Chapter 6

"WHAT!" I yelled in frustration, standing before the Principal's desk. "What do you mean I have to tutor her!?"

"Exactly as I said," Mrs. Umbridge replied calmly. "Perseus, you are the smartest student here, and you've already managed to get Nancy to stop bullying others. I don't know how, but you've clearly made an impact on her."

"Okay, maybe I had something to do with it, Mrs. Umbridge," I admitted with a sigh. "But where do I fit into all of this?"

"Well, Nancy's grades are currently the lowest in the entire school," Mrs. Umbridge explained. "I want you to personally tutor her and help her improve her performance. You have the skills for it, Perseus, and we would greatly appreciate your assistance." She slid a form of agreement across her desk, grinning expectantly.

"Let me guess, her dad found out she's failing and threatened to sue the school if you don't find a tutor for her," I deduced, narrowing my eyes at the principal. "And now, because nobody else wants to help her, you're assigning her to me..."

"As perceptive as ever, Mr. Jackson," Mrs. Umbridge replied, handing me a pen. Annoyed, I sighed and signed the paper before passing it back.

"I'm leaving now."

"Don't forget, you're always welcome here, oh noble King of Yancy," she said, provoking me.

"Shut up, you old witch! That situation was your fault, and you know it!" I shot back, flipping her off. Umbridge simply laughed, finding amusement in the exchange. In her opinion, I was the most exceptional student she had ever encountered—well, within this year, at least.

When I left, the room was suddenly filled with a blinding light. When it cleared, three young women stood alone in the empty room.

"His powers are growing by the year. He is growing to become a real powerful demigod.," Clotho murmured, her gaze fixed on the door. "I can't wait to see how powerful he becomes in the future."

"He has surpassed our expectations, sister. Isn't our Master the best?," Lachesis giggled, adjusting her dress. "And he is growing to become quite cute!"

"Let us proceed as planned. Soon, our Master will become the greatest man to ever live," Atropos declared, the three giggled excitedly before another flash of light engulfed them, and Karma Umbridge reappeared.

"Yes," all three spoke in unison. "And we will stand by his side to assist him... our great Lord Perseus!"

< ----------------------------------- >

For the next two weeks, Nancy completely ignored me. Despite having all our classes together, she would rush to leave early, avoiding me whenever I approached. I couldn't help but notice her whispering with her friends, casting glances in my direction. Whenever our eyes met, she'd blush and quickly look away. Today was no different, but I had decided it was time to confront Nancy.

As my lessons concluded, I dismissed the class and began packing up my things. Nancy was there, gathering her belongings and looking distracted as she doodled in her notebook.

"Nancy!" I called out, causing her to pause momentarily. I gathered my things and approached her, speaking in a hushed tone so only we could hear.

"We should talk," I suggested.

"What are you talking about, freak?" Nancy retorted, but her heart wasn't in it; her insult sounded more like a reflex than genuine hostility.

"Nancy... I'll be in the library. Don't keep me waiting." With that, I pushed past her and left her standing there, confused.

I almost didn't notice that she had swiped my wallet as I walked past her.

Turning around, I said, "Also, I'd like my wallet back, thank you very much. Hand it over, Boba Fett."

The nickname slipped out unintentionally, but instead of reacting with anger, Nancy lowered her gaze and extended my wallet toward me.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

I grinned at her, making sure she saw it. "I forgive you," I said as I retrieved my wallet. It wasn't until I was back in my dorm room that I realized she had managed to take a fiver as well. She was good, really good.

With these thoughts in mind, I made my way to the library, intending to arrive slightly early for my meeting with Nancy. When I got there, I couldn't help but feel how odd this might appear to others. It almost looked like I was asking her out on a date, which wasn't my intention at all. While she wasn't unattractive, I couldn't deny a passing physical attraction. I was feeling conflicted.

At precisely six o'clock, Nancy arrived. I half-expected her to ask, "Have you been waiting long?" but she remained silent, for which I was thankful.

Instead, she took a seat at an empty table across from me. "So, what... what did you want to talk about?" Nancy inquired nervously, keeping her voice low. The library wasn't particularly noisy, but we still needed to speak quietly to avoid being overheard. I observed Nancy for a moment before finally speaking.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" I asked sincerely, genuinely curious to see how she'd respond.

