An Unlikely duo (AF/PJO/HP Crossover)

Fight! Fight! Insult Voldemort! Fight! Oh wait, my echo's broken again.

Nico winced as Quirrell and Harry turned around to face him, once in annoyance, the other in shock, and maybe a bit of relief.

"What?" he demanded, "Quit staring at me like that!"

Quirrell shook himself out of his stupor, "Who are you? Why are you here? How are you here? Answer me boy!" he said, pointing his wand at Nico, his stuttering and stumbling pretty much non-existent by now.

'Huh,' he thought, 'Draco was right. You really should never bet against a genius.'

"Answer me boy! Why aren't you answering me?"

"Nico!" Harry yelled, "Get out of here! Get help!"

Nico shrugged, "I don't think I will. The others have got that handled."

"Then help me you idiot! I'm a bit tied up over here! Literally!"

Nico rolled his eyes, "Chill out Harry. Panicking isn't going to get you anywhere." he pointed out while making his way towards Harry.

"In case you didn't notice, there's a big bad professor right there, who wants to bring Voldemort back to life! How are you not panicking right now?"

Nico looked mildly interested, "That's his game? Eh, makes sense I guess." he said with a shrug, completely ignoring the last bit of Harry's mini rant.

"Excuse me!" Quirrell yelled, sounding a bit shrill, "I am right here! Stop ignoring me! I'm trying to resurrect the Dark Lord! You can't just completely disregard me like that! Who do you think you are?"

Nico turned away from Harry and gave Quirrell a mock bow, "Nico di Angelo, as you very well know. Now make like a good boy, and go back to your master, okay?"

Quirrell looked stunned for a moment, and Nico actually thought that they had won. This was too easy! After facing empousai, titans, Minos and a whole bunch of other monsters, Quirrell seemed like a bit of a joke. Just a cowardly, power-addicted pawn. Were all wizard villains so hopelessly pathetic?

And then Quirrell's head started talking.

"Ignore them. We need the mirror. " said a scratchy, snake-like voice.

Quirrell shivered, "What for, my Lord? Please be a bit more specific, it would be so much easier if you just-"

"USE THE MIRROR TO FIND MY STONE YOU BUFFOON!"

Quirrell nodded vigorously, stumbling over himself in his haste to get to the mirror.

Nico's eyes followed him as he walked up to a huge mirror with a golden frame.

"The mirror of the Erised" he breathed. The one mirror he never wanted to see again. The pain he had felt that night as he gazed into the mirror and saw himself with Percy and his father was still fresh. He still wanted people who would accept him for who he was, and a family, something he hadn't had for as long as he could remember. No matter how much he tried to shove his feelings to the side, and focus on the pretty decent life that he had at the moment, the fear of never being accepted still lingered at the back of his head. Yes, he had a friend who seemed to like being around him(most of the time, anyway), but would he still stick around if he knew his secret? Who he was? What he was? Only an idiot would still want to be around him after that, and despite what Nico claimed, Artemis Fowl was no idiot.

Nico snapped out of his shock when he suddenly felt ropes wrapping around his torso.

"Seriously man?" Nico complained.

Quirrell shrugged, "Personally, I find it a bit unnecessary, but my master seems to consider you a threat, and threats must be neutralized, no matter how minor." he said with a patronizing smile.