Hi guys!
So, thanks so much for getting review numbers up to 128! I never imagined that this story would even get to fifty, much less 100! I'm so grateful to all of you for supporting me!
BTW, I'm changing the rating of this from T to M because of cursing. I mean...well, and I'm really paranoid this is going to get removed. :p
Anyways, I'll make this AN short to make sure I don't give away any spoilers. Sorry!
Also, hope you guys enjoy this!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Percy POV
When Annabeth burst into the room, I screamed.
Well, I screamed from behind the thick cotton gag Gabe had tied around my mouth. It smelled like him, which is to say that it smelled like BO and alcohol and the thick fumes of cigarette smoke. Long, sturdy ropes were lashed around my wrists, tying them together, and then they were knotted tightly around one of the sofa legs.
Annabeth's gray eyes grew wide with horror when she saw me, and she reached towards me, probably hoping that she could untie the ropes and escape while Gabe was, what? Taking a leak? Nope.
"Annabeth, Gabe's right behind you!" I yelled, seeing the shadowy figure stir slightly from where he was pressed against the wall. My warning, however, came a bit late. It sounded more like, "Mmffgrrrfffrrrmmm!" than any kind of intelligible word.
She blinked a few times and came closer, bending down to untie the ropes when she froze, her gray eyes widening and meeting my own terrified green ones.
"Move another muscle, girlie, and you get a bullet in your head," Gabe threatened, pressing the cylinder of the gun against Annabeth's skull. I strained at the ropes, eyes wild. Godsdammit no, I would not let him take another one of my family.
"Dude, back off," Annabeth said, her voice displaying the slightest hint of fear but still full of determination. "I'm here for Percy. Just let him go free."
"Well, I paid the price for my toy, didnt' I? Three years in prison," Gabe leered, his small, beady eyes full of contempt. "He's mine now, sweet cheeks."
"You can't own a person!" Annabeth snapped. "Get this gun away from my head right now."
Gabe's finger tightened on the trigger, and I knew immediately that he was going to shoot her. So I did the only logical thing. Well, the only logical thing in that moment.
I rammed my head into Annabeth's stomach, shoving her away and sending her sprawling on the stained carpet. My leg flew up, intending to hit Gabe's head, but he drew back in shock and my foot clipped the hand that was holding the gun, making the muzzle point down towards my chest.
And then the finger on that trigger pushed down with a click and a bang that left my ears ringing, and a screaming pain richocheted through my body as the scarlet stain bled onto my shirt.
My green eyes went wide with shock and Gabe's shaking hand dropped the gun on the carpet. On the floor, Annabeth's whole body tensed and she half-crawled, half-teleported over to me, cradling me in her arms and burying her head in the crook of my neck.
"Percy. Oh my gods. He shot you. Can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?" Words spilled out of her mouth, tumbling over each other until all I could hear was an indistinct fuzz and ringing and...why was it so hard to think?
Groaning in pain, I looked up at her, her gray eyes that I found so fascinating. Gray loomed over my whole field of vision, coloring everything the shade of Annabeth's eyes. Everything was gray and gray and gray and...
"Percy?" Her voice slipped in and out of the buzzing filling my ears. "Percy? Can you hear me?"
I murmured something, but everything was beginning to go black. Something was tightening on my hand, I thought dazedly. Why was something on my hand? Was I wearing some sort of glove? Why was the world spinning? When had the stars come down to earth to dance in front of my eyes...
"Stay with me, Percy! Oh, come on, just stay awake! Please, please, please. The ambulance is coming. It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay." Annabeth said hysterically from above me. I blinked sleepily at her. The pain was gone, and the spiraling white stars were twirling around her face in some sort of elaborate dance routine.
"Doesn't...hurt," I forced out, trying to reassure her. The whole world was fading in and out of a blank grayness, but the pain was gone. "I'll...okay. Be...fine."
"Oh my gods. You're not going to die," Annabeth ordered, although I could tell she was either going to cry or punch something, multiple times. "You're not going to die, it's okay. I've got you. You'll be okay. You won't die. I promise."
From this point on, everything was blurry, although I do faintly remember trying to smile up at her and reassure that I'd be fine, I was just bleeding and it'd be gone in a few seconds. And besides, she could get over it if I died.
I'm not even sure if I said the last part, but all I know is that after I said something, she burst into tears and held me closer to her, her blonde curls draping over my cheek and hiding our faces from view.
And then everything went black and the last traces of her voice still echoing in my ears slipped into the ringing and buzzing and I was alone.
I bet you all hate me right now.
Annabeth POV (this chapter is going to focus on PERCABETH)
As soon as I saw the crimson blossom across Percy's chest, I knew that a gunshot had gone off.
I mean, I had tons of clues. My ears were ringing from the bang, and Percy had collapsed onto the floor from his position. The gun had fallen out of Gabe's hands. But the main clue was the red.
Propelling myself towards him like a madwoman, I gathered his limp body into my arms, burying my head in his neck. "Percy. Percy. Percy. My gods, he shot you. He shot you. Can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up? Oh my gods, please don't be going into shock. Stay with me. Come on, it'll be okay."
