im having a very unhealthy obsession with Aiden Gallagher HELP😭😭 also hi hope u enjoy :3

Annabeth

"You stay here." Piper said firmly,when I showed signs of movement. I gave her an angry expression which she paid no attention too. How could she expect me to sit back and not rush to my friend? I glanced around quickly. I wasn't seriously injured,and the doctors never said anything about when I should stand on my own feet. Carefully,I hoisted myself up,clenching my teeth. My head began to spin but I ignored it. My shoes were neatly lined up against the wall. Grabbing them,I strided out,ignoring the pain.

I didn't know where they had run to,so I decided to simply head to the lobby. Hoping that nobody would stop me and force me back into bed,I walked along,looking into different rooms hoping to find a boy with green eyes. But I didn't. When I reached the lobby,I knew something was up.

"Annabeth!" Penny cried out,racing forward and hugging me. Her crystal clear green eyes and warmth reminded me painfully of her brother. I fought back my tears as she hugged me tightly,trembling. I glanced behind her shoulder; Piper was frowning at me,but everyone else's expressions were a mixture of fear and relief. Leo however,seemed to be hiding behind Jason.

"I just arrived-we took the first plane-are you okay?" she asked breathlessly,a crazed expression on her face. Her eyes were slightly tinged wet. I nodded,swallowing back a sob. Her eyes were just like his. I looked away,unable to handle myself. Suddenly she did something unexpected. She turned back to the gang,eyes searching for someone. Then she snarled.

"You."

Jason's eyes widened and I didn't blame him as he took a step back "Wha-"

She strided forward with so much anger on her face I could feel it. I wanted to warn Jason to run,knowing well that Penny was going to commit murder. It all happened in seconds-

SLAP

The sound rang so loudly that the entire lobby stopped and grew quiet. I expected Jason to fall back,but he was simply pushed to the side. Leo turned a complete 360,hurling into Jason,who stumbled to catch him. My jaw dropped open as Piper screamed and surged forward,her expression filled with horror. I saw Nico and Apollo,looking like they would faint from fear and shock. And along with them stood another tall man.

"PENNY!" Piper reached for Leo,pulling him behind her protectively,Jason following suit "What-"

"MOVE PIPER!" Penny roared,racing forward like a cheetah. I wanted to yell at her,talk some sense,but I also wanted to cower and hide. I had never seen Penny completely snap.

In one swift movement,Apollo surged forward,wrapping his arms around her. It was a scary sight; despite Apollo Solace being literally three feet taller than her,more broad shouldered and stronger,he was having a very hard time controlling his girlfriend. Penny's eyes were completely bloodshot;it looked like a pool of blood with a drop of green paint in the middle;her face was white and hair was flying as she screamed bloody murder. Everyone around were backing away,nurses taking patients away from the scene and doctors looking scandalized.

"LET-GO!" Penny screamed,her voice so high pitched it physically hurt "LEO-YOU-"

"I'm sorry!" Leo choked. I was shocked to see that his eyes were red too; he was crying. Across his cheek laid an ugly hand mark,still red. "I know I did the wrong thing-"

"NO," she spat,her eyes literally shooting daggers "SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO YOUR MOM GAVE BIRTH TO THE WRONG THING! I HATE YOU,LEO VALDEZ! I HATE YOU AND WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU-"

What she would do when she reaches Leo,we never found out. In one swift movement,Apollo reached for something a doctor had given him. With a quick nod,he stabbed the needle on her arm. She gave a quick squeal and turned to look at Apollo in disbelief.

"YOU-you-"

"Penny,sunshine,relax." Apollo said sadly,loud enough for the rest of us to hear. I studied his expression curiously,when I realized something; he wasn't worried,he was scared of the girl in his arms "I'll be right here."

"No-" she sunk to her knees,her eyes already half closed. Everything and everyone was silent as Penny Jackson's head drooped. Breathing heavily (and I could see him shaking a little) he scooped her up like she weighed nothing. Several doctors and nurses rushed forward but my eyes went back to Leo. He had collapsed to his knees,Piper and Jason hugging him. Nico and I locked eyes,asking each other the same question.

What had just happened?

...

Twenty minutes later (after apologizing and calming down several harrassed looking bystanders,doctors and nurses) Penny was laying in a hospital bed,Apollo sitting next to her and stroking her hair. Leo,Jason,Nico and Piper had disappeared somewhere and I simply stood outside,watching through the glass.

