Hola peeps. How are ya? Anyway, here's another update. I don't think you guys realize just how happy all of your reviews make me. Seriously, it's unreal. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and stay awesome!
-ROC6
Annabeth kept mulling over the conversation with the doctor. Something about it deeply unsettled her. She felt atrocious for frightening a mortal like that, regardless of whether or not the mortal was aggravating her, but she was hoping intimidation would convince the doctor to leave her alone. Some part of it scared her, though. There was a nagging feeling at the back of her mind, and she almost hadn't wanted to stop. She had felt dark. Evil. And the scary thing was that a part of her enjoyed it. There was a part of her that hadn't wanted to stop, and it had taken all of her willpower not to listen to that part of her.
If she was honest, even though she tried not to show it, she was terrified by what Percy had done to Akhlys down in Tartarus. She was afraid that someday he'd turn dark, as dark as he looked while torturing the goddess, preparing to kill her with her own poison. And while she had never really thought about it, she realized now that she had a side like that too. She had just shown it to the doctor, show it with the hardness in her eyes and the coldness in her voice, and she was terrified even more. What if she turned into the girl the doctor saw? That's what frightened her most.
Pushing the more negative train of thought from her mind, she began puzzling over the more practical aspects of the situation. As previously established, she was weaponless. She and Percy, both powerful demigods in their own rights had been in this facility for at least a couple days yet, and any monsters in the vicinity would likely be honing in on their location. Except, she was fairly certain that it had been more than a few days, as a powerful sedative had been administered to her on multiple occasions. As a result, that would mean any monsters within range of their scent would likely have already attacked. So what was stopping them?
The realization dawned on her, and she cursed her own stupidity. Of course, their scent was being hidden the same way the scent of sick demigods were hidden. Hospitals are mortal strongholds, with dozens, at least, of mortals occupying them at a time, which would make demigod scents obscure and hard to track. Not to mention the strong scents of antiseptic and medication, which are already overwhelming to mortals, would virtually eliminate their scent for the time being.
Looking to idle away the time, Annabeth began plotting possible escapes inside her mind. Countless ideas crossed her mind, but none of them seemed satisfactory. She'd been praying to her mother every night, or at least, every night she was conscious, but she knew her mother could do nothing to help. Gods couldn't interfere with the affairs of mortals, and most definitely not with their children, so the best she could hope for from her mother was for her to send dreams to other demigods.
After a while, her ADHD got the best of her and she ceased staring blankly at the ceiling, choosing instead to haul herself off of the bed, all of the while cursing whatever sedative they'd most recently injected her with. She walked over to the wall, giving it a skeptical, nostalgic look. On her way to the appointment with the doctor, she had seen that the room next to hers on that side was Percy's. Was Percy okay? She knew he'd be worrying himself sick over her, and she hoped that he wouldn't do anything too rash, though she suspected otherwise. He always was impulsive, and while that helped him stay alive out in the world, it would do him no good here.
She reached up and pressed her palm to the wall, hoping he would think of her and do the same. Annabeth imagined his sea green eyes and raven hair, wishing she were looking into them. She held the position a moment and was about to move her hand when she heard a knock. The only morse code she had taught him. I love you. Her heart soared and she knocked it back. If only she had taught him more, then they could plan their escape together.
Suddenly, a portion of the wall slid away, and a nurse came scuttling in carrying a tray. Annabeth memorized the location of the door. That could come in handy. A moment later the nurse left, and Annabeth walked over to the table. It was a styrofoam tray, a plastic plate with three average sized pancakes on it, a butter knife, a spork, a pill, and a plastic cup filled with orange juice. She contemplated how to get around the pill. Most likely, it was something to make her easier to control and possibly ease depression.
For a second Annabeth considered using the acidic properties of the orange juice, but the idea was dismissed almost as soon as it entered her mind. Eventually, she decided on a plan.
She ate the pancakes and waited until there was just one gulp of orange juice left. She popped the pill in her mouth so the cameras could clearly see, and took the last sip of orange juice, keeping the pill wedged in her teeth and she emphasized swallowing the juice. She hoped it wouldn't dissolve in her mouth. She then went over to the sink and wiped her mouth, concealing the pill in her hand. Then she pretended to wash the syrup off her hands while in actuality, she was washing the pill down the drain. Not the most eco-friendly, but hey, it worked.
Now she just had to hope that if they gave it to Percy, whatever method he came up with to neutralize it had worked.
AnnaUnicorn: Happy birthday! Sorry I'm about... a week... Late. Even though I've been on FanFiction for over two years now, I still forget about the PM function most of the time (it only just occurred to me while typing this out).
Daziy is SoniQ: Hopefully, some of your questions were answered in this chapter, but I'm so glad you went and asked them. Let me know if you have any more questions, since other readers were likely asking the same things.