He didn't respond, and I could feel his hand in mine starting to go cold.
"Percy? Percy! Can you hear me? Can you hear me?" I was sobbing at this point, my hand on his tightening into a fist. "Percy!"
The door flew open and everybody else tumbled into the room, immediately taking in Gabe, backing against the wall, me and Percy in the middle of the room, in a pool of blood, and the gun on the floor.
Piper, Jason, and Nico's mouths all dropped into perfect O's. Aphrodite nearly fainted, steadying herself against the wall, and Officer Zhang's face turned as pale as printer paper. A short African American girl with frizzy brown hair gasped and buried her head in a buff Asian guy's chest and both of them hugged each other fiercely.
Thalia, being Thalia, marched over to the gun, scooped it up, and pointed it at Gabe's skull.
"Okay, you *beep woohoo! It's field day for me right now! Anyways, on a scale of one to ten, how cruel is Death to Barbie being? 1 is not cruel, 10 is WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU YOU'RE SO MEAN*, give me one reason why I shouldn't give you a bullet in the skull." Thalia said, her voice like steel.
"I need to punch him first," Leo replied, shoving Thalia aside and punching Gabe right in the nose and then kicking him in the soft spot. Gabe collapsed to the floor, clutching his privates, and Thalia kicked him in the ribs with a crunch.
"Wait. Leo. Give me my pipe," Thalia demanded. Leo grinned in a sort of coldly satisfied way and handed her a hard-looking metal pipe. Thalia bashed it down on Gabe's head and he lost consciousness immediately.
Percy let out a weak groan in my arms, unconsciously flinching away from the loud clang the pipe had made, and then I remembered what was going on, tucking him closer to me, as if my own warmth could seep into his body and save him. "Guys! Call an ambulance r-right now!"
I ignored the way my voice cracked in the middle of the sentence.
Officer Zhang blinked twice and pulled out her radio thing, muttering a bunch of words into it that sounded very official and urgent. I wasn't paying attention, though. Thalia, Nico, Jason, Piper, Leo, and the two other people whose names I didn't know all crouched around me in a huddle.
"Oh my gods. Oh my gods, oh my gods. Oh my gods. Oh my gods. Oh my gods." That was all Piper could say when she saw the blood. "He - he shot Percy. Oh my gods. Oh my gods. Oh my gods, oh my gods."
Jason and Nico both just looked like they'd donated half their blood, chalk-white and dizzy. Well, okay, Nico was more white than usual. Leo knelt down right next to me and circled his fingers around Percy's wrist, cocking his head as if listening intently.
"He's still got a pulse. That's good," Leo said. "But...it's getting weaker. And it's so thready...gods, this isn't good."
Officer Zhang bellowed, "THERE IS A TEENAGE BOY IN HERE WITH A GUNSHOT WOUND IN HIS CHEST! GET THE AMBULANCE HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Three long, painful, tense minutes later, sirens wailed down the street and I could hear thumping footsteps coming up the stairs. Two paramedics burst in carrying a stretcher, and they immediately came over to us and gently lifted Percy onto the stretcher. I didn't want to let go.
Percy stirred slightly and groaned, mumbling some incoherent words and still, even in sleep, twitching away from the hands touching him. My heart broke inside, for a boy who never had the chance to have a childhood.
The paramedics hurried down the stairs, supporting the stretcher between them, and I stood there, frozen, for at least thirty seconds before jolting back to life and sprinting down the stairs after them, Leo hot on my heels.
We burst out of the doors, panting, just in time to see the paramedics loading Percy into the ambulance. Another person, who I'm guessing was an EMT, poked their head out and helped pull Percy in.
"I have to be in there," Leo and I blurted out at the same time. We glanced at each other, blinked, and then rushed towards the ambulance. No time to waste.
"Please, paramedic people, I have to be in here. Please, please, please," I begged, looking up at them with pleading eyes. "Please let me ride in here. Please please please please please please."
"Get in quickly," one paramedic said, hauling Leo and I in and closing the doors. "He's in critical condition. Sorry to break it to you, miss, but your boyfriend may not survive."
I knew that gunshot wounds had a high chance of being fatal, especially in the chest, but hearing a paramedic say that to me was shocking. My hands flew to my mouth and hot tears burned the backs of my eyes.
"Hey," Leo murmured, sidling closer to me and gently patting my back. "He'll be fine."
Biting back tears, I pasted on a smile and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, he'll be okay."
One of the paramedics shone a bright flashlight into Percy's eye and muttered something to the other, who winced sympathetically and said something back. The first paramedic shrugged and pinched Percy's arm.
No response.
The second paramedic winced again, glancing over at Leo and I.
"Yeah, I don't think it's going very well over there," Leo whispered. I nodded again, only this time I didn't want to. I wanted to shut all of this out and say to myself that everything was normal over and over until it was seared into my brain and I'd never believe anything else.
"...only a 3. And no pupil response..." Fragments of sentences floated through the air, piercing my eardrums until I wanted to scream because this wasn't happening, none of this was, I was dreaming, none of this was real.
