Kit's head pounded. Her whole body ached. What had happened? She slowly tried opening her eyes but found that it took just too much effort, so she tried to open up her other senses. She was aware of someone playing with her hair and something patched to her chest. She could hear the faint mumbles of a conversation. She shifted as she tried to regain control of her body. Someone got up and she could hear footsteps retreating and someone muttering kind words in her ear, but there was too much pain to register what was being said. There were footsteps re-entering the room joined by another pair. Someone was clicking a button and having a conversation but it seemed so far off. She tried again to open her eyes. When she did manage to open them everything was blures of light and colors. Everything was fuzzy. She felt a sharp prick in her arm and the pain lessened a bit. The voices around her were becoming clearer.
"Hey Kit, it's ok." A gentle voice she registered as Connors said from somewhere near her.
"Kit can you hear me." This time it was Will.
"What happened?" She managed to croak out.
Someone grabbed her wrist and put two fingers by her vein probably to feel her pulse.
"You had a flashback," Will said in a calm voice.
The fuzzy blurs were starting to become clearer. She was in the common room on one of the sofas. She was lying on Connor who was playing with her hair. Will was crouched next to her seeming to be doing vitals. Kit shifted again this time looking at the ceiling. Percy was standing behind the couch looking at everything that was happening and she could hear a voice somewhere near where Will was. The patch on her chest was removed and the beeping in the background had stopped. Two pairs of strong arms lifted her into a sitting position. She crossed her legs and put her face in her hands trying to regain control of her body.
Connor rubbed circles on her back while muttering kind words to her and occasionally telling her a joke. Will, Nico, and Percy watched. Kit could sense that Percy was worried, that they were all worried. She finally looked up and put her head on Connor's shoulder.
"You ok Kit?" Nico asked
"Yeah...yeah I'm ok.."
Will crouched back in front of her. "Kit, I need you to be honest with me. That was the worst flashback in a while. Are you sure you're ok?"
Percy put a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah... I'm sure.. I think I'm just going to have a shower.." Kit got up a bit unsteady on her feet and stumbled her way to the bathroom. They heard the sounds of the water start.
The boys sat around waiting and eventually decided to try to do something productive. Will and Nico had to leave because they had a class but Will made Connor and Percy promise that they would call if anything happened. Connor had homework so he was going to try to finish it or even start it. Percy had to fill in a report for Chiron so he went to his room to finish that off. Kit finally emerged from the bathroom, feeling slightly better but still like she'd run head first into a brick wall and then dropped three hundred feet into a pool of concrete and then run over by a truck. She staggered into the room where Connor was sitting at the desk trying to do homework.
Kit grabbed some sweatpants and a tank top and went into the changing room. She walked back into the common room and sat on the window seat that looked out on to the lake. There was a slight drizzle outside and the fog was rolling down from the hills. She nestled herself in the corner with a pillow hugged right to her chest. She zoned out and watched as the rain poured harder and the wind outside picked up.
Percy and Connor walked out of their respective rooms. They both immediately noticed Kit staring out the window. Percy had a sad look in his eyes and Connor looked like he wanted nothing more than to go envelope Kit in a hug. But they both knew that at that moment Kit needed to be alone.
"Hey Kit, we're going to go down for dinner."
Percy told her.
"Thanks, I'm not that hungry..... you guys go ahead..." her voice was distant and she seemed deep in thought.
"Ok, let us know if you need anything."
"I will-"
Percy and Connor walked out the door leaving Kit by the window. They walked in silence towards the dining hall and went and sat with all the other demigods at the Gryffindor table.
"Is she coming?" Hazel asked
The boys shook their heads.
"She'll be ok Perce," Annabeth said as Percy sat next to her.
"I know but... I just wish I knew how to help.."
"I know you do but don't beat yourself up about it. We both know Kit wouldn't want you to be mopping."
"Yeah, you're right," Percy said trying to perk up.
With that, the food appeared and the Demigods all tucked in. The atmosphere lightened up and they all started talking again. If only it could've lasted.
"Why are you sitting here?" It was Weasel.
"And why can't we sit here? I don't see a sign saying we can't." Reyna spoke up.
The trio shot the demigods a dirty look and sat further down the table.
"They really have a problem," Nico muttered
"Even when we agreed to train Harry which will only start next week," Clarrise said through gritted teeth.
The Demigods continued to eat and then dessert appeared. All sorts of hot puddings and even a huge tub of ice cream. There were cakes and marshmallows and everything you could possibly need. Hazel was playing with a marshmallow when she suddenly had an idea. She whispered in Piper's ear and they both got up and left the great hall.
"What was that about?" Thalia asked
"No idea," Annabeth said
Hazel dragged Piper down to the basement.
"Hazel, where are we going?" Piper asked out of breath from running the whole way.
They were in front of a huge portrait of assorted fruit. Hazel tickled the pear and a door swung open revealing a massive kitchen. There were house elves cleaning up and some making food. "Madam Hazel." A house elf squeaked. "What can I get for you?"
"Hello Dobby. Please if it's not too much trouble can you get me a bar of chocolate and a mug of hot cocoa."
"Of course madam," Dobby said as he pottered away to go fetch the chocolate goodies.
"Chocolate?" Piper asked raising an eyebrow.
