A/N: Yay! Over 50 reviews! Thank you to xXInoffensive-But-DeadlyXx for favouriting and to AutumnLeaves03, aviendhaphiragon, Neverendingbookz (PMing is Private Messaging), Godguesser, daap (Sí , lo puse a traducir . Por desgracia , yo no envían Valdanger o lo que podría ser ... Soy todo un cargador Caleo corazón ... lo siento ! ;) ), Lukas Le Stelle (XD very funny) and to Lupi-wolf for reviewing!

Quiz time results!

In joint first place AutumnLeaves03 (for being the first to answer correctly)…

And aviendhaphiragon for answering second, but in more detail (whaaat? Hypnos is Morpheus' father, yet only Morpheus is correct?)

A flood of cookies and doughnuts for you both (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o)

In second place… Lupi-wolf for guessing correctly next! A shower of cookies and doughnuts! (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (::) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o) (o)

And in joint third place… Lukas Le Stelle and Lupi-wolf. Although you guys didn't get it (it was Morpheus), you still tried. A sprinkle of treats for you two too (::) (::) (::) (::) (o) (o) (o) (o)

Love you guys!

Disclaimer: I need a robot. I do not own PJO, HOO or HP *considers* … or a parrot.

Chapter 14: Death by Pink

Another few weeks passed, and nothing changed except that the rumors became more intense. Then it was Valentine's Day…

The demigods walked into the Great Hall on Valentine's Day. Percy came in last, not talking to anyone. When he heard screams and squeals, he looked up. And gaped. The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. The eight, minus Percy (who was too upset about Annabeth on Valentine's) and Nico (to whom it was beneath) started gagging. Even Piper started to recoil at the sight. It was worse than the Aphrodite cabin. Then they saw Harry, exchanged looks of horror, then went over to the Gryffindor table, where Ron was sitting looking sickened, and Hermione seemed to have been overcome with giggles.

"What's going on?" Harry asked them, sitting down and wiping confetti off his bacon.

"Yeah, it looks like a crazy sort of hybrid fairy exploded in here," Leo agreed, shaking petals from his hair.

Ron pointed to the teachers' table, apparently too revolted to speak. Lockhart, wearing lurid pink robes to match the decorations, was waving for silence. The teachers on either side of him were looking stony-faced. They looked murderous, and the children could see their Head of House's eye twitching. Snape looked as though someone had just fed him a large beaker of Skele-Gro.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all - and it doesn't end here!"

Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps. The demigods stared at the little things. They hadn't seen anything remotely like that before.

"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Lockhart.

Nico's eyebrows shot up.

"Cupid isn't anything like that," he muttered darkly, "Cupid's a handsome, yet cruel and disgusting jerk."

Jason agreed. Cupid was not one you wanted to know. Lockhart started shouting again.

"They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"

Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison.

"Please, Hermione, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," said Ron as they left the Great Hall for their first lesson. Hermione suddenly became very interested in searching her bag for her schedule and didn't answer. Piper was horrified. She could feel Hermione's vibes of liking to Lockhart, and it disgusted her.

All day long, the dwarfs kept barging into their classes to deliver valentines, to the annoyance of the teachers, and late that afternoon as the twelve year olds were walking upstairs for Charms, one of the dwarfs caught up with Harry. Then a few more popped up in front of Thalia. One even showed up for Hazel, and one for Nico. Whoops. About ten dwarves started stalking Jason and Piper. Percy almost managed to crack a smile at his friend's face, but it disappeared when he saw approximately twenty dwarves jump over his head. Uh-oh. Suddenly, Harry's dwarf started grumbling.

"I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter in person," he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way.

"Not here," Harry hissed, trying to escape. Leo rubbed his hands together. This should be interesting.

"Stay still!" grunted the dwarf, grabbing hold of Harry's bag and pulling him back.

"Let me go!" Harry snarled, tugging.

With a loud ripping noise, his bag split in two. His books, wand, parchment, and quill spilled onto the floor and his ink bottle smashed over everything.

Harry scrambled around, trying to pick it all up before the dwarf started singing, causing something of a holdup in the corridor.

"What's going on here?" came the cold, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. Harry started stuffing everything feverishly into his ripped bag, desperate to get away before Malfoy could hear his musical valentine. Hazel shot the boy a glare. Malfoy's smirk wavered. Even though she was more about the riches, she was still a daughter of Pluto. Harry started to panic at the amount of books still on the floor.

Losing his head, Harry tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf seized him around the knees and brought him crashing to the floor.