But it was.
You all must really hate me.
Thalia POV
Piper, Jason, and I raced down the stairs, followed closely by Nico, Frank, and Hazel. By the time we burst out of the doors, stepping over the unconscious bodies of Gabe's friends, the ambulance was already tearing down the street. Officer Zhang, Frank, Hazel, and Nico all tumbled out of the door, breathless, only a few seconds later.
"Get in my car!" Officer Zhang yelled, ripping the door open and unlocking the other doors at the push of a button. "Now!"
I pulled the door open and hurled myself in, squished on all sides by Jason, Piper, Nico, Frank, and Hazel. Mom jumped in, panting, only milliseconds later, and we rocketed down the road as well, Officer Zhang flipping on the sirens as we screeched through the crowded city streets.
"Left!" Piper called from my right side, craning her neck to look through the front windshield. "Turn left! Their tail lights are just -"
Officer Zhang wrenched the wheel to the left and we skidded around the corner. Piper and Jason were thrown onto me, and I fell back against Frank, who was doing his best not to crush Hazel by bracing his elbow against the window.
"Where's Annabeth? And Leo?" Mom asked frantically, scanning all of us kids in the back. "Are they still in the building?"
"I think they're in the ambulance," I said, shrinking into myself. "I can't believe this is happening. Uh, also, did we all forget about Gabe?"
My question went unnoticed as we shot into the parking lot of a hospital. I barely paid any attention to the parking spaces and kicked the door open, leaping out and barreling right through the automatic doors. Piper, Jason, and Nico were right beside me.
"Where's Percy?" I gasped at the first person I saw. Blinking a few times, it took me a few seconds to realize that it was Annabeth, who's gray eyes were red and puffy from crying. Next to her, Leo draped a comforting arm around her shoulders and murmured something in her ear.
"Y-yeah," Annabeth said softly to Leo, a small half-grin spreading across her face. She blinked a few times at my legs before wiping her eyes and looking up at me. "Thals?"
"Where's Percy?" I repeated. Annabeth bit her lip as if trying not to not cry and simply shook her head at me.
"Oh my gods. He's not dead, is he?" Piper asked. Leo shook his head. "No. Well...not yet. That's what they said. They just told us that...well, they have to do surgery to remove the bullet and his lung collapsed and there's a bunch of-of stuff. Plus he lost a lot of blood."
Everyone pretended not to notice that his brown eyes were shining with unshed tears.
Annabeth stood up and ran down the hall, wiping an arm across her eyes and saying something like, "I have to go to the bathroom."
We all exchanged glances. Jason, Frank, Hazel, and Nico all sat down next to Leo, so Piper and I looked at each other, turned back to Annabeth's retreating figure, and raced after her.
"Annabeth?" I called. Annabeth threw a quick glance over her shoulder and sped up, wiping her eyes. Piper nudged me and muttered, "Just follow her into the bathroom."
I pushed myself harder and managed to close a little of the distance between us. Piper grabbed my arm and stopped me. Whipping my head around, I glared at her so hard that I swear her head began to smoke.
"Listen, Thalia. Annabeth told me earlier that she honestly thinks that she likes Percy. Like likes him, so don't say anything stupid or insensitive, okay? Now c'mon, let's go find her." Piper shot off down the hall and through the bathroom door with me close behind.
As soon as we got in, the sound of muffled sobbing echoed throughout the room. Now, if you've ever been in one of those big, roomy public bathrooms, you'll know that the sound inside echoes. A lot.
It was easy for Piper and me to find the source of the sobbing, which was the stall in the very corner, the furthest away from the door. I raised my fist to the door and knocked quietly, and the sobbing abruptly stopped.
"Who's there?" Annabeth's voice asked. Her tone made it clear that she was crying. "Please just go away."
"Annabeth, it's us," I said. "Me and Piper. Please...can you let us come in?"
We waited in silence for a whole minute when the stall door's lock clicked and it swung open, revealing Annabeth. "Hi guys," she muttered. "I...I really don't want to talk right now."
"Hey, it's okay," I said. "You don't have to. I just want you to know that we're here for you."
Annabeth sighed. "Thanks. I just...I feel like this was all my fault, you know? If I had just left him alone that first night...gods, it seems like so long ago. And it was only two days ago. Maybe I should've just let him be and not done anything. Then he'd be okay back at home and he wouldn't be in the - the emergency room with a..." Her voice faltered and dissolved into sobbing.
"It's not your fault," Piper said, pulling Annabeth into a tight hug. "Look, Annabeth, at least this way we can help him. We can help him see that he's not a waste of space, and he's not useless or pathetic or anything like that. We can punish Gabe for what he did."
"Speaking of Gabe...where is he?" Annabeth asked. "I didn't see how you guys dealt with him."
"Oh...shit," I cursed. "I don't even remember. I'm just hoping Officer Zhang handcuffed him or something."
Just then, the bathroom door opened and Officer Zhang stepped in. "Annabeth? Thalia? Piper? Are you in here?"
