Chapter 3
Percy stepped onto Platform 9 ¾ and was immediately met with chaos and noise. He looked for a familiar face, and found none. His friends were probably already on the train, he was running later than usual.
Percy pulled his hood up tighter over his face, his black eye was fading but it was still noticeable. He walked towards the train and suddenly a voice called out.
“Percy! Over here!” It was Annabeth, her head was sticking out the train window and Percy beamed. He walked onto the train and towards her compartment. When he walked in, he came face to face with Jason Grace.
Percy’s heart is pounding. From anger, obviously.
How is it fair that Percy comes back to his 6th year looking like he just walked through a hurricane when Jason looks like some sort of Greek god? He is no longer the skinny kid with buzzed hair that Percy knows and hates. No, Jason’s gained muscle and his hair is longer, he holds himself differently, too. He radiates confidence and his smirk is smug as he looks down at Percy.
Yes, looks down! The bastard had to grow a few extra inches too. Dammit.
Percy chooses to ignore Jason and he peers around him to look at Annabeth, who is chatting happily with Piper McLean, a Gryffindor and one of Jason’s closest friends. What the fuck is happening?
“I see you’ve been staying out of trouble, Jackson,” Jason says, smirk still in place. He gestures to his black eye, and Percy flushes in embarrassment.
“Mind your fucking business, Grace,” Percy glares at him, “What are you even doing here? Go sit with Octavian and his fanclub.”
“I let them sit in here, Percy. Everywhere else is full, and Grover is sitting with Juniper so we have the room,” Annabeth explains, she tilts her head towards Piper and gives Percy a look that says, don’t mess this up for me. And Percy is an amazing wingman, so he can put up with Mr. Perfect for 2 hours. Maybe.
He sits in the corner by the door, directly across from Jason. Piper, Annabeth, and Jason talk almost the whole way there. Percy says nothing, he just glares. For two hours. He would’ve given up a while ago and slept, but Jason kept giving him amused glances and Percy accepted the silent challenge. Yes, he could do this all day.
It does give him time to study the man in front of him. Obviously, the gods have their favorites. And Percy is not one of them.
Professor McGonagall led them to the Dining Hall for the sorting. If he was being completely honest, Percy zoned out during a good majority of the ceremony. He only woke up when Rachel elbowed him when they could eat. Nico Di Angelo, a Slytherin 5th year, sat across from him looking as bored as Percy felt.
A few minutes into the feast, Professor Dumbledor stood up to make an announcement, the hall was quiet.
“Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Hogwarts,” He went over the rules and explained yet again that the forbidden forest was off limits. Ha, as if that’d stop Percy. It only got exciting when he brought up the Triwizard Tournament. Percy, just recently 17, was finally allowed to enter. Unfortunately, so was Jason, but maybe the gods would finally be nice to him and let him beat Jason just once.
A boy could only hope.
When Dumbledore finished and the food gone, the students were sent to their rooms. That was a new rule, Rachel explained, no students out after sunset. You’d think they were under attack or something.
He met up with Grover and Annabeth on the stairs before they had to separate. Apparently, the ministry was tightening the leash on the school.
Percy didn’t care, that wouldn’t stop him from sneaking out from time to time. Last year, he even got Rachel and Nico to join him. Annabeth says no every time he asks.
The new Slytherin password is Apate, named after the goddess of trickery. One of the 7th years is going through a Greek mythology phase. Percy steps inside and is immediately greeted with maniacal laughter.
Hazel, Nico, Rachel, and a first year are playing Monopoly, a muggle board game. Hazel, whose parents are muggles, brought the game along last year. Percy thinks that the person who created it is extremely evil. Some other slytherins are looking on in amusement when Rachel robs Nico of thousands of dollars.
Other Slytherins are looking down at them with disgust and Percy rolls his eyes, they can’t get over the muggle world.
Percy tries to overcome the boredom and be a good student for once, but the temptation is too great. He’ll be good after tonight, he promises to Professor McGonagall in his head.
When everyone is asleep, he slowly makes his way outside. The halls are dark and he uses his wand to illuminate the area around him. Then something grabs his shoulder,
“What do you think you’re doing, Jackson?” He barely holds in a scream as he twists around and his eyes meet the blue ones of Jason Grace.
Fuck me, he groans internally.
Being caught by Jason is almost worse than being caught by Snape.