Annabeth sat there, her mouth still slightly open wondering what the hell had just happened. She had listened to Percy's speech. She had listened and she had known that every word he had said was completely and utterly true. Even though, she knew, that he had said it in a sudden rush of anger, she couldn't help but feel slightly hurt. Its not like she could control her feelings entirely. She loved him. She knew that for sure. Her brain was mush at that point though, as she remembered another thing he had said.
He's in love with me.
She let that sink in for a little while. The thought pushed back everything else. She drank it in and became intoxicated by it, she felt like giggling and twirling around and being like those prissy girls in the Aphrodite cabin that she despised so much.
So she decided to go look for him.
Shakily, she stood up. After all, that speech would leave anyone confused. When she made her way to the campfire, she found that percy wasn't there. In fact no one was there, even though the fire was still burning away. After all her time in camp half-blood, not once had she seen the fire still burning without one person thinking to extinguish it. The people at camp half-blood may be many things, but careless was not one of them. "Chiron?" she shouted nervously. No answer. It was then that she heard a lot of shouting and confusion coming from the forest. An out of breath, confused looking Clarisse suddenly emerged from the edge of the forest. She locked eyes with annabeth and her whole face became pale in the moonlight.
"annabeth" she choked out. Slowly she made herself towards annabeth. It made annabeth nervous, to see someone like Clarisse look so agitated and downright sick. "oh gods, annabeth" she whispered. Something was wrong. Why was everyone acting so strange and weird, and most importantly, where were they?
"Clarisse, what's wrong? Where is everyone? Where's Percy?" annabeth demanded. But Clarisse stood there. When Clarisse was speechless, something was seriously wrong. Annabeth considered how percy had left, how suddenly most of the camp was also now gone, All of them most likely in the forest, along with percy. How Clarisse was just standing there. And when Clarisse said the words "annabeth, im so sorry" she knew that it was all linked. She was about to push her way past Clarisse, when a group of campers suddenly rushed past, with Chiron at the front looking even more worried than Clarisse. She felt sick.
"Chiron where have you been? Where's p-" she stopped herself when she saw 6 kids from the Ares cabin carrying a stretcher with someone on it. The words stuck in her throat as she watched, silently, as they rushed the camper to the infirmary. The kid on the stretcher had long black hair, and even though his eyes were closed and he looked as though he were sleeping, she knew him. She knew that face better than her own. And by the way kids peeked behind their cabin doors. The way that a horrid silence settled over the camp and how every face was a mask of grief, she was positive that she knew the boy on the stretcher. She was positive that he was none other than Percy Jackson. Annabeth also knew that you never got put on a stretcher unless it was serious, this was a camp for demi-gods after all. Kids wouldn't be watching in horror unless this was bad. Really bad. She felt her world pull out from underneath her, leaving her free-falling, unable to cling on to anything. She was aware that she was swaying. She was aware that when she fell to her knees, 3 of her siblings from the Athena cabin came rushing up to her. "no" was all she said. When Chiron stared at her, his eyes were full of pain. "Chiron, no" her eyes were wide as she stared at the lake where her and percy had been sitting only an hour earlier, laughing at fond memories. Chiron just shook his head. Her heart, her brain, her whole entire being, was screaming a horrible rhythm
Percy, Percy, Percy, Percy.
"no"
Annabeth wasn't fully aware of how she had gotten there, but 20 minutes later she was slumped on the floor, barely breathing, as percy lay on a bed next to her. She had watched as people had rushed around him, trying desperately to keep him alive. But annabeth knew better. Chiron said it had been the bronze dragon that had hit him on the small of his back, sending him flying. Chiron had turned up, looking for him, right as percy had landed. But only one thing stuck in her head.
The small of his back.
He had been dead for 19 minutes 37 seconds.
At one point his heart had suddenly beat erratically at the 9 minute mark. And then just as soon as it had started, it had then ended. Again it had happened at the 14 minute mark. And again, it stopped as soon as it started.