"Officer Zhang?" I called. "Um, I have a question! Did you capture Gabe or anything? Because we did go there to do that..." I trailed off, watching her with hopeful eyes. Officer Zhang smiled. "I handcuffed him to the sofa leg and sent some of my coworkers down to pick him up. He'll be back in a comfortable, maximum-security jail cell in no time."
"Oh thank the gods," Annabeth breathed, her whole body relaxing. Piper slapped a high-five with me, grinning from ear to ear and showing off her (somehow) perfect teeth.
"So, wait, I didn't quite hear the news. What is going on? Where's Percy? I mean, we saw the boys and Hazel in the lobby, but all they told us was that you guys came over here. They said that Percy was getting surgery for the bullet and everything, but...what?" Mom asked.
Annabeth took a deep breath. "Well - Leo and I managed to get on the ambulance with...with Percy. The paramedics didn't say much, but they told us that Percy - that he lost a lot of blood and that one of his lungs c-collapsed. And...there was a lot more, but I - I don't remember."
That was a lie. A pretty obvious one too, by the way Annabeth refused to meet our eyes and was staring nervously down at the floor. I opened my mouth to say something, but Piper kicked me in the shin and mouthed, 'Not now.'
And can I mention that my shin throbbed for days afterward?
"Oh," Mom said quietly, looking down at the black-and-white patterned tiles herself as if trying to come up with a more fitting answer.
We all stood there in a peaceful (and slightly awkward) silence before Hazel came in. "Hey guys. Uh, so, some guy came out. He said his name was Will, and he was the son of the doctor, but anyways, Percy's apparently been mostly stabilized, although he's still in critical condition, but the bullet's out. Oh, and right now, he's in a coma."
"When did this happen?" I asked, all the new information swirling around my head as I tried to process it. "I mean, when did all of this become real? Why is all of this real? Percy doesn't deserve all that's happened to him. None of this is fair!"
"Thalia, life isn't fair," Annabeth sighed. "I guess we have to live with it and just...make do."
"So, uh, can we get out of the bathroom?" Piper suggested. "Because, well, I don't know about you guys, but this is getting a bit awkward. A place that houses toilets is not exactly the place for a heart-to-heart chat."
I cracked a small smile and led us out of the door. Our little group sat down in the lobby, next to all the boys, and all of us just sat there in nervous silence for a while when a tan, blond-haired boy came in. "Hey! So, uh, are all of you here for Percy Jackson? 'Cause last time I checked, the only girl here was Hazel."
"Yeah," I spoke up. "Uh, we're his foster family -" I indicated Piper, Jason, Leo, Nico, Annabeth, Mom, and me - "and they're our friends." I pointed to Frank, Hazel, and Officer Zhang.
"Okay then. Man, this Percy guy has a lot of people who care about him, huh? Anyways, he's slipped into a coma, but the bullet's out and we're working on stabilizing him and getting him out of critical condition. But the coma he's in is definitely going to stay for a while. You guys can come back to visit tomorrow morning, but for now we'd just like to keep a close eye on him in case something happens, and nothing can get in the way of our doctors in case the worst happens. Also, what's your name?" the blonde boy asked Nico, who blushed a deep red. "Uh, I'm Nico."
He grinned at him. "Will Solace. By the way, you better call me." And with that, he left the room as quickly as he'd come, winking over his shoulder.
Nico turned an even darker shade of red, if that was even possible, and took out a small piece of paper, examining it closely. "I - I thought this was a business card!"
I peered over his shoulder, seeing a hastily scribbled, 'Call me' and a phone number underneath, all in black Sharpie.
"Dude, you got a date?" Jason asked. I slapped him. "No, he got the number of some hot guy. Nico, are you going to call? 'Cause Mr. Will doesn't know your number."
"Guys, I-I really don't know. With all that's happened to Percy, and everything else, it-it's really not my first priority, you know? Maybe after all this is done, and everything's sorted out, but for now -" Nico sighed, suddenly sounding much older than he really was - "I don't think I'm up for any dating."
Everyone was silent after that.
"Well," Hazel said shyly, looking down at her feet, "I don't know Percy at all, but I don't think he'd want you to be all depressed and mopey about it. I think he'd want you to go out with Will and not worry too much. I mean, worrying about Percy is okay, but you can't do it so much that you don't pay attention to yourself."
I looked at Hazel with new respect. The girl was incredibly empathetic. She didn't even know Percy, and still I bet she'd made the right assumption. Nico blinked a few times and then a small grin flitted across his face.
"I have my phone on me."
Yay some Solangelo!
So do you hate me less?
Hazel POV (I know I said I'd focus on PERCABETH, but Solangelo is starting, so I figured why not some adorable Frazel fluff and some extra backstory on the Zhangs plus Hazel?)
This was just like what had happened only a year ago, with Frank's half sister Clarisse. Glancing over at said boyfriend nervously, my gold eyes met Frank's dark ones and he took my hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly and giving me a small smile.
