Recovering (A Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Chapter Thirteen

Jason

Jason threw the door to the Big House open. He put his hands on his knees, panting. "S-So-Sorry I'm late," he gasped.

He heard laughter and lifted his head. Annabeth was giggling into her hand and Percy had a smile on his face. Leo was laughing hysterically.

Jason sent a quick glare towards Leo and smiled sheepishly at Percy and Annabeth. "What happened?" Leo asked him.
"I, uh, might have fallen asleep," Jason muttered. (A/N Classic Jason, falling asleep on the job.)

At this, Leo face palmed and shook his head, Annabeth no longer tried to contain her amusement, and Percy choked and winced over his laughter.

Annabeth gave him a worried glance but he provided a reassuring smile. Jason took his seat next to Leo. "So," Leo said, "Can I leave now that Jason has shown up for his shift?"

Annabeth reached over and smacked his head. "Geez," Leo screeched, "I just have some work to do on Festus." Jason rolled his eyes and relieved his flaming friend.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at Annabeth. She had bags under her eyes and she could barely keep them open. Percy didn't looked much better, but he had that expression he got when he woke up from a nightmare. His eyes were wide with alarm. But his other facial features drooped. He wouldn't be going to sleep anytime soon, Jason thought.

"Annabeth," he said, "why don't you go take a rest. I'll stay here with Percy. Have a little bro time."
"Yeah," Percy cut in, "you need sleep Wise Girl. I feel really bad that you always have to stay here with me."
"Don't," Annabeth smiled, "I haven't slept lately because of nightmares. It has nothing to do with you. I'm happy to stay here. And I get sleep during the day most of the time. But I suppose an extra nap won't do me any harm, right?" She asked, slightly unsure.
"No, you'll be fine," Percy said, "and you know where to find me if your not."

Annabeth looked between the two boys cautiously before rising from her chair and kissing Percy on the forehead. She squeezed Jason's shoulder on her way out. They've become really good friends.

"So," Jason said as the door shut behind the blonde, "how are you doing? No lies."

Percy sighed, then winced, then huffed angrily, then winced again. "Well," he began, sarcastically, "I can't breath too deeply without every nerve in my body lighting on fire, but you know, other than that, I'm fine."
"Sorry," Jason muttered, "what about....You know, your other issue."
"The nightmares?" Percy asked, cringing slightly, "Same as always. If it weren't for Annabeth, I'd be insane."
"So would she. But you guys have each other. That's all that matters."

Silence filled the room before Jason said, "What about movement? Or food?"
"Well, I have made a little progress I guess. I mean, I can't eat without help but I can eat. Soft stuff because my throat is as dry as sandpaper.
"And I can move my arms a little more. My legs are pretty much immobile though. A twitch here and there but that's about it."

Jason nodded with every word, because Percy was like his brother. And his brother was in pain. The weakest he'd ever been. And good news was rare. So, you had to cling to anything that wasn't completely horrible.

A/N Sorry if this was short and not very good. It was a filler chapter to kind of update you guys on his recovery. The next chapter will pick up a little bit.

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own, ANY PJO or HoO characters. Rick Riordan gets credit for them. Sadly.