Demigods at Hogwarts | the rescue mission ✔

19| Physical Intimacy

Percy's POV

  "Where are we even going?" I grumbled as Skeeter lead me through a dark alleyway. "This is a junkyard." I wasn't exaggerating at all—stacks of old furniture were piled up in a corner while empty bottles of wine were scattered across the ground. I could hear the scuffling of rats as they darted here and there, scavenging any remaining bits of food. Even Tartarus was cleaner than this.

  Skeeter opened the door of a cupboard and gestured for me to enter. "No way," I said as soon as I peered inside. "That cupboard is filthy. And I'm claustrophic." I lied, hoping that I sounded convincing enough. Unfortunately, lying had never been one of my strengths, and the reporter didn't seem to buy it the slightest bit.

   She rolled her eyes. "Just get in there. We don't have all the time in the world." She pushed me inside, and then entered herself. The cupboard was, surprisingly, more spacious than I thought it would be—there was enough room for five or six people to fit inside comfortably.

  "Lumos," Rita Skeeter whispered, flourishing her wand. Light filled the cupboard, and I realized that not only was it spacious, it was also clean. Two chairs were facing each other, and refreshemnts were stationed on a little desk alongside two cups of Butterbeer.  I guessed that this was where the reporter usually conducted her interviews.

  "Have a seat, Percy Jackson," Skeeter purred. "I'm just going to ask you a few questions. You'll be on your way to school in a blink of an eye. Literally." she added, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Now, first...what made you enter the Tournament?"

  I gulped. I had expected this question, but it didn't make me less wary of it. I tried to imagine myself telling her the truth—I'm the son of the greek god Poseidon, and I entered this tournament to save my girlfriend, who has been kidnapped by some unknown sinister force. By the way, all my friends have superpowers and we stopped an apocalypse from happening last year.

"I guess I wanted to challenge myself," I replied as smoothly as possible. "It is a once in a lifetime opportunity, after all."

  Rita Skeeter nodded, looking satisfied. After all, it was probably the stereotypical answer you would expect from someone who looked like a skater boy-jock. "How do your parents feel about you joining the Tournament?"

   I stifled a laugh, trying to imagine my father sitting in his palace under the sea, worrying about me. "Frantic. But they're proud of me, of course." Hopefully, this was true—I wondered if my mom knew anything about me joining the Tournament. Hogwarts and Manhattan suddenly seemed worlds away.

  "You know that there is a Yule Ball right after the First Task, and each champion is required to take a girl to the dance, right? Who will you take?" Skeeter stared at me intensely, her green eyes glittering. This seemed to be the one and only thing she was really curious about.

  "Er," I hesitated. No one had told me about this "Yule Ball", and I suspected my friends didn't know either. Or maybe they did, but were terrified of telling me that I had to dance with a girl that was not Annabeth. Hey, I was a loyal guy!

"My girlfriend is back in America. She wasn't invited to go to Hogwarts, so I'm not sure who I'll take." I began nervously, fidgeting in my seat. Please don't ask for details, please don't ask for details-

    "Interesting," Skeeter said abruptly, loweing her spectacles so that she could ogle at me more. What's her name? What's your relationship like? Have you dated any other girls? How much time do you spend together each week? Have you been physically intimate with her before?"

     I winced, staring down at my feet shyly. "Her name is Annabeth. We are very close, mostly because we've been through a lot together. I have'nt dated any other girls, though I've once been close friends with a girl named Rachel, but that was when I was sixteen." Somehow, talking about Annabeth wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. "We plan on applying for the same university, and we go to summer camp together, so we are together for at least eight hours every week. And I'm, um, not going to answer the last question."

  Rita was now scribbling ferociously. "All written down. How do you feel about the tasks? Excited? Nervous? Determined?"

  Finally, an easy question. "A bit nervous, but mostly excited and confident because I really want to  win this thing." For different reasons than you think, of course, I added silently in my mind.

  "And my final question..." Rita Skeeter murmured. "Ah, yes. What do you think about Hogwarts?"

   "It's amazing," I quickly answered, my tone sincere. "I love it a lot, and it's very different from the hustle and bustle of New York City. Of course, I miss my friends." It was true—my heart ached for Camp-Half-Blood's Capture The Flag Friday nights, campfire sing-a-longs, and the daily training sessions. "Now may I please get going? I really need to get back to school."

  Rita Skeeter looked up from her notepad. "Of course." she said eagerly, stuffing her scribbled notes back into her purse. She fished a pocket watch out of her handbag and pressed it into my palm. "This is a Portkey. It will magically transport you back to Hogwarts. It should be safe." She pursed her lips together, looking doubtful. "I think."

  I didn't trust this woman, but I held on to the Portkey anyways. It would take forever to catch a carriage back to school, and I couldn't risk getting in trouble with McGonagall, or worse, Snape. Anyways, how dangerous could it be?

Suddenly, I felt a tugging sensation in my gut as the world around me started spinning. Soon, Rita Skeeter's face became a blur, and so did my surroundings. Feeling lightheaded, I stumbled backward and hit my head against the wall. Maybe this was a bad idea after all.

   But before I could say another word, everything went dark.