THREE

Searching for a Missing Halfa & Demigod

It was somewhere between noon and sunset when Michi and Caspar both became worried.

Danielle and Nevidebla hadn't returned to the hotel room, leaving the two boys to sit in the apartment bored out of their minds. Caspar had pulled out a stack of cards, a series of multiple games of poker, go fish, rummy, Texas hold 'em, and more card games learned in different dimensions being played. They had even gone as far as to make a complicated house of cards, Caspar pretending to be some monster tearing it down when they were done. Then, after that, Michi had started to read one of the standard books found in the apartment and Caspar read up on the spells, practicing carefully, making sure his wand movements were precise to begin and complete the spell. Clockwork had made a note, after all, of not saying the spell names on the packets aloud in clear bold of a bigger font. Even Nevidebla would be unable to look over that.

"We should go find them," Caspar declared, standing up and stowing his wand away back into his pants' waistband. Michi stood up, tossing the book down on the couch.

"What if they come back and we aren't here?" Michi asked.

Caspar chewed on his lip, not knowing what to do. They could easily leave a note but his gut was telling him to pack everything and leave the apartment. Something was off and had been off for a while. Despite paying for five nights, they'd have to leave early. He just knew it.

"I ..." Caspar began, trailing off because he didn't know how to describe what he was feeling. He knew Michi would believe him, of course. They had all learned Caspar's intuition was usually right, especially if you subtract technology from the equation.

"Caspar," Michi said carefully, his voice softening and his eyes worried, "what do you feel?"

"We should leave," Caspar took a deep breath, looking around the room as something in his mind spiked. "Now."

Michi didn't question him. Both boys went into action of collecting their bags, which didn't take long. Caspar sent a charm on the suitcases, shrinking them in size. Michi took his and Danielle's while Caspar grabbed his and Nevidebla's, shoving them into his pocket. They left the apartment and hurried down the steps, slipping out of the building unseen by the clerk and into the darkening evening.

"What was that about?" Michi whispered, gait just the tiniest bit uneven now.

"Something's not right," Caspar answered instantly. He could never describe his moments of intuition. Nevidebla had her dreams, Danielle had a better understanding of death and could speak to spirits if need be, and Michi had his seismic sense. Caspar, on the other hand, depended on his gut since he was five. It had gotten somewhat stronger at sensing something wrong since those "labor camps" back in his world. Now, since the missions, it had become so innately strong that Caspar wondered what was going on with him half the time. At least it came in handy when he was able to sense when someone was accessing power a normal human should not have, like Michi bending or Nevidebla controlling the Mist or Danielle accessing her ghostly core.

Michi nodded stiffly as they slipped down an alley. The brunet stopped, causing Caspar to look at him to see him removing his shoes. Caspar knew what his friend was doing, but wondered about his sanity. Then again, according to Nevidebla, Michi had fought barefoot in the final battle on their last mission, the guy having gone toe-to-toe with Medusa.

His earthbender friend banged his metal prosthetic against the ground, eyes screwed tightly. Caspar waited in tense silence, gazing around him in fear. The feeling wasn't gone, but it wasn't as powerful as it was in the apartment. Did it have something to do with the prisoner? He wouldn't be shocked, but that just meant they knew little of the situation. As soon as they found Danielle and Nevidebla, the four of them were sitting down and going over that packet. Caspar wasn't one for taking charge, but he'd take charge of this.

"Not in a ten block radius," Michi stated, pulling his shoes back on. Caspar nodded before the two continued on.

New York City was winding down in foot traffic enough that it wasn't a pain to weave around people if someone was in a hurry, but there were enough people Caspar didn't feel comfortable saying what he was thinking. Michi seemed to be the same way, his grey eyes watching everyone and hands stuffed deeply in his coat's pockets. Caspar wondered how they looked to these strangers. He noticed double-checks, the inquiring looks, the disgusted expressions, and more. Michi was either oblivious or, like he had said, was used to it and thus unaffected by the looks. Caspar licked his lips, trying to parch the dryness that took over for a brief moment.

