𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲.

Almost got caught by death

"Percy will be here soon Lil, he's bringing help." Silena cried softly. Lilia was a bit more aware of her surrounding now, but her vision was still blurred and her body was trembling.

"Here." Connor said grabbing a blanket and wrapping it round her shoulders.

She smiled weakly.

Not too long after they heard commotion inside, they turned to see Percy storming through the doors a look of terror struck his face as her spotted her.

Celia and Will were at his feet both teary eyed.

"Cee!" Connor said with relief, from where he leant on the door frame, she fell against him and they embraced each other in a hug.

Lilia watched, even in her state of pain and confusion she could feel their energy, they were radiating of each others more than they ever had before, (She can do that by the way, sense peoples emotions!) her two friends let go of eachother and looked toward Lilia.

She was pale, her face beaded with sweat, and even now she was wrapped in a blanket she shivered violently.

Will and Celia instantly sprung into action, unwrapping the messy bandage the Stolls had given her. They all grimaced, the bleeding had stopped but the gash looked deep. The skin around the cut was a horrible shade of green.

"Lili..." Percy chocked up.

"Poison on the dagger." She mumbled. "Pretty stupid of me, huh?"

Will Solace exhaled with relief. "It's not so bad, Lili. A few more minutes and we would've been in trouble, but the venom hasn't gotten past the shoulder yet. Just lie still. Somebody hand me some nectar."

Celia grabbed a canteen. Will cleaned out the wound with the godly drink while Percy held Lilia's hand.

"Ow," she said. "Ow, ow!" She gripped his fingers so tight they turned purple, but she stayed still, like Will asked.

Celia stroked her hair gently and Silena muttered words of encouragement. Will put some silver paste over the wound and hummed words in Ancient Greek—a hymn to Apollo. Then he applied fresh bandages and stood up shakily. The healing must've taken a lot of his energy. He looked almost as pale as Lilia.

"That should do it," he said. "But we're going to need some mortal supplies."

He grabbed a piece of hotel stationery, jotted down some notes, and handed it to Lilia's brother Joel.
"There's a Duane Reade on Fifth. Normally I would never steal-"

"I would," Travis volunteered.

Will glared at him. "Leave cash or drachmas to pay, whatever you've got, but this is an emergency.
I've got a feeling we're going to have a lot more people to treat."

Nobody disagreed. There was hardly a single demigod who hadn't already been wounded ... except Percy.

"Come on, guys," Travis Stoll said. "Let's give Lilia some space. We've got a drugstore to raid ... I mean, visit."

The demigods shuffled back inside. Jake Mason grabbed Percy's shoulder as he was leaving. "We'll talk later, but it's under control. I'm using Annabeth's shield to keep an eye on things. The enemy withdrew at sunrise; not sure why. We've got a lookout at each bridge and tunnel."

"Thanks, man," Percy said.

He nodded. "Just take your time."

He closed the terrace doors behind him, leaving Silena, Lilia, and Percy alone.

Silena pressed a cool cloth to her little sisters forehead. "This is all my fault."

"No," Lilia said weakly. "Lena, how is it your fault?"