Chapter Seventeen
I just want to assure you that there is a story under this humungous area of bold words.
Sorry this update took so long. I got tagged. Again. Yay... *Bangs head against wall*
I was tagged by Demigodsrthebest I have to say five things about myself and then tag fourteen people. Whoever I tag, I'm really sorry. I didn't want to do this either.
1. My two favorite series are the Ranger's Apprentice and Percy Jackson. There are about a million tied for number two. Like Artemis Fowl.
2. My favorite sports are basketball and tennis.
3. I play three instruments.
4. My favorite foods are sushi and spaghetti
5. I'm going into eighth grade and not looking forward to it.
Tags:
5. avaruby1
6. natnat565
9. LittleFish26
10. GracieDay3
11. 666Me666
12. rikukid55
13. aquabats_fan
14. Fnafss
To the story!!! Finally.
Annabeth's POV
Honestly, I wasn't that worried about Percy getting kidnapped. Not only can he handle himself, but even if he did get kidnapped, he could just shadow travel back without an issue. But when I woke up to a scream, I didn't need to be Rachel to foresee a pummeling in Percy's future. I rushed out of the Girl's dorm with Hermione and Ginny, sure that the problem was right on the other side of the Gryffindor Common Room. I saw Ron's terrified face staring at the empty beds of Percy and Harry. I let out a grunt of frustration. "That Seaweed Brain!" I ranted, "I told him not to get kidnapped and what did he do? I'm going to kill him when he gets back." Then my fear took over my brain and I paced, breathing hard. Percy was missing. My Percy was missing. I didn't know where he was, it was his disappearance all over again. I don't think I can take another eight months without him. I felt tears stinging the corners of my eyes. "Seaweed Brain's gonna be okay," I told myself, hoping for his sake that it was true, "He can shadow travel, he'll be back. If he's not back by breakfast, I'll just sneak out. He'll be okay." Ginny's pale face was enough to tell me how scared she was. "Percy and Harry were kidnapped and you're not terrified?" I shook my head, "Oh, I'm worried sick. But this isn't the first time. He'll be back by breakfast." Hermione's eyebrows shot up, "How do you know that? He's probably in a secure death eater facility." I rolled my eyes, "I'm pretty sure he can get out of there okay. You know, unless he needs to snoop."
They wouldn't let it rest. They should be trusting me because I am his best friend and I know him better than anyone. I especially know that he realizes that if he's not back soon, he won't be met by a 'Glad you aren't dead' party. He'll be met by a dagger with mystical powers that he has no idea about. I glared at Ron, who cowered away from me. "Tell me what you saw." I told him, daring him to argue. He gulped, "I woke up, saw Harry in some guy's hands and Percy jump onto the guy's back. Then a crack and they were gone. I think he Apparated." Hermione waved her hand to stop him. "Woah, woah, woah," she said, making a time-out sign, "You can't Apparate in or out of Hogwarts. He couldn't have just gone like that." My own eyes widened. Unless he was a demigod, but that would make no sense. I knew that most of these wizards were descended from Hecate, but still. Most of them wouldn't have demigod powers. On the other hand, Luna was also a demigod, which meant that some of the wizards could be demigods as well. And Snape, and Percy... You know, I'm starting to see a pattern here.
I put my hands over my mouth, speaking in a muffled voice, "I have to go see Dumbledore." Hermione, Ginny and Ron followed me, chorusing, "We'll go, too." I nodded slightly, before running. We saw McGonagall in the hallway, who stopped us. "Children," she scolded, "It's after curfew. I'm going to have to take points from Gryffindor." I shook my head frantically, "We need to see Dumbledore. We'll explain when we get there." She nodded, a little worried, and walked with us to Dumbledore's office. "Lemon drops," she said when she reached a gargolye. The gargoyle allowed us passage to Dumbledore. He was sitting behind his desk, as if expecting us. He frowned, "Oh, I was just about to visit you. I'm afraid that Septimus Mustem has escaped the confines of his prison. We must secure Percy Jackson, so that he cannot be kidnapped." I was breathless as I spoke. "It's too late," I said, "He's taken Harry and Percy." His normally twinkling eyes were filled with sorrow. "Oh," he whispered, "Then I will conduct a search for them myself." As he started to get up, I waved him back down. "Have you spoken to Mr. Brunner about me and Percy?" I asked him. He nodded, "I am aware of your heritage, Ms. Chase," he responded, "But what does that mean for Mr. Jackson?" I smiled, "Percy has his ways of getting out of places. I have reason to believe that he will be back." Dumbledore nodded, "Of course. But if he is not back by nightfall..." He let his sentence hang in the air. I tilted my head, "If he is not back by the end of breakfast I'm looking for him, Professor." McGonagall's eyebrows furrowed, "But Ms. Chase, you have classes." I restrained myself from glaring at the Head of Gryffindor. "Professor McGonagall," I said calmly, "No one will stop me from looking for my friend." She nodded, apparently terrified.