"This way," Michi hissed, nudging Caspar into an alley. The redhead didn't question it, just followed his friend into the side alley. Michi stopped him from walking too far in. Confused, Caspar looked out and saw someone pass by. It was a taller than average woman with chin-length brown hair, fierce brown eyes, and pale skin. She wore a business suit and a bluish-grey coat over it. The more shocking thing was Caspar felt the magic around her, crackling and popping, in tune with her brisk pace. He had gotten a feel for what magic here felt like with Queenie this morning, how it usually fizzled and bubbled around her and turned sharp and jagged when mad. This woman was both excited and irritated it seemed if Caspar had to put a wager on it. The only question was how did Michi know this woman was magical?

"How?" Caspar whispered, keeping his voice low just encase the woman picked up what they were saying. He didn't know how far their magic went and if it affected their senses in anyway.

"Her steps," Michi whispered, eyes flicking to the entrance before back to Caspar. "They seemed to imbue magic into the ground, making my seismic sense more acute and fuzzy all at once. I ... I can't describe it."

Caspar nodded, patting Michi's shoulder to calm his confused friend down. There was barely anything that made sense in any dimension. Caspar had learned that fact after the second mission he had ever gone on. The redhead was about to suggest they get going when there was a great pop behind them. Both boys jumping, they spun around, dropping into fighting stances, Caspar's hand slowly slipping to his wand. He had to keep up appearances of a wary wizard who didn't know if it was a No-Maj or not—or whatever.

It was a wizard, Caspar knew it. There had been a note on something close to teleportation. He may not remember the name, but he remembered how it sounded like a loud pop. A little too late, but he at least did. The man was tall but had slouched shoulders and bowlegs, making him seem just that bit shorter. His hair was a reddish brown, some fringe getting into his blue eyes, and his skin was pale. He was dusting his waistcoat and blue coat off, looking around with wide eyes and thin lips pursed. He jumped slightly when he took notice of the redhead and brunet. Caspar felt his soothing magic spike in fear before it settled into waves of calm again. Even if Caspar wished to be angry or scared, he would probably find it unfeasible around this man.

"I really don't want to go through this again," the man grumbled, his voice distinctively British.

"Go through what again?" Michi asked suspiciously, his stance widening and hands up, eyes becoming steel.

"Obliviations," the man stated, pulling out a wand.

"No, no," Caspar yelped, waving his arms around frantically. Who knows what this man could erase if he did such a spell on them! "We're wizards."

The man stopped and gave Caspar a look. Knowing he might want some evidence, Caspar pulled his own wand out and nudged Michi to do the same. Said brunet got out of his stance and pulled out his own aspen wand. Nodding, the man grinned, blue eyes becoming light and relaxed.

"What are you two gentlemen doing here?" the British man asked.

"Looking for some friends of ours," Michi answered truthfully, looking around.

"Got lost, did they?" the man inquired.

"We got separated," Caspar elaborated briefly. "One's actually my step-sis and the other's her best friend."

So what if Caspar was stretching the truth? The crazy blonde was his pseudo sister after all.

"Why don't I help you look?" the man suggested.

"We'll be fine," Michi stated.

"It is not a good idea for two young men to wander New York alone," the man advised, his eyes seeming to contain something in them that was unreadable. "And if you are looking for this friend and sister of yours, we should do it faster. Maybe I should call in some of my friends."

"Uh, sir, we'll be fine. I promise," Caspar said, awkwardness coating every word. The man shook his head and Caspar could feel his magic fizzle and become jagged from anxiety. This was the weirdest thing Caspar had ever witnessed. He wondered if this was what empathetic people felt because Caspar would imagine it was like this. His stomach dropped when he realized this world was going to be hard on him with the constant usage of magic with certain people and how they exuded it.

"Nonsense," the man said, insistent for some reason, eyes hard and sad. "A lot can happen out here and I'd rather make sure you four have a good place to stay. You do, don't you?"

"Uh, 'bout that," Caspar whispered softly.

"Caspar here's got a good intuition border lining precognition. The apartment we were staying at felt dangerous so we had to leave immediately," Michi filled in, seeming to decide lying wasn't going to get them anywhere. But why did Michi have to call his gut feeling and strange awareness of power precognition? It wasn't! Nevidebla had the precognitive dreams. And even then, they weren't entirely precognitive!

"Nevi's precognitive," Caspar snapped, giving Michi a glare.

"Then what the hell do you want me to call this thing!" Michi exclaimed in exasperation. "It's been over a year, Caspar, we should have a name for this now."

