Among Us: a PJO AU

Jason?

Hey guys!!
It's been a while since I've posted, but I hope you enjoy this little au! There will be be six parts, and I plan to update every 2-3 days. If you didn't read this in the description, there's some violence/gore and minor language, so if that upsets you, don't read. I hope y'all enjoy!!
-Abby

Annabeth grit her teeth as she stuck her arm back in the wall. Damn blue wire, she thought, always causing my problems. They were 24 hours away from re-entering earth's atmosphere, but things kept going haywire. The oxygen ran out, comm lines broke down, wires snapped. They had to wear their space suits full-time now in case the oxygen tanks malfunctioned. Just one day and the five-year space exploration gig would be done, and Annabeth could finally get started on her architectural designs she'd been dreaming of.

"Shit!" she yelled and jerked her arm out of the socket. Sparks spewed and the whole thing made a hissing sound before falling silent with a puff of smoke. Annabeth sighed. She wished Leo was with her, he was a genius with the wires, but he was in Nav re-checking entry angles. A very important job. Still, Annabeth hated being stuck with fixing the wires.

"Having a little trouble, Annie?" a voice behind her asked.

Annabeth smiled without turning around. "You wish. Did you get the water tanks fixed?"

"I think so. Something's off with the filtration system but I can't figure out what." He came up behind her and put his arms around her waist. "But if you let me help you with these wires, I'll let you help me with the filtration."

Annabeth turned around and leaned into Percy's embrace. It was awkward with the space suits, the dark blue fabric of his brushing against the white plastic of her's, but it was nice nonetheless.

Percy gently bonked his helmet against Annabeth's. "How's it really going?"

Annabeth sighed and let her tools drop. "Honestly, it's been a wreck. I can't figure out why this stuff keeps happening! I keep telling myself one more day, you know? Just one more and this is over. I feel like I'm responsible for keeping us safe and I'm-I'm failing."

"Hey!" Percy gripped the sides of Annabeth's helmet and forced her to look at him. "You got us this far, okay? Remember the katoblepones on planet Venice? Or the labyrinth meteor shower you guided us through? You got us through that. And don't forget, you have a team behind you. We all share this responsibility." Percy's sea green eyes were earnest, and Annabeth couldn't help feeling a little relieved. Percy Jackson had been annoying at first, but after the first year on board and a few misadventures on alien planets, she'd realized how deeply she'd come to care for him. They'd been dating for four years and when they got back to earth, they planned to get married.

"I guess you're right. Still, I'd feel better if-"

"Guys!" someone in a yellow spacesuit sprinted up to them, gasping for breath. Hazel, Annabeth recognized. This ship's resident expert on alien soils and soil chemistry.

Percy whirled around, his eyes wide. "Hazel, what is it?"

Hazel grasped Percy's forearm for stability, and Annabeth could see how upset the younger woman was. Please don't be the oxygen tanks, Annabeth prayed. She couldn't handle another one of those incidents.

"I-just follow me," Hazel choked out. "It's Jason."

Annabeth and Percy ran after Hazel through storage, past communications, and finally to shields. Which each step, Annabeth's dread grew. Just one more day, she chanted to herself like a mantra. Whatever new crisis this was, they were only 24 hours from help. As they rounded the corner to shields, Hazel grabbed Annabeth's sleeve to stop. Wordlessly, Hazel pointed at the body on the floor.

The first thing Annabeth saw was the blood on the cyan space suit. The second thing she saw was the shattered helmet and blond head of hair in glass shards. Annabeth's eats rang and she stumbled against Percy for balance.

"No," Percy whispered, gripping the rail for balance.

"I-I just found him there," Hazel said, tears threatening to spill. "I don't- I mean-"

Annabeth knelt by Jason's body, his wrench still in his hand. He was probably recalibrating the heat shield for re-entry. Jason liked to do everything ahead of schedule. Could this have been an electrical misfire? But Annabeth's blood ran cold when she flipped his body over. Where his heart should have been was a gaping, bloody hole. Annabeth flinched and scuttled backwards, this is not happening, she pleaded, this is not happening!

"Annabeth, what is it?" Percy said, probably seeing the alarm on her eyes.

Annabeth took a shaky breath. "Call a meeting."

"What is it?"

"Just call a meeting!" she yelled, sprinting out of shields. She made it to oxygen before the bile rose and forced its way out of her stomach. The space suits were designed to make puking easier, but that didn't make it any more fun. Annabeth gripped the edges of the tank and tried to get a grip. She raised her head to look her reflection in eye. She was pale. And she should be. This was Annabeth's worst nightmare.

"Jason's death wasn't an accident," Annabeth said, placing her hands on the cafeteria table.

"You don't think..." Frank trailed off, unable to continue.

"You think it's one of us? One of us?" Piper cried, her eyes red. "How can you even-"

Annabeth held up her hand. "That's not what I'm saying. Look, do you guys remember that eidolon ship we explored last week? That was abandoned? Well... it wasn't." Annabeth let the weight of her statement settle on the group. There were varying levels of comprehension, but Piper and Leo's faces were just blank. Besides Reyna, they were the closest to Jason. After Annabeth had ran out, Percy carried the blond's body to the cafeteria from shields and set him on a table. Annabeth hadn't decided what to do with him yet.

"You think one of us is possessed," Nico said quietly. With his black spacesuit, Nico tended to blend in with the shadows and rarely participated in the group discussions.

"Two of us, actually," Annabeth corrected. "Eidolons attack in pairs, taking ships down from the inside out. Their signature kill is stabbing their victim through the heart."
Grover glanced over at Jason, but it didn't need to be said.

Frank shifted uncomfortably, his red spacesuit crinkling."So... how do we know who's possessed?"

Annabeth grimaced. "It's more than possessed. Whoever's been... taken over is dead. The eidolons infect the mind, completely adopting their host's personality and mannerisms. Whoever they are will look and act exactly like the host. They're impostors."

Piper lifted her head. "So besides Jason, two more of us are dead?"

Annabeth's heart squeezed when she looked at her friend. Piper and Jason had been dating for a year, and it was just starting to get serious. "He told me he loved me!" Piper had confessed a month ago in Annabeth's cabin. "And I said it back!" Tears cut trails down Piper's face, but her eyes cold and accusatory. She needs someone to take this out on, Annabeth realized.

"Yes. And at the biological level there's no way to tell who the impostors are." She risked a glance at Percy, who's eyes were downcast. Could he be... no! Annabeth refused to let her mind go there. Percy was not an imposter. He couldn't be.

"What do we do now?" Reyna asked, speaking for the first time. Annabeth knew Reyna was Jason's oldest friend, they'd gone through training together. Reyna was usually closed off and today was no different, but the slump in her shoulders told her Reyna was barely keeping it together.

"Now," Annabeth said, already dreading the conversation, "we have to figure out who our impostors are. Who was last person to see Jason alive?"