Percy-
We fan out in a circle with our backs facing the portal. Attempting to protect Annabeth from what we can on this side. There is no telling what she's going through in there, we can't see inside the red glow. Every once and a while it will dim but some times it glows brighter. Please, Dad, Athena, make her get through this. Don't let her die on me.
Hours seem to go by and I'm not really sure how long she has been in there. But the portal is still flickering grey, or glowing brighter red. Strobe light, SWEET. We haven't had much trouble with monsters. Most of the bad ones are already gone, yeah I know, I'm awesome. "Perc, man a little help." it must be a pretty good sized monster because Will is a damn good fighter, he wouldn't need help. He wouldn't ask for it either, that guy has some serious pride. When I get there to help him I nearly drop Riptide.
Reyna is laying on the ground, the shirt around her stomach is soaked with blood, the gash in her side is easily visible. "What happened?" I glance to the pile of gold dust starting to whisk off in the wind.
She tries to sit up, face pale and twisted in pain, sweat poring from her forehead. Well, Rey, that's not a good look for ya. Reyna grasps at the wound, but the effort to sit up adds pressure and a slimy deep pink bulge threat's to pop out of her gash. Gross! "Reyna lye still!" Will lays her back down. She coughs and her teeth go from shiny white to deep red. This is not good.
I glance to where Thalia is standing and her quiver is almost empty. In the distance there is a shadow approaching. "Will, I need your arrows if you're not using them!" I throw the two full quivers to her feet before looking back at my friend suffering on the ground. If it's this bad out here what is happening to Annabeth! My mind is screaming; I can't focus! Freekin' ADHD.
"DAD! Apollo! I need you!" Will is getting desperate, his patch job on Reyna is already soaked with blood. He is grabbing more gauze out of the med-kit and holding it firmly to her side. "Stay with me Reyna, fight it! Look at me! Focus on my eyes." She looks to him and a bloody smile creeps on her face."Hang on. Keep you're eyes open Reyna." Will turns his attention to the newly risen sun. "DAD! If I ever meant anything to you, PLEASE!"
There is a flash of light behind us and I see the young Apollo step toward his son and Reyna who is now going into shock. "I'm here Son." He looks at Reyna on the ground and the pool of blood forming around her. "I will take care of her." Apollo and Reyna disappear. Please let Reyna be ok.
"Percy, I need some help over here." Lightning cracks through the air and thunder makes the entire island rumble. I rush to Thalia's side, di immortalis, we are so out matched... Annabeth HURRY! There's a familiar tug in my gut and water rushes up around me. "You ready?" Thalia looks at me grinning stubbornly. Just like old times, except this time Annabeth isn't fighting next to us.
The stampede of monsters is getting closer, their shear stench is enough to make you pass out. You guys staaank, take a bath. I ready my self "Did you forget, I don't know, the last few years? I'm ready. " I grin back she just laughs and rolls her eyes, typical. "Let's do this." spinning riptide in my hand and wink to Thalia who is getting ready to release the first arrow. Will behind us is doing the same.
The air around us flashes a bright red, but that quickly fades to grey. One blast of light from the portal the three of us are almost knocked on our faces, the monsters disintegrate on impact with the ripple of energy spreading out from portal's epicenter, trees flatten in a circle, and the dark energy around us begins to lift. She did it! Annabeth did it!
She stands triumphant where the portal used to be for a second. Blond hair flowing in the gentle breeze, there seems to be a glow about her. Thank you! thank you thank you thank you. She's ok. Her knees buckle as she collapses hard, crumpling to the ground. Riptide falls from my hand with a clatter. I have to get to her. "Annabeeeeettthhhhhh!"
She is laying on her back, her Camp Half-Blood shirt is ripped to shreds, hardly hanging from her body, and stained a deep red. Annabeth doesn't look like she is breathing. Her face is swollen with cuts, black and blue with bruises and smudged with dried blood, sweat, dirt and grime. Her golden hair is matted to her forehead with dried blood, singed in some places, and in others littered with spiderwebs. Her ankle is crooked, her arm at an unnatural angle. Wait a second these are old wounds...The gash where she took the knife for me is open, along with many... many new wounds. Her flesh is just as bad as her shirt. Oh gods... What happened in there...