Dumbledore smiled, "You might as well get to bed, children. It is the middle of the night." We marched back to the Common Room, but didn't get up to bed quite yet. I took out a drachma and stared at it, wondering if it was alright to show these guys and Iris Message. Eventually, I sighed, also taking out a prism and spray bottle. I needed to make sure Percy was okay. I mean, he's not invincible, just crazy powerful. I wasn't even sure of where he was, but Hermione had some pretty good guesses, so I took a chance.
So I threw the drachma and said, "Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me Percy Jackson, in the Death Eater facility."
Percy's POV
The instant we started disappearing knew it wasn't Apparition. I mean, I heard the crack so I assumed it was, but it feels different, almost like shadow traveling. But that's crazy. Tell me I'm wrong. I really want to be wrong. Some other kind of magic is at work, something way older than Albus Dumbledore.
We appeared in a cell, where there was a wand still under Harry's chin. I felt my hands ball up into fists and my posture stiffen. Harry wasn't exactly my friend, but I couldn't let him get hurt. The death eater shackled me to a wall, my arms above my head, doing the same to Harry. Please. They were gonna need a lot more than metal to chain me. I built up a flame in my hand to melt them. Or, I tried to. Nothing would work. I tried again, harder this time, but my concentration was spent. I flicked my wrist, as hard as the chain would allow, and still, nothing. I couldn't control my powers anymore. It must be the chains. I couldn't reach Riptide. I couldn't reach my wand. Harry raised his eyebrows at me, "What're you trying to do? You realize we're going to be here until they let us out." I shook my head at him. I missed Annabeth. It's only been minutes since we were teleported out of Hogwarts, but the fear at not being able to see her was crushing me. I looked at him. "Try to Apparate," I said. It was our last hope. The chains were preventing demigod powers and Harry's shadow traveling knockoff was our last hope. He shook his head. "Already tried." I groaned.
I waited there for gods know how long until the door opened. A man with pale blonde hair walked in, a smile on his face. "Perseus Jackson," he boomed, "You have denied our gracious offer. So we've found new employment." He drew a sword I recognized immediately as celestial bronze. His finger rested on the keen edge of the blade. His eyes never left the shimmering metal. "You see," he continued, "Our master has informed us that our torture curses will not work on you. And as of now, we have no wish for your death. So we will have to resort to muggle methods to turn you to the side of the new Dark Lord." I grit my teeth. He must've found a demigod or rebellious minor god. I almost hoped that it was a demigod because the last thing I wanted was for the minor gods to be shunned after I had spent two of my wishes trying stop that.
His blade came down on my arm. A shallow cut, but still painful. His eyes glinted maliciously. "You will join us whether you like it or not. My master has said to torture you until you pledge on the River of Sticks that you will turn to his side. I have no idea why a stream would be filled with tree branches, but I do as I am commanded." That stupid wizard. He wants me to turn. He wants to bind me with an oath to the Styx. He doesn't even know what he's doing. I growled, "You will never get an oath out of me." The corners of his mouth twitched upward. "So be it." The last words I heard before the sword came down again and again, drawing my screams. My vision went red around the edges, and the next thing I saw was black.