"Ok listen. I was thinking of ways that we could help Kit. And well I remembered this one book I'd been reading about dementors and it said that chocolate was a good way of getting the person's spirits back up."
"Ok but what does that have to do with Kit?"
"Well, when you have a flashback it makes you re-live an awful memory right?"
"Right."
"Ok and you know how it leaves you feeling empty and hollow?"
"Yeah."
"Well, a dementor does a similar thing. It makes you feel like all the happiness has gone from the world. So.."
"So you thought of trying chocolate to see if it helps with Kit."
"Exactly," Hazel concluded just as Dobby came back with a bar of chocolate and a travel flask that probably contained the hot chocolate.
"Madam, do you need a mug for the hot chocolate?"
"Yes please."
Dobby disappeared and then reappeared with a mug,
"Thank you Dobby." Hazel said as Dobby handed her the mug.
They left the Kitchens and hurried up to their common room.
When they opened the door they found Kit staring out the window.
Hazel poured the hot chocolate from the flask into the mug. The pair walked over and Hazel placed the warm mug into Kit's hands. Hazel helped bring the mug to her lips and Kit drank the warm liquid. Before they knew it, it was all gone.
"Thanks guys." Kit said finally looking away from the window. The rain settled slightly and the lake no longer seemed as rough..
After coming back from Tartarus Kit had felt so alone. She'd walked through the pits of hell with Percy and Annabeth but even after Kit struggled. On their path to Greece, Kit hadn't really had anyone to talk to. One night while she had been on guard duty with Hazel they started talking. Hazel got Kit to open up. She hadn't told her everything but she had explained some of it. After that night Hazel and Kit had grown closer. Then with Piper as well. Kit suddenly didn't feel like she had to be alone. She had people that she could talk to.
Now Hazel and Piper shared the bar of chocolate with Kit and cuddled up in a warm fuzzy blanket.
Kit had opened up to them, not only about Tartarus but about the wars she had had to fight and lead in. How she and Percy were very quickly thrown into the world of monsters and gods and had been forced to grow up. As the three sat together eating chocolate they all knew how the gods had twisted their lives. Kit had always been someone that Piper and Hazel had looked up too. She still was but now they had a newfound respect for her. She'd trusted them enough to tell them of her struggles. When Piper first met Kit it was when they had met in New Rome. Kit was someone who was guarded but not like Reyna, she was relaxed being around the people she had grown up with and she was trusting of the newcomers but she gave the vibe that she could very quickly put a sword at your throat. She had the authority of a leader and was someone Piper didn't want to mess with. Then of course the fiasco of Leo firing into the forum and the whole Roman uprising. Piper saw briefly just what a dangerous enemy Kit could be. When they had made their way onto the deck of the Argo 2 Piper had heard the twins reprimand Leo and if not for Annabeth the situation could've got ugly. But their journey to Greece had shown Piper that Kit wasn't always a steely guarded warrior. She was a sarcastic joker who pulled pranks and was really good at making people laugh. Kit had helped train Piper and Hazel in both hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting. Without that training, both Hazel and Piper wouldn't have made it through half the battles they'd faced. Now, Kit needed them. But they both knew that Kit had been forced to grow up. They knew that there was nothing they could do to change that. The best they could do was be there for her.
When the other demigods walked in they found three demigods cuddled against a window. Kit was asleep on Hazel's shoulder who was reading a book and Piper was busy braiding her hair.
"You know I'm not sure if Kit would appreciate waking up and having her whole head braided."
Leo said trying to hold in a laugh.
Connor walked over and scooped Kit up.
"Thanks guys." He whispered as he walked off with Kit towards their room.
The rest of the Demigods came and sat on the couches.
"Where'd you guys go?" Thalia questioned
"We went to the Kitchens." Hazel said not looking up from her book.
"What for?" Leo asked
"Chocolate." Hazel said still not looking up.
"Really?" Nico asked skeptically.
"Well you see chocolate as Hazel discovered is very good at making a person feel more happy. It works on dementor victims so she figured it probably helped with the after-effects of a flashback." Piper finished
"Hazel you're a genius." Will said stunned
Connor walked back in quietly closing the door behind him.
"She ok?" Percy asked
"Yeah." Connor replied taking a seat.
There was a knock on the door and Jason got up to answer it.
"Oh hey Jamie." He said as he stepped aside allowing Jamie to enter and then closing the door. There was a chorus of heys as Jamie and Jason took their seats.
"What brings you by Jamie?" Clarrise asked
"Nothing much, just wondered how everything was going on over here."
There was dead silence.
"So... everything all right?" Jamie questioned getting slightly worried
"Yeah everything's fine. Just Kit had a bit of a rough day." Will said carefully.
"Let me guess. Flashback?" Jamie asked
They all nodded.
"She's ok though right?"
"Yeah she's fine now."
Jamie breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, how've you been finding Hogwarts!" Jamie asked changing the subject.
That got everyone talking. The tension melted and before they knew it it had gotten late. Jamie left for the Gryffindor dorms. Slowly everyone trickled back into their rooms. Connor said goodnight and walked into his room. Kit was fast asleep in bed. Connor quietly changed a climbed in.
"Goodnight Kit." He mumbled as he kissed her forehead.