Chapter One:

What am I doing here?

That was the only thought running through Nico di Angelo's head – quite a feat for a boy with ADHD. Of course, he knew the answer to the question, even if he barely understood it. He was on a plane to England; somewhere he had never considered being, what with an uncle ready to blast him out of the sky. He had been given permission this once, though, to complete the quest bestowed upon him: kill Tom Riddle.

His own father was angry with this man, an elder son of Hades gone rogue. He was blessed by Hecate, and used it to meet his own ends. Riddle split his soul, believing it would grant him immortality. It was a coward's exit, a son of Hades fearing death. Nico was disgusted by his so called half-brother, even without knowing that it was his murderous nature that was filling Asphodel, and blocking up the paperwork his father was always complaining about.

And so, in his rage, the Lord of the Dead recruited the Ghost King to kill his son, calling upon the help of the other gods in the process. In retrospect, this was almost a good thing, in that for the first time, almost all of the gods were on the same side – except, of course, the war-hungry Ares. But Nico did not consider this angle.

He had been given Hecate's blessing, so that no one would suspect, but he was no wizard. He may have fought an enemy that made Riddle look like an irritating bug, but he could not pretend to be like the other warriors, either in camp or in the wizarding world. He was an outcast, and to any other, it would seem he preferred it that way. But in truth, he wished he could fit in with the rest, be at peace with who he was. And now, the outcast would have to murder his own brother. He could scarcely believe his misfortune.

The airplane's landing shook him from his musing, and he tramped out of the jet behind a short man in a grey suit. The smell of cigarettes awaited him in the freezing airport, as he searched fruitlessly for his escort. Hermes was meant to be in there, ready to take him to Kings Cross station. He still wanted to just shadow-travel there, but he supposed it was gaining an alibi. If he didn't... well, he might as well just go back to America now. No one could know who he was. To reveal his identity was suicidal.

He quickly spotted the god standing in an alcove, typing on his so-called iPhone. Nico slipped past the crowd towards his 'cousin', waiting for him to notice. Eventually, Hermes glanced up, and beckoned him through the door, and into a taxi. It was a strange, posh black car, utterly different to the yellow cabs of the US. He scrambled inside, and it sped off through the streets.

Nico looked out the window, absentmindedly wondering what Annabeth would say about the architecture in England. He barely realised as he drifted off to sleep in the cold leather seat.

When he awoke, they were already in London. He could see Kings Cross in the distance, a huge structure buzzing with activity. He spotted dozens of teenagers walking inside, dragging heavy trunks on trolleys, a few holding hooting owls of every colour. He guessed that these were the wizards, judging by the funny looks they received from the other mortals.

Hermes cleared his throat, and handed Nico a small train ticket.

"This is your ticket to the Hogwarts Express. Your trunk is already at the school; we thought that would be easier for you. Have fun in wizard school."

Nico nodded, slightly confused. He had never really gotten on with Hermes, and it was strange to see him acting so nice. Usually he'd be pranking him. It all made sense when the taxi drove away, and he looked at his ticket. Platform 9 ¾, honestly. There was no such place! Nico sighed, and resigned himself to searching for the place alone.

He walked around platforms 9 and 10, waiting to see if he found anyone who looked like a wizard. Unfortunately, London was filled with strangely dressed people who turned out to be normal mortals, if slightly... unusual. Eventually, just as 11 o'clock was about to arrive, and as such the train's departure, he spotted a group of people running at the barrier. He was shocked when they passed through, but supposed it was no different to his own shadow-travel. At that thought, he smacked his palm against his forehead. He could have easily melted into the shadows and appeared on the platform, but instead he had waited around like a lost mortal!

He hurried towards the barrier, praying that he could get through, even though he wasn't a real wizard. He was lucky, passing beyond the wall as if it were made of air. Inwardly sighing in relief, he sprinted onto the scarlet steam train just as it before it began to move. Rushing along the corridor, he swung his head from side to side, searching for an empty compartment. Or at least, mostly empty; he doubted he would find a truly deserted spot so late.

Finally, at the very back, he found a compartment with only one person in it. She was about a year younger than him, with blonde hair and misty blue-grey eyes. The girl had donned odd glasses, and was reading a magazine upside down. Nico could hardly read right-side up, and couldn't think why she would do this. In fact, he doubted people without dyslexia would do this normally. But he did not deny she was interesting, if a little strange. Then again, that was likely a good thing, as no sane person would even think of talking to him, and he needed intelligent company. Even if it was slightly odd.

"Hello, there. You seem troubled. There must be wrackspurts around. They fly into your ears and make your brain go fuzzy."

"Really? What kind of monsters are they? I'm Nico."

"Monsters? I suppose they could be called that, but Daddy says they should be called Phynteans. They're not dangerous, just different. I'm Luna."

"Phynteans? Never heard of them. So... what's this school like?"

"Oh, it's rather nice, but there seems to be an infestation of Musitos. They like to bite people on the arm and make them feel very tired and pale. I think you've been bitten," she said seriously, in a dreamy voice.

"You know Luna, I think you might be right," he said, utterly lost but somewhat amused. She was... unique, a breath of fresh air after years of being with the same people. Slightly insane, but good company. He wanted to fit in here, but perhaps he should do the opposite. After all, what better place for an outcast than with other outcasts?

He continued talking to Luna for the rest of the journey, and found himself growing more and more comfortable around her. Nico was slightly worried by this, but more relieved. After years of being friendless but for his sister, and later his cousin Percy, he craved a friend that did not fear him. Luna was exactly what he needed.

As the train came to a halt, he stretched his arms out above his head, and followed Luna out into the cold air. Grabbing her arm, he gently pulled her through the sea of students, towards carriages drawn by skeletal horses. He recognised them as Thestrals, an ancient species of pegasi native to the Underworld. Just before he reached them, he heard a loud, gruff voice calling his name.