Percy Jackson: Grandson of Voldemort

Chapter Twenty Two

Percy's POV

"GO!" Apollo yelled, and we took off. I wasted no time summoning Blackjack as I sprinted forward. My Pegasus broom might be the fastest in existence, but it was nothing compared to Blackjack's prowess in flight. In fact, I'm not entirely sure I've seen the limits of his speed. Everytime I work with him he just seems to get better. Blackjack drew level with me from the forest and neighed. Yo, boss, he greeted, Need the help of the most awesome pegasus? I nodded and leaped onto his back, urging him forward. Behind me, Raydon had summoned his broom, a Firebolt by the looks of it, and Sophia was nowhere to be seen.

Apollo wasted no time giving the crowd a step-by-step. "And Percy has a pegasus flying him around the castle, what a dramatic way of travel! Right on his tail is Raydon, who, with the help of a summoning spell, has a Firebolt slowly losing ground. Speaking of ground, Sophia has burrowed under the earth. With enemies in the sky and on land, is this slower way of travel truly the best course?" Raydon and I had flown a lap around the castle without any sign of Sophia or any other obstacles before the true race had begun. I was held back by a group of harpies, surrounding Blackjack and stopping our progress. Raydon kept going, silent and determined, before he too was grounded as his Firebolt crashed into a troll who had stood up with surprising agility for a monster of his size. Blackjack lashed out with his hooves, his flank getting scratched by a harpy's talons right before I could dispose of it with a blast from my wand.

Riptide had been discarded by Chiron, who assured me it wouldn't return to my pocket unless I used a summoning spell. I turned backwards on my pegasus, who I trusted to keep us going around the castle as I treated his wounds. I poured nectar on his wounds and flipped back around. "How are ya holding up, buddy?" I asked him. He was still going steadily, and if his speed had decreased in any way, I hadn't noticed it. Great, boss! Couldn't be better. I knew he could manage a lap and a half more, whatever monsters came in our way.

Blackjack was better than Raydon's firebolt because he could help me attack, and had a mind of his own so I didn't have to keep my eyes on the road, er... airspace, while he was flying. On the other hand, no matter how amazing he was, he would get tired and he could get hurt, unlike the inanimate Firebolt. I saw some unrest beneath us in the ground, a sure sign Sophia was getting attacked as well. Maybe she was fighting some Mole men, or something. Did they have those in the wizarding world?

Blackjack snapped me back to reality with a twist past a group of Golden Snidgets darting around the field. Maybe Hermione's study of these creatures wasn't as dumb as I thought. I particularly remembered the Golden Snidgets because they used to be used as Snitches in the early days of Quidditch. The little Golden birds darted around in the air, completely unaware of the race going on, only of the two human figures racing toward them in the air. They raced away from us in different directions, clearing the way. I smiled as I leaned closer to Blackjack's back. "We've got this in the bag." Of course, the one time I think something as cocky as that the Fates decide to throw a dragon in my path. Thanks a lot, guys. As I passed finished the second lap, I saw the dragon roaring in the sky, bolts of flame shooting towards the sun.

Another one of Hermione's terms came to me, "The Peruvian Vipertooth," I whispered to Blackjack, "Venomous. Avoid at all costs." If a pegasus could roll its eyes and scoff sarcastically, Blackjack did. Really, boss? He responded, Don't fly to the poisonous dragon? I never would have thought. Of course, as we weaved our way around the dragon, it turned its gleaming, beady, eyes upon us and started in our direction. Hermione had told me that this was the fastest of the dragons. Only twenty yards ahead of us, Sophia had unearthed herself to fight a Chimera with Raydon. I had only recently killed it with a canary cream and it was already back. Just my luck. I took my mind off of the battle below us to maneuver myself and Blackjack out of the way as venom shot past us and landed on the ground, immediately withering the grass. I winced as my leg throbbed in sympathy. The recent battle with the Hydra had left me even more cautious around poison than I would normally have been. I drew my wand and screamed, "Accio Riptide!" I made do with several offensive spells from my wand until I saw the gleam of metal shooting through the air. I caught it with my right hand and uncapped it, grinning in anticipation. "Bring it on, Tiny!" I yelled, despite the fact that, while smaller than its other dragon brethren, it was still a formidable foe and significantly larger than Blackjack.