I smiled back at him, but I couldn't stamp down the lingering fear. This...I had the feeling that this was a way to redeem myself. A way to, sort of, save Clarisse, even though I'd been too late. She'd been dead before the ambulance even arrived, from multiple bullet wounds.
But Percy...he was still alive.
"You okay, Hazel?" Frank murmured, pulling me closer to him in a hug. I smiled half heartedly at him, nodding a bit. He looked at me, concerned, and simply said, "You're not. Is it about Clarisse?"
"Yeah," I mumbled. "I know it's silly, but...I thought this could be our chance to redo it. To save her, and save Percy. I...I feel like, we have to prove ourselves, and we failed the first time, but now...we have another chance. Like I said, silly, but...I couldn't help it."
"It's not silly, Hazel. I...I think it's actually right. Maybe this is our second chance," Frank offered shyly, his cheeks turning a shade of pink close to the color of roses. Next to me, Annabeth cleared her throat a little, tapping my shoulder lightly.
"Um, I'm sorry if I'm intruding, but...who is Clarisse? I...er, I just overheard your conversation - I'm sorry, really - and, well, I just wanted to know! So...who is she? And you don't have to tell me," she added, seeing my expression. "I...I'm just curious. Uh, also, I didn't catch your names?"
I glanced at Frank, who shrugged, and then back at Annabeth, who was looking at me with the faintest glimmer of hope in her eyes. And then I realized that those gray eyes needed more hope, and the story I was going to tell was only going to erase that little sparkle.
"Okay. I'm Hazel, and this is my boyfriend Frank. Uh, you're Annabeth, right? So, don't take this personally, but I saw the tiniest bit of hope in your eyes. I...Clarisse's story isn't going to inspire any hope in you. It's just going to crush what little you have left. So...I swear on the River Styx that I will tell you, but after Percy wakes up. And he will, believe me." The last part was as firm as stone.
Annabeth gave me a small smile. "Yeah, I'm Annabeth. Don't worry. I get it. But you remember that you owe me a story, missy!" I giggled, and for a second, we were just two kind-of-friends joking and chatting together, and then that moment was gone and the severity of the situation seemed to set a million pounds on Annabeth's shoulders again.
"Hey...um...Annabeth, are you okay?" I asked hesitantly, leaning a bit closer to her. "You...you seem...sad. I mean, duh, everyone's sad, and scared, and stuff, except for Nico, but he's calling Will, so that makes sense. But...uh, you okay?"
Annabeth sighed, and the sound of it made me feel like I should expect to see wrinkles on her forehead and streaks of white in her blonde hair. "Well...yes and no. I know that I shouldn't be worrying so so much, but I feel like...if I don't, I'm betraying Percy somehow. Know what I mean?"
"I...well, not really. I'm not going to pretend to understand something I don't. But...you can keep talking if you want. I know we jut met, but...I feel as if we were close...in another world, maybe." I blurted out the last part without really thinking, and of course began mentally scolding myself. Gods, that sounded so stupid!
Annabeth gave me a small smile. "Yeah, I get that feeling too."
We were silent again for a little bit, but it wasn't an awkward or uncomfortable silence, or even a tense one, filled with angry words. This silence was the kind that made everyone feel comfortable and happy and wanted.
"So...how exactly are you betraying Percy?" I asked after a little while. "I mean...no one wants someone else to neglect themselves and blame themselves and feel depressed and cut and stuff over them, just because they're in danger or...or d-dead. I don't think he's any different. And he's not going to die."
Annabeth bit her lip as if trying not to cry. "Someone should've told that to him. Maybe all of this could've been avoided."
I could sense that pushing any further was going to make Annabeth either start to cry or explode at me like, 'You don't even know him! Why do you care?' or something along those lines. So I was silent again, until Annabeth took a deep breath and muttered, "His mom died. Murdered, actually. By the guy who shot him. His s-stepfather.
Her lower lip trembled slightly and her gray eyes were watery as an ocean, but she managed to hold the tears in. "Um, that was when he was five. H-he was abused until he was nine, because he - he ran away, and he was d-disowned by his biological father because the father said that he was too w-weak, which he is not." Annabeth no longer looked like she wanted to cry. She looked like she wanted to punch something several times and then burn it to ashes.
"Yeah," I agreed. "From what I've heard and what's going on...well, it's a miracle he hasn't committed suicide already."
Annabeth winced. "Well...you haven't actually heard the whole story yet. That's honestly just the tip of the iceberg."
I drew back. "Uh, isn't that the end? You guys found him on the streets and took him in and yay! Happiness and rainbows and butterflies and stuff? You know...that's not what happened, is it?"
She sighed for probably the millionth time. "No. He was found by Social Services when he was fourteen, and they dropped him into tons of foster homes. He went to...I think it was six or eight, and we were either the seventh or the ninth. In two years. And...well, he has an anxiety disorder or something, but basically he has panic attacks. And PTSD, which I think is pretty normal for someone like him. Uh, he's also ADHD and dyslexic, and I'm pretty sure he's depressed. So...yeah."
"Gods. That...no one should have to go through something like that," I said. "That's...especially not someone who is...wait, how old is he?"
