Hello, everyone!

I know it's been a while since I've updated, and I'm really sorry. My computer's crashed for a bit, and updating has been slightly messy.

In any way, here's the new update!

Of Magic and Mythology

Chapter Twenty-Six: And the Griphook Gripping

Percy's POV

The next morning, Percy woke as he heard Buford with his mini Coach Hedge running up and down the dorm room screaming "GET UP RIGHT NOW, YOU LAZY LITTLE CUPCAKES, OR I'LL BEAT YOU ALL THE WAY TO LONG ISLAND SOUND!"

The boys woke up groggily, but Percy just rolled over and placed his pillow over his head, trying to drown out the noise. It worked perfectly… well, mostly perfectly. It was kind of difficult to drown out the noise when Buford pranced over to the spot next to his head, blasting Coach Hedge's lovely voice straight into his ears.

When Percy finally dragged himself out of bed, everyone was already making their way downstairs for breakfast. Percy brushed his teeth and changed into his robes in two quick minutes before dashing after them. Thankfully, he wasn't too late for breakfast.

Unfortunately, Buford wasn't the first of their problems.

Percy barely had enough time to shovel down some pancakes before Annabeth dragged all of them into the library, hiding in a dark corner as she debriefed them on the plan.

"Listen up, all of you." Annabeth said urgently. "We will be stealing that Horcrux this afternoon."

"Will this morning be free?" Percy asked hopefully. He really wanted to finish those pancakes. Seriously, what did the chefs put in it? It even tasted better than the ones back at Camp Half-Blood.

"No." Annabeth said brutally, squashing Percy's hopes flat. "We will be visiting Diagon Alley through Floo Powder. Ron… No, don't look at me like that. Yes, you will convince Fred and George to lend us some of the Floo Powder they smuggled from who-knows-where. At Diagon Alley, I scheduled a conference with Griphook, a Gringotts goblin. He will help us steal the Horcrux."

"Breaking into Gringotts?" Harry yelped. "That is impossible! No one has ever broken in before!"

"We'll be the first." Annabeth answered.

"How will Griphook help us?" Reyna asked doubtfully.

"We'll convince him." Hermione answered convincingly.

"How does the Horcrux even look like?" Hazel asked.

Annabeth eyed Hermione. Hermione nodded.

"Last night, when all of you were sleeping and snoring, Annabeth and I did some research." Hermione started. "Halfway through, an owl… Athena's owl flew to us and dropped us a little slip of paper. The second we read the information there, the paper burned up."

"Athena came to you?" Percy spluttered.

"Yes." Annabeth smiled. "The best thing is that the little slip of paper had a list of all the Horcruxes we need to hunt down."

"That is great!" Leo yelled, grinning. "Thanks, Athena! You saved our lives!"

"Unfortunately," Hermione cut in. "Athena only gave us the list of the Horcruxes, not their locations. Another flaw is that she only gave us five of the six Horcruxes."

"Oh." Leo deflated visibly.

"Anyway," Annabeth took over. "The good thing is that Harry and Dumbledore has already destroyed some of the Horcruxes."

"What?" Harry yelped.

"The Horcruxes include Marvolo Gaunt's Ring, which is destroyed by Dumbledore, Tom Riddle's Diary, which is destroyed by Harry quite some time ago. We only have to destroy the last four Horcruxes, which is Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, Salazar Slytherin's Locket, and Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem. In the vault, we will be looking for a Cup, a Locket, and a Diadem." Annabeth finished off her speech. "Oh yes, there's also Nagini, but we can worry about that later on."

For a brief moment, everyone was quiet as the information sank in.

"All right!" Hermione clapped her hands. "The plan is basically like this: We will go for a conference with Griphook and convince him to help us break into Gringotts. Once we enter the vault, we will move as quickly as possible and find the Horcrux before we get out of there as fast as our legs can carry us. Does this sound simple enough?"

"I guess so…" Piper said nervously, while everyone grumbled and nodded.

"Good." Hermione looked very satisfied. "Ron, could you please ask Fred and George for the Floo Powder?"

()()()

Percy's POV

As Ron faced the twins, Hermione taught them how to use Floo Powder in the boys' room. It wasn't too difficult. All you needed to do was to throw a handful into a fireplace, hop in, and think hard about where to go. Unfortunately, Percy wasn't too fond of fire. Leo would be fine, since he's all fireproof, but Aquaman jumping into the flames was a whole different matter.

