Disclaimer: Sadly I am not the magnificent J.K Rowling or the hilariously funny Rick Riordan, and much to my dismay, I never will be...
"Are you sure this is the right address Percy?" The blonde haired girl asked her companion. She stood facing a shabby pub that looked oddly out of place, nested between a bookshop and a record shop, both of which had closed for the night. "This doesn't look like a place Rachel's father would let her stay!"
"I don't know Annabeth," The boy, Percy, replied. He was squinting his eyes, trying to make out the words on the street sign on the other side of the road, "I think we might have taken a wrong turn at some point."
The two of them had been wondering around the streets of London for the past hour, trying to locate the address of the hotel they had been given by their friend Rachel, who had invited the them to stay with her during her holiday in England. The sky had gotten dark very quickly, and the temperature had dropped too. The cold hadn't affected Percy very much but on the other hand Annabeth was freezing, her cheeks had gone red and her lips were turning slightly blue.
"You should have asked for directions back at the airport, when I told you to." Annabeth sighed, "But you're too much of a Seaweed Brain for that..."
"Sorry Wise Girl, but you know that I'm much too manly for that," grinned Percy, though it was replaced with a frown at the sight of Annabeth's slight shivering. He reached out to hold his girlfriend's hand, hoping to warm her up a little, "Why don't we find a place to crash for the night and we'll give Rachel a call in the morning."
They walked inside the pub, hands held tightly. The interior of the place was not much better than the outside. The walls were made of rough stone, all different shades of grey. The wooden furniture was worn out and some of the stairs were missing. The architect in Annabeth shuddered at the designs but she kept the urge to fix the place up inside. The only other people in the pub was the bartender and two boys sitting at one of the tables.
Percy led Annabeth to the empty table next to the only other customers as the bartender hurried up to them. "What can I get you?" The man asked. He was bald and hunched over but the smile on his face was warm and welcoming.
"Hi, um… well can you tell us where we are?" Percy asked, slightly embarrassed. The people next to them had stopped talking and were now staring at the couple.
The bartender chuckled softly, "Americans huh? No wonder I haven't seen you around before. Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron! I'm Tom, the landlord. What can I get you?"
Percy looked at his girlfriend, silently asking her if she wanted anything but she just shook her head and put her head down on the table. After dismissing Tom, he turned backed to Annabeth with worry written all over his face. "Wise girl, are you alright?"
"I'm good. Just a little tired, the empousai pack was a handful and the plane ride was pretty bumpy." Even though she was clearly exhausted, the amusement in her teasing voice was evident.
Percy blushed, "It's not my fault that my dear uncle doesn't know how to be grateful, even after all I've done for him and the rest of them." This caused Annabeth to start laughing and swat her boyfriend on the head.
"Seaweed brain! You're lucky we even survived that flight! I don't know how you've managed to stay alive all these years with all those gods you've managed to anger!" She hissed.
"What can I say, it's a talent." He looked around the room, "I'm going to go get us some water and by the way those guys are staring." With that announcement, Percy stood up and walked over to the bar to order the drinks for the two of them.
Annabeth stayed seated and surveyed the two boys next to them. Obviously embarrassed the fact that they were caught staring, they had hastily returned to their conversation. They were speaking too soft for Annabeth to hear what they were saying, except for a couple of words, "Return… school... war… Hermione… N.E.W.T.S… Auror… " The snippets of the conversation she heard didn't make much sense to her but it sounded as if they were debating something.
Annabeth waited a few more minutes before she decided that these boys were pretty harmless and not actually monsters in disguise (she really hated when that happened, the shock of the transformation still puts her off her game sometimes). She approached their table with caution, hand gripping her hidden dagger in her waistband, even though the rational part of her brain knew that it was highly unlikely for her to get hurt.
Their conversation died out as the two boys noticed her come closer. They both watched her actions warily, unsure on what they should do. One boy reached for something in his back pocket.
She studied the two boys before speaking. The one with his hand in his pocket looked a little bit like Percy. He had the same messy tousled black hair and angular features as Percy but that was where the similarities ended. Instead of Percy's bright sea green eyes, this boy had startling emerald green eyes. He wore round-rimmed glasses and Annabeth could make out the tip of a scar on his forehead, covered by his dark hair. Also unlike Percy who was tanned and muscular from fighting and training in the Long Island sun, this boy was pale and thin.
The other boy had fiery red hair and freckles all over his face. He had blue eyes and a long nose. Even though he was sitting, Annabeth could tell that he had a tall and lanky build.
They were both wearing old-fashioned robes over their T-shirts and jeans. Annabeth wondered if they were some sort of medieval enthusiasts. The sort of people who attended the medieval fairs and owned customised knight armour. "Hi, I'm Annabeth."
They stared at her in silence before exchanging looks with one another. Annabeth knew that they were having a mental conversation, a technique she and Percy had perfected over the years. Finally, the boy with the glasses smiled and replied, "I'm Harry and this is Ron. How can we help you?"
Ron looked like he didn't particularly want to help her but Annabeth saw Harry elbow him in the knee, causing Ron to give her a fake smile before turning back to his friend and mouthing "Ouch!"
"As you have probably noticed, my boyfriend Percy," she pointed at Percy, who was taking the cups of water from Tom, "and I aren't from around here. I was wondering if you could tell us-"
Annabeth was interrupted by the sound of glass shattering and something heavy hitting the ground. A female voice was frantically repeating "I'm sorry!"
Percy was shaking his head, an amused grin on his face. "No worries, it was an accident. I'll just get another glass."
The girl didn't seem to hear him. She was kneeling down on the ground, trying to salvage whatever soggy papers she could from the wet floor. She was soaking all over, her pants and the bottom parts of her odd-looking robe, clung to her body. The tips of her brown hair trailed along the floor as tried to pick up all her books.
Percy tried again, "You don't have to apologise, and it wasn't your fault, I should have watched where I was going. Let me help you with those papers." He kneeled down next to her.
She looked up at him with gratitude, a trace of a smile on her face. For a second, everything seemed normal. Then, her brown eyes seemed to get wider and the look of relief was replaced by one of confusion.
"Weren't you wet just now?"
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