Annabeth stifled a laugh. "Sixteen."
"Okay, let me start my angry rant again. Gods. That...no one should have to go through something like that. That's...especially not someone who's sixteen!" Now, I know that the situation was serious. But I figured, These guys have had enough action and drama and tragedy for one day. Time for some joking around!
Annabeth giggled. "Oh gods. Why am I laughing? I shouldn't be laughing, there's a crisis happen-"
"Annabeth, stop," I interrupted. "It's serious, but you still have to keep your spirits up. You can't spend all this time just worrying and not eating or sleeping or having fun. When Percy wakes up, and he will, he's not going to need someone who's crying all the time and so skinny they look like a stick. He'll probably heal best with someone who can make him feel like he's not a lost cause. If he wakes up and you're crying at his bedside, he'll think, 'Oh no! I'm going to die!' And then, he's most likely going to die." I paused for a moment to see Annabeth's reaction, which, to my surprise, was a small smile.
"Hazel, why have I never met you before?" she asked, grinning. I shrugged. "The Fates are cruel, I guess."
"Hey, wait...you said something earlier. Swearing on the River Styx?" Annabeth's smile grew larger when I nodded. "Greek mythology River Styx?"
"Well, is there another?" I shrugged. Annabeth seemed to think for a moment. "I don't think so."
I actually researched the River Styx and all the medical stuff about collapsed lungs and stuff, and the coma scales and everything, so I'm hoping most of this is accurate. If it's not, review or PM me and I'll fix it!
"Okay, so...what was it about swearing on the River Styx?" I asked. Annabeth grinned happily at me. "Jason and Piper and Thalia and all of us do it. We're pretty much Greek mythology buffs. And I actually believe in them, because...well, because I do."
I shrugged. "I prefer the Roman gods, actually, but the Greeks are cool. I've got a friend named Reyna who's seriously in love with the Roman gods. I swear she is. And I like too sort of believe in both, because they're kind of the same, just different names and slightly different personalities. You know?"
Annabeth tilted her head. "Yeah, I suppose they are. Anyways, I've actually got to go to the bathroom, sorry to cut this short!"
She stood up and did that little walk people do whenever they have to go, and I turned back to Frank. "So...about Clarisse..."
Frank smiled slightly. "Yeah, I think this might be our second chance, Hazelnut."
Thalia plopped down next to us. "Hey, guys. Uh, where's Annabeth?"
"She went to the bathroom. She actually went, okay? She's not going in there to be depressed and stuff," I reassured her. Thalia nodded. "Good. By the way, Nico's date is actually going to happen."
"Thalia, stop spreading the news!" Nico called from where he was sitting with Jason and Leo. "I've already told people! And I bet Will's told people too, and godsdammit this is actually getting embarrassing why did I call?"
"That hurts," Will's head popped into the room.
Nico turned red again. "Uh, I - I didn't actually mean it...well I kind of did, but it's not embarrassing because of you, it's because I've never actually been on a date with a guy, and..."
"Reminds me of you when you first asked me," I whispered to Frank. He blushed. "Yeah, well, my mom isn't the type to teach me how to be smooth and stuff! More of how to vault out of a window and draw a gun when a robber breaks into McDonald's as you and your girlfriend are having a Coke. Or something."
"Aw, don't be embarrassed. That's one of the reasons why I love you, Frank." I teased. "Also, have we ever been to McDonald's? As a couple?"
"Anyways," Will continued, oblivious to mine and Frank's whispered conversation, "My dad wanted me to tell you guys that Percy's been completely stabilized now, and he should make it through the night, but we have several doctors just keeping an eye on him. Uh, if you don't mind, what exactly happened?"
"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Nico asked dryly. "He got shot."
"No shit, Sherlock," Will rolled his eyes. "Like, why did he get shot?"
Everyone exchanged glances before Piper said, "His stepfather. He shot Percy. I'm not even sure if he meant to...Annabeth's the only one who knows."
And then everyone looked at Annabeth, who had just returned from the bathroom without doing the I-need-to-pee dance.
"What?" she asked, obviously confused by our reaction to her. "Uh...are you guys okay? Do I have toilet paper in my pants?"
Almost everyone laughed at the last remark.
"So...did Gabe mean to shoot Percy?" Jason asked. Annabeth flinched. "N-no. He was going to shoot...me, and then Percy just sort of shoved me out of the way and then the gun was pointed right above his head and then Percy kicked Gabe's hand and the gun went down and then Gabe pulled the trigger and then...then all of this happened." She looked like she wanted to cry again.
I stood up, along with Piper and Thalia, and immediately went over to Annabeth. "None of this is your fault, okay? Listen, he made the choice and he decided that yes, he cares about you enough to sacrifice himself." I soothed.
"Plus, this totally means he likes you," Piper winked. "So when he wakes up, make sure to ask him out."
Annabeth smiled in a way that seemed both happy and sorrowful. "Thanks, guys. I...I just hope he does wake up."
"He will," Thalia said forcefully. "He will."
