Chapter 10

Andromeda

Hello! Sorry that I forgot to update sooner, but I just got back to school, and since I missed a couple days, I had to do tons of make-up work. But, I finally got this chapter written, so I'll stop blabbering and let you enjoy!

That night, I had a dream.

Now, I know you've heard of demigods having strange dreams, but this was different from the creepy ones my father had described to us before bed (we had the strangest nightmares as children). This seemed much too realistic.

I saw the view of a park. There were kids running around and generally enjoying themselves on a warm day, most likely in the middle of summer.

The picture zoomed up on a tiny figure standing beneath a willow tree. There was a cloak hiding its entire body, so I couldn't get a proper view of its face.

The figure suddenly looked up at a passing bus. It lifted up its hand, revealing extremely pale skin. It snapped its fingers, and the bus almost immediately crashed into the side of a building.

I could almost feel the evil smirk splaying across the figure's lips before it turned and disappeared into the shadow.

Line Break

I sat up in bed, breathing heavily. I could feel the sweat pouring down my face, and I was shaking violently.

Looking around, I saw that the other four girls were still fast asleep, and that the sun was just starting to peek over the mountaintops in the distance.

I got out of my bed shakily, grabbed my uniform, and went to the bathroom. I took a nice, warm shower and then got dressed.

I honestly hated the school uniform. Charcoal grey was boring; though I was grateful that girls didn't have to wear skirts. The cloaks got in the way when you walk, and the shoes are clunky and unfashionable! (Oh gods; I think Aphrodite has finally gotten to me.)

After I'd gotten all ready, I decided to Iris Message my parents. I wasn't even clear on the whole concept of "owl travel", and the owls still wanted to peck my father's eyes out (NEVER marry a daughter of Athena without her mother's approval, boys), so I thought it would be easier to contact them the demigod way.

Throwing a drachma into the mist (which just happened to have the faintest of rainbows in it), I chanted, using the "direct line", "Oh Fleecy, do me a solid. Show me Percy and Annabeth Jackson, 4180 Seaview Way, Long Island, New York, USA."

I was very exact, just for safety (I accidently Iris Messaged a poor, confused African boy who just happened to live by the sea on a very long island), and, sure enough, a picture of my sleeping parents appeared in the mist.

"Mom! Dad! WAKE UP!" I yelled, rather loudly. Boy, if someone was standing outside the door, they'd probably think I'd gone completely insane.

What happened next was hilarious on multiple levels. Mom and dad both woke, jumped, grabbed their respective weapons always kept on their bedside tables, and pointed them at the Iris Message.

"Andromeda Grace Jackson!" my mother yelled angrily as she put her knife down. Her stomach was bulging from the new addition underneath her camisole.

"Sorry, mom; I forgot about the time change."

"Well, I want to get back to my dream about Cheetos, so talk fast," my dad grumbled, capping Riptide (his deadly pen) and wiping the drool from his cheek.

"I had a strange dream," I admitted, gazing down at my feet.

"Strange like Cheeto strange, or strange like demigod strange?" my father asked, leaning against the headboard.

"Well, it felt real. You see, I saw-"

I suddenly heard a loud knock on the door, and Holly's voice yelling, "stop talking to yourself you annoying brat and get out!"

"I'll send you an owl with the details," I whispered to my parents before waving my hand through the Iris Message and gathering my things.

"Well, it took you long enough, creep," Holly grumbled, pushing me aside. "What kind of a freak talks to herself in a bathroom, anyway?"

She gave me an evil smirk, which almost seemed like the person's in the dream. Sure, I hadn't seen it, but I'm sure it was just as evil.

Holly slammed the door and I raced back to my dorm.

Willow was already up, and she gave me a good, hard glare. Those two were freaking me out a little too much.

I finished brushing my curly hair and then tied it back in a messy bun.

It was easy enough to pack up my things, make my bed, and head up to the Common Room.

There were a few kids there, snoring in the seats; probably the kids who were stupid enough to stay up late. Only one person was awake, and that was Ezra, so I didn't bother to speak with him.

I took out a large book and thought I'd start my studying early.

Now, most of you are wondering why I would want to study at five-thirty in the morning. But, what most of you should be wondering is how I can study. I do have the world's worst dyslexia, after all.

Well, the answer is, magic.

I'm not kidding.

The Hecate and Hephaestus cabins had been working on items that would help kids with dyslexia read and write.

The first item was glasses. I actually already wear glasses (betcha didn't know that, huh?) for reading, since I'm, somehow, blind as a bat, so my original ones were just enchanted to help me read everything normally.

The other item isn't of much importance now, but I'm sure you'll hear my full rant about it later.

So, I slipped on my glasses and started attempting to pronounce the words.

Most of it was in Latin, which I found absolutely hilarious. I wouldn't have to worry about pronunciation or definition, at least.

"Wingardium Leviosa," I said, pointing my wand at an Every-Flavour Bean. Nothing happened.

"Ugh! Wingardium Leviosa!"

But, of course, the bean just sat there, mocking me.

I just started flicking my wand around randomly at that point, muttering curses that no eleven-year-old should possibly know to myself.

"Stupid, good-for-nothing, Hades dwelling-" I muttered quietly. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

I honestly didn't know why I said the spell again, but I was sure that nothing had happened. I moved my wand randomly around a little longer; making arches and stars at the air behind me, until my wand slipped out of my grasp (I'm used to clinging to swords with hilts, not smooth sticks of wood!)

