Troy gasped soundlessly as the biter tore Mason's flesh straight from his bone. Blood oozed out of the wound and splattered across the floor as the biter moaned in delight. Mason was screaming and Troy heard the sound ringing in his ears. He hadn't heard Mason scream like that since he lost his family. Jason was the first to snap out of his shock. He easily lifted his knife and rammed into the walkers skull, effectively dropping him to the floor. Mason slumped to the ground shortly after and Troy quickly followed him. He was holding Mason tightly to his side as Jason ran his hands through his hair.
"It was just the wrist." Jason mumbled. "We can-It should-can't we?"
Mason begun to cry as he reached over to grab his new wound. Troy shook his head repeatedly and clung to Mason tighter.
"No no no no nooo." Mason cried. He shook his head a few times. "Kate-I can't. This isn't fair. I can't leave her alone."
Jason reached down to grab Mason's unused machete and Troy quickly jumped up to stand in front of his friend defensively. His arms were held out on both sides to prevent Jason from doing anything. The blonde glared at him.
"No way he's going out like that." Troy snapped. Jason shook his head and held up the machete.
"No! We can stop the infection before it spreads. Piper once mentioned it to me as an idea but it's the only choice we have right now. We need to do it quickly."
Troy's eyes widened at the implications and he quickly shook his head and held his arms out further.
"You're not chopping his hand off man!" He screeched. "No fucking way! The blood loss alone would kill him!"
"Well it's worth a shot isn't it? If it doesn't work, he's going to die anyway!"
"That's my best friend! If you think you can just come over here and chop his hand off-"
"I'm trying to save his life Troy! What other choices do we have?"
They both turned when they heard a loud thump against the counter. Mason had stood up and thrown his arm across the surface and stuck a rag in his mouth. He looked at them both expectantly. Troy's mouth dropped open.
"Mason, you can't be serious." He tried to reason. "He's going to cut off part of your arm and we don't have the proper medicine or supplies to treat it fast enough. You could die before we even leave the pharmacy."
Mason spit out the rag and glared at him. Troy stared back in utter disbelief as Jason walked over to the counter.
"We'll just have to find Piper faster then. She'll save me and I'll be fine." His glare hardened determinedly. "There's no way in hell that I'm going to leave Kate behind. It's me and her; I promised. If there's a chance I can beat this, I'm taking it."
"But-"
"Jason let's go. We need to hurry up."
Mason stuffed the rag back into his mouth and Jason nodded as he gripped the machete tighter. Troy winced but slowly made his way over to his best friend's side. Mason would most likely pass out from the pain but the first few cuts were going to be immensely painful and Troy would need to hold him down to prevent him from moving too much. Jason lifted the machete towards Mason's elbow. He needed to cut high enough to give them enough time to stop the spread of the disease.
Mason glanced over at him worriedly and Troy could only grip his free hand as Jason brought the machete down with a powerful swing.
0~0~0~0~0
Annabeth shook her head in disbelief as Percy released his grip on her just enough to look at her. She smiled to herself when she saw how quickly a grin formed on his face at the mere sight of her. He squeezed her tighter and laughed as his eyes scanned her face. She reached up to cup his cheeks in her hands.
"I can't believe I found you." He whispered. "I shouldn't have been able to. I was heading in the opposite direction but all I could think about was you and that bus and oh gods, you're here and I found you."
Percy leaned over to kiss her powerfully, lost in his emotions and Annabeth pulled him closer as he pressed her up against the wall to support them. She felt his hand reach down to grasp her thigh and she easily lifted her leg to wrap around his waist as he continued to kiss her. His tongue lightly prodded against her lips and she opened her mouth instantly.
The ache in her chest began to lift and ease the longer she stayed in his embrace. With every kiss, the pain and longing she felt slowly began to disappear if only for the moment and his warm hands dried her tears as they rolled down her cheeks. Her mind couldn't focus on anything other than him and how he made her feel and Annabeth couldn't help but pull him flush against her. He was the only one who could take away this ache in her; he was the only one who could heal her broken heart.
