A Handsome Nerd: I WIN! No kidding, I was raising my hands like I won something when I read that. Made my day. I was uploading this at like, 2 in the morning here, when I should've been sleeping before college. And I like long reviews, it's all good. And yes, I'll gladly accept your applause.

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THE ROAD – CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

Annabeth

"His brother's what?"

Piper and I both froze, staring at each other.

"Grover called me. Annabeth, we need to go."

I couldn't even hear a word she was saying. I stayed in place, completely still, as tears stained my face again. Piper forcefully reached forward and grabbed my arm, pulling me out of my own apartment, which also freed me from my daze. I follow her downstairs to where her car is parked, but I don't understand what it is that I'm feeling, if anything at all. Everything around me got wobbly as I barely made my way to the vehicle. Piper lets the windows open a bit, and sitting down helps stabilize the dizziness.

"How long's it been?"

"I don't know." Piper's half driving, half wiping tears off her face; the only thought on my mind was the hospital. The more I thought the more a single person who was probably in that hospital now became clearer in my mind.

I hadn't gotten to know very much about Tyson. From the little I was told, Percy adored him. He really treasured him deeply, a feeling I wished I could've felt when I was younger. Having a sibling would've made my childhood easier, I always thought. That's why this pain he was going through now, to me, was unimaginable. I felt this pull in my chest, this obligation, to go there - to be with him, now more than ever, even if just for now.

I opened the door and left the car before Piper even finished parking. I ran at full speed inside, asking the receptionist where the room I was looking for was. She pointed towards the elevator and told me to go to the fourth floor. I waited for what seemed like an eternity for it to arrive, and another eternity for it to get to the floor I needed. I felt lost as soon as I stepped foot outside the elevator. I remembered the room number the nurse told me, but the layout of the floor was confusing.

I sprinted past signs and rooms and people. Some recognized me, saying my name, wondering why I was running through the hospital like I was in trouble. I wasn't, but someone else was. I reached a narrow, empty hallway when I saw him. He was sitting to the side, an older woman kneeling next to him. They both had their arms around each other tightly. She mumbled something to him, and I took it as a sign to step closer. She stood up and turned around, opening one of the doors behind her when our eyes met. I instantly recognized her – Sally Jackson, Percy's mother.

I had only met Sally once, by accident. The first time I was looking for Percy, I tried searching at his home. That was the time I saw his father, and my first encounter with his little brother. An emotion that was all too familiar returned to me, despite how quick our eye contact was – guilt. Seeing her here, now, in this situation, it made me wonder what I made her feel when I snapped at Percy, when I ruined everything. There was so much I wanted to say, so many things to apologize for. But instead, she managed a warm smile with the corners of her lips. All the emotions in me faded. She looked sadly over at her son and gave me a nod, closing the door afterwards.

I did what my heart told me to do. I ran and I hugged him.

I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed like a lifeline. He sniffed and took a deep breath, opening his eyes and meeting mine for the first time. I didn't care how much of a mess I looked like.

"Annabeth?"

The surprise in his eyes was understandable. I was the last person he expected to see here, if our last encounter was any indication to me. But I put it all aside. This was here, this was now. I brushed the hair away from his eyes so I could see them more clearly, whispering the only words that could come to mind.

"I'm here"

His arms shot forward and pulled me in, a gesture I was glad to return. Even in the midst of all this chaos, I remembered how much I missed this – how much I missed him. I embraced him back, giving him a shoulder to cry on. I wasn't sure if whispering encouragement would do any help, so I opted to stay silent. Even if it was only one time, if this was the last one, every single bit of me was still with him.

"How'd you know I was here?" His voice was hoarse when he pulled away.

"It doesn't matter."

I barely managed to make enough space before Piper almost fell forward and threw herself at Percy, hugging him close to her.

"I'm going to find Mrs. Jackson." I whispered, hopefully only to her ear. She nodded, so I knew she heard me, still squeezing Percy for dear life. I still wanted to know what was happening, and why this news so suddenly. Percy never mentioned any cases of his brother going to the hospital. I wanted to know if what I heard from Piper was true, or if it was a panic. Maybe things could be okay for them.

I opened the door to where Mrs. Jackson entered before and kept walking, passing a few locked doctors' offices. I found her next to one of the windows, looking outside sadly. She turned to face me, trying her best to smile despite the unreal amount of doubt she was going through.

"It's nice to see you again." She opened, and again, all the malice, the sadness, the pain, it all left me. I was focused on her, and only on her.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Jackson." I felt that I was apologizing not just for one, but for both of her sons.

"There's nothing to apologize for, sweetie." She walked towards me, placing both her hands on my shoulders. She managed to smile this time, looking me deep in the eyes, "I'm happy you're here. I won't tell you what to do with your relationship with him, but you can help him get through this."

"I don't think I understand you."

Sally motioned for me to follow and sat down next to me.

"Poseidon and I found out about Tyson a few months ago. Since birth they thought it was autism, but the diagnosis was wrong. He was too young back then to have any indication. We knew Percy was so busy, and he had already put so much of his life aside for us…we wanted to protect him. And when he finally came back home he was going through so much, putting even more on his shoulders scared me. But we never thought it would come to this." She dried the stray tear from her eyes.

