A little late for Halloween, sorry. I've just been swamped with life responsibilities lately so I was unable to put this out in time. I wanted to post this regardless, and hopefully three days isn't too late to be out of the spooky season. Also, my style of writing shifted for this story, but I think it turned out alright.

Enjoy!

"So you just knock on any random door and ask for food?"

"Candy, Tyson. Candy."

"Let's get going!"

"Settle down, Grover."

"You kids stay safe, alright?"

"Yes, mom. We've got our weapons with us anyway. We'll be fine."

"And you're sure the mist will cover it up?"

"Yes, mom. I'm sure."

"Because last time–"

"Percy, are we going to go now?"

"Yeah, and where's Annabeth?"

"She said she would be coming, guys. Just give her a bit. And Mom, we'll be fine. See you later!"

She sighed as she watched them leave the apartment. Percy in his Greek warrior outfit, Grover in a magenta I-Am-A-Rock-Star t-shirt, and Tyson in… a "hippocampus" costume. Halloween. The best night of the year for kids of any age to let their inner weirdness shine. Percy was really risking it by taking Riptide out while trick-or-treating, but she supposed the full body, traditional Greek armor helped. They would be alright. Annabeth would be with them.

She could only hope nothing would go wrong. Of course, though, this was Percy she was talking about.

Looking back on things, perhaps letting two demi-gods, a satyr, and a Cyclops wander about asking for candy wasn't such a good idea.

Mrs. Peirce was the first.

Her husband had flown in from San Francisco early in the morning so instead of trick-or-treating, her twin three year olds stayed home to celebrate and have a family Halloween party of their own. On the mantle of their faux fireplace sat a small dish of candy for whoever might stumble upon their abode. The knock came somewhere in the middle of their "Velcro the tail on the donkey" game.

She scooped up the candy bowl and started for the door. The words she heard through the hard wood though…

"Stop shoving!" Annabeth grunted, adjusting the gold collar of her authentic Athena replica dress.

"I'm not–" Percy protested before changing his mind and apologizing. "Sorry." He stepped down a stair so she had more room to stand.

Grover looked around Tyson who looked ready to raise his hand and knock again. "Hey, Annabeth, you sure your mom won't incinerate you for impersonating her?"

Annabeth smiled. "She won't. I asked permission first, just to be safe."

"Do they really just hand out free candy?" Tyson stared at the door as though pure will would drag the homeowner to the door with bags of candy and jars of peanut butter.

"Yeah," Grover nodded, shimming imperceptibly away from Tyson's scaly costume. "But why aren't they opening the door? The lights are on." He peered around, trying to see between the blinds.

Annabeth glanced down at Percy with Anaklusmos glowing faintly in the dark. "Do you really think that's a good idea?" She tilted her head at the sword.

Percy raised it a bit and scowled faintly. "It's fine. No one will know. I'm in the full outfit anyway. It's expected to have a sword."

"But if the mist isn't strong enough they might see it as a gun," she whispered back, more discreet in these matters than he.

It was at the mention of the gun that Mrs. Pierce hesitated, hand over the doorknob. Her sons screeched with delight at their game behind her, and her alarm made her want to hush them. But if she waited long enough maybe the trick-or-treaters would just leave. After a few minutes they verbally shrugged and descended the steps to meander to the next house. The last thing she heard from them was the disappointed exclamations from one boy in particular.

The quartet strolled along street after street collecting candy and getting an odd look from the occasional passerby. So far the worst they encountered was a pregnant woman who fainted at the sight of Percy's "sword". That had been bad. In the end they collectively voted to move her to the couch inside and call the EMTs before leaving the entire neighborhood behind.

None of them had eaten dinner before coming. They were all eagerly waiting for nine O' clock when they were expected back at Percy's place for dinner. So with candy in their various bags and pouches, it was understandably difficult for them to wait until after dinner to have sweets.

So it was on the image of Grover eating a packet of skittles, wrapper and all, and Tyson sucking on a candy bar from the last house that an old man opened the door.

He stared at them for a moment, squinting at their attire. Grover hurriedly noticed the problem with explaining his overabounding appetite and shoved the sticky wrapper and candy in his pocket. Tyson took a second longer, but he wiped his mouth and finished chewing his mouthful a bit shamefully. After all it was bad manners to eat in front of someone and not to share, and he wanted his first experience with Trick-or-Treating to go well.

The old man blinked once, seemingly frozen at the sight of them. Annabeth dispelled the awkward silence with a cough and the traditional phrase, "Trick-or-Treat."

