Hi again! This chapter is going to be yet another really long one so just be prepared for 3,239 words to read]

Leo

The morning came all to early. I had asked Frank to take over the rest of my shift at 4 this morning because I was just too tired. He agreed since it would only be 4 hours until everyone else woke up, but 4 hours was enough sleep for me. I fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow and surprisingly enough I didn't have a single nightmare or dream.

I was woken up to a knocking on my door. "Five more minutes" I pulled the blankets over my head.

"Leo, we have the IM with Chiron today, also your going to miss breakfast if you don't get up." Hazel. I liked it when Hazel woke me up, she didn't jump on me like Piper or turn into a parrot like Frank.

"You just can't wait to see all this smokin hot action can you?" I said flipping the covers off and getting up. She rolled her eyes, she's spending way to much time with Piper, and shut the door. I changed into my least oily-est shirt and went to the kitchen/dinning area.

Piper was sitting at the table, still in her pajamas, half asleep, holding a mug of OJ. Frank was wide awake eating a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast with a glass of water. Hazel was dressed but looked like she just rolled out of bed in leggings and one of Frank's hoodies that were 10 sizes too big for here. The only people who were missing were Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Nico, and Coach Hedge.

"Where is everyone else?"

"Piper said to let Jason sleep in since he took the last two double shifts, Nico went to his dad's to try and yell at him for last night and Coach is taking watch. You already know where Percy and Annabeth are" Usually when someone mentioned Percy and Annabeth the mood of the room dampened but not this time. This time they were back and safely aboard the Argo II.

"If Jason is sleeping then who's doing the IM with Chiron?" Everyone turned to look at me, even Piper who was asleep seconds ago.

"We hoped you would. I mean you are the best with delivering news, especially good news"

"How is this good new? 'Hey Chiron! We found your demigod camp leaders, they aren't dead yet! But the magical healing stuff isn't magically healing them and they might die because of it!'?"

"Just like that?"

"No Frank, I'm terrible at giving news. Make Piper do it"

Pipers head shot up, "What? It was your idea in the first place"

"It's not my fault I'm a genius"

"Come on Leo,"

"But Chiron likes you better"

"No he doesn't!"

"Yes he does! Everyone likes you better" I muttered that last part. Don't get me wrong I loved Piper like a sister, but still she was more of a people person than me. I didn't understand them so I stuck to my machines.

"Leo" she gave me that look.

"Fine!" I huffed and grabbed an apple and a bowl of water.

"Thank youuuu" she got up and left along with Frank and Hazel. I made some mist and threw in my drachma. Within seconds I saw Chiron in his human form sitting at his desk looking frustrated.

"Hey, Chiron"

He snapped his head up looking surprised, "oh. Hello child. Is everything ok?"

"Um... sort of. We got Annabeth and Percy from the Doors of Death-"

"Oh that's great news! Are they ok? Can I speak with them? When did you get them back?" His mood perked up immediately, gods this is going to be harder than I thought.

"Yeah well-" Thankfully I was cut of by Festus, "shit. Chiron I'll be right back." I ran out to the hallway calling for Piper. She came out of her room looking like she just woke up again. "Hey I need you to take over the IM with Chiron, there's a problem in the engine room" and ran off before she could protest.

Piper

"What?!" He can't just come up with some lame excuse to get out of this! Oh he is so going to pay for this. I didn't even bother to change or brush my hair, I just went to the kitchen where I found Chiron in the mist.

"Hey Chiron"

"Piper! Is everything alright over there?"

"Yeah yeah, everything is fine Chiron, just Leo being Leo. What all did he tell you?"

"Leo told me Percy and Annabeth are back from... there"

"Right he leaves me with the hard stuff" I grumbled and sipped by OJ, "ok well they aren't doing to well. Don't panic! It's just that the ambrosia and nectar aren't...working, per say" I threw some charmspeak in there just to be safe.

"Not working?"

"Well, when Jason tried to give Percy some ambrosia to help him heal he had a pretty bad reaction and started choking and clawing at his throat." Chiron didn't respond, he looked deep in thought like he was trying to solve world hunger or something.

"That is odd. I don't think I've ever come across something like this before."

"To be fair you haven't come across any demigods that have been through what Percy and Annabeth have been through either."

"Also true. I'll have to do some research on this. I suppose they will have to heal the mortal way until we can come up with a solution. Oh the others will not be happy to hear about this."

"Others?"

"Thalia, Grover, and the other campers."

"You can't tell them. We thought it'd be better to wait until they've woken up and can talk to you guys before we tell the whole camp. This has to stay between us Chiron." More charmspeak.

"I understand, though the charmspeak is not necessary with me," I blushed at being caught by Chiron, "this news will stay with me. I will IM you if I come up with something useful."

