A Killer Among Us

Chapter 7

Nico
We all sat in separate areas in the library, not talking to each other. Hazel was leaning against me, her head on my shoulder. Her eyes were closed and she was still shaking. Will walked towards me, crouching down.
"Is she still in shock?" He asked. I just nodded.
"Yeah." I muttered.
"Maybe you should go to the cafeteria and bring back something to eat. Sugar helps with shock. Also, I don't think anyone wants to admit it, but I think we're all hungry." He attempted a smile, but it looked more like a grimace.
"Alright. I'll go now." I stood up and Hazel looked at me.
"I want to come with. The tension is too much to bear." She told me. I nodded, helping her up. Reyna was sitting alone, glaring at the ground in a dark corner. I went over to her.
"Do you want to come too?" I asked.
"Where?" She questioned, looking suspiciously at me.
"To go get food at the cafeteria." I answered. She shrugged and got up.
"See you in a bit." Will went to the others again as we left the large, book filled room. The three of us walked in silence, Reyna and my flashlight lighting up the path.
"Here we are." I said, pushing the large doors open. "Grab as much as we can carry." I commanded, heading to the large table covered in cereal, fruit and snacks.
"I need the bathroom." Reyna muttered. Hazel put down the fruit she was holding.
"I'll come with." She said softly.
"I'll wait here." I said, rolling my eyes.
Why do girls go to the bathroom in packs?
"Are you sure you'll be okay? I don't want you getting hurt." Hazel looked at me, worry shining in her golden eyes. I smiled.
"I'll be fine, Hazel. You don't have to worry about me." I assured her. She paused for a moment, before the two girls walked away, leaving me alone in the cafeteria. I started gathering food, whirling around when the doors swung open. Octavian walked in.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Relax. I'm just going to the bathroom." He rolled his eyes. He left through the doors on the other side of the room, the one Reyna and Hazel had just gone through. I was left alone once again. I heard a door close somewhere down the corridor, so I turned around again. Silence again.
"Hazel?" I called. A few moments later, the door opened, Hazel standing there with Reyna's flashlight in her hand.
"Did you call me?" She asked.
"Is Reyna done yet?" I asked impatiently. Hazel gave me a small smile.
"Nearly." She came towards the table, helping me pick out a few things to take back with.
"Here. Apparently sugar helps with shock." I offered her a chocolate bar. She took it, giving me another smile.
"Thanks." I heard the sounds of footsteps, so I looked around to see Reyna come in.
"Thanks for waiting for me." She said sarcastically, taking the flashlight from Hazel again. She helped us carry the food back to the library.
"We're back." I said to no one in particular.
"Oh good. Took your time." Will muttered.
"Whatever." I said back, dropping the food on a table.
"Where's Octavian?" Jason asked.
"At the bathroom. He should be back soon." I answered, sitting down and grabbing a cool drink.
Except he wasn't...
Half an hour later, he still wasn't back. Everyone was now worried.
"Maybe we should go look for him." Calypso suggested.
"Do you think maybe..." Piper trailed off, looking uneasy and kind of terrified.
"Maybe he's dead?" I finished for her. She swallowed nervously, nodding slightly.
"Calypso's right. We should go look for him." Percy agreed, giving me a look that said,
"Don't make them feel any more scared."
I just shrugged in an apologetic way.
"Okay. Let's go."
"Where did you see him last?" Percy asked me.
"I was in the cafeteria. He was going to the bathroom." I answered as we all exited the library.
"Then we should start there first." Percy led the group to the cafeteria.
"Octavian?" Piper called, looking around uneasily. No answer.
"Let's try the toilets then." Frank suggested. We went through the doors, a crack of thunder rattling my bones.
"The storm's still pretty strong, hey?" I muttered to Will. He just nodded. Hazel paused, her eyes fixed on something at the end of the hallway. She trained her light on the object, a glint of something gold catching my eye.
"What is it?" She asked. Hazel quickened my pace until she reached the object. She knelt next to it with a gasp, her eyes widening. I hurried after her, looking in shock at the object. It was a large gold trophy, lying on its side as if it had been discarded. The thing that caught my attention most though, was the blood and bits of gore staining the otherwise gleaming award.
No.
Hazel's hands trembled as she gently picked it up. She bit her lip.
"Oh god..." She whispered, tears filling her eyes. The trophy fell from her shaking hands. I continued walking around the corner. What I saw almost made me vomit. Octavian lay on his stomach, his head turned to the side. A large pool of blood surrounded him, dried blood sticking to the back of his head. His skull had obviously been fractured, bits of his brain and some other fluids oozing from the large avulsion on his head.
"Hey, what's wrong..." Will trailed off as he caught up to us, seeing the gruesome scene in front of us.
"Oh no." He muttered. Soon everyone had come as well. Piper looked a little green. Will knelt next to the body. He didn't need to feel for a pulse. It was obvious he was dead. Will studied the scene for a few moments.
"Someone hit him over the back of his head with the trophy." He finally concluded. "Judging by the different fractures on his skull, the killer hit him multiple times.
"Why is this happening?" Hazel whimpered. She had gone really pale. No one could say anything.
"Let's get back. This is making me sick." Piper groaned, holding her stomach.
Another one is dead... but who is behind it?