E I G H T
ONE WEEK BEFORE
⋙⋘

The water glistened deceivingly in the moonlight with the reflection of the glowing white orb that dominated the night sky shining against it. The seemingly picturesque image was misleading and whilst it appeared beautiful, that was not the case. The river was polluted, courtesy of the rubbish having been dumped there over the years and according to Percy 'it smelled worse than the sewers that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hung out in.'

He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he stared down at the putrid sight before him. It repulsed him, that people could be so cruel, as to destroy something that would have once been such a beautiful sight.

The condition of the small dock was part of the reason why he would be leaving the country from there. It had been abandoned not only by the creatures who once filled its waters, but also by the humans which had made it the way it was. This way no one would who shouldn't know about his quest, wouldn't.

If he had set off from Camp Half Blood or a nicer location, anyone could know. The nymphs would talk. Word would travel around about his quest and it would be over before it began. Secrecy was essential.

Percy eyed the small dinghy he would be travelling in. It was the only boat tied to the port and looked minuscule in comparison to the Argo II. He wondered why he couldn't have had something bigger to travel in.

"It will be less noticeable," Annabeth said, answering his thoughts.

"My rotting corpse will be less noticeable when I die of disease in this thing," he muttered under his breath, staring at the pathetic excuse for a boat.

A pang of regret hit him like a brick and he almost slapped himself for that comment. What was wrong with him? Ever since they'd arrived at the filthy dock, he'd been bitter and angry. Sure he had seen worse than this. He'd swam in worse than this, but there was something about this particular dock that was making him angry and upset. He blamed the atmosphere, it was influencing him somehow, more than he'd like to admit.

Percy glanced around at the empty harbour and exhaled. It almost felt as if he was being shipped off to his next boarding school. Literally.

"What's it like?" Percy asked abruptly, watching Annabeth as she checked the supplies. "Hogwarts, I mean."

"It's the best place in the world." Sally smiled, coming to stand next to him. She looked off into the distance, past all of the ships, as if she were imagining seeing Hogwarts in all of its glory, floating in the middle of the ocean.

Percy gestured for her to elaborate, clearly wanting to know more.

"The castle," she began, "it has hundreds of stairways. They move constantly and sometimes you get lost, but that's the beauty of it. You never know where you're going to end up." Sally beamed, her smile lighting up the gloomy landscape. "And the groundskeeper, Hagrid, he's a lovely man, he was always looking out for me."

"How long has it been, since you left?"

"Too long," Sally said, shaking her head. "I wish I could come with you. I miss it, all of it."

"Maybe you can."

She laughed. "You know, when I was twelve, I was seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team."

Percy scratched his head awkwardly. "I don't know what that means."

"Quidditch is a sport that wizards play. On brooms," she answered with a glint in her eyes.

It felt good, to see his mother so happy. It took his mind off the dock, and his bitterness. Sally acted almost childlike when talking about her past, and it helped ease his nerves, although he didn't understand what could possibly be so exciting about a sport involving brooms. He had a sudden image of a group of people in pointy hats, having a cleaning competition. Sally must have seen his expression because she laughed. "Flying," she elaborated.

"And I thought gods were strange."

"Percy," Annabeth whispered urgently, moving closer towards him. She looked worried as she pointed to somewhere in the distance. "We've got company."

He glanced towards where she was motioning to. At first he could only see darkness, but the shadows were shifting. Three cloaked figures emerged from the blackness and the temperature of the frigid atmosphere plummeted even more. Percy found himself rooted to the spot, unable to move. As the figures got closer, he felt all the happiness he possessed being sucked out of him like a vacuum.

This is what it must feel like to be Nico.

The swirling columns of darkness, glided towards him, their faces shrouded in shadows like a veil. He held his breath and remained still as the hazy fog emitting from the figures swirled at his feet.

"Percy," Sally said, exigently. "Get in the boat, now!"

"W-why?" Percy asked, trembling, overwhelmed by the sudden feeling of sadness. He should just give up, now. There was no point in trying, anyway.