Percy pulled away slowly, his lips almost refusing to release hers. He squeezed her thigh once more before letting it fall back to the floor. He gasped lightly as he finally managed to put some distance between them but Annabeth didn't let him go too far. Her hands slid down to grasp his forearms as his hands reached up to cup her cheeks; his fingers lovingly stroking them.
"I can't believe I found you." He whispered again. Annabeth pressed her forehead against his. He had to have heard her plead to the trees, even though the thought of it was impossible. Something must have reached him because he had found her. He had chased after her again despite saying he wouldn't.
"Thank you for chasing after me."
"I'll do it time and time again. I promise."
Percy wordlessly grasped one of her hands and placed it over his beating heart. It thumped soothingly under her fingertips and she felt warm tears sliding down her face as she realized this was truly real and that he was here and holding her, just like she wanted him too.
There was a cough at the bottom of the stairs and Annabeth saw Percy flush as they both turned to see Nico smirking at them. Annabeth rolled her eyes but Percy smiled nervously. Nico clicked his tongue.
"Now normally I wouldn't stop you two but we have some hungry ladies back at the house and we need to get a move on. You two can do the hanky panky later."
"Nico's right." Annabeth agreed. She untangled herself from Percy's grasp, grabbed her crossbow and walked down the stairs, completely aware that both men were staring at her in mild shock. She made her way towards the door. Nico stared up at Percy in confusion.
"Wait, was I right about the girls being hungry or you two getting it on later?"
0~0~0~0~0
Maya took a shaky breath and used the back of her hand to wipe her face as she took another glance across the room. Kate was still slumped over Mason's stomach, silently crying as he laid unconscious.
Everything leading up to this moment had been a blur; almost like a distance memory. Maya remembered sitting with Kate and playing with Alice one moment and having Percy and Jason bursting through the door with a heavily wounded Mason the next. Kate had jumped to her feet instantly but Nico and Annabeth had held her back as the two men lugged Mason upstairs so Piper could look at him. Troy had been a stuttering, crying mess; something that surprised Maya greatly because she had never seen him so flustered but she had been able to get out what had happened through his tears and panic.
There had been a surprise walker and Mason hadn't been able to react in time. Jason did what he had to do to try and save Mason's life. They raced back towards the bus hoping to find help and thankfully ran into Annabeth, Nico and Percy heading back towards the house.
Maya felt sick to her stomach as new tears rolled down her cheeks.
They were all finally together again.
Maya sighed as she watched Kate slumped over figure from her spot on the floor. Kate was practically sprawled out on top of her brother and quietly crying as she waited for his fate to be decided. Percy and Jason had carried him into the main bedroom and shut the door on Kate. Maya remembered watching Kate smack Troy's chest repeatedly; cursing him blindly as she cried. Eventually she couldn't handle it and Maya dragged her away.
Annabeth had rushed around the house; looking for anything useful while Nico tried to clean up the large blood trail Mason's arm had left. Everyone was in a state of panic and Maya felt the tension in the air.
Piper had done everything she could; tying off arteries and snipping the ends of the cut tendons and muscles as neatly as possible. She used the last of their gauze from Percy's truck to stop the bleeding and forced antibiotics from Jason's bag down Mason's throat. Every hour Piper would check in to see if he was still breathing; they just past the three hour mark and no change. Maya knew they weren't out the woods yet. The blood loss alone could kill him and they have no way to transfer blood. He risked infection from the hasty cut and she had no idea when Mason had last cleaned his machete,but she knew if he could last another few hours without turning then Maya can honestly tell her best friend her brother has a fighting chance.
