Never Change

Chapter 24

Percy groggily opened his eyes to see a luscious blonde mane of hair blocking his vision. He blinked.

"A-Annabeth? Wise Girl?"

He was so sure that it was her... he reached out with his hand, desperate, willing to do anything to see her face again... those beautiful, stormy gray eyes, and that smile that lit up his day... It was her, wasn't it? He had to see her-

He managed to nearly get himself out of the bed, but the pain in his abdomen forced him back down, along with a hand that wasn't his own.

"No, silly, it's Yang," she playfully winked at him, although he could see the worry hidden in her lilac eyes.

He swallowed, heart inside his throat. Of course. She was gone... like the rest of them. Percy averted his eyes, grimacing at the thought.

"You need to rest, Percy," she chastised him gently.

"I'm fine-"

"Perseus? Are you feeling alright?"

Percy's head turned to his left as he saw Ironwood looking worried.

"Yeah... What happened? Why did I faint? That shouldn't have happened..."

The doctor from Beacon, Tsune, he recalled, who hadn't spoken a word until now, sighed, "You were quite literally burning up from the inside."

He must have overexerted himself after not using his powers for so long, he realized.

"Don't you have amb-" Percy cut himself off abruptly, realizing that they didn't have ambrosia or nectar here. As to why he had been burning up from the inside... that probably had something to do with all the power he had used yesterday.

"We are currently in the medical bay in my private ship," Ironwood explained helpfully, "Beacon's infirmary was destroyed, and if we went to Vale's hospital, the people would crowd outside like a mob. Of course, there are some who see Atlas taking Vale's hero for themselves."

Of course they would. The sheer stupidity of people never ceased to amaze him. Percy nodded, taking his answer.

"The CCT? Is it-"

"Yes. It's been a day since the attack, and the virus has been purged. Vale's CCT is up and running. I was waiting for you to wake up so you could tell me who was at the attack as well."

"Yo boss, glad to see ya back up," Mercury sauntered into the room escorted by Qrow, getting dirty looks from Ironwood and Yang at the former.

"The others are still eating, they'll be here soon," he elaborated.

Percy rolled his eyes, already having gotten a feel for Mercury's personality.

"Cinder Fall, Adam Taurus, someone named Tyrian... there was a giant man, but I don't know what his name was... and there was Emerald, Emerald Sustrai."

The General's face was set in a grim line, "The Tyrian you speak of, would he happen to be a scorpion faunus? Yellow eyes, brown hair?"

Percy nodded in affirmation.

Ironwood sighed, "Tyrian Callows, a dangerous serial killer is on the loose. Arthur Watts, a disgraced Atlesian scientist was found there as well, along with a now deceased Roman Torchwick and an unidentified associate of his."

"Wait. Kid, the giant you spoke of, did he have brown hair, hazel eyes?" Qrow was the one who spoke, the man's red eyes wide.

Percy nodded in affirmation, "He was the one who killed Ozpin."

"Damnit," Qrow clenched his fist, "Hazel Rainart. Former professor at Beacon. I knew him, we were third years when he left and joined Salem. Ozpin let his sister into the academy a year early under a different last name. Details aren't important, but she ended up dying on a mission. He wanted revenge."