American Royalty III

Part 19: Stupid locket

The clearing was eerily quiet. Harry, Hermione, and Ron stood around the locket, their expressions tense. The golden trinket lay on a weathered tree stump, its dark aura filling the space with an unsettling heaviness. Percy and the other demigods stood a little ways off, eyes fixed on the small group, their postures tight with concern.

"Okay, let's try this," Harry said, breaking the silence. He raised his wand and pointed it at the locket. "Dissendium!"

A rush of magical energy pulsed through the air, and the locket spun violently in place, but it remained intact. The metal shimmered, unchanged. Harry frowned.

"Nothing," he muttered. He glanced at Hermione, who was already stepping forward, her wand in hand.

"Incendio!" she commanded, a stream of fire shooting out from her wand, engulfing the locket. The flames danced wildly, but as the fire died down, the locket remained unmarked, not even scorched.

"It's not working," Hermione said, her voice laced with frustration.

Ron stepped forward, his eyes darkening as he looked at the locket. "Seems like it's more than just magic, doesn't it?"

"I'm going to try something stronger," Harry declared, his eyes narrowing in determination. He took a deep breath and raised his wand again. "Expulso!"

A powerful blast of force erupted from his wand, sending the stump and dirt flying in every direction. But the locket sat there, undisturbed, not even a scratch.

Hermione let out a low sigh. "It's not even flinching."

"Confringo!" she shouted, her wand blasting a beam of destructive energy that crumbled the ground beneath them. The locket, still resting on the stump, was untouched.

Harry clenched his jaw, visibly agitated. "It's not possible. We're doing everything right."

The demigods, standing nearby, exchanged glances. Percy, his sword strapped to his back, looked to Jason. "You think your sword might work? This thing's tougher than we thought."

Jason unsheathed his sword, the celestial bronze gleaming under the sun. "It's worth a shot," he said, stepping forward. He looked to Percy, a silent agreement passing between them. The two demigods raised their swords in unison.

With a sharp movement, both blades swung down, aiming directly for the locket. But the moment they made contact, both swords bounced off with a loud clang, sending shockwaves through the clearing.

"Well, that didn't do anything," Percy muttered, shaking his hand as if the shock had stung.

Jason wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Not as easy as we hoped."

Annabeth, who had been standing back, observing everything with sharp focus, stepped forward. "We've tried spells, brute force, and now our weapons. Maybe it's not about power. Maybe we need a different approach."

"Do you have any ideas?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Annabeth looked down at the locket, deep in thought. "We need to think of what's protecting it. Something magical. It's possible it's shielded by an ancient spell or protection we don't understand."

Hermione shook her head, frustration evident in her eyes. "But there's no mention of it in the books I've read."

Piper, standing next to Annabeth, crossed her arms. "Maybe it's not about destroying it with spells or weapons. Maybe we have to isolate it somehow. Keep it safe until we figure out how to destroy it."

Jason nodded. "We're just throwing everything at it and hoping something sticks. We need to be more methodical."

Ron leaned against a nearby tree, his arms crossed, and looked at Harry. "You know, Dumbledore never told us how to destroy these things. He just said they had to be destroyed. Doesn't that seem off to anyone else?"

Harry, holding the locket in his hand, stared at it quietly for a moment. His jaw tightened. "He didn't tell us everything. He thought we'd figure it out. He believed in us."

Hermione gave him a long look, one of concern but also of deep trust. "So what now?"

Harry glanced around at the group, his resolve hardening. "We keep moving. We need to keep this thing safe until we can figure out how to destroy it."

The demigods nodded, their faces a mixture of frustration and determination. They all knew how important it was to destroy the locket, but the truth was that they were no closer to figuring out how.

After a beat, Percy cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "I think we should pack up and move. We can't stay here any longer. It's too dangerous."

Annabeth nodded in agreement. "We need to keep our guard up. Who knows how long we have before someone comes looking for us."

The group quickly went to work, gathering their things. Percy packed his sword carefully, glancing over his shoulder toward the trees. Annabeth scanned the surroundings, her mind working in overdrive to calculate their next move. Jason, though frustrated, moved efficiently, securing his own gear.

Piper moved next to Hermione, speaking in a low voice. "If there's any way to destroy that thing, we'll figure it out. You're not alone in this."

Ron gave her a grateful smile, his attention now divided between watching their backs and keeping an eye on Harry, who had slipped the locket around his neck. The faint ticking of it was still audible in the air.

"Let's go," Harry said quietly. "We keep moving."

With that, the group set off through the dense forest, their footsteps soft but determined. The tension between them was palpable, but they knew they had no choice but to press on. Each of them, from the youngest demigod to the most seasoned wizard, had their own thoughts swirling in their minds.

The locket's ticking never stopped, a constant reminder of the dangerous road ahead. The group pushed forward, one step closer to the impossible task that lay before them: destroying a part of Voldemort's soul and saving the world from his reign of terror. But with each passing moment, it felt like time was running out