When Myths Meet Magic || 4

22|| Nico

"Hey, Ron? Hermione? Percy?" Annabeth drew the attention away from their breakfast. "Dumbledore wants to talk to you."

Harry immediately made to stand up, but Annabeth stopped him. "Just them."

"See you in class," Harry said anxiously.

"What could Dumbledore possibly want with us?" Percy asked the others as they started off. "Right before the second task?"

"I dunno," they heard Hermione say.

"Maybe it's about Hagrid's unicorns from yesterday?" Ron suggested.

"Don't be an idiot, Ron. Why on earth would Dumbledore need to talk to us about Hagrid's baby unicorns?"

But Ron and Hermione didn't show up in class, or in the common room that night. Percy, however, popped up around the middle of History of Magic, looking extremely mysterious. He refused to say anything about what was going on.

When everyone else had fallen asleep and Ron had yet to turn up, Nico debated whether or not he should go look for him as he watched Percy add the final ingredients to his water-breathing potion, mixing in the gillyweed with his wand.

"I'm pretty sure you shouldn't mix a potion with your wand," Nico whispered. "You're probably ruining it. Or getting the potion dirty."

"Nah." Percy wiped the thin liquid off his wand on Harry's blankets, which were strewn halfway off as Harry turned over, sound asleep. "You think he's really figured out what he's going to do?" Percy asked, nodding to Harry.

"He was in the library for the past few hours," Nico said doubtfully. "He's bound to have thought of something." He waved his wand over the fire, which was about to die out, and the blue, holdable flames sparked and flared around the cauldron, illuminating the boys dormitories with it's bluebell light.

"Honestly, I'm surprised no one else is awake," Percy said, looking at the other sleeping boys. "You'd think that someone would've noticed that we're brewing a potion on the ground."

Nico grunted. "I'm fine with it," he said in a low voice. "But I really should sleep. Can't have me falling asleep halfway through the second task. What was all that about, anyways?"

"When?" Percy asked, scooping some stray flames back under the cauldron which had threatened to set Harry's bed aflame. Not a great wake up call.

"At breakfast today." Percy suddenly fought back a smile.

"Can't say. It's a surprise."

"C'mon, Percyyy," Nico complained.

"Fine, I'll tell you a little." Percy let the silence linger. "For the second task, Dumbledore knows how pretty much all the fish and stuff hate you. More than normal. He suspects that they'll target you more than others, and with your dad's relationship with water, he wouldn't be surprised if you drowned halfway through the task."

Nico stared at Percy. "Well, that's comforting."

"But he asked if I could go underwater, just to supervise. I won't interfere." He suddenly stared at Nico with a harsh look. "Don't ask me to help you unless the mermen suddenly wage war on you."

"Mer creatures," Nico muttered under his breath. "Gender equality."

"Sure." Percy mixed the murky green potion again with his wand. "You should be getting some sleep. Like you said, you wouldn't want to fall asleep halfway through the second task."

"I hate it when people use my own words against me," Nico muttered as he stood up and climbed into bed.

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