Chapter 23

Percy ran his hands through his hair, sitting in the hospital chair outside the operating room. His breathes came out ragged and he didn't know he could handle not being able to see or touch her for who knows how long. He lost a mother. He couldn't lose her too.

It took all his will power not to get out of his seat and barge into the OR. He slammed his fist hard into the bench seat.

That was probably the worst and most terrifying thing he had to go through.

Thalia came running down the halls of the hospital. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold weather and her hair was a bit messed up from the wind outside. She looked to have run a very long way. Nico ran along up beside her.

"Percy." she called as she came up to me, "What Happened?"

Her look would have scared the shit out of me if I wasn't so caught up in my agonizing misery.

"I called the cops and ran into the house just as he shot her." he said distraught. The picture of Annabeth's almost bare body, scarred and injured with her shirt torn off was ruthlessly imprinted in his mind.

"I'm going to kill that fucking bastard." Thalia was seething mad, "Damn it. It's partly my fault. I basically set the two up in the first place."

"You what?"

"Luke had been sober for five years, Percy. I thought Annabeth would be good for him."

Percy sighed. He was exhausted.

"Is she going to be alright?" Nico asked.

"I don't know..." he said, running his fingers through his hair, "The bullet hit her stomach and I could see that there were a lot more… injuries on her." he said with a dangerously grim face. He didn't tell Thalia about Annabeth's brutalized arm. It was too horrifying and painful to talk about.

"Where's… Luke?" Thalia asked

It seemed like it disgusted her to even say his name.

"I don't know. Last I saw him was of him being handcuffed." Percy said with furious rage. The anger wasn't shot totally towards Luke though, it was towards a certain black haired bitch who was unfortunately related to him. She was the only person who could have sent the photo and he was beyond angry. Luke was not in his right mind at all and that picture had simply been the trigger that pushed him over the edge. It had been the most unfortunate timing that Annabeth had been there just as he had gone berserk.

Crystal, he thought with smoldering lividness, She's dead if I see her.

Annabeth blinked in and out of consciousness. She felt agonizing shocks course through her body. It sprouted from her lower abdomen and from her arm— the two main sources of her pain. It was hellish really and it didn't stop. The pain relievers they gave her weren't working very well. Then they gave something stronger to her, so that she was slipping in and out of darkness.

The pain slowly and achingly subsided to a dull throb and she let herself finally fall into a deep sleep.

Percy walked into the hospital room. It was family only, thankfully, so he was able to go inside.

His breathe hitched when he saw her. Her brows were furrowed in worried pain as she laid there unconscious. He let out a shuddered sigh and reached out to touch her hand, holding it in his. Her face visibly relaxed with his touch. And it was then that he realized how pretty her hands were. Slender and soft to the touch. He tried not to remember how ridiculously amazing they felt touching him when they had been… intimate.

Percy left his inhibitions aside and leaned down to kiss her knuckles. He ran his lips over her palm and stopped where he knew the carvings started. He knew what the carvings said and it made Percy's heart feel like it was being torn to shreds whenever he thought of it.

MINE- those four letters... carved ruthlessly in pink ragged striations.

Those four letters were carved in her flawless skin and he couldn't bear to think how much pain she must have been in.

Percy's eyes filled with self-hate. Why couldn't he have gotten there sooner? His hands curled up into a fist so hard his knuckles were white and his nails bit into his skin. He looked back to her and his self hate was replaced with just longing sadness. She looked pained and just simply exhausted. He wished so much to be able to take all of her suffering and make it his. But he couldn't. All he could do was watch her.

He could hear Thalia yelling at the poor nurse outside to let her in. He let out a sigh and placed a sweet, light kiss on her forehead before leaving to help Thalia. The warm, comforting feel of her skin on his lips was ever ingrained in his mind as he persuaded the nurse to let Thalia and Nico in. Percy had to convince her again, since Piper and Jason soon arrived at the hospital, as well.

They all sat in the room, waiting for Annabeth to wake. The doctor had soon come in and told us of the damage. It was torture to hear.

A broken rib.

Glass shard cuts.

A human bite, which they had to disinfect right away, especially since it was on the neck.

Her carved arm.

And, of course, the shot in her lower abdomen

The doctor said it was a miracle she was alive from all the blood loss, especially considering her body weight and mass.

After he left, Jason let out a shuddered sigh.

"Gods, how did she survive that?"

Piper, who was sitting right next to the bed, reached out to hold her hand. Her face full of pained sympathy seeing her friend like that.

"Nobody should have to go through something like that. That's terrible." Piper said in a sweet, sad voice. She had her hair down out of her usual braid, making her look like a model or someone famous. Jason was behind her and played with her hair, kissing her head to give her comfort.

