Hello, everyone. Sorry for the late update. Life, as usual, got really busy. Fortunately, we're entering into the glorious lands of summer break, so I should be able to update faster. I hope.
At any rate, here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy!
Of Magic and Mythology
And the Torture Tackle
Harry's POV
"HERMIONE!" Ron roared immediately.
Another scream pierced through the air.
"NO, NO!" Ron shouted.
"Ron, please! Calm down!" Harry pleaded. Yes, his heart was twisting horribly with every scream, but Ron… Ron was going crazy. Harry had never seen his friend so frantic before… maybe apart from the All-You-Can-Eat festival at Hogsmeade, but seriously. Ron was going absolutely nuts.
"DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" Ron roared again, running around and smashing his fists onto the blank wall. "HERMIONE!"
"Harry, what do we do?" Neville sobbed, tears dripping down his face.
Harry breathed raggedly.
"I don't know," he croaked.
Leo's POV
The Death Eaters were pretty much screwed.
The demigods had stormed the mansion with their usual gusto, tearing apart everything in sight. They didn't pause… apart from watching Frank shoot darts at nasty-looking wizard paintings and sending the people inside diving for cover. They just stormed the mansion, torching everything.
Then, they hit the main living room.
And that was when the Death Eaters were screwed.
Hermione was tied to a pillar, and Bellatrix had a short silver knife in her hand. Blood painted the carpet red, and Hermione was screaming and screaming.
Did I mention that the Death Eaters were screwed?
The demigods charged.
Frank turned into an elephant. Reyna and Piper darted forward, cutting Hermione free and tending to her wounds. Percy summoned a massive tidal wave, crashing it into the them and soaking them to the skin. Jason and Thalia charged in, electricity sparking around their weapons. And Leo…
"I'M ON FIRE!" Leo yelled, setting his hammers on fire. Curtains, carpets, walls, potted plants, and hair went up in flames.
Narcissa and Lucius fled, leaving a very soggy Bellatrix standing there, her mouth gaping open like a fish. Leo barely had time to see her eyes widen before he smashed a hammer in her face.
Ouch.
For a while, Leo felt a twinge of guilt. That must have hurt really badly. But oh well, Bellatrix did kind of deserve that for hurting Hermione, anyway.
Annabeth lunged forward. "Where's Harry and Ron?"
Bellatrix laughed harshly. "Good luck with that."
"WHERE ARE THEY?" Annabeth yelled.
Immediately, the room fell into silence. Annabeth looked like a goddess… a very angry goddess. Her grey eyes were blazing, and Leo knew that he wasn't the one that was being scolded, but he swore he felt his knees buckle a teeny bit. Fortunately, he wasn't the only ones. Every demigod who had done absolutely nothing wrong was trembling with fear.
Even Death Eaters couldn't stand the Angry Annabeth.
"Dungeon," Bellatrix choked out.
"Thanks for the message," Annabeth said sweetly before slamming the hilt of her dagger into Bellatrix's temple. The Death Eater went out like a light.
"Reyna, Piper, and Hermione. Can you stay here and guard Bellatrix?" Annabeth asked.
The three girls nodded.
"The rest of us… time for the dungeon," Annabeth said, cracking her knuckles.
Harry's POV
Hermione's screams suddenly stopped. Ron was still breathing raggedly and sobbing. Neville watched with wide, fearful eyes.
Then, they heard sounds that were the complete opposite of what they heard earlier. Smashes, crashes, booms, and cracks echoed above them. Most prominently, they heard a very particular "I'M ON FIRE!" by a very particular Latino elf…
"Do you hear what I hear?" Harry breathed.
"Yes!" Ron choked. "HEY! WE'RE HERE! WE'RE HERE! IN THE DUNGEON! GET US OUT!"
The clumping of footsteps grew louder and louder.
"Quick! We have to be loud!" Harry said urgently. He smashed his fists against the wall, grazing his knuckles, but the boom-boom-boom sound was pretty satisfying. What was the wall made of, anyway? Metal?
Ron kept on yelling. Neville joined in with the chorus, screaming as loud as his weak voice allowed him to.
"ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!" Annabeth suddenly roared, heard even in the dungeon.
Everyone shut up.
"Oh my gosh, I can hear you all, all right?" Annabeth hissed. "We already know you guys are in there!"
"Right!" Harry squeaked.
"OK," Annabeth said, this time calmer. "First, we have to find a door. Can you guys try to find a door on the inside?"
Immediately, Harry, Ron, and Neville groped around, their fingers slipping on and off the slick metal walls.
"It's like we're sealed in a box," Neville managed. "There's no door."
"There's no door here either," Percy agreed from the other side.
"Then that leaves us only one option," Annabeth said grimly.
Harry, Ron, and Neville glanced at each other uneasily. This did not sound too sweet.
"Leo! Bring the dynamite!" Annabeth ordered.
"Dynamite?" Ron squeaked in shock.
"Dynamite? Is that necessary…" Harry trailed off as an explosion blew them three of them back. Smoke and fire tinged the air red and black, while the choking scent of gunpowder filled the room.
Coughing and gagging, Harry got to his feet. There was a massive hole in the wall, with sparks still glowing around the edges. A pile of ash drifted on the floor.
On the other end, a squad of dirty but grinning demigods waited for them. Percy, Annabeth, and Frank ran in immediately, helping them up.
"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked.
"Safe," Annabeth reassured him as she pulled him up. "They're upstairs. Let's go grab them and get the beep out of this place."
Harry couldn't agree more.