Learn to Love Again, chapter 14
A/N: Hey, everybody! Still sick, but I'm up and about, I just have to sit down sometimes to catch my breath. Anyway, lots of love to the reviewers again, we got more then I had expected!
Immoral Dreams: Thanks! I swear, I came up with it on the spot, but thank you! It means a lot to hear that!
Lahlahland: Um...thanks?
percabeth1414: Well, I think by this point it's pretty damn obvious I'm not too nice to our characters
MetalBeats4051: Haven't seen you before, but thanks! And I swear, *puts chapter between my teeth* It's a metaphor, you see. You put the killing thing between your teeth but you never give it the power to kill you...that TFIOS meme, I swear. Anyway, thanks!
SOUND THE ALARMS, ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT AFTER THIS!
Rushing into the hospital, his heart beats in chest louder and quicker then ever. Shaking off some snow that had fallen on his shoulders, he looks around, trying to find a hint about where she could be. Running to the receptionist's desk, it's only a matter of time before they finally tell him, only disclosing the information because he had pulled out his gun. A small smirk on his face follows, before disappearing, as he hurries down the hallway. The smell of medicine and blood makes his nose wrinkle, and he resists the urge to cover his nose. The halls are painted a blinding white color, and Percy grits his teeth, his eyes already red from holding back his tears.
They made him wait until about 10AM, Piper and Jason, with Jane, before they allowed him to go stomping off in search of the hospital. The shootout had occured about 3 in the morning the previous night, and it was possible they were still trying to save her. Having coldly ignored Nico's exit, he hadn't been sure what had happened, and when Clarisse returned with an exhausted Nico beside her, she refused to let him go near him.
"You're the last thing he needs, alright, Jackson?" she had told him. About to open his mouth to protest, he had quickly shut it, seeing the dazed and tired look in Nico's eyes. She was right. Now, about this time, he was most likely still sleeping from the few drinks he and Clarisse had had that night. Percy had a slight feeling he knew why Nico might've been upset, but he couldn't think about that now. He needed to think of her, of Annabeth.
Now, striding through the hallways, trying to find her, she's all he can think about. Her talk. Her walk. The way she never let a man fall without hell breaking loose. Her tactical ways, her dangerous nature. She is dangerous, but sensible, and that's why Percy needs her. He, himself, is dangerous without sensibility. He could get shot because of his recklessness. Someone needs to tame him, and she is the only one who could. To hold him back from himself. He thinks about running into her arms, finally telling her how he's felt for all these years since school, but could never tell, like Luke, because it would get you killed. In his world, love is a gun. It can either save a life or completely destroy one. In most cases, it was the latter.
Finally finding her room, floor 2, room A2, he finds himself standing paralyzed in the entrance, seeing her lying there. Her blonde hair is pulled back from her face, revealing her pale, greying expression. The doctors are working hard, their gloves drenched in blood. Her blood. Grim determination decorates their faces as they use tools Percy never knew existed, to probe at the organs of her stomach digging, trying to save her. They would save her. They had to.
How many hours did he stand there? All time became elastic, as he watches them continue to work, being bumped occasionally by a passing gurney, and he is frozen, praying silently to a God he never knew believed in, to save her. To save her and let her wake up, let her rest and let her know she is loved. Let her know Percy Jackson is completely, utterly and miserably in love with her. It's not until one of the doctors yell something that made no utter sense to him, that snapped him out of his reverie.
"Organs ruptured. Internal bleeding. Nothing else we can do. Pull the plug, she's gone."
It didn't make sense. It didn't make any complete sense. The gears in his brain halted, his breathing coming in short gasps. Tears begin to form at the corner of his sides, as the surgeons cover her face, and one of them checks the time. Her face was covered completely, as some of the surgeons stand aside to let Percy through. Taking slow steps, and under the dim light, is her. She couldn't be dead. She couldn't be.
"Annabeth Chase. Born June 12th, 1901, and died February 25th, 1921 at 10 o' 5 in the morning."
They all pause, to look up at Percy, who has been listening, but never really processing it. She couldn't be dead. It didn't make sense. One of them brings him a chair, but he doesn't take it, as he slowly lets the tears fall down his face, and onto the sheet that covered her body. Reaching out, he pulls back the sheet, revealing her face, that beautiful face he could never forget. His hand finds itself curving along her cheek, and he wishes she would stir, that she would open her eyes and just fucking slap him, cause she couldn't be dead, she couldn't be dead. She couldn't be fucking dead.
"Y-You..." he stammers, feeling like a complete coward for not telling her when he had the chance, "You...you were supposed to stay with me," he whispers, looking at her unmoving body. Even in death, she was beautiful. She would always be beautiful. And she was gone.
Tears running down his dirt covered cheek, he smiles hysterically, as unnerved surgeons begin to call for security. Fuck it. He didn't care, as he caresses her pale cheek.
"Wake up..." A moment passes. He grabs her shoulders, shaking hard. "WAKE UP!" Cradling her head in his chest, he sobs for her to wake up. "Please..."