"Why do you care? We're not exactly friends," Nancy retorted boldly. Her response caught me off guard; I hadn't anticipated that. I hadn't really thought about what I would say in this conversation. It was a refreshing change to be genuinely stumped like this. Usually, I had all the answers.

"You were placed into my care," I responded. "I was told to tutor you and help you become better, From what I heard, your father threatened the school."

"Well, you can stop caring because I really don't care," she snapped back.

"Oh really? And yet you came here when I asked you to," I grinned.

For a moment, Nancy remained silent and then she spoke up. "A few days ago when you broke into my room... how did you know so much about me?"

"I have my ways. Now, Nancy, does your dad treat you badly?"

She shook her head and whispered, "Not exactly."

"Then what's going on, Nancy? Please, share it with me," I urged, my concern genuine.

I understood how painful it could be when someone lacked loving parents.

"He... he..." Nancy shook her head again, clearly struggling to find the words.

"It's alright, Nancy. You don't have to force yourself. Tell me when you're ready," I reassured her, my tone gentle and understanding.

"My dad... he doesn't really care about me. He ignores me. I've been sent to boarding schools since kindergarten. But when I come back, it's like... like he's not even happy to see me. He's too busy with his business for his only daughter," Nancy admitted bitterly.

I braced myself for her next revelation. "What about your mom?"

Nancy snorted. "Never met her. Dad never talks about her."

"I've never met my dad either. He left before I was born. But my mom's the nicest person in the world. I'm sorry you didn't have the same luck," I sympathized.

"Maybe that's why you're so much nicer than me," Nancy pondered. It seemed my earlier assumption about her intelligence was correct.

"Maybe. But don't you want to be nicer, Nancy?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Nancy snapped. "Sorry, I just... It's so hard. I try and try and try, but I just can't seem to be nice to anyone!" Her voice began to rise, and I spoke softly to calm her down.

"But you're being nice to me right now, aren't you?" I pointed out, my tone amused.

"You... you're right!" Nancy's face lit up with a grin. It made me realize that maybe her teeth weren't as bad as I initially thought. However, her expression soon darkened as she admitted, "But you're different. I can't be nice to anybody else!"

"Well, what makes me so different, Nancy?" I teased her gently.

"I don't know." Nancy's response was mumbled so quickly and softly that it sounded more like "Iono" than "I don't know."

"How very eloquent, Boba Fett." I couldn't help but chuckle, enjoying the new nickname I'd given her. It was simple but brilliant.

"Don't call me that!" Nancy protested, but her tone seemed to convey, "Please, please, please keep calling me that!" Perhaps she had never had a nickname before.

We spent the next few hours chatting about random, trivial things. Nancy seemed to relish the conversation with the boy she had a crush on, while I enjoyed engaging in a real conversation, something I realized would become increasingly rare in the future. Unless...

"Nancy, give me your hands," I instructed, placing my palms on the table in front of her. Nancy blushed, and after a brief internal struggle, she placed her hands on top of mine. Closing my eyes, I extended my senses into Nancy's being. A few weeks earlier, I had concluded that Nancy might be a daughter of Hermes, but now I wasn't so sure. Something didn't add up. Adias had taught me a neat trick using mana sense to read a persons energy. You can tell alot from the type of energy they have if you get good enough you can go form seein what they are to veiwing their past and future. It is an ability that Seer's are trained to use.

Nancy stayed silent, savoring the sensation of holding my hands. After a while, I let go, feeling perplexed as I looked at her. What I felt was not Greek energy, it felt more like...

"You're a demigod, just like me." I muttered. Nancy furrowed her brow, clearly taken aback. "Though you are connected to a Norse bloodline."

"What are you talking about?" Nancy asked, her confusion evident. I took a deep breath, pondering how to reveal this unexpected truth to her.

"Your mother was... actually a dude," I began, my voice trembling slightly. "I had thought you might be a child of Hermes, but it turns out you are actually the child of Loki."

