Annabeth and Me (A Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Coping

Sally

My grown up son is starting to be more trouble to take care of than his four-year-old. I thought as I went to check on Percy. So far tonight, I had thought he was having another heart attack, he had fallen out of his bed, and he had waken up from two nightmares, screaming.

"Percy?"

I heard labored breathing.

"Sweetie, can I come in? Are you okay?"

No answer. I went in, thinking that he must be asleep. He was lying still, but he was awake and panting. He must have been dehydrated, because he could barely lift his head to look at me.

I grabbed the water bottle that was stashed on his bedside table in case he had a nightmare.

"Come on, bud. Drink up."

I pressed the bottle to his lips, but he turned his head away from it. I tried again, hoping that he wasn't doing what I thought he was. He kept turning his head away. He's trying to die of thirst. No, I would not lose him. No Terminal Dehydration for you, Percy!

I grabbed his head and pushed him against the headboard. I put the bottle to his lips and tilted it until there was water n his mouth. He didn't swallow it. Dang it, Percy!

I put the bottle down and the water started to trickle out of Percy's mouth. He would never disobey me directly, but pretending that he couldn't swallow was not against his code of rules apparently.

I tipped his head up and rubbed my fingers down his throat to make him swallow. When he finally did, he fell back, spluttering. He had a pained expression like it had hurt him to swallow. He had probably been not drinking for a while, seeing as he hadn't had lunch or dinner. I had just thought he was upset.

"Percy, you will either drink this entire water bottle and more, or I will force feed it to you. Understand?"

"Okay," he rasped.  "I just thought..." he broke off coughing.

"I know honey, I know."

He started to drink. I went to get him more water and ran into Paul. "How's it going?" he asked. 

"He tried to get Terminal Dehydration, where you die of thirst. I'm worried about him. What will Jessica think? What would Annabeth think?"

"I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help with him?"

"I'm not sure, but I think we need to take care of Jess. I know it's not ideal with... you know who coming back. She's not going to be happy when she sees her brother like this. When are we going to tell Percy?" (A/N: You know who I'm talking about if you've read The Trials of Apollo.)

"Soon, it'll be okay. We'll find the right time."

"Paul, let me be honest with you. I think he needs to be alone. For maybe a year or two. We can have Poseidon watch him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Please don't reject it because you would have two kids in the house.

"I think it is necessary."

I let out a sigh of relief. "I think I know the perfect place to send him if he agrees, and I think he will because he has good memories of there and Poseidon would be able to watch him."

"Where?"