As always, these characters do not belong to me.

Readers be advised: Mild language

Chapter Eighteen

Percy

Exhaustion was only the tip of how Percy was feeling. He had been pacing back and forth in the main hall of the Hunter's infirmary before his legs gave way, forcing him to take a seat on a rickety chair. There was so many things running through his head that he couldn't focus on any one thought and he ended up merely staring at the blank wall ahead of him. A gentle tap on his shoulder snapped his reverie, the last few days hitting him in a rushed frenzy that almost had him wincing.

"I'm sorry," the Huntress apologised. "I was trying to talk to you, to get your attention."

"No, I'm sorry," he corrected lightly. "I was being rude. What were you saying?"

"Thalia asked me to escort you to the Elite's room so you could see her, the injured woman you brought in," she replied, a little tentatively. "She was really insistent."

With another polite smile directed towards the Huntress, he got wearily to his feet, unsurprised to find his body protest the movement. He struggled to pay attention, but he forced himself to, if only to distract his other thoughts. The Huntress was young, a recruit if Percy was reading her demeanour correctly. Her ash blonde hair was pulled away from her face by a dull green head band, her simple dress a similar colour, making the light blue of her eyes brighter.

"In Thalia's insistence," he began, as they turned the corner. "How descriptive did she get?"

A shy smile appeared on the girl's face as she turned into another small hallway and paused at the first door on their left. "I'd rather not say."

Percy huffed a chuckle. "Sounds like her."

The room was quiet when he entered, his heart lurching. There she was. Pale, but she looked peaceful, almost as if she had merely fallen asleep. From the corner of his eye he saw Thalia half-rise from her chair. He remembered her promise to remain at her side, though grateful, he was surprised she could do so being temporarily in charge of the Hunters. He moved dream-like to Annabeth's side, pulling a second chair to her bedside. His eyes took in her every feature as he settled into the chair, his hand reaching out, taking hers from under the blanket and bringing it to his lips.

"Is it working?" he murmured, trying to see any change, any sign.

"Yes, but it's slow," Thalia answered gravely, coming around to his side.

"How slow?"

He heard Thalia take a deep breath. "The antidote has a lot of poison to eradicate so it'll take time. We're more worried about the strain it'll take on her body. Her heart could still just give out."

"But it's working," he wanted to confirm.

"She really is someone to you," Thalia said softly in surprise. "I assumed it was just you being you but this, this is more, isn't it? Yeah, Perce," she added when he said nothing to her statement. "Got to give it to her, she's one tough bitch."

His lips twitched. "You have no idea."

His free hand drifted to a lock of her hair, letting the blonde curl weave around his fingers and fall back onto the pillow. Gazing at Annabeth's face, another face morphed into hers; an older, sicker face. They both looked at peace, they both held a special place in Percy's heart and he might end up losing them both. The older woman was smiling tiredly at Percy, letting him know it was okay to let her go, to let her be finally at peace. Both times he had been unable to do anything but watch as they fought their illness.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I can just sit here. Not after …" His head dropped, his free hand clenching into a fist at his side as the other face from his memories melted away.

"I understand," Thalia said softly. "Your mother was truly one badass woman. It was hard to see her succumb – sorry," she added, seeing him flinch. "I miss her too." Percy nodded, pinching the bridge of his nose to prevent his tears from falling.

"You know, I don't mind just sitting here," Thalia told him conversationally. "Gives me a break from this 'being in charge' gig. Who would've thought people had so many problems?" She shook her head, returning to her chair at the end corner of Annabeth's bed, plonking down with a sigh. "Besides, there's so much paperwork! Why do people have to write everything down? I can understand why you skip out on your village as often as you do."

"I don't 'skip out' on my village," he told her, feeling his lips twitch.

Thalia scoffed in disbelief, grabbing a handful of papers. "Whatever you say, Cuz." She gave him a pointed stare, then frowned. "That shirt looks awful on you."

"Your Hunters grew uncomfortable with me wandering the halls in bloodied armour. It was the only one that fit," he said, trying not to roll his eyes. "Apparently."

Thalia snorted in laughter. "If only your girl could see you now, she might have second thoughts."

"Annabeth," he supplied with a slight smile. Thalia gave a nod of acknowledgement, eyes drifting down to her notes.

Percy glanced back to Annabeth's sleeping face, guilt gnawing at his empty stomach. So many questions, so many different scenarios ran through his head as he gazed at her, each one with a variable that was no longer an option. The 'if only' chorus sang until Percy drifted off to sleep, her hand still in his.

"Percy."

Percy was gently shaken awake and he sat up with a lurch, taking a few seconds for his mind to kick into gear. Thalia's errand Huntress was at his side, smiling down at him. Percy glanced towards Annabeth, still pale and asleep, before rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

"Any change?" he asked.

"Not yet but the progress of the antidote is slow since it's still really in its trial stages," she replied in a comforting tone. "Thalia had to go, but she asked me to wake you and take you to her house so you could get a proper sleep. You can add all her anecdotes in yourself," she added.

Percy smiled tiredly. "I should stay," he murmured, his eyes drifting down Annabeth's bed, just in case she started to move.

"I'll keep an eye on her," she promised. "My partner is on patrol, so she won't be back until morning anyway."

"How long was I asleep?" he wondered, having no windows to gage the time.

"A few hours," she answered, taking Thalia's seat with a book in her hand. "The sun is just starting to set."

Percy sighed, rising to his feet. He found his way out of the infirmary, though he paused at entrance, trying to get his bearings as he glanced around the village. The villagers that sought sanctuary under the protection of Artemis and her loyal hunters stared at him as he walked down the main street, having only seen him racing down that very street the day before with their temporary leader carrying a seriously injured woman. He headed to what he hoped was still Thalia's residence as torches were beginning to be lit. The smells of the evening vendors met Percy's nostrils and the grumbling in his stomach indicated he probably needed to stop at one of the more charitable sellers.

"Percy?"

He had been on the verge of daydreaming of his potential meal when his name being called interrupted any thoughts of food. He turned, then started in surprise. He was moving towards the owner of the voice seconds later, engulfing her in a hug, which she reciprocated with a tight squeeze.

"Piper," he breathed, pulling back to see it was really her, then hugged her again, careful to avoid the feather in her hair from tickling his nose. "What are you doing here?"

"Needed a break," she answered simply. "Found myself here." She pulled away, her hands resting on his arms, eyes searching his. "I heard about the Elite. Is there's anything I can do?"

Percy shook his head. "Can only wait and hope I got her here in time for the antidote to work."

Piper placed a friendly hand on his cheek, smiling in that peculiar way she did. "It's good to see you," she said warmly. "But why are you wearing that horrible shirt?"

Percy replied with a laugh, pulling her in for another hug, swaying them gently in the middle of the street, drawing comfort from her embrace. He remembered first meeting her and the ragtag group she had been living with on the run from bandits. The slightly outlandish inventor with his constant tinkering that reminded Percy so much of Silena's Charlie and the golden-haired fighter that Percy often butted heads with but considered him a brother, nonetheless. And then Piper. The fiercely loyal and calm voice of reason, with her unruly attire and choppy hairstyle that often featured several braids that ended with various feathers. Percy and Piper, while it took some time and some close violent calls, became friends, their bond strengthening to near unbreakable over the years.

When Percy finally let Piper go, they walked together to Thalia's house. It was grand, well, bigger than most of the other huts that Artemis' Hunters preferred. Percy had been a resident of her house on several occasions, though a couple of times he had been unwelcome or hiding from those who wanted him dead. It didn't take long for the familiar smells and furniture for him to remember the layout. His saddle bags had been left inside the entry door and he spotted a note attached to a steaming pot of stew when he ventured into the kitchen area.

"She knew you would find me," Percy said, showing Piper the note.

"We shouldn't let it go to waste," Piper replied with a smile. "Let's hope she didn't have a hand in cooking it."

Within an hour Percy had changed shirts, a fire was built in the living room and the two of them were seated on comfortable chairs in front of the embers. The pot of stew sat half-eaten on the bench which, Piper remarked in relief, tasted better than anything Thalia could ever make. Piper was just finishing brewing the tea and handing Percy his mug when the night settled around them.

"You seem, different," he observed, gingerly holding his tea.