"Fine, call it premonition or clairvoyance or something of the like," Caspar stated, crossing his arms, ignoring the confused and amused look the man was giving them. Michi just looked at him for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"I swear, you and Nevi are long-lost siblings," Michi stated.

"What?" Caspar asked. He knew it might be true with how they dealt with each other, even if it took them forever to get on pseudo sibling ground. The first six or seven months of being Clockwork's apprentices had them fighting worse than cats and dogs.

"Precognitive dreams and premonitions? That's spelling trouble," Michi laughed, shaking his head.

"Says the guy with a connection to the ground beneath us," Caspar snarked, punching his shoulder.

"I hate to interrupt," the man laughed, his smile awkward along with his stance, "but we should really go and inform my friends about this."

Michi and Caspar exchanged a look. It seemed it would be impossible to convince the man they would be fine.

"Lead the way," Michi sighed. The three began to walk down the street before Caspar remembered something important.

"I'm Caspar Braddock," Caspar introduced himself.

"Michi Yamauchi," Michi provided.

"Newt Scamander. What are the names of your friends?" the man—Newt—asked.

"Nevidebla Good but she prefers Nevi and Danielle Fenton, though she prefers Dani with an "i"," Michi explained.

They continued in silence, heading for a building. At the entrance, Newt hesitated for a moment before opening it. He held a finger to his lips and guided the two boys up the staircase, all three being weary of where they placed their feet. Even Michi managed to be extra silent with his metal leg. Caspar's fingers itched from the tension when they finally stopped outside a door and Newt knocked on the door loud enough the occupants would hear it but soft enough no one else in the building hopefully wouldn't.

The door opened to the woman from before passing by the alley Caspar and Michi had slipped into. Caspar could feel her magic swirl in happiness and become bluntly spiked in confusion at the ends. It made his mind twist and his gut to roll. No, this world was not fun. The girls had seemed excited to be here, despite Danielle saying they were decades off whenever this world truly began its tale that they knew of. But Caspar was starting to hate the dimension more and more. Stupid him and his ability to start sensing others' outrageous abilities.

"New, what's this about?" the woman asked, eyeing Michi and Caspar as she moved to the side, allowing them to enter.

"I'm sorry, Tina," Newt apologized, wringing his hands together. "These two are looking for their missing friends. And yes, they are wizards."

The woman, Tina, nodded, her brown eyes still suspicious and analytical, but softening around the edges.

"How long have they been missing?" Tina asked the two.

"Since a little after seven this morning," Caspar said with a shrug, not meeting the woman's gaze. She screamed authority and he wasn't comfortable with people like that. Never had been and probably never will.

"How do you know they aren't just running late from something?" Tina asked skeptically.

"Because Nevi never gets lost," Caspar snapped, glaring at the carpet. Michi placed a hand on his shoulder, telling Caspar he would take over now.

"What Caspar's saying is that one of our friends, Nevi, has an innate ability of traversing a city. If she's lost, it's serious," Michi explained simply while not completely elaborating on anything. "Along with that, they should have been back at the most an hour after noon. We just thought they go held up for a long time because Nevi can't focus on one thing for too long and Dani can sometimes get dragged along with her."

Tina nodded, seeming to be thinking carefully. At that time, someone Caspar didn't think he'd see again stepped out from what was obviously the kitchen area. Queenie Goldstein widened her eyes at the sight of the two boys, her greyish green eyes scanning them. Caspar became stiff as he felt something in his head that wasn't welcome. This time, he knew it was Queenie, and she understood a whole lot more how serious this situation could be. Pushing his thoughts, worries, and theories to the front of his mind, Caspar prayed Queenie saw it all.

"It's good to see you again, Ms. Goldstein," Michi greeted evenly, nodding at Queenie. Some days, Caspar thought Michi could easily be a politician then remembered the brunet's slight trust issues and abrasive attitude at times. So, that wouldn't do.

"Let's find them," Queenie declared, grabbing her coat immediately.

"How d'you know them?" Tina asked quickly, stepping into action as if to stop Queenie.

"She took us to breakfast this morning when we were trying to find a place to eat," Caspar supplied, voice coming off timid and he hated himself for that. Michi subtly nudged him in a way of support.

Tina nodded, lips pursed and sending Queenie a look.