I had never seen anyone in such a rage,never. It shook me,wondering if Percy ever had the same rage level as his sister. If he did,would I ever see it? Would I be able to look at him the same way as I always had? Would it change the way I felt about him? Would it scare me forever,looking into those ocean green eyes,wondering when the storm would break out? I shook my head,allowing myself to take steady deep breaths.

Percy was not like that. He was the calmer sibling,the more reserved one. It was Penny who was more-

I refused to let myself think that way towards my friend. Shivering and hugging myself gently,I tried to distract myself.

"Is she okay?"

I spun around,looking up. There stood a tall,broad shouldered man in a suit. He smelled of aftershave and for some reason,salt. There were smile lines on his face which I took to be a good sign. His hair was neat yet a little choppy and he had green eyes;eyes so green that seemed to reflect everything around,the dim lighting,the glass window and my own grey,stormy ones. His voice had a bit of a french accent. I nodded at Mr. Jackson,not trusting myself to talk.

"You must be Annabeth. Annabeth Chase." he added,reaching out to shake my hand. I took it,his hands rough. "Yeah,I am. Nice to meet you Mr. Jackson." he gave me a faint smile before turning back to the glass window,concern in his eyes.

"Is that...er..her boyfriend?"

I looked at Apollo,who seemed to be holding her hand and whispering something to Penny although she was asleep. I didn't know whether it was safe to tell her father or not,but my expression (and obviously,Apollo himself) gave it away. As if he knew he was being watched,Apollo turned only to find myself and his girlfriend's dad staring back at him. He stood up at once,gave Penny a swift kiss on the forehead and walked out to greet us.

"She-she's doing okay," he said,looking a little nervous "fast asleep. The doctor said she'll be out for another two hours,they gave her a big dose."

It was a little awkward,being with them. Little did Mr Jackson know that he was standing with his two children's love interests. He nodded,eyeing Apollo with curiousity.

"May I?" He asked,gesturing towards Penny's room,as if daring him to forbid him to access it. Apollo's eyes widened as he stepped aside "What-no,I mean,of course." he replied hastily,looking nervous. The scene would have been funny if the situation wasn't so serious. Nodding,Mr. Jackson walked into the room business-like.

"Apollo,I think we wants you to join him." I whispered. Sure enough,he was glaring at Apollo,as if judging him for not following. Swallowing,he jumped a little before tagging along. Knowing that the epic father-to-boyfriend smackdown was about to happen,I decided to steer clear of it. As I wandered through the halls,I let my thoughts travel.
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Why didn't I try to calm Penny down? I felt frustrated with myself,feeling useless. All I did was let everything unravel while I stood there,too weak and pathetic to raise my voice and step in like a leader. What would Percy say?

And then there was Percy. I hated myself for it,but I resented Penny a little for snapping like that,when we could have used the time to find out about Percy,her brother. Am I wrong for thinking that way? Maybe I am. I hate being wrong. Suddenly I heard familiar voices;

"No. You're not going anywhere near her Leo. I swear to the gods,if you do-Annabeth!" Piper exclaimed,seeing me approach. Leo turned away,trying to hide. I felt a pang of pity,this was very un-Leo behaviour.

"How are you?" I asked gently to him. He gave me a strange look,then nodded. Nobody spoke for sometime.

"How is she?" Leo asked feebly. I felt the pity inside of me grow; despite her attacking him,literally making a mark,he still cared. I recalled the little talk we both had back in my hospital room; he really did love her. I found my resentment towards Penny grow a little.

"Fine. Her dad and Apollo are with her."

"And it's not your business Leo,you shouldn't care." Piper snapped "I can't believe that she-you-"

"Ah well,I deserved it." he said,giving her a faint smile. Jason frowned.

"What do you mean,deserved it? Leo,we all literally thought she was about to kill you. I think the stress went to her head. Finding out about Percy-"

"Well she should know better!" Piper argued "We all are stressed and tired,first Annabeth,then Thalia,then-then Luke! We don't even know what's happening to Percy,and-"

"Pipes," Leo said softly,interrupting her. "Jason. Mi amigos. She hasn't gone mad. There's a reason."

I remembered something Leo had said; 'So much has changed.'

"Years ago," He began,rubbing his eyes sorely "me and Penny met back in New York. I'll spare you the details,but I was crossing the street too quickly,and a cab swerved and crashed. It was a huge accident,there was a woman who-who looked like she was dead-" his voice shook a little "-and a little boy with her,crying."

