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Daughter of Ares
Achlys was lying inside the Whomping Willow. She didn’t know how long she had been there, and honestly, she didn’t care. Ever since her name had come out of the Goblet of Fire, her friends had drifted away. First Ron, because of his jealousy, and then Hermione, because she didn’t want to choose either of them, but by not choosing, she had chosen anyway. Achlys laughed at the thought; she had heard Hermione talking with Lavender and Parvati, mocking her. Achlys surprised herself by realizing she didn’t care, just as she hadn’t cared about breaking Ron and Hermione’s noses with a single punch in the middle of the Great Hall.
That week, she had earned numerous detentions for fighting. But she smiled, proud of it. They had tested her patience, and she was no longer willing to endure it or pretend to be the “good girl” everyone wanted her to be.
When the teachers reprimanded her, with Severus smiling widely, Achlys just snorted and began shouting her truths at all of them.
“So what?” Achlys asked disinterestedly.
Dumbledore blinked in surprise, as did all the other professors.
Severus growled, “Just as arrogant as your father.”
Achlys smiled mockingly at Severus, knowing it would hurt him because she refused to play his game, though in truth, she wanted to curse him and send him to Tartarus. “And before you start talking and dumping all the crap you feel you have to… have you done anything to find out who put my name in the Goblet of Fire? No? Why not? And another thing: do you plan to stop the school-wide harassment against me at some point? Because this nose-breaking business is starting to bore me.” When no one answered, she left the office without waiting.
This earned her multiple detentions with Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, and well… almost every teacher. Combine that with the detentions she already had for fighting in the halls, and she was going to be grounded all year. But again, she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to attend any of the detentions, and each time, the idea of leaving Hogwarts and spending the year at Camp Half-Blood, learning magic from the children of Hecate and Circe, became more and more appealing.
She preferred fighting with Clarisse and the rest of her cabin or going on missions with Percy and letting him drive a car rather than spending another day at Hogwarts.
Achlys sighed before sitting down. The House of Black still lay in ruins from the fight between Severus, Peter, Remus, and Sirius. That night still stirred conflicting feelings in her. When she learned of Sirius Black’s existence, her fury blinded her, and she wanted to kill him and feed him to the Harpies. But that blinding rage disappeared when she realized Peter Pettigrew was still alive. Her rage then shifted to him, far worse, because it meant she had not grown up alongside her godfather. If it hadn’t been for Hermione at that moment, who managed to stop her, Peter Pettigrew would be resting underground.
Achlys finally sat down, leaning her back against one of the walls of the House of Black. Taking advantage of a small puddle formed by leaks in the ceiling, she left a golden drachma there.
“Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept your drachma.” She wanted to speak with someone from the camp. It was 1 PM in Scotland and 8 AM in Long Island, New York. “Annabeth Chase,” she said, thinking of calling Clarisse or any of her cabinmates, but she didn’t get along well with them due to Ares’ actions toward her, showing a clear preference.
When Achlys first stepped into the camp, Ares claimed her. She was eleven years old.
Ares always gave her gifts, either appearing at the camp himself or sending his minions.
To the eyes of Cabin 5, Achlys hadn’t done anything to deserve this honor, and they wanted to welcome her like everyone else, but Ares sent Phobos and Deimos to stop them, leaving a message: he was highly disappointed.
Since then, Achlys had stayed in Cabin 10, Aphrodite’s cabin. Aphrodite allowed her to stay because, although she wasn’t her daughter, she adored her and gave her gifts too. In fact, Aphrodite hoped Achlys would reciprocate the affection of one of her children.
Achlys waited until Annabeth answered her call.
“Achlys Xanthe Lily Potter Evans!” Annabeth shouted angrily. “It’s way too early for you to still be awake!” She scolded her for several minutes, explaining the dangers of not resting properly, until she noticed her friend’s face. Despite the low light, she could see multiple bruises. “What happened?”
“Nothing special,” Achlys replied, downplaying it. “I’ve had several fights in the past few weeks, but I’ve won them all.”
Annabeth frowned. “Wait, I’ll get Percy, Nico, and Grover.”
Achlys could only nod before Annabeth ran off. Before she returned, Achlys saw and greeted several campers who were waking up, having breakfast, or finishing it and starting their usual activities. She spoke with Piper and other children of Aphrodite, with Chiron, some of Ares’ children, including Clarisse, Leo Valdez, and Will Solace.
Everyone noticed the bruises and worried, though Achlys said she had won the fights. Ares’ children, upon learning she had won, nodded before leaving. Chiron was the most concerned.
When Annabeth, Nico, Percy, and Grover arrived, Achlys smiled at seeing them. Percy, though still showing signs of just waking, gave her a big smile that faded into concern when he saw her bruises. Achlys just laughed when Percy swore he would flood Hogwarts if anyone hurt her again.
“I want to see you,” Achlys admitted in a low whisper. “I want to leave Hogwarts. I want to stop being the Girl Who Lived.”
