Son of the Sea ~ Phantom Series, Book 1

Chapter 4

Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoy.

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"This is where you live?" The halfa asked when they reached Montauk

"Yeah, I really like the water." Percy replied.

Then, he asked the question that Danny had been dreading since Skulker first came around the corner.

"Who are you?"

"Uhhhh... I'm... Phantom."

Percy nodded. "Interesting name. I'm Percy."

'Phantom' hummed in understanding, before asking his own question.

"Why do you have a sword, and where did it come from?" He asked incredulously.

At this, Percy looked kind of nervous. "It's my pen, it's enchanted or something to turn into my sword, Anaklusmos."

Well. Danny had seen things weirder than that. He shrugged, drawing a surprised and slightly relieved exhalation of air from the other. They sat in a slightly uncomfortable silence for quite some time after that, the only sound present being the soft fall of the waves against the sand.

Percy broke the silence.

"Do you have anywhere to stay?" He wondered.

Danny looked sheepish before shaking his head. Percy sighed and got up.

"Are you hungry?"

The loud growl coming from his abdominal region answered for him.

With a small nod, Percy got out his groceries and started to work on making something as they talked.

"Whatchu makin'..?" Percy turned around.

"Pasta, that ok?" Danny nodded and his host turned back to the stove.

"So... where're you from, anyways?"

"I'm from Illinois. Amity Park, it's A LOT smaller than New York." Danny grinned.

"I can imagine, a lot of places are smaller than "the big apple."

For a few minutes, they sat in companionable silence, before Percy turned off the stove and drained the excess water into his sink.

Turning around he ladled some of the pasta into two bowls before sitting directly across from Danny.

"Now, down to the main reason you're here: what was that thing, where was it from, why was it here, and why was it after you?"

"Well, you see..." Danny chuckled nervously. "It was a ghost, named Skulker. He's a hunter ghost..." Percy blinked for a moment, before nodding.

"So, it was hunting you?"

"Yeah..."

"Why you?"

Danny contemplated his response. He could a) tell the truth and either get someone calling an asylum, the GiW, or gain a potential ally. b) lie, and have to keep lying to cover for himself and NOT have Percy hear a ghost address him (somehow) or c) run away screaming and turn invisible. His best choice was kind of obvious.

"I'm only half human."

Percy grinned. "Me too."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah. I'm a demigod, aren't you?"

"DEMI-WHAT?"

"No, then?"

Danny took a few deep breaths. Demigod? It wasn't much more far-fetched than being half-ghost, but that was definitely NOT what he had been expecting.

"I'm half ghost."

Percy looked confused, then his expression cleared and he nodded in understanding. "Nico told me about those once, aren't there only, like, two or three?"

"Yeah. Who's Nico?" Danny asked in surprise.

"The son of Hades, god of the underworld."

"Dude that's right up my lane." Danny grinned.

"So anyway, why was the ghost... Skulker? Why was he after you?"

Danny laughed. "He's been after me, like, forever. Skulker takes pride in being 'the ghost zone's greatest hunter.' Because there's only three half ghosts and one is evil and employs him, and the other is just a clone of me, he constantly tries to catch me to 'lay my pelt at the end of his bed'."

Percy blinked for a moment.

"So that's where the pelt comment came from... ew..."

"Yeah.."

"I guess it's my turn to spill, then."

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Again, sorry for the wait.