Catching Water (Discontinued, rewrite in progress)

Big Bird

Bethany’s POV

                Of course, I couldn’t fly home, at least on a plane, and Percy couldn’t just simply come here, but Dumbledore had been waiting for me the entire time.

                What was the purpose of riding the train then?

                I feel a mixture of relief and annoyance.

                Dumbledore twinkles his eyes at me, looking merry. “I wrote to your family, offering to book you a plane, but for some reason, they seem quite against the idea. Does this have something to do with who your father is?”

                I know that Dumbledore knew that I was a demigod. However, he had no idea that dad was Poseidon. The fact that I couldn’t take a plane was narrowing it down for him. Was I really that transparent?

                But if Dumbledore already knew that my dad wouldn’t be any god of the sky, it couldn’t hurt to give him an explaination.

                “My brother and I got a warning from the Zeus not to ever fly again. Apparently, the fact that I’m alive is some violation of an oath.”

                I don’t tell him what the oath is, and I don’t want to tell him. The time may come, though, when I have to tell him about Poseidon.

                “Alright.” Dumbledore says, allowing what I said to sink in. He holds out his arm and I take it.

                Squeezing through the tube isn’t as hard as it had been last time, and suddenly, I’m back in the living room of our apartment.

                “There’s a old man on the couch!” Someone yells. I giggle before I’m engulfed with a humongous hug.

                “Bethany!” I hear Percy yell as Sally attacks me.

                Dumbledore nods before disappearing again.

                Once Sally is done, I am able to take in the surroundings of the room.

                Percy is leaning on the wall, standing next to a person I’d never seen before, but guessed to be Tyson, a friend that he’d mentioned in his letters. Johnny looks at Tyson and glares.

                “Wow... what did you do to poor Johnny?” I ask.

                Percy bursts out laughing. Tyson blushes.

                “It was a big bird...” He mutters.

                I giggle again. “I understand. Besides, I think he’ll like you more if you just give him an owl treat. He has a strange weakness for the pumpkin flavored ones.”

                I turn to Percy. “I assume this is the Tyson that you told me about in your letters?”

                Percy hastily turns his laughing into a hacking cough. “Yeah. Tyson, this is my sister Bethany. The one with the pet big bird.”

                I glare at him teasingly. “Johnny is not big bird.”

                Percy only grins, and I get an idea.

                “I brought something back for you.” I say.

                He looks at me, suddenly excited.

                “What?” He asks.

                “Candy.”

                There is no trace of teasing in his vision now. “Can I see?” He says, giving me the signature Poseidon puppy dog eyes. Unfortunately for him, I have that look too.

                “I’ll give it to you after Tyson leaves.” I nearly smirk, but manage to keep a strait face. “When I can tell you all about school.”

                “Funny girl goes to school...” Tyson mutters. I laugh, deciding to take it as a compliment.

                “Thank you, Tyson.” I say. He blushes.

                Percy’s POV

                When Tyson leaves for the day, Sally sits Bethany down at the table, where she demands to hear everything about her pig with acne school, which Bethany has no trouble telling amazing stories about.  She told us of how she arrived at school, and that the first thing that everyone asked her was if she was alive. I wouldn’t have liked to be on the receiving end of her wrath, I can tell you that.

                Bethany story seemed to be pretty normal, at least for a demigod, until she starts talking about this guy named Harry Potter that had defeated the man that killed her mother when she was a baby.

                Amethyst Rose had been her mother’s name, and she’d had an older brother named Johnathan. Apparently, both of them were dead.

                She also talks about some mysterious things at school; whisperings about a cerebus (Three headed dog), and werewolf best friends. There’s sure to be a lot of interesting things in her coming year. Sadly, she couldn’t show us any of the spells she had learned, and she hated potions, mostly because of some teacher, so she couldn’t show us anything until she was seventeen. I was disappointed when she told me that. I wanted to see some magic besides something like Riptide or Annabeth’s hat.

                “At least I haven’t been expelled.” Bethany says solemnly. Her face is so strait, I have to laugh.

                When I’m done, I blurt out “Where’s the candy?” You can blame it on the ADHD.

                A look of recognition crosses Bethany’s face and she jumps up and rummages through her trunk. She tosses me a brightly wrapped package and I rip it open, popping a handful of jelly beans in my mouth, not bothering to even try to read the label, which is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made in my life.

            The most disgusting taste fills my mouth. It tastes like a wet dog had gone through a blender after eating a custard crème. I gag, but force myself to swallow.

            Bethany laughs, and runs into her room, yelling “That was for calling Johnny big bird!”

            I had mom read the label, and even she laughed.

            “Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.” She had told me, trying to keep a strait face.