AN: It's been ages since I've written PJatO fic, so if some things are wrong, I'm entirely to blame for my shoddy memory. I know this isn't one of the fics I promised to prioritize, but consider it an extra. You'll be happy to know that for the first time ever, I've actually finished writing the story before I post it. Hold me to an update schedule! Don't let me get away with month long gaps!
It was a beautiful day. Then again, it was always a beautiful day at camp. It never rained; the humidity was perfect. Connor was content. He liked that word — content — because it hit a note that "satisfied" didn't reach and "happy" was too broad to pinpoint. Also, it sounded a little like his name, which was also a plus.
He was sitting on the dock by the lake, his legs in the water. His job was to watch for capsized canoes or any other maritime emergencies (which was more Percy Jackson's kind of thing, but they had a rotation). So far, the post had been uneventful. Connor hadn't even needed to think for the past half-hour.
The boards creaked behind him. Connor looked over his shoulder. It was rare to see Nico di Angelo wandering around camp in broad daylight. He was a bit of a lurker, the kind of guy that preferred to step out of the shadows at random times. It was warm and sunny, but he was still wearing his bomber jacket. It figured. People like Nico didn't get hot.
Connor pulled his legs up and got to his feet. "Hey kid," he said. As soon as Nico was in reach, he ruffled his hair. "What's up?"
"I'm looking for Percy. Thought he might be over here." Nico nodded at the lake. Percy could usually be found near water when he had the time. If he wasn't at the beach, he was probably here. "By the way," Nico added, smoothing his hair, "don't do that."
Connor simply smiled in response. He shaded his eyes and gazed out over the lake. The sun glittering off the water was so intense he had to squint. He could only just make out the shapes of other campers paddling around. Travis was out there, teaching some new kids the basics. Connor hadn't noticed Percy, but he could have been hanging out on the other side.
"Sorry," he told Nico. "I don't know where he is. He and Annabeth are probably hiding somewhere."
Nico grumbled something unintelligible.
"You know, you could always hang out with me. Until he gets back," Connor suggested.
"No thanks. I know what you like to do for fun and I'm not a fan."
Connor laughed. "We don't have to do that stuff if you don't want to. Don't go painting us with a broad brush. We sons of Hermes like things besides stealing and pranking."
"Like what?"
"Like…" Connor trailed off. There was something at the other end of the dock. At first he thought it might be heat waves or sun dazzle. Then it solidified into a human shaped figure and raised a hand.
"Connor," Nico said, a warning.
"Do you see it?"
"Obviously. It's a ghost."
The figure was becoming more defined. It had clothes. And hair. It was the first time Connor had seen an actual spirit, so he wasn't sure what to expect. He took a step towards it. Nico put an arm in front of him.
"Let me handle this."
"I don't think it's dangerous," Connor said. "It's just standing there."
"Better safe than sorry. It shouldn't be here. I didn't call it."
Connor pushed Nico's arm aside. "Listen, I'll stay here and watch it. You go get Mr. D or Chiron."
"What? Why do I have to be the gofer? I'm the son of Hades."
"And I'm a camp counselor. I'm on duty right now watching the lake."
"As the only representative of Hades cabin, I've got status too, and I'm more qualified than you are to deal with ghosts. You can take a message."
"You're stereotyping again—!"
Both boys fell silent. The ghost had been steadily creeping toward them while they were arguing. It hovered only a few feet away. Even half-formed, Connor could tell it wasn't a camper. It was a girl in a pair of short overalls and a collared shirt. He could see bones under her grey skin. She opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out, just a raspy chatter that sent chills down Connor's spine.
"Back away," Nico advised. "We don't know what she wants."
Connor didn't move. The girl was staring straight at him. Her face was misty, like a blurry photo, but she seemed sad. The grinning skull just beneath her pained features made it a little confusing and a lot more horrifying.
"What is it?" Connor asked.
"She can't answer you," Nico scoffed. "You have to feed them, and that's only after you've summoned them. At night."
But the ghost girl was moving again, reaching for Connor with translucent hands.
"Go away," Nico said, waving her away. He went for the sword at his belt.
Connor grabbed his wrist. "Wait."
"Let go of me."
"Is there something you're trying to tell me?" Connor asked the girl. "Can you point it out? What do you need?"
Suddenly, the girl surged forward. Connor felt her go through him — into him. It was like jumping into a bathtub full of ice. He gasped and dropped to his knees. For a second, he felt the deepest, most acute sorrow he'd ever experienced. There were tears in his eyes. His whole body shook.
Nico was yelling at him. "I told you! This is why you should have left it to me."
"She was so…" Connor whispered. "She was so desperate. She came to me because… because…" The sensation was leaving him. He was losing her. He tried to hold on.
"Gods, you're freezing." Nico pulled off his jacket. He put it over Connor's shoulders. "Can you stand?"
Connor nodded. He stood, slipping his arms through the sleeves of the jacket. He was surprised it fit, then remembered that it had always been too big for Nico. Connor thought he must look like an idiot for wearing a jacket in the middle of summer, but he was starting to warm up.
"Next time a ghost randomly shows up in camp, I'll take care of it," Nico said.
"That was one was here for me."
"How would you know?"
"When she grabbed me, it was like I was her for a second. I don't know the whole deal, but she needed my help." Connor rubbed his hands together. "She came out in the daytime for it. That's weird for ghosts, right?"
