When Myths Meet Magic || 4

21|| Harry

After the Yule Ball, things fell more or less back on track. Harry and Nico had refused to open the egg anymore, since the night of the first task.

"What did it say, again?" Harry asked Percy anxiously one evening as he tried to figure out a way of opening it without breaking everyone's ears. Percy growled in frustration.

"I'd remember if you let me hear it again!"

"No way." Nico shook his head. "And get trampled by everyone in the castle to shut the damn thing up?"

"You want to know the answer, this is the way." Percy clicked his fingers impatiently.

Harry pulled the egg closer to his chest protectively. "What do you remember it said?"

Percy frowned. "Um... come and seek us... while you're searching, um, something something this... We've taken something? And you'll have to look for it? And then it's gone?"

"Very helpful," Nico muttered. "So basically there's a lot of searching for something that took something that we have to search for."

Percy shrugged. "Basically."

"If you're going to open it, go outside," Annabeth grumbled from where she was crouched over her potions homework. "Go to the lake, or the forest or something."

"Come on." Percy stood up eagerly. "Let's go to the lake."

"It's freezing!" Nico complained as they trudged outside, carrying their eggs. "Can't we go to the kitchens or something? Somewhere inside with food and warmth and life?"

"All in favor," Harry said eagerly. He and Nico raised their hands.

"Oh, stop it or I'll push you in the lake," Percy said, exasperated. "I don't want to be here any more than you."

"Sure," Nico grumbled. "Which is why you chose the lake. You don't want to be here, Mister Son-of-Poseidon." He turned around to sit on the ground, when Percy suddenly tackled him from behind, pulling him under. Unfortunately, Nico had grabbed Harry in his panic and all three of them sank down into the lake.

The water was indeed freezing, not to mention pitch black. The water was murky and completely obscured Harry's vision.

"Harry!" A voice suddenly sounded clearly, and Harry felt a tug on his shirt as he was lifted back above the lake. And yet, he was still in the lake. With a jolt of panic, Harry realized that he was in a massive water bubble floating on the bottom of the lake.

"Oh my gods we're all going to drown," Harry suddenly panicked, trying to swim upwards. Percy tightened his grip on Harry's shirt.

"Calm down, Harry!" Harry wouldn't calm down. "We're not that deep in!" Harry turned back around wildly. "Not that deep in?" He asked, voice rising in panic. "We're at the bottom of the bloody lake!" He flailed his arms with every word to emphasize his worry. But perhaps he did it a bit too well, because he knocked the egg from Nico's arms. It sank down below into the murky darkness, and they heard the clink of metal on rock as the hinges burst open. Harry and Nico both recoiled on instinct, expecting the screams to explode from it like normal.

They didn't come. Instead, soft, eerie voices began to seemingly float from the egg.

Come and seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground
And while you're searching ponder this;
We've taken what you'll sorely miss
An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took,
But past an hour, the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.

Come and seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching ponder thi--

Percy suddenly dived down under the water, and the sound shut off. He emerged-- perfectly dry, Harry noted-- and snapped the clasp shut.

Nico took the egg, his face a mask of astonishment. He wasn't the only one. Harry was staring at the egg too, panic forgotten. Only Percy looked mildly interested.

"I remember it now," he said. "Come and seek us where our voices sound--"

"We heard it!" Harry splashed around in excitement. "That must've been what you were hearing!"

"But why could we only hear it now? And why could you always hear it?" Nico frowned. "Do you think... do you think it was a fish choir?"

Percy snorted and fought to keep his face neutral. "Yes, it was a fish choir. The salmon are serenading you."

"Not funny," Harry punched Percy lightly. "What do you think it was?"

"Come and seek us where our voices sound, we cannot sing above the ground?" Nico looked around. "That's clearly underwater. It's definitely some underwater creature."

"Grindylows?" Harry suggested. "They like to lure travelers into bogs with their little lanterns on their hands--"

"We all went to Defense Against the Dark Arts last year," Percy reminded Harry. "We know what a grindylow is."

Nico grimaced. "Please don't tell me that there are multiple giant squids, are there?"

Percy shook his head. "Just one."

"What is it though?" Harry thought hard, and an idea slowly dawned on his face. "You don't think... there are mermaids in here?"

"Mer-creatures," Nico corrected him. "Gender equality."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Same thing. Are there mer-creatures here?"

Percy nodded in confirmation. "They're not that friendly though," he muttered. "And their brownies aren't that good..." He cleared his expression. "But yes, there are. Don't go try to talk to them, they're pretty hostile. Or, at least to me. And no, it's not like The Little Mermaid. They're like shark hybrids. Really fishy."

Nico eyed Percy amusedly. "Hilarious."

"No pun intended," Percy hastily added.

"Sure."

"Guys!" Harry snapped his fingers in front of them. "The egg?"

"Right. While you're searching ponder this, we've taken what you'll sorely miss?" Percy frowned. "What do I sorely miss..."

"Not you. Us." Nico gestured to him and Harry. "We're the Champions."

Percy frowned in the murky light. "No need to rub it in. Alright, what'll you sorely miss?"

"I don't think anything's missing," Harry said slowly. "We can figure that out when we get back. An hour long you'll have to look, that's obviously the time limit we have to bring back what they took."

"But past an hour, the prospect's black, too late, it's gone, it won't come back." Nico shivered. "Lovely."

"So basically, the mer creatures took something that we-- alright, you'll miss and you have to find it in an hour." Percy summarized. "Otherwise it's gone."

"It better not be gone," Nico muttered. "Especially if it's the thing I'll miss the most."

"That's the point," Harry said. "It's a death challenge. A death, underwater challenge."

This one probably seemed shorter than the last because it's 1/3 of it but I promise it's my normal length :3