Annabeth and the others smiled. “You’ll have to wait; we have a surprise for you.”
“What surprise?” Achlys asked suspiciously. Last time one of them had said that, several cabins at the camp ended up on fire. As punishment, they had to clean the stables all summer and help rebuild the affected cabins.
“You’ll have to wait to find out,” Nico said quietly, a small smile appearing as he looked at Achlys, wishing to drag those who had hurt his friend to the Underworld. “But you’ll like it.”
Achlys smiled. “Oh…little Nico misses me.”
Nico frowned. “Shut up, it’s not like that,” he said, trying to deny it.
Achlys didn’t reply, instead continuing to talk with her friends until Annabeth realized it must be very late for her.
“It must be around two in the morning in Scotland,” Annabeth noted. “It’s too late for you to still be awake.”
“Yes, mom. We’ll talk later.”
Percy, Grover, and Nico nodded. But before ending the call, Percy took the opportunity to say goodbye.
“See you soon, princess of terror.”
Achlys laughed. “See you soon, prince of the seas.”
In the following days, Achlys spent her time with Luna, Neville, and the Weasley twins, the only ones who believed and said she hadn’t done anything. If there were more people around, Achlys remained silent.
In the corridors of Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy’s badges were hardly seen anymore. They had practically disappeared after Achlys got so angry that she melted them with a spell (though no one was harmed). People took off their robes, afraid she might have cursed them.
Even so, many still believed Achlys was pretending, but they preferred not to cross her path, seeing how she was practically at the limit of her patience.
It was Susan who discovered it. And although the Potter heiress didn’t hit her, she did make her cry, using cruel words no one wanted to remember.
After that, Hermione tried to get close to her friend again, but it didn’t work. When she saw the green eyes filled with hatred and resentment directed at her, she simply couldn’t bear it and walked away. Hermione deeply regretted her decisions. She hadn’t wanted to choose between her two friends, but she had ended up losing both. She knew Achlys had overheard her conversations with Lavender and Patil, and she felt terrible about it. But when she went to apologize, Achlys refused to listen, and they ended up fighting. The fight escalated into spells, and Ron, who at some point joined in, ended up in the hospital wing because of Achlys.
Sometimes Hermione thought her friend, if she could even still call her that, might have IED, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, and in recent weeks it had become much clearer. She had written letters to her parents, asking them to help her find information on how to help her friend, but they hadn’t responded yet.
Hermione watched with concern as her friend (because she still considered Achlys her friend) sank deeper and deeper into a dark pit. She knew it would be difficult to regain her trust, so she decided to try to find out who had put her name in the Goblet, believing that would earn back her friend’s trust. But when she failed, she appeared before Achlys in tears.
“You can hit me again, or insult me, curse me if you prefer. I’ve been a bad friend. When you needed me most, I walked away and joined the crowd that insulted you. I don’t deserve to be your friend.”
Achlys raised an eyebrow. Hermione had interrupted her when she was about to enter the Forbidden Forest because her father had called her.
“Fine… I forgive you, Hermione. We can be friends again… but the trust won’t be the same,” she said before smiling. “Besides, I already punched you.”
Hermione sniffed, giving a small smile. “I deserved it. I shouldn’t have said that. Can we meet to investigate? I can help you find information for your assignments.”
“Alright, see you later.”
Achlys didn’t wait for a response before putting on her invisibility cloak and disappearing from Hermione’s sight.
The demigoddess walked into the Forbidden Forest, her heart racing, always nervous about meeting her father. She always wanted to make him proud. She had never understood why Ares had always preferred her, in her eyes, she had done nothing special, nothing worthy of that honor.
“My daughter,” Ares said when Achlys appeared before him, still wearing the invisibility cloak.
Achlys removed the cloak and put it away. “Father. I don’t mean to be rude, but what are you doing here?” she asked, trying to stop herself from hugging him.
Ares smiled. “I’ve come to give you several gifts for your upcoming trials, my daughter. I know you will win and honor your Cabin. And don’t worry about who put your name in the Goblet, I’m already taking care of that.”
Achlys smiled shyly, delighted. “Thank you.”
Without another word, Ares handed her a sword, two daggers, and a spear. “Don’t ask why, but Hades and Hephaestus helped create your gifts.”
When Achlys took them, they fit perfectly in her hands. The ideal weight, the perfect balance. She fell in love with them instantly. “I’ll make them an offering later as thanks.”
Ares smiled. “Hades mentioned the daggers are made of Stygian iron. Normally, only his children and those of the Underworld can hold them without harm, but considering your destiny, it makes sense you can use them.”
Achlys looked at the daggers in awe. “What are their names?”
“They don’t have names yet,” Ares said gently and if anyone asked, he would deny it. “You’ll have to name them yourself. Think carefully, alright?”
Achlys nodded seriously, then smiled. “Can I hug you?” she asked nervously.
