Frank's Pov
Alright so if you've never ridden a Hippocampus let me just tell you that it's not nearly as awesome as it sounds. The entire time I thought we were riding through a sea of maple syrup instead of water. Traveling with Rainbow created an illusion of moving in slow motion even though we were actually going so fast that I would've for sure flown off the back if I hadn't been holding tightly to Annabeth. Overall it was a disorienting and mostly unpleasant ride. Just do yourself a favor, take my word for it, and use some other mode of transport if you ever have to visit Neptune at the bottom of the sea.
I felt pretty bad for nearly squeezing Annabeth to death from holding on but I literally thought I was going to fly off the back of Rainbow and get lost in the pitch blackness of the ocean. I wasn't gonna take that chance, even if I'd most likely be able to turn into a sea animal and find my way up to the ship. I had the pearl and I needed to make it back safely to protect it until we could use it in the cure.
After what felt like way too long of a ride, the water lightened drastically and I saw the surface shimmering closer and closer. When we breached the water I eagerly took a long breath of fresh air. It'd been really weird to be able to breathe underwater as if it was normal even though it wasn't my first time experiencing the ability. I don't like to talk about it but being a giant koi fish did have some advantages at the time and breathing underwater was obviously one of them.
Looking at the Argo II, I saw Leo leaning over the railing and waving at us with a huge grin as he yelled, "About time you guys showed up!!! I almost woke everyone up to get a search party going! It's been two hours since you left, I thought barnacle boy fed you to the fishes or something!"
I looked at Annabeth with shock as Leo lowered the rope ladder. I leaned closer to her and whispered, "Two hours?!? It didn't feel even close to two hours! Did you know we'd been down there for that long?"
Annabeth shook her head as she seemed just as stunned as I was. She quietly responded, "I lost track at one point but no I definitely didn't think it'd been two hours. Whatever the time, we're back now so let's get up there and talk to Leo."
With a nod I helped Annabeth grab onto the ladder after she'd said goodbye to Rainbow and swung her legs over and into the water. She hoisted herself onto the bottom rung and slowly climbed to the top. Once Leo helped her aboard I cautiously pet Rainbow's head in thanks before pulling myself out of the water and up the ladder.
As I stepped onto the deck and turned to look back down at Rainbow we waved to him and watched as he did a high flip in the air before diving back into the sea and disappearing as if he'd never been there in the first place.
As we stood in the open air soaking wet, I became painfully aware that my entire body was freezing from the night's cool breeze. The adrenaline from tonight's events had almost completely worn off and in addition to the cold that seeped into my bones, I felt exhaustion hit me like a tidal wave. I looked over at Annabeth and saw that she too was hugging herself and shivering badly, her eyes barely staying open.
Leo quickly noticed our dilemma's and brought over towels he'd gotten from a box near the ship's mast. "C'mon, we can't have you guys catching a cold. Let's get you both to bed and you can tell us about your thrilling adventure tomorrow."
Annabeth tried to protest as Leo wrapped her in a blanket. "Leo we can't wait that long it's-"
Leo held up a hand to silence her and said, "It can wait until tomorrow. It's after two in the morning and everyone's asleep anyway. You both need to change into some dry clothes, lay in your warm beds, and get some good sleep. No exceptions. You and I both know that Percy and Hazel would be furious if they found out you guys got sick because you were too stubborn to rest."
Leo threw a towel at me once he finished his lecture, not being nearly as nice and gentle about it as he was with Annabeth. "No more dillydallying Frank. Off to bed, now."
With a small glare but a hint of amusement I said, "Yes mother hen. Thank you...see you tomorrow." I put a light hand on Annabeth's back and steered her downstairs. I dropped her off at her room and wished her goodnight with a yawn and a wave. After making sure she was okay, I went to my own room and changed into my comfiest pair of pjs before crawling in my bed and burying myself under the covers. I made a mental note to thank Leo when I realized that my blankets were toasty warm, the perfect temperature to fix my icy body. He must've installed a heated blanket while we were gone and cranked it up knowing we'd need it after our midnight swim.
