Nico

Nico wandered the dark streets. He didn't really know where he was or where he was going, but he needed something to do, a distraction of sorts.

He had shadow travelled a few blocks away just after the interrogation with the halfling, and now he needed to do something, anything.

He had spoken to Will before the interrogation, and before that Chiron. He had explored every square inch of this town, and nothing exciting happened here. At first that had been a blessing, but now Nico was getting bored. A wizarding town should be interesting, but the locals did nothing but work, eat, and sleep. Nico heard a commotion not too far away.

Two men were yelling at each other down the street, one was wearing dark robes, the other had a pointy hat atop his head.

"This is the last straw!" Shouted the pointy hatted man. "I give you a room for free, food for free, clothes for free! How do you repay me? By letting my inn get destroyed when I leave you alone for five minutes!"

"Sean," the dark one said. "I told you, I did everything I could, the man, he was immune to magic. Please brother, let me stay, just another night."

"No!" Sean shouted. "You claim ridiculous things, I will not allow a liar to stay at my inn. Get out of my sight."

The dark man turned away and walked down the street until he faded into the night. Nico fingered the pile of sickles and galleons in his pocket, he could stay at that inn for the night, see what he could discover. Only godly things were immune to magic.

Nico waited for Sean to go back inside before he headed in. A sign outside read The Dragon's Tail Inn. Sean was standing behind the bar, a plump man was chugging an alcoholic drink between exchanges with a grey haired woman.

The bartender or the customers hadn't noticed young boy waiting at the door. Nico walked up and hoisted himself up onto a barstool. It creaked under his weight.

"What can I get you?" Sean asked. "You're a little young to drink."

Nico really wanted to say he was actually elderly, but he didn't. "Just a room please."

"Five galleons a night," Sean said.

Nico pulled out the money and passed across the wooden bar. The man accepted the money and handed Nico a key with a tag attached. Room 17.

"Thank you," Nico said pocketing the key.

"What brings a young man like you here, alone?" The plump man asked.

"None of your business," Nico said. He glanced at the menu posted behind the bar. "Can I get an order of fries?"

"Coming right up." Sean disappeared into a back kitchen and returned a minute later with a plate of greasy fries.

Nico slid over the three sickle payment and put some of the homemade fries in his mouth. They weren't exactly crispy or flavoured, but they were hot food, so Nico didn't complain.

Nico looked around the small room and took in everything. Tables were turned, chairs were broken, picture frames shattered. Vases that held flowers were broken on the floor, but swept into one corner to prevent people from stepping on sharp glass.

"We got attacked and my stupid brother did nothing about it," Sean said. "Probably some recent Hogwarts graduates that wanted to have some fun. Say, shouldn't you be at that school, or any school for that matter?"

"Homeschooled, my parents don't trust those teachers." That was the lie Nico had been using. "The kitchen at my house burnt down, so I'm staying at inns while my parents fix the damages."

Sean nodded and passed another large glass to the man down the bar. "Too many students and teachers die at that school, anyone who sends their child there is crazy."

Nico finished off his fries and Sean took away his plate. He had just stood up to head to his room, when a man with a gold pendant around his neck walked in. He was bulky and wore dark robes, his eyes caught Nico's.

Nico continued to his room, footsteps were following him. He sped up, so did the person following him. He heard Sean shouting at the person.

"Hey, no room, no going back there!"

Nico heard a whooshing sound and came in front of his room. He jammed the key into the door and ran inside. He slammed the door behind him and began to relax. The doorknob twisted and Nico jumped back.

His hand went to his sword strapped around his waist, to the wizards it probably just blended into his pants. The door opened and the man walked in, he took a few steps forwards, he pushed his hand and the door slammed shut.

"Who knew I'd run into a demigod tonight?" He said.

Nico drew his sword.

"Stygian iron," the man mused. "I knew you were a child of the big three. How proud The King will be when I bring him a child of Hades."

The man's appearance changed, his eyes crackled with electricity, his face became younger, his body thinner and lankier, smokey wings appeared on his back.

"You're a halfling, a storm spirit," Nico said watching the hovering monster.

The storm spirit swung his arm and Nico was blasted back. The wind knocked down items in the room and ruffled the sheets on the bed. Nico jumped up and narrowly dodged a lighting bolt.

If Nico ever fought Jason, he figured it would be just like this.

Nico charged the storm spirit but his sword ran right through it. Right, you can't fight a storm spirit with a weapon.

The storm spirit came around behind Nico, he whirled around to meet the threat, but instead he got zapped. The lightning coursed through his body, he could feel it exit through his feet. Another came, and another. He was flung across the room by a gust of wind and smashed into a wall.

Sean came barreling into the room and fired a spell at the storm spirit, it did nothing. Sean backed up mumbling that his brother was right, and dashed out of the room screaming.

Nico felt himself be lifted off of the ground and carried out the window. With what little consciousness he had, he jammed his sword back at his waist, and attempted to shadow travel away. But he was in the sky, weak and injured, and losing consciousness. He slipped away within seconds.

Nico woke up abruptly, he was lying down in a cage. He moved to push himself up, but his wrists and ankles were tied with gold chains. He pulled against them, a voice came from nearby.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," it purred. "I control your fate, be lucky I want you alive."

"Let me go!" Nico growled.

Fingers snapped and Nico's wrists and ankles were punctured. He let out a scream and the spikes retracted. Blood poured from the many small wounds.

An empousa came into view. Her fiery hair danced, and her bronze leg was exposed through a slit in her dress. She looked younger than most empousas Nico had seen, this one had soft cheeks and cheery eyes.

"See, now behave like a good little boy," she said. "You'll be transformed soon enough anyway."

"You can't make me one of you!" Nico shouted, pulling at his shackles.

"Of course we can, we just need a wizard and The King," the empousa said and walked towards the cage. "Since we already have wizard halflings, we just have to wait for his highness to have the ceremony. I think you'll be fused with a lycanthrope, you'd make a fierce wolf Nico."

Nico shifted and pulled at his bindings, they had no give. He thought about using his sword, but saw it lying outside the cage near the empousa. He stopped struggling, maybe he could call some undead to help him? But he felt weak, so weak the thought made him tired.

"What did you do to me?" Nico asked.

"We tried to put you under our control until the transformation," the empousa said. "But you possess a very strong will. Even with the curse and the coin, you remain in control. That's much more than I can say for my other half, she was under with just a curse."

"You're a halfling?"

"Yup," the empousa said. "It's not as bad as you think. But for someone like you with such a strong will, I pity the monster that fuses with you. You couldn't get me to do it, but a strong werewolf would be happy to break you."

The empousa started laughing, it was almost human but not quite. Nico wanted to cover his ears, but his hands were cuffed. She calmed down and caught her breath before vanishing into the dark again.

"Hey, halfling," Nico said. He wasn't sure if she'd heard him, but continued speaking anyway. "Where are we?"

"At the base camp," she said, her voice seeming to come from nowhere. "It's our largest operation, but I won't give you more details than that."

"You're very open for a monster."

"You're not so resentful for a half-blood."