"Demi-What?" [PJO x M!Reader]

02 - WHAT ARE YOU LOOKIN AT?

"Neeks, are we sure this is gonna work?" I asked Nico, who was standing beside me, we were standing in a graveyard under a starry sky. Giant willow trees loomed all around us.He was watching some gravediggers at work. I heard shovels and saw dirtflying out of a hole as I followed Nico's gaze. "I'm sure, (M/n), I wouldn't have gotten you to buy everything if I wasn't sure." The younger boy responded, Nico was dressed in a black cloak he looked kind of funny, the night was way too warm and sticky, and I couldn't figure out how Nico was wearing that. The night was foggy and I could barely even see, let alone keep the weird cloak on, but Nico had insisted that I wore one too.

It was warm and humid, and frogs were croaking. A large Wal-Mart bag satnext to Nico's feet, I had bought most of the things inside the bag, it's a good thing I had a bank account from my grandparents.

"Is it deep enough yet?" Nico asked. He sounded irritated."Nearly, my lord." It was the same ghost who'd been hovering around Nico and I, neither of them could explain why I could see the ghost now, he was still a faint shimmering image of a man. "But, my lord, I tell you, this is unnecessary. You already have me for advice." The ghost replied to Nico.

"I want a second opinion!" Nico snapped his fingers, and the diggingstopped. Two figures climbed out of the hole. They weren't people. Theywere skeletons in ragged clothes."You are dismissed," Nico said. "Thank you." The skeletons collapsed into piles of bones. I stayed quiet, I wasn't sure what the opinion would be about so I didn't give any input.

"You might as well thank the shovels," the ghost complained. "They haveas much sense." Nico and I ignored him. Nico reached into the Wal-Mart bag and pulled out atwelve-pack of Coke. He popped open a can. Instead of drinking it, hepoured it into the grave, much to my dismay, I was really thirsty."Let the dead taste again," Nico murmured. "Let them rise and take thisoffering. Let them remember."

He dropped the rest of the Cokes into the grave and pulled out a whitepaper bag decorated with cartoons. I had to keep my smile hidden as I saw it, a McDonald's Happy Meal, that I had bought Nico earlier. He turned it upside down and shook the fries and hamburger into the grave."In my day, we used animal blood," the ghost mumbled. "It's perfectlygood enough. They can't taste the difference."

"I will treat them with respect," Nico said, I smiled at that, even while Nico had become a little emo, he was still adorable. "At least let me keep the toy," the ghost said, I frowned and glared at the ghost. "Nuh-uh! I want it!" I retorted, even though I didn't really want the toy, I just wanted to annoy the ghost.

"Be quiet!" Nico ordered as he glared at the ghost, then nodded at me, not minding about what I said. He emptied another twelve-pack of soda and three more Happy Meals into the grave, then began chanting in Ancient Greek. I caught only some of the words—a lot about the dead and memories and returning from the grave, I don't really know how I understood any of the words, or how the hell Nico knew ancient Greek. Well, that's all real happy stuff.

The grave started to bubble. Frothy brown liquid rose to the top like the whole thing was filling with soda. The fog thickened. The frogs stopped dcroaking. Dozens of figures began to appear among the gravestones: bluish, vaguely human shapes. Nico had summoned the dead with Coke and cheeseburgers. I gaped at the humanoid shapes and stepped back slightly, my hands gripping the weird coat I was wearing. "Woah.." I murmur, then look over to Nico, who looks a little overwhelmed.

"There are too many," the ghost said nervously. "You don't know your own powers." I looked at the ghost with furrowed eyebrows, powers? God, I'm an idiot, I just watched this little emo kid summon the dead, of course, he has powers.

"I've got it under control," Nico said, though his voice sounded fragile. He drew his sword—a short blade made of solid black metal. I'd never seen anything like it. Woah, I mean sure I've seen weapons on display in the museums I've been to, and I've seen the sheath that Nico had on his belt, but to see the sword was definitely a sight, it looked like an iron of some sort, but I'm not sure, I'm not an expert in weapons so I can't be sure. The crowd of shadows and humanoid figures retreated at the sight of it.

"One at a time," Nico commanded.A single figure floated forward and knelt at the pool. It made slurping sounds as it drank. Its ghostly hands scooped French fries out of the pool. When it stood again, I could see much more clearly now that it was closer—a teenage guy in Greek armor. He had curly hair and green eyes, a clasp shaped like a seashell on his cloak.

"Who are you?" Nico said. "Speak."The young man frowned as if trying to remember. Then he spoke in a voice like dry, crumpling paper: "I am Theseus."'No way... a Greek demigod--?' I cut that thought off, I've been over this before, Nico has powers, and I had literally camped at the River Styx, of course, Theseus was real, but this couldn't be the Theseus. He was just a kid. I'd grown up hearing stories about him fighting the Minotaur and stuff, but I'd always pictured him as this huge, buff guy. The ghost I was looking at wasn't strong or tall. And he wasn't any older than I was.

"How can I retrieve my sister?" Nico asked. Theseus's eyes were lifeless as glass. "Do not try. It is madness.""Just tell me!" Nico growled, I looked between him and Theseus, my eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion. "My stepfather died," Theseus remembered. "He threw himself into the sea because he thought I was dead in the Labyrinth. I wanted to bring him back, but I could not." I had to muffle a snort of laughter, that was so random, sure that definitely sucked, but wow. 'Dam that's rough, buddy.' I thought as I wiped my palms on my weird cloak, it was still uncomfortable to wear but I wanted Nico happy so I'm still wearing it.

The other ghost, the one I still didn't know the dam name of, hissed. "My lord, the soul exchange! Ask him about that!" Theseus scowled. "That voice. I know that voice." "No you don't, fool!" the ghost said. "Answer the lord's questions and nothing more!" I furrowed my eyebrows at Theseus' words, Theseus knew who the ghost is? 'Well, shit this dude is old as fuck.' I thought, inwardly snickering at myself.

"I know you," Theseus insisted, as if struggling to recall."I want to hear about my sister," Nico said. "Will this quest into the Labyrinth help me win her back?" Theseus was looking for the ghost, but apparently couldn't see him. Slowly he turned his eyes back on Nico. "The Labyrinth is treacherous. There is only one thing that saw me through: the love of a mortal girl. The string was only part of the answer. It was the princess who guided me." "We don't need any of that," the ghost said. "I will guide you, my lord. Ask him if it is true about an exchange of souls. He will tell you." "A soul for a soul," Nico asked. "Is it true?" I nodded as I listened, pretending to know what they were talking about.

"I—I must say yes. But the specter—" 

"Just answer the questions, knave!" the ghost said.

Suddenly, around the edges of the pool, the other ghosts became restless. They stirred, whispering in nervous tones. "I want to see my sister!" Nico demanded. "Where is she?" "He is coming," Theseus said fearfully. "He has sensed your summons.He comes." I felt a shiver run down my spine at those words and looked around, who is coming? Fuck.

"Who?" Nico demanded. "He comes to find the source of this power," Theseus said. "You must release us." I looked at Theseus before I finally spoke up. "Who is coming?" I asked, repeating Nico's question in a softer tone, by me speaking it seemed Theseus had finally noticed me. "He is coming, free us," Theseus repeated, though he seemed like he was studying me. "Well thanks, so helpful," I said sarcastically and crossed my arms as I shifted my weight onto one foot.

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Chapter two!! Woo!! wrote both of the first two chapters as I relistened to the audio book LMAO

Word count- 1430