Chapter Text
After being attacked by a killer monster that they would never have imagined existed outside of books or fantasy movies and surviving, they were surprisingly quiet.
Sirius looked at the sword in his hand. It was made of shiny gray metal, with a dark gray handle covered in decorative engravings. He had never seen a sword in real life, where could McGonagall have found one? Or rather, how did McGonagall know that Sirius and the other unknown boys were being attacked by a monster in a library and urgently needed a weapon? She looked thoughtful and glanced among all the boys. Sirius felt pain surge through his shoulder and let the sword drop onto the table so he could grab the open wound on his arm, where the monster had grabbed him.
McGonagall was near the door, and the blond boy was standing close to her, fidgeting nervously with his hands and shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Sirius was sitting at the table closest to the exit, near the teacher and the blond boy. The table where he had placed the sword was slightly cracked on the side. The boy with glasses was sitting at the next table, the same one Sirius had entered, trying to stop his wound with a piece of fabric he had cut from his t-shirt, and the scarred boy was also sitting at that table, staring fixedly at the floor with his leg trembling.
"P-professor McGonagall, what just happened?" Sirius was completely ignored.
She looked directly at the blond boy, who still seemed unsettled after the attack. "Explain yourself."
“I-I didn’t find him at school! So I took a little while to get here and h-he… they were already being attacked! I didn’t know what to do!” said the blonde. Did he have something to do with this?! And who were they talking about?
“You were supposed to pick him up at school and take him to camp before something exactly like this happened! And how did you not find him, he was at school all day!?”
‘Wait, were they talking about me?!’ he thought.
“S-sorry-”
“Wait, what—who are you talking about?!” Sirius interrupted.
“You endangered not just him, but these kids too!”
“But no one is going to explain what- what that… thing was!” shouted glasses.
“We don’t even know if they are human or demigods!” said McGonagall.
“Demigods? What’s a demigod?” asked scars.
“Oh, they are definitely demigods.” The blonde said confidently.
“What the hell is a demigod?” asked scars.
“What the hell was that thing?!” asked glasses.
“Who the hell are you guys?!” asked Sirius, looking at the blond and the teacher.
“Everyone be quiet!” shouted the teacher. “Are you sure they’re demigods?” Peter nodded. “Absolutely?” He nodded again. She looked around at all the boys. “Follow me. We have to go before more come. We’ll explain on the way.” With that, she turned toward the door and left, almost immediately followed by the blond boy.
Sirius and the other boys looked at each other before gathering their things and following them out of the library. He was still about to grab his arm because of the pain and noticed that glasses was doing the same with his shoulder.
Sirius noticed that no one in the street seemed to have noticed what had happened and people were passing through the library as if nothing had happened. Only a few looked at the group strangely because almost everyone was injured or limping and because glasses had part of his t-shirt ripped, but even so, Sirius figured that four 12-year-old boys coming out of a library injured would draw more attention, not to mention the noise they must have made fighting.
"How did nobody notice what happened?" asked scars, as if reading his mind.
"Oh, it’s because of the mist! It keeps mortals from seeing things from our world." The blond said, as if that answered all his questions, when it only confused them more.
"Thanks, that was very helpful," scars muttered sarcastically.
"Who are you?!" Sirius asked the blond, referring to him and McGonagall, which prompted everyone to start bombarding him with questions.
"What was that thing?!"
"Where are we going?"
"What did that thing want from me?"
"Why did you just call us demigods?"
McGonagall suddenly stopped and turned to them. "Peter, please answer their questions and make them shut up."
Peter turned to them and began speaking while pacing side to side. "Okay, so, uh… one at a time. My name is Peter! And you are demigods, also known as half-bloods!" He said with fake excitement in his voice, which still shook a little. When everyone just stared at him as if he were saying the sky was pink, he continued. "Have you ever heard stories about Greek mythology or… gods?"
It was official, this guy was completely crazy.
Sirius had already read quite a few of these myths, both Greek and Roman, because his mother forced him to. He didn’t like it much, he never liked reading, both because he was very dyslexic and because his ADHD prevented him from sitting down to do an activity willingly for more than five minutes. He didn’t remember almost anything he read.
“Yeah, my mom used to tell me stories like this when I was little, but I don’t see how that was relevant in any way,” said the boy with glasses, irritated. “They’re myths.”
