Chapter Fifteen
Happy Endings Never Happen
ANNABETH POV
My eyes burned when my eyelids fluttered open. Oh gods, what had happened? I remembered being sucked into a whirlwind, being knocked about and then thrown back to the ground. I had managed to get Dylan back to Sally before I collapsed from exhaustion. From what exactly, I wasn't sure, but I was awake now. Gaea was gone, and quite obviously, so was Tartarus. Many demigods were getting to their feet, but I looked for the ones who weren't. I gasped when I spotted Andrea. She lay prostrate in the dirt, Lucas and Andrew crowding around her, frantically calling for a medic and inspecting her wounds. I ran over, ignoring everything else that was happening. I wedged in between Lucas and Andrew, bending over Andrea myself. With all the various commotion, I doubted a medic would be coming anytime soon.
"No!"
Fresh tears made their way out like geysers, streaming down my cheeks. The wound was on her left side, starting from her shoulder to the end of her clavicle. The baby she was carrying would be fine if I could only save her! My fingers searched for a pulse, finding one, faint, but present. I choked out another sob. She would be okay, I just had to stop the blood. If I didn't seal the hole, she would most definitely bleed out. Andrea stirred, blood seeped from her mouth.
"...the...baby..." She choked. Lucas grasped her hand.
"Don't worry, Andie, the baby's fine. Just lie still, everything will be okay." He spoke to encourage himself more than Andrea. Now how to close the wound.
"Leo!" I called. The Latino hurried over, his usual quirky self clearly deflated.
"Cauterize it." I nodded at Andrea's shoulder. Leo gulped, moving his dark hair out of his brown eyes.
"You mean..."
I pursed my lips, nodded, and glanced away.
"Andie, baby, this is going to hurt, but it's for your own good." Lucas said. I heard a fwoosh of flame, followed by a scream. Most of the crowd glanced in our direction, making my tears streak faster. Why didn't I ask a god to heal her? They have limits to how many they can heal. Since I was able to help her, I didn't need the gods wasting their energy on her. There was bound to be someone in a more serious condition. Andrea was out cold, as could only be expected. It pained me to see Andrea like this. I was the matriarch. I had to protect the family. I was the one who had to bind the family.
"Medic!" I flagged one down.
"She's pregnant, can you check for the fetal heartbeat?" The camper nodded, tugging out an interesting looking stethoscope. I tried to survey the field for damages and casualties. The gods seemed to be doing the same.
"The child's heart is fine, but hers is...critical. Keep a tab on her. We'll get some nectar and ambrosia around soon," she said at last. I chewed my lip, thanking her.
"Lucas, Andrew, watch her. I need to find Will, Kate, and Percy"
Luckily, the twins found me first.
"Mom! Is everyone okay?" Kate asked, bawling her eyes out. I embraced her tightly.
"For right now, honey. Andrea is hurt badly. You can see her over there." I pointed South. They moved on. That's when I saw Percy. He was unconscious next to Reyna, who was bleeding profusely from the head. My pace increased. I bent down beside Percy. He didn't seem physically injured. I checked for a pulse. None.
"Oh, gods, no!" I moaned. I wouldn't accept it. We had made it this far My eyes stung ever more. "Percy!" I shook his limp body. "Wake up!" Upon hearing my cries, my mother sauntered over. She placed a hand on Percy's chest.
"He is not dead...yet...his soul has not been taken, that is. I-I do not know what to do..."
Chaos wandered over.
"He didn't close his eyes. One moment." Lightly, he brushed Percy's forehead. My husband's body convulsed and his sea green irises became visible.
"Woah, what the Hades..."
I threw my arms around him.
"We did it, Percy! Oh gods, it's over!"
I pressed my lips to his, taking in the taste of a true hero. Despite being muddy, and bloody, he still smelled like the Ocean. He cupped my cheeks and deepened our passion, leaving dirt on my lips when he finally broke away. He was about to say something, when he stared behind me.
"Reyna!" He exclaimed. I cursed. How could I forget her! We scrambled over to her. Athena waved her palm and the cuts vanished from her skin. Her eyes, too, fluttered open. She sat up. Chaos seemed to be studying her intently. He turned, shouting to the masses.