It didn't take long for my weariness from our emotional escapade to overtake me. A few seconds later I was fast asleep and thankfully gifted with a night of bliss and not a single nightmare.
The next morning I was woken up to a soft voice whispering my name. The voice was so peaceful that I thought I was still dreaming. Despite my desire to stay asleep forever, I slowly blinked my eyes open and found Hazel smiling down at me. I'd love nothing more than to wake up to her beautiful face everyday for the rest of my life. Her soft thumb rubbed small circles into my forehead, almost tempting me to fall back into my dreamless sleep. I wished I could lay like this forever but I knew I had to get up eventually.
Hazel spoke through her gorgeous smile with a soothing voice, "Good morning sleepy head, we let you sleep in as much as we could but it's nearly noon and we can't wait any more. Everyone's getting a bit restless while waiting to hear the news on how the meeting went last night. Piper's waking up Annabeth as well and said she'd meet us for lunch in ten."
My tired brain was trying to process everything she was saying but it was lagging heavily since it still wanted to be in sleep mode. When it finally caught up and I fully registered what she'd said I grumbled, "Wait it's noon??? Why'd you let me sleep so long? You could've woken me up sooner."
Hazel shook her head as I sat up. She took a step back so I could get out of bed and said, "Leo told us that you guys got back really late and that you looked like you were about to keel over, so we figured you deserved to sleep in for a while."
With a shrug I stood up and stretched saying, "I'm fine but thank youuuuu." My last word was deeper and more drawn out as I released a huge yawn.
Hazel giggled and said, "Come on silly, let's get you some food and then you can give us that update."
With a blush caused by her laughter, I linked arms with Hazel as we walked to the dining room. Entering the room we wished everyone good morning, or afternoon really and went to our usual seats, unlinking our arms and sitting down in our chairs.
Annabeth arrived with Piper a few minutes later looking like she'd also just woken up. Her hair was frizzy and she was rubbing her eyes as if attempting to wake herself up further but looking even more sleepy than I felt. The only thing that sucked for both of us was that she kept yawning and every time she did, it would make me have to yawn too. Then when she saw me yawn it would happen to her again and then back to me. It was a vicious cycle that went on for about five minutes until we both had to turn away and completely avoid looking in the other's direction until we'd both stopped. Hazel and Leo got a real kick out of our struggle and wouldn't stop laughing at us until Nico walked in.
Once everyone was seated and had a plate of delicious smelling food in front of them, Jason announced that we should eat first to give Annabeth and I a chance to wake up a little more. We clearly need the extra time. He told us that after lunch we could tell the story and answer their questions if they had any. Everyone agreed with him so we started to eat.
Throughout lunch I stayed pretty quiet, partially because I was still tired but mostly because there was delicious food in front of me and I was starving. Apparently underwater adventures could really make you work up an appetite. Annabeth seemed to have the same thoughts as she was scarfing down her food almost as fast as me.
After about three cups of coffee and a couple plates of food I was wide awake and raring to go. Annabeth looked a lot better when I looked over and saw that her eyes were now fully opened and she looked far more alert than when she'd first sat down.
As I watched Annabeth look around the table and see everyone seated a look of alarm crossed her face and she blurted out, "Who's with Percy?!? Everyone's here! Who's watching him???" She turned to Nico who sat on the other side of Hazel and gave him an accusing look.
Nico seemed to shrink in his chair under her probing gaze looking like he would burst into tears if she so much as blinked at him. Leo spoke up quickly and said, "Calm down Annie, he's fine, look." Leo held up a screen that had a video of Percy laying in his bed. On the side of the screen was a number that represented his heartbeat and underneath was his current body temperature. He handed the tablet to Annabeth who quickly looked it over.
"Is this live? Did you make this?" She asked with a sudden interest mixed with fleeting concern.