Annabeth had wracked her brain trying to remember what the last thing they had said to each other.
"i.." annabeth had said.
"no. Just forget it." Percy had said.
My fault, annabeth thought. It's my fault.
She didn't say it like someone stricken with grief, looking for someone to blame. She was just stating the truth.
Again, his heart began beating. But annabeth would not allow herself to hope so she held his now cold hand, and remembered old times. But this time his heart didn't stop. It carried on. Unevenly, but still beating. Annabeth shrieked and stood up. "percy. Percy. Percy. Oh gods, percy please." She begged him. She was pushed away by Apollo cabin members, and left to stand on the sidelines. She wrapped her arms around her waist, trying to keep herself together.
The beeping of the machine still carried on, indicating `that percys heart was beating.
That he was alive.
She was forced out the infirmary. No matter how much she kicked and thrashed or screamed that she had to be there, that he needed her to be here, she was still told to leave.
"would you rather watch him die, or wait patiently for him to live?" someone from the Apollo cabin yelled. She left quietly after that.
She sat on the ground with her head in her hands, and she cried. she supposed time moved, and people went on with her lives while she sat there sobbing, but if that was true, she didn't feel it or even notice it. Someone cleared their throat right next to her. She looked up to find grover sitting next to her. She hadn't even heard him approach.
"hes alive." He stated.
Annabeth stared at grover, not daring to move in case the hope that was charging through her body stopped, and she would come to her senses and realise grover was obviously lying. But even as grover said it, he didn't sound happy.
"but barely" he then said. Annabeth continued to stare at him.
"what?" she whispered.
"a coma. He's in a coma."
Annabeth knew about comas. She'd read about them because they fascinated her. How the person inside the body was alive. But the body wasn't. She had found out it was worse than dying.
"no" she said for what must have been at least the 3rd time that night. Grover just nodded sadly. He looked up to see juniper standing by the forest. So he stood up and left.
"you can go see him. If you want." Grover said. His voice was a deadpan.
Annabeth imagined going inside and seeing the boy that she loved lying there, hardly alive. She imagined teasing him and not getting a snarky response in return. Or holding his hand and not getting a reassuring squeeze back. But still, she stood up and went into the infirmary.
She got a chair and sat next to percys bed. The machine was still beeping. She took his hand.
"howdy seaweed brain" she whispered. It was the same thing she had said only hours before. Had that only been about 3 hours ago. How could the night of taken such a shocking turn of events?
He looked like he was sleeping. But no drool was dribbling down his chin, so she knew that that was not the case.
"i love you, percy. I know its maybe not what you want to hear, if you can even hear this. But i do.i may or may not know the difference between loving and in love. But i do know that i love you. ok?" of course there was no reply. She found herself stroking back his hair. She left a lingering kiss on his cheek and then left. All she wanted to do was go back to the Athena cabin, curl up under the covers and just sob. But Chiron was standing outside.
"how are you, annabeth?" Chiron asked softly. She looked at him. It was a stupid question. "no, no of course not annabeth." He cleared his throat. "do you want the details?" she nodded. "okay. When percy landed, he hit his head. Badly. People tend to go into a coma when-"
" -they've suffered severe head trauma. Like he did. The body shuts itself down in order for the brain to heal itself, or reduce swelling." Annabeth interrupted. She knew the facts. Alot of the time she wished she didn't. Chiron nodded again.
"indeed. However in percys case, the brain seems to miraculously, still be functioning. Which may very well mean, he can hear people, he can form thoughts and memories. Most people stay in a coma for-"
"-4 weeks" annabeth interrupted again. And again, Chiron nodded.
"all we can do is pray to the gods annabeth."
Annabeth walked away from Chiron, went to the Athena cabin, crawled into bed under the covers, and cried.
A/N: ahhh i feel sort of evil. I decided to add another chapter because...well i wanted to. I hope you like it even though some of the characters were a bit ooc. Well review and enjoy. c:
