Please don't kill me!

Oh god, I'm so late. How long's it been? A week, I think. Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Really, really sorry. I don't know why I didn't update - I suppose that it's because I've just had my first week back in school and, well...it was school. Crappy, as usual. Similar to this chapter. It's not my best work, I'll admit. I had to do a lot of editing to it and I've not had much inspiration and it's been surprisingly hard to just get words down.

I've been focusing a lot on doing art-work recently rather than writing, too. My step-mum's friend has just asked me to do the illustrations for some books she's written, actually, which means my name will be on the front of them and I'm going to earn money. Nice! But then, she's written ten books, so...yeah. I'm going to get busier, by the looks of it.

As I said, I apologize for this chapter; for it's lateness, and for it's crappiness. The next chapter will be better and I'll be updating it tomorrow as this one was so late. So...yeah. That's all for now. I'm sorry!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON.


We're told that Percy is healing at an impeccable speed. Even though it feels like eternity, he's recovering faster than any one ever thought he would. Within five days he didn't need the oxygen mask, and after a week he could sit up without support. Everyone's happy about his recovery - everybody but Percy.

"I need to move," he groans, trying to sit up. I push him back down on to the bed gently, careful not to hurt him.

"No, you need rest," I say.

"I'm ADHD!" Percy stresses. He's been complaining for hours about it. "I don't know what 'rest' is. Wasn't being unable to move at all for a week enough of stupid 'rest'?"

I roll his eyes. "That was a coma. It's different,"

He huffs. "Well, when will I be allowed to get out of bed? My legs aren't going to be able to move if I keep them still for much longer,"

"Who were stabbed, Percy," Annabeth sighs from her bed, playing on her Athena's phone (who'd gone to get some coffee and sweets). Since spending hours trying to search for our missing children, and then sitting with them in their hospital room, Athena and I have made a mutual agreement not to argue - for Percy and Annabeth's sakes. "You're not going to be able to put weight on your leg for another couple of days,"

Percy looks at me, putting on his best puppy-dog face. Unfortunately, with all his bruises and pale skin and bandaged body and being in a critical state a mere two weeks ago, his puppy-dog face is about ten times more effective than usual. "Can you ask the doctor? Please,"

"I'll consider it," I reply, my usual firmness and rational thoughts sliding. "If you stop complaining,"

My son nods, grinning. I never knew how much I missed his grin until I saw it again - weak and forced, but there when he woke up. When he finally woke up and removed the heavy weight from my chest.

Athena returns to the room. She hands me a coffee, Percy a packet of soft gummy sweets (he can't eat hard foods just yet, considering he was punched in the jaw a lot of times) and then goes and sits with Annabeth with some sweets for her also.

"I spoke to some officers," she says to me grimly. "Hermes has cracked through the firewalls surrounding the CCTV footage of the place where they suspect they were found," she nods to our kids. "They'd like us to, uh, view them,"

Annabeth chokes on her fruit-juice. "What?" she gasps.

"What do you mean?" Percy asks, glancing between us.

"Well, they're almost certain that you were being kept at the vineyard, as you know," Athena says, eying her daughter and my son in concern. "So your cousin has been using his computer-skills to get into the CCTV. He's managed it and the police are scanning through it tomorrow,"

"Why do we have to be there?" I question.

"In case we recognise the...ahem, offenders," Athena tells me. "No one here knows Kronos as well as you and your siblings, Poseidon. If it was him who took Percy and Annabeth, you can confirm it for sure,"

I glance down at Percy, who is as pale as a sheet. I wrap an arm around his shoulders, recognising the ghostly look in his eyes. He's remembering. "Don't worry," I murmur to him, stroking back his hair comfortingly.

"It's hard to forget," Percy mutters in response.

I nod, his hollow tone plucking at my heartstrings. "I know. But you're here now, and you're safe. We're going to find them and they're going to be punished?"

Percy glances over at Annabeth an they exchange smiles. Ever since being taken, something's changed between them. It's plain as day to anyone who knew them beforehand. They're protective and scared of losing one another. It's sweet and haunting at the same time.

