Her vision came and went. Every once and a while she would be awake long enough to hear people coming in and out of where ever she was. Her vision was weak and her strength wasn't enough to even lift a finger, let alone stay awake. Her hearing was excellent as she heard almost everything around her. Including the annoying beeping of that damned I.V. machine. She felt a strange pressure around her head and eye.

Oh gods, they hurt. Everything hurt.

Every so often she would catch a glimpse of her mother standing over her with worry all over her face. But for what? There was no way she was going to make it. What with her disease and all, it was very clear but it seemed as though everyone refused to believe it. First Chiron, now it seemed that her mother didn't want it to be true.

No matter. Khione wouldn't suffer for long. The snow goddess wasn't there for Apollonia and she never bothered to make an appearance until she was hurt and close to death. None of anything seemed to matter anymore. At that point the teen didn't really give a damn about anything. She was dying. There wouldn't be anything or anyone to care once she was dead, right?

So why couldn't anyone understand that?

*click*

"Hey, Abby."

'Wait,' Apollonia thought, 'I know that voice.'

A loud scrape against the floor made Apollonia's eyes, well eye, want to crack open but her body refused to cooperate. So she settled on just listening.

"I heard you were hurt pretty bad and I wanted to stop by and give you some flowers."

A clang of glass was heard off of Apollonia's right. She guessed that the person placed the flowers in a vase and sat them on a table.

The person sighed. "We haven't exactly talked much since our break up but we can still be friends, right? I mean we've shared a lot of memories and . . . to be honest I really miss you."

She felt a pair of lips graze her forehead. Whoever the person was, they had soft lips and they were so gentle. It felt nice. The oddly pleasant sensation went away as soon as it came.

Apollonia fought the urge to sigh in disappointment but seeing as how her body refused to move, it wasn't as easy as it sounded.

"Everyone's pretty worried about you. And . . .," the person leaned so close that she felt their warm breath upon her cold skin. "We know."

Her heart stopped.

They know.

They know.

The machine beside her have a loud beeping but soon returned to it's obnoxious pattern. The person sighed.

"Don't scare me like that." They whispered."I don't know why you didn't tell anyone. You know we care about you and . . . I still love you. I still care, you can still come and talk to me but I guess I didn't make that clear. But now that you're . . . dying. We won't get to spend enough time with each other. And whatever reason you have for that, I'll understand and defend you no matter what. But you have to wake up. If not for me, then do it for your the rest of your family. The kids here, at Camp Half-Blood, all love you. And we're praying to the gods every single day that you wake up from this and walk out of here as if you were never hurt. Like you always do."

They clasped Apollonia's hand and gave her a pleading squeeze.

"We lost four campers in the attack." They said. Their voice was quivering from the loss of friends and family. "Nicole was one of them."

That was all she needed to fall into her deep slumber again.

The usually bright, blue sky was tainted with heavy rain clouds and lightning. It was as if Zeus felt the loss of the dead campers as well. Things were slow and no one wanted to change the demeanor and attitude of the camp.

No one was doing any activities, no one was talking or moving about. They slouched their shoulders and silently wept into each other's arms.

Though no one was talking outside, there was plenty of conversation going on in a certain cabin designed for the snow goddess's daughter. Victoria, Becca and Elsa all sat on the empty beds in the small space. Half of Apollonia's things were settled in their proper places while the other half were inside the brown cardboard boxes.

The girls were discussing the important issue of Apollonia's condition and what they could do to help. But the thing is, they didn't know very much and Dr. Schmidt was the only one who knew the whole story and yet he refused to say anything. The only people who were obligated to know the details were Apollonia's family. No matter how close her friends were, they weren't related.

"How could she not tell us?" Becca asked. "We've known her for years and she didn't bother mentioning it?"

"Look, we don't know what went through her head when she found out herself but we have to give her some space!" Elsa argued.

"Space?" Becca turned to her blonde girlfriend."Abby's had enough time and space to herself. It's time we intervene!"

"And do what?" Victoria stood. "Make her tell us the whole story? Making her go through all the emotional pain of reminding her of the disease? That's not what we do, Becca. That not what friends do!"

"Oh, enlightened me, Victoria, what else are we supposed to do? All we know is that she's sick. There's something Dr. Schmidt isn't telling us and the only way we can know the whole story is by talking to Apollonia."

"Anna's already there and she knows about Abby. Maybe she'll ask, if Abby wakes up."

