Don't let the bed bugs bite
Third-Person PoV:
The cavern shook around her. Debris was cascading around her like snow, she could faintly hear the distant screaming of her mother as the slippery liquid started to rise from the ground, filling the dark world around her. The Giant cursed at her, aiming to hit her but was blasted apart as a large rock sailed through it, blasting apart into a golden shower of jewels. Their last means of escape were cut off as the entrance to the cavern was cut off.
It was pouring in fast. It was up to her waist now, she wildly turned about in the darkness for her mother, she heard the splashing near her but couldn't see her, she called out for her put all that came out was a gurgle a the oil pooled in. She gasped and gagged, trying to cough it out, but even more, just came in. She flapped her arms and kicked her dreary legs to push towards the top but it wasn't enough. She was sinking and running out of breath.
Then she wasn't pushing out oil from her mouth, it was hard and cold. And she was choking on it. Her vision brightened for just a few seconds to recognize that she was being overflowed by jewels, she lifted a hand and furrowed her eyebrows, demanding that the jewels sink back into the ground. But they didn't listen and just kept coming in and was filling up her mouth. A cold hand grasped her wrist and she was pulled out of the pit of gems.
"Why? It's all your fault! If you'd just done your part we wouldn't be dead!" Her mother shrieked, her usually brown eyes were colder than they used to be.
"B-but I'm not dead..." She trailed off before she was interrupted again.
She snarled at her and placed her hands onto her shoulders in a vice grip, "I'm still dead while you get to live another life!"
She felt them digging at her feet first and then the ground opened up, swallowing her whole back into the pit of precious stones. Her arms moved panic-stricken as she attempted to stop herself from sinking.
"You cursed me." A chorus of voices sounded next to her mother, her old school mates.
Her throat burned and her lungs spasmed as they filled up with the gems.
"I'm dead because of you." More people some she knew others were just in the wrong place at the wrong time when it happened.
She panicked, frantically kicking her limbs. Her body was tired and her eyes hurt as she forced them open, the jewels nearly covered her vision, it was getting hard to breathe as her throat clogged up.
"I was still cursed, wasn't I?" Even though he looked old she could still recognize him from anywhere, she tried to speak but all that came out was a croak.
She couldn't breathe. Air. She needed air. Now.
Even though she couldn't see her vision was spinning. Surely this couldn't be the end for her right? She could hear them all chanting, it was her fault that this all happened. Her vision darkened further, her heaving chest began to slow and her limbs dragged ger down further. Her breathing slowed and she began to lose consciousness. She really did deserve to die.
"HAZEL!" Hazel sat up and gasped in greedy gulps of air, her head was dizzy she slapped a hand to her chest, her other hand absently gripping Frank's in a vice grip, her hand settled as she felt her heart beating. It wasn't steady but fast, but it was beating. She was breathing, she was alive. She drew in more breath and gently lowered herself back onto the bed, drawing in slow, steady breaths. Hazel breathed out a sigh and took in her surroundings, Frank was holding her left hand, his face etched with worry. Nico was stood on the opposite side of the bed with a glass of water, his hair messy and wild. Will held a bowl of warm ambrosia with a spoon embedded in it.
"Bad dream?" Nico raised an eyebrow and guided the glass of water to her lips, she greedily guzzled it down, desperate to get rid of the feeling of the gems that were stuck in her throat during her dream. Hazel hummed to Nico and nodded her head as she finished drinking the water. Will raised a spoon full of ambrosia and cocked his head to the side asking her a silent question. Hazel shook her head, she wasn't injured or anything it was just a nightmare. The son of Apollo stood up from where he was sitting and took the bowl of Ambrosia with him just as he reached the door he paused mid-step and angled himself to look at Hazel.
"Have a long shower, Hazel, ideally with some lavender it will help you feel less anxious and calm you down. Everyone has already headed down to breakfast." She nodded at him and Will exited the room with a soft click, she was left alone in the room with her half-brother and boyfriend.
"I-it's not late is it?" She winced internally at the sound of her voice, it sounded a little sore.
"No, it's only half-past seven, so late for us but not the rest of the school." Hazel nodded as she slowly began to untangle herself from the bedsheets. "We'll wait outside for you." Frank and Nico left the room leaving Hazel to stare at herself in the mirror, her hair had gotten so messed up in her nightmare that it looked like a rat's nest! It would be a pain to tidy, at least her face looked better, sure she had dark circles and she definitely looked like she had been crying but there's nothing good shower could fix. She walked over to the dresser and picked up a detangler and began to brush at the stubborn curls. The daughter of Pluto hissed as she brushed through a particularly tough knot. Ten grueling minutes later her hair was at least more presentable but Hazel knew she didn't have time to fully brush her hair out, she'll just have to pull it into a ponytail. She speed-walked to the shower and had a quick five-minute power-shower.
"Hazel? You ready yet?" Frank's voice yelled through the door just as she walked back into their room.
"Five minutes!" She yelled back and scrambled to put on her uniform and pack her bag for the day, she looked in the mirror one last time and opened the door. "Let's go, I don't want to miss breakfast."
"Yeah, thank the gods one of the entrances to our dorm is near the Great Hall." Nico let out a happy sigh. They exited the dorm and walked the corridor for a couple more seconds till they reached the Great Hall, when they opened the doors a few heads turned around to see who it was but quickly went back to their own business when Nico glared at them, letting out a small pulse of his death aura. Hazel slapped his arm and gave him a small glower which he cracked a grin at.
The other demigods locked gazes with them, their eyes asking if she was okay, Hazel smiled, reaching her eyes for the first time in weeks, and subtly nodded her head. Nico guided the three of them over to the Slytherin table next to where Draco, Pansy, and Blaise were conversing. A few of the Slytherin's eyes Nico's and Frank's new house colours for a couple of seconds but seemed to shrug it off as they continued to eat their meals.
"Good morning." Hazel sat down and sent a big grin at the trio.
"Morning. You guys enjoying Hogwarts so far?" Blaise spoke through a bacon buttie.
"Yup, the teachers are good, and the food is great," Frank responded.
"That's good, it would really suck if you had to spend a year here and you hated it right off the bat." Pansy sipped from what Hazel assumed was a cup of English Breakfast Tea.
"You look a little pale Hazel, are you feeling well?" Draco frowned at her, placing his knife and fork on top of each other at the centre of his plate.
"N-no I'm fine I just didn't sleep all that well." Draco bent down slightly looking like he was trying to find something, he sat up straight again and took out a glass bottle that was filled with a blue liquid it had a label on it but her dyslexia prevented her from reading it.
"This is some Calming Draught, Uncle Sev often has to give some to the younger snakes in the first term because they get so nervous. Add two drops into your drink whenever you need to use it." He handed the bottle to her and went back to drinking his juice.
"I can keep it?" Draco nodded at her, an amused smirk rested on his face. "Thank you so much, Draco."
"No worries, just don't tell anyone that I gave you a whole bottle. Uncle Sev will have my head." Blaise reached over Pansy and ruffled his head, Draco protested and smacked at his hand spluttering about how his hair was ruined.
"Awww, you're so nice Draco." Pansy batted her eyelashes at him in a high-pitched baby voice.
"A man after my own heart." Blaise placed a hand on his chest and winked at his boyfriend who rolled his eyes in return. Frank chuckled at them, nearly choking on his orange juice.
"We should eat up, lessons will be starting soon," Nico spoke up nibbling on a piece of toast.