The Hogwarts Quest (Percy Jackson/Harry Potter Crossover)

Chapter 4

Nico's POV

"How do they expect me to sit in a moving magic train for hours and not go completely insane?" Leo asked. While everyone else was on the seats of the compartment, Leo sat on the ground. He leaned against the compartment door, his legs stretched out and had little springs, screws, and other tiny spare parts strewn in front of him. 

"What's wrong with a magic train?" Frank asked. 

Leo threw his arms in the air, "It runs entirely on magic. I barely sense the machinery in this! It's all just so wrong!"

Nico sat at the end of one of the seats, closest to the window. While everybody else talked, he looked outside. There wasn't too much but he had to admit that the peaceful fields and the constant movement of the train was quiet relaxing.

He felt somebody squeeze his hand.

He turned his head to see Hazel, who was sitting beside him. "You okay?" She asked gently.

"Yea," he nodded his head, but honestly, he didn't know. He wasn't sure if any of them would be okay. Eight powerful demigods entering the wizarding world? Who knew what to expect?

A couple hours later, he and the rest of the guys left to change into their school uniforms. When they got back a few minutes later, the girls had changed as well but also had a pile small boxes and packages on their seats.

"Candy?" Percy grinned.

"Yup," Annabeth, "The cart came while you guys were away. Too bad you missed it but we got most of everything."

Jason picked up one of the boxes and lifted the lid. It looked like a piece chocolate but it leaped out of the box almost as soon as it was opened. "A chocolate frog?" Jason remarked as it landed, sticking to the window with it's webbed, chocolate feet.

The chocolate frogs were just one of the many different wizarding candies. Nico didn't have much but the rest of the time seemed to pass by much faster as they tasted and tried each one. 

When the train finally stopped and everybody started to get out, Leo shoved the remaining ones into his tool belt. "No, way I'm leaving any of these behind. Even those gross jellybean ones."

They didn't know exactly where they were going when they stepped out of the train but they followed the rest of the students on the dirt road. After a bit of walking, they reached a long line of stagecoaches pulled by from a far distance, what looked like horses. However, Nico quickly sensed something different about them. Death.

As they got closer, he saw that they were winged with leathery skeletal bodies and slightly reptilian features. 

"What are they?" Piper asked. Nico racked his brain but nothing he could think of fit exactly to what he was seeing. Sure, he could sense a very strong dark and deathly aura coming from them but he just wasn't sure if they were even Greek or Roman mythological creatures.

"There's something like these in Celtic mythology called kestels but..." Annabeth trailed off. "Can't be," She finished.

They were finally able to get on the carriages but had to split into two groups to fit. Jason, Piper, Frank, and Hazel went in one and Percy, Annabeth, Leo, and Nico got in the one behind them.

Ever since Nico had come out to them, it had actually become a lot less awkward.

While they sat, waiting for the rest of the students outside to get in, their carriage suddenly began to move. The horse things hadn't started walking but through their window, Nico could see that they had started to act up. As they tossed their heads back and fourth, the creatures made eye contact with Nico, causing them to get even more excited.