That fixed things and a bag of Dum-Dums came into sight. A bit quietly, everyone gathered their share and left, Percy accidentally tripping on Tyson's Hippocampus tail and scraping his left cheek. The old man winced as he closed his door on the sight.

The next poor, unsuspecting soul happened to be a solitary woman, who, dressed in the most fantastical witch costume threw wide her door, cackling her best to scare the young children away. What she found instead made her freeze her act. She stood numbly with a pumpkin bucket full of candy in her outstretched hand.

To her left two teenage boys stood awkwardly, one with his face sticky with the remnants of the city's chocolate stash, and the other with the hemline of his shirt chewed ragged.

"I thought I told you not to shove, Percy!" the girl cried, grabbing the skirt of her dress.

The boy looked righteously flustered. "I didn't even touch you! It's this armor. The edges keep pinching me and everything else when I move."

The girl glared for a moment, determined he was honest, and seemed about to forgive him when he shifted.

"Ow! That's my foot!"

"Sorry!" He backed up a step.

The girl looked a little too convincing in her Greek goddess costume. "Hmph."

Percy's undoing was a little push from an irate girlfriend.

"Ack!" He stumbled and fell a relatively short distance off the porch.

"Percy?" the goat-boy looked concernedly over to where Percy struggled to be free of the bushes.

"Trick'r-treat!" The candy smeared boy exclaimed as if all this was perfectly normal.

The woman opened her mouth as if to ask if Percy needed help, but the girl coyly stepped forward in a devilishly polite manner and barred her from offering assistance.

As they turned to leave, the woman whispered to the down-spirited rock star goat…thing. "Is everything alright?"

He looked at her and shook his head twice. "It's just been a long night."

"Do you think they heard the doorbell?"

"Um, go ahead and ring it again."

Grover stepped forward and buzzed the bell once more, doubtful that anyone on the other side even cared to answer.

One minute.

Two.

Percy counted mentally. At this point, he just wanted to go home, but this was him being supportive of Tyson and letting him have a family experience outside of going to war against the greatest time lord in Tartarus. Whoo-hoo. Great family experiences.

Of course Percy might not have been so eager to end the night if Annabeth was in a better mood. He suspected it had something to do with how their hunger was making them all irritable.

Three. Well, time to go. Percy turned to lead them off the doorstep when ever so slowly the door creaked open.

Now, on this night of all nights, they had encountered some scary things, including actual monsters that they were inclined to beat off the streets and back into the underworld; but nothing compared with seeing his old fifth grade teacher staring through him, recognition stilling them both.

Suddenly Percy's mind flooded with memories of an unfortunate field trip incident involving a certain school bus and battlefield cannon.

Well, this was awkward.

"Um…" Percy struggled to find the words to get him out of the situation. "We'll just be going now."

His teacher didn't move, but watched as Percy ushered everyone along, down the street and out of sight.

When they had marched a couple blocks away, Annabeth finally asked the obvious question, a bit softer than her earlier communications. "That was someone you know?"

"Knew," Percy corrected.

Grover asked, "And who was he?"

"Nobody important," Percy shuddered and plunged on into the night. "Let's get home. I'm starving."

"Yeah," Tyson agreed.

Grover nodded, but stopped suddenly like a hand held him back. "I smell something."

Tyson slowed at this.

Percy and Annabeth walked on a bit before Grover's warning sorted itself out in their minds.

"Monsters," Annabeth whispered, drawing her dagger.

Sally Jackson smiled as she heard the four hungry teenagers come through the front door.

"I'm in the kitchen," she called. "Just get washed up before you come in." Regardless, she went to meet them in the front room to make sure everyone was alright. "Um, Percy?" She stared at them, a hand rising to cover her mouth. "What happened?"

The four disheveled teens exchanged glances at each other. Annabeth's make-up was smeared in places and the skirt of her dress torn. Grover's shirt was half gone, and Tyson's tail was missing. Percy's armor bore several scratch and scuff marks, and his sword was noticeably absent. Everyone looked tired.

"Nico thought it would be funny to scare us with some real skeletons from the underworld," Percy explained. "Other than that…just every day trick-or-treating."

Happy Halloween, everyone! If you didn't have a great one, I hope you have a better week this time around. Admittedly this isn't my best work, but I still hope it drew a smile or two from you. (And did you catch that reference to page 2 of the Lightning Thief?) See ya 'round!

-Dante