The last days (hp+pjo)

11. No one mourns the wicked

Percy's death was kept a secret. The other students who asked were simply told he had  a serious case of dragon pox, and was in quarantine. Everybody just assumed Annabeth would be with him. So classes went on as normal.  The four other students who knew the truth were forbidden to tell anybody. Harry and Ron of course told Hermione, but she didn't believe them. No one could die on school grounds out of the blue, it said in Hogwarts a History that  all students had mandatory checks by the nurse if even the slightest thing was off. She assumed he just dragon pox like McGonagall told her.  

Nico  explained everything  to Thalia right after he woke. She told him about Annabeth's current state. Nico was worried Annabeth wouldn't go back to normal. He definitely couldn't tell her what he was almost certain would happen to Percy.  Nico was one of the very few mortals or demigods who knew what happened to someone when the broke an oath on the Styx. Most people couldn't handle even hearing the details. That's why Nico  couldn't tell Annabeth the truth, that all Percy's good deeds would mean nothing. He had no chance at even the fields of Asphodel. He would get a punishment worse than Tantalus. Nico was so  deep in thought in DADA, his second class, he didn't realize that  Professor Dumbledore  was right in front of him, calling his name. 

"Nico, Nico,Niiiiiccccooo"

The ghost king jumped straight out of his thoughts. He collected him self for a moment. "Yes, Professor?"

"Please follow me to my office. I have a few questions to ask you." Dumbledore started to walk out the door. Nico grabbed his bag and followed him. The Professor lead Nico to a statue of gargoyles. He mumbled "Sugar quills"     The gargoyles moved to reveal  a stair case. Nico followed  him up the stairs. When they entered the room Nico saw it was filled portraits of what he presumed were  previous headmasters. The current one motioned for him to sit in a chair. Nico obliged.

"Tea? Cockroach cluster? Biscuit? I'm rather fond of the clusters myself, they have a delicious flavor."

"No thank  you sir. I'm good. Why have you called me to your office? What was so urgent it simply couldn't wait until after class?"

Dumbledore sighed." As I'm sure you know, Percy died last night in the Gryffondor common room. You were reported out of bed for a very long time. Do you know anything about how he died?"

"I don't see any reason to answer your question, but I'll humor you. Yes, I was out of bed last night, but I had nothing to do with Percy's death. I could hardly imagine what could have killed him, but it could have been anything." Nico thought of Annabeth. He had to go see soon. He doubted she would last that long without knowing what had happened to her seaweed brain.  His brain felt a bit odd. Like someone was going through his thoughts. He immediately thought of his  DADA and how he wished he could have remembered where he put his essay. He put up a mental wall to his past. 

"Nico, it's rude to lie. I know you know something about Percy's death. I'd really like to not go through your head, but I guess I have to. Nico felt Dumbledore tiring to get through his mental block. So naturally, Nico did the same. The  professor was older then he looked, Nico found, and a bit too old. He was one of the escaped souls from when the doors of death were opened. Nico stood up.

"How dare you? How dare you come back?"

The professor paled at the ghost king's yelling. He got out of Nico's head. "What are you talking about?"

Nico was furious. He fought the urge to send the man back right then and there. The air grew colder. The candles and sunlight dimmed.  "It's time you know who I am. I Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. I am the Ghost King. You have five minutes to tell Minerva that she's Headmistress and that you're going on a little trip with me.   Then I'm taking you right were Percy went, only deeper. I will personally make sure you're punished or the rest of time. Go. NOW." 

Dumbledore ran out the door. He did exactly what Nico told him, and came straight back. Nico gathered all his paperwork for the unregistered ghosts he had been working on. He had to have something to show his Father that he wasn't useless. Hades had warmed up a bit to Nico, became a bit nicer. He had stopped saying he liked Bianca better.  It  just bothered Nico that he had gone through with the human skull decor thing in Nico's room. He figured Hades had to do something to pass the time, and apparently he did that by preparing a room for his soon to be dead son. Nice of him. 

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Thalia rejoined the hunt a day after Percy died. She hated to leave Annabeth like that, but Lady Artemis had caught a lead on a huge beast. She need her lieutenant back as soon as possible.  She said goodbye to Annabeth, and she assumed that Annabeth heard her, but Athena's daughter  didn't move.  She also made sure to tell the meddling trio to leave Annabeth alone, and to watch their backs. Someday she might just come back for revenge, or Annabeth might kill them.  Hermione didn't seem to heed her advice, and questioned Thalia as she packed. 

"What do you mean, Watch our backs? Is that a threat? Why are Ron and Harry saying Percy's dead? Did he die? Where's Annabeth in all this? When did this all happen? What happened? Why are you leaving? Where was Nico last night? " 

Thalia scowled."More like a warning.  I have no idea how Annabeth will be after this. She already had nightmares.  They couldn't stay apart for more then a few hours with out one of them freaking out.  Listen, I've known Annie since she was seven. She didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve it. I have no idea how she'll respond to Percy leaving her. She's strong, the strongest person I know, but I don't think anybody's strong enough to deal with this. Ok?"

Hermione stayed quiet for a few minutes after that.When she spoke again, she whispered, "Why is it so bad? What was so bad they couldn't stay apart? "

Thalia didn't answer her question.  Once she finished packing, she sighed. Her eyes softened a bit . She looked the other girl straight in the eye,with  the softest tone she'd ever used, " Try to distract her will you? Keep her from killing herself.  There's a sliver of hope that she might find someone else. She'll have nightmares, nightmares far beyond your worst ones. Tell her it's okay to explain the family to you. She needs a true friend in this. Keep Ron and Harry away from her. Promise me, please that you'll do this. That you'll be her friend."

Thalia was on the verge of crying. Hermione was shocked. She felt how deeply Thalia cared for Annabeth. She spoke without thinking. "Yes. I promise I'll be  her friend if she let's me. I won't let you down. "

"Thank you." Thalia said simply. The words meant so much more then they usually did when she said them.  They meant eternal gratitude and debt. They meant trust, and belief in the other girl. Thalia was putting her trust in Hermione to keep Annabeth safe. She was the hunter's last and only hope.  The daughter of the sky left Hogwarts with those words. 

  She wished she could have said that to the school, but she couldn't. She had lost a friend here, maybe two. Annabeth was like her little sister. She hoped Hermione kept her word.  She wondered how it would be when all her  demigod friends died, hopefully of old age, if this would be how it's like. Friend's deaths hadn't been this hard before. Hopefully only Jason's would be this bad. She tried to clear her head of those thoughts as she flew on a Pegasus to meet her Lady. She whispered, " I'll miss you kelp head." Right when the castle was about to disappear into to sunset. 

//am I evil? sorry about killing off percy and all that ..... but some things have to be done. Thank you for reading, commenting , and voting! updates will be less often since school started, but I'll keep updating this. 

Trivia: Name one of the passwords to get into the Gryffindor common room!