She could hear the others quietly murmuring outside the room, no doubt discussing what to do if things began to turn for the worse. Maya tried to force out the sound of their voices. She turned back towards Mason and Kate but tried to focus on his face instead of Kate's; he just looked like he was sleeping. His lips were curled into a mild grimace from the pain and sweat was making his skin glisten but his eyes stayed firmly shut; Maya would do anything to see them open again. She missed the color of his eyes and his smile, it was so rare but it was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. She knew Kate needed to see it too.
Maya didn't know how long she sat on the floor, listening to Kate sob into her brother's chest but she stood up once she no longer heard the others talking outside the door. Her legs tingled uncomfortably from sitting for too long but she didn't care. She carefully walked towards Kate as she heard her sniff.
"Kate?" Maya asked hesitantly; her voice uncharacteristically quiet, almost as faint as a whisper. Kate must not have heard her; she lifted her brother's hand and placed it against her cheek.
"Flower gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine." She sang softly, her voice thick with emotion. Heavy tears were streaming down her face and Maya felt her eyes water, watching her best friend in so much pain. She always sang to try and sooth herself but she looked like it physically hurt her to say anything. Kate's eyes were locked onto Mason's bloody stump before she shut them painfully.
"Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Save what has been lost. Bring back was once was mine…What once was mine."
Unable to watch any longer, Maya turned on her heel and left as quickly as she could before her own sobs broke loose. She didn't even notice Troy sitting back against the wall right outside the door, his own tears threatening to fall.
0~0~0~0~0
"We can't get one good day can we?" Thalia snapped as she slammed her hands down onto the table. They had crowded around the downstairs kitchen table after Piper did another hourly check on Mason. He was still unconscious but so far wasn't showing signs of infection. She wasn't sure which direction he would be heading in the next few hours though.
"We're all together aren't we? Can't we just be happy about that?" Percy argued. Piper shook her head.
"Percy, look at our situation. Acheron fell, we lost Haley and Mason could be dying upstairs. Look how much we've lost in just a few days."
"What can we do?" Nico asked worriedly. "I mean we're stuck here until Mason wakes up and there's nowhere else to go without Acheron! We're practically sitting ducks just waiting to be walker food."
"We're set on food for now and we can take watch shifts to prepare for any walker attacks." Percy reasoned. "For right now we're okay. Piper and Alice are okay and we're all together. Mason was given a fighting chance and all we can do now is hope for the best."
"Percy's right." Jason chimed in. "We can't do anything more right now. Once we know Mason's condition, it'll be a different story. We'll just have to keep moving until we find a safe place."
"So we're just supposed to start over?" Thalia asked her annoyance evident. "Listen, Piper is close to delivering this baby and we can't be out on the road when she does. We can't just be wandering aimlessly; we need a safe place now."
"You think I don't know that Thalia?" Jason snapped. "I'm just telling you what kind of situation we're in. I can't do anything! We're stuck waiting and we'll just have to make do with what we have. Don't you dare try and make it seem like I'm not aware of Piper's condition. Every decision I've made is with her and Alice in mind; we'll figure something out."
"This whole conversation hasn't gotten us anywhere." Annabeth muttered dryly from her spot in the corner of the room. All five pair of eyes turned to face her and she shrugged. "I'm just saying. We can't do anything but wait until we find out about Mason and we have nowhere to go once we know if he'll live or not. Acheron is gone, Faymarsh is gone and we have no idea where those bus survivors would have gone."
"Gee thanks for pointing out how terrible our situation is more clearly Annabeth." Thalia scowled.
"Hey back off." Percy snapped. "She's just stating what we already know. We just need to wait Mason out and make a plan then. Until then I want us to take our usual shifts and try and rest while we can. The last few days have been utter hell and I want us to take this down time while we can. We won't be safe like this for too long but for right now we're okay."
Everyone simply fell silent. Kate's sobs continued to echo throughout the house.