"We can talk 'bout this later, Teenie," Queenie said, passing Tina her coat. "But I met 'em and these girls simply can't be lost."

Tina gave another stiff nod and then the five of them left the building and wandered down the streets. The sun was slipping beyond the horizon by the time they were turning onto the main street of New York City. Tina was in the lead with Newt a little way behind her and Queenie behind them. Michi was in front of Caspar while the redhead took up the rear. He knew they would be fine. Danielle and Nevidebla were both insanely smart and capable of escaping—they all were capable of escaping numerous things. But even then, the worry seeped in and rolled in his stomach. He knew Danielle had been abducted by Skulker and sent to Vlad, her creator, on the last mission. Caspar, himself, had been on Apokolips at the time because he had fiddled with the wrong piece of technology and threw caution to the wind.

And maybe if it wasn't for the circumstances on why they were in this world, Caspar might not have been as worried as he was. But there was a prisoner in this world—either on the loose or still caged within a prison—and who knows what this prisoner was capable of. For all he knew, they were taken by the prisoner or by someone in the wizarding community in America or some regular non-magical person who got lucky in knocking them out.

He was so focused on panicking he almost missed the feeling.

Once he did, Caspar didn't know whether to relax or hyperventilate. He settled for whipping his head about until he felt how strong Nevidebla's presence was in one area. There wasn't an exact incident he could name when he began to sense Nevidebla's dream-self. It had happened gradually over the months until sometimes, he swore he could hear her or just make her out. At the moment, all he knew was her presence—that same untamable energy, protectiveness, and something that just reminded Caspar of needing to run and escape everything.

"Michi," Caspar called, drawing the attention of all four of them. Tina, Queenie, and Newt didn't understand, but Michi did, and that was all that mattered.

"Do you think she can lead us?" Michi asked. Caspar gave his friend a look and motioned his hand where Nevidebla's dream-self was roughly in.

"She can hear you, you know," Caspar grumbled.

Michi just gave him an unimpressed look.

"Okay, yes, she can," Caspar grossed, sending a look at the area. "The only problem is if she wants to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Michi asked harshly. Caspar cringed slightly. "Sorry."

"For all we know, Nevi's just checking up on us because, I don't know, they were captured," Caspar snapped, dropping his voice at the last half so only Michi could hear. He could see Michi accepted the answer by the smallest flicker in his gaze.

Caspar was about to continue when he felt her presence slowly walk off. It wasn't fading so that meant she was leading them. Without hesitating, Caspar walked after her. Michi followed him and he could hear Tina, Queenie, and Newt following, asking a multitude of questions. Caspar ignored the questions, only focused on not losing Nevidebla's dream-self. Michi could answer them, anyway. He was good at that, for the most part. Maybe pass it off as his premonition or something of the like.

He was stopped when a hand latched onto his arm. Caspar spun around, hand lifting to punch the person when he realized it was Tina. Awkwardly, Caspar lowered his fist, giving a sheepish smile. The woman was not amused nor impressed.

"What is going on?" Tina asked.

"Nevi can, at times, project something of her while she sleeps. We call it her dream-self," Caspar explained, glancing behind him. Nevidebla, thank the gods of her world, had stopped but it was almost like she felt anxious. It was imbuing the air around her and drifted towards Caspar, clogging his lungs slightly. "Michi and Dani can't sense her, but I can."

"It's part of his premonition thing," Michi tacked on, shifting his feet. "And we should really keep continuing. We don't know how long Nevi's got to sleep and project herself to us at the moment."

"How long do they last?" Tina asked, releasing Caspar's arm. Caspar started to follow Nevidebla at a fast pace.

"Ranges from seconds to minutes," Caspar said none too helpfully.

They wound through a series of alleys. Nevidebla's dream-self seemed to stall at some points, uncertainty shooting off her in spikes. Caspar felt nauseous and a headache was blooming between his eyes. It was when they walked around another corner did they find something unusual. A body was sprawled on the dirty street, black coat pooled around them to expose their yellow dress. Black hair and half of their face had landed in a puddle, turned away from them.

