Crossroads of Two Worlds

40-Quidditch Casualties

(Above is Nalani Faye, Alana's mother)

Before I woke up fully I could hear voices buzzing around me, whispering and mumbling as if they were trying not to wake me.

I opened my eyes to see my entire Quidditch team surrounding my bed, in addition to Kaley, Albus, and Scorpius. James helped me to sit up against the headboard when I tried to push myself up. I noticed that I still wore my Quidditch practice uniform and so did the rest of the team, so I couldn't have been out that long.

"What happened?" I asked no one in particular.

"We were practicing and our drill went wrong, and-"

I cut off Tristan, "I remember that part, what happened after I fell?"

"You hit a rock," James said bluntly, "You whammed your head on a rock and we all flew down to you but you were already out and because you were bleeding so bad, we took you up here to the hospital wing."

I shrugged and cracked my neck on either side, "Fair enough."

Frank blurted out from my left, "Aren't you mad at us?"

Confused, I looked at the kind, brown-haired boy, "No, why would I be?"

"We both hit you and that's why you fell!"

I chuckled, "I'm fine, guys! Don't worry about it, seriously."

Even then, neither Frank nor the rest of the team could meet my eyes so I sighed, "Honestly, guys! I'm not dead, and once I'm healed it'll be like nothing happened. Aren't you all supposed to be packing for the holidays?"

They all looked around at each other and then back to me guiltily. I had no doubt that they all didn't want to be packing. Gryffindors, brave and chivalrous as we may be, are not the best at being productive, on time, or prepared.

"Go! I'm fine, really."

They all shuffled away from my bed and out the door to the hospital wing, leaving only Kaley and Rose by my bed.

"Alana," Rose started cautiously, looking strangely guilty.

"What?"

Rose and Kaley looked at each other but neither said a word, and neither met my curious gaze.

"What is it guys, honestly?"

"We saw your scar," Kaley blurted out quickly, then pointed at my chest that was currently covered by my practice robes, "The one by your heart."

I leaned forward, "Gods! Did any of the others see it?"

"I tried to cover it in time, but some of the team landed before me and your robe had fallen off that shoulder," Rose said, clasping her hands in front of her body, "I think James saw it, I think Belle saw it... but that's not the point, Alana."

I looked between her and Kaley, "Oh, well, what is the point?"

"You didn't tell us, Alana! We didn't even know that scar existed! The one on your leg, yes, but not this." Kaley raised her voice and I could see her despair on her face.

I fiddled with the end of my braid, "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but-"

"No, Alana, we're not mad!" Rose's eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to my bed and I leaned away from her.

"Why are you looking at me like that if you're not mad..."

Kaley sighed, "Alana, we've been so focused on my problems, about being a seer, that Rose and I didn't even stop to ask how our best friend's summer went at a camp that trains people to fight and survive monsters."

"Well, figuring out your problems seemed more important, I guess. Honestly guys, I'll tell you all about my summer, if you want me to. It just seemed like we had better things to do."

Kaley sat down on the end of the bed and Rose in the chair next to my head.

Kaley put her hand on my leg, "I want to hear about your summer, Alana. We both do."

A smile lit up my face at her genuine kindness and concern, and I began telling my wizarding friends the tales of my demigod adventures.

I told them all about the people who'd disappeared from camp and how we didn't know anything at all about what we were setting out to vanquish when we left Long Island. I mentioned the train ride and the smelly dude who'd been the one to scar me and how we'd spend the night in a barn. After about twenty minutes, I got to how I met Hades in my dream on yet another train, and we soon after, stole a car and went to Spokane, where we were greeted by all bunch of Grim Reaper-types. I ended with getting back to camp and finding that the disappeared people had returned.

Both of them sat there speechless and stared at me after I finished my tales of heroism. I grinned at their awestruck expressions and shrugged, "You wanted to hear about my summer!"

"I guess we'll have to get used to hearing things like this, then won't we?" Rose asked, her eyes still a bit wider than usual.

I nodded, "I probably could have watered it down, but I thought you wanted the truth, so there you go. Now get me out of this bed."

"But the nurse said-" Kaley protested.

I began getting out of the bed myself, "I don't really care what that enslaver said, I'm leaving."

She and Rose both grabbed my by an elbow and we escaped the Hospital wing running, me still in my Quidditch uniform, all three of us giggling at the woman behind us in her nurse uniform, trying to catch us like we were stray dogs.

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

My mum greeted me at King's Cross Station with a hug and a bag of my favorite American Candy: M&M's. She smiled at my pure delight when I saw the bag and we left to go home in our older model car that she couldn't bear to get rid of.

I babbled about school the entire way home. That is, until I promptly fell asleep against the cool window and I felt my mum's hand brushing back my hair.

I dreamt of camp.

I was in my cabin at Camp Half-Blood, snuggled in my reading nook with a cup of tea in my hand and a book in my lap. At first, I just thought it was a pleasant, though somewhat random, regular dream. Until I saw my father sitting in the chair opposite me. I hadn't seen him before, but I knew it was him right away, not because of his Ancient Greek armor or lightning spear, but because of his eyes. Electric blue, just like mine.

"Daughter, I have a mission for you."

I raised my eyebrows at his demanding statement, "Wait up, Dr. Doom, aren't you even going to say hello? How about 'sorry I didn't contact you for twelve years?' I'm clearly dreaming so we would have enough time for that."

His facial expression didn't change. I guess my sense of humor didn't come from the paternal end of my family.

"There is no time to waste, Alana. Not even while you're dreaming. People are going to die if you do not follow the correct path."

That shut me up faster than a duct tape gag.

"Why? What's happening?" I asked.

He didn't move a muscle, but his eyes bored holes in mine, "Typhon has risen from Tartarus."

"You mean the dude with like fifty dragons coming out of his neck? The father of all monsters? Husband of Echidna, the mother of all monsters? That guy?"

"Yes, and you are the only one on earth with enough power to stop him from raising up hundreds of other monsters."

I really wished that he would be playing a huge prank on me, but at the same time, I knew that this wasn't the type of person to play practical jokes, and certainly not to this scale. I knew he was telling the truth, and if I was the only one with enough power to stop this catastrophe...

"Well... bollocks."