The Guardian

Chapter 47

Hermione's PoV

We watched as the younger girl crumbled before our eyes, every emotion being spit out, and all her feelings on display. Tears formed in my eyes, as I realized just how much she's been hurting, how much she's been keeping from us.

"The nightmares," She whimpered, "They hurt so bad,"

"Come here Lana," Ron said softly and she was swept into a loving embrace.

He hugged her tightly, comforting the tiny girl and rubbing her back soothingly as she sobbed into his shirt. I felt a little jealously creep into my stomach. Wait, jealousy? No way, I probably am just catching a cold, or maybe it's a pang of sympathy. Yeah! Of course it's a pang of sympathy, I mean the poor kid lost so much, I was just misreading my emotions. 

"Wow, I never knew that Ron could be comforting!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yeah, he has a very small emotional range," I said nodding, "I didn't think that comforting is one of them!"

"Me too," He said.

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed mock glaring at us.

I noticed that Lana fell asleep in his arms, and another pang of Sympathy wormed its way into my heart. 

"She wore herself out from all the crying," Ron whispered.

"Poor Lana, being deprived of her childhood like that," I whispered, I looked at Harry, "You as well Harry, but I feel like she has lost so much more,"

"She has," He nodded, "I mean, I didn't really have great childhood either, but it wasn't as bad as hers,"

"She's tense even when she's sleeping," Ron muttered brushing her hair off of her face.

Her lips started to move, and she started to repeat words, wait, names.

"Bianca, Zoe, Beckendorf, Michael, Silena, Luke," Were the only names that I could make out.

Lana jerked her arm out of Ron's grip, and Ron yelped.

"Shh!" I quieted him.

"Sorry, it startled me." He muttered.

Dark blood started to appear through her sleeve, and I gently took her arm, I rolled up her sleeve and saw a deep cut on her skin. It started to get longer before my eyes, and it stopped, and was probably 6 inches long! I gasped.

"Aguamenti!" I exclaimed pointing my wand towards her arm.

"Hermione, wh-?" Ron began, but shut his mouth abruptly when he saw the blood wash away, but the wound didn't heal.

"Wait, I thought it was going to heal her," Harry said.

"Me too," I said.

"I remembered that fact when the blood was washing away," Ron said.

"Thats because there was poison on the blade," Lana muttered as she woke up.

She looked down on her arm, "Oh look, I got a little scratch," She said.

"Little? Lana, it's huge," Ron said.

"Oh, no big deal," Lana said.

"No! It IS a big deal!" I exclaimed.

A 20 year old man strolled into the room and made a bee line towards Lana. He was handsome, being as tall and muscular and bronzed as a Baywatch lifeguard, with golden hair. His eyes were like molten gold, and he had  a beautiful golden bow and a quiver of magical arrows.

"Hey little cuz," He said to Lana, "You really need to be more careful,"

"Sorry that I couldn't be careful enough in my dream," She said dryly as she got up and embraced the man in a hug.

"Wait, thats still going on? You told me it wasn't!" He whined, "You lied to me,"

"And as the God of Truth you should be able to tell," She said sarcastically, "And LEAST I convinced Uncle Zeus to give you your powers back, after you LOST THEM,"

"Yeah I know, you NEVER let me forget," He said rolling his eyes.

"Mhm, and until I die you will hear it. And actually, after I die, I'll still get Uncle Hades to remind you," She said, "And we both know that he will. I'm his favorite niece!"

"Want to hear a haiku?" He asked me.

"No," She replied.

"Lana is awesome

Apollo is awesomer

I am amazing" He said and we face palmed.

"Awesomer isn't a word Pollo," Lana said.

Wait, this is Apollo? Hmm, he's more laid back that I thought he'd be.

"I don't care," He said stubbornly.

"Why are you here anyway Pollo?" She asked him.

"Is it a crime to see my baby cuz?" He asked.

"I'm not your baby cuz," Lana said.

"WELL I'm pretty sure that you ARE my youngest cousin, so you are my baby cuz," He said.

"Anyway, you wouldn't visit me without a good reason, Gods don't just drop in to see their cousins," Lana said.

"True," Apollo mused, "Yeah, you really did steal your brother's brains. Hmm, you know how rare it is to have a smart child of Poseidon?"

The ground rumbled and Lana smirked at Apollo.

"Pollo's in TROUBLE," She sang.

Apollo shrugged, "He'll forgive me EVENTUALLY,"

"Pollo, what do you want?" Lana asked him sternly.

"I think you're the only Demigod who can talk to us without us getting mad," Apollo said.

"Mhm," Lana said, "And give you nicknames,"

"Yes! I would curse anyone else who'd try to do that to me," Apollo said and Lana rolled her eyes.

"Sure you would," She said sarcastically.

"I need to tell you something, in private," He told her, "And don't worry, I'm not breaking any rules, this time,"