𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐔𝐒──𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯

[ X. keep me alive ]

Zehra couldn't feel her right arm. She wasn't sure if it was there anymore, to be honest. But then again, she wasn't even sure if she was conscious at the moment. The world drifted in and out of her head. Flashes of color, snippets of conversation—it all felt like a bad fever dream. The only coherent feeling she could register was pain.

The girl felt like someone had leeched away all of her blood and then wrung out her body until all she felt was mind-numbing agony. She was already exhausted from the battle, but the poison from Ethan's blade must have corrupted her senses faster than she realized. Zehra was in a constant state of stirring awake due to the throbbing pain in her joints and then blacking out when she couldn't bear the sensation anymore. It was maddening.

God, Zehra wished she had been the one to bathe in the Styx. Then she wouldn't be stuck in this mess.

"Where—where are we?" Zehra rasped. Her throat felt like sandpaper.

"We're at the Plaza Hotel. Hold on, Zehra. Please, just hold on!" Zehra couldn't tell who was yelling in her face. Annabeth? Silena? Her eyes closed again before she could pinpoint the source.

Zehra was on the terrace of the hotel when she awoke again. The morning was clear and bright, perfect for picnicking or a morning run. But Zehra couldn't even admire the rising sun because she felt like she was degenerating into dust. Someone had draped her over an abandoned lounge chair. Sweat beaded down her forehead and a fluffy blanket covered her body but she was still shivering.

Silena Beauregard was wiping Zehra's forehead with a cool cloth. "You scared us so bad," she whispered to her half-sister.

Zehra blinked. Once. Twice. She still couldn't get her brain to stop reeling. "What?" She mumbled.

Silena pressed the back of her palm against Zehra's forehead, testing to see how warm she was. "You kept passing out, but the last time...you blacked out and didn't wake up for a while. You were breathing, but only barely. After losing Charlie..." Silena trailed off, but Zehra knew exactly what she was thinking.

None of them could handle another death right now.

Silena looked like she wanted to say more but the terrace door banged open loudly and two figures burst through. The first was a blonde boy Zehra immediately recognized as Will Solace from Apollo cabin. He had a nasty scrape on his cheek but otherwise looked fine. Beaten up and tired, but fine.

The second person was Percy Jackson. He didn't look too worse for wear thanks to the Styx and its gift to the boy, but his face told a different story. His skin was so pale he looked like he had spent a month in the underworld. His black hair was messier than usual as if he had been tearing his fingers through it and his eyes—his eyes were feral. The murderous glint in Percy's eyes made him look like he could strangle a titan with his bare hands and win.

Both boys rushed towards where Zehra was resting. When Percy's eyes met Zehra's, his gaze quickly softened. Any anger left in his face dissipated and his shoulders sagged. Zehra couldn't help but think about how terrified he looked. He was just a scared boy who was handed the entire weight of the world in the span of a couple of months. Zehra found herself wishing she could ease that burden off of him.

She quickly shook her head to clear those thoughts. Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid! She could not care about another person right now. Her heart was already spread too thin as it was.

Shame— Zehra's heart was too stubborn to listen anyways.

Will quickly unwrapped Zehra's bandages to examine the wound. One glance at the deep cut on her arm and Zehra thought she was going to faint. She swiftly averted her gaze, instead choosing to look at the other boy beside her.