When Myths Meet Magic || 4

8|| Nico

Nico found himself trapped in a crowd of people as he tried to make his way back down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"What's going on?" Jason asked, squinting before he decided to put his glasses on.

"Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are coming!" Hermione said excitedly. "Only a week away! I can't wait to find out who the triwizard champions are going to be!"

"That's great," Percy replied in a monotone, his eyes fixed on the tables. He could see potatoes.

They had just barely sat down when Neville came up to them.

"Professor Dumbledore wants to talk to you," he said breathlessly. Evidently he had been running.

"Okay," The eight stood up but Neville stopped them.

"Just Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Thalia, and Jason," he said. "You three stay here."

Percy grabbed an empty goblet and stuffed it full of potatoes as they began to walk to the teacher's tables.

"Always eating." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Eating," Percy said with as much dignity as he could have with a mouthful of potatoes. "Is one of the most important survival skills you can have, next to sleeping."

"How is that a survival skill?" Thalia asked skeptically as they passed the Ravenclaw table.

"You can't do anything if you don't eat or sleep," Percy reasoned. Jason laughed.

"Fair point."

"Ah, you're here." Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "You wouldn't mind if we stepped into my office briefly, would you?"

"Not at all," Annabeth said immediately.

They headed down the still-slightly-crowded entrance hall and up to the gryffin statue that led to Dumbledore's office.

"So, what did you want to talk to us about, Professor?" Percy asked as he swallowed his last potato.

Dumbledore's smile vanished. "It's about the Triwizard Tournament. Something will happen, I simply do not know what it is yet. But it's something that one of you have to be prepared for, and that you can only help If you're participating."

"Professor, you don't think Harry will be in the tournament, do you?" Jason asked. "I mean... he's underage."

Dumbledore looked at Jason. "I certainly hope not. But you have to help the other contestants too. I do not know what will happen. I just have a feeling." He smiled suddenly. "Maybe I'm hanging around Alastor too much. Professor Moody," he specified. "But it never hurts to be safe, does it? I have already spoken to Piper, since I believe she is seventeen already. Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Nico, you should be able to enter as well."

"Me?" Nico blurted. "I'm fourteen."

"But you were trapped in the Lotus Casino for seventy years, were you not? The Lotus Casino is a form of magic as well. Our impartial judge does not sense magic-fied age, it takes however many years you have lived. Like Thalia. You are a huntress, I believe." Thalia confirmed it with a nod. "While your mortal appearance is one day below sixteen years old, you have lived more than that as a tree and as an unaging immortal. Therefore you are also a candidate for the Gobl--" he cut off.

"The goblin?" Percy tilted his head. "What goblin?"

Dumbledore shook his head with a smile. "You will find out in a week," he said. "I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. Come now, off to your classes. And don't mind me if I seem a bit harsh if one of your names comes out-- it is breaking the rules, after all."