Piper gazed around the room thoughtfully. "After Jason …" she paused, staring into her mug. "Everywhere at home just reminded me of him. I felt, suffocated. Being here has really helped me figure out what I want to do with my life."

"I'm sorry, Pipes. I should've seen you were struggling and –."

"Don't," she interrupted. "You don't need to put any more burdens upon yourself. You didn't see because I didn't want you to. You weren't with Jason because he knew you were needed elsewhere. Even knowing the risks, nothing could've stopped him from trying to save those people, Perce, that was just who he was."

"Will you come back?" he asked, after a few moments of silence.

"Of course," she promised with a smile. She reached over and took his hand, the embers illuminating her eyes golden. "It will always be my home and you guys will always by my family." He gave her hand a slight squeeze before she pulled it back. "Want to tell me about her?" she asked slyly.

With a soft smile, Percy recalled his journey with Annabeth. He had just finished explaining the ambush at the Elite camp when Thalia entered, her expression as dark as a thundercloud. Percy and Piper shared a look as Thalia grabbed her share of the stew, a flagon already in her other hand when she sat beside Piper. She downed both in rapid succession, staring into the embers.

"Still not enjoying leadership?" Piper asked lightly.

Thalia grunted, finishing her flagon. "The scouts came back from where the Elites had set up their camp." She looked to Percy. "Luke and a handful of Elites survived the ambush."

"Where is he?" he asked.

"Vanished."

Percy growled angrily. One look towards Piper and his anger simmered. He knew Luke was somehow involved with Arachne's presence at the camp, and once Annabeth recovered, he wasn't going to stop until he tracked him down and returned the favour. He had delayed their reunion for long enough.

"Have your scouts any idea why bandits would attack such a large number?" he asked.

"The scouts wouldn't get too close in case of lingering spies but from their report they weren't all bandits," Thalia answered wearily. "They spotted cult tattoos on some of the fallen."

"That's a first," Piper observed with a low whistle.

"Yes, and it's been causing me headaches all afternoon," Thalia said grumpily.

Percy stared towards the fireplace. Tattoos and factions hadn't meant anything when he charged into the ambush searching for Annabeth. Anyone that got in his way was just an obstacle that he struck down. He tried to remember the noises, the voices.

Wait. One shouted at him before he was stabbed, and another echoed it as Percy ran past him, but what did they say? It was familiar, as if he had heard it before. Percy ignored discerning the words for the moment, focusing in on the earlier memory. He tasted the tang of blood and fear, and anger, the acrid smell of burning flesh from an animal, and chants? More chants, saying the same thing as a symbol was drawn on his forehead in blood. A symbol of sacrifice.

"They'll be after the Crystal," Percy admitted. "Luke asked Annabeth to retrieve the Crystal from the Cave," he explained.

"And she got it?" Thalia said, shocked.

Percy closed his eyes, coming to a realisation. "No, she gave him a fake but there would've been many who had seen her leave the Cave with the decoy in her possession."

"Then tracked her to Luke," Thalia continued. "When they discover what is in his possession isn't real …"

"They would assume Annabeth double-crossed him, kept it for herself," Piper finished. "They'll come for her."

"Fuck, Percy," Thalia growled, getting to her feet. "What have you gotten us into?"

"Maybe we should try and focus on who would want this Crystal so badly that they're willing to create alliances with conflicting parties and attack one of the best fighting armies," Piper said placatingly.

"I can only think of one," Percy said darkly, the memory of his sacrificial ceremony still fresh on his mind.

"You might want to work on your defences," came a voice from the shadows. Their heads turned as Reyna stepped into the room, her expression grave. "Octavian's preparing for war."

After a week of dividing his time between Annabeth, defensive plans and scout reports, Percy had almost reached his emotional limit. Staring down at the village from his retreat spot atop a small hill, he couldn't get his mind to focus on anything but feeling overwhelmed. Sitting at Annabeth's bedside, willing her to be better continued to bring forth memories of his mother, almost crushing his hope that the end result would be different. While the antidote was effective on both her wounds and erasing the lingering poison, the head healer gave her another week in which she needed to regain consciousness, or it was a high possibility that she never would.