"DANI!" Michi yelled, taking off to the prone form. Caspar felt today's breakfast make an appearance in the back of his throat. He forced himself to swallow it back down as he joined his friends. When the fact was turned, Caspar could clearly make out Danielle's pale face, scattered with cuts that were healing. Hand shaking, Caspar pressed his fingers against her neck, feeling her slow—but not as slow as it used to be—heartbeat beneath them. Sighing in relief, Caspar went about examining Danielle for any injuries. Michi held her up enough that he could cradle her to his chest and allow Caspar access to her back for examination. There was a goose egg on the back of her head, Caspar could only guess her advanced healing had made broken bones in her back severely bruised, and it was probably the same for her ribs. Danielle's legs were fine, though probably bruised, even if it was impossible to tell with her wearing stockings and all.

"She okay?" Queenie asked, crouching down beside Caspar as he examined her arm. It was easier to see since removing her from her coat momentarily.

"She'll be fine," Caspar sighed, placing the limb on Danielle's stomach. "She's more than likely severely bruised and was probably knocked out."

"We should find Nevi now, right?" Queenie asked, looking around as if she was trying to locate the blonde's dream-self. That was when Caspar noticed the lack of protectiveness of Nevidebla's presence.

"She's gone," Caspar said monotonously," staring down at his leader's prone form.

"We should get her back," Tina declared, somehow walking closer without Caspar noticing, Newt right behind her. Caspar nodded as Michi stood up, gathering Danielle in his arms with little strain.

They walked back to the Goldstein's apartment in silence, making it past the land lady and to the furnished apartment. Michi didn't hesitate in gently placing Danielle on the couch, careful not to aggravate anything. Caspar sat down on the floor closest to Danielle and started to remember the spells in the packet. There was barely anything on healing spells. Some for closing cuts, but Danielle's were superficial now. There was one for minor wounds but bruised bones—because Danielle have to have some—were not minor. They didn't have any potions or ingredients to utilize. If Nevidebla were here, she'd know what to do, even if it was just a little. She knew how to heal and with the magic here on her side ... who knows what she'd be capable of.

"Does she need healing?" Queenie asked, standing uncertainly at the edge of the couch. Caspar gave a short nod. "Don't know how?"

"No," Caspar answered with a heavy sigh, standing up. "Nevi would've though."

Queenie nodded before rifling through a series of magazines on the table. Tina soon joined her as Newt awkwardly sat down on a chair, looking at Danielle's passed out form intently. Michi had sat himself on the couch, cushioning Danielle's head with a pillow in his lap. Caspar wished Nevidebla was here so they could share a conspiratorial glance about this. It wasn't hard to see that his leader and second were slowly forming something beyond friends after the last mission. Maybe it had something to do with the fact they had all nearly lost their lives on the last mission: Michi and Nevidebla in an all-out war with monsters from Nevidebla's world; Danielle from her own creator in the hopes of having her cousin relinquish the crown to the Ghost Zone before he was even coroneted; and Caspar to Darkseid while trapped on Apokolips. That was probably the catalyst for them all to realize they could still die. Every mission before that one was easy and gave them each a cocky streak some point in the year they've been at this.

So, it wasn't shocking to know that if the two had kept feelings for the other hidden that it was slowly showing through now. It was in that tentative stage, something Nevidebla would be better at noticing. After all, Caspar was pretty sure she ha gotten to that stage with Isaiah, and might still be in that stage. Now that he thought about it, he was the only one in the group not finding someone. And ... he was okay with that. Who needed some romantic mushy love when he can just have the love of friends and family? That was enough for him.

"What are you looking for?" Caspar asked, watching as the two starkly different sisters flipped through magazine after magazine with moving images of witches on the front. One even had a shirtless wizard on it!

"There's a magazine with healing spells somewhere in this pile," Tina answered.

"I'll go make some cocoa," Queenie declared, dropping the magazine she was flipping through into Caspar's hands. Intrigued at seeing a wizarding magazine—even if he could feel the magic zipping through his veins and it left him lightheaded—Caspar began to flip through the pages. After a moment, he realized it was full of knitting patterns. Why Queenie had been adamantly flipping through it, Caspar didn't know, nor did he want to figure out why. Putting it on the table, he grabbed a different one. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Newt dig through his pockets before pulling out vials of things, muttering words beneath his breath.

"Do you have anything Newt?" Tina asked, looking at the vials.

"I don't even know what's wrong with her," Newt answered honestly, waving a hand at Danielle.

