Annabeth
We had been back for a week now and it wasn't any easier, though I didn't think it would be. The night time was the worst, neither of was wanted to sleep due to the nightmares we had. The nightmares weren't even nightmares anymore they were just flashbacks to the Pit. I tended to sleep through mine but remember everything and scream and thrash in my sleep, Percy usually woke up in cold sweats and yelling. Once we were up though we couldn't go back to sleep.
Neither of us had said anything about our experiences to the crew and we only talked about it to each other when describing the nightmares. I knew they wanted to help and they did a lot, but I couldn't bring myself to open up around them. With all of this in mind I have no idea why I agreed to IM camp Half-blood. I missed them but they would ask so many questions.
When the fateful afternoon came everyone gathered in the infirmary with me and Percy to set up the mist. They put up a curtain front of our cots to surprise the whole camp about us. They started the IM and I could hear Chiron's voice, oh gods I miss him. I never realized how much I miss everyone. Percy was finally able to sit up and I was curled up next to him.
General:
Chiron was knee (or hoof) deep with researching Percy and Annabeth's problem when the mist appeared. On the other side Leo, Frank, and Hazel stood in front of a blue medical curtain.
"Hey, Chiron!"
"Hello Leo, who are your two friends?"
"Oh! Chiron this is Hazel and Frank. Hazel, Frank this is Chiron." They all nodded and said hello.
"Ok yes we know each other now, can you go get the other camp counselors?"
"Is it time?" Leo nodded eagerly. Chiron left immediately to find everyone, turning into horse form. He found Thalia and Grover on patrol and called them over.
"Chiron, what's wrong?"
"We are having a meeting with the head counselors and you two must be there. I have received an IM from the Argo II." Thalia and Grover looked at each both silently praying, Percy and Annabeth. The last time they had gotten an IM from the crew Percy and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus.
"Thanks Chiron, we'll grab anyone we see on our way over." Thalia let out a loud whistle and two wolves appeared, "stay here on patrol, if anything happens howl for me." The wolves barked and Thalia and Grover ran off to the Big House. They saw Katie Gardener and Will Solace picking strawberries and ran over to them.
"We got an IM from the Seven, Chiron wants us all to meet in the Big House." Grover filled them in.
"Is it Percy and Annabeth? Is everything ok?"
"Is Nico with them?"
"We aren't sure yet we just got the news from Chiron. Come on." They all raced to the Big House where they found Rachel Elizabeth Dare already in the sitting area along with Mr.D.
"Glad you could make it." Dionysus didn't seem angry for once, he actually seem a bit worried if you cared enough to look.
"Is Chiron back yet?"
"When can we start this thing?"
Rachel spoke up, "No, Grover he isn't back yet and I'm not sure Thalia we came here with the same orders you guys did."
Oh course they did! Chiron never shares anything independently!! Thalia thought as she jumped on the couch.
Chiron found Clarisse trying to skewer the Stoll brothers while Chris tried to hold her back. He stomped his hoof impatiently before talking, "if you have the time we have just gotten an IM from the Seven demigods of the prophecy. They said they wanted you all to be there." They all stopped fighting immediately.
"Did someone else jump into Tartarus?"
"Clarisse!"
"What?"
"They didn't jump they fell and also you can't just say stuff like that!"
"I can say whatever I want"
Her and Chris went on like that for another thirty seconds before Conner butt in, "what if we go see why they IM-ed us instead of doing whatever in Hades you two are doing?"
"Shut it Travis"
"Conner"
"Whatever!!" Clarisse stomped off with Chris close behind, Conner and Travis followed a bit farther back snickering and laughing to themselves.
Once everyone was there Chiron moved the mist thing into the commons area and moved to be in front. The three demigods hadn't moved from where they were though Leo now had a half finished elephant in his hands.
"Why'd you call us here hot head?"
"Woah! Cool it Clarisse. I know I'm good looking but don't you have a boyfriend?"Clarisse growled at him. "Before we share our news: how have you all been? I hope the eminent threat of war hasn't changed you all to much."
"Leo! What's the news?" Thalia had met Leo a few times when she came to visit camp to help update Annabeth on Percy but she never really got to know him let alone hold a whole conversation with him.
"Fine, you guys are no fun. We have a pretty big surprise for you guys- Piper you ready?"
"Yup!" Piper called from the other side of the curtain.
"I would like to introduce the two missing Demigods of the year: Percy and Annabeth!!" Someone pulled the curtain back to reveal Percy and Annabeth sitting on two cots next to each other and Piper and Jason standing next to them. Immediately Thalia and Grover jumped up from their seats on the couch trying to get a better look at the two. The Stoll brothers gasped at their appearance, Clarisse and Mr. D actually looked relieved to see them alive. The others reactions varied between shock and happiness. Rachel thought it was hard to recognize the two teens. They had both become so much paler and dangerously skinny.
Percy had a black eye that was turning yellowish, a busted lip, and so much gauze pads on his chest you could barely see his skin. Why he wasn't already healed up was beyond them. The blankets covered up from his hips to his knees, but his legs looked terrible. His hand was wrapped up in a temporary cast and his hair was longer and all over the place and dirty.
