Disclaimer: I do not own PJO and HoO.
She must have been dead. Definitely. There was absolutely no way she would have lived through that man's acts against her.
If she truly was dead, however, why did her body ache immensely? Was there still pain after death, after all? It was pathetic how she had died due to her own ignorance. She was meant to be an intellectual. How stupid could she have been? If she didn't leave during breakfast, if she had talked to him instead of running away, would she still be alive? She did not know.
She was vaguely aware of the light at the back of her closed eyelids, the soft beeping of machines in rhythm with her heartbeat took her attention. Heartbeat. She was alive if she could still feel the thumping of her heart inside her chest. She attempted to lift her hand and a groan escaped her lips at the pain that shot up her arm.
Upon opening her eyes, her first sight was a blur of black. It took her a while longer to adjust to the sudden brightness. She was met with Percy's relieved, horridly exhausted features. How long had she been out? She opened her mouth to speak but realized how dry her throat was. She must have looked like a mess. A glance at her bed-ridden form confirmed her suspicions.
There were bruises covering every inch of skin she could see. She knew there were more underneath the flimsy hospital gown she was forced to wear. She noticed her shallow breathing, her body avoiding to put pressure on what she knew was a fractured rib. Otherwise, she seemed fine.
"Fuck." Percy leaned back as he looked at her, running a hand anxiously through his wild jet black hair. "God, 'Beth. What the fuck were you thinking?" His face contorted to fury. At her alarmed expression, his features softened only slightly. "You have no idea how worried I was. If I didn't reach you in time…." He trailed off, not meeting her eyes.
He must have saved her before that man had killed her. She did not know what state Percy had managed to find her. Did he come before the bastard had his way with her? She really had no way of checking. Everything hurt. "Di-did he…?" She did not need to finish the sentence. He knew what she was talking about.
"No." His hand was clenched in a fist on his thigh, "I pulled him off of you before he could do anything."
Annabeth should have been relieved but the dull ache she felt indicated that, despite having her virginity intact, she was still horribly scarred from the encounter. Yet, she found it more strange how upset he acted over the ordeal. Sure, she knew that he had learned to care about her over the course of the single month they had been forced together but she never anticipated for him to show any signs of anger at her attempted rape.
He must have seen the confusion in her storm gray eyes. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," Percy confessed, barely audible. "I saw red, Annabeth. You can't imagine how furious I was when I saw you limp." He rubbed his face with his hands. "I would have killed him. I had every right to kill that fucker… but I didn't."
"Why?" She choked, tears streaming down her face. She could not move properly but that did not stop her from trying to reach out to him. "Why did you come for me?"
"Why wouldn't I?" He narrowed his eyes at her, incredulous. "You're my mate, Annabeth. I'm supposed to protect you."
She felt disappointed at the statement, her heart sunk to the pit of her stomach. She chose to look at the wall instead, hoping that her eyes did not give away too much of her emotions. He noticed this. "So you did that because you're forced to be with me?" Her throat hurt from the strain it was receiving from their emotional conversation. She did not care if she won't be able to speak for a week. She needed to know.
His grip on her hand tightened. The gesture caught her off-guard, enough that she turned briefly to look at their entwined fingers. "No, Anna. God, no. I did it because I –" He faltered, a blush creeping up to his cheeks. Even in such a dire situation, where she was attached to machines and he had bruises on his knuckles, he could still be so adorable. He took a long breath, his ocean green eyes intent on hers. "Because I love you."
Her eyes widened at the declaration. She opened her mouth to speak yet the shock kept her from uttering the words back to him. She knew she loved him. She had known for quite some time. This man with a guarded, weary expression, hiding a world of suffering behind his goofy grin and bright twinkling eyes, she will never understand this man.
Finally, she managed to find her voice once more. "I love you, too, Seaweed Brain." She replied with a smile. Even with the bruises covering her skin and her mending ribcage, she had never felt better.
He had kissed her, then, softly. He had taken extra care to avoid jostling the tubes attached to her forearm, his lips insistent yet pliable against her own. She complied with equal enthusiasm, wanting to wrap her arms around him and have him take her away from this hell they were living in. All she managed was a weak squeeze on his wrist.
Afterward, they stayed in silence. She did not ask him further of her incident, afraid to ruin the tranquility that had settled over them. For the next hour, she had only spoken again when she was asked by the attending nurse of how she was feeling and what she remembered. Annabeth found out that she would be discharged tomorrow morning as they had no other reason to keep her there. The soreness she was feeling was only natural from the beating she had taken. She was lucky that the bastard did not permanently damage anything.
