Percy's P.O.V
I made my way to Jackson's to grab a cup of hot chocolate. I had the ingredients at home but there was just something about the ones they made at mom's shop, they were better. Plus I was celebrating, this time tomorrow I'd be sitting under the stars in the observatory with Annabeth.
I was just rounding the corner to Jackson's, when I saw a flash of those blonde curls that I'd thought constantly about, lying on the ground soaked with blood. My chest ached painfully as fear started to take hold.
I ran over to her shouting her name. But I got no response from her. I took her pulse, and it was weak but thank the gods, if there were any, that there was one. Her skin was cold to the touch, I took of my jacket and placed it over her. I grabbed my phone out the pocket and dialled 9-1-1. I felt like someone had taken my heart and torn it in half.
"9-1-1 what's your emergency?"
"I need an ambulance, my friend's unconscious and her heads bleeding, her pulse is weak." I managed to choke out.
"Where are you?" The operator asked me.
I managed to rattle off where we were before the tears started to fall. By some miracle there was an ambulance in the area, and they were with us in minutes.
"What's her name?" One of the paramedics asked me.
"Annabeth" I heard myself say.
"Right, we're going to get Annabeth the help she needs." The other tried to reassure me while pulling me out of the way. By now we were starting to attract a crowd.
"Which hospital?" I heard myself ask it was like I was saying what was necessary, but my body was just frozen in shock. Annabeth, what had happened to her?
She was going the hospital closest to Jackson's it was a ten-minute drive. I rode in the ambulance with her holding her hand willing her to wake up. When we reached the hospital, they whisked her away to a trauma bay, leaving me to wait in the waiting room. I phoned my mom, then I phoned Thalia and then I phoned Jason. I would have phoned Piper too, but I didn't have her phone number, but I knew Jason would tell her.
My mom had sent me Annabeth's next of kin information, her Dad, she'd had to list him on her employee forms at the shop just in case. Mom had offered to call him, but I told her that I would call him. I was regretting that now, as I didn't really know what to tell him. I had no news since we'd arrived, but he deserved to know so I pressed the green button.
The phone rang a few times before it was picked up.
"Hello?" It was Matthew who had answered the family phone.
"Hi is Mr. Chase available?" I asked.
"Percy is that you?" he asked, but I was quickly losing my nerve.
"Yes, your dad Matthew its important." I managed, and I think he could tell by my tone of voice that I wasn't messing around.
"Percy?" Mr. Chase's voice sounded over the phone, "What is it? Is Annabeth, okay?" he asked.
"She's in the hospital," I told him, "I don't know what happened, but she'd cut her head open they're treating her now." I spouted quickly, feeling new tears sting my eyes as I admitted out loud that I was essentially useless.
"Thank you for calling, I'll fly out immediately. I'll be there as soon as I can." Mr. Chase said just as quickly, before he hung up.
I tried sitting in the waiting room patiently but that really wasn't working for me, so I started to pace up and down. My mom arrived first.
"Percy hunny, how is she?" she asked, stopping me in my tracks. I couldn't voice anything anymore. I was so scared, and I'd had too much time to think about it all. I just shook my head and my mom enveloped me in a hug. Fresh tears spilled from my eyes before I could stop them. I'd come to the realisation that I'd fallen in love with Annabeth and now I might lose her. I didn't know what to do with that information right now.
Piper's P.O.V
When Thalia called me about Annabeth, I was devastated. I'd got so wrapped up in packing my suitcase for home I hadn't even noticed how much time had passed or that Annabeth hadn't returned home yet.
When we got to the hospital and I saw Percy, my heart sank, his hands were covered in blood, his eyes were red, his cheeks tear stained.
"Is she okay?" I heard Thalia ask him.
"Thalia, we don't know yet" Mrs. Blofis replied, Percy didn't look like he could, Mrs. Blofis took Thalia in a hug.
Tears ran down my face this was my fault. I'd let her go out for coffee alone and it was dark out. I'd lost track of time and hadn't checked up on her and she'd been hurt. Jason hugged me closer to him and whispered something to me, but I was so lost in my own thoughts I didn't hear him.
Percy's P.O.V
I was sat in Annabeth's room holding her hand waiting for her to wake up. The constant beep, beep, beep of her heartbeat sounding from the monitor was the only sound in the room.
