Demigods at Hogwarts

Chapter Sixteen: Leo Valdez

~Leo~

I changed fast, so I would have time to IM Calypso before we got off the train.

I tossed a drachma into the rainbow I made by 'rearranging' the faucet in the bathroom (Sorry, train guy!).

"Oh, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering and show me Calypso at Camp Half-Blood."

The rainbow shimmered and showed me an image of my girlfriend finishing pulling a shirt over her head.

"Hi," I said.

Calypso shrieked and yelled, "Leo Valdez!"

Someone rapped on the door and shouted, "What are you doing in there?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" I yelled back. Calypso was turning red from trying not to laugh.

Suddenly the train ground to a halt, jolting me sideway and causing me to hit my head on a towel rack.

"Gotta go, love you!" I said, swiping my hand through the image after a few swears at the disruption and the bump that was erupting on my head.

I got off the train and fell over in surprise. There was a giant guy in front of me. I don't mean like Clytius-giant giant. I mean eight-to-ten feet tall giant, which is not very giant compared to what I've faced, and I should shut up now, except I don't know how.

He was also extremely hairy.

"Ello, down there," the man said, picking me up and setting me on my feet.

"Hi," I said. "Do I know you?"

The man chuckled. "Don' think so. Name's Hagrid. If yer don' mind, I'll be on my way." He strode off, whistling.

Reyna walked past me in a rush, following a group of people who were headed to some carriages pulled by strange, skeletal animals. I bet di Angelo got along with those just fine. He was also strange and skeletal.

Reyna and I got in the carriage together. It also contained: Harry, a pale blonde boy that I instantly disliked, and Jason.

"Hi," I said again. I felt like I'd said that a lot in the past few minutes. "Wanna introduce us?"

"Draco Malfoy," the blonde kid said.

Harry frowned at Draco's outstretched hand and said to us, "He almost was the one who killed our old headmaster."

Draco pulled his hand back, quickly. He didn't seem like a murderer. Then again, neither did an old earth goddess. Apparently, you never know.

"Pleasure, Draco," Reyna said shortly. Draco's eyes moved over her, and I realized that he was checking her out.

I asked the question that was preying on my ADHD mind. "What are the things pulling the carriage?"

Harry frowned again, his scar rippling under the lamplight. "You can see them too?"

"Duh," I said. "Why wouldn't I?"

Draco cut in. "They can only be seen by people who've seen death."

Having experienced my own death, I was inclined to say that, yes, I have seen death. I didn't say that though, because if I had, talk about blown cover!

The ride didn't actually take all that long. I thought, Wow, carriages! That's old fashioned, and not to mention slow, but apparently skeleton horses are a lot faster that they look. Another similarity to di Angelo.

Just before we got to the castle, and yes, Hogwarts is actually a castle, Harry said, "Just to warn you, there are a lot of weird things in the castle."