When they were alone once more, she took it as an opportunity to examine him. He was such a devastatingly handsome man. In the three days she had stayed in the clinic's care, he had not left her side once. If it had not even been for Thalia insistently bringing him food, he would not have left to satiate his hunger. He was asleep then, his arms folded underneath his head to act as a makeshift pillow. He still drooled and she found herself smiling at this.
Not wanting to have him wake up to aching muscles, she had nudged him gently. She was grateful for having the opportunity to rest her vocal chords. Annabeth moved to one side of the bed, urging him to lie beside her. He did.
She was blanketed by darkness once more, content in the arms of the man she loved.
Her dreams were blurred images of the stark white hallway and the devil hiding behind a handsome man. She dreamt of the screams echoing the corridors, the malevolent look on his face as he pinned her to the floor. Her fear and horror emanated from her in waves, eyes brimmed with tears as she shoved and pushed to no avail. In her dream, there was no relief of unconsciousness. She remained awake as he had his way with her, the hunger in cold blue eyes as she sobbed and cried and screamed. Percy wasn't there to save her. She was alone.
Annabeth had woken to quiet chattering in the corner of her small room. Percy remained beside her, though he was awake, his back propped against the metal headboard. His worried gaze was fixed on hers, the book that had once taken his attention was left discarded on the unoccupied chair by her bedside. She had only noticed the tears trailing down her cheeks, the memory of the incident leaving her vulnerable. She sobbed, burying her face further into his chest.
Her slight gesture did not go unnoticed by her visitors. Thalia had practically tackled her even before Annabeth could properly sit up, projecting her colorful language onto an amused intellectual while she scolded her for her stupidity. The blonde merely hugged her back, thankful for the lack of needles embedded in her veins. She did her best to hide the remnants of her nightmare, not wanting to concern her friends further.
From her peripheral, Percy retrieved his book and removed himself from the bed. He must have felt that it was appropriate for her to reunite properly with her girls in private. He practically dragged his two best friends out of the room with him. Annabeth plastered a smile on her face, indulging herself in casual conversation to remove her thoughts from the demon of a man who put her in this state.
"You know you have nothing to be jealous about." Piper huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Cal felt terrible when she found out what happened to you. She's been on edge since. It drove Leo crazy."
Annabeth believed that indulging them was the best way to detach herself from her situation. While her friends knew what she had been through and why she was so badly beaten, they did not once ask her. She will talk when she was ready. Till then, they will keep her mind from floating to the nightmarish hellscape of the white hallway and cold blue eyes.
She opened her mouth to deny the statement but the stern look on Thalia's face prevented her from contradicting. Instead, the heiress spoke, "Please, Annie." A glare was sent to her direction, which she promptly ignored. "It was so obvious that you were jealous of Calypso. I mean, she's gorgeous and a socialite, excellent education, successful career, practically have half of the world's population wrapped around her little finger."
The patient frowned, "Your point, Thals?"
"My point, Princess, is simple. Why isn't Percy with Calypso if she's so perfect?" Piper nodded firmly, multi-colored eyes unreadable.
"Easy. Because Cal has a mate. It won't work out." Annabeth replied simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
She knew that under any other circumstances, her relationship with Percy will never happen. There were other girls better for him. Annabeth had nothing to offer other than her genius intellect and neurotic tendencies. He was on a level entirely separate from hers, a powerful man who possessed innate abilities that she could not compete with. Yet, here she was, still hopelessly in love.
"Annabeth, you're underestimating yourself again." Thalia sighed in exasperation, propping her feet on the nearest plastic stool whilst she sat on her bedside. Piper occupied what was once Percy's seat.
She frowned, "Why shouldn't I?" She contended lowly, her eyebrows furrowed. "Compared to everyone else here, I'm the most normal. Sure I won a Pulitzer but what does that have against you and your million dollar record labels and your successful modeling careers?"
"You're also an honors student at Stanford University, at the top of all of your classes," Piper argued, shooting Annabeth a look of disapproval. "Not everyone can do that, 'Beth. Your heart's not even in law school."
"We still live in two very different worlds." Annabeth pursued the topic further, frustrating her friends more. "He would never have batted an eyelash at me if we pass by each other in the streets."
Thalia rolled her eyes. "Bullshit." The band leader quipped, "Annabeth, you may be a genius but you can be such an idiot sometimes." The dark-haired beauty never did learn to mince her words. "The conference the first day, remember that? From the start, you two have been making googly-eyes at each other. Don't pretend I didn't notice."
