Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson nor the Harry Potter series. All rights are reserved to Rick Riordan and J.K. Rowling respectively. This is a piece of fiction written for personal enjoyment (and hopefully entertainment for others) and not for monetary gain. (Obviously, seeing as the site is literally called " ")

Been quite a while, hasn't it? I really, truly, am sorry for such a long wait and I won't waste your time with this Author's Note much longer. There will be a full explanation (excuses) at the end of the chapter, but for now, drumroll please…

Also, there's a scene that's a bit graphic in here, so I'm giving you a little warning. It's at the line break, so if you need to skip a few paragraphs, go to the second one.

Again, also, I know this chapter is hella short. I just wanted to get it out there

Magical Lightning Chapter 3: The Devil's Own

Dakota wasn't sure where to look first. Compared to New York, Little Whinging suddenly seemed very small and dull. The buildings seemed to just keep going on and everything seemed so shiny and new. The smells were a new experience as well. They were so bizarre, but Dakota didn't think she wanted to know what was making them. The people were also very strange, they all had weird accents and spoke funny words. A strange, but kind, man had asked her if she would like a free hoagie (whatever that was), which, surprisingly, tasted better than it sounded. The people, though, for the most part kept to themselves. They didn't seem to think that a kid wandering alone with a dog, in awe of her surroundings, was strange at all. In fact, they barely glanced at Dakota before going about their business.

It was at night when the reality of her situation hit Dakota. There were less people walking about now, but the flow of traffic didn't appear to change, and the people that were out made her feel uneasy.

Dakota started to feel the familiarity of exhaustion. She needed to sleep, and soon. But there wasn't exactly a cot just laying around, was there?

Soon enough, she found an alleyway that seemed sheltered enough if the weather were to suddenly turn against her. There was a dumpster leaning against the sidewall that had a smell not dissimilar to ammonia. Soggy boxes and random garbage littered the ground and a pile of tarps were pushed up against the back wall. She ignored the boxes and trash and went to the tarps. It wasn't the most convenient nor the most comfortable, but it was good enough. She laid a tarp on the ground and pulled another one up like a blanket to cover both her and Skia.

She cuddled up to her furry companion and whispered, "I'm free, Skia. We're free," before letting unconsciousness consume her. Unknown to Dakota, while she slept, her new friend stayed awake and alert like a guard dog keeping an eye out for anything that would hurt his human.

The sounds of a scuffle alerted Skia, who in turn, awoke Dakota.

"…whatsa matta'…" she grumbled, not wanting to leave her peaceful comatose. The response she got, though, was urgent but gentle nudging from the pup.

The scuffling got louder and finally reached Dakota's ears, waking her up. She looked to the mouth of the alley and in the early morning light, saw the outline of what appeared to be two men in a struggle. Panicking, she pulled Skia into her lap and scooted back into the wall, trying to blend in with the shadows.

"Look, man, I don't have it right now. I swear, you'll have it by next week. Please, just give me more time!" the man in submission begged the other, who was clearly in a state where he couldn't process being reasoned with.

"You've had enough time to get my money! Don't you even start fuckin' with me, Davis! I need that cash, man, and here you are saying ya ain't even got it. I'm in some deep shit, man. If I don't got it by tomorrow, I'm gonna be in trouble. You gotta have the money!" The deranged man had the frightened one pinned to the bricks.

He let go and started pacing, muttering incoherently to himself. The previously pinned man stayed where he was, fearing what might happen if he moved.

"Look, Charlie, if I just had more time-" he started.

"I DON'T HAVE TIME!" Charlie shouted, cutting off what else Davis was going to say.

He stopped his pacing and turned to face the now whimpering man. He reached behind himself and pulled something from the back of his pants.

"I'm sorry, dude! Please, don't do this!" The man named Davis now had tears flowing down his cheeks and snot from nose, turning him into a blubbering mess as he begged for his life. "I'm your best friend, Charlie! You wouldn't hurt me, would you?!"

Charlie, now pointing the weapon that gleamed in the rising sun at his friend's chest, said, "It's too late, Davis. I gave you time, you failed, and now we're both going to have to suffer these fucking consequences, whether we like it or not. I'm sorry."

A single tear ran down his nose and fell onto the concrete as he pulled the trigger.

The bang echoed throughout the alleyway and the world seemed to go silent.

Charlie stumbled back, almost tripping over himself, as the newly deceased Davis fell to the ground.

"Oh, God. Oh, God. What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?!" Charlie was starting to panic as the realization that he killed his best friend came to him, hitting him like a wall of bricks. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Davy. I didn't mean to! It was an accident, I'm sorry!"

The frantic young man stilled before lifting the shaking arm that held the weapon.

He pointed it against his head and whispered out a wet, "I didn't mean it," before taking his own life as well.

Hidden in the shadows of the alley, Dakota had her face pressed into Skia's fur - wanting desperately to be anywhere else but there in that moment. Unbeknownst to the child, the darkness around her seemed to absorb her, as if it were trying to completely swallow her, before both girl and dog disappeared. The world they left was silent save for the bustling noise of early morning traffic. Nobody noticed the two young bodies in the alley, nor the blood splatter on the wall, as they began their day.

