This is Halloween - The Great Holiday Mystery

4. Really? Now? Really?

Day 2 – Afternoon

‘Leo informed me that the disco ball is done, and the DJ booth is under control,’ Annabeth chewed her pencil. ‘The decorations are coming along – Hazel and Jason are working on those – and Frank is doing good with the posters.’

‘Piper asked me if she should start letting campers come in to choose costumes,’ Percy said. ‘I said I’d ask you.’

‘The sooner, the better,’ Annabeth agreed. ‘I’ll organize a cabin by cabin schedule and give that to her tonight at the campfire.’

Percy nodded, ‘I’ll let her know.’

Annabeth sighed, ‘Looks like we’re all under control. Do the others all know when they’re going in for costumes.’

‘Boys the afternoon before Halloween, girls the morning before.’

‘Okay, good.’

Annabeth wiped her forehead which was oddly enough, beaded with sweat. She was working herself up to a tether; she was so concerned that this party wouldn’t go right. Percy looped her arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

‘It’ll all be alright,’ he promised. ‘This is going to go perfectly. How could it not with you running the show?’

Annabeth smiled, ‘Thanks, Percy.’

‘Annabeth! Percy!’

The two demigods turned, startled, to see a puffed Nico di Angelo running up Half-Blood Hill. His face was flushed red against his usually pale skin.

‘Nico,’ Percy called. ‘Hey, man, haven’t seen you around for a while.’

‘Dad’s thought bonding time would be a good idea,’ Nico shook his head. ‘It wasn’t.’

Annabeth frowned, ‘Right.’

‘Hey, why didn’t you just shadow travel?’ Percy asked. ‘Wouldn’t that have been faster?’

‘Well, I would’ve,’ Nico grumbled.  ‘Only someone said you were down at the cabins, and when I got there you weren’t there.’

‘So you ran,’ Percy laughed. ‘Good job.’

Nico waved off his friendly tease with a shake of his head.

‘If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have found this,’ he held up a piece of paper.

Both Annabeth and Percy went pale, ‘No.’

‘Yes,’ Nico corrected.

‘Now? Annabeth yelled at the sky. ‘Really? Now?’

‘What does it say?’ Percy asked, taking the paper from the younger demigod.

Nico nodded at it, ‘You’ll see.’

Unfurling the folded parchment, Percy read aloud, slowly to accommodate his dyslexia, ‘”No fun you’ll find here, only pure fear. Beware the disguise, that hides the lies. Don’t be afraid, the promise has been made. No time to heal, your fate is sealed.”’ Percy folded up shakily. ‘Yikes.’

‘What does that even mean?’ Nico wondered. ‘It's a messed up riddle.’

‘It’s not a riddle,’ Annabeth spoke up, her voice quavering. ‘It’s a warning.’

‘A warning?’ Percy repeated.

Annabeth took the paper, ‘Think about it beware the disguise, the promise has been made, your fate is sealed; this is a warning. And considering the last few holidays, I suggest we take it seriously.’

‘We have to be on guard,’ Percy said. ‘Sounds like we’re going to be under attack.’

‘From within,’ Nico noted. ‘Beware the disguise.’

‘Everyone is going to be in disguise,’ Percy said. ‘We’re in costumes.’

The trio fell silent as all of them ran scenarios through their heads, none of them good. They ran through their (very long) lists of enemies, but nothing made sense. The time dragged on, but none of them spoke until Percy finally sighed.

‘We’re not getting anywhere,’ he said. ‘We’ll take precautions, set up guard patrol; nothing’s going to go wrong this time.’

‘Everything goes wrong for us, Percy,’ Annabeth reminded him.

‘Not this time,’ he insisted.

‘He’s right,’ Nico agreed. ‘If we take steps, we can protect ourselves as well as the rest of the campers.’

Annabeth tapped her pencil against her chin thoughtfully as she chewed on her bottom lip.

‘Well, I hope you boys are right,’ she mumbled. ‘And as long as you’re here, Nico, you can help out with the preparations.’

He did a funny little salute that he might’ve learnt off Leo, ‘Sure thing.’

Annabeth scanned the list attached to her clipboard. She flipped over a few pages of scribbled notes that the other two boys didn’t even attempt to decipher. Her forehead creased in determination.

‘Well,’ she started, ‘I think I might get you to help out in the Aphrodite cabin-’

That’s as far as she got.

‘NO!’ Nico screamed, backing up. ‘Not there! Never again!’

Annabeth frowned.

Nico shrugged, ‘One bad experience too many.’

Sighing, the daughter of Athena shook her head in exasperation, ‘Okay then, how about patrolling the Hermes cabin. I haven’t posted anyone there, and I’m a little worried what they’ll cook up. Can you do that?’

‘Scare a bunch of babies into being good little kiddies?’ Nico smirked, hair falling over his face and hiding it in shadows. ‘I think I can handle that.’

‘Right,’ Annabeth said slowly. ‘Well, thanks. Percy, you and I need to check up on the Aphrodite cabin and the costumes. Has Piper-’

‘Called Aphrodite?’ Percy finished. ‘About an hour ago. As predicted, she was absolutely ecstatic to help.’

‘Oh!’ Nico clapped mockingly. ‘Percy knows a big word.’

‘Shut up, pipsqueak.’

‘Boys,’ Annabeth interrupted, not glancing up from her notes. ‘I’m sure your both very manly, but we have more important things to deal with.’ She looked up and poked her pencil into Nico’s chest, ‘You, off to Hermes.’ She pointed to the cabins. ‘And you,’ she poked Percy, ‘with me.’

‘Yes ma’am,’ the both grumbled as she stomped back down the hill.

As soon as she was out of sight they exchanged an identical look of exasperation, ‘Bossy pants.’

‘I heard that!