Leo grinned and sat back proudly, "Yes and Yes. I figured it'd be a whole lot easier on everyone if we could all be present during important meetings instead of having to repeat the whole thing to whoever was on Percy watch at the time. So I made a monitoring system so if there's any trouble we'd know right away."
Jason spoke up and added, "You did great Leo, but we should still have someone with him anytime we aren't in a meeting. Just in case something happens..."
Leo nodded, "You're absolutely right Lightning boy, but at least for meetings it'll be great. What do you think?" He looked to Annabeth with a raised brow and a slightly tilted head.
Annabeth let out a breath and said, "Thank you, it's amazing. I'm really impressed, you did a really good job...I'm sorry for freaking out." She looked around the table at each of us, lingering on Nico the longest before lowering her gaze with guilt in her eyes.
Everyone spoke up at once reassuring her that it was fine and she had every right to be concerned. She gave a small grateful smile before clearing her throat and speaking up again. "Well, thank you again. Last night had a lot of ups and downs. We have some big news, both good and bad. Frank? Do you think you could bring them up to speed?" She looked at me with desperate eyes and I immediately agreed. I knew it'd be hard for her to tell everyone the stressful news so I knew it would be better for me to say it.
As I went over everything that happened last night I shared the good news first and watched as everyone but Annabeth lit up with hope. It killed me to say the next part but I had to tell them the severity of the task at hand. I spoke the next sentence with a slight waver in my voice and a growing pit in my stomach, "It's great that we know what we need to do and even better that we now have one of the three blessed items but Poseidon did give us a few warnings that are...pretty heavy and scary." My throat tightened as I thought about my next words.
Hazel must've sensed my rapidly enlarging stress as she instantly found my hand with her own and took it, squeezing it gently to let me know that she was here for me. I took a shaky breath and spoke as evenly as possible. I explained that Zeus and Hades wouldn't give their blessings easily, that the pearl was delicate and had to be used at exactly the right time or else it wouldn't work, and finally, worst of all I told them that we only had a week to give Percy the cure or he would definitely die.
Silence fell over the room when I finished sharing the unhappy news. Looking around the table I saw mostly solemn expressions except for Nico and Jason who both looked like they were going to either pass out or be sick.
After a few minutes of no responses, Jason spoke up even though he still looked pretty flushed. "Are we going to try to convince Zeus or Hades first?"
I thought about his question and looked to Annabeth who just nodded almost as if she were saying 'I trust you'. With her assent I said, "Zeus should be first. After all Percy saved Olympus and in turn saved Zeus. Not to mention he's also trying to save the world from Gaea so that has to count for something. Hades could care less if Olympus falls so out of the two options I think Zeus would be the easier god to persuade." Annabeth smiled in approval and gave me a thumbs up which made me sigh in relief. She'd been teaching me strategy during our Percy watches and it was really paying off. I'd been feeling a lot more confident in my leadership skills since she took me under her wing.
Jason glanced at Nico then back at me saying, "If Poseidon thinks I have the best chance at persuading my father then I'll go. Piper? Will you go with me?"
Piper had a stunned look on her face but after a second she relaxed and replied, "I would be honored to finally meet your dad." She smirked and Leo snorted as if they'd just shared an inside joke.
When Leo quieted down I spoke in a firm voice, "Alright then, it's settled. Jason and Piper will find a way to meet with Jupiter and gain his blessing. Sooner rather than later please as we now have a deadline looming closer by the hour." Hazel squeezed my hand almost painfully and I backpedalled, "Sorry that was kinda dark...Everyone else can switch off watching Percy and taking care of the ship. I'm gonna try to talk to Percy and let him know what we found out. Maybe it can help him fight harder and stay alive until we can heal him."
No one looked excited about my decision to visit Percy's subconscious but no one objected to it either. At least not out loud. I'm sure they all knew it was important to give Percy something to hold onto while he fought gods knows what in that awful place.
