Percy's POV

I think I heard someone shout my name. My body vibrated with the word, shaking against someone's chest. Poison flowed through my veins.

"No, we're losing him!"

I woke up like people fall in love; slowly, and then all at once. As soon as I regained consciousness, there was a small nagging in the back of my head, as if something was wrong but I couldn't begin to wonder what. Maybe it wasn't that important, I thought.

This is, until I became fully aware of my surroundings. I was engulfed in a fiery inferno of pain, the flames burning away the shards of consciousness that I was so desperately holding on to. What in Hades' name happened to me to make me suffer this much? My whole body was hurting so badly I couldn't begin to tell where the pain was coming from.

Just as I was about to surrender and go back under the darkness, the pain began to recede.

I let out a sigh of relief, closing my eyes briefly as I relished in the feeling of nothing.

Without the pain clouding my mind, I could tell that I was laying on something comfortable. It was soft and slightly squishy under my body, a complete contrast to the spikes of agony I felt when I first woke.

Once I was able to wrench my eyes open again, I noticed a silver glow surrounding my body. Taking a deep breath, I looked around the room I found myself waking up in.

It was a warm colored room, the colors immediately making me feel safe and at home. I was laying on a mattress on the carpet ground, the sheets a bright yellow like the sun. There were a few small windows, just enough to brighten up the already-cheerful room. I was so busy taking in the room that I almost didn't notice my two guests.

They were both young-looking girls. One had long auburn hair, going to about her mid-back. She was wearing a gray shirt, black pants, and combat boots with silver tips. Her eyes flashed silver, the same color of her raised, glowing hands. She couldn't have been any older than thirteen.

The other girl was younger than the first. She had warm brown eyes that made me feel safe and mousy brown hair. She was smiling at me before I even looked over at her.

I stared at the two of them for a moment, wondering what the heck was going on. Suddenly, it all clicked.

"Lady Artemis," I gasped, "Lady Hestia!" I struggled on my mattress where I was lying face-up, trying to sit up to properly greet them.

Artemis's hands twitched as she fought the urge to rush over and stop me. Hestia ran towards me from her stool against the wall, but she was too late to stop me.

Pain blossomed from my chest. My hand flew up to the spot on my left side that exploded in agony, my body falling back down onto the mattress. Through a film of torture, I saw Hestia kneel down beside me and her hands began to glow. The aura engulfing my body changed from a silver to a pale orange, a combination of silver and the orange color of a fire.

The pain began to alleviate after a moment. I was still gasping for breath when Hestia lowered her hands and put one on my shoulder. "Perseus, you can't move from this position."

"What... what happened?" I asked through gasps.

Hestia gave me a look of concern before answering. "You defeated almost the entirety of Lycaon's pack. However, the remaining creatures ganged up on you and managed to bring you to the ground. The leader of their group succeeded in stabbing you in the chest with a silver dagger, and though you are not a full werewolf, the blade still held consequence. It poisoned your blood, almost killing you. Until Artemis and I arrived, destroying the other wolves and saving you."

I took a moment to absorb the information before saying softly, "Thank you so much, my ladies."

"It's no problem," Artemis said, her raised hands still glowing silver.

"Lady Artemis," I began, "I hope I'm not being rude, but what are you doing?"

Hestia answered for her. "My niece is using her powers to heal you. Though it has been a few days since the battle, you are still not completely healed."

"A few days?" I sputtered, a ball of concern growing in my chest. "How many is a few?"

Hestia and Artemis exchanged glances that only worried me more. "Five," Artemis finally replied.

I groaned, my body becoming limp as I completely dropped onto the soft yellow mattress. "So I only have two days to get back to Camp Half Blood?"

"It seems so, Perseus."

"And I can't leave until I'm healed?"

"I'd advise against going until you've healed enough to walk."

"And when will that be?"

"We can release you tomorrow night, at the earliest."

I sighed again. "I guess if that's my only chance at getting back to Annabeth. You wouldn't be able to send me directly to Camp Half Blood, would you? I'd appreciate having as much time as I can. I don't know how long it will take for the antidote to kick in."

Artemis and Hestia exchanged another nervous glance. "Perseus," Artemis said, "the antidote will work almost immediately."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here."

The man-hating goddess chuckled despite the situation as Hestia finished. "Perseus, the antidote will only work if you stab yourself."

The words I was going to say died on my lips as I choked on my own spit. "I'm sorry, what?" I asked incredulously. "I have to do what to make it work?"

"You must stab yourself."

"With what?" I said suspiciously. "Not another silver dagger, I hope."

"No, Perseus, don't be an idiot," Artemis scoffed. "Or should I say don't be like a regular male."

Hestia took over before Artemis could continue to insult me. "A silver dagger would kill you. No, you must cover Lycaon's tooth with the blood from the wolf that turned you before stabbing the tooth into the spot where you were bitten."

"But, Lady Hestia," I said, confused, "what if the wolf tore up my entire back?"

"Pick the easiest spot to reach for you. The combination of the tooth and the blood in the spot you were bitten should permanently reverse the effects of the bite," the goddess of the hearth explained. I nodded along with her until picking up on a crucial word.

"Wait, should? It should reverse the effects?" I asked disbelievingly. "As in it might not?"

Artemis snorted from her spot on the other side of the room. "Nothing in life is guaranteed, Perseus."

Hestia nodded in agreement. "Artemis is correct. We cannot know how it will work for certain, though we can hope." She smiled at me. "I expect that you're not ready to open Pandora's pithos yet, Perseus."

"Never, my Lady, never."

Hestia smiled warmly. "Then, Perseus, you should get some rest if you want to be mostly healed by tomorrow night to get back to your lovely girlfriend, Annabeth. A another few days of excitement awaits you."

The young goddess of the hearth and home stood up from where she was kneeling and began to walk out of my room. She stopped right before she left, turning to look at me over her shoulder. "Some thoughts to keep in mind: Don't aim for a vital part of your back, Perseus, please. I can only save your life so many times before Zeus begins to notice." With those inspiration words spoken, Hestia walked away.

I looked at Artemis, still standing with her glowing hands raised. Before I could speak, she said, "Just because I trained you to survive and you're the only male I tolerate does not mean that I want to sit here and have a conversation with you until you fall asleep." Those kind words said, Artemis snapped her fingers and darkness engulfed my vision.

Notes