Happy thoughts to letskilloctevian for commenting sweet stuff and being all nice. So rainbows and butterflies and chocolate to you. I'm thinking happy thoughts in your direction.

And no, Percy and Piper are not starting to like each other. They're just becoming better friends.

As for who will die in the end...that's completely up to me. MWAHAHAHA!

Also, to 1FanGirlGeek, thanks for your reviews and I will try to put more in about Hazel and the Mist.

I'm not sure this chapter sounds so much like ricki. Hmmm...Oh well. :)

Chapter XIX

Annabeth

Annabeth wakes feeling content. No dreams. She stretches languidly, bumping the headboard with her hands. She notices that the gray light of dawn is just starting to seep into the sky. Everyone else is probably still asleep. Then she flips onto her side and watches Percy as he sleeps.

He still drools. He always has, ever since she took care of him when he first came to camp. She can't remember ever not seeing him drool in his sleep. It makes her smile.

She puts a hand on his back to pull him closer, only to pull it away, surprised, when she finds that his back is wet.

At first she thinks it's just water, but then she remembers that Percy can't get wet. She holds her hand up to her face, and in the dim light she can just make it out. When she sees what's on her hand, she recoils in shock.

Her hand is crimson with blood.

She recovers from her surprise and switches on the lamp on the bedside table. Its light shows that the back of Percy's shirt is completely soaked in blood and is starting to drip onto the sheets.

"Percy!" She hisses, trying not to shout and wake the others. She shakes his shoulder. He groans. "Percy, wake up!"

"Go 'way, 'm sleeping." He moans. He buries his face into his pillow.

"Percy, get up! Your back is bleeding!" Annabeth tells him. He doesn't seem overly concerned about that fact, since he starts snoring. "Percy, wake up right now!"

He opens his eyes halfway and starts sitting up. "I'm up, I'm up. What is it? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Annabeth gets a very strong urge to strangle him. "Percy, why didn't you tell me your back was hurt this badly?"

His brow furrows in confusion. "What?" Annabeth points at his back. He twists around to look at it and winces in pain. "Oh. You mean that."

"Yes, Percy, that. Your shirt is soaked in blood. What is wrong with you? How could you think it was okay not to tell me this?" Her voice is dangerously low. He glances at her, sighs, and runs his fingers through his hair.

"I didn't want to worry you. The ambrosia should've worked. But it didn't do anything. I thought maybe it was just taking longer than usual, or something. But you really shouldn't worry too much, Annabeth. I'll be fine." He assures her.

Annabeth doesn't believe him. She jumps to her feet, tugging on his arm. "Come on. We're going to the infirmary. Now."

Percy throws his head back and groans. "Annabeth." He draws her name out in exasperation. She only glares at him.

He stands, muttering under his breath the whole time. Then he sways, clutching his head.

"Whoa. Dizzy." He says. Annabeth looks at him in concern, and proceeds to tow him down the hall to the infirmary.

"Shirt off." She orders briskly. Percy grins.

"I can deal with that." Annabeth doesn't respond, and he sighs. But he strips off his shirt and turns so Annabeth can see.

The bandages he put on are still there, but are soaked through. Annabeth gently peels them away from his skin and then has to bite back a gasp when she sees what was underneath them.

A wide, deep cut stretches from his left shoulder to his right hip. Blood flows seemingly endlessly from the wound.

"Lay down." She tells Percy. He does so without complaint. Annabeth grabs several towels from a nearby cabinet and starts cleaning the blood off Percy's back. It takes forever, especially since his cut continues bleeding throughout. Finally, though, she manages to soak up most of the blood on his back.

Then Annabeth wonders what to do about it. Obviously, she can't just bandage it again. It's way too big. Too deep, too wide, too long, all of that. But if water can't heal him while they're in the Ionian, and ambrosia isn't working, what is she supposed to do?

She grabs a bottle of nectar and pours some of it into the cut. Percy's muscles tense, but he doesn't make a sound.

She watches as the amber liquid seeps into the cut. But it doesn't help. At all.

She sits back, frustrated. She has to get the bleeding stopped, at least. But if bandages, water, ambrosia, and nectar all aren't working, how in Hades is she supposed to accomplish that?

And just like that, the answer comes to her. She starts feeling queasy thinking about what she's going to have to do. But she knows it's the only option she has at this point. So she takes a deep breath to fortify herself, and then climbs back to her feet.

She checks the cabinet to make sure she'll have what she needs. All the supplies are there. Another thing, though. She's going to need help.

"Percy, I'll be right back." He only grunts in acknowledgement.

Annabeth tiptoes down the hall to Piper's room. Next to her, Piper is the best at first aid. She knocks gently on the door frame before opening the door. In the dim light, she can just make out Piper's form on the bed.

"Piper?" She calls softly. Piper stirs.

"Annabeth?" She whispers, her voice groggy. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"You could say that." Annabeth answers dryly. "I need your help with something. Could you hurry?"

Piper doesn't ask any questions. She must be able to hear the slight note of desperation in Annabeth's voice. She rolls out of bed and stumbles after Annabeth, not bothering to change out of her pajamas. When they enter the infirmary, Annabeth hears Piper suck in a sharp intake of breath at the sight of Percy's back.

"Yeah," she says, "You could definitely say that something's wrong."

Percy's eyes had been closed, his head resting on folded arms, but at the sound of Piper's voice, he opens his eyes and props himself up on his elbows.

