From Annabeth's POV

You're cute when you're worried

(Pg. 177-184, 187 of TLO)

Percy and I stayed shoulder to shoulder, facing opposite directions. Above us, Blackjack and Porkpie were swooping in, kicking our enemies in the helmets and flying away like very large kamikaze pigeons.

A flash of bronze glinted in front of my eyes. I turned, pointing my dagger at the offender, but his knife wasn't aimed at me.

It was for Percy.

Athena kids are best known for their wisdom and strategic thinking, even in dire times. But in that second, I didn't have a plan, I didn't have a strategy, heck, I didn't even know what I was doing. All I knew was that Percy was not going to get injured under my watch.

My legs propelled me in the air, leaping in front of the knife's trajectory. The flash of metal zoomed closer, and closer, and closer-

Pain.

I couldn't process anything but the pain ripping through my arm, tearing up my body. My thoughts went haywire, burning up in my mind. I tried sitting up, tried to help Percy, but I couldn't move. I was stuck in the neverending cycle of pain, and fear gripped my heart with an iron fist.

My head wouldn't turn, but I saw Percy slashing away in my peripheral. He swooped an arc around me, trying to protect me. No! I wanted to scream, but the words never formed. Please, just go! Tears stung my eyes, but I forced them back in. It would hurt too much to cry.

"Bravely fought, Percy Jackson," Kronos' voice rumbled through the grounds. "But it's time to surrender - or the girl dies."

"Percy, dont," I managed finally. Don't surrender, I thought. Didn't he realize I would die anyway? There was no point!

Suddenly, a gust of wind brushed over my face. Wings tickled my cheek, and teeth clamped on my armor. This is it. They're taking me up to Elysium. A smile spread across my face as I surrendered myself to winged angels.

~

My eyes opened in an unfamiliar room. My head could not turn, my perception limited. I was in some kind of lounge chair, strapped down with layers of blankets. People whizzed by, so I focused on their faces. Were they fellow campers who died in battle?

Will, Travis, Silena...wait. They hadn't died. Why are they here? My eyes whirled across the room. It was an infirmary. I wasn't in Elysium.

The shock hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm still alive? The realization was accompanied by an overwhelming sensation of pain. My arm burned, I shivered with the cold, my head throbbed...I wasn't in Elysium. I wasn't in Elysium....

I faintly heard Will saying something, and Silena leaving the room, but it was too much to process at once. My world went black.

~

I woke up in the same infirmary as before, but Will was now hovering over my arm. I turned in his direction, and his head shot up.

"You're awake! Thank the gods!"

I smiled weakly.

"Annabeth, that was very very stupid of you. The dagger had poison on it...you were a few minutes away from dying." I frowned. I wanted to scream at him, to tell him it would be worth it even if I died, to tell him I was protecting Percy...

Percy.

He was right there in front of me. Silena must have brought him in when she left the room. His green eyes pooled with worry, and a frown etched his pale face.

"Annabeth..." he began, but choked up.

"Poison on the dagger," I mumbled. "Pretty stupid of me, huh?"

Will Solace exhaled deeply. "It's not so bad, Annabeth. A few more minutes and we would've been in trouble, but the venom hasn't gone past the shoulder yet. Just lie still. Somebody hand me some nectar."

Percy sprung up and handed him one. Then he knelt next to my lounge chair, holding my hand. Will poured the nectar over my arm, and it burned. I gripped Percy's hand tighter and tighter as the pain increased. "Ow, ow, ow!" Silena muttered some words of encouragement in the corner.

~Time Skip~

Once everyone was gone, Percy felt my forehead, his hand freezing against my scalding skin. His hair stuck up in every direction, and his eyebrows were knotted together. It was cute.

"You're cute when you're worried. You're eyebrows get all scrunched together."

"You are not going to die when I owe you a favor. Why did you take that knife?"

"You would've done the same for me." It was true, and both of us knew it.

His face softened. "How did you know?"

"Know what?" I asked.

Percy scanned the room quickly, probably seeing if anyone was there. Nobody was. He leaned in close, and his breath tickled my ear. Not now Annabeth. He whispered, "My Achilles spot. If you hadn't taken that knife, I wouldve died."

I looked away, trying to think. Why did I take that knife? I knew he took a dip in the River Styx, I knew about his invincibility, and I didn't know where his weakness lay. So why did I? The irony didn't pass me: an Athena kid not knowing why something was.

"I don't know, Percy. I just had this feeling you were in danger." I hesitated. My next question might be too intrusive. Then again, I would've told Percy if our roles were reversed. "Where - where is this spot?"

His voice got quiet again. "The small of my back."

"Where? Here?" I lifted my hand to his back, feeling the heat radiating from his skin. He held my wrist and moved it down to the one spot that grounded him to his mortal life. The surge of power ricocheted off my hand.

"You saved me," he said. "Thanks."

I removed my hand, but he kept holding it.

"So you owe me," I said. "What else is new?"