Ares melted and again, if anyone asked, even Aphrodite, he would deny it. He’d rather be trapped again in that jar of the Aloadae giants than admit it.
“Of course.”
It was the best hug Achlys had ever received.
“But that’s not your last gift,” Ares said when they separated. “I owe Hades and Thanatos a very big favor for this.”
Achlys raised an eyebrow in confusion, until she saw James and Lily Potter appear before her. Without hesitation, she ran to hug them. She didn’t notice Aphrodite appearing beside Ares, smiling widely.
Achlys spent the entire night talking with her parents, with all four of them: James, Lily, Ares, and Aphrodite, enjoying stories and laughing freely.
When it became too late and they told her to rest, Achlys didn’t want to leave. But Lily and James assured her they would be there, protecting her.
And the young demigoddess discovered it was true when she saw two cats running with a flask while Alastor Moody chased them all the way into the Great Hall, where all the students and teachers watched. The cats dropped the flask in front of Severus Snape. One, the ginger cat, stared at him accusingly, while the black cat growled and scratched him.
Before Alastor reached Severus, the potion’s effect wore off, revealing Barty Crouch Jr., shocking everyone, from Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang alike.
Once exposed, Barty revealed the plan, how he had placed Achlys Potter’s name in the Goblet, before attempting to attack her. But he failed when a spear pierced him, and skeletal hands rose from the ground to restrain him.
When they looked toward the entrance, a group of people stood there. Camp Half-Blood, whom Dumbledore had invited to participate in the tournament in hopes of forming an alliance against Voldemort.
“Sorry for the delay, but we’re here now. Hello, Achlys Potter.”
“Chiron!” Achlys shouted joyfully, running to hug the centaur, then her friends, and Clarisse, who resisted at first before returning the hug. She also hugged Mr. D, who pretended annoyance but hugged her back.
That night, the entire wizarding world discovered the best-kept secret of the Girl Who Lived:
Achlys Xanthe Lily Potter Evans was a demigoddess, daughter of Ares.
Ron, filled with jealousy, tried to insult Achlys, but he was beaten up by the children of Ares. Even though they didn’t like Achlys because of Ares’s obvious favoritism toward her, she was still their sister and they would protect her.
Chiron decided to speak, trying to return everything to some sense of normalcy. “Since Achlys is a member of Camp Half-Blood, she will represent us.”
Although Dumbledore wanted to argue, claiming that Achlys should remain one of Hogwarts’ champions, the other professors, along with Madame Olympe Maxime and Igor Karkaroff, agreed, though they argued that Achlys Potter had an unfair advantage.
In the first task, the dragon, though Achlys felt great pity, was pierced by the sword Ares had given her, and when she retrieved the golden egg, she shouted, “For the glory of Ares!”
Even though she achieved first place, points were deducted for killing the dragon, leaving her tied with Cedric Diggory.
Percy, Grover, Nico, Annabeth, and Hermione helped her solve the riddle, though in truth, Annabeth and Hermione did most of the work. The two of them, however, didn’t get along very well, as they didn’t see each other as allies, but rather as rivals.
When they learned that the task had to do with water, Percy and Achlys asked Poseidon for permission, since Achlys would have to enter his domain. After receiving approval, the daughter of Ares felt more at ease. But as the second task drew closer, her anxiety grew. She didn’t want any of her friends to be at the bottom of the lake waiting to be rescued, not even Percy, even knowing nothing would happen to him.
When the day of the task arrived, she already had the gillyweed Neville had given her. Percy was surprised by it, and Annabeth had asked for some to study.
Achlys felt offended when she saw Ron beneath the lake. She hadn’t spoken to him since her name came out of the Goblet, and whenever they had spoken, it had ended in fights, with Ron ending up in the hospital wing. While she hesitated, Viktor had already arrived and rescued Hermione.
Achlys decided to save Fleur Delacour’s sister, Gabrielle Delacour, seeing that Fleur hadn’t arrived. But in the end, she also tried to save Ron, fighting the merpeople while apologizing at the same time to Poseidon, Amphitrite, and Triton.
Although she arrived last, she earned more points for saving two people. Achlys received thanks from Fleur (who was actually a daughter of Venus), her sister, and her family, completely ignoring Ron. But when Ron bothered her because she was ignoring him, Achlys ignored the penalty and punched him, knocking him back into the water.
Chiron gave her the maximum points, causing Achlys to tie for first place again with Cedric.
The demigods cheered with joy, although the rest of Cabin 5 demanded that Achlys be given even more points.
For the final task, the children of Aphrodite created mirrors similar to the two-way mirrors of James and Sirius, but these followed each participant of the tournament, clearly showing what they were doing inside the maze.
So everyone saw Voldemort return and the very next second, Ares himself appeared, impaling him with his spear.
“You will not return. All your Horcruxes have been destroyed,” he said, before holding his unconscious daughter and the cup.
The cup was placed in a trophy case in the Big House.