"They're here for you. Go now!" she shouted, pushing him towards the peer as she turned to face the oncoming enemy. Percy felt compelled to do exactly what she asked. He couldn't think for himself. Monotonously, he clambered into the dinghy as Sally untied it from the port. He remained immobile as the boat began to slowly drift away. A part of him wanted to stop, to call out. But he found himself unable to do so, the monstrous embodiments of fear and sadness were draining him of energy, physically and mentally.

It felt like he'd been turned to stone by Medusa, with his eyes being the only part of his body remaining intact. Human eyes in a statue, watching everything unfold disastrously, with a body unable to function. Percy could only watch as his mother stepped in front of Annabeth to face the oncoming enemy. She pulled out a dark brown stick from her coat and pointed it at the ghost-like silhouettes. Turning back for a brief moment, she gave him one last fleeting glance. It was sympathetic, full of regret.

She faced away from him, and shouted an incantation. A vibrant white mist erupted from the tip of her wand, taking on the shape of a glossy mare.

"Mom! Annabeth!" Percy shouted, desperately, finally managing to regain some will power. He had to go back.

Percy focused on the water. It was close enough to the sea for him to perhaps have some control over it. Squeezing his eyes shut, he waited for the familiar tugging sensation in his gut. He could hardly concentrate. It was that little nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him to give up that was distracting him. His fear was consuming him, and he didn't understand why. Realising his powers were of no help, he grabbed the oars and began to paddle with the light of the misty horse acting as a beacon. The mare stood its ground, tall and proud as it urged the monsters away from his mother and Annabeth.

As Percy got closer, he realised that no matter how strong Sally appeared to be, surely she was out of practice and her magic wouldn't last long. The mares brightness was beginning to fade, and it flickered slightly, allowing the darkness to advance.

Sally shouted another incantation, power seeping into her words. The mare leaped forwards and bulldozed straight through the oncoming attackers.

Percy heaved himself out of the boat and dropped the oars.

"You have to leave! They can't know you're here," Sally said frantically. Gasping, she tightened her grip on a trembling Annabeth.

"What- what were those things?" Annabeth asked, an expression of extreme terror plastered onto her face. She put her arms around Sally's shoulders to steady her.

"Dementors," she answered, lowering her voice. "And more are coming. You have to go, now."

"What about you?"

"We'll be fine! Just go!"

Percy climbed back into the boat and Sally gave him the same look she'd given him before. "Goodbye Percy."

"Goodbye, mom."

"I'll see you soon, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth whispered.

"You better, Wise Girl."

⋙⋘
PRESENT TIME

Sitting uncomfortably in his seat, Percy squirmed about. The nerves were getting to him, and he wasn't quite sure what to do. His companions, surprisingly had not arrived, so he was sitting alone at the very back of the Hogwarts Express, trying to sneak glances at the occupants of the carriage besides him. Thankfully they hadn't noticed him, yet.

He was still tired from his journey across the ocean, much which had passed in a blur. He still didn't quite understand why he couldn't have taken the same method of travel as Annabeth and Clarisse. Sure, he loved the water, but he was eager to try out some of the wizardly magic. Apparition sounded fun, and he couldn't believe he had missed out.

Whilst they were having all the fun, he was stuck in the middle of the ocean, being attacked by reckless sea monsters.

Stupid prophecy.

Come to think of it, the only good thing that came out of his trip, was that the isolation gave him time to think, although most of his thinking was devoted to 'the demented' or whatever they were called.

He still wasn't quite sure what to make of his encounter with them, except he was certain that he didn't want another one. Never in his life had he felt so helpless and afraid. He couldn't even imagine what if must have been like for Annabeth and his mother.

He glanced sideways again, and eyed the boy with the lightning scar. At least he wasn't the only one not enjoying himself. Cramped into a tiny carriage and he couldn't even get the window open. The train hadn't even left the station yet and he was already unable to keep still. He tugged at the plain dark robes he wore and scowled. It was the ugliest thing he had ever seen, and Aphrodite would probably blast him to bits if she ever saw him in them. Robes like that are a disgrace to fashion. Percy felt utterly ridiculous and as soon as he had the chance, he would burn them, no matter how many pockets they had.