A balance of sad but somewhat optimistic energy created a really weird atmosphere as we ended the meeting and went our separate ways for the day.
Hazel, Nico, and I went to the med bay so I could attempt to talk to Percy. Annabeth went back to her room to shower and go back to sleep, claiming she was still feeling tired. Piper and Jason said that they were gonna talk to Leo while he checked on Festus, probably so they could discuss a plan for when Piper and Jason went to talk to Zeus. Part of me wanted to stay and help them figure out a strategy but I knew I was needed elsewhere right now. That's how I convinced myself to visit Percy for the first time in Tartarus even though I was really nervous about it.
The med bay was quiet when I walked in, except for the beeping from the machines and Percy's slow but raspy breaths. He didn't look half as good as he did on Leo's live cam an hour ago. Now he was shaking like a leaf and paler now than when he first was laid on the stark white bed. Percy had a small cut on his chin and forehead, neither of which were bleeding, and a large bruise that spanned from his cheekbone all the way down to his jawline.
Nico frowned when he saw the injuries and walked over, gently taking Percy's trembling hand and sinking into a chair to watch him.
Worried, I walked forward and sat down on the other side of the bed, laying a hand on Percy's shoulder. When my hand made contact with the exposed skin, Percy's body jolted slightly as if it'd been shocked with a bolt of electricity. Both Nico and I flinched from the movement but we watched in awe as both the bruise and the cuts faded then disappeared completely. Percy's body also stopped shaking which further confused us.
Hazel was the first to react as she rushed over and quickly pulled Percy's covers down to look at the Ara's curse. Shock hit all three of us as we saw the gash was again glowing blue but this time it had flecks of black light running through it like cracks. Nico and I made eye contact but Hazel spoke first. "How'd you guys heal him like that?!?"
Nico shook his head rapidly and I said, "I really don't know...but didn't Percy say that whenever he gets hurt the injuries usually fade pretty fast? Maybe that's only because Jason, Nico, or I have always been right by his side at all times. One of the three of us has always been nearby on every shift. Since we were all at lunch we probably weren't close enough to heal him and maybe that left him more vulnerable than usual and why he didn't get better."
Hazel looked mortified as she said, "We need to be more careful if that's true. If he'd gotten really hurt we could've lost him. Gods what if he thought we'd abandoned him when they didn't disappear right away?!?" Frank you should try to see him now before he gives up on us!"
A few choice curse words popped into my head when I realized that Hazel could be right. I had to get to Percy and explain everything fast. I carefully pulled out the blessed pearl from my coat pocket and entrusted it to Hazel for safe keeping. I couldn't risk losing it. I'd never visited Percy in his head so I didn't know what to expect except from what Nico and Jason told us from their own trips.
After promising Hazel I'd be careful and getting some pro tips on how to reach Percy's subconscious from Nico, I closed my eyes and focused all of my thoughts on Percy. I concentrated on my hand that was pressed against his shoulder and tried to picture where Percy could be.
A few minutes went by before I felt a sudden feeling of weightlessness as if I was falling so I opened my eyes and found that I actually was falling! I had no time to react so I braced myself for the impact. With a loud yelp I hit the ground, landing flat on my back. For a second I thought I was so badly hurt that I was totally numb from the pain, but when I gently tested out my limbs I found that I wasn't hurt at all. Weird.
To make sure I really was fine, I slowly sat up, steadily growing more aware of my surroundings as I did so. The first think I noticed was a thick yellow mist that hung in the air around me and made it nearly impossible to make out anything but shapes as far as I could see. As I got up I felt the ground squish underneath me and found myself on a thick bed of plants that sat on top of a soft pool of mud. A potent stench of stale water filled my nose as I stood still and thought that this place almost perfectly matched Hazel's descriptions of the swamps in New Orleans. Except there was no yellow fog in any of the stories she told.
