This is Halloween - The Great Holiday Mystery

8. A Girly Chat

Day 4 – Afternoon

Annabeth led the girls to the Mess Hall to inspect the boys work. An uneasiness hung between them, woven through with a tight thread of trust. Annabeth and Hazel had informed the group about the notes left behind, and they all agreed that careful steps had to be taken.

This player – this mind twister – was messing them, not for the first time. The demigods knew that now, more than ever, they had to trust and work together.

Piper ran her hand over a column, ‘Place looks good.’

Calypso nodded, ‘Indeed.’

‘So maybe the boys are good for something,’ Annabeth said with a sideways smirk.

Hazel chuckled.

‘So,’ Calypso jumped up on one of the tables and sat down on it. ‘About this mysterious messenger. Tell me about it.’

‘Well, it’s been going on since last Christmas,’ Piper said. ‘When we started disappearing and had to find these objects.’

‘Then Valentine’s Day,’ Annabeth added, ‘when someone stole Cupid’s bow and we had to find it.’

‘And after that, Easter,’ Hazel finished. ‘Which you know about, of course.’

Calypso nodded, ‘Right. Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween; Leo’s been keeping me up to date on human holidays, but they still confuse me.’

‘You’ll catch on,’ Hazel smiled kindly.

Calypso smiled back, but then returned to the conversation at hand, ‘And you have no idea who’s behind it?’

Annabeth sighed, ‘None. If we did,’ she trailed off.

Calyspo tapped her lip, ‘Tell me, what sort of powers do they have.’

Piper, Annabeth and Hazel exchanged a glance.

‘Well,’ the daughter of Aphrodite thought for a moment. ‘They’d have to be a demigod because they can steal from the gods. They stole Cupid’s bow.’

‘But they’d also have to have the power to block Frank’s transformations,’ Annabeth put in.

Hazel shook her head, ‘That doesn’t help much.’

‘No, it doesn’t,’ Calypso murmured softly. ‘A demigod with that sort of power, is unheard of.’

‘A rouge?’ Annabeth suggested.

‘Perhaps,’ the immortal gardener’s almond eyes darkened. ‘Or perhaps not.’

Piper frowned, ‘Do you know who it could be.’

Calypso shook her head, ‘Theories. Although really, it could be anyone.’

‘We’ll figure it out,’ Hazel said reassuringly. ‘In the mean time, how’s food going for tomorrow night?’

Annabeth shook her head as if coming out of a daze, ‘We’ve got red punch to look like blood, marshmallow eyeballs on skewers, mini pumpkin pies. Seaweed Brain insisted we get a bowl of blue candy.’

Piper snorted, ‘Typical Percy.’

‘Sounds like we’re organized,’ Calypso said.

‘Yeah,’ Annabeth nodded. ‘Argus got the food yesterday and the harpies got started this morning. They’ll be back to work tomorrow until the party starts. Nearly 200 campers are expected to turn up.’

‘I didn’t know we had that many,’ Piper breathed.

‘We don’t,’ Annabeth agreed. ‘Some of the Romans are coming. Sorry, I was meant to tell you. Do you think we’ll have enough costumes.’

‘If the boys haven’t destroyed the lot?’ Piper laughed. ‘We’ll have plenty.’

Hazel grinned, ‘Awesome.’

‘Girl gossip time,’ Piper clapped. ‘What costumes did you pick? I got a cheerleader.’

‘A nerd,’ Annabeth admitted, flushing awkwardly.

Piper laughed hard, ‘Nice.’

‘I got a witch costume,’ Hazel whispered in embarrassment.

Calypso gripped her shoulder comfortingly, ‘Piper helped me pick a vampire costume. Is that good?’

Annabeth high fived a smug looking Aphrodite girl.

Calypso’s smile wavered, ‘Uh, what’s a vampire?’

Hazel chuckled warily, ‘Well, they’re sort of supposed to blood sucking creatures that only come out at night. And they can turn into bats.' 

Calypso blinked, ‘Oh…’

‘S-sorry, Calypso,’ Piper stuttered, still laughing. ‘Vampires are a really big Halloween thing though.’

‘They are,’ Annabeth agreed. ‘And I saw the costume. You’re gonna make one epic vampire.’

Hazel jumped up unexpectedly and thrust her arm in front of her face.

‘Beware!’ she shrieked. ‘Count Calypso is on the loose!’

The girls allowed Hazel her little joke and laughed with her. The daughter of Pluto, turning red but seeming pleased with herself, bowed and chuckled, sitting back down.

Piper pat her shoulder, ‘Did good. Frank would be proud.’

Annabeth’s face met her palm like they’d never seen each other before.

Calypso breathed deeply and smiled, ‘This will be my first Halloween.’

‘And it’ll be the best Halloween ever,’ Hazel said sincerely.

Annabeth turned and looked out at the camp, and under her breath she muttered, ‘I hope.’