A loud thump resounded behind me, making a lot more noise than a tiny wand should have made. I flipped around quickly and saw Ezra lying on the floor, moaning.

Oops.

"Are you okay?" I asked running up beside him.

His words were completely unintelligible, and then he lost consciousness.

"Not very tough for a Quidditch player," I mumbled, pulling him up.

The portraits made weird faces when they saw me, an eleven-year-old girl, dragging along a seventeen-year-old boy who was over twice my size, but I easily ignored them.

And, somehow, I made it to the hospital wing.

"What happened?" a young lady, probably about my parent's age, asked, running up to my side.

"I accidently made him crash into a wall," I admitted, helping her lift Ezra up onto a bed.

"Oh, well, it's not that bad," she assured me, checking the boy's pulse. "He'll be fine in time for lunch."

"Thank you, Miss…?"

"Hall. Madame Hall. Boring name, isn't it?"

"Eh. I've heard worse."

She laughed slightly, pulling out her wand.

"You need to get back to your dorm," she said, and then mumbled a spell under her breath that immediately made Ezra's bruised head to heal. "It's still too early for first-years to be out."

I nodded and hurried back to the common room, but I was stopped by the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she asked, glaring at me slightly.

"Uh… can't I just go in?" I begged.

"Password." She demanded.

"Uh… Prancing Manticore?"

"Nope."

"Gallivanting Drakon?"

"No."

"Frolicking Pegasus?"

"Not even close, missy."

So, for the next five minutes, I desperately tried to figure out the password, using all of the synonyms for "prancing" and mythical creatures my mother didn't even know at my age, until someone answered from behind me.

"Galloping Chimera."

I flipped around, but there nobody was there.

"Albus Severus Potter!" the portrait said, frowning at the air behind me. "You've been out for almost seven hours!"

"Couldn't sleep," the voice said again, and, as if a curtain had been pulled away, Albus was suddenly standing there, a purple-ish robe in one arm, a piece of parchment in the other.

"Well, since you're correct, I'll have to let you in," the Fat Lady said, starting to open the portrait. "But, just remember; I keep track of every student who leaves here, mister."

She swung all the way open, and the two of us walked into the midst of a large crowd.

A couple kids saw Albus with the robe and parchment, and they just sighed and shook their heads (he must have snuck out a lot).

Holly gave me a very interested look, and then whispered something to Willow, who giggled and nodded in return. They started telling it to the other girls, and that just kept going on and on and on.

"Hi!" Lily said, running up and tugging me over to a couch. Albus turned to find some friends, and Lily started asking me tons of questions.

"Where were you?"

"Out."

"Why was Al with you?"

"He wasn't."

"Why won't you give me more complete answers?"

I was about to say something snarky when Orion approached, a shocked look on his face.

"I can't believe you did that!" he said, collapsing on the cushion next to mine.

"What did she do?" Lily begged.

"She knocked out Ezra Fay! And then she dragged him to the hospital wing!"

"That is not entirely true!" I intervened. "I was trying out Wingardium Leviosa when it hit him, and then I didn't realize I was tossing him around until I dropped my wand! Then I carried him to Madame Hall, who is taking care of him. He should be fine by lunch."

"Yeah, well, not everything is true around here," Orion added, scratching his head with his wand. "Holly and Willow think that you and Albus were kissing in the Transfiguration classroom-"

I gave him a shocked, almost disgusted expression, while Lily burst out laughing.

"Wait, you weren't, right?" Orion asked, a look of genuine interest on his annoying face.

"I am not required to say anything about my personal life to you, but since you insist, I was not kissing any boys. I was rescuing an unconscious one."

Orion simply nodded and left, disappearing into the crowd of people.

"Why is everyone up so early?" I asked Lily, who was gazing at my face intently.

"Why are you wearing glasses?" she asked, almost completely ignoring my question.

"Oh Hades," I muttered, pulling off my giant, nerdy glasses and tucking them away into my book bag. Then I added, "They're for reading."

"I thought you had dyslexia," Lily pointed out.

"That doesn't matter. Why is everyone up so early?"

"Well, when we heard the giant thunk that Ezra's body made, some older kids went down to investigate. When nobody was there, they made us all get up and do a head count. I covered up for you pretty well, and Albus's roommates did the same. Nobody is in trouble."

"Andromeda Grace Jackson!" Hunter said, suddenly appearing out of the crowd and sitting next to me. "You should honestly stop kissing boys. You're way too young to be doing-"

"First of all," I interrupted. "Stop acting like my mother. It's hard enough having one perfectionist in my life, not even including Dylan and all of my aunts and uncles. And secondly: I WAS NOT KISSING ANY FREAKING BOYS!"

He gave me an easy-going grin, the kind that both of our fathers had used occasionally. I slapped him.

And, of course, he got another concussion (I have a really hard hand… heh...), I had to make another trip to the hospital wing, and I got a "stern talking-to" by Molly Weasley (I honestly didn't pay attention. I think she said something about physical violence and how slapping is a big no-no. Says the girl who's learning offensive spells.)

But, eventually I was allowed to go eat breakfast, and I started my first day.

Okay, I want everyone to tell me what they thought was funniest about this chapter. My mom loved "Prancing Manticore", but I want to know what you all think. I need to know what kind of jokes you like so I can put more in!

I probably won't be able to update for another week, unless I write another chapter this weekend, which probably won't happen. We just started reading To Kill a Mockingbird, so I have to read a bunch of that. I'll also be starting up piano lessons again soon, and… well, in short, my life is going mad.

God bless you all,

creamtherabbit77