It took me a minute to figure out what I should do next and to remember why I was even in this strange place. The mist was pretty disorienting but after a minute of heavy thinking I realized that I was in Tartarus. Dizziness at the understanding of my whereabouts almost made me sick with fear. This was a place of nightmares even if it didn't exactly look like it at the moment.
Gathering my wits, I decided that I needed to get a move on. I warily walked through the swamp, looking around to search for any signs that Percy had been here. As I explored the swamp I found some wild looking plants and a few large stones that were randomly placed but otherwise there was no sign of Percy.
I wandered through the unnatural mist and marsh for a long time before I found anything notable. After trekking through the murk for a few more minutes I finally stumbled across what looked like some sort of shelter.
A giant grotesque looking hut made of bones stood in front of me, reminding me of a scene out of Shrek, that is if Shrek had been a horror film. The bones clearly were from a giant monster that I couldn't quite recognize as I stared at it from a distance. I'd found the hut by accidentally tripping over a small boulder on the ground that had words scratched messily into the surface. I looked closer at the stone and read, 'In honor of Damasen, the best of his kind.'
Curious, I made my way to the door of the massive hut, not knowing what resided in such a gruesome place but oddly unafraid as I opened the door and stepped inside.
The interior of the hut was surprisingly homey despite it's frightening exterior. A pot was boiling over a fireplace that radiated scents of beef stew and the temperature was warm but maintained a cozy heat, not enough to make you sweat but perfect for living comfortably.
A ragged cough alerted me to the presence of someone to the right of me. I whipped around and saw Percy, sitting up on a large cot and unwrapping a blood soaked cloth from his thigh with a grim expression plastered on his face. I immediately became worried but didn't want to frighten him too much so I spoke softly. "Percy?"
In a split second Percy reacted out of pure instinct and threw something directly at my head. Thank the gods for my adhd or I would've been killed on the spot. Luckily I managed to jump out of the way just before I was impaled. When I ducked my head under my arms I yelled, "Jupiter's Beard Percy stop! It's Frank, please don't kill me! I come in peace!!!"
After hearing no response I slowly peaked up at him and frowned when I saw a look of pure terror on his face. I stood back up and asked, "Percy??? What's wrong?!?"
His hands trembled as he dropped his empty hand to his side and barely managed a weak, "I-I'm so sorry I-didn't..." His voice trailed off as he sucked in a sharp intake of breath and looked down shamefully.
My heart nearly broke at his devastation as my feet carried me to his side and I spoke quickly, "Perce it's okay, you didn't mean to. I'm fine, see? It's all good, no harm done."
It took a little convincing but he eventually relaxed enough to continue unwrapping the bloody makeshift bandage. While he did that I asked the question that'd been bothering me since I saw him. "Percy what happened to you? That looks really bad, are you okay?"
Percy looked up at me and smiled sadly, "I ran into a cyclops but I had trouble fighting it because he reminded me of...um...Tyson? Yeah Tyson." Worry flickered in my head as it seemed to take him a minute to come up with the name as if he'd almost forgotten his half-brother altogether. I focused back on Percy when he continued saying, "The cyclops stabbed me in the thigh but I'm fine now. It was pretty bad for a few hours and I thought I was gonna bleed out for a bit but it healed up about twenty minutes ago and now I feel pretty okay so it's all good." The way he acted so nonchalant about almost dying was really freaking me out. He made it sound like near death experiences were an everyday thing. With a nasty shock I figured they most likely were a constant experience in this place. The thought made my stomach roll.
"Twenty minutes ago? That's when Nico and I touched you." A curse left my lips before I could stop it and I looked at Percy with an immense guilt on my shoulders, "We left you alone so we could talk about something that happened last night and when we came back you didn't look too good. I'm so sorry man. Leo created a monitor so we could keep an eye on you but I guess it didn't work as well as we thought. We never should've left but we honestly had no clue we were healing you just by being in the same room with you. We were only gone for an hour max for lunch and the meeting, did it really feel like more than that?"
