30th of July, 1991
In the bustling streets of London, the gray sky thickened with smoke, and the roar of cars and the murmur of people filled the air.
A vibrant and busy city, no doubt.
However, in one of those imposing buildings, a young man seemed to be out of place.
With a slender face and a large mane of black hair, he leaned against a window sill, watching the noisy crowd that flowed through the streets.
The name of this young man was Leo, and he really shouldn't exist in this world.
Years ago, as he was leaving work, he encountered the typical anime scene: a runaway truck on the highway. Before he could react, he was run over.
Everything happened too quickly. In his last moments, Leo could only curse his bad luck. How could he be so unfortunate?
When he thought he was going to have an intimate chat with Hades... he opened his eyes again.
At first, he believed he had somehow survived the accident, perhaps some good Samaritan called an ambulance and managed to save him in time.
But he soon realized that wasn't the case, as upon 'waking up', it wasn't the familiar white hospital beds or the smell of medicines that he found.
In fact, quite the opposite: he was standing before the doors of a huge, ancient, and crumbling Western building.
Compared to its height, Leo felt insignificant, like a dwarf before a giant, like David facing Goliath.
Before 'waking up' in this strange place, Leo loved to read many stories, especially those filled with mysticism, collections of tales, myths, and legends belonging to Ancient Greek religion.
Therefore, when he saw the enormous doors and felt his body immobile, unable to utter a word, he could only think that he was standing before the very gates of hell, and he, an unfortunate soul, awaited his judgment.
So he closed his eyes and waited...
'Wait, did I close my eyes?'
'If I am a soul, how can I close my eyes?'
Before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, a creaking sound caught his attention.
The doors opened slowly, but it wasn't the long-awaited Grim Reaper who appeared, but a middle-aged nun, with a severe and rigid appearance like a rock.
Although she wasn't the terrifying ferryman that transported lost souls across the River Styx, from Leo's perspective, she was just as terrifying, if not worse.
The strange woman bent down and lifted Leo from the ground as if he were a kitten.
Leo was terrified, seeing her huge and fierce face, thinking that she was going to devour him. But, contrary to his expectations, words came out of her mouth that were familiar.
"Every day there are more careless parents. How can they abandon their children like this, especially on a stormy night like this?" The woman expressed her annoyance, but her face remained expressionless.
And Leo, who was in her arms, finally reacted.
'I see... Now it all makes sense.'
'I'm not in the underworld, nor has everything become enormous, but I have become small.'
'That is to say...'
'I have been reincarnated as a baby.'
Leo tried to articulate words, but only babbling came out of his mouth, which seemed to confirm his suspicions.
Time passed, and Leo, who had come out of shock, could only lament his future.
"Waaah, waaah, waaahh!"
"What's wrong, little one? Are you hungry?" The lady asked him in a soft tone, contrasting with her expressionless face.
Leo just wanted to tell her no, but he had a small gap in his mentality.
After all, not every day do you go from being a healthy young adult to a baby who can't even clean his own pants.
'Damn... The worst stage of all is being a baby.'
'If I didn't have consciousness, it wouldn't be a problem, but now that I do...'
Leo could only imagine his near future with tears in his eyes. He thought that nothing could get worse than his current situation, but how wrong he was! What would happen next was something he could never forget for the rest of his life.
The woman, whose name he still didn't know, unbuttoned the top of her gown and pulled out... Hmm... Well, that.
Leo's eyes popped open in shock at seeing that... thing. Terror overwhelmed him, and he cried harder than ever.
He tried to fight with all his might, as if his life depended on it, but his small body refused to obey. He was trapped, paralyzed.
'Noooooooo!'
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!"
He could only watch as it happened, witnessing an event that would mark him forever. A trauma that would haunt him for the rest of his new and, for now, short life...
After feeding him, the woman who cared for him took him inside. Later, Leo would discover that he was in an orphanage.
...
Days turned into months, and months into years.
As Leo grew up, he realized that his life was... unusual.
If he had to sum it up, he would say that his existence since birth had been filled with strange occurrences and inexplicable dangers.
Don't believe me? Well, when he was just a baby, he was attacked by a snake in his crib. The most surprising thing is that, somehow, he managed to strangle it to death! Even he was shocked at first. It was like Hercules, strangling snakes in his crib as a baby...
Definitely not something a normal baby could do.
However, the strange things didn't stop there.
