Adrift (KotLC PJo Crossover)

✨ Chapter 21 ✨

Sophie

10:00 A.M.

Sophie opened her eyes to find herself in the camp infirmary. Midday sunlight streamed through the windows and landed right on her face. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, pushing down the stabs of pain.

"Thank the gods you're awake! I was getting bored." Annabeth sat on the cot next to her reading a book.

Sophie sat up, wincing when her head pounded with every heartbeat. She massaged her temples and asked, "What happened? I don't remember much from yesterday."

Annabeth tossed her book to the side. "Apparently, your mind almost broke. The Forkle guy came and fixed you then left."

Sophie blinked. "How did he know where I am? I tried reaching out to him telepathically, but I couldn't reach him."

Annabeth shifted on the cot, sitting on her hands. "Silveny brought him. He had already found you by the time Chiron and I had."

Sophie narrowed her eyes. Even without reading her mind, Annabeth was lying. "Mr. Forkle and Silveny aren't exactly best friends. She wouldn't go to someone for help that she didn't trust. " She thought back as far as she could. Her eyes wide end when she remembered the familiar colorful breezes. "It was Keefe! Where is he? Is he still here?" Sophie threw back her covers, trying to stand and wincing when her head pounded harder.

Annabeth tilted her head and frowned, like she was trying to remember something. "Keefe... isn't that your boyfriend you told me about? I didn't see any blonde hottie with Forkle, unless he's a vanisher and I couldn't see him. Maybe he left before we got there."

Sophie grabbed her head with one hand and sat back down. "Maybe I'm just delusional, but I could have sworn I remember him." Then she remembered something else. "Oh. The creature. I killed it, didn't I?" Tears pricked her eyes. "Did you figure out what it was?"

Annabeth studied her carefully. "Your mind isn't breaking?"

Sophie shook her head and swiped the tears away. "I'm not 100 percent sure what happened when the cracks healed, but I don't think my mind will break anymore. It's hard to explain. I saw in the creature's mind that it was experimented on, like the Gorgodons I told you about. It was being controlled. It was innocent. I thought I was a killer. The idea that I could do something so horrible to an innocent creature is what broke me. But I've come to terms with it. I've accepted it, and now, I think I'm mature enough to take a life when necessary."

"Wow." Annabeth breathed in. "I hate to say it, but fighting has always come more naturally to me. I guess the fact that monsters don't actually die helped with the guilt. Speaking of which, Chiron has an idea of what the creature was. He thinks it's a hybrid, which makes sense with what you saw in its head. The weird thing is, that Celestial Bronze doesn't kill it immediately, like it would on a monster. But after it died, it started decomposing into the usual yellow dust. So, I'm thinking it was part Hellhound, because that's what it largely resembles."

"Hmm," Sophie thought hard. "Oh! In its head, I saw a Gorgodon! They have wings and a tail like it did."

"So, the elves are making hybrids with monsters now?" Annabeth asked.

Sophie shook her head. "Not that I know of. But-" she was cut off by a loud SOPHIE! SOPHIE! SOPHIE! In her head.

Sophie put her fingers against her temples, beating down the waves of pain. What's wrong? Did something happen?