Time Running Out

When Percy woke up he was panicking. He could remember being in the infirmary, and he thought Nico might have been there. He wasn’t sure. He could remember Annabeth gripping his hand and then darkness… The more he thought about what happened he less he seemed able to recall.

Now he was somewhere…weird. It was cold, dark, and everything was sort of tinted in a red light. But the more time that passed the more he could feel himself getting better (and the more confused he was about what was happening). There were people around him, he could sense that much, and he could feel someone else’s hand squeezing his tightly.

“Percy? Percy, are you alright?” It was Annabeth. He could relax now. No matter how worried he might have been, the simple fact that she was with him meant that everything was going to be okay. “Percy! C’mon talk to me! Percy?” She sounded more desperate now, frightened. He wanted to respond, he really did, he just couldn’t.

“Percy! Nico, help! He should be better by now! Surely we’re far enough into the underworld for it to start working. You said he’d start to get better, but he isn’t!” She was in hysterics now. Percy could see the tears that she was fighting back. All he wanted was to reach up and wipe them away. But he couldn’t. At least where he was made sense now, the underworld. Gods he hated this place.

“Annabeth be patient.” Nico said. He was trying to be calm, reassuring. But she could hear it. Hear the worry he was trying to keep out of his voice.

She could barely stand it anymore. He was awake, she could see as much. His eyes were open but they were blank, starring off into nothingness. It was like he was completely void of emotion. As if he couldn’t hear her crying out his name, practically begging for him to respond. “Percy…please!”

She had cried so much these last few days. It just wasn’t like her; she was supposed to be strong, a leader, she had saved the world! But these last few days had destroyed Annabeth.

First with Percy trying to break things off, now that had left her completely wrecked. She thought she had lost the only thing that matters to her. She just couldn’t contain how much that hurt. And she had cried.

Then he returns and they get back to a good place. For a fleeting moment she’s okay again. Only for her to find out that he was dying. She was devastated. And she had cried.

But, of course, she had been given hope, a chance at a cure, so she didn’t have to lose the most important person in her life. Except that the only hope for him lies in Tartarus, the place she had to return to every night, now it was for real. And when she found out she had cried.

That very night, she was tortured by another nightmare. Tormented with the thought of going back to Tartarus and Percy abandoning her. She had woken up, safe, in his arms. But still, she had cried.

Now she was looking down at him, the love of her life, lying there helpless and broken. So obviously, she was crying.

“A…Annabeth…” He croaked out.

“Percy? Thank the gods!” And yes, she was crying, but this time it was with relief.

“See.” Nico said, letting his own sigh of relief out. “He’s okay. Well maybe not okay but he’ll be better, soon.”

Annabeth just nodded, she didn’t trust herself to speak, though she did have the biggest grin on her face at the sight of her boyfriend trying to talk to her. That was very quickly replaced by worry because he still wasn’t okay. Nico was right, he wouldn’t just be okay.

“Annabeth…I…” He was trying to say something. And it must have been important if he was straining himself so much just to try.

“Shhh…” She whispered soothingly, she wasn’t going to have him forcing himself because of her. “It’s okay, I love you and I’m here. I’m not going anywhere; whatever it is can wait until you’re stronger.”

Apparently, he didn’t agree because he kept trying to talk. “I…I need…to…to tell you…” he was raising his hand trying to reach for her face. His face showed a mix of exhaustion and urgency, and Annabeth just couldn’t think what could be so important for her to hear. She was going to try to stop him again, get him to save his energy, when Nico interrupted.

“Percy?” Nico asked, cutting Annabeth off before she could interject. The anxiousness was clear in his voice. He could see the pain Percy was putting himself through; he knew he wouldn’t try this hard unless it was something vital. “What’s going on, what’s wrong?”

“Ch…Charon…” Nico looked behind him and was very unsettled by what he was.

Notes