Annabeth's stormy grays light up when she sees me, and I can't look at anything else."P-p-percy." Her face twists in pain through an attempted smile. She tries to prop herself up on her elbows anyway... dumb idea Wise Girl! Annabeth cries out in pain. I've seen lots of people in pain. I've heard their screams. This is worse...It's the ugliest sound I've ever heard in my entire life and it's coming from Annabeth...MY Annabeth!
"Annabeth don't move." I slide my hand behind her head and take her hand in my other (her unbroken arm.. duh). Her fingers weakly grasp around mine, her hand feels like ice. Sweat is beading on her forehead and she's trembling.
"Hey there Annabeth." Will kneels by us pulling a stethoscope from his kit after cutting what's left of her shirt off. "I'm going to take a listen. You look at Perc, OK?"
She swallows hard and looks up to me preparing for what's coming. Her eyes talk to me I'm scared Percy. It hurts so much. I just look right back and flash her a smile. I know, fight through it. I'm right here. When Will presses the stethoscope to her ribcage she moans, clenching her eyes shut, and squeezes my hand.
"Her lungs are collapsed, and I'm suspecting many broken ribs. I have to get a chest tube in her so she can breathe." He is talking to me, quietly trying not to scare her. On que she starts gasping for some air unable to take any in. Will swabs her side with iodine and gives me a bottle of nectar. I let her sip on it and she relaxes a bit. "That's enough. Ok, Annabeth, this is going to hurt. You just focus on Percy." He pulls some sort of kit out of his bag. "Percy hold her still." he whispers so softly I almost miss it.
She closes her eyes and clenches her jaw. Will makes the incision, her jaw tightens, and she grips my hand. "Breathe Annabeth." I sooth. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." He begins sliding the tube into his incision, Annabeth cries out. I can hear Will muttering 'I'm sorry' over and over. Her cries with each little progression of the procedure are gut wrenching. Blood pours out of the tube and Annabeth takes a deeper breath. He did it. Ok, we can do this. Looking to Will to congratulate him on helping her some, I see him turn his head away and vomits. Ewwwww.
Annabeth opens her eyes, now filled with tears she is still trying to hold back. "Hey there Wise Girl." I slide my hand out of hers and brush her hair from her face. "It's over. You're going to be ok." I say despite the pool of blood forming around us.
"Ouch." She says through gritted teeth as Will sets her ankle and starts to bandage her deepest gashes first. Will rolls her up on her side to look at her back. His face turns pale and I sneak a look. Her skin is hanging off her back in bloody strips, her muscle is visible, and on her shoulder blade I swear I can see some bone. Was she whipped? Gods, please no... I help hold her up as he presses medicated gauze to her back before laying her back down. She only groans a little. "Could you be a little rougher, Solace?" She chides. This is good. She is talking. She is joking around. "Hey Seaweed Brain. You miss me?" the corners of her mouth turn slightly up.
"Psh, No. You were only gone for like 27 hours 6 minutes and 18... 19 seconds" How did I know that? I can't help but chuckle at her new found energy. It's amazing what a little oxygen can do to you. I almost start laughing at thinking I was loosing her.
"Such a dork." Annabeth's beautiful grey eyes look up into mine but I can already see the life beginning to drain slowly from them like an hour glass. She smiles at me, her white teeth and dimples brighting her dirt dimmed face. "I'm ok Percy." she says out of breath. I feel her breathing becoming more labored. She takes a deep breath trying to catch some more air but the effort is halted by the pressure of the broken ribs. She moans as her face twists.
I hold her head. "You're going to be ok Annabeth. I'm going to get you out of here. Don't you worry." I say in a panic as her breathing slows. The blood has stopped draining from her chest, but the puddle is still growing. I've seen enough people like this to know that a puddle this size is fatal. I'm not an idiot.
"Relax..a..little..Percy..geez." she chokes out a word with every breath in a weak whisper but I can still hear the smile in her voice. "Never.. thought.. I'd.. tell.. you.. that.. did.. ya?
"Nope." I try to smile down at her. "You're learning from me. About time." I wink down to her.
"Shut..up."
"Oh you know you love me."
