AN: Hey! I'm back! Sorry for not updating sooner! Hopefully, I won't disappear like that anymore! Thanks for all the reviews!
"So..." the stranger asked, breaking the tension filled silence, "Kansas, huh?"
Hermione shifted in her very uncomfortable seat and sighed. There was another reason why she should kill Harry Potter. She should really start a list.
"Yup!" Percy said behind her, sporting a giddy expression, "We're on a road trip!"
The stranger, a kind farmer who Hermione, Percy, Annabeth and Nico managed to hitch a ride from, asked suspiciously, "Aren't you too young to be going on a trip by yourself?"
Hermione frowned and started to speak, only for Nico to smoothly cut her off," My sister came back from college only a couple of weeks ago. We're just going to meet our Uncle-er-Bob."
Percy snorted, causing the two girls to glare at him. He raised his hands in defeat and Hermione just rolled her eyes at the younger boy's antics.
No matter what country or supernatural origins, boys are all the same.
Hermione sighed and shifted in her seat again. It has been ages since she last went on a road trip (the last being a four month death trip to every battle site of the Battle of the Roses) and she admit that she had gotten used to the lazy wizardry way of transportation. The thought did come to her, but she dismissed it completely. The Floo was out and so was Portkey (She doubted that he American Ministry would allow her to transport three kids across the country, even if they are demigods). Hermione didn't want to risk Apparating (she couldn't deal with another splinching incident). And so, she was stuck here, with an overgrown farmer and three demigods, cradling a headache from all the possibilities and consequences of this quest swirling around in her brain.
And from this fanatic swirl, Hermione suddenly remembered something, causing her to groan in frustration. Flashing a tired grin, she turned to the driver and asked, "Can I borrow your hand-held phone?"
"Sure-"
"NO!" the three children cried, causing the driver and the witch to jump.
"You can't use that," Percy said, frantically.
Intrigued rather than annoyed, Hermione asked, "Why?"
"Technology and demigods don't mix," Annabeth explained. "Any time a demigod uses a cell phone a monster can find her even before she finishes a call."
Hermione glanced wearily at the driver, "Are we even supposed to talk about this?"
"The Mist," the two echoed.
Hermione closed her eyes. She hated not knowing anything! She was Hermione Granger, a know-it-all! But she was not in her safe zone! She didn't fell this useless since the Department of Mysteries in fifth year.
"Does the Mist work for other magic?" she asked, intrigued. She never accounted this phenomena back in England. She wondered if it was a variation of the obliviate, changed into gaseous form. Hermione decided to look into it later, since yes, she learned to sort out her priorities.
"I'm not...sure," Percy said, scratching his head.
Hermione ignored him. She wasn't expecting an answer, anyhow. She really needed to use her magic, but she knew that using magic in a place filled with Muggles was a bad idea. Hermione really didn't want to be found at this moment. She already had a group of gods watching over her, she didn't need the politicians watching her every move as well.
She shifted in her seat again, and Hermione felt the bag she had thrust in the back of her pocket. Laughing at her stupidity, Hermione opened her bag and thrust her arm in.
"What the-"
"How is that physically possible?" Annabeth asked, her eyes wide in awe.
"Magic," Hermione grinned before bringing out what she was looking for.
The couple and even Nico, who was silently watching over the proceedings, leaned forward in curiosity as Hermione pulled out an old looking mirror. It was cracked in certain places and spotted with grime and unknown liquids. The newly appointed demigod wiped the glass with her sleeve and peered into it.
Nico frowned. It was true that he didn't know much about his sister yet, but he never thought she would be one of those girls. Those meaning the types of girls that stared into their mirrors everyday as if they were the daughters of Aphrodite. Scowling at the apparent false alarm, Nico crossed his arms and leaned back into his chair, just as a foreign voice shouted from Hermione's mirror.
"Hermione! Thank Merlin!"
"Harry!" Hermione said, smiling into the mirror, "How are you?"
"Brilliant, now that we KNOW YOU'RE ALIVE AND NOT DEAD IN SOME COUNTRY IN AMERICA!"
