Soon You'll Get Better

55.

55.

Never Replaced

-⁛-

Annabeth POV

It was late afternoon, almost 3, when I received the phone call from Sally.

"I have to take this," I informed Silena. "It's Percy."

"Tell your boyfriend to wait," Luke said, sounding annoyed.

We were currently planning Percy's birthday party which was later today.

Yes, you got it right. It was August 18th. Percy's 18th birthday.

I ignored Luke and stepped out of the hallway to take the call. "Hello, Sally. Is everything okay?"

I was met with a moment of silence.

And when Sally spoke, her voice was thick, indicating that she had been crying.

"It's over, Annabeth."

"What's over?" I asked, immediately panicking. "Sally, what's wrong?"

More silence.

"Percy had a reaction to the trial medication this morning. They're sending him home."

I felt as if time had stopped. I could feel my heart beating painfully in my chest, my throat constricting, my eyes filling with tears.

"What kind of reaction?"

No. That wasn't the right question.

"Is Percy okay?"

That wasn't right either.

There were so many questions and I suddenly felt too nauseous to speak.

"I'm just going to come over."

"Okay," Sally whispered.

I hung up, my phone crashing to the ground.

This couldn't be happening.

Not here. Not now.

Definitely not on his birthday.

The fates must really hate him.

I stood there; I didn't know for how long. It seemed as if the world was ending. Maybe it was. The building could have collapsed for all I knew. But I couldn't move.

I soon realized that I needed to recollect myself. Now wasn't the time or place.

I stood up, picking up my phone.

"What's wrong?" Silena asked.

Everyone had come over. Even the kids.

"Well that was some conversation," Luke stated.

"I have to go," I muttered, picking up my stuff.

"What happened?" Piper asked.

I shook my head and left the room without a second glance.

I felt like I was somewhere else, like I wasn't here.

Percy had a reaction to the medicine.

Percy was no longer receiving the medicine.

Percy's tumor was now growing at an unprecedented rate.

So what happens now?

I pulled up at Percy's house and headed inside.

Sally rose from the couch and embraced me. She was crying, but she mustered up a smile for me.

Estelle was watching the TV and didn't seem to know what was going on. She knew that her brother was home. She didn't know why, but she was smart enough to figure out why her mother was crying.