Fragile Heart [Completed]

9

When Annabeth woke up for the second time, the sun was nearly at its peak. Rory was still asleep, but she seemed more uncomfortable, stressed, even. In her hungover state, Annabeth dismissed it.

For the third time, when Annabeth woke up, Rory was shaking and sweating. She was repeating the same word under her breath over and over again. No. Her eyes were shut tight and her breathing was short and quick.

Panicked, Annabeth looked out of the window to get a guess at the time. It looked to be just after lunch. Annabeth started shaking Rory's shoulders, but the girl refused to wake up. She was getting more and more agitated, her breathing getting faster.

Thankfully, Calypso walked through the cabin door at that moment.

"Get help! Get Will or just...one of the Apollo kids!" Annabeth shouted. Without hesitating Calypso ran outside shouting for help. Annabeth scooped Rory into her arms; her skin was hot to the touch but Annabeth didn't care. She needed to get her help.

*   *   *

"What have you done?" Rory called out into the dark. No reply. "Tell me what you did!" She heard a laugh come from all around her, from in her head. "Please!" she begged. More laughter.

She felt cold and hot at the same time. Her head felt thick and full of wool. "Let me wake up!"

"Not until you want to!" The voice screamed back. Rory couldn't understand. She wanted to wake up, didn't she? There was a small part of her that wanted to stay. To stay and not worry and live in that protective darkness. She tried to shake the thoughts from her head.

"No mother, no father," it hissed, "no friends. You're alone and you want to stay here now." Rory felt herself slipping further into the void.

One voice rang clear through her mind. It cut through the fog. Someone was calling and screaming for her.

Annabeth.

The dark part of her told her that she was imagining it. That there was no hope at all. It told her to give up; she wanted to so bad. She just wanted to sleep. But she could still hear Annabeth calling for her. She could faintly feel someone holding her. In her feverish state she couldn't tell what was real and what was fantasy. But she knew one thing, clear as day.

She had to live.

*   *   *

As she ran she called to Rory. She kept calling her name over and over again. For moment she thought she had lost her; dark circles formed under and around her eyes, her breathing nearly came to a stop, her entire body went cold and rigid. Miraculously the colour returned slightly to her cheeks and breathing became almost normal. She was still shivering slightly but she stable, at least five the moment.

Half way to the infirmary Calypso came running with a group of Apollo campers. With them was Will and Nico. The Apollo campers took her but Annabeth couldn't bring herself to let go of Rory's hand. As a group they half ran half walked the rest if the way.

Annabeth noticed that Clovis was with them, stumbling half asleep still in his pyjamas.

"Is she ok? Will! Tell me please for the love of the Gods is she ok!?" Annabeth screamed. Will looked uncertain.

"Honestly? I don't know. Her temperature is through the roof, so is her pulse," he explained. Annabeth felt sick, her legs weak. No no no please be ok, she thought to herself. She couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. Why do you always have to knock yourself unconscious?

*   *   *

Rory's mind kept wandering in and out of dreams. Sometimes she was at camp. Everything was normal. It was calm and warm and peaceful. Other times everything would be in ruin. She would be the only one left. Rory much preferred the first one.

She knew that she was still alive. She could feel things faintly, hear echoes of conversations. The cynical side of her told her it was a hallucination. The rest wanted to, no, needed to, believe that those voices were real. She kept walking through different scenarios. She wanted to wake up. She kept trying.

At times she would just be wandering in the dark, listening to the conversations. It felt odd, knowing that the world was moving on without her, but bittersweet at the same time.

*   *   *

Annabeth refused to let go of Rory's hand for over an hour while the Apollo healers worked. She kept asking Will or the others of she would be ok. They would only smile weakly in return and say; "We can't tell yet." It infuriated her not knowing whether or not her friend would be ok. She kept saying to herself that everything would be ok, like it saying it enough would make it true. She prayed on her head to any God she thought would listen.

After another hour of check ups and tests, the healers were done.

"It looks like she's gone into some kind of shock. She is stable, but she needs to stay here until she wakes up. Even then we should keep her in for a few days," Will explained. "We discussed it and we think it could be her accident acting up." Annabeth nodded and glanced back at Rory. She was pale but she had stopped shivering.

Will told her to shout if anything changed before leaving to rest, Nico at his side. Unsteadily, Annabeth rose and sat on the chair next to the bed.

"Why does it feel like the Fates are trying to keep us apart? Just seems pretty intentional at this point. Every time we talk it's either because one of us, mainly me, is crying," she let out a shakey laugh. "Or you're unconscious." Annabeth could feel tears pricking at her eyes.

"I know we haven't known each other long, Hell, I don't even think I knew you existed until you ran into me in the woods, but I care about you. Alot. So please, hold on, I'm not ready to lose another person." A lump was forming in her throat. "Please don't leave me. I can't take it." The tears started falling and she couldn't stop it. "Don't go."

I know that this one is super short but I didn't know how to end it. Have a good day!