"That's not going to work for me." Becca said. "I'm going to visit Abby and I'll make her tell me the rest of her condition, if I have to. If you guys want to join me, great. Let's go."

Anna waited right outside the room. Her feet carried her back and forth as she nervously chewed on her finger nails. She wasn't sure what she was doing here, of all places, at the camp's medical ward. She didn't even know what she was going to do or say to Apollonia once she was in there but she felt like she needed to visit her. Especially after she saw Abby go down with that arrow sticking out of her head.

The mere image of the horrific scene made her skin crawl and stomach churn with nausea.

Because of Apollonia's frail condition, she was only allowed one visitor at a time and there was someone else in there with her. Who ever it was, they were taking their damn sweet time.

"Anna!"

The redhead twisted her body around to be met with her sister and two friends walking toward her.

Victoria stopped a few feet away from her. "So how is she?" She asked.

"I don't know, I haven't gone in, yet."

"What? But the nurse said Abby already had a visitor."

"Well, she didn't mean me because I've been waiting for twenty minutes."

"Then who's in there?"

As if on cue, the door opened and out stepped a young man wearing a pair of shorts and a camp t-shirt with the sleeves cut off to show off his muscles and tan skin. He was tall and very handsome. His brown hair was cut and trimmed and was held up with the help of gel. The young man's bright green eyes glanced at the ladies around him and seeing all the attention he was receiving, a muscular arm was raised to rub the back of his neck. Elsa and Anna didn't know he was or why he was visiting Apollonia but Victoria and Becca knew exactly why.

"Zack?" Becca asked, making the young man turn his gaze to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Just visiting." He answered, knowing that Becca could see through his lie. "Nice seeing you guys." He walked away with his hands tucked in his pockets.

When she was sure Zack was out of ear shot, Anna turned to her friends with knitted eyebrows. "Who the hell was that?" She asked.

"Anna!" Elsa snapped.

"That, my dear ginger, was Zack Greyson. Apollonia's ex-boyfriend." Victoria answered, still looking where the young man went.

"Were they serious?"

"Oh yeah," Victoria said honestly, "they dated for two and half years but he dumped her right before her seventeenth birthday."

"He was a dick." Becca grumbled. "I don't know what Abby ever saw in him."

"Well it doesn't matter now." Victoria turned her head. "They're broken up, Abby gets to have another visitor, and since Anna was here first, I suggest she goes in before the rest of us."

Anna quickly stepped in the room and shut the door behind her. Her large eyes slowly scanned the room and shivered as she remembered that this was the same room where she and Apollonia shared their kiss. It saddened Anna to think about the past but just seeing the room made all the memories flood back.

Everything was exactly the way it was when she was first here. There was a small, wooden table on Apollonia's bedside, the window blinds were slightly open to let in the dim light that was emitted outside, a large beeping machine with various buttons and knobs were connected to her, the bed looked huge and made Apollonia tiny in comparison. Speaking of the brunette, she was tucked in the egg white sheets with both her arms laying on her sides with a tube filled with a clear substance sticking going into Abby's right arm. She also had tubes in her nostrils. Anna guessed that those were supposed to help her breathe.

The redhead willed herself to walk to the chair that was left from Zack's visit. She sat herself down and took in Apollonia's appearance. She was almost unrecognizable.

Anna hadn't noticed it before but Apollonia did look sickly thin. The upper right side of her head was bandaged up with a bit of blood staining the top of the many layers of gauze. They covered her eye completely but at the very bottom, Anna could easily make out the deep, red cut just below Apollonia's cheek bone. Her skin didn't have its usual glow as it was paler. Her hair was fanned out on the pillow she rested on and her eyelid was closed.

Just seeing her like this made Anna's heart clench and gave her an uncomfortable, heavy weight on her chest.

"Abby . . ." Anna whispered, touching her pale hand. "Abby, please wake up. Please, I'm begging you. Just give a sign that you're listening, anything."

Nothing.

"Abby, I'm sorry that this happened to you. We should've looked harder but we gave up when we got tired."

Anna looked at the brunette's peaceful face and her lip. "I have a confession . . . I hated you, Apollonia. After our relationship ended, I blamed you for all the pain I had to endure, which you were responsible for. I was just so angry that you betrayed my trust and you turned me down when I said I loved you. God, do you have any idea how much that killed me? Do you know what it feels like when the person you love tells you to someone else because they don't to be with you? I hated you so much after that, but I forgive you. I do, I really do. But I want to tell you this when you're awake. So can you please open that good eye and look at me? Please?"