When he was in third grade, a strange man followed him to school. Leo described him as a one-eyed giant, but by the time he called the teachers, the guy had mysteriously disappeared.
Of course, no one believed him.
In fourth grade, one time the school bus left him behind.
As he frantically chased it, he accidentally hit the door of the vehicle, and it dented in an impressive way!
Fortunately, no one saw him do it, because explaining that incident would have been complicated.
On another occasion, during a school trip to Delphin World water park, Leo discovered that he could feel the dolphins calling in the pool. He could even talk to them and give them orders!
How did he discover that? Well, when the school bullies pushed him into the pool, once in the water, he felt filled with inexplicable energy and experienced a profound connection to the ocean.
Then, as if it were something natural, Leo made the dolphins give everyone an unplanned shower, leaving them all soaked.
At that moment, Leo thought that's how fish must feel when they are returned to the sea after being on land for a long time. It was like returning to the sweet and tender embrace of a mother.
Over the years, more and more strange things happened around him. Leo was counted and expelled from eight different schools over the course of six years.
It wasn't until sixth grade that he finally realized that maybe, just maybe... he wasn't completely human.
Maybe... he was a demigod.
As for the reason, I think it's unnecessary to explain.
For Leo, a fan of mythical stories and gods, it wasn't hard to connect the dots and discover that his powers corresponded to those of a specific work.
And surprisingly, it was one he knew very well: it didn't belong to classical mythology as such, but to the works of the famous writer Rick Riordan.
Percy Jackson!
In fact, maybe he took too long to realize, but even after experiencing all those strange things, for a young person of the 21st century like him, it was hard to accept things like that.
However, even so, at that moment Leo was very excited and couldn't wait to live in this wonderful universe, which, although filled with dangers and threats everywhere, was one he was passionate about experiencing.
Thinking about future battles and adventures, Leo was determined to have his place in them.
In his previous life, everything had been too boring for him. That's why he used to take refuge in books and novels, immersing himself in new, more fantastical and incredible worlds.
He was willing to ignore danger and live in this world like living bait, as long as it allowed him to experience that.
However, something puzzled him: he was currently in London, not in the United States, where the main story takes place.
Moreover, he had never heard of a "Leo" son of Poseidon in the books.
Maybe he had died before appearing in the story, or perhaps he simply decided not to participate in the events. Though that would be unlikely.
Well, the important thing is that once he determined the origin of his powers, he finally found a direction to train.
And that brings us to the present...
...
In the distance, where no one could see, an old owl was flying over the city.
The owl landed on a windowsill but was pushed away by a ruthless hand.
It flapped its wings again and flew from the Redbridge district, 56 square kilometers, to the northeast of London.
Finally, it arrived at an orphanage called Miss Cathar.
...
Leo was bored, looking out from the window of his room at the chaotic city of London.
Before his eyes, an owl seemed to be coming directly toward him; well, it didn't just seem like it, it was definitely coming at that speed...
"Hey, wait, that's a window..."
"Poff!" With a loud thud, it crashed against the window of the room.
'Ouch... that must hurt.'
Though a bit dazed, Leo quickly got up and approached where the owl was perched, bouncing slightly.
The little bird stared at him intently while tilting its head.
"Uh? Is that for me?" Leo asked, pointing at himself.
The old owl seemed to understand his words and let out a sound of agreement.
Leo wasn't too surprised and accepted it calmly; he had talked to dolphins before, and now that he KNEW he lived in the books of Rick Riordan, he found nothing strange about an owl understanding his words.
In fact, he thought that nothing could surprise him anymore.
Leo took the letter the animal had delivered and, after flipping it over, saw the logo on the front...
For a few seconds, Leo stared blankly into space, as if he were doubting life once again.
'Maybe I should stop planting so many red flags.'
'Or maybe just close my mouth.'
Wanting to confirm that it was true and not some cruel joke, he quickly opened the letter.
In it, written in emerald green ink, it said:
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Albus Dumbledore.
(President of the International Confederation of Wizards, President of the Association of Wizards, First Class Wizard of the Order of Merlin)
Dear Mr. Leo: We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed please find a list of all the necessary books and equipment. Classes begin on September 1.
The deadline starts on September 1. We expect the owl's delivery no later than July 31.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress.
Upon seeing the long list of items enumerated in order.
Leo, who thought that nothing could surprise him anymore, couldn't help but be in shock.
"Don't mess with me! I'm in Harry Potter, not in the works of Rick Riordan!"