"I-Leo it wasn't your fault. I mean-" Piper reached forward and grabbed his arm. He winced. Suddenly it clicked-why Leo seemed to be on his toes when the news came that she would have to go to Paris,why he was dreading her return.

"Piper,it was Penny's mother."

Pin drop silence. Even Nico looked shocked,his lips parted. Leo looked down at his feet.

"I didn't know at that time,but I found out. Luke actually helped me find Penny again,I was in the city. All these years and I never mentioned it to her. I'm the reason her mom went into a coma,and will probably be ill for the rest of her life." his voice cracked "I'm the reason."

"Leo," Piper chided as she hugged him. A few moments later he was shaking in her arms. Jason hugged the two of them,and even Nico found it in him to pat Leo's shoulder. With a start,I realized that my eyes were wet too,and I made no effort to brush them away. We stood there in silence for a long time before someone interrupted.

"Hey."

We all turned. Apollo was watching us with a weary look. He was holding an ice pack,which he handed to Leo without a word. He accepted it and pressed it gingerly against his cheek and sighed with relief.

"I have to give it to her,that girl has got strength." he chuckled wearly,though none of us smiled. Apollo shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably.

"Leo-"

"I know man. Bad joke. Sorry." he said hastily. Apollo shook his head.

"No,not that. It's just..why...?"

I could tell that Leo didn't want to repeat himself,so I stepped in "Solace,let's go get coffee for Penny's dad."

I lead him away,trusting that he knew where to get the coffee. Sure enough,we reached a small coffee dispenser. We didn't know whether to get decaf or not,so we got both. As we walked through the silent halls,I explained what Leo had told us.

"Gods," Apollo muttered "All this time-I-Leo-" he sighed,unsure of what to say "I don't even know what to feel anymore." he stopped walking and sat down on a bench,putting the coffee down. I hesitated,then sat with him.

"Me neither." I admitted,but I was sure that he was having more trouble processing this than I did.

"They-they knew each other?" he asked,puzzled "I mean,I know that that's not the major point here-but how could she have never mentioned it to me? I mean,I always knew there was something between them,but this-"

"Maybe she didn't because it didn't matter to her," I suggested,trying to deflate his anger. He shook his head. "I'm tired. I'm tired of the secrets." he said simply,before grabbing the coffee and standing up. I followed him in silence,thinking about what Leo had told me. Soon we reached her room,where I could see her father sitting next to her. He glanced at the coffee cups we were carrying,looking humbled.

"We uh,brought decaf and non decaf." I said,holding up the cup,Apollo holding the other. He smiled gratefully,which looked so similar to Percy's my stomach hurt.

"Non decaf please." he stated. I handed him the cup as me and Apollo sat down on the other side of her bed. Her chest rose up and down slowly,expression plain and calm.

"Mr. Jackson? Is there any news about Percy?" I asked,unable to hold it in me. He looked up at me,looking sombre.

"They haven't given any official statement yet,as they haven't finished...analyzing him yet." he said sourly "But yes,he is..still alive."

Something inside of me stirred,sending a shock through my entire body. He isn't gone. But by still alive...it means that he's still hovering between life and death. Swallowing back the urge to break down again for the umpteenth time,I nodded.

"The doctors told me that someone died?" he asked softly.

"Luke. Luke Castellan. He is-he was a friend of ours." Apollo answered. Mr. Jackson nodded solemnly, his expression stoney. Something else was nagging me from the back of my mind,then it hit me-the number Luke had given me,and my dad begging me to fly down to San Francisco. Thoughts and emotions swirled so violently again I knew it was simply a matter of time before I collapsed. Without a word,I got up and left the room,my body on autopilot. I wasn't even aware of the fact that I had walked down to the lobby and out of the hospital.

The cold wind stung like sharp knives in contrast to the warm atmosphere in the hospital. I hailed a taxi after making sure I still had a spare key to the apartment on me. I made a few stops before finally reaching home. Holding the bag of liquor bottles gingerly in my left arm,I opened the door. It was cold and silent.

I had never done anything so out of my comfort zone. I had one drink,two-my head was already light and I gagged at the taste-three-I put my hand against my forehead-four-the drink burned my throat like fire-five-

I lost count. And I lost consciousness. Dragging myself to the couch,I toppled over. I was sweaty and I smelt of alcohol as I drifted off to a soundless sleep.

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