Chapter 10: The King of Serpents

Percy's heart pounded as the basilisk reared up, its massive form coiling around the chamber like a living nightmare. Even with his eyes tightly shut, he could feel the crushing weight of its presence, the sheer power radiating from it.

"Keep your eyes shut!" Hermione shouted from across the chamber.

"Yeah, I got that, thanks!" Percy yelled back, dodging to the side as the serpent lunged, its jaws snapping shut just inches from him.

The basilisk's hiss echoed through the chamber, an eerie, bone-chilling sound that made the hair on the back of Percy's neck stand up. He had fought plenty of monsters before—chimera, hellhounds, and even a Titan—but this thing? It was something else entirely.

"Harry, now!" Ron called out.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry shouted, his wand sending a bright red spell toward the basilisk's body. The magic struck, but it barely slowed the creature down.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, spell's not gonna work, guys. Time for some old-fashioned swordplay." He uncapped Riptide, and the celestial bronze sword extended in his hand.

Riddle, watching the battle unfold from a safe distance, smirked. "Ah, celestial bronze… interesting choice, Jackson. But you'll find that this serpent is beyond the reach of your little sword tricks."

Percy gritted his teeth, gripping Riptide tightly. "Yeah? Let's find out."

He lunged forward, feeling the familiar rush of combat fill his veins. Slashing at the basilisk's side, his blade scraped against the creature's scales, producing a sharp, metallic clang. The basilisk shrieked, recoiling slightly, but Percy knew he hadn't even scratched the surface.

Harry dodged another strike from the basilisk's tail, stumbling to Ginny's side. "Percy, we need a plan!"

"Working on it!" Percy called back, dodging another snap of the serpent's fangs.

He could feel the air shifting around him, the oppressive weight of something much larger and deadlier than he'd ever faced before. His demigod instincts screamed at him to get out of the way, to move, but there was nowhere to go in the confined space.

Come on, Jackson. Think!

And then it hit him.

"Harry, how did you open the Chamber?" Percy asked, panting as he narrowly avoided the basilisk's tail sweeping across the floor.

Harry blinked. "What? I spoke Parseltongue, why?"

Percy grinned. "Bingo." He turned to face the serpent, taking a deep breath. "Time to speak its language."

Taking a calculated risk, Percy shouted, attempting his best impression of the hissing language. "Stop!"

The basilisk paused, its golden eyes narrowing even though Percy refused to meet them directly.

Riddle's smirk faltered slightly. "What… what are you doing?"

Percy's eyes widened. Holy Hades… it worked? Encouraged, he continued in a low, commanding tone. "You don't want to fight me. I'm not your enemy."

The basilisk hissed in response, its body wavering slightly, as if considering his words.

Harry and Ron exchanged shocked glances. "He can talk to snakes too?!"

Riddle's expression darkened. "No, no, no… You should not be able to do that."

Percy smirked. "Surprise. Looks like being the son of the sea god comes with some extra perks." He turned his focus back to the basilisk. "Go back to sleep."

The basilisk reared up, hissing furiously, but it was clear that Percy's influence was having some effect. The monster's aggression wavered, and it began to hesitate, its movements slower.

Percy risked a glance at Harry. "Now, while it's distracted! Do the thing!"

Harry nodded and pulled out Godric Gryffindor's sword, which had appeared in the Sorting Hat earlier. With a determined look, he sprinted forward, raising the sword high above his head.

Percy turned back to the basilisk. "Sorry, big guy."

Before the serpent could react, Harry plunged the gleaming sword straight into its mouth, piercing through the roof of its mouth with a sickening crunch.

The basilisk let out an earth-shattering shriek, its body writhing in agony before it finally collapsed onto the stone floor with a heavy thud, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.

Silence filled the chamber.

Percy took a deep breath, wiping sweat from his brow. "Well… that was fun."

Harry stumbled back, clutching his arm where the basilisk's fang had grazed him. Hermione rushed forward, worry etched across her face.

"Harry! You're hurt!"

Percy's eyes widened when he saw the black poison spreading through Harry's veins. "Oh, gods… that's not good."

Riddle, still standing near the statue, looked livid. "You fools… you may have slain the beast, but the girl's life is still fading. I have won."

Percy glared at him, stepping forward. "Not today, diary boy."

Without another word, Percy grabbed Riddle's diary from Ginny's limp hands and unsheathed Riptide, plunging it straight through the pages. A burst of black smoke erupted from the book, and Riddle let out a scream as his spectral form began to dissolve.

"No! This isn't over!" Riddle shouted before vanishing into thin air, his voice echoing in the chamber.

Percy watched the diary burn away, then turned to Ginny, who was slowly starting to stir.

Harry, still swaying from the basilisk's poison, gave a weak smile. "We did it."

Percy exhaled, shaking his head. "Yeah… but next time, how about no giant snakes?"

Ron rushed to Ginny's side, helping her up. "Ginny! Are you okay?"

Ginny blinked groggily, looking around in confusion. "What… what happened?"

Percy smiled. "Long story. Let's get out of here before this place collapses."

Harry, still looking pale, wobbled slightly. "What about the poison?"

Hermione gasped. "Phoenix tears! Fawkes can help!"

Right on cue, Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, appeared in a flash of golden fire, settling on Harry's shoulder and letting its tears drip onto his wound. The dark veins of poison began to recede, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

Percy whistled. "Now that's cool. Where can I get one of those?"

Harry smiled weakly. "You'd have to talk to Dumbledore."

As they made their way back through the tunnel, Percy couldn't help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction. Sure, Hogwarts was weird, and magic still made his head spin, but this? Fighting giant monsters, solving ancient mysteries, and saving the day?

He could get used to it.

End of Chapter 10