Annabeth was curled up at his side being sure to avoid the wounds. She had a nice yellow bruise on her jaw and a slit in her right eye brow. Her chest was wrapped up which could either mean it was injured or just a substitute for a bra (they all hoped it was the second one). Clarisse had been the only one to notice the edge of the gauze pad on her shoulder which got her worried since she also saw some gauze pads on her hip before they disappeared into the blankets. Her foot was wrapped up like Percy's hand and propped up on a pillow. Her hair was matted and dirty with dried blood and other nasties from the Pit.
"You two look terrible"
"Travis!" Katie slapped his arm.
"Thanks Travis, means a lot."
"Any time man"
Chris: "When did you two get back?"
Annabeth answered, "the 18th, about six days ago"
Katie and Grover "What?!"
Thalia "Why didn't you IM us?"
Chris "You spent all that time in Tartarus?!!"
Clarisse "What did you guys see?"
Will "How are y'all alive?"
Rachel "What was it like?"
The Stolls "Did you see any new monsters?"
The questions just came pouring out, it was so over whelming for the two demigods. Percy started blacking out with flashbacks, he was shaking and gripping Annabeth's arm for dear life. Annabeth herself was lost in thoughts about the fall and fighting the aria.
"Guys!" Jason's voice boomed over them effectively shutting them up, "slow down, they can't answer you all at once" Piper was trying to charmspeak Percy back to reality while Hazel was working to bring back Annabeth.
"We're sorry" Katie apologized for the whole group, "we just have so many questions, are they ok?" Jason didn't know how to answer that one so he didn't and neither did anyone else, that seemed to be answer enough for the campers though. After a few minutes Annabeth came back and helped bring Percy out of his panic attack.
"Guys we want to answer your questions and we will but some of them bring back bad memories and are too hard to talk about right now"
Thalia: "We get it Annabeth, no worries"
Chris: "but can we still ask some questions?"
Annabeth: "of course! We just might not be able to answer them" Everyone nodded and Will asked the first question "Whats with the bandages? Did you guys run out of ambrosia and nectar?"
"No. We drank some firewater to help keep us alive and it's doing something with our bodies so it resistes the godly healing food" Percy answered.
"Firewater?"
"Is that what happens when me and Percy combine powers?" Leo got a few glares shot at him but it seemed to cheer Percy up a bit.
"No, it's like the nectar of that place. It's quite literally fire-water" Silence. They all digested that information then Thalia asked next "how did you survive the fall? The way Hazel described the cliff it looked like a bottomless pit"
"Nine days. It took us nine days to reach the bottom," Annabeth took this question. "We fell in the river Cocytus, the river of misery."
Hazel: "Why's it called that?"
"You don't want to know" the others wanted to know but knew they wouldn't get any where, this was one of the questions she wasn't going to answer. Clarisse was next "how many monsters did you guys fight?" Without missing a beat Percy spoke up, "we aren't answering that one."
"Ok, then I have a question" Leo raised his hand, "where did that bone sword Annabeth had come from?"
"You got a bone sword?" Clarisse and the Stoll brothers sounded disappoint.
"Drakon bone, yeah. A...friend gave it to me"
"Did you say Drakon? Like the one I murked at the battle of Manhattan??"
"The very same. Well not the same but yes it was a Drakon like that." Everyone in the mist looked stunned, it had taken so much to kill the one from the battle of Manhattan. How did Annabeth get a sword made from its bone?
"Percy, something weird happened with the empathy link a few days ago,"
"Did it stop?"
"No it just got really weak. I think it happened while you were fighting something? You felt really vengeful then terrified of yourself, do you know-"
"No. Grover, I'm sorry about the empathy link, but I can't- can we just not talk about monsters?" He was right. The monster talk made him and Annabeth tense up and look around the room like they expected a monster to jump out at any second. Percy had a death grip on Riptide his pen/sword and had his thump ready to uncap it. The others seemed to understand but didn't know what else to ask that wouldn't freak them out.
"How are things at camp?" Annabeth decided on a complete subject change, "are the Romans still taking up arms?"
Rachel took this time to answer, "we've managed a private audience with Reyna, but she said Octavian refused to back down. He's rallied their troops and they want war. I don't think we have much more of a choice, we've tried setting traps and holding them off but they won't stay back forever."
Percy traced the SPQR tattoo on his forearm, gods how did things get this bad? We could've been friends, helped each other. Why does everyone insist on fighting?
"Just try and keep them off a little longer. Once we get back I can try and talk to Reyna and Octavian myself, he might listen." Piper didn't like the idea of Jason running off to go talk to two Romans that wanted him dead. Well one Roman wanted him dead the other just wanted him, but that still didn't help matters.
"Of course, just when do you guys think you'll be getting back though?"
"I'm not sure, soon hopefully." Someone came running into view from the Big House, "we've got a problem, we found some Roman scouts in the woods. They're getting closer." Thalia's wolves howled and they all ran out.
"Thank you for this, they really needed to know that you two were alive. Make it back here safe everyone." Chiron waved a hand through the mist and followed after the others who left.