0~0~0~0~0
Kate wiped her eyes dry before resting her head back on Mason's stomach. He showed no signs of waking up but his stomach was moving up and down slowly beneath her hands and Kate thanked the universe for every breath he took. Her fingers reached over to curl around her brother's only hand and she rubbed her thumb over his lukewarm skin. He had been so cold when they treated him. Kate felt herself shiver when she remembered how his skin had felt like ice beneath her fingers.
Piper had told her a few days ago that they planned to wait Mason out and make a plan from there. Basically they were all waiting to see if Mason would turn. Kate was bitter and angry and hurt so she basically blocked everyone out but Maya. Kate was refusing to leave Mason's side as he recovered; by his side is where she felt safest.
"Kate?" A quiet voice whispered from the doorway. Kate didn't even glance up; she knew who it was. He had been sitting outside the door since they brought Mason into the room. She wished he would have stayed out there. He was supposed to look out for Mason; they were supposed to look out for each other. That was the deal. Troy didn't protect Mason, he just let this happen. Jason was the one to cut off Mason's hand to try and save him but from what she heard it sounded like Troy just stood there and let it all happen. How could he do this to her? More importantly, how could he do this to Mason?
"Go away." She mumbled darkly. She shut her eyes and snuggled further into her brother's stomach, hoping he would wake up and hug her like he used to and all this grief would go away.
"Kate, you need to eat. Mason is still going to be here in a few minutes." Troy sighed. The plate of food in his hand was tempting but she didn't want to take anything from him. "Can you please eat something?"
"Mason had two hands one minute and the next he didn't." Kate snapped bitterly. "A lot can change in a few minutes."
"Kate-"
"Stop saying my name!" She snapped again, lifting her head to glare at him. Her eyes were dark as hatred swirled through them and Troy flinched at her stare. He'd never seen her look at anyone like that.
"I said I was sorry. It all happened too fast Ka-um... Jason and I did what we could." He mumbled quietly, his gaze falling to Mason's severed limb. "What else do you want me to do?"
"Get away from him;stay away from me." Kate demanded angrily. She quickly turned her back to him and placed her head back on Mason's chest. He was still breathing; it was light but it was there.
"Can you please just look at me?" Troy pleaded desperately. "Mason will wake up. It's been two days and there's been no sign of infection or him turning. He's just recovering from the blood loss. He's going to live Kate. I can't handle you hating me. I didn't kill your brother."
"But your foolishness almost did!" Kate argued. "You froze Troy! You've been in situations like that hundreds of times but you froze and now I can't trust you. I can't trust you to keep my brother safe when he's out there with you. I can't trust you to have my back or his. I can't forgive you Troy; you almost took the most important person in my life away from me." Kate gripped Mason's hand again. "He's all I have left."
"So that's it then huh?" Troy asked irritably. "Things are done then? Mason wakes up and lives but you never talk to me again? You forever blame me for something I hate myself for? You're acting like I wanted this to happen!"
"What do you expect Troy?" Kate asked tiredly, lifting her head to gaze at him. "Mason would wake up and I'd just forget everything that happened? That you'd just come in here and smile at me and everything would be okay again? I know the world is different now but life doesn't work that way. In reality, when you hurt someone, especially when you hurt someone badly, you don't get forgiven. People are changed by pain."
Kate slowly moved her gaze back to Mason's missing hand. Her eyes shut painfully and she turned her back to Troy.
"Especially when someone they love was the one to put them through it."
0~0~0~0~0
Annabeth had snuck away to the roof after everyone had grabbed a plate of food. The air was thick with tension and she felt like she was suffocating from all of it. They had spent so much time forming one big group; all of them on the same side. But now they were all split.
Jason, Piper and Alice had been inseparable the moment they were all together again. They seemed to be the only people who weren't miserable. When Annabeth had snuck out of the kitchen, they were all huddled together in the corner of the kitchen. Piper would cradle Alice to her chest as Jason hugged them both from behind; his hand never leaving Piper's bump. The only time they seemed to separate is when Piper went into the master bedroom to check on Mason.