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Leo POV (I've done, like, two Leo's. I've gotta do more...)
When we got home, six hours after Percy and been shot, everyone was too tired to say anything. Hazel, Frank, and Officer Zhang had gone back to their home, which we learned was only a couple blocks from ours.
Mom said nothing, only retreated to her room, and the rest of us kids all lay in our beds, sleepless, as the seconds ticked by.
Eventually, my ADHD got the better of me (by eventually, I mean in three minutes) and I got up, intending to get a glass of water. Or, okay, maybe I wanted to mess around with the stuff in the kitchen cabinets and see if I could either make a sleeping potion or explode something, but that's not the point.
Halfway down the stairs, I bumped into Annabeth, who gave me a small smile and murmured, "Everyone's in the kitchen. We're just talking and stuff. I'm just going to get my phone. Left it in my room."
I smiled back. "Yeah, I figured that no one would be able to sleep. Been a busy day, huh?"
"Yup," Annabeth's smile faded and she hurried up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
I padded into the kitchen, seeing everyone except for Mom (who was probably doing online shopping to relieve her stress) gathered around the kitchen table. Nico had his phone out and he was typing something that caused Thalia and Piper to laugh.
Jason peered over Nico's shoulder and then quickly reached down, adding something else. Nico elbowed him in the chest and whisper-shouted, "Jason Grace, you are not going to do this to -"
"I sent it!" Piper sang, tapping Nico's phone screen. She was obviously pleased with herself. Nico turned red for about the millionth time today and then furiously texted something else. Thalia slapped his hand. "No, Nico. Bad boy."
"Hey, guys," I muttered, sliding into a seat with a cup of water. "What's up? And Nico, who're you texting?"
"Will," Nico said, turning even redder. "Well, apparently his dad is working late tonight, you know, just making sure Percy stays stabilized, so Will's gone home by himself and he's just...oh my gods Jason! Why did you send that?"
Jason snorted. "Hey, now you have a date."
"But...I met him today!" Nico exploded. Quietly, of course, to make sure we didn't let Mom know we were all down here. "Literally today!"
"Technically, you met him yesterday," Annabeth pointed out, sitting down beside me and looking at her phone. "It's one in the morning."
"I don't care!" Nico threw his hands up. "But now I can't say no, because a certain someone named Jason Grace asked Will out! Identity theft! Go to jail, right now! I'll get the Monopoly board!"
Piper giggled. "I sent it though."
Jason grinned. "Hey, Starbucks isn't even that far away."
Nico put his head in his hands. "Jason. This. Is. My. First. Date."
"Exactly, Death Boy. You need to get out more," Thalia teased. "Oh, and while you're there, can you get something for me?"
"Ughhhhhh," Nico groaned.
"Have fun on your date!" Piper trilled. "I can't wait to hear all about it."
"I'm telling none of you anything," Nico pouted. "You stole my identity, and then you set me up a date WHILE I WAS IN THE ROOM, and now you want to hear about the date you set up for me? I don't even know why I don't just run away from here now."
"That's mean," Annabeth laughed. "Well then, I'll just make sure Mom gives me your share of the bacon. Go ahead now. Run away. Shoo."
"You evil, evil, human being," Nico muttered.
And, as we laughed and talked and joked through the night, it almost seemed as if everything had gone back to normal.
Yay! Family bonding...without Percy. But there'll be plenty of time for more bonding!
Percy POV (yes I know he's in a coma)
I woke up to a misty version of Central Park, complete with that prickly feeling on the back of your neck that you get when you feel like you're being watched, bare trees that looked like gnarled hands reaching out for your soul, and...well, you get the gist. It was creepy.
Groaning, I sat up from my position on a metal bench, squinting into the smoky air. Where was I? This wasn't where I was when I fell asleep, was it? Was I dreaming? What was the last thing I remembered?
Closing my eyes and pacing through the park, I sifted through my memories before a blinding headache took over my brain. The last thing I remembered...
Pain.
Gun.
Red.
Gray.
Screams.
Tears.
Stumbling backwards and pressing two fingers to my temples, I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, blurred images whizzing through my mind at lightning speed and high-pitched buzzing sounding in my ears.
What was going on?
"That's a good question, Perseus," a voice answered. I jerked backwards, eyes flying open, and my shins backed into the same bench I had woken up on. Toppling over onto the bench, I quickly sat up again, searching the park for whoever had said something.
"Where the heck am I?" I demanded, the headache subsiding until it was just a dull ache. "Why am I here? And why the frick can't I remember anything?"
"Patience," the voice purred. "It will all be explained in time."
"I don't want it to be explained in time, I want it to be explained now!" I shouted, standing up angrily. "Okay, Voice Guy, I'm just going to tell you what's going on here. The last thing I remember is nothing. All I know about myself is my name and how old I am. I wake up in a weird park, full of mist, trying to remember something, and all I get is a headache. Then, a mysterious voice starts talking to me out of the blue, and it won't say anything useful. So if you would please tell me one thing, then maybe I'll actually have a clue about who the hell I am!"
