"Annabeth!" A blond-haired demigod burst into the Athena cabin, startling a few reading inhabitants. His eyes were wide and slightly wild as he glanced over the room, looking for a specific person.
"Will? What's up?" Annabeth frowned, looking up from her desk.
"I need to talk to you, it's about Nico."
Her frown deepened. Will urged her on, "Come on, we've got ten minutes."
Despite her confusion, she rose from her seat and followed him out. It was a clear day at Camp Half-Blood, but they had no time to enjoy it as Will lead her to a quiet location, hidden from majority view. "Will, what's going on?" she pressed once more.
The son of Apollo took a deep breath. "Nico's in trouble. He's been kidnapped."
"Kidnapped?" she echoed. "By who? Have you told Chiron?"
"I didn't have time. You're the first one I thought of to help me think of something."
"Run me through everything. How do you know all of this?" Annabeth watched as Will dragged over a nearby hose, explaining as he worked.
"I IM'd him. You'll understand in just a moment..." He twisted the knob, sending water sprouting from the end of the hose. He pulled a single golden drachma from his back pocket and flicked it into the spray. "Show me Isa Clove, England."
Though it wasn't a particularly specific location and England was a fairly large place, a muddy young girl halted to a stop in front of the new mirage that appeared in front of her. She hadn't run too far away from the spot Nico had been taken, but it was far enough for now. She hugged the familiar aviator jacket tighter around her shoulders, drawing on it as a source of comfort.
Annabeth straightened up. Her eyes held an unspoken question. Will disregarded it for a moment, getting right to the point. "Where in England are you?"
"Who's that?" Isa said stubbornly, apprehensively eyeing the stranger in the background.
"This is Annabeth, she can help, I promise. Where are you?"
The young girl hesitated for a moment, thinking something over before providing an answer. "Meet me at Kings Cross Station tomorrow. I'll find you."
With furrowed brows, Annabeth echoed, "Kings Cross Station?" That was familiar... but why? At the back of her mind, she faintly recalled a conversation with Percy that mentioned running through brick walls. "Oh! Are you a witch?"
Isa looked stunned. Nico hadn't known, and Will hadn't said anything either. He glanced back at the demigod. "I am, yes. How did you-?"
Annabeth put a hand on Will's shoulder and said, "Nobody else really knows, but Percy's at this school for magic called Hogwarts. He mentioned travelling through Kings Cross to get there. Maybe he can help us?"
Despite the dire situation, a smile tugged at Isa's lips. Her initial plan forming in her mind had been to meet up with Will and this Annabeth girl, then travel to Hogwarts and find her brother. He may put on an air of being fine with the way things were, but Isa's memory was not that of a gold fish. Very little had changed since they were younger - and for the worse not the better. She remembered how much her brother suffered under her father. Perhaps the only thing that changed was that he got better at hiding it from her. In Isa's mind, this was perhaps a chance for him to liberate himself. Wishful thinking let her to hope that these people would take them back with them to where they came from and they'd be free.
Yes, Nico had been taken by the Dark Lord, and he was a cruel, powerful and terrifying creature, but if these people all had powers like Nico's, then maybe they'd have a chance. Her brother's ability was strong too. Perhaps Nico had been easily kidnapped, but he was caught unawares and had no chance to defend himself. This time they would be the ones prepared. Nico's friends couldn't be human either, because muffled were not permitted to know of magical existence, but Annabeth had pointed out that Isa was a witch. Between herself, her brother, Will, Annabeth and this 'Percy' person, they should be able to get Nico back. Besides, all they had to do was reach him and he could teleport them out, right?
"Yes!" Isa exclaimed. "We need to go to Hogwarts anyway to find my brother. He's familiar with that mansion, more so than myself. He can help! We can pick up your friend when we get there."
Annabeth looked hesitant. "If that's the home of the bad guys, why is your brother familiar with it?" Her words were cold and coated with suspicion.
"Because..." Isa stutterer, struggling to grasp a reason. "Because they hold parties there sometimes, and-and my father goes to them, so... so... he takes us with him. But I was a lot younger so I don't remember much."
"How do we know you're not a spy for your father then?" Annabeth's suspicion had yet to ease, but Isa couldn't very well tell her the real reason. "You could be trying to lure us in."
"Nico saved me. My father hates my brother and I. Nico came to our house investigating something and found me. My father, he... he really doesn't care for us." Isa looked down at her feet and fiddled with the hem of Nico's jacket. Her voice was quiet by the end of her words. For some reason she couldn't force herself to say out loud, 'he's abusive. He beats us up all the time.'
Heaving a deep sigh, Annabeth relented. "Alright. We'll be at Kings Cross as soon as possible. You make your way there and we'll book a flight and be there tomorrow. Wait for us there."
Isa modded importantly in agreement and Will waved goodbye before disintegrating the call.
The two demigod's looked at each other. "Looks like we're going to England?" Annabeth piped up.
"You're coming with me?" Will's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Truthfully, he'd only sought her out in a moment of panic.
The female demigod snorted. "Of course I'm coming with you. What else did you call me out for?"
Will breathed a laugh. "Alright. We need to go inform Chiron then."
~~~~
Eight and a half hours later, Annabeth and Will stood with their feet upon solid ground, working the kinks out of their joints and muscles after the long flight from New York to London. Chiron has helped them book tickets and they left later that night, each with a backpack filled with basic needs.
Adjusting the trusty cap on her head, Annabeth yawned briefly before speaking. "Right, to Kings Cross Station!"
And so the two set out down the busy streets of London. They only got lost twice.
Just as they were searching for the small blonde girl they'd talked to yesterday, it turned out they needn't search far at all, for she found them first, hesitantly tapping on their shoulders.
"Isa!" Will exclaimed. She was a little shorter than he'd imagined, and a lot paler than the dark had revealed.
She offered a nervous smile. Now that she was here, in a place surrounded by hundreds of people, she felt incredibly self conscious. She'd never been in such a public place and was both excited and scared out of her wits. Not to mention she was dressed in nightwear and covered in grime. She couldn't shake the feeling that everybody had their eyes on her, some spies from her father that would drag her back home, kicking and screaming.
Annabeth noticed the younger girl's discomfort and ushered the girl into the nearest restroom she could find after a quick word to Will. She dug around her backpack and pulled out a spare change of clothes.
"They'll be too big, but you'll stand out less than you do now." She passed the clothes to the younger witch.
Isa wordlessly thanked her and ducked into a stall to get changed.
The shirt hung just below her bottom and was rather spacious as young Isa was lacking in a certain department... but it looked less strange than the torn dress she had before. The shorts kept falling down and so she held them up with her hands.
"Do you mind if I use this?" Annabeth held up the ruined garment. Isa shrugged noncommittally. Taking that as permission, Annabeth fore a strip off the dress and looped it through the holes on the shorts, tying it into a small bow at the front. "There."
Isa let her hands drop and the shorts finally stayed up. She pulled the jacket over her outfit once more and smiled. "Thank you."
See father? Not all people are so bad.
"Alright then. Let's get going!"
~~~~
Sorry, late update. Have been full on recently. Finished this chapter on the way to Jackson. Landed in Houston on Saturday, and flew to New Orleans on Monday morning. Bourbon street really comes alive at night, it's amazing.
Had to wait for the WiFi in Jackson to connect before posting this chapter.
P.S. Americans, no offence but your toilets are weird.
Peace,
BTSWD
Borntosingwithdrama