<*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*>
When I came to, I heard muttering. A heartbreaking sob. Voices filled with worry. My eyes opened groggily, unable to take in the torchlight. My vision doubled. I saw an Iris Message in front of me. I shook my head. It returned to normal. "Annabeth," I croaked, "I'm sorry." Her stormy gray eyes were teary and she almost reached towards me before remembering it was an image. "Seaweed Brain, what did they do?" She cried. I looked at Hermione, Ginny and Ron, none of which would look at me. I cracked a smiled, "Tell me honestly, Wise Girl. How bad do I look?" I knew the answer before Annabeth even opened her mouth. I felt the blood streaming down my face. I knew that I needed help, and fast. Annabeth shook her head, drying her tears. "I'm getting the rest of them," she muttered, "They'll help." She looked back at me one more time. "Help is coming. Stay strong, Percy." Her arm cut through the mist. I sighed. Alone again with Potter. The rest of them. The rest of the seven? They were gods now. They can't interfere with the lives of mortals. And yet, four godly figures flashed before me. Jason was facing the wall. As he turned around, saying, "So, Perce. Son of Poseidon need our..." his eyes widened. Hazel and Piper gasped. Hazel dug ambrosia and nectar out of her pockets, ready to treat my wounds. I felt them closing up, but it could only do so much. I waved them away. "Stop, I'm burning," I muttered, "Where's Annabeth?" They shuffled around nervously. "Nico's bringing her and your wizard friends," Piper said shakily, "But he can't shadow travel into this room. They're going to storm the entrance." My eyes widened and I started to thrash and kick. "No!" I screamed, "They've got killing curses, tell them it's too dangerous. Nothing can happen to Annabeth." Harry was still staring at my friends, confused.
He pointed at Piper. "You're Professor McLean. How... Why... How?" He managed to stutter out. Frank burst out laughing, "Professor?" Piper blushed. "Maybe Percy will tell you when he's ready." I glared at her, motioning with my eyes to get me out of the chains. She rushed forward with Jason, muttering, "Oh yeah. Shackled to the wall." I collapsed as soon as the chains were no longer holding me to the wall. I tried to stop it, but I was just too weak right now. Hazel cradled my head, "You've lost a lot of blood, Percy. We'll get out of here." I heard the vague sounds of fighting overhead. Frank's hand was on the doorknob. "We should probably go and help them," he said, motioning to Jason and Piper, "You know, before Percy has a heart attack." He smiled teasingly before running out the door, morphing into a bear. I relaxed. My friends wouldn't let anything happen to Annabeth.
I slowly sat up, my hand on Hazel's shoulder for support. I looked up at Harry, "Are we going to tell anyone about this whole 'kidnapping' episode?" He shook his head, slightly confused. He proceeded to scratch the back of his neck and say, "Thanks, Percy. For jumping to save me and all. You're a good guy." I smiled, rolling my eyes. It took him long enough. The door crashed open, a breathless Annabeth in the doorway. Sweaty and sleep deprived, my Wise Girl had never looked better. She rushed over to me and kissed me, then wrapping me in a huge hug. I gasped, almost hearing my ribs cracking. "Annie," I managed to squeak, "Too... tight." She let go of me and kissed me again, taking in the cuts that crisscrossed all over my arms, legs and face. She looked over at Hazel, the light of battle frenzy slowly fading from her eyes. Hazel nodded, a small smile spreading out over her features. "Yes, Annabeth. I did feed him ambrosia and pour nectar over his wounds." Annabeth looked at her pointedly. "No, Annabeth," Hazel responded, sighing, "We did not tell anybody anything." Annabeth smiled, satisfied. She hugged me again, softer this time. "Don't do that again, Seaweed Brain." I shook my head, "You know I can't promise that." She looked so disappointed that I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her forehead. I heard a cough shuffling behind us. The wizards were standing behind us, their jaws dropped. Nico grinned, "Get a room, you two. Anyways, I've got to get back to Hogwarts. See ya." Annabeth and I were blushing firetruck red. Ginny smiled, "I knew something was up between you two." Hermione raised her eyebrow, "I suspect that this still isn't the whole story. Are you gonna tell us, or what?" I furrowed my eyebrows, "Can we at least get out of this cell first?" Jason's face lit up with excitement. "You got it, Perce," he said, "I've been dying to do this." He snapped his fingers and we were disappeared in a flash of light.
