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Disclaimer: Rick Riordan and J. K. Rowling own Percy Jackson and Harry Potter.
Chapter 2: Beware of Goblins and Other Ugly Creatures
"That thing is so ugly," Leo commented. He and the rest of the Camp Half-Blood demigods had been transported to the entrance of Gringotts, thanks to Hecate's help. There, they had met up with the other three members, and had went on their way to withdraw money from the bank.
The "thing" Leo was talking about was a goblin, who went by the name of Griphook, according to the handy dandy guide Hecate had provided them, along with an official invitation to the wizarding school and a list of school supplies. The only ones who had read everything were Annabeth and Frank. Jason, Piper, Thalia and Hazel had merely skimmed through the papers, while Percy hadn't bothered at all. Leo's had caught on fire and was now a pile of ashes, while Nico claimed that his had been eaten by wild skeleton dogs. Still, it had not escaped everyone's notice how the school they were to attend was called "Hogwarts", which had initiated another round of laughter from everyone.
At the sound of Leo's voice, Griphook's head turned their way.
"It's looking this way," Leo whispered uneasily. Griphook started walking toward them with a nasty expression. Percy, Thalia, and Nico pulled out their weapons, their stances defensive. Leo nervously burst into flames.
"What are you guys doing?" Annabeth hissed, forcing her boyfriend to douse the flaming son of Hephaestus before they attracted too much attention.
"What do you mean?" Percy asked incredulously. "Don't you see that monster? It's coming over!"
"Didn't you guys read the guide Hecate gave us?" Annabeth said, clearly annoyed. "Those are goblins, the guardians of Gringotts, the safest wizarding bank."
"Goblins?" Leo scoffed. "What next, werewolves?"
"Hey, I like wolves," Jason said randomly.
Annabeth rolled her eyes and approached the goblin.
"You are the Americans?" Griphook asked unpleasantly.
"Geez, what's up with his attitude?" Leo whispered.
Griphook's ears swiveled toward Leo, but the goblin ignored him. "I will lead you children of Hecate to your vault."
"Uh, actually, we're not—" Leo started to say, but a giant mining cart suddenly appeared in front of them.
Griphook gestured for them to get in.
"Is that safe?" Piper asked skeptically as everyone else climbed in.
"Of course," Griphook sneered. Piper decided she did not like goblins.
As the mining cart began to move, Griphook began singing some weird and eerie song about thieves getting their fingers cut off in locks and fire breathing dragons. Leo wondered if the dragons would make good companions for Festus.
The cart slowed to a halt and the demigods filed out, with Annabeth looking a bit green. In front of them was a massive vault, made entirely of gray stone. Green fog lurked around it, and torches lined the pathway. The vault looked like it had been untouched for millennia.
Griphook unlocked the vault door, and all the demigods but Hazel, who had sensed all the precious stones underneath their feet, gaped.
"Dude, I could just retire," Leo said, scooping up handfuls of shiny gold coins. "Look at all this money!"
"You don't even work," Percy pointed out, but he had to agree. The whole vault was filled with shiny, valuable objects, from gold to silver, to red to blue.
Percy immediately went for the blue jewels. He picked one up, studying it closely. The colors reminded him of the ocean, the way his father left it when he was in a cheerful mood.
"Touch what is not yours and you will lose more than just your sanity," Griphook said grimly.
Leo paused in his sifting, letting the coins in his hands tumble down. "Wait. Isn't this ours?"
"It's just a warning, Leo," Annabeth said. "Obviously you didn't read the guide about Gringotts."
"We get it, Annabeth," Thalia said. "How much are we supposed to take?"
"As much as you can carry," Annabeth said. "But only the gold, silver, and bronze coins. The gold are the galleons, the silver the sickles, and the bronze are knuts."
"Aw, so I can't take this?" Leo asked, holding up a gold-encrusted sword.
Piper rolled her eyes. "What would you even do with that, Leo?"
"Hey, this would look nice on my belt," Leo said defensively.
"Whatever," Piper responded.
"It's time to go," Griphook interrupted, appearing out of nowhere and startling most of the boys. As everyone filed out of the vault, Griphook closed the door, letting it clang loudly behind him.
The demigods clambered back onto the cart, with Annabeth looking the most anxious about the ride. Percy put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"It's not long," said Percy as they began their ascent.
"If only it weren't so rocky," Hazel commented.
After a few tumultuous minutes, the cart finally stopped. Annabeth was the first off, quickly composing herself as soon as she was on solid ground.
"So, what next?" Hazel asked.
Frank took out his itinerary. "I think we should get our wands first."
The group began to head out of the bank, but were stopped by a boy standing at the entrance. He looked about Nico's age, and had an arrogant air about him as he swept his neat blond hair backwards. He was dressed crisply in a suit, with a striped green tie to complete the look. Behind him stood two burly boys, their clothes messy and unkempt compared to their leader.
"And who do we have here?" the blond boy drawled, and his lackeys fanned out to further block the demigods from exiting. "I haven't seen you around before."
The boy sized them up, deciding he wanted them on his side. "I'm Draco Malfoy, just so you know. It would be best for you to be on my good side."
