Holy shizzle. When was the last time i updated? does anyone know? Psh, i sure dont. Really sorry about the wait, guys.
demigod-wannabe-love: thanks, peep. Sorry, it's been almost a month since ive updated, huh?
Perserverance: haha, yea, my mind is retarded like that, lol. hey, being a girl, dont sweat; annabeth will get her chance, just you wait. sorry 'bout the wait!
lovelikewoe13: yea, as usual, percy to the rescue! yep, annabeth's at last rubbed off on him. (yes!) sorry for the wait, bud, hope you like it.
Cloud calm: yea, i am pretty random, and last time i check, this was under the romance genre. Whoa! you hav a fox? *silent for several seconds, then calmly nods* sweet. for some reason, i want a panda cub; thatd b adorable. or...maybe one of those ginormous savannah cats. then again, they cost like, thousands of dollars..o.O' then again, a panda cub probably does too. And-psh-where the heck am i gonna put a panda? *sighs* well...
meeeethegr8: haha, yea...oh wait, no-i mean-yes-well, not exactly. just...it'd b better to cut through my stutters and just say; read the chappie. :)
Riley Coyote: WAFFLES! ..Kinda scary, if u ask me. I mean, i'm a waffle girl, yet...i like waffles...would that be considered carnivorous? No, no it's a form of cannibalism. idk, but my friend's nickname is 'mango' (long story) and she likes mangos...*shrug* whatever. I hate strawberry shortcake! then again...WHAT? Aw, crap; strawberry has everything. haha, so hows ur summer? ugh, i'm trying to update more! ..but, obviously, a little somebody has failed at that. wow..really? thats a lot of forms. ok now that just makes no sense!
AnnaAvril555: Weirdly cool? i think i just realized how scared of you i am now. weirdly cool...um...do you mean abnormally cool? awesomely cool? strangely cool? take your pick. Wha-PSH! You cant have a good story without a cheesy title! good lord, woman, you sure are out of the loop! haha, jk jk What inspired me is "We The People" except I put "We The Orphans".
Awra13: I'm not sure...i mean, because i remember reading a couple stories about percy being raped and abused and stalked by gabe. i think its called I'm A Mute, but idk, it might be a different one. Anywho, i decided to make a story that was less...confusing. Also, more appropriate. Raping isnt a small matter, now, is it?
Mundster Madman: Haha, you got it, bud. Argh, heres the other wait; really sorry! mind forgiving again?
I'mDreaming: You're absolutely right. I think I was just a little unsure of how to end it, what with all that had just happened, and i overdid it a bit. I'll try to make her more headstrong like we know her. Exactly what i meant! throughout all that they've been through, shouldn't they have, idk, some kind of emotional break down or something? Idk, i still obviously have a lot to learn. Nah, you're not missing anything. I purposely made them seperate from her. Don't worry, it's all part of the story. Thanks for the CC, i really appreciate it.
C-Nuggets N.L: Lol, that reminds me! I have got to put Tyson in here somewhere! I mean, where does he fit in all this? We cant have a good story without Tyson! Ditched Rachel? Pssshhhh...I purposely did that. Do you think i should do part of the next chapter in her POV?
lily-vanilly1166: Haha, you'd probably be disgusted if you saw me sneeze. When i sneeze, it's like a huge explosion erupts from my mouth and i practically scream "AAACCHHHOOOOO!" then i'll just sniff and walk off like nothing happened. Most heart attacks occur because of me. I have a feeling I shouldn't be proud of that.
starglow13: You know whats sad? For a second there, I was actually worried about your fish. Thats just sad. *shakes head with a sigh*
Nyxchick: You just made me realized how much I'm craving orange juice right now...thanks! ;D
Skywriter5: Aw, whats that supposed to mean? *pouts* haha, jk.
TNT and KC: Well then good thing you're reading this thing! Mm...yea, yea im pretty sure thats how you spell it...Haha, you're the third to ask that. That means theres only three good readers who actually take the time to stop and wonder about this. Sad...But yeah, i made her disappear on purpose, so dont fret over it, she'll appear sooner or later. Sorry sorry sorry! I didnt expect myself to get so distracted easily!
titan616: thanks-wait seriously? first time? Do you mean first time in my story, or first time in the fanfics that you've read? Idk, either one though, it's all good.
