Content Warning: Blood bending, Vomiting

3:00 pm Saturday, September 9th, 2011

All he had wanted was to go for a run alone.

It was a perfect day, the sun shining overhead, the blue sky limitless.

Percy had pulled on his well-worn tennis shoes, thrown on some basketball shorts and an old shirt, kissed his girlfriend goodbye, made sure he had riptide and set off.

Percy didn't know where his sword was, and even when it came back, he had no strength left to carry it properly. The monster had come out of nowhere, and dove for Percy, causing him to jump out of the way, landing on his arm on a way that did not feel good.

Percy had put up a good fight, he really had.

But once the monster had managed to throw him against the wall, Percy knew it was all over. He had heard a distinct crack, and Percy had a feeling that his still-healing ribs had been broken all over again.

I'm sorry Mom, he thought, I'm not coming home.

And now the stupid monster was slinking towards him, giddy at the thought of his next meal.

Maybe I'll make Elysium...

Percy hung his head, sweat and blood mixing, as he thought.

I love you, Annie.

Something pulled at the back of his head.

He could sense it, the blood of his enemy, pulsing and begging for control. Percy, high on shock and in pain, didn't think through his next actions.

He held up his hand and pulled.

The monster made a choked noise as its blood was ripped from its body. Percy had looked up to see the blood being pulled out of the monster, and the monster collapse into a limp pile, dead.

Rational thought came seconds later.

Nononononononononono-

Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods-

Why did I do that?

Oh, my gods, oh, my gods, I can't breathe, I can't breathe.

Percy, sick from the sight, crawled over to a nearby trash can where he threw up the contents of his stomach.

Staggering away from the trash can to a brighter area he sat down again, pain and fear and exhaustion overwhelming him.

His hands, trembling from the shock and pure pain that was growing as the seconds ticked away, touched the wound on his hairline. He winced as his hands gave the barest touch, a bad sign.

He could feel the blood that soaked the side of his face, the cracked ribs and probably broken arm. The pain grew and grew until his energy gave out and he slumped unto the floor.

3:05 pm Saturday, September 9th, 2011

Where are you, Percy? Annabeth desperately thought as she ran.

He had been gone far too long for her liking, so her Piper and Jason had followed the running path he told them he would be taking.

They had only been searching for him for maybe two minutes, but panic was already rising in her throat.

Where are you? She thought, scared.

Then she saw it.

Blood on the sidewalk, leading into a dim alleyway.

Hope and desperation fueled her as she ran down the wide alley.

The first thing she saw was a monster.

It was limp and lifeless, a large pool of blood around it. Why wasn't it dust?

Then she saw him.

She gave a cry as she saw him, rushing to his side. His eyes were closed, blood covering half of his face, staining his running shirt. His chest was rising and falling in shallow breaths.

Piper and Jason, having heard her cry, ran to her, stopping in their tracks.

"I-I don't think a sword killed this thing," Jason said, pale as he nudged the corpse with the edge of his shoe.

"Then what did?" Piper asked, panicked.

They looked to Annabeth for an answer. Her face was pale and drawn as she looked between Percy and the monster. She seemed to draw the connection quickly, and horror came across her face.

"Oh, Percy," she said softly, pain and fear.

"Why?" She sobbed out to her unconscious boyfriend. Her hand shakily touched the not bloody side of his face.

The touch seemed to stir him, as his eyes blearily opened. "Annabeth?" he slurred, uncertain.

"Yeah," she choked out.

He noticed this, and his brow scrunched together, "What's wro..." he trailed off as he remembered. He paled, looking rather sick.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, "I had too, I had too, I didn't know what I was doing, I'm sorry, I'm-"

"Shh," Annabeth said, pressing her finger to his bloody lips, "It's okay, I love you. I'm not mad, it's okay, you're alive, that's all that matters."

She turned to Jason, "Call Will please, tell him we need a chariot. Piper," Piper perked up, "Can you run to the apartment and tell Sally?" The two nodded and Piper ran out as Jason moved away to call.

Percy coughed, and Annabeth was glad to see he wasn't coughing up blood. His head lolled to the side, "Am I dying?" he asked pathetically.

Annabeth forced back the tears. "No, no you're not, okay? You're gonna live, I swear to the gods, you're going to live."

"If I don't-"

"No Percy, please don't say that-"

"Hey, hey, listen. I love you Annabeth, so so much. Every time I fight I always think of you and mom, and you're-" He coughed again "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Annabeth gave him a watery smile, brushing his hair from his temple, not caring that her hand was now bloody.

Footsteps echoed off the bricks and Annabeth turned to see Will, along with another Apollo camper, running to them, Jason and Piper trailing behind.

The next minutes were a blur as Percy was dragged to the chariot they had brought. There was only space for one more person, a space Annabeth claimed immediately. Jason and Piper would join them later.

They took off, and Annabeth prayed.

-

:)

On another note, I finished the first book of the Grisha Trilogy and Oh Lord-