"America is filled with states, not countries, Harry," Hermione corrected instinctually, "Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't contacted you like I promised. I-"
"Like you promised? LIKE YOU PROMISED? It's been days, Hermione! DAYS! Me and Ron were worried sick of you! We even asked the American Ministry, but they just nodded at us and promised us that they'll contact us after they filled out some paperwork! Those arrogant, bloody-"
"Language, Harry!" Hermione hissed, scandalized. She turned to smile to the "Americans" behind her and turned back to the mirror, "Anyway, Harry. I'm fine. I'm on a mission-"
"A mission?" Harry asked, his voice suddenly turning serious, "I thought you were just scouting-"
"Things came up," Hermione replied, sighing. "I would like to explain...but it's complicated."
Hermione saw Harry's face darken, "Do need me to be there?"
Hermione smiled to herself. Ah Harry. She had a list of reasons why to kill the boywonder in the back of her brain, but she couldn't help but feel glad that Harry Potter stepped into her life. Even after the war, the Chosen One was always overly protective of her( not that he wasn't before the war). The fact that Harry didn't hesitate to ask if she needed her help, reminded her of how loyal Harry was, even to the point of being dangerous. His "saving people thing" might have gotten all of them in quite amount of trouble in the recent years, but it was the reason why she loved him.
"No, Harry," she said, softly. "I don't need you to be here. It's something I have to take care of, myself."
"What's going on?" Harry asked, looking frustrated.
"I wish I can tell you!" Hermione said, her voice laced with sorrow. "But there is no-"
Suddenly another familiar voice, a very annoying voice, interrupted, "Um...'Mione? Why are you in Kansas?"
Hermione turned around to see the "welcome to Kansas" sign pass by. She turned back to the mirror and shrugged sheepishly, "Well, Ron-"
"And why is there a bloke that looks like Harry staring at us?" Hermione's freckled friend said before yelling, "Blimey! He looks exactly like you Harry!"
"Hermione?" Harry asked, completely bewildered. "What kind of trouble did you-"
"Here!" Nico suddenly yelled, feeling the presence of the wife of Hades. "Stop here!"
The truck screeched to a halt, causing all four passengers to lurch forward. Hermione felt Percy smack into the back of her seat and groan, "I have to go! I'll tell you guys about it later!"
"Wait Hermione! HERM-" Hermione managed to cut the transmission off before her eardrums were blasted into the next century.
She smiled sweetly to the driver before scrambling out of the car, following the teenagers into the road. Smoothing down her frizzy hair (more frizzy because of the humidity), she managed to catch up to the energy-filled ruffians and skidded to a stop.
Whatever Hermione was expecting about the goddess, this wasn't it. A young woman with tanned skin and long, plaited hair stood by the stocks of wheat, looking more like a farm girl than an immortal being. That said, there was still something emanating off this woman that made Hermione feel slightly lesser in value, a feat that even a Dark Lord couldn't accomplish.
"Persephone," Nico addressed, turning to the woman.
"Nico! How many times have I told you to call me 'mother'?" the woman said, squinting her eyes at the boy.
"Too little, apparently," Percy mumbled, causing the goddess to turn to him.
"You!" she said, pointing a long finger at the demigod."Why is he here? And that girl! Why is she here with you?"
Nico rolled his eyes, "You know exactly why we're here."
Persephone ignored him and turned to the next demigod, "You, so you're the little dark child that everyone's upset about."
Hermione blinked before slowly pointing at herself, "Me?"
"Yes, you!" Persephone said, rolling her eyes, "It's Hermione this, Hermione that. You would think that the real Hermione came back from the grave! And let me tell you girl, THAT Hermione was a hundred times more interesting than YOU!"
Insulted Hermione stepped back a bit, before saying, "Well sorry for being born with a brain. I'll let my father, YOUR HUSBAND, know that you don't like his contribution to the human gene pool."
The goddess scrunched her nose before turning to Nico and saying only to him, "She is just like your father."
Nico's lips twitched, "I know."
"Um, sorry for interrupting the family bonding, "Percy said, his voice taking on a leader-like tone, "But we have a quest to fulfil-"
"Oh yes, that 'quest'" Persephone said, waving her hand, "You are looking for the Nameless Scepter?"
"You heard of it?" Annabeth asked, in excitement.
The goddess gave the girl the evil eye and raised her nose into the air, "Of course I know where it is. I helped made it!"
"Brilliant!" Hermione said, before asking, "Where is it?"
Persephone let out a uncharacteristic snort, "I am not going to tell you."
Exasperated, Hermione asked, "And why not?"
The goddess suddenly grinned, a sinister aura rushing over her that made Hermione remember that she was in fact speaking to the wife of the ruler of the underworld.
"Because I have something to ask in return-"
