Loving Penelope introduced him to a new type of fear. For years, he'd felt like nothing special, and he worried that she'd realize she deserved better. The fact that their relationship was secret only added to his anxiety. What would happen when she grew tired of their private meetings in empty classrooms? How would the sting of rejection feel when she wanted what he couldn't give her?
But he didn't know the true definition of fear until he heard the whispers.
"Another attack. Did you hear?"
"Yeah. Poor thing. Clearwater was in my Herbology class."
Percy felt it. A hand of ice gripped his heart, mercilessly squeezing the organ. Penny...His Penny.
He'd never been athletic by any stretch of the imagination, but Percy cleared floor after floor effortlessly until he reached the hospital wing. There, eyes wide in terror, frozen, was Penelope. Percy knelt beside her, his slender fingers caressing her cheek and stroking her curls.
"No," he croaked hoarsely, throat constricting.
Tears fell, hot and wet, fogging his glasses. For once, he was truly afraid. They were brewing a remedy, but what if it didn't work? What is Penelope was frozen forever?
His eyes closed, and detail after detail poured in. The soft feel of her skin, almost like the most delicate silk. The warm vanilla and rose scent of the perfume she wore. The way she always gasped against his mouth whenever he kissed her, like each kiss was a pleasant surprise.
He could lose it all, could lose her. In the end, she could become only the memories he held so dear. And that, Percy knew, was one thing he could never recover from.