T W E N T Y - O N E
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Three days later and Percy was still at a loss of what to do. Time was ticking and the clock was a grenade with an unknown detonation time. There was no telling when the monster after them this time would strike. Locking fear in a box and throwing away the key was all Percy wanted to do.

But Clarisse in all her arrogance, as much as he hated to admit it, was right. He needed to stop moping. That was the second time he'd been told and if he didn't step up his game, it wouldn't be the last.

Lying awake in bed, pretending to be asleep, he looked at the world through closed lids. Things were falling apart. He was falling apart.

When you took time to reflect, you picked up on stuff you'd normally overlook. He was never happy anymore and was almost always in a forlorn, sullen mood. Lost to the world, Percy Jackson had given up on life itself. There was no point without her.

Had.

He had given up on life itself.

Past tense.

"Annabeth wouldn't want this," he murmured.

"Pardon?"

Between half-closed eyes, Percy could make out Harry's figure from the foot of his own bed as he shuffled through his suitcase. He was observing him with a look he couldn't quite place.

"Just talking to myself," he responded, shutting his eyes again and letting the world lapse back into the shadows. He knew it was cold and dreary outside just like his mood. Most trees were bare. Percy didn't want to get up and face the problems of the world. They could deal with themselves without his help.

A suitcase slammed shut and polished shoes clicked against the floorboards and down the stairs. He thought it would be too much to hope that the footsteps belonged to Harry who was another reminder that he was failing his quest. No such luck.

"Well you better get up or you'll be late to first period. I don't think anyone is buying your excuses anymore," Harry spoke.

Percy felt a pang in his chest. He was a failure. He'd made absolutely no progress. If he had, then maybe Harry might be speaking to him as if they were friends and not just roommates. He might have found a way to wake Annabeth up. He might have found out who was behind everything that had transpired. He wouldn't feel so awful.

"What excuses? I feel like crap," he stated plainly, swallowing the bile building up in his throat. It wasn't a total lie. He opened his eyes again to find that Harry had moved over to his dresser. He kept looking out the window and frowning. After Harry didn't respond, Percy's eyes began to shut again of their own accord.

"Ron didn't tell me he was going to see Hagrid..." he muttered quietly.

"What?" Percy asked, groggily.

"Doesn't matter," Harry rubbed his eyes and turned away from the open window, shutting the drapes. "But really, you should get up."

Reaching for his wand, he pulled off his glasses and wiped them clean with a spell.

"I already told you, I feel like–"

"Crap," Harry finished for him. "Yeah I know. Good luck telling that to McGonagall," he scoffed, inspecting a crack on the lens.

Turning over, Percy pressed his face in to his pillow and let out a groan at the thought of school. He just wanted Harry to leave so he could be alone with his heavy baggage of guilt and shame.

If he had payed attention, he might have noticed that Harry too was itching to be without his presence. But he didn't.

When Percy opened his eyes again, Harry was gone.

He didn't feel as happy as he should have.

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Percy was late to first period Transfiguration again. It did not come as much of a surprise.

"Jackson." McGonagall gave him a stern look. "I'm so pleased you finally decided to grace us with your presence. Ten points from Gryffindor. I'll see you after class."

A low groan erupted from the rest of the class who all happened to be Gryffindors as Percy took a seat. "Silence," McGonagall commanded and the effect was instantaneous.

"As I was saying before Jackson arrived," She pursed her lips in a tight line. "We shall be further pursuing our goal of performing magic without the use of words. It is my understanding that your other teachers have the same goal in mind. Perhaps some of you may even advance to the art of wandless magic." At this, the class exchanged hopeful looks. Percy groaned and ran a hand through his hair. He still struggled to carry out even a simple spell with a wand using words. His progress had declined ever since Annabeth well...

"It has most likely not escaped your notice that there is a ferret in a cage on each desk," McGonagall said. Tapping his foot absentmindedly against the floor, Percy tried to focus but the rest of her words became one swirling blur. He felt dizzy as he placed his head in his hands, squirming in his seat.

