Chaos Rising |BOOK 2| Harry Potter x PJO |Alexandra Marine|

ANNABETH CHASE

"Ladies and gentlemen!" called the tufty-haired wizard. "If you would please stand up!"

"Circe? An Unbreakable Vow?" Jason whispered, taken aback.

"Yeah," Piper said, standing along with the others. The chairs on which we had been sitting rose gracefully into the air as the canvas walls of the marquee vanished, so that we stood beneath a canopy supported by golden poles, with a glorious view of the sunlit orchard and surrounding countryside. Next, a pool of molten gold spread from the center of the tent to form a gleaming dance floor; the hovering chairs grouped themselves around small, white-clothed tables, which all floated gracefully back to earth round it, and the golden-jacketed hand trooped toward a podium.

"I can't believe this," I said. "And Ari approved this idea?"

Piper shrugged, "Well, Circe did provide us with an immortality potion..."

"Who exactly are you giving that too?" Jason asked.

"I don't know," Piper whispered back. "We're waiting for Apollo and Mr. D to come back so we can get their input too... should we go congratulate the couple?"

"Later," Jason responded, snatching three butterbeers from a passing tray and handing one to Piper. "Let's grab a table.... I still need to know where Percy is right now. Has he met... Apollo?"

Piper led the way across the empty dance floor, glancing left and right as she went, "Well, he did. Ariana told me that the two of them took a trip to Nero's Tower."

Jason stopped halfway, looking at Piper in shock. "Nero's Tower?" He whispered frantically. "That wretched place where Apollo almost died?"

"Yeah," Piper replied as Jason continued to walk with us again. "You know, you've picked up a slight British Accent."

By the time we had reached the other side of the marquee, most of the tables were occupied: The emptiest was the one where Luna sat along with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Mind?" Piper asked Harry.

"No problem," Harry replied, smiling.

I took a deep breath in and sat next to Piper patiently.

Finally, the band had begun to play, Bill and Fleur took to the dance floor first, to great applause; after a while, Mr. Weasley led Madame Delacour onto the floor, followed by Mrs. Weasley and Fleur's father.

"I like this song," said Luna, swaying in time to the waltzlike tune, and a few seconds later she stood up and glided onto the dance floor, where she revolved on the spot, quite alone, eyes closed and waving her arms.

"She's great isn't she?" said Ron admiringly. "Always good value."

But the smile vanished from his face at once: Viktor Krum had dropped into Luna's vacant seat. Hermione looked pleasurably flustered but this time Krum had not come to compliment her. With a scowl on his face he said, "Who is that man in the yellow?"

"That's Xenophilius Lovegood, he's the father of a friend of ours," said Ron. His pugnacious tone indicated that they were not about to laugh at Xenophilius, despite the clear provocation. "Come and dance," he added abruptly to Hermione.

She looked taken aback, but pleased too, and got up. They vanished together into the growing throng on the dance floor.

"Ah, they are together now?" asked Krum, momentarily distracted.

I turned back to Piper. "What are Percy and Apollo doing now?"

"I heard from Ariana that they'll be going across Manhattan," Piper whispered to us.

"Why?" Jason asked.

Across Manhattan.... that sparked a memory. "I think I know why," I whispered. "I assume they'll be taking a boat."

Piper shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "And she also asked me to ask you for a number... a hotel number... a certain Hotel Valhalla?"

I was taken aback. "You want to talk to Magnus?" I asked.

"Like I said, I don't know," Piper shrugged. "I was just asked to get the number."

I turned to the table and snatched a tissue paper. "Got a pen?" I asked Harry.

"That's her," Harry was talking to viktor Krum, pointing at Luna, who was still dancing alone, waving her arms around her head like someone attempting to beat off midges. "Um, yeah, I've got a pen, Annabeth, here."

"Vy is she doing that?" asked Krum.

"Probably trying to get rid of a Wrackspurt," said Harry, who recognized the symptoms.

Krum did not seem to know whether or not Harry was making fun of him. He drew his wand from inside his robe and tapped it menacingly on his thighs; sparks flew out of the end.

"Gregorovitch!" said Harry loudly as I turned back.

I spread the tissue on the table and uncapped the pen and started to write. Once I was done, I folded the tissue paper into fourths and handed it over to Piper. "Don't read this until you're ready to call them," I warned. "It's a complicated spell sort of thing."

Piper nodded. "Right. Thanks, Annabeth."

"Never mind," I nodded back. "I just want this to get over as soon as possible."

"That we do," Jason sighed. "I want to go home for once. I can't handle this for much longer."

I had to pity the guy. The magical world had indeed proven to the worst thing ever for him. First he lost his years of being an adult, and then he lost his wife and a chance at having a full family... and here we were now, just two people pretending to be magical in front of wizards, trying to smile through the pain.

"We'll get through it," I patted Jason on the back. The music was still going on in the background.

"This girl is very nice-looking," Krum asked Harry, recalling me to our surroundings. Krum was pointing at Ginny, who had just joined Luna. "She is also a relative of yours?"

"Yeah," said Harry, suddenly irritated, "and she's seeing someone. Jealous type. Big bloke. You wouldn't want to cross him."

Jason started to laugh, but bit his lip as Harry glared at him.

Krum turned to Piper. He put on his best poker face, "Vould you like to dance?"

Piper coughed on her drink and put it down. She wiped her lips and turned to face Viktor Krum. "Umm... I'm just about to leave, and um... I'm into girls?"

Krum grunted. He turned to me.

"I have a boyfriend," I smiled.

"Vot," he said, draining his goblet and getting to his feet again, "is the point of being an international Quidditch player if all the good-looking girls are taken?"

And he strode off, leaving Jason and I to giggle and laugh as Harry looked at us like we were a pack of wild monkeys. Piper stood up.

"Alright then," she said. "Hopefully we'll be seeing each other very soon."

Jason and I stood up, grinning. "Hopefully."

I hugged Piper. "We're going to miss you."

"I know," Piper said. "I miss the Argo II crew every day."

Jason smiled. "Remember the time-"

At that moment, something large and silver came falling through the canopy over the dance floor. Graceful and gleaming, the lynx landed lightly in the middle of the astonished dancers. Heads turned, as those nearest it froze absurdly in mid-dance. Then the Patronus's mouth opened wide and it spoke in the loud, deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."

I turned to Piper. "You need to leave," Jason and I said at the same time.

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