"Thanks Chiron and we'll IM you when it's time to tell the camp. Bye"

"Bye" I waved my hand through the mist affectively disintegrating Chiron and his office. Why couldn't Leo have done that?

[Time skip brought to you by Riptide]

Two days. It took two days for both Annabeth and Percy to wake up. Annabeth had been awake since her first nightmare but she didn't talk to anyone but me and even then she only said a few words. When Percy woke up he nearly gave me a heart attack. I was bringing Annabeth some soup, it was the only thing she could somewhat keep down. I knocked on the huge infirmary door and told her I was coming in-she got all tense and scared if you just walked in- she was sitting curled up next to Percy like usual but he was talking and awake. I just walked in and he was awake, I had no idea how long it had been or when he woke up but I guess he woke up. I came in and he tensed looking like he was going to skewer me with his ballpoint pen he had a death grip on.

Percy

Waking up this time was much better than last time. My throat wasn't on fire and no one was there to hold me down. I ended up actually waking up on my own which surprised me since the past 2 and a half weeks either Annabeth, a monster, or a nightmare always woke me up. This time I woke up and was blinded by the bright lights of the infirmary, which I do remember being at. Once my eyes adjusted I saw Annabeth sleeping next to me and gods did she look bad. Under the red light in Tartarus I couldn't really tell how pale she had gotten, she looked like the Death Mist had never worn off which was terrifying. She was on her right side holding my hand and I could see the gauze pads on her side going up to her back and disappearing down past her hip and blankets. She had nothing on but some ace bandages across her chest and I hoped shorts. The blankets stopped just past her knees and I could see her once twisted ankle now wrapped up like it was broken, which it might have very well been. She was skinny, like I could see her ribs and her spine skinny. Every joint and bone poked out at sharp angles and she was bruised and beaten but she was alive and that's all that mattered to me.

I didn't look any better than her though. My entire torso was covers in gauze pads and it hurt so much to just breath. My sword hand was wrapped up like Annabeth's foot, when had I broken it? I don't remember hurting my hand. My legs had cuts and bruises from the glass sand and tripping a bunch. I couldn't move to well so I couldn't really get a good look at my self but I figured I looked just as skinny and pale as Annabeth did.

"Percy?" Annabeth rolled over onto her back to face me which looked like it hurt.

"Good morning, wise girl." She smiled at me, gods how I love that smile.

"We made it out. We're back on the Argo"

"I know" We really did make it out. We made it through Tartarus. Gods that sounds impossible, but we faced all the horrors of that hell and survived. "Where are the others? I thought they would be here."

"I'm not sure, last I saw Piper was before I fell asleep. I missed beds and blankets and everything comfortable about the mortal world"

I laughed which sounded more like a wheeze, "yeah, it's nice to be able to see you now." I studied her face. Her eyes had lost all its shine and curiosity and just looked old and tired now. Her hair was matted and not even blonde anymore, wonder how long it's going to take to get it clean. Before she could say anything I heard something from out side the door. I shushed her and grabbed my deadly ballpoint pen. It sounded like someone talking from behind the door but I wasn't sure, I was on survival mode again, watching and waiting for the monster to jump out and attack. There was no monster just Piper, but what if she was an empusa? No. She's not an empusa she's Piper, my friend. But what if she was a monster that has just been waiting to kill you? Shut up! She is Piper McLean daughter of Aphrodite NOT a monster.

"It's just Piper, she's ok" Annabeth seemed to know what I was thinking or maybe she was having the same thoughts as well?

"Hey Percy, glade to see you awake. I brought Annabeth some soup but I could grab some for you if you'd want? Or maybe something else?"

Food. I hadn't had proper food in gods knows how long but food sounded absolutely terrible. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to keep anything down so I just shook my head.

"Ok well if you need anything you know what to do. Would you mind if the rest of the crew came in to say hi?"

'No not at all, I'd love to see the rest of my friends' Was what I wanted to say but hesitated. Was that what I wanted? I mean yes I want to see my friends but am I ready to see them? I turned to Annabeth not really sure how to answer. She looked at me and we met eyes, having a silent conversation before she answered Pipers question.

"Sure, that would be nice. Does anyone from camp know we-" she paused and everyone knew why, she couldn't say it, "know that we are awake?"

"No. We told Chiron due to some issues but no one else knows"

"Issues?"

"You two seem to be having an allergic reaction to the Ambrosia and Nectar. You guys will have to heal the mortal way until we can figure out what's wrong." Ew, mortal healing. It took so long and it hurt so much to heal the mortal way. Neither of us said anything, but we both knew why it wasn't working, the firewater. It must have done something to our bodies to work against the gods healing food, hopefully it would wear off.

"Ok well I'll go get the rest of the crew to come say hi." She left.

"Hey Beth, what's today? Like the date?"