Percy watched them with slight jealousy. They could do that freely, with nothing to stop them for being with each other.

Thalia reached out and touched his shoulder, "We're going to go get something to eat. You want anything?"

"No, I'm fine."

She nodded and left along with everybody else.

Percy was alone in the room again and slid up beside her bed. He lifted his hand to push the golden strands of hair gently away from her beautiful face. He smiled sleepily, finding his eyes to be heavy from exhaustion. He eventually let himself fall into a sweet sleep, still holding Annabeth's hand in his.

"Percy, I'm scared." A ten year old girl with wild curly blonde hair said to him.

Percy smiled at her encouragingly, "Come on, just look at me okay? It's going to be fine. Just make your way over to me."

Her silver eyes, which had a tint of blue from the reflection of the frozen lake, looked to him as he told her to come to him slowly, she skated her way over to him.

As she came closer she slipped and let out a yelp just as Percy caught her and pulled her over to where the ice was more frozen. Lesson number one: Never skate on the park lake when it's only late October.

"I got you, Annie. Don't worry."

Her breathing calmed down and she looked up at him gratefully.

"Whew. That was a close one." she said, standing on her skates independently.

Percy chuckled and reached out for her gloved hand.

"Come on, let's go inside and drink some hot chocolate. I'm tired of the snow. How does that sound?"

Her face brightened up, "Yes! Totally!" She jumped in the air, forgetting she had skates on and slipped. Percy caught her again.

She gave him an embarrassed grin, "Whoops?"

Percy laughed, "Don't worry, I'll always catch you when you fall, alright? Always."

Annabeth smiled with a blush, "Thanks, Percy. And don't worry, I'll catch you too, if you fall."

He laughed and swung his arm around her shoulders, kissing her forehead like he always did to show his affection for the cute blonde girl beside him.

A sweet bell-like voice called his name, waking him from his sleep. Percy looked up to see beautiful grey eyes staring warmly back at him.

He smiled, making her smile slightly back. And his heart melted seeing her smile at him.

The bed had been raised so that she wasn't lying down, but sitting halfway up.

"How do you feel?" he asked her.

"A lot better." she said. Her eyes went down to his hand which was still holding hers. She smiled again and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as if to tell him again that she was okay.

"It's okay for you to feel traumatized. You almost got— … " he couldn't say it.

"I know." she said her grey eyes looking down from his, "But, I'm not in total shock. I'm just disturbed is all."

Percy looked sadly but warmly into her eyes, "Why?"

"Disturbed of how a person can lose it that completely..." Her brooding eyes cast a darker shade, which made a chill run down Percy's spine.

She smiled gratefully up at him and nodded.

He looked into her eyes genuinely,"I thought you were going to die on me." he said with pain in his eyes.

She looked at him, her eyes now bright— full of longing and care. Lifting her hand, she cradled his cheek, not hesitating at all. He involuntarily leaned into her touch.

"Don't worry, Perce. I'm still alive." she said in that same soft sweet voice with those pink lips he couldn't keep his eyes away from.

Such lovely kissable lips. He just wanted to...

Self-hate filled him immediately.

Why was he thinking these thoughts when she was lying there, hurting and wounded? Gods, he's such a fucked up idiot.

But then, just as he thought that, he saw that she was eyeing his lips as well.

What was going on in that head of hers? He longed to know.

And he longed to kiss her...

Her hand that was on his cheek wrapped around his neck and was pulling him down towards her, successfully cutting off his stream of thoughts.

Percy's eyes widened and his heart was beating like it was running away from fire. His head was going haywire.

And despite his conflicted thoughts telling him to resist the injured blondie, the closeness of her parted lips wasn't helping.

They were only inches away, inches, centimeters.. when finally, their lips brushed each other's lightly. It was barely anything compared to their previous passionate moments, but it was fulfilling and exhilarating. And Percy wanted more of it. He wanted to touch his lips to hers and never pull away.

But he was thoroughly disappointed, when they heard the door open

and he heard a person clear their throat behind them in an irate way.

He turned his head and saw a middle aged woman with grey eyes that were identical to Annabeth's but much colder. With her greying blonde hair, she looked much older in her regal beauty than she had when he had last seen her.

It was Athena Chase.

And she didn't look very happy.

Author's Note:

It's the scary mother. Ahh!

Thank you guys for the reviews. You guys rock!

The last chapter was cruel. Yes, I admit that. But rest assured, there's probably not going to be anymore violent scenes. Unless you somehow.. liked it? Lol.

Someone brought up changing the rating. Thank you. I didn't realize that it was rated T. Heh. I'll change that to keep innocent eyes from being scarred for life. Anyways, thanks again for the thoughtful reviews for loving my story. It makes me soooo happy, you don't even know!

Updates very soon. :D