Dr Baker walks in at that moment, so I decide to take the chance to change the tense subject. "Dr Baker," I say. "Percy says he's feeling up to walking around..."

Percy smiles at me, as though he never expected me to actually go alone with my word.

"Really?" Dr Baker says, raising an eyebrow. Clearly, he doesn't believe it. Percy's been healing fast, yes, but he's hardly at the stage where he'll be able to walk on his own again - like Annabeth said, he was stabbed. He'll probably limp, though a very, very small one, for the rest of his life.

"Yeah," Percy says. "Please can you just let me walk around a bit? I'm going insane..."

Dr Baker purses his lips. "It's still very early in your recovery, Percy, you could damage yourself more..."

Of course, Percy simply pulls the puppy-dog face. I resist the urge to scold him, but I know what he's like. He's worse than I am sometimes when it comes to being stubborn. Dr Baker deflates and walks over to Percy's bed, carefully unplugging him from the machines sticking into him. I can't help but feel relieved - they were all really daunting.

"We're going to see how much weight you can put on that leg of yours," he says, tapping Percy's left ankle. "But the second something hurts, you tell us, okay?"

Percy nods, grinning. He seems delighted that he can finally get out of the bed...

Standing, I help Percy sit up, wary of the welts on his back. They're healing well, however Percy says they're still rather tender. Most of his cuts have scabbed over, only the deep ones remaining. Some of his bruises have faded, his broken wrist is healing, his broken ribs are still very sore...they're his main problem really, apart from the knife wound.

Sitting up seems to take a lot of energy out of my son, but he's determined to get out of bed. I keep my arm around his shoulders as he slides off the bed, ready to catch him the moment he falls. "Be careful," I reminds him. Percy's right foot touches the cold floor and he smiles at me when it takes his weight. I smile encouragingly, whilst trying not to freak out in my head. Then his left foot touches the floor and his face completely changes. Percy winces, biting his lip, seeming to place as little weight on his foot as possible.

"Painful?" Dr Baker asks.

"A little," Percy mutters. He places more weight on it and bites down on his lip, closing his eyes. My blood pressure shoots through the roof in panic and I push down the urge to make him lie back down.

"Well, the good news is you can stand on your right foot," I say, trying to stay positive. "However your left foot is still weak,"

"I can do this," Percy says determinedly. He takes a step forwards with his left foot, wobbling a little. "See?"

"Stubborn," Annabeth coughs.

"Don't overexert yourself," Dr Baker warns. "If you don't think you can handle it, don't do it. Trying too hard will only damage yourself,"

"I'm fine," he insist.

It takes half an hour for Percy to make it around the entire room, with me supporting him the entire way. He sits on Annabeth's bed for a while, playing on Athena's phone with her. I stare at the floor meanwhile, thinking about tomorrow. When I'll have to watch the footage of my son being tortured. Do I think I'll be able to handle it? Probably not. But if it helps with the search for Kronos, then it's worth it. The sooner that bastard is behind bars, the better.

I look up a moment later when I hear the creak of someone sitting on Percy's bed only to see my son himself sat on it, sweating but grinning. It's clear that he made the short journey on his own with no support.

"I did it!" he shouts in triumph.

I can't help but gape at him. "Seriously, Percy?" I ask, unsure of whether I should be proud or annoyed. I settle sfor something in the middle and smirk whilst narrowing my eyes at him.

"I can walk, I can walk," Percy sings childishly, grinning.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Give yourself a break, and then later we'll try again, okay?" Dr Baker says, smiling too. He shakes his head in disbelief. "You are such a strange patient..."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Percy replies.

The next day, he's stumbling around the room with Annabeth. They're both still learning to walk on their injuries. Annabeth isn't as stupid as Percy – she started moving on her own once her wound was almost painless. Percy, however, is an idiot and is clearly going through a lot of pain whilst moving around as he does. I tell him not to - to sit down and take a break, but he says that he can't stand being a hopeless mess who needs people to help him with everything he does. Sometimes I have to pick him up and force him to sit down.