"More than likely bruised bones," Caspar answered instantly, grimacing as he thought of how much pain Danielle had to be in. It was no wonder she was passed out then. Even a halfa couldn't possibly stand all that pain.

Newt nodded, picking up the vials and turning them this way and that. Caspar went back to the magazines, tossing five aside by the time Queenie came back wit hot cocoa floating in the air behind her before being placed down in front of each of them. Caspar didn't hesitate in taking a sip, burning his tongue in the process. Cringing in pain, Caspar put the cup down as Michi chuckled.

"Not funny," Caspar grumbled, hitting Michi's leg, momentarily forgetting it was the prosthetic one, hurting his hand. "Dammit."

Caspar shook his hand out as Michi laughed, being careful to not shake too much. Narrowing his eyes, Caspar sent his friend a scathing look.

"I think I found one," Newt declared, holding up a vial filled with some greyish liquid in it.

"What is it?" Caspar asked. Newt seemed to weight the answer before shaking his head.

"It's best if you don't know what's in it," Newt sighed, walking over to Danielle. "But it'll help her with her bruised bones, at least."

"It helps bruising?" Michi asked, tilting his head to the side. Newt nodded as he uncorked the vial. Caspar held his nose at the reeking stench. He was glad he wasn't having that going down his throat. Newt poured a little into Danielle's mouth. It was a delayed reaction as Danielle shot up, gagging on what had to be a disgusting taste in her mouth. Coughing raucously, she curled into a ball as Michi rubbed her back and Caspar placed a hand on her foot. Once the coughing stopped, Danielle peeked out to look around.

"How you feeling?" Caspar asked.

"Like Dora sat on me," Danielle answered bluntly. "What did I drink?"

"Don't know; he wouldn't tell us," Caspar answered, motioning a hand to Newt. Danielle narrowed her blue eyes, looking around before they landed on Queenie.

"Hi, Ms. Goldstein," Danielle rasped, waving a hand.

"It's good to see ya again, Dani. I just wish it wasn't under these circumstances," Queenie answered with a warming smile.

"What happened?" Tina asked. Danielle froze up, worrying Caspar greatly.

"Dani," Caspar whispered, pleading.

"She ... he ... it took Nevi," Danielle whispered, eyes losing focus. "I ... I'm pretty sure they did. I was pushed off the roof. Don't know how we ended up on a roof. Last thing I saw was ... was Nevi lunching at them and a flash ... then they were gone."

"Anything else?" Michi asked.

"They said something about stopping the ... magical infection?" Danielle continued, the statement sounding more like a question than an answer.

Caspar wanted to know more but could see how tired his leader was. Exchanging a quick glance with Michi, the brunet understood. Placing a hand on Danielle's shoulder, he slowly straightened her out again so she was lying down.

"Get some rest Dani," Michi ordered softly. "We can discuss in the morning."

"But Nevi," Danielle began, panic in her eyes. As much as it pained Caspar, he let a cheeky smile overtake his face.

"You think Nevi's just going to go down?" Caspar snarked, the words tasting sour in his mouth. "Nah, she'll be fine and we'll find her again real soon. You just watch."

"But we need you at your best, so rest," Michi tacked on, worry lining his face and voice. Not all of it just directed at Danielle's condition. The black-haired girl nodded and slowly fell asleep. Sighing, Caspar looked at the others who stood in silence, expectant looks on their faces.

"Can ... we explain in the morning," Caspar asked hopefully.

"Yes," Queenie interjected immediately. "Come on, I'll lead you two to the guest room."

Michi nodded, picking Danielle up who didn't wake up. They followed Queenie, ignoring the stares Tina and Newt were giving them.

"Here you go," Queenie said, opening the door. Michi placed Danielle on one of the beds, looking around. "You two might have to share."

"That's okay," Michi interjected with a strained grin.

"Do you know what could have happened to her?" Queenie asked, lowering her voice slightly.

"No," Caspar answered honestly, "but we're not going to stop trying to find her."

Queenie nodded and walked to the door. She stopped in the doorway and turned to look at them. "Get some rest. See ya in the morning, hons."

"You, too," Michi said as Queenie left. Caspar didn't wait for an invitation, just flopped onto the bed as Michi followed suit. The two boys fell asleep instantly, worry resting deep in their bones.