Jason, Thalia and Piper had gone back to Piper and Annabeth's apartment together. Piper didn't want to be alone, and Thalia looked angry enough to break something so Jason took them both away from the hospital. I promised to update them if anything changed.
My mom was the last to leave me alone at the hospital, she didn't want too but I'd insisted. I wanted to be alone. I needed to process the information I'd been given.
Annabeth had been drugged with chloroform, where would you even get that from? The police had been by and I told them everything I could, which unfortunately wasn't much. They were pretty sure this had been done on purpose, which made sense with the chloroform and that made me angry. So many thoughts swirled around in my head as I sat here with the girl I had fallen for. I needed to write but I had nothing to write with, no laptop, no pen, no paper. So, I did what Annabeth had always managed to get me to do, I talked to her.
"There once was a Seal, who met a beautiful and wise Owl, and though he didn't know it at the time. The Seal fell in love with this Owl the first time he laid eyes on her…"
Annabeth's P.O.V
I was so excited for my date with Percy, that I didn't even mind Piper's constant teasing through our day together before she flew home. Nothing could wipe the smile off my face, not even that we were out of coffee.
I practically skipped the ten minute walk to Jackson's. I wasn't far away when someone grabbed me from behind and put a cloth over my mouth. I kicked out and someone yelled as I fell backwards and then I black out.
I was flying over the ocean. Dipping the beautiful grey feathers on the tips of my wings into the waves. When I flew into something quite by accident. It was a seal with sea green eyes. He had a goofy smirk that I found rather endearing. We instantly connected.
For the next few days, we'd meet up at the edge of the water and talk about life. I told him everything about me and he in turn told me everything about him. My friends, eagle and dove, teased me, saying I liked him. I wasn't willing to admit it to them but, I more than like him, I loved him.
The only problem with this newly discovered love?
A jealous carrier pigeon who used to be like a big brother to me, had started stalking me. I used to think the world of him, and actually, I used to have a crush on him. I thought he could do no wrong. How wrong was I?
One day we just stopped speaking, he abandoned me. All my life I'd felt abandoned. The carrier pigeon knew this, of course, but still he turned his back on me.
Now, years later, fate brought this charming, caring, loving seal into my life, and the carrier pigeon wanted to ruin it. I wish I knew why.
I didn't know why it mattered all these years later, why he'd decided that now he wanted to reciprocate me feelings from all those years ago. What I did know was that the charming seal made me happy and for the first time in a long time, I saw a future, for me, with him.
There was just something about him, that made me want to tell him everything about me. I felt comfortable opening up to him, like I never had with anyone else, not even eagle or dove and they were my best friends.
The carrier pigeon was arrested later on by the polar bears for attacking other birds and attempting to attack me. Luckily for me, my seal saved me.
Piper's P.O.V
It had been three days and she still hadn't woken up, and I still hadn't gone home. I called my dad and told him that I had to stay. I couldn't leave Annabeth not when this was all my fault.
I'd been back to the hospital every day. Every day Percy told me it wasn't my fault. Every day she hadn't woken up. Jason and Thalia had set up residence in our apartment, so I wasn't alone, I appreciated that, but it didn't stop me wanting to swallow my self whole with guilt and worry.
Annabeth's P.O.V
I opened my eyes and instantly regretted it.
The lights were so bright that I immediately shut my eyes, but that didn't stop the pounding of my head. Slowly I tried opening my eyes again. This time I tried to take in my surroundings, I was in the hospital. I blinked. Gods, my head hurt.
I went to lift my hand and that's when I realised someone was holding it.
"Annabeth," his voice was laced with concern, "how are you feeling?"
"My head hurts," my voice was raspy, my throat burned as I spoke. "Dad" I tried again, "weirdest dream…" I managed before the pain in my throat became too much and I had to stop again.
"Shush, it's okay Annabeth, let me call the nurse." My father said, pressing the call button. "Here, try some water." He poured a cup of water from a jug on the table in front of me before passing it to me. I gratefully took a sip, the cool water running down my burning throat offering me some relief.