There was that nagging feeling again, gnawing at his insides, reminding him of what a coward he was. He was supposed to be loyal but he'd let everyone down. He'd let Annabeth down.

"Mr Jackson." McGonagall eyed him from behind her spectacles, the lines on her brow creasing together.

"Sorry, what?"

"You will be partners with Potter," she repeated, ignoring his poor use of manners. "There is a thing or two you could learn from him." And there it was, as clear as day; an opportunity.

Percy stood up and manoeuvred around the desks to get to the back of the room so he was standing by Harry. There were two caged ferrets on the table, making unidentifiable noises as they struggled to escape their prisons. The rest of his classmates broke off and did the same thing.

"Begin," Professor McGonagall declared once everyone was in place. "Five points to anyone who can successfully transform the ferret into a candle without speech."

"You go first," Harry said, pointing to the blackboard.

In white chalk, an incantation had been scrawled neatly. Percy blinked. "I, uh, can't read it," he mumbled embarrassedly.

"You can't read?" he questioned. That all too familiar 'thinking look' Percy had seen on Annabeth was what Harry was wearing now.

"I'm dyslexic," he explained.

"Oh," was all Harry said before reading out the spell for him.

"Thanks."

Percy reached into his robes and his fingers rested on his ballpoint pen. He was temped to take it out and uncap it but he forced himself to grab the wand instead.

Pointing and aiming the wand like Annabeth had shown him, he silently prayed to the gods that he would succeed in the quest. He practiced moving his wand like the rest of the class was doing. Just like using a sword, he thought. After practicing the movements a few times, he decided to try the spell for real. Closing his eyes, he moved his wand to the left, made a slashing move downwards and then flicked his wrist, aiming for where he knew the ferret to be. "Vera Verto," he thought, picturing the ferret melting and slowly forming wax.

When nothing happened, Harry spoke up. "Try again," he suggested. Percy didn't miss the nervous look in his eyes as he took a step back like he was scared the spell would be used on him.

"Vera Verto," he repeated mentally again, echoing the wand movements used before. A second later, there was a faint pop.

When he opened his eyes, his jaw dropped. In front of him, where a ferret had previously been, was a small wax candle, standing upright.

"Sorry!" Parvati Patil called from a few desks behind, giggling, "I missed!"

Shoulders slumping, Percy realised he hadn't actually done any magic. As he watched Parvati transform his block back into a ferret, her face lighting up as she'd realised the spell had worked, he decided that he wouldn't give up. There had to be hope for him. He would do it for Annabeth.

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After class, Percy stayed behind. McGonagall waited patiently for everyone to exit the room, her hands folded neatly over her desk, before her attention turned to Percy. The situation was feeling all to familiar to him.

"Jackson," she said, after the room had been empty for a few moments, "This is the third time you've been late this week."

"I know," he mumbled. Another thing to be ashamed of. He waited for McGonagall to bust out in a lecture about how he needed to put more effort in and try harder but the words never came.

To his surprise she said; "I've granted you permission to leave school this coming weekend. It is my understanding that you have not been permitted to see Miss Chase?" The professor narrowed her eyes at him from beneath her spectacles, a small smile tugging at the edges of her lips. Numbly, Percy nodded. Neither he nor Clarisse had seen Annabeth since she'd been admitted to St. Mungos.

"Mmm, well, your legal guardian will arrive on Saturday morning to take you to St. Mungos. I expect that when you return on Monday that you will be very much prepared for learning."

Percy gaped at her as the words fully sunk in. He was going to see Annabeth. He was going to see her. The large smile that smacked itself onto his face didn't go unnoticed by the Headmistress. She too returned the smile. Percy couldn't contain the explosion of happiness that had just occurred within him. He was going to see her!

He was going to see her!

"Professor–" he begun, remembering his manners, "Thank you."

