All right, second actual chapter. A little earlier than planned, believe it or not—PJ and the Sea Dragon will be the next story of mine to be updated.

Chapter 2

Percy woke at his now-usual time—that is to say, at dawn—right as Ker was gliding to the perch he had set up for her. A snowy white owl landed similarly on the perch near Harry's bed, immediately tucking her head under a wing.

"Hey, Ker," Percy greeted quietly, not wanting to wake his roommates.

Ker bobbed her body in her version of a nod.

"Did your hunt go well?"

"Yes, thank you," Ker replied, keeping her tone matched to his. "I believe I well rest, now, if that's all right with you."

Percy smiled at the bird, "Of course. Sleep well, Ker."

"Have a good morning, Percy."

"Thanks," he dressed quickly while Ker settled down to sleep, skipping the robes so he could train by the water for a while.

He made his way through the castle, the staircases mysteriously always where he needed them to be, and paused. He had refused dinner the night before, as there was no way for him to make an offering to his father. He was hungry, enough so that he was shaking slightly.

With a sigh, he realized that training in that condition would probably not be the best idea, and how he'd managed to stay oblivious until reaching the ground floor was beyond him. ADHD at its best, he supposed. Still…

Huh. A ghost.

Not all that strange, considering the life he'd lead, son he walked over to ask said ghost a few questions. "Hey, I'm Percy Jackson, new transfer. Mind if I ask your name?"

The ghost turned to face him with a kind smile, "I am known as the Grey Lady, the ghost… mascot, I suppose you would say, of Ravenclaw."

"Cool," Percy returned the smile, "I had a question, but I didn't want to be rude and just come up without knowing you."

"Ask away, young man."

"Is there anyone I should talk to about setting up a brazier or something in the Great Hall? I have a few religious restrictions on me, and I can't just eat without giving an offering first. I didn't have time to take care of it last night."

The Gray Lady suddenly frowned, "Does that mean you have not eaten since before arriving?"

Percy nodded. "Yeah."

"Follow me," she ordered, gliding down the hall towards stairs that led to the lower levels of the castle.

"This is the kitchen," she announced as they stopped in front of a painting of a bowl of fruit, "If you tickle the pear, it becomes a door handle. The House Elves would be glad to supply you with anything you need. However, I would suggest speaking to your Head of House about any religious restrictions you have. Perhaps even the headmaster."

Percy smiled, relieved, "Thank you. That's a big help."

"Now, go get something to eat, young man," she scolded mildly.

Percy snapped off a teasing salute, "Yes, ma'am!"

Shaking her head with a smile, the Grey Lady drifted off through a wall.

Percy turned to tickle the pear, and then turned the resulting door handle only to find himself in the middle of a large kitchen filled with small, brown-skinned creatures that were so eager-to-please it was almost frightening.

"Hey, can one of you help me out with a problem I'm having at mealtimes?"

One of the tea-towel uniformed House Elves shooed the rest back to work before turning to him, a worried look on its (his, maybe?) face.

"Sir is having trouble at mealtime?"

Percy shook his head, "Nothing serious. I have a few religious restrictions on me. I need a small brazier or something to make an offering before each meal. I can't eat without making an offering first."

"Ah," the elf nodded his head, obviously relieved that it hadn't been a problem with the food. "Banny understands. Banny will make sure that you get what you need."

"Thank you," Percy stated, "and… is there any way I could grab something to eat while I'm here? I skipped dinner last night."

"Of course, sir!" Banny was so eager to help that Percy had more food than he could possibly eat in front of him as well as a tiny, lit stone brazier so he could make his mealtime offering.

"Thanks," Percy grinned at the elf in true gratitude, before offering his father a portion of his meal.

The entire House Elf kitchen population was whispering—Percy heard the words 'great' and 'kind' as well as his own name more than once—but Percy figured it was a quirk of the race and ate quietly before telling them the food was excellent and heading out to the lake.

xxxx

He walked into the water without a moment's hesitation, striding into the lake and breathing deeply in relief as the water closed over his head.

In moments, all manner of curious small fish were crowding around him, asking questions.

He laughed, and soon he and the hodgepodge school of fish were chatting and playing.

It wasn't until his watch—which happened to double as a shield—beeped that he realized what time it was. "Sorry, I've got to go!"

Come back and play again sometime, was the farewell he got from the curious giant squid that had joined in an impromptu game of tag. Similar wishes came from the small fish—far too small for the squid to take interest in.

"I will," he called over his shoulder, heading for shore with a burst of focus and shifting current.

He surfaced and rode the current-turned-wave to shore, dropping onto gravelly sand, then headed up towards the school at a light jog, dry as though he'd never entered the water.

xxxx

Percy headed for Gryffindor Tower to change before heading down for breakfast with the last few stragglers into the Hall. He dropped down in an empty seat and blinked as the small brazier that the House Elves had provided him earlier appeared near his plate. He smiled, serving himself and placing a portion of his food in the brazier to burn with a silent prayer.

He then ignored the curious looks he was getting from the rest of his table and began to eat.

xxxx

When it was time to start heading to class, Percy ended up with the group he'd heard referred to as the 'Golden Trio', more by random chance than actual planning. A curious girl, introduced as Hermione Granger, asked about the brazier and sacrifice.

Percy smiled, "It's religious."

That didn't end the questions, but Percy knew enough to only smile and wave off their curiosity without outright denying them, "I give an offering to my gods before each meal. And please don't ask any more questions, it's a very private thing to intrude upon."

Even the burningly curious Hermione bit back her questions after that, though she really wanted to know what gods he worshipped. However, her attention was successfully redirected—by Ron Weasely, of all people.

"Merlin! I can't believe our first class is Potions."

"Why not?" Percy asked, honestly curious. He didn't know much about the school, after all, and that sort of dread was hard to fake.

"Snape teaches it."

Percy was still drawing a blank, "… and?"

Hermione broke in, the voice of reason actually sounding a little worried, "Professor Snape is the Head of Slytherin, and he doesn't like Gryffindors. Especially Harry."

"Ah," Percy considered, then shrugged. He was actually fairly good with potions, even though it wasn't his favorite subject. Hecate had made sure of that. So long as he didn't draw attention to himself, he should be fine, right?

xxxx