I pushed myself up slowly, so I was sitting. I was able to take in the sight of my dad for the first time. He looked exhausted, there were bags under his normally bright brown eyes, his clothes were wrinkled, like he'd slept in them. I looked around the room, I was the only patient in here, I must have a private room. Gods it was bright in here, why did hospitals have such harsh lighting, I thought as I continued to survey the room, I was in.
My eyes settled on a chair on the other side of my bed sleeping in it was a man with jet black hair, Percy. My heart did a little gymnastics routine when I noticed he was also here.
"He hasn't left your side. He's been here with you the whole time." My dad said to me.
The whole time, that sounded bad, what day is it? How long had I been here? Why was I here?
I looked at my dad and, as if he could sense my questions, he started to answer them, without me having to ask them.
"You were attacked, Annabeth, Percy found you, got you help in time. You've been unconscious for four days. You took a nasty blow to the back of your head, and you lost lot of blood. You stirred once after they brought you in, but your monitors started going haywire, they had to sedate you, give your body time to heal." He told me.
It explained the throbbing sensation in my head. Four days, Percy hadn't left me for four days?! The gesture warmed my heart, no-one had ever done something like that for me before.
"As for your dream," my Dad said interrupting my thoughts of Percy, "it might have something to do with Percy, he's been telling you stories for the past few days about seals, owls, eagles and doves. They're the oddest things, he paired an owl and seal romantically, you'd think with his area of study he'd know that is impossible." He shook his head.
I couldn't help it, I smiled. This guy really cared about me and I really cared about him.
Piper's P.O.V
Wednesday morning, I got the text. Finally, Annabeth had woken up. I raced to the hospital, Jason and Thalia hot on my tail, we should have driven but it snowed yesterday and to be honest we all just wanted to get there.
The three of us burst into Annabeth's room.
"Woah, where's the fire?" Annabeth asked sounding a little hoarse, but she was smiling at us.
"Annabeth" I said tears forming in my eyes, I was so sorry. All the fear and guilt I'd been harbouring over the past few days was like a knot in my chest. I noticed Percy wasn't in his usual chair and her Dad wasn't there either.
"Where's Percy and your Dad?" Thalia asked before anyone else could.
"I sent them to get some proper rest." She replied, "Though Percy insisted he'd only go home to shower then he'd be back."
"How are you feeling?" Thalia asked and Jason nudged me forward, but I just stood there, I couldn't move.
"Like a tiny jack hammer is going off in my head and my throat was set on fire, but otherwise okay." She said and it made me feel worse than I already did.
"Jason, why don't we get some coffee?" Thalia said.
"Wha-I don't – Oh, right okay" he said, and they left leaving me alone with Annabeth.
"Annabeth, I'm so sorry" I said quietly.
"Piper, I spoke to Percy, he told me everything, this wasn't your fault. You can't blame yourself." She told me.
"I should have called you, or something, I was so caught up in packing for home."
"You were excited Piper, it's okay, you love being at home for Christmas with your family you're allowed to be excited. And look I'm okay." She said to me.
"I'm still really sorry." I said weakly struggling to meet her eyes.
"Would it make you feel better, if I told you that you were forgiven even though you've done nothing that needs to be forgiven?" she asked, and I nodded.
"Then you're forgiven" She said smiling at me. Finally the knot in my chest started to ease and I managed a weak smile when I met her eyes with mine.
We sat catching up while we waited for Jason and Thalia to come back from the cafeteria. We were back in our old pattern and laughing together. I was so relieved she was okay.
Percy arrived and smiled as he entered.
"It's good to see you laughing again" he said taking a seat and, I also noticed, Annabeth's hand. I raised an eyebrow at her questioningly as discretely as I could, she just rolled her eyes and me and squeezed his hand. I was definitely going to come back to that.
"Kelp Head!" Thalia said as she entered the room with Jason, who came over and kissed me.
"Hey Pinecone Face," Percy said, I really didn't get the nicknames and now I knew Annabeth was going to be okay I wanted to know.
"Okay, can someone tell me why you're Kelp Head and you're Pinecone Face?" I asked curiously.
"Someone could" Thalia said, "But they probably won't" she glared at Jason and Percy. Jason held his hands up in surrender, Percy on the other hand did not.
"Yeah okay, I'll tell you Piper." Percy said.
"Don't you dare!" Thalia said.
