Chapter Text
It surprised Harry to see the manor that Hestia and Hephaestus had made for him. It was modest, considering who had designed it. He expected an enormous palace. Having seven bedrooms might sound excessive for just three people, but given the complexities of Harry’s plotting, they felt those rooms would not be empty for long. Hercules had to drag him out of the library after discovering his family had finally granted him access to some of their restricted collections. The grounds were extensive, with multiple gardens. Despite his past, Harry loved working in the soil, growing his own potion ingredients to ensure they were of the highest quality, and he could harvest them safely. He could tell Hecate had her hand in the planning, as several of the greenhouses were designed for various world climates.
“The manor will need extra hands.” Harry turned to see Xavier, his new butler, coming out of the kitchen. Xavier was a large man; many of the other heroes described him as a 'rather common-looking man'. He kept his light blond hair trimmed short, and his uniform perfect at all times. “You may be accustomed to having chores, but now, as the Lord of an estate, you are expected to designate those duties to others.”
“I will speak to the goblins about employment,” Harry said, looking out over the grounds again. “Humans are prone to gossip, and I have far too many secrets. As much as it annoys me, I will bond with house-elves. If there are any Potter elves, I will bond with them first.” Harry chuckled, seeing a unicorn herd cross the gardens. He knew the herd well and often enjoyed running with them. “I trust the kitchen is to your liking?”
“When Lady Hestia informed me of their gift, they asked me how I wanted it set up. Chef made sure it was well stocked.” Xavier said. “There is still time if you want to run.”
“I would kill for a run right now. Unfortunately, I have to say no. I have to take a hot shower and review my notes for the meeting. Money waits for no one, man or otherwise.” Harry said, pushing himself off the wall. “Besides, if I go for a run now, I will have to cut out the stroll I planned to take through Diagon Alley.” Harry’s grin made Xavier shiver.
“Planning to cause problems?” Hercules asked as he walked out of the kitchen before crunching on a bright red apple.
“Problems? Of course not. It’s simply a matter of being seen in the wrong place by the right people. Besides, it’s my birthday. Let me cause a little chaos.” Harry said. A cackling had all three of them reaching for various weapons. For the first time, Harry could see the hint of genuine fear in the eyes of his older brother.
“Oh, come now, I’m not THAT dangerous.” The three turned to the manor, seeing a young woman with bright pink hair sitting on the roof .
“Harry, allow me to introduce a seriously annoying Primordial. She is the personification of Chaos, Catastrophe.” Hercules said, refusing to sheath his sword yet.
“Oh, Herc, you say the silliest things.” She pushed off the roof, sliding down. With an expertly timed flip, she landed beside Harry. Up close, Harry could see that she had runes carved into her skin, and while he wanted to ask about them, his eyes moved on to her outfit. She wore a tunic like the ones he had grown used to, but it was her skin-tight cargo pants with large pockets and perfectly laced combat boots that impressed him. “Please, call me Catra. I know all about you, of course. You're the subject of gossip in several realms. You have everyone looking forward to the next few years. Which is why I am here. I stopped in to see the Fates and get an idea of what’s coming. Since my power comes from Chaos, the more there is, the healthier I am. Make sense?” Harry pulls himself up on the rail, bidding her to continue. “Last week I was too weak to attend your party, but I have a gift for you, anyway. Since I can travel the multiverse freely, I have seen some strange and wondrous things.” She took a sturdy leather box from her bag and handed it to Harry. “There is a world where cards are used to cast spells. After consulting several other Primordials, we decided to make you a deck of powerful spells.” Harry opened the box carefully. “Each card is based on an old school Tarot deck.” She explained as he carefully flipped through the cards. Waving her hand, the cards flew out of his hands to float around them. A sheet of parchment came out of the box into his hands.
The Major Arcana:
The Fool
Mentally view the results of every choice for 12 hours.
Downfall: Serious headache, potions and elixirs will not help.
The Magician
Double your Magical Core for ten minutes.
Downfall: lack of spell casting for two weeks.
The High Priestess
Purify the magical core of a person or group.
Downfall: An offering based on whichever Divinity will be required.
Warning: This action can change a person’s personality or magic based on the damage to their cores.
The Empress
Summons Morgana Le Fay.
Downfall: Depending on her mood, she could either help or hinder. She doesn’t like men.
The Emperor
Summons Merlin Emyrs-Pendragon
Downfall: Weeping Mage King is torn away from his husband and is an emotional mess.
The Hierophant
Pardon a guilty person judged by Magic.
Downfall: your kindness can, and likely will, bite you in the arse.
The Lovers
Prove a soul bond for yourself or your companion.
Downfall: Casting this card will result in an instant betrothal contract written by Magic.
The Chariot
Provides an escape vehicle.
Downfall: The vehicle may not be the one you need.
Strength
Triples Physical strength for one hour.
Downfall: Complete immobilization for 24-48 hours.
The Hermit
Locate a hidden person or location.
Downfall: If someone is hiding, there is likely a good reason.
The Wheel of Fortune
Second draw of previously used cards.
Downfall: Only works on Major Arcana.
Justice
Irrevocably prove the guilt or innocence of a person or group.
Downfall: This action can ruin lives and have disastrous ramifications.