Nico considered for a few moments. He twisted his skull ring around a few times. "I need to check something," he muttered. He turned to leave.
"Hang on, your jacket," Connor called after him. His teeth chattered as he spoke.
"Huh? It's fine. Wear it until you feel better. You can return it later."
By the time the chills passed, Connor and Travis's shift at the lake was over. The sun had just begun to set.
"That," Travis said as soon as he saw Connor, "is not your jacket."
"Nico's loaning it to me."
"What for?"
Connor told him about the ghost. When he finished, Travis's eyes were wide.
"Did she look familiar? She could've been someone we knew."
"No. She was a total stranger. It's really weird. I didn't think ghosts could even get in."
"Hmm. Well it's a good thing she didn't eat your face off or anything. That would've been hard to explain to Mom."
Connor smiled and folded the bomber jacket over his arm. "I'm gonna go give this back." He paused. "Saying that felt odd."
"Ooh, do you think Dad heard?" Travis said in a stage whisper. He cupped his ear with his hand. "What's that? Connor should be true to his roots and keep the jacket for himself? But Nico will gut him if he doesn't!"
"It does fit me better, but I'm not going to steal from Hades' kid. That's some mega bad karma."
Travis laughed. "Stay on that one's good side. See you at dinner. I'll save you some M&Ms for Dad."
The Hades cabin was both insanely nice and vaguely threatening. Connor wasn't a regular guest there — hardly anyone was — so he found it strange to be standing on the front step and knocking on the door. A part of him had always been curious about the interior, but he and Travis had avoided sneaking in. Bad karma. And the wrath of Nico.
Nico answered by opening the door a crack. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He must not have been used to having visitors either.
"Jacket." Connor held it up as proof.
The door opened the rest of the way. "You should come in. Just for a minute."
There wasn't much of anything personal in the cabin. Nico's stuff was confined to its own space out of sight. There was one book lying on the bed face down. Nico picked it up as he walked past. To Connor, the cabin felt more like a tomb than a living space. Maybe it was a child of Hades thing that he'd never understand.
"I remembered reading something about Hermes a while back," Nico said, flipping through the book. "Lots of sources call him a psychopomp — a person who can travel between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Usually they usher souls to the next world. It's one of the things Hermes is known for. He was the one who brought Persephone back."
Connor took a moment to process this. "My dad delivers souls as well as packages."
"Pretty much."
"Does that mean the ghost wanted me to…?"
"Maybe," Nico said. "Getting in and out is no problem for your father and it wasn't for Luke… Sorry."
"It's fine." This was the longest conversation Connor had — in recent memory — had with Nico di Angelo. The kid was usually with Percy or absent, off on his own secret missions. He didn't think they'd ever been alone in a room together. Nico liked to pretend he didn't want friends, so most of Connor's efforts to get closer to him had hit a brick wall. So he couldn't help feeling excited by this new development.
"What it doesn't explain is how a ghost showed up in camp like that." Nico tossed the book back onto the bed.
"Have you talked to your dad? Is the Underworld leaking?"
Nico fixed Connor with a dark look and shook his head. "It was one ghost. That's hardly an emergency."
"Yeah, but…" Connor hesitated. He remembered the ghost girl's sadness, that cold embrace. "She was lost. She didn't know the way. That could be why she was looking for a psycho-whatever."
"Psychopomp."
"I'm just saying we should think about helping her. That's what you do, right?"
"Wrong. I don't run a home for wayward spirits."
Connor sighed. "Fine. Fair enough. I'll just let the Hermes cabin know to look out for anything spooky in case she comes back. Or any friends show up."
"She's long gone. She spent all of her energy doing whatever she did to you."
Connor's heart sank. He felt bad for her. It wasn't fair that she had to be dead. Now she was gone forever. He might never know how he could have helped.
Nico held out his hand. "My jacket."
Connor passed it back to him. "Thanks, by the way. We should hang out more often."
"I already told you: not interested."
"I think someday you will be."
Nico shrugged on the jacket. His small frame practically disappeared beneath it. "If spending time with you means crazy ghosts will show up, asking for directions, I'd rather pass."
Connor burned a whole bag of M&Ms for Hermes without sneaking any for himself. He needed some questions answered, which meant buttering up his dad as much as possible. As the candies burned in the brazier, Connor whispered, "Dad, I know you saw what happened today. Can we talk? I know you're busy."
There was no immediate sign that the god had heard. Connor settled down with his own food next to his brother. Travis nudged him with his elbow.
"What was it like at Hades' cabin? Did you get to go inside?"
"I did. It was creepy. All the beds are shaped like coffins."
"Sick." Travis heaped his fork with mashed potatoes. "How was Lord of the Dead himself? Any new info on the ghost thing?"
Connor shrugged. "He said that the ghost might have been looking for me because our dad's a psychopomp, but I don't know if we even have that power. We probably shouldn't worry about it. Nico thinks it's a one-time thing."
"I guess he's the expert."
"I can't help thinking it's not over, though. That ghost was really upset."
"She would be. She's a ghost."
"I just…"
"Hey." Travis put a hand on Connor's shoulder. "It'll be okay, Con. Dead things aren't really our area. We're in peacetime right now. We should make the most of it while we can."
"Yeah," Connor agreed. He looked across the rows of tables to where Nico sat. The younger boy pushed his food around on his plate. Connor hoped that Nico was right — that it was nothing — but another part of him hoped he wasn't. Because this might be his chance to be friends with Nico.
