A Tale of Gods and Magic

Piper: The Redundant, Homicidal Murderers are Rescued by an Unlikely Pair

"This stinks." Leo was sprawled on the ground, picking at a hole in his robes. Piper knew he was dismayed mostly because his magical toolbelt had been taken from him, and now he didn't have anything to busy his hands with. Also, because it was his plan that had landed them all here, apparently. "This really truly stinks."

"You could say that again." Piper made a face at Leo, but he didn't laugh.

"C'mon, Super McShizzle! They're just keeping us here until they sort everything out."

"'Sort everything out?' The whole school thinks we're murderers!"

"I'm sure they don't think that," said Piper optimistically. She didn't feel optimistic on the inside. On the inside, she felt like she needed a warm blueberry muffin and a one-way trip to Camp Half-Blood.

"Did you hear what Jaclyn said about you? She used to be your friend." Leo grumbled. Or maybe it was his stomach. Everyone was hungry, since it was eight in the morning and no one had delivered them breakfast.

Piper lay down on the ground next to Leo.

She sighed.

"I guess you're right."

"We can't give up. Who knows what McGonagall will do to us if we just lie down and let her walk all over us? We need to get out of here, and soon." Annabeth had been plotting with Jason for the past half hour on a way out. So far, no genius and non-violent plans had spouted from their mouths.

"I mean, technically McGonagall was right. About us being homicidal murderers."

"Slightly redundant... " Annabeth whispered under her breath. Piper propped herself up on her elbows and stared at Annabeth.

"Now is not the time for grammar, Annabeth. Now is the time for genius, non-violent plans that include us escaping from this dungeon and rescuing Percy, Nico, Jason, and probably that other dude. Harry."

"Now is always the time from grammar." Annabeth gave Piper her death glare. Piper wasn't sure if she was sarcastic or not. Probably not. "It's not technically grammar anyway, Piper. It's a matter of conciseness."

"Okay, okay, we get it, Miss Grammar slash Conciseness Nazi." Annabeth growled. Yes, actually growled. Piper tried to imitate it and ended up sounding like a muzzled dog in a blender. Maybe it was a power of Athena's childred.

"Will you guys shut up over there? We're trying to come up with a plan." It was Travis. Or maybe Connor. One of the Stolls, anyway. They were hunched together, almost identical heads of dark curls next to each other, some sort of paper between them.

"What's that?" asked Annabeth, referring to the paper. She looked uneasy. Well, they all looked uneasy. She just look uneasier. Or uneasiest.

"Nothing," said Connor (or Travis) in a defensive tone that didn't make it sound like nothing at all.

"Don't bother," said Piper. "They probably brought itch powder. The stuff is deadly."

Annabeth groaned and fell back to the floor, possibly giving herself a concussion.

"I can't stand this! Percy said we would never separate again, and, look, here we are now! And we honest-to-Gods can't do anything about it! Anything! We've always known the mythology before, known the quest, known the general parameters, but here... "

"We know nothing. Yeah, yeah, we got the whole 'hopeless-and-stranded-in-a-dungeon' thing already."

"There's literally nothing else for me to do but repeat that statement until we all go cannibalistic and eat each other."

"Unless we get saved," Leo cracked a small grin.

"That's your plan, Leo? We get saved? Like Rapunzel?"

"Sans the hair-climbing, yeah."

"That's the most ridiculous, impossible, hopeless-"

"Alohomora."

Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy stepped into the room. Annabeth practically kicked Piper's head in trying to stand up.

"Hermione!" Annabeth whisper-shouted. "You saved us?"

"The son of Hephaestus never lies, huh?" There was a hint of smugness in his voice... actually more than a hint.

"That's the spirit," said Piper, smacking him on the back heartily.

"Now isn't the time for knocking Leo over," Leo sputtered.

Hermione cleared her throat.

"Hello, everyone. Not much time for a speech, I've got to say. My only words are: run!"

Everyone paused.

Hermione gestured at them.

There was the loud clacking of heels outside and then everyone burst into motion, shrieking and shoving.

"LET'S GET OUT OF HERE QUICK!" Hermione yelled. Quieter, she said to Piper and Annabeth, "You owe me. I just betrayed a Professor and that cannot affect my grades well!" Piper had a feeling she wasn't just upset about the grades. Piper couldn't imagine having to betray an ally for a bunch of half-humans she met just a few weeks ago. But here Hermione was, leading the way through the twisting corridors of Hogwarts.

Behind them, everything suddenly went dark.

"GOOD ONE, NEVILLE!" Hermione yelled. "PERUVIAN INSTANT DARKNESS POWDER... GREAT!"

Leo was suddenly behind Piper, tugging at her sleeve and panting.

"We're going to get Sparky, aren't we?" said Leo. "Reunite the team?"

Piper turned her head around for a second to yell back, "Yeah. I expect we are."