Nancy's anger flared, and she responded sharply, "Wait, hold on. What do you mean my mother was a dude? And who is this Loki you're talking about?"

"Have you not been paying attention in Mythology class?" I replied, slightly surprised. "In Norse mythology, Loki is a cunning trickster who possesses the ability to change both his shape and gender. Despite his father being the giant Fárbauti, he is considered one of the Aesir gods."

I looked at Nancy with a tinge of sadness in my eyes. "So, I can offer you a choice."

Nancy leaned forward, curiosity and concern etched across her face. "And what are those choices?"

"You can either continue to live your life and wait for the day you die in battle to enter Valhalla." I explained, "or you swear your loyalty to me and become my, kindred."

Nancy's gaze held a mix of uncertainty and trust as she asked, "What exactly are you, Percy? You're clearly not human, but I know and trust you enough to believe that you're telling the truth."

I chuckled and extended my hand toward her. "I'm Perseus Jackson, a Greek Demigod." Nancy looked at me for a while. "Fine, I trust you. I will swear my loyalty to you."

"Great, you shall become the first of many to join me." I replied activating the skill I had gotten as a gift from Adias for managing to defeat him in battle last month. I bit my thumb and drew blood as I moved it to her palm drawing the enslavement crest as I poured mana into it. Watching as my blood soaked into her hand leaving the crest tattooed into her hand. I stood up and grabbed my bags.

"Tonight, get a goodnights rest and I will talk to you after. You belong to me now, so be sure to not disappoint me."

< --------------------- >

"Perce, come on, we've been at this for months. Can't I get a break?" Nancy whined as she dropped to the ground, utterly exhausted. I sat on a nearby boulder, watching her. It was late December, and the snow blanketed every inch of New York.

"Well, that's true," I admitted. "It has been a couple of months, and you've come a long way. We now know you can use magic and shapeshift. Not to mention that cool power you unlocked when—"

"Shut up, you... you... myndarlegur hálfviti!" Nancy suddenly yelled, her face turning bright red as she hurled a snowball at me.

I burst into laughter and helped Nancy up, noticing how different she looked after using her father's... or mother's powers. Her freckles had lightened up a bit, and her teeth had straightened. She had also grown slightly and developed a habit of... cursing in Icelandic, not even realizing what she was saying.

Suddenly, the sound of wings flapping caught our attention. We both looked up to see Corvus descending towards us. Nancy stared in amazement at the black eagle.

"Nancy, meet Corvus. Corvus, meet Nancy Bobofit," I quickly introduced them.

"Master, a wolf cub is heading your way at this moment!" Corvus relayed, ignoring Nancy, who was slowly sneaking up on him. "He's quite young and severely injured. I believe he got kicked out of his pack."

"Nancy, get behind me now!" I ordered. Nancy, not questioning why I was talking to the bird, immediately got behind me, wondering what was going on. Corvus flew to my shoulder, and we waited. After a few minutes, the wolf burst through the trees. The pup resembled an Alexander Archipelago wolf, limping with a dozen arrows stuck all over its back. One of its eyes was clawed out, and it was bleeding heavily from cuts all over its body, clearly close to death.

Upon seeing the three of us, the wolf became defensive.

"Hey, Perce?" Nancy tugged at my sleeve.

"Yes, Bobofit?"

"Can't you heal him?"

"I can, but I don't know if he'll let me get close enough. I'll do my best," I replied. I stepped forward slowly and knelt in front of the hellhound. "Hey, don't worry. I can help you."

The wolf growled, eyeing me warily as I moved closer.

"I'm trying to help you," I spoke soothingly.

The wolf seemed to understand because it calmed down slightly as I approached. I manipulated some water, allowing it to flow onto the wolf, healing its cuts and bruises. Finally, I got close enough to pull out the arrows and close the wound. It took some time, but the wolf stayed still, trusting me.

When I finished, the wolf pup lunged at me and began licking me happily. Laughing, I tried to get it off.

"He's thankful and wants to serve you, Boss," Corvus explained, sounding rather smug.

"Yeah, yeah, welcome to Team Perseus, Lucifer," I chuckled as I ruffled Lucifer's head as it barked happily.