Back at the Gryffindor Common Room
It was still the middle of the night when we returned. Nevertheless, we sat down to tell the wizards about our lives. Our adventures. I sighed, "Look. What we're about to tell you is crazy. Completely ridiculous. But it's all true." They nodded, so I took a deep breath. I laced my fingers through Annabeth's. "I am," I said slowly and deliberately, "Dating Annabeth." The whole group rolled their eyes. Ginny groaned, "I think that was kind of obvious, Percy." I grinned, "Just messing with you." Annabeth sighed, "Well since he's being a Seaweed Brain, I guess I'll start." They nodded apprehensively.
"We're demigods," Annabeth said, "The children of one god and one mortal, or as you call it, Muggles. No interruptions." She snapped, seeing Hermione's mouth open. "Where was I? Oh yeah. We're demigods. My mom is Athena. My dad is Frederick Chase. Why do we all know Greek? It's because it's hardwired into our brains instead of English. Our dyslexia is because of that. Why do we all know how to fight? It's because we need it to survive. All of our jokes about monsters and battles, aren't actually jokes. They were slip ups. We weren't actually supposed to tell you any of this, but because of the events of tonight, you deserve to know. Even you." She said, pointing that last comment at Ron. The redhead's face flushed, "Hey!" I snickered at him, then took up the story.
"It all started when I was twelve years old..."
Time Skip
"And here we are." I finished. Their mouths were agape. Their eyes were as wide as a dinner plate. I knew Hermione was dying to ask us about every little detail, so I told her, "One question each." She nodded. "You saved Olympus twice, battled gods and titans and giants-" Jason cut her off, "And don't forget Earth Primordials." She accepted his interruption. "And some of the gods still hate you?" I grinned. I have a talent for knocking gods of their thrones and into KILL PERCY mode. "Well you see," I said, motioning with my hands, "Athena doesn't like me because I'm dating her daughter and I'm the son of Poseidon. They're rivals, you know. Zeus doesn't like me because I'm the son of Poseidon and too strong for my own good. And it's not that Hera doesn't like me, it's that I don't like her. Ares is just downright terrible and egotistic." Ginny pointed at me, "You denied godhood twice." I leaned back, putting my arm around Annabeth. "Yup. The best decisions I ever made." Ginny waved aside that comment, "But why?" I looked at the ceiling. "Let me ask you a question. Let's say you've got a bunch of friends that have gotten you to where you are today. A bunch of friends who have risked their lives for you, given their lives for you, and you know they've always got your back. In time, all of them would die. Would you want to be alive and in tip top condition and watch them die?" Ginny shook her head, "I guess I never thought about it that way." I shrugged, "I don't regret anything." Annabeth smiled up at me, nudging me. "What about the time when you dropped your blue cookie?" Let me tell you about the blue cookies incident. I was walking to the mess hall when I tripped over a rock. I dropped my jar of blue cookies and quicker than I could say oops, the Stolls had stolen them. So yes, I do regret that. They were all gone. I choked back a sob. "It's not my fault the Stolls ate them. On the plus side, though, I got to beat them up." Annabeth's smile only grew wider, "What about the time you walked into the Aphrodite cabin looking for Piper?" I nodded, "Okay, so I regret that too."
"Or the time you made Thalia mad?"
"Yes."
"What about when you-" I cut her off. "Okay, Wise Girl, I think we get the point." The group laughed. I looked out the window and saw the sun coming up over the horizon. I gulped, "Uh, guys, it's morning." We were a mess. Piper was asleep on Jason's shoulder. Ron couldn't even glare because he was so tired. Harry looked like he wanted to ask his question, but was too lazy to open his mouth. Hazel and Frank left a while ago, claiming they needed their sleep but if we wanted to stay up all night we could. Hermione and Ginny, however, were wide awake. They volunteered to tell McGonagall and Dumbledore that we were safe and that we needed the day off. I smiled sleepily. Yay. Skip school. Annabeth fingered the scraps of fabric we used to cover my cuts. "You should eat some more ambrosia, Percy," she said, taking them off one by one, "They aren't completely healed yet." Harry shook himself awake. "My turn for questions," he said, "Why did you two hide your relationship?" I shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe because there were these two boys who hated my guts insulting everything I did and if I told you guys about her you would've started insulting her, too and if she was my girlfriend you'd be even bigger jerks than you were then and then I maybe sorta would've killed you?" By the end of that rambling session, I was gasping for breath. Harry's green eyes widened, but understanding filled them. "I'm sorry for being a jerk. I was just blinded because I thought that you were evil like your grandpa." He looked down, "I know that you're different now. So, can we just start over?" I smiled, "Of course. But if you start hitting on my girlfriend again..." I let that threat hang in the air as Harry laughed. He stuck out his hand, "Hi, I'm Harry Potter." I shook it firmly, "Percy Jackson. Nice to meet you."