"LISTEN, DEMIGODS OF ALL KINDS! TODAY, YOU HAVE BEEN VICTORIOUS. I AM CHAOS, FOR THOSE IN IGNORANCE. IF I HAD BEEN A BETTER KEEPER OF THIS WORLD, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN THIS SITUATION TO BEGIN WITH, AND FOR THAT I APOLOGIZE!"
Since he had everyone's attention, he dropped his pitch slightly.
"I intend to do as I should and take a spouse-a good, strong leader. I shall settle on the earth and take better care of it, now that I have a permanent essence. I intend to marry the victor of this battle!"
All eyes turned to look at Percy, who blushed a scarlet red. He stammered
"Oh, oh gods...uh, three cheers for, uh, Reyna!" Percy blurted.
Chaos smiled. "I see you have the same idea as I do, Perseus. Reyna, Praetor of Rome, do you consent to be my bride? Without you, we would have been unable to dispel the monsters. Even I would not have been able to tear out his guts in that manner."
Reyna blinked. "I, uh, just felt like that's what I should do...and, uh, y-yes, I consent to being your wife."
"Then it is settled, Give it up for Reyna, the World Saver."
Cheering erupted, and Percy looked relieved, for once, that he was finally out of the limelight. Chaos extended his hand towards Reyna, who graciously accepted, smiling like a giddy schoolgirl. In the distance, Aphrodite cooed.
"One love story that I didn't even use my magic for!"
Reyna had overcome her curse in a most interesting way. She could settle down now. I turned to Percy.
"Let's get back to the family," I said, "Round up your mom, dad, and brothers."
We walked, hand in hand back to Andrea. Sally and Paul had already made their way over, along with Tyson.
"Will Andie-beth be okay?" His eye watered.
"Yeah, big guy." It was very hard not to laugh at his nickname for Andrea. Percy knelt beside her, taking her other free hand in his.
"Don't worry, Baby, Daddy's here."
"...Daddy...baby...take care of him for me..." Andrea muttered deliriously. While she mumbled, I tuned into Nico's conversation with Chaos.
"...If you refused to watch the world, how do you know everyone?"
"Even if I refuse to accept the inevitable, I still made it my business to know everyone."
Nothing juicy there, so I moved on to someone different.
"...Thought we were dead!"
Hmm. Everyone else seemed to be fine. Then, I spotted a familiar red harpy fly in, behind her, three harpy children.
"Tyson make Ella anxious, anxiety rubs off on children. children get worried. Ella give them cheese. Cheese is calming."
Tyson stumbled in surprise.
"Ella! What are you doing here? Why did you bring Annie, Charlie, and Carol?"
I raised my eyebrows. Percy was just as confused.
"Ella see storm. She think Tyson in trouble. She see storm clear up, she fly in. Tyson safe, Ella, Annie, Charlie, Carol safe.
"What's going on here, Tyson?" I inquired "Did you and Ella have kids? When did you get married?"
He blushed. "I didn't want to tell you. I was embarrassed. Ella never like crowds much anyway..."
He rubbed his elbow. Sally clasped her hands together.
"This is wonderful, Tyson! No need to be embarrassed! Won't you introduce us?'
Tyson did, with Ella spouting random trivia in the background. This day just kept churning up surprises. Will Solace rushed over, toting ambrosia and nectar. He fed some ambrosia to Andrea, and poured nectar over her shoulder. Andrea sucked in a gulp of air. She sat up quickly, her eyes set on Lucas.
"Oh, Lucas!" She sobbed into his shoulder, while both he and Percy rubbed her back. She quieted down and lay down on her back once more.
"Daddy, it hurts everywhere. Is my baby good?" She clutched at her stomach.
"She's doing great, Andrea. Now, you need some rest, so you go right back on to sleep."
Percy was appalled.
"Now hold it, Wise Girl, she just woke up! She can rest when she's ready. I want to talk to her some more."
I rolled my eyes.
"Fine, Percy, five more minutes"
He fake pouted.
"No fair!" he whined.
I laughed, forgetting the terrible event that had happened that morning. It seemed like a happy ending, but that's not true. Happy endings ever really happen. The is never an ending to anything. The world spins on, just as a story can always make its way out.
