Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any mention of Voldemort

Chapter 17

"Percy?" Annabeth asked tentatively.

Thalia didn't bother with greetings or any welcome backs. She just hugged him fiercely, and didn't let go. Nico comprehended what Percy had said and decided that his cousin was right. Hobbling on his uninjured foot, he crashed himself by accident on his cousin.

Once Annabeth knew that Percy was living again, she hugged him too. Apollo stared at the sight with a smile on his face.

"So when can I get out the hospital?" Percy asked with a muffled, hoarse voice since Thalia was still clinging onto him.

"Not for a few years at least..." Apollo stated, and grinned at Percy's unamused expression. "Just kidding. I don't know."

"Today?" Percy asked hopefully.

"Well if the others help you sneak out of the hospital, then yeah, today."

Percy grinned weakly and stared at the rest of them. Thalia, who finally released herself nodded and grinned like her cousins.

"Yeah," Nico said with a smirk. "I'm all in for it."

Percy looked at Annabeth, who was looking at her foot. His grin faded to uncertainty.

"Well... I don't think you should go now. I mean," Annabeth said under everyone's confused gazes. "I just think that he should stay one more day, that's all."

"Why?"

Annabeth threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know! Just look at him, and tell me if it's a good idea or not!"

Nico looked at Percy, and nodded. "I think he's ready to escape this prison."

"Hey!" Apollo yelled with certain playfulness. "That's my business you're insulting!"

"Exactly."

Thalia actually took her time to inspect Percy.

"Prison escape here we go," Thalia said.

Annabeth sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this Percy?"

Percy nodded excitedly. Apollo took one look at him, and wondered how they could sneak a heavily bandaged patient through all the doctors and nurses.

"Ok then..." Nico was having second thoughts about this. "What's the plan?"

Before anyone could say anything else, Percy untangled himself from all the wires, and without any support, walked clumsily towards the window.

"Oh my god," Annabeth stared in wonder at Percy. "You are the first person I have ever seen to take off the wires, and walk when all they did was sleep for days!"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Percy chuckled, but regretted it when he coughed up a bit of blood.

The cousins supported Percy back to his bed. He collapsed, clearly tired of his failed attempt. But he had seen how high they were.

"Apollo?" Percy asked, and without a reply continued. "How high are we up?"

Nico looked at Percy, and immediately knew that he had a crazy idea. He was right.

"Two floors up. Why?" Apollo replied.

And then the cousins knew what Percy's idea was. He had told them about how he climbed out of his bedroom window.

"Perce," Thalia warned. "Don't do it."

Nico didn't know how to react. On one hand, he wanted to get out of the prison that people called hospitals, but on the other hand, he didn't want to get Percy in anymore injuries than he already was.

Percy was thinking. He could do it. And he was right next to a hospital; he just needed one stretcher if he broke one of his ribs again. But he knew that if he argued, then he would have to stay for a week.

"Thalia, you just won an award," Percy started. "I'm going to listen to you for advice."

Thalia grinned at her cousin's sense of humor. She had missed Percy. They all did.

"But," Percy continued. "Just for one day. Tomorrow we escape."

Percy had this triumph grin on his face as if he had already won the argument.

"Why is there always a catch?" Thalia complained.

"Fine," Annabeth made the deal.

Annabeth knew that if they didn't make the deal with Percy, he would escape anyway. She was saving the trouble for him. He grinned goofily, and threw one hand out in victory. He regretted it when he winced.

"Percy don't do that," Nico retorted, back to his earlier comment.

"Ha, ha, ha."

There was a peaceful silence after the dry laugh.

"Excuse me sir," a timid looking nurse opened the door. "I received a phone call from a man called Gabe Ugliano. I wrote his words down on a piece of paper."

The nurse gave the note to Annabeth and she read it with anger.

"Here," Annabeth shoved the paper into Percy's hands.

"You want me to read it out loud?" Percy asked.

"Unless you want no one to hear it, since you're scrunching it up," Annabeth pointed out.

"Right. Ok. Sure... Uh, 'dear punk. Well I figured out you were in the hospital, I read the news and figured only one idiot drove like that. Was that your girlfriend you were protecting? Bad job punk. Just wanted to say, come home, or else... The usual- Gabe Ugliano. Always happy to be a jailer.' Oh god..."

Percy dropped his head low so that no one could see his expression. He ripped the note in tiny shreds. He then crumpled it into a ball, and threw it with perfect aim into a trashcan.

"What does he mean by 'the usual'?" Annabeth whispered while asking Thalia.

"Punishments, beatings..." Thalia trailed off while looking at Percy.

What had once been a happy reunion was now ruined by Gabe. Again.

"So what now?" Nico asked.

"You can't go back there," Thalia said firmly. "You're coming back with us like planned."

"He'll find me," Percy said with an angry whisper.

"No he won't."

"You don't know him like I do Thalia. He'll find me."

Thalia didn't repeat her earlier words. The room was quiet, not peaceful anymore.

"Where do you want to go Percy?" Annabeth asked. "To Thalia and Nico's place or back to you-know-who."

"Voldemort?" Nico asked to make a light joke.

"He might as well be," Percy replied. "Except he leaves more scars."

"Back to my original question, where do you want to go?"

"He's coming with us. Right Perce?"

But Percy wasn't listening. He was thinking.

"Perce?"

"Yeah?"

"You're coming with us right?"

"I don't know..."

Thalia stared at Percy. It was meant to be a simple choice. An option. But he had made the choice much harder than it already was.

"Where's my phone?" Percy asked suddenly.

Apollo gestured to a small table beside him. Just when Percy was about to make a bad attempt to grab it, the phone rang. He gripped it in his hands when he touched it, and answered it, not knowing who it was.

"Hello punk," the voice of Gabe Ugliano came on the phone.

Percy nearly dropped the phone in shock. But before he could snap the phone shut, Gabe began to talk again. All he could do was listen.

"So listen here. You better come home now. Maybe I'll decide to spare you-" Gabe talked with a small smirk, even though no one could see it.

Percy snapped his phone shut, and threw it across the room. The phone hit the floor.

"That damn bastard," Thalia said in anger.

The phone rang again. No one picked it up. It kept on ringing until it reached voice mail.

"You're a dead bastard once I see you. Dead." Gabe spoke with venom, and the voicemail turned off.

A/N: Sorry for saying in the last author's note that I would show how they got their driving license. Maybe next chapter, but not certain yet. Also sorry for the kind of late update. Thanks for all the support!