Heroes at Hogwarts

forty-six | giants, titans, and elevators

harry

It was obvious Percy didn't want to have this conversation. 

Bob and Damasen had spent the last two days readying the boys for the journey to the 'Doors of Death', as Percy called them. They'd gotten packs ready, fed and rested them. No matter how cautious Luke was, it was hard not to trust those two. Percy had spent the last two hours before they left trying to convince them to come along. 

They refused. This was where they belonged. Here, together. 

But now the three were on their own again. They trudged up the fifteen hill of the day, the hut long gone from their sight. Only one thing had tried to kill them so far, Luke had called it a hydra, but Percy just waved his hand. The poor thing exploded.

Seeing how much damage his brother could do, how he didn't even look at the creature, made Harry weary of his powers. Would he ever be that powerful, not being a full son of the sea god? Harry almost hoped he wouldn't be. 

Now Luke was quizzing him about what the two had overheard two nights ago, when they were supposed to be asleep. 

"What did he mean, son of the pit?" Luke growled. "And Kelli said the same thing, don't think we forgot." 

"You think I wanted this?" Percy rolled his eyes, matching Luke's tone. "I didn't even want to go to Hogwarts." 

Harry stopped walking, but when the others continued he was forced to keep up. He'd never heard that before, that Percy had been forced to come and help him. Had he not wanted to help his brother, someone who was going to have to go through a million things at once and was going to need his help? Was Percy really that done with the gods? 

"So it's true? Like Harry is your father's son? You're Tartarus's?" Luke marched on, not noticing Harry's mood change. The wizard was just surprised Luke was talking so much. Harry was having trouble breathing.

"I don't know. I never wanted to be." Percy's voice was small, and Harry suddenly felt sorry for him. Under Luke's interrogation, anyone would have caved. "I never wanted to be a half-blood. I never wanted to be the savoir of Olympus. I never wanted to be the praetor of New Rome. I never wanted to lead a camp. I never wanted to teach another how to control someone's blood. I never wanted to be Tartarus's son. I never wanted to leave people behind. But I am, and I did. And I can't take that back now. So please stop, Luke." 

Luke sighed. "Sorry." 

"No need to be," Percy said. "I say we use this to our advantage and then forget about it forever. The doors are a mile ahead, at least for today. Between us, though, is Styx water. Let's see if Harry and I can do anything about that." 

Harry just nodded when Percy looked back at him. He didn't feel like breathing, much less a training session, but he had to take it where he could get it. 

"Come here," Percy chuckled a little. "Why are you walking so far away?" 

It was then that Harry realized Luke had been basically in Percy's shadow, staying as close as he could. When Harry got closer, he realized Percy's aura was giving off fresh air, purifying the Tartarus gunk. He took a deep breath. "Oh, that feels good." 

Luke and Percy laughed at Harry's facial expression, but Harry was already buried in his thoughts again. 

What would happen when they got back home? Percy had basically promised that they would be back today. Harry wasn't sure how he could possibly know that, but he trusted him. He wondered what Ginny was doing, how she would react to him being gone. Percy had said Annabeth would smooth it over, hopefully keeping everything from Gin until Harry was ready to tell her. He didn't really care if she knew, as long as he avoided the Weasley wrath.