Nico Visits 12 Grimmauld Place

13. The Final Battle, For Now

Instantly, their weapons were out. Percy with Riptide, Nico with his sword, and Sadie with her wand and staff.

Five strange creatures stood in front of Monster Donuts.

"I knew we shouldn't have been eating so nearby," Percy grumbled ruefully.

Two had the body of a lion and the head of a hawk. They looked like they belonged on those old Egyptian pots. The other two Nico and Percy recognized. A laistrygonian and an empousa.

The first monster was dumb enough to attack.

Hieracosphinx, the hawk-faced lion, jumped at Sadie, who was the only one who recognized the Egyptian creature. The other three attacked Nico and Percy

Sadie rolled to the side as its claws sunk straight into the sidewalk. She hoped that they'd get stuck, but no such luck. These things were known to be extremely strong, and Horus, the god of war, sometimes took on this form.

She raised her ivory wand and shouted, "Se-kebeb!"

A thick coat of ice blasted the hawk-lion in the face. It gagged for a moment, trying to dislodge the ice in its throat. She pointed her staff at it and unleashed a golden blast of energy straight at its eyeballs.

Well, she meant to shoot its mouth, but it was close enough.

Meanwhile, the ice had also doused the fire in the empousa's hair, which had been flaming white-hot moments before.

Nico managed to sneak up behind her—perhaps he blended into the daylight?—and stab her in the back.

She exploded into powder, right as Percy decapitated the laistrygonian.

Sadie strolled over to the half-blind and choking hieracosphinx, and whapped it in the head with her wand. She muttered an illness spell, which was one of the least energy-consuming killing spells.

A wave of sickness went through the creature, and it first collapsed, then crumbled to sand.

"Just another normal day," Percy said, capping Riptide. "You know, I promised Annabeth I wouldn't get killed. Then Nico gets kidnapped, and I meet a crazy girl with dyed hair."

"For the record," Sadie snapped, throwing her wand and staff into her bag, "I am quite normal. You're the one running 'round telling me what your underwear's made of."

Nico sheathed his sword and sighed, "Perce, honestly, why did you even say that? Don't ever give out private information."

"But—"

"Let's stop speaking about this," Sadie interrupted. "Please. We've been standing here ages. Can we go to Monster Donut of something?"

Percy stared at her like she was dumb, "There could be ten hydras in there for all we know. Let's not."

"Let's."

"Let's not."

"But that battle was like, easy peasy."

"You're dangerous," Percy declared, "let's go Nico. We need to get back to camp now or Annabeth will slice me into sassy ribbons."

"I'd love to see that," Sadie murmured.

"Death of Sass," Nico said as Percy tried to drag him away, "how terribly unpleasant."

"Want my phone number?" Sadie asked. Without waiting for an answer, she ripped off a small shred of parchment.

It nearly floated off with the wind. Percy seemed eager to sass her, and said, "Flimsy. Like you. I think."

"Such flimsy use of vocabulary," she shot back. She threw the paper at him after scrawling something on it, "I get that you can't use your phones, but you seem like rulebreakers so...call me anytime. Just not at say, five in the morning m'kay?"

Percy slipped it into his pocket. "Yeah. To be honest, I just want to get home."

"I've been wanting to go home for days," Nico muttered.

"Let's go, buddy." Percy patted him on the shoulder as they walked back to Mrs. O'Leary. "Adventure's over."