Mason was still unconscious and unresponsive; meaning Kate barely left his bedside. Everyone had heard about her fight with Troy; mostly because this house is small enough that anyone inside had heard their conversation. Troy had taken to hiding down in the den; avoiding Kate as much as possible. The poor boy looked miserable but Kate looked worse. Maya seemed to be stuck between it all. She would break away from her friend only to help Piper tend to Mason's wound. She wouldn't be gone long and within a few minutes she could be seen cradling Kate in her arms and telling her to calm down; the only reason Kate hasn't died from exhaustion or starvation is because Maya would cram food down her throat and make her take small naps throughout the day.
Thalia and Nico just seem uncomfortable. Annabeth didn't want to admit it out loud but they seemed to form a special friendship and the thought made her jealous. Nico doesn't understand her meaningful glances anymore and he doesn't seem to try and make any more attempts to read her mind. Those long days apart seem to have put up an invisible barrier between the two of them, and he simply hadn't noticed it yet. He acted like she needed space from him and she was too proud to admit that was the last thing she wanted. Thalia and Nico hide out as much as possible; always offering to go out and hunt and collect wood if only to get out of the house for a few minutes.
And Percy…Well Annabeth can't look at him anymore. She thought things would be okay after they found each other again and for a short while they were. His kisses were warm and soothing and his hands seemed to heal any hurt she had but the morning afterwards, he looked at her with so much sadness swirling in his sea green eyes that she found herself unable to be around him. She knew she was hurting him with her separation but she can't handle comforting someone else; she doesn't want to. She can barely breathe through her own grief; how can she help someone like Percy with his? He deserves better.
Something inside her heart just aches when she looks into those his eyes and sees the hurt lurking behind his pupils. She can't forget the way she felt during all their secrets moments at Acheron; she still feels her heart beat heavily in her chest when he's near, but she can't let herself feel that way and lose him. Her heart is barely working and losing Percy -or really anyone else in their group- would break it completely; her mentality couldn't handle it.
Hot, stinging tears burned the corner of her eyes. She wiped them dry and continued to look out onto the lawn. She could see beautiful green trees surrounding them like a shield but she kept her tired gaze facing the setting sun. She slowly lifted her knees so she could wrap her arms around them. Her limbs were aching and screaming out for her to rest but she was scared to shut her eyes; she didn't want to dream again. They were always calling out to her in her dreams; Annabeth didn't want to remember them that way. She sucked in a shaky breath as a few small tears cascaded down her cheeks. She didn't know how to make this pain go away; she felt like she was drowning in her own misery.
"Hey." A voice whispered from the open window, startling her. "We were wondering where you snuck off to."
Annabeth looked over her shoulder to see Jason smiling at her. She was surprised to discover he was the one to come and find her. She wordlessly watched him as he climbed through the window to sit next to her.
"After we put Alice down for the night, Piper went to go check on Mason." Jason informed her quietly. He didn't seem affected by the fact she was silent; he didn't draw attention to her crying. "He seems to be doing better; Piper doesn't think he'll turn and so far there isn't a big sign of infection. She's hopeful that he'll wake up soon."
Annabeth, unsure what he wanted her to say, settled for nodding. She hoped he lived; she didn't want to lose anyone else and Kate would be a mess without him.
"I know you were the one to look out for Alice while we were all separated and I can't tell you how much that means to Piper and I. I was a mess not knowing if they were okay but if I know you cared for her and kept her safe…So thank you."
Annabeth stayed silent and merely adjusted her hold on her legs in response. Jason sighed and settled his gaze on the setting sun.
"I know it might not mean much…And I know it doesn't change anything but I'm sorry about your family." Jason whispered regretfully. Annabeth tensed immediately and her jaw clenched as new tears began to burn her eyes. No one had really said anything to her about it since she found out. The second they had gotten back, Acheron had fallen and they were all separated. Percy, Nico or Thalia must have told them all.