"I do. So, so much." she seems to find the energy and breath to speak normally. "I love you." I can't help it, I lean down and kiss her. Her lips are feverish, and I can feel a slight tremble in them. I don't care if she's about to die, I don't care how beat up she is, she is still the most beautiful person I've ever known. Even now she is trying so hard to be tough when I know she's in more pain then bearable.
Will stops doing what ever he was doing. He looks at me and shakes his head, tears are starting to stream down his face. "How you feeling kiddo?" He tries to talk gently to her. Annabeth turns her head to see him crying and he quickly wipes the tears.
"It's ok Will. You did everything you could." She smiles up to him. Knowing that there was no stopping what comes next and he will just blame himself like he did for Michael.
"Annabeth, growing up together, at camp... I'll always remember." He kisses her forehead. "You did good. I'll miss you." Will stands and walks away.
Thalia kneels at her side now.. Where in HADES have you been!? She needs you! Then another girl steps up behind her and puts her hand on Thalia's shoulder. Artemis. "I'm sorry, my huntress, there is nothing I can do. It is too much even for me. Young maiden, you've done well." She touches Annabeth's shoulder which seems to relax her. We make eye contact and her voice appears in my head. I am sorry Perseus, I did not agree with this. I nod in heart broken appreciation and she walks off to find her nephew.
Thalia's turn. "When you get to... Just enjoy it, ok? Love you Sis." She kisses Annabeth on the forehead. "Tell Luke hi for me."
"Thalia." her hand loosens on mine and slowly creeps toward Thalia's. "I will." Her breathing slows more, but Thalia leaves the two of us alone. "Percy..." she blinks back tears.
"I know, Wise Girl. It's ok. It's just me."
Like she ever listens to me. "No it's not...I'm so sorry." Damn it Annabeth! It's ok that you're crying, I betrayed you. How could I have gotten so badly hurt before to make you have to do this now? You shouldn't be sorry. It's my fault. All of this was my fault. I'm the one that should be sorry. If only I could find it in me to actually say that.
"Save you're energy. We'll get through this. We'll get you back. We'll grow old together, you can design us a house on the lake cliff. We'll live there and help Chiron with Camp."
"Percy. I'm dying. Please don't pretend..." How do you respond to that? My best friend in the entire world, who has never given up on anything, not even once, is giving up on life. She is talking quickly but painfully. "Promise me you won't change. You will always be goofy, and caring. You wont have to worry about me any more, I'll be safe now."
"Shhhh Annabeth, don't." SHE IS DYING.
"I'll watch over you now, and be there when ever you need someone to talk to. I'll always be with you Seaweed Brain."
"I love you Annabeth." there is no use in trying to get her to hang on now, the life is almost completely out of her stormy eyes. I hold her steady as the breathing becomes almost nonexistent. "I will make you proud. I promise. I'll follow all of your advice, even if it is stupid." I stifle a laugh that makes her smile. "YOU are the best person in the world, no one even comes close." I brush my hand along her cheek.
"You're going to be ok, where there is no more pain, no more monsters, no more suffering." I smile down at her with tears welling up in my eyes "The place will be awesome, the weather will be perfect, and you will be in paradise. Save a place for me, OK?" she nods so slightly as one tear rolls down her cheek cutting it's way through the dirt caked on her face leaving a perfect little trail.
I wipe it with my thumb and kiss her, it's desperate, but maybe it'll give her some life. "I love you so much." and slide my hand back into hers. Her face, twisted in pain, relaxes. Her hand loosens it's grip. Her eyes seem distant, but still locked to mine. A small smile looks up at me. She isn't in pain anymore, this is the end... No.. No Annabeth. Annabeth I love you. Don't leave me. Please don't leave me.
"I..lo.." Her once so lively eyes locked to mine, blank in a haze. I slide my hand out of hers for one last time and close her beautiful, perfect, grey eyes. I lean over her dead body and press my face to her chest for a second before cradling her gently in my arms as I lay her head down in the dirt.
I just kneel by her side, covered in her blood, starring down at my best friend, the love of my life. Dead. My heart shatters in my chest, I feel the weight of the sky on my back. I've never felt a pain so real. Tears are streaming down my face. They drip onto her still chest making perfect little circles in her blood. She's gone. "ANNAAAABETTTHHHH!" I can't breathe. I don't want to. "MY AAANNNNNAAAAAABEETTTTHHHHHHHHHHH."