After ten minutes, Ron hopped out from Fred and George's room, his face covered in sweat and panting quite heavily, a small sack of Floo Powder in his hands.

"Thanks, Hermione." Ron said sourly as he handed the Powder over. "I just lost a summer of desserts to them."

"You'll survive." Hermione said dismissively. "Now, I'll go first, and Annabeth will go last to make sure everything goes well. Think about the ice-cream shop Thalia and Reyna's gotten lost in. The owner's on a vacation, so the shop will be empty."

After Hermione finished, she threw a handful of the powder into the fireplace and hopped in. The flames crackled and spat, and in a quick flash, Hermione was gone.

"Who'd like to go next?" Annabeth asked.

One by one, the demigods and wizards entered the flames. Leo was particularly dramatic, adding a very unnecessary "I'M ON FIRE!" before leaping in, sending up puffs of ash that covered their faces and made them cough.

Soon, it was Percy's turn. Percy tossed a handful in, and leaped into the flames. Fire churned around him, crackling into his ears. Yelling, Percy flailed around.

"Think about the ice-cream shop…"

Dimply, Percy heard Annabeth as she screamed the instructions into his ears. Percy immediately thought about the shop.

The next thing Percy knew, he was rolling out of a sooty fireplace in the ice-cream shop, followed closely by Annabeth. Around them, the demigods and wizards were dusting themselves off. Leo and Ron looked heartbroken that there weren't any ice-cream in the freezers.

Once everyone was clean, Hermione and Annabeth took the lead as they romped out of the shop. They trotted across the square and into another café, featuring drinks that changed color every time you took a sip.

The café was not very big. A plump lady read from a book as she manned the counter. A few wizards chatted to each other over coffee. One large table sat unoccupied apart from a small goblin with a hooked nose and an uneasy expression.

Quickly, the wizards and demigods bought some drinks and moved over to Griphook.

"We'll take the lead." Annabeth and Hermione mouthed. As everyone took a seat, Percy felt more like a decoration than a companion.

For a brief moment, the goblin faced the students.

"No, no, no." Griphook shook his head furiously. "NO. I will not talk to so many of you at the same time. I will only talk to five of you. The rest of you, get out!"

Annabeth glanced at everyone. "Hey guys, why don't you all get out for some fresh air? Percy, Hermione, Harry, and Nico… would you guys like to stay?"

"Sure!" Percy, Harry, and Hermione chirped at the same time. Nico just scowled and looked at his drink.

"Much better." Griphook scowled as the rest of their group moved out. Then, he glanced approvingly at Annabeth. "You're a clever girl. You and the other young lady are the main interrogators, no? The boy with the glasses and Captain Green eyes are the muscle, and the sad little boy there…" Griphook pointed a crooked finger at Nico, who looked absolutely murderous. "That little boy there will be your final weapon, to scare me into giving you the answers, am I right?"

"Y-yes." Annabeth stuttered, looking shocked.

Griphook gave a mean little smile as he took a long slurp out of his drink. Nervously, Percy took a sip out of his drink too, watching the dark purple water turn into a neon shade of pink. The bit of drink in his mouth turned from grape juice into some sort of rose water that stung his tongue.

"Let me guess: You also want me to help you break into a vault, right?" Griphook continued.

"Yes." Hermione took over, leaning forward menacingly. "We want you to help us break into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. Will you help us?"

"No." Griphook said flatly. "I'm not going to risk it. I will risk it, however, if you give me something in return."

Annabeth eyed Hermione. Hermione eyed Harry. Harry eyed Percy. Percy eyed Nico. Nico didn't eye anyone. What did they have that they could give to Griphook that was valuable enough to convince him to help them?

"We can give you the Sword of Gryffindor." Hermione announced.

"WHAT?" Harry exploded, tipping his drink over. From the counter, the clerk hissed in disapproval. Annabeth gave the clerk a quick apology before waving her wand, the spill dissipating immediately.

"The Sword of Gryffindor…" Griphook said slowly, smiling. "You are a clever little lass as well. The Sword of Gryffindor would be a lovely trade."

"Yes." Hermione's face was pale, but there was a sort of grim determination in her voice.

"It's a deal." Griphook nodded as he finished his drink. "When would you like to break in?"

"Now." Annabeth answered.