Bewitched || P. Jackson

𝔾ods don't all tend to be 12, do they?

Nicki shrieked as she was forcefully thrown backwards by an invisible force. She landed harshly on her back, not waiting as she scrambled to where Bianca lay. A volley of missiles flew at the group.

Without thinking, Nicki threw up her hands, yelling something in Latin. "Incantare tutus!" A faintly purple bubble surrounded the group. The spikes bounced off the bubble, soaring harmlessly over their heads.

Behind Dr Thorn, Grover was playing the panpipes, alongside a spikey black haired girl, who was very expertly fighting off Thorn.

"Nicki?" The girl looked up at her name being called, almost choking as Nico threw his arms around her neck. "I always said you needed a Mythomagic card!"

Nicki shook her head softly, gathering herself, and the attached Nico, to her feet. She turned and helped Bianca and Percy to stand. The latter moving carefully to where the bubble had been moments before.

"It's gone now." Nicki jumped at the appearance of a blonde girl. Her stormy grey eyes scanned Nicki curiously. "Did you know you could do that?"

Bianca deadpanned at the blonde, her mouth aghast. "Clearly! Does she look like someone who didn't know they could create magic?!"

Nicki lowered Nico to the ground before resting a hand on Bianca's arm, soothingly. "Not now, Bia. We've bigger priorities."

As if the universe was waiting for them to pay attention to Thorn again, at that moment he roared. His body began shifting before the teenagers' eyes. He grew larger until he was in his true form - his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.

"A Manticore!" Blondie yelled, receiving an odd look from Nicki and Bianca.

"Who are you people?" Bianca demanded. "And what is that?"

"A manticore?" Nico gasped. Nicki's voice was a lot quieter than the 11-year-old's but she whispered the same words as him. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"

Bianca shook her head at the two, muttering something about them being as bad as each other. The manticore tore Grover's magic weeds to shreds before turning to the large group with a snarl.

"Get down!" Blondie shoved us into the snow, Percy making his watch turn into a shield as the manticore thorns dented the metal. A thwack sounded, and Grover piled into the snow next to them.

"I get the feeling you might have skipped over this portion of your life in English, Grover!" The boy laughed nervously, unsure if Nicki was joking or not.

Nicki's next words were drowned out by the thunderous appearance of the helicopter sent to take the trio away. The searchlights blinded the spiky-haired girl, who was swatted by the manticore's tail. Her shield was sent flying in one direction, her spear in another.

Nicki winced before scrambling to her feet, diving through the snow to reach the girl. The familiar hiss of Latin left her mouth as she slid next to her. The faint purple bubble erupted around the pair, parrying a spike just in time to stop it from hitting her chest.

"Hi," Nicki's voice was breathless, panting from exertion. "I'm Nicki, hope you don't mind."

The girl stared blankly at Nicki for a moment, her electric blue eyes calculating. "Yeah, I actually have a big issue with you stopping me from dying."

"Good, I thought we were gonna have a problem." Nicki grinned weakly at the girl, the shield wavering as her energy levels did.

"Thalia." Nicki nodded warmly at her, although her attention was returned to Thorn.