The war veterans ignored him, and Percy purposely shouldered his way past the boy, who stumbled from the impact.
"Hey, you!" the boy yelled, losing his superior attitude. "Do you know who I am? Come back and apologize! Right now! My father will hear about this!"
Percy spun around slowly.
"Do I care who your father is?" Percy asked coolly. He was no stranger to bullies after suffering through years of it.
The boy went red in the face.
"Tomato!" Leo shouted spontaneously and his friends laughed.
The boy turned even redder. "Crabbe! Goyle! Get them! You guys will regret insulting me!"
Percy rolled his eyes, prepared for a confrontation, but Annabeth stepped in between them.
"Easy there, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. She turned to Draco Malfoy, her eyes unfriendly.
"We're transfers from America," Annabeth explained.
Piper smiled sweetly at him. "You'll have to excuse us if we don't know who you are, but I am sure you are very important."
Draco Malfoy stared at them and his anger melted away, giving way to confusion before settling on compliance.
He smiled back at Piper and Jason had to resist the urge to punch him in the face and warn him off his girlfriend.
"You are transfers?" Draco Malfoy asked, his voice pleasant. "Do you guys need a guide? I'd be happy to help."
Piper shook her head slightly. "Thanks for your offer, but we got this."
Draco Malfoy nodded his head in understanding. "Well, if you ever need help, feel free to ask me."
He was about to walk away when he halted, and Percy wondered what he wanted now.
"Are you pure bloods, by the way?"
The demigods exchanged confused looks.
"We're half-bloods, actually," Jason stated.
Draco Malfoy's expression changed instantly, his mouth drawn back in a sneer. "Oh. Half-bloods, huh? I guess even the Americas lack standards."
"What's wrong with half-bloods?" Percy demanded, though personally he could give a dozen reasons why it sucked to be a demigod.
Draco Malfoy scoffed as if it was beneath him to explain, which, seeing his attitude, it probably was.
"Let's go, Crabbe, Goyle," Draco Malfoy huffed, swirling his imaginary cloak around.
Leo rolled his eyes once the other boy and his troupe were gone.
"I could set him on fire," Leo suggested hopefully.
Annabeth gave him a "Don't you even dare try it" look, and Leo held up his hands in acquiescence.
"So. Wands." Thalia said, reminding everyone of the task at hand.
"Let's do the boring stuff first," Jason said. "And then we can get pets and wands last."
Everyone concurred and the group made their way to the other stores.
.
An hour later, the American transfers had bags filled with a random assortment of items—from cauldrons to quills to a Wizarding chess set (which Percy had insisted on buying but was unlikely to play, which left the role to Annabeth)—as they headed towards their second to last stop.
"Dude, look," Leo said, holding open one of his textbooks and showing the page to his friends. "These pictures move!"
"If only they had these in the mortal world," Percy said. "I might actually do better in school."
"You mean the Muggle world," Annabeth corrected.
"The what?" Percy asked blankly.
Annabeth sighed. "You know, the name wizards here call non-wizards. Honestly, have any of you read the guides Hecate gave us?"
Percy looked away sheepishly while Frank timidly raised a hand.
"I did."
"Annabeth," Thalia said. "That stuff is probably not important. We have to focus on our mission."
"But it's hard to do that if we stand out so conspicuously," Annabeth argued. "We have to be able to blend in to gather information."
"We're here," Frank announced and the demigods stopped in front of a shop filled with various animals.
"Oh, great, owls," Percy muttered as they walked in. The shop contained numerous animals, but mostly owls, and they all stared at Percy as he came in.
"Uh, I think I'll pass on a pet," Percy said quickly as the owls began to hoot loudly and swoop down at him. However, the only one who was impervious to their attacks was Annabeth. Instead, they seemed to like her as they huddled around, hooting cheerfully.
"I don't know what's wrong with them," the shopkeeper said, flabbergasted. "They're normally quite calm."
Thalia laughed knowingly. "I think I'll get an owl, too."
Jason, Thalia, and Annabeth went to look at owls and Leo made to follow them, but Frank pulled him back.
"I think it's best you don't get a pet," Frank advised.
"Wait, why?" Leo asked.
Piper smiled thinly. "He's afraid you'll set them on fire."
"Hey, I know how to control my flames!" Leo reassured them, but Frank look unconvinced.
"No offense, Leo," said Frank, "But you're better with mechanical pets."
"Festus is not a pet," said Leo, offended. "He's a companion!"
Frank and Hazel rolled their eyes and pushed him out. Nico followed after him, mumbling something about death.
Ten minutes later, the remaining demigods finally exited the shop. Jason had his owl in a cage, while Annabeth's was perched peacefully on her shoulder. Hazel, Piper, and Thalia had cats, and Frank was empty-handed.
Leo was asleep on a bench, while Percy was absentmindedly talking to Nico. Percy jumped up as Annabeth approached, backing up.
"Woah, not near me, please," Percy said. "The owls don't like me."
"Yeah, I wonder why," Thalia said sarcastically, holding her new black cat up in her hands.
After waking Leo up, the group made their way to their last stop: Ollivander's wand shop.