Nothing.

It discouraged Anna and she gave a final kiss to Apollonia's hand before she stood up and walked out.

'C'mon, just open your damn eye!' Apollonia thought to herself. Her head turned left and right continually as she willed herself to lift her eyelid. Her face showed her discomfort as it was scrunched in pain.

'If you could turn your head, you can open your fucking eye! Do it, Andolini!'

"Doctor, she's moving!"

'Who was that?'

"Miss, step aside. Give her room." The doctor ordered. It was Schmidt. Apollonia was certain it was him.

"Apollonia," his voice sounded closer than it was before. "Don't push yourself too hard. Take your time, dear, we'll wait for hours if we have to. But don't use all your strength."

'No! I have to use my strength! I want to get out of here. I want to walk outside and enjoy the sun. I want to apologize to my friends and tell them how much they mean to me. I want to say goodbye to everyone I love before I die. I want to wake up!'

The elderly man jumped back as Apollonia sprang from the mattress and sat straight. She whipped her head around with her one good eye wide open and alert. Her chest rising and falling rapidly as sweat drenched her hair and face. The temperature in the room suddenly dropped as her fear got the best of her. With the many unfamiliar faces surrounding her, she felt uncomfortable and trapped.

"Apollonia . . ."

The brunette whipped her head and took in the blonde's appearance.

"It's okay," Elsa softly said, slowly stepping forward. "You're awake and that's all that matters."

"Who are these people?" Apollonia frantically asked. Her grey eye switched to each unfamiliar person.

"They're doctors and nurses, they just want to help."

"With what?"

"Just let Dr. Schmidt handle it. You trust him, right?" Elsa asked with concern written on her face.

Seeing how worried she was, Apollonia nodded and relaxed her body onto the mattress.

"Alright, dear," Dr. Schmidt said, "we're going to take off your bandages. Elsa, I have to ask you to leave."

Elsa nodded and looked at Apollonia with a strange glint in her blue eyes. She stepped forward and placed both hands on the brunette's face. She leaned forward and planted a long, passionate kiss to the younger woman's lips. Elsa kept her eyes shut and held Apollonia close to her.

Beeing too shocked and dumb struck, Apollonia didn't move. She clenched the sheets and kept her eye open as Elsa continued to kiss her. Was this really happening? What has gotten into the Snow Queen?

Elsa finally pulled away and rested her forehead against Apollonia's. "Don't ever scare me like that." She whispered. Without another word or before Apollonia could ask questions, Elsa left.

"Well," Dr. Schmidt chuckled.

The brunette jump and remembered that she wasn't alone.

"Your girlfriend seems nice." The doctor said, approaching the young woman with a pair of scissors.

He held the pair with a steady hand and began to cut off the layers of gauze.

Apollonia kept her head down and began to play with her fingers. What was that kiss about? Did Elsa and Becca break up? Or did the blonde just cheat on her best friend?

"She's . . . not my girlfriend."

"I didn't expect for the scar to be this deep. We'll give it a few days and then give you a big dose of nectar." Dr. Schmidt examined Apollonia's eye. The branch that scraped her eye gave her a decent sized scar. Her eye was fine and she was able to see just as clear as before but she would have to sport the new mark for a while. As Dr. Schmidt said.

The arrow had made a cozy place underneath her skin and was carefully removed when she was rushed into the medical ward. It wasn't in too deep but it required a total of ten stitches for the skin to be kept in place.

"Let me see." Apollonia demanded in low tone of her voice.

"Apollonia, I don't think you'll-"

"I said," she interrupted rather loudly, "let me see."

The doctor sighed and nodded. He held out a mirror for the young woman and left her side to dispose of the gauze.

Apollonia gasped as she saw her new appearance and took in a few shaky breathes. She held onto the mirror with shaky hands. Her lips formed a thin line and her nostrils flared as she fought to control her anger.

This wasn't her. Last time she checked, she didn't have an ugly scar running through her eye and ten stitches on her head.

"Who did this to me?"

"Stacy," Schmidt answered. "She was kicked out as soon as Mr. D and Chiron realized she tried to kill you. She was handed over to the NYPD."

"Did they make up a story to have her arrested?"

"No, we placed you in a mortal hospital for a few days so they could see what she was responsible for."

Apollonia hummed and set the mirror down on the white bed. "Justice well served." She said.