eudaemonia ; pjo & hp

6. gringotts

[Iolanthe and Hagrid continue walking down Diagon Alley]

Iolanthe: But, Hagrid, how am I to pay for all this? I don't have any money.

Everyone looked at her a bit surprised. It looked like she hadn't even been aware of how rich she was before Hagrid literally barged into her life. And to be fair, she hadn't. She had spent her whole life thinking she was poor and a simple burden to her relatives who had generously taken her in because her parents were drunks. Discovering she had her own wealth had been a huge surprise, even more so after the war when she had an audit made of her belongings. She was eligible for so many ladyships she had lost count throughout the years of how much money she had.

"Says one of the richest people on Earth," teased Hermione. There was no denying the fact Iolanthe had always been a frugal spender, before her son was born that is. He would already have stood out because of his lack of a father, she didn't want to add a miserable lifestyle to the list.

It was almost amusing to the demigods to find out there was a time when Percy's mother hadn't been swimming in money, It was even more disturbing to see how shy she was right now when they pointed out the fact.

She scowled. "Lord Hades is still richer than me."

The Lord of Death looked at her like she had lost her marbles. "I've been alive since forever and I am the God of wealth. I am simply not on the scale."

She had to admit he was quite right - there was no need to point out she had access to the Peverell Vault or their Manor where they had accumulated over two millennials of their riches.

Hagrid: Well, there's yer money, Iolanthe. [he points to a tall, white, marble building, Gringotts Bank] Gringotts, the Wizard Bank. T'ain't no safer place, not one. 'Cept perhaps Hogwarts.

"Hogwarts ? Safe ?," snorted Ron. "What a joke." His friends seemed to agree with him – they had probably been more in danger within the school than out of it. "And we robbed the bank, might I remind you."

Iolanthe almost throttled him: her son was already getting into enough trouble without knowing what his mother had done. There was still a while before they got to that part and she had hoped they would just be able to skip it. She still hadn't forgiven him for some of his stunts.

Poseidon smirked. "Oh, this, I want to know." He had never been under the impression she was a good two-shoes, but she was always giving him life lessons that he had missed because of his immortality. It was simply too amusing to see her so flustered and avoiding Percy's gaze who had been laughing his ass off ever since the red head had mentioned their escapades.

[Inside the bank, they walk down the shiny aisle, passing tiny creatures working at their desks.]

Iolanthe: Uh, Hagrid, what exactly are these things?

Hagrid: They're goblins, Iolanthe. Clever as they come, goblins but not the most friendly of beasts. Bes' stay close. [Iolanthe sticks to him. Hagrid clears his throat as they approach a counter with a goblin, wearing spectacles and a waistcoat, in it.] Ms. Iolanthe Potter wishes to make a withdrawal.

[The goblin looks up.]

Goblin: And does Ms. Does Iolanthe Potter have her key?

Hagrid: Oh, wait a minute. Got it here somewhere. Ha! There's the little devil. [Whispers] Oh, and there's something else as well. [Takes out a letter wrapped in a string.] Professor Dumbledore gave me this. [Hagrid hands the Goblin the letter.] It's about You-Know-What in vault You-Know-Which.

Goblin: Very well.

[Later, they race down the depth caverns in a cartlike structure. The cart stops, and a goblin, called Griphook, clambers out.]

Griphook: Vault 687. Lamp, please. [Hagrid hands him the lamp and he walks to the vault] Key, please.

[Hagrid hands him the key and Griphook unlocks the vault. The room is filled nearly top to bottom with coins. Iolanthe is amazed.]

Hagrid: Didn't think yer mum and dad will leave you with nothing now, did yeh?

The amount of gold, paintings and jewelry was staggering: at the time, Iolanthe had almost cried of sheer joy. It was an escape for her: she would never need the Dursleys once she graduated. She would be free. Happy. Of course, it had quickly slipped her mind once danger had started appearing out of every corner.

"Isn't that just your trust vault ?," asked Hermione. Even though she was a permanent fixture in Wizarding Britain, there were just things she would never know about old families and that the Weasleys couldn't teach her even if they wanted to. The Girl-Who-Lived nodded affirmatively. "It replenishes before every school year."

Leo whistled appreciatively, finally understanding how Percy had always managed to afford anything he wanted to. Fates truly had their favorite it seemed: great parents, whether mortal or immortal, hot, rich, powerful... It truly begged to question what he must have done in a past life to deserve this.

[They continue on through the cavern.]

Griphook: Vault 713.

Iolanthe: What's in there, Hagrid?

Hagrid: Can't tell yeh, Iolanthe. It's Hogwarts business. Very secret.

Griphook: Stand back. [Slides finger down the door. The vault opens to reveal a small white stone package. Hagrid enters the vault and scoops it up. The eerie light it was shining with disappears.]

Hagrid: Bes' not to mention this to anyone, Iolanthe.

[Iolanthe nods in agreement]

Annabeth raised a questioning eyebrow. She might not know everything about Ms. Jackson's life, but she knew she had some trouble with authoritative figures. It was easy to guess whenever she butted heads with Zeus (and they should have guessed she wasn't normal: what mortal stood to the King of Gods with her head raised high and with a spine of steel?) that she had trouble with people trying to control her, which was why she had always encouraged Percy to follow his heart and instinct.

In hindsight, it was the best advice she could have ever given him since it had never seemed to disappoint.

"Would I have access to all of this ?," asked the son of Poseidon, eager to see what secrets his maternal family had. He sincerely had his fill of his Greek side and wouldn't want his ancestors to think he didn't care about everything they had accomplished. His mother seemed to have read his thoughts since she confirmed that yes, everything would one day belong to him.

She thought about it and remembered what she had gotten a glimpse of a few years ago but hadn't cared about at the time. "There might be some interesting weapons you could use," she said. She smiled at the other demigods. "You're welcome to go with him and choose whatever pleases you."