Percy looked at me with tired eyes and said, "It's okay, time works differently here. I'm sure it hasn't been that long since I got stuck here but it feels like weeks. Every day is longer than the next and I can feel myself get more and more tired every time I fight another enemy. It's getting harder to survive in here Frank." He swallowed hard and sat up more, taking a deep breath.
I felt horrible for leaving him and causing more pain. He didn't need more stress and suffering and it was our fault this time. "Percy I'm so sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am for not staying with you, we should've known sooner. We should've been there."
Percy shocked me when a small smile appeared on his pale face. He leaned forward and slung a light arm over my shoulder, "I don't blame anyone of you Franky. I'm sorry you have to babysit me and go through all of this because of me. I dragged you and Hazel into this quest and put Annabeth through hell. Nico almost died because of me and so did Jason. Piper and Leo are having to deal with my mess too. I should've just stayed in Tartarus. Damasen and Bob died for nothing but if I'd stayed I could've saved them and Annabeth."
By the time Percy finished talking he'd slowly retreated back into himself, his arm pulling away from me and dropping to the edge of the cot, where his hand gripped the material like a lifeline. His gaze fixed on the fire that burned below the pot, a faraway look in his eyes that showed pure dismay. He looked utterly broken and lost and it honestly terrified me. Ever since I met Percy he'd been nothing but brave and fearless but after being in here for so long I think it was starting to tear him apart. He wasn't the same person he was a week ago. I needed the old Percy Jackson back pronto.
I moved my hands to his shoulders and gently squeezed them to get his attention. When he raised his eyes to meet mine I spoke using the most convincing voice I could muster, "Percy you're worth much more than a little struggle. You mean the world to us and we've risked our lives on an everyday basis long before you got cursed. If the purpose of our current endangerment is to save you then you're crazy to think that we wouldn't risk everything to get you back. I don't know who Bob or Damasen are but I bet they knew exactly what they were doing when the saved you. You're too important and too good to be left in here. Don't lose hope. Please don't, we have a plan and they're working on the cure even while I'm here with you."
Percy's eyes opened wider at a mention of a cure and he leaned forward slightly, eager to listen to my explanation.
My hands slowly moved from Percy's shoulders and back into my lap as I told Percy about Annabeth and mine's chat with Poseidon. At the mention of Tyson Percy's eyebrows creased but he otherwise remained quiet and attentive. When I finished catching him up on our next move I was afraid I'd overwhelmed him. His eyes were flickering back and forth as if he was trying to read something but the words were moving too fast to see. I gave him a minute to let all of the new information sink in while making sure he didn't spontaneously combust from a mental overload.
After taking a couple of deep breaths he responded thoughtfully, "Thank you for telling me Frank. To be completely honest my memories are getting kinda fuzzy. It's starting to freak me out. I couldn't handle it if I forgot anyone. Not after losing my memory already. I'll do whatever it takes to remember and don't worry I'm gonna do whatever it takes to stay alive. Please thank them for...you know, not giving up on me." He let out a sigh and looked around the hut. "I miss everyone so much...and food, but mostly you guys of course." He cracked a classic Percy smile which was amazing to see since it felt it'd been months the last time I'd seen one.
A small laugh escaped my mouth at his confession and I said, "We miss you too Perce. By the way where are we?"
Percy's face fell slightly as he said, "Damasen's hut. He was the giant who saved me when I almost died from the Arai's curse the first time around. He sacrificed himself so Annabeth and I could escape. I'm not gonna to let him die in vain Frank. I'll get out of here. The fireplace helps a lot. I can't eat anything but the stew hides the stench of death and reminds me of home so I cooked it up yesterday and kept it going throughout the night. Most monsters wont come near this place but I can't stay much longer. I have to leave in the morning. If I stay in one place for too long my thoughts get fuzzy and I start to forget things."