HAWTgeek: I know how you feel. I woke up in the middle of the night to see the ending of...The Little Mermaid? o.O' When did that get on? But yea, i didnt get back to sleep until like five something AM..Haha, funny; we've got a lot in common, bud.
LadyOfTheHidden: really? wow! i wish i had dreams about my stories! Oh, you know how Stephenie Meyer had a dream about Twilight, and she wrote it down? O.O
Dang, i've got a lot of reviewers! ENJOY!
"Ouch, Percy!"
"Annabeth, it's fine, really."
"OW! Percy, don't—"
"Oh, don't be such a baby."
"I am not!"
"Who cried when we got in the car?"
"I'm suffering from emotional stress issues—OW!"
He put the soaked red washcloth—from cleaning my cuts—on his thigh and took out some bandages, starting to wrap my hands as he hummed softly to a song. I felt myself reassured as he did so, and he got a tiny bit louder as he did, until he was singing softly.
"Don't be afraid
Just believe me, be safe
Tonight I'll be here with you
Just to be near to you
Dangers and quarries
Let go of your worries
Tonight I'll be here with you
Just to be near to you"
I watched his confident hands wrap my wounds, soothed by his musical, velvety voice.
"You see the tides high
Don't comply with life's lie
Tonight I'll be here with you
Just to be near to you
Lay down your sweet head
Pick the right path and be led
Tonight I'll be here with you
Just to be near to you"
He smiled, finished with the bandages, "There, all done." He put the bandages away and kissed my head as he stood, whispering, "I understand why you're stressed, Wise Girl. Go to sleep."
I watched him go, leaving to the shower. Obediently, I slipped under the comforter and sheets and snuggled in it, listening to the steady ticks of the clock.
We were in a motel for a night or so. It's called Auburn Motel. Tomorrow we were going to go check out the Auburn Library and see if we could pick up on anything.
I hummed the tune of the lullaby softly, remembering when I'd first heard that song.
I was curled up on the bed, crying softly into my knees. Percy had been taken to see his mother, but I can hear Gabe beating him instead. Another cry of pain muffled from the other side of the house and I cry harder, hating this feeling of vulnerability and helplessness. An hour later, Percy's pushed inside, and lands in a motionless, silent heap in the middle of the floor.
I jump off the bed and nudge his shoulder a little. He does nothing. I tug on his arm persistently, more tears rolling down my cheeks as I think Gabe's finally done it. He killed Percy.
Then Percy coughs and covers his mouth, rolling over onto his back and pulling back his hand to reveal a tooth and a little blood. He grins dourly through his pain and croaks, "That's one way to lose a loose tooth."
I giggle happily, seeing the gap; one of his canine teeth is missing. I'm beaming, seeing that he's okay, but I try to scold him, "Percy, this is serious! How badly are you hurt?"
He squirms a little, wiggles his fingers, nose and toes, tests his muscles. His expression turns sour, "Broken right index finger, sprained ankle, bruised left ribcage…I think that's it, except I have a big bump on the back of my head, size of a golf ball or something, and I have a headache."
I knit my fingers into his hair and feel the swelling bruise, huffing. I help him up and get him onto the bed, sitting with his back against the wall, feet hanging off the side of the bed. I use his pocketknife to chip off two thin, but sturdy, pieces of wood from the wooden floors. I hand the blade the Percy, who cuts off a long strip of the pathetic blanket we have, and I set the bone, making Percy wince, but do nothing.
He watches, gritting his teeth in pain, as I create a makeshift splint for his finger, then mutters, "Thanks, Annabeth."
I make a splint for his ankle, too, then sit beside him and rest my head on his shoulder. I don't realize I'm crying until I'm sniffling and Percy whispers, "I'm fine, Annabeth. I probably wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for you."
I weep quietly into his arm. What did he do to deserve this? He's the kindest person I've ever met and my best friend. He's always looking on the bright side and comforting me and he doesn't deserve this! He'd be better off dead, so that he doesn't have to suffer along with me.
