The Chosen Demigods

Chapter 43

HEY!!!!!!!!!!

So I've pretty much given up on trying to update twice a week... sorry about that. But I'll try to keep it to once a week minimum. School holidays have started here in NZ, I'm not sure if it's the same for everywhere else, but if it is, hope you guys in the northern hemisphere have a nice summer break! I'll just be here next to the south pole freezing my feet off. 

ON WITH THE STORY! (Wow I am really lazy.)

..............

Piper's POV

I looked down at Hazel's sleeping figure impatiently. How in Hades was she still asleep? I groaned, and sat down on her blue bedspread. It was the Saturday before Halloween, and the entire castle was getting ready. I for one, was really excited. 

"Hazel." she didn't stir. "Hazel!" I said in a sing-song voice. She groaned, and rolled over, burying herself in her blanket. I glanced around. There were other people in the room, so charmspeak's out. 

I looked down at Hazel and an idea flashed across my mind.  I stifled a laugh as I leaned down beside her ear, and drew in a deep breath.
"HAZEL LEVESQUE!!!"
"GAH!!" she flailed around, trying to get out of her blankets -which only resulted in her getting more tangled. I laughed and fell back onto her bed. She managed to untangle herself and glared at me. 
"Piper!" I smiled cheekily. 
"Yes?" she groaned, and collapsed against her headboard. 

"I'm going back to sleep." she muttered leaning down. My eyes widened. Oh hell no. 
"No you are not! I almost failed because I didn't write that essay, and now Professor Sinestra wants one. Please help me! I suck at Arithmancy!" Hazel stared at me for a few seconds, before chuckling and nodding. 
"Okay." she said swinging her legs out of bed. Thank the gods. 

..............

"Look at the key, Piper. It really isn't that hard." said Hazel rolling her eyes. Nico stared at her in shock. 
"Uh, yes it is. You're just lucky." Will laughed at his boyfriend, and looked up from his book. 
"Come on, Nico, it really isn't." Nico groaned, and picked up his quill. 
"Whatever." I stared at the two and smiled softly. Even though I'm pretty sure the Slytherins knew they were dating, I'm surprised the whole school hasn't figured it out yet. 

"Uh, Pipes? Earth to Piper!" I jolted out of my reverie and looked at Hazel, who was about to hit me in the face with a book. What the- I jerked my head away from the large volume, causing Nico to snicker. I glared at him. 

"Relax beauty queen." said Will jotting something down. I sighed, and turned back to the blue book if front of me. 

Despite Hazel and Will's protests, arithmancy was hard. I understood the concept, if you looked at it logically, it was pretty easy. You figure out someones number, (which is dependent on their name) and then you use those to predict what they're like, or what they're future will hold. It's also pretty useful when it comes to matchmaking, because sometimes certain peoples numbers add up to- Nevermind. The point is, the concept is easy, but using it isn't. Sometimes I'd calculate peoples numbers wrong, or look at the wrong translation. 

I laid my head on the table and closed my eyes. 
"This is impossible." I mumbled. I closed my eyes, and started taking in the sounds of the library. I could smell Will's ink from here, and the whole place was filled with quiet chatter and shuffling feet. The musty smell of unused parchment dominated the space, along with a dusty carpet smell. (Quick side rant, is anyone else a bookworm with dust allergies? Cause I am and the struggle is real.) 

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Nico looking at me. 
"You good Pipes?" I nodded, and sat up again. 
"I'm going to look for something." I said standing up, pushing my chair out. 

I walked through the everlasting shelves of the library, scanning the leather bound titles. You-know-who had an looming presence over the rest of the school, despite the fact that students didn't always let it show. But the library was pretty much the same. Quiet and still, but buzzing with energy and knowledge. Books waiting to spill their secrets, students scrambling for something to keep them afloat through their ever-increasing workload, and-

"Excuse me?" I was dragged back to reality by a sharp voice piercing the silence. I whirled around to see that I was being towered over by a tall lady wearing an even taller hat. Her beedy brown eyes almost made her thin face look kind, apart from the fact they were scrutinizing me, desperately trying to find a reason to give me detention. I gulped. 

"H-hello Madam Pince." 
"Hello dear." she said in a clear clipped tone. "May I ask why you were standing in the middle of this aisle for more time than necessary?" My mouth hung open slightly as I searched for an excuse. 
"I was looking for a book." I said, my throat going unbearably dry. Her stern expression melted off her face, instantly being replaced with a smile. 
"Of course, how silly of me. Do you need any help?" I nodded, startled by her change of tone.

"What topic?" she asked leading me into a gap between the shelves. 
"Uh..." I scratched the back of my neck. If I told her, she might get suspicious. "Just something extra about hogwarts. Like, facts?" She looked at me confused. 
"Like the ones in Hogwarts A History?" I shook my head. 
"Moreover things that aren't as important. Like hidden classrooms, mistakes... that kind of thing." Madam Pince's brow furrowed. I chuckled. "Just background reading."

"I think I might have something..." she turned around, and walked a few shelves down. I stood there for a second, before jogging to catch up with her. I watched from the walkway as she browsed the shelves, muttering to herself. She stopped, a small smile gracing her features, and then pulled a book out from the shelves. 

"Here." she said pushing a green volume with a worn out cover into my hands. "Would you like me to issue it for you?" I nodded, and followed her to the desk. A few minutes later, I walked back to the others with the book in hand.

"That means nothing." said Nico writing down a snippet from one of his books. Will groaned. 
"Yes it does! You can't just do that to the gods, Nico." The italian shrugged. 
"Hey Pipes." said Hazel as I sat down. "What'cha got there?" I smiled. 
"Something that will hopefully help us find a hiding spot." I said as I brushed dust of the emerald cover. 

"Piper!" I frowned, and looked to my left to see Selena running toward us. Okay, something's wrong. Selena was a sucker for rules, and was always reminding us to be quiet in the library. And now she's running through it yelling for us. 

I stood up as she reached our table, and was shocked to see that the green eyed girl was on the verge of tears. 

"Selena?" said Hazel standing up. "What wrong?" she walked over to her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 
"It's Cayden." she said with a trembling voice. "He-" she took a shaky breath. "He got detention, and he didn't tell us." she gulped. "They..." I exchanged looks with Nico, recalling what Hecate had said. His eyes were filled with worry, and he was gripping Will's hand. The cruciatus curse. The death eaters had used the cruciatus curse on Cayden. 

Will stood up. "Lead the way."