"I know you might not want me here but…I didn't want you to feel alone. We've all lost someone… but that doesn't mean the pain hits any less hard."
She still remained silent but her eyes darted over to glance at him when he sighed once more.
"Do you want me to go get Percy?" Jason asked carefully, his eyes on hers as he tried to gauge her reaction. Annabeth thought for a few seconds before shaking her head no.
"Do you want me to get Nico?" He tried again but Annabeth once again shook her head. She didn't want either of them. She could see confusion flash across Jason's face.
"…Do you want me to leave?" He asked quietly; unsure. Annabeth looked over at him for a few minutes. He sought her out to make sure she was okay, he didn't want her to feel alone in her grieving and he wasn't looking at her with pity drowning his smile. Realizing Jason could be exactly what she needed, she scooted closer. Once again she shook her head and he smiled ruefully. He lifted his arm and offered his shoulder to her with a nod of his head. Wordlessly she tucked herself into his side and together they watched the sun vanish from the sky; her tears being muffled by his soothing humming.
A lot of people guessed that I would chop off Mason's arm haha so good job guys!
So there was a lot of stuff going on in this chapter.
~Percabeth Love
~A little bit of MayaXMason if you squint
~Kate and Troy once again missing their shot. Their drama I swear
~A little group meeting determining that they're pretty much stuck between a rock and a hard place
~And a little friendship between Jason and Annabeth.
~Question Time~
1) Do you guys think Mason will live?
2)What did you think of the Percabeth? (and Nico being perfect as usual)
3) What about the surprise (?) Jason and Annabeth moment?
BONUS!
4) Did any of you recognize the song Kate sang? I do not own the song but it's from my favorite movie. I base my birthday off this movie every year and I sang that song to my dog when he was sick in the hospital.
You guys were amazing with the reviews and we're sitting pretty right now at 655. That so amazing. I'm suspecting we'll be at 700 in the next three chapters or so if we're lucky. I'm still working on Saudade: Before the Dawn and I know it sucks that I've had it for so long but it's a really long one shot and I'm trying to make it awesome for you guys. I promise to work on it over the weekend.
Here's your well earned sneak peek!
Annabeth had just pulled her shirt over her head when Percy slammed the bedroom door open. She merely raised her eyebrows in surprise when he firmly shut the door behind him and stormed over to her in a huff. He gripped her shoulders, tight enough to make sure she didn't move but gentle enough not to hurt her. Annabeth stared back at him silently and waited for him to explain himself.
"Maya told me." He snapped. Annabeth's indifferent expression vanished instantly as her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. He didn't need to elaborate.
"What the fuck Annabeth? Are you serious? Do you….How could you even think about that? Don't you know what that would do to the rest of us? Don't you know what losing you would do to me? How could you?"
"I-I don't…I didn't-"
"But you wanted to! You wanted to because you felt your back hit the wall and you thought there wasn't another way out. You were about to give into grief."
I'm pretty sure I replyed to all those who logged in and reviewed. Thank you guys so much seriously. You deserved the sneak peek! I was so flattered with all the reviews that I was sure to give you guys a taste of the Percabeth for next chapter. I promise they won't be snapping at each other the entire time :3
See you guys Monday!
Thanks to Naked Brothers Band Forever, ALittleMoreLove22, stormrunner74, NeverBetAgainstGirls, Avril . skye, Mistycharming, BlameJade2k16, Guest(5), Finding Adventures, Korroh Shipper, IIII Winter Wolf, AnnaUnicorn, mi5hao, SpikeTheBlondieBear (2), Bobmaster5000, Redzx, Hercule, AmarilloSkys, PrincessMilly, Blazing Skittles, SapphireTrafficker, Myfanfics1332, rhig122, TypicalBlueCookie, Awesome, Kelphead12, Jessterman, Adrift an Open Sky, Percabethlover112, Sacred Panda, and Currrentlyfangirling567!