The Golden Wand [Harry Potter/Percy Jackson]

Chapter 14: An Overwhelming Fear

Annabeth POV (Continued): 

I fell to the ground, unsure of what to do with myself. This was a nightmare. What was happening? Luke was back, Thalia and my friends were dead, Percy and Piper... well I didn't even know what to think about that. This couldn't be happening.

Then about thirty wizards appeared in the corridors around me and mayhem broke loose. Wizards in dark black cloaks apparated into the room with wands already raised and spells already being yelled. And with them arrived my friends; Leo with flames erupting from his wand, Jason shooting lightning out of his, Clarisse and Reyna standing back to back shouting defensive spells as the wizards in black approached, Chiron running at full canter with his bow raised. It was chaos.

And worst of all, I recognized the wizards in black. The League of Giants. Returned. It couldn't be. But it was.

"Annabeth!" Calypso found me on the floor. She offered me a helping hand. "Where have you been? We needed you! Kronos is back, the League of Giants are back, Hogwarts is under attack!"

"B-but this makes no sense!" I cried over the thunder of the battle.

"Do you insist on being so stupid?" Calypso rolled her eyes at me. "Just help us out, okay? You're letting us down!"

She sprinted into the chaos without another word, wand raised. I couldn't focus on everything around me, too much was happening. Luke was conscious again and fighting, magic was exploding all around me, the League of Giants were attacking with force, my friends were struggling.

I raised my wand at an approaching witch.

"Stupefy!" I cried, but she ducked and the spell sailed over her head and hit Chris instead. He was knocked out cold, and the witch I had aimed for winked at me as if in thanks as she turned towards Chris' body and plunged a knife into the boy's chest. I screamed in horror.

"You always have been a disappointment, haven't you?" Chiron muttered as he stopped by my side. He killed the witch with a single arrow. "You weren't with us when we needed you and now you're here you're killing your own. Leave us, Annabeth, before you cause anymore damage."

I stumbled away from him, his words stinging me like nothing I had ever felt before. I was going dizzy, unable to do anything but stumble and fall in a daze. The noise around me faded into a muffled blur. I turned just in time to see a green beam of magic encompass Piper and kill her. She fell to my feet. My throat was too raw to scream anymore.

I turned again, stumbling away from my dead best-friend, trying desperately to deny that she was actually dead. My best-friend, who had always made me laugh and smile, who had always been there for me... who I had just scene kissing my boyfriend.

That's when I saw them through the crowd: my father and my step-mother. I sprinted towards them, pushing against the people around me to reach them.

"What are you doing here? Dad? Why are you here?" I screamed. He didn't even look at me. He simply turned with a blank expression and walked calmly down the corridor. Ignoring me, turning his back on me like usual. My step-mother sneered.

"You're going to die tonight, Annabeth," she laughed. "Just how it should be. With you gone, we can finally be happy, your father and I. We can live in peace without you in the world, as it always should have been. He never wanted you anyway."

I tried to shake my head but she was on me like a hawk. Her hand was raised in half a second and she planted a heavy slap against my face. Her nails drew blood as they sliced across my skin. I fell to my knees and she walked away, just like she had all those years ago before I had run away.