A/N: Did I finish this instead of working on my assignments due tomorrow? Yes. Do I feel bad about not updating sooner? Of course. Can I promise this story will be updated again soon? Um, no, sorry, I can't do that.
Apparently classes actually take time to study and do work for, so I don't know when I'll get time to write. Hopefully it won't be too long since I'm finally almost adjusted to my new classes this semester.
If you're still reading this story despite my horribly slow updates then thank you; you're awesome. Thank you also for favoriting, following, and/or reviewing. This is fun to write and you are a great motivator.
Disclaimer: If it sounds familiar than I probably don't own it. Please don't sue me.
There has to be at least a hundred ghosts, maybe more. They pour into the room through the walls, floor, ceiling, and door. The once empty room is now filled with spirits. I don't even know how they found this place. I swear Nico and I walked down the same hallway three times before discovering it. It must have something to do with the summoning spell Nico is chanting under his breath.
His eyes are closed and his fists are clenched in concentration.
"Nico?" I ask concerned.
The color of his skin is looking more and more like the spirits surrounding us by the moment.
""Hey, Nico." I grab his shoulder to shake him slightly.
Almost immediately, his eyes fly open. He starts to stumble forward, but thankfully I have ahold of him enough to stop him from falling on his face.
"Are you okay?" He obviously isn't, but it's nicer to ask than make assumptions, even if those assumptions are correct.
He brushes me off. "Yeah, fine. I'm fine." He sways on his feet a little. I really want to reach out and grab ahold of him again, but refrain. "I haven't summoned that many in a while," he mumbles.
Yeah, because the last time he did, he started to become one with the shadows. At least he isn't fading. Thank Apollo for that.
Slowly, the ghosts start realizing that the chant that pulled them here has stopped. They start whispering to each other, not noticing Nico or I yet. At least they don't until Nico unsheathes his sword. Then every dead eye turns to look at us.
"Um, hi." I wave. I don't know what I'm doing. Is there some type of edicate I should follow when meeting a ghost for the first time?
Nico rolls his eyes.
"Listen up," Nico raises his voice so it can be heard from every corner. Not that it takes a lot, every ghost stopped mid-sentence as soon as he started talking. "I'll make this quick and easy. No one outside of this room is to know who I am." He talks with his hands, waving his sword around. The front ghosts try to back up so that a careless swing doesn't impale them. "That includes the teachers as well as the students. No bowing or titles around others. However, just because I'm being lenient, that doesn't mean you can ignore me. If we're alone, I still expect you to remember who your king is."
I didn't know it's possible for beings without blood to go pale, but I swear a couple go two or three shades whiter than they were when they entered.
"Okay. That's all. You're free to go," Nico dismisses, returning his sword back to it's sheathe.
No one needs to be told twice. They begin to flee like there's a reaper after their soul. Oh, wait, I guess there is.
Nico relaxes, leaning against me for support without seeming to notice.
"Well, that was easy," I marvel. Honestly, I thought this whole thing was going to take all night. Maybe I'll actually be able to get some sleeping after all.
Beside me Nico shakes his head. "I'm not done yet."
That's what I get for hoping something will be easy.
There are four ghosts left when Nico speaks up. "Hold on a minute."
They freeze, turning around slowly.
"Yes?" The young female ghost of the group asks sweetly. "How may we help you my lord?" She floats forward, bowing slightly.
Two male ghost flank her on either side, almost protective. The one has mysterious dark stains covering his transparent clothing while the other stands with his chin up, looking the part of a medieval lord. He even has one of those silly, frilly, Shakespeare collars around his throat. Behind the trio is another male ghost. He reminds me of Santa Claus. Not because they have matching beards, the ghost doesn't have a beard at all. No, it's because I wouldn't be surprised if the have a similar interest in cookies and milk. None of them look happy to be close to the Ghost King.
"I'm glad you asked. See, I have a job for you." Nico tells them. "I can't help but notice that there's a lot of ghosts here at Hogwarts. I know they aren't all here with permission. That's why I need you to make me a list of who should be here and who shouldn't."
The ghosts exchange glances with each other.
Finally, the ones with the stains steps forward. "We can't say we know what your talking about. Hogwarts doesn't allow illegal spirits inside the walls," he insists.
"Oh please. We all know that isn't true. You have a pretty illegal poltergeist here. I know. I can sense him," Nico quips. "And if I am somehow wrong, it wouldn't hurt for me to have a list just in case. Right?"
Stains doesn't back down. "I don't think-"
"Right?" Nico interrupts him. This time he allows his death like aura to seep into the room.
