Piper took a step back, her pale face set in a horrified expression. She looked at Annabeth, looked at this ghost, saw a threat to herself and her family.
But she didn't run, didn't scream. After a second of silence, she composed herself together, clenched her fists and prepared to fight. "Whoever you are...get out of my house. It's not vacant anymore."
Annabeth gave her a sad smile. "Piper... Look at my stomach, look through me."
Piper's lips moved to retort but her voice stopped short at the sight of the old blood marks staining Annabeth's clothes. And through her, she could see the room behind her. "How...you...you're..."
"Dead." Nico appeared beside Annabeth. "What happened to not telling them? You went against your own advice."
"It was a mistake, Nico." Annabeth pushed him away from Piper. "Now lay off. She's having a hard enough time as it is."
Piper stayed silent as the two spirits bickered, her brain trying to process the situation, trying to rationalize it in any way possible. But she could see through Annabeth, she saw Nico appear from thin air.
"Holy shit..." Piper let her fists drop. "You're...you're...ghosts..."
"Uh, yeah, last time I checked," Nico replied. "If not then I'm aging really well."
"Just because you're the oldest doesn't mean you can be so sarcastic to her." Annabeth hissed. "She was nice to you. Be nice back or she'll leave."
"Hold up." Piper looked between them. "You...actually want us to stay?"
Annabeth nodded. "See... Lots of people have either died here or moved away. If they think they can't sell it...they'll tear it down."
"And we're kinda stuck here." Nico inputted. "So that'd be bad."
"Yeah, that'd be bad..." Piper repeated to herself.
"We won't hurt you," Annabeth promised. "My kids love playing with your kids. My husband usually sticks by me. Nico and Will...they're Nico and Will."
"What does that mean?" Nico spun to face her. "You're saying we're not good ghosts?"
"I'm saying that even after hundreds of years you two still want to make love every night." Annabeth poked him in the chest. "It's annoying. It's weird. It shouldn't be possible."
"But it is, I can assure you of that." Nico looked to Piper. "Tell her it's okay to make love to the man you love."
"She's not going to say that!" Annabeth put her head in her hands. "You're insufferable, Nico. I swear I don't know how I ended up stuck here with you of all people..."
"You died in the house I died," Nico answered unhelpfully. "That's what did it."
"di Angelo-"
"Please stop arguing." Piper pleaded, causing them both to turn to her. "I...It's okay. I won't leave." She turned to Annabeth. "Your kids...they get along with my girls?"
Annabeth nodded. "And they love their toys."
Piper nodded to herself. "Okay...okay, that's good..."
Nico leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "You believe so easily?"
"Seeing is believing, I guess." Piper shrugged. "I saw you...appear. And I can see through you guys. That means...it's real."
"You're a smart girl." Annabeth pushed Nico aside. "Don't corrupt her."
"Haha," Nico looked to Piper. "Your kids are alright. We won't hurt them." He looked back to Annabeth and stuck his tongue out. "You're rude." And with that, he disappeared.
Piper shook her head in disbelief. "What the hell...?"
