DANNY PHANTOM: THIS TIME AROUND

DIAMOND GRYPHON

DATE: 5/22/07

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

Chapter 4

Danny floated through the vast expanse of the Ghost Zone. He was on his first leg of the trip, and was constantly checking the area for any sign of danger. As he did so, he mulled over what Clockwork had told him.

First, he had to find the ancient called Claustro. He was the one that would be the most helpful, since his talent was to take evil spirits and seal them away. If Danny could find him, the killer ghosts wouldn't be a threat to Amity Park anymore.

The next stop after that was Faberan, the second oldest ancient, right behind Clockwork. Supposedly, he could mold the very ectoplasm in ghosts to create anything.

Then there was . . .

Danny's thoughts were abruptly halted as he came upon the lair of Claustro. Or at least, what was left of it.

It was a castle, bigger than both Vlad's and Pariah's combined. The lair would have been the most impressive building that Danny had ever seen, if it hadn't been reduced to a pile of ruins.

The walls were mostly collapsed, already half overgrown with strangely colored moss and grass. The once strong and imposing wood doors were reduced to two sets of splinters on rusted hinges.

Danny shivered in apprehension; it didn't look like anyone was home. Cautiously, he floated through the doorway. He hoped that this place wasn't haunted.

. . . at least by anyone other than Claustro.

As he slowly ventured through the ruined entrance hall, Danny noted the rotting furniture and tapestries with awe. This castle must have been horribly expensive; all of the dilapidated piles of wood showed signs of ornate carvings and intricate gold leaf. As antiques, they must have worth fortunes.

Of course, in a ghost's lair, especially one as old as Claustro's, everything would be an antique.

After passing through a series of (relatively) empty rooms, Danny started noticing signs of a fight. Furniture was destroyed and burn marks started appearing at random intervals. The farther in he went, the greater the damage seemed to become, eventually working up to giant holes in the walls and entire rooms disappearing into rubble.

"Woah, it must have been some fight." He muttered as he had to go intangible to make it into the next room. He was thinking about turning around and going back to tell Clockwork.

Then he had a look around the newest room.

The room looked like it was supposed to be the great hall of the castle. The ruins of long tables lay scattered everywhere. Probably because of the fight, most of the ceiling was destroyed, leaving an unobstructed view of the Ghost Zone. However, Danny barely registered any of this as he stared in horror at the thing in the center of the room.

It used to be a ghost, that was as much as Danny could deduce from it. Now, however, it bared more resemblance to a oozing scab. It was a pile of ectoplasm, so old that most of the green had seeped out into the floor, staining it a sickening color. The substance that was left had hardened into a large black mass, full of bumps and cracks, looking for all the world like clotted blood.

Sticking out of this mass was a staff, similar to the one Clockwork used. The bottom was made to look like a giant key, while the top resembled a lock. The sight of the item confirmed Danny's worst fears.

This was the final final resting place of Claustro.

Danny felt another chill go down his spine and fought back a wave of nausea. The thing was a warning, a threat. Someone had deliberately left it there to say that they were powerful, they were smart, and they were willing to kill.

"Who are you, and why do you wander the halls of the twice dead?" An unfamiliar voice demanded from behind him.

Danny spun around in panic; a female ghost stood before him, draped in rich garments, looking like a queen. She had an air of absolute authority about her that made him quail in her presence.

"I . . ." He couldn't seem to get the words out through his shock and fear. "Clockwork sent . . ."

"Oh." She said coolly, looking him up and down. "You're the messenger. I'm sorry about what happened to you last time; such a dreadful thing to happen to someone as young as you."

"What!" Danny was immediately alert. "You know what happened?"

The ghost gave him a curt nod, as if she was deeming him worthy. She then gave a soft sigh of frustration and turned to leave.

"It's a long story. Come with me."

Danny did so obediently, suppressing the overwhelming feeling of deja vu as he followed yet another strange ghost back to its lair.

Finally, you will get to hear about how he lost his memory, as well as a short fluff scene with Sam. Stay tuned for the next exciting instalment!

Yes, I will post the crossovers as soon as my betas give do something with them. Speaking of betas, I'm in the market for some new ones.Anyone care to volunteer?

Updating on Tuesdays. (Does anyone actually want to read crossovers or what?-REVIEW!!!)

-Gryph