Demigods at Hogwarts | the rescue mission ✔

43| Save You

I've been spending a lot of my time the past week just FREAKING OUT ABOUT THE NEW PERCY JACKSON DISNEY+ SERIES! Petition for Brendon Urie in a blond wig to be Apollo ;)

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Piper's POV

  The sun had already risen by the time we got back to our dormitory. Percy, Thalia, Leo, Hazel and Frank had chosen to get some rest and were fast asleep upstairs—only Nico and I remained awake in the common room. I knew that the morning bell would ring soon, but going to class was the last thing on my mind right now.

  I vaguely remembered seeing Hogwarts for the first time and thinking that this quest wouldn't be that bad after all. Three meals a day,  a beautiful campus, and beds where we could actually sleep in at night.

  I had been so wrong.

  I glanced over at Nico, who was sitting by the fireplace. He was twisting the silver skull ring on his finger—something I knew he did when he was nervous or confused. His shoulders were slumped, and he looked exhausted. I found myself silently wondering if he had gotten any sleep over the past few weeks.

  I was about to look away when the son of Hades turned around sharply, his gaze lingering on me for a moment. I felt my colour rush to my cheeks as I pretended to be interested in a strange antique that was placed on the tiny wooden table beside the armchair I was sitting in. 

  "You okay, Piper?" he said asked after a few seconds of awkward silence between the two of us. There was a hint of worry in his dark brown eyes as he stared at me, his brow furrowed. "You seem kinda...distracted."

  I shook my head, forcing a smile. "I'm fine. Just tired, that's all."  I hoped that I sounded convincing enough—the last thing I wanted was someone fussing over me. However, Nico didn't seem the least bit convinced.

  "I know you well enough to know that you're not okay," he pointed out. His expression softened. "I know you probably won't be comfortable sharing your feelings with me, but something's bothering you."  He reached out, resting his hand over mine. "I'm here if you need to talk."

  You swore to yourself that you would never tell anyone what happened that night.

  What's past is past, and reminding yourself about it won't help you heal.

  But looking up, I saw that Nico's eyes were hardened with determination. And that was when I realised that if there was one person who could help me, it was him.

  "Do you remember that boy, Noah Adams, at the Yule Ball?" I asked shakily, staring blankly at the blazing fireplace in front of us. Nico nodded, his face darkening. I half-expected him to say something, but the son of Hades stayed silent. I took a deep breath, fighting down the tears that were coming to my eyes. Maybe this was a stupid idea after all—but I had started, hadn't I? Now I had no choice but to tell Nico everything.

  "That night, he followed me up the stairs and into this dormitory." I continued, my voice breaking. "He locked us in, and he-" I choked back a sob as I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me. I leaned against Nico, doing nothing to stop the tears that were rolling down my cheeks. I wondered what it would look like if any one of our friends woke up and walked in on us right now.

  When we finally pulled away from each other, Nico's face was a mask of worry. I guess I must've looked pretty pathetic. "You should've told me sooner," he murmured into my ear. "No one should deal with something like that by themselves." He cleared his throat and stood up, anger blazing in his eyes. "We're going to McGonagall."

  I shrank back in my seat, shaking my head defiantly. "You are NOT telling anyone about this, do you understand?" The fact that I hadn't been able to defend myself against Noah was bad enough—I didn't want anybody else to know.

  Nico looked momentarily confused. "You can't just sit there and do nothing! Feelings rot if you bury them in your heart for too long." His voice was thick with pain, and I felt terrible for him. He had been ten when he lost his sister, the only person in the world who cared about him back then. Still, I was about to protest—until I remembered something Mom had said after pulling me aside to speak in private during our encounter at Charleston.

  A broken heart heals when we allow the healing to go as deep as the wound itself.

  Nico was right. The only way I could get over this was to confront the situation—even if it meant asking for help.

  "Okay," I responded reluctantly. "But you're backing me up on this." I added.

  Nico nodded seriously, a smile playing on his lips. "Like it or not, Piper—I'm always going to be here to back you up."