He shifted his weight so he was lying horizontally across the seat and facing the ceiling. The paint should have been peeling but it looked pristine, fresh. Distractedly, he twisted his body again so his feet were resting uncomfortably against the window. He was getting restless, and bored.

Much to his relief, the doors slid open and closed almost as quickly as someone entered his compartment.

Normally, Percy would have been beyond unhappy to see Clarisse but today, he was rather delighted. If he thought he had looked ridiculous in his robes, Clarisse looked about a thousand times worse. The daughter of the war god seemed to be angrier than usual and eyeing her attire, Percy could see why.

For one, her robes were much too small and barely managed to reach past her shins. Her muscles were bulging beneath the sleeves and her angered expression made her look all the more like an elephant that tried to put on clothing.

It was taking all of Percy's will power not to laugh.

"Not a word," Clarisse hissed.

Percy snorted silently and he sat up properly. "Did they not have your size?" he asked, snickering.

Clarisse fumed. "I will rip you limb from limb-"

"Okay, okay!" Percy raised his hands in surrender and Clarisse relaxed slightly.

"Where's Annabeth?" he asked, quickly. She and Clarisse were supposed to be joining him on his quest and so far he could only see Clarisse, and his eyes were beginning to hurt.

"Admiring that stupid brick wall at the train platform," she answered, reopening the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To find that stupid wizard who shrunk my robes and beat the living daylights out of him."

"Is that really the best way to make a good impression?"

Clarisse grunted and slammed the door shut. Percy had to admit, he felt kind of sorry for the kid about to have a run in with Clarisse but he knew better than to interfere. He watched Clarisse storm off with a fascinated expression. Barely a moment after she had disappeared down the hallway, another girl entered his line of sight.

"Percy!" she shouted as she spotted him.

She swung open the door and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. They shared a brief kiss before Percy crushed her in a hug again.

"Thank the gods you're okay!" he mumbled into her shoulder.

"I'm not the one who had to travel halfway across the ocean."

"It was fun," Percy responded. "Made loads of new friends, killed a few monsters, you know- the usual."

Annabeth laughed, letting go of Percy.

"What about you?" he asked. "What happened? Is my mom-?"

"She's fine," Annabeth cut him off. "We made it back safe. But those creatures that attacked us...they were from the wizarding world."

Percy frowned. "The demented?"

"Dementors," she corrected. "They guard the wizarding prison and are supposed to suck the life and happiness out of everything, really. The effect on demigods is stronger because-"

"How do you know all this?" Percy interrupted her rambling.

Annabeth gave him a sheepish smile. "Your mom, mostly...but I read up on it a bit. You'd be surprised how many books Chiron has."

"Chiron seems to know more than he lets on," Percy muttered.

"I also found this," Annabeth said, dropping her duffel bag on to the floor. She unzipped it and shuffled through her things. Percy blinked. He certainly hadn't packed as much as Annabeth. She had piles upon piles of books, which had somehow been crammed into her bag. She pulled out a book with a leather bound cover and passed it to Percy.

"What is this?" he asked.

"I found it in the attic. It's your moms."

Percy gave her a puzzled glance as he fumbled with the clasp and flipped to the first page. In elegant script, were four words. Property of Sally Jackson.

"Why did Chiron have this?"

"I don't know,"Annabeth said. "I tried asking him about it and he just waved it off as nothing."

Percy turned to the next page. It looked like a recipe. Incantations were scribbled in the margins and tiny drawings decorated the paper as well as small smudged writing.

"Can I keep it?" Percy asked.

"It's your moms, I was going to give it to you anyway."

Percy nodded. "Thanks."

"I'm going to get the rest of my bags," she said, turning to leave.

"Okay," Percy said, not quite paying attention. He stared down at the ink, trying to decipher it. The letters swirled around, making his eyes hurt.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked, lingering in the doorway.

"Hmm?"

She hesitated, but then shook her head. "Nothing. It doesn't matter." And with that, she closed the door.

⋙⋘

I read all of your comments, so don't hesitate to leave a message