"Where is he now?"

Sally took a deep breath, "My husband's with him. They're trying to run tests, to see if there's anything we can do."

I didn't have any other words to comfort her. I felt useless, knowing there's nothing I can do. There was another question on my mind, but I feared it would make things worse for her.

"So there's…"

She shook her head miserably, "There's no known cure."

I felt like I was the one that was about to collapse. It felt like I was about to throw up from all the anguish I was feeling. I immediately thought about the guy outside, who had no idea of this until now. But I couldn't blame Sally for not telling him. She was right, every single word she said was right. He was going through so much because of me. I doubted being here would help fix any hate he felt for me, but I had to be here regardless. For him, more than anything.

"I'll…I'll go see if he needs anything."

I stood up and carried myself through the way from which I came. I opened the door slowly, taking a peek outside. Percy was there, alone. He was taking deep breaths, and he was clearly still shaken. His eyes weren't covered anymore, which must've been a sign of at least a little bit of good. I came closer and kneeled in front of him, trying to make eye contact.

"Don't even start saying you're sorry." He spoke first, finally meeting my eyes. They were still puffy and red, and so were mine.

"But I am. I can't even imagine how hard this is for you."

He shook his head, letting his face drop, "It's a part of life. Shit happens."

I let silence fill the space between us for a while. I had a lot to say, I had a lot I had to figure out but right now wasn't the time.

"He wanted to get a chance to meet you." He added after a long pause. I thought about that for a moment. I wasn't sure if I had the strength in me to do it, but if it was going to do any good, I had to find it somehow. Beyond Percy, there was another person that really needed the support right now.

"Is he still…you know?"

"He is."

I stood up and offered him my hand, a gesture I hadn't gotten the chance to do in months. "Let's go see him, then."

His eyes shot open, almost in wonder. He visibly swallowed and took yet another shaky breath, but he took my hand regardless, standing up next to me. He took the first step, slowly walking towards where his brother was. I followed in silence, letting him lead. We walked through the narrow hall, nurses and doctors all around us. He stopped in front of one of those rooms, turning the doorknob slightly, but he didn't open the door. I could see him shaking again, and instinctively reached for his hand, giving it a reaffirming squeeze. He finally opened the door and stepped inside.

This room was much smaller than most hospital rooms I saw. The first time I saw Tyson, he was on a hospital bed, needles and bandages all over his arms. He looked frail and thin, but the resemblance between the two brothers was amazing. Despite the bruises on his body, Tyson had many of Percy's features – their noses were very similar, their eyes were the same shade of green. The older man next to his bed, who I recognized as Poseidon, stood up, sharing a nod with Percy and leaving the room, leaving the three of us alone. Tyson smiled, somehow, nearly making me shatter. The only sound was of the bed sheets, our feet walking against the floor, and the beep of the heart rate monitor.

"Hi, brother" He said to Percy, who took the first step towards his bed. He took his hand, sitting on the edge of his bed. I could see his shoulders visibly tensing and shaking, and I knew he was crying.

"Don't be sad." Tyson added, an innocent and calm look still on his face. I felt tears going down my own cheeks. There was an urge in the pits of my stomach to go forward, but I decided against it.

"I came to apologize" Percy said weakly. Tyson studied his face, the innocent look replaced with a puzzled one. Despite the situation, he didn't seem like he was in pain. "I never got the chance to be a better brother. I was away for so long when I should've been home."

Tyson shook his head dejectedly and straightened up slightly. "Music made Percy happy, right?"

Percy nodded his head, almost miserably.

"Then Tyson is happy too."

Each word he spoke made Percy more and more tense. The way he breathed gave away that he was on the edge of sobbing.

"I brought someone you wanted to see."

Tyson's eyes seemed to glow, and it was then that I remembered why I was even here. It only felt damaging to cry in front of him, in front of them both, especially now. Percy made eye contact with me, which I took as a signal to come closer. I looked in Tyson's eyes for the first time, and that's when I really felt the resemblance between the two of them – it felt like the first time I noticed Percy's eyes, but different. He smiled at me, the same warm smile Percy used to give me. I sat on the other side of the bed, where he made up the space between Percy and I.

"You look like a princess" were the first words he spoke to me. I would've smiled and tried saying something nice, but it only made me blush and want to bury my head somewhere far away. Tyson looked at Percy again, his eyes starting to close.

"Annabeth will make Percy happy."

The heart rate monitor started beeping wildly. Percy stood up and put his hands on Tyson's shoulders, shaking him.

"Tyson!" he yelled, "Tyson, stay with me!"

I did the only thing that seemed logical and ran to the door. "We need a doctor!" I screamed out to the hall as loudly as I could and came back inside when I saw a nurse run to me. Percy was grabbing the sides of Tyson's bed so tightly his knuckles were turning white. The beeping in the room seemed to be louder than any noise. It got faster and faster, a sound I had only heard in movies or shows on TV before, but this wasn't that. This was real and scary and shocking in every way.

It kept beeping. And then it stopped.

