For the Rest of Our Lives

Chapter 7

Hello! My power is going to go out soon so I don't know how that will effect updates, but please enjoy!

Creds to RR except for OCs

Percy's POV

When Percy got to the end of the cave, a bright light illuminated the dark behind him, but he didn't dare look back. Annabeth was now passed out in his arms. Her breaths were few and far apart. He needed to get her help as soon as possible.

He slipped through the entrance of the cave, holding Annabeth tightly against him so they could both fit. He felt his ability to control the water come back, but only a little. It was enough for him to use it to help propel him and her up to the surface by their boat.

In the light of the now setting sun, he could see how much worse she actually looked. Her cheek was bruised and her upper lip was busted. She had a gash that went from her eyebrow across her forehead up to her hairline that was openly bleeding. Gods, that was just her face too.

He pushed her up onto the boat before jumping aboard himself. He moved her to the row of cushioned seats on the side of the boat and laid her down. He willed her dry and laid multiple blankets down on top of her in an attempt to stop her shivering. He would've done basic bandaging then, but he needed to get them out of the area first.

He wasted no time in starting the boat up and turning around. He drove it as fast as he could without making it too bumpy for Annabeth's sake. The quick setting sun didn't make him feel better. Once the sun was down, it would be a lot harder to navigate. It would be harder to see the land to his right.

With the little bit of sun left and the mist from the ocean, he decided to Iris Message camp. He decided on Grover. He was one of the only people who could make him feel better in rushing times. The other was Annabeth, who couldn't offer much right now.

He dug around his bag until he found a drachma. He twisted it around in his hand for a moment before tossing it into the sea mist that was spraying up from the side of the boat. "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering." When it started to shimmer, he said "Grover Underwood, Camp Half Blood."

The image glowed until it showed Grover with his four-year-old dryad daughter, Fauna. He didn't see Juniper in the picture. Fauna was running around in circles around him without much purpose except for her own joy. Grover sat criss-cross in the grass surrounded by ferns and tall grass. He now had a full rack of horns that curled up and around his head.

She kept squealing and laughing hysterically—at what he didn't know. "Calm down, my κόρη," Grover sighed. He jumped a bit when he saw Percy in the Iris message in front of him. "Oh, hey, Perce."

"Hey, G-man," he said. "I've got Annabeth."

Grover released a breath dramatically. "Thank Zeus. How is she?"

"Uh, not good."

"How bad?"

He glanced over at Annabeth. She was still asleep, but shivering profusely. Her breathing was shaky and irregular. He frowned further than he already was. "Probably a bad case of Pneumonia, a concussion, broken ribs, a few torn muscles, chemical burns, dehydration, cancer—"

"What?!" Grover exclaimed.

Styx. They probably should have told Grover. Really, they didn't want to tell anyone. But him telling Piper Grace about her having cancer was a spur of the moment and anger. And with his empathy link with Grover—Percy and Annabeth should have told him.

The thing was, Piper was exceedingly good at telling people's emotions. She read expressions too well and could understand tone better than anyone else he ever knew. Piper had picked it up herself. Grover had an empathy link with him. He could feel Percy's emotions when he wanted to, needed to, or when they were too much for him. And Grover had been both of their best friends since forever. Percy wouldn't tell anyone who wasn't very close to them. But he knew Annabeth wouldn't mind Piper, and she certainly wouldn't mind Grover. Plus, it was too late for him to turn back now.