When Myths Meet Magic || 2

13|| Jason

As soon as History of Magic was let out, the demigods dropped off their stuff in the dormitories before hurrying to dinner.

"I'm going to get Piper really quick," Jason said, before hurrying over to the green table on the other side of the room and scanning the crowd for his girlfriend. He spotted her next to a Slytherin girl with a slightly smushed face, like a pug.

"C'mon, it won't be long," he muttered to her. She stood up.

"Hang on, Pansy, I'll be right back."

Pansy narrowed her eyes suspiciously but nodded.

Piper and Jason slipped back over to the entrance of the Great Hall, where the rest of the demigods were. They hurried away and stepped into an empty classroom.

"So. The Chamber of Secrets." Thalia turned to Hazel and Annabeth. "Any insight?"

"Piper, you know about it, right?" Annabeth asked. "It was in Hogwarts, a History."

Piper nodded. "Yeah, I looked it up after that writing on the wall that day. The monster in the secret chamber Slytherin built to kill all the muggleborns."

"Right. Well, I mostly know what everyone else knows, what Piper just said. There was also some information about the rooms in Hogwarts in cabin 6's library, but not everything." Annabeth rubbed her temples. "But it's been opened before in Hogwarts, fifty years ago. The monster was released, and it killed a girl."

Hazel ran her hand against the wall, her face scrunched in concentration, her eyes clouded. A single bead of sweat appeared on her forehead. Then she returned to normal and wiped the precipitation away, shaking her head.

"Nothing," she said. "I could get the normal information— how old everything was and things like that. I searched for anything Slytherin related, and hit a jackpot. So many Slytherin vibes. But the whole thing was clouded."

"So, what did you get from it then?" Jason asked.

She shook her head again. "That's just it— nothing. Absolutely nothing. There was a lot of magic, ancient magic. Powerful and Dark magic. That was my only hint. When I tried to go further, it pushed me out. It took all my willpower to remain conscious."

Jason shivered. If something that powerful was able to push away even the daughter of the underground, blessed by the goddess of magic, then it must be really dark and powerful magic.

"And you don't have any extra tidbits from the Slytherin common room?" Frank asked Piper hopefully.

She shook her head. "We're kind of trying to find who the heir is. What year he or she's in. Or if they even go to Hogwarts."

Annabeth nodded. "That's smart. Well, like I said, last time it was opened, someone died. So, if it attacks anyone this time, and you find out who it is, tell us immediately."

Percy's stomach rumbled. "Well, good talk everyone, now let's go to dinner?" he said brightly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "C'mon, pigmy shrew."

Nico raised an eyebrow at her. "Pigmy shrew?"

She nodded as they filed out the door. "It's the smallest mammal on earth, but they eat three times their own weight, and constantly. If it goes even an hour without eating, that'll mean certain death."

"Well, that would be a sucky way to die for Percy" Jason commented. "Imagine that- Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon, hero of Olympus, defeater of Kronos, survivor of the Pit, died from starvation of not eating for an entire hour."

They entered the Great Hall laughing, earning some strange looks from the students.

>>>•O•<<<

"Who can it be, though?" Harry, Hermione, and Ron were conversing quietly in an armchair in the corner of the Gryffindor common room. Surprisingly, Hermione had slammed her textbook shut and set it at her feet.

"Who'd want to frighten all the Squibs and Muggle-borns out of Hogwarts?" Jason exchanged glances with Percy, Nico, and Thalia. Annabeth was talking to Ginny at the armchairs near the fireplace.

"Let's think," Ron said in mock puzzlement. "Who do we know who thinks Muggleborns are scum?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "If you're thinking about Malfoy," he said, scooting in closer. Ron jumped slightly.

"Of course I am!" he exclaimed. "You heard him— 'you'll be next, mudbloods!' —come on, you've only got to look at his foul rat face to know it's him—"

"Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin, though?" Hermione looked at him skeptically.

"Look at his family," Harry said. "The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin; he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants. His father's definitely evil enough."

Jason frowned. "Slytherin aren't necessarily always evil—"

"Oh for goodness sakes!" Ron threw his hands up exasperatedly. "If you're talking about Piper—"

"She's not evil!" Jason argued.

"For now," Ron snapped back.

"There's no way to prove it!" Nico added in. "Theres also no way to prove Malfoy's the Heir of Slytherin either."

"There might be a way," Hermione said slowly, dropping her voice and glancing at Percy Weasley. "Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty school rules. I expect—"

"If, in a month or so, you feel like explaining, let us know, won't you?"

"Alright," Hermione said waspishly. "What we'd need to do is get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it's us."

"But that's impossible," Harry protested.

"No, it's not. All we need are some Polyjuice Potion," Hermione said knowingly. "Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago."

"Polyjuice potion?" Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like swamp water."

"It transforms you into somebody else. Think about it! We could change into three of the Slytherins—" she cut a glance at the demigods. "Eight would be too much," she explained.

Jason shook his head. "It sounds dangerous. We could just ask Piper to ask Malfoy, she could get him to spill."

Ron glanced at Harry and Hermione. "She's a Slytherin, though."

"Gods, are we going about this again?" Nico glared. "She's a good person who just so happened to be cunning!"

Ron shook his head. "You can't trust Slytherins. I say, your little girlfriend is going soft for them!"

Percy glared. "They just have a reputation for being bad!"

"And how do you think they developed that reputation?" Ron raised his voice. "By being evil! You-know-who came from that house. Salazar Slytherin himself made a monster to kill people like Hermione! And just look at Draco—"

"Look at Piper" Thalia countered. "She saved you guys when you were flying here. How many times did she charmspeak the car?"

"People change—"

Jason slammed his hands on the armrests. "Fine! Don't trust the girl who saved your life. Go make your stupid potion, without us." He stormed off to the boys dormitories, seething with anger.

Piper's a good person! He yelled in his head. She'd never go evil!

Jason flopped on his bed and pulled the curtains around him angrily. But a sliver of doubt had crept into his mind.