The team of nurses in the room were trying to talk to Percy, to get him to loosen his grip, but he seemed frozen in place. I hesitantly walked forward and pried his hands off gently, taking him in my embrace. I couldn't watch as they carried Tyson away. Percy's shaking got more and more intense, moving me along with him. I grabbed his shirt tightly and pulled him even closer to me. We stayed, in that cold hospital room, holding onto each other for dear life.

The combination of his disease and a severe stroke were too much for Tyson's body to handle. That's what the doctor said anyways. Everyone was there when he broke the news – Percy, his parents, Grover, Piper, and me. Grover promised he'd come to check on Percy every day before he departed. It was very evident he was having as tough of a time with the news as his best friend. Percy's parents stayed longer, handling last minute business before they said they'd depart. They tried speaking to their son but he didn't respond, didn't even move his head. There was no point for them to stay there any longer, to remember any more of the pain. Piper didn't handle the news well either. She was crying hysterically, sitting next to Percy, hugging him. She was mumbling words to him but he was like a stone.

I thought of one last thing I could do, at least try to. I excused myself again, leaving Piper to care for Percy. I walked off to where his parents were, exchanging last minute words with the doctor. Both of them seemed shattered when I looked at their faces. They stopped in front of me, sad looks on their faces.

"I know apologizing won't do much right now but…" I started my explanation, "I know this is hard for you, and there are too many things to deal with. But if there was anything I could do, I was thinking…maybe I can watch Percy for a few days, make sure he gets over the initial shock. If I can do something to take the load off of you, I will. You both need time for yourselves, too."

I felt awkward, out of place, and stupid. But both Jackson parents looked at each other, processing what I had just said, and agreed.

"Come on" I whispered to Percy's ear, his parents having already left. I rubbed both his arms up and down, hoping he'd look up. "Let's go."

He stayed still, not moving an inch. His eyes were completely lifeless. I positioned myself under his arm, Piper doing the same on his other side, and we both raised him up together. We walked slowly through the long halls of the hospital, the two of us carrying a heartbroken guy. The previous murmurs around us were now completely quiet. It seemed that everyone that had seen us before had disappeared. It was when we stood in the elevator that I felt my shoulder start to give in. I looked over at Piper, who was struggling as well. We made eye contact, and without a word, we pressed forward. With all the might we had left, we managed to bring him to Piper's car. As soon as we set Percy down, he closed his eyes. It was only a few minutes after we started driving away that his body relaxed, and he fell asleep.

We reached my apartment sometime later. Piper helped me unload Percy from the car, carrying him half groggily to the elevator. We shared one last hug, and she like Grover promised she'd come check on him, and she left. I pressed the appropriate floor number to my apartment and let Percy lean on me as the elevator rode up. The closer we got to my door, the more he was using his own power to walk. Eventually he freed his arm from me, but after a pair of weak steps he fell to the ground, completely powerless. I knelt down and helped him stand up, finally opening the door and letting him inside.

I felt bad leaving him to sleep on the couch after everything, so I led him to my bedroom slowly. He sat down on the edge of the bed, his stare still fixed at the ground. I skipped to the kitchen as quickly as I could and fixed him a glass of water. He needed to get some rest badly, and as little as I knew then, so did I. When I came back in my room Percy's head was slightly tilted up, his eyes moving to me when I entered. I handed him the glass and stayed at eye contact level with him.

"You need to rest." He finished drinking the water quicker then I could comprehend, "And don't be stubborn. You've been through a lot today. The first part to getting over it is allowing yourself to feel."

He raised his head up further, his eyes closed. He placed the glass off to the side and took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling through his nose. He repeated that same motion three times, slowly. He visibly swallowed, taking in another shaky breath. I gave his hand a reaffirming squeeze and began turning myself around to leave. The more I was in front of him, the more I had the urge to do something that I knew I shouldn't. I couldn't get the chance to do so, because he beat me to it.

He pulled my hand back, and he kissed me. It wasn't long, but there was need in it, from both sides. He pulled away first, his eyes bearing straight into mine with intensity.

"Stay"

It was a few hours later when I woke up. Everything that had happened the past 24 hours replayed in my head slowly. I felt a bad pull, a pain in the middle of my chest. Just looking at the guy next to me, tussling in his sleep, it made me feel bad. The only thing I could see is the picture from the article I had read, of him hugging another girl. Could it be possible that I ruined something for him again?

Percy sat up, shivering. He rubbed his eyes together with his thumbs. "Can't do it" he muttered under his breath, barely audible to me.

"You can" I whispered to him. He turned around, surprised I heard what he said, "And you will. You're too strong to fail."

The closed lights around us, the little light coming from the night sky illumination over the city contrasted his face uniquely. It made all the bits I had grown to love and miss shine uniquely. Despite the sadness, he was beautiful. He leaned in towards me again, but this time I had the time to process things.

"Wait" I put a hand on his chest, "What about…aren't you with Zoe?"

For the first time since we separated, he managed a smile. "You're the one that told me not to believe things I see on the news, right?"

And yes, despite the circumstances, as we kissed, I managed a smile for the first time that day as well.

A/N: You knew I had to do it. *shrugs*