The Chosen Demigods

Chapter 57

HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Literally nothing interesting has happened in my life lately, so I have nothing to say. BUT JUST A QUESTION- do certain types of weather make you feel terrible? Cause cloudy days make me feel like a legit piece of trash. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY? It just happens.

Black Butler anyone?

ON WITH THE STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

Nico's POV

I turned on Hazel, slightly shell shocked. She just tore Piper's flesh open! I get she's possessed, but usually people have a fragment of their former personality present, even when a soul's possessing them. This was beyond weird. I gasped as I felt something slice into my arm, drawing blood. Hazel was firing curses at me. 

"Reducto!" I deflected another curse with my blade, my mind snapping back to attention. I gripped my blade tighter, and assumed a fighting stance. Hazel gave a little laugh, before charging toward me. 

We immediately clashed, her curses pounding me relentlessly, none of them hitting their target, but coming close. I tried to knock her wand out of her hands, but she sidestepped my swings, going 360 to face me again and fire another spell.  An evasive maneuver we'd learned at camp. 

So there was still a bit of her left. 

"Incendeo!" A burst of fire flew past my arm, narrowly missing me, and whizzed past Hazel's shoulder. She started, her eyes flashing brown, before reverting back to their stone-cold emerald. 

"Are you alright, Nico?" I nodded at Monica, who was drifting in my peripheral vision. Hazel growled at the dark-haired girl, before firing a bolt of violet light at her. She deflected it. 

I swung at her arm as Monica simultaneously threw a red beam of light at her. Hazel's eyes widened, and she deflected the curse, allowing me to leave a gash in her wand arm. 

"Gah!" She turned on me, eyes blazing, and yelled, "Crucio!" I tensed as the unforgivable curse blared my way, diving out of it's path at the last second. I felt my skin burn as the beam passed, before crashing into the floor. Within a second, I was on my feet again, facing Hazel, who was locked in a duel with Monica. 

They threw curses and spells at each other vigorously, their wands almost a blur. Despite our situation, I was impressed with how well Monica was holding together. The girl can't stand shadow traveling, but when it comes to duelling with a possibly evil spirit, she was amazing. However, it was obvious her resolve was slipping, her face flushed from the earlier curse. 

Hazel pushed forward relentlessly, her curses persistent. It was clear however, than her wand arms was struggling to move as fast as Monica's. I ran toward the two, swinging my blade in front of Hazels' curses. She tried to focus on me, but Monica kept throwing curses she had to deflect. 

I slashed at her forearm, guilt stabbing me in the chest as I heard her anguished screams. 

"Nico GET OUT OF THE WAY!" I jumped away from Hazel, without thinking. It wasn't Monica who'd screamed, it was Will.
"EXPULSO!" The curses ceased as Hazel's body was sent tumbling through the air by a blast of blue light. I gasped as it hit the huge stone statue behind it with a sickening crunch, and ran over. 

"Stay away from her!" What!? I whirled around to see Will standing next to Piper, looking at me with wide eyes. 
"She's my sister!" I spat out.
"She's possessed, Nico!" 
"HAZEL'S POSSESSED?"

"Uh, guys?" We turned to the weak voice to see Piper sitting up groggily. "I would appreciate it if you didn't make my already hurting head feel like it's splitting open." Aside from the fact we'd just tossed my sister into a stone wall, I was relieved that Piper was okay. We'd been specifically told not to use that spell by Hecate, and for good reason, apparently. 

"Piper!" Within an instant, Monica was by her side, asking her whether she was alright. Will walked over to me, wand in one hand and bow in the other. 

"C'mon, Nico." said Will grabbing my arm and tugging me along. I was tempted to jerk my arm away from his, but instead let him drag me away from the others. As soon as we were out of earshot, I turned on him. 

"What was that?" I hissed, furious. He turned to me, the glint of guilt in his eyes. 
"She wasn't going to stop, Nico."
"So? You can't just throw her into a wall!" I tried to keep my voice low to prevent the other's from hearing. He fidgeted, uncomfortable. 
"We had no other choice." I turned away from him, my throat burning. Yeah, it was necessary to stop her, and I know I'm being a bit selfish here, but I'd really prefer it if both my sister's didn't die from blunt impact. 

Will advanced toward Hazel's still body, wand out. When I realised her chest was rising and falling, I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding. At least she's not dead. 

Will kicked her wand away from her limp hand before kneeling down beside her.

"Pulse is a bit slower than usual..." He gently peeled her blood soaked sleeve from her arm and assessed the damage. He swore, immediately scooping Hazel up. 
"We need to get her to the hospital wing. You think you can shadow travel us?" I nodded, my throat suddenly dry.

"Guys? What's going on?" Piper's jaw fell open when she saw Hazel's limp body. "What happened to Haze?!"
"We'll explain later."
"You'd better!" We turned to Monica, who was staring at us, glasses astray. "I've kept my composure so far, but I may or may not be in shock right now."

"We can't leave yet." said Piper, frowning. "We still haven't figured out how to destroy the horcrux." Will and I exchanged glances. 

I walked toward the strange skeleton in the centre of the chamber, and walked to the head. Pieces of rotting flesh clung to the yellow bones, the smell intensified by the sewer water. I scrunched up my nose slightly. It smelt like the underworld. I surveyed the head. Seriously, it would've been really useful if the gods had told us what we were looking for, but noooo. 

However, only one thing looked sharp enough to actually pierce the locket. I knelt down beside the head, the knees of my jeans being penetrated by the freezing water. 

I tugged what looked like a fang from the jaw of the creature, and headed back to the Monica. 

"Try this." She looked at me oddly, before taking the fang, and reaching into the inner pocket of her robes. She pulled out the locket and laid it on the floor, it's metal glinting weakly. 

She took a deep breath, and plunged the fang into the locket.

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

A few moments later, we appeared outside of the hospital wing. Luckily, no-one was in the hallway. 

"Oh god." whispered Monica, glasses askew. "What just happened?" Will walked past us and slid into the hospital wing. I stared at the heavy doors, waiting for a reaction. 

"Uh... Madam Pomf-"
"WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME HAPPENED TO YOU????" 
"I'm fine, Hazel's kinda not-"
"WELL OF COURSE SHE'S BLOODY NOT CAN YOU SEE HER?"
"Well... Uh... Yeah?"
"..."
"Please don't tell me there are more of you." Piper popped her head through the door. 

"FOR DUMBLEDORE'S SAKE-"