"He loves me because he's stuck with me, Thals. Easy as that."
Piper's eyes widened. "Wait, he told you that he loved you?" Annabeth gaped, only then realizing her mistake. The wicked smile on her female companions' faces caused the bedridden of the trio to fidget nervously. She fought the urge to call for Percy for help. She brought this to herself.
Thalia searched her face for lies but found none. "Damn." The oldest of the three sighed. "He said it, huh? Never thought I'd see the day."
Annabeth cocked her head to the side, curious. "Why?" She inquired, her brain whirring with all the possibilities.
"I've known Percy all his life and never once has he said 'I love you' to anyone but his family." Her gaze was far away, eyes turning sad suddenly. "My cousin has a strange way of defending himself. We always tell him that his fierce loyalty will be the death of him, which is why he never allowed himself to get attached to anyone but us. Aunt Sally was always worried that he'd die alone because of it. You broke through that wall he's kept up for years."
"I… I don't understand." What was so special about her to have had such an effect on the Great Percy Jackson? "Why me?"
Instead of answering her question, Thalia threw one of her own. "Have you seen him cry?" Unable to utter a reply, Annabeth settled for a single nod instead. Thalia's answering smile was sad. "I haven't." She said, "Jason hasn't either, or Nico. You're the only one."
She recalled the painful memory of consoling him when the bombs first dropped. Her heart ached in her chest. Annabeth remained silent. Thalia continued. "He's been kidnapped, thrice. That's what happens when you're the son of the most powerful man in the world. He was almost killed, too. Ten people made an attempt on his life. Never once have I seen him shed a single tear. You're special, Annabeth."
She allowed the fact to sink in. She never knew. Of course, she didn't. She had no way of knowing. She took a breath. "Thalia, Piper, I love him." A tear slipped down her cheek. "I don't give a fuck about anything else anymore. I love the idiot."
The girl felt arms around her, managing to decipher the comforting smiles her friends gave her. "We know, sweetheart." Piper cooed, rubbing her back to soothe her. "We know."
Their moment was interrupted as Jason slammed the door open, seemingly trying to escape his 'brothers' and their prying questions. There was a mischievous glint in Percy's eyes, laughing gleefully at the blonde man's tormented expression. Nico merely seemed amused.
Annabeth pulled away from Piper's embrace, wiping her cheeks. She sniffled, squeezing the girls' hands as silent thanks. Percy turned to look at her and his expression immediately contorted to worry at the sight of her tears. He met Thalia's eyes and his cousin merely shook her head once. This silenced him, approaching the three women in three long strides.
"Hey, Wise Girl." He greeted with a smile, placing a kiss on the top of her head. She relished his warmth, even if it was only for a few minutes. "Doctors said you can go anytime you want." He brushed the hair from her face, his expression tender. "When you're ready, we can head home."'
"Yeah." She managed, grinning widely. "Yeah, I'd like that." From the corner of her eye, she spotted her two best friends with their mates. Piper had always been the most affectionate of the three of them. She had immediately greeted Jason with a kiss. Thalia settled for standing beside Nico, settling comfortably as she spoke with him.
The facility seemed eerily quiet as she strode through the hallways, accompanied by her companions. Despite insisting that she could walk perfectly well on her own, Percy's arms remained around her. She had to admit that her knees felt weak every step that she took but she did not want to give him the satisfaction of being right.
To their surprise, Evelyn Rose was waiting patiently by a bench adjacent to their suite door. She was escorted by two guards dressed in black, stoically looking at them as they approached. The woman seemed engrossed in her book, not quite noticing their arrival. Percy coughed once, unconsciously standing in front of Annabeth's frail, recovering form.
She lifted her head, a pleasant smile on her face. "Annabeth, dear." She greeted, taking a few steps forward with her arms open. The young blonde stumbled backward, apprehensive. Percy was on the defensive. Evelyn collected herself quite easily, dismissing the fact that she was rejected.
"What are you doing here, Evelyn?" Percy inquired suspiciously. Annabeth faintly noticed her friends forming a loose protective circle around her.
The head of the Eden Project noticed this but decided against saying anything about it. "I merely wanted to see how my beloved participant is doing after such an unfortunate incident." She turned easily to Annabeth, ice blue eyes sparkling. "Annie, dear, you gave all of us quite a scare."
"Don't call me Annie." The intellectual snapped harshly, her face contorting to that of distaste.
"My apologies, Ms. Chase," Evelyn replied, an eyebrow raised at the hostility. "Well, I am glad that you have recovered exceptionally. You do not have to worry. Your aggressor has been dealt with. You will no longer see him anywhere in this facility."