“Actually, they’re not!” Peter said excitedly and looked at them expecting a big reaction. What he got were skeptical looks and an eye roll. “Seriously!”
“Peter, I don’t know if you’re just crazy or if I’m crazy, probably both, but I don’t have time for this! I have to find my brother and I’m not going to find him if I follow two… crazies to who knows where! So if you’ll excuse me, I’m leaving!” Sirius shouted and turned to go away.
“Sirius, for Gods’ sake, come back here!” Professor McGonagall demanded, but he ignored her. She was crazy if she thought he was going anywhere with her. They were all crazy!
“Wait!” Peter shouted. “I know what happened to your brother!” Sirius stopped.
“What?” He turned around.
McGonagall looked at Peter the same way she looked at her students when they spoke in class. “We’re not sure, don’t say anything.”
Sirius approached them again. The other two boys were leaning against a car between Sirius and Peter.
“Do you know where my brother is?!”
“McGonagall, it’s the only explanation and you know it.”
“Where is my brother?!” Sirius shouted indignantly. He was furious. His brother could be in danger, and they knew where he was, but they weren’t doing anything?!
“Sirius…” Peter began, looking directly at him.
“Peter…” the professor interrupted in a warning tone. “It’s not our decision, Dumbledore-”
Peter interrupted her. “He’s in the underworld. Hades sent the Furies to kidnap him and you too! That’s what that thing was!”
Sirius tilted his head, trying to remember who Hades was. He remembered having read that name somewhere…
“Hades? Like the God of the dead, Hades?” asked glasses. Sirius had already forgotten that they were there.
“Yes!” exclaimed Peter.
“Now that you’ve already disobeyed Dumbledore’s orders, we have to go before more monsters arrive,” McGonagall said sternly.
“Well, I can't prove that what I said about Hades is true, but I have evidence that what I said about Greek mythology, monsters, and gods is true! Well, besides the literal monster that almost killed us.” He replied. McGonagall was impatient, arms crossed, looking around as if waiting for something to appear and attack them out of nowhere. He probably was. Peter placed his foot on a bench and pulled up his pants. “Ta-da!”
Sirius took a few seconds to realize. Peter's leg wasn't a normal leg, nor was it human. “Why does your leg look like a goat's leg?”
“He's a satyr.” scars said, somewhat quietly, as if he didn’t want to say it out loud and it had just slipped out. He blushed slightly as the attention turned to him. “I read about them in a book.”
“He’s right.” Peter said, adjusting his pants and taking his foot off the bench. “I’m a satyr, and my job is to be your protector and take you safely to camp.”
“Are you done yet, can we go now?” McGonagall asked impatiently, but she didn’t wait for them to answer before turning and starting to walk. The four of them eventually followed her.
“So, assuming what you say is true, what does Hades want with my brother?”
“Well…” Peter looked at McGonagall as if seeking approval to continue. She rolled her eyes but said nothing. “We think he wants to use your brother as some kind of weapon or pawn, but we’re not sure…”
“Weapon?! He’s 10 years old, what does the God of the dead wants with a 10-year-old boy?”
“He’s not just any 10-year-old boy, he’s a demigod. But, like I said, we’re not sure; gods are usually very unpredictable and doing senseless things for various reasons is difficult-”
“Wait, you keep saying demigods, what’s that?” asked glasses.
“It means that one of your parents is a god and the other is mortal, human.” He explained. The boy looked at him suspiciously.
“So, how am I a demigod? Both of my parents are human.” Said glasses.
“Oh! Err…” Peter stammered awkwardly.
McGonagall stopped and turned to Peter. “Are you sure he is a demigod?”
“Yes.”
McGonagall opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it. She was no longer looking at Peter but at something behind them. Sirius turned and went pale. At the end of the street was a tall man with only one eye, walking and looking around as if searching for someone. Sirius had a vague idea of who he was.
“We’ll deal with that later. Peter,” She threw him some car keys. “My car is on the next street to the right. It’s a gray BMW, take them to the camp.”
“B-but, I don’t kno-”
“Figure it out, there’s a map in the glove compartment. Sirius, give me my sword.” Sirius obeyed. “Now go.”
