Will
Percy, Annabeth, Octavian, Piper, Nico and I were in the library, waiting for everyone else to be found. An ear shattering, blood curdling scream echoed through the school, sending chills down my spine.
"What was that?" I asked, looking around. Nico leapt to his feet, looking around frantically.
"Hazel." He said, racing out of the library.
"Nico, wait!" I stood up, running after him. I was vaguely aware of everyone else following me.
"It came from the pool!" Percy shouted from next to me. We all ran as fast as we could. Nico burst through the doors, looking around for his sister. Hazel was buried against Franks chest, sobbing. Frank looked pale and he seemed frozen.
"Hazel! Are you alright?" Nico demanded. She looked up, her tear stained face and red rimmed eyes filled with terror. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
"Frank? Are you alright?" I asked, approaching them.
"I... I just..." He trailed off, his eyes staring blankly at nothing. "W-We thought that we could hide in here... and-and she was just... just l-lying there..."
What is he talking about?
My eyes wandered across the room, then I gasped, my eyes widening in horror.
"My god..." I whispered. Floating in the water of the pool was a body. By the long wet red hair on her head, I identified her as Rachel. Her body was bloated and pale. Everyone's eyes followed my gaze and they all looked shocked, disgusted or afraid. Piper put her hand against her mouth, then rushed to the nearest bin, vomiting.
"Holy shit." Percy whispered, his eyes wide with shock.
"Rachel..." Octavian sobbed.
"Hey, what happened? Who screamed?" Leo asked, coming through the door. Following him was Calypso, Thalia, Reyna, Jason and Bianca. He looked around, seeing Piper leaning on the bin, Hazel and Frank still hugging, Octavian crying and everyone else frozen in shock. He gasped when he saw Rachel's body.
"Oh god..." I shook myself out of my horror.
"Someone help me." I said, kneeling by the side of the pool. Percy knelt next to me and we both reached out for Rachel's body. With his help, I pulled her out of the water.
"Is she..." Annabeth trailed off, watching with big eyes as I felt for a pulse.
Nothing.
I looked up, shaking my head.
"She's dead." I pronounced. Everyone went silent. The only sound was the small waves from the water splashing against the pool walls.
"W-What happened to her?" Octavian sobbed, his eyes filling with tears. I studied her, seeing her blue lips and the large dark bags under her closed eyes. A fine white foam was dripping from her mouth. But what caught my attention the most, was her neck. I lifted her head, my eyes widening. Her neck was dark and bruised, the bruises in the shapes of fingers.
As if someone was holding her underwater by her neck...
Then I looked at her hands. Her fingers were bruised and the skin was scratched in some places. Her nails were bloodied.
Like she was trying to claw her way out of the pool.
I peered over the side of the pool, scanning the wall.
There.
Tiny specks of blood were on the edge. Most of it was washed away by the water, but it was still visible.
"She was murdered." I said grimly.
"H-How do you know?" Piper stammered, holding her stomach.
"There is bruising on her neck. Someone was holding her forcefully underwater. And judging by her hands, she was trying to claw her out of the pool. Someone killed Rachel."
"Oh my god..." Annabeth whispered, looking dazed.
"So you're saying that there's a killer on the loose?" Nico asked, looking around uneasily.
"Perhaps." I muttered back.
"Perhaps? What does that mean?" Leo asked. He and Calypso stood right next to each other, both looking kinda scared.
"It means that maybe there's a killer on the loose." I answered, standing up.
"Maybe?" Hazel squeaked.
"Yes. Maybe. Or maybe the killer is one of us." Silence filled the air once again.
"Wait, so you're saying that someone in this room is a murderer?" Percy asked. I just nodded.
"But why would someone kill Rachel?" Piper whimpered.
"Well, I don't know if you knew this, but Rachel was... well..." I tried to find a suitable word for her.
"A bitch?" Thalia shrugged. I gave her a hard look and she held up her hands apologetically.
"Well it is kinda true." Annabeth muttered.
"Which would be a good reason for you to have killed her!" Octavian spat. Annabeth looked shocked.
"What?! I didn't kill Rachel!" She answered, bristling angrily at the accusation.
"Oh yeah? We all know that you've always hated her!" He shot back.
"I do hate her, but I would never go as far as killing her!"
"Hey! Calm down you two!" Percy ordered. "Annabeth was with me the entire time. She couldn't have killed Rachel."
"Well someone did." Octavian growled.
"We were with each other the whole time too." Leo said.
"Us too." I said, referring to me and Will.
"Us as well." Jason muttered.
"What about you Thalia?" Octavian turned to her. She looked conflicted for a few moments.
"Um..." She trailed off. I narrowed my eyes.
"Um?" I asked. "What's wrong?"
"I actually, fell asleep." She muttered, looking down.
"So Reyna could've slipped away while you were asleep?" Octavian asked, glaring at her.
"Wait, what?" Reyna's eyes widened. "I never killed Rachel!" She protested. "Why would I do that?"
"Jason did cheat on you with her..." Annabeth trailed off.
"Wait, you actually think that I killed her?!" She looked around in disbelief. "I didn't kill her!"
"Oh yeah? Then-"
"Stop!" I interupted. "It'll do no good accusing each other!" Once everyone had stopped shouting, I continued.
"Why don't we just go back to the library? We'll talk things through there." I tried calming them down. It seemed to work.
"What do we do with her body?" Percy asked.
"I-I don't know. I think we should just leave her here." I answered. He just nodded sadly.
"I just can't believe it." He muttered. "It just all seems so unrealistic." We all walked silently out of the gym.
I can't believe that someone is actually dead.
I looked around, looking at each person in turn. Percy and Annabeth were walking together, both looking dazed. Calypso was holding Leo's hand, her eyes glistening with tears. Leo was just staring into the distance. Thalia stumbled around. Even from here I knew she was drunk. Frank was still holding Hazel against his side in a type of hug. He looked pale, Hazel was still shaking.
She's probably in shock.
Nico was walking beside me, frowning deeply. Reyna stayed at the back, scowling. Jason and Piper were walking hand in hand as well. Bianca was trying to cheer Octavian up, unsuccessfully though. The image of Rachel's pale and slightly blue tinged face seemed to be seared in my mind. I looked around once again, a dark thought entering my mind.
Someone here is a murderer...