"Right," he said, sitting on Harry's ankles. "Here is your singing valentine:

His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,

His hair is as dark as a blackboard.

I wish he was mine, he's really divine,

The hero who conquered the Dark Lord."

Leo couldn't hold it in. He burst out laughing. Piper shot him a look, as she knew that he shouldn't be mocking someone's love. She could feel it emanating from Ginny Weasley. Piper smiled. Ginny would work great with Harry… but she was distracted by a dwarf who was looking her in the eye sternly.

"Miss McLean. A singing valentine has been requested for you:

Oh your eyes are like rainbows in the sky,

When I'm around you,

Sparks start to fly.

I want to do whatever you say,

Because when you speak,

I just have to obey.

Something in your voice just makes it seem right,

You are my love, my life and delight."

She snarled slightly. What sort of boy would send her a Valentine? She was obviously with Jason… Jason. She turned to see the boy with a smirk on his face.

"C'mon, Piper. I couldn't have made it more obvious."

Piper thought harder about the poem. Sparks start to fly. Do whatever you say. Oh. Just then, she heard several dwarves burst into song for Mr Grace. Growling, she turned to face the small crowd they were attracting.

"Raise your hand if you sent a valentine to Jason," she ordered in charmspeak. A few girls she recognized as Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil and Hannah Abott stuck up their hands immediately, then looked horrified. Piper turned to them angrily and warned them.

"Hands off my boyfriend," she growled. When she was satisfied, she turned to Thalia, who was busy pointing her wand threateningly at a fourth year Ravenclaw, who was stuttering apologetically. Nico was growling at a dwarf, who was backing away slightly. Hazel was burying her face in Frank's shoulder, blushing. Percy looked as if he was being attacked, backing away from a huge army of dwarves. The front one started speaking.

"Percy Jackson," it said menacingly, "we are here to deliver you your 22 singing valentines."

"Um, no thanks," Percy said awkwardly, "I need to go and see my girlfriend."

He bolted for the Hospital Wing, dwarves hot on his heels. Piper smiled as she heard snippets of poetry from

"Sea green eyes and ruffled black hair,"

To

"Troublemaker smile and beautiful grins,"

To

"100 galleons I'd happily give,

If as his girlfriend I could live."

Percy growled and shoved open the door of the infirmary… and saw a dwarf hovering over Annabeth's unconscious figure, singing loudly in her ear. He snarled and crept up behind the dwarf to hear the last lines of the song.

"– beautiful and sweet,

Soft and neat,

If you were mine,

The brightest stars would shine,

So will you be my Valentine?"

As the dwarf finished his speech, Percy slammed it against the wall.

"Who sent this?" he snapped, summoning a funnel of water above the dwarf.

"M-m-m- mister Finnigan…" he stuttered, terrified.

Percy's eyes blazed. He dropped the dwarf who fell to the floor with a thud. He sprinted off to the common room- Charms had probably just ended- carrying half the water in the school with him.

A few minutes later, Percy and Seamus were dueling.

"Expelliarmus!" Seamus cried, and Percy's wand fell out of his hand. He growled and glared at the Irish boy, who almost dropped his own wand in fear. Percy willed the water into a spear, and it hovered over the boy's head. Then he got a bit of it to force the wands out of Seamus' hand and bring the over to him instead.

"Now, you would be dead," Percy informed him quietly. He was going to let it go – it wasn't right to harm mortals – but as soon as he turned, he heard Seamus whistle past him, lunging for his legs. Percy sighed at the boy and sidestepped it neatly… then brought the water crashing down on Finnigan, which surprised him so much that he collapsed. Knowing that he wouldn't be permanently hurt, Percy shrugged and left him there.

Seamus' POV

What was the matter? So I liked his girlfriend! She was hot! It's not like he had to be so protective. And now we were stuck in a duel. I tried to disarm the American.

"Expelliarmus!" I cried… Yes! I did it!

Suddenly, Percy growled and glared at me. I felt a shiver run down my spine and I wanted to start crying. What was up with him? He seemed so different. In fact, most of the Americans did. But him the most. He seemed as if he was radiating power. Then he pulled the wands out of my hand with the water. What? How is that possible? He politely informed me that I would be dead, and I felt anger well up inside me. When he turned, I went for his legs. But he seemed to sense me, turned, and drenched me. Soaked, weary and shocked, I passed out. My last thought was that this guy was not normal.

So... what do you think? I think I sorta skimmed over the Valentines too quickly and that this was a bit short... umm... yeah. R&R!

Quiz time: What is Nemesis' sacred animal?