Percy's POV

My ears cleared enough to hear her whispered words before I fell completely limp in two arms. "I'll save you, Percy."

Annabeth's POV (with her recap)

"Percy!" I rushed towards him, scooping up his small body from the ground. Immediately noticing how abnormally hot his skin (and fur, by extension) felt, I turned and carried him towards the infirmary. If he didn't get help, and fast, his temperature could rise to a lethal level.

Looking down at the unconscious wolf, I whispered, "I'll save you, Percy."

As I reached the camp border, I felt something pulling against me. My head was within the borders, but it was stopping me from letting Percy get through. It recognized him only as a monster, not the savior and hero of Olympus that nearly everyone knew him to be. "No!" I grunted out, wanting to scream. The border was enchanted to allow a specific creature access inside only if a demigod from the inside granted access. It wouldn't allow me to exit the borders to bring him inside once he was allowed inside; it had to be done immediately.

In a full-out panic now, I looked around the nearby area. Dinner was just ending, so no one would be coming over here to Thalia's Pine Tree. They'd all be heading out to the camp fire and sing-a-long.

If no one let Percy inside camp, he could die out here, mere yards from salvation and life.

"Help!" I screamed, frantic with fear. "Please, someone, help me! Anyone!"

A nearby tree rustled. I looked at it, hoping a camper would emerge from behind it to help me. Instead of a teenage half blood in an orange t-shirt, a tree nymph appeared from within the bark.

She looked at me with bright green eyes, the color of her tree's leaves. "What's wrong?"

I minutely lifted my arms as a gesture to the large black wolf laying limp in them. "He needs help! He's burning up, and I'm afraid he won't be able to make it." My voice sounded choked up at the end, a testament to the concern I felt.

The nymph nodded before melting back in her tree.

What?! I thought, horrified. Why did she leave just like that? She didn't do anything to help!

A moment later, the nymph reemerged.

"I sent word along through my sisters to the camp fire. The one closest to the sing-a-long should be able to get a camper to be here in a moment," she explained, calmly.

The magnitude of her words made me tear up in a mixture of fearful happiness and near-hysteria. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

The nymph didn't fade back into her tree. Instead, she cocked her head to the side and stared at me curiously. "What is it about this wolf that makes you want to save his life?"

"He's my boyfriend," I answered, though her brow furrowed further.

"Your boyfriend is a dying wolf?"

"He's usually a demigod," I elaborated, "but a few weeks ago, he was bitten by a werewolf."

The nymph gasped. "How many weeks ago?"

"Three, by tomorrow," I stated after doing a quick calculation.

The nymph gasped again. "Oh. My. Gods. That's horrible! I'm so sorry for you both."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Well, after three weeks, the full werewolf curse takes effect. What happened to the pack leader of the wolf that turned him?"

"He killed him. Demolished the entire pack," I said with a hint of pride.

The nymph shook her head. "If he's still infected with the werewolf curse after the three weeks, then he'll have no choice but to start a new pack."

"A-a new pack?" I asked, my voice cracking.

She nodded gravely. "Yes. A werewolf without a pack has no purpose. He'll be forced to turn several more people in order to maintain a group large enough for him to govern. Or he only has two choices."

"T-two choices?"

"Find a new pack somewhere in the world that will allow him to join. If he's powerful, it shouldn't be a problem," she explained.

With a growing sense of apprehension, I hesitantly said, "And the other?"

"Death."

I was stopped from responding by a growing chatter echoing from farther down the hill. I couldn't peer down far enough, due to a mass of black fur against my chest. With a stomping of footsteps, a mob of orange shirts appeared on the horizon.

Leading the herd was Clarisse, standing next to Chiron and Grover. Following directly behind was Will. The tough daughter of Ares was holding her electric spear, as if expecting a fight awaiting her. Will already had white latex gloves stretched across his hands, as if expecting a puddle of blood waiting for him.

I wasn't sure which one was right, but I did know which one I needed first.

"Quick!" I yelled, struggling against the border. "Someone, let me in! He's burning up!"

Clarisse muttered the entry chant while Will hustled towards me. As soon as the border allowed me in with Percy, he scooped the wayward wolf into his arms and carefully sprinted towards the infirmary. The mob of campers parted before him like the Red Sea with Moses, with me following directly behind.

Pausing for a single millisecond, I turned around and yelled, "Thank you!" to the nymph that had made this all possible for me and Percy. I saw her green-tinted hand wave at me in recognition before I kept running after Will and my dying boyfriend.

Why is he always dying?

I don't think normal girls usually go through this. Then again, we've never been normal.
I had to remain myself of that as I entered the infirmary and saw a black wolf sprawled out on stark white hospital bed. Will was at the left of his bed, trying to find a vein to insert an IV into Percy's body. He was having difficulty with the fur and the fact that he's used to dealing with humans, not animals.

I pulled up a chair on the right side of the bed and watched Will work. He found the vein, inserted the IV, and began to get to work with other medications and salves and the like.

"Can I be of any assistance, Will?" I asked, wringing my hands nervously at Percy's side.

Will handed me a wet cloth before getting back to his work. "Can you dab this on his forehead? I'm trying to cool him down and keep him hydrated. His temperature is insanely high." He hesitated before continuing, saying, "It's a miracle he's still alive right now."

I bit my lip to keep from saying anything. That didn't stop the tears from spilling from my eyes, though.

After a moment, Will was finished with the more pressing of the work and he returned to the left side of Percy's bed. I looked into his eyes and asked, "How bad is it?"

"He's pretty bad, Annabeth. I won't lie to you." I waited for him to add on to his statement and elaborate. "He was a fractured bone in his leg, as well as a few cracked and fractured ribs.
That's not to take into account the mental damage he probably has."

"Is there any chance he'll wake up before the antidote won't work any more?"

Will avoided my eyes. "I can't say there is."

Notes