Goosebumps crawl up my arms and a cold shiver runs across my spine. I have to remind myself to not cover myself in the comforting warmth of Apollo and reveal myself to get rid of the chill in the room. I can only imagine how the ghosts feel.
"Of course my lord. We'll get started right away," Stains relents, taking a step back.
"Great. I want to get this done tonight," Nico decides.
Yeah, and I want to sleep before classes start in the morning. Only one of us will end up getting what we want.
"Uh, no. You can give him the list tomorrow and go from there."
The ghosts take notice of me as a group. Their heads swivel to focus on me. Their dead, confused, stares almost make me regret speaking up.
Nico follows suit. He looks at me like I grew an extra head. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. The body need rest. We can finish this later."
He narrows his eyes at me. "If you're tired you can go back to the dorms. I don't need you here."
Well that's mean. He can't get rid of me that easily.
"Really? If I leave than who are you going to lean on?"
Nico scowls. He tries to push me away, but I'm faster. I wrap my arm around his waist, holding him in place. I didn't say leaning on me was a bad thing. Actually, I don't trust him to stand by himself for a long period of time.
"Will, let go of me," he growls.
"Sorry Neeks. You may be their king, but you're not mine. I'm not going to let you go just to see you faceplant as soon as I do."
I would think that having me as a doctor for so long would teach him I'm not so easy to give in. After all, everyone at camp is always saying how stubborn I am.
He glares at me for another minute. "Fine," he sighs and stops pulling away. "We'll continue this tomorrow when my doctor decides to be less annoying."
The ghosts look at each other then turn back to Nico.
"Sir?" The one with Victorian collar pipes up. "If I may be so bold as to ask, who is he?" He points his wispy blue finger in my direction.
"William Solace. Though you can call me Will." I stick out my free hand for him to shake. A beat of awkward silence passes before I remember he can't touch me and I slowly lower it back to my side. "It's my job to make sure Nico doesn't die when he does something stupid like summon that many ghosts at one time." I don't know if that was the answer they were looking for, but none of them question it, letting silence settle over the room.
"Is that all? Because if so, then this meeting is over," Nico intercedes. His eyes flutter close and stay that way for longer than a blink before slowly reopening. I knew he was tired. I knew it. "I'll contact you all tomorrow about the list. You're free to go."
He walks towards the door, giving me the option to follow or to let go of him and risk watching him collapse.
"Goodnight." I wave goodbye to the ghosts.
Nico mutters something inaudible under his breath, letting the heavy door close with a thud behind us.
"They were nice, nothing like the one in the horror movies me and my mom used to watch." I start rummaging through robe pockets for the ambrosia I always keep on me.
"Yeah? What were those ghosts like?"
I find the godly food and hand it over. "You know, headless horse men, murderous spirits, that sort of thing."
He takes a bite of the ambrosia. A little bit of coloring returns to his face so that he looks slightly less like the ghosts we just met. "Well one killed his love then himself when he was alive and another is nearly headless. Does that count?"
I can't tell if he's joking. I don't think I want to know if he's telling the truth.
"Well, anyways." Nico moves on as if he didn't tell me I met a murderer and a nearly headless ghost. How can a ghost be nearly headless? "My dorm is that way." He says when we reach where the hall splits into two. I let him go when he pulls away to go right. He doesn't sway on his feet or anything. The ambrosia must have worked. "See you tomorrow."
"Make sure you get some sleep. Doctor's orders," I prescribe.
"Whatever," he rolls his eyes.
"I'm serious Nico. Jet lag or not, you need rest."
"Yeah, yeah, as you wish Buttercup." He calls over his shoulder, walking around another corner, leaving me along in the hall.
It takes longer than it should to get back to my own house's dormitory. Not only do I get lost a few times, whenever I think I'm finally going the right way I hear a teacher coming and I have to take a different, random hallway, hoping for the best. When I make it back, I just want to flop onto my bed and sleep. I don't even feel like changing into more comfortable clothes.
I'm imagining what a full night's sleep would be like when I enter the common room.
"You sure were out late," Adrian startles me out of my imaginings.
"Adrian, what are you doing up?"
He's sitting in a large plush chair pulled closer to the fire presumably for warmth. The table in front of him is scattered with papers and books, most having weird designs scribbled all over them. I can't tell what they're of with the shadows and light of the fire dancing together over them. Though, it doesn't look like the homework we got today.
"I could ask you the same thing." He tilts his head, as if looking for the answer on me. "Where were you tonight Will?"