It was a strange feeling Dakota was experiencing. Not necessarily bad, but not exactly pleasant. Dakota felt like she was in a fast moving car, like she was aware she was moving, but she was also at a standstill. The darkness around her seemed to almost squeeze her while also simply surrounding her. She had vague instinct that told her she needed to breathe, but her body didn't seem to want to comply.

The warm breeze that hit her it nearly sent her tumbling. The change was so sudden from the impending darkness that had felt to go on forever.

Dakota opened the eyes that she didn't realize she had shut so tight. The gasp that escaped her went unnoticed. The scion of the Underworld looked around her. She wasn't feeling completely overwhelmed, like she had in the Big Apple, but wherever she was now was impressive in its own right. The large buildings glowed brightly in the night sky - something Dakota made a note of, she could have sworn the sun was just rising. Another thing to pop to attention was the temperature. Though it was night, the warmth in the air was obvious, but not overwhelming. Almost like the sun had just set on a nice Spring day, but it wasn't quite right.

Struck by a sudden urge to curl up and fall asleep, Dakota set off down the street in search of a cozy spot. The stars above the tall buildings cast a sort of eerie glow as she made her way, Skia sticking close to her legs.

As they were passing through the more suburban area, a familiar logo stood out in the dark sky. McDonald's had been a constant request (demand) from Dudley, so the fast food chain was a prominent memory. As Dakota noticed that the lights shown through the windows, her stomach gave a large growl. She wasn't sure when she last ate, it might've been that hoagie from the previous day, but she had a sudden craving for a certain fatty food.

She wasn't sure whether or not they would accept pounds, but it probably wouldn't be worth the hassle if she tried to use it. Instead, Dakota went around the back of the building, away from the harsh glares of the fluorescent lighting, to find the dumpsters. She had seen people do this in one of Dudley's movies, but now that she was up close and personal with it, eating out of a dumpster might not be the best idea. The crude smell and the dank, damp darkness sent shivers up her spine. However, the growl her stomach gave overpowered her weariness, and she reconsidered her options. If she went inside to order and try to pay with her British money, they might reject the order and kick her out, but if she were to scavenge something from the dumpster, she might end up with some horrible disease. Dakota's young mind started to vividly imagine the consequences of both those actions, and they both gave her chills. She weighed her options and made her decision.

The dumpster towered over her short stature but the growing pangs in her abdomen strengthened her determination. The child pulled a nearby crate to where Skia sat waiting before clambering on top of it. Upon opening the lid, Dakota gagged at the rancid stench that hit her. Fortunately, there was a only half-eaten burger that looked edible enough sitting at the top of pile. She grabbed it and promptly scrambled away, desperate to rid her olfactory of that awful smell.

Oh, well. This is as good as I'm gonna find. Plus, I better save the Dursley's food for as long as possible, Dakota thought to herself.

Dakota wandered a bit before coming across an empty park. Deciding this was a good place to stop, she sat on a bench and started eating her food. Even though the smell was awful, if she ignored it then the burger didn't really taste so bad. Although she had never really been a picky eater, Dakota found herself pleasantly surprised at herself for not completely hating the burger.

Once her stomach was as full as it was going to get, she felt a strong wave of tiredness wash over her. The bench was no better than her old mattress, but that didn't seem to matter as she layed on her side and fell asleep.

Hahahahahaha… Soooo… Yeah…

(And hush. I know the ending was very sudden)

It sure has been a hot minute, huh? I don't feel like anything I could say could ever make up for such a long wait. You guys deserve so much more than what I can offer, and yet, here you are, reading this Author's Note, for some reason I cannot fathom.

Nothing I could say can ever excuse me, but you guys deserve an explanation at least. I don't want to waste your time anymore than I have, but on my profile I had a little word vomit titled, "Update as of August 29, 2017" if you want a little insight of the makings of my mind. But TL;DR, I'm a shitty person.

Nothing I can say could ever make up for my behavior, so I'm just going to have to prove myself through my actions. Although it's going to find hard to find time and actually sit down and write. I had so much free time during the last couple years, but I didn't do shit with it. I'm only now realizing and regretting what I've done.

I guess that's just a part of growing up huh?

Anyway. I'm in my senior year of high school right now, and since we're already almost done with the second trimester, things are going to get pretty busy for me. I've already been admitted to my first college of choice (yay me), so I'll be heading there in August.

As one might imagine, I don't think I'll have much time for hobbies during college. And since my major is going to be astrophysics, I doubt I'll have much time for anything outside of studying and classwork.

Even though I can't write creatively for shit, this is one of my favorite things to do. I know I haven't done anything with this story in ages, but it holds a very near and dear place in my heart.

Ew. I can't believe I actually just admitted that I have a heart.

I honestly have no idea when the next chapter will be, or when I'll start working on it; but I can promise you that I will never give up on this. I might go back and revise some of my piss poor writing, but this story will always be incredibly important to me.

Your guys' continued support really means a lot. And now that the fact that I do have a heart has been revealed for all to see, I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.

I'll see you in the next one.