Important: My new pen name is Mylli Rae, but I am still WhoIsThisWriter! Thank you all for the reviews, although I must ask if you're putting my story on your favorites or subscription, could you please review as well? I don't want to nag but it means a lot to me. I am also now accepting anonymous reviews.
Also, a note for the last chapter: As reviewer Riley Coyote pointed out, World War 2 didn't start until about 1942, but by the point Percy considered joining the navy, it was only 1940 or 1941. My thoughts are that the world was on the brink of war, so I figure they would be recruiting around then anyway. I'm using Wikipedia for info, so my story won't be exactly historically accurate; I'm trying my best to make the story work for my purposes and be as correct as possible, but it means I might tweak things like this in the future.
Disclaimer: Mr. Riordan owns the PJO characters and series.
The Influenza Epidemic- 1918
Percy Jackson had always considered himself pretty fortunate. He was rich and lived with his parents and older sister, Thalia, in a large mansion. They resided in Michigan, in a wealthy town near Detroit. He was 17 and carefree, no privilege was denied him. Life was good.
All that changed when the epidemic hit.
At first, it was just a little rumor. It was a haunting story of sickness and death that seemed so unreal and distant that at first, he hadn't even paid attention to it. He hadn't thought the disease would ever hit his life, ever really matter. But, the stories grew and the epidemic hit their town. First it was his old English teacher, then his friend's cousin, then his neighbor Rachel, until his sister Thalia became ill.
"It's just a fever, I'll be up and about any day now." She would claim from her sickbed. Percy wasn't so sure. He heard the worried whispers of his parents; each of them suspecting it was more than just a common ailment, and hoping that Thalia hadn't caught the deadly Influenza. Everyday, Percy tended to his sister, giving her cool cloths for her forehead and feeding her soup to speed her recovery. Everyday, despite his best efforts, Thalia grew weaker. It pained him to see his sister, once so full of life and energy, lay so still on a bed. After a couple of days, his parents called the doctor.
Dr. Luke Castellan was a rather young doctor, only in his twenties, with fair hair and determined blue eyes. Percy watched as he inspected his sister, checking her temperature and symptoms, and making neat notes on a clipboard. When he finished, the doctor looked up, seeming troubled.
"I'm afraid your daughter has caught the Influenza. I recommend she be brought to my private clinic for the best chances of recovery." He announced gravely. He and his parents were devastated, but they had enough money to pay for her stay in the clinic, and Thalia was relocated the very same day.
Annabeth was having a great and terrible day. The terrible part: there were many new Influenza patients flooding into hospitals and clinics. The great part; because of a lack of staff, she was being transferred to her brother's clinic. Annabeth was a nurse, specially trained to care for Influenza victims, and her brother, Luke Castellan, was a renowned doctor.
Her assigned room at the clinic was room 4B. She had 4 patients, with one vacant space in her room. Each patient lay in a bed surrounded by curtains that were closed or open, depending on the patient's condition. Annabeth began to check her patients.
Katie Gardner was a 9 year-old girl who had a medium case of the Flu, but because of her age and frailty, she was in serous risk. Annabeth served her a tray of food and medicine, replaced the cloth on her head, and read her a fairy-tale that she had begged for. She delivered medicine and water to Silena Beauregard, whose fiancé Charles Beckendorf was currently visiting. She moved on, doing the same routine for Grover Underwood.
According to her clipboard, the dark-haired girl on the end was Thalia Jackson, a new arrival. She tugged her cart of supplies towards the bed, but noticed that the girl was not alone; a handsome boy resembling her was kneeling by her cot. A relative, perhaps?
"Hello, I'm Nurse Castellan, but you may just call me Annabeth. You are Thalia Jackson, and you are…?" she asked the boy.
"I'm Percy Jackson, her brother. Castellan, did you say? Are you a relative of the doctor?" he inquired.
"His sister, actually." She responded, and then instructed Thalia how to take her medicine and where the water jug was.
"Well, I'm sure you're very capable and will do your best to help my sister's recovery." Annabeth was startled by the intensity of his gaze when he said that and surmised he must care deeply for his sibling.
"Of course. She'll be fine." She assured him, much more confidently than she felt inside. It seemed to do the trick, because Percy visibly relaxed.
"Well, I leave Thalia in your care, for I must be on my way now." He said. He waved at her and exited the room. "Until tomorrow, Thalia, Annabeth."
When Percy Jackson woke up the next morning, he wasn't feeling too great, but he dismissed it as lack of sleep and worry over Thalia. Which reminded him, he better get going and visit her. The pretty nurse had seemed very trustworthy, but he had to be sure. When Percy arrived at the hospital, he signed in with the receptionist and made his way to room 4B. He entered the room and made his way over to his sister.
"How are you doing, Thals?" He asked.
"Just peachy, Percy. I love having to stay in bed and eat revolting medicine everyday." She answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"Alright, forgive me for being a concerned brother. How's the nurse treating you?" he inquired.
"Oh, she's actually really nice." Thalia answered.
"It's always nice to hear that." Annabeth chimed in as she entered the room at that moment. The siblings whipped around and saw the nurse. "Back again, Mr. Jackson?" she asked.
"I couldn't stay away." He grinned and answered mock-cheerfully. "Please, though, call me Percy. Mr. Jackson makes me feel like my father."
"What's wrong with that?" she questioned.
"I hate being like him. I am proud to say I will never be a stuffy old businessman. I will not be confined, I will travel the world, but now I daresay I'm rambling." He explained. Annabeth seemed surprised but impressed by his little speech. She hadn't taken Percy, a rich, well-dressed man from a business family as a free spirit.
"It's quite alright," She said. "I agree with you there. Wouldn't it be grand; visiting Paris, Rome, even Athens?" she continued.
"Perhaps one day then, I'll see in you in my travels." He said. Annabeth grinned at him; the man was a bit unusual, but refreshingly so.
"Now, if you two are done flirting…" Thalia cut in, making the two blush profusely. The three spent the next hour comfortably conversing as Annabeth finished her nurse duties. Percy then left, promising to return the next day.
Percy stayed true to his word. Everyday, as Annabeth began her morning shift, she saw the young man. If Thalia were asleep, he would talk to her and even help her with some of her duties occasionally.
"You don't have to help if you don't want to." She said, a week after the first visit.
"It's nothing, I hate feeling useless, so it's really for my own benefit as well." She smiled. The smile abruptly vanished as Percy collapsed on the floor, coughing and heaving. His whole body shook and skin drained of color. Most people would've been paralyzed in such a crisis, but Annabeth was a trained nurse and knew what to do. She hurriedly handed him a cup of water, turned him so he could breathe better, and sat with him until the coughing died down. After a bit, he stopped hacking and breathed heavily on the floor.
"Percy, I'm going to check you over for signs of the Influenza. Your coughing is one of the symptoms and if you have contracted the sickness, you ought to be hospitalized." Annabeth announced, breaking the silence.
Percy looked like he wanted to protest, but he just nodded weakly. "If you must." He said. Annabeth checked him over, feeling his forehead and noting any signs of the disease.
"I'm not sure, but I think you might have caught the sickness. I'm going to fetch my brother to check. I'll be back shortly, so why don't you go lay on that bed?" she said, pointing to the empty cot next to the sleeping Thalia. Percy complied and Annabeth ran down the hall to Dr. Castellan's office. She explained her situation and the doctor followed her to room 4B. He repeated the tests that Annabeth had performed and nodded grimly.
"Mr. Jackson, it seems that Annabeth was correct, you are in the early stages of the illness. I'm going to send a messenger to tell your parents. Meanwhile, you wait here." The doctor said and left.
"So now I'm sick." Percy deadpanned. His expression was unreadable.
"That just about sums it up." Annabeth replied. "We've caught it fairly early, so you should be fine." Annabeth was worried though. She hadn't known the man very long, but he'd grown on her. He was funny, caring, and cocky, but charmingly so. She didn't want to see another good person fall ill.
Dr. Castellan came back in an hour with Percy's parents. They had talked with the doctor and arranged for him to stay at the clinic. Since he already knew Annabeth and his sister was in that room, Percy was to stay in that room and would occupy the bed he currently sat on. After paying the fee and checking on their children, the couple left for a business luncheon.
And now Annabeth had another patient to take care of.
When Thalia woke up a couple of hours later, she found her brother laying on the bed besides her, talking to Annabeth, who was seated in the chair between their beds. They were smiling and flirty, she noted.
"What did I miss?" Thalia asked.
"Not much, Katie's mother visited, Grover started a new book, and, oh yes, I was diagnosed with the Influenza, so not much." He said loftily. Thalia blinked.
"You're sick, too?" she questioned. Annabeth nodded in affirmation. "Isn't it just a party now?" she said sarcastically. The other two grinned.
For two weeks the three of them bonded and became good friends; after all, there wasn't much to do other than talk, and the three of them were stuck together all day. As those two weeks progressed, Thalia's condition bettered. Days later, she checked out, fully healed, promising to visit everyday. Annabeth was relieved; most people who had the plague did not make it, but then again, most of them were crowded in disease-ridden hospitals with 100 patients to a single nurse. The epidemic had already wiped out millions of Americans.
"Annabeth?" Percy asked one day, three weeks after his admittance. His condition had worsened and then stabilized, but left him bedridden.
"Hmmm?" she replied.
"I was thinking, if I got better, would you join me in my traveling? We could see the world, visit our dream cities together, as friends?" he asked. Annabeth considered his offer. Percy was one of the only friends Annabeth had ever had; she had spent most of her life training for her job and never had much time to play. If she accepted the offer, she would have a permanent friend, not to mention some much-desired company. And, it was always dangerous for young women to travel alone these days, so his presence might be safer for her as well.
"Yes, Percy. I would be honored to travel with you." She answered eventually. Percy gave her a goofy grin and Annabeth knew she had made the right decision. "First, you have to get better though, so eat up." She instructed.
The advanced care at Dr. Castellan's clinic coupled with Percy's luck and will proved to be enough to defeat the sickness, for shortly after Annabeth and Percy's agreement, Percy Jackson recovered. 3 months and some careful planning later, the couple arrived at their first destination- Paris, France. Currently, the two stood in the Louvre, a famed Parisian museum of art. They were admiring the paintings.
"That's a Van Gogh, right there. He cut off his own ear." Percy said knowledgably. Annabeth looked impressed.
"How did you know that? I never took you as an art genius, or really any sort of genius at all." Annabeth teased.
"I'm offended." He responded, faking a hurt expression. His eyes turned sad. "My neighbor Rachel loved art, she was always trying to teach me something. She wasn't a bad artist herself either, but she died from the Influenza." He explained. Annabeth squeezed his hand comfortingly.
"Let's see the statues now." She said, changing the subject. Percy looked grateful. They moved leisurely through the museum, arriving at a room filled with Greek-style busts and stone figures.
"I've always loved Greek things. My mother named me after Perseus, the Greek hero." said Percy.
"Me too. My favorite goddess was always Athena." Annabeth admitted, surprised to find that they had more in common than she'd thought.
"I was always partial to Poseidon, myself. We should visit Athens on our next stop, then." He responded. "It's getting late. We should head to the Eiffel Tower soon." He said. Annabeth took his offered arm and they left the museum.
"Look at the architecture!" Annabeth said as they stood under the Eiffel Tower. "It's beautiful. Do you see the angles on the base…?" Annabeth lectured on while Percy nodded, trying to look like he understood. Annabeth seemed to have realized that Percy was zoning out.
"I've also heard that faeries like to dance on the top and beaver-men hybrids come out every night to sing songs about goldfish," she continued, looking at Percy out of the corner of her eye.
"That's interesting," he said vacantly. "Wait, what?" he said.
"I knew it, you weren't listening to me at all." She exclaimed.
"I'm trying, but I sometimes feel like I have an attention disorder or something, I just can't stay still." He defended. Annabeth sighed.
"Let's go to the top, then." She said. They decided to take the long way, and made the long climb up the stairs. The top was beautiful, there were a few other couples also on the top floor, but somehow it still felt private. The sky was dark and cloudless, yet you could see the lights and building outlines of the city below. Overall, the effect was rather mysterious and beautiful. They stood at the rail looking over the side of the tower. Annabeth laid her head on Percy's shoulder. Percy was surprised but pleased, and was glad the lighting covered up his blushing.
"Can you believe that just months ago, you were my nurse and I was sick with the Influenza?" Percy asked.
"I feel like I've known you longer." She said.
"I know what you mean, I've never known anyone quite like you." Seeing her expression, he clarified. "I mean it in a good way."
Percy turned to look at Annabeth; she stared back, willing him to get the hint. She liked Percy a lot, and now she was just waiting for him to make a move. Now, Percy may have been the most oblivious young man she'd ever met, but even he had his moments of clarity. He could just imagine Thalia's voice in his head, saying Well, what are you waiting for? Make a move you moron! He leaned forward and kissed her. The kiss was sweet- a promise of love, of travel, of getting married someday, of possibility. They broke apart and said simultaneously.
"I love you."
Awww, a super fluffy ending. Anyway, I was thinking that I might try the future thing in a later chapter; so if you have any ideas of what it might be like, please let me know in your review. I was also wondering if you might want to see any romantic but tragic endings, like Romeo and Juliet or something? I was originally going to make Percy die in this, but I changed my mind. My birthday was a couple days ago, so I'd love reviews as a birthday present! My goal is at least 10 reviews for chapter, please.
Also note: I've never been to Paris, so my descriptions might be wrong, sorry. Also, I know that most people didn't survive the Influenza and many died in short amounts of time, but that wouldn't make for as good a story, so I tweaked the facts.
Thank you for reading.
-WhoIsThisWriter, now Mylli Rae