The Ghosts Among Us: A Percy Jackson Halloween Special

8 | In Which Will Isn't Here Anymore

"Percy," Annabeth gasped, her voice breaking. Her breathing became rapid. Through the darkness, he could feel Annabeth's hand grip onto his hand tighter. She squeezed so tight it hurt Percy's hand, but he wasn't going to let go of her. He never would.

After Tartarus, Annabeth developed a strong fear of the dark. It brought back too many bad memories of the pitch black fall into the Pit, and she could never know what was lurking in the shadows (Besides Nico). It wasn't the only thing that Tartarus did to her. She also had violent nightmares at night that left her screaming, thrashing, and crying in her sleep.

"Hey, it's okay," Percy whispered in her ear, squeezing her hand back and stepping in front of her so they would be looking in each other's eyes if they could see, though he didn't let go of her hand. He stepped closer to her and began to stroke her hair, whispering comforting words in her ear.

Annabeth's breathing began to slow down to a normal pace. She closed her eyes tight, and leaned in so her face was on Percy's chest. Percy just continued to stroke her hair.

"What the hell..." Thalia muttered in confusion, taking her bow off her back and knocking an arrow in it, ready for an attack. She always was.

"Campers, stay calm," Chiron's voice suddenly washed over them, "It appears we're having some... technical difficulties."

"Technical difficulties?" A kid said. "The fire just went out! What does that have to do with anything technical?"

Percy squeezed Annabeth's hand, somehow even tighter, in fear that the kid's statement would worry her. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm here. I love you," Percy continued to whisper soothingly.

"Oh, don't stay calm," A familiar voice called out, their voice surprisingly loud and clear, as if they were speaking into a microphone.

"There's no reason you should be," Another familiar female voice purred.

"Tonight is the end," Another familiar male voice said.

"No hope for survival," A female voice said (just assume they're all 'familiar').

"Especially Perseus Jackson," A male voice laughed.

"Of course they're here for Percy," Thalia sighed, then yelled, "Who are you? Show yourself!"

"Hmm. As you wish, puny demigod."

Suddenly, a spotlight that appeared from absolutely nowhere flashed and shone down on a large bench by the fire. There, seven figures stood, standing on the bench.

Will, dressed as Captain America, Rachel dressed as a Green Beret in the military, Grover dressed as the Terminator (As in the robot guy from the films), Clarisse dressed as an Ancient Greek princess, Leo dressed as a Roman Emperor, Piper dressed as a vampire, and Jason dressed as Robin Hood.

That doesn't seem too odd, but that wasn't it. First of all, the iris of their eyes were glowing a bright red, and as they stood there, they slowly began to turn black, like inky pools spreading through their eyes.

They began to shake violently, seizing, and making noises like a feral animal. They tugged on their hair, writhing in pain. This entire show the seven of them were displaying was frightening everyone, and Percy held Annabeth close, his hand on Riptide in his pocket and ready to protect her and his friends.

Suddenly, they all froze. They slowly rose, stiffening, smirks spreading across their faces. The weirdest thing of all though was that they were completely in sync, doing the exact same thing at the exact same time, totally in unison.

"This is weird," Percy said.

"Obviously, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, calming down now that there was a light illuminating them, even if it was under bad circumstances. The daughter of Athena reached her hand under her cloak, unsheathing her Drakon bone sword that was hiding under her wizardry cloak.

Nevertheless, the couple didn't let go of each other. Whatever the problem was, they would face it together.

"Will? What are you doing?" Nico asked, his face full of both worry, confusion, and anger as he took a step closer to his boyfriend.

"Oh, Will isn't here anymore," Will grinned creepily, his voice the same but strangely eerie. The other six demigods standing next to him didn't speak with him, but they copied his actions.

"What do you mean Will isn't here anymore?" Nico scowled. "Whatever you're doing, it's not funny! Get down here, Will."

"But I told you, dear di Angelo," Will said, still wearing the same, creepy smile, "Will isn't here anymore. Will is dead."

Nico's eyes widened in horror, but they quickly transformed into a hard glare. "Will, is something going on? Come on, please just tell me what's happening," Nico pleaded, though he still kept his same, fierce stance and expression.

"Oh, I'll tell you what's happening," Will tilted his head to the side, "Will's mind has been invaded. The Will you know and love has been dead for a week, controlled by me."

The horrified expression washed over Nico's face again, but this time, it didn't go away. Chiron saw Nico freeze up and stepped in, something he should have done minutes ago. "Well who is Will's... body being controlled by?" The centaur asked hesitantly, putting his hand on Nico's shoulder.

Nico just kept muttering, "No, no, no. He's lying. This can't be true. It can't be..."

"Hmm," Will laughed with a smirk, "That's a bit of a tricky question to answer, old man."