"You don't deserve this," I wail, choking on my words.
"You don't either! You shouldn't suffer with me," he says, oblivious to how close to my thoughts he is.
I just shake my head, sobbing harder.
It's silent for a moment, but then I hear him sing almost inaudibly,
"Don't be afraid
Just believe me, be safe
Tonight I'll be here with you
Just to be near to you
Dangers and quarries
Let go of your worries
Tonight I'll be here with you
Just to be near to you
You see the tides high
Don't comply with life's lie
Tonight I'll be here with you
Just to be near to you
Lay down your sweet head
Pick the right path and be led
Tonight I'll be here with you
Just to be near to you"
I sniffled, murmuring, "Where'd you hear that?"
"My mom used to sing it to me before she got all locked up. Whenever I go to see her she sings this to me, too. It helps me stay strong, and I thought maybe it would help you, too," he explains, watching me hopefully, despising seeing me in this condition as much as I hate seeing him like that.
I sniff and hug him tightly, ignoring when he winces at his ribs and smiling through my tears, "It did."
I smile. Even when he was eight he was thoughtful. Percy comes out of the shower in regular plaid pajama pants and he lies down across from me, on the couch. We smile at each other and sing the lullaby until we fall asleep.
"Excuse me, but can you tell us where the mythology section is?" I asked politely at the information desk. The worker pointed us to the right direction and Percy and I scanned the shelves.
"I found Greek myths," Percy whispered, not wanting to disturb anyone. We look through a book of Greek monsters. Percy points to a picture, "A Fury. That's what came after us."
"We should probably avoid calling them by their names. I'd rather not be chased by mythical creatures."
He nods, "Agreed. So…if these monsters are all real, then…aren't the gods real?"
We looked to each other, then laughed at the pure idiocy of this comment.
Then we think about it and frown thoughtfully.
"Okay, maybe we shouldn't laugh," I grumbled.
"But…remember what Rachel was saying? Satyrs come along to protect the kid; the kid thinks that the parent who's MIA hates them, etc. Why would the satyr protect the kid?"
"Uh…from monsters, that's obvious."
"Yep, that's for sure. But…"
"Yeah. It's not like the satyr would take the kid somewhere and—"
We stared wide eyed at each other in realization. Percy looked round, then leaned close and he hissed, "That's why! The satyr takes the kid to some place for them."
"It has to be somewhere safe, a place where they'll be protected," I said thoughtfully.
"But it can't be suspicious. I mean, you can't just have a whole bunch of kids disappearing," Percy added, for once showing his true intelligence.
"So…okay I'm stuck," I gave up, thinking hard but coming up blank
"Remember? Rachel said we have to go to Manhattan, in New York," Percy mumbled as he flipped through the book, looking for pictures of the gods.
I wacked my memory and asked, "Isn't that where you lived when you were little?"
"Upper East Side, yeah," he says distractedly.
"Well where are we now?"
"About seven or eight minutes from the Auburn Municipal Airport," he said, shutting the book and placing it back on the shelf. "But I have this gut feeling that we shouldn't go to that airport."
"Yeah, me too," I said as we walked out, "should we go to the Olympic Regional Airport like we planned?"
His lips twitched amusedly, "Olympic."
I smiled, "Olympia, Olympic. Funny."
He chuckled, "Well, let's do a trivia. Whose kid am I?"
I thought about it, looking him over, studying his sea green eyes. "Mm…Poseidon, Zeus or—"
The sky rumbled.
I raised an eyebrow, "Okay…that was weird, but fine. The sea god, the king of the gods, the god of light, or…I don't know, someone."
"Poseidon," Percy whispered, trying it out for size. "Yeah, that sounds right. And you? Daughter of Wisdom herself, but of course."
"Athena," I murmured. I grinned, "Well that would suck; aren't they like, sworn enemies or something?"
He laughed, "Something like that. I guess they'll just have to learn to deal with it."
I laughed with him, and we walked back to the motel since it was only around two minutes away, joking about it.