[A/N] Hey guys! Sorry for late update but things have been really hectic lately with Christmas around the corner and all that. Anyway, I don't own Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan does. Please review for both stories! And if I can't update in time, Merry Christmas!

Chapter 3

After finishing that somewhat dramatic statement, Annabeth expected Chiron to stand up and lead them off to the seventh floor. Much to her surprise, Chiron wheeled himself backwards instead. It turns out that he was in a wheelchair.

Annabeth turned to look at the others and their mouths were forming small 'o's. Apparently from the looks of things, this was a new development. They tried to conceal their emotions but Chiron saw through it easily after years of practice.

Rolling his eyes, he said, "Yes, I am stuck in this bloody wheelchair and I used to be a patient in the regular wards but so what? Now, stop gawking at me and let's get a move on. We're burning daylight here!" With a renewed effort to prove to the girls he was still in good shape, he started to move even faster but with less caution.

As a result, he accidentally bumped into the left side of the doorway. With a grimace, he began to angle himself properly. Feeling guilty, Annabeth stuffed the files and such into her bad and quickened her pace to start pushing Chiron's wheelchair from the back. Chiron shot her a startled glance, but quickly replaced it with a grateful smile as he gestured towards the lifts. Three of the other girls then followed behind them with tension crackling in the air like electricity.

On the other hand, as the last one of them stepped into the lift which was playing twenty one guns by Green Day, she started tapping her foot to the beat. She was blissfully unaware of the atmosphere surrounding Katie, Juniper and Rachel. One could easily guess who this spirited individual was. Chiron chuckled with a bemused smile as Annabeth snorted childishly at her friend's antics. The other three dissolved into heaps of giggles and the tension disappeared as fast as it had come.

The number seven on the panel of buttons started flashing a nice autumn orange as the elevator doors opened with a small 'ding'. They regained their composure and filed out of the lift and nearly immediately came within sight of a glass door. Chiron scanned his card while the girls took in their surroundings.

Everything was a blinding white and the whole place smelled of antiseptic. Annabeth wanted to pinch her nose to avoid smelling the rancid stench but decided not to as she had to push Chiron's wheelchair. Just as they were about to reach four white doors with names written at the side, Chiron began to speak once again.

"These four rooms belong to your five patients. Every nurse will get more detailed information about their patient in their files but for now, I shall merely summarise their illness, behaviour and such. These four patients are very special as they have a rare combination of diseases. Thus, they have to receive special treatment. We get more than these, of course. We only hospitalise the ones who have reacted badly to the treatment or those who have to be under constant professional supervision. Or in other terms, they can't or won't socialise well with the outside world.

"In order to protect their privacy, and that of their families, the patients are known only by their first names. Only the administrator knows all their background information, and it's a good idea to follow a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy around here. Unless, of course, the patient tells you himself. The doctor visits them twice a day, and all you have to do medically is follow any notations that might be on their charts. Other than that, just keep them company, talk to them, play games, if they want and keep them under constant supervision.

"First off are Connor and Travis. They are twin brothers. They have type two diabetes so a prior warning: NEVER give them sugary foods, otherwise it may be fatal. They are also very sneaky pranksters so you have to watch out. Rachel and Katie are going to take care of them.

"Across from them is Grover. You have to take him on a visit by visit basis. One moment, he'll be as calm and in control as you could hope for. Leave the room for five minutes and come back, and you could find a completely different person. Name calling, lewd comments, you name it, he'll do it. Think of a two-year-old's worst temper tantrum that you can imagine, multiply it by a hundred, and you might come close what he's capable of.

"Down the hall is Nico. Here's where you might run into some trouble. He seems to have taken an extreme dislike to the brothers since the day he arrived, and he's been known to start fights with them if he can. Don't blame him though. On his first day, they painted his whole room pink. Took weeks it get it off. We try to keep them separated except when he's in one of his better moods, which doesn't seem to be very often. Expect some hostility from him; he appears to have a problem with the world in general and doesn't mind letting people know about it. He will be in Thalia's care.

"Our last patient is Percy, across the hall from Nico. He's an introvert, hardly acknowledges the outside world at all. Don't be surprised if he doesn't seem to know you're there. He minds his own business and goes about his life as normal but you have to be vigilant around him. He has easily snuck away from some of his other nurses when he wants to. He will be Annabeth's charge.

"I have had you five researched thoroughly and I matched you up to the best of my ability so I don't believe you will have many problems except for the expected rocky start. There are only two other rooms on this floor. The lounge for the patients and the staff room. The head matron of this floor is away so it will be just you five. Feel free to come to ask me any questions but please check your files first. I hate unnecessary questions.

"Scrubs will be found in the staff room on your desks. You shall be expected here at eight on Saturdays and within an hour from the time your school hours end and leave at five and seven respectively. You are free to leave after an hour after interacting with any of the patients you want. Staff facilities are on the twelfth floor and as for all things supernatural, I will leave to you girls to find out." On that ominous note, Chiron rolled away into the lift and was gone.

The five looked at each other, realisation that they had been left to their own bearings finally dawned upon them as their eyes widened in panic. Only Annabeth seemed to be able to keep a cool head. Sighing resignedly, Annabeth walked off towards the staff room. Seconds later, she could hear four other pairs of footsteps following behind her. Coming to a stop in front of a white door with the letter 'S' on it, Annabeth pushed it open.

It. Was. Huge. Separated into six parts, the office radiated professionalism with no unnecessary decorations and such. Each part was five times the size you would expect to see for mere interns. They only slightly varied in size and the biggest was obviously occupied by the head matron.

Looking back, Annabeth smirked as she saw the others gawking at the simplistic but elegant interior of the office. With a few bounding steps, she leisurely bagged the second biggest one which was also the one with the nicest view. She plonked herself down in the cushy sea and sighed. How nice.

As Thalia went to the third biggest one, she shot Annabeth a playful glare. Said girl just grinned from ear-to-ear in response. After everyone had settled down and put on their scrubs, Katie asked a very good question, one that all of them had been wondering. "So how are we going to do this?"

Everyone eventually mutually decided to visit their own patients before coming back to compare notes. Even though the thought that they were treating the patients like an experiment made Annabeth cringe inwardly, she provided no resistance.

Finally, they all left the room, each entering their own patient's rooms. Except for Thalia and Annabeth. Thalia let out a breath. "Nervous?" Annabeth nodded as they looked across the hall at each other. The blue-eyed girl comically held up her fingers for the three to one countdown, much to Annabeth's amusement, but she obliged nonetheless. The girls both opened the doors at the same moment. Annabeth was reluctant to see her patient so she turned back to look at Nico's room.

Big mistake.

Already, the sound of things being thrown across the room, expensive things being smashed and Thalia's startled screeching was resonating throughout the hallway.

Not wanting to see the results if anything came flying out, she quickly stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. With a relieved sigh, she turned to face the bed and directed her gaze upwards, only to meet a pair of jaded green eyes. The most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen.

END OF CHAPTER