Somewhat reluctantly, they went. McGonagall was positioned with the sword, waiting for the monster to approach. They couldn't move too fast, especially the scarred one, but they quickly turned the corner and heard screams from behind.
“Don't stop!” shouted Peter. “It’s just the mortals; they probably are seeing what they think is a street fight, but they’ll be fine. And don't worry, McGonagall is a very powerful demigod, she will easily defeat a cyclops.”
“Wait, what? She's a demigod? My math teacher is also a demigod?”
“She is your teacher?” asked glasses.
When they reached the BMW, Sirius stopped at the door, and all three seemed to be thinking the same thing: they couldn't leave McGonagall. Peter, on the other hand, seemed more hesitant. “She knows what she's doing.” he said. “She has fought against worse things at 15, she'll be fine.” But he seemed just a little unsure.
Everyone ignored him. They looked at each other and didn’t need words: they all ran to where they had left McGonagall.
“Wait! Ughhhhh…” Peter sighed, but hurried to join in.
As they rounded the corner, they saw McGonagall face to face with the ‘cyclops.’ The cyclops charged, trying to knock her down, but she easily dodged, and while he struggled to regain his balance, she thrust her sword into his back, turning him into particles, just like the Fury.
“Wow,” said glasses next to him, and Sirius had to agree. Wow.
“I told you she would be fine,” Peter said.
McGonagall picked up the sword and noticed their presence, narrowing her eyes and stepping closer. “I told you to go away, what do you think you’re doing here?”
“Err…” everyone stammered.
She sighed. “Let’s go.”
Sirius found himself squeezed between glasses and scars in the back seats of his math teacher’s car. Peter, who was in front, turned back. “I guess we never introduced ourselves, my name is Peter. Peter Pettigrew, I’m 24 years old, and as you know, I’m a satyr.”
"How the hell are you 24 years old?" asked scars.
"Satyrs grow slower." He replied with a mini frown.
"Well, uh, I'm James! James Potter." said glasses, trying to sound enthusiastic.
"I’m Remus Lupin."
"Sirius Black."
"So, exactly where are we going?" asked James.
"We’re going to Camp Half-Blood. It’s a place for people like you, that is, half-bloods, also known as demigods. There, monsters can’t reach you and you’ll be safe."
"Wait, we’re going there now? I can’t, my parents will kill me if I just disappear, I have to be home by eight!" James said. McGonagall abruptly stopped the car before anyone could say anything and turned around.
“You almost died twice today because of monsters, and that's what you're worried about? You’re free to get out of this car right now and go back to your mom and dad, but I guarantee you, if you’re a demigod like he says, there will be a next attack, and I’m not sure you’ll survive it, do you understand me?!” James nodded, scared. She turned to Sirius and Remus. “Anything you want to add?” she said in a threatening voice, and they quickly shook their heads no. “Great, let’s go.” She started the car, and the rest of the trip was pretty silent.
***
After two hours of travel, Remus was sleeping quietly beside him on the left, and Peter was snoring in the front seat. James, on the other side, looked out the window melancholically. Night was beginning to fall, and it had started raining ten minutes ago. Sirius had stopped his wound the same way James had, but he still felt a lot of pain, which kept him from sleeping.
He thought about what he had just found out. That certainly explained the lack of photographs of his biological father, whoever he was, was too busy being a bloody God to pose to photos. (Can Gods even take photos? Oh, wait, the vampires are the ones who can’t. Does this mean vampires exists? Or do they cross the line in monsters disappearing in particles when you killed them?) He had been taught since childhood not to ask about his biological father, because it would make his stepfather angry. It was never a secret to them that he wasn't his real father, but to everyone outside his family, he was.
Sirius sometimes thought about him late at night and wondered what his life would be like if he were part of it. He wouldn’t miss his stepfather, that was for sure, and maybe with him, his mother would treat them better, or even better, they wouldn’t have to live with her.
Regulus didn’t agree with him on that. He said that if their father couldn’t even be bothered to be involved in their lives, then he wasn’t a better father than their mother and stepfather, and Sirius should be more grateful to them. Ugh, Sirius was almost certain he was just repeating what his mother or some other relative had told him. Not that it mattered now, his father definitely didn’t care enough to interfere in their lives, even (probably) knowing what his mother was like.
He felt his chest tighten thinking about his brother. At least he knew where he was now. But if Regulus was taken by that thing, Fury as Peter had said, to the underworld, how would he get there without having to die? He didn’t know how the Fury took him, but if it managed to then there must be some entrance, he just had no idea where it would be. They said the Greek myths were real, so maybe there’s a hero who found a way. He really should have read those books that his mother…
She knew?! She must know, because what other reason would she have to make them read books that would be extremely useful now?! So why didn't she say anything? Not that she talked to them about many things beyond school or dinner etiquette, but this seemed like something that should be mentioned. Sirius always thought the reason his mother didn't talk about his father was because she didn't like him (which is not surprising, she doesn't like many people), but apparently she just thought they didn't have the right to know that their father was a God.
She must have also known that Regulus's disappearance had something to do with it... and she did nothing. She did nothing when her own son disappeared, leaving the police searching knowing they wouldn’t find anything and leaving her little brother in danger in the underworld.
And his father. If he was a God, a literal God, why didn't he do anything? Why did he let his son be kidnapped and taken to the underworld by another God and leave him there? And when that was happening to his other son, he still did nothing.
“Do you think your parents know?” James asked suddenly, distracting Sirius from his thoughts. The boy had turned to him now, stopping his gaze from the rain. It was the first time any of them had spoken directly to him; these past two hours of travel had been spent mostly in silence.
“I think my mother knows.” Sirius said. After thinking for a few seconds, he added: “And she must also know the reason for my brother’s disappearance.”
“You think so?” James asked, and Sirius nodded. “I’m sorry about your brother, that must be really awful.”
Sirius gave him a sad smile and changed the subject. “And yours?”
"I-I don’t know…" James replied sadly. “I…” He moved closer to Sirius to whisper, and Sirius leaned in as well, even though it didn’t make much sense since the car was silent. “I’m not sure if I’m a demigod, both of my parents are… mortal, and according to Peter that means… unless… I don’t know…”
‘Unless one of your parents isn’t your real parent,’ they both thought, but no one said it.
They stayed silent for a few moments, listening to the rain hitting the car. Sirius didn’t know what to say, but he thought being quiet was the best option.
“Do you think I could call my parents when we get there?” James asked.
"I don't know," Sirius replied. "They must let us or they will get accused of kidnapping or something."
"I don't see how calling them will improve the situation. What are we going to say? 'Oh, hi mom and dad, uh, a lady took me to a summer camp in the middle of nowhere, and I went along because we were attacked by monsters in the library!'"
Sirius smiled amusedly. "Maybe they'll give us a story to tell them and cover up our own kidnapping."
"Do you think they'll put a gun to our heads to force up?" He laughed.
"I think they're more the sword type," Sirius replied.
They laughed.
At that moment, Sirius noticed Lupin moving beside him. When he kept just shifting without waking, Sirius turned to look at him. Lupin's face was twisted, and a slight tremor ran through his body. Sirius recognized those signs well; after all, he had seen his brother have nightmares countless times.
‘Should I wake him up?’ Sirius seemed to be the only one who noticed what was happening and didn’t want to embarrass him by telling other people, but he never knew what to do in situations like this. He placed a hand on his shoulder and immediately regretted it, but it was already too late to change his mind. He shook the boy's shoulder, and he woke up with a start.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Sirius said, halfway embarrassed.
The poor boy turned as red as a tomato and looked away. “I-it’s okay. T-thanks”
Sirius shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t want to make Remus uncomfortable, but he had no fucking idea what to do and was afraid of embarrassing himself and possibly ruining his image in Remus’s eyes forever. He wasn't used to having difficulties talking to people; he was a very outgoing person and wasn't afraid to say what he had to say, but he also wasn't used to talking to people who didn't think he was a freak or who hadn't just experienced a traumatic moment with him. Like everything in his life, this was weird. There should be a manual: 100 tips on how to make friends without looking like a freak.
Jesus, that was sad.
Thank God, James, who had heard what had just happened, saved him. "It's okay, I have nightmares all the time too."
Remus looked at him, surprised.
Sirius took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, me too! All the time. My brother too."
Remus looked at him with a look that Sirius didn't recognize, and just as he opened his mouth to respond, the car was thrown into the air and did a flip before landing upside down.