The Half-Blood Princes {Book 2}

Amortenia

Percy

Katie was going to be okay. She was in the hospital ward and Madam Pomphry was taking good care of her.

"It was Draco, I'm sure of it." Harry kept insisting. I learnt to zone him out. I figured that Draco needed to be given a break; not everything that happened in this school was his fault.

"Lay off it, Harry," I said one night. The week was almost over, the holidays were so close I could taste them. I was in the common room; Annabeth was asleep on my lap, Harry was in the corner doing some kind of potions homework and Ron was bent over a charms essay that was due tomorrow. "Draco didn't give Katie the necklace, stop blaming him."

"Percy, I saw him at The Three Broomsticks. He was there and he is definitely up to something." Harry went back to reading over his potion book. I rolled my eyes, I guess our conversation was over. Harry seemed to be attached to that small, broken book lately. Ever since he picked it up from the potion lesson at the beginning of the year, he's slowly started to grow more dependent on it. He's doing better than me in potions, and I'm the son of Poseidon!

"So, Ron, how's the essay doing?" I asked. I was bored and I needed someone to talk to, but everyone else was across the room. I couldn't be bothered to get up; I was perfectly comfortable with Annabeth's head on my lap.

"Don't talk to me. Concentrating." Ron mumbled without looking up from the parchment.

"Okay." We lapsed back into silence.

So boooorrrreeed.

Percy, Percy!

There was a voice in my head, probably from the boredom. It sounded like a radio with bad connection.

Percy, answer me!

Suddenly I recognised the voice.

"Grover!" I exclaimed. Harry looked up, surprised. Ron's grip on the quill tightened.

Oh thank the gods, you're not dead. I mean, I know that you're not dead, but I practically collapsed the other day and Juniper thought I went into a coma. I immediately thought about the empathy link that we never use and I freaked out. And then there's the time difference, which makes contact difficult and Chiron wouldn't let me use an Iris Message-

"You talk too much," I muttered, trying not to disturb Ron. "But I'm glad I can talk to someone."I glared at Harry. He looked at me like I was mad.

You have no idea how long it took for me to contact you. I thought you were dying! What in Hades happened?!

"I just got overtired, that's all."

You got overtired?! YOU GOT OVERTIRED? You made me COLLAPSE. In the MIDDLE OF CAMP. Percy, I am so mad at you you should be glad that I'm not standing next to you because so help me I would kill you until you died.

"But then you would be dead, stupid."

I don't freaking care, you need to take better care of yourself. I can't believe that you let yourself get 'overtired'.

I could hear the bitterness in his voice, even though it was in my head.

"Well, I'm okay now, no need to worry." I mumbled. "Oh, and I need to ask you something. Hang on, going to try to think it instead of say it because I think Harry is about to contact the psychiatric hospital."

Don't you dare change the subject-

Grover stopped. There was silence in my mind and I was scared he had left. Then he responded, and it was nothing more than a whisper.