"What time are you going to watch the footage?" Annabeth asks as Percy flops (or tries to) against his bed, once again being bullied into sitting down.

"I'm not sure," I answer.

"Whenever the officers arrive," Athena says.

Percy's face turns serious. He always had that adult-like charm to him before the abduction, but now it's more prominent than ever. His personality changes faster than I can blink when someone mentions Kronos's name or talk about anything related to...to that. One minute he's happy, the next he's sombre. And I don't like it.

"Are you going to be okay?" Percy questions, looking up at me with far too much curiosity in his eyes. I should be concerned, not him. He should be clueless - innocent. Not scarred.

"Of course I am," I lie. Of course I'm not. I'm dreading this. Absolutely dreading it. How much will they make us watch? Will I be able to handle it? I feel the urge to protect Percy enough as it is...seeing what he's been through directly, rather than listening to accounts of it, is just going to make me want to lock him in his room forever. I'm still debating whether I should ground him; that way, he's as safe and secure as can be. Even if he hates it.

Percy frowns. "You don't sound like you're going to be," he says. "Can't you just ask if you don't have to watch it? Have Uncle Zeus or Hades watch it for you instead?"

"No, Percy, the cops have asked for me. And it would be wrong of me to ask your uncles of that," I tell him.

"Do...do you want me to come?"

Even though the idea of watching the CCTV footage clearly terrifies him (and the tone of his voice makes that clear), he still asks. I stare at him in shock, wondering how on earth my son could be so strong. If escaping and recovering from his ordeal wasn't enough, now he's asking whether I want him to support him whilst re-watching what happened.

For some reason, his request irks me. I'm meant to be supporting him. This isn't Percy's job, to comfort me. It's my job for him. "No, son, you stay here," I say, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I'll be fine. I'll point out Kronos and then leave. I'm not lingering if I can help it,"

Percy manages a small smile. "Okay..."

There's a knock on the door, and it opens to reveal Hermes. He grins at Percy, though his eyes are reflecting dread.

"Hey, guys," he says. "We're, uh, all set up,"

I stand, exchanging a look with Athena. "We won't be long," she says to her daughter. "You two behave - no arguing,"

"Of course not," Annabeth says, smiling weakly to hide the look on her fact; the same look Percy has when he's remembering everything.

"If you need anything, call Dr Baker," I add. "And no walking, Percy; wait until I get back,"

Percy mock-salutes. "Fine. Don't be long,"

"I don't plan on it,"


As I said - seriously not my best work. It was longer originally, but it wouldn't fit in with Poseidon's POV and I wanted to have Poseidon and Athena view the tapes all in the next chapter, as I deemed it unrealistic for Annabeth and Percy to watch them.

I can understand if a lot of you hated this chapter and you have a lot of flames for it. Feel free to scold me for my tardiness and give advice, as usual. I don't know why, but my brain's been frazzled. Last week in maths, we were doing index notation and I was struggling with questions as simple as 6a3x2a4.. Even the kid who got 5/100 on his exam understood it!

*Sigh* So, I suppose that's all. Sorry again. I know I've said it loads, but I am. Every morning I've woke up and thought update tonight but when it comes around to it I just can't bring myself to do anything! Not to mention I've become completely obsessed with I Got A Boy by flyingcrowbar (best. Fic. Ever. No arguments) and...I don't know, it's been a huge blow to my confidence. Seeing writing like that and then comparing it to mine makes me feel like I suck and I should just give up. But don't worry. I won't. I'm too damn determined to finish this story.

Thank you so much for all the support. We've passed 300 reviews, which is just crazy. The moment inspiration hits me, I'm writing a one-shot. Someone's suggested Poseidon discovering that Gabe is abusive, which is a good idea, but something tells me I've already written plenty about abuse and I'm not sure whether it would fit into the original plot of the PJO/HOO series.

Anyway...I've said a lot. Sorry again (and thanks!) - hope you all have nice weeks :)