Anger flared inside me. He really couldn't catch a break. He found possibly the only decent shelter in this evil place and now he had to leave it or he'd lose his memories. Most of all I hated that even though Percy was right in front of me, I couldn't save him without some stupid cure. It took my a minute to get my frustration under control but once I did I said, "Less than a week Percy. Please hold out for us. We'll get the cure and bring you home, I promise."
Percy held out his hand and although I was surprised I gladly took it. He was doing the handshake we created after winning the war games at Camp Jupiter. He smiled at me as he gripped my hand. The gesture brought a fresh wave of hope over me. He wasn't lost yet.
Percy sat up straighter and looked directly into my eyes with an aura of peace settling over him. "It's time for you to go Frank. I've got a bad feeling I'll be seeing two familiar ugly faces if you don't leave before they catch your scent. Please tell Annabeth that I love her more than blue cake. I know I'm the luckiest demigod on earth to have you seven in my life."
Tears welled in my eyes and I coughed to try and clear them but I was failing drastically. Percy still had hope and even claimed that he was lucky, I mean the guy is in Tartarus and he thinks he's lucky. I don't think you can be more optimistic than that given the circumstances. Wishing I could take him with me but knowing I couldn't choked me up and made it out of the question to get a single word out. I only managed a firm nod and a tight squeeze to his hand as a goodbye. Percy smiled at me and said, "See you in a week Franky, be good to Hazel." With his signature wink Percy let go of my hand and immediately my vision faded to black.
When I opened my eyes I had to blink away the tears that still clouded them. Hazel and Nico were both staring at me with matching expressions of worry. Hazel spoke first, "Frank are you okay? Why're you crying? Is something wrong with Percy?"
Nico handed me a tissue and I took it graciously, wiping my damp eyes. "He's hanging on for us but we can't leave him alone again. He almost died from a cyclops attack while we were at lunch. He healed up once we touched him but it looked like it'd been bad. I told him everything we figured out and I think it brought up his spirits and gave him something to focus on. So overall he seemed to be doing better."
A small sound escaped Nico's mouth as his face contorted with sorrow. I shook my head and continued, "He'll be fine Nico, he's still mostly himself, just a little beat up. We just have to get him out of there. Then we can show him how much he was missed and get him back to being his usual Percy self."
Nico sniffled and nodded while Hazel wrapped her arms around me. "Hopefully Jason can talk to Jupiter and get the next part of the cure by tomorrow at the latest. That way Nico can get the final blessing before the week is up and then Percy will be safe and sound where he belongs."
Holding Hazel to my chest brought warmth into my heart and made my mounting stress dissipate. In one week we'd have Percy back and this nightmare would finally be over. I thought about Percy's words and decided I'd give Annabeth his message at dinner. As for being good to Hazel, I think I could do that.
Hazel and I held hands in chairs next to each other, watching over Percy and talking about all the fun things we'd do with him once he was awake and healed. I hoped he could hear us and really know how much we wanted him back.
Dinner snuck up on us while we were playing twenty questions. Nico'd just finished answering what his favorite color was, (blue which stunned both Hazel and I) when Jason came in to let us know about dinner. Nico offered to stay, claiming he wasn't hungry yet and insisting we go and he'd watch Percy.
As we walked toward dinner, hand in hand, a feeling of excitement filled me up as it dawned on me that Percy would be okay in a few short days. Everything was finally looking up for us.
Longest chapter so far!!! I hope it can hold everyone over while I continue writing. Yesterday I accidentally stayed up until 4am writing and I just realized it's 2am now '] (whoops). Thank you for the reviews, shoutout to Mka1303 for the sweet comments, I'm trying to keep a steady pace to ensure top quality writing. (Or as top quality as I can get as an amateur) Also to smallchildwithMACBOOK, I'm glad you like it! :) Sorry I write too much at the end but as always reviews are what I look forward to every day so please don't hesitate to let me know what you think! Thank you all very much for reading the thoughts from my crazy head. 3