"What's the big deal Pinecone Face?" Percy asked her.
"It's embarrassing!" She exclaimed.
"Aren't most things?" he asked.
"Yeah, for you, not normally for me." She said and to say my curiosity was piqued was an understatement. It didn't go unnoticed that Jason was trying and failing not to laugh beside me. I turned to Annabeth.
"Do you know what this is all about?" I asked Annabeth who looked amused she shook her head no.
"Allow me" Percy said.
"Kelp Head" Thalia said warningly, Percy just chuckled and ignored it.
"I was six, I think, which means Thalia was seven, her and Jason were visiting me and my mom for the summer holidays. Mom took us to the park, and we were climbing trees, even though mom told us not too because we were too little." He said smiling while Thalia just glared at him.
"Anyways you can imagine, we didn't have that much luck climbing trees, because as usual my mom was right. But Thalia refused to give up, determined to make it up at least one tree." Jason didn't hold back anymore, lost in the memory, he started laughing.
"You're both lucky we're in a public place." Thalia growled.
"So, she made it probably, what would you say Jace about two feet off the ground?" Percy asked.
"If that" Jason chocked out, Thalia punched his arm. "Ow! Thalia come on, Percy's the one telling the story!" he protested rubbing his arm.
"Yeah, and I'm going to killing him for it later." She growled but Percy didn't even flinch. I would have, Thalia could be scary when she wanted to be.
"Anyway," Percy continued "She scrambled up about two feet off the floor and then gravity kicked in and she couldn't hold on as she slid back down. Though she tried, it was probably that, that caused you to fall. So, about a foot from the ground she fell from the tree trunk face down on to the surrounding pinecones that had fallen from the tree."
"Percy," Thalia tried again but Percy wasn't going to be vetoed.
"Relax Thalia, everyone has embarrassing childhood stories." He smiled at her and if looks could kill Percy would be a goner.
"So that's why you call her Pinecone Face? She fell onto some pinecones face first?" I asked.
"No, that's not why" Jason said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye that I'd not seen before. I liked it, I wasn't aware he had a rebellious side, it interested me greatly.
"No," Percy agreed, "When Thalia stood up from the ground and brushed herself off, she had an imprint on her face of a pinecone, and that is why she was dubbed Pinecone Face." He finished.
Thalia groaned, her face in her hands, "Not my finest moment" she mumbled, and I barely heard her because we'd all dissolved into rounds of laughter.
Annabeth's P.O.V
We talked and laughed for hours, before my dad came back with Helen, Bobby and Matthew.
Thalia, Piper and Jason left Percy and I with my family, promising to come back later.
"Annabeth!" The twins shouted when they had arrived, and I had to admit, I was really glad to see them too.
"Hey!" I said smiling at them, I didn't want to scare them. I didn't know how much dad and Helen had told them.
My head had stopped pounding, thankfully, after my dad had called the nurse this morning, she gave me a check over and something for the pain.
"Do you have a scar?!" they asked me.
"I don't know" I said, and I genuinely didn't know, if I did or didn't.
"Boys!" Helen scolded them, "Leave your sister alone, she's only just woken up."
"Sorry mom" they said both looking down at their feet.
"It's okay, Helen, really" I said, the boys looked up at me with little smiles on their faces.
"How are you feeling Annabeth?" Helen asked me, taking the seat on the opposite side to Percy.
"Better, I'd be better still if I could go home." I said, I wanted nothing more than to sit in mine and Piper's apartment in from of the TV with Percy and just be, home.
"Annabeth, the doctor needs to see you first." Percy said sharing a look with my dad, I didn't know what that was about, but it had been happening a lot since I had woken up this morning. Curiosity got the better of me.
"What?" I asked, "Why do you and dad keep looking at each other like you've talked about this?" I asked, holding his eyes.
"Because we have," Percy told me, not shying away from my stare. "We just want you to be safe Annabeth, we're just not sure your apartment is the best place. Jason and Thalia are camped out there with Piper because we wanted to make sure she was safe too." He told me and I could see a sadness in his eyes, that I couldn't quite place.
"It's five days to Christmas Percy, where will I stay if I can't go home?" I asked.
"With my family" Percy said without hesitation.
