred and George turned sheepish and rubbed the back of their necks, a habit they picked up from Perci.
Ginny crossed her arms against her chest as she questioned them. "What are you both hiding again?"
"She called us two months ago," They rushed out simultaneously.
"Even though she's alive, how're we going to contact her? And how'll she help us with this monsters?" Hermione listed out the problems. Her obsession with theories had been put to rest for a while because of the raw determination that had shone in the twins' eyes just moments before.
"We know a way to contact her," Fred answered.
"And as for how she can help us, we are not really sure. We know she's somehow known to these stuff so she'll know what to do and even if she doesn't, she'll know someone who does," George told her.
"How exactly are we gonna contact her? An owl would be too late and I don't think we can floo her," Kingsley questioned them remembering Perci from her stay at the Order Headquarters. He remembered her well. Ofcourse, with her knowledge far beyond her age and her determination to protect her loved ones, who could forget her?
"We got it. You got it, Fred?" George asked his twin with a smile.
"You betcha, George" Fred answered with a identical smile.
Others watched in confusion as one of the twins casted Agumenti and the other one did a Lumos and a rainbow formed in the early light. Fred took out a gold coin, it was too small to be a galleon and had a picture of a face alike to the sculptures of greek gods.
"What is that?" Bill asked his brother curiously as the coin was unlike from anything he had seen.
"A drachma," The dreamy voice of Luna answered.
"You mean the one the ancient greeks used? No way!" Hermione said incredulously.
"She told us so," Hermione just cocked her eyebrow disbelieving.
Fred took a deep breath and stated, "Oh Fleecy, do us a solid-"
"-show us Perci Jackson wherever she is" with that Fred threw the drachma into the rainbow and to everyone's surprise, it disappeared. For a moment, nothing was there and then a image slowly started to form.
Fred and George backed away from the mist and waved their hands dramatically with proud smirks. Everyone watched as the image sharpened. It was room with blue walls thad had seashells etched on it. There was a beautiful fountain on the corner which gave a calming glow in the night, it also had few coins in it which resembled drachmas. The room was what one would call 'an organized mess'.
The attention of the people was however focused on the figure on the bed which was taking steady deep breaths. Their face was obscured by a curtain of dark hair. She - as everyone had assumed - had her head in her hands as she took deep breaths calming herself down.
"Perci..." Fred called out tentatively.
She whipped her head towards the Iris-message as she took a pen in her hand lightning fast. Everyone got a good look at her. She was wearing an orange shirt and a pair of blue ripped jeans. She was pretty, no doubt about that but she was not in her best shape, yet her sea green eyes shone with happiness and her face lighted up as her face broke out in a wide smile. She was thin which made her cheekbones much more prominent and she had few faded scars cris-crossing her face though they just made her fierce.
"Fred! George! How are you guys?" She called out happily.
"Uh...not in the best situation," They answered.
Her smile turned into a frown as she took in the situation. The students and teachers were gathered in the Great Hall. They looked scared of something and few even had tear stains on their cheeks.
"Nobody calls me to say hello," she muttered to herself though everyone heard it.
She took a deep breath. Everyone watched as she wiped all the emotions from her face and put on an indifferent mask. Her eyes shone with determination and authority. They saw what she truly was. A war hardened soldier.
"What's the problem?" She asked, the mirth from before had vanished.
"Well to start with, there are the death eaters-"
"-He-who-must-not-be-named-"
"-and an army of monsters?" Percy finished for her best friends.
The eyes of the occupants of the hall widened at her correct answer. Though, the twins didn't even bat a lash as they knew she had a way of knowing things.
"How did you know? Where were you all these months? What do you have to do with the monsters? Why-" Hermione spewed out questions one after the other.
"Woah, Hermione!" Perci raised her hands, palms facing her, in a calming gesture. "Calm down"
Perci had stood up during Hermione's interrogation session. She was moving around with purpose. She made her way to the glowing fountain and pressed a button hidden to the naked eye which opened a section in the fountain.
"For your first question, I saw it in my dreams. My dreams tend to come true and I hate it when it does," she answered as she grabbed her wand from the hidden compartment in the fountain.
"Dreams?" Hermione inquired as she remembered the dreams that had haunted Harry in his fifth year.
"They are more like visions, clues to what lays ahead. Now where is it?" She was rummaging through her shelves looking for something. She gave up on the shelves and walked past to her cupboard.
Everyone were able to see the pictures of the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and a couple of others from Hogwarts and a lot of other unknown people. Their pictures were arranged in some sort of pattern that they were not able to deceive. There were also pictures of few things and places that were stuck near the ones that seemed to be connected with it.
They were able to see the drastic changes she had gone through from her young years that screamed innocence to her present pictures. They saw as her scars grew and her innocence being stripped away from her as the years went by. They averted their eyes from it because it seemed too personal, too sacred for her, also it also held an unspoken sadness.
