Demigods at Hogwarts

Chapter Twenty-Six: Reyna Ramírez-Arellano

I am really please to say that Demigods at Hogwarts is off hold!! Three cheers!! No, seven cheers!!

I have chosen a pen name: Kat Russel! Who likes it?

Never mind! I finished this at rehearsa for Thoroughly Modern Millie, so without further ado:

Enjoy!

~Reyna~

I was already trapped in Ven- um, Aphrodite's- lair, um, dressing rooms.

The layout was amazing. No less than twenty make-up stations with mirrors were set up against a wall, another wall was concave and covered in mirrors, and the last two walls were lined with alcoves for changing. I gagged. The curtains were pink and heart-printed.

Three girls flitted about, cooing over Hazel and Ginny.

"Dearie, your hair is gorgeous!" said one, with lovely platinum-blonde hair, grabbing a strand of Ginny's ginger locks.

"Hon, your complexion is amazing!" said another, with shiny red hair and freckles, said to Hazel. She looked like Ginny's twin.

"Amazhang," Hazel muttered. I snorted.

The third girl (her nametag said she was Rose) shoved me into an open seat and held a pair of earrings up.

"Purple for you, sweetie," Rose said. Her dark hair and eyes gleamed in the faintly pink light.

The other two stylists looked up and screamed in agreement.

I studied my reflection as the three stylists scurried about, seating Annabeth in a chair, yelping at Hermione's frizzy hair, and so on.

My eyes had dark circles under them from worrying about those dreams and their meanings. Nico was feeling better, but still. It couldn't be good for anyone to worry so much.

The blonde, Aggie, yelled in alarm. I spun around, ready to attack anyone, but Aggie didn't appear to be in any trouble. She was standing quite still, her hand covering her mouth and her skin white.

"Dearie, your- your-" She seemed to be unable to say anything for shock. "Your hair!" she blurted at last.

The red-head called Lia helped her into a chair. I studied my braid. There wasn't anything wrong with it. The black hair tie was frayed, that was all.

"Honey, when's the last time you took your braid out?" Lia questioned gently.

I racked my brains for an answer. "I don't know," I said eventually.

Aggie paled even more, and slipped into a faint in the ground.

"Sorry," Rose said. "She's sensitive about hair and things."

By that time, Calypso and Luna had arrived too. Only Piper was missing.

As I got up to look for her, Piper walked in, scarlet-faced.

She whispered something to Hazel, who giggled, and then looked ashamed.

Aphrodite appeared and said, "Well, let's get to work, shall we?" She stationed Piper, Luna, Hazel, and me at make-up stations, and sent Ginny, Hermione, Annabeth, and Calypso into the dressing rooms with stacks of dresses.

Aggie revived in time to look at Calypso's hair, Aphrodite squinted at Hazel's face and started quizzing her about things she liked, Rose took over Piper's jewelry, and Lia brandished a make-up brush at me.

"Aphrodite," Lia called. "I think the dark smoky eye for Miss Reyna, don't you?"

"Perfect."

Lia applied dark eye-shadow and eyeliner to my eyes, and gave me mascara. I stared blankly at it. I'd never needed to use make-up before, and I didn't know how to apply it. Lia rolled her eyes and taught me how to put it on. After I'd stabbed myself in the eye a few times, she sighed and did it for me.