For some reason, Annabeth did not feel relieved upon hearing this. There was a sinister tone in the woman's voice, one that was not meant to be heard when reassuring an almost-rape victim. It almost seemed as if that man who attacked her was disposed of, not contained. It sent a shiver down her spine.
She dismissed herself quickly afterward, not wanting to impose herself further in the group. Her friends, also, decided to leave the couple alone, as Annabeth was meant to be resting and she would not be able to do that if she was surrounded by chatter.
Her legs gave out a few steps into their suite. She braced herself against the wall seconds before Percy had come to get her. She had not even gotten a chance to speak when he suddenly, literally, swept her off her feet. She squealed in surprise before a hand covered her mouth in embarrassment, pink dusting her cheeks. He laughed in amusement, a hearty chuckle that caused his chest to vibrate. She managed a smile.
He had placed her gently on their large bed before he had climbed in on the other side himself, laying on his side so that he could look at her with ease.
"Back in the medical ward, when you woke up…" She realized that she had not actually spoken to him about her nightmare. They had been too distracted by their friends. "Annabeth, what did you see?"
She shook her head once, "I dreamt about what happened in the hallway, but in the dream, you didn't come and I was awake while he… when he had his way with me." She bit her lip, refusing to shed another tear.
He pulled her close, much closer than she deserved. "I'll always be here. I'm never letting you go, never again." He kissed her softly and she nodded, nails digging into the skin of his back, eyes closed as she forced herself to remember that she was here and alive and safe.
"I know this sounds pretty bad," He started, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "But a part of me is actually glad that we were kidnapped and forced into this situation."
She cocked her head to the side in confusion, "Why so?" She asked, her voice soft. Her body ached but it was much more bearable than it had been before. She can easily ignore it.
"Because I wouldn't have met you." He explained, his gaze fixed on hers. "Or maybe I would have but we wouldn't have gotten to know each other like we do now. I feel like I could tell you everything, Annabeth."
The genius female smiled, "Yeah, I think I know how you feel." She paused, unsure. "Percy, can I ask you something?"
"Anything, Wise Girl." He chimed, wrapping an arm around her.
She had only noticed how tightly fisted her hand was against his shirt, her heart beating out of her chest as she struggled to find her words. For someone who was usually so eloquent, having difficulty phrasing her sentences seemed odd to her. "Would you have loved me if we weren't stuck here together?"
"I don't understand." He frowned, his eyebrows scrunched together.
She sat up, though she did not quite understand why she purposefully detached herself from his warmth. Her body longed to be near him once more. She quelled her urges, however.
She released a breath. "I just… I'm scared that maybe you're only with me because you're forced to." He looked ready to interject but she raised her hand to silence him. "I know that it seems irrational but my fears are well supported. This is a fucked up situation we're in, Perce. You might have just attached yourself to me because I'm the only person you're with."
This conversation was long overdue. Since she started suspecting her feelings for him, her love came alongside millions of doubts. If she did not address this now, when they were both vulnerable, she knew she will regret it. "Is this why you were crying a while ago?" He asked, not quite addressing the issue. His gaze seemed far away and that worried her.
She managed a meek nod, "Thalia was really adamant in defending you. She said that you're not the kind of person to do that."
He shrugged once, "I'm not." He stated simply, as though it was the answer to everything. Maybe it was. "I understand why you feel this way, Annabeth, I really do. It's… difficult to determine the sincerity of a person's feelings when we've been literally forced to be together for the rest of eternity." He paused, thinking. She found herself on edge. "But Eden does not control everything that we do. Just because they gave us partners doesn't mean we had to stick to it."
Annabeth must have looked confused so he continued. "I mean, we're still given the freedom to be with whoever we want to be. Look at Thalia and Nico. Nico's gay. He's been in a relationship with Will Solace since a week after we were here. Will Solace is supposed to be with Lou Ellen Parker. That didn't stop any of them from being together. I'm with you because I chose to be with you, Annabeth Chase. I won't ever do anything that I didn't want to."
She did not know that, throughout his monologue, she had shed a few tears of relief. She rubbed at her eyes with the palms of her hands, allowing her bruised limbs to encircle his neck in a nearly suffocating embrace that he did not seem to mind. He hugged her back, careful not to hurt her.
"I'm so sorry." She sobbed. She did not need to say what about. He knew.
He decided that further conversation would disturb the sacredness of the situation, settling with humming a sweet lullaby into her ear until she calmed down.