Keeper Of Their Hearts (EG/PJO) - Book One

XXIX. I Dislike The New Reality

I woke up with a straw in my mouth, as I sipped something that tasted good - too good.

Nectar.

It must be nectar then, I thought to myself.

My eyes opened.

I winced from the lights, taking time to adjust before I realized where I was. The infirmary of the Big House. My camp shirt was laid out and folded next to my bed. There were bandages around my torso and a dull pain in my back.

There were a few people in the room. Argus, the security guard, stood guard in the corner. Chiron was in the doorway looking very concerned. Percy was lying out on another bed in a similar state with both hands bandaged. Holding my glass of nectar and dabbing a washcloth across my head was Alabaster, and doing the same for Percy was Annabeth.

I felt like I had been struck with a damn sledgehammer, and my memory was a little bit fuzzy when I woke up.

"Ugh.. what happened..?" I muttered. "I feel like someone rattled my insides.."

"You were stung by a pit scorpion, a monster from Tartarus.. Percy was too, though he killed both scorpions.. you're both lucky that Katie and Annabeth got to you both and got here to the infirmary.. otherwise you both would have died in a minute.." Alabaster said, and that's when everything clears up.

The memories come flooding back.

Blake's confession.

The revelation of why he had worked for Kronos.

Blake Richard Posey was a traitor.

God, that fucking asshole. When I get my hands on him..

I shook off those thoughts. I was too weak currently to be thinking about thoughts of revenge. Hell, I could barely move my own head without using quite a bit of effort to do so.

"Do they know? About what happened?" I wheezed.

"Oh they know.." Alabaster said calmly, even though his eyes looked like he was still having a hard time processing things. "..they heard everything."

"Who else knows about what happened?" I asked him. Alabaster sighed in resignation, and I knew I wasn't going to like the answer.

"Chiron.. the other camp counselors.. they all know.. they held an emergency cabin counselor meeting as soon as you two were stabilized.. Luke took it the hardest of all.. Annabeth had to calm him down, he broke down so hard.." Alabaster muttered, and I felt bad for Luke. I really did.

"He really hasn't been himself ever since he found out what had happened on our quest.." Alabaster continued. "..and tonight just made it worse. He blames himself for all of this. Especially more so since they made him Blake's replacement as head counselor of the Hermes Cabin now."

Poor Luke. That man was suffering a lot.

Then, it hit me. Katie had heard everything.. oh no. A look of fear crept onto my face. That was bad.. gods, I hope she didn't really take it badly.

"How.. did.. Katie.. take it?" I asked hesitantly. The response to said question was both heartbreaking and confusing honestly. To be fair, I definitely regretted asking that question honestly.

"She's in hysterics. Adagio and Sunset are somehow the only two able to get her calmed down partially as of now.. but all she wants right now is you, honestly.. to be fair, they all want you. Adagio and Sunset didn't really take the news about what had happened all too well either.." Alabaster muttered, and I was stunned.

As expected, I wasn't that lucky at all. Of course, every fucking time. I wasn't that lucky.

On the one hand, I felt absolutely bad for her. She had to witness her whole world get shattered by the revelation that Blake was the one who had betrayed camp and nearly gotten me and Percy killed.. again. That Blake was the one who had summoned the hellhound that nearly killed me and Percy that night after Capture The Flag.