Bella Cooper and the Half-Bloods (Percy Jackson Fanfic)

The Powerless Witches

Claudia managed to convince me to walk over to her friend Laura's house, which was just down the street.

"She runs a crystal shop just a few blocks from here," Claudia said.

We crept down the streets of New Orleans. It was raining, and there were warnings of big storms, but that didn't stop the massive parties from happening. There was overlapping electronic dance music coming from all venues around the block, and strobe lights animated our shadows on the walls.

"Here, watch your step."

She led me into a dark alleyway, where even the rainbow string lights from a neighboring party couldn't illuminate.

"This looks sketchy. Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, I've been back here a thousand times! Just go through this door."

I slowly pushed open a grimy grey door. I walked into a dark room that smelled a little like weed, and once my eyes adjusted, I noticed we were in the back of a very nice storefront. I felt my way around tables with crystals glittering in the moonlight.

"They're so pretty," I said.

"They're recharging."

"Recharging?"

"Yeah, the moon recharges them and the sage cleans them of any energy."

"Sage... is that the nasty weed smell?"

She sniffed the air. "Yep."

We felt our way around the room until we found some stairs.

"Wait," Claudia said. I turned back to see her take out a lighter and then light an incense stick on a nearby table.

I looked at her confused.

"To let her know we're here. She's been teaching me a thing or two."

I raised my eyebrows but followed her up the stairs. A yellowish light peaked through the crack of an open door.
"Don't you think we'll scare her? We might be two strangers just waltzing into her house at night!"

"No, we lit the incense. She knows we're here."

"How would she-"

"Claudia?" A girl from behind the door called.

"Hi Laura," Claudia said, smiling as if to say I told you so. "I brought a friend. Are you busy?"

"Yeah, but I could use a break," she smiled. "Everything around here has been so upside down."

"Yeah, I think we can help with that. This is Bella. She's a daughter of Hecate." she smiled proudly.

Laura gasped. "Really?!"

"No, no. I'm the daughter of an empousa."

"Yeah, but she's got all the powers of Hecate."

"This is absolutely amazing!" Laura's eyes sparkled as she quickly shook my hand. "I'm Laura. I'm the hedge witch in our coven."

"Right," I said. I knew a little about witchcraft, but not a lot. I was pretty drawn to it when I was younger, but my dad always prevented me from getting very far. I guess that made sense now.

"So why don't you explain everything to Bella?" Claudia said, twirling on a spinning stool.

"Well, it's a bit of a weird story. Our coven meets up every Wednesday and on special holidays. A few weeks ago, everything started to get weird. Our spell work was weak even with spell amplifiers, and we can't manifest anything anymore. Even simple candle work isn't working for us. We all feel so weak, like the energy is off. On top of that, the moon cycles have changed."