An Unlikely duo (AF/PJO/HP Crossover)

Dude, we're getting the gang back together!(Part 2)

Draco stumbled, tripping over his robes.

"I'm starting to see why wearing robes while going on a secret mission isn't such a good idea." he muttered to himself.

He picked himself up and began to dust off his robes. He needed to look pristine when he made his dramatic entrance.

An eerie cackling sound echoed throughout the dark, isolated corridor. 

"Peeves?" Draco called shakily, "I know you're there!"

"Ooh! Lookie here, an ickle-firstie out of bed." came Peeves' disembodied voice.

"And a Slytherin at that!" Draco could almost imagine Peeves nodding his head sagely, " I should tell Snape, I should. For your own good, of course."

"Peeves, no!" Draco whisper-yelled, "You can't!"

"Tut, tut, tut. Giving Mr. Peeves orders now, are we?"

"You don't understand!" Draco pleaded desperately, "I've got to catch up with Nico and Artemis, they're in the Third Corridor and-"

"The Third Corridor?" Peeves interrupted, "Little Princey is in the Third Corridor?"

Draco vaguely remembered Peeves calling Nico 'Little Princey' in their last midnight escapade as well. Which meant.... bluffing time.

"Oh yes!" he said, trying to sound confident and calm, "Nico's trying to protect the Stone, and asked me to meet him there so that I could help him get past some of the defenses." Draco was pretty much making stuff up now. He prayed that Peeves wouldn't see through his act, or else he'd be condemned to the most horrible fate of all, also known as detention. What? You'd be afraid of detention too if your teachers sent you into a monster infested forest at night to hunt a unicorn-killer just for sneaking out of bed.

"Little-Princey summoned you?" Peeves asked, sounding dubious. 

"Yep." Draco nodded, pretending to glance at a non-existent clock while fighting the urge to point out that he doesn't get 'summoned' by anyone, " He won't be very happy if I tell him that I got held up because of you."

Peeves deflated, quite literally, making a sound reminiscent of someone releasing all the air out of a balloon, "Fiinnneee" he drawled, "Mister Malfee had better get going then." he said with a mischievous grin, grabbing Draco and lifting him into the air.

"Peeves!" Draco squealed in fright, kicking and squirming as Peeves zipped and zoomed through the corridors, "Put me down!"

"Mister Malfee can't keep Little Princey waiting!"

After about 2 minutes of squealing and muffled screaming, Peeves dropped Draco unceremoniously in front of the Third Corridor, before fading out of sight with one last ominous chuckle, which really wasn't helping to ease Draco's nerves.

"Come on Malfoy." he muttered to himself, "You were the one who wanted to get involved, so go in there and get involved already!"

With that, he threw open the door and marched in.

****Line Break****

Getting past the Devil's Snare was a cinch.

Artemis and Hermione had known what to expect after their last trip through the trapdoor, and had immediately driven away the angry vines. Although in Nico's case, it wasn't even necessary, since the vine just shriveled up and died once they touched him.

The second task wasn't so simple. For them, anyway. Harry could handle it just fine.

Artemis had told them all he knew about the second challenge, about how they needed to find an old-fashioned silver key with blue wings, preferably with a broomstick.