Harry makes a great friend. You know, when he doesn't hate you.
Later that day. Yes, I know I'm getting lazy with my time skips.
Percy's POV
I sat against a tree with my arms around Annabeth in the Room of Requirement, gazing at a giant lake. The water was sparkling and calm, the waves lapping against our feet. But next to Annabeth, it was a muddy puddle in a storm of rain. No one spoke, but I guess it was better that way. Her head against my chest, this was the closest to peace I've felt since coming to Hogwarts. Annabeth finally looked up at me, sadness evident on her features. I smiled, "What is it, Wise Girl?" She got up and sat down across from me. "When you were missing, you know, the second time and I IM'ed you?" I nodded, not understanding what she was getting at. "Yeah, what about it?" I asked, pushing for more information. She looked away and bit her lip, "Seeing you chained up and bloody like that, it really shook me. I haven't seen you that weak since the Arai attack in T-T... that place." I pulled her into my arms again. Annabeth was the strongest, bravest person I knew. I didn't like that I could make her scared or frail. "We're together now," I whispered, "We're together, and that's all that counts." She smiled into my chest, "I love you, Seaweed Brain." I smiled back, even though she couldn't see it, "I love you, too, Wise Girl. And I'll never stop." She sat on my lap and kissed me softly. "Stop talking, Percy. Just hold me." That brought me back to the incident on the Argo II. I wish I could stay here forever, forget about school, forget about homework, forget about the how the Dark Lord would torture me to get me on his side. He can take me, but he will never break me. It's Annabeth that keeps me strong. I would've died long ago without her.
I kissed the top of her head. Without looking at me, she asked, "What was that for?" I rested my head on top of hers, "For being there for me. For staying with me, even though I don't deserve you. Because I love you. Does there need to be a reason?" She shook her head, "I guess not. You're really cheesy, you know that, Seaweed Brain?" I grinned, "It's easy to be cheesy when I'm with the love of my life." She laughed, "There you go again. Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that Seaweed-filled head of yours." I chuckled, "The world may never know." I looked at my watch, instantly regretting it. It was past curfew. We should've just stayed until morning. We should've just stayed forever. I averted my gaze, deciding to keep my mouth shut. If Annabeth doesn't know, she won't make us leave. But of course, my Wise Girl know everything. As I put my arm down, she glanced at it. "Oh gods, Percy. We've got to get back to the Common Rooms without anyone seeing us." She stood up, peeking out the door. She was so cute when she was worried. But she was also forgetting that we didn't even have to go into the hallways to get back to the common room. "Or," I said, stepping toward her, "I could just shadow travel." She glared at me, "You're too weak to be shadow traveling right now." I tilted my head to one side, "No I'm not. We've spent the whole day in here doing nothing. I'm rested." She motioned to my arms. "The cuts all over your body say otherwise," she argued. I rolled my eyes, "You worry too much. I'm perfectly fine." She looked my straight in the eye, glaring daggers at me, "I won't let you jeopardize yourself if you don't need to." I crossed my arms, "You're such a worrywart." Her face turned slightly pink, "Well, I'm sorry for worrying about your health." I nodded, "You're right." Annabeth looked taken aback, "I know." I bowed my head, "And I'm sorry for yelling at you." Annabeth nodded, "Well, you should be. But I'm sorry, too." I held out my arms, "Hug it out?" She looked hesitant at first, but hugged me back.
Only for me to shadow travel.
She punched me in the arm, "You sneaky, sneaky, little Seaweed Brain." I grinned, "Hey, I'm not flickering out of existence. We're not getting in trouble. So we both win." She smiled, "I guess we do. Goodnight." She kissed me, and I kissed back. "I'll try not to get kidnapped this time." I said as I climbed the stairs. She glared at me, "You better not." I walked into the Boy's dorm to see everyone asleep. I jumped into bed and sighed.
Back to school tomorrow.
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