"No thanks is necessary. I trust that you will not waste this opportunity. You are a brilliant wizard–" She paused, pondering her next choice of words. "Pardon me, you are a brilliant demigod, and though you don't know it yet, you are to become a brilliant wizard. I have faith in you, Jackson. Do not give up yet. The art of magic comes easy to some but not to others. A little extra motivation is needed in your case and I know that if my predecessor were here he would assure you that all hope is not lost." Her smile did not quite reach her eyes. "I fear that dark times are coming and it would be in your best interest to heed my words; do not be so rash as to place your trust in others. You would do well to listen to the hat's warning."

Percy knew the conversation was over. Not wanting to push his luck, he thanked McGonagall and hurriedly left the room. He needed to find Clarisse. Now.

"Where are you going?"

He jumped, his hand instinctively reaching for his pocket as it sometimes did. It was just Syrenx and her brother. The two had earned themselves a name of being kind of creepy, always showing up when you least expected it.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she apologised. "I just wanted to know if your next class was anywhere near the Astronomy Tower." As an afterthought she added; "We're lost."

Percy observed Syrenx and her brother with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. Pol was wearing a pair of black shades that were very out of place with the castle. He'd heard that the boy had been attacked by a Niffler which didn't make sense because from what he'd heard, Nifflers weren't violent.

Slowly, he shook his head. "Sorry."

Syrenx shrugged and murmured something he didn't catch before turning off in the other direction, grasping her brother's elbow as she tugged him after her.

An unsettling feeling made itself at home in Percy's stomach and he wasn't sure why but he knew one thing for sure;

It wasn't because of Syrenx.

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"Harry, you were being rude," Hermione chastised as they walked to their next class.

"I was not!" he protested, indignantly.

He looked to Ron for back-up but his his ginger friend had dropped his things on the floor and was struggling to pick them up.

"Harry it was blatantly obvious that you were uncomfortable around him. You were very aloof," Hermione commented. "McGonagall paired him with you because he needs help. You've seen how he is with a wand. You should have at least tried to help him."

"Whatever."

How could he not be aloof? Percy and Clarisse had something to do with his blood– golden blood which he still hadn't told anyone about, his dreams, and the Quidditch team. Everything was a mystery waiting to be solved and Percy was the one with the answers. Clarisse had made it clear that she would not be talking to him about anything. The glares he received whenever he saw her was enough to turn him off.

And if Percy were a suspicious character, Harry didn't want to be aiding him in becoming more powerful by helping him out in class.

Hermione sighed as Ron tripped and dropped half his things on the floor again. "I know you're suspicious," she lowered her voice so Ron wouldn't hear. He'd gone back to that 'stop being nosey' phase even when it came to Percy who he was very much jealous of. "–and I suppose you have every right to be. All I'm saying is just be careful. Don't get yourself into trouble."

One minute Hermione was telling him there was nothing suspicious about Percy and his friends, then the next she was telling him to go for it. He would never understand how a female's brain worked.

"Harry!" Neville shouted, jogging towards them at a brisk pace from the other end of the hallway.

"What's wrong, Neville?" he asked with a frown as the boy halted to a stop in front of him, panting.

Neville's eyes flickered to Ron and Hermione and Harry got the impression he wasn't comfortable speaking with them around.

"I'll catch up with you later," he told the pair. Neville waited until they had turned into the next corridor before speaking.

"I really need your help, Harry." His eyes pleaded with him. "I was supposed to go visit," He swallowed uncomfortably, "you know, my parents this weekend, but my Gran is ill and can't take me. McGonagall won't let me leave on my own unless someone goes with me." He shuffled awkwardly on the balls of his feet. "Would you–"

"Of course," Harry responded, giving Neville a sympathetic smile. He was one of the few who knew of what had happened to Alice and Frank Longbottom. It made sense that Neville would ask him.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Neville."

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So people like Frank, Hazel, Hedge and stuff ARE going to be appearing further in the story. They are not in the land of stories okay. I haven't forgotten about them.

So I'm not exactly happy with this chapter. Idk but whatever.

Next couple of chapters should answer your questions about some things that are going on.

But before I end this authors note, I want to know what you're thinking.

1. Who do you think cannot be trusted?

2. What do you think it was that Nico wanted to tell Percy in chapter 15?

3. What do you think is going on with the gold blood?