Another silent moment passes, as the surgeons either run for their lives at this deranged madman hugging a dead body, or silently leave, giving Percy a small tap on the shoulder. Either they thought he was mad for loving someone, or a fool. Most of the time, it was the truth. He continues to hold her, whispering in her unhearing ear.
"You were supposed to love me..."
Two tall, burly men enter the surgery room, seeing Percy cradling Annabeth's body. Grabbing him by the shoulders, a doctor coldly tells them to throw him out, as he begins to fight. Kicking, screaming, thrashing, he lets a cold scream rip itself from his throat, as they drag him through the hallways and back to the streets. He would come back for her. He would tell her how much he loved her, fuck what everybody says, he needed her...she was supposed to love him...
He is shaken by the shoulders, suddenly pulled from his nightmare.
"She's awake."
He looks up to Jason, smiling gently at him, with Jane at his waist. Piper was nowhere to be seen, but he looks at the clock. 12 in the afternoon.
"Wh-What...?" He couldn't believe it. Had he been dreaming this entire time?
"She's fine." Jason says softly, offering his hand to Percy to stand up. Shaking ever so hard, Percy takes it, silent in disbelief. She's alive.
Following Jason through the hallways, Jane follows with him, smiling softly at Percy as they went. The hallway seemed to be coming much too short, and he is half convinced when he enters that same surgery room, she'll be dead, the surgeons shaking their head in disappointment. He stops before her room, his breath coming in short gasps. Jane, after a small nod from her father, slips her hand from her father and offers it to Percy. Percy, looking down at her with wide eyes, slowly takes it, and from her hand, gains the strength to walk into that room.
Laying in the gurney, is a lively, if somewhat tired, Annabeth Chase. She is playing cards with Thalia and Luke, bottles of beer being hidden underneath the gurney. Her stomach is covered by the hospital sheet, and it seems for now, she would be alright. Percy couldn't believe it, until she calls his name.
Laughing, he lets go of Jane's hand and runs to her side, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her close, burying his head in her hair. It was her. She was okay.
"Hey, Percy." She whispers softly, just as glad to see him as he was to see her. But Percy knew he had missed her moreso. Pulling back from his embrace, he sees Thalia and Luke sneak discreet smiles, before both of them stand up, and leading Jane back to her father, who is smirking at the entrance. Luke, Thalia, Jane and Jason all disappear, leaving a recovering Annabeth, a close to tears Percy, and an empty room.
"H-Hey," he finally hiccups, taking a seat next to her gurney. The windows beside her room are open, letting in some sunlight, and the sunlight falls onto her hair, making her blonde hair glimmer like the sun. He is frozen by the sight for a moment, before covering his head with his hands.
"I...I thought you were actually dead."
She's quiet for a moment, before Percy finds her hand on his chin, raising his face to look at her. Slowly removing his hands from his face, her thumb rubs against his rough cheek, rubbing away the tears that had been lingering there.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Jackson."
He chuckles, and places his hand over the one that rests on his cheek. Her expression pales, and for a moment, all time freezes, as he slowly reaches over, brushing his hand against her lips. Those lips, that intrigues him and makes him want to melt at the same time. He loved them, because they're a part of her.
"Annabeth...you know I love you, right?"
He mentally slaps himself, as her cheeks flare up in color. Course she didn't. Fuck. Stupid move, and he immediately turns red himself, about to make a crack, to desensitize what he had said, to take it back-
"Pretty damn obvious."
He widens his eyes at her expression, a soft smile that lights up her face. She giggles, shaking her head. Pulling her hands back, she smiles at his dumbfounded expression, before beginning to explain.
"Well, it was obvious enough from when we went to school together," she begins, looking at her feet, "I mean, you followed me around like a puppy, and would never stop badgering me."
"Badgering was my specialty."
"Yeah. Anyway, I couldn't help...but like you a little more then I should...that's when my father got upset."
His smile escapes his face, as she speaks of her father. The rich, famous bastard, Frederick Chase. Tried to force her into a marriage with one of ther richest kids in school, and she had refused, before running away. Annabeth Chase, he decided, should never, ever be underestimated. He bites his lip, trying to hold back the words he would very much like to say about her promised husband.
"Anyway, that's when Luke came in. He offered me a place in his ranks, and I agreed-"
"Wait, that's where you went?
"No shit. Anyway, after a few years, I did get tired of Luke. The men who joined were all bastards, and some of them annoyed the shit out of me. Luke was rather furious when Thalia offered me a place, and I had agreed. That's why he hated Thalia for a long time."
"Makes sense," Percy says, nodding slowly, "But why didn't you ever tell me you liked me? We only met once after high school? Right after Thalia shot Travis Stoll-"
"Yeah, and it was one of the worst nights of my life." She sighs, shaking her head, "I never wanted to see you again, and seeing you there...with Luke...I just remembered the happy, annoying Percy that would bug me and offer to carry my books to each class...it hurt. Also, to see Octavian, or as you know him, Otto, around. He badgered me pretty badly too."