"Percy, I can't impose on your family like that." I said.
"It's not imposing, honestly mom and I have already worked out the logistics, so you and your family can stay over Christmas."
"Percy," my dad said, "It's one thing for Annabeth to stay, but all of us really would be an imposition." I agreed.
"Mr. Chase, my mom and I can be very stubborn, please, this way you don't have to stay in the hotel or fly home so close to Christmas. I don't know what your family traditions are for Christmas, but we wake up early open presents, eat turkey and then have a really chilled out afternoon and we'd love for you to join us." Percy insisted.
My dad looked at Helen, and I could see them relenting. "Percy maybe we can talk to your mom about this?" Helen asked him.
"Of course," Percy said, "I think she's at the coffee shop, Jackson's right now, but she wouldn't mind if you dropped in to discuss it, or I can give you her cell number?"
"I think in person is best" Helen said. "Come on boys, let you sister get some rest." Helen guided the twins towards the door and my dad followed.
Bobby and Matthew ran back from the door and both gave me a quick hug before running after my dad and Helen, leaving Percy and I alone for the first time since I woke up.
"Hey" I said, he smiled at me.
"Hey" he replied, "y'know you kind of scared me for a bit there Wise Girl." He told me.
"Sorry Seaweed Brain, I didn't mean too" I told him truthfully.
"I know," he said, "hey what did one snowman say to the other?" he asked me, changing the topic totally.
"I don't know, Seaweed Brain what did one snowman say to the other?" I asked laughing and his ability to lighten the mood without trying, he was good at that.
"Do you smell carrots too?" he laughed, and I couldn't help but laugh too, even though his joke was terrible.
"That was awful Percy" I said, and he looked at me in mock offense.
"That was my Christmas cracker joke last year, it was and still is brilliant." He told me.
"Please tell me you don't love bad Christmas cracker jokes?!" I teased.
"How can you not love bad Christmas Cracker jokes?!" He demanded.
"Because they. Are. Bad." I teased, secretly loving the fact he loved them so much.
"They. Are. Brilliant." He tried to correct me, but I just smiled and shook my head.
I wasn't a massive cracker joke person but then I'd never really opened that many Christmas crackers not really celebrating Christmas in the past. I had a feeling Percy might change my mind about that too.
Luke's P.O.V
"She's learnt self-defence since we last saw her." He said.
"She probably would have come with us if we asked, she's a nice person we didn't have to try and take her that way." I replied.
"We've talked about this. She likes that jumped up swimmer. She thinks she's too good for us." He said.
"Too good for us." I echoed.
"She'll be ours soon." He tells me.
She'll be mine soon.
Ψ
~Author's Note~
Hi all, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Apologies for the cliff hanger on the last chapter but it wouldn't have had the same affect if I left it until the beginning of this one. Please let me know if you enjoyed, I hope you did! :)
Going Dark – Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked the dialog from the book, I thought it brought it together nicely and I'm glad you did too! Before you sit me down for this long talk bear with me and really think about Luke's POV at the end. Happy to DM about it further not to give anything away for everyone else! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!
SarcasmRocks – Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked the use of the canon lines too! Glad you're favourite moment was the Estelle moment that was really fun to write! I think everyone thought Percy was planning on the aquarium, even Jason ;) sort of why I didn't do that :) but the aquarium will come up eventually! Let me know what you thought of this chapter!
WiseGrl14 – Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one too! Please let me know!
Merendinoemiliano – Thank you for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, I hope you liked this one too, let me know!
TheProudPearl24 – Thank you for your review! Percabeth will happen panic not :). I'm glad you liked the brother-sister moment with Estelle it was really fun to write. Hope you liked this Chapter too, let me know!
Something-PJO-Idk – Thank you for your review! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter and there is certainly more Annabeth and Estelle moments to come! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!
Anz2KFire – Thank you for your review! Definitely not related to Mr. R, I wish I had his writing talent truly, but unfortunately no! Let me know what you thought of this chapter!
PJISTheBest – Thank you for your review! I'm so glad you love this story :). I have two other stories on my profile on here that you are more than welcome to read I'd love your opinion on them as well! I do have a wattpad account but I've not published anything on there it's just so I can read others at the moment! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!
Happy reading all and stay safe! :)