Alright so this is a short chapter but now, I have a feeling that I might have to hide in a cave to avoid the horrible crowd of fire and pitchforks. You will all probably hate me for putting this short and a LARGE cliffhanger but it had to be done. So READ AND REVIEW!!!

Disclaimer = I don't own Percy Jackson!!!

Chapter 9

Another drastic problem

Percy's Point of View

We'd brought Annabeth straight to the infirmary and laid her down on the bed. The problem was that she was still sweating like mad and her breathing was getting worse. Her skin had started to turn pale and her eyes were still closed. Connor and Travis had come into the infirmary with me. I'd first noticed them when they sat beside the bed as well.

"Did someone get Chiron?" I asked, taking a hold of Annabeth's hand, which had started to clam up. She hadn't woken up since she fell in my arms in the gym. What was attacking her? At first, she had felt just fine when Annabeth left the infirmary. Now, about a week later, she just falls. It's not normal. No one answered me and I looked at Connor. Apparently, he had nodded to me but I was too busy worrying about the girl lying in the cot once more. Man… Annabeth's not lucky these days.

"She'll be alright man, she always is," Connor told me reassuringly as Grover and Thalia came in the infirmary, running for their lives.

"What happened?" Thalia asked worriedly as she grabbed a chair and slid it beside the bed.

"I… I don't know. I found her in the gym working and I tried to get her to stop. We had a little fight and then, she just… collapsed. I… I don't know what happened exactly. But something's wrong with her. I'm sure of it," I answered sadly while rubbing Annabeth's hand with my thumb.

"Man… what do you think happened to her?" Grover asked sadly from behind me.

"I don't know…" I whispered, barely anyone could have heard that. Suddenly, Annabeth started to open her eyes and tried to find us. Once again, her vision wasn't the clearest but she managed to make out a few shapes.

"Percy…? Thalia…? What… what's happening to me…?" She asked us. Her voice sounded so weak. It pained me to hear her like this, so weak and fragile. It was just another reminder of the cabin and Annabeth dangling from the chains, barely alive.

"I… I don't know honey but you'll be just fine. I promise," I assured her while placing a hand to her face, which had started to rise again. It seemed like her temperature might spike through the roof. "Guys, where's Chiron?!" I asked frantically. Chiron sure was taking his time right now!

"I'm right here, Percy," Chiron mentioned as he entered the infirmary. "Make way please," He mentioned while passing through the campers in his wheelchair form. Chiron rolled over to the bed and Thalia, Grover and I moved over to the side. I saw him place a hand on Annabeth's face and removed it just as quickly. "She has a horrible fever. Someone get me a towel," Chiron ordered and I heard Grover leave the room. Chiron lifted Annabeth's shirt slightly and saw that the gauze was now tainted red and slightly yellow. What did that mean?

"Chiron, what's wrong with her?" I asked, hoping to break this silence. He'd just looked at the gauze for so long that it was worrying me now. Chiron's eyes suddenly widened because of something and that scared me. What was he thinking? Did it have to do with that knife we had found in Annabeth a few days ago? "Chiron, what's the matter with her?" I asked him again. The silence was killing me just as Grover gave Chiron the towel.

Chiron took a long time to say something but he placed the cold cloth on Annabeth's burning forehead, closed his eyes and kept his back to us. Chiron finally turned his head, kept his eyes closed and said: "I need to speak to Percy, alone." This had everyone confused, and frankly, my mind was going into overdrive. Why did he want to speak with me? And why alone? Was Annabeth's condition much worse than we thought it would be? Is that why he wanted to talk to me alone? To tell me she would die? No… I couldn't think like that. There had to be something we could do for her.

"Chiron, what's—" Thalia tried to speak but Chiron raised his hand, interrupting her immediately.

"It's quite important that I speak with Percy alone. Please," Chiron pleaded. It was as if it took everything in him to speak out loud to everyone. Thalia and Grover looked at me for an answer and, unfortunately, I had to tell them something.

"Guys, it's alright. I'll tell you guys afterwards." They both nodded unwillingly and left sadly with Connor and Travis, leaving me alone with Chiron and Annabeth.

He looked at me first, then to Annabeth and said with a broken voice: "Take a seat, Percy." Hesitantly, I took a seat beside Annabeth's head and I took her hand in both of mine. Annabeth's glassy eyes met mine and I just smiled at her reassuringly, not knowing what would happen to her now. "Percy," Chiron's voice brought me to look at him, "do you know what this dagger is?" He asked me, raising the dagger I had given him the moment we came back to camp with Annabeth. I shook my head and he closed his eyes. "It's a magical dagger created by Hephaestus. It was supposed to be a weapon for battle. All the enemies that would gaze at this weapon would instantly fear the holder. It's a weapon that creates fear inside the enemies."

"But what does this have to do with Annabeth?" I asked him worriedly. He was just telling me about this useless dagger and now, I was getting frustrated.

"Percy, this weapon was supposed to be extinct. Hephaestus kept it hidden from anyone."

"But Luke found it. And that doctor guy used it on Annabeth!" I practically shouted. Chiron wasn't surprised.

"Percy, listen to me. I've done some research on this weapon and it contains small mechanical prototypes that attach itself to the bloodstream. It's a very dangerous weapon that takes time to work," He informed me and frankly, my look of confusion must have pressed him on. He sighed and said: "The reason why the dagger is now silver is that those prototypes are now inside Annabeth and they're attacking her immune system. She was poisoned. And if we don't get the antidote in time, she will die."

Alright, so I will hide in my cave now and write a little more. Please don't try to kill me before the end of this story. And I'm now going to update more often (although probably not this weekend because I will not have any internet but I will try) so please REVIEW!!!!

Bellacullenswan17

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