The voice was silent after that, leaving me to shout strings of curses at nothing but mist.
After a while, I gave myself up to my ADHD...wow. Looks like it will be explained in time. I have ADHD. And the stupid voice guy didn't even bother to tell me that.
"Thanks a lot, Voice Guy!" I yelled.
No response.
Pacing through the park, I willed myself to remember something, anything, and then I did.
There had been a gun...I closed my eyes tighter, straining myself to remember. Guns...no, just one gun, and then it had fired and wet, sticky crimson had covered my shirt...
My eyes flew open and I looked down, unzipping my jacket and throwing it onto the bench and...
When I caught sight of my arms, my whole life came flooding back to me like a tidal wave. Gabe and my mom and the panic attacks and my real dad and the streets and the foster homes and Annabeth and Leo and Piper and Jason and everyone else and the message on the wall and...
"Hey, Voice Guy?" I called. "Sorry about earlier. Uh, what were you going to say to me?"
Nothing.
"Like, I'm sincerely sorry! I wanted to know, you know, who the hell I was, and then you wouldn't say anything!" I shouted.
When the voice spoke again, I could swear that I heard it roll its eyes. If it had any, but whatever.
"Well, I suppose I have to carry out my duties. Perseus Jackson, as I guess you know, you were shot by your stepfather, sent to the hospital, and you're about to die. I'm here to give you a choice." It paused, as if for dramatic effect, before continuing. "Two different paths lie before you. One is simple death, quick and painless. You will not suffer any more. Nothing, for eternity."
Again, a dramatic pause.
"And...uh, the second choice?" I prompted, pulling my jacket back on and sitting down.
"You go back to the world of the living. Suffering, pain, and betrayal await you, but at the end of the road lies love and happiness."
I now interrupt this chapter to bring you...guess the song! Okay, this is just too perfect for me to ignore. 'The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell, right to the top.' Guess it!
A shadowy figure suddenly appeared in front of me, but it was too vague for me to figure out what gender it was. "You have three minutes, or I'm just taking your soul down and killing you."
I gulped. "Um...okay, first, who are you? Do you really have the power to kill me?"
The figure stepped closer, and my jaw nearly hit the floor.
Because instead of one head, he - and yes, I knew it was a he - had two.
BET YOU ALL CAN GUESS WHO THE GUY IS! VOICE GUY, I MEAN!
Okay guys. Do you want to know how many hours of research went into the medical stuff on this chapter?
Three. Three hours of staring at a computer and googling stuff about gunshot wounds and collapsed lungs and comas and how to treat gunshot wounds and...stuff.
My eyes are still burning, because I typed up almost the whole chapter right after researching, because I was afraid I wouldn't remember the research. Anyways, I haven't been doing many review responses, so I'm gonna do a few now.
To the guest that threatened my goldfish: I don't have any goldfish. Can't say more than that, or spoilers. Uh, also, why eight of my goldfish? I mean, you made me laugh, but...oddly specific number there.
To Tori Chase: WILL'S HERE! And Solangelo is happening. Also, thanks for complimenting me (for, like, the millionth time but every time it still makes me smile). Yeah, Aphrodite is like that. She's just not my favorite, I suppose. Piper didn't have to work on the ship name. uncle rick did it for her. Nico and Hazel I tried to make in character. Anyways, thanks for everything!
To TheWayToCampLegacy: Hope I spelled your name right! Anyways, Emily's gonna be fine, don't worry. I think that she deserves some more time to be recognized as a character, so she'll be kind of like Aphrodite. There, but not there. I probably won't do any of her POV, but she will be a character that does stuff, you know? And I'll try and expand on her character a little more, and probably expand on Aphrodite's too. Tristan...well, maybe I'll just make him shoot a film for, like, two years. :p. Can't really incorporate him into the story now, can I? Well, I'll try...but it may not work.
To Crystal Collision: I won't murder Gabe, because...well, it's a surprise. The Percy in the ANs is canon, and you better get writing on that little crack chapter! Plus, Percy's here now!
Percy: Aw, my mom says thanks! Also...just a quick question, how do you know what Elysium tastes like? *gasp* ARE YOU A DEMIGOD?! DID YOU TAKE A BITE OUT OF ELYSIUM?! HOW WOULD YOU EVEN DO THAT THOUGH?!
To Death Fury: Thanks! And...well, I just don't like Aphrodite POV, okay?
To irenechon2005: Yeah, cliffies are fun to write but torturous to read. Thanks, too!
To AvaIsAwesome: Sorry...Percy got shot...don't hate me...please don't...I SHALL PUT PERCABETH FLUFF IN NEXT CHAPTER! I PROMISE!
To Kyliefel: THANKS! Don't worry, this isn't me pushing myself.
And finally, to Percabeth824: PERCABETH kisses will happen, in maybe a few chapters. I don't really know. But thanks!
And to everyone else, thanks for reading, reviewing, following, favoriting, whatever! Love you all!
PS, this whole document, including ANs, is...*trumpet fanfare* JUST OVER 8000 WORDS!
Mind. Blown.