Percy and Ariana Jackson

Part 16, the tournament

Percy's POV

Ariana had been nervous the whole week leading to the challenge. I envied the four kids going down there because while the challenge was on, I couldn't go down either. Ariana was, though, what was up with that? I was sitting next to Annabeth on the stands that floated above the lake, just waiting. Ariana was doing stretches alongside the other kids, but got called over by one of the referees a few minutes before start time. 

"Seaweed brain!" Annabeth snapped her fingers in front of my face

"what?!" I stammered

"You started drifting again, looking at Ariana. Do I need to be jealous?" She looked at me suspiciously

"EW! NO! You know I love you Annabeth. And I love Ariana in a brotherly way, ya know?" I hugged her  

"you've only known Ariana for like, a month"

"Yeah, but she's still my sister on both sides of the family" I kissed the top of her head "The thingy's gonna start" I pointed to the kids jumping into the lake. "And Ariana's gone to" I sulked

"Where has Ariana gone?" Ginny Weasley plunked down beside me  

"I think she jumped in the lake too..." Annabeth trails off

"But she's not competing!" Ginny squeaked

"I'm not sure where she went. she was talking to a referee before the whistle" I leaned back in my chair

Ariana's POV

The stupid referee had questioned my credibility underwater. I heard the whistle blow, so I splashed him in the face and jumped in.

I kept my eyes on Fleur as she swam through the kelp beds, I had seen some suspicious movement

"Fresh food..."

"Yes...tender flesh"

"Drag her under...keep her down"  Long spindly fingers wrapped around Fleur's legs, restricting movement. the little beige buggers had pierced the bubble charm she was using, she had started inhaling water

"Away, you F*****s!" I screamed at them. they fled in fear. I grabbed Fleur and rocketed to the stands, shooting her out of the water, then dived to find the others.

I found the Bulgarian one-Krum. half turned into a shark. excellent method. I found the two Hogwarts students swimming. Harry looked a little like a Merfolk, but he was breathing, so he didn't need my assistance. the other one, Cedric? was using a bubble charm like Fleur. he was facing the merfolk, who, once he passed, acknowledged my presence

"My lady." they dipped their heads  

"Tribe of the lake-folk." I dipped my head to them, then swam away, following Cedric. he was cutting one hostage's bonds with a jagged rock. Harry popped in as Cedric finished, tossing Harry his cutter. Fleur's hostage was there too, not able to be rescued. Krum swam by with his shark body and released Hermione. Harry was cutting the bonds on both hostages. The merfolk snarled

"Only one!" they hissed, leveling their tridents

"Leave him!" I commanded "Dumbledore has instructed me to protect them underwater. if he leaves without her, she drowns!" The merfolk back off. he sends the hostages up, but his own spell is failing... the fins on his feet are fading away, and the beige buggers are trying to keep him down. I give the hostages a slight push and turn to Harry. He managed to shake the beige thingies, but his charm was wearing off. he pulled out his wand, but before her could cast the spell to save himself, I shot him upward with a blast of willpower, then slid to the back ladder as quickly as I could to jump in and expel the water from his lungs.

"Thanks" He wheezes 

"No problem" I walk to Percy and Annabeth

"Where were you?" He asked

"Classified information" I snigger "Dumbledore needed to make sure no one got hurt underwater." I smile "There's a tribe of Merfolk down there, you know." I jump into the seat beside Annabeth.

  Ginny's POV

That girl Ariana was weird. she could stay underwater for an hour, swimming around behind Harry and the others, and come back perfectly rested. then, she had talked about the Merfolk, who, as it seemed, regarded her as a member of their group.

"What are the Merfolk like?" I asked

"Most people think they live in rookeries, like seals, but they like a more tribal setup. they choose their leaders with tests of strength and wisdom, not elections. If one member thinks they can lead better than the current one, they can call for a "Meeting of Merits,"  where they cross weapons and duel in combat and wits. it's quite interesting, actually" she lounged back on her chair

"how do you know all this?" I said

"I challenged a leader once. they beat me by a tiny smidge because the judges were biased" She sat bolt upright "Gotta go" she ran to the railing, then jumped the four stories into the lake. 

"Does she do that all of the time?" I asked

"Pretty much." Percy shrugged. "I'm gonna go find her" He, holding hands with Annabeth, dragged them both over the side into the lake. I ran to the rail and saw them laughing as they plummeted, hitting the water with a huge splash.

Percy and Annabeth walked back into the great hall at dinnertime, dry as a bone. they had a depressed demeanor as they took their places at the Gryffindor table.

"where is Ariana?" the blond boy Will asked

"Still in the lake. Pauly had a mate. she died during the challenge" He picked at his roast beef

"Who's Pauly?" someone asked

"The giant squid," Annabeth said, holding Percy's shoulder

"Ariana had been visiting him as soon as she could, trying to help her get better. I didn't even know he had a mate until I heard Ariana's enraged scream. she was always better at all of our heritage stuff.." He slumped "I let her down"

"Seaweed brain, you're not responsible for every death around you" Annabeth kissed his cheek 

"but I feel like I am" He moaned

"But you're not" She ruffled his hair. Half the girls on the other end of the table, (Who were staring at Percy like he might realize they were prettier than Annabeth and dump her for them) sighed in longing.

Hermione's POV

I was staring out the window at Ariana. she was still sitting on the lake shore, throwing rocks. suddenly, she started running and jumped. she must have been trying to jump to the open window, but she undershot by forty feet. I expected her to plummet, but she was running in the air. No-using the raindrops like tiny platforms for her feet. she somersaulted through the window, then crashed on her bunk without a word.

I rolled around in bed that night. How was Ariana able to use rain like stepping stones? How was she able to stay underwater without a breathing charm? And what was Percy talking about when it came to their heritage? I had so many questions, but Annabeth's warning came back to me "Ariana is a very powerful being. when in full conscious control of her powers, she will not hesitate if you agitate her further" Was that a clue?