Piper and Thalia, Reyna to a lesser degree, tried to ease his growing anxiety but they all had problems that needed attention, mainly the impending cultist army that would be heading their way in due time. Reyna had informed them the following morning of her arrival that Octavian had made an alliance with one of the competing bandit leaders and together they had overtaken most of the bandit factions, combining their forces with Octavian's fanatics. Not only bandits, but other cults had also pledged to Octavian's cause, giving him sizable numbers of people pliable to suggestion. Skillset didn't matter if an army was crushed under superior numbers.

"I thought I might find you here."

Percy didn't need to turn to know who it was that sat beside him. Didn't need to look down at the hand that reached out and grabbed his from the moss-covered trunk he sat upon or smell that beautiful fragrance as she adjusted the dark curtain of hair over her shoulder. Silena always had a unique, distinct way of knowing exactly when someone was hurting and the ability to sought them out even when they didn't want company. Percy being one of her specialities.

"The view's not quite as spectacular as the one at home," she continued conversationally, giving his hand a squeeze.

"I suppose Clarisse instigated this?" he asked.

"She was rather intent on returning to where, in her words, 'the fun was going to happen'." Silena rolled her eyes fondly. "After hearing Chris' report, I knew I was needed here."

"And home?"

"With the Stolls and Leo in charge of defensives, I think it'll be one of the safest places to be in right now," she said with a snort.

Percy couldn't help but agree. "Will and Nico?" he questioned.

Silena nodded. "Joined us a couple of days ago. You're avoiding the real questions."

"Delaying," he corrected with a small smile. "How's Nico?"

"Coping. Having Will with him this time has made a huge difference. He's reluctant to leave and search for Zoë, even though we all know he's the best tracker available. I think they're negotiating giving the Hunters a few more days to return before risking another party."

"Zoë's not one to ignore her people. If she hasn't returned and she should've, they're wasting time."

After Reyna's declaration, Thalia had sent word in the covert way the Hunters communicate to Zoë and her cohort that had went in search of Artemis. When no correspondence was returned, Thalia sent out scouts, only for them to return with more questions than answers. They had discovered one of their campsites, but it had been abandoned for days and without any trace or insight into the direction they had travelled. Rather than panic the rest of the Hunters, Thalia kept their disappearance under wraps, but it was clear something was amiss.

"I saw Reyna was here," Silena started hesitantly. "Is that why Piper is with Annabeth?"

"I asked her to be. Thought it would kill two birds with one stone."

Silena nodded, her face troubled as she sighed sadly. It had always been hard for the two women who had both loved Jason so fiercely to interact with each other. His death only made the awkwardness clearer. Piper had decided it would be easier to simply steer clear of the ex-mercenary when possible and Percy wanting someone at Annabeth's side at all times was the perfect excuse.

"Come on, Perce, it's me," Silena prompted softly.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted quietly. "Every time I see her, I see my Mom and how she …" he paused, his face crumpling. "What if she doesn't make it? What if I don't get to tell her …" he paused again, before declaring quietly. "I think I'm falling in love with her. And I don't understand why it feels like we're constantly being pulled away from each other, as if, as if we're not supposed to be together."

"Do you think you two belong together?" Silena asked softly. "She's a true-born Athenian and you're, well, you're your father's son."

Percy stared down at the village. "We are not our parents," he murmured. He rubbed his face wearily. "I shouldn't even be worrying about that. There'll be an army of cultists and bandits heading this way with a psychopath leading them and we have no way of gauging numbers, only that we'll be seriously outnumbered with no help."

"We've been in situations like this before and guess what?" She smiled. "We're still here. Give yourself time, Perce. Focus on the things you can do, and it will all fall into place." He leant over and kissed her forehead, giving her a soft smile. She rested her hand against his cheek.

"How far we've come from the idealistic kids wanting to have their own haven from the dramas of the world," she murmured. "We should've known deep down the drama always finds us." Her eyes darkened, her mind going to her beloved Charlie. He gently pressed his cheek against her hand and the darkness vanished, replaced with her smile.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you," she told him intently. "You, Percy. You always protect your family. You always find a way and I know you will again. Don't lose hope," she encouraged with a smile.

"Percy!"

Nico was jogging up towards them, slightly out of breath. Percy's stomach dropped. Silena, sensing his tension, drop her hand down to his. Nico's dark eyes looked grave as they met Percy's.

"It's Annabeth."