"That's why the stinking shits left after they shot you?" He asks, wide eyed and surprised, as she nods in confirmation.
"Yeah. He probably left and killed whoever the hell shot me," she says, shaking her head, "But I do like you a bit too, Jackson."
A smile lights his face up, as he slowly reaches over again, and brings her cheek into his hand, caressing the skin like porcelain, delicate and beautiful. She blushes, but doesn't pull away, as they come closer and closer to each other. Soon, their foreheads are pressed together, and Percy is holding her cheeks in his hands.
"C-Can...I kiss you?"
She doesn't utter a word, as she slowly lets his lip touch hers, closing her eyes as their lips meet. Tilting her head slightly, Percy wraps his arms around her neck, pulling her closer, so he could hold her close, to make sure this was all real. He, the boy who had badgered her for years in high school before she disappeared, finally had her in his arms, and she was loving him, the way he had always dreamed. Life, he decided, could be sure, and love was truly, a gun. He saved her. She saved him. They saved each other from themselves.
"Hope we're not interrupting?"
They break apart, their cheeks as red as can be, as Thalia and Luke stride into the room, slight smirks on their faces. Their hands are intertwined together. Jane and Jason follow, Jason taking the first seat he gets to, as Jane climbs excitedly onto his lap. She waves happily at Annabeth and Percy, before quickly becoming occupied with the small wooden block Jason brought with him.
"No, not at all," Percy says, leaning back in his seat, trying not to feel resentful that this was the first time he kissed Annabeth, and it was interrupted.
"Don't lie, Jackson," Luke laughs, shaking his head at his expressionless face, "You were kissing Annabeth, and you very much wanted to keep going."
"Shut up!"
"Not important, anyway," Thalia interrupts before the boys could get a good argument going, "Word is that what's left of the Castellan gang was caught last night. Most of them. One half of the Stolls, Butch Williams, Issac Schuster, Joshua Chamberlain...most of them. Some of them escaped, such as Otto, Leo, and others."
"How'd you get this information?"
Thalia and Luke exchange smirks, before whispering to each other, discussing whether to tell their friends the truth. After a quick discussion, they both turn back to Annabeth and Percy.
"Reyna Avila Ramirez Arellano."
"WHAT?"
Annabeth and Percy explode into a series of questions, but Thalia waits until they shut up, before answering their question.
"She's been my double agent," she explains, lazily looking at her nails, "the entire time. She's the reason Jackson and Di Angelo only got tailed by the least experienced members, having convinced Otto that they would be easy to get rid of. Also, she's managed to influence Valdez, I think."
"And how can we believe this?" Percy questions, leaning forward in anticipation, but withdraws when Luke glares at him fiercely with his good eye. Accepting Thalia's words, he sits back, grumbling a bit, but lets it go.
"So, tonight, they're apparently planning on storming our base. Reyna fed it to them last night, saying she had been a member of my gang before joining theirs," Thalia continues, smiling at their gaping expressions, "And they think if we they can get rid of them, they'll get rid of you guys too. They know you trust me, but what they aren't planning on is an internal explosion, destroying them, the evidence of our gang, and if we're lucky, none of us."
"How're we going to manage that?" Annabeth asks, raising an eyebrow, "None of us have any explosives, and that shit is hard to come by-"
"We stole some off the train this morning," Luke replies, shaking his head, "It was from the War, but they had no clue what to do with it. We're placing it near the entrance of the hidden bar, and we have Reyna. She'll be with them when they raid the place, and everybody will be gone, and she'll leave to do a "surveillance" check, but if something goes wrong, there'll be a shoot out. One, which Miss Chase will not be included in-"
"Luke!"
"For your safety, Annabeth," he spits angrily, "Me and Thalia both decided it would be best if you two stayed here. Percy, she needs a guard, cause if shit goes down there, there might be two of their soldiers coming here to get rid of Annabeth or you. You're the only one I trust to take care of Thalia's soldiers."
"Fucking-" Percy throws his hands up in the air, frustrated at being left behind. He hated to be useless, but what he hated more was being dead. And that's what he would be if he disobeyed direct orders, "Fine."
"Good," Luke says, nodding slightly to Percy, "And you too, Annabeth. Anyway, I think it's best if we leave you guys at this point. I imagine you want to angrily rant and talk behind our backs."
"Yep."
Soon, Thalia, Luke, Jason and Jane have all departed, leaving a rather frustrated couple, pulling each other close in their arms, wanting to just let the world dissipate. Rather angry at their bosses, they wouldn't disobey their orders. Annabeth was to stay in the hospital, and Percy was to act as guard. However, Percy still wouldn't stop ranting, even after Annabeth had slapped him.
"I'm just saying, we could help if they wanted-"
"Oh, shut up and just kiss me, Percy."
And he was rather quick to do so.