"Piper!" He grins. "Come to help fix me up?"

Piper smiles slightly back at him, but Annabeth can see what he's trying to do. He wants to assure her that his back wound isn't as bad as it looks; that he'll be fine. And while Annabeth appreciates his bravado, it definitely irritates her, considering the fact that he most certainly will not be fine unless they do something about his cut.

She sweeps past Piper and smacks Percy on the top of his head.

"Be quiet, Seaweed Brain." She tells him. "I'm still mad at you for not telling me."

Percy rolls his eyes at her, but he keeps quiet.

"Since ambrosia and nectar aren't working, and you just had to make a Primordial mad at you, we're going to have to stitch up your cut. Which is going to hurt." Annabeth informs him. She doesn't want to do it, but it's the only way to help him.

He shrugs, and then winces when the movement jostles his back. "Fine with me. Stitch me up, Dr. Annabeth."

Annabeth continues as if he didn't say anything. "Piper will be helping. Are you okay with that, Piper?" Annabeth notices that Piper looks a little apprehensive, and kind of queasy. "I'll be the one doing the stitching. I just need you here to help wipe away the blood and keep his back clean." After a short hesitation, Piper nods.

"I'll help in any way I can." She says.

"Good." Annabeth says. She grabs the stuff she'll need from the cabinet; needle, thread, and antiseptic. Unfortunately, there's nothing to help with the pain.

Percy has his head resting on his arms and his eyes closed again. He looks for all the world as if he's sleeping, but Annabeth knows better. He has a certain angle to his shoulders, a rigidity in his arms that tells her he's very much awake. Plus the fact that he's not drooling.

Annabeth threads the needle before pouring the antiseptic on his back. His muscles immediately tense, and she can tell it's taking a lot for him to keep from saying anything.

The antiseptic bubbles and mixes with the blood. It looks absolutely gross, and it makes Annabeth's stomach lurch, but she also feels a weird fascination as she watches it.

Piper dabs at the excess antiseptic and blood with a towel. Then it's Annabeth's turn.

She holds the needle in her right hand, hovering over Percy's back. She takes a deep breath to steady herself. And then she starts.

Percy doesn't make a sound throughout the entire thing, but Annabeth swears she can feel him gritting his teeth. She feels bad, knowing she's hurting him, but she also knows that it'll hurt him a lot more if she doesn't stitch it up now.

He starts to relax when she's about halfway done. She doesn't know why, maybe he's just getting used to it, but whatever it is, the pain doesn't seem to bother him as much anymore, and she's grateful for that.

Piper stands off to the side, occasionally using a towel to wipe away the blood still ebbing from his cut. But it seems to be slowing down, so that's good.

When Annabeth finally ties off the last stitch, she leans back and sighs. She goes to wipe her forehead with the back of her hand, but thinks better of it when she realizes that her hand is stained with Percy's blood.

She looks down at her handiwork. The stitches are all neat and even, and she's surprised that she did so well. The blood has pretty much stopped; only a little is seeping from the ends of the cut. She bandages it with gauze and medical tape, and then she's done.

She goes to the sink and washes her hands. Piper throws the stained towels in the trash and starts cleaning up, which Annabeth appreciates. She doesn't feel particularly tired, but she would be fine if she never saw blood ever again. Unfortunately, that probably won't happen. She looks down and notices her hands are shaking a bit.

She dries them on a towel and turns to look at Percy. He's completely relaxed, his breathing deep and even.

"I think he's asleep." Annabeth says. Piper turns to look.

"Yeah, I think so too." She says. Just then, Percy shifts.

"No. 'M 'wake." He tells them without opening his eyes, in a voice that doesn't sound very awake at all. Annabeth and Piper exchange an amused glance.

"In that case, do you want to stay here or go back to your room?" Annabeth asks him. He opens his eyes a bit, thinking. Then he stands up, groaning, and staggers back to his room. Annabeth is pretty sure his eyes are closed. Especially when she hears a muffled thud and then Percy, mumbling something she can't quite make out, but that she's pretty sure is cursing. Piper grins at her.

"I guess that's your answer." She says. She gets a thoughtful look in her eyes. "Why'd he want to go back to his room anyway? Wouldn't it have been easier for him to just have stayed here?"

"Yeah, but he didn't want people to know he was hurt in the first place. He didn't want them to worry. And, now, considering the fact that they're going to find out, he'd rather be in his room, where people can't continuously come and check on him. Plus the fact that, if he's in his room instead of the infirmary, it'll make it seem as if he's less hurt than he is." Annabeth explains. Piper looks at her in admiration.

"How'd you know all that?" She asks.

"I just know Percy." Annabeth answers. She looks around and realizes the room is much brighter than it was when they started. People will be starting to get up soon. "You can go back to bed if you want, Piper."

Piper yawns. "I might just take you up on that. I didn't get much sleep." Annabeth feels a bit guilty hearing that. But Piper doesn't notice. She heads back to her room.

Annabeth goes up on deck. She relaxes, knowing that Percy is going to be fine. She wraps her arms around herself and watches the sun rise.

It's the third day since they first left Rome. They have eleven days to stop Gaea.

You guys are all so nice and stuff, telling me I sound just like rick riordan and all, but just to clear that up, no, I am not rick riordan under cover. I doubt he would put his ideas on fanfiction, plus the little tiny detail that I am a girl. And he is not.

So, yeah.

Smileyfaces!