Perci seemed oblivious to all as she seemed to be too focused in finding whatever she was searching for.
"You should become an organizer," George commented on her messy cupboard.
"Oh shut up. I was almost away for a year and I've been busy," She retorted.
"What are you searching for-" Ron's sentence was cut of by Perci's exclamation. She took out a duffel bag, just an ordinary looking bag.
"What-" Several people were shushed by Perci as she saw some movement behind outside of her cabin.
"Are they monsters?" Ginny asked her nervously.
"No-I mean yeah. Harpies. They are good ones, they cook here but they eat you if you're awake after the curfew," Percy answered casually.
Perci then grabbed her watch and bead necklace and clasped it respectively on her wrist and her neck.
"Are those necessary?" Asked a Hufflepuff girl of fifth year.
"Yeah," Percy stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
She then walked to her desk and grabbed a paper from the papers stacked messily on it. She took the pen from before and placed the cap behind it and started writing a note stating that she'll be away because of few issues and that she wasn't kidnapped or killed.
Perci paused writing as Voldemort's voice boomed in the Hall. People squeaked in fear. It seemed to be coming from all sides, reverberating for seconds making the snake like rasp of You-know-who scarier. He stated that Harry Potter should be given to him and that they will withdraw from the attack. Silence settled in the hall like a shroud.
Perci was the one to break the silence, "Lame," she muttered as she rolled her eyes. Several eyes popped out of their sockets at her confident tone. Few looked like she was insane.
Fred and George pretended to not hear it. "That's the problem. How fast-"
Fred was cut off by Percy's disappearance on the Iris-message and as the sudden smell of the sea hit his nose. There in front of him was none other than Perci Jackson.
"That fast," Percy said.
"But apparitation is not possible inside Hogwarts!" McGonagall exclaimed, fearing that the castle's defenses were coming down.
Percy just waved her hand dismissively effectively breaking the I-M. "That wasn't apparitation Professor."
Further questions went unasked as a monstrous voice echoed through the hall. "You're here Granddaughter," The voice was raspy like two knives scratching together, it just screamed evil. It was thousand times scarier than Voldemort's.
Perci froze and her eyes widened. Several people gave up on the brave act, few screamed and few fainted.
"Quiet!" Perci's voice boomed through the hall. The hall silenced almost instantly by the intensity and authority her voice held. That was when everyone noticed her clenched fists and jaw. She was angry - no, she had fury in her eyes. Her eyes that represented gentle tides of the sea was gone, now it was a raging storm, the one that sunk ships and destroyed whole islands. All of a sudden, the voice wasn't scarier anymore.
"My, my Granddaughter, you've lost it so soon. I thought it would take much more. Ah, I am disappointed," The voice taunted Percy.
Perci composed herself. She unclenched her fists and jaw. She would not give him the satisfaction by losing herself. Though the storm in her eyes did not recede one bit.
"Oh Gramps, how are you? I didn't know you would be back too soon." She asked casually but her eyes told a different story.
"I'm here Granddaughter. If not for you Persephone, I would've been ruling the world" The voice spoke with an edge to it.
"If, Gramps. And I'm curious, you must tell me Gramps, how was being scattered into tiny pieces been?" Percy asked with her signature smirk.
Hermione had a faint idea of who the voice might belong to, but she didn't know where Perci came along.
The voice growled, "Castellan was a coward. I should've known better than to trust that weakling. You were strong and powerful, Persephone but you had your own will. With loyalty as your fatal flaw, you were unreliable, going to all ends to ensure their safety. Too unpredictable. It must be the sea in you," He mused. "I'll take the sea from you, Jackson. You stand as the beacon of hope, tall and proud as the leader. I'll break you Persephone and then fighting your little friends will be a piece of cake," he continued.
Perci crossed her arms as she scoffed. "Break me? You think you can break me, Kronos? After all I've been through?"
"Why, yes. It is impossible to break you by hurting you, Persephone but by hurting your friends. That's why I'm here to hurt your oldest friends"
Perci did not seem phased by it. She heard it a lot. "About that, Kronos, how exactly did you come back alive and find about Hogwarts? Care to share?"
"Earth herself helped me rise, Persephone. As for your other question, it is for me to know and you to find out. You are a fine soldier, Jackson, you can join us. Tell me, Persephone, what had the gods done for you. They use you as a weapon, a mere weapon. It is for your own good, if you join us now, you will be excused in the Golden age."
Percy was picking at her nails. "You done?"
Kronos sighed dramatically. "Your loss, Persephone. We will give you an hour, surrender yourself with Harry Potter and we will withdrwa the attack. Just an hour, Jackson, an hour, Persephone Jackson"
His voice echoed through the room eerily like the sound of nails scratching on a board.
An hour.
***
An update from me is totally unexpected.