Nico shivered, clutching his aviator jacket close. He didn't enjoy sleeping out on the streets near mortals, but the nightmares only got worse in the camp and his father's palace. They weren't really nightmares, in the sense that it was something that scared him, but they were close. Those two girls, twins, always standing beside each other, like there was a mirror, only you didn't know which one was the reflection. Same night black hair which cascaded into curls at the bottom, and a small braid wrapped and their head like a dark circlet. Same Caribbean-sea eyes, forever staring at the demigod like they knew all about him; his victories, his failures. Same ashy-gray skin, without blemishes and imperfections, arching black eyebrows and black sclera.
There were differences, though. It was nothing as noticeable as their coloration, of course, but still obvious enough. The one on the left had her hair parted in the same direction, vice-versa for the right. The girl on the right had her side bangs cover one eye, the other stretched impossibly wide. Her hair was more raggedy and her pupil was a tiny black dot of an island in the middle of an ocean. Her smile was unnerving, the smile of a serial killer's. The girl on the left had more reasonably sized eyes. Her pupils were completely normal. Hair was well-kept, expression more serious, and overall a great deal different than her sister. However, the cold, cruel look that she sent him was enough to give him the chills. That was why he was spending his time trying to escape them.
Now Nico seriously doubted his choice, to run away. He felt as if Khione had been especially mad at him that night, and was currently trying to give him hypothermia. He tried conjuring hellfire to warm up, but the tiny flame was extinguished as fast as he summoned it. He glared at his palm, dark eyes narrowing. Was nothing going to right in his life?
A blast of warmth hit him. He sighed, turning around. "Lady Hestia…" he stopped in surprise. The woman standing in front of him had cold, black eyes and blonde hair. A small smirk danced across her lips as she offered a hand toward the freezing boy. Nico's mouth tightened warily, but he accepted the hand as to not offend her. This was definitely not Hestia. The hearth goddess was always so genuine, and would most likely have hugged him tightly, rather than just a hand. Olympus had closed, Percy had disappeared, and suspicions were running high. He had every right to be on edge.
The dark-eyed woman pulled him close to her face, staring into his eye. Nico choked."Wha-what?" The woman laughed hysterically and clapped her hands in delight. "She got to you! I knew it!" Nico stared."What in my father's underpants drawer are you talking about?!" He yelled, annoyed. The blonde's laughter finally subsided and she placed her hand on his shoulder, smirking.
"You've been having nightmares about two girls, haven't you?"
Nico's eyes widened. "How did you know about that?" He whispered furiously, eyes flashing. "Simple, dear", the woman replied, "I'm Hecate, goddess of magic, crossroads. Of course I would know of that sort of business." Hecate smiled at Nico, her black eyes glinting coldly. "To answer your unanswered question, they are the immortal twin daughters of Nyx, goddess of the night. The one on the left is Knowledge, or Genius, whichever you prefer. The one on the right is Insanity, Madness. Both are equally dangerous, and I don't think I'll need to say who is after you.
The demigod furrowed his eyebrows. He knew this was coming. The curse of the children of the Underworld had not excluded any of his father's offspring, and it definitely wouldn't exclude him. He felt like a weight had had dropped on his heart. It was so hard to comprehend, yet it should have been easy. Hecate cleared her throat, snapping him out of his reverie. He glared, waiting patiently for her to speak. The goddess only smiled wider, her red glossed lips shining in the light from the street lamps. "Now, Nico", She chided gently, "You shouldn't glare so much. How are you going to make friends at your new school if you intimidate them all?"
Nico was speechless. "What?" He asked, finally regaining control of his vocal chords. "Why, you're going to Hogwarts, aren't you? Here's my blessing - be careful, because you'll be stronger than the wizards there - here's your books, a wand – 13 inches, Asphodel Poplar, Thestral hair – Potions ingredients… Well, pretty much everything you need to go to Hogwarts! Plus a key into one of my vaults in Gringotts, you'll have to say I'm a relative of yours, though that's true so you won't have any trouble, I suppose. Oh this is going to be the most fun I've had in centuries!" The goddess cackled. "Of course, we need to have the same last name…" She snapped her fingers," There! My surname is now Di Angelo."
Nico blinked," I would ask what the Hades you're talking about, but I'm kind of creeped out now." Hecate crossed her arms."I'm talking about the wizarding world, demigod. Surely your father has told you about them." Nico could vaguely remember his father explaining the other world to him, telling him to be grateful magic doesn't affect demigods…
Hecate nodded, reading his mind. "Their magic can't affect you physically. They can summon something you are holding, but anything physical won't touch you. Hell, the worst that the killing curse can do is give you a papercut. Simply because their magic can only affect things that they know about, so spells work best on humans and animals. Magical creatures are harder, giants are even harder than that, and gods… well, they don't even believe in gods. Even if they did, gods are immortal, timeless. They are too far away from them that any spell simply wouldn't work."
"Why, Nico, don't you want me to hold Insanity off for you? I can do that… as long as you go to Hogwarts for me. All you need to do is protect Harry Potter, help him get through his challenges, kill off some horcruxes and Death Eaters, and then you're good to go, a decade away from your deadline!" He frowned." Why don't you get another demigod to do it? You have plenty at camp." The goddess rolled her eyes, "Because, Nico, they aren't exactly subtle. You are the best at sneaking around, and that is what I need. My children will probably start using wandless magic, which isn't the best way to fit in. Besides, I have something to offer you." Nico smirked," You seem rather anxious to get me there. That means it's important. Twenty years off is my proposal." Hecate narrowed her eyes. "I say fifteen years. You need me as much as I need you, half-blood. That is my final offer."
Nico considered, then nodded. "Fifteen years it is. Now, brief me on the wizards. I don't want to go there looking like a complete fool."
"Well, it all started when a certain group of thirteen humans caught my eye. Brave, strong, the epitome of heroes. Even though they had no divine blood, they came to my rescue when I was hurt, badly after my fight with my counterpart, in the Giant war. Apollo was still fighting, and they healed me, so I blessed them and any children they may have in the future. They all got married and had children… and that was the start of the wizarding race. Now, let's brief you about their customs, shall we?"
Reyna: Changed the story, this is like a rewrite. I own Knowledge and Insanity. Nico will find out their true names soon, and Insanity will have a bitch fit at Hecate. Review!