The door of the house was slightly ajar and hung from only one hinge. It seemed to be dark and the windows were covered with either curtains or blankets from the inside. Leo hesitated a moment before entering the building – shouldn’t they come up with some kind of battle strategy, just in case?
Nico, however, wanted to hear nothing of that and barged straight through the door. The moment he tried to push it open, it came loose from its last hinge and fell forward with a loud bang.
“Sorry ‘bout that door, eh,” said Leo in his best Hagrid-impression. He, like his companions, fell silent after one look into the cottage. A few candles were lit, and their light shimmered eerily across the room and on the faces of the dozen children that were sitting in it. The children looked pale and dirty, their clothes torn and their hair tangled and grey with sand. None of them said a word, they hadn’t even jumped as they’d made their entrance. Leo saw a small girl at the back of the group that appeared to him as a younger Annabeth, only terrified. Her lower lip was quivering and her eyes were teary.
A stout boy at the front stood up from his place on the wooden floor. “Go away, this is our home, not yours.”
“Eh,” Nico began smartly. “Sorry for entering this rudely. We were looking for shelter. We’re lost and are without money, and were hoping we’d find some help in here.”
“No,” said all the children at once.
A shadow, different from the ones caused by the flickering candles, moved in the corner. “That’s right, children. This is your home. We take care of no one but each other.” Little Annabeth let out the smallest and quietest of screams as a hand appeared on her shoulder. The shadow stepped forward and revealed itself. It was a tall man with grey hair. He had a sloppy beard, bushy eyebrows and smudges of black all over his face, much like the children.
Someone please teach that man how to use a shower, Leo thought. His mind was pretty much already on red alert mode, but he didn’t think of leaving. Not now he’d seen Little Annabeth’s terrified face. His hand ached for a weapon, and he carefully slid open the zipper of his magical tool belt. Reaching into it, he felt the small spherical shape of a flask. It’d been a present from Diana, a special potion brewed with a little help from the Golden Fleece. Since Diana was from the Apollo cabin – and since she was apparently very trusting and kind of naïve – she’d thought it a good idea to give a flask to Leo for his quest. Leo had laughed, joking about how he wouldn’t need it since he was Batman and everything. Yet, he had thanked her and stowed the glass flagon safely in his belt.
“Good children, disciplined children – that’s what we want here at Dr. Thorn’s Daycare.” The man slid forward like a predator as the children echoed his words.
That’s what we want at Dr. Thorn’s Daycare.
Good thing the door lay underneath them, Leo found himself thinking. At least now they could go outside and, if necessary (which it always was), fight on open ground, away from the children.
The sharp wind they’d felt outside returned, stronger than ever. It pushed over Frank, then Leo himself and then Nico, forcing them to make their way further into the cottage. Another blow of wind – the gods really weren’t with them ever, were they? – and the door flew back into place, locking them in.
“Freaking fantastic,” Leo muttered. He looked at the others and saw that both Nico and Frank already had their weapons at their side; Nico his Stygian Iron sword and Frank his bow and arrow. With their backpacks on, Leo wondered how much of a fight they could put up, but he didn’t want to stay behind and grabbed into his belt for something. A silver-tipped hammer appeared in his hand.