"Beth?" She raised an eyebrow at me. I didn't even mean to call her that it just slipped out.

"Yeah? If you don't like it I won't call you it, I know you aren't one for nicknames."

"No no, I like having something only you get to call me" she kissed my cheek, "but I don't know the date. We couldn't have been gone that long so it's probably just the 7th or 8th at most."

"Yeah, it felt like eternity though"

"Time doesn't -" she was cut off by five demigods bursting into the room. I jumped and pulled out Riptide while Annabeth grabbed a needle (that's what was closest). Jason was the first one to run in but stopped immediately when he saw my sword. His hair had grown out a bit and he looked kind of surprised and kind of sad but mostly just tired. Leo was right behind him, he was still short but his hair had grown out quite a bit as well. His hands still moving with speed but he seemed more put together, more whole. Frank and Hazel were next up in line. Hazel was pretty much the same, she was still small and still the youngest but she had this new aura of power. Frank had changed the most, he had apparently hit a huge growth spurt while we were gone and now instead of looking like a big baby he looked like a really beefy baby. He filled out more with muscle and got a lot taller, he too had a new aura of power. Piper was the last one in, she was startled at the out burst the other demigods made but not much by me or Annabeth.

"Hey Percy, it's just us you can put the sword away." I hesitated, Jason's right I have nothing to worry about here. I'm safe. Are you though? What about all the monsters that attacked while on watch? What if one of them got in? What if one of them finds Annabeth before you get to her? Shut up!! I. Am. Safe. These are my friends. They won't hurt us. We are ok here. I slowly put down my sword and recapped it but never let go of it. Annabeth did the same with her needle and syringe.

They all slowly came a little closer to the bed until Jason was at my side, Leo next to Annabeth, and Hazel, Piper, and Frank at our feet. Nobody said anything for a long while so I did.

"What's the date?"

Jason:

Gods they look bad. Percy had Riptide held unsteadily out with his broken sword hand while Annabeth held a syringe and needle. We must have scared them. They're probably not used to friendly people bursting in on them.

"Hey Percy, it's just us you can put the sword away." Neither of them seemed to hear me but after a minute they slowly put their weapons away though I could see them still holding on. Gods what happened to turn them this defensive? What did they see?

"What's the date?" His voice was horse and raspy like he had been screaming for three days, which he might have been. It sounded painful to talk.

"What?" He just got back from actual Hell and he's worried about that date??

"What is today? The 7th, 8th?" I was too shocked to speak. They think they were only gone for a few days.

Hazel saved the rest of us the trouble and responded, "July 21, but we got you guys back on the 18th." That didn't seem to help. Annabeth looked like she was about to let the tears filling her eyes go and Percy just looked at her with a sad smile.

"Happy birthday, wise girl."

Frank seemed to find his voice, "birthday?" Leo was next, "You never told us today was your birthday!"

"That's because it's not, it was the 12th" Silence. She spent her birthday in the worst place in the universe and nobody knew.

"How does it feel to be 17?" that was the final straw. She let all her tears go and started sobbing into Percy's side. I didn't know what to say, she had to spend her 17th birthday fighting for her life and she didn't even know it. We need to do something for her, like a cake for something. I'll ask Piper about it later.

"It's ok wise girl. You did it, you beat the odds and made it, now we just need to get you through high school." Percy's small words and touches seemed to work because she pulled herself together within 10 minutes.

"I'm sorry, I just-I didn't know I didn't" she stopped to take a few breaths. "I'm ok now" she sound like she was reassuring herself more than us but that was understandable.

"We were there for two and a half weeks. How?"

"Bob. Damesen. They're the reason we got out." Annabeth nodded but this time they both teared up. Who was Bob and Damesen?

"We spent a lot of time apart, we should probably catch up on everything that happened." Everyone agreed with me so I started explaining what happened to the rest of us. Leo if course cut in with his story with Calypso which made Percy tense up and zone out for a bit but we got him back. We all told our versions of what happened, Piper, Hazel, and Frank of course down playing their awesome acts.

When it was time for Percy and Annabeth to share they backed out saying "it's all to fresh, we just need some time." Again, understandable. What ever happened down there clearly still haunted them but it was something more, it's like not all of them came back from that place. Over the next three days that became even more evident.

Percy and Annabeth were always touching and together in someway weather it be holding hands or laying on each other. They also got all defensive at the smallest of sounds and never really relaxed. They had to have a light on at all times and one time when the power went out Percy freaked out. Every time one of them went to sleep they would always ask one of us to check everywhere for monsters and one of them always had to be awake taking watch while the other slept. The hardest part were the nightmares. It was easy to help and go along with all the other things, but it was so hard to ignore the screaming and yelling every night, sometimes even multiple time a night. The rest of the crew couldn't even help, the only one who seemed to be able to calm them down is the other.