Percabeth Dirty One Shots and Drabbles

Roommate Agreement 9

Annabeth didn't bother to see Luke again after that. Being with him had confirmed what she'd already known but had been too afraid to acknowledge - she cared about Percy in a way that she'd never cared about anyone else in her life before. Maybe that was why she'd given being with Luke another chance, to see if Percy held a place in her heart. Maybe that's why she was standing in front of Sally Jackson's doorstep after ringing the doorbell, waiting for someone to answer the door. All she knew was that she had to tell him how she felt.

When the door opened, she was surprised to see Paul standing there, wearing a similarly surprised expression on his own face. "Annabeth?" he said.

"H-Hello," Annabeth said nervously. "Is Percy in there? I wanted to talk to him."

"He's not here right now," Paul said. "I think he's at work?"

Annabeth's face fell, and she said, "Oh. I guess I'll leave then."

But before she could turn away, Paul put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a kind smile. "Why don't you come inside and have some coffee? You look like you could use some."

Annabeth blinked a few times and stepped inside after him. She took a seat at the dining table, the same seat she'd taken when she'd come here a month and a half ago when she had dinner with Percy and his family. To Annabeth, the memory felt like it belonged to a different lifetime. She waited as Paul busied himself pouring them both two fresh cups of hot coffee. When he sat down, he handed her a cup and smiled again.

"How're you doing, Annabeth? It's been a while since I've seen you. Not since the dinner, I think," he said.

She looked down at her lap and played with her fingers. "I assume Percy told you everything that happened then?" she asked.

"Not the specifics," Paul admitted. "Just that he felt it was best that you both parted ways. He hasn't really talked about it much."

"I-I see."

"He's been preoccupied of late," Paul said tiredly, rubbing his forehead. "We've all been."

"It is a busy time of the year," Annabeth said.

Paul's eyes widened, and he sat up straighter. "Wait, Percy didn't tell you?" he asked.

"Tell me what?" Annabeth asked with a frown.

"Sally's health has taken a turn of the worse, I'm afraid," Paul said, offering her a strained smile. "The doctors have been keeping a close eye on her, running tests and everything. It seems pretty serious."

It felt someone had just hit her square in the chest with a metal rod, and Annabeth felt the air leave her lungs. "What?"

"It wasn't long after Percy arrived actually," Paul said. "She was cooking and suddenly fell unconscious. We called an ambulance immediately, thinking that she'd spend a night in the hospital, two at most, before she'd get discharged. But they ran some tests on her and decided it was best for her to stay there, where they could keep an eye on her. She's been there for over a month now."

"Do they know what's wrong with her?"

Paul was silent for a few seconds, and Annabeth felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. When he answered, he was only confirming what Annabeth had already guessed.

"They said she has brain tumors," Paul said, not meeting her eyes.

"Oh my god," Annabeth whispered.

"She's going through rounds of chemotherapy right now, and they're getting inconsistent results. Sometimes, she responds well to the treatment, and other times, not so much. They caught it early enough for it not to be terminal, but not early enough for there to be a surefire recovery," he continued.