The Hanged Man
Rewind time for a max of 24 hours.
Downfall: You will be the only one to know.
Death
Summons The Hollows
Downfall: Double-Dumb-Door will know who claimed them.
Temperance
Instantly calm the frantic public.
Downfall: All eyes of the public will be on you.
The Devil
Summons a champion.
Downfall: This champion will fight for either side.
The Tower
Creates a nearly unbreakable wall.
Downfall: When the wall falls, it will cause an earthquake and possibly debris damage.
The Star
Read a person’s mind for one day.
Downfall: Some things are best kept secret.
The Moon
Trick your enemy to allow escape or gain the upper hand in battle.
Downfall: Enemies with high mental aptitude may be immune to this card.
The Sun
Provides illumination to large areas.
Downfall: Sometimes, you're better off not knowing what dwells in the dark.
Judgment
or Rejuvenation
Instant Karma
Downfall: She can either be a Bitch, or an Angel.
The World
Caster gains All-Speak ability.
Downfall: This is a permanent effect; you have to learn to control it.
The Minor Arcana ~ Wands
Ace of Wands
Instantly restore the spent Magical Core.
Two-Ten of Wands
Cast a preassigned spell without drawing on the Magic Core.
Page of Wands
Duplicate any other numbered Wands card.
Knight of Wands
Casts a giant Patronus
Queen of Wands
Repairs a broken/cracked Magic Core
King of Wands
Strip a person or location of all magic.
The Minor Arcana ~ Cups
Ace of Cups
Cure someone of drunkenness.
Two-Ten of Cups
Target feels like they have had an equal number of shots.
Page of Cups
Duplicate any other numbered Cups card.
Knight of Cups
Test all drinks in a room for potions and poisons.
Queen of Cups
Target is cured of all Alcohol induced illness.
King of Cups
Target is not allowed to consume Alcohol for the rest of their lifetime.
The Minor Arcana ~ Swords
Ace of Swords
Supplies allied forces with mystic weapons.
Two-Ten of Swords
Summons a small army (Up to 1000 heads) of:
Stone Golems
Goblins
Licht
Elves
Werewolves
Vampires
Minotuars
Dragons
Page of Swords
Duplicate any other numbered Swords card.
Knight of Swords
Sends an alert to all marked Warriors.
Queen of Swords
Sends an alert to all known soulmates.
King of Swords
Summon King Arthur and the Round Table Knights to battle.
The Minor Arcana ~ Pentacles
Ace of Pentacles
Make one blood-based ability permanent.
Two-Ten of Pentacles
Manifest one bloodline ability for 24 hours.
Page of Pentacles
Duplicate any numbered Pentacles card.
Knight of Pentacles
Instantly master one natural bloodline ability
Queen of Pentacles
Awaken the bloodline ability of a single person in any of your bloodlines.
King of Pentacles
Reclaim the bloodline ability of a single person in any of your bloodlines.
"This is quite a gift,” Hercules said, scanning over the various abilities. “So, if I’m reading this correctly, the numbered cards have the same effect.”
“Right, more or less. For the Swords, you would need to specify the kind of army and how many heads. The Cups depend on which numbered card you use and which alcohol." Harry gave her a strange look, but she only smiled. "There is a big difference between a mundane beer and a bottle of Hades' secret brew." She explained. Harry could agree with that, having been tricked once, into stealing a bottle by Loki. "For the Wand cards, I recommend thinking about which spells you want to use. Since they would draw on the natural flow of magic around you rather than your core, you could use it for advanced magic you can’t do yet.”
“Each card can only be used once, unless I use the Page cards or the Wheel of Fortune,” Harry said.
“You can recharge the cards, but that would require doing favors for myself or the other Primordials,” Catra said. “I don’t recommend it, though. Some of them are beyond reason.” She said. The cards went back into their case with the parchment. She considered it for a moment and flicked a finger at Harry, creating a leather pouch on his belt. “There, now you can carry them with you.” Harry tucked the deck box into the pouch.
“I doubt you are doing this out of the goodness of your heart, Catra,” Hercules said. “What's the catch?”
“Fine, yes, I plan on feasting on the chaos this mortal hero creates.” Catra finally said. “Besides, I cleared everything with the Oracle and the Fates.”
“I suppose if they approved of this, I have no place to argue,” Hercules said.
“Besides, the deck is meant to be a last resort kind of thing,” Catra said.
“That makes sense,” Harry said. “I will try not to use them unless I have no choice.”
“I wish you luck, Little Hero, luck and chaos.” The strange woman disappeared, and the three who remained let out a sigh of relief.
“Well, that just happened,” Harry said with a chuckle.
“Only you, Harry, only you,” Hercules said, shaking his head. “Let's get ready for Diagon Alley. Hopefully, it will be less exciting than her visit.”
“With Catastrophe keeping an eye on things, I bet every day will be more exciting than the last,” Harry said, making his way inside to get ready.
“You just jinxed it. You know that, right?” Xavier asked.
“Absolutely!” Harry said.
So, as you can see I am back. I will be reviewing and editing this and my other works in the next few weeks. With the final goal being to upload all finished chapters by the end of July.
I thank you all for your continued support!