Author's note: Be brutally honest, even if it makes me feel like shit, even if it makes you feel like shit, and even if it makes Obama feel like shit, because if you lie to me while reviewing, then you are shit. To the universe and chemistry, that is. To me, you just stop existing. The atheist says amen.
Title: When The Two Worlds Clashed
Author: GirlWhoReadsAtNight
Chapter: Three
Location: Diagon Alley
Percy's POV
If you did not know Percy Jackson very very well, you would never have been able to tell he had changed. Sometimes, even his friends didn't reallly see it. He hid it so well that it only one person knew how much Annabeth's death 3 years ago had truly affected him.
And that person was none other than Nico di Angelo.
In many ways, Percy was glad it was Nico. If it had been anyone else who had followed him to the Styx, they wouldn't have understood. They would have given him the 'she wouldn't have wanted you to do this' conversation and pointless sympathy without knowing the half of it.
But Nico hadn't done any of that.
Nico had ignored the fact that Poseidon would most probably kill him if he went anywhere close to a water body and jumped after him.
Nico had pulled him out of river, half dead and wanting to be fully so, and breathed life back into him.
Nico had pulled him against himself with a simple, "I know, believe me, I know." and held him for what seemed like years.
Nico had made him promise not to do that again.
Nico had let him talk to her ghost.
And Percy had latched himself on to the other demigod, carefully listening to the 'How To Look Like You Don't Give A Single Fuck About What Happened' lessons Nico had given him every evening at 7 o' clock the first few months, practicing with him until neither could beat the other at swordplay, sharing an apartment with him, and trying to learn how to play music from him.
He thanked the Gods every morning when he felt like he wanted to die in his bed that it had been Nico di Angelo who had found him.
That is why, when Nico told him about the quest, he didn't moan and groan about it like he usually did, but eagerly followed him to the Hecate cabin to get his wand, and equally willingly let Nico shadow travel him to a busy street in what looked like London.
Nico seemed to know exactly what to do. He had told Percy everything about the wizarding world, and they had both taken weird looking pills that had given them magic and instant knowledge of all a twenty year old wizard should know, but Nico clearly had a lot more knowledge about it than Percy.
After everything Percy had seen, though, the wall moving to give way to a vibrant, crowded street didn't even elicite a raised eyebrow from him.
Why not? was his only thought as he made his way onto the street.
Had he thought of the Olympian Gods as selfish? Yes. Self-centered? Yes. Powerful? Yes. Slightly crazy? All the time. Demanding? Oh, you have no idea. Proud? Definitely.
But in all his eight years knowing about them, Percy had never expected them to be thoughtful.
That was probably why his mouth had dropped open when the (very old and very bald) goblin had asked the two of them if they would like to draw money from the recently opened joint vault under the names of Perseus Jackson and Nico di Angelo.
Nico, of course, had probably known about this, because he calmly took out a little silver key and handed it to the (now slightly suspicious) goblin.
After filling two very heavy bags with coins which were just made to be carried around(note the sarcasm. At least Drachmae and Denarii were valuable enough for ten of them to last a month), they headed out to the street-themed supermarket.
Percy could truthfully sat that this was one of the weirdest places he had ever seen, and he had seen Olympus on Protest Day(don't ask if you value your sanity).
The first stop they made was a small, albeit well-kept, shop called 'Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions'. Percy couldn't help but laugh at the amazingly stereotypical wizard clothing(which Nico refused to even try. He said he wasn't a big fan of resembling the Grim Reaper).
After buying a few sets of robes for himself(the only thing Nico bought was one set of dress robes. He said it was for emergencies.), Percy followed Nico to a Potions Ingredients shop, which just managed to give him a full blast of just how wacko wizards were.
The next place they visited was Eyelop's Owl Emporium(both now licking at double chocolate ice-creams because Nico just couldn't resist). It smelled worse than Jason's failed attempts at cooking, but the sheer variety of animals overrode that. Both Percy and Nico ended up getting an owl. Percy's was a brown owl and Nico's was a snowy white .
Then, they went to the book store, which was, judging from his expression, what Nico had been waiting for all day. Contrary to popular belief, Nico was a bookworm.
And after spending hours waiting for Nico to get his nose out of a book he had latched on to, Percy was starting to believe that they were finally prepared for this quest.
Author's second note: Can we please have a vote for percico here? In your reviews, tell me if you want it to happen or not. If no decision is reached, it will automatically start from chapter 5 or chapter 6.
Yours,
Shruti
