Heroes at Hogwarts

twenty-two | Christmas and packing

piper

Annabeth had never seemed more ADHD. Ever since Percy left, she'd been hustling around camp, reading faster than Piper had ever seen, and fidgeting when she had to sit still. She even had trouble leading the head counselor meetings now without Percy by her side. 

"He's never been gone this long," Annabeth argued.

"He was gone for eight months last year, 'beth," Piper reasoned. "It's only been four."

Piper hadn't been having the same problems. Maybe it was because her and Jason hadn't been together as long as Percy and Annabeth, or maybe because they hadn't grown up together like the two Greeks. Either way, Piper hadn't really felt a change when Jason left. There were moments where she'd turn to tell a joke and no one would be there, or times she would lean back, expecting to hit his chest, and she'd never meet it. But it felt like she was missing her best friend instead of her boyfriend. She hadn't brought those problems up with anyone...not even Annabeth. 

"If Annabeth, Nico, Reyna, Rachel, Piper, Calypso, and Leo would meet me on the porch," Chiron spoke up over the chatting demigods, "that would be amazing."

Piper bid Mitchell goodnight and left him in charge of their siblings- which Drew didn't like, but had learned to live with. She met up with Calypso and Leo and they walked to the big house's porch together.

"So," Leo started, "have you packed?"

Piper stilled. "Oh, Hades... no!"

"Piper!" Cal laughed. "We leave tomorrow!"

Piper had not realized this. Between running the Aphrodite cabin and helping out in the infirmary, she'd been too busy to do much else. "Is it really that week already?"

Calypso laughed while Annabeth, Nico, and Reyna came in.

"What's the fuss?" Annabeth asked.

"Pipes hasn't packed!" Leo said. "She's got like ten hours to do so!"

"Piper!" Annabeth chided.

"I didn't even know Christmas was this week!" Piper argued. "You guys should keep me up to date!"

"Yeah," Nico mumbled, "because that's how that works." Reyna nudged him.

"Don't worry," Reyna said, "I haven't packed either."

Reyna and Rachel had been late additions to the team. Chiron had decided to send them after a particularly nervous call from Will and Percy. Neither boy nor Chiron would tell them what was going on, only that they should be ready for anything... and that Jason, Frank, and Hazel hadn't been present for the call. Piper had asked Percy about it the week before, after Jason his first quidditch game (she still didn't know what that was) she'd called to talk, but her boyfriend hadn't been around. They'd learned to call Hagrid's hut, because if the five weren't in there then it wasn't a good time to call. And Hagrid loved to take messages. 

When she'd called, she'd only gotten Percy. He was sitting alone and dejectedly on Hagrid's large sofa and staring at his hands. He looked on the brink of tears, which Piper had never seen before. Once she got him talking, he'd steered them away from the topic every time she brought it up. The two things she got out of him were (1), that the three Romans were in fact alive, and (2), that there really was no reason to be worried. 

He'd said the second one with a strained voice, and Piper hadn't mentioned the call to anyone either. 

Chiron and Rachel came into the room. Rachel took the seat next to Annabeth and the two started chatting about something in low tones that Piper couldn't hear.